Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Oct. 7 through Sun., Oct. 9:

Monday is observed as Columbus Day, a federal, state and local holiday. The Daily Freeman has a rundown of what is open and what is closed:

Amtrak: Regular schedule
Banks: Closed
County offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Financial markets: Open
Greene County Transit: Call
Mail delivery: None
Metro-North: Regular schedule
Schools: Closed
State offices: Closed
Trailways: Weekday schedule with additional service

Jimmy Vielkind reported at Politico New York the state's top Democrats have challenged their Republican counterparts to condemn the lewd statements made by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump revealed on Friday by the Washington Post. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “silence is acceptance,” and called on Republican officials to reject Trump’s candidacy on moral grounds that transcend partisanship. In a 2005 conversation with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush, Trump said that as a celebrity he could do “anything” to an attractive woman, and also talked casually about seducing married women. Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement saying, “In public, Donald Trump’s a racist, misogynist and xenophobe. Now we know that in private he brags about sexually assaulting women." William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman 19th Congressional District Republican candidate John Faso said over the weekend he still supports Trump as the party's nominee but he cannot promise that will translate to a vote. “As a father and a husband I am appalled and really saddened that this kind of discussion comes into the national political discourse and it’s just awful,” Faso said. Faso stood by previous comments that he would support the Republican nominee, but only because they are on the same ballot line, saying he does not consider "support" the same as an endorsement.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in the Ravena News-Herald the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District has tested its water to check for the presence of lead. Testing was conducted in May and June at all four district schools. The test results indicated the water falls within federal requirements so no remediation is needed. “Our goal in May was to test to make sure our schools’ water is safe. We followed EPA standards with our sampling, but now, with the more stringent New York state standards, we are expanding our tests,” Ravena Superintendent Robert Libby said. In September, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation requiring that all school districts test drinking water for lead contamination.

Daniel Zuckerman reported in The Daily Mail the state Department of Transportation announced a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of Route 23A between Haines Falls and Palenville will be closed for a four-day period this week to repair some of the slope areas on the Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway. Work will begin Tue., Oct. 11 at 7 a.m., and continue through 4 p.m., Fri., Oct. 14. The road will be closed between Wingate Road in Haines Falls and the Route 23A bridge over Kaaterskill Creek near Palenville. The road will remain closed even when crews are not working. Motorists must use Routes 32, 23 and 296 as alternatives to Route 23A. Hikers will not be permitted to walk along the side of the road. Additional information can be found at Town of Hunter gov [dot] com.

The last day to register by mail to vote in the Nov. 8 general election is this Friday. Mailed registration forms must be postmarked no later than Oct. 14, and received by the Board of Elections no later than Oct. 19. In Columbia, Greene and Ulster counties, Board of Elections offices will offer special hours on Sat., Oct. 15 for in-person voter registration, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information in Columbia County call 518 828 3115; in Greene County call 518 719 3550; and in Ulster County 845 334 5470.

Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail the state Department of Environmental Conservation is assessing potential damage to an area around Red Mill Road in Greenville after a fuel delivery truck overturned on the property of the Grace Manor Christian Retreat Center, Fri., Oct. 7. Greene County Sheriff’s Office investigator Lt. Adam Brainard said the tanker, owned Coeymans Hollow-based Best Fuel, spilled around 600 gallons of fuel oil when it overturned. The truck was carrying approximately 1,700 gallons at the time. The driver said he lost control of the vehicle after making a sharp turn while following instructions from his GPS. It took crews roughly three hours to drain the truck, get it upright and tow it away. DEC crews then arrived with excavators to determine how much fuel oil had seeped into the soil. Officials said it was too soon to determine if the spill affected the soil or Basic Creek, which runs about 70 yards from the spill site. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting in The Daily Mail registered voters in Coxsackie go to the polls Tue., Oct. 18, to adopt the proposed 2017 Heermance Memorial Library budget. The proposed spending plan calls for a tax levy of nearly $238,000, requiring an increase of just over $5 a year for properties with an assessed value of $100,000, or a total library tax of $52.95 a year. “This is the first time in five years that the average homeowner will have an increase greater than $1 in the library tax,” library director Linda Deubert recently told the Coxsackie Town Board. The increase is necessitated by costs related to building renovation and maintenance, the state-mandated increase in the minimum wage, the need for maintaining the reserve fund and the costs associated with a scheduled outside audit of library finances. The budget vote will be held Tue., Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., at the library.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Sunny. High near 58. Monday night, Patchy frost after 2 a.m. Temperatures may fall to the mid- to low 30s. Otherwise, clear.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: Patchy frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 63. Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 41.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 65. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 46.

Sunrise today: 7:03 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:20 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 11:16 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Columbus Day observed. All nonessential federal, state, county and local municipalities are closed. Post offices, banks and school districts are also closed today. However, some village and town boards are scheduled to meet (see below).


Today is the second Monday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

ASHLAND Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636).
CANAAN Town Board budget workshop at 6:30 p.m.; full board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Rte. 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
HUNTER Village Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 7955 Main St., Hudson (263-4020).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
PRATTSVILLE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
TAGHKANIC public hearing on the 2017 preliminary town budget followed by the regular Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting in the Ravena News-Herald the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District has tested its water to check for the presence of lead. Testing was conducted in May and June at all four district schools. The test results indicated the water falls within federal requirements so no remediation is needed. “Our goal in May was to test to make sure our schools’ water is safe. We followed EPA standards with our sampling, but now, with the more stringent New York state standards, we are expanding our tests,” Ravena Superintendent Robert Libby said. In September, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation requiring that all school districts test drinking water for lead contamination. Read the full story in the Ravena News-Herald.

Jimmy Vielkind is reporting at Politico New York the group Every Voice, a Washington-based group that advocates for public campaign finance, is endorsing Democrat Zephyr Teachout's bid for the 19th Congressional District seat against Republican John Faso. The group said it was officially supporting Teachout “because New Yorkers and our country deserve more politicians in Washington who’ll stand up to big money special interests to level the playing field and make our elections truly of, by, and for the people,” according to a statement from executive director, David Donnelly. Donnelly is no stranger to the 19th. In 2012, he worked for Friends of Democracy, a Super PAC funded by Jonathan Soros. Soros is a donor to Every Voice, as are Nation publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and his husband, Sean Eldridge. Teachout sat on the Every Voice Board of Directors as recently as last year and served as treasurer of the Public Campaign Action Fund. Soros helped raise funds for Teachout last month, prompting Republicans to brand as “absurd” her attacks on Faso for serving wealthy interests. Read the full story in Politico New York.

Chico Harlan is reporting in the Washington Post new government data released Fri., Oct. 7, indicated U.S. companies have helped the economy add 156,000 new jobs in the month of September. However, the unemployment rate rose from 4.9 percent to 5 percent, largely because the labor force grew with the addition of new would-be workers. The Labor Department also revised its estimates for job creation in July and August and the combined total fell by 7,000 jobs. The nation has added 178,000 new jobs in a typical month this year, approximately double the number necessary to keep pace with population growth. Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Michael DeMasi is reporting in the Albany Business Review the Times Union Center in Albany has lost its bid to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament this spring. The NCAA announced Fri., Oct. 7, that Greenville, South Carolina, was chosen to host the games in March. Albany and other cities were competing after the games were pulled from North Carolina as a result of that state legislature's passage of HB2, the controversial law that restricts bathroom access for transgender people. The NCAA reviewed the bids based on various criteria, including a site's capacity to host the championship event, and the ability to "ensure a quality student-athlete experience." The games would have been a big first test for the new convention center currently under construction next to the sports arena, which is scheduled to open in March. The Division I men's basketball tournament was last held in Albany in 2003. Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.