Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Columbia County Democrats elected Sam Hodge their new chair on Sept. 23. The county Democratic committee voted unanimously for the 35-year-old, who was an assistant district attorney in the Bronx for seven years. "Our party is organized, engaged, and ready to put in the hard work to win," Hodge said in a statement. "We're the party that is putting forward ideas to innovate and reimagine how local governments can make our energy costs lower, internet faster, and housing more affordable. We've got the ideas, candidates, and organization to win." Voting begins Oct. 23 and lasts through Nov. 2 this fall.

Today's daily news update.

HudsonValley360.com has two COVID-19 headlines: "COVID surge at new record" about Columbia County, and "COVID infections skyrocket" about Greene County. Columbia County reported 20 new cases Sept. 20, 31 on Sept. 21, and 14 on Sept. 22. "it's troublesome to me in that the cases are spread out among the community. Again, I think this speaks to the virulence of the delta variant," said Jack Mabb, Columbia County's Health Department Director. Columbia County is now reporting 322 COVID-19 cases. The last time the county had more than 300 cases was in February, when the vaccines were first being distributed. Columbia County now has the second highest positivity rate in the Capital Region, at 6.9 percent. Only Greene County is higher, with 7.2 percent of those tested positive for the virus. There are currently 142 COVID-19 cases in Greene County. The last time there were that many cases in Greene County was Feb. 1. Officials in neither county said they were taking any new efforts, or changing any policies, to combat the rise of new cases. Read more about these stories at HudsonValley360.com.

Lori Todd reports in the Times Union about how much rain fell on the area Sept. 23. Up to three inches fell on parts of Greene County. Tannersville reported 3.2 inches of rain. Millbrook in Dutchess County reported 2.68 inches as of 4 a.m. Sept. 24. And 3.24 inches fell in Sundown in Ulster County. In Speigletown in Rensselaer County 2.4 inches of rain fell. Taghkanic led Columbia County with 1.91 inches of rain. The remnants of two hurricanes have passed over the area in recent weeks, soaking the ground. Rensselaerville, for instance, recorded 7.14 inches of rain in August. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Gabriel Poblete reports for City and State that this fall's election gives voters a chance to tweak New York's redistricting process. And while some may charge that the process is currently broken, as the 10-member state Independent Redistricting Commission just released dueling district maps along party lines, The New York Redistricting Changes Amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot probably won't change that. If approved by voters, the amendment would cap the number of senators at 63 in the state constitution. The amendment would also change approval of new redistricting maps from a two-thirds threshold to a simple majority, making it easier to whichever party is currently in charge in Albany. The amendment would also allow towns to be split in different districts. And the proposal would move up the redistricting timeline by about two weeks. “I would say this is like a very interesting part of the democratic process that most people don't pay attention to but has a huge impact on the direction of the state, the country," said Democratic state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris. Read more about this story at City and State.

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There was a three-hour wait time for emergency services in the afternoon Sept. 23 at Columbia Memorial Health hospital in Hudson, the hospital reported. That was down to an hour in the evening as heavy rains fell on much of the area. Greene County, meanwhile, added 26 more COVID-19 cases on Sept. 23, according to the Greene County Public Health Department. There are now 144 cases in Greene County. On July 2 there was just one case of COVID-19 in Greene County. On Aug. 2 there were 19 cases. On Sept. 16 Greene County topped 100 COVID-19 cases, with 134 as of Sept. 19. Greene County officials have changed no policies as the case counts increase. Schools in Catskill, Saugerties, Cairo, Greenville, and Coxsackie have reported coronavirus cases since school started two weeks ago.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union the state Civil Service Employees Association, or CSEA, has filed a petition seeking an injunction to halt the vaccine mandate that is scheduled to go into effect on Monday. The union represents roughly 5,600 people who work in the state's court system. A similar petition was also filed in state Supreme Court in Albany this week on behalf of a group of Buffalo-area physicians, nurses and a nursing home administrator. And Kate Lisa is reporting for the Johnson Newspaper Corp a U.S. district judge September 23, dismissed a request from nine state security guards for a temporary restraining order against the vaccine mandate. The nine downstate members of the State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association filed a lawsuit naming Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state heath officials. A federal judge has now dismissed the restraining order in that case, but the plaintiffs will pursue the complaint, arguing the mandate violates their 14th Amendment rights and discriminates against certain state workers. The legal action is developing as Hochul's administration has not backed down from the mandate. It requires that public-facing workers, mainly in hospitals, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, receive at least their first vaccination by September 27, or risk being suspended or terminated from their jobs. The state Office of Court Administration issued its own mandate for vaccinations, which contends the requirement must be negotiated when they involve workers protected by collective bargaining. The health department's mandate affects both public and private health care facilities. Thousands of nurses and other medical professionals have declined to be vaccinated. Many hospitals are already reducing or eliminating elective surgeries and some are diverting patients to other hospitals to deal with the staffing issues. In Hudson, Columbia Memorial Health continues to divert patients from its Emergency Room. Hospital officials announced September 22, the facility was experiencing higher-than-normal wait times due in part to staffing shortages. The Hochul administration this week was in negotiation with multiple state labor unions, who have said the state's mandate should have been subject to collective bargaining and not simply imposed under a provision of state health law. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the former Chatham village treasurer Barbara Henry September 22, pleaded guilty to attempted official misconduct for stealing village funds. Henry, 60, of Chatham admitted in Chatham Town Court to stealing almost $4,000 from April 2017 to April 2018. Henry was originally charged in March with first-degree tampering with records, two counts of grand larceny in the third degree and official misconduct. District Attorney Paul Czajka [CHAI-kah] said the recommendation was for Henry to plead guilty to attempted official misconduct and Chatham Town Justice James Borgia-Forster agreed. Borgia-Forster ordered Henry to pay full restitution and imposed a $250 fine. A joint investigation by state police and the state Comptrollers Office found that Henry used her position as treasurer to waive her share of health insurance premium costs and have the village fully fund that benefit. Henry was employed by the village from 2012 until August 2018. Henry is also accused of stealing more than $8,420 in funds between October 2014 and December 2020 from her other employer, Cadmus Lifesharing Association, a nonprofit organization in Massachusetts, which cares for individuals with disabilities. Czajka said he has deferred to the Massachusetts authorities to prosecute that matter. Chatham Mayor John Howe expressed relief at the conclusion of an ordeal that has lasted more than two years and said he was pleased the village was made whole again. Former Chatham village police chief Peter Volkmann was convicted as a result of the same probe into Chatham’s finances that caught Henry. Volkmann, 57, of Stuyvesant, pleaded guilty in February, to fourth-degree grand larceny and official misconduct. The District Attorney’s office said with guilty pleas from Henry and Volkmann all of the stolen funds from Chatham have been restored and neither will be eligible for public office again. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise Berne Town Board member Bonnie Conklin abruptly resigned from her position this week, citing political obstructionism as the reason. Conklin submitted her official letter of resignation, dated September 19, to the town clerk and to the Enterprise editor, as well. “Today in our changing world, I feel politics in our town, state, and [at the] federal level are becoming very challenging,” Conklin wrote. “...Whether it’s social media or face-to-face discussions, the goals are put aside and progress is delayed. I prefer to get things done. When someone is elected to office, let them do their job. Support and encourage each other.” Conklin's resignation was effective September 20, and comes halfway through a four-year term. Supervisor Sean Lyons said he was caught off-guard by her abrupt departure. “I had no advance warning of this and I had no reason to even suspect Mrs. Conklin was thinking of resigning at any time let alone days before a meeting and entering the heart of budgeting season for 2022,” Lyons said. “I am disappointed by this announcement.” Conklin, a Conservative, and Lyons were both backed by the GOP, along with the majority of the town board, except for Joel Willsey, the lone Democrat. This was Conklin's second resignation from the town board. She previously resigned when the board had a Democratic majority. A Republican at the time, Conklin quit in 2013, two years into a four-year term, frustrated over being the only non-Democrat on the board. While Conklin enjoyed majority status this time around, she was not always at ease with her GOP-backed colleagues, taking issue with the decision to limit public comment at board meetings, and voting against establishing a Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. In tendering her resignation, Conklin said she feels she can accomplish more for the town “on a volunteer basis.” Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

WOOC's Steve Pierce speaks with Poestenkill Town Board member Eric Wohlleber about newly-discovered PFOA pollution in Rensselaer County drinking water and a public meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, September 27, 2021 to address it.

Today's daily news update.

Luis Ferré-Sadurni reports in the New York Times that New York State health commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker resigned Sept. 23. Gov. Kathy Hochul said that she agreed with his decision and that she would allow him to “stay on board” until she found a replacement. “I thank Dr. Zucker for his willingness to stay on board so we don’t have a gap in leadership until a person is identified,” Hochul said. “I think I made it very clear on my first day in office that I’d be looking to build a new team. There will be other changes forthcoming. But I do respect everyone who has been a public servant, I thank them for their service.” Zucker was criticized often for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his potential involvement in helping obscure the death toll of the coronavirus in nursing homes and withholding health data from the Legislature last year, which is under investigation. His resignation comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has returned with the stronger Delta variant leading to rising case counts and many deaths. Read more about this story in the New York Times.

MidHudson News reports that former president Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against his cousin Mary Trump, three New York Times journalists, and the New York Times in Dutchess County Sept. 21. Attorney Alina Habba claims the defendants had “Collective efforts in tortiously breaching and/or interfering with his contractual rights and otherwise maliciously conspiring against him.” Further, the lawsuit claims “Defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilized as a means of falsely legitimizing their publicized works.” Trump wants “no less than $100 million dollars in damages.” Most legal experts said the lawsuit has little chance of success. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports for the Times Union that Rensselaer County is doing more testing of wells for PFOA contamination to the south and east of Algonquin Middle School. "In January, state-required water tests revealed contamination at the Algonquin Middle School in the Averill Park Central School District," Crowe writes of the results that showed contamination of 12 parts per trillion. Since then, drinking water at two homes nearby tested for PFOA above the new state standard of 10 parts per trillion. So far, officials can't say what is the source of the PFOA contamination. A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Poestenkill VFW at 25 Veterans St. with Poestenkill Water Manager Robert Brunet, town resident and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith Enck, and Michele Baker of NY Water Project and a Hoosick Falls resident. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

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Dr. Ronel Cook, the Superintendent of the Catskill schools, announced more COVID-19 cases there on Sept. 22. "I wanted to inform you that two Catskill Elementary School students and an employee at Catskill High School have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. One student was last at school on September 17, while the other student and the employee were last at school on September 20. No additional quarantining resulting from contact within the school setting was required for either case," Cook wrote online. Though school only resumed last week, Catskill schools previously reported other COVID-19 cases. So have schools in Cairo, Greenville, and Coxsackie, and in nearby Saugerties. On July 2 there was just one case of COVID-19 in Greene County. On Aug. 2 there were 19 cases. On Sept. 16 Greene County topped 100 COVID-19 cases, with 134 as of Sept. 19. Greene County officials have changed no policies as the case counts increase.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia Memorial Health is currently diverting patients from its Emergency Room, hospital officials said Wed., Sep. 23. Reports started appearing on social media Tuesday, of patients spending hours in ambulances in the hospital parking lot, waiting to be brought inside the hospital ER in Hudson. In an announcement the next day, hospital officials said it is experiencing higher-than-normal wait times due in part to staffing shortages. People with minor ailments are being advised to visit one of the CMH Rapid Care Centers in Catskill, Copake or Valatie. “Numerous factors impacting the entire nation are creating unprecedented challenges for health care providers,” CMH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Clifford Belden said in a statement. Belden said a number of factors, including the vaccine mandate, have triggered an increase in hospital staff resignations. According to the CMH website, the wait times for the Emergency Department and Rapid Care centers as of Wednesday evening, were 3 hours for the Emergency Department and 20 to 30 minutes for Rapid Care. Columbia County EMS Coordinator P.J. Keeler said, “...I can tell you that we’ve been notified that they are on diversion for accepting patients by ambulance. In other words, basically when we pick up a patient, unless they’re critical, and if they’re critical they would go right there, but if not we would advise them of the extended wait times, and encourage the patient to request to be taken to another facility.” A patient could ask to be taken to Albany Medical Center, St. Peters Hospital in Albany, or Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck. Keeler explained that anytime any facility within the region goes on diversion it can add stress on the entire system. At an unrelated press conference in Niagara County Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul was asked about potential hospital staffing shortages next week in relation to staff vaccine requirements. Hochul said they want to make sure there are no disruptions and thanked health care professionals. “To those who refuse, we will find replacements,” she said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Roger Hannigan Gilson in the Times Union updates WGXC's original coverage of the Hudson Common Council Sept. 23, vote in favor of a Good Cause Eviction law. The measure must still go through a public hearing and be signed into law by Mayor Kamal Johnson. Under the law, landlords would be required to go through eviction court to remove a tenant, where the new law would give those tenants further protections, such as not allowing evictions for non-payment of rent if the landlord has raised rent more than five percent in the last year. Although many renters will benefit from the new law, it still allows for some kinds of evictions. The city's attorney, Jeff Baker, suggested the council hold off on taking a vote to see how other cities moved forward with their own versions of the law, especially Albany, the first municipality in the state to pass a Good Cause Eviction law. The law is supported by Johnson, who took part in a press conference last month with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, 2nd Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga and members of the Hudson-Catskill Housing Coalition to stump for its passage. The law would still permit evictions through court for other reasons, such as conducting illegal activity at a rental, damaging property, or not allowing a landlord in to make repairs. Tenants could still be evicted for non-payment provided rent has not increased by five percent in the last year. The law would also still allow evictions if the property is being sold with the condition the property be delivered to the new owner tenant-free. Landlords could also evict all tenants in properties with up to five units if they choose to live in the buildings themselves. The law must still go through a public comment period before it is sent to Johnson, who is expected to sign. Note: Johnson is a WGXC volunteer on-air programmer. Read the full story in the Times Union.