This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Saturday, January 23 through Monday, January 25. Published in collaboration with The River. NEW YORK STATE 12,003 new cases yesterday 219,538 tests yesterday Positive test rate: 5.48% 173 deaths yesterday 8,730 hospitalizations (1,522 in ICUs) New…
This article was co-produced with The River Newsroom There are about 70 miles of picturesque shoreline on the Hudson River’s east bank between Poughkeepsie and Rensselaer. Getting to nearly all of it involves breaking the law. In 1846, New York granted the rights to that land to an early train company for the purpose of…
The Village of New Paltz is proposing to ban short-term rentals such as Airbnbs from its residential areas if the operator does not live on the premises. The proposal is intended to preserve the character of residential neighborhoods and keep monthly rental prices low, according to the draft law. New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers said…
Hudson moved towards banning some kinds of short-term rentals after a Common Council vote Tuesday. The bill, which still must be signed into law by Mayor Kamal Johnson, seeks to stop short-term rental operators, such as those using Airbnb, from renting out multiple properties or listing properties where they do not reside. The bill is…
In Brief – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan held a sobering COVID-19 update on Facebook Tuesday afternoon, revealing 23 new cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed in the last 24 hours and the number of people hospitalized with the virus had risen to 12, the highest since early May. Ryan warned of a second wave…
In Brief – The New York State Board of Elections released new enrollment data Sunday showing how many people have registered to vote across the state since February and their chosen political party. The regular release shows which party is attracting more voters and depicts the partisan make-up of different parts of the state. Looking…
Two polling sites in Ulster County had to pause voting over the weekend as throngs of residents cast ballots across the Hudson Valley in the first two days of early voting. This article was co-published with The River Newsroom More than 14,000 ballots were cast in Ulster, Dutchess, Greene, and Columbia counties over the weekend.…
Three women running for state Senate in the Hudson Valley have been outraising their Republican rivals as election day approaches. Democratic Sen. Jen Metzger outraised her republican challenger, Michael Martucci, more than 2-to-1. Michelle Hinchey, who is vying for an open seat against Republican Richard Amedure, outraised him more than 3-to-1. Karen Smythe, who is…
A Hudson Police Officer kept four guns – including an unregistered pistol – stashed in Hudson’s vacant former police station for more than a year. The guns were found in an open locker by other HPD officers in September 2018. The incident led to an internal affairs investigation of the officer, Jacob “Jake” Hoffman, by…
Two Hudson-based citizen groups are pushing for a complete overhaul of the Hudson Police Department with the Hudson Breathe Act of 2020. The legislation would cut the city’s spending on law enforcement by 22 percent, nearly halve the number of officers, and lays out requirements for the execution of search warrants. The legislation was put…
The Other Hudson Valley 