MidHudson News is reporting beginning March 1, anyone shopping in Dutchess County shops and stores will not have to pay sales tax on clothing or footwear items costing less than $110. The sales tax exemption on clothing and footwear was adopted as part of the county's 2022 budget. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “Starting Tuesday, residents and visitors will now pay less when they need to make essential clothing and footwear purchases. Combined, we are delivering $20 million in sustained tax relief.” In New York, clothing, footwear, and items used to make or repair exempt clothing which are sold for less than $110 per item or pair are currently exempt from the state’s four percent sales tax. Dutchess County is one of only nine counties in New York to eliminate county sales tax on clothing and footwear items and the only county in the mid-Hudson Valley region to do so. Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver said, “At a time when many costs are going up for families, I am very proud that Dutchess County government is doing all we can to lower costs for our residents.” County retailers were notified of the sales tax change by the state Department of Taxation and Finance. Specific details of the exemption are available online. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Kinderhook Town Board on February 7, approved a motion to support the Community Solar Campaign recently okayed by the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. The town plans to build on the county plan to offer solar energy to residents. Kinderhook’s plan is similar to what other municipalities in the county have adopted, but instead of the board or the Climate Smart Committee vetting solar companies the town will use the companies vetted and approved by the county. Community solar projects are an array of solar panels installed in a sunny, offsite location, which allows residents and businesses to benefit from solar if they cannot (or choose not to) install panels on their own properties. Participants in community solar projects get credits toward their electricity bill by subscribing to a local clean energy project. Once a town approves a provider of the community solar, the town can publicize the company and there are grants available for the municipalities for getting residents to sign-up. Kinderhook could be eligible for a $5,000 grant if 10 households sign-up for the program. The towns of Chatham and Austertlitz have started Community Solar programs, as well. At the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on February 9, the board approved a resolution to enter into an agreement with Astral Power and Nexamp. The resolution allows the county Climate Smart Community Task Force to initiate a campaign to publicize and promote Community Solar opportunities. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

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Nick Reisman reports for Spectrum News that New York state's pension fund won't invest in Russian companies moving in the future, and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office is reviewing what getting out of current investments in Russian interests, his office said on March 1. Currently, New York's pension fund includes about $110.8 million in investments in Russian companies. Russia recently invaded Ukraine without provocation, and with much condemnation from around the world. “Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine has led to unprecedented sanctions against Russian companies and individuals,” DiNapoli said. “While American sanctions already prohibit investments in many Russian companies, I believe it is prudent to freeze purchases in all Russian companies due to the situation’s unpredictability and the likelihood that conditions will deteriorate. This will ensure that the Fund does not increase its minimal exposure to the Russian economy while completing its divestment review, consistent with my fiduciary duty." On Feb. 27, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to end state contracts and sever business links with Russia and Russian-backed entities. Read more about this story at Spectrum News.

The Guardian reports that former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children filed an appeal Feb. 28 of a judge’s decision requiring them to answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into Trump business practices. On Feb. 17, Manhattan judge Arthur Engoron ruled the Trumps had to testify by March 10. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, says she has evidence Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of assets such as golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits. Trump faces both civil and criminal charges on the matter and his lawyers argue that having him sit for a civil deposition is an improper attempt to get around a state law barring prosecutors from calling someone to testify before a criminal grand jury without giving them immunity. Read more about this story in The Guardian.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that two Democrats in Albany want to tax ammunition production in New York to fund for gun violence research. State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblyperson Pat Fahy introduced the measure in the state legislature. “As we seek to address New York’s rise in gun violence, it’s incumbent on us as legislators to identify fact-based approaches that will save lives and bring peace to our communities," Gounardes said. "By taxing ammunition, we are fairly funding research that will help us build smart and effective policies." New York recently created a research fund for studying gun violence, which is part of the state Department of Health and the State University of New York. The tax on ammunition would go there. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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While it might seem to some as if COVID-19 is over, officials from both Greene and Columbia counties both reported additional deaths from the virus on Feb. 28. The Greene County Public Health Department reported another death and 35 new cases on Feb. 28. There were 84 active cases and 12 hospitalized from there. Across the Hudson River, Columbia County officials reported another COVID-19 death Feb. 28, and 17 more cases. There were 33 active cases there, and 15 people currently hospitalized with coronavirus from Columbia County.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection on Feb. 28 released a statement warning residents about a fraud in which consumers receive in the mail a package they did not order. Known as a brushing scam, the swindle targets a recipient and turns them into a “verified buyer” for the purpose of writing fake positive online reviews of merchandise using the recipient’s name. The fake reviews boost or inflate the products’ ratings and sales numbers, which scammers hope results in an increase of actual sales. They also compromise the consumer's personal information at the same time. Acting Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said in a statement, “Receiving packages you did not order at your front steps does not mean it is your lucky day, but most likely, it is coming from someone using your personal information for their financial gain. Don’t fall for the brushing scams that are using you as bait to boost their online ratings with fake information.” To avoid being a victim of brushing scams, the Division of Consumer Protection offers the following tips: Recipients are under no obligation to pay for unsolicited merchandise and can consider it a gift. If a person does not want the item, it can be donated or simply disposed of it. The item does not have to be returned. Report it. If the item received is organic, report it to the USDA; other items should be reported to local authorities. Notify the retailer. If the package received is from a third-party retailer, ask them to remove any reviews under your name. Monitor your accounts. Your personal information may have been compromised. Examine your online shopping accounts and credit card bills for signs of unusual activity and check your credit report. Finally, change your password. More information is available by calling the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, or by visiting the state Division of Consumer Protection website.

Cloey Callahan reports in the Times Union that Ulster County has plans to turn its former county jail site into a neighborhood of mixed-income, intergenerational and workforce housing. The idea is to take a vacant building and address the ever-increasing demand for affordable housing across the entire Hudson Valley. “We’ve had the perfect storm around housing,” said Kevin O’Connor, CEO of Kingston-based RUPCO, a community organization that aims to make affordable housing accessible in Ulster County. “It’s created an absolute housing crisis. The phone rings every day at RUPCO,” he continued. “People are in desperate need of housing, and we have little to no resources.” There have been very few affordable housing projects approved anywhere in the Hudson Valley in recent years, as most rents and prices skyrocket from an influx of newcomers, and more rooms and houses are taken off the market for short-term rentals. Meanwhile, Ulster County's old jail has been vacant since 2007. The county's new plan, would replace that empty structure with 80 units of senior housing and 80 units of workforce housing that are affordable at a range of 30 to 130 percent of area median income. The housing units would include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. And the development will also include a community building, with a gathering and fitness space for residents and local organizations. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics that New York Republicans on Feb. 28 designated Paul Rodriguez as their candidate for state comptroller, in support of his bid to challenge incumbent Tom DiNapoli in November. Rodriguez in his acceptance speech pledged to be a "champion for the taxpayers" if elected. He last ran for office in 2021, when he was the GOP's New York City comptroller candidate. Rodrigeuz also vowed to shift the policy of DiNapoli's office to leverage the state pension's billions of dollars to achieve change from private-sector firms New York invests in. "The state pension fund should not be used to virtue signal and certainly should not be used to destroy industries like natural gas," Rodriguez said. DiNapoli has served as state comptroller since 2007 when he was selected by state lawmakers to replace Alan Hevesi. DiNapoli has since become the longest-serving Democratic official in the state. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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Darrell Camp reports for New York Now that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Feb. 27 to halt business transactions between New York state and Russia. That moves comes four days after Russian invaded Ukraine. “Russia and Putin have engaged in an unjustified and unprovoked attack on the sovereign nation of the Ukraine," the executive order from Hochul states. Hochul said the office of the state comptroller is also reviewing current state investments, to see if any are beneficial to Russia. “These are our fellow brothers and sisters. We worship with them, we go to restaurants with them, we celebrate their cultural festivals. They’re an important part of the fabric of New York State,” Hochul said. “So an attack on their country is truly an attack on all of us.” President Joe Biden has also levied sanctions against Russia since the invasion, Last week Hochul announced the newly-formed Joint Security Operations Center would monitor the possibility of Russian cyber-attacks on New York. Read more about this story at New York Now.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that New York's Inspector General Lucy Lang is creating a new position to coordinate investigations in prisons with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. In 2021 about 60 percent of the complaints filed with the inspector general's office were related to the corrections department. "There is a tendency to respond to the complaints in front of us rather than looking at the whole universe," Lang said. "Given the working relationship, and given the internal talent, it seemed to me like there really was an opportunity to do something much bigger with our mandate to oversee corruption, fraud and abuse in DOCCS." In January Lang's office released a report that found drug tests in state prisons had been administered improperly, leading to the the potential improper discipline or extended sentences for roughly 1,600 inmates. Some of those inmates faced solitary confinement after improperly administered drug tests. There were "excessively punitive responses for people who it turns out, in fact, were not using drugs while they were incarcerated," Lang said. "That was the first investigation that I concluded when I came on as (inspector general). It reflected to me that ... we have actually a very strong working relationship with DOCCS, notwithstanding the fact that we are essentially their watchdog." The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision oversees 17,000 employees, at 52 detention facilities holding more than 30,000 incarcerated individuals, as well as overseeing the parole of more than 31,000 former inmates. "The appointment by the inspector general is expected to reinforce this historic working relationship, which has included regular information sharing, discussion of emerging issues and trends, and the promotion of best practices within the corrections system," the office said in a statement. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

The Daily Freeman reports that a laboratory confirmed cases of bird flu in Dutchess and Ulster County, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County. A pheasant flock in Dutchess County and a backyard flock in Ulster County tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. Both flocks were killed to limit the spread of the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that HPAI does not present an immediate public health concern to humans. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have ever been detected in the United States. Anyone who suspects HPAI in their flock should call the State Animal Health Diagnostic Center, at (607) 253-3900, or email poultryhealth@cornell.edu or call the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) toll-free at (866) 536-7593. Read more about this story in The Daily Freeman.

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Michelle Del Rey is reporting for the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Feb. 27 that the state school mask mandate will end March 2, allowing children in New York to attend class without face coverings unless localities issue their own mandates. New York Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary Bassett joined Hochul at the press conference. The mask mandates at SUNY and CUNY colleges and universities will remain in effect. "My friends, the day has come," Hochul said. "This is a huge thank you to all the school districts, superintendents, the school boards, the administrators, the principals, the teachers, the parents and the children themselves. We stood together as a state." While masking in New York schools will no longer be required by the state, Hochul is also leaving it to localities to decide whether to continue mask mandates in schools. Some districts are expected to announce that they will not require masks, but will permit students and employees who want to continue wearing them to do so. Under the new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metrics released Feb. 24, most of New York is either at low or medium risk for COVID-19 and federal officials no longer recommend indoor masking, including in schools, in areas of low to medium risk. Read the full story in the Times Union.