New York State of Politics reports that while Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to build 800,000 new housing units in ten years was not passed by the legislature this year, some lawmakers are cheering her recent executive actions addressing the affordable housing crisis. Hochul wanted to build apartment units close to mass transit so people without cars could travel to and from work, and this week 143 new apartments opened in Westchester County near the Metro-North Station in Harrison. State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg, of Ossining, said Hochul seems to have heard what legislators told her about the issue. Levenberg said, “I’m not going to say she’s bridging the divide but she’s taking action outside the legislative process. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. I absolutely agree with her that we must ignite a fire under our housing stock situation.... Now what she’s doing is exactly what the legislature had wanted to do which was to offer more carrots than sticks.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Jim Farber reports in The New York Times that Robbie Roberton, the lead guitarist and a singer for The Band, has died at age 80. The Band is perhaps the musical act most associated with the Hudson Valley. Their album "Music from Big Pink" was composed partly in "Big Pink," a house shared by bassist/singer Rick Danko, pianist/singer Richard Manuel, and organist Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York. In the summer of 1967, The Band lived with Bob Dylan in Woodstock, N.Y., recording songs that would later appear on the the double album “The Basement Tapes.” Martin Scorsese recorded "The Last Waltz" film in 1976 with The Band, and worked on his soundtracks with Robertson including "The Color of Money," "The Irishman" and the forthcoming "Killers of the Flower Moon." Read more about this story in The New York Times.

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Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that a 16-year-old male died Aug. 8 at Fawn’s Leap in Haines Falls. Police, firefighters, EMS, and water rescue crews were dispatched to the swimming spot along State Route 23A, but could not save the man. The site includes a 24-foot-high waterfall and dangerous, rocky cliffs. There have been many deaths there over the years, the last in 2019 when in 2019 when a 20-year-old military cadet fell after the rock ledge he was hanging onto snapped. Last June a man nearly drowned after misjudging the depth of the water. On July 25 and 26 this year there were multiple people rescued there after heavy rains caused flash flooding. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the post office has a new sorting and delivery structure for mail scheduled to start this fall, and two Hudson Valley state Senators are not happy about it. Democrat Michelle Hinchey and Republican Rob Rolison sent a letter to the post office saying that the proposed changes, “which include potentially closing numerous local post offices across the Hudson Valley and converting them to sorting and delivery centers, will be detrimental to our region.” The lawmakers claim that with “fewer facilities and less staff, rural families will suffer.” The story says that Hinchey and Rolison want the post office to pause the changes, but does not include a comment from postal officials. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Amal Tlaige reports for News10 in Albany that New York cigarette taxes go up one dollar on Sept. 1 to to $5.35 a pack. New York already had the highest cigarette taxes in the country. Adam Hoffer, Director of Excise Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation, said, “Fewer people will buy it, but the real question is how many fewer? And when something that’s addictive, the answer is very few people will actually quit smoking because of this one dollar per pack tax increase.” Trevor Summerfield, Director of Advocacy with the American Lung Association, said, “I don’t talk about this a lot but I was a former smoker. I decided to quit when it became too expensive due to taxes and also just wrapping my head around the negative health consequences of smoking." Seventy-six percent of New York's cigarette tax revenue goes to health care, and the remaining amount goes to the state’s general funds. Last year the state collected about a billion dollars in tax revenue from cigarette sales. Read more about this story at the News10 website.

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Patrick Tine reports in the Times Union that Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino now says the racist Proud Boys who briefly marched in his town on April 5 violated city rules by having a parade without a permit. Montagnino also said they came from Troy. That's if you believe the “Uncle Sam’s Proud Boys” business card that one of the marcher's handed a police officer on Aug. 5. The Proud Boy with the business card told the police officer they were going somewhere else, and he watched them leave and alerted other law enforcement officers which way they were going. “There were no further issues with the group,” according to Montagnino's report. But Mayor Ron Kim said the report did not address the other laws the Proud Boys may have broken. Kim said, “There’s a clear part of the parades ordinance that prohibits masks.... This ordinance was passed in 2005. It wasn’t done recently or directed towards Proud Boys or anybody else.” He also suggested a noise ordinance could have been violated. "It’s clear they violated the law,” Kim said. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports for the Daily Freeman that last month the town of Saugerties settled a defamation lawsuit brought against Police Chief Joseph Sinagra for statements attributed to him in a 2021 Daily Freeman article. Michael Cook, who represented the town and Sinagra in the lawsuit, said though they settled with Saugerties resident Debra L. Ferraro, there was “no admission of guilt.” If the town approves the settlement that is for an unknown amount, taxpayers will pay for it through the town's insurance carrier. Ferraro claimed that Sinagra defamed her in remarks in an April 29, 2021 Daily Freeman article about the arrest of Ferraro and Derek S. Winnie in connection with allegedly fraudulent business practices. The charges against Ferraro were later dismissed. Sinagra claimed that he did not make the statements attributed to him in the newspaper. But Freeman Publisher Kevin Corrado said they stand by their reporting. The Town of Saugerties has since placed Sinagra on paid administrative leave because of a different matter. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Heather Bellow reports in The Berkshire Eagle that sculptor Richard Blake has been chosen to create a monument to W.E.B. Du Bois in Great Barrington. Blake's model will be on display at the Mason Library beginning Aug. 9. The sculpture will be installed in front of the library in the fall of 2024. Blake beat out the other finalists, Vinnie Bagwell and Dana King. Project co-chair Julie Michaels said, "We were awed at the astounding talent of all three applicants.... We are also delighted that the proposed figure has received such universal support from the community.” W.E.B. Du Bois was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist born in Great Barrington. The sculptor Blake said, “My public sculptures commemorate social activism and those who have contributed or fought for social justice.... I want to shed light on often overlooked or marginalized American heroes of color.” Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Phillip Pantuso reports in the Times Union that you may have heard about the invasive species Giant Hogweed, Spongy moths, and the Emerald Ash Borer wreaking havoc in the Hudson Valley. Now there's another, the elm zigzag sawfly. It comes from East Asia and feeds exclusively on the leaves of elm trees. The Department of Environmental Conservation says it was first sighted in St. Lawrence County in August 2022. But on Aug. 7 the DEC reported that this summer the pest has been found in Allegany, Ontario, Madison, Ulster, Schenectady, Albany, Saratoga, Warren, and Clinton counties. It is easy to see where it has been, as it leaves behind a unique zigzag line across the surface of a leaf. The DEC is asking anyone who spots the sawfly to report sightings to iMap Invasives, an online, GIS-based data management system that assists community scientists and environmental professionals working to protect natural resources from the threat of invasive species. Local scientists are studying everything they can about the sawfly, and are currently seeing two to five percent of leaves showing damage on trees it attacks. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko in Porcupine Soup chronicles the long list of legal troubles over the years with the Friar Tuck Inn in Catskill off Route 32. The property will be auctioned off by Greene County this fall unless someone pays the almost $100,000 in delinquent taxes. The resort has a medieval motif, almost 400 rooms, and more than 50,000 square-feet of convention center space. It was the first hotel in New York State to offer Off-Track Betting. But those glory days are now gone. James Hannahs, director of Greene County Economic Development, said, “Friar Tuck is certainly high on our priority list when it comes to sites that need an adaptive reuse concept, especially given its current condition, which draws concerns from the surrounding community and the county.... We have courted a few developers to consider a variety of different projects on that site, but it is privately owned with little to no access.” NY-32 Realty Group are the current owners, and Phillip Oswald, the attorney of record for NY-32 Realty Group, did not respond to a request for comment. The Town of Catskill is currently suing NY-32-Realty in State Supreme Court in Greene County, alleging that the “defendants continue to occupy and use subject premises, permit others to occupy and use subject premises, and rent and advertise for rent the subject premises, all in violation of state and local Law.” The Town of Catskill says the resort lacks certificates of occupancy and building permits. And the New York State Department of Labor has issued a stop work order because renovations were being made without asbestos remediation. With all that baggage, the property is listed for sale for $10 million. Hannahs said, “While we have yet to make progress with the current owners, we are continuing to search for potential developers and qualified projects.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Senator Michelle Hinchey’s office is collecting school supplies for K-12 students with the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition. Through Aug. 18 Hinchey's office at 721 Broadway in Kingston is accepting school supply donation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hinchey is also co-hosting a drop-off event on August 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition Office at 361 Main Street, in Catskill. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that lock boxes are now required for short-term rental units in the city of Hudson, but open fires are not allowed. On Aug. 3 the Hudson Common Council passed the two new rules. The new fire law says, “No person shall kindle, make or keep a fire in any yard, building, or other public or private space in the City unless in a smokeless container approved by such use by the manufacturer." The new rule also only allows dried, cut and split firewood, and requires all fires be supervised at all times. For the lock box rule, short-term renters must use certain city-approved brands, and then keys to the lock boxes are kept in each City of Hudson Fire Department vehicle, locked in a Knox key control unit. Mayor Kamal Johnson said, “Both of these laws are built around community safety.... The lockbox has allowed for the firefighters and emergency personnel to gain rapid entry into locked buildings. The open burn laws have needed to be updated for some years now, and this is also about safety and the welfare of the people in Hudson. This will make sure that we won’t have open fires that are dangerous to life and property.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Patrick Tine reports in the Times Union that Maple Leaf service between New York City and Toronto on Amtrak is back in both directions after a derailment on Aug. 4 stopped service over the weekend. Empire Service, which runs from New York City to Niagara Falls, remains suspended west of Albany because of the ongoing track repairs. An Amtrak spokesperson said there were "speed restrictions" on the rail line, but did not elaborate. Amtrak spokesperson Beth Toll said, "Full service will be restored as soon as conditions improve and it is safe to do so." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that New York's slow rollout of legal cannabis stores has another roadblock, with a state Supreme Court judge issuing a temporary restraining order stopping them from giving out new licenses. The reason? A lawsuit filed last week claims New York has largely kept cannabis licenses from disabled veterans "and other minority groups the law prioritizes." A hearing on the issue will be in court on Aug. 11 in Ulster County. Locally, the only cannabis stores open now are in Albany and Rensselaer counties. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Dr. Marcus Martinez, the family doctor from Hoosick Falls who helped lead the fight to clean up local water contamination from toxic forever chemicals, had died after a long battle with a rare form of cancer which he suspected was linked to his exposure to PFOA in Hoosick Falls. Martinez and Michael Hickey were the ones who initially suspected that there was PFOA in the public water supply and pressured the town and other officials to take action, starting with calling on the town to test the water. David Engel, the environmental attorney who led the legal fight to successfully force a cleanup in Hoosick Falls, talks with WOOC's Mark Dunlea.