Today's daily news update.

Ulster County reports that New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Ulster County Department of Emergency Services, and local firefighters are trying to put out wildfires in the Napanoch Point area of Minnewaska State Park. “I want to thank all the agencies, staff and volunteers who have coordinated on the response and assure residents that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe,” Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said. “Conditions right now are very dry, and we must remain vigilant and careful about fires.” At least 30 acres has been burned. Officials believe the Napanoch fire was started by a lightning strike on August 27. Nearly one hundred firefighters are on the ground and two state police helicopters have dropped over a hundred buckets of water on the blaze. One seasonal hunting cabin is within the vicinity of the Napanoch Fire, which is not an immediate threat to residents. New York’s Hudson Valley and the Catskills region remain at high fire danger risk, as outdoor fires have the potential to spread quickly. The Ulster County website has more information on the fire.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup about the Aug. 27 fire that engulfed three 120-yard garbage trailers at the Catskill Transfer Station. Responding firefighters kept the blaze away from three adjacent trailers. “We used a lot of tankers that hauled from the county parking lot off Water Street where Catskill’s big engine was filling from the creek,” the the Catskill Fire Company reported. “A ton of manpower was needed rotating constantly on four deployed hose lines for the overhaul.” The Catskill Fire Company got help from departments in West Athens, Athens, Coxsackie, Earlton, Hudson, Leeds, Cairo, East Durham, and Livingston while firefighters from Kiskatom and Saugerties covered Catskill’s district overnight. Catskill Fire Chief John Holt said on Aug. 28 that the cause of the fire will likely remain a mystery. “You will never know,” he said. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

News10 in Albany reports that Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan had tested positive for COVID-19. Sheehan said she will work in isolation for at least the next five days. “I want to use this opportunity to remind our neighbors and friends to get tested for COVID, even if you have allergy-like symptoms, and to get vaccinated and boosted if you have not yet done so,” Sheehan said. “It is clear COVID is still very present in our community and these healthy behaviors can help save your life and the lives of your loved ones.” Read the full story at the News10 website.

Today's daily news update.

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

Lauren Stanforth is reporting for the Times Union health officials continue to urge those unvaccinated against polio to get immunized after the virus was found in a fourth municipal wastewater system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected poliovirus in four Sullivan County samples, two collected in July and two collected in August, the state Health Department said on August 26. The virus was genetically-linked to the same virus that infected a person in July in Rockland County, a patient who suffered paralysis. Poliovirus had already been found in Rockland and Orange County wastewater this summer, as well as in New York City. In a report earlier this month, the CDC said that poliovirus may have been circulating for up to a year in New York. “One New Yorker paralyzed by polio is already too many and I do not want to see another paralytic case,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement. “...Every New Yorker, parent, guardian, and pediatrician must do everything possible to ensure they, their children, and their patients are protected against this dangerous, debilitating disease through safe and effective vaccination.” The unvaccinated who live, work, attend school in or visit New York City, as well as Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties are at the highest risk. The state is not testing wastewater in all counties. The focus has been in the areas surrounding Rockland County, where the first case was reported. The efforts, however, will continue to expand, the state DOH said. Polio is very contagious and presents itself as asymptomatic in most cases. About 25 percent of those infected will experience mild or flu-like symptoms that many will attribute to some other illness. Patients experience paralysis and life-threatening symptoms in about one percent of cases. Read the full story in the Times Union.

The Columbia Paper is reporting longtime Hudson city historian Patricia Velie Fenoff died at the age of 82, on August 23. Born October 2, 1939, in Hudson, she grew up in the Robert Taylor House, the oldest house in Hudson. At the time of her death, Fenoff had served as Hudson's historian for 35 years. In that role, Fenoff obtained a number of grants for archival materials to preserve and organize the city’s historical documents. She also helped many people from all corners of the state, the country and abroad trace their genealogical roots to Hudson, and shared information on sites and homes of interest. Fenoff served as a member of the original Historic Preservation Commission and with friend and fellow member, the late Mary Hallenbeck, she updated an inventory of buildings and homes that resulted in the designation of the city’s largest historic district that covers most of the city’s south side. Fenoff also researched various projects, including the restoration of the Amtrak station and the Warren Street sidewalks. She spent several years documenting the burials in Hudson City Cemetery and helped with research to support the redesign of the City Seal. She documented many other cemeteries in Columbia County, stone by stone, and transcribed the records for several of the churches in Hudson and other locations. She recorded the births, deaths and marriages in the city from Hudson’s past newspapers. Fenoff was a longtime member of the Hendrick Hudson Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served as curator of its collection of artifacts and ephemera. Graveside services for Fenoff will be held on September 2 in Cedar Park Cemetery. Read more in The Columbia Paper.

Amanda Burke is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the candidates for Berkshire County, Mass., district attorney and sheriff will be not be participating in any debates hosted by the local branch of the NAACP, the organization said. According to the NAACP, it offered the two potential debate dates to all four candidates, but DA candidate Timothy Shugrue failed to commit by the deadline provided and incumbent Sheriff Thomas Bowler said he had a personal conflict. Both Shugrue and Bowler are Republicans. Democratic Sheriff candidate Alf Barbalunga and DA candidate Andrea Harrington agreed to appear. Shugrue's campaign said they were under the impression that negotiations over the date were ongoing when the NAACP announced the debate was off. The campaign has asked that the NAACP reconsider the cancelation and hold a DA debate. In a statement posted to social media, the local branch of the NAACP said it is the group's function to host debates. "While all the candidates have publicly spoken about equity and unfair practices towards marginalized groups, only Barbalunga and Harrington were able to make the dates we offered work," NAACP President Dennis Powell said in a statement. "And to us, this speaks volumes." Powell said the NAACP does not endorse candidates, but its role is to educate voters about the two positions and the four candidates competing for the opportunity to fill them. Powell added that he wanted to release publicly an accounting of how things unfolded from his perspective. Bowler and Shugrue point out they participated in NAACP forums this summer. Powell said those forums were aimed at educating voters about the roles of the respective offices, rather than an open exchange about policy or political positions. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.

Diane Valden is reporting for The Columbia Paper in light of recent accidents, residents along Columbia County Route 7A have renewed their appeal for a lower speed limit on the stretch of road between the Copake hamlet and Ancram town line. At the August 13, Copake Town Board meeting, several residents talked about their experiences living along the road with many curves, blind spots and an onslaught of lead-footed drivers. Gabrielle Tessler told the board she opposes the 55 mph speed limit between the Copake and West Copake in a densely populated area where people bike, jog, walk and children and animals cross the road. She was hit by a car on that stretch of road while riding her bike a year ago, she said. Tessler suggested that because of a recent traffic death, the state Department of Transportation, which has the power to resolve the issue, would agree to lower the speed limit. The death Tessler referred to occurred on July 31, when a car and a motorcycle collided on Route 7A at the Tamarac Road intersection. Lisa Edstrom, Tessler's neighbor, wanted to know what residents could do to “pressure the state” to reduce the speed limit. Stephen Sanborn noted that the town had taken action to curb speeders in the past by posting an electronic speed limit sign and increasing the police presence. He said that helped somewhat, but the whole stretch of road still remains a problem. Supervisor Jeanne Mettler said last year town officials submitted a request to lower the speed limit from 55 to 40 mph between the Copake hamlet and West Copake. In November the town request was denied, with the state DOT saying the circumstances did not warrant a reduction. Mettler suggested this time that she write a resolution containing a specific speed reduction and include the facts instead of just a submitting a standard request. The formal speed limit resolution will be presented to the town board on September 8. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration have announced the tribe will receive a $857,000 federal grant to promote tourism in northern New York through job and tourism business expansion under the Akwesasne Travel Program. The two-year grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan’s Indigenous Communities program. The Saint Regis Mohawk Indian Territory is located in the Hogansburg area in Franklin County. “Our region is rich in culture and history and this grant will allow us to continue sharing these vibrant community resources by investing in local business development and building our capacity...,” said James Lazore, the tribe’s division director in the Office of Economic Development. The project will fund three new full-time positions under tourism to develop new cultural experiences, provide more business support to tour partners, and to engage with regional partners and the travel-trade industry. Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Executive Director Tsiorasa Barreiro said the award was the result of the Tourism Team's efforts to support the Akwesasne Business Community, local artisans, and cultural resource organizations; such as the Akwesasne Cultural Center and Museum and the Native North American Travelling College. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Here are some stories from the Hudson River this week. Click here to hear an audio version of this report. (4:15)

• The U.S. Geological Survey reports temperatures this week in the Hudson River near Albany are between 78 and 80 degrees.

• ABC News reports that the City Club of New York, and Tom Fox, a representative of the club who serves on the Hudson River Park Advisory Council, plan to sue Con Edison for alleged "ongoing violations" of the federal Clean Water Act. They allege that Con Ed is dumping water used to cool a power station off of Hudson River Park's Pier 98 into the river at "dangerously high temperatures," and are also dumping wastewater containing "toxic pollutants," such as chloroform, into the estuary sanctuary in violation of its state permit. A Con Ed spokesperson said the company is "in compliance with our permit for both water temperature and discharge of chemicals at Pier 98." Read more about this story at the ABC News website.

• The Post Star reports that the lower levels of the Hudson River west of the Glens Falls/South Glens Falls Route 9 bridge have exposed riverbanks, drainage pipes, the underside of a swimming dock, and old mid-river piers once used when logs were moved downstream by force of the current. The low levels of the river are not from the drought, but a summer drawdown to allow for routine dam maintenance. Because of the up-to-8-foot reduction in water levels there is no summer swimming at municipal beaches in Glens Falls and South Glens Falls, and regular water levels won't return until September. Read the full story in the Post Star.

• Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that a two-foot-long sea lamprey was fished out of the Hudson River by the Department of Environmental Conservation in June. Lamprey are strange-looking jawless fish that “feed parasitically on larger fish using their round mouth ringed with hooked teeth,” the department said on social media. They are rarely found the agency’s Norrie Point Environmental Center in Staatsburg in Dutchess County, where DEC Estuary Educator Ben Harris caught one with a cast net. “Sea Lamprey occurs as ammocoetes in medium-sized streams near the mouths, and in areas with clean sand,” the DEC said. “The adult phase is parasitic and typically found only in the big lakes or the ocean.” Sea lampreys attack fish in the Hudson River, not humans. The National Ocean Service calls the lamprey, "an efficient killer of lake trout and other bony fishes is its disc-shaped, suction-cup mouth, ringed with sharp, horny teeth, with which it latches on to an unfortunate fish.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Sara Dorn reports at City and State that Democrat Josh Riley says he received 1,500 individual online donations, totaling $65,000, the day after winning the nomination for the 19th Congressional District. Riley faces Republican Marc Molinaro in November to represent the new district that now stretches from the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier to the Hudson Valley. Molinaro, the current Dutchess County Executive, does not live in the new district, and lost a special election to represent the existing 19th District to Democrat Pat Ryan, the Ulster County Executive. Riley is a lawyer from Endicott, who beat Jamie Cheney to become the party’s nominee. Riley’s campaign says he outraised Molinaro by more than 40 percent between July 1 and Aug. 3, bringing in $177,820, compared to Molinaro’s $128,452, though that is an apples to oranges comparison, as they were in different elections in different districts. “Grassroots support for this campaign shows that people want change – restoring women’s reproductive freedom, getting corporate money out of politics, and strengthening the Middle Class – and that’s what we’re going to deliver,” Riley said in a statement touting his fundraising. Read more about this story at City and State.

Liz Montgomery in Porcupine Soup reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed the bill to designate the Durham Valley Scenic Byway in Greene County as part of the New York State Scenic Byways System. Democrat Senator Michelle Hinchey and Republican Assemblyperson Chris Tague sponsored the bill to designate 21 miles of roads in the Towns of Durham and Windham. “Our bill granting this Scenic Byway designation to the Durham Valley is a victory for Greene County,” said Hinchey. “We have elevated twenty-one miles of picturesque viewshed across Durham and Windham as a local landmark, which will provide an economic boost to Greene County businesses, enhance preservation efforts, and help promote our rural communities as can’t-miss destinations for tourism, culture, and commerce.” The scenic byway includes the five-state view where onlookers can see New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The designation allows local governments to apply for grants to upgrade the scenic byway. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

NBC News reports that while the law took effect in November 2021, few people seemed to realize, until a photo went viral this week, that you now must be at least 21 years old to buy whipped cream in New York. A photo of a sign in an Albany County Stewart's Shop said, "effective 8/12/22 we will be IDing for whipped cream! Must be 21 years old!" For many years, teenagers and others have used the nitrous oxide in whipped cream canisters to get high. It is commonly called doing “whip-its." There is now a $250 fine for the first offense of selling whipped cream canisters to someone under 21, and up to $500 for subsequent violations. "The need to limit the access and sale of whippits first became apparent after receiving constituent complaints about empty canisters on neighborhood streets. Used whippits piling up in our communities are not only an eye sore, but also indicative of a significant nitrous oxide abuse problem," said New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo, from Queens, who sponsored the legislation. Read the full story at NBC News.

Today's daily news update.

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

The city of Hudson August 24 announced a Water Reserve Advisory due to drought conditions that began weeks ago,. During that time the level of the Churchtown Reservoir has dropped one foot, or 5.5 million gallons and the water level is continuing to drop almost one-and-one-half inches, or 675,000 gallons each day. The city consumes 1.1 million gallons per day. As a result, city officials are asking city residents and businesses to reduce their consumption of water, voluntarily. Should drought conditions persist, it may become necessary to declare a water emergency and impose formal restrictions, according to city officials. Among the actions individual households and businesses can take to conserve water: turn off the faucet while shaving, washing up, brushing teeth, and washing dishes; repairing dripping and leaking faucets and toilets; do not run the tap to make the water cold or hot. Instead, keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator; throw items like used facial tissues into the waste basket instead of flushing them down the toilet; wash only full loads of dishes and laundry; take shorter showers or fill the bathtub only part way. To save water outdoors: cut your grass to a longer length; use a pool cover; mulch around shrubs and garden plants to save soil moisture; wash cars less frequently, but if necessary take vehicles to a car wash that recycles water. More information is available at CityofHudson [dot] org.

Mid-Hudson News is reporting Columbia-Greene Community College has been granted $1 million by the New York State Assembly to expand its construction technology center. The expansion will allow the college to accommodate more students to meet the increasing demands in the construction industry for those with skills in the trades. “The Hudson Valley’s long history is reflected in centuries of striking buildings – iconic wooden barns, brick or stone houses, riverfront estates and more – and there is a continuing need to repair and restore these wonderful structures,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett, Democrat of Hudson. Barrett said with the grant, Columbia-Greene “can become the workforce training go-to for building trades, particularly in historic restoration and preservation.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.