Today's daily news update.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County has a lingering shortage of emergency medical technicians to work on first responder crews. Local EMS agencies say staffing is a major issue. “I’m sure each agency could use three to five more EMTs,” said Greene County Legislature Chair Patrick Linger, a Republican from New Baltimore. The issue is not pandemic-related. “I think it was 2013 when they started the first Greene County Ambulance Task Force,” Linger said. “This issue has been around for a very long time. There was a task force set up and they did a lot of mulling over data and they came up with a plan to move forward. Four years ago it had boiled down to two separate proposals, one for the mountaintop and one for the northern end of the valley. We had Catskill, Cairo and Durham at the time did not want to take part in the system, which kind of split the county in half. At the end of the day, when tallies and votes were taken by the town boards that would have to agree to move into that type of program, there was not enough support for it and it died on the vine.” The state used to provide reimbursements for EMS training, and Coxsackie Legislator Thomas Hobart suggested Greene County might have to do that now. “I think ultimately as a Legislature, we should consider a scholarship fund in order to get the people who have been deterred because of the costs of it, to make them whole,” Hobart said at a Dec. 1 meeting of the Public Safety Committee. “At least that’s a start in the right direction to provide services to all of the agencies and to ultimately the people of Greene County.” It may take more money than just training costs to lure people to the profession, as most EMTs in the county make barely over minimum wage. “I don’t understand why the wages are so low,” Durham Legislator Patricia Handel said. “It’s such a needed service that I’m incredulous.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

William J. Kemble reports for the Daily Freeman that the Town of Ulster board voted Dec. 2 to allow cannabis sales, but prohibit consumption lounges. “I think that New York state has not outlined or put any details into any of this on-site consumption,” board member Eric Kitchen said. “So the town really has no guidelines to follow.” New York legalized cannabis in April, and municipalities have until Dec. 31 to opt out of having retail sales or consumption lounges within their borders. Sales aren't expected to begin until sometime in 2022. The board voted to limit sales to the town’s Highway Commercial and Regional Commercial districts. The board also decided to limit cannabis sales to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, and restrict shops from being closer than 1,500 feet from each other. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Rebekah F. Ward reports for the Times Union that this week Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill making the slaughter of thoroughbred and standardbred race horses in New York a misdemeanor beginning next month. But the practice will be allowed to continue as horses outside the racing industry are often shipped on livestock trucks through New York, alongside thoroughbreds, to be slaughtered for human consumption in Canada. But anyone slaughtering a race horse in New York will now get fines up to $1,000 per horse. And racehorses, who are now tattooed inside their inner lip for identification, will also get a microchip implanted to track their wherabouts. “Greater oversight, including ensuring there is appropriate funding available for aftercare, microchipping to track ownership, and holding owners accountable in instances of slaughter, are all critical to improving the racing industry and future fate of horses,” said state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

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The COVID-19 bad news came in a torrent on Dec. 2. The omicron variant arrived in New York, with at least five cases announced. In Massachusetts, COVID-19 case totals increased 154 percent since Nov. 2, and hospitalizations have nearly doubled. The case counts in Massachusetts are now almost exactly the same as a year ago, before any vaccines were available. Back in New York, Albany County announced three more deaths, and 202 more cases on Dec. 2. Ulster County announced two more coronavirus deaths Dec. 2, for a total of six deaths this week. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan addressed residents about just how bad things are now on Facebook Dec. 2. CLICK HERE TO PLAY BRIEF EXCERPT OF RYAN'S ADDRESS. Rensselaer County confirmed 182 new COVID-19 cases on Dec. 2. Columbia County reported 40 more cases on Dec. 2, and Greene County added 37 more cases Dec. 2, and 59 more on Dec. 1. On Dec. 2 the the state reported that Northern Dutchess Hospital is facing bed capacity issues, and if they do not add open beds by Dec. 3, New York officials will require the hospital to postpone elective surgeries and other procedures. And the Valatie Community Theatre postponed performances of "It’s a Wonderful Life" after a cast member tested positive for COVID-19. The theatre said they will attempt a production after Christmas.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that Hughes Energy Group has proposed the construction of a biofuel production facility in Prattsville, hoping to build a new kind of waste processing facility. But the company must now create an elaborate plan to study and minimize its potential environmental impacts, according to a decision by the state Department of Environmental Conservation on December 1. Hughes wants to construct a 115,000-square-foot plant it says will help New York reach its climate goals by annually converting 176,000 tons of sorted garbage into a fibrous material that could replace paper products and coal. The process would cut down on methane, a greenhouse gas produced by rotting organic material, by diverting trash from landfills and turning it into reusable products, the company says. However, environmental groups and residents have pushed back on the plan with increasing intensity, arguing there are too many unknowns with the new technology and worrying about the plant's impact on the Catskill Mountains and the New York City reservoir system. The plant would be located less than 2,000 feet from Schoharie Creek, which feeds into the Ashokan Reservoir that provides water to most of New York City and about 1 million people in the Hudson Valley. The DEC is now requiring Hughes Energy to study and plan how to minimize possible adverse environmental impacts, including on water resources, noise, odor, traffic, and public infrastructure. Hughes Energy CEO Dane McSpedon said he had "no issue" with the DEC plan. The regional environmental group Riverkeeper applauded the DEC's decision to have Hughes address the five potential impacts. The waste received by the plant would initially come from transfer stations. It would be trucked to the plant, where other hazardous materials would be removed by being loaded into giant autoclaves. This waste, which would still be 16 percent plastic, would be heated in the autoclaves to 250 degrees and pressurized, causing plastics to shrink and coagulate together. The autoclaves turn the organic materials into a fibrous mush; metal, cloth and the plastics would be recycled elsewhere. The mush would then be dried and used to replace paper, coal, or wood pellets. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media that some residents who owe back payments for their water and sewer bills could be eligible for federal funds intended to help customers avoid service interruptions. Gov. Kathy Hochul November 29, announced that $69.8 million in federal funding is now available to help low-income New Yorkers pay drinking water and wastewater bills that are in arrears. The program is administered by the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The program is called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program; the funds will provide income-qualified individuals and families with up to $2,500 for drinking water bills in arrears and $2,500 for wastewater bills in arrears, Hochul said. The state’s moratorium on service shutoffs, imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, will expire in late December and regulated utilities have agreed to hold off on service disconnections through the New Year’s holiday, but service shutoffs may resume after that. Eligibility for the program is determined by household income and size and the amount that is past due. Information is available at the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website. Read the full story in The Ravena News-Herald.

Felix Carroll is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle Yolanda Du Bois (YO-laund Due-BOICE) Irvin, the only grandchild of African American writer, teacher, sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois.has died at the age of 89. She passed away on November 29, in Fort Collins, CO. Irvin will be buried in Great Barrington alongside her mother and other family members. Her grandfather was born in Great Barrington in 1868. Irvin was an educator and she followed in the footsteps of her grandfather by promoting civil rights, empathy and community. “My mom was a free spirit,” said Jeffrey Peck, of Houston, the youngest of Irvin's four biological children. “She liked to laugh and have fun. She loved people, genuinely, genuinely. And people tended to gravitate to her, to come talk to her.” Peck said the family is planning a celebration in Great Barrington, of his mother’s life and legacy, around the same time as W.E.B. Du Bois’ birthday, on February 23. Irvin was born Oct. 11, 1932, the only child of Arnette Williams and Nina Yolande Du Bois. Irvin attended a boarding school in Harlem and then attended Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies, in Gill, Franklin County. After graduating from high school in Baltimore, Irvin traveled with her grandfather to attend the International Youth Conference in Germany. She later would say the trip was a highlight of her life. She went on to earn a doctorate in psychology at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Irvin is survived by her three children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Today's daily news update.

Shaniece Holmes-Brown in the Times Union reports that the COVID-19 news in Albany County in December has been especially bad. On Dec. 1 211 new cases were announced, with 202 more on Dec. 2. And three more people have died after contracting the virus, bringing the county's death toll to 449 since March, 2020. The deaths were a woman in her 50s, a man in his 80s, and another woman in her 80s, but the county did not say if they were vaccinated. “Every death is a tragedy that leaves loved ones devastated, and we need to do more to protect our community,” Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said. So far the cases here are mostly of the delta variant. “With news that the first omicron variant has been identified in California, it’s even more important now that everyone get vaccinated if they haven’t already and to get the booster dose if they have,” said McCoy. Meanwhile, Columbia County reported two more deaths Dec. 1, the first there among the vaccinated. Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. “Both of them were seniors, both of them vaccinated, but both of them had a lot of comorbidities.” Columbia County reported five deaths in September, two in October, two in November, and now two in December. Mabb said many of the new cases in Columbia County this week can be traced to Thanksgiving gatherings. One man said he felt sick last Wednesday, Mabb said, and thought he should be tested, decided not to be because he did not want it to ruin his Thanksgiving, and then tested positive the day after. “So he definitely went there and exposed everybody to the virus,” Mabb said. “Its irresponsible, but I understand at some level, yes it infuriates me, because its irresponsible, but people are desperate to get together, they are desperate to have some sense of normal, and we just can’t. This is not normal times. If you have symptoms you shouldn’t be going to these things.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's new health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett on Dec. 2. "I've learned the importance of truth-telling," Bassett said during remarks at a news conference in New York City, adding, "I'll tell the governor what we know, what we don't know, and what our best judgment is and I'll tell the public the same thing." Bassett, a former New York City health commissioner, replaces Dr. Howard Zucker, who was tainted by investigations into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's handling of the pandemic reporting in nursing home fatalities. The new health commissioner takes over as COVID-19 case counts are climbing again, and hospital beds are filling up across the state. So far, Hochul is not taking any radical action to stop the spread, "I'm not prepared to shut down schools or the economy, no," Hochul said. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Cairo;s Robert Hempstead died Nov. 30 from heart disease. He had worked in the Greene County highway department for 37 years, and was Highway Superintendent in Cairo, elected in 2011 and 2015. “He probably would have won re-election again if he ran for a third time but I think his wife would have divorced him,” former Cairo Town Supervisor Dan Benoit said. “He was uniquely dedicated to his job. He was always proud of the fact that he was asked to teach at Cornell. He died too soon.” Greene County Legislator William Lawrence agreed. “I knew the man and he loved highway work,” Lawrence said. “He was even hired by Cornell Cooperative Extension to teach other superintendents how to do road work. He did that for three or four years and went all over New York State giving his expertise to newly-elected superintendents.” Hempstead, also known for his large mustache, is survived by his wife Cathy and three children, Gwen, Joanie, and Robert. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Andrea Macko reports at Porcupine Soup that Greene County now has exceeded 5,000 COVID-19 cases. That means more than 10 percent of county residents have caught the contagious virus. Greene County also reported three more deaths from coronavirus on Nov. 29. So far, Greene County has had 5,027 cases and 87 deaths since pandemic rules began being implemented here in March, 2020. Columbia County, with a larger population, reports 6,107 cases and 106 deaths since March, 2020. Columbia County has reported that no one who was vaccinated has died there of COVID-19, but Greene County hides the vaccinations status of its deaths. Greene County officials did report that one of the people who died this week was in their early 30s, and the other two were in their 50s, all with comorbidities. The only major local hospital, Columbia Memorial in Hudson, began temporarily prohibiting visitors to its inpatient units this week, as case counts grow. “Keeping the number of people in the facility to a minimum will help protect our patients, staff, and community,” hospital officials said in a press release. In Greene County, 26,680 of 47,491 citizens are fully vaccinated. In Columbia County, 38,397 of 59,916 citizens have been fully vaccinated. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Kenneth C. Crowe II and Brendan J. Lyons are reporting for the Times Union a judge on Wed., Dec. 1, unsealed an indictment accusing Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin of misusing campaign funds and falsifying campaign finance filings. The indictment was the product of a long-running investigation by the state attorney general's office and the FBI. McLaughlin, a Republican, was indicted on two felony counts, grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. The AG's office began its probe of McLaughlin's campaign for county executive in 2017 and included an examination of his financial dealings during the time he was a member of the state Assembly. McLaughlin allegedly stole $5,000 in funds from his campaign account on Nov. 21, 2017, just weeks after winning election to his county post. He then falsely reported the expense in campaign documents filed with the state Board of Elections. McLaughlin arrived in the courtroom Wednesday, for his arraignment around noon in front of Judge Jennifer Sober. The newly reelected county executive, who was represented by attorney Benjamin W. Hill, has until January 17 to enter a plea. He was released on his own recognizance. McLaughlin did not speak during the proceedings before Sober. He rushed from the courtroom without responding to reporters' questions. The Democratic minority leadership of the Rensselaer County Legislature called on McLaughlin to resign, while the Republican chairman of the GOP-controlled legislature stuck by him. The indictment was handed up by a county grand jury following a November presentation by the members of the attorney general's public integrity unit. Read more in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics agriculture producers and farmers in New York are preparing for a decision in the coming weeks by state labor officials that could lower the threshold for overtime pay. Farmers statewide traveled to Albany December 1, to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to oppose the change and outline the impact that change would have on their businesses. "It's going to force a lot of change," said Eric Ooms, a dairy farmer from Columbia County and the vice president of the New York Farm Bureau. "It could mean people growing more corn, it could mean people getting out of the business entirely." At issue is lowering the threshold for overtime pay from 60 hours a week. Farmers say the change is unrealistic for agricultural businesses that do not operate on a 9-to-5 schedule. Farmers like Ooms warn the move would mean a reduction in New York-grown products at markets and grocery stores. "If you raise their labor rate that much, it's going to lead to less vegetables grown in this state," Ooms said. "We evolve. Everyone evolves over time. But if you want fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh products in New York, this is not the best way to accomplish that." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Patricia R. Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman acting state Supreme Court justice Edward McLoughlin has ordered the Dutchess County Board of Elections to open seven absentee ballots cast in the town of Stanford elections last month. The validity of those ballots had been challenged by the Republicans, prompting the attorney for the Democratic candidates to withdraw his objection to five contested absentee ballots cast by the GOP, according to Democratic Elections Commissioner Hannah Black. Black said McLoughlin decided the seven ballots contested by Republicans had to be opened because there was no legal challenge to their validity. “The seven should have technically been opened … before we went to court,” she said. The votes cast on the 12 ballots in question did not change the outcome of the election, Black said. Following the court's ruling, Dutchess County Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight released a statement in which he said he was “gratified the court ordered the Board of Elections to count all the ballots. The Democrats tried to pull a stunt to only count the Democratic absentees and discard the Republican ballots,...” Haight said. Committee or candidate challenges to the validity of absentee and affidavit ballots are not unusual. Those ballots are sometimes set aside for three days, then counted, provided no court action has been filed. In the Stanford case, Treybich filed an order to show cause in state Supreme Court involving the five ballots he challenged, which he and Black said blocked the Board of Elections from opening the ballots until a court determined their validity. There was no court action filed challenging the validity of the seven ballots to which Republicans objected. Read more in the Daily Freeman.