Hudson Valley News

SUNY New Paltz faculty members have published a book about the legacy of women’s suffrage in New York during a year marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, prohibiting states and the federal government from denying the right to vote based on sex. A few of the college’s history and political science professors are among the contributors.

COVID-19 clusters in parts of New York City and Orange and Rockland Counties are raising alarm. After announcing some schools in clusters in Brooklyn and Queens would close starting tomorrow, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says schools in the Orange and Rockland hotspots are under consideration for closure.

A New York state senator is launching a virtual initiative to spark interest among local teens in the trades.

A New York state lawmaker says a utility provider in the Hudson Valley has committed to removing graffiti in a city in Orange County.

It’s budget proposal time across New York as COVID-19 has wreaked fiscal havoc on both state and local governments. Rockland and Orange Counties are seeing some sales-tax recovery and hope for a continued upswing. The proposals don’t include layoffs, but there are property tax increases.

In New York, the Ulster County executive delivered his budget address Thursday. He has a number of projects on the list to develop what he calls a people-centered economy.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he spoke with Orthodox Jewish leaders Wednesday morning to come up with an action plan to contain the spread of COVID-19 clusters. A second discussion to set the outreach plan in motion was slated for 3 Wednesday afternoon. Cuomo says 20 zip codes in the state have high infection rates. Among the highest are three locations in Orange and Rockland Counties.

A New York Congresswoman says a Westchester County town in her district has been awarded funding to help expand its tax base. This comes as the nearby Indian Point nuclear power plant is set to completely shut down in seven months.

Democratic congressional lawmakers in New York have announced federal funding to support economic growth in the Hudson Valley’s low-income and distressed communities.

After filing a lawsuit earlier this month, Bard College in Dutchess County is awaiting a state Supreme Court judge’s decision on its petition to move an off-campus polling site on campus. Bard College’s president and students allege a history of voter suppression against young voters. This year, though, it’s also about safety during COVID-19.

There’s now a special housing unit at a county jail in New York’s Hudson Valley to support mental health treatment.

Long before the September 18th death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at least one congressional candidate in New York was talking about expanding the Supreme Court. Now, as President Trump has nominated conservative Amy Coney Barrett, other Democrats are considering the same, among other options.

A Beacon, New York man is combining a trail-running goal with a cause. He will attempt to run a section of the Appalachian Trail in record time, while raising awareness about domestic violence and a case out of Poughkeepsie.

A New York state senator from the Hudson Valley has introduced legislation requiring zero emissions for new vehicles by 2035.

The U.S. House passed green jobs legislation that includes an amendment from a New York congressman.

Dozens of community and environmental advocates are calling on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to preserve climate and clean energy funding, despite COVID-19 related financial woes. This comes during Climate Week, during which the governor has unveiled a number of projects and initiatives.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week discussed its safety performance assessment for the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County. One reactor was shut down permanently in April while the remaining reactor is scheduled to permanently shut down next year. The plant will then be decommissioned, and NRC staff laid out a timeline for the process.

The mayor of Chatham is explaining his decision to put the village’s police chief on administrative leave.

Three New York county executives, including one from the Hudson Valley, are reiterating their call for Congress to deliver coronavirus stimulus aid. With proposed budgets coming out in the next few weeks, county leaders say that without direct state and local aid, further layoffs and service cuts are unavoidable.

Playgrounds will reopen starting this weekend in a county in New York’s Hudson Valley.

A New York state senator says he has secured a commitment to void parking fines for healthcare workers at a facility in Orange County.

The Ulster County district attorney joined the county sheriff and local police officers this morning to call for positive relationships between law enforcement and the community. It comes on the heels of recent incidents targeting off-duty police officers.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday the state’s first completed project that pairs community solar with energy storage.

A New York congressional candidate who is considered likely to join the House next year says he and 15 other plaintiffs have won a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Postal Service. The suit sought to protect the right to a free and fair election. This comes as a number of lawsuits in recent weeks aim to protect voter rights and mail-in voting following the Trump Administration’s changes to the Postal Service.

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson have launched a Universal Basic Income pilot program in the city.

An effort is under way for local filmmakers to capture voters in New York visiting suffragists’ gravesites in their communities on Election Day. The project is from “Women and the Vote New York State.” Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Linda Moroney about the project.

A law school in Westchester County has reached an agreement with a university in India to collaborate in environmental and energy law.

The sloop Clearwater will sail into New York City this weekend to kick off climate week. 

A decision on whether to approve permits for a Liquefied Natural Gas export facility at a southern New Jersey port has been postponed by a commission whose members are appointed by four governors, including from New York. Environmentalists oppose the proposed facility, saying it will threaten nearby communities and the Delaware River.

A number of counties have been announcing various programs using federal CARES Act funding to help soften the blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of Westchester County’s programs is to help small businesses and nonprofits that have been negatively impacted by coronavirus.