Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media two men were rescued by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers in one week at separate locations in Greene County. A call was received from North-South Lake Campground in Haines Falls on August 24, at about 3:50 p.m., reporting that a hiker was suffering from possible heat exhaustion on the Escarpment Trail in the Windham-Blackhead Wilderness Area in Jewett. Rangers Robert Dawson and Katherine Fox hiked in about 3 miles to reach the injured man. They gave the hiker, age 26, from Queens, food and water and he was eventually able to make his way back to the parking area on Schutt Road and return to his vehicle. The rescue took more than 5 hours, ending at 9 p.m. The second rescue occurred six days later. Dawson was patroling the Fawn’s Leap swimming area in Kaaterskill Clove when several swimmers asked for medical help after their friend jumped from a 30-foot cliff and injured his shoulder when he hit the water. The injured swimmer, 24, from Pompton Plains, N.J., suffered a dislocated shoulder and, with the swimmer’s permission, Dawson popped the man's shoulder back into place and applied a sling. The man declined further medical attention and walked out of the area to a friend’s vehicle. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Daily Star is reporting that SUNY Oneonta officials are sending all on-campus students home and ending all in-person classes for the rest of the semester after another 100 cases of COVID-19 were found on campus Sept. 3. Now there are 389 cases at the school in southern Otsego County. Students are being asked to move out between Friday, Sept. 4 and Monday, Sept. 7, WKTV reports. Other local colleges have also seen COVID-19 outbreaks since classes returned, including one student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie and seven at SUNY New Paltz, The River Newsroom reports. Read more about this story in The Daily Star.

Denis Slattery is reporting for the New York Daily News a federal judge September 1, denied a preliminary injunction in a suit brought by the Working Families Party and Serve America Movement Party seeking to block new vote thresholds for maintaining their official status in New York. The parties “failed to demonstrate that allowing the amended party qualification requirements to take effect would violate their Constitutional rights, otherwise cause irreparable harm,” U.S. District Judge John Koeltl wrote in his ruling. The suit was filed in Manhattan Federal Court in an attempt to block a state election law requiring all political parties to run a presidential candidate this year, and receive either 2 percent of the total vote or 130,000 votes to maintain a statewide ballot line. Previously, parties seeking automatic ballot access needed to receive 50,000 votes in the prior gubernatorial election to maintain a spot. Koeltl wrote that the new thresholds are well within the election law requirements “upheld in other cases and further the reasonable goals of avoiding overcrowded ballots and voter confusion and ensuring that candidates who appear on the ballot enjoy a ’modicum of support.’ ” Read the full story at msn [dot] com.

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Grace Panetta reports for Business Insider the five common mistakes that may get your absentee ballot thrown out, rather than counted. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission found that 23.7 percent of voters, around 33 million, cast ballots by mail in the 2016 presidential election, and more than 318,000 of those votes were rejected, about one percent. This year there are fears of slow mail service, and and the coronavirus pandemic is sure to have more people voting by mail. So the five common mistakes to avoid are:
• Improperly filling out your ballot. Follow the directions carefully. "You don't want to use red ink, marker, or anything that could be problematic. If your instructions say to use black or blue ink, use black or blue ink. If it says fill in the oval, fill in the oval. I think it's really critical for voters to follow the instructions more than anything," said Amber McReynolds, the CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute and a former director of the Denver Elections Division in Colorado.
• Forgetting to sign your envelope. This is the most common mistake voters make.
• Using a different signature from what your state has on file. Use a consistent signature style. Voters can update signatures on file with the board of elections office by submitting a new paper voter-registration form.
• Not including required additional documentation. New York does not usually require extra documentation.
• Sending your ballot back too late. In New York, ballots must be postmarked by 9 p.m. Nov. 3 to be counted.
In-person voting takes place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 3, and early voting takes place Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media an application for a temporary restraining order filed by the Columbia County Corrections Officers Benevolent Association to end the county's six-day furlough for corrections officers and staff at the county jail was rejected by a federal court September 2. In its court papers, the union argued the furloughs violated the U.S. Constitution and the losses claimed by the county were speculative. The furloughs were imposed as a cost-savings measure to help offset the county deficit brought on by the COVID-19 emergency. The Columbia County Board of Supervisors June 4, decided that corrections officers would be furloughed over six days. The furlough calls for COs and staff at the county jail to take one unpaid day off each month, until November, when the furlough will be reviewed again. “We’re projecting a pretty sizable deficit for the county because of COVID-19,” said Matt Murell, chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. “We tried to work this through so that we could save the money we need to save, but also protect our employees.” The county expects to save about $65,000 as a result of the program. The county proposed the plan for corrections officers as well as the sheriff's office, Murrell said. In response, the sheriff’s department proposed a series of givebacks equal to the savings from the proposed furlough. The Hon. Brenda K. Sannes of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York Wed., Sep. 2, denied the union’s request for a temporary restraining order and an injunction to overturn the furlough. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics top lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly are being urged by the Legal Aid Society to approve an indefinite extension of a tenant eviction moratorium. The group September 1, released a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to press forward on the measure. The current moratorium is set to expire in a month. The ban on evictions for both residential and commercial tenants was put in place earlier this year as a safeguard during an economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "If we allow evictions to take place at the cusp of a second wave – and right before the flu season and cold weather – we will be flooding homeless shelters, subways, and streets at the very moment where we need to keep people housed to mitigate the spread of the virus and avoidable deaths," the group wrote in the letter. It has been well documented that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income people of color and if the eviction ban is not extended those who were living on the brink of poverty before the crisis will face catastrophic consequences, including food instability and homelessness, they wrote. According to Legal Aid, 14,000 households in New York City alone had active warrants for eviction before the the pandemic hit in March, which could be subject to enforcement when the moratorium is lifted. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union Antoinette T. Bacon has been named acting U.S. attorney for New York's Northern District. She is currently serving as an associate deputy attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice. Bacon will become the first female U.S. attorney to serve the district, which is made up of 32 counties from Kingston to the Canadian border and west to Syracuse. Her predecessor, Grant C. Jaquith was sworn September 2, into his new post as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims. Jaquith ran the Northern District office beginning in July 2017 and will now serve a 15-year term as one of seven judges on the veterans' court. He is a former Army colonel and was nominated by President Donald J. Trump a year ago. Bacon is from Cleveland, Ohio, and previously served as the national white collar crime coordinator at the executive office for U.S. attorneys. She has received special awards from the IRS, U.S. Postal Service and the Justice Department for her prosecutions of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption. Bacon built her reputation as a prosecutor on a massive corruption case she handled as an assistant U.S. attorney in Ohio 10 years ago. In that matter Bacon successfully prosecuted roughly 100 targets during a nine-year investigation that included bringing more than 60 public officials and business executives to trial. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics a new Siena College poll, released September 2, found that New Yorkers are worried that reopening schools could create too great a risk of spreading coronavirus. At the same time, the majority of respondents are hesitant to embrace indoor activities outside of their own homes, as well. The poll comes six months into the pandemic and provides a snapshot of how residents feel about returning to some semblance of mask-wearing normalcy as businesses and schools enter a reopening phase. The poll found: 62 percent of those surveyed believe a full reopening of K-12 schools creates too great a risk; 32 percent believe it can be done safely; 66 percent believe colleges should only provide remote educational instruction and not bring students back to the campus, while 27 percent believe a return to campus is safe; 58 percent said they would not dine indoors in a restaurant; 72 percent would not have a drink at a bar; and the majority of respondents are not comfortable working out at a gym, going to a movie theater or a bowling alley. The poll is potentially difficult news for businesses trying to entice consumers out of their homes to spend money. The poll also found that 51 percent of New Yorkers believe the worst of the pandemic is past, a decline from 62 percent two months ago. Only 34 percent believe the worst is over. A significant majority, 86 percent, are either concerned or very concerned that New York will face another outbreak of the virus in the fall. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Wendy Liberatore is reporting for the Times Union the environmental advocacy organization Riverkeeper is taking legal action against Coeymans Recycling Center and its President Carver Laraway to halt their practice of allowing storm water pollutants to pour into Coeymans Creek. In a suit filed on September 1, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, in Albany, Riverkeeper alleges that Coeymans Recycling is violating the federal Clean Water Act by discharging dirty industrial storm water from “multiple unpermitted outfalls” and “failing to adhere to adequate stormwater pollution prevention and management practices,” as well as violating the act at least 378 times between 2015 and 2020. Coeymans Recycling is also accused of “failing to comply with the general permit’s monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.” Riverkeeper is represented by the Super Law Group based in New York City. The Ossining-based non-profit is asking the court to stop Laraway and his Coeymans Recycling Center of further violations of the Clean Water Act by forcing them to comply with their permits and implement storm water pollution control and treatment measures. Riverkeeper also wants Coeymans Recycling Center to “restore the quality of waters impaired or adversely affected by their activities.” Read the full story in the Times Union.

David Figura is reporting for NYup [dot] com an Albany County man last month broke the state fishing record for a white catfish. Chris Brockett, of Loudonville, caught the fish, which looks like a cross between a channel catfish and a bullhead, in the Mohawk River on Aug. 22. It weighed 12 pounds and measured 30.5 inches long. He caught the big fish with cut bait. The previous state record was a 10.5-pound catfish caught by Joe Silicato on a jig and cut bait in 1998, on the New Croton Reservoir in Westchester County. Brockett said he caught his white catfish at 10:30 p.m. while fishing from shore near Waterford. “I grew up catching striped bass on the Connecticut (ocean) shore.I get into a big fish, I’m taking it in,” the 29-year-old angler said. Brockett said he still has some paperwork to fill out, but he has been notified by the Department of Environmental Conservation he does have the state record. Read the full story at newyorkupstate [dot] com.

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With most votes in incumbent Richard Neal won the Democratic primary election Sept. 1 against challenger Alec Morse. Neal is considered a conservative Democrat, and Morse challenged him from the left in the Western Massachusetts 1st Congressional District. Neal was leading 60 percent to 40 percent after polls closed, but before the total was complete. Incumbent Senator Ed Markey also beat challenger Joe Kennedy in a statewide contest. In the Congressional election, Morse, who is gay, was accused of sexual misconduct during the campaign, but the allegations appeared to be part of a political hit job. The College Democrats made the sexual misconduct charge, but The Intercept later reported that leaders of the College Democrats had conspired to create a sex scandal to sink Morse’s campaign and win favor with Neal, and that the Democrats executive director told leaders of the College Democrats to delete communication records. Neal's campaign denied any involvement in the story.

Dan Clark reports for New York Now that New York voters can now request an absentee ballot for the November elections online through a special portal, absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov. Absentee ballots are only issued for a reason, but this year voters can claim the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for voting by mail. "In line with the sweeping reforms we have implemented to make it easier for New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote.... we launch the online portal through which every registered voter concerned about COVID-19 can obtain an absentee ballot,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Election day is Nov. 3. There are no drop boxes locally for leaving votes. Absentee ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by 9 p.m. Nov. 3 in one of the following ways:
• Through the mail, the ballot must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3.
• Ballots can also be hand-delivered to the County Board of Elections office no later than 9 p.m. Nov. 3.
• Absentee ballots can also be hand-delivered to an early voting poll site between October 24 and Nov. 1.
• And absentee ballots can also be hand-delivered to an in-person poll site by 9 p.m. on Nov. 3.

WNYT-TV is reporting New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials believe the period of danger is over at the SABIC Innovative Chemical Plant in Selkirk in southern Albany County. No further evacuation is planned after the Sept. 1 accident, but Route 32 was expected to stay closed overnight as a precaution. DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said he does not expect any out-of-the-ordinary readings, but he is urging nearby residents to be prepared for the possibility of an evacuation, just in case. The hazardous material released was styrene gas, which is used in making plastic. Styrene is a known carcinogen, which led to a great deal of concern. DEC has set up nine air monitoring stations all around the SABIC plant. The leak started in a rail car early in the day September 1, resulting in a half-mile wide radius evacuation being ordered. The evacuation affected three large companies, including SABIC, the plastics manufacturer on whose property the leak began. Seggos declared the situation stable, but not necessarily over. Emergency responders began pouring water on the tanker car to cool it down, a process that continued into the evening. SABIC is a Saudi multinational chemical manufacturing company and a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco is the second largest public company in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. Read more at wnyt [dot] com.

The New York State Bridge Authority September 1, announced the start of the full deck replacement project on the westbound span of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. The authority also announced that new traffic patterns will take effect by mid-December. The multi-year project "represents a major capital improvement in a critical connector for the Hudson Valley and the Northeast," according to a press release from the authority. The north span of the bridge is the older of the two spans and carries Interstate 84 westbound traffic across the Hudson River. First opened in 1963, the last deck replacement took place in the early 1980s. The Bridge Authority and its contractor have announced a plan to reroute traffic onto the wider south span during construction, with the exception of westbound traffic coming from Route 9D. The entire deck replacement project at the north span is expected to wrap up by July 2023, with most work expected to take place in 2021 and 2022. Traffic updates for all bridges operated by the New York State Bridge Authority can be found on the authority's Facebook and Twitter profile pages. The New York State Bridge Authority operates the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff and Rip Van Winkle Bridges. It also owns and maintains the structure of the Walkway Over the Hudson pedestrian bridge.

Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union Planned Parenthood has opened a new health center in Troy. The new facility is located on Hoosick St. in a former Peebles department store in the Hudson River Commons Plaza. The 6,720-square-foot space is approximately one-third larger than Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood’s previous Troy center, which was located in the Hendrick Hudson Building on Broadway. “We really needed more space and unfortunately we couldn’t expand at all in the space where we previously were,” said Chelly Hegan, president and CEO of the Upper Hudson affiliate. The new space has room for a surgical abortion clinic — a service that could not be offered at the previous center due to space constraints, she said. It also has room for a shared teen space and community room, which will allow the organization to host more education and community programming. The new center is located on a bus line with parking nearby, and it should be easier and safer to access than the old one, Hegan said. Because it is located in a private shopping plaza, anti-abortion protesters who routinely show up at Planned Parenthood clinics will no longer be able to protest near the patients, she said. The new clinic has been named the Opalka Center for Reproductive Health and Education in honor of Chet and Karen Opalka, major donors who helped to finance the center, Hegan said. The new center was also funded by grants from the state Department of Health and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Consortium of Abortion Providers. The clinic officially opened last week. Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood also has locations in Albany and Hudson. Read the full story in the Times Union.