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.

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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.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that an injunction is still blocking New York from licensing more cannabis retail stores, but State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant on Aug. 25 directed the state Attorney General’s Office to draft an order allowing 30 businesses that met all requirements for licensing but had not yet received approval to open a retail dispensary before the injunction against new licenses was made on Aug. 7. Of the 30 additional businesses, two are in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. The day before the state attorney general filed an appeal to lift the stay. More than two years after cannabis legalization in New York there are only 19 retail dispensaries and four temporary delivery-only locations open in the state, and none of those are located in Greene, Columbia, Ulster or Dutchess counties. The judge gave both sides ten days to file additional documents in the larger case, and set a new court date for Sept. 15. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Raymond Pignone reports in Columbia-Greene Media that a state Comptroller’s audit released Aug. 24 says that the Chatham Central School District did not properly manage its fund balance and reserves and spent more from the fund balance than was needed. The audit covered from July 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2022 and said the Board and district officials annually appropriated more than $1.3 million of fund balance they did not need or use to finance operations. The Board and district officials overestimated appropriations, on average, by $3.2 million, or 9.9 percent. The audit also examined accounts for medical insurance, dental insurance, Social Security, BOCES services and out-of-state tuition. The report said, “The [School Business] Administrator said the five accounts are intentionally budgeted with ‘contingencies’ built in so that appropriated fund balance is not actually needed to fund operations, but intentionally overestimating appropriations for the purpose of not using appropriated fund balance — while purporting to plan to use fund balance to cover an operating deficit — is both misleading to voters and lacks transparency." Chatham schools Superintendent Salvatore DeAngelo said, “We have a strong reserve plan that the district needs to maintain fiscal stability through challenging economic times.... The plan was developed to maintain educational programs during economic downturns and decrease volatility in the annual tax levy.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that unstructured time is being replaced by study halls and focused lessons on 2023-24 Cairo-Durham middle and high school schedules. In a letter to parents, middle school principal Danielle Czech, high school principal Catherine Dodig, and middle school/high school assistant principal Evan Klauber said, “In the upcoming 2023- 2024 school year we are implementing a refined schedule to optimize the learning experience for our students. One of the key adjustments involves the modification of lunch and recess periods. Specifically, we have transitioned from the previous 42-minute lunch and recess sessions to 20-minute lunch breaks. This deliberate reduction in lunch and recess duration has been undertaken with the primary objective of facilitating enhanced instructional opportunities throughout the day. By reallocating time from these periods, we are able to introduce structured study halls and focused lessons, all of which will be conducted under the expert guidance of our certified staff.” Al Marlin, a spokesperson for the New York State School Boards Association, said as there is no law mandating recess at schools, saying, “There are hundreds of public school districts across the state. It’s left to each school district to determine how much recess is to be provided to students. We feel the school districts in each part of the state will make sure there’s enough time for their students. It’s a decision made at the local level, not the state level.” State Senator James Skoufis has introduced a bill that would require all elementary schools to provide recess. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Maria M. Silva reports in the Times Union that United Farm Workers has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the state Public Employee Relations Board against Porpiglia Farms in Ulster County. The union alleges the farm's owners, Anthony and Joseph Porpiglia, disrupted a union meeting on last week. Six workers live on the farm, and three held the meeting in their living quarters according to UFW Secretary-Treasurer Armando Elenes. The union claims that the Porpiglias, with two other men, interrupted the meeting and wanted to know who invited the organizer, Isabel Egas, and then they demanded that she leave, according to Elenes who also says the farm’s owners allegedly threatened Egas with calling the police and having her arrested for trespassing. The Porpiglias said her “unannounced” and “uninvited” visit was trespassing and that refused to leave when asked. The union said it told the farmers’ attorneys to stop what it described as “intimidation tactics.” Anthony Porpiglia called UFW’s statement “demonstrably false,” and his attorneys sent cease-and-desist letter demanding the union retract its “defamatory statements.” The farm does have a sign at the entrance that says visitors are supposed to report to the main office prior to entering. Porpiglia Farms is one of five New York farms where H2A workers have unionized, but the Porpiglias say that none of the workers “voted” to join the union. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Congressional seats in New York. Democrat Pat Ryan is representing the 18th Congressional District, Republican Marc Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Paul Tonko represents the 20th District, and Republican Elise Stefanik represents the 21st District. Click here to listen to this report.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Rep. Marc Molinaro wants the White House to declare a federal state of emergency because Republican governors in Florida and Texas are busing migrants to New York City, and the mayor there is then busing some of them upstate. Molinaro said, “Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state leaders are finally recognizing the current migrant policy lacks compassion, competence and coherence.... I have been warning about this for months — and have pressed [the Governor], city leaders and the White House to take action. Representatives Mike Lawler, Pat Ryan and I joined in calling for the President to declare a federal state of emergency, and I asked the Governor join in that request. Instead of pointing fingers at other top Democrats, we need our state leaders to get to work.” Hochul, for her part, recently commented that, “Putting someone in a hotel on a dark, lonely road in upstate New York and telling them they’re supposed to survive is not compassion.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that Ulster County taxpayers will pay $75,000 and insurance costs to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by former Public Defender Andrew Kossover against the county and former County Executive Pat Ryan. Jason Kovacs, a Republican candidate for the county Legislature, released a copy of the settlement agreement after filing a request for the document under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Kossover and his wife, Victoria, sued for $700,000 after Ryan deliberately made “false and derogatory statements” to the press in a Feb. 14, 2020 press release announcing Kossover had resigned after he “repeatedly and inexplicably failed” to submit routine and required paperwork. The press release blamed Kossover for the county to missing out on nearly $2.5 million in state aid. Later, an audit by the Ulster County Comptroller’s Office found that the county did not receive grant funds because of former County Executive Mike Hein’s office, which refused to allow Kossover to hire enough staff to receive the state funding. Kossover claimed that Ryan's comments caused “severe humiliation, loss of reputation and good standing in the community, mental anguish (and) severe emotional and physical distress,” as well as loss of employment opportunities, loss of income, and economic damage. Ryan is now a Congressperson, representing the 18th Congressional District. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that while Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is in the Hudson Valley Aug. 23 to raise money for Rep. Marc Molinaro's reelection campaign, Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan has an invitation for him. Although one could also say his offer to tour damage caused by last month's flood with McCarthy is more of a troll. Ryan said, “I’ve spoken with disabled veterans whose homes are still in shambles, families previously in low-income housing that now have nowhere to live, and kids stuck in condemned homes because they can’t afford repairs. I’m demanding that Speaker McCarthy look them in the eye and reassure them that his FEMA funding legislation will include individual assistance for Hudson Valley flood victims.... The Major Disaster Declaration was a critical first step to enable our recovery, but now Congress must come together to deliver relief for everyone impacted. I’ll keep fighting, and I hope the Speaker will join me in doing what is right.” Ryan represents New York's 18th Congressional District, while Molinaro represents the 19th District. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Paul Kirby reports for the Daily Freeman that Rep. Pat Ryan has so far failed in convincing the Social Security Administration to reopen an office in Ulster County. Ryan said, “I won’t give up on fighting for Ulster County seniors.... The closure of this Social Security office placed a tremendous burden on thousands of hard-working New Yorkers, who earned this critical benefit; I’ll keep pushing aggressively until we get this fixed.” The Social Security Administration closed its Grant Avenue office in the Lake Katrine hamlet of the town of Ulster in March 2014 and a satellite office in the town of Ulster left in 2018. Sen. Charles Schumer in 2014 also demanded the Social Security office remain open to no avail. Ryan is currently complaining that the office closure in 2018 means “thousands have to travel upwards an hour to the nearest office in Poughkeepsie.” But, so far, Ryan's campaign to reopen an office has been as successful as Schumer's. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Joshua Solomon reports for the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul is asking President Joe Biden for assistance with migrants coming to New York. Republican governors in Florida and Texas have been busing migrants to New York and other states, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been busing those migrants upstate. In an address to New Yorkers Aug. 24, Hochul said, “To level with New Yorkers, barring much needed changes at the border, there does not appear to be a solution to this federal problem anytime soon." Specifically, Hochul has been asking Biden to make it easier to let migrants work, and also wants financial assistance, access to federal land for additional shelters, and reimbursement of the state’s costs for using the National Guard. Hochul said, “Our quest continues to squarely tell the White House: ‘Let them work.'” Hochul addressed constituents in both parties, saying, “If you’re represented by a Republican, please ask them to stop politicizing people’s lives, stop fighting President Biden’s comprehensive, smart solutions and work together toward solving this.... If you’re represented by a Democrat, ask them to support my plan for more engagement and direct support from the administration.” In all, New York City has received about 100,000 migrants, many since bused upstate. Hochul got backup from at least one legislator. “Gov. Hochul is right, we need help from Washington and can’t continue shouldering this burden alone,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a tweet. “We need resources, but more importantly we need to let them work.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Dan Rivoli reports at New York State of Politics that the attorney who filed the 1979 case that created the right-to-shelter mandate said it applies statewide. Attorney Robert Hayes pushed back at Gov. Hochul, who, in an address about the migrant issue, said, “This is an agreement that does not apply to state’s other 57 counties." The case said New York has an obligation to provide shelter to anyone who seeks it. Hayes said, “If the governor doesn’t think there’s a statewide right-to-shelter, she’s very, either very ill-informed or frankly derelict in her obligation." The court ruled that because the state's constitution says, “the aid, care and support of the needy are public concerns and shall be provided by the state” and localities. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Jammel Cutler reports in Columbia-Greene Media that the 182nd Columbia County Fair begins this week. Robin Benziger, a member of the Fair board of directors, said, “We’re making preparations.... We have an authentic agricultural fair, which I think is kind of disappearing. The enthusiasm and participation this year has been really encouraging. We have a lot of displays and competitions. We judge everything from giant pumpkins, flower arrangements, quilts. It’s such an exciting place. This is something that is so unusual and special people need to see it.” Benziger also highlighted some attractions, saying, “We have cattle, sheep, swine, goats and poultry.... The kids had a lot of cool things. They have a costume contest on Sunday, they have Cow Flop Bingo and, on Monday, they have their master show competition. The rodeo is back this year. We have kangaroos. Who else has kangaroos at their fair but us? It was very popular last year, so we’re excited about that.” The fair is open Wednesday through Labor Day. 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.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that a dispute between two youth football leagues recently spilled over into a Town of Cairo meeting. On July 19 the Cairo Town Board voted to give use of the longtime Pop Warner shed at Angelo Canna Town Park to a new youth league, and incorrectly said in the resolution that, “Greene County Panthers Pop Warner Football is changing to Greene County Panthers AYF (American Youth Football).” Actually, the two leagues are in a dispute, and the Cairo Town Board turned over the use of a shed that was full of the other league's equipment. Stacy Serson-White, the cheer coordinator and now president of Greene County Pop Warner, said at the board's Aug. 16 meeting, “You turned over the shed with our contents in it without even notifying us. We did not even find out from the board that somebody had asked to use it and access was already given to somebody else.” At that meeting, the town board declined to amend or rescind their incorrect resolution and gave the youth group using the shed first three to five days to remove their property from the shed. Greene County Pop Warner is not having football this fall, only cheer, because many volunteers, football coaches, and board members from the group left to form their own league. Town Supervisor Jason Watts explained he was not sure what he was voting on in the original resolution. Watts said, “I didn’t even realize we were taking it away from you... When we did, I went out and I started looking for another building for you to go in and I found one right in the town park. You told me you didn’t want that one.” The story also quotes representatives from both leagues saying they are doing it all for the children. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.