Today's audio daily news update.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Town of Catskill Planning Board holds a public hearing about a proposed subdivision with 25 housing units on 140 acres at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the Catskill Town Hall. Town Planning Board Chairw Teresa Golden said she doesn’t know if developer Vita Foras wants to market the subdivision dwellings as investment properties to be utilized as short-term rentals. Golden said, “From a planning board perspective that’s something we don’t focus on.... We only see if the development complies with requirements from a planning board perspective. That’s a beautiful piece of property. It’s got a gorgeous waterfall. One of our major concerns is to ensure that the wetlands are protected, and the land is being used appropriately so as not to impact the flora and fauna.” So far, the planning board is blocking developers from using herbicides on the property. Now the board is waiting for public input on the subdivision with an entrance from Bogart Road and a second egress on Penny Lane. Golden said, “We never know if there will be controversy at the public hearing.... The beauty of the public hearings is we hear from the neighbors who live in the neighborhood, I welcome the input from neighbors.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that at a meeting on Aug. 21, the Athens Town Board agreed to pay a local engineer to begin how to modernize the Athens Community Center. The building was put up in 1901 and currently houses the municipal offices of the town and village of Athens. Previously, there has been an elementary school and Columbia-Greene Community College classes in the building. The spending passed 3-1, with Councilperson Anthony Paluch as the dissenting vote. The town and the village will split the $50,000 bill. Athens Town Supervisor Michael Pirrone said, “We want to start updating things, get more modern in handling the books and records and archives and so forth.... The Mayor and Deputy Mayor suggested we join together in this study to determine how the building can best serve us either in modernization, expansion renovation, whatever the study’s going to show, that’s where we’re going to go.” Councilperson Michael Ragaini wants to create a meeting space. He said, “We’re meeting in an office. There’s no way to make a decent-sized meeting room. Each floor is one-third hallway. The building is solid, but it was laid out for a school.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

H. Rose Schneider reports for the Times Union that the first El Niño climate pattern seen in the Pacific in four years may mean a late frost, and a winter with little snowfall and warm temperatures. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says temperatures are around 50 percent more likely to be above normal this fall and winter, largely because of the return of El Niño. Paul Roundy, a professor of atmospheric and environmental science at the University at Albany, said, “So El Niño this year is not a normal El Niño event.... This one is special because it came right after a very long period of La Niña.” The last time El Niño was around there were some startling statistics. Christmas Eve 2015 reached 72 degrees, and the earliest 80-degree day in the Albany area was recorded on March 9, 2016. Roundy said, “It was the warmest winter on record.... But we also had one of the coldest nights in a decade.” Roundy said this year the El Niño weather pattern is situated further east, which usually leads to milder winters with less snow. He said, “This one is so far to the east and so strong at this point it’s less likely to go back to the central Pacific.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Matthew Sprague and Justin Velazquez report in New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Aug. 23 mandating state agencies buy more New York-sourced food. The order gradually increases the percentage of state-sourced food, from New York farmers and producers, from 5 percent now to 30 percent by the end of 2027. That would add almost $400 million in income to New York farmers. Hochul said, “By increasing the amount of food State agencies must buy from local growers and producers, we are further investing in farm production and food processing in New York.... We will continue taking bold action to support our next generation of farmers and the future of our agricultural industry for decades to come." New York Department of Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, "I wanna see it grow.... I mean 30 percent is a starting point, as far as I’m concerned.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that New York's Public Service Commission will only hold four remote public hearings about Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.’s request to raise gas and electricity rates, but no in-person meetings. Assemblyperson Jonathan Jacobson of Newburgh has called for in-person hearings. Jacobson wrote to the commission that, “while virtual events allow many attendees to participate from the comforts of their home, they exclude those who don’t have computers and/or reliable Wi-Fi service. This means that citizens who are economically challenged—and arguably least able to afford a rate increase—are excluded from making their voices heard.” Central Hudson wants approval for a 16 percent hike in electricity rates, and a 19 percent increase for gas. Two virtual hearings will be on Sept. 12, at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. To join visit https://signin.webex.com/join, with event number is 2345 253 2876 and password: Sept12-1pm. To join by phone, call (518) 549-0500 with access code 2345 253 2876, and password 73781201. The other two hearings are at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 20. The online 1 p.m. hearing event number is: 2338 342 7497, with the password, Sept20-1pm. The phone-in access number is (518) 549-0500, with the access code 2338 342 7497, and password 73782001. The Sept. 20 5 p.m. virtual hearing event number is 2334 829 1678, with password Sept20-5pm. The phone-in access number is (518) 549-0500 with access code 2334 829 1678, and password 73782005. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Raymond Pignone in Columbia-Greene Media reports that the New York State Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing on Aug. 29 in Catskill about the already-approved Champlain-Hudson Power Express Project. The hearing is at 1 p.m. Aug. 29 on the second floor of Catskill Town Hall, 439 Main St. The 339-mile, 1,000-megawatt energy transmission line will pass through Coxsackie, Athens, New Baltimore, and Catskill in Greene County, moving energy from Quebec to New York City. Environmental advocacy group Riverkeeper opposes the project, saying it will impact aquatic life and navigation and threaten drinking water. Cables will be buried underwater and underground in the plan. Champlain-Hudson Power Express received an incentive package from the Greene County Industrial Development Agency. The public hearing is about a proposed amendment to the plan, changing to a segment of about one mile that has been approved by the Catskill Town Board and the Catskill Village Board of Trustees. The change would shift the transmission line away from some homes onto New York State Department of Transportation land along Route 23 and Route 9W. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's audio daily news update.

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.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Upstater that the Village of Kinderhook held a dedication ceremony July 29 for the newly named Dunham Park. Village Mayor Michael Abrams said that, “the village park at the western corner of Broad and Hudson streets [will] be named Dunham Park in honor of James C. Dunham and the Dunham family, in recognition of the many ways Dunham family members have benefited Kinderhook through their legacy of public service and sacrifice.” James “Jim” Dunham served on numerous village boards and committees, including multiple terms as mayor and village trustee. Dunham did not run for reelection as mayor in 2020. Instead, he's getting the pocket park next to the bandstand and Village Square, where a statue of former Kinderhook resident and U.S. President Martin Van Buren is seated on a bench, named after him. The motion passed by the Village Board on July 12 to rename the park also honors his wife, Bonnie Becker Dunham for her work, “As a long-serving, dedicated, and skilled educator, Bonnie impacted the lives of many young people and their parents. She also assumed lead volunteer positions at local organizations, including the Columbia County Historical Society and the Kinderhook Reformed Church.” Read more about this story in The Upstater.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that the previously announced sale of a media group covering Columbia and Greene counties to the Daily Gazette in Schenectady is still not official. The report says a memo to the Columbia-Greene Media staff of the Register-Star and Daily Mail in March said the sale could go through as early as May 1. But it is August now, and the sale is still not complete. Daily Gazette Publisher John DeAugustine told the Times Union that the sale was waiting on any "legal due diligence that needed to be completed" by Columbia-Greene Media. Johnson Media Corp, DeAugustine explains, would have to clear any liens on Columbia-Greene Media before the deal could go through. He said, "We need lien releases, and until we can get those, we are unable to do the deal.... but they have to be prepared to do the deal." The story also notes that in 2021 Columbia-Greene Media Corp. was sued by its former landlord. They claimed in a court filing that the media group had failed to pay six months of rent and broke its lease when it relocated to offices in Hudson's city center. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman about a local development battle, this one over the 840-acre Winston Farm, the Saugerties site that hosted the 1994 Woodstock music festival. Developers want to split it into 14 estate parcels, with 66 single-family homes, a village area with 57 single-family units, 13 cabins, a commercial area, a boutique hotel, a hotel with a water park, an amphitheater with an events center, and a campground. Others are hoping the land can be preserved, and want the Open Space Institute to step in and buy the property instead. But Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello says that probably won't happen. “It’s not the first time there’s been outreach by members of the Saugerties community to get them to consider the property,” Costello said. “In the past, they’ve waved it off.” Open Space Institute Communications Director Siobhan Gallagher Kent admitted that there have been discussions but would not say how serious talks have gotten. Kent said, “We’re always interested in conserving land whenever it becomes available but right now it would really be not appropriate for me to comment on what we’ve done or not done on a particular property.” Winston Farm spokesperson Joshua Sommers, meanwhile, said that the owners “remain committed to their proposals.” Costello is now suggesting starting a program similar to one in Red Hook's zoning establishing a fund for the purchase of development rights. Costello said, “Maybe there’s an opportunity for a synergy between all parties.... Developers would get (the) privilege to develop certain areas of the property that the data tells us would be least impactful but achieves those goals of housing opportunities and job opportunities.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Michael Ryan reports for the Mountain Eagle that the Jewett town board had to waive the local noise ordinance to do it, but last week they approved a public assembly application from resident Floyd Dart for a tractor pull on September 9. Town Supervisor Greg Kroyer said, “There will be a time during this event we will potentially exceed our Noise Ordinance requirements.” Tractor pulling contests originated with animals, mainly horses, in contest to pull the most weight. Most often farmers would have teams of draft horses competing to carry the heaviest loads over the greatest distance. This particular tractor pull was previously being held in Durham. Dart said, “I am doing this for the kids who have asked me to do it." The event will be held near the intersection of Cross Road and Route 13, on back roads, rain or shine. Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Today's audio daily news update.

Molly Burke reports for the Times Union that New York's slow rollout of legal cannabis stores has stopped moving after State Supreme Court Justice Kevin R. Bryant issued an injunction Aug. 18 halting New York's marijuana licensing program. Bryant ruled that regulators had “failed to follow the clear language of the applicable legislation” that legalized cannabis. Bryant ruled that the state did not follow the language of the 2021 legalization statute. The judge said that New York fast-tracked applicants with past cannabis convictions at the expense of other “social equity” applicants, including minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as disabled military veterans. Applicants for stores now face confusion over the rules, and this court order blocking new licensing. The lawsuit was filed by four service-disabled veterans alleging the state unlawfully prioritized applicants with prior drug convictions while excluding others. So two years after New York legalized cannabis, only a few stores are open in the state, and no more will open with this court order in place. Read more about this story in the Times Union.