Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that broke out the afternoon of July 24, at Chrissy and Tim’s Diner in Coxsackie. Firefighters were called out around 5 p.m. for a report of a structure fire at the restaurant located in the plaza at the corner of State Route 9W and Mansion Street. When the first crews arrived at the scene smoke and flames were visible. Fire departments from Greene, Albany and Columbia counties responded and had the fire under control 30 minutes later. The blaze was kept under control preventing it from spreading to other businesses in the plaza, but Coxsackie Fire Chief Shawn Burdick said Chrissy and Tim’s sustained significant interior damage. The restaurant serves until noon on Sunday and had been closed for a number of hours when the fire broke out. No one was injured, Burdick said. The Greene County Fire Investigation Team is looking into the cause of the fire. Chrissy and Tim’s announced that evening on Facebook that due to the fire and “lots of damage” the diner will be closed until further notice. “Our hearts are broken,” they wrote. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Tony Dobrowolski is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., has hired a new executive director with experience at museums in California and Texas. Kimberley Bush Tomio was named the museum’s new leader by the board of trustees on July 25. She will join the museum at the end of August. Tomio succeeds Jeff Rodgers, who left last September after serving as the museum’s executive director for two and a half years, overseeing a $3.5 million renovation project. For the past 10 years, Tomio was the director of museum services at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Her previous experience included director of the Tyler Museum of Art in Tyler, Texas, and the registrar, collections manager, and associate director of collections and museum operations at the Dallas Museum of Art. Tomio holds degrees from Texas A&M and Johns Hopkins University. Tomio could not be reached for comment, but in a statement, she said she looks forward to leading the 119-year-old Berkshire Museum. “I am honored to have been selected to lead one of the most remarkable museums of its kind in the country," she wrote. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

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The Daily Freeman reports that gas prices fell in the Hudson Valley for the sixth week in a row, according to gasbuddy.com. In Columbia and Greene Counties prices dropped nine cents in the past week, to $4.62 a gallon in Greene County, and to $4.49 in Columbia County. In Ulster County prices fell 15 cents to $4.40. Across the state, the average price of gas was $4.54 a gallon. “Gas prices continue falling coast to coast, with the national average last week declining for the sixth straight week, or 40 days in a row,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "The national average is now down an astounding 70 cents in that timeframe. I have no reason yet to expect the decline won’t reach seven straight weeks, as gas stations still have plenty of room to decline as oil prices remain under $100 per barrel.” De Haan warned that increased hurricane activity could drive prices back up this summer. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Maria Parazo Rose reports for New York Focus that weeks ago the program to help low-income New Yorkers stay cool ran out of money and stopped taking new applicants. Now the state is faced with a major heatwave without those in need able to access the Heat Energy Assistance Program’s cooling assistance program. “New York State does not currently have the resources to expand cooling assistance to include a billing assistance component," a spokesperson for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance said. The program’s budget was increased this year from $15 million to a record $23 million, but still ran out before the heat arrived. The program has never shut down this early, state officials said. That may be in part because New York eliminated a requirement this year that applicants show medical need. The story says that heat has killed more Americans than all other weather-related disasters combined over the last three decades. A July 2019 heat wave sent nearly 1200 New Yorkers to an emergency room. Kira Pospesel, a Commissioner at Greene County Department of Social Services who works on the HEAP block grant advisory council, said New York spends more money fighting off the cold, rather than extreme heat. “You have to pay for many more months for heat and we can’t have people freeze,” she said. Read more about this story at New York Focus.

Kathleen Moore reports for the Times Union that Columbia-Greene Community College is offering two cannabis classes this fall as sales of recreational cannabis begin. One set of three classes will be about selling cannabis at a dispensary, and the other about growing cannabis. Anyone signing up for the online class must be at least 21 years old. Learning to sell cannabis is a bit more complicated then it may seem. "Budtenders," as they are called, are not allowed to promise any sort of effect, and must be careful about what they say. “What they can do is talk about how the flower, how the bud has this percent of CBD, this percent of THC,” said Associate Professor Maya Greene, the college’s cannabis program advisor. “They can talk about the terpene profile – terpenes are what give the flavor and smell.” For the cultivation course, the college is talking with local growers about internships. The cultivation course looks at growing, harvesting, extracting, cooking edibles chefs, and other issues. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Ariél Zangla is reporting for the Daily Freeman Democrat Aisha Mills has secured a place on the Democratic primary election ballot in the 18th Congressional District race, after filing a lawsuit challenging her petition being found insufficient. “Her petitions were challenged for various irregularities,” Ulster County Democratic Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus said last week. “The state [Board of Elections], the ruling body for this petition, found her petitions to be insufficient for ballot placement. She filed a lawsuit to bring the petition back for ballot placement. That lawsuit found her petition to be sufficient by nine signatures.” Dittus said when the state BOE certified the primary election ballot on June 30, Mills was not listed. She said Mills was put on the ballot on July 5, following her lawsuit. As a result, the three candidates in the Democratic primary for the recently drawn district will be Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, of Gardiner, Moses Mugulusi, of the Orange County town of Florida, and Mills, of Newburgh. Mills, 44, is a journalist, political analyst, and policy advocate employed by BLK Hudson Productions. She holds a master’s of business administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is engaged to Melanie Collins and has three children. According to the Federal Election Commission, Mills’ campaign had raised approximately $18,000 as of June 30, the most recent quarterly report. The winner of the August 23 Democratic primary will face Republican Colin Schmitt in the general election for the 18th Congressional District. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Maura Rosner is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT application submitted in September to the Greene County Industrial Development Agency by the Flint Mine Solar project is still pending. “The IDA is still working on a findings statement and a cost-benefit analysis,” IDA Executive Director April Ernst said. “It will be complete in another month or two. We’re still negotiating the PILOT.” The Coxsackie Town Board voted unanimously earlier this month to adopt a law to protect the municipality’s taxing interests in future solar projects where PILOT agreements are arranged. That new proposed law is modeled on Greene County legislation outlining an initiative to streamline PILOT payments in municipalities countywide. Coxsackie Town Supervisor Rick Hanse urged every town in the county to adopt the measure. The Flint Mine Solar project is located between the Greene County towns of Coxsackie and Athens. The Athens Town Board did not adopt the county law because it drafted its own solar law a few years ago, Town Supervisor Michael Pirrone said. The Flint Mine project energy production roughly breaks down to 53 percent of the total megawatt output in Coxsackie and 47 percent in Athens, Hanse said. Greene County’s PILOT law determines a fixed rate for projects with a capacity of more than 50 kilowatts. The county will charge $8,750 per megawatt with a 2 percent annual increase each year. Flint Mine Solar is looking for a higher amount from its agreement with Coxsackie. “We’re still hoping that the town of Coxsackie board will agree to our host agreement offer of $9,000,” Flint Mine Solar Principal Patrick Doyle said. The town board will hold a public hearing on its solar energy law at 7 p.m. August 9. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Clarence Fanto is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle Lenox, Mass. Schools Superintendent Marc Gosselin Jr. denies there was any connection between the resignation of Assistant Principal Brent Bette and a strongly worded criticism of Bette’s handling of a bullying incident at the school by David Pixley, an attorney and the parent of a student. Just six weeks after being placed on an “approved leave,” Bette, the assistant principal of Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, chose to sever his ties with the school. Gosselin said that Bette left to take a new position as senior curriculum director for the national nonprofit organization Endeavors. The superintendent characterized Bette's departure as a “voluntary resignation.” Gosselin offered no further details, citing privacy and legal issues. He declined to comment when asked if Bette could return to his position as assistant principal if he wished. During a televised school committee meeting in May, Pixley questioned the handling of a bullying incident involving his daughter. The school committee members in June voted 6 to 1 to commission an independent audit of bullying policies and procedures at the Lenox public schools. The audit is being handled by a Quincy, Mass- law firm and the investigative report could be released later this summer or in the early fall. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.

Sam Raskin is reporting for the New York Post the man accused of attacking U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop near Rochester last week now faces a federal assault charge, authorities report. The Federal Bureau of Investigation alleged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District that David Jakubonis willfully assaulted the congressman with a dangerous weapon in Perinton, Monroe County, on July 21. The four-term congressman and GOP gubernatorial hopeful was not injured in the incident, but federal authorities argue that Jakubonis violated federal laws that make it a crime to intentionally assault a member of Congress, according to the affidavit in support of the complaint by Special Agent Timothy Klapec. Jakubonis told investigators from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that he “did not know” who Zeldin was, and that he ”must have checked out.” He allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol that day, according to authorities. The federal law does not require that a suspect be aware of the victim’s position to charge them under the statute. The 43-year-old army veteran appeared in front of a US Magistrate on July 23, and was remanded into custody. Jakubonis was previously charged by local police with attempted second-degree assault, arraigned and then released. The incident occurred at a Zeldin campaign event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Perinton. Zeldin's campaign, along with his GOP colleagues, immediately seized upon the circumstances of Jakubonis' arrest and subsequent release, making it a campaign issue. Ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, among others, said he had been undercharged. The Monroe County district attorney who filed the light charges, Sandra Doorley, is a co-chair of Zeldin’s campaign for governor. She said she would recuse herself from the case, but her charges set up Zeldin's campaign to complain about bail reform. Also, Zeldin voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, despite any proven widespread electoral fraud. Read the full story at nypost [dot] com.

Porcupine Soup is reporting the Catskill school board has announced the appointment of Thomas Bongiovi to serve as the district's interim superintendent, beginning August 1. Bongiovi is stepping into the shoes of outgoing superintendent Dr. Ronel Cook, who leaves Catskill on July 29, to become the superintendent of the Englewood, New Jersey, public school district. Bongiovi said, “I’m very excited to be here at Catskill, to share my experience and mentor our teachers and staff, and assist with the district’s search for the next superintendent in any way I can.” Bongiovi is a retired educator with administrative experience who now provides interim services for schools. He served as superintendent of the Highland Central School District from 2017 to 2021 and superintendent of the Port Jervis Central School District from 2013 to 2017. He holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Bachelor of Arts from LeMoyne College. Bongiovi was inspired to become an educator by his much older brother, who was an English teacher at his high school. Bonbiovi began his career as a high school social studies teacher on Long Island, where he taught for 12 years, and later served 17 years with the Port Jervis Central School District, where he advanced up the administrative ladder and ultimately to the superintendency. He now lives with his family in the Poconos. Until Cook's departure on the 29th, Bongiovi will be working closely with him and the Catskill administrative team to familiarize himself with the immediate and long-term needs of the district. Read more at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. will begin charging late-fees again starting in October, a company spokesperson said last week. Joseph Jenkins said in 2020 the company, as well as many other utilities, suspended late fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Central Hudson now is notifying customers that we will soon resume the practice of assessing late payment charges for payments submitted after the payment due date,” Jenkins said in an email. “We are targeting October as the start date to resume these charges.” However, the watchdog group, the Public Utility Law Project, has communicated with the Public Service Commission demanding that Central Hudson be stopped from re-instituting the late fees until the commission concludes its investigation into the company's skyrocketing utility charges and other billing issues. According to its letter, “PULP strongly opposes the use of late fees of any kind during the pendency of this ongoing matter. We urge the company to not re-introduce late payment charges until this matter has been fully resolved, and we ask the commission to order the company to halt the use of any late fees relating to billing.” Jenkins denied there was a widespread problem, saying that while there are some households who have experienced issues, the vast majority of Central Hudson customers have received accurate and on-time bills. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

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Alex Gault reports for Columbia Greene Media that a new report from New York’s Coalition for Open Government finds that many New York counties are violating Freedom of Information Law requirements and some are failing to enforce proper email communication policies for their officials. The Coaltion tested 18 counties and found that 39 percent didn’t respond correctly, or sometimes at all, to requests for information from the public. “Only 61% of the counties we sent a FOIL request to acknowledged that request within 5 business days,” said Paul Wolf, president of the Coalition for Open Government. “So, 61% compliance is pretty disappointing. FOIL has been in effect in New York for 45 years now, and it’s not hard to acknowledge a request within 5 business days.” Locally, Rensselaer and Schoharie counties never responded appropriately to the Coalition’s FOIL request for their elected official email policies. Rensselaer County officials also ignored the follow-up email from the Coalition. Delaware County officials, the survey found, were following the law properly. Delaware and Schoharie county officials did not list their legislators’ email addresses publicly, the survey also found. New York has no mechanism to enforce its Open Meetings or Freedom of Information laws. “No one will be held accountable, no one will be reprimanded for failure to comply, no fines will be imposed,” Wolf said. “The only recourse for our organization or for others is to go hire an attorney and file a lawsuit, and that’s just not a realistic way to enforce the law.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Sahil Kapur reports for NBC News that the U.S. House voted July 21 for legislation to codify the right to contraception nationwide, but Republican Elise Stefanik voted against the Right to Contraception Act, which passed 228-195. Only eight Republicans voted with the Democrats for the law that would establish a right in federal law for individuals to obtain and use contraceptives. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in his decision allowing states to ban abortion, wrote that the same logic would overturn the current national right women have to birth control. The bill would need ten Republicans to vote for it in the Senate, which seems unlikely. Most Republicans across the country are now on record as against women having abortions and access to birth control. Read more about this story at the NBC News website..

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media for the time being, the Coeymans Planning/Zoning Board of Appeals has declined to decide on whether an August concert and camping event at Magic Forest Farm can take place, until the property owner meets certain conditions for approval. Property owner Joan Mahony and farm operator Jason Ball originally planned a series of concerts and camping events at the agritourism site on Bucks Ranch Road, for between 250 and 1,000 attendees. Town Supervisor George McHugh filed an appeal requesting the property owner be required to apply for a use variance rather than a special-use permit for the events, claiming the concerts were the focus of the property owner’s application, rather than the camping, which would be allowed. The board granted McHugh’s appeal in May and Ball and Mahony decided to apply for a permit for a temporary campground and hold a single concert and weekend camping event from August 5 to 8. Town attorney Andrew Brick said the board requested more information, including an insurance policy, and required Ball to meet with the police chief, town supervisor and others to determine what needs to be done to ensure the temporary campground and concert is in compliance with town codes. “The other recommendations from the working group, they fall into two categories,” Brick said. “One is a recommendation that two EMTs be on site at all times. I think you want to follow that recommendation — those are the experts. And then there are some construction or renovations of the road.” Board chairman Robert Nolan said the biggest sticking points will be the sound levels of the event and camping activities. The board decided music could begin starting at 10:30 a.m. and continue through 11 p.m. The exception would be on Sunday, when it would have to stop at 9 p.m. Brick said he would draft a list of conditions for the event by July 27, when the board is next scheduled to meet and expected to make a decision. In the meantime, he directed Ball to meet with the EMTs and the highway superintendent to talk safety precautions and improvements to the emergency access road. Read more at The UpStater [dot] com.

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