Brian Hubert reports in the Daily Freeman that state Senator Michelle Hinchey was sworn in for a second term Jan. 7 at the Saugerties Performing Arts Factory in her hometown. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, State Sen. Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson all attended and spoke at the event. New Republican Congressional representative Marc Molinaro also attended the ceremony. Hinchey, a Democrat represents the newly redrawn 41st District in her second term after defeating Dutchess County Republican Sue Serino. Her new district comprises Greene and Columbia counties, most of Ulster County, and the top half of Dutchess County. Hinchey defended government work at a time when it is sometimes under physical attacks. She said, “Government that we know is going to be doing the work, every day. Not for show, not for a sound clip but for people who live in our communities who don’t have that time to waste. Schumer, meanwhile, offered his support, saying, “She walked the halls of Saugerties High School right down the road. She never forgot that.... She’s held over 50 community forums, she goes to every corner of her district,” he said. “This is how you understand people’s struggles and needs, and Michelle is relentlessly doing this. She takes her knowledge of what people need and translates it into action.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.