MidHudson News is reporting nearly one year after protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election, many Americans support the investigation into the incident, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. More than six in 10 Americans, or 62 percent, think the investigation is appropriate and do not view it as an unwarranted campaign aimed at Donald Trump and his supporters, while 35 percent do not agree with the inquiry. Forty-nine percent consider the events of January 6, to be an insurrection and a threat to U.S. democracy. Twenty-five percent believe it was a political protest protected under the First Amendment, while 19 percent say the incident was unfortunate but does not have implications for the future. “Both Democrats and Republicans believe that U.S. democracy is under threat,” said the director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie. “But they overwhelmingly disagree over the meaning of the events of January 6th and the motivation behind the investigation into the events of that day.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Chris McKenna from the Times Herald-Record reports about where charges stand against 13 Capitol riot suspects from Hudson Valley. Authorities know about at least 13 people from the Hudson Valley who were part of a violent attempt to overthrow the U.S. government on Jan. 6, 2021. They include a retired cop-turned-landscaper from Goshen, a Newburgh tattoo artist, and a Metro-North railyard worker. Only one of the 13 is currently behind bars, while two have pleaded guilty and have yet to be sentenced. Three plan to stand trial. And eight other defendants are awaiting plea deals or trials. Edward Lang, a 26-year-old from Newburgh, was arrested after boasting about his participation on social media. He can be seen in photos swinging an aluminum baseball bat at police, and charges against him include assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon and inflicting bodily injury. He is in a Washington, D.C. jail in September and spoke by phone from jail last week with the ultra-conservative Newsmax TV channel, claiming he acted in "self-defense" against police officers who were "brutalizing protesters who were unarmed — just loving American citizens who were there to use their First Amendment." Anyone who has seen video knows police officers were defending the U.S. Capitol and democracy, as the mob successfully delayed the electoral count that day. Court papers opposing his release last month said Lang "has not articulated how he was defending others from immediate danger by shoving a door into the head of a vulnerable sergeant, or repeatedly kicking a detective after he fell to the ground, or using a baseball bat to beat officers standing sentry." Others arrested include Roberto Minuta, who owns of a tattoo shop on Broadway in Newburgh and is a member of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia. He unwittingly discussed his involvement to an off-duty FBI agent who came to his shop for a tattoo. Dutchess County resident William Vogel, 27, faces four charges, two misdemeanors and two lower-level offenses is is due back in court on March 4. The story details the case status of each of the 13 Hudson Valley men charged in the riot. Read more about this story in the Times Herald-Record.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that Brittany Commisso, who accused Andrew Cuomo of groping her at the Executive Mansion while he was governor, denounced the Jan. 4 decision by Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office not to prosecute Cuomo. "My disappointing experience of re-victimization with the failure to prosecute a serial sexual abuser, no matter what degree the crime committed, yet again sadly highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power," Commisso said in a statement to the Times Union. "When will our voices uniformly be accepted? Where do we go to have our rights vindicated? Unfortunately, this is just another example of where our criminal justice system needs to do better.... To every victim out there silently suffering from sexual harassment at the hands of a powerful government official, wondering what will happen if you tell the truth, please don't let what has happened to me deter you from speaking up." Soares said Jan. 4 that, "While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial." Commisso said she met with representatives of the district attorney's office for several hours on Jan. 3, and she said they questioned whether jurors might interpret her actions during the alleged encounter as acquiescing to Cuomo's advances. She said she volunteered to take a polygraph lie-detector examination. She claims the prosecutors were concerned about Commisso's statement that she had nervously told Cuomo, "You're going to get us in trouble," when she said he hugged her in a sexually aggressive manner. Cuomo, she says, then slammed the door to his office, and said, "I don't care." Cuomo then, allegedly, put his hand up her blouse and cupped her breast without her permission. The 64-year-old Cuomo denies the allegations. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that outgoing Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne, and Councilpersons Stephen Kralovich and Tim Powers broke the law Dec. 29, and voted to appoint new planning board members before the new year. “In New York a seat cannot be filled unless there is a vacancy, so any appointments made before the end of the sitting person’s term can’t stand, even if it was the same person and the same position,” said Cairo Town Attorney Tal Rappleyea, who was not at the Dec. 29 meeting. Council members Mary-Jo Cords and Jason Watts, who was on the town board at the time of the vote, and is now town supervisor, both refused to vote on the appointments at the Dec. 29 meeting. “I just want it to be on the record that you are setting the precedent for future boards to think it is okay and just go ahead and appoint people just before the first of the year and not letting the new board go on with it,” said Watts. The terms of Planning Board Chair Joseph Hasenkopf and one-year alternate member Christopher Keff were set to expire Dec. 31, but had not expired yet. That's when Coyne, Kralovich, and Powers took the illegal action of re-appointing them. Now the new town board without Coyne will vote on appointments to the planning board January 12. The story does not say whether any charges or actions will be taken against Coyne, Kralovich, and Powers for their illegal vote. Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Emergency Management Office is no longer a part of the sheriff’s office. The Columbia County Board of Supervisors January 3, approved a resolution transitioning the EMO from a department under the control of the county sheriff’s office to an independent agency. That organizational structure had been effect since the EMO was established in 2011. The vote this week now puts the office under the control of Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murrell. “We did have several meetings with the sheriff-elect,” the Stockport Republican Murell said. “And we did have discussions to try to answer everyone’s questions. That was a month-and-a-half that we delayed this.” The timing of the resolution coming so close to the election of new sheriff Donald Krapf drew the concern of several supervisors. Supervisors took a roll-call vote on the resolution. The resolution passed using the board's weighted vote provision, and is based on the population of each municipality. According to the weighted points scale, the resolution carried, with the final tally, 2,191 in favor, and 1,344 against. According to Roger Hannigan Gilson, writing in the Times Union, Krapf, a Democrat, is opposed to the change. "I'm still in opposition to that move, and that will continue until the end of time," Krapf said after the vote. "I don’t have enough data here to support it, and I haven't been afforded the opportunity to review any data — today’s literally my first business day in office." Krapf said his office would be following up to determine if there are "...any violations about how this was done." he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Mike Gwizdala reports in the Troy Record Rep. Paul Tonko's memories of an armed attempt to overthrow the U.S. government one year later. On Jan. 6 last year, an armed mob, directed there by former President Donald Trump, delayed the counting of electoral votes. The U.S. Capitol was ransacked for the first time since the War of 1812. A police officer was beaten, a rioter was shot, and three others died during the rampage. Tonko described what he saw. “One of my colleagues was with [my staffer] Kate, she had just had knee surgery. Another colleague was flat out on the floor hyperventilating. People were really stressed as they were trying to figure out how quickly can we get to that exit door? Then realizing that you had to go down several sets of stairs to make your way to the tunnel that connects the Rayburn office building to the House chamber to the Capitol building. It was all of that happening with great intensity and a lack of direction basically because it was an unusual set of circumstances," he said. In the long interview, the Congressperson who represents Albany County does not mention holding the coup plotters or rioters accountable. "As we approach the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, it’s important for us I believe to come forward in a united way that enables us to put first the country to make certain that we all work together toward a common goal, to make certain that our democracy, our republic that was challenged in a very powerful and forceful way that produced death and destruction and the attempt to undo a process, all of those dynamics need to be addressed and I think that as we go forward I would hope that we could do this out of love for country, respect for country and a sense to make us an even stronger voice for freedom and opportunity,” Tonko said. Read more about this story in the Troy Record.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics thousands of people in New York state prisons received false positive drug test results, leading to unnecessary punishment, according to the results of an investigation made public January 3, by state Inspector General Lucy Lang. The punishments imposed included solitary confinement, longer sentences, delayed parole hearings and the revocation of family visitation privileges. The policies were enacted in 2019, and used tests that ultimately were found to be unreliable and produced widespread false positives, Lee said. The investigation also determined that the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision failed to fully investigate the reason behind a spike in positive test results after the tests by Microgenics began to be used in January 2019. Use of the testing protocol ended in August 2019. The Inspector General also alleges that DOCCS failed to take corrective action after discovering the high rate of false positives. Lee's office was first alerted to a potential problem in September 2019. The investigation led to 2,500 disciplinary records being expunged as well as privileges being reinstated. At the same time, the use of solitary confinement has been restricted as a punishment for testing positive in a drug test. A spokesman for the corrections department pointed to prison officials alerting the inspector general to problems with Microgenics testing and potential false positives. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

The Ravena News-Herald is reporting New York Attorney General Letitia James last month issued a consumer alert to New Yorkers about potential price gouging of over-the-counter COVID-19 testing products for at-home use, as well as other in-demand essential products. The alert comes during a significant surge of COVID-19 cases, which has caused an increased demand for at-home testing kits. The AG's office has received complaints of COVID-19 testing products being sold at double or triple their retail price. A standard BinaxNOW brand test kit can cost between $14 and $25 for a package of two tests, however, there have been reports of the same product being sold for more than $40 and up to $70 per package. State law prohibits merchants from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services that are vital to their health, safety or welfare for an “unconscionably excessive” price. In 2021, legislation was passed that substantially strengthened the AG's ability to bring charges against anyone who violates the statute. James said, “If New Yorkers see exorbitant price increases on testing kits or other goods vital and necessary for health, safety and welfare, they are encouraged to report it to my office immediately. And fraudsters are on notice that if they attempt to price gouge during this new surge, we will not hesitate to take action.” Anyone who believes they are the victim of deceptive practices or price gouging is encouraged to file a complaint online at the AG's website or by calling 800-771-7755. Read more in the Ravena News-Herald.

Today's daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to face few legal repercussions for the many allegations that led to his resignation. On Jan. 3 the paper reported that the Albany County district attorney's office is expected to drop a forcible touching complaint against Cuomo. The former governor was scheduled in Albany City Court on Jan. 7 for a misdemeanor charge alleging that he groped a 33-year-old female aide in December 2020 at the Executive Mansion. Two other district attorneys recently announced they would also not pursue criminal charges against Cuomo for alleged inappropriate conduct with women. Cuomo had previously said he, "never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable." Also on Jan. 3, the Manhattan district attorney's office informed Cuomo's former attorney that it had ended its investigation into the administration's oversight of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was told that after a thorough investigation — as we have said all along — there was no evidence to suggest that any laws were broken," said Elkan Abramowitz, who had represented Cuomo's office in that probe. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Bernadette Hogan reports in the New York Post that Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to propose term limits and a ban on statewide elected officials being able to earn outside income. Hochul also wants to amend the state's constitution to set limits of two consecutive terms for statewide elected officials. The proposal to ban outside income comes after ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo took in $5.1 million on his "American Crisis" book deal, alleging using state employee help. “I want people to believe in their government again. With these bold reforms, we will ensure New Yorkers know their leaders work for them and are focused on serving the people of this state,” Hochul said Jan. 3. The state ethics board voted in early December for Cuomo to return his $5.1 million profit to the state or his publisher. An investigative report released by the Democrat-majority state Assembly Judiciary Committee on Nov. 22 said Cuomo, “utilized state resources and property, including work by Executive Chamber staff, to write, publish and promote his book.” Term limits, her other proposal that would require an amendment to the state's constitution, are popular among some politicians to limit concentration of power, but others say it takes choices away from voters. Read more about this story in the New York Post.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that the towns of New Baltimore, Durham, and Greenville voted just before Dec. 31 to not take in cannabis revenues and block retail sales and consumption lounges in their parts of Greene County. Greenville and Durham town boards voted Dec. 30 to opt-out, while New Baltimore officials took their action on Dec. 28. New York legalized cannabis everywhere in April, 2021, with towns and villages having until Dec. 31 to decide whether to opt-out of sales and/or consumption lounges. Towns can later vote to opt-in to sales and lounges, but they had only until Dec. 31 to opt-out. In Greene County, Ashland, Cairo, the Town and Village of Hunter, Jewett, Prattsville, and Windham have opted out of both retail sales and cannabis lounges, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government website tracking the issue. In Catskill retail sales will be allowed, but consumption lounges will only be allowed in the village, but not the town of Catskill. Everywhere else, cannabis sales will be allowed. In Columbia County, the Village of Chatham, Clermont, the Village of Kinderhook, and Livingston have opted out of both. Ancram, Copake, the Town of Kinderhook, and the Village of Valatie will allow retail sales, but not lounges. Everywhere else in Columbia County will allow both. These local laws to opt-out are subject to permissive referendum, meaning residents can bring the issue to a public vote with enough signatures on a petition. Tremaine Wright, the head of the state’s Cannabis Control Board, said that licenses for the first recreational cannabis dispensaries won't likely be issued until the spring of 2023, at the earliest. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily headlines.

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

The COVID-19 news in the Hudson Valley continued to be bad Jan. 3, as the fast-catching Omicron variant is certainly here. In Greene County, officials announced two more deaths in our community over the weekend and 263 new cases with 29 hospitalized. There were 126 new cases announced Jan. 3 in Columbia County, with 26 hospitalized and three in the Intensive Care Unit. Ulster County on Monday reported 3,157 active cases of COVID on Jan. 3, up from the 3,021 it reported the previous day. Dutchess County announced on Jan. 3 that it had 5,491 actives cases of COVID, up from the 5,042 it reported the previous day and more than double the county’s early 2021 peak of 2,576. In Albany County, the number of new COVID-19 cases announced was still very larger, but not as bad as recent days. There were 429 new positive cases were reported Jan. 3 there, lower than the 558 new positive cases announced Jan. 2 and much lower than the 1,003 new cases. reported Dec. 31. Albany County is currently seeing 17.8 percent of tests coming back positive on a seven-day average, while the Capital Region as a whole was slightly lower, at 16.1 percent. Delaware County has 462 active cases, so a little over one percent of the county has officially had a positive PCR test recently, and is considered an “active” case.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union the University at Albany and nine other college campuses across New York will be transformed into coronavirus testing sites this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. The reopening of the University of Albany's testing site comes as New York and other states faced shortages of test kits and people were forced to wait over the holiday break to confirm whether they were positive for the virus. Hochul said the state has access to 37 million test kits, but that distributing those kits to school districts continues to be a priority. The other campuses where testing sites are scheduled to open this week are: Syracuse University, Buffalo State College, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Oswego, Purchase College, SUNY Cortland, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University and the University at Buffalo. The mass-testing site at Syracuse University will be the first to open on January 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hochul's office said the other testing sites would open later in the week, but she did not offer details on what days they may begin testing or whether appointments are required. The number of positive confirmed cases dropped from roughly 90,000 to 51,000 on January 3, but the governor said that may have been a result of fewer individuals being tested over the weekend. Across the state, 21 hospitals have suspended elective surgeries due to bed capacity shortages, down from 32 hospitals previously. Hochul last week said she was extending for two weeks a mandate that requires private businesses and venues to impose a mask requirement or require proof of vaccination until at least February 1, when it will be reassessed. All SUNY and CUNY students eligible for booster shots must receive them by January 15. Read the full story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News [dot] com is reporting five Republican members on the State Independent Redistricting Committee and their five Democratic colleagues could not come to a consensus proposal to draw new district lines in the Assembly, Senate and House of Representatives, so both of the plans were submitted to the state legislature for review. Democrats said they submitted a plan, but that the Republican commission members refused to compromise. Republicans maintained the purpose of the commission was to develop a consensus plan. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who is running for Congress, chastised state lawmakers for the deadlock, saying “Unsurprisingly, 2022 started off like every other year for the past decade in Albany – dysfunction and abject failure.” The state legislature must now have the responsibility to work up a new map. Read more at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.