The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 26th July 2024

Columbia County Recovery Kitchen moves to Claverack

CLAVERACK — The kitchen in the Churchtown Firehouse has some new inhabitants.The Columbia County Recovery Kitchen has moved its operations from Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, to the firehouse in Claverack.The organization realized it was running out of space to prepare and deliver meals to residents in Columbia County at its previous location, said Jolene Race, executive director of the Columbia County Recovery Kitchen.“In order to grow programs they needed a larger kitchen,” she said. “One...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 26th July 2024

'I suffered': Inhabitants of Hudson reformatory school reflect on former facility

HUDSON — Attending the New York Training School for Girls brings up painful memories for Hilda Onley, a woman formerly incarcerated at the facility.“It’s always left me with a lot of pain, a lot of hurt and horrible memories,” Onley, 83, said Tuesday.Onley was a resident at the reformatory school in Hudson for two-and-a-half years in 1957, when she was 15.“I suffered. It was a very horrible experience, and very frightening to this day,” she said. “I was beaten very badly by the house mother, con...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 26th July 2024

Columbia County man killed in one-car crash in Catskill

CATSKILL — A Claverack man was killed in a one-car accident Wednesday night in the town of Catskill.Thomas Konow, 61, of Claverack, was killed in the crash that happened at about 11 p.m. on Route 9W, according to New York State Police.The 2008 GMC Envoy driven by Konow was traveling south on Route 9W when it left the road and hit an overpass, causing the vehicle to become engulfed in flames.The Catskill Fire Company responded to the crash Wednesday night, and its personnel found Konow’s vehicle...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 26th July 2024

Report: 34 bridges in county rated as poor

Columbia County had the third highest number of highway bridges in poor condition in the state, according to a report released Friday from state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.Thirty-four of the county’s 139 bridges were rated in poor condition, according to the report, which uses data from the federal Highway Administration’s 2023 National Bridge Inventory.The inventory provides data on all highway bridges in the country, including culverts and interchanges longer than 20 feet.The number of bri...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 21st July 2024

Municipal tax cap to remain at 2% in 2025

ALBANY — The tax cap for municipalities in the state will remain at 2% next year, said state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.This is the fourth consecutive year the tax cap will be held at 2%. The cap was calculated based on the inflation factor for 2025, which was calculated by the Comptroller's Office at 3.30%.“The rate of inflation has decreased since the highs of 2022, but local governments are still facing higher prices for goods and services, moderating sales tax revenue collections, and an...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 21st July 2024

Electric, gas bill increases coming for Central Hudson customers

ALBANY — The state Public Service Commission approved a rate increase for Central Hudson customers at an amount less than the utility requested.The rate increase, approved at the commission's meeting Thursday, will go into effect on Aug. 1 and be in place until June 30, 2025.The company initially sought a $139.5 million revenue increase for electricity delivery, and a $41.5 million revenue increase for natural gas delivery, and filed the request with the commission to raise its customer rates in...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Hudson boy raising money for veterans - with his mullet

HUDSON — A 10-year-old from the city is raising funds for veterans in a unique way, with his mullet.Louis Scoffier is participating in the 2024 Mullet Champ competition to raise funds for Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors.“I’ve had a mullet for a pretty long time and it’s just something extra that is honestly pretty fun to do, and just to bop around town and talk to people, it’s pretty fun and came natural to me,” he said. “I definitely felt comfortable just confronting random people and...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Judge rules for Colarusso in dock replacement suit with Hudson

HUDSON — A Columbia County Supreme Court judge annulled the city Planning Board’s positive environmental impact decision against A. Colarusso and Son Inc., in a ruling handed down Friday.The lawsuit, filed by the company against the Planning Board on Dec. 17, 2021, alleged that the board illegally required the company to prepare an additional environmental impact statement.Columbia County Court Judge Richard Rivera said in his ruling the company’s replacement of the bulkhead was a type two actio...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Catskill High musical director reaches settlement over tape incident

CATSKILL — The Catskill High School music teacher, choral and musical director who was suspended in February after being accused of putting a piece of tape over a student's mouth reached a settlement with the school district, according to a settlement agreement.The Catskill Central School District Board of Education approved at its June 12 meeting a settlement agreement regarding the discipline of a tenured teacher, who was not named on the agenda.The settlement, obtained through a Freedom of In...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Thousands without power in Twin Counties after storms

Thousands of customers in the Twin Counties were without power Wednesday morning after powerful storms ripped through the area Tuesday night.By Wednesday morning, 1,732 New York State Electric and Gas customers were left without power in the Columbia County, according to the utility's outage map.New Lebanon was the hardest hit town in the county, with 1,132 customers without power. Other areas impacted included Canaan, with 139 customers without power and Chatham with 468 customers. Roughly 568...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Severe thunderstorms knock out power across Twin Counties

Severe thunderstorms that have been pounding the area since Tuesday night  are expected to continue through Thursday, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service said on Wednesday.The thunderstorms that rolled through the area Tuesday night caused the most damage by knocking out power to customers in Niverville, Chatham, and Canaan, in Columbia County, Joe Villani, a meteorologist from the agency said.Another threat of severe thunderstorms was expected Wednesday afternoon until Thursday, V...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

New Lebanon woman drowns in Queechy Lake

CANAAN — A New Lebanon woman drowned in Queechy Lake on Wednesday afternoon, police said.The 71-year-old woman, who was not identified by police, was found at Adams Point Beach in the lake by lifeguards and troopers from the New York State Police, Troop K Public Information Officer Aaron Hicks said in an email Thursday.At about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Canaan Fire and Chatham Rescue responded to the beach for a reported potential drowning.After the woman was found in the water and removed, police be...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 19th July 2024

Chatham considering zoning changes

CHATHAM — The town is considering changes to its zoning laws to help alleviate the housing crisis in the area.The town's combined Housing and Zoning Committee has been working on proposed changes to the zoning for three to four months, but no final decision on any changes has been made yet, Angus Eaton, deputy town supervisor and co-chair of the Housing and Zoning Committee.“We’ve been going back and forth on some ideas,” he said.The Town Board gave the committee the go ahead to update the zonin...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 17th July 2024

City to impose owner fee next year to cover sidewalk repairs

HUDSON — The city is responsible for repairing sidewalks and making them American with Disability Act (ADA) compliant, and it plans to impose a fee beginning next year on property owners to help pay for the repairs, the president of the Common Council said Wednesday.“The city is under agreement with the Department of Justice to fix sidewalks, and that we will do it by a certain time,” said Thomas DePietro, Common Council president.At a special meeting Monday, the Common Council approved a resolu...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 17th July 2024

Copake celebrates its bicentennial (w/ photos)

COPAKE — Hundreds of current and former residents braved the heat Saturday to join in on the town’s bicentennial celebrations.The Come Home to Copake Picnic, hosted by the Copake Bicentennial Committee, brought out old and new residents of the town to celebrate their ties and history with Copake.By roughly 4 p.m., about 450 people participated in the celebrations, said Kellie Nardin, chairperson of the Copake Bicentennial Committee on Saturday.“I think the community really showed up and really s...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 17th July 2024

Hudson boy raising money for veterans with his mullet

HUDSON — A 10-year-old from the city is raising funds for veterans in a unique way, with his mullet.Louis Scoffier is participating in the 2024 Mullet Champ competition to raise funds for Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors.“I’ve had a mullet for a pretty long time and it’s just something extra that is honestly pretty fun to do, and just to bop around town and talk to people, it’s pretty fun and came natural to me,” he said. “I definitely felt comfortable just confronting random people and...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 17th July 2024

CHS musical director reaches settlement with school district, fined $1,000

CATSKILL — The Catskill High School music teacher, choral and musical director who was suspended in February after being accused of putting a piece of tape over a student's mouth reached a settlement with the school district, according to a settlement agreement.The Catskill Central School District Board of Education approved at its June 12 meeting a settlement agreement regarding the discipline of a tenured teacher, who was not named on the agenda.The settlement, obtained through a Freedom of In...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 15th July 2024

First licensed marijuana dispensary Twin Counties opens

HUDSON — The first permanent, licensed dispensary in the Twin Counties is open for business.Riverbend Dispensary, 531 Warren St. and the former site of the clothing store Riverbend Mercantile, opened July 1.Rudy Huston, one of the owners of the dispensary, has lived in Hudson for 22 years. He was approached roughly four years ago by his business partner and co-owner Ed Glickman about potentially opening a dispensary.“We were partners from the clothing business in New York,” he said. “We stayed i...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 15th July 2024

County board votes down animal abuse registry law

HUDSON — The Columbia County Board of Supervisors voted down a local law that would have established a county animal abuse registry.The law, introduced at the board’s meeting Wednesday, was defeated 16-7, following a brief public hearing.Supervisors Raymond Staats, Clermont; Brenda Adams, Canaan; Richard Wolf, Copake; Donal Collins, Chatham; John Reilly, Gallatin; Kathy Eldridge, Greenport; David Helsley, Germantown; Dennis Dvorchak, Hillsdale; Claire Cousin, Hudson 1st Ward; Abdus Miah, Hudson...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 15th July 2024

Greene County residents call for clean water at Superfund site meeting

CATSKILL — Clean water should be a priority for the Environmental Protection Agency, residents who attended a community meeting held Thursday by the agency said Thursday.The meeting organized by the EPA began with an open house where attendees could view posters with information about the site and was followed by a presentation made by representatives from the agency, as well as the state Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation.Over 50 residents from Catskill, South Cai...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 15th July 2024

Pocketbook factory project gets $7 million in financing

HUDSON — Pocketbook Hudson, the project to adapt the former pocketbook factory in the city, was awarded $7 million in financing for the project.The factory, formally known as The Harder Knitting Mill, is located at 549 Washington St. and was formerly a textile manufacturing plant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The project received the loan through the state Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing program, which provides project funding for sustainable improvements to proje...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 9th July 2024

Driver dead after crash at Lebanon Valley Dragway

NEW LEBANON — A driver was killed in a crash during a drag race at the Lebanon Valley Dragway Sunday afternoon, state police said.William E. Janke, 57, of Newburgh, lost control of his vehicle during a sanctioned drag race at the motorway and struck a barrier at roughly 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.Janke was ejected from his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.Janke was driving at a high rate of speed when the crash occurred, New York State Police Troop K Public Information Officer Aar...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 9th July 2024

Income gap narrows slightly between people migrating in and out of Twin Counties

The income gap between those migrating in and out of the Twin Counties was lower in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a report released last week by the nonprofit organization Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress.Five out of the nine counties included in the report, including Columbia County, gained income from migration into the county even though more people were leaving, according to the report.In 2020, the average household income of people moving into Columbia County was $166,107, and house...

The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers • 7th July 2024

Gas line replacement along Warren Street in Hudson expected to finish next month

HUDSON — Ongoing replacement of natural gas lines along Warren Street in the city is expected to be completed by August, a National Grid spokesperson said Tuesday.“It still depends on weather and things that may come up in between, but right now we’re looking to be done by August,” said Patrick Stella, a spokesperson for National Grid.Replacement of the lines began in November, and are ongoing. The gas line work has resulted in the closure of sections of Warren Street for the past nine months. T...