Lana Bellamy reports in the Times Union that the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting rejected the Shepherd’s Run solar project application on Feb. 6, about a month after a group of farmers bought a portion of land slated for the solar panels. The Hecate company wanted to put a solar array on about 220 acres of an 880-acre footprint along and around routes 23 and 7 in Craryville that would have provided 60 megawatts of power to a nearby New York State Electric & Gas substation. That would have been enough to power 15,000 homes annually without fossil fuel emissions. Copake Supervisor Richard Wolf said, “This is a welcome decision, but it’s certainly not the end of the story,” The decision dismissed the Hecate application without prejudice, so the company can still submit a new proposal for the site. Wolf said, “As I’ve been saying all along, we are not in any way opposed to renewable energy, we just think that the way this was sited — the location of the site and the fact that it was too big for our little town — so the question becomes how can we make this like a win-win?” Town officials, and many members of the community, opposed the project, worried about home values dropping nearby, and using environmental arguments against the renewable energy project. Linda Senk, a member of an opposition group called Sensible Solar for Rural New York, said, “From the outset, the proposed project went against local ordinances and the wishes of the community.... The pivotal loss of a 60-acre parcel from the project was Hecate’s responsibility alone. We agree with ORES Executive Director Houtan Moaveni that Hecate Energy LLC failed to act transparently at a critical point in the process.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports for HudsonValley360 that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Feb. 7 that New Lebanon will get part of $650 million in state funding to build more housing as one of 20 state Pro-Housing Communities. Municipalities receiving the pro-housing designation will get priority consideration for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding. Hochul said in a statement. “The only way to solve the housing crisis is to build hundreds of thousands of new homes, and through the Pro-Housing Communities program, my administration is continuing to put its full-fledged support, including up to $650 million, behind communities that are serious about housing growth.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.

Ashley Clemens reports for WNYT that a train derailed in the Village of Valley Falls in Rensselaer County on Feb. 7. Rensselaer County Director of Public Safety Jay Wilson said there was no immediate danger to the public and no one, including two train engineers onboard, were injured. Ten of the Norfolk Southern Railway cargo trains 94 cars derailed, and one, carrying plastic pellets, fell into the Hoosic River. One car carried an equivalent to a vegetable oil had a slight leak, but the leak was not in the river. Hoosic Valley Fire Chief Mark Sheline said, “We just want to stress that there’s no danger, there’s no harm to the public. This area is a bit congested for the time being and moving forward for the next couple weeks.” Read more about this story at WNYT.

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On Feb. 6, the Hudson Valley representatives in Congress split their votes to impeach Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security. The vote failed 214-to-216, with local Republicans Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik voting to impeach, and Democrats Paul Tonko and Pat Ryan voting against. Three Republicans, Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, and California Rep. Tom McClintock, joined the Democrats to block the resolution. The high crimes and misdemeanors Mayorkas is accused of are unclear, though Republicans are clearly unhappy with the current immigration situation. They had a deal for immigration legislation, but scuttled it earlier this week because former President Donald Trump wants to campaign on the immigration issue.

Michael Ryan reports for the Mountain Eagle that Bear Pen Sports Mountain will host a the USA Luge Challenge in Prattsville this weekend. Luge is a sled-like Olympic event in which America has never won a gold medal. Host Patrick delRosario said, “This is your chance to try luge at Bear Pen for free. This program was started to introduce to many people what may be an unusual sport. Not many kids we know say they want to do luge, but the word luge means 'sled' in French and how many kids go sledding?” Training begins at 10 a.m. on Feb. 10 for anyone at least nine-years-old. Luge races begin at 2 p.m. between boys, girls, men, and women, riding plastic replicas of steel sleds. Bear Pen Sports Mountain is at 1491 County Route 2, outside of Prattsville. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports at HudsonValley360.com that the Main St Goodness cafe in Chatham is closing on Feb. 11 after seven years. Owner Christopher Knable said he made a sudden decision to close the cafe. He said, “It was one of those crazy things that happen in life.... Someone called me and offered me a job I couldn’t refuse.... It seemed like a good point to turn the page and start a new adventure.” Knable is moving to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to be a property manager. He said, “I really enjoyed being part of the community [in Chatham].... I’ve lived all over the world, and this is my favorite place in the world.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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Joshua Solomon reports for the Times Union that on Feb. 5 a state Supreme Court justice in Albany dismissed a Republican petition to block New York’s law allowing registered voters to cast their ballots by mail before the final day of voting in person. Rep. Elise Stefanik and other Republicans filed the petition in September against Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Board of Elections for making it easier to vote by mail. Stefanik said, “We look forward to appealing on behalf of hardworking New Yorkers who deserve legal and valid elections." Voting by mail became easier and more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Democrats in Albany have tried to keep it easy and widespread since then. Hochul said on Jan. 5, “Despite the best efforts of its opponents, democracy has once again prevailed in New York" and that voting by mail is a “critical initiative that will improve citizen participation and expand access to the ballot box for all eligible voters.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Cairo's Bavarian Manor is back on the market, less than a year after the historic Victorian inn and restaurant on Mountain Ave. was sold by its longtime owners. Win Morrison Realty is listing the property at $5.5 million for current owner Garrett Doyle, who also owns Five Furlongs Tavern on State Route 145 in Durham. Doyle did not return a request for comment about the sale. The property includes an 80-seat restaurant, that formerly served German food. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

WNYT reports that Massachusetts State Rep. William Pignatelli, from Berkshire County, is not seeking re-election. Pignatelli, from Lenox, represents the Third District in Berkshire County. He posted on social media that, “it’s been an honor to serve with some amazing people making our commonwealth special" and the 64-year-old said he was starting a new chapter of his life. Read more about this story at WNYT.

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Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports at HudsonValley360.com that the Chatham Town Board voted at its Feb. 1 workshop meeting to change the responsibilities of the town supervisor’s position. Current Town Supervisor Donal Collins voted against the measure in a 3-to-1 vote. Chatham's supervisors must now submit resolutions to the full board 48 hours before board meetings and make some other reporting changes regarding communications with state, county, local and school agencies. Collins said, “I’m not resistant to anything being asked of me.... I just want to make sure we are compliant, and we are not in fact triggering a referendum by the adoption of these changes.” At the Feb. 1 meeting, Town attorney Tal Rappleyea did not know if a public referendum would be needed to make the changes. But if Rappleyea says a referendum is required, then Collins says, “If they do trigger a referendum, they would have to rescind the resolution" since the vote would not be legal without the referendum. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that on January 29, New York State Supreme Court Justice Richard Mott awarded Nick Bove $24,588.93 for full attorney costs after Bove won a lawsuit against the Town of Windham last year. Bove's Article 78 lawsuit against the town came after Windham officials publicly accused him of unlawfully hooking up to the municipal water supply. Bove said, "The court has sent a clear message that the town's actions were not only legally erroneous but also indicative of bad faith.... It's not merely about prevailing in court―it's about holding public officials accountable for their actions, especially when those actions infringe upon an individual’s constitutional rights." Bove is the owner of several area businesses, including Windham Mountain Outfitters and Higher Grounds Coffee Co & Restaurant. Bove said, “I don’t know what prompted the town to come after me in this way and why nobody simply reached out to me if there was a question or concern." Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that local Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro is opposed to the immigration bill that Republicans negotiated. Former President Donald Trump is against the bill because he wants to run campaigning on the issue, and has changed the minds of many Republicans in the House of Representatives about the legislation. Molinaro said, “The Senate bill includes provisions I can support like funding for law enforcement, but it faces an uncertain path forward in the Senate because it doesn’t close the border.... That’s why I’m calling for an immediate conference meeting with the House, Senate, and White House to develop a real bipartisan solution. We must secure the border and I have always been ready to work to get it done.” Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, while Democrat Pat Ryan represents the 18th District and supports the bill. Ryan said that some Republicans in the House, “are working as puppets for Trump.... That is a disservice to the American people." Kathryn Garcia, director of New York's Operations and Infrastructure complained about Molinaro and other New York Republicans standing in the way of improving the immigration situation. Garcia said, “During your time serving in the majority of the House of Representatives, the State of New York has faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as more than 170,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in our State.... Governor [Kathy] Hochul has worked for nearly two years with New York City to manage this crisis, investing nearly $2 billion in State funds to date. Meanwhile, you and your colleagues have taken no action to help address this national crisis, and in fact waited until this past week to even reach out to our Administration and express your concerns.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Raga Justin reports for the Times Union that a French advertising agency is giving New York a $20 million payout because of the role they played in the opioid crisis. In all, Publicis Health LLC, a French subsidiary of the larger Publicis Groupe, will pay $350 million to states involved in an opioid settlement. A press release from the office of Attorney General Letitia James said Publicis was a major marketing force behind Purdue Pharma, one of the largest companies manufacturing opioids that were marketed to physicians and prescribed to millions of patients. The company said of the payout, “This settlement, in which the attorneys general recognized Publicis Health’s ‘good faith and responsible corporate citizenship’, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing or liability.... We will, if need be, defend ourselves against any litigation that this agreement does not resolve.” Overall, New York has received about $2.7 billion because of litigation related to the opioid crisis. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Kevin Frey reports for New York State of Politics that on Jan. 31 the House of Representatives boosted the the Child Tax Credit.in a 357-to-70 vote, the rare kind where all four upper Hudson Valley representatives voted the same way. Both Republicans Elise Stefanik and Marc Molinaro, and Democrats Paul Tonko and Pat Ryan, all voted for the "Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act" bill that still needs to get through the Senate to get a signature from the president. The new enhancement would cover 887,000 New York children under 17 years old who are currently left out of the full $2,000 credit. The story says that when the Child Tax Credit went into effect during the first year of President Joe Biden's administrationm the child poverty rate was nearly cut in half. Then it lapsed at the end of 2021, and child poverty skyrocketed. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.