Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Cohotate Preserve, an environmental education center on the border of Catskill and Athens along the Hudson River, is getting a $1.2 million makeover. The Greene County Legislature is spending over $1.6 million in taxpayer money on what they call the Cohotate Preserve Infrastructure Improvement and Renovation Project. The Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District built an environmental field station there with classroom facilities for Columbia-Greene Community College students. Businesses from West Kill, Oneonta, Delmar, and East Berne won the contracts for the work. The center will get upgrades to the heating and cooling system, electrical system, bathrooms and water supply. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that state Senator Michelle Hinchey, a Democrat, and Assemblymember Chris Tague, a Republican, were both at the ribbon cutting Oct. 26 for the James Newbury Hotel and The Wire event center in Coxsackie. Guests have stayed at the new boutique hotel since this summer, so the event was ceremonial only. Tague said, “This much-needed project is already doing so much for Coxsackie.... The hotel and event center provide jobs, support local businesses, attract tourists, supplement the economy and revitalize the historic downtown.” The hotel includes a lobby bar and restaurant, an outdoor patio, a meeting room, and a two-story library with The Day Line Oyster Bar + Kitchen, a fifth-floor rooftop restaurant, opening in early November. Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans said, “Coxsackie should stand as a shining example of what local government and local investment partnering with New York State can do to turn a community around and establish a clear path forward for future prosperity." Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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Voting this fall begins Oct. 28 and Alex Gault at Johnson News Service reports there are two constitutional amendments on the back of this year’s ballots. Both questions only ask about minor changes to already established rules. One asks voters if they support a technical change to the constitutional debt limits set for small city school districts and the other is an extension to a change made for debt limits on local sewer projects. Hudson has the most at stake locally as proposal one asks voters if they support a change to the state constitution for small city school districts, and Hudson is one of the few in New York. Currently Hudson schools, with a total taxable value of $1.016 billion, have a debt limit of abut $50.8 million. A yes vote on proposal one would allow the school to double that, to the same percentage as most other schools around the state. The two questions are the only statewide issues on the ballot this fall that is crowded with many local elections. With limited locations and hours, voting begins Oct. 28 throuh Nov. 5, and then expands to all precinct locations on Nov. 7. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Raga Justin reports in the Times Union that on Oct. 25 seven former female inmates held in at jails in Albany and Rensselaer counties filed lawsuits alleging repeated sexual abuse from multiple former employees of each county’s sheriff’s offices. Five lawsuits were filed in state Supreme Court in Albany and two in state Supreme Court in Troy by attorneys from the New York City-based law firm Slater Slater and Schulman. The lawsuits allege on-duty correction officers initiated sexual advances with women under their charge, physically groping them, threatening them, or coercing them to perform sex acts. Many of the women said they received extra food or food brought from outside the correctional facilities. Many of the women allege the attacks occured when they were isolated in showers or search rooms. Each of the seven lawsuits seek damages of up to $20 million for each petitioner. Adam Slater, an attorney handling these cases, said, “For decades, there’s been an environment of rampant and unchecked sexual violence.... It wasn’t episodic, it was systemic. But even worse, it wasn’t really a secret. They adopted a perverse code of silence … that extended to many of the correctional staff as well as the high-ranking officials. So the culture of sexual abuse in the New York state prison system was just rampant.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that Rep. Pat Ryan has written to the U.S. Coast Guard asking for more information about why the military branch, which regulates Hudson River navigation, changed its rules, allowing large ships and barges to anchor in spots closed because of local complaints and environmental concerns. Ryan said, “Indefinitely parking dangerous oil barges on the Hudson is a threat to the health and safety of our kids, the more than 100,000 people who rely on the river for their drinking water, and our entire ecosystem. I’m demanding the Coast Guard uphold the anchoring ban on the Hudson." Three years ago, local activists and environmental groups successfully lobbied to block large ships and barges from parking in the Hudson River locally. Over the summer, the Coast Guard changed the boundaries of the Port of New York, allowing large barges and ships to anchor north of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. In August Ryan wrote to Capt. Zeita Merchant, sector commander for the Coast Guard, saying, “As a member of Congress representing the Hudson River, I am concerned with the impact that this change would have on my constituents, the natural resources of the region, and the importance of the Hudson River in facilitating commerce.” The Coast Guard, in its reply, said that they were looking to clarify boundaries and regulations regarding the Port of New York, but Ryan said that answer was inadequate. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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Republicans in the House of Representatives on Oct. 25 finally elected a new Speaker of the House, after failing several times to agree on a leader. Louisiana-based Rep. Mike Johnson was elected 220-to-209, with local Reps. Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik voting with the other Republicans. Stefanik even introduced Johnson, though she did the same with past nominees who failed, such as Rep. Jim Jordan. Click here to download or play a short excerpt of Stefanik's speech. Stefanik backed the party's nominee in each of the previous Speaker votes, whil Molinaro voted two times for Rep. Jim Jordan, an ultra-conservative member who worked to undermine the legal and fair results of the 2020 presidential election. Then Molinaro said he was backing the speaker pro tempore, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, but instead voted for Republican Lee Zeldin, who is not in Congress and lost New York's governor election last year. Johnson, the nominee the Republicans finally agreed on, also voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results which were free and fair.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene and Columbia counties are getting more than $1.2 million to upgrade emergency communications systems and call centers that take emergency and non-emergency calls from police, fire department officials, and ambulances. Columbia County will get $605,499 and Greene County receives $600,013 from the State Interoperable Communications Formula Grant and the Public Safety Answering Point Operations Grant. Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “Public safety is my No. 1 priority here in New York State, and I’m proud to announce this year’s round of funding to enhance communication systems that help our emergency responders work more efficiently.... Year after year, we continue to make funding available to every county and New York City to help keep New Yorkers safe, and these grant programs do just that.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

New York's foliage report show many leaves locally are at or past their peak colors. The report says, "In the Hudson Valley, Columbia County spotters in Hudson are looking forward to peak foliage with 90 percent color change and average to bright yellow, gold and orange leaves. Volunteers note that color change throughout the county is uneven, with some areas showing minimal transition and other spots displaying a full range of beautiful fall colors. Ulster County spotters in Highland predict peak foliage with 80 percent transition and bright yellow, orange and red leaves, and significant droppage.... In the Catskills, foliage in Greene County will be mostly past-peak with some peak areas remaining around the valley and river. Look for nearly complete color change with bright red and orange leaves. Ulster County observers in Highland predict peak foliage with 80 percent change and bright yellow, orange and red leaves, despite significant droppage.... In Albany County, reports from Cohoes predict peak to slightly past-peak foliage with about 80% color change and orange, yellow, yellow-green, green and red leaves of varying brilliance. Plenty of green leaves remain, however there is also significant droppage and some bare trees. In the southwestern portion of the county, spotters at Thacher State Park in Voorheesville are expecting peak to slightly past-peak foliage with 85 percent change and yellow, orange and brown leaves, with hints of green and random bursts of bright red. There is also significant leaf droppage and some bare trees. Visitors can look for peak to slightly past-peak foliage in the western and southern portions of Rensselaer County, with 75-85 percent transition and muted shades of red, orange-red, orange, yellow and brown. Foliage in the eastern and northern portions of the county will be past-peak with many brown leaves, significant droppage and bare trees." See New York's foliage report for more information.

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Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Ichabod Crane Central School District cancelled a planned debate on Oct. 23 between county district attorney candidates Republican Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Carty and Democrat Assistant Solicitor General for New York State Chris Liberati-Conant. The Carty campaign claims an anonymous complaint to the school district did in the debate. But the Liberati-Conant campaign said it never agreed to the Republican- chosen moderator, Michael Hutter, who is an Albany Law School professor and one of Carty’s former teachers. Mackenzie Rigg, Ichabod Crane School District’s communication specialist, said, “There was no official complaint but, instead, inquiries made by several residents of the district regarding the district’s ability to host this meeting.... Upon receiving these inquiries the district consulted with its attorney, who provided the district with the relevant portions of the education law.” But Zech Davidson-Cunningham, Liberati-Conant’s campaign manager, said, “If I allowed someone who’s been described as a favorite of influential powers in the right wing of the Republican Party to moderate this debate, that would be the last Democratic campaign job I ever got." The Democrat says the Rensselaer County League of Women Voters was supposed to host the debate. Voting, without a debate to educate voters, begins Oct. 28 and last until Nov. 7 this year. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Tamara Starr reports for News10 that a lack of cars or adequate public transportation is one argument activists are using against the possible closure of the Burdett Birth Center. It currently provides the only maternity services in Rensselaer County, and officials at Saint Peter’s Hospital now want to close it, forcing patients to Albany and elsewhere. Many patients who use the birthing center do not have a vehicle, and a trip on public transportation could take several hours. Eric Wisher, President of the Troy Uniform Firefighters Association, said they sometimes wait with patients in an ambulance for as much as two hours for a bed to be available in a hospital. He said, “I hope that doesn’t happen with maternity patients, but if they’re gonna be that much busier -there’s that potential.... And then here we are, potentially delivering babies in the parking lot of a hospital.” Katie Cook from Save Burdett Birth Center, said 61 percent of births there last year happened with patients on Medicaid. Cook said, “That’s a lot of births.... So that’s telling us that the women of Troy…there’s even more now on Medicaid, so they’re facing many barriers to everyday life.” Read more about this story at News10.

Luke Parsnow reports for Spectrum News that sales tax collections in New York were up again in the third quarter of this year, with the state's economy roaring along with high sales tax receipts and low unemployment. New York collected $5.9 billion in sales tax in the third calendar quarter of 2023, up 3.6 percent from the same period last year. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office released the sales tax report on Oct. 24. DiNapoli said, “Year-over-year growth in local sales tax collections in the third quarter continued to moderate compared to their pandemic highs.... Local governments should be shoring up their budgets now so they are prepared for any downturn in the economy.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Molly Burke reports for the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed two domestic violence laws and announced $1 million for further expansion of the "Red Flag Law" at a a roundtable with domestic violence survivors on Oct. 23. "Red Flag Laws" allow a judge to issue a temporary “extreme risk protection order” to prevent someone from having a firearm if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others. One woman at the forum said her alleged abuser threatened her with a gun while she was pregnant with her son, but her abuser’s mother took the gun away from him. She told Hochul, “If he had access to that gun, I would not be here talking to you.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Cornell University reports that Andy Turner, the former executive director for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Greene and Columbia counties, has been appointed director of the statewide Cornell Cooperative Extension. Turner was also named as associate dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Ecology at Cornell. The extension offices oversee food systems, natural resources, sustainable energy, 4-H youth development, nutrition, parent education, and economic development work in all counties in New York. Turner was instrumental in developing the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agroforestry Resource Center in Acra in 2003. Later, he helped get community radio station WGXC on the air in 2011 as part of the station's initial advisory board. Turner said, “I am incredibly fortunate to provide leadership for CCE at such an important time for the communities of New York state.... CCE’s mission of bringing research-based knowledge together with local wisdom and experience has never been more critical as we address climate change, build community resiliency, support positive youth development and rebuild the civic ties that bind our communities together.” Read more about this story at Cornell University.

Voting begins Saturday in this fall's election, and every polling season there are accusations of candidates stealing each others lawn signs, though rarely any proof. Now Mid-Hudson News reports that current Town of Fishkill Councilperson John Forman, now a Republican candidate for town supervisor, has been arrested by the East Fishkill Police Department for stealing an opponent's lawn signs. Forman was allegedly found, Mid-Hudson News reports, with a sign that was equipped with a GPS tracking device. That campaign sign, from his opponent incumbent Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra, alleges that Forman resides in East Fishkill, not Fishkill, and is not eligible for the supervisor position. Mid-Hudson News says Forman was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor, after the sign was found in his vehicle in Hopewell Junction on Oct. 24. Voting begins Oct. 28 and continues through Nov. 7, and Forman will be arraigned on Nov. 1. Retired New York State Trooper Louise Daniele, who is also on the town board, attached an AirTag to one Albra's signs. Daniele says, “I placed the sign at Cary Road and State Route 52 in the Village of Fishkill last night (October 22) around 5:50 p.m.... This morning I checked to see if it was still there and it was missing and on my phone app, I could see that it was then at 2424 State Route 52 in East Fishkill.” Daniele knew that address was one of Forman’s work locations. Daniele says Forman admitted to police that he had more than 30 additional signs at his Sylvan Lake residence. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.