Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics New York lawmakers September 26, applauded the decision to lift Canadian border restrictions by next week, citing the potential economic benefits from the move. A vaccine requirement for cross-border travel will end on October 1. The border communities that rely on Canada for tourism and commuting could benefit most from the change. "The lifting of burdensome travel requirements at the Canadian border is long overdue and welcome news, particularly for our border communities that have suffered economically for more than two years," Republican Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt said. Travelers will no longer have to show proof of vaccination, COVID test results or be randomly tested. There had been bipartisan calls for the travel restrictions to ease. In New York, most pandemic-related guidances for mask wearing indoors have ended, though some rules remain in place in particularly sensitive areas. Democratic Assemblymember Billy Jones pointed to a drop in border crossings since the restrictions were put in place. "As the co-chair of the Council of State Governments US-Canada Relations Committee, I’ve been working with leaders on both sides of the border to lift these restrictions so that we can once again be united with our northern neighbors," Jones said. "Border communities like the North Country have a unique relationship with Canadians and we’ve all been feeling the negative ramifications of the partial border closure." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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WSKG reports that just about a month before voting begins, the candidates for the new 19th Congressional District still have not agreed to debate. Democrat Josh Riley agreed to a debate with WSKG, a public television and radio station working with the League of Women Voters of Broome and Tioga Counties, but Republican Marc Molinaro did not. “I understood from yesterday that he had declined the WSKG debate which I had accepted. So, we’ll have to see what other invitations we have,” Riley said on Sept. 25. Molinaro says he has agreed to a debate hosted by Spectrum News and two candidate forums, not debates, one with the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, and another with the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce. “I’m guessing it’s just scheduling issues, but three debates seems like a reasonable number to have across a district this size,” Molinaro said Sept. 23, even though he has agreed to only one debate, and two candidate forums. Voting begins Oct. 29 and ends Nov. 8. Read more about this story at the WSKG website.

Spencer Conlin reports at Spectrum News that even though Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York's new gun law doesn't prohibit historical re-enactments with antique guns, event organizers claim the new law is forcing them to cancel their military re-enactments. “We were expecting up to 1,000 visitors and up to 200 re-enactors,” Carpenter said about an event called off last weekend in Fort Edward. "Reenactors from eastern states and Canada began to interpret that law, and they decided they weren’t going to come to this event,” Carpenter said, about new gun regulations that took effect Sept. 1. The Daily Freeman previously reported that a Revolutionary War re-enactment scheduled for Sept. 3 in Kingston was also canceled, as organizers cited a portion of the new gun law that defines muzzle-loading flintlock and black powder rifles as “rifles.” The law lists several locations where firearms, including rifles and shotguns, are not allowed, including state parks and museums, schools, hospitals, federal, state and local government property, theaters, stadiums, and houses of worship. “These laws allow historical re-enactments to occur, and there should be no concern otherwise,” Hochul told the New York Post in a statement. “We will work with legislators and local law enforcement to ensure these events can proceed as they have for centuries. In the meantime, individuals who have lawfully participated in reenactments should continue to do so.” Read more about this story at Spectrum News.

Emilia Teasdale reports in the Columbia Paper the Kinderhook Town Board wants to again lower the speed limit on state Route 9 in the Columbia County town. Several years ago it was lowered from 55 mph to 50 mph. On Sept. 12 the board passed a motion to petition the state Department of Transportation for a further reduction, after a recent fatal accident on the highway. On August 13 a man crossing Route 9 in a golf cart was hit by a southbound SUV near Maple Lane South. The board recalled other nearby accidents on the road, including another fatal crash in 2017. The board also approved spending up to $3,500 on a Streetsmart traffic data reporting radar sign. Kinderhook had been borrowing the Village of Valatie’s sign, which registers, tracks and shows drivers their speed. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

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Matt Martinez is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle that members of the Pittsfield, Mass., community gathered September 25, to remember Miguel Estrella, six months after he was killed by police. Attendees of the March for Miguel were encouraged to bring their ideas for keeping the community safe and for changing the way mental health crises are handled in the Berkshires. The march was organized by Manos Unidas, Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, Westside Legends, the Berkshires Democratic Socialists of America, and the Maggie Sadoway Immigrant Cooperative. Gonzalo Bermudez, a member of Manos Unidas, said that Estrella’s death resulted in a loss of trust between police and community members. Bermudez said many people are now hesitant to contact police. “That’s a tragedy for the community,” Bermudez said. “They might have a crisis, but they won’t call the police because they know someone might end up dead.” He said many in the Latino community are fearful that it could happen to them, and called for “urgent and necessary change” in the way that mental health crises are handled by first responders. Estrella, in the midst of a mental health crisis in March, was shot and killed by police after responding officers felt he was a threat. Estrella had a knife at the time he was shot. September 30, would have been his 23rd birthday. The police officer who shot him, Nicholas Sondrini, was found to be acting in self-defense by investigations from the Pittsfield Police Department and Berkshire District Attorney’s Office. “I’ve lost a sibling, but I’ve gained a community that sees exactly what I see: A need for change,” said Elina Estrella, Miguel’s sister. “A change Miguel deserved and a change that we all deserved. This march may not mean much to many, but it means so much for us.” Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

With the Supreme Court overturning the Roe vs. Wade decision earlier this year, views on abortion have been center stage in every election in America since, and that continues this fall in the new New York 19th Congressional District contest between Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley. Molinaro lost a special election for the old version of the district in August to Democrat Pat Ryan, and many political observers wrote that Democratic turnout was up in that race because of the abortion issue. Riley has been clear that he supports abortion rights, and his campaign website says, "Women’s healthcare decisions are women’s healthcare decisions, not the government’s." Molinaro's campaign website avoids the issue completely in the "policy" section. Molinaro has said he opposes most abortions after 17 weeks. “I don’t want government in the specific decision making that women will have to make, I don’t,” Molinaro said at a Sept. 1 town hall meeting with voters in Endicott, in Broome County. “But I also want to be respectful of the fact, at some point there ought to be some limitation, except in the case of life of the mother, rape and incest.” His 17-week limit is very close to the 15-week abortion ban that South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham recently proposed. Just after Molinaro lost to Ryan he appeared on the right-wing Newsmax network, which has reported conspiracy theories and lets guests incorrectly state that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen," and he was asked about the abortion issue. Click here to play or download short excerpt of Molinaro on Newsmax.

The UpStater [dot] com is reporting that U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has named Elsmere Elementary School a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School. This is the second time the K to 5 school has earned the national honor. The first time was in 2013. Elsmere is one of five elementary schools in the Bethlehem Central School District. The district serves more than 4,000 students from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland in Albany County. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students’ levels of achievement. The 39-year-old program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories: “Exemplary High Performing” and “Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing,” schools. Elsmere is being acknowledged in the “Exemplary High Performing” category for having students who have demonstrated outstanding overall academic achievement. Nationwide, 264 schools are being honored in the same category. “We were thrilled to hear the news today,” said Elsmere Principal Kate Kloss. “Though it is our second time receiving this honor, somehow it feels particularly special today, in 2022. Read the full story at The UpStater [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman is reporting that the Bissell Pet Foundation is planning an Empty the Shelters event from Oct. 1, through Oct. 8, at shelters including the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the town of Ulster and AnimalKind in Hudson. The event will allow adopters the chance to bring a pet home for a reduced fee, with the Bissell Pet Foundation pitching in the remaining adoption cost. The Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters events have helped more than 117,700 pets find homes since 2016. More than 280 shelters in 42 states will participate in the upcoming event. Participation dates and requirements for adoption during the event will vary by shelter. Information is available at bissellpetfoundation [dot] org and at the websites for individual shelters. The Ulster County SPCA is located at 20 Wiedy Drive in Ulster, and Animalkind is located at 721 Warren Street in Hudson. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

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The Daily Freeman reports that new Congressperson Pat Ryan introduced his first bill in the House of Representatives after nine days in office. Ryan, a Democrat filling in the final weeks of Antonio Delgado's term in the 19th Congressional District, introduced the “Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act.” The bill would allow access to abortion medication through telehealth even in states that ban abortion, and would create a Congressional report on other ways to expand access to reproductive health care. “A woman’s right to choose is one of this country’s foundational freedoms, and there is no place for government interference in these private medical decisions, yet extremist state lawmakers are restricting access to FDA-approved abortion medication and even threatening to open Americans’ mail to stop the delivery of doctor-prescribed healthcare services,” Ryan said in a press release. “This legislation would ensure that women across the country can access this safe and effective medical treatment.” Over half of all abortion care in the U.S. comes through medication, with a two-dose regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol approved for up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. This year at least 20 states have proposed bills to restrict or ban access to those abortion pills, which were approved more than two decades ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other new bills would force women to get those medications from a doctor in person. Ryan beat Republican Marc Molinaro in a special election to fill in the final weeks of Delgado's term, and many political observers said his support for abortion rights was a key part of that campaign. Now Ryan is running for the new 18th Congressional district against Republican Colin Schmitt in November, while Molinaro faces Democrat Josh Riley in the new 19th Congressional District. Schmitt did not respond to requests for comment. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Phillip Pantuso reports for the Times Union about how the fraud allegations against former President Donald Trump in a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James include the Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in the Dutchess County hamlet of Hopewell Junction. Four of the alleged schemes outlined in the lawsuit involve the Dutchess County location and are described as the "fixed-assets scheme," the "unsold-memberships scheme," the "membership-deposit scheme" and the "brand-premium scheme." The lawsuit alleges that Trump and his associates did not disclose the leasehold interest on the propety, "misleadingly suggest(ing)" that the organization owned the property outright and failing to account for ground lease expenses when determining the value of the property between 2011 and 2021. And while the listed initiation fee for 2011 and 2012 at Trump National Hudson Valley, was $10,000, the Trump Organization claimed it was valued as much as 300 percent more. The lawsuit also alleges that Trump inflated the purchase price of the club by claiming that the liability for $1.2 million in refundable membership deposits was zero. And, finally, the lawsuit claims Trump artificially inflated the value of Trump National Hudson Valley because of his name, despite the fact that including internally developed intangible brand premiums is not allowed by generally accepted accounting principles. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Diane Valden reports in the Columbia Paper the September 24 kick-off volunteer event to celebrate the expansion of the Ancram Opera House was postponed due a COVID-19 outbreak. The Ancram Opera House has acquired an adjacent property at 1326 County Route 7, which they will call The Annex and call the Opera House and The Annex combined the Ancram Center for the Arts. The Annex is a now-vacant 1,300 square-foot, two-story post-and-beam structure built in 1780 on .08 acre. “This expansion is in direct response to community requests for expanded programming and opportunities. It reflects our already thriving programs, a commitment to sustaining them, and an investment in our future as a vital resource for Ancram and beyond,” Ancram Opera House co-director Jeffrey Mousseau said in a press release. The plan is to build a link between the two buildings that will cost $346,400. In 2021 the Ancram Opera House produced 90 productions, concerts, and workshops with approximately 1,700 attending in person or online. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Ulster County is looking for artists with design proposals for a COVID-19 memorial. The COVID-19 Commemoration Commission will choose a sculpture as the centerpiece of a memorial garden at the Ulster County Fairground complex in New Paltz. Artists can submit designs through November 15. “This unprecedented time took its toll, but it also showed the shared strength of our communities who came together and persevered through the pandemic,” Acting County Executive Johanna Contreras said. “This project will culminate not just in a simple monument, but a testament to hope, unity, and a lasting message for future generations.” Designs can be submitted by mail or in person to the Office of the Ulster County Executive at 244 Fair Street, Kingston NY 12401, or through the Ulster County COVID-19 website. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that ambulances with the Valatie Rescue Squad will reduce the use of sirens and emergency lights after a coalition of 13 national medical and first-responder groups endorsed limiting the practice. The groups wrote a position paper, released in February, that cited a variety of studies suggesting that using lights and sirens when responding to calls had little effect on the medical outcome of the patient while drastically increasing the possibility of a vehicle crash. "It is important that we are doing those things which we know definitively are helping our patients," said Valatie Rescue Squad Executive Director Scott Bowman. According to the paper, using lights and sirens saves emergency crews between 42 seconds and 3.8 minutes of time when responding to calls or transporting a patient, but increases the possibility of the ambulance crashing by 50 percent, or by 300 percent when transporting patients. Ambulance crashes can not only injure or kill EMS workers, but further injure patients, as well as endanger people in other vehicles. Valatie Rescue Squad Operations Manager Steve Meehan said the position paper confirmed an idea that had been talked about in the rescue squad for years. "... {W}e figured it was only a matter of time before this data would be publicized," he said. The Valatie Rescue Squad independently adopted the new policy, but no other rescue squads in Columbia or Greene counties have changed their policies, according to Meehan. The ultimate decision of whether to use lights and sirens will be up to the responding paramedic-in-charge. Meehan said it was not his job to "tie the hands of the clinicians. They are the ones that are making the clinical decisions in the back of the ambulance," he said. About 50 EMS agencies across the country have implemented the new recommendations and are collecting information with the National EMS Quality Alliance. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman that Opus 40 and Bard College have united in an effort to purchase the Harvey Fite house located adjacent to the monument, located in the hamlet of Highwoods in Saugerties, in Ulster County, according to the president of Opus 40 Board of Directors. In a statement released on September 23, Jonathan Becker said, “I am pleased to say that we are working with Bard College to purchase the house owned by Pat and Tad Richards and bring it into the Opus 40 site to be developed as a visitor’s center, library, and site for educational programming.” The house is currently on the market listed for $1.5 million. According to Becker, the Richards family prefers to sell the house to Opus 40 and Bard College, but both organizations must raise funds to buy the property before another buyer steps in. Becker said, “We are hoping to raise $300,000 within the next month if possible, in order to acquire the house at the amount and on the timetable that works for the Richards." Opus 40 and Bard College hope that local philanthropists will help with the purchase, to "...transition the property into a year-round community resource, [a] hub of economic revitalization, and site of cultural and natural bounty,” Becker said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.