Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that the office of New York's Attorney General Letitia James' filed a preliminary injunction July 14 against a half dozen firearm distributors to stop the distribution and sale of gun parts in the state. The parts are used in so-called "ghost guns" that are difficult for law enforcement to trace. “Every single day people across the country are losing their lives to gun violence,” James said. “We cannot and will not allow our children and our communities to continue to live in fear that their school, parade, or grocery store will be next. Today, we are taking serious action to immediately stop these companies from illegally selling and bringing these dangerous ghost gun parts into New York. We will continue to fight to protect New Yorkers and bring justice to communities devastated by gun violence.” The companies getting notice are from across the country: Brownells, Inc., Rock Slide USA, LLC, Arm or Ally, LLC, Rainier Arms, LLC, Salvo Technologies, Inc., and Indie Guns, LLC. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature is considering a proposal to supplement the county’s senior meal delivery service. During the legislature's County Services Committee meeting July 11, Ken Brooks, business manager of the Greene County Department of Human Services, discussed the difficulties the agency is experiencing finding volunteers to deliver meals. The county is evaluating a contract proposal from Pur Foods to provide Mom’s Meals prepackaged frozen meals to part of its senior client base. Brooks said Mom's Meals has been reaching out to the county for several years and up until last year there was no problem making deliveries, but now there are far fewer volunteers. If the county enters into an agreement with Mom’s Meals, the Iowa company could ship five to 10 meals per package to seniors. Brooks said, “If we could have the volunteer deliver one meal per week and have the other four meals delivered on these routes that are difficult to get to, or difficult to have volunteers on, the nutritional value of it is still covered.” The contract would be effective August 1 and run through the end of 2022, and Mom’s Meals would be paid a minimum of $6.99 per meal. The committee voted unanimously to approve the contract, with a vote by the full legislature to come. Catskill representative Matt Luvera called on county officials to recruit more volunteers for the meal delivery program, and Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said filling the gaps in the senior meal program is vital. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the state's cap on property tax increases will be set at its uppermost limit of 2 percent this year, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office announced on July 13. New York sets its property tax limit to the rate of inflation or at 2 percent, whichever is lower. This is the fourth time since 2019 that municipal governments had their tax levy capped at that amount. The decision comes as increased federal aid for local governments related to the COVID-19 pandemic is set to end. The 2 percent limit will impact tax calculations for counties, towns, fire districts, 44 cities and 13 villages that have fiscal years aligned with the calendar year. The cap does not apply to the state's largest municipality, New York City. The inflation factor for this year has been calculated at 7.17 percent and more than half of the state's various municipalities that set their budgets on the calendar year could have costs that exceed the amount of pandemic aid they are set to receive. New York's tax cap has been in place for the last 10 years as a mechanism to limit growth in the highest property taxes in the country. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting New York State Environmental Conservation forest rangers on July 9, rescued a 12-year-old boy from Brooklyn when he fell off a stone staircase and down a steep slope at Kaaterskill Falls. The incident involved Rangers Dawson, Fox and Skudlarek, who responded to the falls after a report of an injured hiker. Dawson located the child, treated his unstable arm injury, and determined he could walk without bringing in additional rescue personnel for a carry-out. Dawson helped the boy and his family to the Route 23A trailhead where Hunter Ambulance was waiting to take him to Albany Medical Center. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

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Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the non-profit organization Friends of the Cairo Fossil Forest is getting a $170,000 state grant to install fencing around the world’s oldest fossil forest. In 2009 a group of land surveyors discovered the historic site off State Route 145 at an abandoned sandstone quarry. Ever since, the curious have trekked to the location, and officials want to protect the land with a barrier. “One of the hesitations I have had to try to push it out too much and get support is all the scientists have told me until you have it fenced in you don’t really want people going there,” said Joseph Hasenkopf, the chair of Cairo's Planning Board. “Talking to the different scientists, the type of fencing we are going with is going to have Jersey barriers around the entire thing.... Then the fence would be attached to that, so we are not drilling into the ground or potentially causing some additional erosion or destruction to the forest itself.... Hopefully that will get done before the snow flies, but it all depends on when the town actually gets the money,” Hasenkopf said. In 2019 a research team led by faculty at Binghamton University and Cardiff University in England Cairo’s identified Cairo's fossil forest as the world’s oldest. “The Devonian Period represents a time in which the first forest appeared on planet Earth,” says William Stein, emeritus professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University. “So many dramatic changes occurred at that time as a result of those original forests that, basically, the world has never been the same since.” Previously, a fossil forest in Gilboa had been deemed the planet's oldest. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that construction resumed July 11 on The Wire Events Center in Coxsackie, after the project got a stop-work order because construction differed from approved plans, violating the village code. Construction is still not allowed on The Wire’s kitchen and deck, two elements of the events center still under review by the Planning Board, but the rest of that project is now back in construction. But a new work permit for the adjoining Newbury Hotel is still under discussion, and construction there is at a standstill. The Planning Board next meets at 6 p.m., July 21, where this massive project at the center of the Village of Coxsdackie will be discussed. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that a survey released July 12 by the National Federation of Independent Business says that inflation is the number one concern of New York's small business owners. “Small businesses continue to face severe economic headwinds with unrelenting inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages driving expectations for better business conditions to a record low,” said NFIB’s New York State Director Ashley Ranslow. “It is imperative that New York State does everything it can to alleviate the strain small businesses are under by taking steps to address the state’s $8 billion outstanding federal Unemployment Insurance debt and reject legislation that increases workers’ compensation premiums. Now is the time to reduce costs and hold the line on any proposals that make it more difficult for Main Street businesses.” In the survey, 34 percent of business owners reported inflation as they main issue their business faces. Low inventory and higher costs mean more businesses are increasing their prices, although some claim businesses are profiting on the post-pandemic economic conditions. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners on June 22, bid farewell to interim executive director Nick Zachos. The new executive director, Jeff Dodson, succeeded Zachos on June 27. Zachos joined the authority as interim executive director in October 2021. “It’s been my honor to be with this board,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy.” But Zachos said he was grateful for the experience gained working with the authority's tenants and commissioners. “I’m really excited that Jeffrey is coming on,” Zachos said. “He’s going to bring a new level of professionalism and experience to the job.” Board chair Revonda Smith thanked Zachos for his service. Zachos also thanked the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition and its anonymous donor for “what they’ve done for our tenants” by paying the tenants’ overdue rent. Zachos also reported that school children, under the direction of teacher Bridget Smith, had painted a mural facing the ball court across State Street from Bliss Tower, on June 17. Turnout to celebrate this event was great, he said. As for life after HHA, Zachos plans to start a building company that focuses on developing building skills. The HHA manages the 135-unit Bliss complex, which includes the high-rise and three low-rise buildings on 2nd Street in Hudson. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the Coeymans Town Board will conduct a hearing July 14 to receive public comment on a proposal to extend water and sewer lines in the hamlet. The proposal calls for expanding the sewer and water district to include an area in the eastern part of the town along the Route 144 corridor. Properties that would be added with the expansion include the Coeymans Industrial Park, the Port of Coeymans, the Biers industrial property and JAT Construction. The project has been in the works for more than a year. “A lot of this already has water and sewer, certainly the industrial park does, but it was never formally brought into a district,” Town Supervisor George McHugh said in January. “So this is two-fold — it is correcting the sins of the past and at the same time expanding so that the rest of the [Route] 144 corridor, at least up to the Lafarge property, is in the water district....” Under the proposal, approximately 4,500 linear feet of 8-inch PVC would be installed for the sewer main, plus manholes. For the water line extension, 4,500 linear feet of 8-inch water main would be installed along River Road and include hydrants. The cost of both the sewer and water extensions would be borne by the companies involved and cost the town nothing, according to the resolution approved by the board. The water line extension is expected to cost each of the four properties within the district approximately $18,000 each, and the sewer line would cost roughly $24,000 each. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Andrea Macko and John Miller are reporting for Porcupine Soup multiple fire departments responded to a blaze at an apartment building late July 10, on lower Main Street in Catskill. The building sustained damage, but it was not a total loss and firefighters kept the fire from spreading to nearby homes. At 11:24 p.m. the Catskill Fire Company was dispatched to 194 Main Street following a report of a porch fire. The three-apartment building had been vacant until just recently. Flames were visible on the back of the structure's second floor when the fire company arrived. “This fire had already run the interior walls and taken control of the attic space in the rear half of the house,” according to the fire company. "The blaze was a labor-intensive interior fire and the four departments involved did a great job working together. We spent a lot of time working hot spots due to the many renovations and layers these homes go through over time.” In addition to Catskill, responding fire companies included Hudson, West Athens and Greenport, as well as Catskill Ambulance. The Greene County Fire Investigation Team is looking into the cause of the blaze. “The owner had other arrangements for the night. Again, another home [was] saved, and a homeowner [was] happy he didn’t lose everything,” Catskill Fire Company reported. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

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Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that during a heightened mental health crisis, the Greene County Mental Health Center in Cairo is not taking new patient appointments because of staffing shortages. “Currently, the demand for our services is really quite high,” said Greene County Mental Health Center Director Jason Fredenberg on July 6. “We’re very much struggling with staffing shortages. It’s hitting us very hard. I know it’s hitting businesses all over the place. The mental health community across the state is struggling with it, as well. We have a number of vacancies and very few applicants. So, we’re at a point where we’re really having a hard time keeping up with the demand that’s coming in.” Fredenberg said the office is still complying with the law. “We are still required and are able to see all people that are discharged from the hospital,” he told the Greene County Legislature. “By regulation, anyone that’s being discharged from a psychiatric unit we need to see within five business days. We will continue to see those folks.” But members of the public who call for help are being sent elsewhere. The Greene County Mental Health Center has hired two new staffers that come on in September, but no other solution to the staffing shortage was reported. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Michelle Del Rey reports in the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul says there has been a surge in patients visiting New York for abortion services since the Supreme Court allowed states to ban those procedures, and New York taxpayers will spend $25 million to expand staffing at abortion clinics in the state. Previously, Hochul signed six new bills with additional protections for abortion patients and providers, some specifically aimed at those coming from out of state. Hochul claims many women are coming from Ohio and Pennsylvania for abortion services in New York. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Kate Lisa reports at New York State of Politics that in her State of the State address in January, Gov. Kathy Hochul promised to fully staff the state Parole Board. But it is now July, and the board still has just 15 of 19 members, the same as before the pandemic began. The governor appointed one new parole commissioners who the state Senate confirmed, Darryl Towns. But member Erik Berliner's term expired June 18, so there are again four vacancies on the board. "Frankly, I think a fully staffed parole board, I don't even know what that looks like because I didn't experience it, would make a big difference in morale with parole board members, but also more efficient for people coming before the board," said former Parole Board Commissioner Carol Shapiro. Hochul and the Legislature did allocate $7.5 million to fully staff the board in the latest state budget, but still have four empty seats. "We are actively reviewing candidates to be nominated to fill the four additional seats on the Parole Board — increasing the board’s capacity to hear cases,” said Jim Urso, Hochul's deputy director of communications. The story says without all the seats filled, fewer people in prison get parole hearings. "When they don't have that time to really dig in, it can lead to needless denials of parolees and it can leave folks languishing behind bars for at least another two years," said TeAna Taylor, co-director of policy and communications with the Release Aging People in Prison campaign. And the Fair & Timely Parole and Elder Parole bills to reform the state's parole system did not make it out of legislative committees this past session. The parole board next meets on July 25. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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