Today's daily headlines.

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

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the as-yet-unidentified buyer of the Kaz warehouse site in the city of Hudson has signed off on the deal for a still undisclosed sum of money, the Hudson Development Corporation announced October 26. The sale of the site, located on Montgomery Street in the city's 1st Ward, needs only the approval of a court because the sale will consist of most of the corporation’s assets. An application for the courts is being prepared — the court must see how the money from the sale will be spent. According to the state Attorney General’s office, sales of this nature must be approved by the attorney general or the state Supreme Court. Approval could take three to six weeks. HDC officials say the deal will be finalized within 10 business days of court approval. It remains unclear what the mystery buyer plans to do with the land, but HDC Board of Directors President Robert Rasner claims the buyer has plans and dreams for a new Hudson neighborhood. “We have worked so long for this, it’s such good news,” he added. Rasner said the pending sale will provide revenue that can steer the future direction of the organization. HDC board treasurer Philip Forman said the organization should focus on creating new jobs with the anticipated revenue and suggested using “our funds to maximize impact on job creation and economic opportunities in Hudson.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Melissa Hale-Spencer is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise in addition to the election of various county and municipal officials on November 2, New Yorkers will vote on five amendments to the state constitution. Any proposal to amend the state constitution must be approved by voters statewide. The amendments put forward this year deal with elections, redistricting, the environment, and the courts. Proposal 1 would amend the apportionment and redistricting process. The number of state senators would be frozen at 63. The process for the state’s population would be amended, deleting provisions that violate the United States Constitution. The state assembly and senate district lines would be based on the total population of the state and the state would be required to count all residents, including non-citizens and Native Americans if the federal census fails to include them. It would also provide for incarcerated people to be counted at their place of last residence rather than at their place of incarceration for the purpose of redistricting. Proposal 2 would add just one sentence to the Bill of Rights in Article I of the New York Constitution: “Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.” Proposal 3 would remove the constitution’s current requirement that a citizen be registered to vote at least 10 days before an election and would allow the legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than 10 days before the election. Proposal 4 is a no-excuse-needed for absentee voting amendment. It would eliminate the requirement that an absentee voter must be unable to appear at the polls due to absence from the county or illness or physical disability. Currently, the state constitution allows only these two specific circumstances for an absentee ballot. An emergency executive order signed by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo during the pandemic, and then a state law following that, allowed no-excuse-needed absentee voting to stem the spread of COVID-19. If this amendment is approved, no-excuse-needed absentee voting would become part of the constitution, reform long sought by voting-rights advocates. Proposal 5 applies only to New York City Civil Court but must be passed statewide in order to amend the constitution. The amendment would increase the jurisdiction of the city’s civil court, a trial court, to hear and decide claims for up to $50,000 instead of the current limit of $25,000. A detailed  description of the five ballot proposals is available at the state Board of Elections website. Note: the five propositions are printed on the reverse side of the ballot. Read more in The Altamont Enterprise

Raymond Pignone has rundown for Columbia-Greene Media of the three candidates running for two open seats on the Greenville Town Board: Richard Bear and Travis J. Richards running on the Republican and Conservatives lines, and Michelle Clark, on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Richards failed to submit responses to the paper's questions in time for the final deadline. Incumbent Bear, 68, is a lifelong resident of Greene County. He is retired from full-time employment, but currently works as a school bus driver. He previously served as Greenville's assessor and its highway superintendent. Bear says, "Our sewer and water system has always been a top issue. We have been working on that a lot. Our highway and roads are very much a top issue. Our community has grown very quickly in the last couple of years." He is proud to be a community member — being a town board member, but also someone who volunteers for events, such as Greenville Day. "I am proud of working to get our community moving forward by doing the sidewalk program and also our sewer and water. I am very proud of getting those things moving forward," Bear said. Clark, 29, is a resident of Freehold and has lived in the county for eight years. She is employed as an auto parts specialist. Clarks says, "There are several areas of concern here in Greenville so to focus on one is difficult. I would say, our emergency services including the Greenville Volunteer Fire Department as well as the Greenville Rescue Squad are facing difficulties regarding their current buildings. There is inadequate space and, in some situations, can present hazards to personnel and exposing equipment to the elements unnecessarily. ..." Clark said if elected she would like to have inclusive playground equipment installed at the town park, bring in social programs to enhance quality of life for both young and old, and take extensive measures to bring in more businesses and medical providers, and to advocate for better wages for town employees. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Diana Pineiro-Zucker reports for the Daily Freeman that Upstate Films will reopen the Orpheum Theatre on Main Street in Saugerties Nov. 4. Earlier this year Upstate Films bought the Orpheum building from the Thornton family, which had owned it for 103 years. Upstate Films has shown mostly independent movies in Rhinebeck for 50 years, and closed a Woodstock theater earlier this year. Now they will program the three screens in Saugerties, where there are 136, 138, and 145 seats. Before reopening, Upstate Films updated the lobby and a few safety features. They have not announced what will be showing when the screens light up Nov. 4, but do say that those attending movies there need to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The theatre, Upstate Films officials say, will host live music, Hollywood films, independent cinema, and “community-oriented events and screenings geared for adults and children,” in its first month back. The Orpheum Theatre building first opened as a community center in 1908, with roller skating and vaudeville acts. The first films was shown in 1911 and the building became a full-time theater in 1918. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports in Columbia-Greene Media that two days after the father of Harold Handy III, who was beaten in a police-involved incident last year, made allegations of bribery against Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett, Handy denied those charges his father made. Bartlett also denied the father's allegations of official misconduct and bribery. The younger Handy was beaten near death at a party on the night of July 4, 2020 at the Kinderhook home of Columbia County Sheriff Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach and her husband Alex Rosenstrach, the former owner of ClubLife Gym in Valatie. Both Rosenstrachs and Bryan Haag, 38, of Kinderhook and Cory Gaylord, 32, of Craryville were included in a 25-count indictment with multiple felony charges and second-degree gang assault against each defendant. But there is no date for a trial. The victim's father began alleging at an Oct. 23 Kinderhook rally, that the sheriff conspired with Rosenstrach, and attempted to arrange a meeting with Carl Williams, of Wil-Roc Farm in Stuyvesant, at a corn field on his farm where he offered his son $700,000. But the assault victim denies all that happened. “Sheriff Bartlett had reached out directly to see how I was doing,” Handy III said Oct. 25. “My father-in- law Carl Williams and I met Bartlett, not in a corn field, but right in front of my in-laws’ farm shop. There was nothing secretive, and Bartlett was definitely not there as a representative of Alex to negotiate a bribe.” But the assault victim Handy did criticize Bartlett's handling of the case at the start. “My opinion is SIU [state police Special Investigations Unit] did not release information to or work directly with the sheriff’s department,” Handy said. “I believe Bartlett had failed to do his job in my case, and I will be voting for Don Krapf for sheriff.” Republican Bartlett is currently running for re-election against Democrat Don Krapf. Rosenstrach is among the donors who have given Bartlett's campaign the most money, all prior to the incident, though Bartlett has refused to return the donations. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that an appellate division panel on Oct. 21 dismissed a lawsuit filed by a neighbor of the S.A. Dunn landfill in Rensselaer, saying the plaintiff couldn’t claim individual harm from the landfill’s odors while also contending it was a public nuisance. “Plaintiffs may not maintain a private action for a public nuisance,” the ruling against Brenda Davies read. “A public nuisance is actionable by a private person only if it is shown that the person suffered special injury beyond that suffered by the community at large." But the landfall is facing other efforts to shut it down. The Rensselaer City Council in June passed a resolution for the closure of the landfill that is next to a school. Earlier this month the Rensselaer County Legislature passed a resolution asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to revoke the landfill’s operating permit, which currently runs through next summer. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that three candidates are competing for two seats on the New Lebanon town board in voting this fall. Marianna Anthonisen, Britt Buckenroth, and Kevin Smith Sr. all want a seat on the board. Smith has owned Smithy’s Pub since 1997, and is running on the Voice of the People ballot line. He previously served on the board member from 2015 to 2019. He listed "Working with the Historical Society to bring clean water that you can fill your jugs wih next to the lndian Head Fountain at the Town Hall," as one of his accomplishments, as well as work on the town park. "I will be a good board member due to my communication skill set and transparency as well as willing to work with anyone to better our town. As having served our town, the knowledge I bring being a former board member and bringing honesty, transparency and integrity to our town’s people," Smith says. Buckenroth is a high school library media specialist running on the Democrat, Working Family, and Vote Mama lines. Buckenroth says a top local issue is, "a lack of access to fresh, affordable food. We have a wonderful small market that has just opened and if elected, I would like to see the market expand and be able to offer a wider variety of food for our community." Buckenroth also said, "I want to ensure that our town has the resources for families to be successful, such as outdoor spaces for play and programming, access to a number of resources such as high speed internet, groceries, and jobs." Anthonisen is an educator running on the Democratic, Vote Mama, and Working Families Party lines. Anthonisen also listed food as an important issue, saying, "I would like to give incentive to business that can expand on affordable access to healthy foods and staples. I would like to support community programs, for all ages, in the park and work to get a town community center. I will continue to support the Climate Smart Committee’s goals to be climate prepared as we plan for the impacts of weather and viruses." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Tracy Ziemer reports in the Times Union that the fourth major storm in the last several months is expected to drop between four and six inches of rain on parts of Greene County Oct. 26. A Flood Watch has been announced for the southern Hudson Valley for Oct. 26, with parts of Ulster County expecting three or four inches of rain, while the rest of the area could get two or three inches of water over already drenched ground. Parts of Palenville, Catskill, and Coxsackie typically flood when there are heavy rains locally, and the National Weather Service is warning about the possibility of minor river flooding and isolated flash flooding of roads on Oct. 26. More trees could fall over too, with the drenched ground, so power outages are also possible. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Ghent candidates Mallory Mort, a Democrat, and Craig Simmons, a Republican, will face off in the November 2, race for town supervisor. Mort, 64, has lived in Ghent for 42 years. He is employed as the general manager of Gallagher’s Stud, a thoroughbred operation on Leggett Road. Mort's name will appear on the Democratic, Working Families and Ghent United lines on the ballot. He has served as a member of the Ghent Town Board since 2014. "One of the top issues facing Ghent at the town board level is how to improve our local infrastructure — whether it’s broadband, climate smart initiatives, repairs to town hall, or support for local businesses and families in need — to best serve the residents of the town. ...I want to bring the community together and listen to our residents so that we can use the [awarded federal] funds effectively and responsibly, and seek additional state and federal funding as needed to further our community’s priorities without affecting our local taxes," Mort said. If elected, Mort said he would be a good supervisor because of his extensive government experience and community service, which have allowed him to understand the needs of residents and prepared him to be the town's financial officer. Simmons, 55, is a lifelong resident of Ghent. He is a third-generation Ghent farmer, raising crops, cattle and bees. He is also the 35-year owner and operator of Simmons Automotive. He is running on the Conservative and Republican lines. Simmons previously served on the New York State Angus Association, and for nine years on the Chatham Board of Education. "The top issue facing my community is affordable housing. We are losing young residents to other states due to increased housing values. Finding affordable housing for our elderly population is also a huge concern of mine," Simmons said. He said if elected he would work with other elected officials to find alternatives to the housing crisis in Columbia County. "I would be a good supervisor for the town of Ghent because I am a hardworking and involved community member. I am a good listener and open to ideas. I genuinely care about my fellow Ghent residents and what they have to say. I believe everyone here has something to contribute to our town and I want to be able to work together as a community," Simmons said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics three important labor unions October 25, endorsed changes to the state's redistricting process in addition to making it easier for voters to get an absentee ballot and eliminate a 10-day voter registration requirement. The unions, 1199 SEIU, 32BJ SEIU and the New York State Nurses Association, support the changes under consideration this fall for New York voters as part of a series of ballot propositions that would amend the state's constitution. Voters are considering five amendments altogether. Early voting began this weekend statewide. The measures supported by the unions would make changes to the state's redistricting process that could give Democratic lawmakers the upper hand in redrawing boundaries as well as codifying laws in the constitution that prohibit the use of people in prison when drawing district lines. The labor groups are also backing an amendment that would allow no-excuse absentee balloting. Another amendment would end the requirement of being registered to vote at least 10 days prior to Election Day. Gabby Seay, the political director of 1199 SEIU said, "...[W]e know that the contributions of working people are what makes American democracy strong. Proposals 1, 3, and 4 will keep power with the people, and crucially ensure that non-citizens aren't excluded from the redistricting process. We're urging our members and all New Yorkers to vote yes on 1, 3 and 4." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Raymond Pignone has a rundown for Columbia-Greene Media four people are running to fill two open seats on the Cairo Town Board: Mary-Jo Cords and Michael Flaherty, on the Republican and Conservative party lines; Lewis O'Connor and Thomas Vasquez, on the Democratic and Cairo United lines. Incumbent Cords has lived in Greene County for 38 years, and is employed as a real estate broker and is the administrator of the Durham Reading Room. She has served on the town board for 16 years; she previously served for four years as town assessor. Cords believes Cairo needs more commercial development to provide jobs and to expand the tax base in order to lower taxes. "We must expand our infrastructure along our highways to attract such development and continue to improve Main Street to attract retail and other small businesses," she said. Cords said as a town board member she is most proud of her part in establishing the new sewer system in the hamlet and the expansion of the water district. Flaherty, 45, has lived in the county since he was 10 years old. He lives in Purling and is employed in Logistics for Universal Forest Products. Flaherty believes there are many priority issues facing the Cairo community. "I know I will be an asset to this board and town if elected. I live with an open mind and would be most proud of being a part of any advancement this town has. Living in a community where my kids and many others would like to stay after they graduate would also be amazing," he said. O’Connor, 67, is a resident of Purling. He is a lifelong resident of the county and the retired superintendent of the Catskill Department of Public Works. He formerly served as a Catskill Town Board member from 2010 to 2014. O'Connor sees the impurity of the Cairo water supply to be an important issue and says it must be addressed properly. "I would consult with experts and research the best long-term remedy to protect the health of our residents and children and everyone benefiting from our future expansions," he said. "I have many years of experience in dealing with water and sewer problems, along with knowledge of highway management." If elected, O'Connor said, he would use this know-how to benefit the Cairo community, working in conjunction with the whole town board to solve problems in a timely manner. Vasquez, 55, is a resident of Cairo and has lived in the county for 17 years. He is the owner-operator of Spirits of Cairo. "The biggest issue facing Cairo is economic development (commercial and industrial) alongside not having adequate housing for a sustainable workforce locally," Vasquez said. "I will use my 35 years of business (development, locally owned) expertise to bring business and industry to our community." Vasquez noted the Cairo Town Board needs to hear new voices from business community that will listen to one another and understand that a United Cairo is the best foot forward for everyone. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that the investigation into whether the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators got preferential COVID-19 testing during the early days of the pandemic has stalled. The U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, the state attorney general's office, the state Assembly's Judiciary Committee, and the Joint Commission on Public Ethics all either know of the allegations of preferential treatment, or have started investigations into whether those with connections to Cuomo were given special treatment that included dispatching nurses to their residences or other locations to test them for coronavirus. The state ethics panel, the U.S. Attorney's office, and the attorney general's office would not comment on their investigations. Earlier this month Cuomo's attorney, Rita Glavin, admitted the practice happened in a letter to Assemblyperson Charles D. Lavine, that said, "numerous state legislators — including members of the state Senate and Assembly, and members of this committee —received preferential COVID-19 testing for themselves, various staff members and family members." A source tells the Times Union that State Senator Daphne Jordan, a Republican who represents Columbia and Rensselaer counties, was among those who received priority COVID-19 tests last year. "Sen. Jordan did not ask for any preferential treatment," her office said in a statement. "Given her role in the Senate, and her extensive interactions with the public, Sen. Jordan clearly understands the importance of public health protocols and she followed them every step of the way. Sen. Jordan followed the testing recommendations she was given, and certainly did not receive any of the types of door-to-door VIP service or State Police escorts of the type that have been reported in the press." Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also admitted to getting a test. "To ensure the important work of the government continued, the majority leader got tested after a possible exposure or before a meeting with the governor, and this was always done at an existing testing site," said Mike Murphy, a spokesperson for Stewart-Cousins. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Raymond Pignone from Columbia-Greene Media rounds up information about the three candidates competing for two spots on the Hunter town board. Dolph Semenza, Ernest Reale, and Andrew Poladian are running for the town board seats this fall through Nov. 2. Semenza is retired, the former owner of The Village Market in Tannersville and is running on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative ballot lines. He has been on the town board since 2002. He says his top issue "is the town of Hunter is in a real estate growth and our board is trying to balance the new and different types projects — commercial, residential, and recreational." Semenza also said, "I will work to keep the health and safety of residents in the forefront." Reale is a professional tile setter, part-time ski patroller at Hunter Mountain, and property manager and renovator, and running as a Democrat. "I have been attending every town board meeting for the past six months, so I am up to speed on current town issues," he says. "I am recently most proud of running a fundraising campaign to develop the Colonial Trail System, a multi-use trail system off of Allen Lane in Tannersville which opened October 2nd and is already bringing people onto our area to recreate and spend money in our area supporting our local businesses." His main issues: "The biggest issue is and has been for many years, the abandonment of certain properties that dramatically influence the visual perception of our area . Another key issue is balance between the property owners ( the tax payers ) rights and the municipalities possible interjection as to how the properties are allowed to be used." Poladian is running as a Republican, and is a New York State Corrections Officer and Town of Hunter police officer and vice president of the Hunter-Tannersville school board. He did not provide comments to the newspaper about his important issues, or what he would do in office. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

In the last two decades local Congressional representatives have stood on local sidewalks and courthouse steps and made similar announcements. Both Republicans Chris Gibson, and John Faso, and Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Scott Murphy, and Antonio Delgado have all promised that another government grant would solve the lack of broadband internet service locally. The latest? Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that Delgado was in Catskill Oct. 23 for the latest version of the local internet announcement. “Broadband is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” said Delgado. “Funds from the ReConnect program will help communities in upstate New York and across the United States deliver broadband. We must continue to invest in infrastructure to secure high-speed internet for every resident in New York's 19th Congressional District.” On November 24 the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to expand broadband in rural areas. Locally, Mid-Hudson Cable previously won one of these grants for better broadband service, and then turned it down. And while locals continue to complain about a lack of service, Greene County Legislature Chair Pat Linger says currently 96 percent of Greene County has broadband coverage, “with 1,300 unique addresses in the most scarcely populated areas left to serve.” So while every local politician still claims the lack of broadband is a problem, Linger says there are only 1,300 addresses in Greene County that still need service. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup