Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media the latest housing battle the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition is facing is their own, as the organization says it will fight a large rent increase at its 361 Main St. office in Catskill by the landlord Foreland. The Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition is a Black-led tenants’ rights group working with low income and public housing tenants in Columbia, Greene and Albany counties. Foreland is an arts organization that recently came to Catskill, and owns several buildings forming a campus near the Catskill Creek. Foreland is raising the rent on their second-floor office 135 percent, from $400 a month to $950 a month. Coalition Director of Operations Elliott Matos said, “We tried working with Foreland to see if this was an increase we could make happen over time, but unfortunately our landlord was unwilling to work with us and only gave us a short extension period.... Stef [Halmos] refused and told us she had to get to market price. Our office lease will now be terminated at the end of this year. We’re extremely upset and disappointed, but the truth is, this story isn’t uncommon. The funny thing about all this is that it’s not the price, it’s the principle.” Usually the housing coalition is working to help others with this problem. Matos said, “We’re experiencing exactly what we’re trying to fight against — displacement due to rising costs of living.... Our experience mirrors what our community faces every day, but instead of losing an office, people are evicted from their homes, pushed out by rents that are ridiculous.” Halmos, nor anyone else from Foreland, immediately returned a call seeking comment. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that on Aug. 29 state Supreme Court Justice Kevin R. Bryant reversed his order from last week that exempted more than two dozen retail cannabis store applicants from an injunction that has temporarily stopped New York’s licensing processes. The judge has said cannabis regulators in New York “failed to follow the clear language of the applicable legislation” when they created a program to award conditional retail licenses exclusively to applicants with past cannabis convictions. Bryant's rulings halting the spread of cannabis stores statewide is the latest delay in New York's legal cannabis program. Very few stores are open two-and-a-half years after legislators legalized the drug, and none locally. The judge said it was their own fault as he said state regulators had implied 30 applicants were in the final stages of their application process and had met the requirements to open their stores. But he later found that many applications were not complete. Bryant said, “They have submitted a list which, by their own admission, includes licensees who are still finalizing construction and whose post-selection inspections have not been scheduled or completed.... It is also clear that an unclear number of the sites have not been inspected 'to ensure (the site) meets all the public health and safety requirements in the Cannabis Law and associated regulations.' It is not clear to this court whether any of the 30 identified licensees have completed all post-selection requirements and inspections and it should be clear that those who have not, should not have been included on the list submitted to the court as set forth in the prior order.” Bryant says the state's licensing process has been plagued with “numerous potential defects” that “have already resulted in numerous constitutional challenges to the actions.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Joseph Konig reports at New York State of Politics that political strategists believe the Hudson Valley could decide who controls the House of Representatives in 2024 elections. On Aug. 29, Rep. Elise Stefanik said Republicans are committing $100 million to win in the Hudson Valley. Stefanik said, “New York State was THE battleground for House Republicans in 2022.... I am proud to help lead the team effort to protect and expand our House majority again in 2024!” The $100 million will come from the congressional campaigns themselves, the Republican National Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm, and aligned political action committees. Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries already launched a major offensive to retake key districts in New York. Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC, said, “I think part of the reason [the GOP is investing so much money] is because they see the effort that we're putting into it. And they know that these Republicans are extremely vulnerable.” Republican Marc Molinaro's 19th Congressional District will be one of the most important races, as he turned the district red after incumbent Antonio Delgado left to become Lt. Gov. New York Democrats are targeting Molinaro's seat, and those of Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito of Long Island, Rep. George Santos of Long Island and Queens, Rep. Mike Lawler of the northern New York City suburbs, and upstate Rep. Brandon Williams. Republicans are targeting freshman Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan and his 18th Congressional District. It is impossible to predict favorites, as the district lines are still in question, with a case now before the Court of Appeals. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that a day after Greene County Public Health warned local residents to stay vigilant after several reports of suspicious vans targeting women walking in the Catskill and Jefferson Heights area, the Catskill Police Department released a statement saying there was no threat. The statement said, “The Catskill Police Department would like to advise all residents of the outcome of an investigation that the Catskill New York State Police Barracks conducted concerning two suspicious vans in the Jefferson Heights area that had alarmed a young woman on August 25. The State Police tracked the two suspicious vans down and interviewed the operators. The investigation revealed that there was no threat and that they were a legitimate delivery company, making deliveries in the area.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that WalletHub listed Columbia-Greene as the highest-ranked SUNY community college in New York in their annual “Best and Worst Community Colleges” list, released earlier this month. College President Dr. Carlee Drummer had other good news, saying, “On the opening day of the fall semester, Columbia-Greene recorded nine percent more students, continuing the positive post-pandemic enrollment trend." Final enrollment numbers for this fall will not be confirmed until October. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

The Daily Freeman reports Bard College Assistant Professor Kerri-Ann Norton has been awarded $31,657 as part of a larger cancer study funded by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Norton uses computer models to investigate the potential success of novel drug combinations for clinical cancer treatment, the school said, announcing the award. Norton is working to improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs using computer models. The school said Norton is to address “some of the challenges associated with analyzing and calibrating agent-based models (ABMs) in order to develop an approach that leverages ordinary differential equation (ODE) models to bridge the computational gap between ABMs and experimental data at the cellular level.... Norton’s research expertise is in multiscale agent-based modeling of tumor microenvironments and she will lead the development, simulation, and analysis of the agent-based cancer model. She will also help design the tumor-immune interactions within the ABM.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Rachel Silberstein reports for the Times Union that New York health officials are on high alert over a new COVID-19 strain, BA.2.86, that was identified last week in the U.S., with a markedly different in structure than previous iterations of the omicron variant. Cases have been found in in Israel, Denmark, South Africa, and now Michigan and Virginia, but not yet in New York. Virologists say they are concerned about the new variant because it appears to be the most genetically different strain to descend from the original omicron variant that first emerged in November 2021. But they don't yet fully understand if it is more contagious or dangerous. New York Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the department is tracking the “highly divergent” strain and “remains vigilant for changes to the virus that could further threaten our public health.” Syracuse University scientists are collecting and analyzing wastewater samples from across the state to detect the presence of COVID-19. Wadsworth Center Laboratory of Viral Disease Chief Dr. Kirsten St. George said in a statement, “As we look for this new strain, it is important to note that we do not yet know if it will cause more severe disease or if it will evade prior immunity. Scientists across the globe are working to answer those questions right now.” Currently in New York there are increases in COVID-19 hospital admissions and higher levels of COVID-19 detected in wastewater in many parts of the state. Mid-Hudson News reports that both Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie and Putnam Hospital in Carmel this week are reinstating mandatory mask policies. Gov. Kathy Hochul also weighed in on the issue saying, “While New Yorkers might want to be done with COVID-19, COVID-19 isn’t done with us.... With the increase in hospitalizations and reported cases this summer, I strongly urge everyone to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves and their communities. To keep New Yorkers safe, my administration will continue to monitor this situation, share information on the new boosters as soon as it’s available, and continue to make N-95 masks available statewide.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Lauren Stanforth reports in the Times Union that air travel to or from the Albany International Airport could be disrupted as Hurricane Idalia reaches Florida and other parts of the country. Airlines across the country have canceled a significant number of flights as Tropical Storm Idalia transitions into a hurricane. The storm is expected to hit Florida as a Category Three storm, and then hit parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. But it will interrupt air service, causing a ripple effect of delays and cancellations that will affect Albany travelers. For instance, both Tampa International Airport and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport closed Tuesday, which will impact many other airports. Officials with the Albany airport said many U.S. airlines are issuing travel waivers for passengers flying in or out of closed airports to rebook elsewhere without a fee. Travelers should check with their airline for details. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that lobbyists spent a record-breaking amount in Albany in 2022, a new report from the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government said. The report, released Aug. 28, said lobbyists spent a $331 million record last year, up 13.2 percent from 2021. The report also said that more than 84,000 state officers and employees have participated in ethics training in just under a year. The top five lobbyists in donating to officials and candidates were the 1199SEIU Labor Management Initiatives, Inc. Healthcare Education Project at $5.7 million; the Greater New York Hospital Association, at $3.5 million; Genting New York, LCC at $2.5 million; the 199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East at $2.3 million; and AARP at $2.3 million. Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government Executive Director Sanford N. Berland said in a statement, "New Yorkers have a right to transparency in government and to know what entities may attempt to influence government decision-making. This is especially true in a year when lobbying spending shattered all previous records.... The annual report sheds light on which individuals and interests are lobbying state and local elected officials and policymakers." Read the full story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Greene County Public Health alerted the public Aug. 28 about several reports of suspicious vans targeting predominately women walking in the Catskill and Jefferson Heights area. “We understand that law enforcement has been informed and are currently working on this situation,” Greene County Public Health officials posted on social media, also saying, “Please be vigilant while outside, walk with a buddy, share your location, and do whatever you need to do to be/feel safe.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Columbia County Department of Health is now monitoring wastewater traces of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as the new BA.2.86 strain has emerged. No cases of the strain have been found yet in New York State, but they have in Michigan and Virginia. Columbia County Public Health Director Victoria McGahan said, “This mutation is so new it doesn’t have an official nickname like the Omicron variant.... We’re keeping an eye on this mutation at the moment... We have wastewater access only in Hudson, and it doesn’t represent the rural parts of the county, but that gives us a little idea of what the virus is up to.... It’s still just a tool and it doesn’t give us a whole picture of what’s going on.” McGahan says inmates and nursing home residents at high risk for the virus should now wear masks. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Joshua Solomon reports for the Times Union that on Aug. 27 the Biden administration pushed back after Gov. Kathy Hochul’s public plea for the federal government to quicken the pace for work authorizations for migrants. Instead, White House officials blamed the Republicans in Congress and New York City’s handling of the migrant surge. Hochul held a major press event about needing Biden to let migrants work sooner when they arrive in New York. Hochul said on Aug. 24, “Our quest continues to squarely tell the White House: ‘Let them work.'” Current federal regulations do not immediately allow migrants who have applied for asylum to begin working. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Today's audio daily news update.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Catskill Planning Board is proposing banning residents from converting shipping containers into dwellings. Some people across the world have converted one or more shipping containers into houses, saving on lumber and other costs. Catskill Town Supervisor Dale Finch said, “The proposed container law is a proactive approach to maintaining the aesthetics of the community and minimizing the negative effects they have on a community.... The proposed container law takes into consideration the different zoning districts, so different criteria will apply, depending on the district.” In 2021 Catskill had an incident with a shipping container, when the village of Catskill filed a lawsuit against a Liberty Street resident with a container in his backyard that was larger than the village code allowed. Catskill Town Justice Richard Paolino ruled for a bench trial or that the defendant would get the proper permits, or remove the container altogether. But the judge was upset weeks later when Village of Catskill officials told the resident he could keep the container on his property throughout construction. Paolino said, “I’m kind of like aggravated because the time wasted on this matter since June of this year.... All of a sudden now, because somebody doesn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, they’re going to change the law, but not really change the law, they’re just going to cover up the violations.” The story does not say when any vote on the matter is, nor mention any public hearing on the matter. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Columbia County had the lowest rate of unemployment in the Hudson Valley in the month of July, according to the Department of Labor. Columbia County's 2.6 percent unemployment rate was just lower than the 2.7 percent rate in Sullivan County. Columbia County's rate was down from 2.9 percent a year ago. Greene County was at 3.4 percent, down from 3.6 percent a year ago. Dutchess and Ulster counties came in at 3.0 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.