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.

MidHudson News reports that Metro-North added new trains and updated its schedule on March 27. Sixty-six new trains were added on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines, including new weekday peak express service. Go to the Metro-North website to see the new schedules. Metro-North's Hudson line follows the Hudson River from New York City to Poughkeepsie, while Amtrak service continues to Hudson and Albany. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

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Shaniece Holmes-Brown reports in the Times Union that New York women earn 86 cents to every dollar men earn, according to a report from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. That figure comes from analysis from state data in 2019 of the median earnings of full-time working women in New York. Median earnings for men in New York working full-time, year-round in 2019 averaged $60,813, compared to $51,992 for women, a difference of $8,821. That's slightly better then the national wage gap of $10,150, with women earning 81 cents per every dollar men made, on average, across the country. “March is Women’s History Month and there is no better time to highlight this unfair pay disparity in the workforce,” DiNapoli said. “My analysis shows our country still has a long way to go in closing the gap between full-time working men and women." New York has the 11th smallest gap in the country. “While New York has done better than most states, more can and should be done,” DiNapoli said. “Policies to expand child care and improve pay transparency should be part of any multi-faceted approach to achieve equal pay.” Read more about this story at the Times Union.

MidHudson News is reporting a new study by researchers at the New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center Health Network has found some patients still suffer from persistent neuropsychiatric issues months after recovering from an acute COVID-19 infection. Those issues include diminished focus, forgetfulness, and difficulty making decisions and multitasking. Stephen Ferrando, M.D., the Har Esh Professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the medical college, was the lead author of the study. “...[W]e found that many of these individuals were in fact not thinking clearly and it was not just about depression or medical comorbidities but something that the virus was doing in the brain that leads to residual cognitive problems. So, the takeaway message is that for patients who are complaining of post-COVID-19 cognitive issues, there may very well be something there. These complaints are not imagined. They are not psychosomatic and they need to be taken seriously.” The 60 participants in the study underwent neuropsychological, psychiatric, medical, functional and quality-of-life assessments six to eight months after suffering from COVID-19. Researchers examined the ability to remember things, to focus, to think abstractly, to plan and organize, as well as psychiatric measures, and found differences between the two groups of participants that were both statistically and clinically significant. Ferrando said, “And while we found that these types of cognitive problems are definitely correlated to how sick they were when they had COVID-19 (some described their illness as the ‘the worst flu they ever had’ for instance). None of these people were in the ICU.” Though their first research study on the topic is just newly published, Ferrando said researchers are already conducting further research with the same group of people. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Danny Jin is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the Pittsfield City Council and School Committee each have voted to endorse a November ballot question that would raise funds for education and transportation through an income surtax on top earners. Under the proposal, known as the Fair Share Amendment, Massachusetts residents that make more than $1 million in annual income would pay an additional 4 percent in taxes on income above $1 million. Roughly 21,000 taxpayers or [point] 6 percent of the Commonwealth's residents, would pay 5 percent in taxes on the first $1 million and 9 percent on income above that level. Frank Farkas, a member of the local committee, told the City Council last week that the ballot initiative provides a unique opportunity to support local schools, bring down tuition in community colleges and improve public transportation. Council Vice President Pete White said that he supports the initiative as a way to bring in revenue beyond property taxes or local fees. "This is a way we can bring in more money for education, for infrastructure, for transportation without directly taxing most of our citizens,” White said. Ward 2 City Council member Charles Kronick was the only member to vote against the resolution. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Greene Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Catskill has caused a spike in coronavirus cases in Greene County, according to Greene County Public Health. The agency announced March 24, there were currently 76 active positive coronavirus cases countywide, an increase from the 26 cases reported on March 21. Greene County Public Health said the dramatic increase was the result of a reporting lag from an outbreak that actually occurred the week before. “I don’t know if it was driven by staff or driven by clients,” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said of the outbreak. Greene Meadows Director of Nursing Eric Vedder did not immediately return calls for comment. The county identified 35 new COVID cases on March 24, with five county residents hospitalized due to COVID-related illness. There have been 10,174 confirmed cases in Greene County since the pandemic began in March 2020 and 122 deaths. The county has not recorded a coronavirus-related death since March 7. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Emilia Teasdale reports in the Columbia Paper that on March 7 the Kinderhook Town Board unanimously voted Yes on a Resolution Against Hate, joining many other Columbia County communities. The Town of New Lebanon, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, and the Town of Chatham passed the anti-hate resolution last year, and the Village of Chatham and the Village of Kinderhook passed a Resolution Against Hate this year. The towns of Clermont, Stuyvesant, and Copake have also enacted anti-hate/anti-violence resolutions. But the towns of Claverack, Greenport, and Stockport, and the villages of Philmont and Valatie have not passed resolutions of this kind. The Town of Kinderhook resolution reads, in part, that “our position [is] that violence of any kind is unacceptable and [we] condemn any act of aggression, hostility or violence against any member of our community based upon race, religion, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status or political affiliation.” Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Ashley Onion is reporting for The Daily Gazette officials in the city of Amsterdam, Montgomery County, were outraged to learn last week that a new business owner used a racial slur about the city in a post on social media. Corwin Hendy of Ravena, posted on his Facebook page last week asking for prayers as he sought planning board approval for his proposed nightclub on E. Main Street. In the post, he referred to the city as “Amsterrico,” a derogatory reference to the city's Hispanic population. Screenshots of the post were subsequently shared on social media, drawing backlash from community members who called out the term as disparaging. Hendy later apologized for using the term. “I would like to truly apologize for the name-calling of the city of Amsterdam, NY I meant no disrespect [n]or did I mean this in any racial way,” Hendy wrote. “This won’t ever be something I have to be warned about.” In the response, he did not address why he initially used the term. Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti said the post from the incoming business owner was upsetting. “It’s a very hurtful term for our city,” Cinquanti said. “I consider ourselves lucky to have the community we have and the diversity we have.” Cinquanti intends to meet with Hendy to explain why the use of the term is unacceptable in a city where 31.1 percent of its residents identify as Latino or Hispanic. Amsterdam Fourth Ward Alderman Stephen Gomula said, “It’s definitely a racial slur and it shouldn’t be used in any context. I don’t use it. When someone says that I correct them.” Read the full story in The Daily Gazette.

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Noah Eckstein reports for Columbia-Greene Media that activists from the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement nonprofit were among more than 1,000 workers, community members, and elected officials protesting in Albany March 23 for funding for undocumented immigrants, and self-employed workers in this year's state budget. “The Excluded Workers Fund was life-changing for those who received it, but in upstate New York, too many were left out,” said Iridian Lucas-Garcias, Excluded Workers Fund regional implementation coordinator of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. “It was heartbreaking to call community members to inform them that funds were closed and there would be no relief for them this year.” The Excluded Workers Fund was created in last year's state budget, and 130,000 New Yorkers received $2.1 billion in benefits. But that's all gone, and unless state legislators reup the program, those workers are out of luck. The state budget should be set up April 1. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Spectrum News reports that legal retail sales of cannabis have begun in New York, even before all the regulations are set. Native Americans have opened stores on Mohawk territory straddling the Canadian border, and on Seneca territory in western New York. The Cayuga Nation has two stores in the Finger Lakes. “We have been stepped on for so long and to have something like this happen, it’s almost liberating," said William Roger Jock, a partner in Good Leaf Dispensary on the land the Mohawks call Akwesasne. New York legalized recreational cannabis a year ago, but stores are not expected to be open for another year, as no licenses have been issued yet. “We know that there’s a big market for cannabis,” said Ryan White, who is opening a store on Mohawk land. “We see people as far as 50 miles away coming in. They come in for gas and for tobacco products, and we’re going to be targeting them too.” Read more about this story at Spectrum News.

The Daily Freeman reports that New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets is shutting down all live fowl shows and exhibitions until further notice because of the highly pathogenic avian influenza. Commissioner Richard A. Ball issued the order March 25 because of the outbreak in 17 states. “Avian influenza is a very serious threat to all poultry and breeds of fowl, and is continuing to spread in the United States,” Ball said in a statement. “By banning fowl shows and exhibitions in New York until further notice, we are taking a commonsense step to limit the co-mingling of birds to slow the spread of this disease in New York state and help keep our birds safe. Our poultry industry is a significant part of New York’s agricultural industry and steps like these are our best line of defense against the disease.” Four flocks of birds in New York have tested positive for HPAI so far. Last month a pheasant flock in Dutchess County and a backyard flock in Ulster County tested positive for HPAI. The ban may impact fair season later in the year. Animal health experts recommend poultry owners keep their birds away from wild ducks and geese and their droppings, and outdoor access for poultry should be limited at this time. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise with the COVID-19 pandemic in a more manageable stage, many local governments continue to stream their meetings online, allowing residents to attend from the comfort and safety of their homes. But not all towns in Albany County have retained the remote option. Currently, the Voorheesville Board of Trustees and the Knox, Berne, and Westerlo town boards have stopped live streaming public meetings. However, Westerlo is investigating the possibility and Knox Supervisor Russell Pokorny said he would bring the issue up at the next town board meeting. Berne Supervisor Dennis Palow did not respond when asked about live streaming Berne meetings and Voorheesville Mayor Richard Straut could not be reached. Paul Wolf, the president of the New York State Coalition for Open Government, a non-profit that advocates for government transparency, says that remote access during the pandemic increased the number of people who would watch meetings. Wolf said, “The New York Coalition For Open Government supports hybrid meetings, where the public can attend in person or participate remotely through a live stream. In addition to the live stream, meeting videos should be posted afterward so that people who missed the meeting can watch it at any time." A bill introduced in 2020 that would mandate meeting live streams is currently in committee in the New York State Legislature. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman.the New York state Assembly has approved a law that would require utilities to submit weather event emergency plans to the Public Service Commission within 24 hours. Assemblymember Kevin Cahill said the legislation has made its way through the Assembly and a Senate version is currently pending. According to Cahill’s office, the law requires “electric utilities to develop and submit emergency weather event response plans to the Public Service Commission, including staffing procedures as well as catalog restoration after 24-hour periods.“ Cahill said in a statement that storm preparedness has become a significant concern for many. “When a utility provides power to consumers, it is the responsibility of that company to take every measure to ensure that those services are maintained through extreme weather to the best of their ability and reconnected as early as possible in the event of an outage,” he said. According to Cahill's office, the ice storm that struck on February 4, caused nearly 50,000 Ulster County outages and some of those outages lasted for five days. Central Hudson spokesperson Joseph Jenkins said this week the company already submits plans to state regulators. “Central Hudson has developed and follows an electric emergency plan that is reviewed, updated and approved annually by state regulators, then shared with county officials." He said the plan includes a storm classification system that details staffing levels, preparations, operations, the process by which the company acquires mutual aid. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics that the statewide unemployment rate declined to below five percent in February, as the state economy slowly recovers the jobs lost during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. The state Department of Labor, on March 24, announced the private-sector unemployment rate fell from 5.3 percent to 4.9 percent statewide. The private-sector job count increased in the state by [point] 5 percent and added 39,800 jobs. New York City has struggled with an unemployment rate far higher than the rest of the state and in February, some improvements were made. The city's unemployment rate dropped from 7.6 percent to 7 percent last month. Outside of New York City, the jobless rate is approaching a record low since 1976, declining from 3.6 percent to 3.4 percent, according to the Department of Labor. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.