Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Dec. 2 through Sun., Dec. 4:

The 20th annual Winter Walk was held Saturday night, Dec. 3, in Hudson. Thousands attended the event, which featured the local premiere of Phil Kline's "Unsilent Night," a musical procession up Warren Street, from Front Street to the Seventh Street Park. Winter Walk is organized by the Hudson Opera House, and the event now encompasses nearly all of the central business district and adjoining parts of the city. This year the Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest Best Community Windows awards went to the “Love is All” window at 238 Warren; Mrs. Zito’s Kindergarten Class for the Hudson Police Department windows; The Second Show; and, the Bee’s Knees. The panel of anonymous judges also awarded two special appreciation citations to Taconic Biosciences for its continued financial support of the event, and to the Bee's Knees for decorating the city parking meters to alert drivers to the city's month of free parking.

Daniel Zuckerman reported in The Daily Mail Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre formally opened its main stage with a ribbon-cutting last week. State Sen. George Amedore and Catskill Village President Heather Bagshaw were among the politicians in attendance. Co-owner John Sowle said the theater received a $105,000 grant from the state Department of Homes and Community Renewal for the project, which still has an incomplete backstage. "The theater is functional," he said. "We still got work to do." The new stage has already hosted "The Tavern" and "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus" this fall.

Emilia Teasdale reported in The Columbia Paper on the status of the Dutch Inn, a historic property located in the village of Kinderhook. The three-story structure is at the center of a legal dispute currently making its way through the courts. It is alleged that the current owner of the building, Eight Broad St Holdings LLC, failed to follow through on a sales agreement with buyer Paul Calgano. Calgano took the matter to court to enforce the deal, and acting state Supreme Court Judge Richard Koweek ruled in his favor. The state appellate court eventually upheld Koweek's decision, and indicated Calgano has a valid contract to purchase the property. The case has now been sent back to Koweek. Village Economic Development Director Renee Shur told the village board at a meeting November 9, she does not know when the case will move forward, but in the meantime, the building will remain closed as it has been for some time. The Dutch Inn building, located at 8 Broad Street, was built in 1856. It has served as a shoe store, a meeting hall for the Masons, an inn, and a bar and restaurant. The Dutch Inn was shuttered in 2001, after the county Department of Health identified an issue with the building's sewage disposal system.

Claire Hughes reported at Capitol Confidential a new law, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Fri., Dec. 2, created a new category of health care worker in New York. Under the new law, advanced home health aides will now receive supplementary training and work under the supervision of a registered nurse employed by home care agencies, hospice programs or enhanced assisted living residences. An advanced home health aide will be allowed to administer routine or pre-filled medications, such as injections of insulin or epinephrine. The idea is to allow more New Yorkers to receive care at home. “With this new law, we will have more skilled home health aides not only supporting their clients but helping individual caregivers by shouldering more of the burden of care,” said state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

Karrie Allen reported in the Chatham Courier work is underway to turn the former Methodist Episcopal Church in Spencertown into Austerlitz Town Hall. The building was purchased by the town from Martin Parker, the owner and operator of the Art & Antique Company, with the financial support of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. The town closed on the purchase in February 2015. The building is now structurally sound, so the next stage is renovation and the construction of an addition, Town Supervisor Rob Lagonia said. In mid-October, the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation awarded the town a additional grant of $800,000 to support the restoration of the building. Because the town hall project is being funded by donations there will be no impact on taxpayers, Lagonia said.

Chris McKenna is reporting at The Fray the U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a medical research bill, which included a proposal meant to speed the development of treatments for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses introduced by Reps. Chris Gibson and Sean Maloney last year. The Lyme section of The 21st Century Cures Act creates an interagency working group to coordinate the federal government's research on tick-borne diseases and gather input from doctors and patients. It also requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to meet with the group and give Congress a report within three years on combating tick-borne diseases. In a statement, Gibson, a Kinderhook Republican, thanked patients and advocates for helping him push the legislation, saying “their voices made a difference.” Maloney, a Cold Spring Democrat, said, “...I’m proud that by working across the aisle with Congressman Chris Gibson we have passed the most important piece of Lyme disease legislation ever written.”

Patricia Doxsey reported in the Daily Freeman the public could have unrestricted access to the northern rim of the Ashokan Reservoir by 2018. Chris White, deputy commissioner of the Ulster County Planning Department, last week unveiled plans for the development of a recreational trail that will run along an 11.5-mile railroad line located adjacent to the reservoir. White said the county expects construction to begin in October 2017 and the trail to open to the public in October 2018. The trail will follow the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor, and is expected to cost $8.5 million. The state Department of Environmental Protection said it will construct trail heads with parking and picnic areas at the eastern and western ends of the trail, and at Jones Cove, as well. White said the county will accept comment on the plan through February.