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.

Andrea Macko reports at Porcupine Soup that after the town board removed the chair of the Durham Historic Preservation Commission, three members of the group have resigned. Ellen Fried, Rosemary O’Brien, and Ken Mabey resigned March 4. That came after the town board did not reappoint Patrick Ciccone, the chair of the Town of Durham Historic Preservation Committee, after he wrote an affidavit against the town board in a lawsuit about a proposed housing development in the town. "We believe contempt for the commission was fully exposed when its chairperson, a professional historic preservationist with seven years on the commission, was dismissed without warning or explanation of any kind; and without even some minimal communication with the five remaining members of the commission, either before, or since the dismissal took place,” the three members of the commission wrote in their resignation letter. At the March 1 town board meeting, Durham Town Supervisor Shawn Marriott said, “It is a personnel issue, yes I can confirm Patrick was not reappointed.... But we do not discuss personnel matters… There are many things I would love to say, but cannot, so we will leave it at that.” Many Durham residents have spoken out against the Bosque Subdivision, a proposal to put 12 homes on 95 acres in Cornwallville. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that John Gallagher, Kimberly Thompson, and Susan Timpson are competing for two seats on the Tannersville Village Board in the March 15 election. Timpson is a Democrat who works for New York State, and previously served as a Tannersville Village Trustee. “I want to make sure that all voices are heard and that important issues are advanced,” Timpson said. “I think that my past elected experience in the Village of Tannersville and my professional experience will allow me to be an effective trustee and to meet the needs of our residents.” Thompson is a Republican, who is a counselor at a substance use disorder facility in Kingston and operates the Tannersville Laundromat. "I want to ensure the Village Water Department has what it needs to deliver safe and abundant water. I want to ensure that the Village Highway Department has what they need in order to keep pedestrian and vehicle traffic safely moving throughout the village. As our village grows the infrastructure needs to grow and improve as well," Thompson said. Gallagher is a Democrat, and a partner at a public affairs firm in New York City. "I think figuring out how we accommodate the tremendous amount of growth in the village, there’s some housing affordability issues for local people. I think figuring out how we create more workforce housing and protect workforce housing for local people is key," Gallagher said. Voting takes place 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., on March 15. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Cloey Callahan reports in the Times Union that on March 10 the maximum-security Downstate Correctional Facility in Dutchess County closes for good after more than 50 years. The Fishkill facility and five other prisons in New York all are closing on March 10. The Downstate Correctional Facility is the largest of the closures, with a staff of 644 and 688 inmates. The prison could hold up to 1,221 inmates. Employees and prisoners have been transferred to other facilities, such as employee Tom Sherilla, who was transferred to the Green Haven prison. “It’s a family,” said Sherilla of his coworkers. “When people say you have to have each other’s back, that’s very true. You have to trust these people. You work with them day in and day out. Now, we have to start a new family somewhere else.” Over the least decade, over 20 other prison facilities have closed in New York. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Michael DeMasi is reporting for Albany Business Review the Hudson Development Corp.'s sale of the former Kaz Inc. warehouse located in Hudson's 1st Ward was finally closed on March 4. The former manufacturing site sold for $3 million to South Front Street Holdings LLC, according to Branda Maholtz, HDC executive director. The transaction included three parcels, totaling 4.5 acres, and are located at 72 South Front St., 14 Montgomery St. and 17 Montgomery St. The land is one of the last remaining developable parcels in the city, Maholtz said. Officials have tried for years to get the site redeveloped after Kaz, the maker of humidifiers, air purifiers and other products, closed the manufacturing facility in 2008, putting more than 300 people out of work. Median home prices in Columbia County have recently increased sharply, rising nearly 55 percent from 2017 to 2021, to $379,000, according to Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress. Columbia County has recorded the fourth-fastest growth rate among the nine counties of the lower Hudson Valley. The details for what will become of the former Kaz site are unknown. A $487,160 grant awarded from the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative will help defray the costs of tearing down an old warehouse to create a mixed-use development. Ben Fain, who owns real estate and describes himself online as an artist and entrepreneur, signed the deed on behalf of South Front Street Holdings LLC. He declined to comment on his plans for the property. Maholtz described Fain as an ambitious person who's willing to listen to others. F. Michael Tucker, the president and CEO of Columbia Economic Development Corp., worked with HDC to sell the property. He said, "We are excited about the transformational opportunity for redevelopment of Hudson's historic waterfront." Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.

MidHudson News is reporting Frontier Airlines announced Wed., Mar. 9, the launch of nonstop service between New York Stewart International Airport and Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. According to the airline, tickets on the routes will be as low as $39. The service to Atlanta is scheduled to take off three times per week beginning May 26. North Carolina’s Research Triangle will be accessed via twice-weekly flights between Stewart and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, also beginning May 26. Will Evans, senior manager of sales and distribution for Frontier Airlines, said in a prepared statement, “With the addition of these new routes, we will offer nonstop service to a total of five destinations from New York Stewart International Airport.” Airline executives announced that the introductory fares between Stewart and Atlanta begin at $39 and flights to Raleigh-Durham start at $49. Tickets much be purchased by March 15, to take advantage of the lower introductory prices. Other restrictions and requirements are available on Frontier’s website at FlyFrontier [dot] com. Frontier already offers flights from Stewart Airport to Orlando, Miami and Tampa in Florida. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Pete DeMola is reporting for the Times Union New York's annual ban on residential brush burning will begin next week, on Wed., Mar.16, and continue through May 14. The spring comes with an increased risk of wildfires and open burning of debris is the single-greatest cause of wildfires statewide, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Each year, forest rangers extinguish dozens of wildfires that burn hundreds of acres, the DEC said. “In addition, local fire departments — many of which are staffed by volunteers — all too often have to leave their jobs and families to respond to wildfires caused by illegal debris fires,” the DEC said in a statement. The state has enforced the ban since 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce air pollution. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Closings and delays for March 10:

Closings in Columbia County:
Columbia-Greene Community College | Closing at 5 p.m. No afternoon activities.
Germantown Central School District | Closing at 1:30 p.m.
Ichabod Crane Central School District | Open. No afterschool program. No afternoon or evening activities. Regular dismissal.
New Lebanon Central School District |  Open, No afternoon or evening activities.

Closings in Greene County:
Cairo-Durham Central School District | Open. No after school program. No afternoon activities, No aftershock events.
Greenville Central School District | Open. No afterschool program. No afterschool events. Regular dismissal.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | Closing at 12:15 p.m.: Elementary at 12:30 p.m.; Middle/High schools at 12:15 p.m. No afternoon BOCES. No afternoon activities.
UMC Daycare Norton Hill | Closing at 4:30 p.m.

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Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Richard Amedure, a Republican from Rensselaerville, will challenge Democrat state Senator Michelle Hinchey to a rematch in November. Hinchey beat Amedure by more than 3,000 votes in 2020, in the 46th District election. But not the district boundaries have changed, as has the name, now the 48th District. In 2020 the district included all of Montgomery and Greene Counties, along with parts of Albany, Schenectady, and Ulster Counties. The new district includes Ulster and Greene Counties and parts of Albany and Columbia counties. “There is no question―our state is moving in the wrong direction,” Amedure said. “This district, and our state, need a common-sense voice that will help lead New York State back in the right direction and stand up against the radical, unaffordable policies coming from Albany politicians.” Amedure is a U.S. Army veteran, retired New York State Trooper, and used to be on the Town of Rensselaerville Planning Board. Now he runs a small family farm. “One party rule has been a disaster for New Yorkers―it’s time to restore checks and balances in our government,” Amedure said. “We need to stop increasing taxes, particularly when inflation is at levels not seen in decades and our economy is still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Hinchey has announced she will run again. “I ran for office to be an advocate for our upstate communities, making sure our issues are reflected at the table. I am proud that over my first two years in office I have been able to deliver on that promise and am a strong voice for our upstate communities,” Hinchey said. “In my first year alone, my office and I passed over 30 bills with broad bipartisan support on important issues ranging from expanding healthcare and broadband access to making agriculture a key partner in the fight against climate change.” Voters will decide who represents the district on November 8. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that after a 24-year delay, and in the midst of a Hudson Valley housing crisis, Cairo officials finally approved the dispersal of $61,860 of funding from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant in 1998. $50,000 goes to the Cairo Development Foundation and $5,930 apiece to Mountainview Enterprises and Emmy Cross to rehabilitate low-income housing. The $50,000 for the Cairo Development Foundation was approved for dispersal in 2019, to cover the cost of renovations to two residential apartments on 467 Main St. the foundation owns. But then the resolution was pulled and the funds were not dispersed for the past three years. “We’re elated to finally get it,” Susan True, a member of the Cairo Development Foundation board, said Monday. “Everything’s already been spent and now we can recoup this money for other purposes — that’s what it was intended for way back when. They did everything they needed to revamp those two apartments and they’re beautiful. Now, we can go forward with other projects.” Mountainview Enterprises and Emmy Cross now have one year to use, or return, the grant money. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo won't say whether he is running for office, the state's board of elections implies he is. "Although former Gov. Cuomo has not announced any explicit plan to run for a specific public office, his conduct fits the definition of candidate set forth in Election Law," New York's Board of Elections Chief Enforcement Counsel Michael L. Johnson wrote in response to a complaint filed by good governments over Cuomo's use of campaign funds since his resignation in August. Cuomo has recently aired television commercials to rehabilitate his image, and this week began public appearances, after being accused of sexual harassment by 11 women. "I'm not going anywhere," Cuomo said March 6 after a public appearance. "I said what I said today and that's all I'm going to say today." Johnson, who was appointed by Cuomo, said that state Election Law "does not prohibit a former office holder, or anyone else from using campaign funds to test the waters for a future political candidacy." Cuomo has $16.4 million in campaign funds from his time as governor. "This isn't right that someone can leave office with a gigantic sum of money and then basically spend it in a campaign of relentless self-promotion," said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a three-way mayoral race is underway in the village of Kinderhook and two of the three candidates — Mike Abrams and Quinn Murphy — spoke March 6 at a forum sponsored by the Kinderhook Business and Professional Association. Abrams is running on the Old Kinderhook party line and Barry Knights, 57, is on the Kinderhook Ole’timers line. Murphy, 19, is the Kinderhook People’s party candidate. Knights was unable to participate, citing a prior engagement, and he later declined to speak with reporters about the election. Abrams and Murphy answered questions submitted by the audience. In his opening statement, Abrams talked about the importance of leadership. “When we’re choosing a mayor, we’re not choosing a mayor who is just going to run the day-to-day operations of our village,” Abrams said. “We’re also choosing a leader. ...We need someone who is going to set the priorities for our village and how we’re going to continue to grow and prosper together and we’re also choosing someone who is going to impact how we treat each other.” Murphy spoke about the village’s need for a mayor who is open-minded, energetic and proactive. “I see the opportunities that can make our village even stronger and safer,” Murphy said. “Not only do I see these opportunities but I have the practical ideas to actually implement them.” He noted the importance of communication and outlined some of his ideas on how to improve that communication between the village leadership and residents. The candidates took questions about village parking, climate change, grant ideas, Airbnb regulation and who the candidates would most like to have a cup of coffee with. Abrams noted his military and how he founded and now leads a nonprofit organization that helps military veterans and their spouses secure employment. Abrams is member of the village board, elected in 2020. Murphy spoke about his experience as a lifetime resident of the village and how he is a political science major at Siena College. He talked about knowing “every little nook and cranny” of the village, which he said he knows inside and out. Knights, the candidate not at the event, is best known for pulling a gun on a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest when it passed by his house in July, 2020. “Protesters reported two Kinderhook subjects initiated a verbal argument while armed with a handgun," according to a statement from State Police at the time. Now he says he was only "sticking up for law enforcement." Knights claims he never waved or pointed the gun at marchers, and the incident "had nothing to do with race." Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson marched in the protest and said at the time that the couple came out of their home yelling obscenities at the marchers, and then Knights wife waved the gun at the crowd before handing it to her husband. The couple was not charged with a crime. The winner of the March 15 election will replace Mayor Dale Leiser. The two candidates running unopposed for the two village board seats, Susan Patterson and Dorene Weir, also spoke at the candidates’ forum. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Brendan J. Lyons and Kenneth C. Crowe II are reporting for the Times Union that dozens of Rensselaer County workers and others have been served with federal grand jury subpoenas as part of a building FBI investigation focused on the filing of absentee ballots in elections over the past two years. The subpoenas for federal grand jury testimony later this month have been issued to rank-and-file county workers as well as to Jason Schofield, the Republican commissioner for the county's Board of Elections. Sources said the subpoenas were served on people who may have done campaign work or who had absentee ballots issued on their behalf. "I can't really discuss anything," Schofield said March 8. The latest series of subpoenas came after a group of subpoenas requesting documents from the Rensselaer County Board of Elections were served on February 3. They were served on the county days after FBI agents seized the mobile phones of county Operations Director Richard W. Crist and Jim Gordon, the county's director of purchasing. Both men are political allies of County Executive Steve McLaughlin. The seizures took place the same day McLaughlin appeared in Rensselaer County Court for a pre-trial conference in an unrelated criminal case involving the alleged theft and misuse of campaign funds. McLaughlin has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges in that case. The federal investigators are examining Gordon's role in gathering absentee ballots at a public housing complex in Lansingburgh. State Police investigators were reviewing Crist's involvement with absentee ballots in the Rensselaer mayoral race. Read more in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman that Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced March 8 the formation of the COVID-19 Commemoration Commission to develop a memorial honoring frontline workers and “memorializing the lives of Ulster County residents lost to COVID-19.” March 8 marked the two-year anniversary of the first reported COVID-19 case in Ulster County. Ryan has now named the 22 members of the commission responsible for “citing and curating a permanent monument in Ulster County to tell the story of the response and impact of the pandemic, and to highlight how the entire community rallied and supported each other during the course of this once-in-a-century pandemic,” according to a press release from Ryan’s office. Ryan said in the release, “...The COVID-19 Commemoration Commission will both highlight the service of our community members — from our doctors and nurses, to our teachers, to our first responders, and beyond — who rose to the challenge and risked their lives to protect us, as well as memorialize the hundreds of lives we tragically lost.” There is no cost estimate for the memorial yet, but it is expected to be included in the 2023 budget, according to Assistant Deputy County Executive Dan Torres. The members of the commission include Ulster County Legislature Chairperson Tracey Bartels; Ulster County Legislature Minority Leader Ken Ronk; Communication Workers of America Local 1120 representative Rob Pinto; United Way of Ulster County President Stacey Rein; and, New York State Nurses Association representative Estela Woych-Aquino. The commission will hold its first meeting in April, with a timeline for project completion, pending budget approval, in 2023. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.