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.

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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.

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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.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for the full reopening of the Canadian border, urging the Biden administration to allow non-essential travel of vaccinated Canadians into the country. The federal government has extended the ban on non-essential travel over ports of entry and land crossings from Canada through October 21, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues this week. Both New York Democrats and Republicans have called on the federal government to fully allow Canadian travel again, pointing to the economic damage the ban has caused, especially for upstate businesses. The border closure is estimated to cost the U.S. economy $1.5 billion a month. “New York and Canada have a valuable economic partnership that has been deeply affected by travel restrictions put in place to prioritize the health and safety of so many New Yorkers who live along the border. However, the circumstances have changed and it’s time to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to travel safely into the United States across the northern border,” Gillibrand said. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that a civil rights complaint has been filed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning alleged physical abuse and unsanitary conditions at the Rensselaer County Jail. Several immigrant rights groups filed the complaint Sept. 9 complaint, and the anonymous woman behind the allegations says it has already led to retaliation from jail officials. Currently, there are five immigrant women being held at the Rensselaer County Jail. The woman making the allegations is being called "ms. Q" in court documents. She alleges that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee “violently tugged on Ms. Q’s shackles, causing her ankle shackles to get caught on a grate, and causing Ms. Q to fall. Because Ms. Q’s wrists, hips, and feet were shackled together, she was unable to break her fall with her hands, and she landed on her head. Ms. Q reports later being told to clean herself in the sink inside her cell, despite being covered in blood,” according to a statement issued about the incident. The complaint also outlines lack of medical care, filthy living conditions, clogged toilets, littered floors, barely operable sinks, and inmates not being provided sanitary pads and no access to showers for up to 10 days. ICE officials did not comment on the complaint, but the sheriff's office said, "The female inmate’s main complaint, who was scheduled for deportation, was she did not want to be quarantined upon arrival to the facility, which is, due to COVID-19, policy for all new admissions into the Rensselaer County Jail. She was given a grievance form, which she filled out, but later signed off stating everything was alright and no longer wished to further the grievance." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that New York's League of Women Voters is urging votes against an amendment that proposes to alter the redistricting process of the state. There are several amendments relating to voting rights on the Nov. 2 ballot, including no-excuse absentee balloting and ending a 10-day voter registration requirement. But the League of Women Voters is against a measure that would give more power to the Democratic supermajorities in the state Legislature if the commission created by the last constitutional reform fails to reach an agreement on how New York's congressional and state legislative districts should be drawn up. “New York State voters have a unique opportunity in 2021 to constitutionalize our right to clean air and water, and expand voting rights by eliminating the 10-day voter registration deadline and allowing for no-excuse absentee voting. Voters will also have the opportunity to reject Proposal 1, a rollback to recent redistricting reforms that would weaken the role of the minority party in the Commission and legislative approval of the plans,” said Laura Ladd Bierman, executive director of the League of Women Voters of New York State. Early voting begins Oct. 23. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

The League of Conservation Voters has scored New York legislators on their environmental record this past term. State Senator Michelle Hinchey, a Democrat, is the only local representative in Albany to receive a 100 percent rating, Didi Barrett, a Democrat in the Assembly, gets a 93 percent rating from the group. Republican Assemblymember Jake Ashby received a 53 percent rating, while Republican Assemblymember Chris Tague got just a 33 percent rating. Daphne Jordan, a Republican in the State Senate, got the lowest rating locally, at 25 percent. Scores were based on the legislators votes on 15 recent enviromental bills.

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Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that another Greene County resident died from COVID-19, and officials continue not to change any policies even as the case counts grow. The 44-year-old man, who was unvaccinated, is the 79th COVID-19 death 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. There are also now cases in the Cairo, Catskill, Greenville, and Coxsackie school districts too. Greene County officials released statements with condolences, and reminders to get vaccinated, but have changed no policies in the face of the rising COVID-19 case counts. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

MidHudson News is reporting that Red Hook Republican Marcus Molinaro Sept. 21, officially announced he is running for Congress. Molinaro is currently serving as Dutchess County Executive. Pending redistricting, he will likely be challenging U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado for the 19th Congressional District seat in 2022. In his campaign announcement, Molinaro said “I’ll be very candid with you all. I never thought Congress was the place where I could make the most difference.” He justified his bid for Congress, saying “Our nation is at a crossroads. Common sense, competence, and compassion are completely lost from decision-making, As a result, skyrocketing prices at the gas pump and grocery aisles are hurting working families, small businesses are closing not because they don’t have customers, but because they can’t hire workers, and COVID science has been discarded for partisan politics.” Molinaro denounced what he calls Delgado’s silence on issues including the Cuomo sexual harassment scandal and the Cuomo nursing home death cover-up, as well as what he perceives to be a neglect of children suffering because of policies that do not accept science when it comes to the education environment. Delgado’s campaign responded, saying “As promised, Antonio Delgado has fought for our region day in and day out and achieved meaningful results. He has held 63 town halls and crisscrossed all 11 counties in our upstate district many times over.” The campaign touted the Rhinebeck Democrat's recording, noting, “He has had 12 bills signed into law under Democratic and Republican administrations and secured over $400 million in direct support for our counties, towns, and villages. He looks forward to continuing that work every single day.” Delgado is currently serving his second two-year term. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Porcupine Soup is reporting state Senator Michelle Hinchey joined school officials and teachers at Catskill Elementary September 21, to welcome students back to class. This included 36 students who now have access to full-day pre-K for four-year-olds thanks to just over $200,000 in funding secured by Hinchey in the 2021-2022 state budget. The state Senate this year approved $105 million in funding to expand pre-K programs statewide, providing first-time funding to school districts for full-day pre-K. Greene County was allocated more than $690,000 and the ability to create 105 new pre-K spots countywide. Dr. Ronel Cook, superintendent of schools for the Catskill Central School District, said he is grateful for Hinchey’s advocacy for Universal Pre-Kindergarten funding. “The monies have been used to establish a full-day Pre-Kindergarten program with a strong emphasis on early literacy and early numeracy,” said Cook. “When we were a half-day program, families had a difficult time with day care,” John Rivers, principal of Catskill Elementary School, said. “Oftentimes transportation was a challenge that families were faced with. By offering a full day program families are less restricted by the school schedule allowing families to coordinate school, work and daycare.” Hinchey represents six school districts in Greene County, including Cairo-Durham, Catskill Central, Coxsackie-Athens, Greenville, Hunter-Tannersville, and Windham-Ashland-Jewett. The districts have received more than $65 million in total state-funded school aid this year, a 9.59 percent increase over last year. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.