Today's daily news update.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker reports in the Daily Freeman that Ulster County Sheriff’s Office disciplinary records for 2019 and 2020 show 20 separate incidents ranging from harassment to insubordination by corrections officers, deputies, and other employees. “I think 20 in almost three years is a lot,” Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said. “It shows that when people make complaints that we look at it. … These aren’t any egregious complaints but nonetheless they are complaints. … These things happen in every organization.” In one incident, former deputy Daniel Kopec allegedly used an agency-issued baton and firearm to threaten an unnamed guest at his home on Dec. 9, 2019, after drinking alcohol at a party he hosted. “He resigned because he probably was going to get fired,” Figueroa said. In 2020 Deputy Anthony Scarselli was investigated for another off-duty incident: allegedly harassing a neighbor and “overstepping his bounds,” Figueroa said. Scarselli was docked three vacation days for intimidating his neighbors who were setting off legal fireworks. On the clock, Deputy Brian Woltmann was found to have used “excessive force” while detaining a suspect, and deputies Michael Rizzo and John Maguire demonstrated “unprofessional behavior.” Rizzo was recorded on video saying, “Why don’t you take her over to Poughkeepsie and throw her off the [bridge]” and Maguire was recorded saying, “Drop her off on the side of the road for all I care.” Also, corrections officer Carel Soltys was accused of “unnecessary/excessive force and other potential policy violations” against an inmate. And Robin Anderson was found to have violated policy by allowing the inmate a phone call and not handcuffing him to a bed. Corrections Officer Jarrett Speenburgh was issued a warning for a pattern of “unprofessional/inappropriate comments.” There were other incidents. Figueroa said he uses “progressive discipline” to address most disciplinary problems. “If you violate one of the policies it gets documented, evaluated and trained, but if it happens again it gets more severe … if it happens another time you’re probably going to get terminated depending on the severity of the case,” he said. “… Training is key because you can refer to that when anything happens. Is that how you were trained to do it? No, it’s not. And looking at your record and what you did in the past now there’s a more heftier penalty, which could include termination.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Scott Myers, known locally as a critic of the building of a new Greene County Jail, was found murdered in Catskill on Nov. 27. State Police charged Carrie E. Weiser, 32, of Catskill with second-degree murder, and she was sent to the new Greene County Jail building. Myers posted often on social media about the costs to taxpayers of the new Greene County Jail, also speaking at meetings and on local radio, and writing letters to newspapers. In 2019 the Register Star reported that the "Catskill resident and staunch anti-jail advocate Scott Myers filed a lawsuit ... involving the construction of a new Greene County Jail." Here is Myers speaking to the Greene County Legislature in 2018 about the jail proposal. Click here to play brief excerpt. Police said Myers and Weiser knew each other, but released few other details. This is the third murder in Greene County this year, while there had not been a murder in the county since 2018. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Massarah Mikati reports in the Times Union that Albany County announced another new COVID-19-related death on Nov. 29, as case counts and hospitalizations rise to las winter's levels. There were 75 more coronavirus cases announced Nov. 29 in Albany County, and 53 county residents hospitalized due to COVID-19. "The alarming trend of increasing hospitalizations continues today, exceeding the levels last seen at the end of February," Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said. "Between what we’re seeing here locally and the news that the Omicron variant has been detected in a growing list of countries around the world, including Canada, it’s critical that we all remain vigilant and take the proper precautions we know are effective." Albany County has not had this many hospitalizations since Feb. 25. McCoy said last week that an indoor mask mandate in Albany County may come if case counts surge after Thanksgiving. "If it is really at the point where we're in the critical zone, yeah, you'll see me some time next week," McCoy said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

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Dwayne Kroohs reports in the Daily Freeman that rising COVID-19 cases counts and the emergence of the Omicron variant led Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan to declare a state of emergency on Nov. 28. The declaration will speed efforts in Ulster County to get testing supplies for local schools, businesses, and families; bolster available public health and medical staff resources; and, if necessary, to redeploy the workforce to support testing, contact tracing, and vaccination efforts. “With COVID cases and hospitalizations surging, and the emergence of a new and potentially more dangerous variant, we must step up our efforts to ensure the health and safety of all of our residents,” Ryan said in the release. “Informed by real-time data and the advice of our team of public health experts, this emergency order is an important step to allow the County to respond rapidly and effectively in order to combat the virus." Active cases of COVID-19 have tripled in Ulster County in November. On Nov. 26, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order so hospitals can postpone elective hospital surgeries where they are at or below 10 percent of available staffed bed capacity. Coronavirus case counts in the Hudson Valley were already rapidly returning to last winter's levels before the news of the Omicron variant was announced on Thanksgiving. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Chris Bragg is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul November 24, issued a press release stating she was signing a bill amending New York’s legislative redistricting process. Republicans and Conservatives cited the bill signing as an example of Hochul favoring a Democratic takeover of the redistricting process. Conservatives immediately responded, with U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor in 2022, saying that, "despite the people of New York voting a resounding 'no' earlier this month on a constitutional amendment, which would have allowed legislative majorities to redistrict, Kathy Hochul circumvented New York voters by signing into law legislation to do just that.” However, Jeffrey M. Wice, a redistricting expert and adjunct professor at New York Law School, said the change simply clarifies a 2014 constitutional amendment that was passed by voters, and which is governing a brand new redistricting process this year. For the first time, district lines are to be drawn by a 10-member, bipartisan commission, and not necessarily by the majority parties in the state Legislature. But the 2014 constitutional amendment, Wice said, was unclear about what would happen if the 10 members gridlocked, and failed to take any vote on proposed lines. The 10-person commission now faces a January deadline to come to a consensus on a proposed plan, an outcome that's far from certain. In her message announcing the new law, Hochul wrote that the Democrat-sponsored bill served to clarify an oversight in the 2014 constitutional amendment. But if the commission deadlocks and cannot get at least seven votes in favor of a plan, line-drawing would fall to state lawmakers. For the first time in decades, Democrats control both houses of the Legislature, as well as the governor’s office. As a result, lines drawn by a Democratic Legislature could further imperil the Republican Party in New York. Read more in the Times Union.

Sarah Trafton is reporting for Porcupine Soup that volunteers from Community Action and Matthew 25 Food Pantry in Catskill fed approximately 250 families this Thanksgiving. Matthew 25 Founder Patti Dushane purchased 100 turkeys from Hannaford for her Thanksgiving baskets this year. Those baskets were distributed from the food pantry on November 20. The baskets came with the ingredients for families to cook a Thanksgiving meal, including gravy, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, fried onions, potatoes, and rolls. “I have the best volunteers,” Dushane said. “I couldn’t do it without them.” Employees from Athens Generating Company helped package the baskets and Creekside Catskill donated the potatoes, Dushane said. Community Action’s Thanksgiving dinners were mobile for the second year, with dinners being delivered along 18 routes throughout the county, Executive Director Florence Ohle said. The meals were prepped by volunteers, including some students from Columbia-Greene Community College at the Catskill Elks Lodge. The dinners included turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, and apple or pumpkin pie. “It’s really a nice meal, and people are very appreciative,” Ohle said. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Friends of Taconic State Park has received permission from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to build a small railroad track at the Copake Iron Works National Heritage Area Site in Taconic State Park. The old, abandoned ironworks facility, established in 1845, is located within the park, said Jim Mackin, president of the Friends group. In 2007, that site and 18 acres surrounding it were added to the State and National Register of Historic Sites. Friends of Taconic State Park repurposed the blast furnace and took remnants of the old facility to create a museum and a visitor center, Mackin said. “We finally realized, ‘gee wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could recreate some of the railroad story that was there,’” Mackin said. The train will hold 15 passengers and take them through the historic site on a 900-foot-long loop track. “...[W}e’re building the cars that will hold the tourists, which will look like ore cars that carried the iron ore,” Mackin said. “They’re kind of trapezoidal in style. So, people will sit in those as they ride and we talk about the history there.” The group has so far raised $174,000 through private donors and is looking to raise a total of $366,400 for the project. Mackin said, “...[I]f everything goes well, we’ll have railroad ties and the actual rail itself ordered and delivered. And then as soon as we can in the spring, we’ll start putting the ties down and the rails on top of it.” After the track is complete they will put the locomotive, which is currently being stored in a nearby barn, on the track. The project is expected to be finished next summer and the train will operate from 2 to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays from mid-May to mid-November. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Carl Campanile reports in the New York Post that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Nov. 26, the first COVID-19 action by the leader of New York in a long time. It comes as the state, and the world, face the emergence of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in South Africa. Hochul is ordering hospitals to postpone elective hospital surgeries in hospitals at or below 10 percent of available staffed bed capacity, so there are enough hospital beds for the expected new cases. “We’ve taken extraordinary action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and combat this pandemic. However, we continue to see warning signs of spikes this upcoming winter, and while the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York State, it’s coming,” Hochul said. "In preparation, I am announcing urgent steps today to expand hospital capacity and help ensure our hospital systems can tackle any challenges posed by the pandemic as we head into the winter months. The vaccine remains one of our greatest weapons in fighting the pandemic, and I encourage every New Yorker to get vaccinated, and get the booster if you’re fully vaccinated.” The new executive order goes into effect Dec. 3. Read more about this story in the New York Post.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media district residents turned out November 17, in support of a salary increase for the teachers employed by the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district. The teachers have been working without a contract since June. “These teachers are here to invest in the future of our children, and it is now your turn to help us invest in the future of our teachers,” parent Jessica O’Connor said during the public comment portion of the meeting. Matthew Miller, president of the RCS Teacher’s Association and a district biology teacher, said, “Our contract expired in June of this year, so we are without a contract right now, but we are trying to work towards a new one... We have been in negotiations since January. For most of the summer, we were at an impasse.” Following months of no activity, the district, its board of education and the union reopened talks last week. A second round of negotiations is expected in early December. “We have another meeting coming up Dec. 7,” Board of Education President Edward Reville said. Numerous parents went to the podium during the board of education meeting, asking that the district agree to a pay hike, the major sticking point in the ongoing contract talks. “We have amazing teachers in this district and if we do not show appreciation and pay them what they deserve, we will see more putting in resignation letters and going to other districts,” parent Chelsea Hildebrandt said. Board president Reville said, “None of us argue with any of you — we agree we do have great teachers.” Read the full story in The Ravena News-Herald.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics under legislation put forward by two state lawmakers on November 24, local news organizations would be eligible for business tax credits to hire journalists, and subscribers would be eligible for a personal income tax credit. The tax credits are being proposed as local newspapers have come under economic strain and are increasingly under the control of hedge funds. For example, the hedge fund Alden Capital has reportedly sought the purchase of Lee Enterprises, a chain that publishes papers in Buffalo, Glens Falls and St. Louis. Alden has come under fire for purchasing newspapers only to reduce staff and liquidate real estate. “Community news is the bedrock of our local democracy. But since 2004, more than 20 percent of American newspapers have gone out of business, including 40 percent of weekly papers in New York," said state Sen. Brad Hoylman. He said the Local Journalism Sustainability Act provides a way to help local news outlets survive and continue to inform the public in the current media landscape. The tax credits would apply to local newspapers and digital publications as a way to support subscriptions and hiring. Under the measure, subscribers to local publications would receive an annual tax credit for 80 percent of the subscription cost in the first year, and 50 percent in subsequent years, up to $250 a year. Local news organizations that employ local journalists full time would be eligible for a quarterly tax credit of up to 50 percent of their salary for the first year and 30 percent in subsequent years for up to five years total. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media COVID-19 has claimed its 84th victim in Greene County. On Tue., Nov. 23, a 39-year-old woman with severe comorbidities died after coming down with the coronavirus. The unidentified woman was unvaccinated at the time of her death, according to the Greene County Public Health Department. No additional information was made available about the woman, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said. As of Wednesday, 64 percent of adults in Greene County have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. There are 221 active positive cases in the county, according to the Public Health Department, with 92 new positive cases recorded since November 20. A total of 350 county residents are under quarantine, with 20 people in the county hospitalized with COVID-related illnesses. As of Tuesday, the total percentage of cases in the county with positive results was 9.9 percent, with a seven-day rolling positive rate in Greene County of 4.6 percent. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup Interested parties turned out November 22, for the first of two public hearings held at the former Durham Elementary School, on the proposed Bosque Subdivision. Approximately a dozen people spoke, the majority of them opposed to the project. Many of the speakers took issue with the town board’s October decision to issue a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review, thereby finding that the 95-acre subdivision will have little to no environmental impact. Margaret Doherty spoke on behalf of the community group, Cornwallville Residents for Rural Preservation, saying the project will have “significant negative impact” on land, wells, traffic, noise, light, wildlife, aesthetic and historical value, and community character. Bosque Development of Hudson has submitted a proposal to the town of Durham to subdivide 95 acres of land that border Strong and Cornwallville roads. The project includes the construction of 12 high-end homes and a farming operation. Doherty said her organization over the past months, has collected 271 signatures from Durham residents opposed to the subdivision. “We hope that as lead agency, you will finally address the concerns of the majority of our residents within the Cornwallville community,” she told the board. Patrick Ciccone, chair of the Durham Historic Preservation Commission, noted that the project footprint is larger that the core hamlet of Cornwallville. “And its area comprises a significant portion of the total area of the Cornwallville Historic District,” he said. Other speakers addressed issues ranging from traffic safety, light pollution, and noise. Cornwallville Road resident Jim Stone was the only person to speak in favor of Bosque. “There is a reason Durham is dying… because we won’t allow change,” Stone said. “Places that don’t allow change, they die.” A second public hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on December 11, in the former Durham Elementary School. The public may also attend remotely via telephone at 1-503-300-6830 conference code 114503. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Patricia R. Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman the Ulster County Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee adopted budget amendments this week that eliminated a number of positions created as part of County Executive Pat Ryan’s proposed 2022 budget. The amendments also rolled back proposed salary increases for others. All together the committee made nearly two dozen changes to the proposed spending plan before voting to send it to the full Legislature for consideration. While the resolution to eliminate the communications specialist position narrowly failed, the committee did agree to reduce that salary by roughly $20,000. Minority Leader Ken Ronk first argued to get rid of the position, claiming it is more “brand-building and self-promotion” for the executive than for communications with the public. “I don’t think this is a necessary position for county government,” said the Walkill Republican. The committee also voted to reduce the proposed salary increases for three newly created positions that oversee the administration of the American Rescue Plan funds. Legislature Chairman David Donaldson said he will propose eliminating those jobs from the budget if Ryan's office fails to provide the Legislature with the resumes of those who have been hired to fill the positions. Deputy Budget Director Chris Kelly said the Ryan administration is aware of Donaldson’s request and it is under review. The committee rejected a proposal by Ronk to eliminate the newly proposed commissioner of Mental Health position, as well as a proposal to increase to full-time an existing part-time position in the Human Rights Commission. The full Legislature will vote on the 2022 spending plan on December 2. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

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

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup that three shovel-ready projects in Greene County have been awarded more than $1.8 million by New York state through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. Announced this week by Governor Kathy Hochul, a total of $81 million will go to support 97 projects statewide. Local awards include $750,000 for Lokal Astoria, $360,000 for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, and $750,000 for Wylder Windham. "The pandemic toll touched every corner of the state and every sector of New York's economy, and as a result, we must ensure that our recovery does the same," Hochul said. The Lokal Astoria project will transform the vacant motor lodge on Route 23B in Catskill into a four-season tourist destination. Plans feature 25-30 newly renovated or constructed cabins, a restaurant, a pool and bar, spa cabins, hot tubs, a cold plunge tank, saunas, and a yoga platform. The funding awarded to Thomas Cole National Historic Site will be used for a new 1,800 square-foot visitors center with exhibit space and outdoor terrace, as well as facility upgrades to buildings at the Spring Street, Catskill site that will increase energy efficiency and improve climate conditions for historic preservation. Infrastructure upgrades will improve visitor safety and site accessibility. Wylder Windham will use its award to renovate the historic Thompson House on Route 296 into a tourist attraction that will create jobs on the mountain top. The Thompson House is a 110-room full-service resort on 20 acres that was owned by the same family for 140 years. Wylder Hotels of Los Angeles purchased the property in early 2021. This year, $150 million in grant funds from Empire State Development were made available. Additionally, projects within each region are eligible for a share of $75 million in Excelsior Jobs Program Tax Credits to help attract and grow business in their region. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.