The Poughkeepsie Journal reported that Newburgh's LGBTQ Center organized a 150-car Pride Caravan Protest for Black Lives Against Police Brutality on June 28 with stops in Beacon, Poughkeepsie, New Paltz, Rosendale, Kingston and Hudson. "You can't liberate queer folks without abolishing white supremacy," Jen Herman of Poughkeepsie said. The Newburgh LGBTQ Center is asking participants to wear white when it hosts a Rally for Black Trans Lives at Mansion Square Park at 6:30 p.m., June 30. There are other actions this week. At 6 p.m. on June 29, the Poughkeepsie Common Council holds a special meeting on police reform. Anyone can register to attend the meeting online and to comment during the meeting send an email to ssalem@cityofpoughkeepsie.com to reserve three minutes of speaking time. Newburgh's city council meets at 7 p.m. July 13, and activists are requesting to defund the police department to redirect funding toward social services. Then, on July 1 in Troy, theater companies will show their solidarity with the black/brown community at a 1 p.m. event in Riverside Park. At 4:30 p.m. on July 1, there are standing weekly protests in Ghent, Chatham, and Kingston. On July 2 at Cantine Field in Saugerties there is a "Together as One" event. And on July 4 there is a large protest and teach-in at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz.

Bill Williams and Sarah Trafton are reporting for Columbia-Greene Media diplomas were handed out to seniors in all 12 districts in Greene and Columbia counties over the weekend. The ceremonies this year were slightly different as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and the state guidelines permitting graduation ceremonies of up to 150 people, with conditions. In Greene County, Catskill Central High School released a pre-recorded ceremony on Friday at 6 p.m. Graduates came into the school individually throughout the past two weeks and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. The footage filmed was then compiled and released. Cairo-Durham Central School district held an outdoor ceremony in the school’s parking lot that was livestreamed. Coxsackie-Athens and Windham-Ashland-Jewett held outdoor ceremonies livestreamed by the districts in the early evening. U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado was among the commencement speakers the Coxsackie-Athens event. “This moment is still as significant as ever, maybe even more because of what you have been asked to endure, what you have been asked to traverse to get to this point,” he said. “You have overcome so much as a class. I think it’s going to make you stronger. I think it’s going to make you more capable of taking on any of your other challenges you are sure to face in your life.” Greenville and Hunter-Tannersville held outdoor ceremonies June 27. In Columbia County, the 84 graduating seniors at Taconic Hills Central School were divided into two separate ceremonies and the 49th annual celebrations took place on the school’s football field. Chatham High School's 65th commencement was held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. The school's 68 graduating seniors were driven by family members to the North Gate stage, where they were presented with their diploma and had their picture taken with school officials. After all the diplomas were awarded, a car parade traveled through the village. The 99 students graduating from Ichabod Crane High School received their diplomas on the athletic field during the 66th annual commencement ceremony, while parents and family looked on from their cars as the event was broadcast on a large screen. Seniors at Germantown Central School received their diplomas in a ceremony at the school on Main Street. New Lebanon High School held its graduation ceremony at the Walter B. Howard Elementary School. The ceremony was followed by a car parade through town. The Hudson City School District held its graduation event the morning of June 26, on the high school football field.

The Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting environmental advocates Riverkeeper and the Newburgh Clean Water Project are pressing the Air National Guard to commit to an aggressive schedule to clean up the PFAS pollution at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of manmade compounds associated with cancers, thyroid problems and other health threats. The compounds, developed in the 1940s, have been used in foam that was until recently used in firefighting. Riverkeeper and the Clean Water Project are calling for three specific actions. They said the filter at Recreation Pond must be repaired. After it was installed in December 2019, the filter failed within one month. The filter has been out of operation since January, and PFAS pollution continues to flow into Silver Stream, which flows into Moodna Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River. Both organizations are calling as well for the capacity of the Recreation Pond filter to be increased and that the remediation process at the base must advance quickly through the next phase. The city of Newburgh has been receiving its water from the New York City Catskill Aqueduct for four years, with the state footing the bill. “The Air National Guard has a responsibility to the people of Newburgh and New Windsor to turn this failed cleanup around, and quickly and thoroughly remove this toxic threat from our water,” said Dan Shapley, water quality program director for Riverkeeper. “More than four years ago, this contamination came to light. Stewart Air National Base was identified then as the source. The pollution is still flowing downstream.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media after voting a short time ago to keep the Mosher Park pool closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ravena village officials changed their minds and voted June 23, to open the pool after all, as long as certain conditions are met. The village board decided to open July 6, if the Capital Region enters phase 4 of the reopening process, Mayor Bill Misuraca said. The pool would be open to residents of Ravena and Coeymans only, and guests would not be permitted at the pool during the 2020 season. Also, groups would be prohibited from using the pool. The Capital Region is expected to begin phase 4 of the state’s four-phase, gradual reopening July 1. Cuomo left the decision of whether to open public pools this summer to local officials. “There will be a reduced capacity, and we will adhere to all state and CDC guidelines,” Misuraca said. “There will be strict protocol, and it will be followed to a TEE… any nonsense, any arguments, any non-compliance will be met with a swift ban from the property.” Read the full story in The Ravena News-Herald.

City and State reports that lawmakers in Albany have a few more ideas for police reform. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie plans to introduce a bill to eliminate qualified immunity. That is a legal doctrine that means a public employee can not be sued while they are doing their job, even if they may be violating someone’s constitutional rights. “Victims of police brutality have been unable to get any sort of relief because at every turn the courts have used the doctrine of qualified immunity to shield officers from liability,” Myrie said. “In the absence of federal action, I think it’s important for New York to step up and show people that we will hold police officers liable for misconduct.” Reuters found that officers using the qualified immunity defense won 56 percent of excessive force cases in federal courts from 2017 to 2019. The police, though, want to keep their privilege. “Once again, our elected officials are dumping all of the liability for their decisions onto the police officer on the street,” New York City Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said. “They make the laws, they set the policies, they pick the enforcement priorities. But when something goes wrong, they are the only ones who aren’t held accountable.” Meanwhile in Schenectady, the County Attorney Chris Gardner wants the state Attorney General's Office to investigate "the discriminatory and illegal actions" of David Elmendorf, owner of an ice cream shop, who Gardner alleged used racial slurs in a text that said he doesn't hire black people. "This racist rhetoric and admission of racial discrimination would constitute violations of the NYS Human Rights Law and the Civil Rights Act of 1964," Gardner wrote in the letter he sent June 26 to the AG's Office. "The time has come to deal swiftly and justly with an individual who spreads racist rhetoric and boasts of his refusal to hire individuals based upon the color of their skin." The ice cream store owner has also been cited for numerous safety violations during the coronavirus pandemic. Online protesters were organizing a protest outside the Bumpy's ice cream shop on June 28. There are also protests planned June 28 in Rensselaer, Newburgh, Woodstock, and Ellenville. At 6 p.m. on June 28, Poughkeepsie holds a "Special City Council Meeting on Police Reform." Anyone can register for the meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mkLiZ14PQqOTSs7HiiC5qA and to comment during the meeting send an email to: ssalem@cityofpoughkeepsie.com to reserve three minutes of speaking time.,

Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Sheriff’s Office has announced it is launching a new overdose response program. The Impacted Citizen's Program was developed in partnership with the Greene County Mobile Crisis Assessment Team, the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties and the Columbia-Greene Addiction Coalition. Under the new program, a member of the sheriff’s office staff will follow up on all reported overdoses in Greene County within 24-48 hours to offer access to support services such as mental health, rehabilitation or counseling for both the person that overdosed, as well as their family and friends. Other components of the program include detailed training for law enforcement and other first responders. During the recent COVID-19 lockdown, Greene and Columbia counties experienced an increased number of overdoses. In Greene County, there have been a total of 39 overdoses since March 16; three of those were fatal. During the same time period in 2019 there were 16 overdoses and three fatalities. Columbia County had 27 overdoses and three fatalities since March 16, compared to seven overdoses and two fatalities in 2019. “The Greener Pathways Program is glad to be part of the new Greene County Sheriff’s Impacted Citizen’s Program and has actively participated with many other agencies in the planning to get the program to this point,” Program Director Carl Quinn said. Greener Pathways is the Mobile Outreach Program for Twin County Recovery Services. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union Hudson Riverkeeper has announced its opposition to a proposed waste-to-fuel plant at the site of the former BASF chemical factory in Rensselaer. “There are significant environmental justice concerns in the area of the proposed project,” the environmental group said in a recent letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, citing the facility's proximity to the water and the industry that already exists in the city. Riverkeeper's letter noted that Rensselaer, with a population of 9,300 in a city of just 3.5 square miles, already has the S.A. Dunn facility, a major construction debris landfill, as well as a gas-fired power plant and an Amtrak train station and rail hub. “The combined effects of these form an overwhelming assault on the health and well-being of Rensselaer residents,” Riverkeeper wrote. The city is also the site of a state Superfund site where the BASF chemical plant used to be. It is on that site that BioHiTech wants to construct a 72,000-square-foot, $35 million facility that would convert waste products into fuel for operations like steel mills and cement plants. Riverkeeper and other groups, including the local Rensselaer Environmental Coalition, are joining county legislators in expressing concern that material being processed in the pits at BioHiTech could eventually seep into the Hudson River. Read the full story in the Times Union.

William Grimes is reporting for The New York Times Milton Glaser, a graphic designer best known for his 1967 poster of Bob Dylan with psychedelic and hair as well as the iconic “I ♥ NY” logo, died on June 25, his 91st birthday, in Manhattan. His wife, Shirley Glaser, said the cause was a stroke. Glaser was born in the Bronx to Hungarian immigrants. His father, Eugene, owned a dry-cleaning and tailoring shop; his mother, Eleanor, was a homemaker. He knew from an early age that he wanted to draw. After twice failing the entrance exam for Pratt Institute, he was eventually accepted by Cooper Union. Glaser and several of his former Cooper Union classmates formed Push Pin Studios in 1954, where he opened up design to countless influences and styles that began to grab the attention of magazines and advertising agencies, largely through the studio's publication, the Push Pin Almanack. For the Dylan poster, a promotional piece included in “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” Glaser created an outline of the singer’s head, based on a black-and-white self-portrait silhouette by Marcel Duchamp, and added thick, wavy bands of color for the hair, forms he imported from Islamic art. “I ♥ NY,” was the logo Glaser created for a 1977 campaign to promote tourism in New York state. Sketched on the back of an envelope with red crayon during a taxi ride, it was printed in black letters in a chubby typeface, with a cherry-red heart standing in for the word “love.” Glaser along with the editor Clay Felker in 1968 founded New York magazine, where he was president and design director until 1977. Read the full story in The New York Times.

The U.S. House of Representatives did what it often does these days on June 25 and 26, passing mostly symbolic bills that have no chance of being taken up by the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate or signed by the President. Hudson Valley Democrats Antonio Delgado, Paul Tonko, and Sean Maloney voted for both the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act" and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act while Republican Elise Stefanik voted against both measures. The police reform bill passed 236 to 181, and differed from the Republican-sponsored bill that failed in the Senate earlier in the week with actual mandates rather than suggestions for changes in law enforcement. All the Hudson Valley representatives voted the same way on the act that would make Washington, D.C. the 51st state, which passed 232-180. And while both these bills will die here now, they will be revived in January, Democrats promise, if Joe Biden is elected and control of the Senate flips in November's election. Demonstrations on the police reform issue continue in the Hudson Valley this weekend. On Satuday, June 27, there are protests in Albany, Schenectady, Rosendale, Monticello, and Putnam County. On Sunday, June 28, there are events in Rensselaer, Newburgh, Woodstock, and Ellenville. At 6 p.m. on June 28, Poughkeepsie holds a "Special City Council Meeting on Police Reform." Anyone can register for the meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mkLiZ14PQqOTSs7HiiC5qA and to comment during the meeting send an email to: ssalem@cityofpoughkeepsie.com to reserve three minutes of speaking time.

Today's daily news update.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Ichabod Crane Board of Education announced this week the appointment of Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Guntlow as the district's new superintendent. At a June 23 meeting, board president Matthew Nelson thanked departing Superintendent Jason Thomson for his work. Guntlow's appointment is effective July 1, through 2023. Guntlow began her career in the district as a primary school principal in December 2013. She became a district-level administrator in 2017, and was appointed assistant superintendent in 2019. Nelson said the board worked with consultants to vet Guntlow’s references and qualifications. She was interviewed by the board, and the board also heard from community members. “We heard from many, many voices,” Nelson said of the process that started when Thomson gave his notice in May. “We’re all ready for a little stability,” he said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Amanda Fries is reporting for the Times Union state Attorney General Letitia James June 25, filed a lawsuit against the operators of three dump sites in Ulster County citing “persistent and flagrant violations” of state solid waste and water pollution laws. The case was filed in state Supreme Court in Ulster County against J Karolys and Son, a local trucking and excavation company. The suit alleges that three of the dumps in the town of Saugerties accepted and disposed of construction and demolition debris at the sites, and operated without the requisite state water pollution control permits and in violation of solid waste requirements. “Mr. Karolys not only didn’t follow our laws, he repeatedly and flagrantly flouted them — ignoring the harms that his illegal conduct posed to the town of Saugerties and Ulster County," James said in a press release. The dumps in question are located adjacent to state Route 212 between the village of Saugerties and the town center of Woodstock in a largely residential area. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Columbia-Greene Media is reporting a Warren Street Academy teacher was arrested June 25, and charged with multiply felonies. Sean M. Miller, 26, of Latham, was arrested following a police investigation into the possession and promotion of child pornography, police said. The New York State Police Computer Crime Unit followed a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Following the execution of a search warrant at Miller's home, police found child pornography as well as an illegal assault rifle. Miller told police he was a teacher at the Warren Street Academy in Hudson; law enforcement could not reach anyone at the school, but the Hudson Police Department was notified of the arrest. “While the investigation has not revealed any known victims in this area, the nature of this offense and his access to children lead us to ask that anyone that has information or may have been victimized by this defendant contact their local police department,” Colonie police said. The Warren Street Academy, also known as The Bridge, opened to students in 2014. The school is slated to close, along with the Berkshire Union Free School District, next week. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Denis Slattery is reporting for the New York Daily News state Senator Zellnor Myrie is introducing a bill that would change the way police are held legally accountable by eliminating qualified immunity, a provision that protects law enforcement officers from civil action for on-the-job misconduct. Myrie and other lawmakers argue that qualified immunity too often lets police brutality go unpunished. The measure introduced by the Brooklyn Democrat permits individuals to file civil claims against cops who violate their constitutional rights in state court, instead of the federal courts. “In the absence of federal action, I think it’s important for New York to step up and show people that we will hold police officers liable for misconduct,” Myrie said. Even when officers are charged criminally, police can still claim qualified immunity if relatives or victims sue. Supporters of the doctrine argue it deters frivolous lawsuits. A recent Reuters analysis of qualified immunity cases filed from 2015 to 2019 found that in more than half of the 252 cases where police were accused of using excessive force, the courts granted police qualified immunity. The analysis also found dozens of cases where police who had allegedly engaged in unlawful misconduct were protected by qualified immunity. Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, slammed the proposal. “Once again, our elected officials are dumping all of the liability for their decisions onto the police officer on the street,” he said. Read the full story story in the Daily News.

Today's daily news.

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Nora Mishanec at Columbia-Greene Media reports that a crowd of about 100 people turned out to show their support for Alima Bonsa, at the park in front of the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson on June 25. The demonstration was not a protest, but more a show of support for Bonsa, a Chatham woman from West Africa who had a family court appearance June 25. Bonsa is seeking custody of the three children from ex-husband Allen Stack, who she alleges abused her for years. The Columbia County Sanctuary Movement helped organize the demonstration. “For 20 years I have been trying to fight on my own. Now I know I am not alone,” Bonsa said, addressing the crowd with a megaphone. Some in attendance claimed Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett is not getting back to them about whether he is investigating Bonsa's allegations. WGXC had a live webstream of the demonstration, with a recording in the WGXC Audio Archives from Neva Wartell. PLAY BRIEF EXCERPT HERE. Meanwhile across the Hudson River, Village of Catskill officials still will not agree to paint a "Black Lives Matter" mural on Main Street. An online petition has over 1,200 signatures supporting the proposed artwork. After a mural was painted on a street in Washington D.C., others were painted on Albany and Schenectady streets, and Hudson officials have promised one there too. But the Catskill Village Board of Trustees, so far, will only agree to a mural on Water Street or banners above Main Street. “What does it say about our community values to push a statement for black lives to the side?,” Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition's Coordinator Molly Stinchfield said. “If we are only willing to say black lives matter on a low-traffic side street used primarily as a cut through to Hop-O-Nose or a temporary banner that can be destroyed by the wind or torn down? The main concern [Village President] Vinny Seeley mentioned was not wanting to disrupt Main Street businesses after COVID. The village board’s 10-plus day deliberation sends the message that they value the economy and tourism before black lives.” At a June 24 village meeting, Seeley and Trustee Joseph Kozloski favored putting messages on banners above Main Street, while Trustee Natasha Law suggested painting a building. Stinchfield also said Seeley refused to entertain the "Defund the Police" slogan. “When we first asked Vinny, that was one of the potential slogans we asked about,” Stinchfield said. “He said it would have to say Black Lives Matter and we were willing to do that. We were not willing to move the mural off Main Street.” While Hudson quickly announced a mural project and a 10 percent police funding cut, Village of Catskill officials did not take any action. “If we want to have a conversation about changes in policy or finances, it needs to be in an open forum and have all stakeholders at the table,” Seeley said. “Moving resources and funding to mental health programs, economic development and other areas can be achieved but we need to work hand in hand with the town and the county. Creating a knee-jerk reaction right now could be dangerous and unwind all the work all of us have put in to improve the village of Catskill and build up all of our community. We had two very powerful and well-attended marches. Let’s keep that momentum going by challenging ourselves to continue a conversation and take appropriate action.” Protests continue locally this weekend, including a 5 p.m. June 26 action in Guilderland. On Satuday, June 27, there are protests in Albany, Schenectady, Rosendale, Monticello, and Putnam County. On Sunday, June 28, there are events in Rensselaer, Newburgh, Woodstock, and Ellenville.

Nora Mishanec is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Hudson Tourism Board has allocated $50,000 for short-term projects and $100,000 for long-term projects in an effort to kickstart the local economy in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown. The board is hoping to crowd-source creative ideas to bolster tourism. “Project Hudson,” aims to engage directly with the local community and encourage regional tourism, said board member Chris McManus. Businesses, business associations, nonprofits, cultural organizations and civic groups based in Hudson are eligible to submit proposals from now through the month of July. The board has two goals in mind: to give organizations and businesses access to funds that could help them stay afloat, and to give community members the opportunity to play an active role in creating safe ways to socialize, said 3rd Ward Alderperson Calvin Lewis, chair of the Tourism Board. The emphasis will be on funding creative, low-cost projects with the potential to expand. The board wants to hear from local businesses and organizations because they know how best to reinvigorate the economy as some restrictions on gathering are lifted. “We want to solicit ideas rather than impose ideas,” McManus said. Most successful proposals will receive 50 percent of the funding up front, with 50 percent reimbursed after the event or activity is completed. Up to five community-based organizations will be eligible for loans through the Columbia Economic Development Corporation. Full upfront funding will be available to certain groups, ensuring no one is left out because they cannot front the money. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Tony Dobrowolski is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle General Dynamics Mission Systems has entered into a new four-year, $104.2 million submarine contract with the U.S. Navy. Most of the work will be done in Pittsfield, Mass., company officials said June 24. The company is expanding to accommodate the work, which includes development, production and installation of fire-control systems for the Columbia/Dreadnought class of ballistic missile submarines. The expansion is expected to be completed by November 2024. Most of the new work will be done by the company's current 1,633-member workforce, said Laura Hooks, vice president of General Dynamics Mission Systems Strategic Systems. The company plans to add manufacturing employees under the new contract; General Dynamics hired 55 manufacturing employees last year and is expected to add another 15 this year. Hooks said the company has been working with the Navy for more than six decades. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics longtime activist Howie Hawkins is running for president on the Green Party ticket. He ran for governor of New York three times, as well as for Syracuse mayor and city auditor. He also ran for the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Hawkins is going national at a time when voters are being presented with two stark choices by the mainstream parties. He believes the pandemic has demonstrated that both the Democratic and Republican parties have failed. "The two governing parties are governing over a failed state," Hawkins said in an interview June 24. "Look at the coronavirus. We have four percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the deaths." Hawkins has four "life or death issues" he is running on: The pandemic, a Green New Deal to combat climate change, fighting economic inequality through a job guarantee and fighting nuclear proliferation. Hawkins says Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has a sizeable following in the party, and he has pushed the party's positions on mainstream issues like universal access to Medicare, but he believes that impact falls short. Asked about criminal justice reform in the wake of George Floyd's killing, Hawkins said, "it's good to redistribute" some police funding to aid the homeless or drug addiction. However, he does not support abolishing police departments entirely. "You're going to need somebody...to go out and apprehend people who are dangerous," he said. Hawkins believes he shifted Democrats on key issues like a ban on hydrofracking and increasing the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour when he ran for governor in 2014, and Governor Andrew Cuomo eventually embraced both issues. He thinks he can have the same impact on a national level in 2020. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.