Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the former superintendent of the Catskill Central School District, Dr. Ronel Cook, died in a car accident last weekend. The Catskill school district released a statement about Cook, who was the superintendent from 2017 to 2022: “The Catskill Central School District mourns the passing of Dr. Ronel Cook, our former superintendent of schools, who died suddenly over the weekend. Dr. Cook served our school district with distinction from July 2017 to July 2022 and his presence here touched every aspect of our school community. We offer our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and coworkers during this time of great sadness. Support is available at all of our school buildings for any student or staff member who is experiencing grief by contacting your building’s principal.” Cook left the district Sept. 3, 2022. Bronx News 12 reports that Cook, who was living in Newburgh, was killed in a traffic accident Nov. 20 in Yonkers. Cook's 18-year-old son, Jayden, of Yonkers, remains hospitalized with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

Andrea Macko reports at Porcupine Soup that the price of home heating oil is so high this winter that two local Catholic churches may close for the cold months. The finance committees for both the St. John the Baptist in Greenville and Sacred Heart/Our Lady of Knock in Cairo both recommended that the buildings be closed during January, February, and March of 2023, according to Father Jay Atherton on Nov. 20. The closure is, “Due to the exceptionally high cost of oil this winter,” Atherton said. Instead, the churches would invite parishioners from the temporarily shuttered churches to the Sacred Heart/Our Lady of Knock location in East Durham, which is in between the two other locations. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority reports that the average cost of fuel oil in the upper Hudson Valley region has almost doubled in a year to $6.09 a gallon. “Having reviewed their proposals, and also aware of some exceptional financial and pastoral challenges all parishes will be facing in the near future, I am inclined to accept their recommendations,” Atherton said. Read the full story at Porcupine Soup.

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Kathleen Moore reports for the Times Union that every school district in the state of New York with a team name, logo, or mascot referring to Native Americans must change it by June 30, 2023, unless they have permission from a recognized tribe, the state Education Department said in a memo released November 17. The announcement was emailed to all districts and made public via Twitter and is expected to force changes in dozens of New York school districts. “Should a district fail to affirmatively commit to replacing its Native American team name, logo, and/or imagery by the end of the 2022-23 school year, it may be in willful violation of the Dignity Act. The penalties for such a violation include the removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid,” state Deputy Education Commissioner James Baldwin wrote. The deputy commissioner commended districts that have voluntarily dropped their mascots over the years and directed others to reach out to the education department for advice on how to change their mascot. Andrea Macko writes in Porcupine Soup that the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District is still using its longtime Indian mascot. In response to the NYSED memo, the district stated, “Our RCS community will be discussing the implications of this memo and how we proceed. We anticipate that NYSED will be distributing additional information concerning this matter.” It has been more than a year since the Coxsackie-Athens Board of Education voted to retire its longtime Indian mascot. The decision was controversial with hundreds of community members and parents speaking out both in support and in opposition to the change. The district ultimately rebranded itself as the Riverhawks. According to the Times Union, in the Capital Region, 12 school districts will have to change their nickname, mascot imagery, or both. It was not clear why the announcement was made at this time, but Baldwin cited a June 22 court decision that upheld state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa’s order to retire the Cambridge Central School District mascot. In that decision, acting state Supreme Court Justice Sara McGinty cited a directive issued in 2001 by then-Commissioner of Education Richard Mills. In that memo, Mills wrote, “the use of Native American symbols or depictions as mascots can become a barrier to building a safe and nurturing school community and improving academic achievement for all students.” He told school boards 21 years ago to “end the use of Native American mascots as soon as practical.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Robert Gavin reports for the Times Union that a gun buyback program brought in 45 guns in Columbia County over the weekend. The joint effort by the offices of Attorney General Letitia James and Columbia County Sheriff Donald Krapf led to the collection of 20 handguns, 18 long guns, six non-working guns, and an assault weapon from the city of Hudson and surrounding areas, authorities said. In exchange for the weapons, the attorney general’s office offered prepaid gift cards. An officer received the guns unloaded on site, authorities said. James’ office said her agency has recovered more than 3,700 firearms through gun buybacks and similar initiatives since she took office in 2019. Krapf, in a statement, said: “The availability to drop off a firearm with no questions asked allows law enforcement to get guns off the street, get firearms that are in questionable condition turned in for destruction, and also affords the possibility of reuniting a stolen or lost firearm with the rightful owner.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that water rates in the town of Greenville are expected to rise by the end of the year. Town Supervisor Paul Macko pointed out during the October town board meeting that rates have not increased in many years. “We haven’t had a water rate increase in the town of Greenville since 2006,” Macko said. The town was advised by its bond counsel and auditor that the reserve funds have shrunk and that “we aren’t keeping up with the times as far as building reserve funds,” Macko said. Those funds are used when the town needs to replace equipment at the water filtration plant, but with insufficient funds set aside, making those repairs can be difficult. Macko said he intends to unveil potential new water rates by the board’s November or December meeting. Once a new rate is proposed, a public hearing will be held before the board votes on the proposal. In other town news, the annual Old Timers’ Christmas Party hosted by the town at the high school will likely be canceled over continued concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. “At this juncture, I don’t think we are going to be doing the Old Timers’ Christmas Party this year at the school for the simple reason that I don’t want a ‘super-spreader’ event, and I don’t want to subject the school to having to clean the building afterwards,” Macko said. The annual tradition has not been held since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Seven Greene County residents have died from COVID-19 this November so far. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the CodeRED emergency alert system is coming to Coeymans. The town board first proposed buying the mass notification system in July and announced last week that residents can begin signing up. Town Supervisor George McHugh was absent from the meeting, so Deputy Town Supervisor Daniel Baker conducted the meeting in his absence. “CodeRED is a townwide emergency-type management system ... you can sign up and get alerts to your cellphone, your landline or your computer, if you choose,” Baker explained. Residents are being directed to sign up for the free service on the town website at Coeymans [dot] org. Town Clerk Candace McHugh said. “For people who don’t want to do it that way or maybe aren’t computer savvy, give us a call.” The Code Red alert system is being used in the nearby village of Coxsackie and the town of Saugerties. Emergency Manager Bill Bruno, Highway Superintendent Daniel Baker, Town Clerk Candace McHugh and Town Supervisor George McHugh will administer the system. “We will have the ability to put messages out there so if there is a highway issue if there is a tree down and the road is closed, or if there is an automobile accident, a message will come across whatever device you checked,” Baker said. “It’s a good way to get emergency messages and public messages out to the residents.” The system will cost the town roughly $4,000 a year, McHugh said in July. There is no cost to residents to sign up. Information is available at 518-756-6006 ext. 3. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Lana Bellamy is reporting for the Times Unionan Ulster County Supreme Court judge November 18 temporarily blocked Kingston's Rent Guidelines Board's rent reduction measure for the properties covered by the Emergency Tenant Protection Act. The decision by Judge David M. Gandin came about a week after the board voted, 6-3, to enact a 15 percent rent reduction for the 64 buildings, which include about 1,200 rental units in Kingston. It was the first time in the state's history that a rent guidelines board approved a rent reduction. Last month, a newly formed group of landlords called the Hudson Valley Property Owners Association, sued the city to prevent it from entering into the tenant protection act. The group claims Kingston was able to adopt rent stabilization because the city improperly conducted a housing vacancy study. The rent guidelines board vote to reduce rents came after months of organizing by tenants and activist groups, including For the Many, Citizen Action, the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, as well as the statewide coalition Housing Justice for All. Kingston became the first city north of the New York City suburbs to adopt a rent-stabilization law earlier this year. The local housing activist group, For the Many, issued a statement condemning the court's decision."This reduction was carefully deliberated by the [Kingston Rent Guidelines] Board after hearing data about Kingston’s rising rents, as well as testimony from over 70 tenants and their supporters. Tenants described their outrageous rent hikes (some as high as 70 percent), arbitrary fees, and deteriorating apartment conditions. The vast majority called for a rent reduction. For comparison, only six landlords testified in opposition," according to the group's statement. The matter will be the subject of a November 22 hearing in Ulster County Supreme Court. Read more in the Times Union.

Hunter Mountain opened for the season on Sat., Nov. 19. The resort's operations crew have been hard at work for days and starting at 10 a.m., the slopes were opened for advanced-only terrain for skiing and riding off the summit, the resort announced November 18. “We will not have any beginner-only terrain on Saturday,” Hunter Mountain stated. “Our snowmakers have done a fantastic job getting the mountain in shape for [the] first runs of the season and will continue to expand the terrain as weather permits.” The slopes stay open until 4 p.m. Hunter Mountain is owned by Colorado-based Vail Resorts which operates 37 ski resorts in 15 states and three countries. Nearby Windham Mountain snowmaking is underway but no date has been set for opening day. Elsewhere in the region, [Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union](https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Belleayre-Gore-Whiteface-ski-resorts-as-well-as-17595203.php?IPID=Times-Union-HV-spotlight), the Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre resorts, all operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, opened this weekend. Belleayre in the Catskills and Gore in the Adirondacks opened Friday, Whiteface was set to open Saturday with two lifts to the upper mountain operational for a 3,430-vertical-drop run, the highest in the East. In Vermont, Killington and Okemo were set to open as well.

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, votes with the positions of President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time, according to the fivethirtyeight.com website. Republican Elise Stefanik, currently representing the 21st District, votes with Biden's positions 19.3 percent of the time. Democrat Pat Ryan just began representing the 19th District, and has yet to be included in the rankings. Ryan will represent the 18th Congressional District in January, when Republican Marc Molinaro takes over representing the 19th Congressional District. Click here to listen to this report.

Mark Weiner at Syracue.com reports that Republican Brandon Williams will win the 22nd Congressional District election in Central New York over Democrat Francis Conole. This is the last Congressional election to be called in New York, and means it is very likely that Republicans will control the House of Representatives when all the national election results are final. New York voters can partially take credit for turning over power to the Republicans with two Hudson Valley-based Congressional seats flipping from Democrats to Republicans. Democrat Josh Riley lost to Marc Molinaro in the 19th Congressional District, flipping a district previously represented by Democrat Antonio Delgado. And Sean Maloney, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, lost to Republican Assemblyperson Mike Lawler in the 17th Congressional District. Republican Rep. John Katko retired from his 22nd District seat after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump and having little chance to win a primary election. New York's congressional delegation will now be 15 Democrats and 11 Republicans, the most seats the Republicans have held since 2001-2003. Read more about this story at Syracue.com reports.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that Rep. Elise Stefanik was reelected Nov. 15 by her Republican peers to keep serving as the party's conference chair. Stefanik retained her position as the fourth-ranking House member in the party by a 144-74 vote over Rep. Byron Donalds, a Florida Freedom Caucus member. Stefanik took over the position after many Republicans were angry at Liz Cheney for voting to impeach former President Donald Trump. He announced on Nov. 15 that he is running for president again, but Stefanik already endorsed him a week ago. Stefanik said she plans to "keep our message disciplined, unified and on offense every single day," as conference chair. Stefanik defeated moderate Democrat Matt Castelli by 18 points in this fall's election for her fifth term in New York's 21st Congressional District, which now includes Rensselaer County with much of the North Country. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Joseph Spector at Politico tries to figure out why New York Democrats running for Congress did so poorly in this fall's elections. In the Hudson Valley alone, Democrats lost two elections, with Republican Marc Molinaro flipping Antonio Delgado's former seat by beating newcomer Josh Riley, and with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also losing. The story does not say that Democrats in Congress were expected to do poorly, as the party controlling the White House usually suffers in non-presidential elections. But Democrats nationally did better than expected, largely because of Republican positions against abortion and democracy. So why did New York Congressional candidates do worse than other Democrats? Some blamed Gov. Kathy Hochul's short coattails. “The governor’s campaign, I think, was just abysmally run,” said state Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, a Rockland County Democrat who lost reelection even after outperforming Hochul by eight points in his district. Hochul disagreed. “Everybody can assess their own races and what went wrong for them, but we showed up,” she told reporters Nov. 16 in Yonkers. “I was everywhere, as was the state party.” Many Democrats blamed state Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs for not organizing a better get-out-the-vote effort, and have called on him to resign. Hundreds of prominent Democrats have signed a letter calling on Jacobs to quit. “Jay Jacobs is not fit to serve as Chair of the State Democratic Party, and it’s time for Governor Hochul to work with the party to elect a focused, determined, unifying party leader,” the letter read. Hochul also disagrees with these officials. "I think he did a great job as chair, and he continues as chair. I am not changing anything,” Hochul said. Redistricting is also being blamed for the defeats of New York's Democrat Congressional candidates. First the Independent Redistricting Commission failed to draw new lines, kicking the process to the Democratic Legislature. Then the Democratic-appointed Court of Appeals tossed out the map Democrats in the legislature drew, leading to new lines being drawn by a Republican friendly court in rural Steuben County. “The lines that were created by the court master created the most competitive number of House districts in the country,” said former Republican Congressperson John Faso. That redistricting snafu also created a special election in August that may have confused voters. Read more about this story at Politico.

Today's daily news update.

Lissa Harris reports for the Times Union that NY Renews, a coalition of more than 300 climate, justice, and labor groups is calling for $10 billion in state spending to help meet the goals laid out in New York state’s climate law. The group held rallies Nov. 16 in Albany, New York City, Kingston, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, and Long Island. The group is pushing for the Climate, Jobs, and Justice legislation, bills that would establish a new fund for New York’s climate plan, align public service law with a transition away from fossil fuels, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, lay groundwork for decommissioning fossil fuel power plants, empower the New York Power Authority to build renewable energy projects, and create new oversight and accountability for all of these projects and proposals. The NY Renews coalition helped pass the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, to decarbonize New York state’s $2 trillion economy and slash greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent below their 1990 levels by 2050. Environmental advocates see several benefits from the plan including energy independence from foreign fossil fuel and longer lives and less illness from fossil-fuel-driven particulate pollution, which currently sickens and kills thousands of New Yorkers, concentrated in low-income Black and brown neighborhoods. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

William J. Kemble reports for the Daily Freeman that Saugerties Town Board members are split over another go with community choice aggregate electricity purchasing after the failure of Columbia Utilities to maintain a contract with 10 municipalities when costs became high. The board voted Nov. 16 3-2 vote to cover a share of the legal fee in a lawsuit in a case against Columbia Utilities. Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello said the savings to consumers may make it worth it to go into business with the company again. “During the period that the CCA (Community Choice Aggregate) program was in place the estimated captured savings of the people who were a part of it was over $8 million,” Supervisor Fred Costello said. “I find that to be a substantial number. So even though the company that was our vendor did not fulfill the balance of their contract, I think it’s worthwhile for us to partner with that same group and go back into the energy market (to) secure a new contract for a period in the near future.” The towns of Marbletown, Saugerties, New Paltz, Red Hook, Clinton, and Philipstown, the villages of New Paltz and Cold Spring, and the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie, representing 23,000 customers, are all suing Columbia Utilities. The company had contracts with the municipalities through June 30, 2024, but abandoned the contracts in July after the state oversight agency New York Independent System Operator found the provider had failed to meet creditworthiness requirements in assuring its fiscal viability. Saugerties board members Zach Horton is not sure about working with the company again. “A lot of residents of this town … experienced more difficulty with the program and my confidence is not quite there,” Horton said. “(Contracts were approved) before my appointment to board but I felt like the town was taken for a financial ride. My personal level of confidence is not there.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

On Nov. 17, the Greene County Public Health Department announced four more COVID-19 deaths. On Nov. 14, Greene County officials announced another COVID-19 death, and a week ago, on Nov. 7, Greene County reported two more COVID-19 deaths. That is seven deaths in ten days from COVID-19 in Greene County. So of 144 total deaths from COVID-19 in Greene County since the pandemic began, almost five percent have come this month. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that community level of COVID-19 in Greene County is low.

Porcupine Soup reports that Jay Cahalan was appointed chairman of the board by the Board of Directors of Greene County Bancorp, Inc. and Tejraj Hada was picked as board director, Donald Gibson, president and CEO, announced recently. Cahalan succeeds Paul Slutzky after he announced his retirement last year. Slutzky had served on the board of directors since 1992 and was named chairman of the Greene County bank in 2020. Cahalan is retiring as the president and CEO of Columbia-Memorial Health, the local hospital. Hada owns a Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchise. Read the full story at Porcupine Soup.

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Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that on Nov. 14 Columbia-Greene Community College announced it is collaborating with Family of Woodstock and Columbia-Greene Workforce NY on educational and financial support for anyone interested in opening in-home childcare programs. “There are only 50 daycares in Columbia and Greene Counties. Combined, they are serving more than 110,000 people ― that is just one daycare provider per 2,200 people,” said Chris Nardone, director at Columbia-Greene Workforce NY. According to a recent report, in Greene County, childcare providers could accommodate 926 kids in 2020. By 2022 that number had decreased by 32 percent to 634. In Columbia County, capacity plunged 34 percent from 1,535 to 1,018 during the same period of time. “Childcare options in rural parts of the counties are the most limited, and more childcare options will help those rural families get back into the workforce,” Nardone said. The Family Child Care Training program is focused on reducing workforce difficulties created by the lack of local childcare options, especially those in Columbia and Greene counties’ rural communities, where childcare services are the most limited. That program aims to bolster and grow a rural childcare network. The Family Child Care Training Program will provide training, equipment, and physical plant modifications to people opening an in-home childcare program. Starting with an informational session, the program includes mandatory health and safety training, as well as Office of Children and Family Services Orientation, CPR/First Aid for adults and children, and education about business practices. Training and other support will be available at no cost to eligible participants through grants from Columbia-Greene Workforce NY. The project is expected to launch in January 2023. Read more at porcupine soup [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman reports that Kingston High School principal Vincent DeCicco resigned, effective December 23, over a homophobic slur he posted on Facebook. DeCicco will remain employed by the district in a position at the Central Administration Offices on Wynkoop Place in Kingston, a school official announced November 16. DeCicco was placed on paid administrative leave after he posted a comment on Facebook referring to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers using a homophobic reference to gay men. In a subsequent apology, DeCicco said the term was commonly used by his fellow Chicago Bears fans to describe their rival, Green Bay, and was not intended as offensive. The Kingston Board of Education unanimously accepted DeCicco’s resignation as principal at the November 16 board meeting. The board chose to keep DeCicco on paid administrative leave until his new assignment with the district’s Teaching and Learning Department. There, he will serve in a contracted position related to testing, assessments ,and data, the district said in a press release. DeCicco will take a substantial pay cut, from $160,000 to $115,000 per year. District Superintendent Paul J. Padalino said the district will conduct a search for a new full-time principal at the high school. “Having worked with Mr. DeCicco for 10 years, I anticipate his skills and experience with student assessments and data to be very helpful for the remainder of this school year,” Padalino said. “It is an important area for us as we continue to recover from the pandemic.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.