Paul Kirby reports for the Daily Freeman that election workers in seven counties, including those in Columbia and Greene on Dec. 5 began a one-million-vote recount to determine who will take the third seat in a race for the state Supreme Court’s Third Judicial District. The count is likely to take a week to complete, according to Democratic Ulster County Board of Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus. With less than 1,000 votes separating the two lowest vote-getters, the boards of elections in the seven counties that make up the state Supreme Court Third Judicial District are involved in a hand count of the more than one million ballots cast in the race. Voters were asked to elect three Supreme Court Third Judicial District justices from a field of four candidates. According to the state Board of Elections website, the two top vote-getters in the race were Democrats Meagan K. Galligan and Sharon A. Graff. Meanwhile, Republican Thomas Marcelle received 164,776 votes, while Democrat Heidi Thais Cochrane got 163,777, a spread of only 999 votes. As a result, a hand count of all ballots was triggered. “We will keep doing it until it’s done,” Dittus said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Raga Justin reports for the Times Union that a federal judge on Dec. 5 dismissed bribery and fraud charges pending against former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin. His arrest, based on allegations of federal corruption, lead to his resignation from the Hochul administration in April. In his decision, U.S. Judge Paul Oetken granted Benjamin’s request to dismiss three counts of bribery and honest services wire fraud, acknowledging the indictment filed by federal prosecutors, “failed to allege an explicit quid pro quo.” Oetken did not dismiss two other charges related to the falsification of records. At the time of his indictment, the U.S. attorney's office described the case as "a simple story of corruption" involving a quid pro quo scheme, stemming from Benjamin’s 2021 campaign for New York City Comptroller. Prosecutors alleged he secured campaign contributions from real estate developer Gerald Migdol, in exchange for steering $50,000 in taxpayer funds to a nonprofit organization that Migdol ran, Friends of Public School Harlem. Read more in the Times Union.

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Erik Larson is reporting for Bloomberg New York Attorney General Letitia James’s chief of staff Ibrahim Khan has resigned after being investigated for workplace misconduct. A law firm was hired to conduct an independent probe into Khan's behavior after an allegation of sexual harassment surfaced in October. The investigation involved “a few” women, none of whom are current employees, said an anonymous source. In a statement, Khan, one of James' most-trusted advisers, said the law firm’s probe cleared him of official workplace misconduct, and that his resignation had nothing to do with the allegation. “After a successful four-year term, I’ve been slated to leave the office for the private sector at the end of this year,” he said. “This is unrelated to an investigation which, nevertheless, found no official workplace misconduct. ...” James, a Democrat, was re-elected to a second term last month. James’s office said in a statement, “The office takes these matters with the utmost seriousness, and this situation is no different. An independent, impartial investigation was conducted, and the employee has since resigned.” Khan, 38, worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2007 presidential campaign before becoming a political consultant. He became James’s chief of staff when she was the New York City public advocate and served as campaign manager when she ran for attorney general. Read more at Bloomberg [dot] com.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Pleasant Valley's holiday parade this year was not so pleasant, as it was marred by vulgarity. The Snow Fountain Supply business included a tractor-trailer in the parade with a large flag that said “F--- BIDEN” as it passed hundreds of children and their families in the Dutchess County town. “It is a disgrace that an event for children is marred and diminished into the political sewer,” Pleasant Valley Town Supervisor John DelVecchio said. “The person who had that sign on the back of their truck should be banned from any involvement in any future events in Pleasant Valley.” DelVecchio did not help organize the event, but thinks that next year someone different should be at the helm. “The organizers of the event need to be stripped of the responsibility of this event,” he said, adding “This lack of attention to detail is irresponsible and is clearly a setup to kick off the onset of the upcoming political season.”

Arvind Dilawar reports for the Times Union that the Storm King Arts Center is refusing to voluntarily recognize their newly formed labor union. “My co-workers and I love working in such a beautiful setting and being able to provide our visitors our different perspectives on the art,” said Marques Villaronga, a visitor services attendant at Storm King and member of the Storm King Art Center Workers Union. “Having a union at Storm King would bring stability and help with worker retention, both of which would create an even better experience for our visitors.” The sculpture park, based in Orange County, is starting a $45 million update of its campus. “The workers love Storm King,” said Jessica Ladlee, communications specialist at Civil Service Employees Association Local 1000, with whom the SKAC Workers Union is organizing. “But love doesn’t pay the bills, so they still need equitable wages and benefits, and know unionizing is the best way to get there.” Storm King officials dispute the union's claim. “Storm King is not refusing to recognize the Union,” said May Mansour, a spokesperson for the museum, “but is rather putting this important matter to vote for all eligible staff.” The union got some Columbia County help as Zach Feuer, co-founder of Forge Project, an indigenous cultural organization in Taghkanic, and former director of Art Omi, a sculpture park in Ghent, sent a letter to Roberta Denning, chair of Storm King’s board of trustees, urging voluntary recognition of the SKAC Workers Union. “I implore you to stop wasting resources on anti-union activity and meaningfully act on your stated values by voluntarily recognizing your staff’s union,” Feuer wrote. The unionization efforts come as other arts workers also want union representation. “We started seeing art museums across the country organizing,” said Villaronga, “and realized that we could make that happen here, too.” Read the full story in the Times Union.

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The Catskill Central School District announced on social media, that due to a water main issue the middle school and high school will be closed for instruction on Dec. 5. Then, beginning Dec. 6, both schools will shift to virtual instruction only until water and heat can be restored. Students are advised to listen for additional announcements about the possible rescheduling of upcoming events in those buildings. The Catskill Elementary School is not impacted by these issues and will provide in-person instruction all week. Updates will be provided online at CatskillCSD [dot] org.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union court papers filed last weekend, before jury selection was set to begin in the trial of four people charged in the 2020 beating of local mechanic Harold Handy include details of attempts to negotiate a cash payment to Handy that would have allowed all four of the accused to avoid criminal charges. The four defendants are charged with unlawful imprisonment and assault stemming from the alleged beating during an Independence Day party in Kinderhook. The filings include a draft agreement between Handy and defendants Sheriff's Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach; her husband, gym owner Alex Rosenstrach; IRS agent Bryan Haag; and contractor Corey Gaylord, promising a payment of $650,000 if Handy helped his alleged attackers avoid criminal charges. The filings also included a screenshot of a text message from Handy's private attorney requesting an even larger payout. The matter was set for trial on November 28, but about an hour into jury selection, District Attorney Paul Czajka [CHAI-kah] called for a private conference with county Judge Richard Koweek. After that conversation, Koweek announced an adjournment, but failed to give a reason; the minutes of the conversation have been sealed. Five days before, Haig's attorney, Paul DerOhannesian [Deh-ROH-hann-eesian] II, asked the court to subpoena Handy's private lawyer, Paul Freeman, for documents related to any attempt to secure a cash settlement from the defendants. Czajka responded on the eve of trial with his own filing. In it, Czajka stated he had never seen the draft settlement agreement or the text message before DerOhannesian's subpoena request. Those documents should have been turned over to prosecutors as part of the pre-trial discovery process, Czajka said, and he asked the court to sanction the defense counsel for failing to comply with discovery laws. Czajka also claims the defense attorneys had failed to reveal the identities of their clients' civil attorneys, nor anything about the negotiations that appear to have taken place. It is unknown if the recent filings were the reason the court proceedings were abruptly adjourned because Koweek and Czajka remain silent on the subject. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Carl Campanile is reporting for the New York Post Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is accusing US Postal Service workers of opening her campaign mail and stealing $20,000 in campaign checks. Stefanik, the House GOP Conference chair, made the claim in a December 1 letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “We are writing you on behalf of our clients, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and her campaign committee, Elise for Congress, concerning the repeated, targeted theft of campaign contributions from packages sent through the United States Postal Service,” wrote attorney Michael Toner. Toner alleged that on four occasions between June and November this year, packages sent by the Elise for Congress committee containing campaign contributions were ripped open and the contents taken, while in the custody of the post office or its contractors. The attorney further alleged that in addition to the loss of campaign contributions, hundreds of Stefanik’s supporters were exposed to potential identity theft or financial fraud. It is unclear if any of the stolen checks were cashed. The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General is investigating the mail theft, but Toner said the IG's office “... which recovered the discarded, ripped open packages in Memphis — has not returned our client’s calls.” Stefanik is demanding the postal service provide her with a full update by December 8 on what has been done to date in investigating the thefts, and what measures it will take to prevent or prosecute mail theft against her and other Americans in the future. Postal Service spokesperson Dave Partenheimer said, “We did receive a letter on December 1 from representatives of Elise for Congress and we will respond to the sender directly with our findings on this investigative matter. In matters like this, both the Postal Inspection Service and Office of Inspector General have a potential role to play.” Read the full story in the New York Post.

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Andrea Macko in Porcupine Soup reports that on Nov. 30 Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that construction has begun on the 339-mile underground Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line that will bring electricity from hydropower from Canada to New York City. Local communities get some money and a risk of environmental accidents. Locally, the transmission line mostly runs along the CSX Railroad right-of-way, and passes through Bethlehem, Ravena, Coeymans, New Baltimore, Coxsackie, and Catskill and then into the Hudson River. While their are environmental risks locally, the project supplies 1,250 megawatts of clean energy to New York City, enough to power over one million homes. Hochul's office says that will reduce carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons statewide, the equivalent of taking over half a million cars off the road every year. The Greene County Industrial Development Agency awarded the projects tax breaks, and the project will bring $15.7 million for Greene County, $3.1 million for the Town of New Baltimore, $1.9 million for the Town of Coxsackie, $1.7 million for the Village of Coxsackie, $1.2 million for the Town of Athens, $4.3 million for the Town of Catskill, and $2.1 million for the Village of Catskill. The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District would receive $29.5 million, while the Catskill Central School District is getting $27.5 million. The Riverkeeper environmental group is not enthused about the project. “This destructive project raises numerous concerns. There are better alternatives that have lesser impacts and far greater benefits.... The CHPE project fails to meet the most basic requirement of a clean energy project, because it will not directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it will continue to emit greenhouse gases after 2040, when New York’s climate laws require the electric grid to be emissions free,” a Riverkeeper statement says. “Adding insult to injury, this project would take up billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that should be paid to a project that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Construction on the transmission line is expected to be complete in 2026. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Dutchess County Legislature Chair Gregg Pulver, a Republican from Pine Plains, says he will end his campaign for Dutchess County Executive if former state Senator Sue Serino decides to run for the seat. “I absolutely endorse Sue Serino,” Pulver said of his fellow Republican. “She is a proven leader and very respected across all of Dutchess County, and is the only candidate that I would set aside my own run for.” Serino recently lost her senate seat to Democrat Michelle Hinchey after redistricting pitted the two incumbents against each other. The Dutchess County Executive seat is open because the incumbent, Marc Molinaro was elected to the 19th Congressional District in this fall's voting. Serino, so far, is unsure about running to lead the county. “Right now, after eight years in the Senate, I am going to spend some time relaxing with family and friends,” she said. “Several people have asked me to run for the seat but it’s too early to make that decision.” Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

Diane Valden reports in the Columbia Paper that while the towns of Stockport, Canaan, and New Lebanon have all postponed their revaluations of property values to wait for an inflation reduction, Ancram town board members voted Nov. 17 to move ahead with their revaluation. “I don’t see it. In my opinion, by holding off a year, you may not see a difference” between doing the reval in 2023 or waiting until 2024, said Columbia County Real Property Tax Service Agency Director Suzette Booy. Ancram Town Assessor Rene DeLeeuw favored postponing the revaluations. “Let’s wait till 2024 and see what the market does," DeLeeuw said. Councilmember Amy Gold said she has heard worries from constituents about the recent higher than normal home sales prices, and “they fear their taxes will go through the roof.” Supervisor Art Bassin, Councilmembers David Boice, Hugh Clark, and Bonnie Hundt voted Yes hold the 2023 reval as scheduled, while Councilmember Gold voted No. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

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Raga Justin is reporting for the Times Union the state inspector general December 1, said incarcerated black and Hispanic people are significantly more likely to experience disparities in disciplinary treatment, and directing the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to require annual anti-bias training along with other recommendations. The IG's office analyzed data on violations leading to disciplinary write-ups that can result in punishment for people who are accused of infractions of institutional rules. The report covers a six-year period from 2015 to 2020 and was prompted by a 2016 New York Times story that documented a systemwide imbalance in how individuals in prisons are disciplined by DOCCS staff. "Sadly ... although racial disparities may not start at the prison gates, unfortunately, they also do not end there," state Inspector General Lucy Lang said in a statement. "We are hopeful that shining a light on this continuing inequality will contribute to changes in policy and practice that prioritize equal justice and dignity for incarcerated New Yorkers." Lang said her office has continued monitoring data for racial disparities since 2015, finding that such discrepancies are widespread and persisted until at least 2020. According to the report, an incarcerated black man was nearly 22 percent more likely to be issued a disciplinary report than an incarcerated white man, while a Hispanic individual was 12 percent more likely. Of the DOCCS employees who issued 50 or more disciplinary reports, 226 of them issued those reports to only non-white people. Disciplinary infractions are rated as minor, moderate, and severe, and each comes with a set of penalties, including loss of privileges or confinement. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district is asking its voters to approve in January a proposed $15 million capital project. “We approved a referendum and bond for a construction project,” Superintendent Brian Bailey said at the November meeting of the board of education. “January 9 is our target date for the vote. We have a lot to accomplish between now and then.” The district is planning to conduct outreach to the community, including mailings, and hold a public event in the weeks leading up to the vote to explain the project and the need for it. Community mailings are projected to go out in mid to late December, and will explain the scope of the proposed capital project and the impact on local taxpayers, Bailey said. “The impact on a $300,000 house is $15 a year,” he said. “That will likely help our residents feel more confident in the impact on their lives if we choose to do this referendum.” Bailey and John Sharkey, from Rhinebeck Architecture, explained the scope and budget of the proposed project at the October board of education meeting. “We are a fortunate district in that for every dollar we spend, the state helps match funds at 72 percent, so if we spend a dollar, they pay 72 cents of that dollar when we are spending it on construction,” Bailey said. The project was broken down into three categories — must-do, should-do and nice-to-do projects, he said. “...[W]e’re at a construction cost of $12,021,000, but to that you have to add incidental costs to the district,” Sharkey said. “We usually keep them at around 20 percent but because of escalation and price increases, we’re using an incidental cost of 25 percent and so the overall project cost would be $15,026,250." District voters go to the polls on January 9, and if approved, construction is expected to take place during the summers of 2024 and 2025. Read the full story at The UpStater [dot] com.

Liz Montgomery is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Cairo-Durham school district has announced the opening of its Wellness Center to district adult residents, faculty and staff, beginning next month. The center is located at Cairo-Durham High School on State Route 145. The center features areas focused on cardiovascular exercise ― treadmills, stair-climbers, upright bikes, rowing machines ― circuit and strength training machines and free weights, and more to maximize the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of getting quality exercise. The facility will be open to the public, at no charge, beginning January 3, from 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Wellness Center is closed on legal holidays, school vacation days, select special events and any school maintenance shutdowns. Anyone interested in accessing the center will need to complete a participant information form, physician’s medical clearance form, and informed consent and assumption of risk agreement. These forms and more can be found at CairoDurham [dot] org. Any questions on the forms can be directed to Nyrelle Colon at 518-622-8534, ext. 25010 or NColon [at] CairoDurham [dot] org. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

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