Today's daily news update.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson has signed into law a measure to regulate the use of short-term lodging in the city. Johnson approved the law following a brief public hearing Thu., Dec. 3. The Common Council unanimously approved the resolution on November 17. “This is an important step for the community,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of misconceptions about this law. Owner-occupied... [short-term rentals] are still allowed and this law also helps their businesses. The council has been crafting this law for over two years and passed it unanimously.” Short-term rentals are now permitted in the city of Hudson if a resident of the city operates up to three units on the same parcel where the resident lives. A person who owns a residence in Hudson and lives there at least 50 days of the year may operate it as a short-term rental unit for a maximum of 60 days per calendar year. A building or unit that is not permitted to operate as a short-term rental, but was entitled to do so before the law was adopted and was operating as a short-term rental prior to March 6 and paid a lodging tax for the period ending May 31, may continue to operate for a year from the law's effective date. The Zoning Board of Appeals will also have the option to give a short-term rental owner an extension to continue operating for up to three years after the law is enacted if certain conditions are met. Note: Johnson is a WGXC on-air volunteer programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Parry Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper Jack Mabb, director of the Columbia County Department of Health, said this week the county has been told to begin preparations for administering a COVID-19 vaccine under Tier 1 of the planned roll-out. Tier 1 vaccine doses will be administered to healthcare workers and other essential personnel, among others. Senior citizens in nursing homes will receive their Tier 1 vaccine doses from CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, Mabb said. Nursing students from Columbia-Greene Community College have been enlisted in the effort. The vaccines likely to be distributed first are one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, and a different vaccine by Moderna. Both must be shipped and stored at extremely low temperatures; they lose their effectiveness after three days in conventional refrigeration. Both vaccines require two injections with two weeks in between. Mabb said there has been a spike in new cases, which he and other public health officials believe is an indicator of a surge in the illness from travel and lack of precautions during the Thanksgiving holiday. And, he said, as winter weather has begun to arrive, “people are getting sicker.” Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh recently met with representatives from the New York State Thruway Authority and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office to discuss the possibility of adding a new restricted exit off the tollway leading to the industrial area in the hamlet. The purpose would be to reduce the amount of truck traffic traversing the town and village, by giving trucks direct access to the Thruway rather than driving local roads. McHugh told the town board at its November meeting, “[State officials] don’t disagree — they actually agree with it. They also think it’s a proactive approach, especially given what’s going on down at the port and the industrial park with the offshore wind project, and that it’s only going to get worse.” Large industrial projects are completed at businesses at the Port of Coeymans, such as a pair of large offshore wind projects, an 816-megawatt Empire Wind project and an 880-megawatt Sunrise Wind project. The town and state are working together to compile the documentation needed requesting a new exit before an application is submitted through the Thruway Authority to the federal government. Read more in The Ravena News-Herald.

Today's daily news update.

Click above to download or play today's "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

HudsonValley360.com reports that Catskill, Coxsackie, and Cairo-Durham schools all reported COVID-19 cases in the past week, with Catskill and Cairo-Durham schools halting some in-person learning through Dec. 7. In all, Greenville Central School District has reported eight coronavirus cases, and Hunter-Tannersville has had three. Cairo-Durham has reported four positive tests, although the state Department of Health says there have been five cases there. Coxsackie-Athens’ has had three cases, and Catskill has reported four COVID-19 cases. Windham-Ashland-Jewett has not reported any COVID-19 cases so far. Outside of schools, the Capital Region coronavirus hospitalizations hit record high Dec. 3, and five more Albany County residents died from coronavirus. Albany County announced 137 new cases on Dec. 3, and Rensselaer County reported a daily record high with 72 COVID cases. Columbia County announced seven new COVID-19 cases Dec. 3, and there were 13 more cases announced in Greene County. Dutchess County reported 70 new cases. Ulster County announced 67 more cases on Dec. 3, and over 1,000 active cases for only the second time. The last time there were this many coronavirus cases in Ulster County was April 26. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said it is, "the single worst 48-hour period since the beginning of the pandemic by pretty much all measures."

Winter Walk organizers at Hudson Hall, Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb, and Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson December 3, announced the fireworks planned for Sat., Dec. 5, have been postponed until 2021. All other activities for Winter Walk will proceed as scheduled, according to a press release. “Fireworks at Winter Walk have always been something that draws people to city streets. The combination of the shops and restaurants being open coupled with the fireworks made us concerned about the prospects of large gatherings of people and the possible spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Mabb said. “Our department has already seen a bump up in positives as a result of Thanksgiving." Hudson Hall Executive Director Tamara Dillon expressed respect for the Department of Health's recommendation and affirmed Hudson Hall's willingness to work with the city "to ensure the safety of our community." On December 2, Mabb condemned the decision to hold the annual gathering, calling it a potential super-spreader event. "Contact tracing would be impossible in this situation. I would really discourage this event from happening,” Mabb said. Winter Walk will go on including holiday lights, decorated shop windows, Santa’s Village, holiday shopping and more, but without any mass gathering events or street closures. Read more at hudsonhall [dot] org.

Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Thu., Dec. 3, signed legislation to ban toxic PFAS compounds from food packaging. The compounds are commonly found in items ranging from pizza boxes to milk cartons and pastry bags, as well as wrappings for meat and fish. The measure was sponsored by Assembly Democrat Patricia Fahy of Albany, and Manhattan Democrat, state Sen. Brad Hoylman. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, is a dangerous and cancer-causing class of chemicals. They have drawn public scrutiny in recent years after the chemicals turned up in various municipal water supplies. The so-called forever chemicals come from manufacturing, such as the case in Hoosick Falls or from firefighting foam used in fire drills, in Cairo. They can remain in a person’s bloodstream for long periods of time. With the passage of the bill, New York joins Maine and Washington states in banning PFAS from food containers. The bill signing comes on the heels of Cuomo's approval of legislation to ban the incineration of firefighting foam that contains the chemical at the Norlite aggregate plant in Cohoes. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has been elected to lead the campaign arm of the House Democrats. In choosing the Cold Spring Democrat, the party is turning to a lawmaker elected from a northern suburban district in New York who unseated a Republican in 2012 and has held the seat since. "I’m honored and humbled to earn the trust of my colleagues to lead the @DCCC at this pivotal moment in history," Maloney said in a statement posted to Twitter. "Now, it’s time for House Democrats to unite and go forward together. We need a unified front to win in 2022. We will protect this majority... for the people." This year, Republican candidates were able to pickup Congressional seats and the party could face further challenges in the 2022 elections. Maloney is an experienced fundraiser, representing a district not far from New York City, home to prominent Democratic donors. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Hudson Youth Department is going fully virtual for the rest of 2020 as part of an effort to reassess the spread of COVID-19 in the city. “I guess we wanted to be as cautious as possible in moving forward and we don’t have all the tools that the school district and other organizations have to be able to monitor when somebody’s on quarantine or not on quarantine, so we just wanted to take a position that’s taking the safety of our youth and our staff and our community as priority,” Youth Director Nick Zachos said. National statistics show people of color and those experiencing poverty are most adversely affected by the virus, he said. “That’s a high percentage of the population that we serve,” Zachos said. The Youth Department's virtual program will begin the week of December 7, he said. Programming will have similar hours to the in-person schedules. In terms of budget savings, it’s too early to tell, but there may be some. The decision to move online will inevitably impact child care and was not made lightly, Zachos said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman a $5.8 million proposition to build a new Woodstock Library appears to have been defeated by just 11 votes. With all votes tabulated, the final tally is 2,134 opposed to 2,123 in favor. Library board President Dorothea Marcus said December 2, she and fellow trustees are waiting for information from the county Board of Elections before considering whether to request a recount. At the end of Election Day, the proposition trailed by 78 votes. When the counting of mail-in ballots was complete on November 18, the gap was reduced to 34 votes. The inclusion of 113 disputed ballots resulted in the final 11-vote margin. The proposition called for replacing the current library with a 13,404-square-foot, two-story structure intended to increase storage, display and meeting space, and allow for upgraded technology. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Andrea Macko at Porcupine Soup reports that the construction on a bridge that has caused a detour on Main Street in Cairo is continuing longer than expected. Construction on the County Route 23B bridge over the Shingle Kill began in August, and was supposed to be finished by November. “COVID and reduced production problems have caused necessary parts to be delayed and so is the opening of the bridge to traffic,” Cairo-based Greene County Legislator William Lawrence said. Lawrence can't say when the bridge will reopen, and both sides of Cairo's Main Street will be directly accessible without a detour. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the State Police this year ramped up its enforcement of vehicle and traffic safety in construction zones, issuing hundreds more tickets for speeding, seatbelt, and cellphone violations. "Building and maintaining a 21st century transportation system cannot be done without the work performed by highway construction workers and it's imperative we do all we can to make their jobs as safe as possible," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. New York State Police issued 1,779 tickets during the Operation Hardhat campaign, an increase from 1,048 tickets the previous year. The push ran from July to November; tickets ranged from speeding to seatbelt usage as well as failing to move over or obey a flagger. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Click above to download or play today's "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

The COVID-19 case counts continue to grow larger locally. Albany County announced two new records Dec. 2, with 167 new coronavirus cases and 84 residents hospitalized. Rensselaer County reported on Dec. 2 51 new COVID-19 cases including four RPI faculty. Columbia County announced 22 new COVID-19 cases, while Greene County did not post any update with any information on Dec. 2. The number of active positive cases in Ulster County rose 127 percent in the last two weeks. The good news was that Gov. Andrew Cuomo promises the first vaccines in New York Dec. 15. Cuomo says New York is receiving 170,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to start inoculating health care workers. By the end of the month, New York expects to receive additional doses of the Moderna vaccine, which can be stored in an ordinary freezer, as well as more of Pfizer’s. The elderly will be next in line for the vaccine, and it is likely that it won't be until the spring before the rest of the public receives the vaccine.

Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb has condemned plans for Hudson's annual Winter Walk on Sat., Dec. 5, calling it a potential COVID-19 super-spreader event. “If I tell you I’m having a birthday party and I’m expecting 50 visitors, when in fact I’m expecting hundreds, does that make it okay? No,” Mabb said. His comments were included in Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chair Matt Murrell's daily press release. Under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s executive order, a 50-person limit has been imposed on all public gatherings. Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House, the longtime promoter of Winter Walk, is advertising events on Saturday as late-night shopping, Sax O’Claus, Santa’s Village, and fireworks. Other events are scheduled to take place through December 24. “What is being outlined by the Opera House is essentially Winter Walk,” said Mabb, noting that he has attended the holiday extravaganza many times over the years. “This has an opportunity to be a significant COVID-19 spreader. Contact tracing would be impossible in this situation. I would really discourage this event from happening,” Mabb said. He added that Albany County is currently “over three percent and a day or so away from the yellow zone,” which calls for more stringent measures. “There are consequences. If we’re not careful, we will return to the days of shutting down gyms, hairdressers, indoor dining, and the like,” Mabb said. Read the full press release at columbiacountny [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media opponents of a proposed housing development on Strong Road in Durham are making their objections known, posting signs and producing a petition enumerating their concerns about the project. Several people also spoke against the project at a December 1, meeting of the Durham Town Board after the project developers supplied preliminary sketches of the plan. Bosque Development, LLC, is proposing a residential and farm project that would be sited on 95 acres on two parcels of land near Cornwallville and Strong roads. The project would subdivide two lots into 13; 12 would be residential, varying in size from three to 10 acres each. There would be 12 single-family homes "consistent with the character of Cornwallville’s historic district and community," a Bosque representative said. The farm parcel would be located on a separate five-acre site. Cornwallville resident Dan Clifton said, “It is a big project and it will have a big impact. It will turn a rural landscape into a suburban subdivision that directly contradicts the essence of the Cornwallville historic district.” He also called upon the town board to complete a full environmental assessment, not the short-form submitted in the developer’s preliminary sketch plan. Resident Abigail Agranat said she also believes the project will change the nature of the community. Resident Stephen Ellwood disputed the developer's historic district study claiming there are no homes in the area eligible for listing on the National Historic Register, and resident Melanie Wesslock is concerned about the size of the project. The community is opposed to the project, Clifton said. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.