The Daily Freeman is reporting county unemployment rates in the Mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills were higher in July from what they were in June and much lower than the rates of July 2021, the state Department of Labor reported August 23. The July 2022 unemployment rate in Greene County was 3.6 percent, up from 3.3 percent in June and down from 5.1 percent a year ago. In Columbia County, the jobless rate was 2.9 percent, up from 2.6 percent in June and down from 2.9 percent in July 2021. Elsewhere in the region, according to the state labor office, jobless rates in July 2022 were:

• 3.4 percent in Ulster County, up from 3.1 percent in June
• 3.3 percent in Dutchess County, up from 3.1 percent in June
• 3.5 percent in Orange County, up from 3.2 percent in June
• 3.2 percent in Sullivan County, up from 3 percent in June
• 3.9 percent in Delaware County, up from 3.5 percent in June

The highest jobless rate statewide in June was 9.1 percent in the Bronx. The lowest rate was 2.6 percent in Hamilton County. Statewide the jobless rate was 4.8 percent in June. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Zach Williams reports in the New York Post that New York state is further relaxing COVID-19 restrictions at K-12 schools this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Aug. 22. Anyone who is exposed to someone who is COVID-positive does not have to isolate themselves, and entire classes won't be sent home because of one positive case. “No more quarantining — no more ‘test to stay,’” Hochul told reporters at a Manhattan press conference. “The days of sending an entire classroom home because one person was symptomatic or tested positive — those days are over." New York's new policy reflects the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recent update to its guidelines. “What that means is if a classmate tests positive for COVID and your child doesn’t have symptoms, your child can stay in school as long as they wear a mask under those circumstances. That’s what we’re recommending,” Hochul said. New York schools will also no longer test random samples among their student bodies to track infection rates. Read the full story in the New York Post.

Spectrum News reports that Hudson Valley Community College will require students on campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to "comply with SUNY's vaccination policy for the fall semester." Previously, the school said it would not require vaccinations to attend classes. "Although our goal was to increase access and remove a barrier to higher education after an extraordinarily difficult time for many students, the college has decided" to require vaccinations, HVCC President Roger Ramsammy said. The college’s faculty association opposed the plan to let unvaccinated students attend classes. The new Hudson Valley Community College semester begins Aug. 29. Read more about this story at Spectrum News.

Ted Remsnyder reports at Columbia-Greene Media that the Columbia County Department of Health hosts a monkeypox vaccine clinic at Columbia-Greene Community College on Aug. 25. The Department has 100 vaccine doses to distribute at the clinic from 10 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Aug. 25 for Columbia County residents who are 18 years of age and older and have been exposed to, or are at high risk of exposure, to monkeypox. “It’s not just open to the public,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Maab said on Aug. 22. “If you had contact with someone that’s positive, that puts you in category A. But it’s opened up to anyone who thinks that they may have had contact. If you’re a male that has sex with other men, then you’re definitely eligible. Also if you think that you live a lifestyle that puts you in contact with someone who may be infected. It’s pretty broad.” Maab said Columbia County has had three cases of monkeypox so far. Previously, Columbia County held a monkeypox vaccine clinic on Aug. 18. Greene County has had just one monkeypox case, and so far the state has not sent Greene County any vaccines. “That would make sense because of the Amtrak connection to the city, they (Columbia) get many more New York City residents or visitors,” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said on Aug. 22. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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The Daily Freeman is reporting more than $28 million in federal funds have been secured by New York's senior Senator Chuck Schumer in an effort to overhaul the Rhinecliff train station. Democrat Schumer announced the $28,222,897 award in a press release on Aug. 22. The federal dollars will support the state’s work in overhauling the train station that has been in severe disrepair for more than 15 years, the press release said. The funds are needed to pay for federally mandated Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant “infrastructure upgrades and modernizations the station required for its hundreds of thousands of commuters each year,” according to the release. The planned work will replace the existing 520-foot-long low-level platform with a new, longer and safer high-level platform, along with other much-needed infrastructure and accessibility upgrades. The money will be also used to complete related track and signal work and for stairs, elevators, and a pedestrian bridge. “...[I]t is my pleasure to say to the commuters of the Hudson Valley that over $28 million in federal funding will now give Rhinecliff the infrastructure and accessibility upgrades it has desperately needed," Schumer said. Rhinebeck Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia said, “This $28 million federal investment shows that our years-long efforts have paid off and will assist New York state and Amtrak in its design and construction work to upgrade the platform and make it more accessible for our residents.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia-Greene Community College’s proposed 2022-23 budget has now been approved by the Columbia County Board of Supervisors and the Greene County Legislature. Elected officials in both counties have given the green light to their respective portions of the $19,128,307 spending plan. Columbia County will contribute $3.55 million, an increase of $206,333 over the previous year, while Greene will pay $2,90 million, a decrease of $206,333 from its 2021-22 contribution. The Greene County Legislature unanimously adopted the budget on August 17, a week after the Columbia County board voted its approval on August 10. “We like the fact of having a community college in our community because it provides a valuable service to our youth and adults who want to further their careers,” Board of Supervisors Chair Matt Murell said. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said the county considers it a priority to invest in the counties’ shared college. “It’s a partnership because we’re two of the few counties that share a community college,” he said. “The ability to provide higher education to our students as they graduate from high school or to in-service people is vital. ..." The spending plan reflects a 10 percent increase in overall spending, and an increase in tuition, from $2,484 to $2,556 per semester for in-state residents enrolled as full-time students. The two-year college is supported by tuition, state aid, support from both Greene and Columbia counties, and, this year, just under $1.5 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the federal CARES Act. “Columbia-Greene extends deep gratitude for the steadfast financial support received from Columbia and Greene counties,” Columbia-Greene Community College President Carlee Drummer said in a statement last week. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Lauren Harkawik is reporting in the Times Union the Cary Institute, a local nonprofit environmental organization, has asked Congress for a hearing on why the government’s current practices for limiting invasive pests are not working. Invasive pests like the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle pose irreversible threats to the state's forest ecosystems by targeting native trees and, in some cases, threatening to wipe them out for good. The pests primarily enter the country through packaging used in international trade, is “one of the most severe and urgent threats facing U.S. trees,” according to the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, based in Millbrook, Dutchess County.  In July, the institute delivered a petition with more than 1,700 signatures to the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees requesting a Congressional hearing on invasive forest pests. Cary's Dr. Gary Lovett said last week that he wants Congress to investigate what is currently being done and why government agencies' current practices for keeping invasive pests out are not working. Asked why he thinks current practices are not working, Lovett said the government is not being firm enough in its regulatory standards for international trade. International trade is how most invasive pests get into the country, often through wooden packaging, such as wood pallets. Pests like emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid could dramatically change the forest landscape of the Northeast, and New York is the hardest hit in the country. Emerging major concerns, Lovett said, are the spotted lanternfly, which attacks grapes and apples, and the Asian longhorned beetle, which attacks maples. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Updated Aug. 25. [Times Union] Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove incorrect comparisons between the tax break rates given by the Hudson IDA and other Capital District IDAs. A data error was made mismatching the total, lifetime costs of projects with their tax savings over a single year, which made it appear as though the Hudson IDA gave out tax breaks that far exceeded those of neighboring communities. A graphic and chart showing the comparison has also been removed from the [original TU] story.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union about how Hudson is dealing with the affordable housing crisis by regulating new hotels in the city. A lack of hotel rooms in the Hudson Valley is one of the economic forces driving the high cost of housing, as individuals capitalize on the need for short-term rentals by converting apartments that would usually be rented to residents into places for tourists to stay. So if there are more hotel rooms available, there would be less demand for short-term rentals. But after Hudson's Industrial Development Agency began handing out tax breaks to new hotels, some residents became concerned. "When people come in and ask for (tax breaks) and they're creating things like hotels, there should be some benefit ... that the community is actually asking for, and that should be a solidified part of the process," Hudson First Ward Supervisor Claire Cousins said. Cousins is a spokesperson for the Hudson Community Benefits Alliance, a group of concerned neighbors and city residents. The group pressured the Hudson IDA to impose a moratorium on tax breaks for new hotels so it could reconsider the requirements for getting the abatements. In the past two years the Hudson IDA has given tax breaks for four new building projects, with another held up by the moratorium. And the tax breaks given to those projects are far more generous than those given to other nearby projects. The Hudson IDA gave out tax breaks between 5 and 9 percent when compared to the project's total cost. But the city of Albany IDA gave the average project a 1.3 percent tax break in 2020; Schenectady was at 0.7 percent. Cousins hopes things at the Hudson IDA change. "Hopefully you get people who we can trust that are going to do the right thing, that have good intentions and would love to make the community happy," Cousins said. "But unfortunately, we're talking about money in people's pockets and the city of Hudson and how intriguing it is, so you can't trust that." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that another Greene County resident has died of COVID-19. Officials did not give out any information about the death, other than that it brings the county total to 134 deaths from the virus. “The public health department emphasizes the need to continue to practice protective measures including handwashing, distancing, monitoring for symptoms and testing and isolating if positive,” Greene County Public Health Deputy Director Laura Churchill said. “Vaccine is available in many pharmacies throughout the county, and the New York State Department of Health is working with the schools to provide on-site vaccine clinics as the school year rolls out.” On August 19 Greene County officials announced 14 new cases of COVID-19, with a total of 68 county residents positive. Many more are probably positive, as home testing is now widespread. Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Maura Rosner reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Athens held a joint meeting between officials from both the town and the village to discuss the fate of the Athens Community Center, and only one town official turned out. Athens Town Supervisor Michael Pirrone was the lone town official at the Aug. 17 meeting. Before the meeting, town board members Shannon Spinner, Mary Brandow, Anthony Paluch, and Michael Ragaini sent emails to Pirrone asking that bookkeeper Don Pierro attend the meeting to be at the executive session portion. Pirrone ignored those emails, and attended the meeting. “The village board was disappointed, as was the public,” Pirrone said Friday. “We think of the village and town of Athens working together as one town, one unit.” Town board members were emailed copies of the transcript from the meeting. “I also sent the 2007 and 2020 Athens Comprehensive Plan,” Pirrone said. “There was no response or reaction from board members.” Town board members refused to comment on their absences. Town Councilperson Michael Ragaini said, “Ask the supervisor why I did not attend.” Athens Village officials were not happy. “The village board was pleased to have the town supervisor, however we felt it would have been a lot richer if the board members did attend,” Athens Village Trustee Joshua Lipsman said. “Twenty to 25 members of the public came, which is larger than usual. Clearly, the public is interested in the cooperation of the village and town boards.” Athens town officials, and members of the public, can attend a second joint meeting on the issue at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the work that has closed Hudson's Promenade Hill Park for the past 15 months is coming to a close, Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Perry said. Construction on the $1.8 million rehab project began in May 2021, but was delayed because of the pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues. Perry said the city is now receiving the railings needed to outfit the park’s staircases and ramps, marking the final step of the project, which was originally projected to be completed in late January 2022. Perry told the council, “...There’s a significant quantity [of railings] needed on both sides of ramps and the steps. We are starting to see them trickle in. We have no idea when we’ll have a completion date to open, but that’s really the last of our punch list items.” The $1.8 million project was funded with $1.1 million in state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant funds, along with contributions from the H. van Ameringen Foundation and the Colarusso family. Perry said a timetable to complete the project is dependent on when the remainder of the railings arrives. “You can’t open a park without railings, he said. “You can’t have stairs without railings and you can’t have handicapped accessible ramps without railings.” The renovation of Promenade Park, which includes a redesigned lower plaza as well as upgrades to the playground area, will be a boost to the city, Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics that under legislation signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, a requirement to complete first aid knowledge and skills training will be waived for those with a disability who want to coach high school sports. This will allow more people to become coaches, according to state Sen. Rachel May. “This is an exciting day for New Yorkers who would like to coach high school sports but can’t physically perform CPR and other first aid," May said. "Of course, the safety of players is paramount; this legislation maintains high safety standards and allows people with disabilities to coach high school sports." The measure still requires schools to have another coach or staff present at a sporting event who is CPR training certified. The law was supported by people with physical disabilities who have tried to coach high school sports. May's office pointed to Josh Virgil as an example. Virgil was injured in a car crash and cannot physically perform CPR. He said, "This opens the door for so many of us to be able to do what we love. It also shows that anything is possible as long as you believe and do not take anything for granted." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Mid-Hudson News is reporting that New York State Attorney General Letitia James wants all police departments and special units to wear cameras. James is recommending that every police agency in the state deploy body-worn cameras based on the findings of an investigation into a police-involved shooting in Rochester in June of 2021. In that incident, a murder suspect fired a gun at one officer and aimed at a second, with the second officer fatally shooting the suspect. At the time, the Rochester Police Department did not equip its SWAT Team officers with body-worn cameras, even though other officers in the department were required to wear them. The report found that "...BWCs [body-worn cameras] are critical to transparency, accountability, and safety.” James said the Office of the Special Investigator recommends that the department equip SWAT teams with the cameras unless a command decision grants an exemption based on the facts of a particular case. “...[I]t’s imperative that every law enforcement agency in New York is equipped with body-worn cameras, and we urge the Rochester Police Department to outfit every officer, including members of special teams, with this critical tool,” James wrote. Read the full story at Mid-HudsonNews [dot] com.

Aug. 23 is the final day of voting for the 19th Congressional special election and a Congressional primary election for Democrats. Democrat Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan and Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro are on the special election ballot to finish out the final weeks of Antonio Delgado's term in office. Democrats Jamie Cheney and Josh Riley are competing for the nomination to run for the new 19th Congressional District in November. Incumbent Paul Tonko and challenger Rostislav Rar are in a primary election among Democrats in the current 20th Congressional District. Matt Castelli and Matthew Putorti are the Democrats in the 21st Congressional District primary, hoping to take on Republican incumbent Elise Stefanik in the general election. And Democrats Aisha Mills, Moses Mugulusi, and Pat Ryan are on the primary ballot in the new 18th Congressional District. Polls are open from from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for voting on Aug. 23.

Raymond Pignone is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the chronic staffing shortages plaguing Columbia Memorial Health in Hudson have caught the attention of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand has called upon the CMH administration to work with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East to address the staffing issues impacting the hospital. The New York Democrat sent a letter urging administrators to offer union workers “fair and equitable compensation and benefits” comparable to other hospitals in the region. In a statement released August 18, Gillibrand said Columbia Memorial Health’s unwillingness to provide equitable compensation for workers has led to the health care network losing valuable employees to other hospitals, leaving Columbia and Greene counties with shrinking access to medical care. “As the only hospital between Kingston and Albany, Columbia Memorial Health staff serve more than 100,000 residents in a health care desert spanning Columbia, Greene and Dutchess counties,” Gillibrand wrote. She said the health center is operating with a staff vacancy rate of more than 200 bargaining unit members. CMH spokesperson Bill Van Slyke called the senator’s statements unfortunate, misleading and inaccurate. “The real challenges to health care are very well documented, but we very much welcome the senator’s interest in this matter because much can be done at the federal level to address the core factors coming to bear here,” Van Slyke said. Vacancy issues at Columbia Memorial Health have persisted after negotiations in May when technicians, licensed practical nurses and janitorial staff were excluded from the talks. Union communications director Mindy Berman said Gillibrand’s letter speaks for itself and defended it as “pretty comprehensive.” Emergency room technician Sarah Jordan said her department is struggling with staff shortages that cause them to hold patients in hallways or transfer them to other hospitals. Jordan was one of eight union employees to meet with Gillibrand and discuss the issues. VanSlyke addressed the comments made by the union in a statement put out Friday. He said the primary issue is a real and pre-existing shortage of health care workers exacerbated by the pandemic, which is what policymakers need to focus on. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.