Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Jeffrey S. Baker has submitted his letter of resignation as assistant city attorney to Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson, city officials confirmed on October 18. The resignation was made effective sometime in early November, according to Johnson's office. Baker has served in the administration since December 2019 when he was appointed assistant corporation attorney for the Common Council and the city planning board. "We thank him for his service to Hudson, and wish him well,” Mayor's Aide Michael Hofmann said in a statement. Baker did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The reason for his resignation was unclear. Common Council President Tom DePietro said he did not know why Baker resigned. Baker, now a sole practitioner, focuses on environmental law and land use policy. He served as counsel to Friends of Hudson during the St. Lawrence Cement fight in the early 2000s, and advised the city planning board and Zoning Board of Appeals from 2006-07. Baker retired from Young/Sommer LLC in 2019. He has advised the Common Council on various matters including the city’s “Good Cause” eviction legislation, reducing the city speed limit, expanding the use of previously used commercial buildings in the R4 district for eating and drinking establishments, among others. Note: Johnson and DePietro are WGXC volunteer programmers. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Raymond Pignone is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media on the Athens candidates in the November general election. Two men are vying for the town supervisor position: Democrat Michael N. Pirrone and Republican Michael J. Ragaini. Pirrone, 73, is a retired business and financial professional with experience in the private, public, governmental and nonprofit sectors. He has never served in elective office before. Pirrone says the most significant issue facing the town is "the amenable negotiation of a full tax value for the Athens Generating facility." If elected, he would seek to "reasonably negotiate with Athens Gen to establish their tax value." He said to establish the full tax value of the facility is the proper course of action to solidify the town's revenue base. Pirrone believes he would be a good supervisor because he fully understands the importance of a hard-working staff, making improvements to town infrastructure, maintaining lines of communication and improving efficiency. He looks forward to getting Athens Gen on the tax rolls at full value, and maintaining the town of Athens offices within the village, if elected. Ragaini was the town's code enforcement officer for18 years, and he is currently a member of the Athens Town Board. He has been a member of the West Athens-Limestreet Fire Company for 50 years and during that time he served as fire commissioner for 40 years. Ragaini worked in conjunction with the Athens Village Board to acquire fire hydrants for the fire district, and designed and built the bandstand in the village park. He said, if elected, his goal would be "to ensure we have an affordable and safe place to live, work and enjoy." Four people are looking to fill two open seats on the town board: Republicans Mary Brandow and Tony Paluch; and, Democrats Phyllis Dinkelacker and Cari Gardner. Incumbent Brandow is seeking her third term. Among her accomplishments: the hiring of a new town attorney, and a new CPA firm that is working with a new bookkeeper to bring a revitalized sense of financial integrity to the town's books and records, according to Brandow. The board also hired a new town assessor and an assessor’s clerk; she is also proud of the current effort to examine the benefits of systemic evaluation as opposed to a full revaluation. If re-elected, Brandow would "remain open to any measures that improves communication and increases the economy and efficiency in all departments." Dinkelacker, 62, has lived in Greene County for 28 years. She is employed by Central Office, Payroll for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and she was an elected member of the Athens Town Board from 2010 to 2013. Dinkelacker said she would like to see the town do more with less. "I’d like to look into shared services. Not only between the town and village, but other towns, counties and state." Gardner, 76, has lived in the county for four years. She is a retired speech teacher, advertising executive, business manager and yoga teacher. "My sense is that many in the town of Athens feel disenfranchised. There needs to be a real effort at making this town much more responsive and transparent," she said. If elected, Gardner would help to establish meaningful legislation to improve land use while protecting trees, wetlands and wildlife. There’s a lot of room for growth in Athens. Athens is blessed with a bounty of farmland that has been nurtured by families for generations. As a community we need to balance that resource while seeking sustainable measures to deal with future climate issues, Gardner said. Paluch owns a small farm in Athens, and is retired from the railroad after 34 years as a welder He has been a resident of Greene County for most of his life. Paluch is an active member of several boards in Athens and Greene County. He formerly served for eight years on the Athens Planning Board. Paluch continues to represent the town of Athens as a member of the Greene County Planning Board. He is also an active member of the West Athens-Limestreet Fire Company and is a long-term fire commissioner of the West Athens-Limestreet Fire District. Read both stories at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Jon Campbell reports in the Democrat and Chronicle that while it seems like everyone is at least testing the idea of running for governor of New York next year, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is not part of that crowd. Asked Oct. 14 if she has intentions to mount a campaign, she said, "I do not... And I'm very grateful to serve the state of New York as their senator." Current Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she will try to retain the seat, but since she's never been tested at the top of the ticket, other Democrats, such as Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, have been traveling more and discussing the possibility of running against her. So far, Hochul is winning endorsements, including an Oct. 14 nod from the Democratic chair of Albany County. And there are all sorts of Republicans running campaigns including Rep. Lee Zeldin, Andrew Giuliani, Rob Astorino, Derrick Gibson and Mike Carpinelli. Gillibrand doesn't want to join that crowd. "I feel the issues we are debating in Washington are urgent and important, and I feel that I have the best ability to work on those issues and to serve the state in that way," she said. Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Today's daily news update.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that two more residential wells in Poestenkill tested positive for PFOA contamination, Rensselaer County officials said Oct. 15. Now at least four homes near the Algonquin Middle School report drinking water that exceeds the state level of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA this summer. PFOA is a toxic, cancer-causing so-called "forever" chemical which can run into drinking water from industrial uses and PFOS has been used in stain-resistant fabrics, fire-fighting foams, food packaging, and other processes. “We received results for the second round of testing yesterday afternoon and providing this information as soon as possible for residents. We continue to test wells in the town and continue to seek the source of this contamination,” County Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said Oct. 15. There have been other recent local PFOA contamination reported in the drinking water in Hoosick Falls, Petersburgh in Rensselaer County, Cairo in Greene County, and the city of Newburgh. So far in Poestenkill, four of 17 wells tested have found contamination, and a third round of testing is now underway. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Emilia Teasdale reports in the Columbia Paper about Mallory Mort and Craig Simmons, the candidates running for supervisor in Ghent beginning Oct. 23 and ending Nov. 2. Mort, 64, he has been endorsed by the Democratic, Working Families, and Ghent United parties, and is currently in his second term on the Ghent Town Board. Mort is the former president of the NY Angus Association, current vice present of NY Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. a member of Protect Ghent, and a member of the county Planning Board, and the county Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board. “My two terms on the Town Board, extensive community service, and 42 years working at Gallagher’s Stud Farm have helped me understand the needs of our residents and prepared me to serve as the financial officer of the town. As town supervisor, I will pursue fiscally responsible ways to satisfy the needs and goals of our residents. I have participated in six budget processes (all falling below the state mandated cap) and I, along with the current supervisor, just completed my second successful labor union negotiation and developed an affordable health insurance solution for the town’s employees," Mort said. Simmons, 55, has been endorsed by the Republican, Conservative, and the Connect Ghent Party. Simmons has been on the Chatham Central School Board for nine years, and on NY Angus Association for eight years, and owns Simmons Automotive in Ghent. “Open governance is important to me. Ghent needs full transparency. I’d like to keep our meetings open and easy to attend for all. Zoom, for example, has proven to be a great tool for community engagement,".Simmons said. “It’s important to create programs for our seniors and youth. Building community will keep Ghent the way we all know and love." Also in Ghent this fall, Laurie Johnson and Carl Quinn are running on the Democratic and Working Families lines for the two open seats on the Town Board with Wally Engel and Scott C. Myers on the Republican and Connect Ghent lines for the Town Board four-year seats. Town Clerk/Tax Collector Michelle Radley and Highway Superintendent Benjamin Perry are also running unopposed. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Scott Fybush reports at NorthEast Radio Watch about a local shake-up on the radio waves. Dennis Jackson, the owner of several stations including WRIP in Windham, sold WQQQ (103.3-FM) that covers northwestern Connecticut and a bit of New York for $500,000 to WAMC, the Albany-based public radio network that owns a dozen full-power signals and 16 translators that reach from the Canadian border to the New York City suburbs. WQQQ had just ended a ten-year lease of the class A signal with WSHU, and had switched to an automated easy listening format. Now, though, it will be another station repeating the sound of WAMC, and taking on Robin Hood Radio. That station, WHDD (91.9-FM/1020-AM) in Sharon, CT,, bills itself as the smallest public radio station in the continental U.S., but is also on signals in the Hudson Valley (WLHV 88.1-FM in Annandale-on-Hudson) and Massachusetts (WBSL 91.7-FM in Sheffield). Now the small Robin Hood Radio will be forced to compete with one of the largest networks in the country. Read more about this story at NorthEast Radio Watch.

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

Today's daily headlines.

The Times Union reports that on Oct. 14 the Hudson Planning Board approved a housing project that includes 54 apartments for either affordable or middle income citizens. The rents there will be set according to percentages of the county's median income. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson won his first campaign in 2019 with the need for affordable housing as his main campaign plank. "I think that, right now, we're in a tough situation, housing-wise, in the city of Hudson, where the more popular Hudson gets, the more the cost of living increases." Johnson said. "(The project) gives us a chance – a little bit of breathing room – to get the many families who are living two-to-three families to a small apartment out of those situations and into their own apartment." The entire Hudson Valley is crushed with a housing crisis, with fewer units on the market thanks to damage from climate change-fueled storms, or transferred to short-term rentals, as the lack of enough hotel rooms fuels that trend. With supply lacking, and demand increasing due to the pandemic, prices have skyrocketed to rent apartments or buy homes locally. This project, developed by the Galvan Foundation, Hudson's largest landlord, received $6.6 million in property taxes tax breaks over 30 years approved by the city's Industrial Development Agency, plus breaks on sales and mortgage recording taxes. NOTE: Johnson is a volunteer programmer at WGXC. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media four candidates are competing in the November general election to fill two open seats on the Chatham Town Board: Destiny Hallenbeck, Daniel Horst, Jody Nesbitt and Rick Werwaiss. Hallenbeck, 21, has lived her entire life in Columbia County. She is a senior enrolled at Union College, is an elected member of the Chatham Board of Education and is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Hallenbeck said, if elected, she will prioritize housing and broadband access. "I cannot afford to live in the town I grew up in, an issue that is not only isolated to young people starting out. I intend to start the conversation at the town board level about increasing our housing stock while also working with other towns to formulate solutions to Chatham’s housing problem..." Hallenbeck said, "Chatham raised me and I want to make sure that it is growing in a direction that works for every resident." Horst, 58, has lived in the county for 32 years. He is retired, having previously worked as a teacher, a tax assessor and having run a handyman business. Horst is running on the Republican line and previously served as the Chatham assessor for multiple terms. Horst sees "the strong division that prevents decisions that are beneficial to the majority of the town [from being made]," as the greatest issue facing Chatham. If elected, he would listen with respect, and encourage all sides to work together for the common good." Nesbitt, 51, has lived in the county her entire life. She is employed as the office manager for Chatham and Callan Family Care and is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. She ranks the completion of the comprehensive plan and the zoning plan to follow as top priorities. "I want to ensure that the comprehensive plan addresses all the residents of the community and moves Chatham forward while at the same time preserving our rich history...," Nesbitt said. Because she is honest and fair, Nesbitt believes, she will be a good town board member. Werwaiss, 56, has lived in the county for 25 years. He served as the president of the North Chatham Free Library, served on the previous Comprehensive Plan steering committee and with the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. Werwaiss is a pig farmer and writer by profession, and has had a 30-year career in non-profit management with environmental and agricultural organizations. He is running on the Democratic and Chatham Neighbors lines. Like Hallenbeck, Werwaiss sees affordable housing and broadband access as the most pressing issues in town. He says both issues should be front and center in the Comprehensive Plan review currently underway. If elected, Werwaiss said, "I look forward to fostering a good working relationship with other board members ..." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Pete DeMola is reporting for the Daily Freeman the sidewalk outside of the New York State Museum in Albany, was barricaded and closed to the public on Sun., Oct. 17, after a panel from the museum's roof fell off and hit the building's terrace level. Albany Fire Batallion Chief Greg Sokaris said that an exterior panel came loose and hit one of the large walkout terraces of the building, at around 11:30 a.m. No injuries were reported and no vehicles were damaged, the chief said. Sokaris said the incident has been turned over to State Police and the state Office of General Services. He describe the panel's failure as isolated. "I think a lot of the debris got caught in the top level," Sokaris said. Someone initially posted in a tweet that they saw "chunks" of the building fall. Then Albany Common Council member Richard Conti said in a tweet that he "was walking on the terrace level as they were barricading the lower stairway, got out in time. Saw fallen chunks on northeast terrace corner." The state Office of General Services did not immediately respond to questions about what happened. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Porcupine Soup is reporting John A. Balli will join the National Bank of Coxsackie as its chief executive officer effective Mon., Oct. 18. Balli succeeds James W. Warren, who is retiring after 25 years with the bank. Warren is now handing over the reins of the institution with record net income and assets in 2021, the bank announced. “We are very fortunate to have secured a person of the ability and experience of John Balli,” said Warren. “I have the utmost confidence that he will bring to NBC the same success that he has enjoyed throughout his career...” Balli comes to the Coxsackie bank from Del Norte Credit Union where he served as executive vice president. Prior to that, Balli was president and chief executive officer of the National Union Bank of Kinderhook. He is a certified public accountant who was born and raised in the area. The National Bank of Coxsackie is an independently owned local community bank. It was established in 1852 and currently operates eight branches in Greene, Albany and Schoharie counties. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Melanie Lekocevic Columbia-Greene Media a tax incentive package for a $177 million energy project is expected to be approved by the Greene County Industrial Development Agency at its next meeting on October. 21. The Champlain Hudson Power Express project is slated to run through Greene County. No comments in opposition to the project were offered at a public hearing held by the IDA on October 13. The package includes use, recording and mortgage tax exemptions and a Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement, as well as a community host fund for several towns and villages, IDA Executive Director Rene Van Schaack said. The Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line would transport 1,000 to 1,200 megawatts of electricity via buried power lines from the Canadian border to New York City, traversing Greene County and 16 other jurisdictions. The transmission line would pass through Athens, Catskill, Coxsackie and New Baltimore, and extend a total distance of 333 miles from Canada to New York City. In Greene County, the project will follow the CSX right-of-way for the entire length, except for a small area in Catskill where the line will come out of the public right-of-way onto local roads, under the Catskill Creek and back out to the right-of-way, VanSchaack said. “It will proceed south until Smith’s Landing, where the line will come off the railroad right-of-way and go back into the Hudson River at the Lehigh Cement Plant, where the last mile of the line will be under the river through Greene County,” he said. The package includes a community benefit fund that will benefit the towns of New Baltimore, Coxsackie, Athens, and Catskill, as well as the villages of Coxsackie and Catskill. That fund will remain in place for 30 years, concurrent with the PILOT agreement. The fund is designed to offset the economic impact of the power line on those communities. The public comment period on the incentive package remains open until the close of business Tue., Oct. 19. Anyone wishing to comment can submit a letter or email to rene [at] greeneida [dot] com, VanSchaack said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce will present the Len Cane Heart of Ulster County award posthumously to Tommy Keegan of Keegan Ales. Keegan, the late owner of Keegan Ales in Kingston, died in April, but his spirit lives on at the Midtown brewery he founded, the chamber said. Keegan was instrumental in starting the local craft beer industry. “He also had a heart for his community and was involved in many local philanthropic endeavors, including helping People’s Place,” according to a press release from the chamber. The People's Place is a thrift store, food pantry, and wellness empowerment center and community cafe' in Kingston. The chamber will honor local businesses, business leaders, and organizations in Ulster County during an awards dinner on October 21. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

Raymond Pignone has the rundown for Columbia-Greene Media on the two candidates looking to represent District 9, Durham, on the Greene County Legislature. Incumbent Patricia Handel, 58, is a resident of Cornwallville and has lived in the county for 36 years. Her name will appear on the Republican and Conservative lines on the ballot. Handel previously served as a county legislator from 2011 to 2015. She is a co-owner of the Blackthorne Resort. Handel said several major issues face the community, including drug abuse and the high number of overdoses. Handel also sees the lack of broadband and cell service in rural areas as another problem. Among her accomplishments, Handel includes standing up for her constituents, her ability to balance a budget and the county's fiscal health. Brenna Rustick, 20, is a resident of Durham and running on the Democratic line. A lifelong resident of the county, she is a student at The College of St. Rose and working as a manager/cashier. Rustick says the lack of transparency and communication in county government is an issue that impacts everyone. "We shouldn’t have to try so hard to be able to connect with our representatives. We should know what’s going on within our government," she said. Rustick, if elected, said she will attend meetings and community events and remain approachable and willing to listen to her constituents. "I will make sure to...vote for the benefit of Durham and Greene County. I will make sure to listen to my constituents regardless of political party, and will work with those across the aisle to make sure Durham and Greene County is the best it can be," she said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Sam Raudins reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Catskill's Democratic Committee Chairperson Margaret Tomlinson wants more scrutiny of the “ballot harvesting” in July’s special village election and this fall's coming vote. Tomlinson alleges that in the July 6 village special election, "then-Republican candidate Jeff Holliday and representatives of the Town of Catskill Republican Club collected, stored, and hand-delivered absentee ballots to the Board of Elections," the story says. Greene County Republican Committee chairperson Brent Bogardus says Tomlinson's allegations are nothing more than “a blatant attempt to create an issue.” Ballot harvesting is legal in the state of New York, while in North Carolina returning a ballot on behalf of another person is a felony. “The Republican candidate for the trustee office personally ‘handled’ one in five ballots cast in the entire race. Some applications were applied for weeks prior to the ballot being picked up and delivered and 147 of those ballots were delivered to the BOE only two and a half hours before the polls closed on July 6,” Tomlinson wrote in a letter to Bogardus and Democratic Election Commissioner Marie Metzler. In the special election Republican Jeff Holliday trailed Democrat Michelle Williams 315-252 in same-day voting, but Holliday beat Williams 199-to-54 among absentee votes. Typically in elections during the pandemic Democrats have had higher absentee ballot totals. Republicans across the country have recently criticized ballot harvesting. “This is apparently not the case in Catskill,” Tomlinson said. Greene County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Riggs said, "The Catskill Democratic Committee has merely pointed out that in past elections the tactics of ballot harvesting while not illegal in this state, is a highly questionable practice, especially when a candidate on the ballot is doing it,.” But Bogardus said the Board of elections will continue ballot harvesting. “We’re going to do what we have always done,” Bogardus said. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Meg Britton-Mehlisch reports in The Berkshire Eagle that the wastewater in Pittsfield has good COVID-19 news, predicting a downturn in the number of cases. Since near the beginning of the pandemic scientists have tracked the concentration of coronavirus RNA in wastewater as a way of telling how much community transmission of the virus exists. Instead of putting thousands of swabs up noses, testing a town's wastewater can predict future surges of coronavirus. Last week in Pittsfield, the amount of coronavirus detected in city wastewater dropped to the lowest point in two months, with a general trend line showing coronavirus slowly is decreasing. “What I would expect from the next [wastewater] results is that it will go up,” Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said, explaining the results tend to yo-yo between tests. But, he reports, the general recent trend is less COVID-19. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.