The Troy Record reports that New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation is reminding hunters this winter to protect New York’s rabbits and hares. Specifically, the DEC wants fewer cases of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2, a highly lethal and easily transmissible disease that impacts rabbits and hares. It is spread through direct contact between rabbits or contaminated materials, including hunting equipment, so cleaning up will help slow the spread of the disease. RHDV2 can survive freezing temperatures and remain contagious on surfaces for three months. It does not pose a risk to humans or other species. Hunters should avoid contact with domestic rabbits; wear disposable gloves when handling rabbit and hare carcasses and properly dispose of rabbit carcasses in trash that’s taken to a landfill or by burying deep enough to prevent scavenging; disinfect all hunting gear after out-of-state travel with a 10 percent bleach solution. Dogs cannot get sick from RHDV2, but they can transmit the virus, so minimize contact between dogs and rabbit carcasses. Anyone should report sick rabbits or unusual rabbit mortalities to DEC’s Wildlife Health Program; at 518-478-2203 or wildlife@dec.ny.gov. See the story in the Troy Record.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that a chocolate milk expert has given his highest score to chocolate milk from End of the Lane Farm in Cornwallville in Greene County. Perry James has reviewed 1,745 different chocolate milks from 52 countries, and he gave End of the Lane Farm's beverage a perfect ten score. “Among the strongest, most deeply indulgent cocoa flavors I've experienced in potable form,” James wrote in his review. “Each sip is like a dark chocolate truffle, but with a very accessible viscosity and texture. There may be issues getting the cream to evenly disperse, but don't let this deter you from enjoying this gorgeous, dark, mature, endlessly chocolaty treat.” End of the Lane Farm worked with Chef Rob Handel of Rob Handel Catering on the flavor. "Rob was able to come up with a chocolate milk recipe that didn’t require corn starch, carrageenan or any other artificial ingredients that is used in so many other chocolate milks,” the farm says. Read the full story at Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily news update.

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Sean Mulkerrin is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise in an ideal world, the BusPatrol program would not be necessary according to Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.But there are some alarming facts, he said on January 13. McCoy offered an update on the county's BusPatrol program, first rolled out in September, which equipped 59 South Colonie Central School District buses with cameras to record vehicles illegally passing stopped buses. He said 50,000 drivers illegally pass school buses every day. The South Colonie program went live at the end of November and in one month, between November 28 and December 28, the county issued 923 tickets in the South Colonie school district alone. The tickets generated more than $92,000 in revenue: 60 percent went to BusPatrol and 40 percent to Albany County. There were gasps in the room “when we got briefed on this,” McCoy said. “I felt sick to my stomach. Because it was a lot worse than I thought it was ...  One child lost to reckless driving is one too many," he said. By ticketing motorists who pass school buses when the stop arm is extended and lights flashing, McCoy said, the intention is to change the behavior of those drivers. The fine for passing a bus is $250; additional violations within a subsequent 18-month period increase the fine $25, with a maximum fine of $300. Read the full story at The Altamont Enterprise.

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Kathleen Moore is reporting for the Times Union the national reading program, Reading Partners, is expanding its tutor base into the Capital Region. Reading Partners is hoping to recruit 500 tutors from upstate New York to instruct students in New York City virtually. Each would be assigned one child in kindergarten through fourth grade to tutor twice a week for 45 minutes. The program has been used nationally for 22 years and makes it possible for two-thirds of its students to catch up to grade level after one year. “Our entire program model is one-on-one, high-dosage tutoring,” said Primo Lasana, executive director of Reading Partners. “Volunteers literally have a script to follow. Each lesson starts with a tutor read-aloud that’s of interest to the student to get them interested and excited.” The program progresses step by step, through each reading challenge – from words that cannot be sounded out, to letter blends that do not sound like the original two letters. To qualify for the tutoring program, students must be 6 months to 2½ years behind grade level. At the end of their first year of tutoring, 82 percent of students in kindergarten through second grade have caught up; 75 percent of third and fourth graders are reading at grade level, Lasana said. Reading Partners may soon expand to work with students in upstate New York. Information on the program is available at ReadingPartners [dot] org. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Aina de Lapparent Alvarez is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle after years of public debate, Lanesborough, Mass. will soon let residents know where things stand on a plan to build a new police station on Prospect Street. Kristen Tool, chair of the town Police Building Committee, said her group is preparing a slideshow presentation on steps being taken ahead of a coming vote on the construction project. Town residents will be invited to a public information meeting to ask questions and the decision on moving the project forward could come at a special town meeting late this winter or early spring. The most recent cost estimate received was just under $6 million, an amount lower than the first one received, in part because materials prices have decreased. Tool said. Taxpayers rejected a proposed $4.3 million building in November 2021, and the Select Board struck it down before the town voted. In August, the committee moved to combine a police building with an EMS building, to reduce costs and open up funding opportunities. Tool recently met with newly elected state Sen. Paul Mark who advised her to request help from the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Lanesborough appears to qualify for a 40-year, low-interest loan and another grant program that could cover 15 percent of the costs. The committee continues to look for more funding sources. “It’s all just information-gathering at this point. Lanesborough residents need to vote on it first,” Tool said. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Elle Kehres reports for Radio World that two radio towers belonging to WSJS, an AM Christian broadcaster in North Carolina were brought down by vandals recently knocking the Class B station and its FM translator station off the air. Radio World explains about the stations, "WSJS is the flagship station for 'The Truth Network,' a conglomerate of 17 stations owned by Christian broadcaster Truth Broadcasting Corporation that broadcast predominantly Christian and Bible-based topics in North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa and Utah." Stu Epperson, the owner of The Truth Network, wrote this statement, “Today has been one of the toughest days of my broadcasting life … someone has destroyed several of our towers. Criminal investigation is underway. The FBI is involved since it’s a federal crime. Can’t share the details, but please pray for the person responsible to come to faith in Christ, for law enforcement and for our team as they rush to get us back on air.” The North Carolina Association of Broadcasters suggested that the tower-dropping could have been to steal precious metals, releasing a statement reading, in part, “NCAB has recently heard reports from several association members of perpetrators intentionally damaging communications towers and stealing copper from broadcast facilities/tower sites. As has been reported to us, at least three radio sites in the Triad area have been vandalized; in one instance, a tower’s guy wires were cut, leading to a tower collapsing. These recent incidents coincide with a dramatic increase in metal thefts, with copper, bronze, brass, and aluminum all being targeted, according to law enforcement.” Read the full story at Radio World.

Today's daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that the union for New York State Troopers had officials' phones and computers seized by State Police Special Investigations Unit investigators last week. The mobile phone of the former president of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association was seized and search warrants were executed at the union's Albany headquarters and the office of a related charity. The financial crimes unit is examining spending, expenses, and compensation of numerous current and former PBA officials with allegations of widespread policy violations, including undisclosed conflicts of interest. The story says there was a mutiny on the union's board of directors, with some members from western New York examining the union's finances. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association says that 2022 set the single year record for inmate-on-staff and inmate-on-inmate assaults in New York prisons, up 31 percent. The union is claiming the violence came after the The Humane Alternatives for Long Term Solitary Confinement Act took effect last April. Union President Michael Powers said, “Now more than ever we need the New York State Legislature to put common sense over political agendas and address the skyrocketing violence we’ve been experiencing since the enactment of the HALT Act." Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Bob Beyfuss, a local horticulture expert, ginseng specialist, educator, and gardening columnist, died Jan. 12 in Florida. “Bob passed away yesterday while playing softball with his buddies,” his friend Tony Melluzzo wrote in an email Jan. 13. “He collapsed on the field. They tried to revive him with CPR but he did not respond,” Melluzzo said. “I know he would want us to remember him as the loving guy he was.” Beyfuss was 72, and lived in Schoharie County. He had a master’s degree in agriculture from Cornell University and retired in 2009 as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County. The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties put out a statement after his death, reading, in part, “Without Bob, there would be no Agroforestry Resource Center today in Acra. Those of us who were privileged to call him a friend are heartbroken. As we deal with our collective loss, we will share special photos, stories and thoughts from staff and volunteers of Bob over the next few weeks.” Funeral services have not been announced at the time of this story. Read the full story at Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily news update.

Mon., Jan. 16, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here is a rundown of how local services and offices will be affected.
Amtrak: Check schedule
Banks: Closed
County offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Financial markets: Closed
Greene County Transit: No service
Metro-North: Enhanced Saturday schedule
Mail delivery: None
Schools: Closed
State offices: Closed

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H. Rose Schneider reports for the Times Union that the Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 12, updated the COVID-19 community transmission levels for counties in the Hudson Valley to high. Columbia, Greene, Sullivan, Dutchess, Rockland, Putnam, Ulster, and Westchester counties all currently have high transmission levels, according to the CDC. The increase in COVID-19 cases is attributed to the newest subvariant of the virus, XBB 1.5, according to a statement from Ulster County Commissioner of Health Dr. Carol Smith. Known as the "kraken" subvariant, XBB 1.5 is believed to be significantly more transmissible, constituting about half the COVID-19 cases statewide. Smith advised residents to consider wearing a mask when indoors, maintaining good ventilation and airflow in indoor spaces and testing as soon as COVID symptoms are suspected. "...[S]tay home when sick and follow the CDC's recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19," she said. Albany and Rensselaer counties currently have medium transmission levels. Schenectady, Saratoga, Washington, Warren, Hamilton, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, and Delaware counties currently have low levels. The CDC COVID Data Tracker will resume regular updates on Jan. 17. In the past week, both Columbia and Greene counties each reported another death from COVID-19. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the owners of an illegally operating tire dump on State Route 81 in Climax have until mid-February to remove all tires from the property or town officials can take matters into their own hands. New York State Supreme Court Justice Richard Mott ruled last week that Green Tire Recycling, LLC is “conditionally” in contempt of the order he issued on August 30, 2022, that permanently prohibited the company from operating the tire dump business. Property owners Corey Mergendahl and Sharon Lampman, and Green Tire Recycling owner Shane Foster have ignored the August order and thousands of tires remain piled up in alleged violation of state and local laws. Mott ruled the dump must cease operations and all tires removed by February 17. If the parties fail to comply with the order by that date, the town of Coxsackie may “immediately enter the subject parcels and remove or cause the removal of tires dumped thereat by a licensed refuse removal company or the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, to be paid for via a relevy of Greene County General Real Property Taxes upon the subject premises,” Mott ordered. Mott also ruled the town may impose a fine. Mergendahl, Lampoon and Foster could not be reached for comment and they have not retained attorneys. The Department of Environmental Conservation also ordered the dump shut down in August and imposed substantial fines on Mergendahl, Lampman, and Foster. That order, like Mott’s, was ignored. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Jeanette Wolfberg reports for The Columbia Paper that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors held its reorganizational meeting January 3 and board chair Matt Murell set out the county's objectives for 2023. Those goals include fixing a bridge in Livingston and Clermont, upgrading the Department of Social Services Building, and developing a new kitchen for the Office for the Aging. The state Department of Transportation closed the bridge in June and the work is ongoing, Murrell said. The county hopes the bridge will reopen in early 2024. Among the county's 2022 accomplishments: completion of the sewer line from Commerce Park to the Greenport wastewater treatment facility on time and under budget; completion of the PJ Keeler Columbia County Emergency Services Response and Training Center in Commerce Park; and approval of a new contract with the four unions that represent county workers. At the reorganizational meeting, the supervisors chose Murell as chairman, Supervisor Ron Knott as majority leader, and Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling as minority leader. Kelly S. Baccaro was named clerk of the board and Richard Washburn, Michael Nabozny, and Robin Andrews were appointed to the county Board of Ethics. Kelly Miller-Simmons was reappointed Republican election commissioner and Erin Stamper was named Democratic election commissioner, to replace Ken Dow. Victoria McGahan was named Director of Public Health, to replace Jack Mabb, who retired. Murrell acknowledged Mabb for his “outstanding leadership in a most difficult time.” Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

The Associated Press reports that six-decade long radio career ended last week after 98-year-old Hong Kong DJ Ray Cordeiro died. The Guinness Book of Records claimed he was the world’s longest-working disc jockey. He worked at Radio Television Hong Kong until 2021. He began with Hong Kong’s public broadcaster in 1960 after being employed earlier as a prison warden and bank clerk. His “All the Way With Ray” radio show of easy listening music was on RTHK Radio 3 for 51 years until his retirement. “The audience followed me, grew up with me, and they’re all over the world now,” Cordeiro told The Associated Press in 2021 after his retirement. “They still listened to me on the internet.” He interviewed The Beatles in 1964. and also Elton John and Tony Bennett. Here is a short clip of Cordeiro being interviewed by the South China Morning Post a few years ago. Read the full story at Associated Press website.

Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Congressional seats in New York. Current Democrat Rep. Paul Tonko, from the 20th District, voted with the positions of President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time in the previous Congress, according to the fivethirtyeight.com website. Republican Elise Stefanik, currently representing the 21st District, voted with Biden's positions 19.3 percent of the time. Democrat Pat Ryan is representing the 18th Congressional District and Republican Marc Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District. Click here to listen to this report.

Mid-Hudson News [dot] com reports that after four days of acrimony, arm-twisting, and 15 different ballots, the new Republican majority in the 118th Congress finally saw California Republican Kevin McCarthy sworn in as Speaker of the House very early on January 7. The 15 different ballots required were the most in 164 years. The resistance to McCarthy’s elevation came from 20 hard-right election deniers and loyalists of former President Donald Trump, and almost ended with fisticuffs in the House chamber. After lengthy negotiations, McCarthy won a majority over. All other business was halted until the Speaker was elected, including the administering of the oath of office to each of the members. Newly-elected Marc Molinaro, a Duchess County Republican who represents the new 19th Congressional District, did not take his oath until early Jan. 7. He then returned to New York to speak at a ceremony for state Senator Rob Rolison. Molinaro said the first four days in Washington did not go as he had planned but he characterized the process as healthy. Molinaro said, “Despite the time it took, don’t mistake it for wasted time,” noting “There are ideological differences within the majority but they were confronted very early.” He said that Congress can now get on with the work they were sent to do. “Americans want us to work on driving down costs, protecting and securing communities, the safety and security at our borders, energy independence, and education.” Molinaro said, “This is what democracy sometimes looks like and the differences of opinions were aired out in full view of the public,” adding “The American people delivered a divided government and that means we’re always going to have our differences and sometimes that means we’re going to air them out in public — rightfully so.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Katherine Tully-McManus reports for Politico that Connor Torossian is now legislative director for Marc Molinaro, the Republican who now represents New York's 19th Congressional District. Torossian previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Glenn Grothman, a far-right Wisconsin Republican. Grothman as been quoted saying things such as, "A majority of Americans have voted for a party that … wants a world in which you cannot call your parents mom and dad." and "I know the strength that Black Lives Matter had in this last election. I know it's a group that doesn't like the old-fashioned family.... I'm disturbed that we have another program here in which we're increasing the marriage penalty." Grothman may be best known for being included in one of HBO comedian John Oliver's "People Who Somehow Got Elected" series. Molinaro paints himself as a Republican moderate, and marched in at least one Black Lives Matter rally as Dutchess County Executive, while Torossian's Twitter feed shows that the new Congressperson has hired an ultra conservative as his legislative director.

On January 9 new Congressperson Marc Molinaro got to take his first votes. Molinaro cast his first ballot for the new rules in the House of Representatives, which again rein back in the C-Span cameras that had been showing much more than normal during the long process of electing a Speaker of the House. On his second vote, he laid off 87,000 people enforcing the law, as Republicans decided to roll back President Joe Biden's recent hiring at the Internal Revenue Service. Molinaro wrote on Twitter, that, "I just voted to protect families, farmers and small businesses. No problem has ever been solved by empowering more tax collectors - I voted to repeal Biden’s 87,000 new IRS agents." Both local Republicans, Molinaro and Rep. Elise Stefanik, voted for the new rules and the lay offs, while Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko voted against both bills.

In Rep. Marc Molinaro's first week in Congress he has broken several campaign promises, and while running as a moderate, he has voted as a conservative. On March 15, 2022, Molinaro, a Republican, wrote on Twitter, "Day one I introduce a bill to implement broader protections and services for those with disabilities." Molinaro has yet to introduce such a bill. During his campaign against Democrat Josh Riley the former Dutchess County Executive said he believes abortion should be “rare, safe, and legal,” but Molinaro has voted on the so-called pro-life side twice in his first week in office. On Jan. 11 Molinaro voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, voting with Republican Elise Stefanik, and against local Democrats Paul Tonko and Pat Ryan. Molinaro and Stefanik also voted for a resolution "expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches," while Tonko and Ryan voted against. None of those bills are expected to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate or be signed by President Joe Biden into law. Molinaro did co-sponsor H.R.22, which would stop the sale and export of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China.

Phillip Pantuso and Lana Bellamy are reporting for the Times Union U.S. Reps. Marcus Molinaro and Mike Lawler January 12, joined other members of the state GOP congressional delegation now calling on U.S. Rep. George Santos to resign. Freshman Hudson Valley representative Molinaro said Santos should not continue to serve in the 118th Congress. He said in a statement, “George Santos’ dishonesty has eroded his ability to represent his neighbors and serve in Congress. I don’t see how he can continue.” When asked for clarification, Molinaro's communication director Dan Kranz, texted: “Yes that statement means he thinks he should resign.” Molinaro failed to respond directly when asked about a $1,000 campaign contribution accepted by his campaign from then-candidate Santos. In a statement from his office, Lawler, Molinaro's 17th congressional district colleague, also said Santos should step down. “It is clear that George Santos has lost the confidence and support of his party, his constituents, and his colleagues. With the extent and severity of the allegations against him, his inability to take full responsibility for his conduct, and the numerous investigations underway, I believe he is unable to fulfill his duties and should resign.” Six of the 11 Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are now calling on Santos to quit: Lawler, Molinaro, former state GOP Chair Nick Langworthy, Nick LaLota, Brandon Williams and Anthony D’Esposito. However, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair, who represents the 21st District in the North Country, has said nothing about Santos since the first New York Times story in December raising doubts about the biographical claims of the Long Island congressperson. Stefanik’s office did not respond to multiple requests on Jan. 12 for comment about Santos. During his run for Congress, Santos’ campaign donated $12,000 to at least a dozen Republican candidates, seven of whom won their races. Three of the New York Republicans who received political contributions from Santos, U.S. Rep. D’Esposito, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, have returned the cash or pledged to do so. A fourth, Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo, said he would donate the money. Santos has said he will not resign and will only leave office if voted out. Read the full story in the Times Union.