Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper that the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition has offered to pay the back rents of Hudson Housing Authority tenants. The offer was made in an email to HHA officials on February 9 and in their regular monthly video conference February 10. The Housing Authority runs the 125-unit Bliss Tower building and the 15-unit Columbia Apartments, all located in Hudson's Second Ward. The Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition defines itself as a black-led initiative that empowers public housing and low-income tenants to fight for housing justice. Housing Authority Board Vice-Chair Claire Cousin is also the executive director of the HCHC Board and county supervisor representing the city’s First Ward. The offer from the coalition was triggered by the expiration of New York's eviction moratorium on January 15. And, said the coalition's Senior Policy Advisor Quintin Cross, “public housing tenants are at the bottom of priority for Emergency Rental Assistance Program support.” The February 9 email was sent to the six members of the Housing Authority board and to its interim executive director, Nick Zachos. Zachos called the offer “Amazing! An incredible thing for a lot of folks! ...” Cross said the coalition does not know the number of people behind on their rent. The amount of money was under “discussion.” The offer is only for people who live in Bliss or the Columbia Apartments. Read more in The Columbia Paper.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that Greene County officials sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul February 17, demanding that she drop masking requirements in New York schools no later than Feb. 25. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, run by scientists, currently recommends wearing masks to prevent sickness and death. The letter from the legislature, which is not made up of scientists, demands the mandate requiring unvaccinated teachers to be frequently tested be dropped, as well. Hochul in August ordered universal masking in schools, and last week confirmed she would reconsider the policy on March 4 and possibly rescind it later that week. With schools closed this week, the legislators are asking for Hochul to speed up her timeline by a week, without citing any scientific reason. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Liz Montgomery is reporting for Porcupine Soup that New York hunters killed 1,346 black bears during the 2021 hunting seasons, the Department of Environmental Conservation has announced. Overall, hunting numbers declined from last year, but the Catskills dead bear count was the highest. In Greene County, 63 bruins were killed. Statewide, the largest bear reported to DEC was a 560-pound bear taken in the town of Hunter. Hunters killed an estimated 403 bears in the Northern Zone and 943 bears in the Southern Zone. Statewide there is generally an alternating pattern of high and low bear harvest from year to year, which is influenced by fluctuating patterns in cub production and food availability, the DEC says. In Greene County, bear death totals included: two in Ashland, 14 in Cairo, ten in Catskill, three in Durham, three in Greenville, one in Halcott, 15 in Hunter, two in Jewett, three in Lexington, one in New Baltimore, eight in Prattsville, and one in Windham. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

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Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that attorneys for a State Police investigator filed a federal lawsuit against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo's former spokesperson Richard Azzopardi, and the State Police. The 31-year-old State Police investigator's name is being kept out of the story by the Times Union, as she alleges Cuomo sexually harassed and inappropriately touched her. That came after a former Cuomo aide told State Police to change the rules so that the trooper would qualify to be placed on the former governor's protective detail. Azzopardi was not in the lawsuit filed Feb. 17, but was added Feb. 18 after he Tweeted remarks attacking her legal team. Cuomo resigned as governor last year after 11 women accused him of sexual harassment. Azzopardi said Feb. 17 that Cuomo will "fight every attempt at cheap cash extortions and is anxious to have the dirty politics stop — we look forward to justice in a court of law." Paul Schectman, an attorney for DeRosa, said, that "according to the trooper’s own testimony Melissa’s only interaction with her was to say 'hello and goodbye.' It is not a viable case anywhere in America and is beyond frivolous." The Times Union previously reported that, "the female trooper had moved up in the ranks of Cuomo's protective detail quickly, securing a position as the governor’s driver in a much shorter timeframe than is normal, according to former senior members of the detail who are familiar with its machinations," according to the story. Among the allegations the trooper is making against Cuomo, she says that in August 2019 the former governor asked the trooper about her plain-clothes attire, about why she never wore a dress, and about why she always wore dark-colored clothing. Then Cuomo sent her a text message saying that it, "stays in the truck." She also alleges other issues, including that Cuomo asked her why she would get married, as "it always ends in divorce, and you lose money, and your sex drive goes down." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Noah Eckstein reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Common Council voted unanimously Feb. 15 join the Columbia County Board of Supervisors resolution against hate. There have been several racist incidents in the Hudson Valley lately, with a hate group rallying in Chatham, East Greenbush, and Woodstock. Currently 12 Columbia County towns have signed on to the resolution: New Lebanon, Taghkanic, Germantown, Ancram, the town and village of Chatham, Hillsdale, Ghent, Austerlitz, Livingston, Canaan, Gallatin and now Hudson. Three towns are considering backing the resolution: Clermont, Copake, and Greenport. But seven towns have taken no action on the issue: Claverack, the town and village of Kinderhook, Stockport, Stuyvesant, Philmont, and Valatie. The lack of action does not sit well with Michael Richardson, founder of Hate Watch Report, a website tracking acts of hate in New York. “Hate and violence happen right here,” Richardson said. “When government leaders are silent it sends a message that maybe hate is OK and it’s not.” Hudson officials are not being silent about the recent hate acts that include recruiting stickers for hate groups on telephone poles and electrical boxes in Hudson and Stockport. “I wholeheartedly support Hudson backing the resolution against hate,” Mayor Kamal Johnson said. “I think our city has to make every effort to show that we are an inclusive and loving community and hate will not be tolerated here.” Full disclosure: Johnson is a volunteer programmer at WGXC. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the Town of Cairo has completed a survey of what residents want for the Angelo Canna Town Park. Requests include more shade, an upgraded playground, more bathrooms, a seasonal ice rink, and better lighting. The engineering consultants Barton & Loguidice unveiled a master plan for the park at the Feb. 16 town board meeting. “A master plan looks at your existing conditions, looking at opportunities and constraints, and guides the town moving forward to make decisions,” explained Landscape Architect Leigh Jones. The park, located behind Main St. and next to the Shingle Kill, has large green spaces, sport fields and athletic courts. But there is poor drainage and it often floods. “There is parking space, but there is not a lot of shade. When we were out there every car was parked in an area where there was shade,” Jones said. “Drainage was a huge thing, too. There is a lot of poor drainage.” The survey showed 74 percent of respondents use the park for walking, 43 percent use the playground, and 33 percent walk their dogs or use the dog park. “There was a lot of interest in possibly having a splash park or seasonal ice rink, and the biggest issues everyone was saying were the existing bathrooms and also drainage,” Jones said. “One thing we looked at was upgrading the existing pavement within the park and I know the county is working with the town on this.” Town officials were not quoted in the article saying what the next steps would be to improve the park. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

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Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Common Council has approved the use of $139,565 in Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to help complete of a pedestrian safety improvement project at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Green Street. In 2020, Stewart’s Shops, the business located at that intersection, donated $200,000 to begin improvement work, specifically for renovating crosswalks, sidewalks and adding new traffic lights. In response to the gift, the city funded an agreement with the Albany-based engineering firm Creighton Manning to design an improved and safer intersection. The firm's design was completed in early 2021, at a price way beyond the original amount that was budgeted and the project stalled. The updated estimate for the project is now $339,565. In a meeting February 15, the council voted to allocate the additional funds needed from the city’s federal money. Common Council President Thomas DePietro said there would be a new pattern of traffic for the intersection with a proposed new traffic light system and clearly marked pedestrian crosswalks. Peter Bujanow, Department of Public Works Commissioner, said the idea for a pedestrian island would not function properly in the intersection because it is a truck route. However, he assured that a new camera signal system will be adjusted to better serve the intersection. Note: DePietro is a WGXC on-air volunteer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting Frontier Airlines has announced it has added service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from New York Stewart International Airport. Since Frontier began nonstop service between Stewart and Orlando and Miami in late 2021, the routes have been very popular. Service to Fort Lauderdale began on February 17. Florida destinations have traditionally been very popular from the Orange County hub since scheduled service began in 1990. The anticipated merger of Frontier and Spirit Airlines will likely open additional routes from Stewart in the coming months. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Robert Gavin is reporting for the Times Union New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore on February 16, said rebuilding New York's outdated trial court structure that too often fails to be racially and financially equitable is her top priority. In her annual State of the Judiciary address, DiFiore highlighted the findings of former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh [Jay] Johnson, whose independent review of the state courts found a “second-class system of justice for people of color” and  “dehumanizing” and “demeaning” culture in criminal, civil, family, and housing courts. DiFiore commissioned Johnson to review the system after the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer led to a nationwide conversation on historic inequities facing people of color. DiFiore said it would take the three branches of state government to remedy what she described as "an absolutely unacceptable state of affairs." New York’s court system includes 11 separate trial courts, the most in the country. It has not been substantively updated in 60 years, according to DiFiore, who also is the chief judge of the Court of Appeals. DiFiore said the problems are most apparent in the high-volume courts that serve families dealing with issues such as eviction, child custody and support, consumer debt, and other critical matters. Legislation that seeks to simplify the court system is currently pending in both the state Senate and Assembly. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Cloey Callahan reports for the Times Union that more New Yorkers moved to the Hudson Valley in 2021 than to any other part of the state, according to a newly released annual survey by Piece of Cake Moving and Storage. Ulster County saw 329 percent more people move into the county than out of it last year, the report said. “It was surprising, especially because in 2020 we’ve had a great number of moves and Florida was one of the most popular destinations,” said Vojin Popovic, CEO of Piece of Cake Moving and Storage. “So, seeing in the last year that more people moved to Ulster County on a percentage basis was a surprise for us.” And Greene, Dutchess, Orange, Columbia, and Sullivan counties also had triple-digit percentages of new transplants moving in versus locals moving out, among the highest in the state. The moving company admits that some second homeowners are included in these statistics. “People figured out for themselves that they don’t have to essentially be in the city, but they still like to stay close to the city,” he said. “That’s why we’ve seen great growth in number of moves to the Hudson Valley.” And while many people moved to the Hudson Valley from New York City since the pandemic began, some have returned. “A great number of moves went back to the city too,” Popovic said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that for unannounced "personal reasons" Stephen Kralovich resigned from the Cairo Town Board on Feb. 12. “It has been an honor serving the people of Cairo but due to unforeseen personal circumstances I must step aside,” Kralovich wrote in an email to the board. Kralovich is a Republican, with a term set to end December 31, 2023. Instead, on Feb. 16 the board appointed Republican Debra Birk Bogins to fill the seat. Bogins failed to win a nomination for the board last March at the Republican caucus. Instead, Mary-Jo Cords and Michael Flaherty got the nominations, and both won in the general election. Bogins said she wants to, “make the town a better place and be a team: the board and the public.” Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that even if retail sales of cannabis in New York are more than a year away, farmers may begin growing the plant soon. New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey, a Democrat from Saugerties, sponsored a bill that passed that authorizes the Office of Cannabis Management to issue conditional cannabis cultivator and processor licenses to existing hemp growers to “ensure that when dispensaries open, a variety of New York products can enter the marketplace on day one of retail sales,” Hinchey’s office said in a statement. These conditional licenses will expire on June 30, 2024, when all the state regulations should be in place, and retail sales should be throughout the state. “Last year, with the historic passage of the (new marijuana laws), New York set the foundation for a legal cannabis industry predicated on social equity, inclusion, and ensuring that economic success stays local,” Hinchey said in a statement. There is a Social Equity Mentorship Program to provide emerging social and economic equity cultivators and processors, included in the temporary measure. "Our existing hemp growers, who have been some of the hardest hit by market fluctuations, already have the knowledge base to meet this need, and I’m proud to sponsor legislation to help them obtain conditional licenses, which will allow New York to implement its cannabis program faster," Hinchey said in a statement. Hinchey's 46th Senate District includes Greene County. Assemblyperson Chris Tague, a Republican from Schoharie who also represents Greene County, voted against the bill. Tague’s office said the measure would “implement a requirement for those seeking temporary adult-use cannabis cultivation and processing licenses to unionize their labor force, (and he is) speaking out against the financial burden such a requirement would put on farmers who have already been subjected to a flurry of costly new mandates and regulations in recent years.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County Highway and Solid Waste Department Superintendent Scott Templeton told the Greene County Legislature on February 14, that two planned Greene County bridge construction projects will be delayed until 2023. During the Public Works Committee meeting, Templeton told officials that the Timberlake Road Bridge in Lexington and the Bloomer Road Bridge in Hunter have been put off. “Unfortunately, they have been delayed due to right-of-way clearance issues,” Templeton said. “We’re working with our right-of-way consultant. Unfortunately, there are two or three properties that are difficult to work out. We should be moving forward with that and 2023 looks like the schedule for those.” Once completed, the Bloomer Road Bridge will cross over Gooseberry Creek in Hunter, while the Timberlake Road Bridge will span Broad Street Hollow in Lexington. The bridges have already been designed and previously submitted to the state Department of Transportation. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi has chosen Diana Reyna, a former New York City Council member and ex-deputy Brooklyn borough president, to run as his lieutenant governor. He made the announcement as Democrats meet for their state convention in New York City this week. Suozzi will challenge incumbent Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary for governor. “Diana believes that public service is about getting things done to improve the lives of the people we serve,” Suozzi said. “... Diana will partner with me to ensure that New York State government addresses the critical issues of public safety, affordability, and improving our education system.” In New York, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in party primaries. Reyna would face incumbent Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin in a primary, and the winner would run with the victor of the gubernatorial primary in a general election. The announcement was Suozzi's first major endorsement in the gubernatorial race. Hochul, who assumed office in August, has locked in a majority of the state's political establishment. If elected, Reyna would be the first Latina woman to serve statewide. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.