Jon Campbell is reporting for lohud [dot] com Robert Freeman, the former director of the state Committee on Open Government, will pay a $15,000 fine to settle claims resulting from his routine sexual harassment of women while on the job. The state Joint Commission on Public Ethics finalized the agreement September 9, with Freeman, a nationally recognized public-records expert. He was abruptly fired from his state job in June 2019, after holding the post for more than 40 years. Freeman, 73, admitted his conduct toward women, as well as using his state-issued computer to view sexual images, violated state Public Officers Law. The agreement, signed by Freeman on September 1, identified his conduct in general terms, acknowledging "sexually inappropriate conduct toward women" without getting into specifics. Freeman served as a state-paid ombudsman offering advice on navigating the state's Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws, which grant the public rights to access many government documents and meetings. Aisha Powell, a reporter formerly with The Journal News/lohud.com, was one of eight women who went on the record about Freeman's predatory behavior. Powell said Wednesday she was hoping Freeman would face a more substantial fine. She also said she takes issue with Freeman collecting a state pension, which is protected under state law. But Powell said she is pleased that Freeman is no longer in a position where he can abuse his power. Read the full story at lohud [dot] com.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Friday marks 19 years since a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda in New York, Washington D.C. and western Pennsylvania. This September 11, groups in Columbia and Greene counties will commemorate the attack and the lives lost, with ceremonies in Cairo and Kinderhook. For the ninth straight year, area police, firefighters, veterans, public officials and local community members will assemble at the Greene County Emergency Services building at 25 Volunteer Drive in Cairo to remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty, in Greene County, Emergency Services Director John Farrell said. The ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. County Legislator Matt Luvera will serve as master of ceremonies; Assemblymember Chris Tague, Greene County Undersheriff Adam Brainard, and members of the clergy are scheduled to speak. Columbia County will hold its annual remembrance event Friday night at the 9/11 Memorial on Volunteer Drive, off State Farm Road in Kinderhook. The program will include area fire companies, law enforcement, emergency services, area veterans, girl scouts and brownies, as well as community members. State Police Capt. David Kolb is scheduled to speak. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Raymond Pignone is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media village elections in New York will take place September 15, six months late due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Athens, voters are being asked to fill two seats on the Athens Village Board. Three candidates are running — incumbents Gail Lasher and Joshua Lipsman, running on the Democratic and Independence lines, and challenger Rickie Gabrielle, on the Republican line. Gabrielle names high taxes and assisting the elderly as his main concerns. If elected, Gabrielle said he would revive economic incentives to bring additional businesses to Second Street. Gabrielle, a Little League coach and manager, is a former baseball umpire. He is an associate member of the Athens Fire Department. Lasher has served as a trustee for 10 years. She supports clean industry that will create and maintain jobs, and opposes any commercial or industrial venture that could harm the environment along the village’s shoreline. If re-elected, Lasher said she would continue to work with her fellow trustees and community service organizations. Lipsman supports growth that can be held to the highest environmental, public health and quality-of-life standards. He is also determined to protect the village waterfront. Lipsman is a strong supporter of the joint town-village comprehensive plan to “address the economic, environmental and infrastructure challenges we face.” He lists as his proudest achievements in office: a Clean Energy Community designation and the Community Choice Aggregation program. The successful candidates will each be elected to serve a two-year term. On Tue., Sep. 15, the polls will be open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the Rivertown Senior Center. Information at 518-719-3550.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Democrat U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado in his bid for a second term. The chamber has been long considered a supporter of Republicans in swing districts countrywide. But in addition to Delgado the business-backed group also announced its support for another Democrat, U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi in his race against Republican Claudia Tenney. "...Rep. Antonio Delgado's continued leadership in Congress will benefit the nation as we combat the coronavirus, work to restore economic growth, and expand opportunities for all Americans," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Thomas Donohue in announcing the endorsement. Delgado defeated one-term Republican U.S. Rep. John Faso in 2018. Delgado is being challenged by Republican Kyle Van De Water. Reisman is also reporting the Civil Service Employees Association this week endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. “Joe Biden clearly aligns with the majority of issues that concern our union and impact working men and women in public service, and we’re going to do everything in our considerable power to get him elected," said CSEA President Mary Sullivan. CSEA is the largest public-sector labor union in New York, representing workers at the state and local level. Read more at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Rosa Goldensohn and Reuven Blau are reporting for The City a year has passed since a bill to impose major limits on the use of solitary confinement in state prisons was anticipated in Albany, with the promise to amend New York’s practice of punishing the incarcerated by depriving them of human contact. That bill, the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, or HALT, would have limited stays in solitary confinement to 15 days. In response, the Cuomo administration considered a set of proposed rule changes that, with some exceptions, would place a 30-day cap on isolating individuals, but so far those changes have not been adopted. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision put forward a new version of the rules the day before the proposal expired on August 27, pushing the deadline for the 30-day limit back a year, until 2023. People in solitary confinement in state prisons generally spend 23 or 24 hours alone each day, with one hour in a cage for so-called outdoor recreation. Individuals are frequently isolated in a special housing unit, a small room specifically identified for solitary confinement, with meals delivered through a slot in the door. As of September 1, more than 1,700 of the 37,000 people incarcerated by the state were confined to a solitary unit, according to DOCCS. The United Nations considers more than 15 consecutive days of solitary confinement to be a form of torture. Corrections departments and officer unions defend the practice as a tool for control. Doug Van Zandt, whose son Ben died by suicide in a cell at age 21 after spending time in solitary confinement at Fishkill Correctional Facility, said it has been difficult to muster urgency among elected officials to improve the treatment of the incarcerated. “The way the general population in America thinks is that if you committed a crime, then you deserve whatever happens to you in prison, so nobody really cares that much,” Van Zandt said. “And of course, we’ve seen that with a lot of the politicians, like Cuomo.” Read the full story at the city [dot] nyc.

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Will Cleveland, Victoria E. Freile, and Brian Sharp report in the Democrat and Chronicle that the entire top command staff of the Rochester Police announced Sept. 8 that they were retiring or resigning following nearly a week of protests over the March death of Daniel Prude. Rochester police suffocated Prude as they restrained him in March, but video of the incident was only released last week. That video showed police put a hood over his head and then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said that Police Chief La'Ron Singletary did not tell her about the March 23 incident until Aug. 4. After a week of protesters calling for his firing, Singletary retired. So did Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito, and Cmdr. Fabian Rivera, while Deputy Chief Mark Simmons and Cmdr. Henry Favor resigned their command positions and moved back to lieutenants in civil service-protected positions, where they cannot be fired. Singletary's retirement is effective Sept. 29, so he will oversee police responses to protests about police responses, for the next several weeks. Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Saba Ali is reporting for the Poughkeepsie Journal Bard College has taken legal action against the Dutchess County Board of Elections to move a Red Hook District 5 polling location onto the school campus. Bard is arguing its current location does not meet legal standards and is dangerous. The petition was filed in the county Supreme Court on September 4, by Bard President Leon Botstein, campus officials, students and The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a social justice organization, against the board, as well as commissioners Erik Haight and Elizabeth Soto. The petition claims the current polling site at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist is not accessible by public transportation and is in violation of the American With Disabilities Act. Students have been campaigning to have the polling location moved for several years, but, according to Ava Mazzye, a 2020 graduate, a number of the meetings with the Board of Elections were met with "...hesitancy or lack of clarity in terms of what the actual rules are in terms of how to change a polling place." The Andrew Goodman Foundation claims the members of the college community make up nearly 70 percent of eligible voters in District 5. Soto, the Democratic elections commissioner, supports the Bard petition. "Please note that I am in full agreement that the Red Hook District 5 poll site should be moved from its current location at the St. John's Episcopal Church in Barrytown to a suitable on-campus location at Bard College," Soto wrote. When asked September 6, Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight declined to comment, saying he had yet to be served with the papers. Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Kate Lisa is reporting for Johnson Newspaper Corp. unemployment numbers in Greene and Columbia counties spiked during the month of July as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy continued to be felt. Columbia County reported the state’s third-lowest jobless rate in July at 9.9 percent but that rate was up from 8.8 percent the month before. F. Michael Tucker, president and CEO of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation, said he could not explain the reason for the downward surge as businesses continued to reopen. “The true test will be when they see the third quarter sales tax numbers,” he said. “...There are still a significant number of county residents out of work. As business owners continue to ramp up in response to growing demand for their goods and services, hopefully those out of work will return to their jobs,” he added. More than 85 percent of Columbia County establishments are classified as small businesses. Tucker said local small business owners continue to be among the most deeply affected. “We’re particularly seeing difficulties for restaurant and retail owners,” he said. In July, Greene County reported 12.6 percent unemployment, up from 11.4 percent in June, according to the state Department of Labor. The county boasted record lows of 3.6 percent in September and October 2018. The rate peaked in April during the COVID-19 emergency at 14.8 percent. “That, obviously, is troubling; every sector in the economy was pumping in February,” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said, attributing the unemployment spike to the state’s shutdown this spring. “The economy was just on fire, and I have to wonder how is there still a fire there — if I can get this number down. ... I have to get the tourism industry back.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the tenants advocacy coalition Housing Justice for All September 7, urged top state Senate and Assembly leaders to support legislation that would cancel rent statewide as the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The housing coalition flew planes with banners over beaches in the Bronx and Westchester County, urging Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to take up the bill in their respective chambers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has imposed a moratorium on evictions for both residential and commercial tenants for the rest of the crisis, but the concern is what happens when the crisis ends and the money is due. Advocates estimate that 1.4 million New Yorker renters are behind on their payments. They argue the moratoria will fail to solve the long-term problem and thereby cause serious debt problems in the near future. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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The Board of Trustees of the Columbia Land Conservancy, or CLC, September 8, announced the appointment of Troy Weldy as the organization's new president, effective September 28. Weldy will succeed Peter Paden, who is retiring after leading CLC for 14 years. “We are delighted that Troy will be joining us,” said Mark A. Levy, Chair of CLC’s Board of Trustees in a press release. “With his extensive background in conservation and land management, Troy is well suited to carry forward the work under our recently adopted strategic plan and to build on CLC’s many successes as a national leader in the land trust community.” Weldy has held leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy at the state and North American levels for more than 20 years, working closely with government agencies and partners. As Director of Lands at The Nature Conservancy of New York, Weldy has been responsible for its conservation strategies, natural climate solutions, land management, land stewardship, and land protection activities. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Columbia Land Conservancy,” Weldy said in a statement. “I am looking forward to working with our staff, trustees and partners to inspire our community to more deeply connect with, care about, and protect the natural world.” Weldy received a master's degree from the College of William & Mary and his undergraduate degree from Butler University, both in biology. Paden will continue with the organization through the end of 2020 to assist with the transition. Read more at clctrust [dot] org.

Kate Lisa is reporting for Johnson Newspaper Corp. Democrat Michelle Hinchey of Saugerties, and Republican Richard Amedure of Rensselaerville, candidates for the 46th state Senate District seat have announced they are scheduling a trio of public discussions to take place before the November general election. Incumbent Republican George Amedore is not seeking re-election. Hinchey challenged Amedure in a Sept. 1 press release to commit to three debates. Hinchey said, “I hope that my opponent takes this as seriously as I do, and will commit to three debates in the coming months so that the entire district is covered. The voters deserve more than Facebook attack ads and glossy mailers; they deserve to hear directly from us on the many important issues to them and their families.” Amedure said he is ready and willing to debate Hinchey. “I look forward to debating the issues of the 46th district 100 percent,” he said. Candidates have struggled to campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and most have canceled or limited in-person events, making it more difficult for voters to speak with and meet candidates before Election Day. Hinchey agreed that she and Amedure could debate and remain safely distanced. Virtual events also remain a possibility. Amedure says he willing to discuss a wide variety of issues. “I’m pretty broad-minded,” he said, adding he hopes to highlight plans to address the state’s bail reform, lowering taxes, increasing opportunities for upstate youth and the state’s continuing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hinchey plans to address her proposal for a sustained pandemic response and economic recovery, including increased regional job development and protecting the area’s natural resources. The expansion of high-speed broadband also remains a critical issue throughout the region, Hinchey said. The campaigns will work with local organizations or news publications to help plan the debates. Hinchey’s campaign has talked with the League of Women Voters, and suggested a Capital Region forum in partnership with the Times Union. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Amanda Fries is reporting for the Times Union more than 100 nurses employed by Albany Medical Center gathered on Labor Day to press hospital officials to settle their contract, arguing that management has reduced their hours, cut personal time-off and frozen their annual wage increases. “They called us heroes during the COVID pandemic, but then treated us like zeroes,” said Jennifer Bejo, an Intensive Care Unit nurse at Albany Med for 14 years. “Union nurses want safe staffing improvements, raise increases, affordable health insurance and better health and safety measures. Most importantly, they want respect.” The essential employees worked through the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, but efforts to settle their contract have been unsuccessful. The workers recently voted to strike within 10 days if hospital leadership does not meet them at the table. More than 100 people clad in red shirts and face masks gathered outside Albany Med on Labor Day calling on the hospital’s leadership to negotiate and settle a fair agreement. Local, state and federal lawmakers, as well as members of other Capital District labor unions, showed up to support the nurses at the rally organized by the New York State Nurses Association. Albany Med communications Director Matt Markham said the hospital continues to negotiate in good faith with the nurses association, noting the facility has not laid off or furloughed any staff despite operating on a nearly $26 million operating loss. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Mid Hudson News reports that at least one local law enforcement official wants some police reform. Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said he preferred to outsource a recent arrest to mental health professionals instead of police officers. Christine Diliberto was arrested twice last weekend after calling the police emergency number nine times and Ulster County 911 four times, for non-emergency reasons. “Miss Diliberto has issues that could benefit from treatment but Ulster County does not have the services [she] needs. Ulster County needs a stabilization Center modeled after the facility in Dutchess County so that individuals can get the treatment they need as opposed to incarceration.” Instead, because she was intoxicated when she was arrested, Diliberto was taken to the Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley’s Broadway Campus Hospital for medical care. She was issued a police appearance ticket, for the Village of Saugerties Justice Court at 6 p.m. September 14. Read more about this story at the Mid Hudson News website.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Ichabod Crane school board met in person and via Zoom, September 1. As his first order of business, board President Matthew Nelson announced that board member Jessica Berner has submitted her letter of resignation. Community members are invited to apply for the position and the vacancy will be filled at the board's October meeting. The person chosen will serve until May 2021. Officials promised to later release more information about how to apply for the seat. Also, District Business Manager Michael Brennan shared a video presentation by Questar III BOCES reminding districts the governor had warned of a 20 percent cut in state aid if the federal government failed to come through with additional relief to states. According to the Questar III video, the state began withholding that aid in July, meaning that districts in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties would cumulatively lose in excess of $80 million. Brennan said there is much unknown about the cuts, but he did say the district receives about $15 million overall in state aid. If the state withheld the aid the cut would total $3.1 million. Brennan said the district has healthy reserves. The intention is to first look to allocating the reserves to fill the gap and then making cuts to non-COVID 19 related supplies. The board also received an update on the district construction projects from Turner Construction and CS Arch. Work at the middle and high schools continues, with temporary classrooms in place at the middle school. Dan Woodside, from CS Arch, said a public hearing on the planned installation of solar panels at the Ichabod Crane schools will be held September 10, before the Kinderhook Planning Board. Read more about this story in The Columbia Paper.