Wendy Liberatore is reporting for the Times Union that Melanie Trimble, the regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, on Sept. 20, said her organization is monitoring the activities of the Saratoga city police, which she accused of acting as a "racist organization." On the day before four more Black Lives Matter activists awaited arraignment in city court, Trimble said the police are “clearly targeting the minority community” with tactics that are “escalating problems.” Trimble said the arrests of 11 people earlier this month in connection with a July 14 rally show the police are acting in an “over-the-top” manner to punish activists who blocked and stalled traffic on Broadway. The activists were either pulled off the street outside City Hall during a protest or pulled over while in their cars and taken into custody. They were held in jail for hours, one overnight, with some arraigned in shackles. The Times Union's efforts to speak with Saratoga Springs Police Chief Shane Crooks and Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton about the NYCLU’s assertions were unsuccessful. However, Lt. Robert Jillson, spokesman for the police, said the chief was focused on balancing public safety and civil rights after a man called 911 when he was unable to move his car for several minutes while the protesters were in the street. Trimble argues the arrests were especially troubling in light of Assistant Police Chief John Catone’s comments in June when he said he would “pull out every single connection my family has made over the last 130 years and I will stop your narrative” that the city is hateful and the police department is racist. Trimble said the actions of the police are scaring people. "...No other protests, marches or rallies that have gone on in any other political fields, only when it is Black Lives Matter, do police issue warrants and make arrests,” she said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that she had chosen the Champlain Hudson Power Express to build transmission lines to bring electricity from Hydro Quebec to NYC. Gary Wockner of North America Mega Dam Resistance Alliance explains with WOOC's Mark Dunlea some of the environmental and climate problems with the project, which still needs further approval, as well as its impact on Indigenous people in Canada.

The Hudson Common Council voted Sept. 21 to pass a good cause eviction law. The law is similar to one passed recently in Albany, and would require landlords to provide a detailed reason to a judge when evicting a tenant. The law passed with eight common council members voting in favor, and 3rd Ward Alderperson Shershah Mizan abstaining. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson previously spoke in favor of the law, saying it is needed as rising rents are forcing locals from their homes. “This is something that advocates have been talking about for years,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen our school district have to consolidate. We’ve seen our hospital no longer work for birthing services, losing jobs.” Besides making eviction's subject to a judge's oversight, the law also gives tenants a right to renew their lease, and protects them from an annual rent increase of more than five percent. Click here to download or play the portion of the Hudson Common Council meeting talking about the eviction law. Note: Johnson is a volunteer WGXC programmer.

Today's daily news update.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that the environmental group Riverkeeper opposes the latest proposal to moor up to three barges off of Germantown in the Hudson River, but not for environmental reasons. The New York State Marine Transportation Company wants to use the mooring as a stop for barges on the way to and from Peckham Industry's docks in Catskill, where the barges are loaded with crushed rock. MTC wants the barges to spend less time at the Peckham dock, where the wakes from boats in the nearby shipping channel have broken barges off in the past. "For 55 years, we’ve been working with communities and with Hudson Valley stakeholders as partners on behalf of the river," Riverkeeper Vice President John Lipscomb said. "It is very clear that for us to protect the river, shoreline residents and communities as partners are essential. We cannot serve the river without the relationships that have taken all these years to build, and so...we cannot support the mooring in the face of apparent virtually universal local opposition." There have been several attempts recently to add mooring barges at several points along the Hudson River, including in Germantown. Each time, widespread public opposition has torpedoed the proposals. “In this case, since the mooring itself is benign environmentally, the only thing I can look at is the community response,” Lipscomb said. The Hudson River Safety, Navigation and Operations Committee has come out in favor of the proposal. "The HRSNOC decided that they think that the safety of the area is more important than the aesthetics," said the committee's community outreach representative, Randy Alstaldt. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will decide whether to issue permits for the proposal, or not. The Army Corps has a public comment period for the moorings until October 8. Comments should be emailed to Brad Sherwood at Brad.Sherwood@usace.army.mil. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that state officials on Sept. 20 named two companies for a project to bring clean power to New York City with transmission lines buried under the Hudson River. The state Energy Research and Development Authority awarded the bids to the Champlain Hudson Power Express and Clean Path New York, a partnership between the quasi-public New York Power Authority, Invenergy, and energyRE, solar power. The project will transport carbon-free electricity from hydroelectric plants in northern Quebec to 2.5 million homes in and around New York City. The Clean Path NY’s 1,300 MW line would move power from solar, wind, and hydro projects in Delaware and Schoharie counties to the Hudson River and then to New York City. "These transformative projects are a win-win—delivering thousands of new good-paying jobs throughout the state and attracting billions of dollars in private investment. They also help us turn the page on New York City's long-standing dependence on fossil fuels,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News reports that the New York Republican Party on Sept. 20 unanimously reelected Chair Nick Langworthy at a reorganization meeting in Albany. Langworthy has led Republicans in New York since July of 2019. Businessman and former NYC Comptroller candidate John Burnett was selected as Executive Vice-Chair, a newly created position. “When I took the helm of the NYGOP two years ago, I made a promise that we were going to revitalize this Party and usher in a new fighting spirit,” said Chairman Nick Langworthy. “We set our sights squarely on taking out corrupt Andrew Cuomo and our ultimate mission of taking back the governor’s office. Two years later, we are celebrating one goal down and we are well on our way to our next when we will elect a Republican governor to save our state. We are gearing up for a national red wave and I’m so honored to lead our Party as we march toward victory.” Republicans, though, did not take down Cuomo or win the governor's office, and have not elected majorities in the Senate or Assembly under Langworthy. Read more about this story at the MidHudson News website.

Today's daily headlines.

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

On Sept. 20, the Columbia County Department of Health reported 20 new COVID-19 cases, and the 100th death from the disease in the county. Greene County reported 43 new cases Sept. 20. By contrast, the much larger Albany County announced 45 new cases of coronavirus on Sept. 20. Greene County now has 125 people with COVID-19, 100 more than in August. Ulster County, meanwhile, announced three more COVID-19 deaths on Sept. 20, with 22 more cases, the Daily Freeman reported. The Saugerties School district reported one student and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19 Sept. 20 at Grant D. Morse Elementary School; plus two students at Riccardi Elementary School were also positive, and five students testing positive at the high school there in northern Ulster County.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union a group of parents in opposition to the state requirement that children wear masks in schools and on buses filed a federal lawsuit September 19, against state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker. They argue the mandate is a violation of their children's First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. "The masks have made the children sick, stunted their intellectual and social growth and most importantly violated their freedom of speech and association," the complaint states. "While the virus may no longer be fatal to our health, it poses an existential danger to our liberty." The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Albany on behalf of nine children and five of their parents, including Knox resident Jeffrey N. Thomas. Thomas founded the Facebook group, Unmask New York School Children Now. In early June, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared that masks would no longer be required in school, but last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul said that universal mask-wearing would be required in schools statewide. Thomas said that if the lawsuit goes forward they will produce expert testimony and reports on the alleged physical and long-term harm the parties in the case allege are being caused by the state requirements. The plaintiffs in the case liken the mandate to an unauthorized medical experiment being performed on human subjects without their consent and argue that children face little risk of serious health consequences from COVID-19. In addition to Thomas, other plaintiffs include parents of children with autism, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, epilepsy and other learning disabilities. The court is being asked to declare the mask mandate unconstitutional and to ban its enforcement. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson city officials are moving forward to determine the feasibility of turning the former Hudson Area Library building on State Street into the new city hall. The city has published a draft request for proposals for public comment, and interested vendors will be able to submit proposals for the costs related to a feasibility study, not designs or plans. The plan under consideration is to consolidate city offices into one building. The existing city hall, in the 500 block of Warren Street, lacks the space needed to house all city departments and it is also not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The historic building at 400 State Street is owned by the Galvan Foundation and according to a draft proposal, would be donated to the city. It was constructed in 1818 as the almshouse, but it was also used as the Hudson Lunatic Asylum, Hudson Orphan and Relief Association and Hudson Area Association Library. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Peter Bujanow, commissioner of public works, presented the Galvan proposal to the Hudson Common Council on September 13. The city is looking for someone to assess the existing condition of the building as well as any costs for improvements or corrections and if using the building as city hall is feasible. Bujanow said it will take 30 days to receive responses to the requests. “We’ll get proposals in terms of how much it’s going to cost. This is just how much it’s going to cost to do the study,” Bujanow said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has been selected as the new chair of the New York State Association of Counties Climate Resiliency Committee. The bipartisan committee is made up of officials in county positions most directly impacted by changes in the climate. The members come from all regions of the state and work in diverse areas of county and state government, including emergency services, public health, environmental health, solid waste and elected office. Ryan will replace Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson, who is retiring. The committee was formed in June 2018 to help counties across the state work together on climate change in order to identify needs and influence state policies, programs, or enabling legislation. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

On September 19, the Columbia County Sanctuary movement hosted Hudson, New York's first ever LatinX Parade and Festival. Moses Nagel from WOOC was there and sent this story.

Every ten years after the census, New York and other states must redraw the Congressional and State Legislative districts to reflect population changes. A decade ago, voters approved a constitutional amendment to try to make this more of an independent process rather than one determined by partisan political interests. Recently the commission established to oversee the process came up with 2 competing sets of maps for new Congressional districts, one drawn by the Democrats and the other by the Republicans. Blair Horner of NYPIRG talks with WOOC's Mark Dunlea about the next steps in the process.

Today's daily news update.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that on July 2 there was one case of COVID-19 in Greene County. On Aug. 2 there were 19 cases. Now there are over 100. There are now cases in the Cairo, Catskill, Greenville and Coxsackie school districts too. “Currently, Greene County Public Health has 100 active cases, 70 percent of these cases are unvaccinated,” Laura Churchill, deputy director of Greene County Public Health, said Sept. 17. There are 13 Greene County residents hospitalized and 85 percent of them are unvaccinated. “I believe all hospitalizations are folks with underlying issues,” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said Sept. 17. Of the 100 active cases, 27 percent are minors under 18, and 18.5 percent of the infections are among individuals who have been fully vaccinated, Churchill said. Groden, who is not a scientist, said, “As far as we know, there is no definitive reason for increases, other than normal travel about town. Or the fact that the delta variant spreads much easier. That is a big difference. The delta is a much more efficient virus, as it can jump easier to others.” The spread in Greene County seems linked to the lack of vaccinations there. Only 58. 4 percent of Greene County residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the state's tracking website. That is well below the levels in surrounding counties. Columbia County, for instance, is at 66.9 percent of its residents with at least one dose of a vaccine, while Albany County is at 70.9 percent, Rensselaer County is at 64.1 percent, Dutchess County is at 65.8 percent, and Ulster County is at 70.6 percent. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan Sept. 20 for the state's solar panels to produce at least 10 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030. Hochul claims those efforts will create an additional 6,000 jobs, and would exceed the state's goal of using renewalable energy sources for 70 percent of its energy needs by the start of the next decade. "New York State must be more aggressive in setting the bar higher in recognition of the reality of climate change and the closing window of time to stop the worst impacts nationally and globally," Hochul said. "With this expansion, we are demonstrating New York State's commitment to increasing the amount of renewable energy flowing to the electric grid as well as creating more jobs in the solar industry in support of our growing clean energy economy. Climate change is a public health issue - we need to fight with everything we've got in order to ensure generations to come will be able to thrive on a healthy, efficient planet." Republican Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt criticized the part of the plan that partners with Canada. "While today’s renewable energy projects announced by the governor are worthwhile, this was a tremendous missed opportunity to not only increase grid resiliency, but also to promote New York generated power, jobs, and tax revenue," he said. "The Champlain Hudson project, which will originate in Quebec, will send good-paying jobs out of the country rather than to our Upstate communities where they are desperately needed." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that the State Comptroller’s Office chided Berne officials in an audit released Sept. 17 that said there has been little oversight to any spending in the southern Albany County town. The Town Board doesn't oversee the town’s financial operations and didn’t follow state law, allowing the supervisor to pay the town’s bills without the board conducting an audit. The Berne Town Board didn’t “audit the 170 claims totaling $166,792 reviewed or audit any credit card charges totaling $8,308 before payment was made, or annually audit the records of all officials who received and disbursed funds, as required,” the comptroller's audit said. In January 2020 and again in January 2021 the town board voted to allow the supervisor or deputy supervisor to pay the bills without a board review. “However, the Board does not have authority pursuant to Town Law to authorize payment of all claims in advance of audit. Therefore, the Board exceeded its authority by passing these resolutions,” the state audit said. Berne Supervisor Sean Lyons tried to explain how this happened. “I cannot argue the board did not provide adequate oversight of financial operations based on the summary of your audit and the letter of the law, but I would assert that the financial operations of the Town received better than adequate oversight of the claims and financial records during by 3-plus years as Supervisor with seven different Board members for many reasons,” Lyons wrote the state on Aug. 23, 2021 in response to the audit. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.