Nora Mishanec is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia County health officials issued an overdose spike alert Mon., Apr. 6, following a reported increase in non-fatal overdoses over the weekend. “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption to the normal operating procedures of health and human services agencies,” the county health department said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the necessity for overdose prevention and response has not abated during the pandemic.” A mobile van distributing Narcan kits was present at Kinderhook Town Hall and Chatham Firehouse on Monday. Peer advocates were also on hand to offer harm reduction education, said Greener Pathways Program Director Carl Quinn. Quinn said there was a "dramatic uptick in overdoses," but offered no further information. “As part of our response plan, we take our vehicle out into the community when that happens,” he said. The working theory is that heroin, laced with fentanyl, may be coming from one or two dealers based in northern Columbia County. “No one died this weekend, but some are requiring multiple doses of Narcan to reverse it, which does tell you about the potency of the fentanyl,” Quinn said. Health services remain available despite the COVID-19 shutdown, and the helpline is fully operational. Anyone seeking help for themselves or a family member is encouraged to call Greener Pathways at 518-822-7437 or Columbia County Pathways To Recovery at 877-467-3365. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Columbia Paper is reporting the Salvation Army, located on South Third Street in Hudson, is stretching existing resources to meet the needs of local residents who have been impacted economically by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. The nonprofit is seeking support to help sustain its work, according to a statement released April 6. The organization is currently seeking food or cash donations to purchase emergency food and supplies to supplement current stockpiles; gas for food deliveries to families in need who cannot come to the center; take-out meal containers; diapers and baby formula for parents who are unemployed; and milk gift cards to supplement the food pantry distribution for families with children. The Hudson Service Center operates the only soup kitchen in Columbia County. It serves lunch daily and maintains a food pantry that is available three days a week. “...[W]e are already serving and will be here as long as we are needed. We are now serving lunch to an average of between 30 to 60 [people] a day and food pantry cases have increased to 45 to 55 each day and we anticipate that these numbers are only going to get worse,” said Darcy Connor, center director. Additional Information is available at empire [dot] salvationarmy [dot] org. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting among the many changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the region is a new kind of litter — rubber gloves and cloth face masks, which are being discarded in parking lots and on roadsides. As more and more protective rubber gloves and face masks are being worn in public to prevent catching the sometimes deadly bug, users are dropping the items anywhere they deem to be convenient. In Orange County officials have appealed to residents to discard these items in the trash. Aside from being an eyesore, used masks and rubber gloves can clog drains and indefinitely be an environmental nuisance. Health officials say the best way to minimize catching or spreading the virus is to stay home. But if you must leave the house for groceries or other necessities, wear the protective gear and dispose of it properly in the trash. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

This is the Catskills and Hudson Valley Coronavirus report for Tuesday, April 7, from Lissa Harris of The River and Roger Hannigan Gilson of The Other Hudson Valley, and read by Tom Roe of WGXC. Go to therivernewsroom.com or theotherhudsonvalley.com for more information.

April 6 update from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Today's daily news update.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Mon., Apr. 6, announced the temporary closure of Kaaterskill Falls, the viewing platform and connecting trails, effective immediately. The Kaaterskill Wild Forest remains open to the public. According to a DEC press release, the closure "is part of DEC’s statewide efforts to reduce the community spread of COVID-19 by encouraging New Yorkers to safely and responsibly recreate locally. DEC is temporarily closing public access to the falls due to its unique features that do not provide for appropriate social distancing during the ongoing COVID-19 response." The DEC is closing parking areas at Molly Smith, Laurel House Road and Scutt Road to public use and roadside parking in these areas is prohibited. Trails leading to the falls will be closed and the department is blocking the roads that lead to the North-South Lake Campground. Kaaterskill Falls is made up of several short-access trails leading from large parking areas to the falls and the viewing platform. The falls, viewing platform, and access trails are relatively small areas that prevent safe social distancing. The location "...places an unnecessary burden on and danger to state and local resources and emergency responders during the ongoing public health response. DEC will continue to evaluate the situation and will announce when these areas reopen to the recreating public," according to the statement. Read the full press release at DEC [dot] NY [dot] gov.

Cayla Harris is reporting for the Times Union a Siena College Research Institute poll released April 6, indicated that 95 percent of New York residents are quarantining or social distancing as the state experiences the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Four percent of adults are going about life as usual, but 87percent said the crisis has either significantly or somewhat impacted their daily lives, and 82 percent worry about their health. Forty-two percent are self-quarantining, while 39 percent are social distancing and 14 percent are under mandatory quarantine. “The coronavirus crisis has turned life upside down for nearly all New Yorkers,” said Don Levy, the director of the Siena College Research Institute. Because of the pandemic, New Yorkers are also concerned about their finances and mental health, and ore than half said they are worried about paying their monthly bills. About two-thirds of respondents said they are feeling anxious and powerless, and more than half said they are feeling lonely. Siena polled 802 adults between March 30 and April 2. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the Board of Regents April 6, approved school regulations intended to ease the burden on parents, teachers and students during the ongoing coronavirus emergency. The regulations approved officially waived the 180-day school year so districts are not penalized with the withholding of state aid. The package also addressed assessment requirements, charter school reporting guidelines and bilingual and special education instruction. All schools in New York closed last month, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his morning briefing Monday, extended the closure order until April 29. Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa announced the June Regents exams will be canceled, but what that means for students and schools will come after state officials release guidance Tue., Apr. 7. Rosa said, "The regulations passed by the Board today will allow schools, students and professionals much-needed flexibility while they adapt to this rapidly evolving situation.” Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news.

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

On April 4 Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state of Oregon was sending New York 140 much-needed ventilators. On April 5, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee announced the return of 400 ventilators for redeployment to states hardest-hit by coronavirus. But locally, while other states are helping New York, many government officials do not want Cuomo moving ventilators around the state to meet the greatest needs. Congressman Antonio Delgado, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, State Senator George Amedore, Assemblymember Chris Tague, and others sent Cuomo a letter to complain about his executive order to loan hospitals with the greatest need 20 percent of ventilators from hospitals not currently overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. “We are aware of plans to shift ventilators from our upstate communities and are gravely concerned. Health care access in rural communities has long been under strain, and we know the apex of cases in upstate is around the corner," the letter said. "We stand ready to help our fellow New Yorkers, but moving needed ventilators from our region now would be devastating and counter intuitive to all data on the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to work together to do everything in our power to make sure folks in our region have every single thing they need to get through this health crisis.”

Abby Hoover is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media local agencies are bracing for an increase in domestic violence complaints during the current stay-home orders. On average nationwide, more than 10 million individuals every year are physically abused by an intimate partner and one in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office reported a rise in domestic dispute calls this year, with five in February and 16 in March. “What was noticeable was that nine of the 16 were during the week of March 21,” Sheriff Pete Kusminsky said. That was the first week of the stay-home orders. With mass layoffs and a rise in food insecurity, Community Action of Greene County Executive Director Florence Ohle said this can add to an already volatile situation. “The bottom line is domestic violence happens because a person is a batterer,” Ohle said. “A lot of people are affected by economic crises or unemployment, but not everybody batters.” Community Action has not seen a sharp rise in Domestic Violence Hotline calls, Ohle said. In the two-month period in February and March of 2019, the Hudson Police Department answered 39 domestic dispute calls. In February and March this year, the department received 38. “I have learned that crime is trending down in Hudson, but one stubborn category is domestic violence, which as we see, tends to remain constant,” Police Chief L. Edward Moore said. “I am concerned, though, that the pandemic may cause a spike in it, which may play out over the next few weeks.” For help, Community Action’s Domestic Violence Hotline is 518-943-9211. The 24-hour live-operated English/Spanish hotline for the Violence Intervention Program is 1-800-664-5580. Anyone whose life is in immediate danger is reminded to always call 911. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the village of Rhinebeck has organized a car caravan intended to express the town's support for Northern Dutchess Hospital health care workers for Wed., Apr. 8. Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett contacted Northern Dutchess about how best to honor the front-line workers and they came up with the social-distanced event called the Healthcare Salute Parade. Passengers are asked to bring signs to hold up to laud the staff, who will either step outside the hospital or look through windows as the caravan goes by. Residents are also asked to share their messages on social media with the hashtag #rhinebeckresponds. Participants will remain in their vehicles the entire time, and horns must not be honked. The caravan will form on Old Post Road, at Montgomery Street at 2:30 p.m. The route will not form a complete loop around the hospital to avoid blocking the emergency room entrance. Last week, the Catskill school district held a similar car parade for students, as have several other local school districts. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a COVID-19 town hall on Facebook at 2 p.m. on April 10 with Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Matt Murell, County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb, and Hudson Common Council President Tom DePietro. WGXC will broadcast the event on 90.7-FM. Johnson also announced on April 5 a new student wireless access program designed for use during the COVID-19 emergency for Hudson City School district families that don't have internet access. PLAY EXCERPT OF KAMAL JOHNSON'S COMMENTS HERE. The online forum on April 10 will be the first online forum for Columbia County officials since the pandemic began, although they have spoken to the media throughout the lockdown. Greene County officials, on the other side of the Hudson River, have been mostly quiet. They posted one Quester III briefing March 19 with local education officials online, but have not answered any questions from the public in an open forum yet. And The Daily Mail has reported that they are often not returning reporters calls.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the changes made to New York's cash bail law last week have been criticized by supporters of the original measure as well as its Republican detractors. However, New Yorkers United for Justice, a criminal justice reform coalition led by two formerly incarcerated people, said the changes maintained the spirit of the original law's intent. The legislation, which was approved April 3 as part of the state budget deal, added more charges that would require cash bail. The final agreement did not include a provision allowing judges to remand a defendant based on whether the person is believed to be a danger to the community. “We view these changes to the pretrial reform laws as a signal that the legislative portion of pretrial reforms has drawn to a close," said Khalil Cumberbatch, the group's chief strategist. "...We will continue to offer our partnership to all stakeholders involved, including the governor and the legislature to affect that, and to help demonstrate that fairness under the law and the safety of our communities go together." United for Justice, like other reform advocates, is currently concerned about the number of people in local jails who could face exposure to coronavirus, urging law enforcement to ensure that no one is unnecessarily detained or incarcerated during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

This is the Catskills and Hudson Valley Coronavirus report for Monday, April 6, from Lissa Harris of The River and Roger Hannigan Gilson of The Other Hudson Valley, and read by Tom Roe of WGXC. Go to therivernewsroom.com or theotherhudsonvalley.com for more information.

Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson announces a new student wireless access program designed for use during the COVID19 emergency for Hudson City School district families that don't have internet access. The program is a initiative developed by the Spark of Hudson, for more information contact them at hello@sparkofhudson.org. Video above produced by Randall Martin.

April 5 update from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

This is the coronavirus news for the Catskills and Hudson Valley for Sun. April 5. Greene County has 27 positive cases located in Windham, Durham, Greenville, Hunter, Cairo, Catskill, Athens, Coxsackie, and Halcott. There are also 12 cases that tested positive have been cleared, so just 15 active positive cases. And there are 77 individuals in Greene County being self-monitored for possible exposure with six cases that have been released from quarantine status. Columbia County has 61 positive cases of COVID-19, and three deaths. Five of the positive cases are hospitalized, two of those are in the ICU. Columbia County has 440 test results, and 60 under mandatory quarantine and 22 under precautionary quarantine. There are also nine residents with suspected, not tested cases, and 24 Columbia County residents have recovered from COVID-19. In Dutchess County, 3,780 people have been tested, with 790 positive cases of coronavirus. As of April 4 there are 78 Dutchess County residents in area hospitals, and 50 recovered and eight deaths. Ulster County reports 1548 negative tests as of April 4, and 318 positive cases, and four deaths. In Albany County there are 278 positive cases of COVID-19 as of April 4, with 464 people under mandatory quarantine and 82 people under precautionary quarantine. Albany County reports two more deaths, for a total of six. In Rensselaer County, there are 19 hospitalized as of April 4, with "over 279" in monitored quarantine, and a total of 73 confirmed cases in Rensselaer County. At his daily press conference, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City was not yet at the apex, but somewhere in the 4-8 day range from reaching the peak. “It’s good that we’re not at the apex because we’re not yet ready." Cuomo said that Long Island has growing share of COVID patients as the virus spreads. Cuomo also said he’s anticipating taking 500 unused ventilators from hospitals upstate for hospitals in need downstate, saying that’s about 20 percent of the unused ventilators at those hospitals. The best news Cuomo had was that China was sending 1,000 ventilators, and the state of Oregon was sending another 140. Here is Gov. Cuomo speaking April 4 on the ventilator issue. CLICK HERE TO HEAR EXCERPT OF GOV. CUOMO'S PRESS CONFERENCE. Cuomo also said it’s fair to say the 2020 legislative session is “effectively over,” though that seemed to upset many legislators. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie wrote on Twitter that, "Last week, we established a system for remote voting, and we are on call to perform our constitutional duties as a co-equal branch of government. The Assembly is in recess (session is not over) at the call of the Speaker." The wife of New York state Senator James Seward, who has the coronavirus, posted online April 4 that he has been placed in a medically induced coma, and has been on a ventilator since April 2, "His condition had deteriorated quite rapidly and became dire," she wrote. But later on April 4, Jeff Bishop, Seward's Communications Director wrote on Twitter, "Some very good news this evening. Senator Seward is no longer on a ventilator." Nationally, President Trump announced April 3 that the Center for Disease Control now recommends everyone wear non-medical masks in public now, although he said he would not wear a mask. On April 4 Trump said that he may take hydroxychloroquine himself, even though he does not have a prescription, and that stocks are running low for lupus patients who need the drug, and that Dr. Anthony Fauci says that there's no definitive data about its effectiveness treating COVID-19.