Today's daily news update.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker writes a story in the Daily Freeman with Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa and Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky complaining about new gun laws in New York, without offering their solutions. Mostly, Figueroa and Kusminsky complain that they were not consulted on the new laws, as legislators hurried to pass bills after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York's concealed carry law. While Figueroa says, "I don’t think anybody is against — I know I’m not — common sense, reasonable licensing. We don’t want guns to go into the wrong hands,” he does not say what that is, only what he is against. Actually, he is not very specific about what he is against either. Figueroa complains about the new laws vague limit of concealed handguns in "sensitive areas" but is not specific himself about if there is anywhere he would not want concealed guns allowed. He mentions training requirements, and again plays both sides. "I don’t think anybody’s against getting people trained here. I think the point is that we should have had a seat at the table," Figueroa says. Kusminsky does not mention any regulations to gun ownership that he would support, but still tries to sound like he supports reulations. "I support firearms regulations that keep guns out of the hands of people who have no business possessing them but the U.S. Constitution guarantees that the 2nd Amendment Rights of law-abiding citizens not be infringed,” he says. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union New York lawmakers are defending their recent gun regulations with studies showing that states with the lowest rates of suicide are those with the most strict gun laws. Suicide accounts for about half of all gun deaths in New York. New gun regulations were passed recently after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's concealed carry law. "The legal purchase of a handgun appears to be associated with a long-lasting increased risk of violent death," a 1997 American Journal of Public Health article concluded. Another study focused more on suicide. "Our results support the hypothesis that firearms in the home impose suicide risk above and beyond the baseline risk and help explain why, year after year, several thousand more Americans die by suicide in states with higher than average household firearm ownership compared with states with lower than average firearm ownership," a 2013 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded. While suicide numbers have grown in the past 20 years across much of the county, in New York they are flat, with 439 firearm suicides in 1999, 462 firearm suicides in 2020. In New York, suffocation is the leading cause of suicide, while in states with lenient gun laws, firearms are the leading cause. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Adam Penale reports for New York State of Politics that New York Senator Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19. Schumer's office says the majority leader is fully vaccinated and only experiencing mild symptoms, and is quarantining this week. “As a part of his regular testing regimen, Leader Schumer received a positive test result for COVID-19,” Justin Goodman, a spokesperson for Schumer, said in a statement. “The Leader is fully vaccinated and double boosted, and has very mild symptoms. He greatly appreciates the protection the vaccine has provided him and encourages everyone to test regularly and get vaccinated and boosted." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news update.

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Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that William Maxwell, who pleaded guilty to murder and sex crimes in the 1980s, has been paroled. Maxwell, now 56 years old, was given a release date of July 11, after appearing March 15 before the Board of Parole, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. According to the DOCCS inmate lookup Maxwell remained in state custody on July 10. In 1989, Maxwell was convicted of murder and sexual abuse in the death of Penny Almstead, an aspiring model and mother of three. Almstead's body was found by duck hunters along the Hudson River. He pleaded guilty, admitting to beating and brutalizing her with a tire iron and subsequently given a life sentence. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said he had received emails and phone calls from anxious residents after local media reports suggested Maxwell would be released in May. Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore said he has received calls and emails from worried residents. “There’s a lot of people who can’t believe that, after doing what he did, he can be out,” Moore said. Maxwell will be released as a Level 3 Sex Offender, designating him as someone with a “high risk of repeat offense” and where “a threat to public safety exists,” according to state law. His address will be posted in a public database. Moore said he does not know where Maxwell would be released, but that his department would be informed if the man came to Hudson. The chief denied initial social media reports that his department would be conducting extra patrols after Maxwell's release. He said the department is without the resources needed to add patrols. “But our officers will be cognizant ... it would be part of our daily patrol information,” Moore said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

The Berkshire Eagle is reporting that motorists on I-90 in Becket and Lee, Mass., are being advised to expect temporary lane closures this week due to overnight guardrail repairs and daytime bridge repairs, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The guardrail repairs will happen on both eastbound and westbound I-90 from mile marker 8 to mile marker 14 in Lee and Becket and the bridge repairs will take place from mile marker 10 to mile marker 12. The nighttime work is slated to begin on July 11, and conclude on July 15. It will begin each night at 7 p.m. each night and conclude at 5 a.m. the next morning. The daytime work will be done on Monday beginning at 7 a.m. and conclude by 4 p.m. that same day. The work will require temporary lane closures and appropriate signage, law enforcement details and messaging will be in place to guide drivers through the work area. Drivers should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media for the second time in less than a year, the cost of a first-class Mail Forever stamp has increased. The U.S. Postal Service raised the cost from 58 to 60 cents as of July 10. First-class postage previously increased in August 2021, when the price went from 55 to 58 cents. When the increase was proposed in April, postal officials said first-class mail prices would rise roughly 6.5 percent, a rate lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual inflation rate of 7.9 percent as of the end of February. The mailing services price changes include first-class letters increasing from 58 cents to 60 cents, domestic postcards from 40 cents to 44 cents, and international letters increasing from $1.30 to $1.40. The Postal Service will also implement price adjustments for special services including certified mail, post office box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item, officials said. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a recent study of the condition of federally funded local roads from the office of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli ranked Greene County as second-worst in the state. Discounting the state report based on its limited scope, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden dismissed the reporting, saying its contents are useless. “This doesn’t frighten me at all,” Groden said. “This is worthless data as far as I’m concerned.” The report found the condition of federally funded local roads in Greene County to be fair, better only than Sullivan, the lowest-ranked county in the state. Federally funded roads in Columbia County were classified as good in the report. The road report was released in January and is based on data from 2019 and 2020 collected by the state. The federally funded roads in the county include County Route 12 in Windham, Route 23B and Route 24. The report lists the condition of federally funded roads in the towns of Hunter and Windham as poor, roads in Cairo and portions of Athens fair, while road conditions in Catskill and Coxsackie are good. According to the report, the 67 lane miles of locally owned roads eligible for federal funding in Greene County represent 3.6 percent of total local lane miles in the county. “That means this report is worthless,” Groden said. “We only have four roads that are federally funded that this analysis is looking at. So what’s the value of the report? The county owns 263 miles of county roads...." The county uses a grading system to classify the quality of its roads in order to prioritize the roads that need work immediately, Groden said. “County Route 12 is almost brand new,” Groden said, not denying that other federal local roads are lacking. “We just had the expansion where we added the sidewalk and the bike lane to it.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The UpStater [dot] com is reporting that 2022 is the Lafarge Ravena cement plant's 60th year of operation. Ground was broken by the Atlantic Cement Company in 1961 and the facility, now owned by the Swiss multinational company Holcim, currently employs 160 full-time workers, making it the largest employer in southern Albany County, according to the company. However, while the company claims to have a vital role in supporting the local community and good neighbor status, its 60-year presence in the region has not been without controversy. In 2014, the company was fined $100,000 by the state Department of Environmental Conservation for 50 violations of federal water pollution rules after it released 1,500 gallons of sulfuric acid into a stream that feeds the Hudson River. For decades Holcim and Lafarge were listed among the state’s top polluters by the Environmental Protection Agency and in 2020, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took legal action in federal court alleging a LaFarge contractor fostered a racist work environment at the Ravena plant during the facility's three-year modernization project. Republican Assemblymember Chris Tague, who represents the 102nd Assembly District, credits the company for its contributions to the local economy and how it has driven growth and employment in the area. Lafarge is part of Holcim US, which offers a range of cement, aggregates, asphalt, concrete products, and construction services. Read more at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Gillian Scott is reporting for the Times Union Amtrak has abruptly canceled bike reservations on its Maple Leaf line, leaving some travelers scrambling to salvage their plans. Since July 1, passengers on the Maple line, or trains 63 and 64, are no longer able to reserve spots for bicycles, and all existing reservations for bicycles on those trains were also canceled. The Maple Leaf line runs from New York to Albany to Toronto and it offers a key transportation option for cyclists looking to ride the 360 miles of the Empire State Trail between Buffalo and Albany. Cyclists take the train in one direction and then ride back to their starting point. Cyclists now have to find a shuttle service to take their bikes to Buffalo, rent a car or cancel their trips altogether. Jason Abrams, an Amtrak public relations manager, said the cancellations were caused by a need to change the train used for the line; the new train does not have bike racks. Passengers can try to book space on the Empire Line instead, which also offers travel between Albany and Buffalo, but there are limited spots for bicycles. Folding bikes are still allowed as carry-on luggage. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

Raymond Pignone reports at Columbia-Greene Media that Etsy is closing its operations in Hudson in September, with its 40 employees switching to fully work at home. “That’s why we made the decision to close our physical office, transitioning our Hudson-based employees to our remote work mode. However, we remain deeply committed to the Hudson community. We are ensuring our employees are supported, able to work productively and can still effectively collaborate with colleagues,” said Etsy Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Seymour. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson was not happy about the decision. “It’s very disappointing and heartbreaking to learn the company will be leaving Hudson,” Johnson said. “We had been planning to partner with them on things like hiring and other issues, so this is a great loss for us.” Employees had worked in the former Cannonball Factory building at 359-361 Columbia St., which had been an art and performance space before Etsy moved there. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Ariel Zangla in the Daily Freeman compares the two Democrats running in the new 19th Congressional District in the Aug. 23 primary election. Jamie Cheney, 43, founded Prokanga, a recruiting and consulting firm, and owns Falcon’s Field farm in Dutchess County. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Yale University. Riley, 41, is an attorney, and was general counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary. Neither have run for office before, and the winner faces longtime Republican politician Marc Molinaro, who is now the Dutchess County Executive, but does not live inside the new 19th Congressional District. “Protecting reproductive rights, enacting meaningful gun reform, and addressing the everyday ‘wallet’ issues are top priority for me,” Cheney said in a prepared statement. Cheney also named passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, and expanding background checks for gun purchases and an assault weapons ban. as priorities. Riley lists defending and strengthening democracy, revitalizing and strengthening the economy, cutting costs for working families, protecting the environment, and addressing health care as his priorities. “Our democracy is imperiled and we must protect and strengthen it, including by amending the Electoral Count Act to ensure peaceful transitions of power; restoring the Voting Rights Act to make it easier to vote, not harder; overturning Citizens United to fix our broken campaign finance system; and ending partisan gerrymandering,” Riley said in a prepared statement. “I’ve argued in federal court and I believe in my heart and soul that health care should be a civil right in America, not something that bankrupts so many families,” Riley said. “We must restore women’s access to abortion, improve access to healthcare in rural communities, and invest in mental health services.” Cheney also mentioned pocketbook issues. “We also need to help our working families who are getting crushed by inflation,” Cheney said. “This includes lowering the Medicare age from 65 to 60, increasing Social Security payouts, and bringing back the expanded child tax credit.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that two developers have made proposals to build a hotel at Exit 21 on I-87 in Catskill. “We are in the process of reviewing two hotel developer proposals,” IDA Executive Director April Ernst said at the agency’s June 16 board meeting. “We have requested more information from both of them." County agencies took other action to develop the location as a business hub. At a special meeting on July 6, the Greene County Legislature unanimously approved the sale of 2.216 acres of surplus property on Route 23B for one dollar to the Greene Local Development Corporation, a non-profit subsidiary of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency. Greene County lost money on that deal, as they bought the property last year from the New York State Thruway Authority for $421,100. Meanwhile, Greene County officials are also working with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation to extend natural gas service from Jefferson Heights to the sites they would like to see developed near the interstate entrance. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

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

Today's daily news update.

Lauren Stanforth is reporting for the Times Union the Columbia County Health Department has announced that three of the county's COVID-19 patients died between July 1 and July 5. They are the first deaths in the county linked to the virus in about a month. County Public Health Director Jack Mabb said that two of the patients were nursing home residents. He added that COVID-19 infection levels have been stable and are not an immediate concern, despite the recent deaths. As of July 6, there were 12 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Columbia County, with one in the intensive care unit. Hospitalizations are statewide at levels higher than the past two pandemic summers. However, it is difficult to immediately determine death trends, as the state often releases the numbers in batches, such as after the end of weekends. For example, on July 6 the state announced there were 56 COVID-19-linked deaths between July 2 and July 5. “Much like our other 149 deaths, the vast majority were elderly,” Mabb said about the county residents who contracted coronavirus and died since 2020. He did say health officials are watching the spread of the new BA.5 omicron subvariant closely as summer continues. “What I’m hearing is it’s more contagious and may be more virulent, in terms of how potent it is,” Mabb said. “It’s going to be interesting to watch in the fall when we get back indoors and kids get back in school.” Read the full story in the Times Union.