The Hawthorne Valley Association announced on May 13 a confirmed Listeria Monocytogenes contamination of its raw milk, exclusively sold at its farm store in Ghent. On May 3 a sample of raw milk was taken from the creamery’s bulk tank by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. Two days later, the sample came back as presumptive positive for the harmful bacteria that can cause Listeriosis, a serious infection usually caused by eating contaminated food. The positive result was confirmed on May 12. All raw milk has been removed from the shelves and any that was purchased since May 2 must be discarded. The milk will be retested by the state until it is confirmed that is safe again to consume. The association said it in a statement, "Listeria Monocytogenes is a species of bacteria that can cause the infection Listeriosis and we are taking this situation very seriously. While no illnesses have been reported, we are working closely with the state to determine the source of the pathogen..." The farm is taking a variety of precautionary measures and will not sale milk again until it has an all-clear from New York Ag and Markets. Anyone with questions is urged to call the store at (518) 672-4465 ext. 2.

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Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors will continue to livestream their meetings on YouTube. “We will still live-stream it on YouTube, so that the public can watch it,” Board of Supervisors Chair Matt Murell said. “But it the public wants to make comments they have to come to 401 (State St.)” in Hudson. The board also passed a local law allowing supervisors to participate remotely for full meetings or committees when necessary, beginning in June. “The way the law is set up is meetings will be in person and if there is extenuating circumstances, a supervisor can still join in virtually,” Murell said. “That can be because of illness or because of child care issues and so on.” Hudson, Philmont, Catskill, and many other local towns also provide live web streams of their meetings for constituents. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Joshua Solomon in the Times Union asks when Rep. Antonio Delgado will resign and become lieutenant governor. He does not get an answer. Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped the current 19th Congressional District representative as her second-in-command May 3, saying she would announce the exact date he would assume the role "in the near future," adding it would be "sometime this month." If Delgado resigns now, or later in June, it would trigger a special election to fill the seat. But if Delgado resigns between May 25 to June 4, that special election could be held on the same day as the state's congressional and state Senate primaries, Aug. 23. "If there was a plan, say it," said Marc Molinaro, the Republican seeking the Congressional seat. "We assume their plan is to maximize their political benefit.... I think it's in the best interest of all us to have a special election to fill the seat." Actually, it would be in the best interest of taxpayers to have the elections on the same day, and the story says unnamed political observers believe Republicans prefer lower voter turnout, which would happen with a one-race, special election. Democrat Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has hinted he will run to fill Delgado's seat. Delgado is not commenting, nor is his staff, and Hochul's office says they are "working with the lieutenant governor-designate's team on the transition." Further complicating the election to replace Delgado, is that no one know's where the district will represent, as the redistricting process is still tied up in court after the Democrats gerrymandered maps were thrown out. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Rebecca C. Lewis reports for City and State about what lawmakers in Albany might pass before the legislature's session ends June 2. Since the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade became public, state lawmakers have been discussing ways to strengthen New York's laws, and fund abortions for women coming from more restrictive states. The "Clean Slate Act," which would clear the records of many convicted of crimes when a certain amount of time passes after their release. "Good Cause" eviction laws have already been passed in the cities of Albany and Poughkeepsie, and state lawmakers are considering a state law that would make it harder for landlords to evict tenants. Read more about this story at City and State.

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Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a large brush fire burned for more than four hours on May 10, in Stuyvesant. “It was a tough fire to fight,” said Stuyvesant fire chief Steve Montie. Some brush burned, but the fire mostly consumed piles of cut-down trees, wood and other items. Some of the material that burned was buried underground, Montie said. At about 3:30 p.m., Columbia County 911 dispatched the Stuyvesant Fire Company to a location on Eichybush Road, after receiving reports of a brush fire consuming roughly 100 feet of land. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had grown and seven more fire companies with brush fighting equipment were summoned to the scene. The blaze was located about half a mile off Eichybush Road, in the middle of a large field. Fire trucks were able to use one of the dirt roads on the farm to get to the fire, but driving the trucks around the fire scene was more difficult. Firefighters used a pond on the property as a water source. An excavator, a payloader and a bulldozer were used to pull apart the piles of trees so firefighters could get more water on them, Montie said. Smoke from the fire was visible from several miles away. The fire was brought under control after about four hours. More than one acre was blackened, Montie said. There were no reported injuries. The fire began because the property owner was illegally burning materials and was subsequently ticketed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Montie said. The annual statewide burn ban went into effect on March 16, and is set to expire May 14. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics New York Attorney General Letitia James is warning consumers to be on the alert for price gouging of baby formula during the ongoing supply shortage. The lack of formula has dragged on for several weeks after supply chain problems and a recall from a major supplier early in the year. The scarcity has led to some parents driving to multiple stores to find formula. James also warned retailers about boosting the cost of baby formula beyond a reasonable price during the shortage. “The national baby formula shortage is terrifying for parents concerned about how to feed their children,” James said. “The last thing any family needs is to be price gouged on critical nutrition for their little ones, which is why I am putting profiteers seeking to take advantage of this crisis on notice." James' staff is urging consumers to report any potential price gouging by filing a complaint at the attorney general's website. Meanwhile, James urged parents who have extra formula to consider donations to food pantries to help needy families. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman the town of Woodstock's nine-month moratorium on the creation or approval of new lodging projects has lapsed. An ad hoc committee continues to work on recommendations for zoning updates involving affordable housing and short-term rentals. Officials on May 10, were told draft zoning changes would be submitted by the town Housing Oversight Task Force during a special May 31 town board meeting, roughly a month after the moratorium expired. “We thought we would be done sooner but … we want to be sure that what we’re providing is something of value to everyone,” committee member Deborah DeWan said. The task force was established in February and expects to complete a revision of the town’s 300-page zoning code along with a summary of the proposed changes. “Part of the goal here is to … protect our environment but make development easier,” Supervisor Bill McKenna said. “...We’re trying to incentivize development so that we can get more affordable housing,” he said. McKenna noted that state programs exist that can be used to help the town develop reserve funds that can be put toward conservation easements. Under the moratorium, task force members were directed to “consider regional needs and development trends, the existing and proposed location and intensity of land development, the historic, cultural and natural resources of the town, population, demographic and socio-economic trends and infrastructure.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Radio World reports that the Federal Communications Commission, on May 11, said they are not allowing electronics companies Sennheiser and Shure to use a vacant channel in the UHF television frequencies for wireless microphones. Both companies manufacture wireless microphones, which are typically used by stage performers so they don't trip over cables. Currently the FCC allows wireless microphone on empty broadcast television frequencies (TV channels 2-36), and also at 600 MHz duplex gap (653-657 MHz), while unlicensed wireless microphones may operate on a portion of the 600 MHz guard band (614-616 MHz) and a portion of the 600 MHz duplex gap (657-663 MHz). But there is not a single dedicated channel for their use. The National Association of Broadcasters, the lobby for commercial radio and television stations, argued against the idea. The FCC wrote, “Although we have concluded that we should not proceed with the proposals in this docket, the commission is committed to supporting white space devices and wireless microphones and has pursued, and continues to pursue, avenues to ensure adequate spectrum availability for the important services they provide.” The FCC is still considering a different proposal to allow Wireless Multi-Channel Audio Systems to use the TV bands and other LPAS frequency bands on a licensed basis.

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Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that there will be at least two debates between candidates running for governor this year. The debates announced so far, June 7 and 16, will be between Democrats in the primary election. Incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are expected to participate in the debates. Williams, who is also running on the Working Families Party line, wanted more than two debates, but says that though Hochul previously said she would participate in "multiple debates," she would only agree to two forums with the other candidates. "The governor’s refusal to accept additional invitations demonstrates an aversion to transparency and an unwillingness to speak openly about her own record," Williams said. Suozzi said Hochul, "does not want to face the hard-hitting questions about her failures" on campaign issues, such as crime, taxes, and corruption. "The voters should be entitled to hold her accountable," Suozzi said. Instead of creating debates that all media could air, the June 7 debate will be hosted by WCBS-TV Channel 2, CBS News New York, and Newsradio 880, all in New York City. The other debate on June 16 will be hosted by NBC New York, Telemundo 47, and the Times Union. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

New York State of Politics reports that though the New York Labor Department’s Farm Laborer’s Wage Board voted in January to treat farm workers the same as most other workers, they are still not getting overtime pay after a week of 40 hours of work. “I’m really at a loss as to what is taking so long,” said Richard Witt, executive director of Rural Migrant Ministries. “For years actually, we’ve heard the Farm Bureau and other farmers say that they couldn’t afford this change. And the governor put in the budget a tax credit that would enable them to afford it. So I think the governor has addressed their main concern. So I’m really at a loss as to why this delay.” The Farm Laborers Wage Board still needs to vote to adopt its official report from January, then state Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon will have 45 days from when she receives the report to approve it or overturn the vote. Most all workers in New York get overtime pay after 40 hours of work in a week, but not farm workers. “There’s really no moral justification for not treating farm workers the same,” Witt said. “They have families; they need to pay their bills.” Farmers, who would have to pay the overtime rates, are opposed to farm workers being treated the same as grocery store employees. On May 11, the Business Council of New York State, the National Federation of Independent Businesses of New York, and Upstate United sent letters to Gov. Kathy Hochul asking to keep the threshold for farm worker overtime at 60 hours of labor a week. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Tim Martin reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Catskill High School plays Chatham for Patroon baseball conference title on May 13. Catskill defeated Maple Hill May 11 3-2 to advance, while Chatham beat Greenville 9-3 on May 11. The conference championship takes place at 4:30 p.m. at Columbia-Greene Community College. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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CNN reports that New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristin Gillibrand voted May 11 for the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill aimed at allowing abortion nationwide. The theatrical vote's outcome was known before it was taken, but Schumer, as majority leader, wanted to get all senators on the record after the leak of the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade. All Republicans voted against the measure, but Schumer could not get his entire delegation on board, as West Virginia-based Democrat Joe Manchin voted against too, for a 51-49 total defeating the bill. "Once again -- as fundamental rights are at risk at the Supreme Court -- Senate Republicans have blocked passage of the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill that affirmatively protects access to reproductive health care," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "This failure to act comes at a time when women's constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack -- and it runs counter to the will of the majority of American people." Read more about this story at CNN.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Dutchess County Legislature Chair Gregg Pulver has withdrawn a resolution to authorize the purchase a 24,640-square-foot building on Poughkeepsie’s northside intended for use as a homeless shelter that would house up to 100 people. Legislators were prepared to vote to spend $2.1 million for the 26 Oakley Street property, as well as $1 million for the Department of Public Works to design the new facility. The funding would come from the county’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act grant. But with a potential lawsuit by the city looming and widespread public outcry over the project, Pulver decided to delay action on the measure until June. “It was clear people wanted more time to digest some of the material and come up with a better working plan,” Pulver said. The delay will give residents and city officials another 30 days to provide input on the project. “We expect to move forward in June,” he said. Residents and city officials are upset about the planned location of the facility, in the city’s Fifth Ward, an area that, according to Democratic Minority Leader Yvette Valdés Smith “has the highest unemployment rate and the lowest household incomes in the county." Pulver conceded that opponents had some valid concerns and that the most unpopular county services — including the jail and a planned rehab center — are “being dumped on the north side of Poughkeepsie.” But Pulver said the county can mitigate the potential impacts of locating a homeless shelter in that area. He also noted that many unhoused people are already living in temporary housing units on the county jail campus. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Meg Britton-Mehlisch is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle Verizon Wireless May 10, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city of Pittsfield, Mass. Board of Health, in an effort to block an emergency order requiring the company to appear and defend its cell tower at 877 South Street in the city. In its complaint, the company asks the court to answer a question on the power of local boards and municipalities to regulate telecommunication companies over environmental and health concerns. Verizon wants the court to weigh in on whether the Board of Health's order violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996. At the request of Pittsfield City Council, the Board of Health has been investigating the health concerns reported by residents that live near the 4G cell tower, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, insomnia, skin rashes and other health problems. The Board of Health issued an emergency order on April 11 giving Verizon seven days to request a hearing to show why the board should not issue a cease-and-desist order. The board found that the cell tower “is a public nuisance” and “a cause of sickness” that “directly causes harm to certain individuals, and renders dwellings unfit for human habitation.” The members of the City Council this week held a lengthy executive session about the matter, but declined to comment afterward, citing pending litigation. Verizon is arguing the board's order violates the Telecommunications Act's preemption clause preventing state or local governments from regulating the placement, construction and modification of wireless service facilities on the basis of alleged environmental effects, as long as the facility is operating within the Federal Communications Commission's regulations on those emissions. Health effects, according to Verizon, are included within the scope of "environmental effects." The company maintains it is operating well within the FCC's standards for radio frequency emissions. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.