Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Department of Health announced January 28, during the course of a three-month investigation, four tobacco retailers in the county had been found to be selling tobacco products to underage people, in violation of the state’s law. The four locations exposed during the investigation include Charron’s Market in Chatham, Love’s Travel Stop in Canaan, Xtra Mart in Livingston and the Elizaville Diner and Deli in Elizaville. Two of the violations occurred in September, the other two in November. “We were a little surprised we were getting people,” Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. “I think a lot of it had to do with places got a little lax in that we weren’t going out at one point because of COVID and then we started again. So it’s a little surprising, but it does happen.” Under state law, cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 21. New York raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21-years old in 2019. Public health departments are required to check compliance by tobacco retailers. Adolescents are enlisted to act as customers asking to buy cigarettes and they are trained by the Department of Health, Mabb said. The fine for the first offense of selling to a minor is $350, a second offense is $500 and the fine for a third violation is $1,000. If a business makes two sales to underage people within three years they lose their license to sell lottery tickets for six months, Mabb said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union how the proposal for redistricting before the state legislature will redraw the lines of local State Senators and Assemblymembers. Republican State Senator Daphne Jordan is drawn out of her district, as her home in Halfmoon is no longer in the 43rd Senate District under the proposal. Instead, the district is drawn from the north border of Rensselaer County to Poughkeepsie, although it does not include a few of the westernmost towns in Rensselaer, Columbia, and Dutchess counties. If Jordan does not decide to move into the new district that would have voted for President Joe Biden with 52 percent of its vote, the seat would be wide open. Katy Degaldo, spokesperson for the Senate Minority Conference, said in a statement. "Regardless of what the district lines look like in November, Sen. Jordan will continue to represent the best interests of all New Yorkers as she has since taking office in 2019.” The 45th Senate District is also radically different. Currently, it extends from north of Albany to the Canadian border is represented by Republican Daniel Stec. Under the new proposal, it includes Coeymans, Bethlehem, New Scotland, Cohoes, and the city of Albany, and Schodack, East Greenbush, and North Greenbush in Rensselaer County, and would seem an easy win for a Democrat. In the 48th State Senate District, Democrat Michelle Hinchey loses conservative Schoharie County, but now has Rensselaerville, Westerlo, Berne, Knox, and Guilderland in Albany County, and the western half of Columbia County, as well as all of Greene and Ulster counties to represent. In the Assembly, Republican Jake Ashby's 107th District gets a little bluer, adding in Delmar would be folded into a far-reaching 107th district, which would include parts of Washington County, Hoosick Falls, Kinderhook and Chatham. It would represent most of rural Rensselaer County. The district is currently represented by Assemblyman Jake Ashby, R-Castleton. The district would become modestly more Democratic, adding in Bethlehem in Albany County, and switching from eastern Columbia County towns to Chatham, Stuyvesant, Kinderhook, Ghent, and Stockport. Democrat Didi Barrett's 106th District is largely the same, but adds Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Canaan, New Lebanon, and Chatham in Columbia County. Republican Chris Tague's 102nd District leaves Columbia County, and adds Berne and Knox in Albany County, while switching from Saugerties to Shandakan in Ulster County. Independent observers continue to complain about the partisan nature of the new maps. "Partisan gerrymandering is banned under the state constitutional amendment passed in 2014, yet the maps released ... reflect a Legislature that appears to care more about favoring partisan interests than it does for fair maps," Laura Ladd Bierman, executive director of the league, said in a statement Feb. 1. While Democrats drew the lines in their favor this time, the Republican-led Senate drew these maps ten years ago after the partisan-split Legislature could not agree. The congressional lines were drawn by a judge. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that as a town board member in August, Jason Watts voted for a $70,000 land purchase by the Town of Cairo. But now, as Town Supervisor, Watts wants to renege on the deal. Watt says the $70,000 land purchase is not included in the town's 2022 budget. Watts says former Town Supervisor John Coyne fooled him into believing the purchase was necessary for water infrastructure. “I voted for it because we were taking the supervisor’s advice on why we needed it,” Watts said Jan. 31. “Now that I know all the facts and I know everything that’s going on, it’s not needed. We were told by John Coyne that it was vital infrastructure for water and sewer. Then when I started meeting with different people about water and sewer, I started asking them what the piece of property was needed for. They told me, ‘Nothing.’ So then I asked the town attorney if we could get out of it and he told me, ‘Jason, you’re already in contract, they put $1,000 down.’” Cairo Town Board member Tim Powers who, like Watts, voted for the purchase, says Watts knew all about the purchase. “He sat through all six budget meetings, so he knows what was in the budget and what wasn’t,” Powers said. “Originally when the purchase of the Miller property was discussed, we planned on doing it on a bond. He’s just using it as cannon fodder to say we can’t pay for it. We planned on getting a bond for it because we figured the bond would be slow enough that it could be paid off in a couple of years.” In the town's minutes for the Aug. 30 board meeting, the Barton & Loguidice engineering consulting firm in Albany, “said that this was good to buy for future opportunities.” Coyne did not return calls for comment. “I was misled,” Watts said. “John was the liaison for the Water and Sewer Department and John was our supervisor. So why wouldn’t I believe him as a board member? He was talking to the county and Delaware Engineering. I just called my bookkeeper to make sure everything I’m saying about this was true and she said yes. They didn’t put it into the budget. We voted yes and they still didn’t put it into the budget.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that the developer that owns the most properties in Hudson is now planning a 30-room high-end hotel in Hudson. Galvan unveiled initial plans to Hudson's Planning Board in January to turn two vacant apartment buildings into a 20,000-square foot, three-story hotel on Warren Street. Galvan wants property tax breaks from the city and tax credits for historical preservation. Common Council member Mohammed Rony said he has seen the cost of housing skyrocket since he immigrated to Hudson in 1996 as a child, and that Galvan has played a role in those price increases by "hoarding" properties. "If you look at them at a face value, sometimes it look like they're doing good things ... but at the same time, they're really taking advantage of these tax programs, and then they're trying to benefit off the tourism industry," Rony said. Common Council member Margaret Morris wonders why the proposal does not include any parking. Last year Galvan received a $6.6 million discount on property taxes through the city's Industrial Development Agency. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Jay Lucas has been endorsed by the Catskill Republican Committee to fill the vacancy on the Greene County Legislature created by the death of Jack Keller on December 30. The Legislature will consider the nomination during a special meeting on Wed., Feb. 2. The town of Catskill Republican Committee was tasked with nominating a replacement to serve out the rest of Keller’s unexpired three-year term on the board. Greene County Legislator Matthew Luvera, who represents Catskill and serves as chairman of the Catskill GOP, announced this week that the committee had chosen Lucas to take the seat. Luvera said, “Jay is a dedicated member of the community, serving as a sheriff’s deputy for many years, and I know he will do a great job continuing his service to the community at the legislative level.” Lucas, 67, has been employed by the Sheriff’s Office for 36 years, but he is slated to retire in advance of the Legislature’s vote on his confirmation. “It’s really hard for me to give that up,” Lucas said. “But now that I got the nod, I will still continue to serve the people of the town of Catskill and Greene County.” Lucas has been a resident of Palenville since 1960, has served as a committee member for the Catskill Republican Committee for 28 years and is a lifetime member of the Palenville Fire Department. He has worked for years in the county office building in Catskill, securing the first floor entrance. Lucas said it would be particularly meaningful to him to fill Keller’s seat. “I knew him pretty well,” he said. “I met him probably 10 years ago and we became friends.” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said, “Since Jack [Keller] was elected from Catskill, that committee took applications and did interviews. They’ll make a recommendation to the Legislature and the board will affirm or deny." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Hudson Board of Education selected Willette M. Jones to serve as its new president and Lakia Walker as the newest member at the board's January 18 meeting. Mark DePace, who joined the board in May, was elected vice president. The shuffle was caused by the departure of Carrie Otty, a 10-year member of the board, serving as president for a little more than half of that time. Interim Superintendent Maria L. Suttmeier thanked Otty for her service and presented her with a travel bag to “take wherever life takes you.” Otty thanked the board, and said of her service, “It’s been an experience and a joy.” Jones has served on the board for five and a half years. She became vice-president in 2018. Jones moved to Hudson when she was two and graduated from Hudson High School in 1988. Her four children attended Hudson schools and she has worked as a parent coordinator for Community Schools. DePace owns a company that produces commercials and he has lived-in Hudson since 2018. His son has attended Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School. Walker has an MA in school counseling and has been employed by Questar III BOCES for 20 years. She lives in Hudson, and her children attend the Hudson schools. Walker declared, “I love this school, and my kids love this school. I’m always looking at ways to improve things. Changes are coming, and I want to be part of them.” Three other people expressed interest in filling the vacancy — Kjirsten Gustavson, Katie Hardy, and Jennifer Daly. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics more than 30 percent of New York voters are considering moving out of the state because they are frustrated with state politics, according to a poll released February 1, by the non-partisan organization Unite NY. The poll was conducted by John Zogby Strategies. The survey offers some insight into the frustration felt by voters, which has been a contributor to the steady flow of outmigration for the last several decades. Martin Babinec, the founder of Unite NY said, "This poll demonstrates that our state’s approach to public policy is at the heart of both outmigration and the lack of confidence in the political system. These issues cut across party lines and state geography with New Yorkers clamoring for more say in how their government operates, who will represent them, and for how long.” The poll found nearly half respondents, 46 percent, believe the state is on the wrong track, with 37 percent saying it is on the right track. Two-thirds of voters, meanwhile, are supportive of opening primaries to voters who are not registered in a party. The poll also found more than 75 percent of voters would support term limits and changes to the campaign finance system. The poll also found nearly 65 percent of voters are also considering leaving New York because of high taxes, as well as the regulatory and political environment. Zogby also found that Gov. Kathy Hochul currently holds a 42 point lead over fellow Democrat, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. On the GOP side, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin is ahead of Andrew Giuliani by two points. Hochul leads Zeldin in a general election, 51 to 33 percent. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

MidHudson News reports that the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization has named David Toman of New Paltz its new executive director. Toman takes over from Acting Executive Director Steve Stanne, who will stay with the organization as board president. The non-profit organization based in Beacon works to protect the Hudson River, but has struggled with financial issues lately, and has not had a permanent leader for a number of years. But Toman is suited to right the ship, with an accounting background and working for nine years as chief financial officer and vice president for operations at Mohonk Preserve. “I was the right candidate at the right time for them. Without speaking on their behalf, I believe the board of directors were very strongly interested in somebody that would have my skillset to help guide them through this challenge and see what we can do to improve upon it,” he said. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

From The Sanctuary for Independent Media's WOOC: "The state constitution was amended a decade ago to set up an independent commission to handle the redrawing of Congressional and state legislative district lines following the federal census. However, the state legislature, dominated by the Democrats, will end up once again drawing the lines - largely to favor the Democrats (i.e., gerrymandering). Blair Horner of NYPIRG discusses with WOOC's Mark Dunlea what is happening, the possibility of litigation, and how the process still needs to be reformed."

From The Sanctuary for Independent Media's WOOC: "The CHPE (Champlain Hudson Power Express) project would bring Canadian Hydropower to New York City using a cable routed along the Hudson River. Richard Webster, Legal Director of Riverkeeper, talks with WOOC's Mark Dunlea about submitting comments opposing the project over climate, jobs, and environmental concerns by Feb. 7 to the Public Service Commission which has to decide whether to approve it despite the announced support of Governor Hochul."

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More information continues to come out about the proposal for Congressional redistricting from the New York legislature, including maps of what could be the new districts. The biggest changes locally include in Rensselaer County, which was previously entirely in the 19th Congressional District, but would now be split in half, with the everything above North Greenbush, Sand Lake, and Berlin switching to the 21st Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Elise Stefanik. Albany County was previously all in the 20th Congressional District, now represented by Democrat Paul Tonko. The new proposal moves Albany County towns Coeymans and Bethlehem from the 20th District, to the 19th District, currently represented by Antonio Delgado. Schoharie County moves entirely from the 19th to the 21st Congressional District under the proposal. And only the northwest corner of Dutchess County remains in the 19th Congressional District, with the rest of Dutchess County moving to the 18th Congressional District, now represented by Sean Maloney. Redistricting occurs every ten years after the Census, and an independent redistricting commission was supposed to do that work. But that body was designed by the legislature to be toothless, so when they failed to agree on new district maps, the legislature took over, proposing these maps. Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who is running in the 19th Congressional election this year, called the the redistricting process led by Democratic state lawmakers "a scam to begin with.... The Democrats in the Legislature wanted to control the outcome," he told reporters Jan. 31. "At the end of the day, I'm hopeful the courts will step in because this is a blatant effort to gerrymander for no other purpose." The New York state constitution states, “Districts shall not be drawn to discourage competition or for the purpose of favoring or disfavoring incumbents or other particular candidates or political parties.” But the courts have never turned down a map approved by the Legislature. "The state courts are really going to be really reluctant to overturn a state legislatively enacted plan," said Jeffrey Wice, who heads the New York Census and Redistricting Institute. But even if the courts agree to the new maps, that does not mean they are fair. "The lines are so heavily gerrymandered they will be non-competitive," Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY, said in a statement. "It's a major disservice to the voters, who were first denied any hope of a truly independent process ten years ago when the so-called Independent Commission was conceived." The legislature plans to vote on the proposal later this week.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the toxic "forever chemical" PFOS has been found in the drinking water at New Lebanon Junior-Senior High School slightly above the state threshold. Test results from last spring found the chemical perfluorooctanesulfonic acid in the drinking water at the high school at 11 parts per trillion, higher than the state's acceptable level of 10 ppt. “New Lebanon High School is working with the Columbia County and New York State Departments of Health on a compliance schedule that includes steps to reduce the levels of PFOS,” New Lebanon School Superintendent Andrew Kourt wrote to parents. “The district will be setting up several water drinking stations around the junior-senior high school High School and posting signs on each water source reporting that the water is not drinkable.... The junior-senior high school kitchen staff will be cooking using a different water source.” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said the county is helping to clean up the water. “New Lebanon is working with an engineer who is working with our engineer in terms of filtration,” Mabb said. “The two alternatives are new filtration or to build another well. It appears they are moving in the direction of filtration.” New Lebanon is not the only local school with toxic drinking water. PFOS was found in the Town of Cairo's water in 2016 and 2017. The tests in 2016 found 13.3 parts per trillion in the town's well water, and 11.3 ppt in water treated with chlorine. Cairo's drinking water goes to the Cairo-Durham Elementary school. Little had been done to that situation, which was caused by a fire-fighting training center, that used foam containing PFOS to train in putting out fires. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Massarah Mikati and Kathleen Moore report in the Times Union that a number of books and signs in the Bethlehem Public Library were defaced with vulgar right-wing political stickers last weekend. Library Director Geoffrey Kirkpatrick said a handful of stickers critical of President Joe Biden were found on covers of former President Barack Obama's book "A Promised Land" and Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility," and on a sign in the library's New York Times' Bestsellers section. The stickers read "FJB" and "Let's Go Brandon," both vulgar terms against the current president. The stickers were removed from the books in the southern Albany County library. "It's the first time we've seen it in quite a few years, probably a decade or more," said Tim Burke, executive director of the Upper Hudson Library System. "Not stickers so much, but flyers or pieces of paper advertising a particular radical viewpoint put in books about the Holocaust," he said. "There have been occasional instances of this over the country. Usually it’s driven by some political agenda. Many times it focuses on hate speech." Aside from the few stickers, no one is asking to ban any of the library's books yet. "We know that this current political climate has generated more material challenges across the country," Burke said. "We haven’t seen any in Upper Hudson at this point but we have been working with the libraries to be sure they’re prepared to respond to these challenges." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union the brother of the late Jason Jones has filed a wrongful death claim against the village of Catskill. The action taken by Justin Jones will preserve his ability to file a formal lawsuit on behalf of his brother's estate in the future. Jason Jones died on December 15, in a burn unit at a Syracuse hospital, 47 days after he was set alight when Catskill village police fired a Taser at him, causing critical lung damage. The state attorney general's office is investigating the incident, including the actions of the police officers who were captured on a police station video camera running away from Jones after he burst into flames. Jones, 29 years old, had doused himself with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in full view of the officers, moments before the electrodes fired from a Taser struck his torso. "Jason Jones was unarmed and not a threat to himself or others, and circumstances did not exist at the time to reasonably justify the shooting of the [Taser] by the village police officer into Jason Jones," the claim, filed by the Jones family attorney Kevin A. Luibrand, reads. "Prior to the police officer's shooting of the (Taser) ... Jason Jones had applied onto his body flammable alcohol-based liquid hand sanitizer. The police officer knew or had reason to believe that the electrical current of the (Taser) would ignite the flammable alcohol on Jason Jones' body." On the police station video, the police can be seen abandoning Jones when the flames ignited. Jones fell to the ground and was left to use only his hands to put out the flames that engulfed his upper body and head. Jones died after spending nearly seven weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at Upstate University Hospital. The Times Union consulted with a law enforcement official with extensive experience in police training who said the officers should have immediately tried to assist Jones when he caught fire, comparing it to the imperative to pull a suspect from a burning car if they crash during a vehicle pursuit. The attorney general's office investigation is ongoing. The Catskill Village Police have yet to reveal the identities of the officers involved. Read the full story in the Times Union.