Steve Hughes reports in the Times Union that while virtually every other Democrat and Republican in the state has called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign or be impeached, Albany County's legislative leadership won't go that far. On Aug. 3, New York Attorney General Letitia ("La-teesh-shu") James released a report about Cuomo sexually harassing 11 women. Before that, Columbia County Assemblymember Didi Barrett was one of the only major local politicians who did not call for Cuomo's ouster. Barrett said she was waiting for the investigation, and when James released her report, she joined the chorus calling for Cuomo to resign. But not the Democrats who head the Albany County Legislature. “It is incumbent upon leaders to ensure it does not persist when it is identified and the necessary actions are taken when it does,” Chair Andrew Joyce and Majority Leader Dennis Feeney wrote in a statement that did not call for resignation nor impeachment. Frank Mauriello, the Legislature’s Republican minority leader, did not have a problem calling for Cuomo’s resignation. “Leaders of both parties — up to and including the President — are calling on Governor Cuomo to resign, this is not a partisan issue, but one of conscience,” Mauriello said in an email Aug. 5. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the proposed Flint Mine Solar project was approved by the state Board on Electric Generation and the Environment August 3. The solar project is slated for privately leased land or properties purchased by the developer on more than 1,600 acres located in Coxsackie and Athens. The solar panels will be connected to the electric grid, supplying energy to the power system. The state Board on Electric Generation and the Environment, known as the Siting [SIGHT-ing] Board, granted approval following a months-long review process. Siting Board Chair John Howard said in a statement, “The Flint Mine solar farm will benefit all New Yorkers by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, boosting clean-energy investment, creating clean-energy jobs and improving our environment." Coxsackie Town Supervisor Rick Hanse said the approval was expected and he agrees with the decision. The project is well thought out and will not have a major impact on the viewshed, one of the issues with other solar projects in the region, Hanse said. The project could create nearly 490 manufacturing, supply, and construction jobs that will pay $41.2 million in wages, according to the developer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Durham Town Board indicated in July it would likely schedule a public hearing on the proposed Bosque Development in Cornwallville for the end of August. However, at its meeting on August 3, the board opted instead to hold a special meeting on August 31 for environmental assessment review. Durham does not have a planning board; the town board serves in that capacity. Bosque Development of Hudson first submitted its proposal to the town board in November 2020, seeking permission to subdivide 95 acres that border Strong and Cornwallville roads. The project includes the construction of 12 new high-end homes and a farming operation. To date, public sentiment has been largely against the development. The board received on July 29, a letter from the president of Greenplan, Inc., a community planning firm retained by Corwallville Residents for Rural Preservation. That letter outlined problematic procedural issues with the project and promised to articulate substantive issues that warrant a "hard look" under SEQR after the procedural issues have been corrected. “The Bosque Subdivision represents a project with the potential for causing significant adverse impacts on the town, neighborhood and historic district, sets a precedent for other projects that will follow,” according to the seven-page letter. “A full environmental review of the project is warranted if the town is to fulfill its vision spelled out in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan." The town board’s August 31 meeting at town hall will begin at 6 p.m. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Kate Lisa is reporting for Johnson Newspaper Corp. if the federal $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill is adopted airports statewide will receive more than $937 million combined for structural, safety and other upgrades. The landmark proposal is making its way through Congress. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer was one of a bipartisan group of 10 senators last week to reach a deal and advance the measure to revitalize national railways, highways, roads, bridges, airports and water systems. Under the proposal, New York is slated to receive $11.5 billion for roads and bridges, $142 million to expand charging ports and infrastructure for electric vehicles and $1.9 billion to repair ailing bridges, according to a statement from Schumer’s office. Lawmakers reserved $25 billion for airport upgrades across the country. Albany International Airport will receive nearly $28,700,000, while Columbia County Airport is slated to get $1,480,000. A project to redesign the airport’s runway plus funding applications through the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade the facility's fueling system for smaller planes is in the works. The projects were included in the airport’s five-year capital improvement plan said Columbia County Public Works Facilities Director Brian McDonald. The additional federal funds could also be used to convert the airport’s taxiway lighting to LED fixtures. There is also the possibility of repaving the blacktop near the hangars, replacing the snow loader and blower and constructing a maintenance building to house snow removal and maintenance equipment. Also included in the proposed infrastructure bill is $12 billion to bolster local Amtrak and intercity train service and $9.55 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers for waterway projects nationwide. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's impeachment got closer to reality Aug. 5, as the New York Assembly's Judiciary Committee announced their impeachment investigation "is nearing completion" and the panel "will soon consider potential articles of impeachment" against the governor. "Accordingly, we invite you to provide any additional evidence or written submissions that you would like the committee to consider before its work concludes," attorneys for the committee, Davis Polk & Wardwell, wrote in a letter to Cuomo's lawyers. On Aug. 3 state Attorney General Letitia James released a report that concluded the governor sexually harassed 11 women. Now Cuomo has until 5 p.m. on Aug. 13. to provide any materials to the committee. The committee meets next at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Natasha Vaughn reports for Columbia-Greene Media that a substantial rise in COVID-19 cases in Columbia County has health officials recommending mask wearing indoors in public places. “The county is not instituting a mask mandate at this point,” Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chair Matt Murell said, emphasizing the health risks to the unmasked. “The way things stand, people need to make their own mask decisions. I would say, if you’re unsure, wear a mask. We are strongly recommending that masks be worn indoors in public places.” Columbia County Health Director Jack Mabb was more direct. “My feelings about masking is that people should wear the masks when they’re indoors and they’re going to be around people,” Mabb said. “Especially now that we know that breakthrough cases can happen for vaccinated people.” And it is important for people to wear a mask now because the new Delta variant of COVID-19 is much more contagious. “I’m hoping that this will level off and we will not continue to have this spike,” Mabb said. “Because if we do, going back into the fall when people go back indoors and kids go back to school, I think we’re in a lot of trouble if that’s the case.” Murell explained the lack of a mandate. “If you look at what happened in Greene County they were in the red last week and now they’re not in the red any more. If our incidents go down we could easily be down in the yellow, which is moderate. What I don’t want to do is yo-yo this — keep changing the rules because it’s just going to confuse and frustrate people even more,” he said. Only 63.3 percent of people in Columbia County are vaccinated, below the level to keep the virus at a minimum. The Department of Health holds open vaccine clinics every Tuesday. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports at Porcupine Soup that there was fake news on the internet locally this week. Posts on social media claimed a prisoner had escaped from either the maximum-security Coxsackie Correctional Facility or the neighboring medium-security Greene Correctional Facility. “That rumor is false,” the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision reported in a statement. “All incarcerated individuals in DOCCS custody are accounted for. There was an escape pursuit drill conducted earlier today at Coxsackie Correctional Facility.” There was a brief prison escape at the Albany County jail Aug. 3. The unidentified prisoner scaled a perimeter fence and a secondary security fence around 10 a.m. and ran toward the Shaker Ridge Country Club. But corrections officers witnessed the escape, and caught the escapee on the golf course across Albany Shaker Road. But there have not been any escapes at Greene and Coxsackie for more than 30 years. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily headlines.

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Morgan McKay and Nick Reisman are reporting for nystateofpolitics [dot] com that New York State Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs said on Aug. 4, he had spent the past day trying to get Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign. Just the day before, the state Attorney General's office released a report that found the sexual harassment allegations leveled against Cuomo were credible. Jacobs, a long-time Cuomo ally, said he expects the state Assembly will impeach the governor in the coming weeks and the state Senate will vote to remove him. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats. Jacobs said Cuomo's continued presence in office for the Democratic Party in New York "is not helpful. It doesn't take a political genius to figure that out. The sooner we resolve this, the better I think it will be." Powerful allies of the governor, including President Joe Biden, have also called on him to resign. Hazel Dukes, one of Cuomo’s strongest allies in the black community, said Wednesday the governor may eventually have to step down in order to look out for the best interests of the state. Jacobs, who also leads the Nassau County Democrats, was selected by Cuomo to lead the state party. "Unfortunately the facts are fairly overwhelming and they're not good," Jacobs said. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

The Associated Press reports that a majority of New York's Assembly members now support impeachment proceedings against Gov. Andrew Cuomo if he doesn’t resign over investigative findings that he sexually harassed at least 11 women. So LoHud.com rounds up all the details about how impeachment works in the state. First, 76 of the 150 members of the state Assembly must vote for impeachment, according to the New York State Constitution. The Associated Press reports that 82 members would now vote for impeachment. That would make Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul governor in an acting capacity until the impeachment process ends. An impeachment court would then be formed from members of the Senate and the seven members of the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. All seven of those Court of Appeals members were appointed by Cuomo. Hochul and temporary Senate president Andrea Stewart-Cousins would not be involved, as they are in the line of succession. Cuomo would get at least 20 days notice before he appears before the court. Then it takes a majority vote from this Senate court in favor of the impeachment for the trial to proceed. After the trial, two-thirds of this Senate impeachment court, or 46 of the 69 members, would have to vote to remove Cuomo, and the court would also vote on whether he could run for office again. Then, if removed, Hochul would remain as governor until Cuomo's term ends in 2022. Read more about this story at LoHud.com.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a new task force will examine recommendations contained in a report on the criminal justice and mental health system in Columbia County. The Columbia County Sequential Intercept Mapping Report was released in May and its findings identified gaps in the county’s mental health and substance use disorder services and made recommendations on how to improve them. The report also made recommendations for how to prevent people from cycling in and out of incarceration, homelessness and hospitalization. The report was generated by county and city of Hudson officials in conjunction with the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice as part of Mayor Kamal Johnson’s plan for criminal justice reform. The city's corporate counsel, Cheryl Roberts, is the executive director of the Greenburger Center. The task force is made up of public officials and people who work with mental health, substance abuse and criminal justice programs. Half of the task force members were appointed by county Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell, and half by Johnson's office. The group will meet over the next six months to create an action plan based on the recommendations contained in the report. A primary recommendation is the creation of a wellness hub that has a detox center and other services at the same location. Another recommendation is to eliminate local motels for emergency housing, replacing them with supportive housing, including a 30 to 40-bed homeless shelter. Roberts will facilitate the task force, for which the Greenburger Center will compensate her. Note: Johnson is a volunteer WGXC on-air programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The state Department of of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced August 4, that hunting and trapping licenses and Deer Management Permits for the 2021-2022 seasons are now on sale. The DEC also announced expanded hunting seasons this year and added an opportunity for youth to hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow in upstate counties that have opted in to participate. Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, Rensselaer and Ulster counties all passed local laws to allow 12- and 13-year-olds to participate in the hunt. Seggos said in a press release, “As always, DEC encourages hunters to plan ahead, get outdoors responsibly, and follow the principles of hunter safety." Licenses and permits can be purchased online, at any one of DEC's license-issuing agents, or by telephone at 866-933-2257. New hunting and trapping licenses are valid from Sept. 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2022; annual fishing licenses are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. Information is available at dec [dot] ny [dot] gov.

Today's daily news update.

Sarah Taddeo reports in the Democrat and Chronicle that a Marist College poll conducted after the New York Attorney General’s Office released a report about how Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women found that 59 percent of New Yorkers want the governor to resign. “Governor Cuomo’s actions violated multiple state and federal laws,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a briefing Aug. 3. If Cuomo doesn’t resign, 59 percent of those polled say he should be impeached.. Just 32 percent of New Yorkers think he should serve the remainder of his term, through 2022. Cuomo denied most of the allegations in a statement Aug. 3, but said he had kissed and hugged many people throughout his political career and referred to women as “honey,” “darling” or “sweetheart” on occasion. A report he released in his own defense was filled mostly with photos of other politicians kissing and touching other people. Many state lawmakers indicated on Aug. 3 that they would move ahead with impeachment in light of the attorney general's report. Cuomo, meanwhile, is trying to act as if this is business as usual. "We have a lot to do," Cuomo said Aug. 3 without taking any questions from reporters. "We still have to manage the COVID beast. It is not dead yet. It's not over. We then have to reopen and re-imagine our state. Because our future is going to be what we make it." Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that housing prices in Columbia and Greene counties rose more than 40 percent in 12 months, according to a new report from Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a nonprofit policy organization. "In Greene County, we've had migration not just from the tri-state area, but from the West Coast," Rip Van Winkle Realty owner Ted Banta said. "I've had buyers from Oregon, California and Washington." Locals can't afford the rent increases, or new places to live. “Rentals are very few and far between, so what that’s doing is, again, driving that demand up,” Columbia Greene Board of Realtors President Angela Lanuto said. “What would normally be a $800 one-bedroom is now a $1,000 one-bedroom, because there’s a lack of inventory, and people are still looking for rental properties.” The report says that, “What we have now is a robust but more normalized seller’s market driven mostly by fundamentals like good economic conditions, low interest rates, and limited supply, all of which continue to drive prices up.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic reports in Columbia-Greene Media that while local politicians have done virtually nothing to help the Hudson Valley housing crisis, the private sector is doing a tiny bit, with a new hotel being built in Coxsackie. Local officials have long lamented the lack of hotel rooms in the area. In a capitalistic society, when there is a demand for hotel rooms, more people turn their homes or apartments into rental units. That makes the lack of affordable housing in the area worse. Construction began July 30 on the Newbury Hotel in Coxsackie on South River Street. “James Newbury built this property in 1906. He was a machinist,” local developer Aaron Flach said, explaining the name. While construction has begun, rooms won't be rented until next June. The plan, after the hotel goes up, is to add an event center and wedding venue, spa, restaurant, and other facilities. Taxpayers are helping with the costs. “We have a $2 million grant through Empire State Development and we also have a PILOT program through the Greene IDA for 15 years,” Flach said. The developers claim 38 permanent full-time jobs will be added when the project is complete, and they also claim it will turn around Coxsackie, and they might even directly help the Hudson Valley housing crisis. “The future plan... is to restore the storefronts as commercial businesses, but we are not sure yet about the second and third floors,” he said. “We are exploring other grant options to see if we can do additional commercial space, but if that doesn’t pan out we may do apartments or a combination of apartments and hotel spaces.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily headlines.

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