Porcupine Soup reports that Columbia-Greene Community College debut its new Use-of-Force Simulator Room June 29. It projects images on three screens to simulate situations where police officers make decisions about shooting or using de-escalation skills. Law enforcement professionals and criminal justice students will use the room. “All county and municipal law enforcement agencies have been tasked with critically examining their use-of-force policies, procedures, and training,” C-GCC Professor of Criminal Justice Bill DeLuca said. “The Use-of-Force Simulator Room will allow agencies to address concerns raised in this regard.” The Use-of-Force Simulator Room was constructed as part of a three-phase, $20 million capital expansion project at Columbia-Greene Community College. Read more about this story at the Porcupine Soup website.

Today's daily headlines.

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Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Department of Health has reported three new positive COVID-19 cases, the first cases of the coronavirus the county has diagnosed in four days. Two of the three positives were unvaccinated young people — in a third-grader and an 18-year-old. The third person was a 60-year-old. “It’s interesting that a third-grader, an 18-year-old and a 60-year-old and the only one vaccinated, obviously the third-grader can’t be, but the only one vaccinated was the 60-year old,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. All three were community members, not residents of any care or assisted living facilities or group homes, Mabb said. The 60-year-old had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Another unvaccinated 18-year-old tested positive the week before, Mabb said. “We did a study, if you will, of the month of April, and the average age of our positives was 37,” he said. Vaccinations play an important role in determining whether a person can still get the virus, Mabb said. A large number of young people are not getting the shots, he said. “The last numbers I saw among the 18-to-35-year-olds were like 33 percent vaccinated,” Mabb said. Children younger than 12 are not eligible for any of the approved COVID-19 vaccines. The Department of Health reported June 29, that 26 county residents are in mandatory quarantine and no county residents are currently hospitalized. A rising concern throughout the nation is the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. Columbia County has not been notified of any Delta cases, Mabb said. A vaccinated Ulster County resident tested positive for the Delta variant, officials reported on June 28. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Board of Elections has announced the votes cast in the Democratic primaries last month have been tallied, but the results are not yet official. “We wouldn’t expect anything to change but we have to go through to make sure,” Democratic Commissioner Kenneth Dow said July 1. “It’s unofficial until we go through all of the verification steps that are required.” The board was scheduled to audit randomly selected machines July 1, re-canvass the results to make sure all the calculations are accurate on July 6, and hand count close results by July 8. The official results should be ready that night. The Hudson 5th Ward Common Council race will be hand-counted since it was so close. Incumbent Dominic Merante currently leads challenger Rebecca Borrer; a second challenger, Vicky Daskaloudi, has the lead with 75 votes. If nothing changes with the hand count, Merante and Daskaloudi will be on the Democratic line in the general election and Borrer will be on the Working Families Party line. Mark Bodnar received 31 votes and his name will not appear on the ballot in the general election. In the 2nd Ward council race, the Democrats will be represented by incumbent Dewan Sarowar and challenger Mohammed Rony in November. In the city Treasurer primary, Incumbent Heather Campbell has the lead over challenger Michael Hofmann, by 181 votes. Hofmann will be on the Working Families Party line in the general election. In the race for 2nd Ward Supervisor, incumbent Abdus Miah [ME-yah] has the lead over challenger Tiffany Garriga [GAER-ee-guh] by 83 votes. Garriga will challenge Miah on the Working Families Party line in November. In Hillsdale, Joanna Virello and incumbent Thomas Carty Jr. unofficially won the two town board seats on the Democratic line, besting ncumbent Gillian Sims-Elster. Sims-Elster is considering a write-in campaign for the general election. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Rick Karlin reports for the Times Union that new census data is changing the neighborhood abutting the S.A. Dunn construction and demolition debris landfill to an Environmental Justice zone, which could complicate the controversial facility’s efforts to renew its state operating permit next year. Plus, operators of the construction and demolition debris landfill will have to conduct a public meeting on any future major permit modification applications. The landfill is next to Rensselaer schools, and has gotten many complaints about dust, odors, and traffic. Two weeks ago the city of Rensselaer Common Council approved a resolution asking the DEC and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to close the landfill. Robert Welton, one of the activists who wants the landfill closed, was happy about the designation. “I understand it means special outreach efforts will be required of the applicant to make sure everyone is fully informed of their rights and how they can provide input relating to the application,” he said.

The Cortland Voice is reporting the New York State Police has announced the increase of patrols to prevent drunk and drugged driving and other traffic infractions over the 4th of July weekend,. Troopers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and target reckless and aggressive driving statewide. The campaign will begin July 2 and continue through July 5. During the same period last year, the state police issued nearly 9,214 vehicle and traffic tickets, arrested 180 people for DWI and investigated 456 crashes and one fatality. Drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints and DWI patrols. Law enforcement will also be looking for motorists who are using their phones and other electronic devices while driving. Drivers should also remember to move over for stopped emergency and hazard vehicles stopped on the side of the road. Troopers will be using both marked and unmarked state police vehicles. Read more at cortlandvoice [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

David Robinson reports in the Poughkeepsie Journal that a vaccinated Ulster County resident tested positive for the more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus, officials reported on June 28. The person has since recovered, according to Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan. "This incident is a critical reminder that while we have made great strides in fighting this virus, we are not out of the woods yet," Ryan said in a statement, noting "the fact that they were vaccinated likely spared them from the worst impacts of the variant." There have been rising numbers of Delta variant cases in New York in recent weeks, though it is still less prevalent than other strains, with 172 total Delta variant cases in New York to date. That number is lower than the actual number, as testing for the variant is not universal. Vaccines have proven effective against the new strain of COVID-19. "I encourage everyone to continue to get vaccinated and we must continue to take all precautions necessary, even if you are vaccinated, to stop any further spread of COVID-19,” Ryan said. Read more about this story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that a corrections officer and an inmate were injured in a scuffle at the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie June 25. The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said that inmate hit one officer, and tried to hit another when the two officers were counseling the inmate about his work. The inmate was treated for a small cut. One of the corrections officers drove himself to an outside medical facility for treatment, with pain in his left eye, left shoulder, left knee, and shin. The other officer was examined by on-site medical personnel, but remained on duty. NYSCOPBA Mid-Hudson Region Vice President Chris Moreau used the incident to take a shot at unnamed politicians, without proposing any solutions. "The politicians elected to represent us across this state must understand the gravity of danger that exists daily for our members and address the violence that exists in our prisons before someone gets critically injured or killed," Moreau said. "Literally every day we report on officers who get punched, kicked, or even stabbed in inmate attacks. The troubling aspect is, these incidents garner little or no action by our elected officials of DOCCS administration and our membership deserves far more." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Shrishti Mathew reports in the Times Union that the Crandell Theatre in Chatham opens this weekend after 15 months closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have a very loyal and committed community, with the Crandell being a small-town theater on Main Street,” said Annie Brody, the theatre's executive director. “And its importance to the community is not only in terms of its cultural offerings, but in terms of its presence at night, with people coming and going, and also serving the local economy.” The theatre will have eight screenings of four curated commercial and independent films on Thursday through Sunday. This weekend the theatre is showing both the new independent film "The Truffle Hunters" and the older, blockbuster "Jaws." The entire staff has been vaccinated, and the theatre is not yet selling concessions, due to the ongoing pandemic. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily headlines.

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

Two prominent New York Republicans voted June 30 against taking down a number of statues in the U.S. Capitol that honor Confederate traitors who attempted to overthrow the government. Both Elise Stefanik, from northern New York, and Lee Zeldin, the Long Island Republican who has become the presumptive nominee for governor, voted against "Directing the Joint Committee on the Library to replace certain statues in the United States Capitol." Zeldin was also among the Republican members of Congress to vote against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Hudson Valley Democrats Paul Tonko and Antonio Delgado, voted to take the Confederate statues out of the U.S. Capitol. The measure passed 285-for-to-120-against.

Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the town of Copake has joined with 13 other municipalities, community groups and conservation organizations in a lawsuit filed against the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting. The case was filed June 29, in the state Supreme Court of Albany County against the office over the 94-C siting process for industrial solar and wind facilities. The lawsuit argues the process violates the state environmental review, which requires all state and local government agencies to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making. “The existential threat of climate change is real. However, New York state cannot fail rural communities, ignore home rule and erase natural resources and precious farmland with the current rubber-stamp renewable energy siting process,” Copake Town Supervisor Jeanne Mettler said. Copake’s concerns about the 94-C siting process stem from the proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar Farm, a 60- megawatt, 255-acre facility proposed by Chicago-based Hecate [HEK-uh-tee] Energy for the town of Copake and hamlet of Craryville. The project is controversial in part because of the project’s scale. In 2017, Copake passed a zoning law that limited the size of solar energy projects to 10 acres. The lawsuit seeks to overturn regulations setting standard uniform conditions applicable to all renewable energy projects in the state. The plaintiffs allege the siting office failed to acknowledge its regulations for siting power plants could result in “even one significant adverse environmental impact and as a result failed to prepare an environmental impact statement.” Mettler said, “In Copake, you cannot put a shovel in the ground without the planning board demanding SEQRA review. To think that this massive industrial installation could be allowed without strict environmental review is shocking,” “The office is aware of the litigation and will not comment on it at this time,” said siting office Assistant Public Information Officer Nathan Stone. Alex Campbell, the project developer for Hecate Energy, said, “Hecate does not have a comment at this point, since it’s a breaking development, but we will continue to monitor the lawsuit.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on June 29, signed a bill into law that allows state park rangers and forest rangers to option of carrying epinephrine injectors to counteract allergic reactions. The legislation comes as more people are expected to head to parks and preserves this summer in New York as pandemic restrictions are eased. With increased foot traffic comes the potential for people to suffer from allergic reactions, often in areas where immediate medical help is not available nearby. The new law will allow nearly 700 park rangers, park police and forest rangers who patrol more than 18 million acres of state land to carry the injectors, commonly referred to as EpiPens. There was bipartisan support for the measure in the state Legislature. Previously, EMTs, overnight and summer day camp workers, public and private school staff and workers at sports and entertainment venues could carry the injectors. Law enforcement and firefighters were added to the law in 2019. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Catskill Central School District has announced it is extending its meal pickup program for students through July. Bill Muirhead, the district's food services and transportation director, said he began the meal pickup program for Catskill students in March 2020 when the schools shut down and students lost access to regular meals. In the beginning, the project served more than 200 kids two times a week with enough meals to last five days. Muirhead said based on the response to the program, he was able to extend it through July. Students who provide their name or lunch PIN number receive one hot meal, one sandwich and two breakfasts on Mondays. On Wednesdays they receive one hot meal, two sandwiches and three breakfasts. Each hot meal and sandwich comes with milk, a fruit and a vegetable and in all provides five days worth of meals. The program has 10 pick-up sites in the area at different times and locations. The transportation and delivery of the meals is paid for by the school, and funds for the for the program are provided by the Child Nutrition Management System within the New York state Education Department. The program could be extended again, through August if demand remains high enough, Muirhead said. He calls the reaction from the kids, “priceless.” “They’re loving it — the kids, they come up to the van and they’re happy,” Muirhead said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Andrea Macko at Porcupine Soup reports that Cairo Democrats caucused June 29 at the Cairo Public Library, with approximately 30 Democrats unanimously nominating Ted Banta III for supervisor and Lewis O’Connor and Tom Vasquez for two available town board seats. Banta served two terms as town supervisor from 2012 to 2015, received the nomination to face current Republican Councilperson Jason Watts in the general election. Incumbent Republican Supervisor John Coyne is not seeking re-election in Cairo, and failed to get the nomination for a Greene County Legislature seat at the recent Republican town caucus. “I worked with four Republicans, and we all got along and respected one another,” Banta, a real estate broker, said of his previous time leading the town board. O’Connor is a former Department of Public Works superintendent in the Village of Catskill. In 2019 he came in third for two possible seats on the Cairo Town Board, losing to Republicans Stephen Kralovich and Timothy Powers. O’Connor previously lived in Catskill and served four years on the town board there. Local business owner Vasquez has been a part-time resident of Cairo for 18 years, moving here full-time four years ago. He has owned and operated Spirits of Cairo liquor store for 12 years. “Politics to me is not a party thing,” said Vasquez. “I’ve never seen myself as a Republican or a Democrat, I see myself as human.” Nov. 2 is election day. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Aliya Schneider reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Claverack Town Supervisor Clifford Weigelt said the town would put out a request for proposals to take down Claverack's town hall and court building. The town plans to build a new town hall and court building at 836 State Route 217. Over the summer it will move into an empty space of the former Claverack Free Library building at 629 Route 23B while the new town hall is built. Claverack town officials say they will look for federal COVID-19 relief funds to finance the new construction. Councilperson Katy Cashen said, as the board discussed how many kitchens the new building should have, "Our ideas a great for the new building, but I think we need to make this a public process where we really get input from people." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.