Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media when Coeymans voters go to the polls this fall, they will determine the outcome of two referendums on the ballot — whether the town should build a new town hall and whether the town supervisor’s term should be doubled, from two to four years. The town hall proposition calls for the construction of a new building at 18 Russell Avenue. The Coeymans Town Board in July voted to erect a new building, but a petition was subsequently circulated and sufficient signatures collected to have the issue put to the voters in November. Under the proposition, the town is asking for approval to build a “two-story, approximately 12,000-square-foot building at 18 Russell Ave. ..., including the demolition of the existing town hall building, related site work, and original furnishings and equipment required for such purpose,” according to the ballot proposition. The project cost is capped at $7 million, with the town financing a portion in an amount not to exceed $4 million. Republican Town Supervisor George McHugh argues that building a new town hall would replace an “aged, outdated and inadequate town hall building,” and would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Office of Court Administration. Cindy Rowzee, a town board candidate on the Democratic ticket, organized the collection of petition signatures to force the issue to a vote. She wants more details on the plan and how the money would be spent before the town moves forward with the project. If the second proposition — to extend the town supervisor's term — is approved by voters, the change would be effective January 1, 2024, and would not affect McHugh's current term. The town supervisor currently serves a two-year term, while town board members, Ravena mayor and village trustees, all serve four-year terms. Voting begins Oct. 29 this year, and ends Nov. 8. Read more at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that the Rensselaerville Institute has agreed to pay the federal government more than $86,000 in damages and civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining an inflated Paycheck Protection Program loan. The Albany County-based not-for-profit corporation also agreed to repay its lender, thereby relieving the U.S. Small Business Administration of liability for the federal guaranty of the overstated portion of its loan, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman. The PPP was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, in March 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to small businesses suffering the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute acknowledged in the settlement agreement that, in early April 2020, its now-former chief financial officer provided another now-former Institute official with data and calculations showing their “average monthly payroll” totaled less than $500,000. But that person went ahead and, on the Institute’s behalf, applied to an SBA participating lender for a $500,000 PPP loan. Then, rather than return the excess funds, in January 2021, yet another Institute official submitted an application for the forgiveness of the entire half million. The SBA subsequently determined that the Institute had overstated its average monthly payroll and, accordingly, declined to forgive $86,676 of the loan. The case began in August 2021, when a whistleblower filed a complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Formerly based in Rensselaerville, the Institute is now located in Albany and it focuses on educational services. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Carlotta Mohamed is reporting for QNS [dot] com legislation put forward by state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato providing women with more options post-mastectomy was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on October 14. The measure amends the insurance law to give women the choice between reconstructive surgery or to go with a flat chest, allowing them the ability to choose how they want their post-mastectomy body to look. The bills passed in both houses of the state Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support. The new law makes New York the first state in the country to provide this type of insurance coverage, allowing flat closure procedures to be covered by insurance just like reconstructive surgery. Previously, the law had only required insurance to cover breast reconstruction but not chest wall reconstruction, which was classified to be cosmetic by many insurers. “Breast cancer survivors deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by our health care system,” Hochul said. Roughly one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes. “In New York, we do not just want women with breast cancer to survive, we want them to thrive,” Amato said. Read more at QNS [dot] com.

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Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Michael Gold report in the New York Times that Republican Lee Zeldin talked about crime and the economy, and Democrat Kathy Hochul focused on abortion and Zeldin's ties to Donald Trump in their only debate before voters decide who will be New York's governor. Zeldin, a Long Island representative who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results without evidence of voter fraud, "frequently rais[ed] his voice as he channeled a sense of outrage," according to the newspaper. Zeldin wanted to talk about any crimes he could except overturning a legal election, saying New York was “less safe thanks to Kathy Hochul and extreme policies.” During a question on abortion, Zeldin changed the topic to crime. But abortion is what Hochul preferred to discuss. “You’re the only person standing on this stage whose name right now — not years past — that right now, is on a bill called ‘Life Begins at Conception,’” Hochul said. Zeldin claimed that he would not seek to change the state’s already-strict abortion protections, but he has a history in Congress of voting against abortion access. Zeldin also doubled-down on his views of election fraud that were proven untrue in over 60 court cases. “The vote was on two states: Pennsylvania and Arizona,” Zeldin said of his vote against certifying the election results. “And the issue still remains today.” Actually, the issue is long settled, as no serious proof of election fraud has ever been discovered. Read the full story in the New York Times.

Meg Britton-Mehlisch reports in The Berkshire Eagle that opposition from the police union has stopped efforts to get the Pittsfield police to add body-worn cameras. Police Capt. Gary Traversa told the city council that a set of “fairly recent delays” had caused the department to “hit the pause button” on adding body-worn cameras. But he said it is “not for me to discuss” what concerns the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 447 now has, just that those concerns have paused any efforts to add police cameras. Mayor Linda Tyer also would not say what the problem was. “I think there were some issues raised this week that the union needs to work through and won’t be able to move forward until those are settled,” Tyer said. Traversa did say that once the mysterious issue is resolved the process will move forward. “Our hope was to have a vendor chosen by the end of the year; it’s our understanding that prices go up at that point so we were hoping to have a contract signed,” Traversa said. “However we really haven’t — at least on our side of the street — taken that much of a dive into the procurement process.” Great Barrington police began using Axon body cameras in late September, becoming the first local department in Berkshire County to equip officers with cameras, and Sheffield has also received grant money to add cameras to police. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Columbia-Greene Media reports that a section of Route 66 in Greenport will be closed to traffic from Oct. 26 through Oct. 29 to replace railroad tracks, said Heather Pillsworth, public information officer for the New York State Department of Transportation, Hudson Valley Region. The section of Route 66 between Merle Avenue and Ten Broeck Avenue will reopen at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29. A detour will direct motorists to instead use Route 23B, Route 9H, and Route 23 as an alternate route. CSX Transportation just finished similar work in Hudson near the Public Square. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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Brendan J. Lyons reports for the Times Union that the state attorney general's office recently served a grand jury subpoena on Rensselaer County asking for a store of absentee ballot documents that were handled last year by county Operations Director Richard W. Crist and also Jim Gordon, the county's director of purchasing. The subpoena requests the records from the Board of Elections be returned to a Rensselaer County grand jury in late November. It also asks for absentee documents that may have been handled by Leslie A. Wallace and Sara J. McDermott, who both work for Rensselaer County. McDermott has been described by county political insiders as a GOP operative. The attorney general's investigation is separate from a federal grand jury inquiry being handled by the FBI and the Albany U.S. attorney's office. That investigation is focusing on voter fraud allegations in Rensselaer County and led to the guilty plea of a former Troy city councilmember, Kimberly Ashe-McPherson, as well as the indictment two months ago of Jason T. Schofield, the county's Republican elections commissioner. Ashe-McPherson, 61, a Republican, pleaded guilty in June to fraudulently submitting absentee ballots in last year's primary and general elections as she sought re-election. She subsequently resigned from public office. Schofield was charged with fraudulently obtaining and filing absentee ballots using the personal information of at least eight voters without their permission. He has pleaded not guilty and has returned to work at the Board of Elections. A source said the attorney general's subpoena seeks absentee records similar to those previously subpoenaed by the U.S. attorney's office. However, the state's subpoena specifically lists the names of Crist, Gordon, Wallace, and McDermott. Wallace was listed in payroll records two years ago as an assistant for constituent relations in the office of county Executive Steve McLaughlin. McDermott is a confidential assistant in the human resources office and has been active in local politics and government. Last year, she ran for county executive on the Working Families Party line. Crist and Gordon both became a focus in the Justice Department's investigation in February when FBI agents seized their mobile phones, days after a federal grand jury subpoena was served on the county seeking voter records. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that a group of students at Vassar College has submitted a letter to the Dutchess County Executive and Legislature, warning of alleged voter suppression by the Dutchess County Republican Elections Commissioner. Student leaders of Democracy Matters, backed by the Andrew Goodman Foundation, League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Region, and Dutchess Student Voting Coalition, sent a letter to County Executive Marcus Molinaro and Legislature Chair Gregg Pulver on October 24, claiming the Dutchess Board of Elections is in “clear violation” of state law by failing to designate an on-campus polling site at Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie. The League of Women Voters noted Republican Commissioner Erik J. Haight has a history of “well-documented years-long ongoing efforts to suppress the youth vote in Dutchess County.” Haight has had well-publicized disagreements with Bard College over inadequate and unconstitutional polling facilities for campus residents. In various student voting rights lawsuits successfully brought by Bard College over the last decade, Haight’s refusal to act cost Dutchess County taxpayers more than $120,000 in legal fees. According to the Vassar students' letter, the group is asking the county to designate a campus site by the end of this week. At present, student voters in Ward 6, Election Districts 3 and 4 must walk off campus to the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority, while those in Ward 6, Election District 2 must take a shuttle to an off-campus polling site on New Hackensack Road. County buses do not serve the latter location. BOE Democratic Elections Commissioner Hannah Black proposed a central polling site at Vassar for the fall election that would provide voting access for all three election districts that currently cut through the campus, while keeping open all existing off-campus polling sites. Haight said Black's proposal is prohibited by election law. "I have repeatedly asked her for a solution that complies with the entirety of the law and she’s failed to do so,” he said. Read the full story at Mid-HudsonNews [dot] com.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that all roads to the summit of Mount Greylock in Adams, Mass., will close for the winter at 3 p.m. on October 30. All vehicles must leave the mountain by that time. Bascom Lodge, located at the summit, has already closed, so there are no services available at the summit.At 3,491 feet, Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts. From its peak on a clear day, you can see as far as 90 miles away. The roads and the lodge will reopen in late May 2023. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.

Today's daily news update.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that Republican Congressperson Elise Stefanik stood next to Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, who faces felony charges for the alleged misuse of campaign funds, on Oct. 24 and called the charges against McLaughlin "a political witch hunt. The FBI is absolutely politicized and weaponized." But the charges against McLaughlin were filed by state prosecutors, not the FBI. McLaughlin was indicted in 2021 by a grand jury for grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing for allegedly stealing $5,000 from his campaign account in November 2017. The scheme allegedly had McLaughlin taking campaign funds through a consulting firm to pay back a loan to a former legislative staff member just weeks after he won his first term as county executive. But the FBI did not bring those charges. Nevertheless, she persisted. "We see at all levels, the FBI have been weaponized to go after Republicans," Stefanik said, even though the FBI is not involved in McLaughlin's case. But "federal investigators are, however, looking into allegations of ballot fraud in Rensselaer County," the Times Union reports. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Emilia Teasdale reports for the Columbia Paper that Kinderhook's town board approved a $2.8 million budget for 2023 at its Oct. 3 meeting. Town Supervisor Tim Ooms said the budget was flat except, “Anything in highway is up.” The Kinderhook town board also accepted some resignations at the meeting. Code Enforcement Officer and Building Inspector Tom Burrall resigned due to what Ooms said were “health reasons,” and Kevin Haberland was appointed to fill the position. Haberland already works in the building inspector’s office. Also Francis Gutto from the Board of Assessment Review resigned, and the assessment board will find a replacement for him on that volunteer board. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Bill Mahoney reports at Politico about the single debate between Democrat Tom DiNapoli and Republican Paul Rodriguez for New York’s comptroller election this fall. DiNapoli is a four-term incumbent, and Rodriguez is an investor who received 5.6 percent of the vote as the Conservative Party nominee in last year’s race to be New York City’s comptroller. It was an amiable debate, and several times Rodriguez agreed with DiNapoli. “I have to agree in many ways with Mr. DiNapoli on this,” Rodriguez said about concerns about the state’s approach to gambling. “Al Smith is a very good answer, actually,” he said when the incumbent responded to a question about who the best New York governor has been. The biggest difference noted between the two candidates was on how much of an activist role the comptroller should take with pension fund. “More diverse representation, more women on boards, makes a company better,” DiNapoli said. “The Wall Street mentality of only looking at numbers and being blind to what a company is actually doing is the wrong strategy.” Rodriguez disagreed there, saying that he doesn’t think “that public pension plans should be managed like private activist hedge funds.” The other big difference between the two candidates in this election has been campaign spending. Rodriguez has spent $10.86 so far on his campaign, state records show, while DiNapoli has spent about $2.2 million. Voting begins Oct. 29 and ends Nov. 8. Read the full story at Politico.

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Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Republican congressional candidate Colin Schmitt on October 21, shared a dishonestly edited social media post excerpted from a Freeman video interview to suggest that U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, his Democratic opponent, responded to a Freeman question in a way he did not. The post appeared on Schmitt’s Twitter account along with a comment stating, “honesty is the best policy.” Ryan’s actual answer from the interview was cut from the video. Ryan is running for the 18th congressional district seat and spoke with the Freeman on October 21, in a one-hour video interview. Schmitt declined repeatedly to participate in both a debate hosted by the Freeman and in a video interview with the paper, the only invited candidate to do so. He participated in a one-hour “meet the candidates” forum hosted by the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce on September. 27, his only appearance with Ryan in Ulster County. Schmitt, a state assemblymember from New Windsor, backed out of a debate with Ryan at Bard College but had one debate with Ryan at Marist College hosted by Spectrum News and a candidate forum by the Dutchess Chamber of Commerce last week. During his interview with the Freeman, Ryan was asked about his past employment with Dataminr, which gathers public information from social media and sells it to a variety of companies across the world. In that interview, Ryan answers: “Sure, this is another area where there’s a lot of b.s. information out there where it’s totally misleading.” But in the campaign clip, the video was cut after Ryan said the word “sure” making it sound as if Ryan admitted that the content gathered was sold to Russia. Schmitt and National Republican Congressional Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Bullock each shared that misleading clip, along with comments that also intentionally mischaracterized what Ryan said. Despite being told the clip was dishonestly edited and that Ryan had not said what the two were claiming, neither Schmitt nor Bullock would remove the post from their Twitter accounts. Bullock did not respond to an email seeking comment. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup a retro diner, upper midscale hotel, expanded Stewart’s Shop, and new tourism center are all part of the Greene Industrial Development Agency's plans for Route 23B. The IDA began work on a 60-acre business park on Route 23B near New York State Thruway Exit 21 in 2017, securing eight parcels, completing an environmental impact statement, and mitigating sensitive archaeological areas in order to attract new businesses. Now, the IDA is announcing the first tenant, Bell Jar Holdings Co., in the Exit 21 West business park. Bell Jar Holdings acquired a 1.7-acre parcel with plans to rehabilitate the existing garage on the site and add a 1950s diner as a second building. The garage will be converted into a gourmet food market and the 1950s diner will open as a bar serving local beers and cocktails. The new owners, Dennis Kanuk and Rhianon Jones say, “We look forward to creating a welcoming space for locals and visitors alike to get a taste of the best the Catskills and the Hudson Valley have to offer.” Additional land is available in the park and is being prepared for future development. The IDA is constructing a new access road, will extend water and sewer lines, and is getting the site ready for three pads. One of those pads is dedicated to a new 80-room upper midscale hotel. The IDA recently signed a term sheet with Windsor Hospitality Management and Southern Realty and Development to build and operate a Hampton Inn by Hilton. Greene County Legislative Chairman Patrick Linger said the county is quite pleased with the hotel agreement. Stewart’s Shops has also signed a contract to purchase land in the Exit 21 East business park to relocate and build a new retail store. The new Stewart's will be located at the current site of the Greene County Tourism Center. The Tourism Center will be torn down to allow a new Stewart’s to be built. The existing Stewart’s will be renovated to house a new Tourism Visitor Center. The IDA set aside the funds to help with the construction of the center and Stewart’s will donate the building. Eric Hoglund, chairman of the Greene IDA Board, said to expect shovels in the ground in early spring 2023 and lots of construction activity at both sites. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.