Columbia-Greene Media report some of the unofficial results from the March 15 village elections. In Kinderhook, Michael Abrams, with 322 votes, led Barry Knights, with 28 votes, and Quinn Murphy, with 118 votes, for mayor. Knights, the third place finisher, was best known for pulling a gun on a passing "Black Lives Matter" protest in 2020. The other contended election locally, where there were more candidates than positions available, was in Tannersville. In the election there for village trustee, John P. Gallagher led with 66 votes, but absentee ballots will need to be counted to see who finished second, as Kimberly O. Thompson led with 33 votes over Mary Susan Timpson with 31 votes. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics under budget proposals advanced by state lawmakers this week, more money would be made available to local health departments in the new fiscal year. The state Assembly's budget plan matches funding levels proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. At the same time, the state Senate would add additional resources to county fringe rates and backs restoration of funding to New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In the last year, local health officials called for additional resources to support local departments, which have been strained for the past two years by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah Ravenhall, the executive director of the New York State Association of County Health Officials said the Legislature's one-house budget has responded to the association's request for increased funding for local departments. However, officials are looking for more funding, including aid for combating lead poisoning in children. "Each year 17,000 of our children are exposed to lead, putting them at risk for developing devastating health consequences, and giving New York State the dubious distinction of having the highest number of children afflicted by lead poisoning. We can and must do better," Ravenhall said. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

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

Columbia-Greene Media report the first results from the March 15 village elections. In Catskill, there was a potential rout. Candidates running on the Democrat and Action Party lines led for all three spots on the village board, while those running on the Republican and Village Visions lines were behind. Incumbent Republican Jeffrey Holliday was losing to Democrat Michelle Williams 356 to 290 for one seat. Incumbent Democrat Natasha Law, with 378 votes, and Democrat Megan Henry, with 344 votes, led for the two other seats. Jamie Hyer-Mitchell, with 278 votes, and Diane Petrianni-March, with 244 votes, who ran on the Republican and Village Visions, trailed behind. But Catskill Democrats should wait for the absentee ballots before celebrating. Last year, Williams led with a 55-44 percent margin over Holliday when the unofficial results were announced on election night, virtually the same as in this election. But after counting 265 absentee ballots last year, Holliday won 199 of them, giving the retired New York State Trooper a 451 to 369 win over Williams.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that more than $800,000 in federal funding is expected for broadband in the towns of Ghent, Canaan, New Lebanon, and Austerlitz. Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill last week which allocates nearly $830,000 in funding, which will become available after the measure is signed into law by President Joe Biden. A broadband study conducted for Columbia County in 2021, found there are more than 1,200 unserved addresses that do not have access to broadband. Columbia Economic Development Corporation President and CEO F. Michael Tucker said, “With these funds it is anticipated that close to 25 percent of those addresses will get access to broadband service, reducing the need for the funding necessary to serve all of Columbia County.” Three hundred homes and businesses of the 1,250 unserved addresses in the county are located in the four towns named, Tucker said. “We have seen estimates of $10 million to $12 million needed to serve all 1,250 addresses but are awaiting detailed cost estimates from the four broadband providers in the county," he said. The four towns began issuing Requests for Proposals for the broadband work in January. U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado announced he voted for the federal bill last week, which his office said included funding for nine Delgado-led community projects in the district. “The investments in this package address some of our nation’s biggest challenges while providing much needed support to my constituents in upstate New York,” the Rhinebeck Democrat said in a statement. “With this funding we are investing in the middle class, lowering costs for working families, creating American jobs and supporting vulnerable folks in our communities.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman the public failed to show on March 14, for a public hearing on a recommendation by the Ulster County Periodic Review Committee to give pay raises to the county’s elected officials. The committee has recommended the salaries of the four countywide elected officials be increased by $15,000. The salaries would increase by $7,500 this year and $7,500 in 2023. It has also recommended the rank-and-file legislators and caucus leaders receive a $2,000 raise over two years and that the salary for the Legislature chairperson be increased by $2,500 over two years. The county executive, sheriff, and comptroller have not had pay raises since 2009. The county clerk’s salary has not changed since 2005. The county executive is now paid $133,572. If the recommended pay hikes are approved, that salary would increase to $148,572 by 2023. The salaries of the other county officials would increase to $116,709 by 2023. Although no one from the public offered an opinion on the proposed salary increases this week, the comptroller, clerk, and sheriff each submitted letters and appeared before the committee urging salary hikes for their positions, noting that their salaries are lower than those paid to their peers in other counties. The recommendation will now go to the county legislature for consideration. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that allowing customers to take alcoholic drinks as part of a takeout order from restaurants apparently is not happening in New York this year. The Democratic majority in the legislature did not include the measure in their budget proposals this year, and Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowleded on March 14 the issue would not pass this year. "I want to make sure that happens," she said of a permanent extension of the alcohol-to-go provision. "We'll find the right place to get it done. This is something New Yorkers are excited about." Restaurants were allowed to sell to-go alcohol in New York during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now lobbying efforts from bars and liquor stores may have changed some lawmakers opinions. "This is to help businesses. This is to help them recoup money they lost during the pandemic," Hochul said. "This is a lifeline for them. I don't want to cut off that lifeline that our businesses are begging for and I want to get it done before the end of session." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that the Town of New Baltimore and Village of Tannersville are getting millions of dollars in loans and some grant money for water infrastructure projects from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation. On March 14, the state organization announced $1,875,733 in long-term, interest-free financing and a $111,712 grant for wastewater system upgrades for the Town of New Baltimore and $2,249,788 in long-term, interest-free financing and a $534,835 grant to rehabilitate the Tannersville water treatment plant, arsenic removal treatment for the Rip Van Winkle Well, additional groundwater source capacity, replacement of aged water mains and meters, and rehabilitation of the existing water storage tank in Tannersville. In a press release, Governor Kathy Hochul explained the water funding source. "With a surge in funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and historic investment in clean water initiatives in my Executive Budget, we will work together with local governments to modernize New York's water infrastructure to protect public health and the environment and help ensure a robust economy," Hochul said. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Tracy Ziemer reports in the Times Union that a 157-acre property for sale in Old Chatham would set a record for the highest residential sale in Columbia County if the owners received their $15 million asking price. The property at 47 White Bridge has eight bedrooms and nine-and-a-half baths in a building from 1775. The main farmhouse, though, has been updated with radiant flooring, a large kitchen, several wood-burning fireplaces. The Times Union says right now Columbia County's most expensive residential real estate is a 90-acre Kinderhook estate known as “Folly Farm” that sold in 2019 for $8 million. In August 2021, a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom home in Valatie came close, selling for $6.25 million. Meanwhile, the Hudson Valley has an affordable housing crisis, with higher prices driving long-time residents out of the market. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

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

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.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that seven members of New York's congressional delegation are endorsing tuition assistance for people in prison. But Reps. Antonio Delgado and Paul Tonko, who represent citizens locally, are not on the list to end a decades-long ban on tuition for prisoners. Reps. Ritchie Torres, Nydia Velazquez, Greg Meeks, Jamaal Bowman, Grace Meng, Hakeem Jeffries, Carolyn Maloney, and Mondaire Jones, are backing Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to extend higher education courses for people in New York prisons. Proponents argue that re-establishing access for people in prison to the Tuition Assistance Program would reduce recidivism, increase the job opportunities out of prison, and help narrow a racial inequality gap. "Allowing incarcerated students to benefit from TAP is a long overdue and straightforward action that builds opportunity, promotes equity, strengthens democracy, and affirms our commitment to racial justice in New York state," said the lawmakers in a letter they all signed. Nationally, Congress has already lifted a ban on Pell Grant eligibility for people in prison after a 25-year ban. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

There aren't too many times the entire Hudson Valley delegation in the House of Representatives votes the same way, but they did March 9 on the "Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act." Republican Elise Stefanik and Democrats Antonio Delgado, Paul Tonko, and Sean Maloney all voted for the measure, which passed 414-17. The bill to cut off American oil funds from Russia after their invasion of Ukraine was opposed by two far-left Democrats, Ilhan Omar and Cori Bush, and 15 far-right Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Paul Gosar.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that dairy farms have been complaining recently about having to pay overtime wages to workers, the kind that grocery store employees get. Now they also want New York City not to ban chocolate milk because they say they will sell less of the dairy product. And they have Democrats such as Rep. Antonio Delgado and Republicans such as Assemblymember Chris Tague on their side. “It is critical that children have access to school meals that support their growth and wellbeing,” Delgado said in a statement. “I am deeply concerned by attempts to ban flavored milk from New York City Schools. This would limit access to the life-enhancing nutrients within milk and negatively impact our dairy farmers, producers, and agriculture partners across New York.” Delgado and other New York state members of the Congress have signed a letter objecting to the removal of chocolate milk from New York City schools. They include Republicans Elise Stefanik, John Katiko, Tom Redd, Claudia Teeney, Chris Jacobs, and L:e Zeldin and Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney. “Studies have shown that reducing or eliminating the availability of flavored milk in schools has led to overall decreased milk consumption and increased food waste,” the letter said. “In fact, a study of Oregon schools by Cornell found total daily milk sales declined by 9.9 percent when flavored milk was removed from the cafeteria and was associated with 6.8 percent fewer students eating lunch.” Tague agreed. “Cold, refreshing chocolate milk with a school lunch is a small, timeless joy that has carried students through the challenges of academia for decades,” Tague said in a statement. “The thought of taking this small treat from our children, along with significant revenue from our dairy farmers, is incredibly callous and reeks of nanny-statism.” The elected officials did not tout chocolate milk as better nutrionally for children, but instead focused on sales of milk for dairy farmers. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Caleb Guerrido is reporting for the Legislative Gazette state Sen. James Tedisco has announced new legislation, with 12 of his Republican colleagues, requiring an official investigation into the more than 15,000 nursing home-related deaths that occurred in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another measure would designate March 25 as a day of remembrance for the lives lost to COVID statewide. Recently, the new Health Commissioner Mary Bassett advocated for a forward-looking approach for the current administration, but some Republicans are not ready to move on just yet. “This push isn’t about living in the past. It’s about ensuring the health and safety of all New Yorkers now and in the future,” said Sen. Sue Serino, a Republican member of the Aging Committee. “Dr. Bassett showed a complete disregard for these 15,000 New Yorkers, when she said during her recent confirmation hearings that she will not look back, or in her words, unravel, what happened with the former administration.” Both bills are currently in committee. Read the full story in the Legislative Gazette.

The Daily Freeman is reporting a proposal to bring “affordable, convenient, electric micro-transit, on-demand through a mobile app” to the city of Kingston and Ellenville has been selected as a phase one awardee in a statewide grant program. The Ulster Connect proposal was awarded a phase one grant through the New York Clean Transportation Prizes’ “Clean Neighborhoods Challenge,” according to a press release. The proposal will be the first mobility service of its kind in Ulster. It is a joint initiative between the county, Sustainable Hudson Valley, Family of Woodstock, and Via. Via is a company that builds software to enable its customers to transform their transportation systems into digital networks. The plan is still in the planning stages, according to information from the county executive’s office. The Ulster Connect micro-transit app will make it possible for users to book a ride to a location within the Kingston and Ellenville region using Via’s algorithms. The users will be directed to a “virtual bus stop” within a short walking distance, allowing for quick, efficient, shared trips that provide more flexibility than traditional public transit fixed routes and schedules. Users without smartphones will be able to book a ride through a call center. Ulster Connect is one of 17 projects announced through phase one of the competition and is now eligible to compete for up to $85 million in grand prizes under phase two. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics advocates for home care workers in New York are applauding the inclusion of a pay raise provision for those workers as part of the legislative budget proposals to be released this week. The first step toward a worker pay hike was included in the spending plans backed by Democrats in the state Assembly and Senate. “New York faces the worst home care shortage in America — and this crisis has left tens of thousands of aging adults and disabled people without care and forced them into dangerous nursing homes," said Ilana Berger, the co-director of the New York Caring Majority, a coalition formed to back the pay raise. "The facts are clear: permanent, fair wages will keep home care workers from continuing to flee the sector. If New York pays home care workers a fair wage, the state can quickly wipe out the home care shortage, keep aging adults and dsiabled people safe at home, and save the state money." A home care worker shortage could be worse in the coming decades as the state's population of people age 65 and older will increase by 25 percent in the next 19 years. The number of adults over the age of 85 is projected to increase by 75 percent. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

The Catskill High School Leadership Greene Club on Mon., Mar. 14, hosted the Catskill Village Board candidates for a student led Meet the Candidates event. The live event, held in the high school library, featured all six candidates responding to questions developed by the students. Each candidate was also given two-minute opening and closing remarks.

Today's daily news update.

The Daily Star reports that Nicholas Chase, a substitute teacher in Delaware County, announced March 10 his candidacy for state Assembly representing the Democratic Party in the newly drawn 102nd district, composed of Greene and Schoharie Counties, as well as parts of Albany, Delaware, Otsego, and Ulster Counties. Republican Chris Tague from Schoharie currently holds the seat. Chase is running as a Democrat. “I was raised on a small farm in Delaware County. When the pandemic hit, I found employment in a field that needed employees badly, education," Chase said. "My employment there has inspired me to run for this office. As a state, we have a lot to fight for. I’m running because I’d like to ensure that life in Central (New York) works for my students, post-high school.” As a teacher, he used his campaign announcement to talk about children. First and foremost, we want to navigate our state out of this pandemic, and rectify the educational, societal, and economic impacts it has unleashed on us. We want our children to have access to broadband internet to bolster the quality of their education. We want our farm kids to be able to inherit their farms, work hard to put food on our table, and make a comfortable profit while doing so. We want our children to grow up knowing that they can go to the doctor without fear of how they’re going to pay for it. Most importantly, we want our children to see people with morals and compassion leading the way to a better future for all of us. We all want the same thing, a better place for all of us to live and raise our families, let’s put our differences aside and work for it,” he said. Read more about this story at The Daily Star.