Mike Goodwin and Shaniece Holmes-Brown report in the Times Union that Albany County announced a new record of COVID-19 cases Jan. 6, with 1,010 new positive tests. That is a new single-day record for Albany County, passing the Dec. 31 total of 1,003 new cases. "This is the highest we’ve ever seen in Albany County since the pandemic started and the second time daily cases broke into the thousands in the last week," Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said in a statement. "To put that number into perspective, the largest single day increase we recorded last winter was 351, and this goes to show you just how contagious the omicron variant is." Albany County also announced another death from coronavirus, a woman in her 30s. The only good news from Albany County on Jan. 6: hospitalizations dropped by 10 cases with 99 people currently in a hospital and 12 people are in intensive care units. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

The local COVID-19 new case numbers are unlike any the Hudson Valley has seen before. In Greene County officials reported 192 new cases on Jan. 4, and 208 more on Jan. 5. That brings the Greene County total to 1,135 current cases. Columbia County reported two more deaths on Jan. 4, and 107 new cases. On Jan. 5, Columbia County announced 106 more cases, for a total of 570. Greene County has more cases per capita than Columbia County and a worse vaccination rate than Columbia County, with 65.4 percent in Greene, and 74 percent of residents in Columbia County with at least one dose. Ulster and Dutchess counties also reported a steep increase of new cases of COVID-19 on Jan. 5. Ulster County reported 3,540 cases, up 173 cases from the day before. In Dutchess County, there were three more deaths from coronavirus announced Jan. 5. And the number of cases in Dutchess County rose by 658 to 6,370, a new all-time high and more than twice the Jan. 2021 peak of 2,576. Dutchess County also now has 140 people hospitalized with the disease, up from 123 reported the previous day. Albany city schools announced Jan. 5 that learning would go remote through MLK Day. With 1,000 teachers and staff at schools in the Capital Region reported sick, more school closures are on the horizon. Also, the number of Albany County residents hospitalized by COVID-19 has more than doubled in less than two weeks. Albany County also reported Jan. 5 that a woman in her 80s died of COVID-19. Albany County reported 429 new cases Jan. 4, and 733 on Jan. 5. But that is better than the record number of 1,003 new cases Albany County reported on Dec. 31.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her first State of the State address January 5, pledging to restore the public's trust in government through term limits and ethics reforms, and by implementing a sweeping agenda to combat gun violence, improve the health care industry, expand educational opportunities, take further steps on the climate crisis and prop up the agricultural industry. "What I am proposing is a whole new era for New York," Hochul said in the Assembly chamber. "The days of governors disregarding the rightful role of this legislature are over. The days of the governor of New York and mayor of New York City wasting time on petty rivalries are over. The days of New Yorkers questioning whether their government is actually working for them are over." The speech was delivered in the Assembly chamber before a small audience; Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie announced shortly before the speech that he would not attend due to a positive COVID-19 test. The governor called for the passage of the "Clean Slate Act," which would seal certain felony records after a specific amount of years; she promised to "jump-start" the state's ailing economy and transform New York into the most "business-friendly and worker-friendly" state in the nation. A major focus is on tracing and removing illicit guns from streets, while also spending more money toward stemming gun violence with a community-based response. Hochul is also looking to increase support systems for people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges and to support the increase of affordable housing. Hochul’s speech also addressed sustainability by pledging to electrify 50,000 homes, by replacing gas, oil and propane-powered appliances with electric. She also pledged to grow the health care workforce by 20 percent over the next five years, sketched out plans to increase enrollment by one-third at state universities and called for tax cuts for the middle class. She pledged to fund small businesses and restaurants, provide up to a $500 million investment in offshore wind, which could create 2,000 "good-paying green jobs," and to offer certain tax credits for farmers, and more. The speech was embraced by Democratic lawmakers, including Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, the longest serving member in the Legislature who is set to retire at the end of his term. Out of 52 State of the State addresses he has attended, Gottfried said this was "the best of them all." Read more in the Times Union.

Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to aid in the restoration of the aging landmark. The grant will support refurbishing the roof and gutters of the 147-year-old Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in an effort to stop water intrusion and erosion. The funds will help complete the first of a four-phase restoration project estimated to cost between $3 million and $4 million. Built in 1874, the lighthouse stands in the Hudson River between Hudson and Athens in the area of the river known as Middle Ground Flats. Nearly 150 years of currents, weather dredging and wakes from large ships have taken a toll on the historic structure and the nearly 200- year-old underwater wooden pilings that support it. “This grant does not give us our 100-year solution, but it’s a start,” Society Vice-president Bob Green said. The state parks funds will cover the cost of a new staircase from the dock to the deck of the lighthouse, a new marine toilet and cistern repairs. The Society now must raise funds to repair the underwater wood pilings, a much more costly project. “The OPRHP grant makes it easier for HALPS to fundraise from federal and state money. And once that happens, it’s easier to get private donations to finish the project,” said Green. An engineering assessment concluded that without the necessary repairs, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse will not survive. Van Calhoun, chairman of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Restoration Committee, estimates the entire project will be finished by the end of 2024. A green light on top of the lighthouse is monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard and powered by solar panels. It blinks every 8 seconds as a way to alert passing ships to the shallow waters. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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.

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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.