The Daily Freeman is reporting it was announced last week that starting December 5, people traveling between the Mid-Hudson Valley and New York City will be able to pick from two new Amtrak departures. The Empire State Passengers Association announced that travelers en route to New York City will be able to choose from a new late-morning train operating Sunday through Friday that departs the Albany-Renssalaer station at 11:10 a.m. That train will stop at Hudson at 11:30 a.m., Rhinecliff at 11:54 a.m. and Poughkeepsie at 12:10 p.m. before arriving in New York City at 1:45 p.m., according to the Amtrak website. And a new daily evening train will leave Albany-Renssalaer at 5:30 p.m., stop at Hudson at 5:53 p.m., Rhinecliff at 6:15 p.m. and Poughkeepsie at 6:30 p.m. to arrive in New York City at 8:05 p.m. Northbound, a new train will New York City at 8:15 a.m., stopping at Poughkeepsie at 9:45 a.m., Rhinecliff at 10:01 a.m. and Hudson at 10:21 a.m. before terminating at Albany-Renssalaer at 10:47 a.m. The second new northbound train will leave New York City from Sunday through Friday at 3:15 p.m., with stops at Poughkeepsie at 4:40 p.m., Rhincliff at 4:55 p.m. and Hudson at 5:15 p.m. before terminating at Albany at 5:45 p.m. The passengers association said this will increase the number of weekday trains from 10 to 12 roundtrips and reduce sellouts on several northbound trains that extend beyond Albany-Rensselaer. The New York state-funded Adirondack route, which operated before the pandemic between New York City and Montreal, will not be running after December 5, according to a press release. The association said it expects the route will be returned to service during the first quarter of 2023. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

TheTimes Union is reporting the Ulster County COVID-19 Commemoration Commission has extended to December 15, its deadline for submitting design proposals for the county memorial garden. The garden is envisioned as a space for rest and reflection with interpretive signs linked to a comprehensive website featuring stories of frontline workers and other community members. A spring installation at the Ulster County Fairground complex is planned. The commission, made up of frontline workers ranging from nurses, EMS responders and teachers, to food service, police officers and other essential workers, was established in March. According to county officials, the project focuses on "frontline workers who put their lives on the line during the pandemic, community members who were lost, and the spirit of unity among neighbors as they banded together." Information is available at the Ulster County COVID-19 website or by calling 845-340-3800. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons and Rebekah F. Ward report in the Times Union that on Nov. 10 a federal judge in Albany issued a temporary injunction stopping New York's Office of Cannabis Management from issuing retail licenses in five regions of the state. The lawsuit was brought by a company whose application to operate a marijuana store failed to qualify because it lacked "a significant New York state presence." U.S. District Senior Judge Gary L. Sharpe blocked issuing cannabis licenses in the Finger Lakes, central New York, western New York, Mid-Hudson, and Brooklyn. Officials have been expected to begin retail cannabis sales in New York before the year ends. The ruling comes because Variscite NY One, Inc., whose owner has a past marijuana conviction from Michigan though his company is incorporated in New York, was determined to not have "a significant New York state presence." The lawsuit is based on the "dormant commerce clause" of the U.S. Constitution that "prevents states from adopting protectionist measures and thus preserves a national market for goods and services." The judge wrote in his decision that, "The balance here tips in favor of Variscite, given that OCM has not begun issuing licenses, and will not begin issuing licenses until, at the earliest, (Nov. 21)," Sharpe wrote. "Additionally, all of defendants’ arguments are undercut, to some degree, by the fact that Variscite only seeks to enjoin the application process in five of the (14) geographical regions, and defendants could proceed with the licensing process in the other eight regions." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that the Conservative and Working Families parties both saw double-digit increases in support in this fall's election, receiving more than enough votes to secure their ballot lines in New York through 2024. The Working Families Party got around 250,000 votes with outstanding absentee ballots still to be counted, compared to fewer than 115,000 four years ago. "We smashed our ballot-line goal," said Sharon Cromwell, deputy state director of the New York Working Families Party. The Conservative Party received more than 305,000 votes this election, a more than 20 percent increase since the last midterm elections. "This right now, this is our highest vote since 1998," state Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar said on Nov. 10. Leaders from both parties continue to complain about how tough Democrats and Republicans have made it for any other party to survive in New York. "We should be constantly looking at our election laws and make sure that we are crafting them in a way that bring more people in, give more people choice, right? And not ways that make it harder for people to vote or limit people's options," Cromwell said. Read the full story at New York State of Politics.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that a wildfire burned 13 acres of woods and brush in Cairo on Nov. 10. The Cairo Hose Company responded along with other firefighters from Round Top, East Durham, Oak Hill-Durham, Greenville, Kiskatom, Leeds, and Freehold to the blaze near 371 Roosevelt Avenue. One firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, but no one else was hurt and no structures caught fire. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily news update.

Click above to download or play the "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Dutchess County will be led by an unelected executive for the coming year. When county executive Marc Molinaro resigns to become the representative of 19th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress, he will leave the county in the hands of William O’Neill. O'Neill is a Republican who has served in Molinaro’s administration since 2012, but has never been elected to public office. And O’Neill will remain in the position for a full year. The county charter states in part that the acting county executive “shall serve until the commencement of the calendar year next following the first annual election held not less than 60 days after the occurrence of such vacancy.” That language, county officials said, means that the race for a new county executive cannot take place until November 2023, with the winner being sworn in on January 1, 2024. Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver, a Republican, said he hopes county lawmakers will change that charter provision once a new executive takes office. He said, “I think we’re in great hands [with O’Neill] but I think if you look into the future, you’ve got to look at something like that and see if there’s a better way. There is no doubt this is going to work, I just worry about the future and who might be not so qualified to do this job and isn’t elected.” Pulver has already indicated his intention to seek the GOP nomination to run for executive in 2023. This will be the second time in the county's history that an unelected person was put in charge of county government. The first and only other time occurred in 1978. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Larry Parnass is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle a measure to require wealthy Massachusetts residents to pay higher income taxes won the approval of voters in Berkshire County, November 8. The Fair Share Amendment, or Question 1 on the ballot, called to impose an additional 4 percent tax on the portion of incomes over $1 million, with the added revenue earmarked for education and infrastructure. With 92.5 percent of precincts statewide reporting, the new tax passed with 52 percent support. In Berkshire County, the measure had the support of 67 percent of voters. Hancock was the only town in the county to reject a higher tax on incomes, rejecting the question 181-162. In several Berkshire communities, Question 1 had landslide support. Some of the biggest endorsers were Great Barrington (75.8 percent in favor), Williamstown (75.3 percent), Monterey (71.1 percent) and Pittsfield (69.5 percent). A total of four referendum questions appeared on all state ballots and the outcomes in Berkshire County were consistent with the statewide results. Question 2, required dental insurers to spend at least 83 percent of the premiums they collect on actual dental care. Question 3, the measure to lift the cap on retail liquor licenses, failed 55 to 45 percent. And Question 4, to preserve the new right of some undocumented residents to secure driver’s licenses, passed with 62.5 percent of the yes or no votes locally, compared to 53.7 percent statewide. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Phillip Pantuso is reporting for the Times Union the Kingston rent guidelines board November 9, voted 6 to 3, to enact a 15 percent rent reduction for tenants who sign one- or two-year leases between August 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, at certain protected properties. The decision came after months of organizing by tenants as well as the activist groups, For the Many, Citizen Action, the Democratic Socialists of America and the statewide coalition Housing Justice for All. The decision applies to rental properties that fall under the Emergency Tenant Protection Act, a rent-stabilization law that dictates rent increases for certain city buildings. Kingston became the first city north of the New York City suburbs to adopt the law earlier this year. The law covers 64 buildings with approximately 1,200 rental units in the city, where the average rent has doubled since 2015 and where home values have increased 50 percent since 2020. The move is the first rent reduction in New York state history. Michael Tierney, a tenant representative to the rent guidelines board, said, "This reduction represents a paradigm shift in how we address the needs of the many over unregulated market conditions." The rent guidelines board was established after the Kingston Common Council adopted a resolution declaring a housing emergency on July 28. "This is a monumental victory not just for Kingston tenants, but for tenants across New York," said Aaron Narraph Fernando, communications leader at For the Many. "Any reduction in rents would have been historic, but the capacity for a 15 percent reduction to provide substantive relief to thousands of people cannot be overstated." Read the full story at times union [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Mid-Hudson News reports that some Ulster County Democratic voters filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court Nov. 9 to make the Ulster County Commission on Reapportionment's redistricting comply with a state law. An October 2021 state law mandates a five percent difference between the mean population of the largest and smallest county legislative districts, and Ulster County's map does not comply, making it illegal. The Ulster County Commission on Reapportionment has refused to draw a legal map. The Ulster County Attorney recently told the Ulster County Commission on Reapportionment that they should fix their errors. But Regis Obijiski, the commission's chair, then said, “Ulster County Reapportionment Commission that created the new map has no intention of going back and fixing their mistake…without a court order.” This civil complaint may provide that court order, with Ulster County Legislature Chair Tracey Bartels saying, “It is ridiculous that it should take a lawsuit by private individuals to get a public commission to fix the illegal issues.” Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

Steve Hughes reports in the Times Union a second Albany County comptroller’s audit this year identifies issues with Sheriff Craig Apple's use of money seized through criminal investigations. Comptroller Susan Rizzo said that, "state and federal forfeiture funds were donated to community based organizations, sports programs and town events which do not meet the criteria for law enforcement or criminal prosecution purposes." Apple pushed back on the second report. "(The) opinion that seems to be followed in this audit is a 27-year-old opinion that seems a bit archaic," Apple wrote in an Oct. 18 response to Rizzo's findings. "In addition, today all the more so, I see the need to fund youth sports, programs and organizations that promote positive youth engagements." Rizzo said that the vast majority of Apple's spending was permissible, with other expenses were more ambiguous, and other spending flatly not permissible. Forfeiture funds are supposed to be used for other criminal investigations and prosecutions, but Apple was giving some of the money to charities, such as $2,500 to the town of Knox for a fireworks celebration, and $2,000 to a United Way literacy program. The state comptroller’s office repeatedly has said that spending forfeiture funds on community programs is inappropriate. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that the Town of Greenville and the Greenville Rescue Squad reached a labor agreement Nov. 9, securing ambulance service in the town for the next five years. The new agreement in 2023 gives the Greenville Rescue Squad $545,558, a 35 percent increase over the $403,874 paid in 2022. The current contract with the town expires Dec. 31. “It’s been a struggle to keep staff on and them not knowing if they were going to have a job come January 1,” said Greenville Rescue Squad Chairman Ted Nugent, Jr. The Town of Greenville wants to build the the Greenville Rescue Squad a new home soon. “The plan is for the town to build a public safety building for the rescue squad with a heated garage to park the ambulances and the fly car for Greene EMS,” Town Supervisor Paul Macko said. “We are looking at possibly behind the library where the skateboard park is or another parcel of property. I have been in conversation with people within the sewer and water district that have some property for sale.” Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily news update.

Click above to download or play the "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Democrat Jen Metzger soundly defeated Republican Jim Quigley in the race for Ulster County executive, November 8. Quigley conceded the race shortly after 10:30 p.m. on election night, after it became clear that he would be unable to overcome Metzger's lead. By the end of the night, with all precincts reporting, Metzger had bested Quigley, 42,069 to 33,349. In his concession speech, Quigley blasted Metzger, a former state senator, accusing her of lacking the relevant experience to lead the county. “We ran a campaign on the basis of integrating and getting the towns to work closely with the county and we now have a county executive who has absolutely no operating experience. So God bless the United States,” he told supporters. Quigley is a certified public accountant by profession, and he has served as the town of Ulster's supervisor since 2010. He ran unsuccessfully for county comptroller in 2008. Metzger is a former Rosendale town board member who served in the state Senate from 2019 to 2020. She is currently serving on the New York state Cannabis Control Board as well as the Ulster County Land Bank. Metzger is expected to resign from those positions once she takes office. Metzger and Quigley were running to fill the unexpired term of former Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, who left office in September to serve in the U.S. Congress. Metzger has said she would focus on increasing the county’s housing stock by using the land bank to help turn foreclosed properties into the workforce and affordable housing and called for stricter regulations on short-term rentals, which she said, “need to be owned by private people.” She also wants the county to prioritize mental health services for youth and has called interdepartmental coordination key to a holistic approach to meeting individual needs. Metzger said she would work to expand mental health resources throughout the county. She is expected to be sworn in as county executive after the Ulster County Board of Elections certifies the election results. Metzger will serve through Dec. 31, 2023. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

PIX 11 in New York City reported that Republican Lee Zeldin conceded that he lost the election to Democrat Kathy Hochul the day after polls closed, and many hours after all observers declared her victorious. Zeldin refused to concede even after Hochul declared victory early on Nov. 9. Zeldin previously as a Congressperson voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, even though there were no credible reports of fraud. Hochul won with 53 percent of the vote to become New York's first elected female governor. See PIX 11 for the complete story.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Catskill town officials are proposing a 2023 town budget of $7.5 million. The spending plan includes an overall 5.7 percent increase in appropriations over the current year. “The preliminary budget has not been adopted,” Catskill Town Supervisor Dale Finch said in a November 8 email. “I do not expect any major changes. The town board may wish to make some very minor changes, if any.” The budget includes a tax levy increase of 4.9 percent; for a home assessed at $100,000, the tax rate will increase by $26.65 per $1,000 of assessed value. The tax rate in the village will go up $23.82 per $1,000. The proposed spending plan also includes a general fund appropriation of approximately $4.1 million, an increase of 5.6 percent over 2022, and a Highway-Outside Village appropriation of roughly $1.9 million. Finch said some of the challenges this included a health insurance increase of 16 percent, additional fuel, heating and electric utility costs as well as employee wages. Town board members will each receive a one percent increase in their salaries; the town supervisor will see his salary increase by 1.4 percent. Finch said the board did not include American Rescue Plan Act funds in the preliminary budget. “ARPA funds are only available for a limited time and will be utilized for one-time projects, not recurring expenses," he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.