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.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Central Hudson will increase electricity and gas delivery charges this summer in the midst of complaints of skyrocketing bills, Public Service Commission investigations and a public relations campaign by the utility. The delivery charges, approved by the Public Service Commission, are set to increase in July. In November, the commission approved a delivery rate plan for Central Hudson that runs through June 2024. The utility sent a notice to customers on March 29, explaining that the July increase in delivery charges was a part of the state-approved rate plan. The slight decrease in electric delivery charges and the 1.2 percent increase in gas delivery charges were prorated to make up for the period between July and December when a final ruling by state regulators was pending. Under the plan approved by the commission, the estimated impact on an average customer is an annual cost of about $64 more in 2024 than now. Energy prices are likely to go up through the end of this year, due to a recovering economy, energy supply constraints, strong energy demands and global events, including the war in Ukraine, the company added. The PSC said Central Hudson initially proposed delivery rates designed to increase revenue by about $32.8 million per year for electricity and $14.4 million per year for natural gas. Those proposals would have driven up customer rates for electricity delivery by 6.2 percent and gas delivery by 8 percent, the PSC said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

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Larry Rulison reports in the Times Union that in 2019 the nonprofit environmental group Scenic Hudson filed a lawsuit against the Hohenstein family in New Baltimore. The family sold a conservation easement to Scenic Hudson in 2012 for $258,850, for the 59 acre former fruit farm. But in 2019 Anne Hohenstein was paid $68,000 by a forestry company to cut down hundreds of trees on the property, she says to allow the forest to replenish itself and regrow. Scenic Hudson considered that a commercial logging venture that violated the terms of the easement, and caused erosion and let invasive species to flourish. Scenic Hudson owns about 130 similar easements throughout the Hudson Valley, but rarely needs to litigate after the easements are created. "It's very rare that things end up in the courts," said Seth McKee, executive director of Scenic Hudson, based in Poughkeepsie. "Once we discovered the harvest, we had to intervene." A trial was scheduled to begin next month, but now Scenic Hudson has filed for summary judgment to have the judge rule in its favor, which Hohenstein opposes. What she did was for the long-term health of the land," Hohenstein's attorney Adam Schultz said about destroying the trees. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Noah Eckstein reports for Columbia-Greene Media that more than 100 boat docks were installed in Hudson on the Hudson River March 26 by members of the Hudson Power Boat Association. Every spring the group reintroduces the 20-foot-long docks to the river. “We get a lot of transients who spend the winter months down south and they move back up the Hudson and ask for dockage,” said Bill Hogencamp, commodore of the Hudson Power Boat Association. About 60 boats and craft used by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, Greenport Rescue Squad and Hudson Fire Department and the Hudson Power Boat Association get docked in Hudson. “The only way any of the work can get done is by the turnout of the members,” said new Dock Master Henry Haddad. “Previous dock masters have made the work much easier.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Phoebe Taylor-Vuolo reports for PBS station WSKG that Rep. Antonio Delgado visited a Delaware County dairy farm last week. At Clark Farms Creamery near Delhi, fifth generation dairy farmer Kyle Clark said supply chain issues have raised his operating costs. “The price of milk’s definitely improved, especially in the last couple months. But relative to the increase in input costs, and even the availability of a lot of those things… it’s not keeping up,” Clark said. Delgado said he is working to create more demand for milk. “Making sure that our milk can go to our schools, milk can go to our hospitals, milk can go to our community centers. Wherever there’s more localized opportunities to grow and build from, that should be the focus,” Delgado said. The Congressperson Delgado has cosponsored legislation to provide whole milk in schools instead of one percent and fat-free milk, and also wants New York City to keep serving chocolate milk to students. Delgado, though, does not comment in the story about whether farm workers should get paid overtime the same way grocery store and other workers are paid, when they exceed 40 hours a week. The Farm Bureau opposes farm workers getting overtime at 40 hours. Read more about this story at the WSKG website.

Today's daily news update.

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Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 19th and 20th Congressional seats in New York. Current Democrat Reps. Antonio Delgado and Paul Tonko vote with the positions of President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time, according to the fivethirtyeight.com website. Click here to listen to this report.

Tim Blydenburgh is reporting for the Daily Freeman the public, along with U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, state Sen. Michell Hinchey and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, rallied in Kingston March 19, in opposition to the closing of the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess Co., as well as cuts in other health care services for vets. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made the cutback recommendations. Ryan, a West Point graduate and combat veteran, wants the preservation of a VA medical center level facility in the Hudson Valley plus the addition of services for mental health, substance abuse recovery, burn pit and other toxic exposures. Ryan said in a statement, "...the VA recommended drastic cuts to critically-needed veteran health services in the Hudson Valley, including closing the Castle Point VA Medical Center, which tens of thousands of veterans and military families rely on. This is unacceptable and we are rallying to push back on these recommendations and push for real investment in strengthening our regional VA services.” Ulster County has more than 11,000 veterans who access VA services at Albany's Stratton Veteran Affairs Medical Center and Castle Point, officials said. Currently the Ulster County Veteran Services Agency transports thousands of veterans to both sites every year. “Closing the Castle Point VAMC without first clearly establishing a replacement facility that provides equally accessible services of the same or higher quality is unacceptable,” Delgado said. The same report recommended the Stratton VA facility be replaced and proposed a $1.5 billion plan to reconstruct the main hospital and restructure outpatient care throughout the Capital Region. The report's recommendations must be approved by an independent body to be appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

On March 22 New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York is now first in the nation with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed and operational. That is enough to power 209,000 homes across the state. And Hochul says there is enough community solar under construction to serve an additional 401,000 homes. “Reaching this nation-leading milestone – with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed – is a testament to New York’s aggressive pursuit of clean-energy alternatives that will supercharge our economy and bring us one step closer to a carbon-neutral future,” Hochul said. The governor's plan calls for New York to reach ten gigawatts by 2030. "Currently, many residents who want to transition to solar are barred because they cannot afford the cost of panels, they live in rented properties, or their rooftops simply don’t support solar. Community solar is a game changer for overcoming these barriers, allowing more New Yorkers to be part of the clean energy transition," said Rep. Paul Tonko, who represents the 20th District, including Albany County.

On March 28, all four Hudson Valley Congressional representatives, Republican Elise Stefanik and Democrats Paul Tonko, Antonio Delgado, and Sean Maloney, voted "To obtain and direct the placement in the Capitol or on the Capitol Grounds of a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O’Connor and a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg." The measure passed 349-63, with all the no votes from Republicans. All the Hudson Valley representatives also voted for H.R. 1621 which, "limits the consideration of acquitted conduct (e.g., conduct underlying criminal charges for which an individual was found not guilty) by a federal court at sentencing." Lee Zeldin, the Long Island Republican who is running for governor, did not cast a vote on either measure.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media the village of Coxsackie has issued a stop-work order to halt the construction of a new boutique hotel and event center currently underway on South River Street. The Coxsackie Village Board released a statement on March 27, stating the building permit issued last year has expired and there are components of the project, “...not in compliance with the village code and/or the planning board approved site plan." The height of the hotel building does not conform with the original site plan, according to the statement. “In consultation with our village attorney and compliance with the law, the code enforcement officer has issued a stop-work order,” according to the statement. The order issued prohibits any work from being done until a new building permit is issued. The project includes the construction of the Newbury, as well as an event center named The Wire, on the site of a former electronics building. An updated site plan must now be submitted to the planning board addressing the aspects of the project currently out of compliance with the village code, according to the village board’s statement. Project developer Aaron Flach said he would work with the village moving forward. “While we believe the village Building Department was provided everything required of the project, we will be working with the village board and others to ensure full compliance,” Flach said. The issue will go back to the planning board before a new building permit is issued and the stop-work order is lifted, according to the village board. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper at the Hudson Board of Education meeting March 15, district business administrator, Jesse Boehme, presented factors driving the 2022-23 budget proposal, offering an explanation of the district’s anticipated spending during the coming school year. Instruction expenses will increase, Boehme said, because of contract obligations, special education, and additional professional positions. Administration and support expenses will also increase because of contract obligations, an obligatory building condition survey, and higher utility costs. The utility expense will be partly mitigated by solar panels, which supply about 50 percent of the district’s electricity requirements. To offset the anticipated 12 percent increase in transportation costs, school officials are looking at the possibility of combining routes; sharing services with other districts; and, having more community stops replacing some door-to-door services. Boehme said the district can increase the tax levy by as much as 2.93 percent, but Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler has said the increase will be less than the state-mandated maximum. Factors influencing the budget that are as yet unknown include BOCES projections, actual out-of-district placements, contract obligations for aides, actual state aid, and outstanding grant applications. The budget’s final draft is slated for presentation on April 5. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia and Greene counties ranked among the top 10 counties in New York in population growth during the pandemic, according to the Center for Economic Growth. And the Capital Region was one of two economic development regions statewide to see total population gains between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021. “It is certainly positive news that there has been a positive inflow of population in the county,” Columbia Economic Development Corporation President and CEO F. Michael Tucker said. “And it is impressive that Columbia County is in the top 10 New York counties. At the same time, we must continue our efforts to attract new permanent residents as employers continue looking for workers to sustain their businesses.” Columbia County’s increase of 228 people was an increase of about [point] 4 percent year-over-year, according to the center’s report. According to U.S. Census Bureau data comparing the county in 2010 and 2020, while the county lost 2.4 percent of its population between 2010 to 2020, it was able to increase by [point] 4 percent from July 2020 to July 2021. “It doesn’t come as a surprise to us that there has been a net [gain] in migration,” Deputy Greene County Administrator Warren Hart said. “Probably the biggest contributing factor of that gain was the outflow of people from the New York Metro Area. Greene County has a large tourism economy and approximately 30 percent of our housing is seasonal housing, are second-home owners.” A large portion of the Greene County population increase during the pandemic can be attributed to second homeowners who moved during the pandemic and have now become full-time residents of the county Hart said. The Center for Economic Growth reported the eight-county Capital Region had New York’s greatest number of annual net domestic movers during the pandemic, according to the center's analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Greene ranked second in the state for fastest growing county and Columbia was tied for eighth. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Larry Parnass and Amanda Burke report in The Berkshire Eagle that Pittsfield police shot and killed a man who had been cutting himself with a knife on March 25 outside his Onota Street apartment building. Friends and co-workers of Miguel Estrella, 22, wondered why police resorted to lethal force, rather than take him into protective custody. Police are not releasing the names of the officers involved who were placed on administrative leave. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on March 27, but is withholding details until they could be shared with Estrella’s family. Police initially responded after Estrella cut his own face, but they left him in the care of his girlfriend. They were soon called again, though, and Daneya Falwell, 19, said she pleaded with police to take her boyfriend into custody. The police then claim that Estrella “advanced” on them, and they twice used Tasers to incapacitate him. That did not work, so they shot and killed him. “He wasn’t attacking. He was hurting himself, that was very clear. I kept saying to the police officer next to me, please don’t shoot, please don’t shoot, please don’t shoot,” Falwell said. “I saw them tase him and then next thing you know, he dropped. He dropped. He wasn’t hurting anybody at all. He wasn’t a threat to nobody.” Falwell's sister, Tayshia Hoisington, also saw the shooting. “There’s so many ways that this could have been de-escalated,” Hoisington said. “Or they honestly could have tackled him.” Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Michelle Del Rey reports in the Times Union that billionaire donors to former President Donald Trump are also giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to an analysis constructed by LittleSis, a grassroots watchdog network. The rich real estate moguls and entrepreneurs gave Hochul's campaign $867,000, part of the $21.9 million in campaign donations Hochul has received. Hochul donors also gave $3.2 million to Donald J Trump for President, Trump Victory, and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. Hochul so far has been given $4.6 million from real estate interests. Jess Wisneski, co-executive director of Citizen Action of New York, worries what those donations bought. "It felt like Kathy Hochul’s housing policy in the executive budget was basically a replica of what Cuomo has done in the past," Wisneski said. "It’s just nothing in comparison to the dramatic needs of New Yorkers and the housing crisis, at all different levels. Everything from tenant protections, like Good Cause Eviction, but also the building of affordable units." Read more about this story in the Times Union.