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

All four local Congressional representatives voted Dec. 7 for a bill to spend $778 billion on defense next year, $25 billion more than what President Joe Biden had requested. The bill passed 363-70, including yeah votes from Democrats Antonio Delgado, Paul Tonko, and Sean Maloney, and Republican Elise Stefanik. While America pulled out of a war in Afghanistan this year, lawmakers voted for a five percent increase over last year’s defense bill. The extra $25 billion that Congress added to Biden's request went to a list of “unfunded requirements,” weapons that military officials would like to have but couldn’t fit in the budget limits set by the White House. At a House hearing last summer, Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked if any of the items on the list were critical for countering China, terrorism, or other threats. “The answer is no, in my professional opinion. If they were critical, then they [would have been] higher on the priority list," Milley said. The defense bill did address sexual assault in the military, but the House version cut measures that would shift many responsibilities in the military justice system from a commander to a special prosecutor.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup state Senator Michelle Hinchey visited Greenville on December 6, to present a Senate Empire Award to Kelly’s Pharmacy. “Kelly’s Pharmacy is really the definition of a community-minded, people-first pharmacy,” said Hinchey. Marty, Diane and Quinn Kelly opened the first Kelly’s Pharmacy on Main Street in Greenville in 2011, and later a second location in Hope Plaza in Coxsackie. Today they employ more than 25 people. “Thank you for what you do,” the Saugerties Democrat said as she presented a plaque to Marty and Quinn Kelly. One of the reasons Kelly’s was chosen, Hinchey said, was their foresight and proactive role in helping to battle the opioid epidemic. Kelly’s was the first pharmacy in the state of New York to partner with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to collect potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, Hinchey said. Drugs, as well as sharps, can be safely disposed of right at the pharmacy during regular business hours. “To see the importance of that before anyone else, any other pharmacy, is really incredible,” said Hinchey. And during the pandemic, Kelly’s in Greenville also served as one of the only locations in Greene County to offer COVID-19 testing. Since January, Quinn Kelly noted, they have administered more than 11,000 COVID-19 vaccines at their two locations. “They deserve the recognition,” said Hinchey. “They don’t do it because they want the accolades, they do it because they love their community.” Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Times Union more than 50 Afghan refugees are expected to attend Bard College for free beginning next spring, Bard President Leon Botstein said this week. During a press conference on December 7, Botstein said a total of 177 people are to be enrolled at the Annandale-on-Hudson campus or at other Bard facilities. The placement of Afghan students is part of the college’s Afghan Student Fund, which provides living, legal and other necessary support to Afghan students who come to Bard, according to the college’s website. “The College has committed to providing a full package to each student, including tuition (which is being waived), room and board, books, and a stipend.” Botstein said educational institutions have the responsibility to help.. He said the college was able to get the students out of Kabul with the help of American University in Afghanistan and the American University of Central Asia where Bard has a dual degree program. “We have an obligation, a moral obligation,” Botstein said. “it is the right thing to do.” Read the full story in the Times Union

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics legislation signed into law this week by Gov. Kathy Hochul will allow state officials and law enforcement to consider identity theft as a form of elder abuse when older people are victimized. The measure adds identity theft and other fraud-related crimes to the state's formal definition of elder abuse and exploitation. "The fact that older New Yorkers are often the target of identity theft is unconscionable," Hochul said. "...Older New Yorkers have been there for us, and as the nation's first age friendly state I'm proud that New York continues to lead the way to be there for them." The new law also requires that identity theft be one form of elder abuse tracked by the state Office of the Aging as well as law enforcement officials. The changes are meant to provide more protection for older New Yorkers from fraud, such as when a person's social security number, driver's license information, or bank or credit card account is used by an unauthorized person. The measure was sponsored by Assemblyperson Catalina Cruz and state Sen. Rachel May. May said, "This simple change to our laws will open up state resources for people fighting this terrible crime. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill today to ensure [that] seniors have more protection against abuse." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Rebekah F. Ward reports in the Times Union about a new database from SUNY’s Rockefeller Institute of Government tracking which New York municipalities have opted out of allowing cannabis sales and/or consumption lounges. New York legalized cannabis in April, and is currently working on regulations for sales to begin. Towns and villages have until Dec. 31 to bar sales or bars where consumption would be allowed. So far, about 15 percent 15 percent have filed local laws to opt out of both retail sales and on-site consumption businesses. “A big theme I saw was they just said, ‘We can’t opt into an unknown’,” SUNY researcher Heather Trela about the new database. The database shows that in Greene County, Windham and Jewett have both barred sales and consumption sites, while New Baltimore holds a public hearing Dec. 13 on the issue. In Columbia County, The village of Chatham has opted out of both, while Austerlitz, Germantown, New Lebanon, and Taghkanic will allow both types of businesses. Copake will allow sales, and will hold a public hearing on lounges Dec. 9. Ancram will allow sales, but not lounges. Trela said she is noticing neighboring towns following the lead of other nearby towns. “It was motivating in two ways: sometimes it was, ‘We don’t want to go against the grain. If everyone else is opting out, we don’t want to be the outlier,’” Trela said. “And in other communities, it was like ‘We do want to be the outlier, because there’s going to be demand.’” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports for Columbia-Greene Media that on Dec. 6 the Kinderhook town board voted against allowing cannabis lounges, but took no action on retail sales. New York legalized cannabis in April, and gave towns and villages until Dec. 31 to opt out of allowing sales or consumption lounges. The vote was unanimous, except for one absent board member, and the article does not say who was absent. Kinderhook residents have 45 days after the law was passed to gather signatures for a referendum that could overturn the decision. State officials have been saying the infrastructure will be in place next year for sales to begin, but Town Supervisor Patsy Leader implied it might be later. “The state doesn’t have everything done yet, which is normal,” Leader said. “but what they’re saying is this won’t even take place, or take precedence until at least 2024 if not later, because they haven’t settled on the price of insurance, the price of license.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

The latest round of applications for full-power, noncommercial radio stations is in at the Federal Communications Commission and the Hudson Valley only got one possible frequency filled. Radio Catskill, Inc., which runs WJFF 90.5-FM in Jeffersonville in Sullivan County, has applied to occupy another frequency, 89.5-FM near Livingston Manor. WJFF is attempting to enlarge its signal substantially, also applying for another frequency in Hamlin, Pennsylvania, near Scranton. Other than that there are 21 applications for new commercial radio stations in New York, almost all from religious groups and four from St. Lawrence University. None of the other applications are near the Hudson Valley besides the proposal from WJFF. The FCC is expected to award the new licenses next year.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Ulster County reported two more coronavirus-related deaths Dec. 7. That brings the total there to 304. Altogether, Ulster County has 964 COVID cases up from the 953 reported on Dec. 6. More troubling, Ulster County's positivity rate grew to 9.7 percent on Dec. 7, up from 5.8 percent the day before. Dutchess County, across the Hudson River, reported another 38 cases on Dec. 7. The county remained over 1,000 active cases for the first time since April with 1,065. Dutchess County currently has a 5.83 percent positivity rate. Meanwhile, Columbia County reported 55 more COVID-19 cases Dec. 6 and 59 more on Dec. 7. And Greene County reported 84 more cases on Dec. 6, and 23 more on Dec. 7, with 296 active positives.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media staff at the Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Philmont are keeping an eye on an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The Columbia County Department of Health announced the positive cases at the facility on Fri., Dec. 3. “Nine residents and seven staff have tested positive, and all of them are vaccinated,” Pine Haven spokesperson Geoff Thompson said. “This week they will be getting their booster shots as well. A pharmacy is coming in to do that.” Two of the residents are in the hospital and six staff members are out because of their protocols, which specify how long after testing positive a staff member must stay out of the facility. “The symptoms seem to be less severe than in the past, now that people are vaccinated it’s kind of like a bad cold,” Thompson said. The facility believes the virus came in through a visitation a few days before Thanksgiving. Staff members and residents are tested weekly, Thompson said. Prior to this outbreak it had been several months since the facility had a positive COVID-19 case. “The vaccines really do appear to be having a positive effect, ...” Thompson said. “What they did, and what all the nursing homes are doing, is that anyone who ends up positive they are concentrated in a certain area,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. “So far so good. We haven’t had any additional positives over there.” The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell had two positive cases recently, Mabb said. The entire county has been experiencing an increase in the number of positive cases it is seeing. “We had 57 on Saturday, which is a big number for us,” Mabb said on Mon., Dec. 6. “And we had 52 today, which actually encompasses Sunday and today. I think this is Thanksgiving, we’re near the end now of the typical 11-day run." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union a carcinogenic chemical used in degreasing has been discovered in 12 residential wells in Nassau, Rensselaer Co., in a plume extending south of a state Superfund site heading toward Columbia County, Nassau Supervisor David Fleming said, December 6. “There’s one well above the state standard. They are currently on bottled water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has begun the process for an in-home treatment facility for that property,” Fleming said. The carcinogen TCE, or trichloroethylene, originated from the environmentally hazardous state Superfund site on Route 203; that site is connected to the federal Superfund site at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill, said Fleming. “Our immediate priority is the most rapid protection of human health possible. Our additional priority is the cleanup of this new contamination discovered along Route 203, just north of I-90 and the Columbia County border,” Fleming said. The EPA reported it collected tap water samples at 61 residences in October near the Route 203 site. There was no TCE detected in 48 residences, but it was found in a well nearby. EPA said it is working with the town, Rensselaer County, state Health Department and the state Department of Environmental Conservation when dealing with the Route 203 site. The Dewey Loeffel Landfill is labeled a toxic dump with approximately 46,000 tons of industrial waste. The toxic materials buried there include industrial solvents, waste oil, PCBs, scrap materials, sludge, and solids. “It’s going south toward Columbia County,” Fleming said about the groundwater pollution running from the Route 203 site. “It highlights the need to get a public drinking water source to these people,” Fleming said. “This has been my personal concern since we learned of the contamination.” Read the full story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics New York state officials are providing up to $2 million to help with the resettlement of Afghan refugees following the U.S. evacuation this summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tue., Dec. 7. The state funds will be used for programs meant to provide health care and mental health, as well as services for language skills, job training and immigration legal assistance. "For generations, immigrants have come to New York and the U.S. seeking freedom and opportunity — their contributions defining and strengthening the fabric of our state and nation," Hochul said. "With Afghan evacuees fleeing widespread instability in their own country, New York State is proud to take a leading role in the massive resettlement effort, ..." The state funds are in addition to $3 million from the New York State Enhanced Services to Refugees Program, which will be administered through the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at the state level. New York is helping 1,790 people who evacuated from Afghanistan since September. They will be resettled at locations statewide, including 250 people in Albany, 495 in Buffalo, 190 in the New York City metropolitan area, 50 in Niagara Falls, 275 people in Rochester and 420 people in Syracuse. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Steve Hughes reports in the Times Union that Albany and Schenectady County officials issued a joint health advisory Dec. 7 asking residents to wear masks in public regardless of vaccination status. On Dec. 5 Ulster County officials also asked their residents to all wear masks indoors. These edicts come as locally COVID-19 cases counts are rising, and the new omicron variant is reaching New York. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said they did not issue a mask mandate because of enforcement issues. "Just because there isn't a mandate doesn't mean you shouldn't do the right thing," he said. Recently there were eight deaths in six days in Albany County from coronavirus. While Ulster, Albany, and Schenectady are united in message, McCoy said he could not get other local counties to make the same announcement. "We haven't been able to do all that, to get everyone in sync to come up with same message," he said. "The only way new restrictions will work is if we do it on a regional-basis approach." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that six small business and property owners in the Coxsackie Reed Street Historic District have been given $347,000 in state funding through the New York Main Street Program. The money will go to façade and building improvements to preserve the mid-19th-century storefronts. The awards include$150,000 for restoration of the Patrick Henry’s tavern, Dolan Block, and James Newbury Hotel Spa; $50,000 for the Lower Landing Restaurant; $47,000 for a proposed arts and community space; $47,000 for a proposed ice cream shop; $23,550 for the Manson Reed General Store; $16,715 for The Bottle Shop; and $12,735 for Heartland Realty Upstate and Pilot House Paper. "The Coxsackie Reed Street Historic District, once the doorway to Hudson River trade in the mid-19th-century, is a local gem that small area entrepreneurs are working diligently to revive with an eye on launching several new local businesses,” State Senator Michelle Hinchey said at a ceremony announcing the funding. Coxsackie is currently undergoing a bit of a state-funded makeover. In September, New York State announced a $3.2 million project to fix up the nearby Coxsackie State Boat Launch and Riverside Park on the Hudson River, and that construction is currently under way. “This is another recognition of what is happening in Coxsackie and the renaissance we are experiencing with the re-development of the downtown waterfront area,” Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans said. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Noah Zweifel reports in the Altamont Enterprise that in the Town of Berne these days, all things are political, even the dog catcher. On Dec. 1, the Berne Town Board voted 3-0 to make Berne resident Donna Ferraino the dog-control officer. During the discussion on who to hire before the vote, Councilperson Leo Vane referred to the dog-control position as “political.” Deputy Supervisor Dennis Palow then argued that it’s not a political position. Then Vane said, “Of course it is,” and he asked whether the former dog-control officer didn’t resign over “political issues.” Palow said he was not aware that political factors were involved in Jodi Jansen's decision to resign in April. “I don't know of any political or unofficial reasons for his resignation,” Berne Supervisor Sean Lyons said. “Mr. Jansen and I have known each other our whole lives and I believe him to be trustworthy and honest and I don't believe any politics led him to resign.” Read more about this story in the Altamont Enterprise.

Today's daily headlines.