Phillip Pantuso reports for the Times Union that Hudson-based Stair Galleries November 16 auctioned objects, books, furnishings and ephemera from writer Joan Didion's Upper East Side apartment. The tone was set early when three minutes into the sale, a collection of Didion’s favorite books went for $26,000. A pair of Celine faux tortoiseshell sunglasses, which Didion wore in a 2015 ad campaign for the French fashion company, sold for $27,000. All told, the auction raised $1.9 million, most of which will benefit patient care and research into Parkinson’s disease, which claimed Didion’s life last December at the age of 87. Additional proceeds will fund a Sacramento City College scholarship for women in literature. The auction began at 11 a.m. and continued until nearly 7:30 p.m. The single most expensive item was a 1977 portrait of Didion by the California painter Leslie Johnson, which sold for $110,000. The auction included 224 lots from Didion’s estate, including furniture, fine art, books and objects, that were in the Upper East Side apartment Didion shared with her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, who died in 2003. Stair Galleries submitted its winning proposal to hold the auction after being asked by Art Advisory Group, which consults with estates on placing collections. "We’re thrilled to have won the business," said Lisa Thomas, director of the auction house’s fine arts department."This is the kind of sale that’s right in our wheelhouse." Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Raga Justin reports in the Times Union that more than 750 lawsuits on behalf of hundreds of formerly incarcerated women are expected to be filed next week against the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision alleging widespread sexual assaults by prison staff. The law firms filing the suits, Slater Slater Schulman and Ben Crump Law, issued a statement saying the state "was aware of and failed to respond to an environment of rampant and unchecked sexual assault and harassment." A 2021 report on file with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision shows many allegations, including 511 accusations of sexual victimization by inmates across all facilities in 2018, with 399 of those cases involving staff-on-inmate incidents. "These survivors endured unimaginable trauma from incidents that took place while under state supervision," the law firms' statement said. "For some, this was not limited to the abuse itself but resulting consequences that changed the course of their entire lives." The lawsuits will be filed Nov. 24, when the Adult Survivors Act opens a one-year window for claims. Read the full 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.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that on Nov. 15 the Thomas Cole National Historic Site on Spring Street in Catskill. broke ground on a new visitor center. The Cole Center, a 1,800 square foot visitor center, will include a gift shop, café, and a public patio, and will host events and other activities. “The Thomas Cole historic site is not only an essential component of our economy, but also serves as an important reminder that the beauty of our countryside is awe-inspiring, and its preservation is vital to the well-being of our environment,” Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado said at the groundbreaking. Officials estimate that the Thomas Cole Site adds $2.5 million to the local economy each year. Thomas Cole lived from 1801 to 1848, and founded the first major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School of landscape painting, with many paintings of the Catskill mountains. The story does not say when construction of the new visitors center will be complete. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union Eight Iron Buildings Inc., the owner of the 1 City Center office building in Hudson, is suing the owners of the Register-Star and Daily Mail, alleging they owed six months of unpaid rent and have failed to meet the terms of their lease. A petition was filed one year ago against Hudson-Catskill Newspaper Corp., Johnson Newspaper Corp. and Columbia Greene Media Corp. Court records indicate the property owner, Eight Iron Buildings, Inc., gave Hudson-Catskill a temporary 50 percent reduction in rent from August 2020 until October 2020, when the media company gave notice it would be vacating the premises due to loss of staff and revenue. The property owner then demanded full payment for the lease term, including arrears, and offered to discuss a buyout. Negotiations were unsuccessful and in February 2021 Hudson-Catskill moved to 364 Warren Street, according to a recent court decision. The complaint alleges the newspapers and its affiliated website, HudsonValley360, stopped paying the $6,000 monthly rent on the 4,822-square-foot space in August 2020. Hudson-Catskill owes $69,720.00 in past due rent, including late fees and approximately $48,000 in future rent payments due under the lease for October 2021-May 2022, not including late fees. The dispute began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people were working from home and businesses such as restaurants and retail stores had closed or limited in-person access. “... We had to move our office, and unfortunately the landlord decided to pursue the matter in court rather than work with us,” Alec Johnson, the president and chief operating officer of the Johnson Newspaper Group, said in an email. “This is a case of a landlord suing a small local newspaper that has a staff that is working daily to provide a public benefit to the community by reporting local news.” A trial has been scheduled to determine how much the newspaper group should pay in arrears. Columbia Greene Media Corp. is a division of Johnson Newspaper Corp., the owner of the Register-Star, The Daily Mail, the Windham Journal and Chatham Courier. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Patricia R. Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Ulster County’s top elected officials are in line for pay raises during the upcoming year under a proposal under consideration by county lawmakers. Legislator Abe Uchitelle has introduced an amendment to the proposed 2023 county budget that would increase the salaries of the county executive, clerk, sheriff and comptroller as proposed earlier this year by the Ulster County Periodic Review Committee. That committee is required by law to meet every two years to review and consider changes to elected officials’ salaries and recommended pay hikes for all the county elected officials except the district attorney, whose salary is not within the county’s control. As proposed, the salaries of the county executive comptroller, sheriff and county clerk would all increase by $15,000 in 2023. “There’s a lot of evidence that I believe supports making this change,” said Uchitelle during a budget review meeting of the Legislature Ways and Means Committee on November 17. Comptroller March Gallagher said an analysis by her office showed the county clerk's salary has been stagnant since 2005. The salaries of the executive, comptroller and sheriff have not changed since 2009. That analysis also determined the current salaries of elected leaders in those positions to be “way under” the salaries paid to their peers in neighboring counties. The PRC also recommended increasing the salaries of county legislators by $2,000 for rank-and-file legislators, the Legislature’s majority and minority leaders and for the assistant majority and minority leaders. The committee also recommended a $2,500 pay hike for the Legislature chairman. But because lawmakers cannot increase their own salaries mid-term, any changes to legislative salaries would not take effect until 2024. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the Greenville Central School District on November 29, will hold the second of two presentations outlining its proposed $14.5 million capital project for the renovation of two school buildings. The first session was Mon., Nov. 14; the presentation on the 29th will be held at Scott M. Ellis Elementary School on Route 32. The session will include a question-and-answer period when residents can learn more about the proposal. Under the proposal, most renovations would take place at the elementary school and include safety and classroom improvements. If the project gets the green light from residents, a new multi-purpose gym addition will be built off the back of the existing multi-purpose room at the elementary school. That multi-purpose room would be transformed into a new music suite, and another classroom would be made into a new art room. A pre-kindergarten classroom would be enlarged, with an in-class restroom added. Classrooms in the front wing of the building would be renovated with new floors, refinished hardwood and new technology. Safety improvements at the elementary school would include the creation of first- and second-floor corridor connections to exit stairs for use in an emergency. The proposal also includes a roof restoration; replacement of the heating system boiler; upgrades to ventilation; electrical and plumbing improvements; and masonry work on the outside of the building. At the middle/high school, an art suite will be expanded and other art classrooms will be renovated. Ventilation and a new exhaust fan will be added to the metal shop classroom, and asbestos abatement will take place in the band classroom. Similar to the elementary school, exterior masonry work and roof repairs will also be done. The project is expected to be paid for through state aid and the district’s capital reserve fund. Officials say the project will not impact the property tax rate. A decision on the fate of the project will be made by district voters on December 6. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

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John Annese reports in the New York Daily News that the Saugerties woman who threw a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD van with four police officers inside in Brooklyn during the 2020 George Floyd protests was sentenced to six years in prison on Nov. 15. Samantha Shader, 29, pleaded guilty in April to a federal arson charge for using a Bulleit bourbon bottle as a makeshift firebomb on May 29, 2020, during the height of nationwide protests. Video caught Shader in the act, with the makeshift bomb breaking a van window but not starting a fire. Shader then bit one of her arresting officers on the leg. Shader apologized to the police, the judge, and her family at the sentencing hearing. “I wish more than anything that I can take all of this back. What I did was wrong and disrespectful,” she said. “I have no excuse for what I did so I’m not going to try to make any.” Read the full story in the New York Daily News.

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.

As the first snowfall of the season fell this week, Mid-Hudson News reports that New York needs people to drive plows this winter. “Our drivers are equipped to handle the routes that they have. We need to subsidize these as any business would need to subsidize who they have on the road with their vehicles,” said spokesperson Heather Pillsworth. The state Depertment of Transportation wants to hire an additional 86 drivers in the Hudson Valley and a total 617 statewide, Pillsworth said. Right now, if a large storm hist the Hudson Valley, the DOT would bring people in from other areas of the state to help run the plows. The DOT is providing in-house training for the required commercial license snow plow drivers need in New York. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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Closings and delays for Wed., Nov. 16:

Closings in Greene County:
Greene County Transit | Closed. No transportation; no buses running.
Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill) | Open. No transportation; no buses running.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District | Delayed two hours.

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Columbia County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Ken Dow has notified the county Democratic Committee that he will not seek re-appointment when his current term ends at the end of this year. The county committee will need to select his replacement and provide a letter of introduction for that person to the Board of Supervisors by December 1. The role of commissioner is a two-year appointment that will begin in January 2023. The position pays $67,636 annually, with an increase anticipated in 2023. Dow was chosen to serve as election commissioner in January 2020, replacing Virginia Martin, after the Board of Supervisors declined to reappoint her. Democrats picked Dow over then-Hudson business owner Mark Young, election specialist Erin Stamper and Clermont Democratic Committee secretary Penny Panoulias. Dow served previously as the county Democratic Election Commissioner from 2005 to 2008.

Sam Raudins is reporting for the Albany Business Journal MyForest Foods' MyBacon has been named one of Time's Best Inventions of 2022. MyBacon is the first-ever whole-cut mycelium [mai·SEE-lee-uhm]-based bacon made of nearly 100 percent mushroom root. MyForest Foods grows mycelium, the root-like structures of mushrooms, to create vegan bacon. The Green Island startup recently opened 120,000 square feet of new infrastructure allowing it to grow 3 million pounds of mycelium and produce 1 million pounds of MyBacon. MyForest co-founder and CEO Eben Bayer grew up on a Vermont family farm raising and slaughtering pigs, but his startup grows and harvests mycelium a bit faster than animals. It takes just 12 days for 100-foot-long slabs of mushroom to be ready. The company intends to open a new Saratoga Springs processing facility in the spring. The Time list features 200 innovations the magazine says are changing how we live. The MyBacon product appears on the list under food and drink. Other products highlighted in that section include Meat Crispy Cutlet/Chicken Cutlet, another mycelium-based meat alternative, and Beyond Steak, meatless steak tips made by Beyond Meat. Read the full story in the Albany Business Journal.

Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union the state Office of General Services has scheduled for later in the month a two-day auction of 1,300 decommissioned COVID response items. Items range from ambulances and trucks and portable power generators to phones, construction materials and air-handling units. Many of the items were supplied by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, while others were decommissioned equipment that state offices had on hand. Some of the items are from decommissioned facilities, including generators, patient pod rooms, bathroom trailers and showers. State officials say the state has sufficient medical and other equipment in case there is another COVID variant or new public health emergency. The auctions will be held at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany, Oneida County on November 29 and 30. Bidders are able to participate in the auctions in person or by proxy in Oriskany and online at Perry Auctions [dot] com. Also being auctioned are HVAC systems and supplies; oxygen supply systems; electrical systems and components; lumber; plumbing fixtures and fittings; fire detection and prevention system components; scaffolding, and shipping containers. In addition to the dates the auctions are taking place, the site will be open for buyers to pick up their items between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday immediately following the auctions. All items must be removed from the auction site by December 5. Additional information, including the auction catalog, information on specific items, and terms of sale, are available by contacting the Office of General Services at state [dot] surplus [at] ogs [dot] ny [dot] gov or (518) 457-6335. Read the full story in the Times Union.