New York's foliage report says local leaves are getting closer to peak colors. The report says, "In Greene County, reports from above 1200’ in the town of Windham expect a mix of peak and past-peak foliage with at least 90 percent color change and orange, yellow, brown and green leaves of average brilliance. Some areas still have good color but some trees, especially maples, have lost lots of leaves. There is less foliage change in the lower elevations, with midpoint to near-peak color in the valley, including lots of yellow, while areas along the river are mostly green with some trees just starting to turn.... In Albany County, spotters at Thacher State Park in Voorheesville predict near-peak foliage with at least 55 percent change and varying shades of orange and yellow, plus some browns, reds and greens.... In the Hudson Valley, Columbia County volunteers in Hudson expect near-peak foliage with 60 percent color change and average to bright shades of gold and yellow, along with some shades of red. Color progression varies throughout Columbia County, with some areas still very green and other parts at peak. In Dutchess County, reports from the town of Beacon expect foliage will be at midpoint of change with 40 percent transition and some yellows and splashes of red leaves, while spotters in Poughkeepsie predict 40 percent color change with mostly yellow leaves, plus some reds and oranges shining through." Go to New York's foliage report for more information.

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Diane Valden reports in The Upstater that Copake on Sept. 5 passed “A Local Law to Promote Affordable Housing in the Town of Copake." Everyone from the governor to a host of Hudson Valley officials have identified an affordable housing crisis locally. Copake town attorney Ken Dow said, “This action would amend Chapter 232 of the Code of the Town of Copake (Zoning) to streamline certain processes for applicants proposing to add certain types of affordable housing and would require provisions and set-asides for affordable housing in connection with major subdivisions.” The law also allows more locations where small multifamily dwellings could be built. Developers of major subdivisions must now set aside 20 percent of the residential capacity of the subdivision and development for affordable housing. Copake, and almost all other towns and villages in the Hudson Valley, is not building new affordable housing, but, like many of those other towns, are tweaking the regulations in hope someone else does. Read more about this story in The Upstater.

Michael Hill reports for ABC News that two and a half years after legalization, and more than nine months after sales started, only about two dozen state-sanctioned cannabis dispensaries are open for business. At the same time, many illegal sellers have opened retail cannabis stores without a license. Meanwhile, farmers are stuck with a crop that is going bad, and the anticipated revenues for the state and municipalities with stores has not materialized in most places. Now state regulators have opened a 60-day general application window to grow, process, distribute, or sell marijuana, and say they expect to issue more than 1,000 new licenses soon. Reginald Fluellen, senior consultant with the Cannabis Social Equity Coalition, blames the state bureaucracy for a botched rollout. He said, “They’ve failed miserably in providing the justice-involved individuals the kind of head start, the kind of foothold, in the market that they promised." Joseph Calderone of Grateful Valley Farm, near the Pennsylvania border, says New York is favoring giant corporations instead of family farms. He said, “We were given a fair chance to grow. We were asked to do that.... We kept our promise. The state did not keep their promise.” Read more about this story at ABC News.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Conservation Advisory Council has planted three dozen trees in Hudson, paid for by a grant from the Hudson Development Corporation. Mayoral Aide Michael Hofmann said, “Most of our street trees have been at the request of property owners.... We are finding that people are very appreciative and enjoy having more trees in the neighborhood.” The Advisory Council is asking the Common Council for money next year so that it can plant roughly an equivalent amount of trees. Rich Volo, chair of the Hudson Conservation Advisory Council, said, “Street trees show how the city can help combat climate change, and bring shade to an urban landscape.... To help continue the success of the CAC in 2024, the CAC is asking for about $23,000 from the city’s $12 million annual budget, representing approximately 0.2% of the city’s budget. These funds will be used for more street trees and conservation efforts.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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Maria M. Silva reports in the Times Union that environmental service workers at Bard College reached an agreement Oct. 11 with the school, but building and grounds employees voted unanimously to authorize a strike. The 45 environmental service workers will vote on the tentative agreement soon. During the pandemic in 2020, all Bard College employees agreed to no pay increases, and both the building and grounds workers and the environmental service employees extended their contracts. The environmental service workers, which includes custodians and janitors, get between $2.25 and $3.50 an hour raises under the new agreement, new hires going from $15.50 an hour to $19 and eventually up to $19.50 an hour. Bard College also agreed to lift a cap on length-of-service wage adjustments, added Juneteenth as a holiday, and increased the amount of paid time off workers accrue. Robert Dickson, chair of the union’s building and grounds chapter and a carpenter at the college for 13 years, said, “While we are very excited for our coworkers in environmental services, we are disappointed that the Bard administration will not also agree to a fair contract for our members in buildings and grounds.” Dickson said the union members have authorized a strike, but the union will only go on strike if negotiations fail. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that the Ulster County Legislature is unanimously oppose double-digit electricity and gas delivery charge increases proposed by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., the lawmakers said on Oct. 11. Central Hudson’s proposal is to raise rates by 16 percent for electricity delivery and 19 percent for gas. Majority Leader Leader Jonathan Heppner, a Democrat from Woodstock, said, “In the last two years we have heard from countless constituents about erratic billing and unexplained overcharges related to their Central Hudson accounts, with the uniform complaint that the company has been apathetic to the consequences of their actions and been slow to fix these longstanding issues.... It is not right for Central Hudson to be asking for a rate increase until their billing issues are rectified." Joseph Jenkins, a Central Hudson spokesperson, said, “Central Hudson’s rate proposal is the start of a nearly year-long process where we will work with our regulators and other key stakeholders to arrive at a plan that allows for the company to make much needed investments to continue the delivery of safe and reliable electricity and natural gas to our communities.... Our goal is to balance affordability with meeting the evolving needs of customers and the clean energy objectives of New York State.” The Public Service Commission is holding public hearings about the proposed rate increases, including one at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17, at the Robert Antonelli Senior Center 15 Academy St. in Catskill. Central Hudson claims the new rates would add roughly $1 a day to the typical electric customer and $1 a day to most natural gas customers. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Connor Smith reports for New York State of Politics that New York took in $727.4 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year from mobile sports betting, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. But the year before there was also a 26 percent increase in problem gambling-related calls to the Office of the Addiction Services and Supports. DiNapoli said, “Gaming has significantly expanded in the state in the last several years.... With the ease and 24/7 availability of mobile betting apps, problem gambling and addiction are poised to increase.” Mobile sports betting revenue has come in much higher than the state’s projections, with $357 million expected, but $727.4 million actually coming in. But the mobile sports betting has hurt casinos, where bettors used to have to go, with the Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady making $2.9 million less revenue last year. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics,

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Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that a month ago a state Supreme Court justice found that New York's Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government was created in violation of the constitution and must suspend its work. But on Oct. 10 the state Appellate Division’s Third Department ruled the ethics panel can remain in operation while an appeal is under way. That appeal will be heard in February, and then probably eventually will be reviewed by the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. The initial ruling came from a case former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has brought against the ethics commission’s efforts to investigate the $5.1 million deal that produced “American Crisis,” his 2020 book about the Cuomo administration’s handling of the pandemic. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News that on Oct. 10 former Ulster County Finance Director Burton Gulnick, Jr. pled guilty in Ulster County Court to two counts of grand larceny for the alleged theft of thousands of dollars from a local not-for-profit, as well as monies from an election campaign account. Gulnick was treasurer of the Hurley Rec Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides summer activities and programs for families, including a children’s summer camp, which he allegedly stole from. Gulnick is also accused of stealing from an election campaign bank account of former Ulster County Executive Michael Hein. Gulnick will have to pay restitution of $35,000 to the Hurley Rec and $15,000 to the Hein campaign, waive his appellate rights, pay applicable fines and surcharges, and serve three years in prison. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that an abduction of a girl from a Saratoga County state park earlier this month has lawmakers talking about adding security cameras to parks. Currently, about one-third of New York's state parks, campgrounds, and historic sites have security cameras. State Sen. Jim Tedisco said, "Forty-eight hours, they were very fortunate to get that young lady back.... We would have found this girl in an hour, two hours or three hours, if this predator didn't make a mistake. Most of the time, they don't make a mistake." Now Tedisco is introducing legislation to require all state parks, campgrounds, and recreational facilities, to have security cameras at all entrances and exits. Moreau Lake State Park installed security cameras last week after the Oct. 2 incident. Tedisco does not say where the money for the cameras should come from, and the story does not quote anyone with personal security issues with more surveillance cameras. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that Greene County’s tourism center has been demolished. The center is switching spots with a Stewart's Shop as part of a redevelopment project near the interstate highway exit in Catskill. For now, the county’s tourism department and staff have moved to the County Office Building on Main Street in Catskill. Deputy County Administrator of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning Warren Hart said, “The tourism visitor center is a heavily used building and the rework of the traffic pattern on both sides of Route 23B will make going to and from all of these locations safer and easier.” A 92-room Hampton Inn hotel is also expected to go into the area that the Greene County Industrial Development Agency is calling the Greene Gateway Commercial Park. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that State Police are continuing to hide disciplinary records from public view, this time in a court battle with the New York Civil Liberties Union. The non-profit group has filed a petition in state Supreme Court in Albany to order the State Police to disclose the names of troopers and investigators in disciplinary cases that involve misconduct complaints that the agency determined were unsubstantiated. In 2020 the state legislature repealed a statute that had prevented the release of those state police disciplinary records for 44 years in New York. Bobby Hodgson, a supervising attorney at the NYCLU, said, “Our initial analysis of the State Police’s misconduct records exposed a massive number of misconduct investigations and uses of force, but that analysis was hindered by the department’s pervasive inappropriate redactions.... By keeping officer names secret, the State Police is preventing New Yorkers from having a more comprehensive understanding of systemic issues and possible patterns of officer misconduct. After the repeal of 50-a, the law specifically mandates the disclosure of officer names as part of its promise to bring full transparency to law enforcement records.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro was back in Dutchess County on Oct. 10 celebrating the new jail there that he helped get built. Molinaro campaigned for his former role as Dutchess County Executive on building a better county jail. Molinaro said, “Today, the goal we set 11 years ago has been met. Dutchess County now has a modern facility with the needed space to expand the county’s nationally renowned alternatives to incarceration and restorative justice programs, increasing public safety and delivering savings to taxpayers.” The new jail has 328 beds, far more than at the new Greene County Jail. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

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