Today's daily news update.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Columbia County now has ten people in the hospital with COVID-19, the highest number since March. “It’s very worrisome,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. “The difference is before when we had our hospitalizations they were mostly elderly people with a lot of comorbidities, [but] one of the people that is on a vent right now is under 40. It’s worrisome for us seeing them rise like this.” Two of those hospitalized are on ventilators, and both are unvaccinated. “You see what’s going on in other states, I think that New York will be different, Columbia County will be different,” Mabb said. “We have a very high percentage of people who are vaccinated. I think our numbers are probably going to stay up and we’re going to stay in the red, and these hospitalizations will continue to happen, but we won’t go the way like other states have gone.” The new, highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus, is the reason for so many more new cases. “Some of the preliminary science on the delta variant suggests that all it may take is passing by an infected individual to become infected, due to the viral load present in nasal passages,” county Department of Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Chuck Kaiser said in a statement. “It’s no longer a matter of 10 minutes of exposure within six feet.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports for the Times Union that the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court ruled Aug. 26 that the Rensselaer County Board of Elections has until Sept. 3 to pick new early voting locations. The midlevel appeals court ruled that the locations must be more accessible for voters, and consider the availability of mass transit. Early voting for this year's November election will be held Oct. 23-31. In June, primary elections went ahead with the old locations for early voting, after an appeals court rejected the attorney general's request for an injunction for the board of elections to pick new polling places ahead of the vote. Instead, the appeal was scheduled after the election, but this ruling comes with plenty of time before the next round of voting. Republican officials in charge of the voting locations have kept the early voting sites away for dense population centers in the county that typically vote for more Democrats. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Hayley Foran reports for New York State of Politics that new governor Kathy Hochul formally introduced her new Lt. Gov., current State Sen. Brian Benjamin, in New York City on Aug. 26. "I am proud to introduce my partner, and the word partner means something to me. Someone that will be out there championing our policies in every corner of New York with a real focus on New York City," said Hochul, touting the work she and Benjamin have gone through together, "I'm not going to keep you in suspense one second longer. I am here to introduce, my partner, Brian Benjamin." The new Lt. Gov. is Black and represented Harlem, and balances the ticket with Hochul, who is White and from the Buffalo area. Benjamin will be sworn in after Labor Day, and he touted his new partner at the announcement. "She's the kind of woman who cares about the entire state, and getting through this pandemic is something we can do with my friend, my sister and my governor, Kathy Hochul," said Benjamin. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily headlines.

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Joshua Solomon is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul has selected state Sen. Brian A. Benjamin, a Democrat from Harlem, as her lieutenant governor. She will make the formal announcement on Thu., Aug. 26. The event is scheduled to take place at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. state office building, one block east of the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. The selection affirms Hochul's pledge to diversify her administration and to balance her administration's upstate, Buffalo-area roots with Benjamin's deep ties to the New York City area. Benjamin, a black man, is a self-described progressive and has linked himself to the defund the police movement. Unlike a presidential election, in New York, the governor and lieutenant governor do not run on a joint ticket, but often campaign together. Benjamin first took office in 2017, and won a full term in 2018. In 2020, he began to campaign for city comptroller, which he ultimately decided against. Benjamin was born in Harlem to a Caribbean mother, went to Brown University, and received a master's degree in business from Harvard University. He worked in investment banking for Morgan Stanley and helped to build affordable housing in Harlem. He was a 2012 delegate for President Barack Obama and a member of Obama’s National Finance Committee. Benjamin is the chairman of the Senate's Budget and Revenue Committee. He pushed forward bills on prison reforms this past year. New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy called Benjamin a "radical leftist" based on his position on police reform. Read the full story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News is reporting unemployment in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region plummeted by more than 50 percent in July when compared to July 2020, according to data released August 24, by the state Labor Department. Regionwide the jobless rate in July was at 5.3 percent, up from 5.0 percent in June, but down from 12.5 percent in July 2020. Columbia County had the lowest rate of unemployment in the region during the month of July at 4.2 percent. Putnam County followed, placing second at 4.8 percent. Dutchess and Rockland counties each reported a 5.1 percent joblessness rate, followed by Sullivan and Ulster counties at 5.2 percent; Orange County at 5.3 percent; and Westchester with a 5.4 percent joblessness rate. Greene County recorded the highest unemployment rate in the valley at 5.6 percent. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the state Department of Motor Vehicles has changed how it tells wannabe drivers if they passed or failed their road tests. Before the change, the examiner would tell the test-taker immediately if they passed or not. Now they must wait until the end of the day. “I had heard from a couple of people that this had happened from their kids that they had to wait,” Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner said. “They didn’t find out right away.” The policy change followed accounts of examiners being attacked after scoring the road test. Tanner said none of the attacks occurred locally. “I don’t know if they were verbal or physical attacks,” Tanner said. “Regardless, there were some situations where they felt [that] for the safety of the examiners they would stop telling people at the location immediately if you passed or failed." So now the results are delayed and made available online at the state DMV road test results website after 6 p.m. The original policy was in place for more than 20 years, Tanner said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Marina Villeneuve reports for the Associated Press in the Times Union that New York changed governors on Aug. 24, and also added 12,000 more COVID-19 deaths. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is now releasing death information based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We’re now releasing more data than had been released before publicly, so people know the nursing home deaths and the hospital deaths are consistent with what’s being displayed by the CDC,” Hochul said Aug. 25. “There’s a lot of things that weren’t happening and I’m going to make them happen. Transparency will be the hallmark of my administration.” Former Governor Andrew Cuomo Cuomo only included laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported through a state system that collects data from hospitals, nursing homes, and adult care facilities in his death totals. That count excluded people who died at home, hospice, in state prisons, or at state-run homes for people living with disabilities. Cuomo also kept his death numbers lower by not counting those who likely died of COVID-19 but never got a positive test. “There are presumed and confirmed deaths. People should know both," Hochul said Aug. 25. "Also, as of yesterday, we’re using CDC numbers, which will be consistent. And so there’s no opportunity for us to mask those numbers, nor do I want to mask those numbers. The public deserves a clear, honest picture of what’s happening. And that’s whether it’s good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that’s how we restore confidence.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

The Daily Freeman reports that Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. is proposing rate increases for electricity and natural gas customers. New York's Public Service Commission must approve the rate changes. Central Hudson is proposing residential electric bills drop by 0.25 percent the first year, but then rise by 1.3 percent the second year, and 1.4 percent the third year. Residential natural gas bills would rise by 1.2 percent the first year, 1.6 percent the second year, and 1.1 percent the third year. Company President and CEO Charles A. Freni said the new rates will, among other things, help pay for the modernization of Central Hudson’s electric, natural gas, and information technology systems and reduce cybersecurity risks. The Public Service Commission will consider the proposal in the fall. a href="https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2021/08/25/central-hudson-proposes-rate-increases-for-electricity-natural-gas/">Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Larry DiDonato reports in Porcupine Soup that hunting season begins Sept. 1, with squirrel and early goose seasons. There are several changes to hunting rules this year: the addition of Veteran Waterfowl Hunting Days, the Holiday Deer Hunt, allowing 12 - and 13-year-old hunters to hunt deer with a gun or crossbow, and changes to trapping season dates for beaver, mink, and muskrat. Albany County took awhile, but now The all area counties have ‘opted-in’ to the state junior hunting law. There are seven extra days for the late bow and muzzleloader season from December 26 through January 1 that's being called Tthe Holiday Deer Hunt. Other changes are still "pending" including pending regulation changes that would allow deer and bear hunters to start thirty minutes before sunrise and thirty minutes after sunset, and another requiring a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent/hunter orange or fluorescent pink on hunters. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Rachel Silberstein is reporting for the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced August 24, that as one of her first acts as chief executive, she is directing the Department of Health to put into effect universal masking for anyone entering schools statewide. The move was applauded by organizations that represent administrators and teachers. Hochul said she is working to establish a vaccination policy for teachers and school staff across the state, and suggested schools require the vaccines but allow personnel to opt out by getting tested for the virus weekly. Hochul said she will announce a series of policies later in the week "that are concise and consistent, giving schools what they have been asking for." Lack of direction from the state Department of Health on masking has led to tense showdowns at school board meetings throughout New York. The state Education Department put out recommendations that did little to appease a growing contingent of parents who feel strongly that masks are bad for children, while other parents believe COVID-19 is bad for children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended universal masking in light of the circulating COVID-19 delta variant, which has been blamed for a nationwide increase in coronavirus cases. “We welcome Governor Hochul’s decision to go forward with a statewide mask requirement for schools," New York State Council of School Superintendents Executive Director Charles Dedrick said in the statement. "Throughout the pandemic, we have asked state officials to give us flexibility on educational matters, but to give us clear state rules on issues of protecting the health of our students and our employees." New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta also expressed support for Hochul’s announcements. The union supports the governor’s move to require regular COVID-19 testing for not yet vaccinated teachers and staff, as well. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic and Bill Williams are reporting for Columbia-Greene Media seven people were rescued Aug. 23, after two vehicles became trapped in rising floodwaters in two separate incidents in Greene County, Kiskatom Fire Chief Pete Kusminsky said. Heavy rainfall soaked the county from Sunday to Monday with the remnants of Tropical Storm Henri. The first incident occurred at about 3:13 p.m. on Paul Saxe Road, just north of Mountain Turnpike. An adult and three children, ages 12, 10 and 2, became stranded in about three feet of water, Kusminsky said. Firefighters were able to drive a truck through the flooded road, get the victims out of the car and then drive them to safety. No one was hurt. Three people were rescued by firefighters in a second incident, which occurred at about 11:20 p.m. Two adults and a two-year-old child were trapped by floodwaters that covered Mountain Turnpike, just east of Paul Saxe Road. Kiskatom firefighters were able to walk through the water to the vehicle and bring the occupants to safety. No one was hurt, Kusminsky said. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office helped with both rescues. And a state trooper was uninjured when his marked patrol car crashed as he was responding to a call in the area of the flooding in Kiskatom, Monday afternoon. The trooper was driving south on Route 32, just south of Game Farm Road, when he hit a flooded area and went off Route 32, striking a tree. Greene County experienced several inches of rain from Sunday through Monday, with some of the heaviest rainfall in western portions of the county — Tannersville received nearly seven and a half inches of rain between Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Albany. County Legislature Chair Patrick Linger said, “After everything was said and done, I would say from Haines Falls to Palenville and out to South Cairo were probably the hardest-hit areas by the end of the storm.” Rainfall spilled out over Route 23A in Kaaterskill. The bridge at Pennsylvania Avenue in Palenville was underwater and is expected to be closed for some time for repairs, Linger said. Bogart Road in Catskill was also closed. Route 17 in Jewett, damaged by a winter storm in 2020, sustained additional damage. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a sticker promoting the white supremacist group Patriot Front has been found in Hudson, on the corner of N. 4th and State streets, near the Columbia County Office Building at 401 State. Amongst white nationalist groups, Patriot Front is one of the most active disseminating flyers and stickers in the U.S. in 2019 and 2020, with more than 3,500 incidents, according to the Southern Poverty LawCenter. In 2020, Patriot Front dropped a banner reading, “The United States is no longer of America. Now we are on our own,” over a Black Lives Matter billboard in Houston, Texas. The Hudson sticker was found by Rick Werwaiss, who was on his way to a meeting. He reported his discovery to Hate Watch Report, an online portal with news about hate or extremist groups and their activities. Werwaiss said the sticker looked new. “I took the picture of it. I took a picture of the intersection and then I peeled it off, quite honestly,” he said. This is the second Patriot Front sticker found in the city, Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore said. Another sticker was found in early August near the Hudson Dog Park. No one has been arrested or charged. The county office building has security, Moore said, but he did not disclose any details. “I don’t feel like this is a real thing,” Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said. “I think this is something somebody is doing for attention.” Similar stickers were found recently in Germantown, Chatham, and Philmont. Patriot Front maintains an active presence online and uses social media to promote racism, anti-Semitism. and intolerance. Note: Johnson is an active WGXC volunteer on-air programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that Geocycle, a subsidiary of LaFargeHolcim which operates a cement plant in Ravena, has a $3.5 million contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study using construction waste as a fuel in cement kilns. Local environmentalists are worried that could lead to burning waste in LaFargeHolcim's southern Albany County plant. “We’re all worried about it,” said Christine Primomo, a member of the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena-Coeymans. LaFargeHolcim officials have made previous efforts to burn garbage in the facility on Route 9W across the street from the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School, but they have been stopped so far. In May, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said they could not burn tires in LaFargeHolcim’s kiln. The Army Corps study, though, is not taking place in Ravena, but in South Carolina and France. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.