Today's daily headlines.

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Joseph Spector reports in the Democrat and Chronicle that Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed his retirement papers and is expected to get about a $50,000-a-year pension for his 11 years as governor and four as attorney general. Cuomo's pension is not impacted by the attorney general's report about how he sexually harassed 11 women. Nor is it affected by the legislature failing to impeach the governor. It is only in jeopardy if he is found guilty of a felony, which is possible with several criminal investigations ongoing. Otherwise, Cuomo has not said what is next for him after he leaves office Aug. 24. "I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” Cuomo told New York Magazine last week. “I’m not disappearing. I have a voice, I have a perspective and that’s not gonna change. And the details aren’t really that important to me to tell you the truth. You know? I’m a New Yorker, I’ve lived here, I’ve lived in Queens, I’ve lived in the city, I’ve lived upstate, I’ve lived everywhere, I came to Washington, so that’s … I don’t really care about that. I’ll figure that out. And I think I did the right thing.” In that one interview since announcing his resignation Cuomo claimed that he would have prevailed had the legislature continued with its impeachment efforts. Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the Greene County Legislature is preparing to ask the state of New York for nearly $730,000 in reimbursements for certain Medicaid expenditures made over a four-year period. According to a resolution approved by the Legislature’s Finance and County Services committees, the Affordable Care Act requires the federal government to pay a portion of Medicaid costs back to individual counties. The state Department of Health estimates the reimbursement earned by each county, through benefits paid out on behalf of its Medicaid clients. The last time the DOH reported the reconciliation was in 2015, and the estimated amount of just under $730,000, is the county’s own calculation. “The bottom line is it’s owed to us,” Legislature Chair Patrick Linger said. In the resolution, the county calls on the state to pay out what is owned. Linger said the county has fronted the cost. “We’re a pretty small county, and over the last four years — add it all up,” Linger said. Mark LaVigne, deputy director of the New York state Association of Counties, said this issue is affecting counties statewide and several counties have passed similar resolutions. “It’s close to a billion dollars in funds that have not been transferred to the counties,” he said. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

MidHudson News is reporting that the Hudson Common Council Aug. 17, approved a resolution urging the state Legislature to pass the Clean Slate Act, to end the permanent punishment of more than two million state residents by creating an automatic process to seal conviction records. The resolution emphasizes that Clean Slate is essential for removing “systemic barriers to stable housing, employment and education,” reducing recidivism and “making our communities safer.” The bill has a diverse array of support statewide, including faith leaders, crime survivors, labor groups, business leaders such as JPMorgan Chase, and from the majority of New York voters. “Today, the city of Hudson made clear that it is time to give all New Yorkers a clean slate. The stigma of a conviction record has held back far too many people across our state, and it’s time we give everyone the opportunity to succeed and contribute to their communities. When the legislature returns next session, I urge them to immediately pass the Clean Slate Act,” said Common Council Majority Leader Tiffany Garriga. Individuals would become eligible three years after they have completed their sentence for a misdemeanor conviction or seven years after a felony conviction and must be off of probation or parole. Anyone with subsequent convictions or pending charges would not qualify, nor would those with sex offenses. “... Continuing to punish people indefinitely, is completely counterintuitive to the power we all possess to grow and change, and it’s time we give everyone a clean slate,” said Cedric Fulton, civil rights manager at the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media plans for bike paths, widened curbs, and pedestrian crosswalks in Hudson have now been presented to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission in the Hudson Connects phase of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. After an upcoming public workshop, construction documents will be developed this fall and winter with construction expected to start in the spring of 2022, Dave Lustberg of Arterial Street Design Studio made the presentation to the commission on behalf of Hudson Connects. In 2017, Hudson was selected by the state Capital Region Economic Development Council to receive one of 10 grants of $10 million. Part of that award is being used to create and implement the Hudson Connects project. The proposed design plan relates to the Bridge District, which stretches from Henry Hudson Riverfront Park to the area near 2nd Street. The improvements are budgeted to use $4 million of the $10 million awarded. A public workshop in relation to the project will be held August 24. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

CNN reports that United States health officials are rolling out COVID-19 vaccination booster shots beginning Sept. 20. "We are prepared to offer booster shots for all Americans beginning the week of September 20 and starting eight months after an individual's second dose," said health officials, including CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement Aug. 18. "At that time, the individuals who were fully vaccinated earliest in the vaccination rollout, including many health care providers, nursing home residents, and other seniors, will likely be eligible for a booster. We would also begin efforts to deliver booster shots directly to residents of long-term care facilities at that time, given the distribution of vaccines to this population early in the vaccine rollout and the continued increased risk that COVID-19 poses to them," the statement said. The country's top health officials made the announcement through a White House press briefing Aug. 18. Booster shots are needed to stop the more contagious, more dangerous variants of COVID-19 now circulating. At first, the booster shots are only for those who have had the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. "Administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine did not begin in the U.S. until March 2021, and we expect more data on J&J in the next few weeks," the statement said. Read more about this story at the CNN website.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced clemency for ten people currently in New York prisons, in one of his last acts as head of the state. "Today I'm proud to help fulfill government's unique responsibility to harness the power of redemption, encourage those who have made mistakes to engage in meaningful rehabilitation, and empower everyone to work toward a better future for themselves and their families," Cuomo said in a press release. The announcement rankled prisoner rights advocates, who said Cuomo was not doing enough, and previously complained he should have been releasing more prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic. "While we celebrate their return home, we know thousands of others also deserve their freedom," Jose Hamza Saldaña, director of the advocacy group Release Aging People in Prison, said in its press release. "Cuomo must continue to take action in his remaining days in office by granting far more clemencies to the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can be safely released today to rejoin their families and serve their communities." The New York Post, meanwhile, found several conservative commentators willing to attack Cuomo's clemencies from the other side. “It would have been nice of Governor Cuomo to grant clemency to over 15,000 seniors and the developmentally disabled who suffered and died of COVID for the simple crime of being elderly and vulnerable,” said Vivian Zayas, co-founder of VoicesForSeniors. Cuomo also pardoned five of the clemencies, so those now former prisoners will not be deported. Cuomo last week announced his resignation for Aug. 24, after 11 allegations of sexual harassment. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that the Greenville Library was struck by lightning on Friday the 13th. “Firefighters were right across the street at the firehouse when it happened,” Town Supervisor Paul Macko said. “People said it lit up the sky like nothing they have ever seen before.” There was a little damage, with some bricks blown off the top of the chimney and scattered across the parking lot, according to Macko. He also reported that one of the computer modems and routers inside were damaged. The town is discussing the incident with its insurance company. The Insurance Information Institute says there were 2,791 insurance claims filed in New York State for property damage caused by lightning last year. 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.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Upstate New York is projected to lose a congressional seat in the next round of redistricting as the state's population growth has been primarily driven by the New York metropolitan region, according to an analysis released on August 17, by the New York Public Interest Research Group, or NYPIRG [N-EYE-perg} The state is already expected to lose one of its 27 U.S. House seats after the lines are redrawn. The U.S. Census data released last week could lead to the loss of upstate Congressional representation as well as in the state Senate. The population shifts are not expected to impact how the state Assembly is configured. But if NYPIRG's analysis holds, upstate New York will once again lose influence in Washington and Albany. Upstate is defined as the region north of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. That area saw its population increase by 105,278 people over the last 10 years. In New York City, the population grew by 629,057 residents during the same time period. The population of the two counties on Long Island increased by 88,812. Redistricting occurs once every 10 years based on the most recent census data. In the last round of redistricting in 2012, New York lost two seats, one district from upstate and one from New York City. This time, the district currently represented by Republican Tom Reed, who is set to retire at the end of the current term following allegations of sexual harassment, is the most likely to go. That district stretches from the Southern Tier to western New York. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Mike Gwizdala reports in the Troy Record that Town of Nassau Supervisor David Fleming says that flooding in the Rensselaer County town July 14 has caused some PCBs from the Loeffel Superfund Site to be found in other locations. “At this time, the area most significantly impacted appears to be Little Thunder Brook. This is a tributary that flows from Loeffel Superfund Site into the Valatie Kill and is a part of the Hudson River Estuary. The brook contains high levels of PCBs,” Fleming said. The New York State Department of Conservation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency sampled soil and water in the area. “The initial tests by EPA involved ten sediment samples along the Valatie Kill. According to EPA, in nine of the ten properties, the results indicate that PCBs were either not detected or were present at low concentrations below the regulatory level established by New York State for soil on residential properties. At one property located in close proximity to the Loeffel site, the result indicates that PCBs were detected above the regulatory level established by New York State for soil on residential properties.” Fleming reported. “The environmental impacts of this recent flooding will not be understood for some time. Nassau will continue to pursue additional testing and will not relent in communicating the need for complete remediation of this toxic scar on the Capital Region,” Fleming noted. The EPA also reported testing in the village of Nassau and around Nassau Lake, where PCBs were either not detected or were present at low concentrations below the regulatory level established by New York state for residential soil. The EPA will not continue sampling in these areas. Surface water samples were also collected from Little Thunder Brook and the Valatie Kill and were "consistent with historical results," according to the story. Read more about this story in the Troy Record.

The Ravena News-Herald is reporting the Columbia-Greene Community College Athletics Department has announced the 2021 recruiting class for women’s soccer. “We are excited to get started with this group,” said Twins head coach Andrew Lashua. “With the addition of our returning players from 2020, we will have a fine group of student-athletes. They are all just great people. They’re motivated academically and athletically and are all community minded," he said. The 2021 women’s soccer recruiting class includes Madison Delavega from Catskill High School will major in business administration; Hailey Rowell from Catskill High School will major in individual studies; Taylor Madsen from Chatham High School will major in early education; Haley Pulver from Chatham High School will major in criminal justice; Kelsey Pasco from Germantown Central School will major in liberal arts; Kaitlyn Stagno from Germantown Central School will enter the nursing program; Laney Altomer from Ichabod Crane High School will major in education; Abigail Garrison from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School will major in computer science. Twins soccer returned to National Junior College Athletic Association competition in 2019. The 2019 program finished with a 4 and 10 record; the program was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic. Read the full story at ravenanews [dot] com.

Joshua Solomon is reporting for the Times Union in the week following the release of the state Attorney General Office's report confirming allegations of sexual harassment against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, campaign contributions to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul have started to increase. According to recently released campaign finance data, Hochul has pulled in $63,000 in short order. She formally filed to run for governor Sat., Aug. 14. Many of the donations have been $1,000 contributions. Donors include builders, developers, attorneys and health care executives. Some have ties to Buffalo, others to New York City and to the Hamptons on Long Island. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of New York contributed $5,000, a union with strong connections to Cuomo. The union's umbrella organization, AFL-CIO, had called for Cuomo's resignation. Friends of India Walton, the campaign account for the nominee for mayor in Buffalo, donated $250 to Hochul. David N. Weinraub, an Albany-based attorney and former senior staff for Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, donated $5,000 to Hochul, someone he has followed, known and contributed to for years. Stan Lundine, lieutenant governor to Mario Cuomo, donated $1,000 last week. Emily Giske, an attorney who helped to pass the Marriage Equality Act in 2011, gave $1,500. Giske works at Bolton-St. Johns, a public relations and government affairs firm, led by Giorgio DeRosa, the father of Cuomo advisor, Melissa DeRosa. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly in Ulster County, with 83 more cases reported Aug. 16. That brings total cases to 400. Ulster County peaked at 2,622 cases on Jan. 30. Right now, 3.3 percent of those tested have COVID-19 in Ulster County. Across the Hudson River in Dutchess County there were only nine new cases announced Aug. 16. Both counties need more people to be vaccinated. Ulster County is at 60.7 percent fully vaccinated, while Dutchess County is at 55.5 percent fully vaccinated. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Local political representatives responded this week to the collapse of the government in Afghanistan, most focused on Americans there, and those that helped Americans. The American-supported Afghanistan government fell apart this week, and the Taliban is now in charge. Chuck Schumer, New York's senior senator and Majority Leader released a statement saying, "I have been on the phone with the White House and other senior administration officials to ensure the United States is doing everything to get these people out quickly and safely." Rep. Antonio Delgado responded to the chaotic situation this week in Afghanistan with constituent service. "The most important thing right now is to protect all of our people and partners in Afghanistan and get them out. If you or someone you know is an American in Afghanistan trying to get out, fill out the form below. You can also call my office at 845-443-2930," he wrote on Twitter. For almost 20 years United States forces have fought a war in the country, to little or no effect. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy also took to Twitter on the issue. "What breaks my heart is for the sacrifice, that not just the men and women of this country, but the men and women of Afghanistan and Iraq have done to change the outcome of their countries," McCoy wrote.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that after the 2020 presidential election, the possibility of a local election official ignoring some regulation, or just throwing out legal ballots has never seemed more real. State Sen. Peter Harckham has new proposals to make sure that does not happen because some official is related to a candidate. “We have to do as much as possible to ensure that elections throughout New York State are conducted with absolute integrity and unfailing protections of voters’ rights,” said Harckham. “The legislation I have introduced will enhance the professionalism at boards of elections and work to eliminate possible conflicts of interest. It’s time for the ideals of good governance, like transparency and accountability, to guide this critical sector of public service.” One of his proposed bills would classify all employees and officers of boards of elections in New York as public employees, forcing them to comply with hiring under civil service rules to combat nepotism and partisanship at the boards. Harckham also wants local boards of election workers to follow to the code of ethics for public workers. “People should be hired on the basis of what they know rather than on who they know,” Harckham said. “By removing the political leverage that partisans try to create in the boards of election, our election process will run more smoothly and center on fairness and accuracy.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.