Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Coxsackie-Athens School District is now able to offer a new and expanded pre-kindergarten program during the new year, in large part due to a $360,000 state grant received before the recent holiday break. A total of 31 school districts statewide will receive $13.4 million in funding as part of a New York State Education Department initiative, but Coxsackie-Athens is the only district in Greene County to receive the pre-K grant during this round of state funding. The money will make it possible for the district to open two pre-K sections in 2022 to accommodate 36 students. “We’ve never had pre-K in the district and I think we’re the only district in Greene County without it,” Coxsackie-Athens Superintendent Randall Squier said. “They had never applied for pre-K previously to me and this is my 11th year. So when we were eligible to apply this year, we received a base grant from the state in the current year’s budget. Then the competitive grant opened up as well, which we applied for over the summer, and we officially received word right before the holidays that we were also given the competitive grant for $360,000. So combined, that will allow us to fund most of the pre-K program with the grants,” he said. Squier said the funds are an annual grant and the district will receive it as long as there is a need for it. The pre-K program will be housed in the Edward J. Arthur Elementary School in Athens. The superintendent noted that students from Coxsackie will be bused to the school for the full-day program. To be eligible for the program, children must live in the district and have turned 4 on or before December 1 and there is still time to apply for the program before it begins. “We’re accepting applications currently,” Squier said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Kara Scannell and Sonia Moghe report for CNN that a court filing about a briefing schedule revealed Jan. 3 that New York Attorney General Letitia James has not just subpoenaed former President Donald Trump, but also his children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The Manhattan district attorney's office and the attorney general are investigating whether the Trump Organization manipulated the values of its properties, showing investors high values, and tax collectors low values. Eric Trump, another child of the former president and an executive vice president at the company, was previously subpoenaed and testified in late 2020. A lawyer for Ivanka Trump and Trump Jr., and a representative for the Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment. Read more about this story at CNN.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the Greenville Central School District Board of Education is expected to appoint Michael Bennett as superintendent Jan. 3, taking effect March 7. That comes after current Superintendent Tammy Sutherland announced her retirement in September after 36 years with the district. She first said she'd be leaving February 1, but now will stay until Bennett takes over. “Mike Bennett possesses outstanding experience as a teacher and administrator and we believe that he has all of the skills necessary to continue moving our school district forward,” said Greenville Board President Tracy Young. She said Bennett was picked over 25 other candidates. Bennett has been the assistant superintendent in the Schodack Central School District for the past eight years. Before that, he was the middle school principal in Schodack from 2008-2012 and was a special education teacher in East Greenbush from 1998-2006. “Mike impressed us as the type of individual who puts students first and has the ability to develop strong relationships with the students, school staff, and the community,” said Greenville Board Vice President, Jay Goodman. “We anticipate him becoming an active member of the Greenville community.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that Saugerties Town Supervisor Fred Costello is excited about Empire State Development’s $500,000 grant to Upriver Studios in his town. The film production company just moved to the former KTB Associates site on Tomsons Road recently, with plans to construct a 100,000-square-foot building there for film and television production. “There’s a real true jobs story that goes along with that,” Costello said. “There’s at least 200 employees here every day, and when they’re doing certain filming, that payroll expands substantially to support that.” Upriver Studios was founded by actor/director Mary Stuart Masterson, has a home in Northern Dutchess, with film producer Beth Davenport and actress/producer Diane Wheeler-Nicholson as a “climate-forward, women-owned facility.” The town supervisor says that all that means spending in town, not just jobs. “The local vendors are doing well supplying their needs,” he said. “That’s from hardware supplies all the way through to food service.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily headlines.

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1/2/22 COVID -19 Update https://t.co/Jyqn9kzq74 pic.twitter.com/oJ0ZgTh7TD

— Columbia Co. DOH (@ColumbiaCoDOH) January 2, 2022

Steve Hughes reports in the Times Union that Albany County announced a record 1,003 positive coronavirus cases Dec. 31 and 657 more on Jan. 1. On Jan. 2, Albany County reported an additional 558 new positive cases. Albany County had 23 new hospitalizations announced Jan. 2, with 84 county residents currently hospitalized with coronavirus, and ten patients in ICU’s. “The spike in hospitalizations is alarming, nearly doubling from the day before and bringing us to the highest number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 since this all started,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy. “We know that getting a vaccination is the best protection in fighting the virus and if a vaccinated person contracts COVID-19, he or she is less likely to experience severe symptoms, be hospitalized or die. I continue to urge those who are unvaccinated to get a shot and get the booster when you are eligible. Do it for yourself, your loved ones, and our community.” On Jan. 4 the state is opening a regional testing site at Crossgates Mall open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Times Union also reports three more COVID-19 deaths, one in Greene County and two in Rensselaer County. Columbia County announced 155 new cases on Jan. 2, with 460 current active cases, and 25 hospitalized, and three in the ICU. Greene County announced 93 more cases on Dec. 30 with 21 hospitalized then, and has not provided the public any information since then. Dutchess County reported another death, and added 526 cases Jan. 2, for a total of 5,042. That's 2,500 more than the county’s January 2021 peak. Ulster County added 198 COVID-19 cases on Dec. 30, with 2,161 total. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup that Greene County Legislator Jack Keller died on Dec. 30. The announcement was made by Town of Catskill Republican Club Chair and fellow Greene County Legislator Matthew Luvera. A Republican, Keller was re-elected twice to the legislature and would have started his second three-year term in January. He was one of four legislators representing the town of Catskill. “It’s with great sadness that our Catskill Republican Committee announces the death of our colleague, friend, committee person, and Legislator Jack Keller who passed away unexpectedly...,” Luvera wrote. “Jack was a quiet, humble man, that stepped up to serve his community when others would not. He took his service to our community very serious.” According to Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge, writing for Columbia-Greene Media, Keller thought government should be for the people and by the people. He was the former owner of Pitstop Discount Beverages, and had also worked in advertising for Young Broadcasting, Clear Channel, and Turner Broadcasting. The circumstances of Keller’s death have not been disclosed, and funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. “I’m shocked over this news, and I know our Legislature and Republican Committee will miss Jack’s presence. He was a gentle soul that never wished harm on others and stood true to his convictions,” Luvera said. “Our prayers to Jack’s family and friends.” Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent that former Coeymans Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals member Marisa Tutay has been appointed to the Coeymans Town Board, effective January 1. Tutay succeeds board member Zachary Collins, who now represents the town on the Albany County Legislature. The town board accepted Collins’ resignation at its December 23 meeting. “This is a bittersweet moment for me because we ran together in 2019 and won together, and I think I have talked to you twice a day every day since then,” Town Supervisor George McHugh told Collins. “It’s bittersweet in that I will miss you terribly here because you were a great asset to this board and this town, but it’s sweet in a way because you will move on to the county level and will be a great asset to us there.” Collins, a Republican, won the vacant seat in the November general election. “Marisa has been on the planning board for a couple of years now and when we had a vacancy — when [former Town Councilman] Kenny Burns left — she was one of two folks that we had entertained appointing to the board, ...,” McHugh said. Tutay is a lifelong Coeymans resident and lives on the western edge of the town with her husband and three children, on property the Tutay family has owned for more than 100 years, McHugh said. Tutay is a 1987 graduate of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school district and a graduate of The College of Saint Rose and SUNY Albany. She has been a teacher for 31 years and is currently employed as a curriculum content specialist for math and science and a math interventionist at A.W. Becker Elementary School in Selkirk. Town Clerk Cindy Rowzee ended her service with the board's December 23 meeting. She ran unsuccessfully for town supervisor and will be replaced by Laura Jane Barry. Read the full story in The Ravena News-Herald.

Amanda Burke is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle Jennifer Macksey made history January 1, when she was sworn in as the first woman mayor of North Adams, Mass. After taking the oath of office as the city's 33rd mayor during a ceremony held at Drury High School, Macksey pledged a commitment to securing both generational change and basic services. "My administration's biggest challenge will be to regain the confidence in our residents to believe in government, so they believe we will and can work in their best interest." The Democrat addressed approximately 175 onlookers at the event, which also saw the swearing-in of a new city council. Following a difficult, divisive year in North Adams politics, a theme of the proceeding was collaboration. Macksey said, “My administration’s biggest challenge will be to regain the confidence in our residents to believe in government, so they believe we will and can work in their best interest.” She pledged to be a “hands-on mayor,” describing her vision as being an accessible leader who is present in schools, businesses and neighborhoods while representing her constituents in “the most respectful and honorable manner.” Macksey is the city’s former director of finance. She promised to break ground on a new public safety complex “within the next two years,” while financing the undertaking “without placing an unfair tax burden on our taxpayers.” She also vowed to address deteriorating streets, homes, sidewalks, and flood control systems, while giving immediate attention to the historic library, and restoring Western Gateway Heritage State Park. Macksey said she will eliminate blight, get tough on absentee landlords and reinstate the position of municipal code enforcement officer. She noted that improving the quality of life in North Adams begins with safety first. This year is a year of firsts for North Adams: Macksey became the city’s first woman mayor, Ashley Shade is the first transgender person and Michael Obasohan is the first person of color to serve on the city council. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Today's daily headlines.

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Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Department of Health has reported two new COVID deaths within 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 115. The department said the two new COVID-related deaths occurred between late December 28 and early December 29. Eight people have succumbed to the virus in December. “We had two, both women, both community members, one in her 70s one was in her 50s,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. They were both unvaccinated, but they were not related, he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see that it’s unvaccinated people,” Mabb said. "...[I]t’s difficult to see a senior die and think that this could have been avoided.” He said the woman in her 50s had comorbidities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of December 29, 71.2 percent of all Columbia County residents are fully vaccinated and 87.2 percent of all county residents over 65 are fully vaccinated. All but three of the 115 people in Columbia County who have died from COVID since the pandemic began were unvaccinated, Mabb said. The county Department of Health reported 7,451 cases as of December 30, with more than 15 percent of those cases identified in December. As of Dec. 30, the county reported 102 new cases, and a total of 364 active cases. There are 22 people currently hospitalized, six in the ICU. The number of cases is expected to increase after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, Mabb said. “I think people need to think about how to keep themselves safe if they go out on New Year’s,” Mabb said. “I’m not telling them not to go, just try to make yourself as safe as you can, ..." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that just after the Town of Catskill board voted 3-1 to opt out of cannabis lounges on Dec. 29, the Village of Catskill voted 2-2 to opt-in. The tie vote -- Peter Grasse and Jeff Holliday voted to opt out and Joseph Kozloski and Natasha Law voted to allow the lounges -- meant the proposed law to block the lounges did not pass. Earlier in the month, the Town of Catskill decided to allow retail sales. The Village of Catskill has taken no action on cannabis retail sales, and has no plans to before the year ends, so they will also be legal there. The results of the two votes on Dec. 29 mean that if anyone opens a cannabis consumption lounge -- the equivalent of a bar -- then the Village of Catskill will not have to split the three percent tax revenue with the Town of Catskill, according to Holliday. Cannabis use became legal in April in New York, and towns and villages have until Dec. 31 to ban retail stores and/or consumption lounges, or else they become legal. About 40 people attended the village's public hearing Dec. 29, and of the people who spoke, all but one favored allowing lounges. Many cited the need for tax revenue in a village with a poverty rate of 35.5 percent, nearly triple the state average. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Jane Wester is reporting for the New York Law Journal a Suffolk County jury December 30, found that a group of drug companies had created a public nuisance for their role in the opioid crisis, ruling in favor of the state of New York and Nassau and Suffolk counties. The amount of damages owed by the defendants has yet to be determined. The jury began deliberating on December 14, after more than five months of testimony. “It’s somewhat of a miracle that we kept a jury here for six months,” Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Jerry Garguilo said. Attorneys for the plaintiffs described the verdict as a “massive victory” in a joint statement. New York Attorney General Letitia James also praised the verdict and its significance for families and communities affected by the opioid crisis. “Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and others misled the American people about the true dangers of opioids, which is why, in 2019, I made a promise that our team would hold them and the other manufacturers and distributors responsible for the opioid epidemic accountable for the suffering that they have caused,” James said. The cases originally named a list of major drug companies as defendants, including Purdue Pharma, AmerisourceBergen and Johnson & Johnson. But the bankruptcies of Purdue and a handful of other defendants led to their removal from the case. Defendants Johnson & Johnson, McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Endo International, and Allergan Finance all settled as the case progressed. The bulk of the settlement money is set to go toward opioid treatment, prevention. and education programs. Read the full story in the New York Law Journal.

Fri., Dec. 31 is New Year's Eve and is recognized as a federal holiday. The Daily Freeman and Columbia-Greene Media are reporting how various services and offices will be affected.

Amtrak: Holiday schedules are available at amtrak [dot] com.
Banks: Closed
Greene County Offices: Closed
Catskill town and village offices: Closed
Coxsackie town and village offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Financial markets: Open
Mail delivery: Will occur Friday. none on Saturday.
Metro-North: Regular schedule.
Schools: Closed
State offices: Closed
Trailways: Regular schedule.

Today's daily news update.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that polystyrene foam containers are banned in New York as of New Year's Day. No more Styrofoam take out containers or so-called packing peanuts will be allowed as of Jan. 1. Polystyrene foam breaks apart easily but takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, and is difficult to recycle. Many communities have already banned polystyrene foam, as two-thirds of New Yorkers already live where it is not allowed. Only nonprofits and government agencies that provide food to low-income people at no cost can continue using the material after Jan. 1. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that Saugerties town board members Leeanne Thornton, Peg Nau, and Michael Ivino voted Dec. 29 to not accept the tax dollars that come with allowing cannabis stores and lounges. Fred Costello and John Schoonmaker voted to allow retail sales in Saugerties, with Costello the only board member voting for consumption loungers. That vote came after a two-hour public hearing with comments both in favor, and against, cannabis commerce in Saugeeties. Cannabis is currently allowed in Saugerties and the rest of the state after lawmakers changed the law in April. Municipalities have until Dec. 31 to opt out of retail sales and consumption lounges, and the tax dollars that come with the businesses. Ivino challenged local residents to break the law. “I encourage anybody who wants (to not opt out) to get in their car and drive home without the lights on because that’s what New York’s doing to us right now by having us opt in or out,” he said. Schoonmaker lamented the lost income for the community. “Kingston, Ulster, Catskill, Woodstock they’re all going to have these stores so I’ll just be driving there and back,” he said. “So what difference does it make if we have them or not. At least this was our town can benefit from these instead of me driving to Catskill, buying my product there, and then I’ll probably just out and eat in Catskill.” The board decision could be challenged by Feb. 12 with a petition containing at least 881 signatures asking for a public referendum. And the town board could also vote again in the future to reverse the decision. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.