The UpStater [dot] com is reporting the New York State Police have received multiple calls on what is being called an "Impostor Scam." The fraud usually involves someone calling and claiming to be from an entity such as law enforcement. The caller will claim to be an officer, possibly even using the real name of a local police officer, and they could use technology that displays the fake name or a number matching the police disguise on a caller ID. The caller will attempt to convince the person they are in violation of the law, have an outstanding warrant, or have a relative involved in an emergency, claiming that money is needed for fines, medical payments or bail. The demand is for a large sum of money and they direct that it be transferred in unusual ways without any face-to-face interaction with the caller. The scammers have been known to try more than once to get money from the same victim. Among the tips to protect against scams: Take a pause. Verify any supposed emergency by calling friends and family before sending money, especially if the caller has warned not to do so. If the caller claims to be a bail bonds person, ask where the relative is being held and contact the facility directly. If the caller claims to be a police officer, get the exact agency name, hang up, and call that department directly. Be suspicious of anyone who calls unexpectedly asking to be sent money. Additional information can be found at FTC.gov. Read the full story at theupstater [dot] com.

Steve Hughes reports for the Times Union that the WAMC Northeast Public Radio board is preparing to increase the base salary of its president and CEO, Alan Chartock, by more than $100,000, bringing his base compensation to approximately $350,000 a year. Chartock, 81, has been with the station for more than 40 years. When contacted by the paper he claimed to not know the amount of the proposed salary increase or how much he is currently paid. Chartock also questioned why the proposed raise was newsworthy. "I do think there was some sense that people in comparable jobs make much more money," he said "That's what I was whispered to." As of June 30, 2021, Chartock's base compensation was $223,321, according to the station’s most recent public filings with the IRS. WAMC last month raised more than $1 million as part of its most recent fundraising drive, the third time this year that listeners have contributed a seven-figure sum to the public broadcaster. Chartock said recently he had no intention of retiring any time soon. "Until I decide and the board decides, I'm going to continue to do it, and I love what I do," he said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that former President Bill Clinton stumped this week for Democrat Congressional candidates in the Hudson Valley. Earlier in the week Clinton was in Nyack campaigning for Representative Sean Patrick Maloney in the 17th Congressional District. Then on Nov. 2 Clinton stumped for Democratic congressional hopeful Josh Riley in Sullivan County in his contest with Republican Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro in the 19th Congressional District. Also on Nov. 2, Clinton was at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, getting a tour from Congressperson Pat Ryan. “If the voters send him to Congress from this district, he will be the first West Point graduate ever to represent West Point in Congress,” the former president said. Ryan currently represents the 19th Congressional District, but redistricting has him in the 18th Congressional District election this fall. Ryan mentioned the threat election result-denying Republicans are too democracy this fall. “And the people who were wounded in combat fighting for our democracy would want us to be fighting now here at home as we’re seeing threats to voting rights, as we’re seeing threats to reproductive rights, so this all ties together and for me, having gone to West Point a few miles from here, having grown up here, to see the Hudson Valley now at the center of the fight for our democracy, it was an honor to have the president here to be with us in that fight,” Ryan said. Political observers say the results of these Hudson Valley elections will determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives in January. Voting continues on Nov. 4, Nov. 5, Nov. 6, and Nov. 8. Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that the town board of Woodstock, not the Federal Communications Commission, holds a Nov. 22 public hearing on the safety and effectiveness of fifth generation of wireless phone services. “As we look forward, we’re faced with these smaller…micro antennas,” Supervisor Bill McKenna said. The 5G cell service is being used throughout the world for faster results, and instead of a few large antennae beaming signals from large towers, 5G service comes with many more small antennae on church steeples, light poles, and town hall buildings. “(Carriers) are going to put them in places that are more populated and work out (to less populated) areas. This doesn’t ban anything but it ensures to the people of Woodstock that their feelings are taken into account and … they’re not going to see one of these looking in their window,” McKenna said. The proposed regulations seem to take into account the myth that 5G signals are somehow dangerous, even though they are being used safely around the world. “If it is anticipated that more than one carrier … is to install transmitters … the (Federal Communications Commission) compliance report shall take into account anticipated exposure from all users on the facility and indicate whether or not the combined exposure levels will or will not exceed the permissible general population exposure limits,” the proposal says. The public hearing is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Nov. 22 in the town offices on Comeau Drive. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Joseph Konig reports for Spectrum News that former President Donald Trump is suing New York Attorney General Letitia James. New York's attorney general recently sued Trump and has a history of counter-suing those who sue him. James filed a lawsuit in September in New York State Supreme Court after three years of investigation, alleging years of financial fraud by Trump and his children at the Trump Organization. "This investigation revealed that Donald Trump engaged in years of illegal conduct to inflate his net worth, to deceive banks and the people of the great state of New York," James said at the time. "Claiming you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal. It's the art of the steal." Now Trump is alleging her litigation against him is an abuse of power and an intimidation tactic. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that a design collaborative unveiled last weekend its plan to save the city of Hudson's waterfront park from the rising Hudson River. The river is forecast to rise as much as 75 inches by the year 2100, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which would cause Henry Hudson Waterfront Park to be permanently submerged by the river and the city would lose an important recreational space. The new park is not designed to keep the rising water out with berms or levees, but instead to adapt to the new reality of higher river levels by extending the park upslope, while raising some areas and building an elevated boardwalk to connect areas of the park that will still be above water later this century. The design adds new features to the park, including an amphitheater and a pedestrian plaza. The price tag on the project is $6.7 million, with an additional $900,000 for raising the boardwalks. The design is broken into seven phases and takes a nature-based approach, using native plant species to restore an inter-tidal marsh that can better adapt to the rising river. A major part of the new design is extending the park uphill to where a parking lot currently exists, converting the asphalt into a landscaped area for recreation. The Hudson Valley Collaborative began to develop the plan in 2019 after the DEC awarded them a $150,000 grant. It has already met with the DEC about permitting, but ultimately the city must create the plan. Designers will present the plan to the Hudson Common Council during its November 7 public meeting, and lawmakers will vote later this month on whether to adopt the design into the city's comprehensive plan. The river's projected rise will have massive impacts on waterfronts, infrastructure, and drinking water throughout the Hudson Valley. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Region and two individual voters have together filed a lawsuit against the Dutchess County Board of Elections and Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight, seeking to establish a polling place on the campus of Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie. Joining the League in taking legal action against Haight are two voters who reside on the Vassar campus and argue that they are impacted by what they say is a “clear violation” of state law. In April, Haight said the law requiring a polling place on campus will disenfranchise other voters and implied there are pitfalls to the law. Haight, according to Dutchess County records, already cost taxpayers more than $120,000 in legal fees after he was sued over voting issues at Bard College in northern Dutchess County. Haight lost those cases. In October, a Vassar student wrote to Haight and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, as well as Legislature Chair Gregg Pulver, asking that a polling site be established on the Vassar campus. Molinaro and Pulver did not respond to the query. Haight responded to Mid-Hudson News, saying, “As Election Commissioners, we must make decisions that balance the needs of all voters, not just a select few.”  He added, “I’m supporting the path that enfranchises all voters not only the college students.” Dare Thompson, League president, said, “...We are beyond disappointed to see Dutchess County’s BOE not only violate the spirit of our voting laws but brazenly violate the law itself. Every one of us must demand better.” The matter will be heard in Dutchess County Supreme Court by Judge Christie D’Alessio at a date to be announced. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Nick Reisman reports at State of Politics that New York state has completed a five-year plan intended to strengthen services and programs for people with disabilities statewide. The new plan points to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the workforce shortage of people who provide support to state residents with developmental disabilities. There has also been an increase in the number of children and adults in need of additional clinical support and have complex behavioral and medical needs. Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "This five-year plan provides a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen supports and enhance services statewide for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities — helping to build a more inclusive, equitable state for all." The plan was first put in place under a law approved by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the findings include the need to strengthen the workforce as well as housing programs while also expanding support programs for people with complicated medical needs. Non-profit organizations have over the last year raised concerns over the shrinking workforce and a push to raise salaries for support aides that aligned with the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers and the governor have agreed to increase pay for these workers while also trying to find longer-term ways of growing the workforce. Read the full story at spectrumlocalnews [dot] com.

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Zach Williams reports in the New York Post that a New York appellate court on Nov. 1 left the state's absentee ballot rules in place for this fall's election. A Saratoga judge previously ruled that citizens could not use COVID-19 as an excuse to vote with an absentee ballot any longer. The appellate court disagreed. “Election matters are extremely time sensitive and finding these statutes unconstitutional at this late date would impose ‘impossible burdens’ upon the State and local Boards of Elections to conduct this election in a timely and fair manner,” the 10-page decision said, in part. Democrats argued that the last-minute legal challenge from Republicans sought to disenfranchise voters and cause mass confusion over whether absentee ballots cast would still count. Another court may overturn New York's absentee voting rules, but not until this election is over. Voting began Oct. 29 and continues through Nov. 8. Read more about this story in the New York Post.

Raga Justin reports for the Times Union that Democrat Letitia James is refusing to debate her Republican opponent, Michael Henry, in their election to become the state's attorney general. James is the incumbent, and only formally declined the debate this week that would have been hosted by Spectrum's NY1 at 7 p.m. Nov. 2. "Letitia James cannot run from her record even if she runs from a debate," Henry’s campaign said in a statement. "The voters will hold her accountable." James had previously told the Times Union that she would be "more than happy" to debate Henry but now cited "scheduling issues" to get out of answering questions. Stu Loeser, a campaign spokesperson for James, would not say what specific event James was attending on Nov. 2 instead of educating voters on the issues. Instead, he blamed the media. "We have a great deal of respect for NY1, but our concern is that this is an opportunity for our opponent to make totally factless, baseless statements," Loeser said. "We're not in the same political moment ... as even four years ago." The other candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties running statewide this fall all agreed to at least one debate, except for James. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Dutchess County had nine more COVID-19 deaths in October, and Ulster County reported three more. Dutchess County also reports more active cases now than a month ago. On Oct. 28 officials there said there were 256 active COVID-19 cases, up from from 186 on Oct. 3. Ulster County reported 206 active cases now, down from the 350 reported on Oct. 3. Columbia County also reported one death from COVID-19 in October, while Greene County did not. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that seventy four homes in the southern Albany County town of Coeymans ("Quee-mans") recently got broadband service from $400,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. “This area probably would not have gotten connectivity given how sparse it is with houses,” Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh said about the new service from State Telephone. “We wanted to get connectivity in an area that we knew wouldn’t be an attractive area for State Tel or any of the other providers because that is the hole that we needed to fill with this money.... For instance, Lindskoog Road is getting it right now from Mid-Hudson Cable, but that is easy — it is very congested, there are over 50 homes in a two-mile stretch,” McHugh said. “They will hook that up and run fiber without any incentive. This needed incentivizing.” In 2011, Mid-Hudson Cable gave back a $3.5 million “rural broadband” grant awarded in 2010 from the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Services programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, free Wi-Fi was set up in the parking lot of National Bank of Coxsackie in Faith Plaza on Route 9W in Coeymans, because so many students lacked broadband service at home. Fifteen of the seventy-four homes are already hooked up to the service. “And we’ve got more orders pending,” State Telephone Vice President Mark Evans said. Read the full story at TheUpstater.com.

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Mid-Hudson News reports that New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Nov. 1, issued a report on overdose rates and the results show that drug overdose fatalities surged statewide during the pandemic. Opioid-related overdose deaths increased by 68 percent between 2019 and 2021, taking the lives of nearly 5,000 New Yorkers. With limited statistical data available from the CDC, 15 counties in the state were analyzed. The highest overdose rate among the 15 counties was in Dutchess County, where more than 43 people per 100,000 died of drug overdoses in 2020. There are approximately 297,000 residents in Dutchess County. Key takeaways from the report: the share of drug overdose deaths in the state involving opioids increased to 85 percent in both 2020 and 2021 from 69 percent in 2010; in 2021, 30 New Yorkers per 100,000 died from drug overdoses and 25 per 100,000 New Yorkers died from opioid overdoses, compared to five in 2010. New York’s opioid overdose death rates exceeded national rates in both 2020 and 2021. Fatalities grew across all racial and ethnic groups. Death rates increased five-fold for black New Yorkers, quadrupled for Hispanic or Latino New Yorkers, and nearly tripled for white New Yorkers. “The shocking news in State Comptroller DiNapoli’s report on overdose deaths between 2019 and 2021 simply reconfirms the need for an all-out effort to mitigate this crisis,” said state Senator Pete Harckham, chair of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. The senator is calling for additional resources for treatment recovery and prevention initiatives. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the former president and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Jeffrey Hunt, has been charged with grand larceny, according to a statement from the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office. Hunt, 54, appeared on Oct. 31 with his attorney in Columbia County Court. Hunt waived indictment by the grand jury and consented to prosecution by Superior Court Information for the crime of third-degree grand larceny, a class D felony, the district attorney’s office said. Hunt had previously been arrested by state police for allegedly stealing more than $46,000 from the chamber. The case was adjourned until December 9. Hunt is being represented by the Columbia County Public Defender’s Office. Deputy Chief ADA Ryan Carty is prosecuting the case. The matter first came to light in November 2020, when Hunt abruptly left this position at the chamber. The chamber board was made aware of some "irregularities within the finances,” and an internal investigation was initiated to determine what had occurred. The chamber’s executive committee voted to terminate Hunt’s employment immediately. The investigation into the irregularities remains active, according to the DA’s office. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman reports that a local hunter was charged with shooting a female bear with a bow, then tracking it with two other people who then used a shotgun to kill the animal. The incident occurred in Rochester, Ulster Co., on October 8, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC received a phone call, reporting that the hunter posted photos of himself and his two accomplices with the bear and a shotgun on social media. The caller told police the same bear was seen eating out of trash dumpsters in the area with its cubs. When interviewed by environmental conservation officers, the hunter allegedly admitted to shooting the bear as it was feeding on the trash and confirmed that he and two others had killed it, police said. The three men were not identified by the DEC. Officers seized the bear’s hide and meat and then issued the hunter several tickets for the unlawful take of black bear, hunting with the aid of a pre-established bait pile and possessing a firearm afield during the special archery season, according to police. Two of the hunters were released with tickets for Rochester Town Court. Charges are pending against the third person. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.