Delaney Keppner reports for Rochester First that small game hunting begins Oct. 1 in many parts of New York. Ruffed grouse, rabbit, coyote, and pheasant seasons all begin Oct. 1. The Department of Environmental Conservation is releasing about 30,000 adult pheasants on public land this year. While ruffed grouse hunting is allowed, shooting spruce grouse, an state-endangered species, is illegal and the DEC has tips for hunters to help distinguish which species is which on their website. “Every fall, more than 60,000 hunters venture afield to pursue New York’s abundant small game species,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “It’s a great way to introduce new hunters to the sport and teach them how to be a safe and responsible member of the hunting community while reconnecting to the outdoors, establishing new traditions, and experiencing New York’s diverse wildlife.” Deer and bear hunting season opens Nov. 20. Read more about this story at Rochester First.

Today's daily headlines.

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Joshua Solomon is reporting for the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Sept. 29 the appointment of Dr. Mary T. Bassett as the state's new health commissioner. Bassett served as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from 2014 to 2018. Hochul cast the decision as a commitment to "tested leadership and experience to improve health equity. ...Dr. Bassett is both a highly regarded public health expert and an exemplary public servant," she said in a statement. Bassett will succeed Dr. Howard Zucker, who resigned last week. Zucker had agreed to stay on until a successor was named. According to the governor's office, Bassett brings decades of experience to the position, most recently serving as the director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University as well as the FXB Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health. Bassett is taking over a health department that has staffing shortages at key positions. There are about 3,300 employees of the Department of Health, which is down by about 130 from last year, but around the same as 2019, according to numbers provided by the agency. The health department became embroiled in controversies during the COVID-19 crisis, mostly involving issues related to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top members of his administration. There are pending investigations of some of those matters, including allegations that Cuomo, with Zucker's assistance, had directed priority coronavirus testing for members of Cuomo's family and people with connections to the chief executive. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Morgan McKay is reporting for State of Politics that New York Attorney General Letitia James on Sept. 29, said she has endured attacks on the integrity of her 168-page report, which gave substance to claims made by at least 11 women who accused former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment. “Until now, I've chosen to take the high road,” James said at an event held in Manhattan. “I have chosen not to respond in detail. But that changes today.” The former governor and his advisors have openly denounced James, saying the only reason she opened an investigation into Cuomo was to eventually run to replace him, ignoring the fact that it was Cuomo who authorized James’ investigation back in March. “My office began this investigation based on a lawful referral from the governor,” James said. “By contrast, Mr. Cuomo did not wait for such a referral when he investigated then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer. My office appointed outside independent investigators. By contrast, Mr. Cuomo used his own staff." James added, “Mr. Cuomo has a lot to say on these matters, but he has never taken responsibility for his own conduct. ..So let's not lose sight of what's important. It's not me, it's not Mr. Cuomo, but the survivors of his harassment, the people of our state whose trust he broke, and the people who believed in him, including myself.” James also criticized the state Health Department’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. The AG said when faced with a serious crisis, the department chose not to share critically important data, such as the complete number of nursing home residents who died of COVID-19 because of the potential optics. "We need to change how the state executive branch is run,” James said. “Total power and decision-making cannot be solely in the hats of the executive.” Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Catskill Village Board, voting 3 to 0, recently approved a resolution imposing short-term rental fees. Text of the new rule was not publicly available at the time of the vote, so citizens could not comment or give feedback to board members. Text of the new rule was also not available after the vote. As of late 2020, owners of short-term rental properties in the village have been required to obtain a permit and comply with certain standards, board member Natasha Law said in a statement. Owners must have a permit and the property is subject to an inspection by the village Code Enforcement Officer. The cost of a permit is $375; an annual property inspection is $125, according to the resolution. "Owning an STR [short-term rental] is a business,” Law said. “...They are making a profit by renting out their homes. Whether it be an apartment, a room or the entire house. All businesses are required to have annual fire inspections, health inspections, pay insurance and other fees in order to be able to operate, so why should an STR be any different?” There are more than 9,000 second homeowners in Greene County, according to a study by the county Economic Development and Planning Department. Greene County had 45,300 Airbnb guest arrivals in the summer of 2019, ranking third among the counties in the Capital Region. Greene and Columbia counties have more than 2,000 Airbnb units combined, according to the state Hospitality and Tourism Association. A 2018 study by I Love New York estimated that Airbnb rentals represented 50 percent of Greene County’s lodging income. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Spectrum News reports that five years after residents of the Rensselaer County community of Hoosick Falls found out about the PFOAs in their drinking water, now the residents of Poestenkill, 25 miles to the south, are going through the same scene. In January 2021, PFOAs were found in the drinking water at the Algonquin Middle School, and several surrounding homes. Five years ago, state officials took little action about the problem in Hoosick Falls. Now, Judith Enck, a Poestenkill resident and former Region 2 EPA administrator under President Barack Obama, explains what is currently being done about the second major PFOA contamination site in Rensselaer County. “Virtually nothing and that’s what concerns me,” Enck said. “Very skimpy, very slow, and virtually nothing is being done to find the source of the PFOA.” Enck says that Rensselaer County did not begin testing the wells of residences near the school until August. New York officials tell a different story. “This is a priority for us,” DEC Chief of Staff Sean Mahar said about the PFOA contamination in Poestenkill. Mahar says Enck's claims are wrong. “That’s not true... What we’re doing is representing DEC, our partners at DOH, working with Rensselaer County. We have an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to addressing PFOA in Poestenkill. This is a true showing of how government is working together, and is supposed to work together on issues like this,” he said. Richard Crist, director of operations for Rensselaer County, is also quoted in the story saying this issue is getting "priority attention," but, like Mahar, he does not cite any specific actions government officials are taking. Unlike in Hoosick Falls, the state is not paying for the testing of wells in Poestenkill – residents been told it will cost them $350 for a water test. “That is just unacceptable,” Enck said. “People are pretty much being told that you’re on your own.” Read more about this story at Spectrum News.

Today's daily news update.

The Daily Freeman reports that Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson died in his sleep overnight Sept. 28, in the middle of his sixth four-year term. Officials did not immediately provide a cause of death. The Republican previously served as the mayor of the village of Pawling from 1983 to 1991. Anderson joined the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy on December 1, 1970, was named Dutchess County undersheriff in 1993. He was elected sheriff in 1999 and then re-elected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. In recent years he was best known for being friends with Donald Trump, and he spoke at a Trump rally in Poughkeepsie in April 2016. In 2017, after the white supremacist/neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Va., where a counterprotester was killed, Anderson mildly criticized the president for not calling out hate groups by name. “I thought he could have been more specific on that, and especially against racists,” Anderson told the newspaper at the time. “He is not a racist and he certainly does not condone any of that stuff in any manner, shape or form. I know he doesn’t, [but] I thought, yes, he should have been more specific.” Andrson is survived by his wife, Danielle Giametta Anderson, and three children.

Bill Williams and Melanie Lekocevic report for Columbia-Greene Media that four corrections officers at Greene Correctional Facility got minor injuries in two incidents with inmates, according to James Miller, director of public relations at New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association on Sept. 28. The officers did not require any hospital stays, as they were treated at the Coxsackie facility. One incident began with an inmate smoking in the boys room, the other with an inmate with a cell phone, which are not allowed in prison. The story does not give any information about or quote the prisoners involved. Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione said Sept. 28 that his office will investigate and determine if legal action will be taken against the two inmates. "It is our sincere hope that county district attorneys across the state will follow the lead of Greene County District Attorney Stanzione and will begin to charge and prosecute inmates where it will significantly impact the inmate’s current sentence and the date they are released from prison,” said Chris Moreau, the correction officer's union's Mid-Hudson Region Vice President. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Katherine Donlevy reports for the Times Union that the Churchtown Dairy was founded in Hudson in 2012 by a fourth generation member of the Rockefeller with a major education component. “It’s really meant to be a place where people can come to discuss, learn, explore, reflect and hopefully come up with ways that we can develop a healthier society and community,” said Amy Gavaris, the farm’s deputy director of communications and programs. Abby Rockefeller the eldest daughter of David Rockefeller and Margaret “Peggy” McGrath — wanted the farm to be “a beacon for those working to promote organic agriculture and sustainable communities.” The 250 acre farm now includes 28 dairy cows and their calves, a beef herd and a handful of pigs, and 12 employees. The farm frequently hosts lectures, film screenings, performances, and other events. “We try to select things that relate in some way to what we’re doing. Typically it has to do with agriculture, soil, nature or something that’s relevant to what we do,” said Gavaris. On Oct. 10 the Churchtown Dairy hosts The Harvest Market with 24 local vendors selling their wares, from tomatoes and apples to cider and pizza as local musicians perform. “We’re very fortunate,” said Garavis. “We recognize and feel a responsibility because of the resources we have that that’s our purpose: to be a showcase.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

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School has been in session for several weeks, but it took until this week for the state of New York to launch a website to track the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The Ichabod Crane schools in Kinderhook lead the area with the most COVID-19 cases, with 34. Only one district, Windham-Ashland-Jewett, did not report any cases. As of Sept. 27 here is how the virus is spreading in local schools:

IN GREENE COUNTY
• Cairo-Durham schools: Four students and one staff member at the elementary school, and three students and one teacher at the middle school have contracted COVID-19.
• Catskill schools: At the elementary school, two students, two teachers, and one staff member have caught the coronavirus. One student at the middle school, and one staff member at the high school have contracted COVID-19.
• Coxsackie-Athens schools: Coxsackie Elementary has five students and one staff member with COVID-19. The Coxsackie-Athens middle school has four students and one teacher with COVID-19. The senior high school has one teacher with COVID-19.
• Greenville schools: Four students at the elementary school, four students at the middle school, and one student at the high school have COVID-19.
• Hunter-Tannersville schools: One student at the elementary school has contracted COVID-19.
• Windham-Ashland-Jewett schools: No cases reported yet.

IN COLUMBIA COUNTY
• Chatham schools: The elementary school reports two student COVID-19 cases, and the middle school reports one.
• Germantown schools: Four students at the Junior-Senior high school have COVID-19.
• Hudson schools: There are four cases of students and one teacher at the elementary school with coronavirus. The middle school has two student cases, and the high school has one.
• Ichabod Crane schools: In Kinderhook, there are more COVID-19 cases than in any other school district. The elementary school has 17 student cases, and one teacher with COVID-19. The middle school has 12 student cases, and the high school has three students, and one staff member with COVID-19.
• New Lebanon schools: The Walter B. Howard Elementary School has two students and one staff member with COVID-19.
• Taconic Hills schools: In Craryville, there are also many cases. The elementary school has three students, one teacher, and five staff members with coronavirus. The Junior/Senior school has seven students with the virus.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the state Siting Board September 28, approved the application from Hecate [HEK-uh-tee] Energy Greene for a 365-acre solar energy project in Coxsackie. The project would generate up to 50 megawatts of energy, according to Administrative Law Judge James Costello of the New York state Department of Public Service. The facility will be constructed on land currently used for farming. Under public service law, the Siting Board reviewed the company’s application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need. Costello recommended approval of the application. One ad hoc member of the Siting Board, Daniel Kohler, voted against the application. Hecate Energy Greene is now the second company to be granted approval by the state for a large-scale solar project in Coxsackie in the past two months. The board also approved the application of Flint Mine Solar on August 5. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sep. 28, that benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will increase next month for households in New York by approximately $36 per person in low-income households. The increase is the result of a federal cost adjustment and it will affect about 2.8 million households enrolled in the program. A family of four will see their maximum SNAP allotment increase from $680 to $835 under the plan. At the same time, the dollar amount for the standard deduction and utility allowances is being adjusted upward. That factors in a household's gross monthyl income to determine eligibility and benefits. The gross monthly income level was also increased. "Now more than ever, New Yorkers are seeing their money for food stretched thinner and thinner, which in turn forces them into making food choices that are cheaper, but far less nutritious," Hochul said. "This long-overdue increase in benefits will give households across New York State the purchasing power to buy nutritious foods, which in turn will ultimately result in healthier outcomes." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is without an undersheriff, as of Sept. 27. Sheriff David Bartlett announced in a memorandum that Undersheriff Mark Dunspaugh would be resuming his duties as a senior investigator and the position of undersheriff would be left vacant until further notice. “Managing a large law enforcement agency and its employees is a complex job,” Bartlett said in a brief statement. “I understand every in and out relating to this agency and we continue to operate today functionally well to keep Columbia County safe." Dunspaugh had served as acting undersheriff since April after former undersheriff John Davi [DAY-vee] retired. Bartlett said Dunspaugh, a 21-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, made the decision to return to his former position "where he is a huge asset as an investigator." He said, “Anyone who has worked in a law enforcement agency, or any government agency, knows that this happens from time to time.” Bartlett said he is leaving the undersheriff position vacant for now because the county already has a shortage of deputies, and promoting someone at this point would take a deputy off the street. Columbia County Democratic Committee Chair Sam Hodge said, “The sheriff’s office is already understaffed and is having problems recruiting and retaining talent. How can you leave the No. 2 spot empty?” Bartlett, a Republican, is in a re-election battle with Don Krapf, a 23-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Local COVID-19 case count numbers now resemble the first days of vaccination availability locally, rather the end of a global pandemic. Greene County announced 57 more cases on Sept. 27. That gives Greene County 158 current cases, and a seven-day rolling average testing positivity rate of 6.6 percent. On Sept. 28, Columbia County added 22 new cases, for 114 total. The day before Columbia County 21 new cases, and another death. It was the 102nd in Columbia County since the pandemic began, while 79 Greene County residents have died. Ulster County reported one new fatality Sept. 27, bringing its total to 280.

Jackson Wang reports for Spectrum News that Albany Medical Center officials don't expect many problems with the state's new mandate that health care workers are vaccinated for COVID-19. They say 98 percent of the health care workers at Albany Medical Center have already received their shots. Albany Med President and CEO Dr. Dennis McKenna said Sept. 28 that a little more than 200 employees will receive a notice of a seven-day unpaid suspension due to being unvaccinated now that the state mandate is in effect. Employees that do not receive a dose of the vaccine in those seven days, will no longer be employees. The mostly full staffing news is good because Albany Medical Center has 37 people hospitalized for COVID-19 currently, with 12 in the ICU and two on ventilators. On Sept. 28 in the afternoon, Columbia Memorial Health hospital in Hudson was reporting two hour emergency department waiting times due to staff shortages. Read more about this story at Spectrum News.