Today's daily news update.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that a warming Hudson Valley climate is allowing two wineries to grow a grape variety that typically prefers a more heated environment. The Whitecliff Winery in Greenport in Columbia County, and Rosina's Winery near Middletown in Orange County are both now growing Syrah grapes, first produced in the Rhone Valley in southern France but now in vineyards in Australia, South America, and California. The climate of the Hudson Valley was traditionally been considered too cold for Syrah grapes. "The reason I'm planting Syrah is the belief that this climate will get warmer, and warm enough to ripen up those grapes, similar to what you'd see in the northern Rhone Valley," said Michael Migliore, who operates Whitecliff Winery. Michael Callisto, of Rosina's Winery, is about to harvest his first crop, planted three years ago. "I noticed the weather has changed in the last 30 years," he said. "Certain plants were growing that wouldn't have in the past." The Fourth National Climate Assessment, published in 2018, predicts the Hudson Valley will get warmer but the largest change for the region will be more precipitation, most often in short bursts. Greene County's precipitation totals, for instance, are up six inches from 1980 to 2013, according to Cornell University’s Climate Smart Farming initiative. Annual temperatures in Columbia and Greene counties rose 0.7 degrees from 1980 to 2013. Migliore says Syrah grapes can succeed here now because the growing season is longer. Cornell Climate Smart Farming Initiative viticulturist Jim O'Connell warns that climate change won't help all crops here, as others such as broccoli and lettuce could suffer under warmer conditions. But he agrees about the wineries. "Grape-growers are saying (grape varieties) that couldn't ripen 20 years ago can ripen now," O'Connell said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Ryan Whalen reports for New York State of Politics that, like Republicans across the country, GOP leaders in New York are touting false claims of voter fraud to oppose voting reforms. On Oct. 21 in Buffalo, the heads of New York's Republican and Conservative parties railed against several ballot propositions that go before voters this fall. "Ladies and gentleman, the back of this ballot, this is a national election. This is of the utmost importance because they're changing the way our elections are going to function," Republican party head Nick Langworthy said. Two of the propositions have to do with allowing same-day voter registration and permanently expanding absentee ballots to any voter regardless of excuse. Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar believes that will lead to voter fraud, even though there is no recent evidence that is the case. "That should be of a great concern to the electoral franchise so we do not believe the boards of elections have shown themselves to be able to handle this type of voting at mass volume," Kassar said. Boards of election across the country were able to handle a record number of absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic without any problems. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

MidHudson News reports that previously the plan was to attract another hotel to the area along Route 23B west of Thruway Exit 21 in Catskill. The former Quality Inn was torn down on the site, and surrounding property was purchased to make the site attractive to potential businesses. No hotels stepped forward, though. Now officials from the Greene County Industrial Development Agency are hoping to attract health care businesses to what they now call a 60-acre business park. So far local officials have spent $3 million demolishing buildings and buying eight parcels. Now they are spending another $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to extend natural gas service from Jefferson Heights to the site. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics New Yorkers have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Siena College poll released Thu., Oct. 21, but at the same time state residents have become less optimistic that the worst of the crisis is fully in the past. The poll was conducted after a summertime spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 spread. The majority of the most serious cases and deaths are among unvaccinated people, and public health experts have affirmed the vaccine offers strong protections. The poll found the majority of New Yorkers believe the worst of the pandemic is now over, but still many believe the worst is yet to come. New Yorkers have also learned to live with the virus: 78 percent reported thinking about protecting themselves and their family from the coronavirus as they go about their day; 91 percent are comfortable or very comfortable with going to a grocery store; 73 percent are comfortable with eating inside a restaurant; 61 percent are confident going to work at the job they had before the pandemic; and, 57 percent feel safe attending a movie. Wearing a mask is now an accepted aspect of daily life for nearly all New Yorkers: 91 percent reported carrying a mask anytime they leave home. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Health and Human Services building on Columbia Street in Hudson, will remain closed through Sun., Oct. 25, after three positive COVID-19 exposures were reported earlier this week. The building was closed October 20 out of an abundance of caution and will reopen after the weekend, following a thorough cleaning, county Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell said. County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said three building employees tested positive over last weekend. Approximately 150 people work in the building, that houses the departments of Health and Human Services, the Columbia County Mental Health Center, the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office and the Office for the Aging. Mabb said contract tracing was done, and the few who were exposed to the positive cases had been vaccinated. Those vaccinated and exposed did not need to quarantine, he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media two people are vying for town supervisor in the Claverack general election on November 2. Democrat and Working Families candidate Kathleen Proper [PROE-per] will face off against Republican and Conservative incumbent Clifford “Kippy” Weigelt (WHY-gelt]. Proper, 40, has lived in Columbia County her entire life. She is currently employed as the chief human resources officer for Canna Provisions, a cannabis dispensary in Lee, Mass. Proper says the biggest issue in Claverack is a lack of planning and leadership, which could transform it into a town that works for all residents — not just some. "Young people move away because they cannot afford to live here. Many people that live here commute a long distance to find good-paying jobs. Parents drive their children to the library to access the Wi-Fi because they do not have broadband at home. Our town hall is scheduled to be demolished and there is no plan for what will be built in its place," she said. Proper argues that she would make a good supervisor because she is honest, hardworking, and authentic. "When I set my mind to something, I don’t let obstacles slow me down. I got my first job at the age of 12 and graduated from UAlbany, debt-free, at the age of 20," she said. Proper said she is looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective to Claverack town leadership, if elected. Weigelt, 69, is also a lifelong resident of the county. He is the owner of Growmax, a manufacturer of bagged and bulk soils, located in Claverack. He previously served as a member of the town board from 2003 to 2013. Weigelt said his top priority and area of focus is the financial well-being of the town. "It’s so critically important and it’s an issue that is becoming more and more challenging as costs continue to rise. It’s so important that any government 'live within its means' and do everything possible to stretch every tax dollar as far as possible. We have a responsibility to do so," he said. Weigelt points out that town officials have cut taxes five years in a row, kept spending in check and have employed smart financial planning to maintain the town's fiscal health. As for his accomplishments, he lists infrastructure improvements, equipment upgrades for the town highway department, shared services with the county and surrounding municipalities, improvements at the town parks, the development and implementation of a new employee handbook, the addition of a new time-clock system, upgrades to security features at town buildings and the park, plus the consolidation of town operations. Weigelt said he is most proud of the plans to build a new town hall and community center. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Rebekah F. Ward reports in the Times Union that New Yorkers have 60 days to comment on new rules that would allow medical cannabis patients to grow their own plants. Medical cannabis has been legal in New York for seven years, and recreational cannabis use has been legal since April 1 this year. When they legislature legalized recreational cannabis, they also loosened rules for medical users. Currently, New York's 150,695 medical cannabis patients must purchase the drug from 10 state-licensed suppliers. “The draft regulations clearly lay out a program that will allow limited home cultivation in a safe manner, preventing diversion and abuse and allowing patients and caregivers who may be far from existing dispensaries the ability to manage their use,” State Senator Diane Savino said. The public can now comment on the proposal to allow up to three mature and three immature plants per patient. The Cannabis Control Board, announcing the public comment, did not explain how the public could comment. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act that passed this spring allowed limited home cultivation of medical cannabis as soon as the Office of Cannabis Management issues regulations governing it. The law says that was supposed to happen, “no later than six months after the effective date” of the law, which passed Oct. 1. Read more about this story in the Times Union. Also The New York Post reported on Oct. 19 that Albany’s labor department issued a new guidance banning employers from testing employees for cannabis unless the worker seems visibly impaired on the job. Cannabis will be treated in the same way that alcohol is, and employers can ban workers from possessing cannabis on the job site.

Today's daily news update.

Cloey Callahan reports in the Times Union that there were 1,957 evictions in Putnam, Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, and Sullivan counties in 2020, according to the New York Unified Court System. New York had an eviction moratorium because of the COVID-19 pandemic during much of the year. So the number was about a third of the 6,020 evictions in 2019. The eviction moratorium continues until at least Jan. 15, 2022, but it appears that at least some evictions continued even with the moratorium in place. By mid-September this year, New York had distributed $399 million in rental assistance to tenants to give to landlords, and now Gov. Kathy Hochul is asking the federal government for more help. But the moratorium and the federal aid for landlords did not help everyone. “We saw people who would come to us the day before they’re about to be evicted by the sheriff,” said Justin Haines, Attorney in Charge for Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Dutchess County branch. “They didn’t know anything about the ERAP program or their right to be protected from eviction. We would do emergency motions to stop eviction and give them time to apply for those kinds of programs.” And the Hudson Valley's housing crisis -- demand is soaring while supply is limited by climate change-fueled storm damage to buildings, and spaces being used for short-term rentals instead of for people living locally -- has made the situation worse. “I don’t think the average person understands how changed the rental and home sale market has been as a result to the pandemic,” said Haines. “We’ve seen a tremendous impact of people moving out of New York City and to the Hudson Valley.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Rachel M. Cohen reports for New York Focus that few people pay for individual phone calls anymore. There are few street phone booths accepting quarters, and most phone conversations are now on cell phones. But prisoners still pay per call, as much as $9.95 for a single 15-minute call in New York, where a 2019 report by the Prison Policy Initiative found that New York had the seventh highest average cost for an in-state jail call in the nation. Some legislators now want to make the calls free because of stories such as this: Vivett Dukes tried to call her husband at Sing Sing Correctional Facility every day. “The goal was once in the morning, and once whenever else if we could,” she recalled. “I felt very alone with this. There aren’t a lot of safe places to talk about the true impact of incarceration on family connection and how it really tries to rip up love.... It was very expensive,” she said amid tears. “At times I didn’t eat lunch, or I denied myself other things. The fees that I incurred were enough for me to take a second job.” In Albany County, the local sheriff gets most of the revenue from the prisoner phone calls, and observers suggest the sheriffs will not want to give up their revenue stream. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple did not return a reporter's call for comment. So far, Gov. Kathy Hochul has not said if she favors free phone calls for prisoners. “Governor Hochul is committed to improving justice and safety in jails, and we will review the legislation,” spokesperson Hazel Crampton-Hayes said. Read more about this story at New York Focus.

The Altamont Enterprise reports that two members of the Albany County Planning Board were slated to be removed from the board without their knowledge or any explanation. After they resigned to avoid being fired, no county official will say why they were forced out. Enzo Sofia, an engineer, and Dominic Rigosu, an architect who had acted as chair of the planning board, first learned about their removal when they were told by Albany County Legislator Mark Grimm that there was an item on the Oct. 12 meeting agenda picking their replacements. Members of the public later complained about their removal at a meeting, and several of the speakers from the Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth speculated that the dismissals had to do with a May 13, 2019 planning board vote against Pyramid’s proposal to build a 222-unit apartment complex on Rapp Road near Crossgates Mall. “I’m the lead sponsor and I can assure you that this action is not punishment for a vote that occurred in 2019 ....,” said Andrew Joyce, who chairs the legislature. “The two individuals that we’re replacing on the planning board have resigned.” But they only resigned because Joyce, or someone else, was having them removed. Joyce clearly had something to do with their removal, as he also said that “a fresh perspective is needed” and that “a diverse viewpoint from different parts of Albany County” is needed on the planning board. Matthew Peter, another Albany County legislator, claimed there had "numerous complaints" against the duo. He also said something about, "individuals have actually been completely unprofessional and stopped development and tried to overrule localities.” Do the removed members have an idea about why they were axed? “My guess is it’s political … I’m a professional engineer for the past 35 years; he’s an architect.” said Sofia. “We’re technical people. We make decisions based on evidence, on technical knowledge so the community doesn’t suffer with problems such as traffic, such as drainage.” Read more about this story in the Altamont Enterprise.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media cashless tolling on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge will go into effect on Mon., Nov. 1. The New York State Bridge Authority announced October 20, that electronic gantries installed at the bridge will go live at midnight on the 1st, enabling drivers to pass through without stopping. The tollbooths, built in 2003, will be demolished shortly after the November 1 change takes place. Vehicles with E-ZPass tags will pay the toll as they drive under the gantry, which will read their tag and deduct the toll amount from their account. Drivers without E-ZPass will be billed by mail after their license plate is photographed by the gantry. All five bridges under the jurisdiction of the New York State Bridge Authority are shifting to cashless tolling. The change has already been made on the Newburgh-Beacon and Bear Mountain bridges. Two more bridges are slated for conversion — the Mid-Hudson and Kingston-Rhinecliff bridges — in the coming months, according to the Bridge Authority. All five bridges are expected to complete the transition to cashless tolling by March 2022. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Ulster County lawmakers on October 19, adopted policies they believe will provide much-needed care and services to those suffering from mental health and substance abuses crises. Legislators voted 21 to 2 to adopt a policy requiring the county to create a 24-hour crisis stabilization center to provide an alternative to local hospital emergency rooms for those experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises. The resolution also calls on County Executive Pat Ryan to begin the procurement process to secure the services that will be available at the facility. Minority Leader Ken Ronk and Legislator Kevin Roberts voted against the resolution. Ronk said he wants the county to choose a site for the facility first. In a separate matter, lawmakers unanimously adopted a rule requiring the creation of respite houses throughout the county, designed to provide inpatient services for those in need. The creation of a stabilization center and respite houses were among the recommendations included in reports issued by the Ulster County Behavioral Health Task Force created by County Executive Pat Ryan and the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Robert Beaury and David Helsley will face off on November 2 in the Germantown town supervisor election. Incumbent Beaury, 62, has lived in Columbia County since 1994. He is a retired educator and is running on both the Democratic and Conservative lines. Beaury previously served as town justice from 2007 until 2017. He says many of the greatest issues currently facing Germantown are environmental. "We are addressing climate change currently and have a committee working on energy efficiency and green energy. We have another committee addressing the waterfront and they are working on a master plan... Next year we will update our zoning law. Affordable housing will be prioritized. Economic development is also a focus of our local government," he said. Beaury believes he should be re-elected for a variety of reasons, such as his success at reducing costs and improving efficiencies across the board. The town also opened a satellite office for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, thereby increasing a police presence in Germantown while reducing the overall costs of police protection. Helsley, 50, has lived in the county for his entire life. He is employed as a project manager for Taconic Biosciences, Inc. He is an unaffiliated voter, but his name will appear on the Republican line. Helsley said one of the largest issue in Germantown "...is a decline in cooperation and collaboration. Failure to maintain inter-municipal agreements with neighboring towns and the Columbia County highway departments have resulted in decreased service to the town." He said if elected, one of his first objectives would be to restore agreements between Germantown and various agencies. "I believe my 20-plus years of management experience would make me a good supervisor. I am passionate about Germantown as I have lived here my entire life and I love the diversity of the community. I have a strong work ethic that I will use to reach out to both long-time and newly settled residents to get as many people involved in order to promote cooperation. ...." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Voting this year begins Oct. 23, and ends Nov. 2, with town posts, countywide positions, five statewide ballot propositions, and a few state Supreme Court seats at stake. In Greene County, the Board of Elections office on the fourth floor of the Greene County Office building in Catskill is the only polling station Oct. 23 through Halloween. This year Columbia County has two sites to vote between Oct. 23 and 31: the board of elections office in the Columbia County Office Bldg. in Hudson, and also the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Center in Valatie. The so-called early voting hours in both counties change every day, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., October 23; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun., October 24; noon-8 p.m. Mon., October 25; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue., October 26; noon-8 p.m. Wed., October 27; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thu., October 28; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri., October 29; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., October 30; and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun., October 31. Then traditional local voting spots are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 2. Absentee ballots in this year's election can be mailed in through Nov. 2. One change in this election: A new state law passed in 2021, restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision. If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are now eligible to register to vote in New York.