Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that a Greene County health official is warning that a “triple-demic” of COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and the flu are hitting locally. RSV and the flu usually peak in January or February. “This year, the number of cases of COVID-19, flu, and RSV started to spike as early as November,” Greene County Public Health Deputy Director Laura Churchill said. “While all three viruses are present right now, they are not peaking at the same time.” COVID-19, influenza, and RSV all often include coughing, fever, fatigue, and body aches. "This has caused hundreds of children in Greene County to miss school,” Churchill said. “The recent spike in cases is overwhelming hospitals and healthcare systems locally and across the county.” Health officials recommend anyone with these symptoms stay home so they do not infect others. “The best way to protect yourself and those around you is to mask when appropriate and practice good hand hygiene,” Churchill said. “COVID-19 and flu vaccines can be administered on the same day and are available at most pharmacies at no cost to the patients.” Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Heather Bellow reports for The Berkshire Eagle that the Great Barrington Select Board voted 4-1 Dec. 19 to ask outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker if the town could use the money earmarked for a shuttle to a train to Manhattan instead to alleviate Housatonic residents’ struggles with tap water. The proposed bus service between Great Barrington and Metro-North’s Wassaic Train Station in Amenia in Dutchess County would have been paid for by a $150,000 earmark from the state Legislature. But now the town board has voted to ask if they can use the money to buy filters and provide other water to Housatonic’s residents. At least one resident agreed with the board's vote. “You can’t worry about getting people to New York City if people don’t have clean water,” said Karen Whetstone Smith. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Mid-Hudson News reports that at West Point, the Confederacy has finally lost the monument war. Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland announced on Dec. 20 that “in accordance with the Department of Defense directives,” West Point will remove anything that commemorates or memorializes the Confederacy or those who voluntarily served with it. The move was recommended by the Congressional Naming Commission and approved by the Secretary of Defense. A portrait of Robert E. Lee in Confederate uniform will be removed from the library at Jefferson Hall and placed in storage and the portrait of Ulysses S. Grant will be moved from the library to Grant Hall during the winter break. And the stone bust of Lee in Reconciliation Plaza will be placed in storage while the bust of Grant will be moved to the front of Grant Hall. And Lee’s quote at Honor Plaza will be replaced by early spring 2023. The Memorialization, History, and Museum Committee is still deciding how to rename Lee Road, Beauregard Place, and Hardee Place; Lee Barracks; Lee Housing Area; and Lee Child Development Center. “On a campus dedicated to educating the future leaders of our nation’s military, there is no suitable location for a symbol of hatred like a plaque immortalizing the Ku Klux Klan,” Rep. Sean Maloney said. “For years, I’ve pushed West Point and our armed forces to remove and rename buildings and monuments related to the Confederacy and I am thrilled to see progress is finally being made.” Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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Mid-Hudson News reports that leaders in the state Assembly and Senate are about to add $32,000 to their annual pay as part-time lawmakers. Under the proposal, compensation would increase from $110,000 per year for all senators and assembly members to $142,000 as of January 1, 2023. This pay hike would make New York lawmakers the highest paid in the country. Both houses will vote on the raises during a special session on Dec. 22. The lawmakers also receive health and pension benefits. A restriction on outside income for lawmakers is effective January 1, 2023. A previously approved salary increase was supposed to have taken legislators' salaries to $130,000 in 2021, but it was invalidated by a judge. The pending plan far exceeds anything previously scheduled. New York lawmakers also receive per diems and travel reimbursements for each trip they make to Albany. Read the full story at Mid-HudsonNews [dot] com.

Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union Lights Out Norlite, a group opposing the Norlite aggregate plant and incinerator in Cohoes, is looking to join the Attorney General’s lawsuit against the company. With the assistance of lawyers and students from the Pace University Environmental Litigation Clinic, the group on December 20, filed in state Supreme Court in Albany County, a motion to intervene in the case, alleging the plant has allowed harmful levels of dust and other pollution to escape over the years, an argument similar to the one being made by the AG. Lights Out is also seeking an order that would essentially make the state Department of Environmental Conservation order the plant to cease operations. The DEC is currently reviewing Norlite’s application to renew its air emission permits, but it has also served the company with notices of violations regarding dust emissions. The Lights Out group is also pointing to the year-old Green Amendment as a reason to enforce changes or close the facility. That amendment states that all state residents have a constitutional right to clean air and water as well as a “healthful environment.” The Lights Out group hopes the Green Amendment will add legal heft to their battle against Norlite. “Residents have been forced to breathe their dust and pollution for decades. The smell is often overwhelming and the dust from their massive outdoor piles gets into people’s lungs, their homes, and over everything,” added Mark Dunlea, chair of the Green Education and Legal Fund, which is also a plaintiff in the legal action. The Cohoes Housing Authority recently received permission from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to move residents out of the Saratoga Sites housing project, which is located next door to Norlite. Read more in the Times Union.

Brian Hubert is reporting for the Daily Freeman Amtrak has announced it will replace the tubular-shaped stainless-steel Amfleet cars that date to the 1970s and 1980s. According to the rail carrier, the new train cars will be used on routes up and down the East Coast including routes that serve the Mid-Hudson Valley like the Adirondack, Empire Service and Ethan Allen Express and also on the West Coast in Washington and Oregon. The new German-designed single-deck trains, branded-named “Amtrak Airo,” will likely enter service starting in 2026. Amtrak said the new trains formed of either six or eight cars will offer modern “spacious interiors with panoramic windows.” Images released on December 15 show windows far larger than the ones found on the current Amfleet cars. The new trains will be manufactured in California by a division of the German industrial conglomerate Siemens and be capable of operating at 125 mph where track permits. Amtrak said. The trains that operate in the Northeast will be able to operate on multiple-power sources alleviating the need for locomotive changes, the release said. A redesigned cafe car will offer more contemporary food choices including self-service options. According to Amtrak, the cars will have “spacious ergonomic seating offering enhanced comfort with plenty of legroom, bigger and sturdier tray tables, moveable headrests and a dedicated cup and seatback tablet holder.” The new trains will also be more fuel efficient and produce 90 percent fewer particulate emissions when they operate in diesel mode. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Broadcast Law Blog reports that comments are due by January 9 for the Federal Communications Commissions new rules about foreign government sponsorship identification. Questions about foreign ownership of the airwaves of America usually pop up in times of paranoia, misinformation, and propaganda, so there is little surprise the FCC’s Media Bureau would consider this issue now. The bureau wants comment on proposed rules for all buyers of program time on any broadcast station (or those who provide any pre-produced programming received for free) to provide verification if programming comes from a “foreign government entity,” i.e., a foreign government or one of its agents. Then, shows from a foreign government entity would be subject to extensive public disclosure obligations. Read more about this story at the Broadcast Law Blog.

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Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that on Dec. 19, the 22-member Climate Action Council voted in favor of New York's scoping plan for energy. New York's plan for combating climate change mandates that 70 percent of the state’s power come from clean sources by 2030 and an 85 percent reduction in greenhouses gases from 1990 levels by 2050, and a zero emissions power grid by 2040. Twelve of the 22-member Council are state agency or authority chiefs who serve directly or indirectly under Gov. Kathy Hochul, so the plan was expected to pass. And it did 19-3. But not without dissent. “I object to any notion that we have a need for hydrogen,” Paul Shepson, dean at SUNY Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, said at a Climate Action Council meeting earlier in the month. The natural gas industry, though, wants to keep making money. “What is the alternative fuel that is going to replace gas in the future?” asked Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of the Independent Power Producers of New York. This vote is for the broad outlines of the state plan to combat climate change. "This Plan serves as a bold, monumental achievement not just for New York State, but for the nation and the world, which centers on equity and climate justice across all sectors, building opportunities for all, and ensuring we have a workforce that can transition as seamlessly as possible in our new clean energy economy," said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, who is co-chair of the climate panel, Next year state regulatory agencies such as the DEC will begin writing the actual regulations to get to a carbon-free power grid. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Tyler A. McNeil reports for the Daily Gazette that on Jan. 6 Schoharie County will begin conducting a survey to gauge the quantity, challenges and output of farmers in one of the state's most rural counties. “My main concern is that farmers don’t have a ton of time to fill out a pages-long survey,” said Nick Kossman, the county development specialist for agricultural businesses. “And it was my goal originally was to make sure this was less than 20 questions and we’re down to less than 15 at this point.” In 2016 a similar survey found that farmers averaged 26 years in business, owned 168 acres, or rented 125 acres, and most farms specialized in dairy production. A quarter of land use in Schoharie County is for agriculture. Between 2007 and 2017, Schoharie County was the only local county to gain in both farmland acreage (1,450 acres) and producers (16). “If you’re looking with sort of a traditional view of where there are the 200-cow dairies and the hundred-acre farms, our average farm size has decreased pretty steadily over the years,” Kossman said. “But we are having a lot more people, I believe, and this is kind of what I’m hoping this survey will prove, a lot of people who are doing more farming on a smaller scale.” Read the full story in the Daily Gazette.

The Times Union reports that New York has acquired 1,300 acres of forest and grassland in the Taconic Mountains to preserve open space. The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced that the land in the Rensselaer County town of Berlin will connect the Taconic Ridge and Berlin State Forests. “DEC and our partners are continuing to collaborate with stakeholders to permanently protect the Taconic Ridge and the valuable ecological and recreational opportunities it provides,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “This newest 1,300 acres will help connect and enhance DEC’s existing state forest network and builds upon our ongoing progress in conserving this Capital Region natural treasure.” The purchase for $890,000 through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund will link together more than 12,000 acres of state forests. The land includes a tributary of the Little Hoosic River, a wild trout stream, and 80 acres of critical grassland habitat. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district is in a holding pattern over the future of the Indians team name and mascot while awaiting additional guidance from the state. Superintendent Brian Bailey told the board of education at its December 14 meeting that districts have been promised more information and answers to their questions about the requirement to change team names, mascots, and imagery that references indigenous people. “We’ve been promised additional guidance from the State Education Department,” Bailey told the board. The Education Department issued a memo in November, requiring all schools to eliminate such imagery or risk losing their state aid, among other consequences. “We need to know to what extent districts are mandated to do this,” Bailey said. “We’ve seen the ultimatum that was in the initial release, which was the potential loss of state aid, which for us is $26 million a year, half of our budget, and the removal of all district leaders for failing to follow the directive.” The changes must be instituted by the close of the 2022-23 school year. There are 60 districts statewide that will be required to make the change under the current mandate. “I’ve already received communication from members of the community and graduates and [students] currently enrolled,” Bailey said. “... I think to watch how the regulations develop is the relevant thing and then once we have good guidance, we’ll have a conversation as a community and decide what we’re going to do next.” Student input will be sought once the district decides on how it will move forward, he added. In 2021, the Coxsackie-Athens district retired its name and imagery, also the “Indians,” after an extended and heated controversy in the community. That mascot was dropped and the team was renamed the Riverhawks after a survey was conducted in the community to come up with a new name. Read more about this story at TheUpstater.com.

Lana Bellamy is reporting for the Times Union local animal rights advocacy organizations and the Ulster County District Attorney's Office are conducting an investigation into why a group of lame and severely malnourished sheep were recently found wandering along Route 32 in Saugerties. Dozens of underweight and injured sheep were discovered at a so-called slaughter operation by the founder of Catskill Animal Sanctuary. The sanctuary, along with the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty and local law enforcement, rescued 42 sheep. "It's an extraordinary feeling to take in animals who have never known what some of us are able to take for granted — safety, comfort, love," said Kathy Stevens, the founder of Catskill Animal Sanctuary. After the sanctuary worked with police to get the wandering sheep off the road, the organization formally reported their physical conditions to authorities. A warrant was then served at the owner's property, where representatives from the SPCA and the sanctuary found 74 sheep. Some of the animals were underweight and limping, and one was unable to stand, according to information provided by the sanctuary. The veterinarian assisting with the case recommended immediate seizure of the flock. The Catskill Animal Sanctuary collaborated with two partner sanctuaries to adopt nine of the sheep. The Farm Sanctuary accepted seven sheep and Woodstock Farm Sanctuary adopted two ram lambs. In the end, eight of the pregnant sheep were able to give birth to 10 lambs, including two sets of twins. Read the full story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News is reporting the New York State Police are participating in the “Drive High Get a DUI” national campaign and New Year’s impaired driving enforcement to crack down on impaired and reckless driving during the holiday season. The campaign runs through Sun., Jan. 1, 2023. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints as well as more troopers on the road statewide. In addition to the DWI checkpoints and patrols, troopers will be watching for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the move over law. That law requires motorists to exercise extreme caution when passing emergency vehicles that are stopped in or on the side of the road. The State Police will also conduct underage drinker enforcement details. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Kevin Purdy reports at ARS Technica that the folks who cheered months ago when New York's legislature passed The Digital Fair Repair Act, the first right-to-repair bill to entirely pass through any state legislature are now waiting nervously. The nation's largest technology interests are lobbying for New York Governor Kathy Hochul not to sign the bill. And, so far, Hochul has held the bill aside until Dec. 16, when a thirty-day clock began ticking, and if the governor takes no action by then the bill fails to become law. For several months her press flacks will only say, "Governor Hochul is reviewing the legislation." Very few people anywhere are against the bill, which allows consumers to fix products they pay for. Advocates for the measure say many companies do not provide documentation or spare parts, or lock access behind software restrictions that thwart repairs outside companies' networks, limit consumer choice, raise ownership costs, and add to a growing e-waste stream. The Digital Fair Repair Act passed the state assembly 147–2 and the senate 59–4. Yet, despite all that popularity and bipartisan support, if Hochul sways to the lobbying interests of a handful of corporations, the bill fails and would have to start again from the beginning of the legislative process next term. Aggressive lobbying worked earlier in the process, as trade groups forced a slimmer version of the bill, taking out lawn equipment, gaming consoles, and appliances through a "burst of end-of-session lobbying from companies worth billions and their affiliated trade associations." The bill on Hochul's desk will now only apply to small electronics, according to the Times Union. But since the bill would be the first in the nation signed into law it would set a precedent for other states. Both ARS Technica and the Times Union report that state filings show that the trade group TechNet, and corporations Microsoft, Apple, Google, and HP, are all lobbying against the bill at the legislative and executive levels in New York. Read more about this story at ARS Technica.

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