Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise the Berne Town Board last week made most of its appointments for the year at its reorganizational meeting. Most notable was Jody Jansen’s reappointment as dog-catcher. Jansen was first appointed to the office in January 2020, replacing long-time dog catcher Cheryl Baitsholts. That appointment was one of the most controversial, and residents slammed the board in meetings, on social media, and in The Altamont Enterprise for replacing a much-beloved public figure with someone who has no known experience with animals. The board left the code-enforcement officer appointment vacant so the search for a replacement for Chance Townsend can continue. Townsend was said to be uncertified, but there is some confusion about his status. In addition to Townsend, applicants for the code-enforcement officer position included Timothy Lippert, who previously served as Berne’s building inspector and currently serves as Rensselaerville’s building inspector and code-enforcement officer, and Kevin Flensted, of Westerlo, who serves as the chief of the Westerlo Volunteer Fire Company and is a plant manager at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. In a split vote, the board also appointed a new planning board member to replace sheep farmer Emily Vincent. Last January 1, the board demoted Vincent to an alternate post in order to appoint Thomas Spargo, a former judge and convicted felon, as chairman of the planning board. Vincent challenged the decision in state Supreme Court, which ruled in her favor, and she was able to retain her post until its expired December 31. The board has now appointed Bob Kipper to replace Vincent. The board also appointed Joe Martin to serve as planning board chair. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

Edward McKinley is reporting for Capitol Confidential the New York Senate moved quickly January 11, to approve nine election-related bills. The measures include: legalizing drop boxes for absentee ballots, decreasing the rate absentee ballots are denied, providing a system for absentee ballot tracking, speeding up ballot counting, and sending a constitutional amendment to voters to allow universal no-excuse voting absentee ballot. “For the third year in a row, the Senate Majority has advanced bold, meaningful steps to expand voting rights and voter access as our first legislative priority. This is because we know that voting is the right that safeguards all our other rights,” announced state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat and chair of the Senate Elections Committee, in an email after the bills were passed. This year, absentee balloting was already universal as a result of COVID-19, but counting them took weeks. Democrats point to the bills just passed as chances to make voting faster and more accessible, but also to speed up the counting process for the future. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week he will support no excuse absentee voting, speeding up vote counting and other election reforms. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

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Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup newly elected state Senator, Democrat Michelle Hinchey recently announced her committee assignments, which include chairing the Senate Agriculture Committee. Hinchey represents the 46th District, which includes parts of Ulster, Albany and Schenectady counties, and all of Greene and Montgomery counties, and home to more than 1,000 farms. “As we look to improve the resilience of our communities in the New Year, we need to recognize agriculture — our oldest and most enduring sector — as a strong pillar for New York’s economic recovery and essential to the preservation of our natural resources,” Hinchey said. “As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am committed to doing all that I can to keep New York a vibrant agricultural state and ensure that our farmers and producers always have a seat at the table.” Hinchey will also serve on the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Energy and Telecommunications, Environmental Conservation, and Local Government committees. A resident of Saugerties, Hinchey defeated Republican Richard Amedure in November and took the oath of office in late December in a small ceremony held in Albany. A districtwide ceremony is scheduled to take place on January 23. Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Rachel Silberstein is reporting for the Times Union the state Board of Regents January 11, unanimously chose Lester W. Young Jr. as chancellor, the board's first black chancellor since it was established in 1784. The Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the state, including the University and the state Education Department. As chancellor, Young will lead and serve as the board's presiding officer. He will assume his new role this week. Young has served as Regent at Large since he was first appointed by the state Legislature 2008. He has made creating opportunities “where every student can be successful” the guiding principle of his more than 50 years of public service. He helped establish the state My Brother’s Keeper initiative. The program was launched by President Barack Obama to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. New York is the only state in the country to have the My Brother’s Keeper initiative enacted into state law. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board, Interim Commissioner Rosa, the entire Education Department team, all New York state educators and, in particular, all of our families as we work to build more equitable and empowering futures for all New York’s students," Young said. He began his career with the New York City Department of Education as a teacher, guidance counselor, supervisor of special education, and principal. During his tenure as principal, PS 183 Brooklyn, was recognized as a School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and the state Education Department. Young also served as Assistant and Associate Commissioner with the state Education Department between from 1988 to 1993 and led the department’s efforts in New York City. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the New York State Bar Association January 11, announced it was looking at the possibility of expelling former New York City Mayor and President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani from the professional organization. The announcement comes after a riot at the U.S. Capitol that resulted in multiple deaths. Giuliani spoke at the rally held before the mob was dispatched to the Capitol, culminating in Trump supporters storming the building while Congress was in session. During his speech, Giuliani called for a "trial by combat" in a bid to overturn the election results. “If we’re wrong, we will be made fools of, but if we’re right a lot of them will go to jail,” Giuliani said. “Let’s have trial by combat.” Susan DeSantis, the chief communications strategist for the state bar association, said in a statement, "This decision is historic for [the bar association], and we have not made it lightly. We cannot stand idly by and allow those intent on rending the fabric of our democracy to go unchecked." The bar association said that it has received hundreds of complaints in recent months about Giuliani and his efforts to overturn the presidential election results. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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As two more cases of the more transmissable variant of COVID-19 were found in Saratoga, New York State expands its vaccination program. Currently, the state is on the pace to vaccinate all New Yorkers in years, not months, but is expanding from just 1a vaccination eligibility to 1b on Jan. 11. Trouble is there’s still no detailed Department of Health guidance for providers on vaccine prioritization/eligibility posted on the state website. The current 1a guidance that is on the website runs through Jan. 10. The expanded eligibility should include more essential workers, first responders, and anyone over the age of 75. Locally, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple Tweeted Jan. 10 that, "we pushed through 223 vaccinations in 2.5 hours in our drive through vaccination pod." And Dutchess County is opening COVID-19 vaccination sites this week in Poughkeepsie and Dover Plains. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow locally. There were 56 new COVID-19 cases announced Jan. 10 in Columbia County, and 47 more the day before. The state COVID-19 tracker web page lists 45 new cases on Jan. 9 for Greene County, and 22 more on Jan. 10. The Rensselaer County Health Department confirmed 239 new positive tests on Jan. 10, and the 99th death there. Eight of the new cases over the weekend came from Nassau, where young people including a 17-year-old male, a 21-year-old female, and a 26-year-old female there. Three more Albany County residents died of coronavirus, it was announced Jan. 9, with 266 new cases there. Ulster County had 158 new cases Jan. 9, and Dutchess County had 259 more positive tests.

Lauren Stanforth and Edward McKinley are reporting for the Times Union a member of the Malta town board is calling for the resignation of a zoning board member after photos allegedly showing her in the midst of the U.S. Capitol siege surfaced online over the weekend. Republican Timothy Dunn told the Times Union he spoke with the town GOP chairman after photos started circulating on social media of a woman being led off the Capitol grounds by police. The woman is believed to be Sharon Pineo of Round Lake and a member of the Malta ZBA. Dunn said Pineo had confirmed she was in the midst of the attempted coup on Wed., Jan. 6, but he has not been able to confirm the allegation with her directly. Pineo helped organize a charter bus trip that took Capital Region residents to the "March on Congress," which eventually devolved into a violent criminal raid on the U.S. Capitol while Congress was meeting to certify the 2020 Electoral College vote. Hundreds carrying flags in support of President Donald J. Trump stormed the building, with some forcing their way past police in riot gear, as well as breaking doors and windows. A December 22 Facebook post to the Upstate Conservative Coalition provides Pineo's email address for people to contact her to sign up for the bus trip to Washington. The Times Union could not immediately reach Ted Willette, the Malta GOP chairman, for comment. Multiple calls to Saratoga County GOP chairman Carl Zeilman have not been returned, nor was the paper able to reach Pineo. Malta Supervisor Darren O'Connor said, "I don't have confirmation [it's her], and I still lack enough info to commit to a particular course of action." Read the full story in the Times Union.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Columbia County Board of Supervisors last month adopted its 2021 budget that, for the first time in five years, reduces spending over the previous year. The $155.5 million spending plan, $4 million less than 2020, includes a $2.3-million decrease in salaries and imposes a hiring freeze. The tax levy exceeds the previous year but contributes about the same percentage to overall county spending. It remains unknown if there will be cuts to state aid. In addition to salary cuts and a hiring freeze, the county has cut expenditures under the Machinery budget line by $948,000, and the county road budget line by $899,000. Matt Murrell, board chairman, said, “No program maintained by the county has been eliminated, and no services have been cut. No reduction in the workforce has been planned.” In addition, “the union agreement not to take raises includes the proviso that this would be revisited mid-2021 to determine if circumstances call for their restoration.” Murrell said this would occur only in the event that a more stable revenue stream returns. Notwithstanding the cuts overall, the county will spend more on solid waste and capital projects next year. County Controller Ron Caponera said the cost of garbage has increased, and capital expenditures will go up to cover the cost of new voting machines. The budget already anticipates $3.5 million less in state aid and $1.1 million less in sales tax revenue. The budget was adopted unanimously by the full board. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

MidHudson News is reporting Hudson is one of three cities in the Hudson Valley to receive $1 million from Enterprise Community Partners Inc., to implement targeted strategies designed to help prevent displacement of residents from their homes and community. Last year, Hudson, Kingston and Newburgh each formed an Anti-Displacement Learning Network and then worked with Enterprise over nine months to identify displacement triggers and design targeted approaches to address them. Resident displacement is a major cause of community destabilization statewide in New York, and displacement disproportionately harms low-income communities and people of color. According to its website, Enterprise "is the only national nonprofit that addresses America’s affordable housing crisis from every angle,..." It employs more than 1,100 people nationwide. Read the full story story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

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Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics three more cases of the COVID-19 variant first found in the United Kingdom have been confirmed in New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Sat., Jan. 9. Two of the new cases are related to the case first discovered in Saratoga Springs. A third case, unconnected to the Saratoga County cases, was found in Nassau County, Cuomo said. The COVID-19 variant is considered more contagious. The governor believes there are more cases of the variant elsewhere in the state. The variant is not believed to be more severe than other versions of the virus. New York has administered 543,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to date, and the distribution effort is being expanded. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Ariél Zangla is reporting for the Daily Freeman after the Capitol riot this week, local leaders see obvious differences in how black and white protesters were treated. "It was immediately clear how unjust ... the law-enforcement reaction was to those Black Lives Matter demonstrators," the Rev. G. Modele Clarke said. "People who were protesting the criminal justice system in this country, trying to shed some light on the fact that black men, women and children were being killed by law enforcement at a disproportionate rate to their white counterparts ... were treated as insurrectionists." When Clarke saw what was happening at the Capitol this week, he could not believe his eyes, he said. The Rev. James Childs, senior pastor at Pointe of Praise Family Life Center in Kingston said, "...[S]omehow, African Americans are seen as more dangerous than whites, regardless [of] what their intents are." He also noted that the way law enforcement reacted at the Capitol clearly shows that officers can restrain themselves, even under pressure. Alim Flowers, lead organizer for Citizen Action of New York's Hudson Valley Chapter, also noted the difference in treatment. He said there were videos of law enforcement letting the crowd through into the building and of people taking selfies inside the building. The protesters in Washington, D.C., were rioting over a lost election, while the Black Lives Matter marchers were protesting the police killing of George Floyd, Flowers noted. "That, to me, is just really disgusting, and it hurts me," Flowers said. "It hurts me and makes me sad to see that's going on in America still." Kingston Alderperson Rita Worthington said it is no secret there have been longstanding disparities in the way blacks and other people of color are treated compared their white counterparts. "...[T]he fact that you have asked the three people of color on the Common Council for a response to the shameful and embarrassing act that the whole world witnessed clearly demonstrates that there clearly is a difference," Worthington said. Worthington's colleague, Alderperson Tony Davis, concurred, pointing out that rioters at the Capitol were escorted out of the building while Black Lives Matter demonstrators have been tackled and beaten with billy clubs. Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson Executive Director Jonathan Bix said it was outrageous that more than 14,000 people were arrested for protesting Floyd's killing while fewer than 100 people were arrested for storming the Capitol. Donald Mapes, the newest member of the city of Kingston's Board of Police Commissioners and a pastor with River of Life Ministries, said he believes there will be repercussions for the event this week. He also said people would have to be blind not to see the racial biases in the country. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Democrat Tistrya Houghtling [HO-telling] was elected minority leader of the Columbia Board of Supervisors, Mon., Jan. 4. The New Lebanon Town Supervisor will replace Hudson 1st Ward Supervisor Sarah Sterling. “[As][t]he nation and the county struggle with four crucial priorities: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial justice and climate change, county government has an important role in creating solutions that benefit Columbia County residents, Houghtling said in a statement. "I want to thank Supervisor Sterling for her leadership role and her commitment to both county government and the Democratic Party. She has been a generous, kind, and hard-working leader.” Sterling served as minority leader for three years and she was the first woman elected to the position. Houghtling formerly served as the New Lebanon town clerk and court clerk. During the organizational meeting, the board of supervisors also re-elected Republican Matt Murell of Stockport as board chairperson and Republican Michael Benvenuto of Ghent as majority leader. “I would like to thank you all for your confidence in re-electing me as chairman of the board of supervisors,” Murell said. “I am honored to work with you and to serve the residents of Columbia County.” Among the issues on the board's agenda for 2021: completion of the county’s emergency response training center and work on the sewer line from Commerce Park to the Greenport Wastewater Treatment Plant. The board will also continue to work on an occupancy tax for short-term rental properties and on police reform. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media as of early January 7, Columbia County recorded four drug overdoses in two days and Greene County, one. None of the overdoses were fatal. Greener Pathways Program Director Carl Quinn said in addition to the overdoses in Greene and Columbia counties, Rensselaer County had four to six overdoses during the same time period. “The overdoses in Columbia and Rensselaer...were all nonfatal,” Quinn said. “We use a utility called OD Map that lets us see overdoses around the state. ...[T]here was a nonfatal overdose in Schoharie and one in Montgomery. It seems to be affecting the whole Capital Region area.” In Columbia County, Quinn said, one of the overdoses was in the eastern part of the county, one in the Hudson area and one in the northern part of the county. Widespread overdoses like these can be an indicator that a drug supply has been contaminated with a high quantity of fentanyl, he said. In response to the spike, the Greener Pathways Mobile Outreach RV made trips to Philmont and Hudson this week to reach out to community members. Quinn said. “We hand out Narcan, we hand out fentanyl test strips, we’re available if people who are actively using want to talk to us about getting help, or just to support people in the community who might know people who are having issues with substance use.” Fentanyl test strips can be used to test for the presence of the drug, which is 100 times stronger than heroin, Quinn noted. Having a very small amount of it in a drug supply can cause a person to overdose. “We encourage people to test their drug supply and find out if it has fentanyl in it,” he said. The latest data suggest COVID-19 has accelerated the number of overdoses and overdose deaths nationwide. The CDC reports there were more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. To get a Narcan kit or fentanyl test strips text NARCANKIT to 21000 and a Greener Pathways Peer Advocate will respond. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Morgan McKay is reporting for State of Politics state Senate lawmakers January 7, united to call on congressional leaders and acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to hold President Donald Trump accountable for the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol this week. State Sen. Liz Krueger, and 35 other senators, including newly sworn Sen. Michelle Hinchey, sent a letter stating, "...[W]e, the undersigned members of the New York State Senate, call on the United States Congress to hold President Donald J. Trump accountable for inciting an insurrection against the government of the United States, using all avenues available, up to and including impeachment and immediate removal from office.” The letter also calls for the expulsion of any congressional members who encouraged or assisted the president’s supporters that stormed the Capitol. Since the incident, lawmakers in New York, on both the local level and in Congress have been calling for the president’s removal from office. Lawmakers are not alone — state Attorney General Letitia James in a statement also called for an investigation and potential charges. James wrote, “...For months, President Trump, his family, and his associates have espoused wild conspiracy theories that led to these acts of terror and sedition, and which elected officials are sworn to defend against. I am calling on the Justice Department to immediately begin an investigation into this attempt at insurrection and to hold all those responsible for their roles in fanning the flames that led to this failed coup.” Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Galvan Foundation has unveiled plans for Hudson's Depot District. The $50 million proposal is projected to bring housing units, business space and a new park to the north side of the city. The foundation defines the district as the area around the intersection of Seventh and State streets, west of Green Street, Galvan spokesman Dan Kent said. The construction of two new buildings will create 65 new permanent jobs and 347 construction jobs for Columbia County residents. The plan includes 138 housing units, including market-rate and affordable housing, at 75 North Seventh Street and 708 State Street. Both buildings will have one-, two- and three-bedroom units with amenities and green space. Thirty-four of the 54 affordable housing units will be for households earning between $23,000 and $42,000 a year. The other 20 affordable housing units will be designated for those making $45,000 to $65,000 per year. Eighty-four of the units will be offered at market rate, Kent said. Nine 1,000-square-feet commercial spaces will be located on the street level of both buildings. Women and minority-owned businesses will be given preference for four of the storefronts. A new park on the corner of State and Seventh streets is also part of the plan. Future development includes the construction of three buildings on vacant land nearby. The $50 million price tag will be financed using both public and private funds. The goal is to complete construction on the first two buildings by fall 2023, Kent said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.