Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus

With the administering of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible people under way, counties in New York have been running out of doses quickly. The process has been bumpy, and some county leaders hope it will be ironed out soon as they field numerous calls and remind residents that the program is run by the state.

Democratic New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney joined environmentalists and local lawmakers on the banks of the Hudson River Monday to celebrate his resolution that further protects the lower portion of the waterway.

The New York state attorney general announced Monday that her office was opening an investigation into a Brooklyn-based healthcare provider with a location in Orange County. The investigation is focused on COVID vaccine distribution. The Orange County executive says the investigation should come from higher up.

Hours after the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in New York Monday, to an ICU nurse in Queens, a few county executives delivered COVID-19 briefings. They talked about vaccine distribution along with potential shutdowns. Indoor dining was closed in all of New York City Monday, and leaders wonder if the same could happen north of the city.

As the number of COVID cases continues to climb, county leaders are distilling New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefings to their residents. On Monday, Cuomo announced new guidance concerning hospitals and indoor dining, but did not assign any new zones. Some leaders in the Hudson Valley anticipate that will soon change.

The Orange County executive has launched a letter-writing campaign to pay tribute to COVID-19 frontline workers during the holiday season.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Thursday added COVID-19 micro-clusters in three Hudson Valley counties. Earlier in the day, four county leaders and their health commissioners held a briefing to implore the public not to get casual about the virus, especially with the holidays around the corner.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises nationally and in New York, counties in the Hudson Valley are also seeing their numbers increase. One leader says his county is at the beginning of a second wave, while another is hopeful as a drug company with offices in his county is developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Orange County executive has informed residents that the COVID-19 cluster New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deemed a red zone earlier in October has been downgraded to orange. Meantime, the county executive is hoping to have indoor dining capacity increased as cold weather approaches.

Hoping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in certain New York City, Broome County and lower Hudson Valley hot spots, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced an initiative that implements zones. The color-coded system essentially amounts to containment zones with new rules and restrictions in each. The Orange and Rockland county executives say they fully support the new effort.

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.

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.

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.

The Orange County health commissioner is requiring that masks be worn in all county schools as well as in the transportation to and from school. It comes as the county executive held a virtual Q&A on back-to-school safety Thursday evening.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus spent Thursday in several places for different reasons.  WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne caught up with him in New Windsor to talk about vandalism in a nearby village, mall re-openings and more.

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney was in Orange County Thursday to talk about his bill that was included in a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package the House passed last week. Maloney, an 18th District Democrat, stood with the Orange County executive near a bridge that would benefit from the legislation.

Three Hudson Valley county executives joined New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney Thursday to urge Congress to deliver a coronavirus relief package that includes direct state and local funding. County leaders say they’re looking at steep revenue losses and layoffs unless the federal government throws them a lifeline.

The Orange County executive and county health commissioner joined New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney Thursday for a Facebook live town hall. They answered questions ranging from when nonessential businesses may open to the viability of summer events.

One of the biggest traffic headaches in the Hudson Valley has been alleviated. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Orange County recently to announce the completion of a major transportation hub.

Former longtime New York state Senator Bill Larkin will be buried with full honors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Efforts also are under way to mint a coin in the name of a local veterans history museum that Larkin helped found.

A funeral service was held Thursday for former New York state Senator Bill Larkin, who died Saturday at age 91. He was the last World War II veteran in the state legislature.

Orange County will receive panels that were salvaged from the Tappan Zee Bridge. The bridge is being dismantled, and the New York State Thruway Authority has been offering counties the panels for $1 each. 

It is the end of an era in New York politics. Republican New York state Senator Bill Larkin announced Thursday he will retire. The 90-year-old Hudson Valley senator became the fifth Republican in recent days to announce he will not seek re-election. But Larkin says he had made up his mind four months ago.

Three elected officials joined an environmental group Monday in calling on the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation to revoke or suspend an essential permit for a natural gas power plant in Orange County. At the same time, they voiced concern about the health and safety of area residents during the testing phase of the plant.

Three elected officials and environmental group Riverkeeper have asked the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation to suspend or revoke an essential permit for a power plant nearing its final stages before operation. The call comes following the March conviction of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s former top aide Joseph Percoco on bribery charges that involved state business with two companies, including the power plant.

Tuesday’s conviction of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s former top aide Joseph Percoco on bribery charges involved state business with two companies. One is a power plant in Orange County that is nearing completion. WAMC’s Allison Dunne reports some lawmakers are calling on the state to revoke the plant’s permits.

There are a number of swearing-in ceremonies taking place throughout New York beginning this weekend. WAMC’s Allison Dunne tells us about a few in the Hudson Valley.

There are a number of local and county races today throughout the Hudson Valley. Orange, Rockland and Westchester Counties are picking county executives. And there is a comptroller race in Dutchess County. Plus, some local ballot questions pepper the region, including one in Orange County involving the Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel.

The candidates for Orange County executive debated last night in Middletown. Incumbent Republican Steve Neuhaus and Democratic challenger Patrick Davis delivered their views on a number of topics before an audience of hundreds. Neuhaus is seeking a second four-year term while Davis is a political newcomer.

Incumbent Republican Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus is running for a second term. He faces political newcomer Patrick Davis, a Democrat. The two will face off in a debate Wednesday night in Middletown. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with Neuhaus about his first term and his vision for another four years.