Amanda Purcell reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Columbia County Republican Election Commissioner Jason Natske said Nov. 12 that a hand count of 700 early votes caused the three-day delay in releasing election results last week. The complete Columbia County election results, in fact, have still not been published. Natske said the election officials did not have a working plan for how to count election day votes and early voting votes. “We were required to essentially wait until 9 p.m. to reopen the early vote machines and which from all three sites had transported back to the board of elections,” Natske said. “The challenge for us was we had programmed each poll site individually, and we had to, the following day, merge the results of the three polls sites in order to have one tabulated early vote.” He said county-wide election results will be announced some time this week. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Sarah Trafton for Columbia-Greene Media in the Greenville Pioneer reports that nine Greene County towns have their own solar energy laws while none of the villages do, and Hunter has a moratorium on solar projects, according to the Economic Development, Tourism, and Planning Department. “We will be collecting model ordinances with the intent of communicating back to municipalities,” Deputy Greene County Administrator Warren Hart said. He said the information about local solar laws and projects would also be will be posted on the planning department’s website this month, with a list of PILOTs, or payments in lieu of taxes, programs in the county included. Read more about this story in the Greenville Pioneer.

Cayla Harris reports in the Times Union that Republicans in the minority in Albany are pushing for a special legislative session to roll back sweeping bail reform measures otherwise set to take effect in January. They do not have the numbers to call a special session, but would have to convince some Democrats, who passed the reforms earlier this year. On Nov. 12 two groups of GOP lawmakers announced bills they would introduce to change the laws. “There's an old adage that says justice delayed is justice denied,” state Sen. James Tedisco, a Republican from Glenville, said. “Well, justice rushed is also, in many instances, justice denied, and I believe this was justice rushed through the New York state Legislature.” But a spokesperson for Gov. Andrew Cuomo seemed baffled that Republicans didn't also back the measures. “Republican Gov. Chris Christie passed essentially the same bail reform laws years ago in New Jersey and their state reports have shown that overall crime has decreased with no statistically significant changes regarding re-offenses or court appearances,” Cuomo spokesperson Jason Conwall said. “Politicians taking cues from Trump's cheap fear-mongering should knock it off and focus on the facts.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Click above to download or play the audio version of the local news update for Tue., Nov. 12. (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper Ichabod Crane Interim Superintendent Lee Bordick held a community forum October 30, to discuss how the existing school buildings will be managed during the district's capital project, starting in 2020. Bordick said during construction the guidance office staff will move to the high school main office while the high school administration will move to the central office. Work on the art wing will begin first, in June of 2020. After the art wing is completed, the math wing will be next, in December 2020. From April to August 2021, work will start on the science wing. A major upgrade to the technology wing is scheduled for 2021-22. The area where most students will need to move around during construction is at the middle school, where work will start on the 4th and 5th-grade wings in the summer of 2020. Bordick said about 12 classrooms must be identified for use by those students during the construction. The 7th- and the 8th-grade wing is next and, finally, the 6th and 7th-grade wing. He said the plan was to have all three wings, or pods, completed in the 2020-21 school year. Upgrades to the middle school gym will start in September 2021 and be completed by August 2022. The $27-million capital improvement project was approved by district voters last December. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Christina Coulter is reporting for HudsonValleyOne [dot] com the fate of three construction and demolition waste dumping sites in Saugerties is now in the hands of state Supreme Court Judge Richard Mott. Following more than 20 hours and 10 days of witness testimony, Mott will now consider whether the town of Saugerties appropriately issued stop-work orders against dumping on the properties owned by Joseph and Rachel Karolys, located on Route 212, Fel Qui Road and Goat Hill Road. A temporary restraining order is currently in effect, stopping enforcement of the stop-work orders until the matter can be properly adjudicated. The Karolys are arguing the town improperly singled them out for enforcement while turning a blind eye to other illegal dumpsites in town. The parties now await Mott's decision. “I feel optimistic,” said Town Supervisor Fred Costello Jr. after the final hearing. “I think [town attorney John] Greco summarized all of our arguments nicely and reflecting back, I feel like we presented a strong argument as to why this restraining order needs to be lifted and to memorialize all of the concerns we’ve been expressing. ...” In other legal business, Karolys will appear in Woodstock Town Court later this month to answer to charges of illegal dumping outside of the 7 a.m.-to-3 p.m. window outlined in the temporary restraining order. William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman the members of the group Dump Here Never have scheduled a sunrise protest November 12, at the dumpsite on Route 212, to greet arriving trucks. The protesters expect to witness the terms of the order being violated. “The reason we’re doing it so early is because the trucks usually come in [before the allowed time], and we wanted to be there,” said Mike Ferraro, who lives across the road from the site. There is no timetable for Mott to render his decision.

Columbia-Greene Media is reporting Columbia Memorial Hospital recently unveiled its state-of-the-art 3D breast biopsy technology that will aid in the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for breast cancer patients in Columbia and Greene counties. The stereotactic 3D biopsy system, known as Affirm, provides more precise targeting of tissue abnormalities allowing the detection of breast cancer to happen earlier and more accurately. The technology was acquired as the result of community contributions to the Columbia Memo-rial Health Foundation. “This life-saving 3D biopsy technology, paired with our 3D mammography service, provides our patients with the most advanced diagnostic care available in locations that are comfortable, convenient and close to home,” said CMH President and CEO Jay P. Cahalan. Read the full press release at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Michael Gartland is reporting for the New York Daily News according to a 2014 U.S. Department of Labor report, New York workers are cheated out of anywhere from $500 million and $1 billion in wages every year. Another study — conducted in 2015 — found that even when workers prevail in wage theft cases, more than the $126 million due to them has not been paid out. In 2019 alone, people filed about 5,800 lawsuits in New York federal courts involving the Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers minimum and overtime wage claims, as well as workplace retaliation. But even when workers win those cases, they often struggle to track down the money they are owed by their employers. To response to this problem, advocates are pushing the SWEAT Act. If signed into law, the measure would allow workers the ability to walk into their county clerk's office and file a lien against their employers if they are not paid what they are owed. Similar policies are already in effect in California and Wisconsin. The SWEAT Act is currently awaiting Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's review. Read the full story in the New York Daily News.

Click above to download or play the audio version of the local news for Tue., Nov. 12. Produced by Philip Grant.

Closings and delays for Tue., Nov. 12:
Updated: 8 a.m.

Chatham Central School District | Delayed two hours. No morning BOCES. No breakfast.
Chatham Kids Club | Delayed two hours. Morning program delayed two hours. Aftercare open at regular time, 2:15 p.m. to 6 p.m.
COARC Adult Transportation| Delayed two hours. Staff report.
Columbia Christian Academy | Delayed two hours.
Germantown Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | Delayed two hours. No morning BOCES.
Saugerties Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District | Delayed two hours Closed. Veterans ceremony rescheduled to Nov. 13.


Source: Times Union

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

Bethany Bump reports for the Times Union that while a new statewide ban on flavored e-cigarette products is being held up in court, Albany County legislators will vote on the issue on Nov. 12. Legislation that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products throughout much of the county will be voted on at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Albany County Court House, Legislative Chambers, 2nd Floor, after a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Yonkers recently became the first New York city with such a ban, and Albany would become the first county, if the measure passes. “We have seen an explosion of youth vaping and use of these products in recent years, to the point that our high schools are having to put monitors in the bathrooms to stop it during school,” said Albany County Legislator Paul Miller, who sponsored the bill. “Our youth are addicted to this stuff.” Opponents of the ban say it will reduce local businesses and that adult smokers use e-cigarettes as a form of harm reduction trading off from smoking traditional cigarettes. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Emilia Teasdale reports in the Columbia Paper that the Village of Chatham board voted to adopt zoning changes Nov. 4. Mayor John Howe and Trustees Lenore Packet and Melony Spock voted in favor of Local Law #2 of 2019, while trustee Pete Minahan voted against and trustee Jaimee Boehme did not attend the meeting. The law creates a new zoning map for the village, new and/or updated definitions in the code, and a new use table. There were three public hearings about the new zoning, and the law was reviewed by the county Planning Board, and the village’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. The new law does not include language about short-term rentals. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Emilie Munson reports in the Times Union that ahead of Veteran's Day this year local Congressional representatives were all atwitter about the work they are doing for those who served in the military. Reps. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck, and Elise Stefanik, a Republican from Schuylerville, announced Nov. 7 a bill for more federal funding for New York veterans' cemeteries. In Stefanik's northern 21st District, 8.9 percent of the population 18 years and older are veterans, and in Delgado's 19th Congressional District, 7.4 percent of the population 18 years and older are veterans. Delgado explained he is teaming with a Republican to try and fix something specific. "I was shocked to learn that a technical error in our laws prevents Ulster County and other counties in New York and across the country from accessing much-needed federal funding for its veterans’ cemeteries," Delgado said. "This prohibition severely cripples counties in states like New York that do not have state-operated veterans’ cemeteries, which is why I worked with my colleagues across the aisle and introduced a bill that fixes this problem and ensures local veterans’ cemeteries are properly funded." Stefanik is also crowing about another bipartisan bill passed in the U.S. House last week that she sponsored with Rep. Charlie Crist to create a grant program to develop and maintain special courts for rehabilitating veterans who commit non-violent crimes. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

The Post Star reports that New Yorkers should be watching out for the latest invasive species about to enter the state: spotted lanternfly egg masses. The spotted lanternfly has not yet been found in New York, but has been seen in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The insect lives in China, India, and Vietnam but is in the U.S. decimating grapes and hops. In the fall they lay eggs in vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture, and campers, and officials from the state departments of environmental conservation and agriculture are urging the public to report any egg masses that are an inch long and often smooth and brownish gray with a shiny, waxy coating. Read more about this story in the Post Star.

Click above to download or play the audio version of the local news update for Mon., Nov. 11. (Produced by Philip Grant.)

The Times Union is reporting the portion of the Devil's Path and Long Path trails that traverse the town of Hunter has opened after vandalism caused a quarter-mile section of the trail to be closed, the Department of Environmental Conservation said November 8. The section closed in early October after the vandalism of steel rungs on a rock face created a safety hazard for visitors, according to the DEC. The short reroute between Twin Mountain Peak and Pecoy Notch Trail provides safe passage for visitors while maintaining the character of the Devil’s Path, the DEC said. It plans to monitor the reroute to ensure no significant environmental degradation results from public use. The DEC investigation into the vandalism is ongoing. Read the full story in the Times Union.

MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting on the effort underway to convince the Irish airline Aer Lingus to serve the Hudson Valley. Officials are hoping to fill the gap in direct overseas service left when Norwegian Air terminated its non-stop flights from New York Stewart International Airport in August. Both U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and airport officials have been in contact with Aer Lingus officials. Schumer was the driving force behind getting Jet Blue service from Stewart years ago. Louis Heimbach, the chairman of the advisory Stewart Airport Commission, said if successful, the effort would put Stewart "back on the map." Despite the high demand for non-stop international service at Stewart, Norwegian Air canceled its use of the hub because of the prolonged worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 Max jets. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Cayla Harris is reporting for the Times Union state colleges and universities announced November 10, a plan to waive application fees for veterans and their spouses. Application fees can range from $50 to $65, according to a press release from the governor's office. While some campuses already waive application fees for veterans, the policy announced this weekend would extend the waiver to all state-operated schools permanently. The policy change must now be approved by both the CUNY and SUNY Boards of Trustees. A Cuomo spokesman said the governor's office will push for a similar fee waiver at community colleges. "Generations of New Yorkers have fought to preserve the freedoms and ideals of this state and nation at great personal sacrifice, and we must do everything we can to support them once they get home," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Aarthi Swaminathan is reporting for Yahoo! Finance the unemployment rate for recent college graduates is increasing. Data recently released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicates that contrary to trends in the larger labor market, fresh graduates are more likely to be unemployed that the core U.S. working population, for the first time since 1990. Recent college graduates are defined as those between the ages of 22 and 27, with a bachelor’s degree or higher. The unemployment rate for that group has increased, from 3.8 percent in May to 4 percent in September, when the unemployment rate for overall workers was 3.6 percent. The unemployment rate takes on even more significance when considering the amount of student debt the newly graduated currently hold. Nearly a quarter of those who had taken out a Direct Loan were either behind in their payments or in default at the end of last year. Read the full story at Yahoo! Finance.