Today's daily headlines.

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

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup that the rate of violent crime in Greene County is second only to the rate recorded in New York City, according to recently released statistics from the state Department of Criminal Justice Services. In 2020, Greene County reported 192 violent incidents, defined by the state as murder, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. In a report issued last month, the department calculated each county’s rate per 100,000 residents and Greene County's rate was the highest among the 57 counties outside of the five boroughs. Erie County ranked second behind Greene in the violent crime rate, followed by Albany and Schenectady counties, outside of New York City. Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky attributes the high rate to the presence of the two state prisons in Coxsackie. “I have received some preliminary information that there were potentially up to 80 assaults reported at the two state correctional facilities in Greene County in 2019,” said Kusminsky. “This could account for an inflated violent crime rate.” The total number of violent crimes reported in 2019 was 180, of which 131 were assaults. Eighty prison assaults would represent 61 percent of that year's total. “I have asked to have DCJS attempt to filter out the exact data,” Kusminsky said. “There is the possibility that some of the other violent crimes reported in the index crime data also occurred inside these same correctional facilities and not in the general community.” The two prisons are located in Greene County. In 2020, Greene County recorded no murders, 25 rapes, two robberies and 165 aggravated assaults. The county also had 357 property crimes, including 57 burglaries, 288 larcenies, and 12 motor vehicle thefts. In total, the 549 incidents reported in 2020 were a decrease from the previous four years, according to the DCJS. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the sale of the former Kaz warehouse site on Montgomery Street in Hudson's 1st Ward, has been put on hold, the Hudson Development Corporation announced at its meeting September 28. The HDC signed off on the sale in early September, sending the contract on to the unidentified buyer for final approval. However, the board is still awaiting a response. “It’s the buyer’s investors [who] wanted to see some additional paperwork,” HDC board member Paul Barrett said. The remainder of the discussion about the sale was held behind closed doors, in executive session. Because the sale is pending, the HDC has not identified the buyer nor disclosed the sale price of the property. HDC board president Robert Rasner said he sees “no reason” for the buyer not to sign the contract of sale because there has been an agreement on contract language, terms and conditions. It remains unclear what the buyer intends to do with the land, but Rasner said the buyer has “plans and dreams for a new Hudson neighborhood.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting that the state has announced the latest round of funding for counties to improve the operability of emergency communications statewide. The state of New York has awarded $472 million to municipalities over nine rounds since December 2011. The latest round includes funding for Hudson Valley and Catskills counties as follows: Columbia ($454,700); Dutchess ($558, 300); (Greene ($488,000); Rockland ($772, 800); Ulster ($540,600); and, Westchester ($681,500). Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Rebekah F. Ward reports in the Times Union that the state of New York is violating its own law on home cultivation of medical cannabis. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act that passed this spring allows limited home cultivation of medical cannabis as soon as the Office of Cannabis Management issues regulations governing it. The law says that was supposed to happen, “no later than six months after the effective date” of the law. But we are now later that six months after the effective date of the law, and no one in the state can legally grow their own medical cannabis. The previous governor, Andrew Cuomo was long opposed to any cannabis legalization, and his administration did not make any of the needed appointments required by the law. New Gov. Kathy Hochul has been making many appointments to the various boards set to create the cannabis regulations, both for medical and recreational sales. Albany Dr. Mark Oldendorf said he is frustrated that he has patients who should be getting medical cannabis now are not. “I’ve had quite a few people who I’ve turned away because they wanted it specifically for insomnia, that’s the big need, and it’s not a qualifying condition” at the moment, he said. “So all of those people are headed off to Massachusetts to buy something.” Medical and recreational cannabis are legal there, but crossing the state line back into New York with cannabis is still a federal crime. State Department of Health spokesperson Jill Montag says now that the appointments have been made, more regulatory changes will be announced. “As the Office of Cannabis Management and the Cannabis Control Board have now been fully constituted, they will be overseeing these changes as they occur,” she said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge, Kate Lisa, and Sam Raudins report for Columbia-Greene Media that about 83 percent of hospital workers at Columbia Memorial Health in Hudson have been vaccinated for COVID-19, the lowest level of any hospital in the Capital Region. That is according to the state Health Department on Sept. 29, while hospital officials refused to release specific staffing numbers. “The combination of record patient volumes (due in large part to COVID) and broader clinical staff supply issues continues to present challenges to many health care providers in the state, including CMH,” spokesperson Bill Van SlykeVan said in a statement. “We have been managing operations throughout the pandemic within a very tight labor market, so to lose any staff can compound that challenge. We are very proud of our employees who meet that challenge every day, and we welcome back staff who have recently been vaccinated. The numbers change daily. Overall, our experience with staff vaccinations is consistent with the broader region.” Before COVID-19, the hospital cut services and no longer does childbirth, sending mothers to Albany and Dutchess County instead. Albany Medical Center. was transparent releasing more detailed information about how many employees were not vaccinated while Columbia Memorial Health, an affiliate of Albany Medical Center, repeatedly refused to release any information. “Each of the Albany Med Health System hospitals handle their own PR, so we cannot speak for Columbia Memorial Health,” said Susan Ford, a spokesperson for Albany Medical Center. A Columbia Memorial official did admit they need help. “Some elective procedures requiring an inpatient stay have been rescheduled, and we’ve offered telehealth services at various locations, such as our rapid care centers, to help manage patient needs. We are actively recruiting for many positions, both clinical and non-clinical, so we encourage anyone who wants to serve our community in a position that offers competitive pay and good benefits to visit our website and apply,” said CMH spokesperson Van Slyke. On Sept. 30, Columbia Memorial Health hospital in Hudson was reporting four hour emergency department waiting times due to staff shortages. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

MidHudson News reports in the Daily Freeman that new airline Norse Atlantic Airways has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to offer service between New York Stewart International Airport and Oslo. The Norway-based carrier wants to start passenger service between the U.S and Europe in the summer of 2022, with round-trip service to Oslo from three U.S. airports: Stewart, Fort Lauderdale, and Los Angeles using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Norwegian Air pulled out of Stewart in 2019, citing the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max jets after two fatal crashes of that aircraft as its reason for cutting back. Norwegian Air would have been the first airline to use Stewart’s then under construction international arrivals building, which Norse Atlantic Airways will now use. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Steve Barnes reports in the Times Union that the New Lebanon Farmers Market is now a year-round indoor operation. Local fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, and more will be available at 528 Route 20 in the village, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. The outdoor market will continue through the end of October in the parking lot of the local Berkshire Bank branch (502 Route 20), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. The market's website includes online ordering at the indoor market. Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, a not-for-profit helping farmers and food makers in Columbia and Dutchess counties, Berkshire County, Mass., and Litchfield County, Conn., provided a low-interest loan to purchase refrigeration for the indoor market. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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.

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

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.