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.

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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.

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Lauren Stanforth is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul's office September 19, announced a multi-agency plan to get needed drivers into school buses statewide. The effort includes reaching out to already licensed commercial drivers to determine if there may be interest in driving for school districts and independent bus companies, as well as using Department of Labor information to recruit drivers who are currently unemployed. The state Department of Motor Vehicles is also expediting the process for CDL completion by removing the 14-day waiting period between the permit test and the road tests. The department will also work with county DMVs to increase capacity to administer written exams and road tests. It can normally take up to 12 weeks for a new candidate to be licensed to drive a bus. Hochul's office also said New York will open up new commercial driver testing sites by partnering with SUNY, the Thruway Authority, New York Racing Association and the Office of General Services to use large lots for the road test. For school staff who currently hold a commercial license, the state will set up expedited testing to get a permit to drive vans and buses temporarily. The shortage of bus drivers, which is part of overall employment shortages during the coronavirus pandemic, has greatly impacted some school districts. Hochul also encouraged schools "to pursue creative and innovative ways to offer a wide array of benefits for school bus drivers that were previously not considered," including signing and retention bonuses and expansion of benefits to the drivers. The governor's office said schools can use federal funds to provide those additional benefits, but stopped short of providing any details. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the New York State Police and the state Office of Children and Family Services are conducting separate investigations into a large fight on September 15, at the Brookwood Secure Center for Youth that left three staff members injured. Roughly a dozen residents at the center in Claverack were involved, said John R. Craig, OCFS communications officer. The incident allegedly began when several young people rushed a unit door as it was being unlocked. At approximately 1:35 p.m., dozens of officers from multiple police agencies responded to the center at 419 Spook Rock Road. According to Aaron Hicks, public information officer for state police Troop K, law enforcement gained control and the facility was then secured. Three staff members were taken to Columbia Memorial Health for treatment and then released, Hicks said. The nature of the injuries suffered by staff were not disclosed. Craig said staff sick leave, COVID-19 protocols, administrative leave and other factors have temporarily reduced the number of full-time available staff at Brookwood. OCFS has addressed this by employing voluntary or mandatory overtime and the employment of per diem staff to augment the regular workforce, he said. Brookwood Secure Center is staffed for the 74 youths now living in eight units at the facility, Craig said. Brookwood can accommodate 155 youth. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin September 18, confirmed he was diagnosed with leukemia in November. Zeldin said he is now in remission, and that the diagnosis would not affect his campaign for governor. "Through early detection, last November, I was diagnosed with early stage chronic myeloid leukemia. I then began treatment with an immediately positive response and no side effects," he said in a statement released by his campaign. "Over the last nine months, I have achieved complete remission, am expected to live a normal life, ..." Zeldin said he would continue to campaign for the GOP nomination, hitting various stops across the state in the coming days. In a statement, Zeldin's hematologist, Jeffrey Vacirca, said, "Congressman Zeldin is incredibly healthy, is expected to enjoy a normal life and has no evidence of disease." An attorney and committed conservative from Long Island, Zeldin is one of five GOP candidates running for governor in 2022. State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy this summer declared Zeldin the party’s frontrunner. He is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump. In 2019, during Trump's first impeachment trial, Zeldin spoke more than any other Republican in defense of the former president, according to an NBC News analysis of the impeachment transcripts. And hours after a violent, armed mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the U.S. government on January 6, Zeldin voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that the remnants of two hurricanes that blew through the Hudson Valley recently may be the cause of some of the dead deer lying next to local ponds and lakes. Deer with epizootic hemorrhagic disease have been found dead recently in Greene, Columbia, Ulster, and Dutchess counties, and on Long Island, and there are suspected cases in Albany, Rensselaer, Orange, Sullivan, Rockland, Putnam, and Westchester counties. Bites from midges cause fever and hemorrhaging in deer, which can appear lame or dehydrated and often seek out water sources before dying within 36 hours of infection. DEC Game Management Section Head Mike Schiavone says the hurricanes pushed many biting midges into the Northeast. "That may be what happened again this year," he said. "At this point we're not sure.” The local deer, it seems, have not reached herd immunity. "Deer in the South have developed resistance to the virus, so they don't get too sick ... [in New York] there's no real resistance, so we see larger mortality events," he said. “This may change over time if we see annual outbreaks in New York." In September and October 2020, 1,500 deer were killed by the virus in the lower Hudson Valley. The first frost should kill off most of the midges before the Nov. 20 first day of hunting season. Read more about this story in the Times Union.