Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise on the tentative 2021 budgets prepared by the towns of Berne, Knox and Westerlo in Albany County. In Berne, property taxes are down and salaries are up in its tentative 2021 budget. The highway superintendent is scheduled to receive a 12.6-percent raise; the building inspector, a 23-percent raise; and the code-enforcement officer, a 24-percent raise, in addition to a property tax decrease of more than 13 percent. The suggested decrease in the tax levy comes despite an almost $156,000 drop in county sales tax revenue. Supervisor Sean Lyons could not be reached for comment, but the potential 13-percent tax decrease is believed to be the result of reduced expenses, including maintenance supplies for buildings, computer equipment, the highway buildings account, the town park account and garbage charges. Tax rates are steady in the town of Knox’s tentative $2.2 million budget for 2021, which also projects higher revenues and higher spending. The tentative spending plan, with no tax levy increase, must be adopted by November 20 after a series of town workshops. The draft spending plan was crafted by Town Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis. “We have worked extremely hard over the past five years micromanaging our budget by reducing expenses, holding vendors accountable, negotiating purchases, and accounting for every penny, and it has paid off,” Lefkaditis said. Total spending will increase by $22,000, while revenue, aside from property taxes, is projected to increase by nearly $51,000, and sales-tax revenue is expected to total $930,000, about $78,000 less than last year. Westerlo’s 2021 tentative budget features big changes with a revenue loss of more than $200,000 and a nearly six percent property tax increase that covers what could not be saved through expense reductions. The tentative $2.9 million budget is a first draft. Supervisor William Bichteman said, “... There’s no doubt that the coronavirus has impacted our town and certainly you can’t deny the downturn in the state’s economy or the corresponding sales slump. ...” The sales tax revenue projected totals $950,000, compared to last year's anticipated income of $1.25 million. The preliminary spending plan reflects a decrease in allocations totaling almost $135,000, including two highway department layoffs, reductions in employee mileage reimbursements, office supplies, museum contractual expenses and more. Read more in The Altamont Enterprise.

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Republican state Sen. Daphne Jordan of Halfmoon has earned the Environmental Advocates Action 2020 Oil Slick Award. The award is presented annually to a New York state lawmaker that has repeatedly voted against the environment and "put the priorities of polluters ahead of public health and safety," EA Action said in press release. Peter M. Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates Action said, “... Unfortunately, time and again, Senator Jordan turns her back on her constituent’s health and safety and instead chooses to prop up polluters. During her short time in office, she has voted against measures that fight climate change, protect kids from toxics toys, and keep dangerous chemicals out of food. ...” In making the award, EA Action highlighted Jordan's vote to reject a bill to ban PFAS chemicals from food packaging, the same chemicals that contaminated the drinking water in Hoosick Falls. "Voting no means standing with polluting corporations that profit while the public gets sick. Senator Daphne Jordan sided with the polluters, not her constituents," EA Action wrote. Jordan's predecessor and former boss, then Sen. Kathy Marchione, earned the Oil Slick award in 2014. Republican state Sen. George Amedore tied with Jordan with the lowest score in the Senate, scoring a 49 out of 100, according to the 2020 Environmental Scorecard. In the Assembly, Republican Jake Ashby scored a 77 out of 100, Democrat Didi Barrett received a 100 for the second year in a row, and Republican Christopher Tague scored a 52, up from 43 last year. The Environmental Scorecard tracks the votes of every state legislator on environmental legislation. Environmental Advocates Action was founded in 1969. It is the sister organization of Environmental Advocates NY. Read more at exaction [dot] org.

Steve Barnes is reporting for the Times Union Fish & Game, a Hudson restaurant that gained local and national attention, has closed its doors after seven years in business. Chef Zakary Pelaccio opened the restaurant in 2013, after he made his name with the Manhattan restaurants Fatty Crab and Fatty ‘Cue. His work at Fish & Game was subsequently recognized with a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast in 2016. The restaurant was shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic and now Whalers & Merchants, LLC, the company that owns Fish & Game, has decided to close the eatery permanently. In an email to patrons October 15, Pelaccio announced that he would be leaving the company to pursue work as a consulting chef. Fish & Game’s sister establishment, BackBar, remains open. Whalers & Merchants is expected to introduce a new take on Italian cuisine and dining at Fish & Game's location on 3rd Street, off Warren. It will be called Feast & Floret and will incorporate a fresh flower market. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker is reporting for the Daily Freeman the owner of a gun store on Morton Boulevard in the town of Ulster complied after he was directed by police to remove a sign from the front door of his shop that read "No masks allowed," Chief Kyle Berardi said Wed., Oct. 14. After receiving an inquiry from the Daily Freeman about the sign at Ruger's Custom Guns, police “advised the owner to take [the sign] down," and "he complied without incident," Berardi said. The sign, in all capital letters, was taped to the store’s front door the day before. The chief denied that his department had received any complaints about the store's no-mask policy. A person answering the phone at the shop Tuesday afternoon hung up on a reporter asking questions about the store's policy, and a phone message later left with the business was not returned. State law, enacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, requires anyone over the age of 2 and medically able to tolerate a face covering to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth “when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance.” Additionally, the law requires employees in a workplace to be provided with and wear a mask or face covering “when in direct contact with customers or members of the public, or when unable to maintain social distance.” The law also requires business operators and building owners to deny admittance to anyone failing to comply with the law. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

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There are now outbreaks, or clusters, of COVID-19 in both Columbia and Greene counties. Natasha Vaughn reports in Columbia-Greene Media that most of the cases in Columbia County are at the Ghent Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, according to Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb. “We’re not really seeing what I would consider a spike at this point in time,” Mabb said, preferring a different word. “I think that this is going to be our life, from now until there is a vaccine. I would love to see a low level of community spread like we have, but we’re going to get these clusters in different places.” As of Oct. 14 there were six new coronavirus cases announced in Columbia County, with 604 total. Columbia County reported its first COVID-19 death in over four months, the 38th resident to have died since the pandemic began. Ichabod Crane, Chatham, and Hudson schools have reported cases since re-opening. On the other side of the Hudson River, the Greene County Public Health Department spent Oct. 14 sending robocalls and emails, and posting on social media how the Greene Correctional Facility is governed independently from Greene County Public Health. That's because 80 of 93 current COVID-19 cases in Greene County are at the Greene Correctional Facility. People at the Coxsackie prison, though, interact with other people in Greene County, so it is a problem there with recent cases at both the Greenville and Catskill schools, and in the Greene County Office Building. The Columbia County Department of Health is hosting free COVID testing at the John L. Edwards Primary School in Hudsonon Oct. 20 and 27, from 9-11 a.m. Pre-registration is not necessary, but each clinic has just 100 tests. In Greene County, officials said last week they do not have enough tests for everyone who wants one, but only for those who have been exposed to COVID-19.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Wed., Oct. 14, signed into a law a bill designating Juneteenth as a formal public holiday in New York. The day marks the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday is celebrated annually on June 19, the anniversary of the day when a Union Army general rode into Texas to take control of the state with federal troops and enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. New York previously observed Juneteenth as a "day of commemoration" called Juneteenth Freedom Day since 2004. This year Cuomo, through an executive order, declared the day a holiday, closing state offices. Spurred on by protests and demonstrations against racism and policing, state lawmakers this summer introduced measures to expand the day to a full public holiday. Texas was the first state to adopt Juneteenth as an official holiday and 46 states now have some sort of commemoration for the day. Juneteenth festivals are also observed locally. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson Common Council President Thomas DePietro is asking the city to budget $1 for his 2021 salary instead of the $12,500 annual sum he earned this year. “I want the people to know that I understand the dire financial situation the city is in,” DePietro said October 14. “While my salary is a tiny fraction of the city budget, I hope it inspires us all to realize some sacrifices will have to be made until the economy recovers.” DePietro works as a freelance writer and editor, but has been focused on government work this year, he said. DePietro proposed the salary reduction to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment at its October 9 meeting. The BEA consists of DePietro, City Treasurer Heather Campbell and Mayor Kamal Johnson. No other city employees have asked for salary decreases, Johnson said. Johnson declined to comment on DePietro’s decision, as did his aide Michael Chameides. Campbell was unavailable for comment. The yearly salaries for council members total nearly $44,000, and each is eligible for a $3,500 health insurance reimbursement, as well. DePietro also forfeited his health insurance reimbursement, he said. During his first term in 2018, 5th Ward Alderperson Dominic Merante earmarked a month of his salary to Hudson Police Department youth programming and a month to miscellaneous police spending. This term, Merante earmarked one month in 2020 to help the Youth Department’s food programs. Merante commended DePietro’s decision. “It’s an interesting offer, or position, to take,” 5th Ward Alderperson Eileen Halloran said. “I don’t know why he’s not taking the salary, he certainly earned it.” NOTE: DePietro and Johnson are WGXC volunteer programmers. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

William J. Kemble is reporting for for the Daily Freeman Bard College has lost its battle to provide students a polling site on campus. The decision issued by a state Supreme Court October 13, rejected the concerns filed by college President Leon Botstein, the Andrew Goodman Foundation, the Election@Bard student group, student Sadia Saba, and Vice President for Student Affairs Erin Cannan. Judge Maria Rosa said efforts to have Dutchess County Board of Elections move a polling location to a place other than Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist on River Road, should have undergone an administrative review before going to court. The Red Hook church is 1.6 miles south of the college in Annandale-on-Hudson. The petitioners commenced the Article 78 proceeding on September 4 challenging the polling place designation, but they did not file a declaratory judgment action or articulate a theory "... proving grounds upon which the court could direct the Board of Elections to take any specific action based on the COVID19 pandemic,” Rosa wrote. Efforts to move the polling site were blocked by Republican elections Commission Erik Haight, who issued a statement chiding those who filed the case. “The rule of law has prevailed and I’m gratified the Court reached the obvious decision," Haight said. "I think this is a good teaching lesson for the students that if you don’t get what you want, you shouldn’t just run off to court and waste everyone’s time and taxpayer’s money.” Bard College Vice President for Academic Affairs Jonathan Becker contends the court decision was based on process rather than merit. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

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Edward McKinley is reporting for Capitol Confidential Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple October 13, endorsed state Senate candidate Michelle Hinchey. Hinchey, a Democrat, is running for the 46th District seat in a field of four candidates that includes Republican Richard Amedure, Green Party candidate Robert Alft Jr. and write-in candidate Gary Greenberg. Amedure is a former state trooper. Incumbent George Amedore is not running for re-election. “In a time of so much division, we need leaders who will bring people together, have the tough conversations and find the best pathway forward for all of us,” Apple said in an announcement distributed by Hinchey’s office. “She is the kind of State Senator we need and who will fight to serve everyone in our region.” Read more at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

MidHudson News is reporting state Senator David Carlucci has urged the state Thruway Authority to change its policy on the Tolls by Mail surcharges. Carlucci made his appear during the first of a series of virtual public hearings on the proposed toll increases going into effect across the entire Thruway system. Carlucci said his office has received reports of Westchester and Rockland residents receiving enormous penalties from Tolls by Mail, since it gained wide use during the pandemic. He said a two-dollar surcharge, in addition to the huge penalties for not returning payment in the required timeframe, are hurting workers' abilities to commute. This would get worse if proposed service cuts from the MTA go through, making transportation extremely difficult for residents in both counties, he said. The Thruway Authority claims the surcharges are necessary to fund the technology and operation of the Tolls by Mail system. A Thruway representative argues that commuters purchase an EZPass to avoid the surcharge. Carlucci told the Thruway Authority that imposing a $2 surcharge was “heavy-handed” and there should at least be some forgiveness of fines incurred from Tolls by Mail use. The authority will conduct two more virtual public hearings on the proposal, at 4 p.m., Wed., Oct. 14, and at 6 p.m. on Thu., Oct. 15. Information is available at thruway [dot] ny [dot] gov. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Daniel Axelrod is reporting for the Times Herald-Record the Open Space Institute, the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and the Hudson River Valley Greenway, are a month away from finishing a $1.5 million project to improve the northern 9.5-mile stretch of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, it was announced October 13. In Ulster County, the local trail section begins at Cragswood Road in New Paltz, running through the towns of Rosendale and Ulster, and ends at Route 32 in the city of Kingston. The focus has been on the former rail lines that have become Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, Hudson Valley Rail Trail, O&W Rail Trail, and trails along the Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor, including the Ashokan Rail Trail. By the end of the year, Ulster County leaders say they'll have made significant progress toward the long-term goal of creating a network of interconnected multi-use trails. Through a series of local, county and state projects, including the nearly completed Empire State Trail, much of the county’s rail trail system will be linked. Also by year-end most of the state’s nearly 4-year-old initiative to create the Empire Rail Trail is expected to be complete. That 750-mile project spans the state, allowing bikers and hikers to travel from New York City to Canada and from Buffalo to Albany. Read the full story at poughkeesiejournal [dot] com.

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Greene County COVID-19 cases jumped from 47 on Oct. 9 to 95 on Oct. 13, after no reporting this weekend, according to a social media post by the Greene County Public Health Department. And 11.9 percent of the tests announced on Oct. 13 were positive, a number that is very high for anywhere in New York. The Greene County Public Health Department claimed this outbreak is not their fault. "Over 85 percent of our positive cases are located within Greene Correctional Facility, which is governed independently from Greene County Public Health," they wrote on social media. "Greene Correctional Facility made the decision to do a large-scale testing since the initial outbreak. In doing this, they found multiple positive cases inside the prison. Those in contact with the positive cases have been contact traced and required to quarantine, if necessary depending on interaction." This large jump in cases comes after recent announcements about cases in the Catskill and Greenville schools, and the Greene County Office Building in Catskill. Despite their recent case at their elementary school, Catskill schools announced they will begin in-person instruction Oct. 15. Ronel Cook, Catskill's Superintendent of Schools, said they would not be changing anything since the one COVID-19 case was announced last week. "I encourage you to check your child’s temperature at home before they come to school. Your cooperation with this screening and with our reopening plan is greatly appreciated and will help lead to a safer school environment," Cook wrote on the Catskill schools website. Columbia County, meanwhile, announced five new cases Oct. 13. And also on Oct. 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia have been added to New York's list of states where travelers are required to quarantine for two weeks when they come here. And the Times Union reported that dozens of Averill Park students, teachers, and staff must quarantine after a student at the Rensselaer County high school tested positive for COVID-19. And someone from Colonie Central High School in Albany has tested positive for COVID-19, the school district confirmed on Oct. 13.

The Troy Record is reporting Republican state Assemblymember Jake Ashby has introduced a bill that would provide small businesses with a tax credit for making appropriate upgrades to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Ashby said the upgrades include personal protective equipment like sanitation products and shields. The measure has widespread bipartisan support, according to Ashby. “I am proud to support this commonsense legislation that would provide additional financial assistance for small businesses...We need to continue to support our small businesses as they move forward on the path to recovery after this devastating pandemic, as the recovery will be a long road," Democrat Assemblymember John T. McDonald III said. Mark Eagan, President and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber lauded the proposal and called on the state legislature to take up and pass the bill. Ashby said his tax credit would ensure businesses the safest reopening possible without suffering losses from the high costs of protective gear. "With the safe reopening of many small businesses, local communities can begin to grow and prosper once again," he said. Read the full story in The Troy Record.

Zach Montellaro and Josh Gerstein are reporting for Politico [dot] com the U.S. Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration's request to halt counting for the census early, blocking a lower court order that required the government to continue the process as originally planned through the end of October. The SCOTUS October 13 order granted the Justice Department’s request for an emergency stay without offering an explanation for the decision, which required the support of at least five justices. Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a written dissent. She was the only justice on the eight-member panel to note her dissent calling the harms from ending the count early “avoidable and intolerable.” After initially claiming it required an extension due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Trump administration switched gears this summer and said it would end enumeration by September 30, a month early. Experts, both inside and outside the agency, have expressed concern over a shortened timeframe for the constitutionally mandated count, arguing that a politically motivated, shortened timeline due to the pandemic threatened the census on two ends: both the actual counting and the data processing that follows. The count determines how approximately $1.5 trillion in federal spending is directed and how House seats are apportioned among the 50 states. Early in the day October 12, the Census Bureau announced it had counted 99.9 percent of American households: 66.8 percent through self-response, and 33.1 percent through nonresponse followup. Read the full story at politico [dot] com.