Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman officials in Saugerties are considering whether to rent the village's aquatic weed harvesting boat to municipalities like Tannersville in an effort to fund the purchase of a second harvester. If Tannersville is able to rent the equipment it would be used to clear Rip Van Winkle Lake, Saugerties village Trustee Donald Hackett said March 31. “It would be for about $6,000 for six or seven days and … contracted at $500 a day after that,” he said. Rip Van Winkle Lake covers more than 325 square miles. It has an assortment of water-based plants overgrowing on its eastern end while the west end is relatively clear and used for recreation. Tannersville Clerk Robin Dumont said the village is waiting for state Department of Environmental Conservation approval before it can move forward with the agreement. “The vegetation is not bad on the swimming area side and we just rehabbed that beach with one of our Department of State grants,” Dumont said. “It’s more in the center and the backside of the lake. It’s very difficult to canoe and boat.” Water weeds in Saugerties have been cleared from the Lower Esopus Creek, with efforts concentrated on an area that extends about 350 feet from the village beach and is about 400 feet wide. Officials got serious about buying the weed harvester after the village beach could not open in 2018 because the weeds sprouted and within a month expanded to cover the creek in front of the swimming area. The boat was purchased in 2019 for $58,000 from Marine Diving Service. The watercraft uses a barrel-shaped pulling wheel in the front to either pull the long weeds up or skim smaller floating plants from the top of the water. The plant then lands on a conveyor belt and is shuttled up an incline before being dropped into a 4-by-8-foot storage container. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the year-long renovation of Hudson's Promenade Hill Park will be completed by the end of May, Mayor Kamal Johnson said March 29. This is another postponement in the much-delayed redevelopment of the park on North Front Street overlooking the Hudson River. The city’s Department of Public Works began construction in March of 2021, partially to redesign the look of the park’s lower plaza by adding open lawn areas and more trees. Supply chain issues accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the winter weather caused lapses in the construction schedule. Construction resumed two weeks ago. There are problems now with the design of the railings for the disability access entrance. “An outstanding issue which has been problematic since the beginning are the handrails for the ADA ramps,” said Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry. “Because they are curved, it is significantly more complex for the manufacturer to design and fabricate.” Perry said this week that once shop drawings are reviewed and approved, the manufacturer is free to fabricate and ship the handrails. In addition to the handrails there is much work left to be done for the park to reopen. Stones for the park’s entrance are expected to be delivered sometime in April. Their placement will then allow the landscapers to finish the lower plaza. And National Grid must install new wiring and luminaire for the street lights. The park project cost roughly $1.8 million, with about $1.1 million coming from the city’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. The project received an additional $650,000 from the H. van Ameringen Foundation and $100,000 from the Colarusso family. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that Rep. Antonio Delgado has waded into a contentious state issue. Farm workers want to get paid overtime wages just like grocery workers, and everyone else, while farm owners want to continue only paying overtime after 60 hours of work a week, rather than 40. The state Department of Labor is moving to the 40-hour threshold for farm worker overtime, but getting stiff resistance from the capitalist farm owners. Delgado, who represents the 19th Congressional district, is now the first Democratic House member from New York against the farm workers getting overtime pay like everyone else. "These farms have faced a difficult farm economy in recent years, and severe market disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," Delgado wrote in the letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on an issue where he does not have a vote. "Lowering the overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours adds another hardship for our farmers, and may cause many to close their doors." The story does not quote any farm workers, nor anyone advocating on their behalf. But Delgado gets his say. "Rather than move forward with the wage board’s decision, I urge you to work with farmers to find a better solution," he wrote. "Including farmer input will ensure potential changes are viable for farmers." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that he New York State Public Service Commission has opened a website for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation customers to complain about issues with their bills. There have been many reports of customers receiving very large bills after the company installed a new billing system. And there was a winter storm Feb. 4 winter storm that knocked out power for four days for more than 67,000 homes and businesses. Mary Garcia has a house with her daughter just outside of Cairo and does not understand how they could be billed so much. “We don’t come up in the winter and the house stays locked up. We don’t have electric heat, unplug all the appliances, and have a timer for one light in the kitchen to come on at night,” Garcia said. “Our last bill said last month we used more electricity than we did in the fall when everyone was there, the kids always watching TV, opening the refrigerator, and the air conditioner on sometimes. Both of those are real readings. We panicked and came right up after getting the bill to check the house and it isn’t possible, nothing is running.” Garcia says she's been calling Central Hudson, but gets long wait times. Instead, now anyone can go to a website and explain their problem. The website address is long, and not easily remembered, but there is a link on the WGXC Newsroom at: https://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=22-00666&CaseSearch=Search. Central Hudson has also hired a third-party independent consulting company to conduct a management and operations audit of the new billing system. “The audit will also provide an assessment of Central Hudson’s grid modernization efforts and examines how the company plans for and manages projects related to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act or CLCPA. We are also closely examining Central Hudson’s storm response efforts, and its ongoing customer billing problems,” said Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

MidHudson News reports that Hudson police are making a donation to Ukraine of some of their military-grade equipment. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and reports indicate indiscriminate attacks on civilians there ever since. On March 31, Hudson police turned over dozens of bullet proof vests and Kevlar SWAT helmets to representatives of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church. “Everyone sees on television every day what is going on and just the thought that some of our equipment could actually save a child or a family – these will be issued to civilian people – maybe a doctor. Just the thought that someone’s life could be saved is excited all of us over here,” said Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore. The body armor manufacturer only certifies their vests for five years, so they are sending expired equipment to Ukraine. “We have been trying to determine the best way to dispose of these vests and helmets,” said Lt. Andy Moon, the department’s senior firearms instructor. “You just can’t throw these things in a landfill, and there is a substantial cost to our city associated with having them burned or shredded by an authorized company.” Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

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Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that conversations over the proposal surrounding the Clean Slate Act are continuing in Albany as lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul are looking at a variety of criminal justice law changes addressing concerns over cashless bail, evidence discovery procedures and access to tuition assistance for people in prison. Hochul's proposal for the Clean Slate measure would seal felony records seven years after a sentence is completed and after three years for misdemeanors. But the New York Civil Liberties Union is urging passage of the legislative version of the proposal because it calls for sealing records years earlier than Hochul's plan. The NYCLU said in a statement, "In tandem with a broad coalition of labor organizations, civil rights groups, racial justice organizations, public defenders, members of law enforcement, and people directly impacted by the criminal legal system, the NYCLU calls upon you to enact a version of Clean Slate that includes the legislature’s language." Supporters of sealing records argue the measure would make it easier for people to find jobs and housing once they have served their sentences, and reduce repeat offenses in the process. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

MidHudson News is reporting New York Attorney General Letitia James recently advised the largest credit card companies and major debt collectors operating in New York of new state regulations that prevent them from suing consumers for old debts. A new law protecting debtors goes into effect in April. The Consumer Credit Fairness Act of 2021 reduces the statute of limitations for consumer debt collection from six years to three years. James said, “Abusive debt collection practices of the past hurt low- and moderate-income New Yorkers the most and buried them deeper into financial struggles. I urge any New Yorker who feels that they have been a victim of improper debt collection to contact my office. Consumers have rights and my office is committed to protecting them.” Effective April 7, creditors cannot sue or make a threat to sue consumers over debts that are older than three years, down from six years. Plus, any payment a consumer makes after that three-year period cannot be used to revive the time-barred debt. James warned consumers that if they make a payment on a more than 3-year-old debt before April 7, that payment may renew the creditor’s ability to sue them for the full amount of the old debt. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the city of Hudson has suspended weekend alternate side parking until further notice beginning April 2. The suspension of alternate side parking on the weekend has occurred seasonally for the past 10 years and then restored in the fall. Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry said his department does not sweep the streets on the weekend and with no indication that snow is likely, the suspension of alternate side parking will have little effect on street cleanup. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Susan Arbetter is reporting for Capital Tonight a Siena College poll released this week showed that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in August, is starting to creep up in the polls against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul still leads Cuomo 38 to 30 percent, but there are key demographics that support the former governor by more than 50 percent, specifically black voters who make up the former governor’s base. The poll found Cuomo's unfavorable rating overall with voters stands at 60 percent. And 56 percent of most voters believe Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including a large number of Democrats and New York City voters. But 67 percent of New Yorkers do not want Cuomo to run for governor this year. That number is similar to an Emerson College/The Hill poll released recently which found that 63 percent of New Yorkers do not want Cuomo to re-enter public office. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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As state lawmakers rush to complete the budget by the April 1 deadline, Shalise Manza Young at Yahoo Sports reports that New York taxpayers will provide the largest amount of public monies ever given to finance a stadium for a privately owned team. New York State is state giving $600 million in taxpayer funds, and Erie County is adding a $250 million gift to Terry and Kim Pegula, the Buffalo Bills owners who are reportedly worth $5.8 billion. And while anyone applying for public assistance such as welfare or food stamps must meet certain requirements to receive public money, in this case, the $850 million in taxpayer funds comes without conditions. And it also comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed budget cuts $800 million from Children and Family Services. And New York is actually giving more to the billionaire sports team owners. New York will also pay almost $7 million a year for 15 years in maintenance costs and add $6 million a year for the full 30 years to a capital improvement fund for the Buffalo stadium. While the taxpayers owns the stadium, the Pegulas get all the money from naming rights. Currently, that's $6 million a year Highmark Health pays the couple to have its name on the stadium. Read more about this story at Yahoo Sports.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that former Prattsville Town Supervisor Kory O’Hara will plead guilty to one count of the federal indictment against him. But which charge O’Hara is pleading guilty to has not been announced and on March 29 Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin agreed to an the eleventh continuance for parties to finalize the plea agreement within 90-days. Local businessperson Stephen Baker also agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors in the Hurricane Irene fraud case. O’Hara and Baker were indicted in 2019 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. O’Hara is also charged with bank fraud and making false statements in a loan application. After the storms associated with Hurricane Irene devastated Prattsville in 2011, the town received many grants and loans to rebuild. This included money from the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation and the New York Department of State. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says.Baker provided O’Hara with false invoices from his Prattsville-based modular home business, Moore’s Homes, that claimed construction work was done on O’Hara’s automotive garage, O’Hara’s Service Station, which Moore’s Homes did not actually perform. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that COVID-19 cases counts are rising in both Ulster and Dutchees counties. Ulster County officials reported 179 cases on March 28, up 28 from the day before. Dutchess County reported 146 cases March 27, up from 134 the day before. Columbia County officials reported 12 more cases March 28, and eight more on March 29. The Greene County Public Health Department reported 27 new cases on March 28, and 22 more on March 30.

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Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District and its teacher’s union have signed a new collective bargaining agreement, the district announced March 29. The members of the RCS Teachers Association have been working without a contract since June 2021. The district and the union had been in talks for more than a year, since January 2021. The new contract is retroactive to July 1, 2021, and continues through June 30, 2023, according to the district. The details of the agreement were not immediately available. District Superintendent Dr. Brian Bailey said in a statement that a key priority was “establishing salaries that will attract and maintain a staff that works tirelessly on behalf of the children in our care.” Science teacher and union president Matt Miller said the new contract is a step in the right direction. “Although the process for negotiations for this contract was somewhat prolonged, we made important initial steps towards achieving our ultimate goal of creating a competitive salary schedule...,” Miller said. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced March 28, it will discharge approximately 8,000 paroled individuals with state supervision by the end of the month under a good-faith measure of the Less is More legislation signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in September. The measure is intended to improve justice and safety in city jails, ensure the state prison system focuses its resources on helping people successfully complete community supervision and avoid a future return to the custody or supervision of the state prison system. “Parole officers will continue to play a vital role in keeping our communities safe while leveraging a variety of resources to ensure successful outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Acting Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony Annucci. As of March 25, there are 25,949 people on parole under community supervision statewide, compared with 31,019 on February 28. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.