WNYT-TV is reporting emergency officials have issued an evacuation notice for non-essential businesses located near SABIC Innovative Plastics on Noryl Avenue in Selkirk after a hazardous chemical leak early on September 1. Bethlehem police and Selkirk firefighters responded to SABIC around 6 a.m. The governor’s office says a safety release valve on a train car released styrene monomer, a hazardous chemical additive used during the plastic manufacturing process. Non-essential businesses within half a mile of SABIC must evacuate. Officials are also telling residents who live within one mile of the company to shelter in place. If a resident must evacuate, emergency crews will come to their location. Several surrounding roads are closed to traffic. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has deployed state resources to assist with the situation. The incident is under investigation. 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.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Democratic lawmakers August 31, called for the placement of ballot drop boxes for voters to leave absentee ballots for the November general election. Legislation proposed by state Senators Brad Hoylman, Rachel May and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried would allow for the placement of drop boxes statewide. Similar arrangements have already been implemented in 33 states. In the coming weeks New York voters are expected to cast a surge of absentee ballots thanks to legislation that simplified the criteria for requesting an absentee ballot by allowing concern over contracting COVID-19 as a reason for obtaining one. “We owe it to all New Yorkers to make sure that their vote gets counted this November," May said. "... One way we can promote safe, fast, and efficient voting, without worrying about postal issues, is to allow folks to drop their ballots off in secure drop boxes around their communities." Hoylman said, “New York won’t allow Donald Trump’s relentless attempts to undermine our elections and [to] spread misinformation to succeed." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Rachel Silberstein is reporting for the Times Union the "Solutions Not Suspensions" coalition is asking the state Education Department to ban suspension in K-12 schools during the COVID-19 crisis. The group, which includes the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Alliance for Quality Education, wrote a letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the Board of Regents August 31, urging a statewide moratorium be implemented to "minimize the long-term traumatic impact of the COVID-19 health pandemic on students and school communities." Demands include a moratorium on new suspensions during the 2020-2021 school year, permanent withdrawal of the suspensions that were pending when remote instruction began, expanded availability of counseling, and other behavioral supports and interventions. "Children ... have experienced severe trauma from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were abruptly closed, disrupting students' daily routines. Loved ones passed away and grieving families could not gather to mourn together ... It's time to end the zero-tolerance policies and adopt a compassionate approach to student misconduct and classroom management," said Jasmine Gripper, executive director at the Alliance for Quality Education. Statistics show that school suspensions disproportionately impact black and Hispanic students. The coalition is advocating for a state law prohibiting suspensions longer than 20 days. Existing New York law allows K-12 students to be suspended for up to a year. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County lawmakers September 2, will vote to approve the members of the newly established Police Reform and Reinvention Committee. Creation of the committee follows a June state executive order requiring all municipalities with a police agency to conduct a review of its policies and procedures and to develop an improvement plan that will address the needs of the community. Named to the committee are Catskill Central School District Superintendent Ronel Cook; the Rev. Richard Turpin of Second Baptist Church; Rita Taylor of Hop-o-Nose; Gary Slutzky of Mountaintop Progressives; Greene County Public Defender Angelo Scaturro; Greene County Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Friedman; Community Life Church Pastor Rick Snowden; Kate Oldakowski of the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team; Rabbi Zoe B. Zak of Temple Israel; Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione; and Greene County Sheriff Pete Kusminsky, Undersheriff Adam Brainard, Capt. Tracy Quinn and Lt. Andrew Overbaugh. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden will serve as committee chair. In addition to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, departments from the villages of Catskill, Athens, and Coxsackie, and towns of Cairo, Durham, Windham, and Hunter will be approved to serve, as well. A meeting schedule has yet to be set, Kusminsky said. Lawmakers will also vote this week on a contract with Police Management Services in the amount of $15,000 to work with the Greene County Sheriff's Office through the accreditation process, including reviewing policies and procedures and making recommendations, in preparation for an on-site accreditation assessment by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. The office was last accredited in 1992. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

October 9 is the deadline to register to vote in New York in the November election. That is the last day to postmark an application for the general election, which must be received by the local board of elections by Oct. 14. October 9 is also the last day an application can be received by board of elections in person to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 3 election. Anyone honorably discharged from the military, or who has become a naturalized citizen since October 10, may register in person at the board of elections up until October 24. Changes of address must be received by the board of elections by Oct. 14. In Columbia County, early voting begins Oct. 24 at the Columbia County office building at 401 State St. in Hudson. In Greene County, early voting begins Oct. 24 at the Greene County Office Building, 4th floor, Suite 430 at 411 Main St, in Catskill. Both early voting sites have unique hours, so call or check the board of election websites (Greene, Columbia) before heading to the polls.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan August 31, declared a public health emergency following the recent spike in fentanyl-related deaths in the county. In a press release, he said local opioid-related deaths between January and July 2020 were 171 percent higher than during the same period in 2019. Ryan said there have been 34 fentanyl-related deaths in Ulster County so far this year. Also during the first seven months of this year, fentanyl-related deaths accounted for 89 percent of all opioid-related deaths in Ulster County, a significant jump from the 58 percent rate of 2018, Ryan said. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. “I'm declaring this public health emergency to make sure we have all hands on deck, working together, to combat this deadly drug," he stated in the press release. Ulster County's Healing Communities Study team will partner with the county Sheriff's Office to create a spike alert communications plan that will give real-time updates to treatment providers when there is a sharp increase in the number of overdoses, fatal or nonfatal, in a 24-hour period. That way, he said, providers can be made aware that there could be a bad batch of fentanyl-laced drugs in circulation. The study team also will also create a public education campaign about the risks of fentanyl and the prevalence of the drug in the community, Ryan said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media 24 pallets of food, enough for 700 families, was distributed Mon., Aug. 31, during the Community Partnership drive-thru food distribution in Chatham. The turnout was so great that some families had to be turned away, Chatham village Mayor John Howe said. Twice as many families lined up for the event than did for the first area food distribution in late May, Howe said. Organizers ran out of food shortly after 1 p.m., and some families had to be turned away, he said. Meat, dairy, produce and non-perishable food was distributed. The mass food distribution was coordinated by the Regional Food Bank of Upstate N.Y., Catholic Charities Mobile Outreach and the food pantries of Chatham, Ghent and Valatie. The jobless rates in Columbia and Greene counties remain high, with many families struggling to make ends meet. Organizers are considering the possibility of holding another mass food distribution in the area, but it was unclear if they would be able to do so before the end of the year. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union the attorneys for a woman fired from her job with the Division of Criminal Justice Services for her testimony in a sexual harassment investigation told a federal magistrate last week they suspect the decision to fire her may have been made or authorized by someone in the governor's office. The disclosure was made during a pretrial discovery conference in a federal lawsuit filed in 2018 by Gina L. Bianchi, the DCJS attorney who was terminated from her position and told it was a result of her testimony in the sexual harassment investigation involving other female employees. In that case, Bianchi accused the agency's leader, acting Commissioner Michael C. Green, of covering up the allegations against a former forensics director, Brian J. Gestring. Following her dismissal, Bianchi, who formerly held a senior-level position, was able to fall back into a junior-level position because of Civil Service rules, but she suffered a $44,000-a-year pay cut and lost her senior status. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has declined to comment on the case. The last time a journalist asked him about about it, Cuomo said he did not know enough of the details to comment. Richard Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, August 30, said the assertion that someone in the governor's office authorized Bianchi's termination is "completely false." Bianchi's case underscores what her attorneys and the attorneys for other women, as well as public records indicate is a pattern in state agencies of punishing accusers while high-ranking male employees accused of sexual harassment or other workplace misconduct have received private counseling memos or job transfers, but no formal discipline. Read the full story in the Times Union.

WHAM-TV is reporting the deadline is hours away for prospective SUNY and CUNY students to apply for the Excelsior Scholarship. The three-year-old program provides no-cost tuition to students enrolled in state colleges and universities. It has assisted tens of thousands of students statewide to afford tuition. Under the rules, students from families with a gross annual income of less than $125,000 a year are eligible for the money. Over the summer, New York officials said the COVID-19 pandemic may affect the ability of the state to award the scholarships this year. This means the awards may have to be reduced and would likely not cover the full cost of tuition. Students who are already receiving the Excelsior Scholarship could potentially be prioritized over new applicants. The deadline to apply for the Excelsior Scholarship is midnight, August 31. Read the full story at 13wham [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the New York Board of Elections August 31, announced a statewide effort to recruit poll workers for the November general election as a result of a shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The push comes one day before National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, a day set aside to address the shortage ahead of early voting and the November 3 vote. Poll workers tend to be older people, a demographic considered more vulnerable to the virus. More than half of poll workers in New York are over the age of 60. This year poll workers are being tasked with facilitating social distancing, sanitizing equipment as well as assisting voters. Poll workers must be at least 17 years old and registered to vote on election day. Information on becoming a poll worker in Columbia County is available by calling 518-828-3115; in Greene County, by calling 518-719-3550. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

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Amanda Fries reports for the Times Union that instances of voter fraud are extremely rare in New York, and when they do occur, it is usually elected officials or candidates running for office and not the average voter committing the fraud. The conservative Heritage Foundation, for instance, list just 15 cases in New York since 2010. Most of those cases were false registrations of voters by candidates. There were just three cases of "fraudulent use of absentee ballots." Of the 14 convictions since 2010, "nine involved elected or public officials, candidates for office or political operatives; three were local developers accused of attempting to rig an election, and two were New Yorkers who voted twice." Sean Morales-Doyle, deputy director of voting rights and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, said, “What we’ve seen for years now is that there are some that use the specter of rampant voter fraud to justify all kinds of restrictive practices that do nothing to prevent voter fraud, but do everything to stop people from voting.... It’s a distraction, it’s not helpful and it ends up being used to justify policies that disenfranchise voters and don’t make elections any safer.” The disenfranchisement of voters in New York is a much larger problem. “In New York state, we see a lot more disenfranchisement than fraud. More than 14 percent of absentee ballots get thrown out,” said Jennifer Wilson, deputy director of the New York State League of Women Voters. “We have one of the highest rates of throwing out absentee ballots of any state in the nation.” Officials recommend voters casting ballots by mail do so carefully, reading all instructions completely, so their ballots are not among those election officials throw out instead of count. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a dozen veterans from the region took a 56-mile journey this weekend north on Route 9W from Kingston through Greene County to Albany, encouraging communities to walk a mile in their shoes. The event was organized by the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration’s Vet2Vet of Ulster County program. The group was expected to reach the state Capitol in Albany at about 7 a.m. August 31. “If the community steps with us that would be one of the biggest supports,” Vet2Vet Program Manager Galvin Walters said. “We definitely want to promote that unity within the community. The support of the community will definitely help with the mission and purpose of what we’re doing.” The event is intended to raise awareness about the obstacles veterans face such as post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide and homelessness, as well as showcase programs such the Kayak Program, Warrior Writers, Financial Readiness Class and Veteran Peer Support Program. “Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed on behalf of our safety, security and American values,” U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado said. “I am honored to pay tribute to their service by helping to launch the Walk-A-Mile in My Shoes event. I thank everyone in our community for joining this effort to raise awareness in support of the health and wellness of our veterans.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Randy Gorbman is reporting WXXI-FM the move to all cashless tolls on the New York State Thruway continues. Governor Andrew Cuomo says the last of the 70 steel gantries being built as part of the new system has been installed at exit 42 in Geneva. A total of 21 gantries are installed along the main section of the thruway and another 34 are at the entrance and exit ramps. Crews are now putting up sensors and cameras at the overhead gantries that read EZ pass tags and also take license plate images. The system is expected to be operational by the end of this year. When the system is complete, thruway drivers will no longer have to stop to pay tolls. Vehicles with EZ Pass tags are automatically charged and those without EZ pass will be mailed a bill after the cameras take a photo of their license plates. After the conversion to cashless tolling is complete the existing toll plazas and barriers will be removed in phases. Read the full story at wxxinews [dot] org.

Edward McKinley is reporting for the Times Union the SUNY Oneonta campus will remain closed for two weeks following a COVID-19 outbreak that infected more than 100 students and faculty members, State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras said August 30. “We understand people want to party,” Malatras said, but SUNY will act along with with local and campus police to shut down parties and ticket and suspend students. Five students and three campus organizations were suspended at Oneonta for hosting parties, Malatras said. A team from SUNY Upstate Medical University was deployed to Oneonta to test all 3,000 students on campus, beginning Friday, the chancellor said. The state will also set up rapid response testing facilities in the area so residents can quickly get tested. That testing will begin Wed., Sep. 2. The situation at Oneonta is not unique among reopening college and universities. Last week, SUNY Plattsburgh suspended 43 students allegedly connected to a party on Lake Champlain. Two private schools, Syracuse University and Marist College in Poughkeepsie, suspended students involved with large gatherings, and large parties were observed by the Times Union August 28, near the College of Saint Rose and UAlbany. The message coming from Malatras and Cuomo Sunday morning was that schools are expected to strictly enforce strict social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines for students. If they do not, then local health departments will step in. If local health boards fail to do so, the state will. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Kingston police have added patrols, and stops, as they combat a rise in in violent crimes and gunfire. Mayor Steve Noble released detailed statistics of their increased activity, and State Police have assigned a Community Outreach Coordinator to provide more information about law enforcement efforts in Kingston, as some citizens have complained about the increased street presence. “We are trying to balance the proactive patrols with those concerns,” said Mayor Noble. “Some community members have expressed anxiety about being stopped by police. Officers are aware of the anxiety that a person may experience when they see the patrol car lights or hear the siren behind them. If you do get pulled over, we encourage you to follow these suggestions from the ACLU’s website." Read more about this story at the Mid-Hudson News website.