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.

Morgan McKay reports at New York State of Politics that New York continues to violate its own law passed in 2013 to create a database that tracking gun ammunition sales. The law was passed as part of the SAFE Act in 2013. Today, there is no database, and Assemblyperson Jeffrey Dinowitz said the next step may be subpoenas to find out why. “We intend to press officials of these agencies on the reasons for the continued delay in establishing the ammunition database,” Dinowitz said. “We could very well be resuming this hearing at a later date this year, and we will consider subpoenas, if necessary." The New York State Police, the Office of Information Technology Services, and the Division of Criminal Justice Services are the agencies Dinowitz wants answers from. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily headlines.

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Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union the person who has donated the most money to Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett's re-election campaign, "is accused with three others of gang assault for allegedly beating a man so badly he was rushed to the intensive care unit at Albany Medical Center Hospital." Alex Rosenstrach was initially investigated under Bartlett's command, before the State Police took over. Rosenstrach donated $2,900 to Bartlett's campaign, three installments in 2018 and 2019, according to public campaign information. The alleged gang assault came after the donations. Bartlett has kept the donations, while returning other contributions recently, including $575 to his wife, Lori Bartlett, and $175 to John Davi, his former undersheriff. The alleged July 4-5, 2020 incident took place at the home of Rosenstrach and his wife, Columbia County Sheriff's Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach, who is another of the four people charged with gang assault. Bryan Haag, an IRS law enforcement agent; and Cory Gaylord, a contractor, are the others. Gilson reports, "Columbia County sheriff's deputies responding to the scene erroneously told superiors that Handy was not severely hurt, and that partygoers were too drunk to be interviewed, according to a deposition taken by State Police and obtained by the Times Union." Deputy Rosenstrach was placed on administrative leave, waiting for a trial date that has not yet been set. Bartlett did not directly address why he had not returned the donation, but said, "no contribution of any amount from any person has any effect on how this office operates." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media on the three candidates vying to fill two seats on the Ancram Town Board — Amy Gold, Bonnie Hundt and Steve Olyha. Gold and her family were weekenders, having owned property in Columbia County since 1982, but they have lived full-time in Ancramdale since 2015. Gold is a communications professional for a global high-tech firm. She is running unaffiliated and has never sought or held elective office before. Gold sees the lack of broadband access and cellular coverage to be the top issue facing the three hamlets that make up the town of Ancram. She would have the town board prioritize this issue because it is a safety and health concern, as well as an educational work mandate, she said. Hundt has lived in the county for 14 years and is the owner-operator of a hair salon. She is a Democrat and a town board incumbent, having served since 2017. Hundt previously served as Supervisor of the town of Amenia in Dutchess County, from 2003 through 2005. Hundt sees the lack of housing caused by income inequality and high home prices as the town's biggest challenge. She says her extensive experience on numerous committees and boards and as a long-time small business owner has given her important insight into what is needed to adapt a changing community. Olyha was a part-time resident of Columbia County for 47 years and five years full-time. He is an executive coach and former CEO. Olyha is a registered Republican. He wants the town to expand the number of active participants on the various volunteer boards and committees. He is the member of several town committees, as well as the chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Olyha hopes get more young people involved in local organizations, especially the Ancram Fire Company, and he would also support the town implementing new technology at town hall to expand remote participation, and provide options for other events, as well as develop ways to effectively use social media. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin October 13, launched a search for a lieutenant governor candidate, well in advance of the expected June 2022 GOP primary. His search panel will be led by Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican nominee for New York City mayor in 2017. Currently, Republicans Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, Derrick Gibson and Mike Carpinelli are also seeking the party's nomination next year. “We must restore a balance of power in Albany, both geographic and political, and the diversity of this committee underscores that in a Zeldin Administration everyone will have a seat at the table," Zeldin said. "I have the utmost confidence that the incredibly qualified members of this committee will bring expertise from each of their unique walks of life to put forward the best choice to join me on the ticket in 2022.” Zeldin's decision to move ahead with the search comes as the state GOP leaders appear to have coalesced around his candidacy. He has picked up the support of the majority of the Republican county committtee chairs, and he was declared the presumptive nominee by State Republican Committee Chair Nick Langworthy. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County officials have committed to buying land adjacent to the New York State Thruway. The 2.216-acre parcel, next to Thruway Exit 21, has a purchase price of $421,000, according to a resolution adopted October 12, by the Greene County Legislature. The New York State Thruway Authority Board approved the sale on September 27. The land will be consolidated with the nearly 5-acre site that was the former location of the Quality Inn. The motel had been abandoned and was eventually demolished in January 2019. The Greene County Industrial Development Agency will look to market the combined site for a variety of uses, IDA Executive Director Rene VanSchaack said. “The purchase of this excess Thruway land increases the available redevelopment acreage by 40 percent, as well as places acreage back on the tax rolls,” Greene County Legislature Chair Patrick Linger, said in a statement. “The acquisition of this parcel will not only remove significant hurdles to the redevelopment of the former Quality Inn site, but it will also allow for the ability to site additional businesses at the location.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that the new Greene County Jail is now open, and officials noted the controversy about building the facility at the dedication Oct. 13. One of the issues was if they the county was building too large of a facility with 16 beds for female inmates and 48 for men. Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky said on Oct. 13 that there were 36 male inmates in the new facility. The new jail cost $47 million, paid for by a $39 million loan and $8.1 million of taxpayer money from the county fund balance. The county closed the old jail, built first in 1908, in April of 2018 because of structural concerns, boarding inmates in neighboring county jails for more than three years. Some in the community wanted to keep it that way, and spending the millions on other issues. a href="https://porcupinesoup.com/new-sheriffs-office-and-jail-dedicated">Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Joshua Solomon reports for the Times Union that New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released an audit Oct. 13 of the state Department of Transportation, saying it lacks sufficient accountability and oversight with its more than 4,000 vehicles and their related maintenance expenses. The DOT spent $153 million from 2017 to 2019 on its fleet, according to an audit. “The state Department of Transportation isn’t tracking how its regional offices are buying parts for repairs made at their own repair shops and isn’t checking to make sure private repair shops are charging reasonable amounts," DiNapoli said in a statement. "DOT is not monitoring recalls and warranties for its vehicles and has little oversight over fuel usage and mileage. The department needs to do better." The audit recommended new procedures for monitoring vehicle repair, new ways to track vehicle recalls, and better communication with the department's regional offices. "The lack of accountability over state vehicle use and maintenance expenses ultimately increases the risk that the department is not making the most efficient use of resources and that state vehicles and State funds will be misused," the report states. "These weaknesses also put the integrity of state property at risk and increase the risk of accident or injury while using state vehicles." The DOT could not place more than a third of its own vehicle logs for fuel and mileage, the audit revealed. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News reports that Ulster County is starting an “Environmental Considerations Checklist” for capital projects and updating the county’s purchasing policies to stave off global warming. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan says that now items purchased by the county will meet green standards for environmental protection as it moves towards its goal of using 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Ryan says the county will take into account greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy expansion, natural resource protection, and other issues when making purchases. Ulster County will also prioritize vendors who produce recycled products. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the sale of Confederate flags by a vendor at a firefighters’ parade last weekend has caused a furor on social media and led to threats against an event organizer. Confederate flags have been deemed a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League and in December, under legislation signed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the flags were prohibited from being sold or displayed on state-owned property in New York. The flags were being sold by a vendor at McQuade Park in Coxsackie after the Mardi Gras parade on October 8. McQuade Park is owned by the village. The issue was raised at the October 12, meeting of the Coxsackie Village Board. Mayor Mark Evans explained that the fire company sought permission to hold the event at McQuade Park as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of D.M. Hamilton Steamer Co. No. 2. Resident Carly Lynch asked that the village develop guidelines for use of the park that are in line with the 2020 state legislation. “I expect the village to move swiftly to create guidelines that align with this state law, making it unlawful to sell or display the Confederate flag or other ‘symbols of hate’ on community property like McQuade Park or at community events,” Lynch said. She called having the Confederate flag at a local park offensive and distressing. “I was totally shocked,” Lynch said. Evans said the fire company asked the vendor to remove the Confederate flags after it was made aware of them. The vendor agreed to take the flags down around 9:30 p.m. Friday, D.M. Hamilton Steamer Co. President T.J. Moore said. Organizers and officials declined to identify the vendor. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Patricia R. Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Dutchess County residents would see the largest property tax cut in the county’s history under the 2022 spending plan proposed by County Executive Marc Molinaro. In an October 13 press release, Molinaro said his tentative budget would cut the property tax levy by $5.5 million, resulting in a decrease in the average property tax rate of more than 10 percent. His spending plan would also restore funding for all positions in county government and expand and enhance programs, including mental health services, domestic violence victim advocacy, expanded in-home senior care support, emergency preparedness, small business promotion and support, parks investments, opioid abuse treatment and case management. Molinaro will unveil the proposed budget on Oct. 27. If approved by the county Legislature as presented, the county will see the eighth consecutive property tax levy cut and the seventh consecutive property tax cut since Molinaro took office in 2011. Earlier this month he announced his annual spending plan would include the elimination of the county’s 4 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear costing up to $110. Molinaro, a Republican, has declared his candidacy for New York’s 19th Congressional District seat. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise in the town of Berne incumbents are not running for re-election and both the Republicans and the Democrats have fielded full slates of candidates. Democrats had dominated town politics for decades, but with the 2016 election, even with an enrollment heavily favoring the Democrats, the town went for Donald Trump, and the GOP found a way into local politics. In 2020, a majority Republican town board took office and this year the one remaining Democrat on the town board is not running for re-election. In the November, Democrat Peggy Christman, a retired State Police lieutenant, is facing off against Republican Dennis Palow, who is retired from the U.S. Army and is now serving as the town's deputy supervisor. Republican incumbent Sean Lyons is not seeking re-election. In the race for a seat on the town board, carrying a two-year term because of a resignation, Democrat Timothy Lippert, the town’s former code-enforcement officer, is running against long-time town clerk, Anita Clayton. Clayton, a registered Democrat, did not win the Democratic line in the June primary, so she is running on the GOP line. A four-way race for two four-year terms on the board pits Democrats Jennifer Merrill-Fuller, a community volunteer, and retired biologist Patrick Martin, against Republicans Thomas Doolin, a physician’s assistant and Leo Vane, a retired pilot who was appointed to the board in March. Six of the eight town board candidates participated in an online live forum last week. Doolin, who was working at the time of the live event, answered questions prior to the event. Palow, the GOP candidate for supervisor, declined to participate and Vane, a Republican candidate for town board, failed to respond to multiple invitations. Read the details of the forum in The Altamont Enterprise.

Jerry Zremski reports in the Buffalo News that vaccinated Canadians can cross the border into the United States in early November, the Biden administration announced Oct. 12. The border has been closed to all but essential Canadian travelers for 19 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinated Americans have been allowed into Canada since August. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, members of our shared cross-border community have felt the pain and economic hardship of the land border closures," said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. "That pain is about to end. Very soon, the link between New York and our northern neighbors will finally be re-established, reuniting families, bolstering businesses and ending a frustrating cycle of waiting for everyone involved.” While Canada requires vaccinated Americans show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their arrival, the United States will not have that requirement. Read more about this story in the Buffalo News.