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The Daily Mail WEEKEND Copyright 2021, Columbia-Greene Media All Rights Reserved Serving Greene County since 1792 Price $2.50 Volume 229, No. 31 Saturday-Sunday, February 13-14, 2021 n FORECASTWEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT SUN Village, town finalize court merger By Sarah Trafton 1, our courts will be with the town, Kozloski said. Terms Columbia-Greene Media town and town judges would for both expire in March, so CATSKILL — Village trust- handle all of our cases.” the timing was ideal, Kozloski Mostly cloudy Snow late, A little snow, The merger will save the and cold 1-2” up to 1” ees have passed a resolution said. granting Catskill Town Court village an estimated $30,000 “That’s why we did it this HIGH LOW 34 jurisdiction over enforcement to $40,000 per year, Kozloski year,” he said. “We would have of village laws. said. had to have an election for 26 22 21 The resolution marks one of “It’s new to us,” he said. somebody if we kept the court the final steps in the village’s “We’re not 100% sure what the system going.” Complete weather, A2 court consolidation with the actual cost savings will be.” Trustee Greg Smith voiced town. Dissolving the village As many as three village em- support for the consolidation. C1 Saturday - Sunday, February 13-14, 2021 - MEDIA COLUMBIA-GREENE court has been in the works ployees will lose their jobs be- “It’s going to be good for ev- since the beginning of 2020. cause of the merger, Kozloski erybody,” he said. “We had to give the OK to said. Trustee Natasha Law 2021 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES Best motion picture — drama “The Father” “Mank” “Nomadland” “Promising Young Woman” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” allow the town to do our court “That’s the sad part,” Ko- Actor in a motion picture — drama agreed. Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” , “Ma Rainey’s Golden Globes Black Bottom” Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” kick off awards season Feb. 28 Gary Oldman, “Mank” Tahar Rahim, “The Mauritanian” Actress in a motion picture — drama zloski said. “They will be look- NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED: from here on in,” Village Vice HFPA leans on buzz from a , “Ma Rainey’s Black Bot- “I am for the consolida- tom” cultural powerhouse: TV Andra Day, “The United States vs. Bil- lie Holiday” By LORRAINE ALI Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman” Los Angeles Times Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” ere’s what Wednesday’s Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Golden Globe nominations Woman” tell us: Television delivered Best motion picture — ing for other employment.” — and ma- musical or comedy President Joseph Kozloski the blockbusters efi lm” H ny of the conversation pieces “Borat Subsequent Movi tion,” she said. “It doesn’t “Hamilton” — of 2020. Film, less so. “Music” Long considered the lower form of en- “Palm Springs” tertainment, the COVID-19 pandemic d “The Prom” and its stay-at-home rules hastene Actor in a motion picture — TV’s challenge to fi lm as the more rel- musical or comedy evant (and, frankly, fun) medium. It took James Corden, “The Prom” a decade or more of platform fragmen- , “Borat Subse- said. “We’re consolidating and The village justices, Wil- tation and a boom of creative, daring quent Moviefi lm” and sometimes deeply fl awed program- Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton” really make the village any Courtesy of HBO/TNS Dev Patel, “The Personal History of ming, but it’s safe to say that television is earned four nominations. now the bolder, sexier, more glamorous David Copperfi eld” Hugh Grant (left) and ’s “The Undoing” Andy Samberg, “Palm Springs” medium than fi lm. Just ask Nicole Kid- Actress in a motion picture — man (nominated for “The Undoing”), musical or comedy Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”) and ev- THE DETAILS Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent ery other “movie” star who’s made the The Golden Moviefi lm” File photo WHAT: jump. Kate Hudson, “Music” moving everything over at the liam (Rick) Jacobs and Richard upended a generations- Globe Awards The fl ip has Michelle Pfeiff er, “French Exit” WHEN/WHERE: old hier archy, and nominations in the Rosamund Pike, “I Care a Lot” 8 p.m. Feb. 28 on Globes’ top categories are further proof. Anya Taylor-Joy, “Emma” watched drama NBC Chances are you’ve HOSTS: Tina Fey Supporting actor in a motion INSIDEees “The Mandalorian,” TODAY!icture The village courthouse on Main Street. end of March. Starting April Paolino, are also judges for the See MERGER A2 n SPORTS Democrats push to repeal State Cuomo’s emergency power defends prison Hamlin eyes 3rd Daytona win closings One aspect of the By KATE LISA & ALEX GAULT Daytona 500 is old hat Johnson Newspaper Corp. to Denny Hamlin WATERTOWN — The head of – winning it. the state Department of Correc- PAGE B1 tions and Community Supervision defended the decision to close three upstate New York prisons at the end of March to save $89 mil- n OBITUARY lion as part of a squabble with rep- resentatives Wednesday during a hearing about the state’s proposed 2021-22 budget. North country representatives remain opposed to the closures. The number of state prisons will be reduced to 50 facilities this spring with the imminent closing of Watertown Correctional Facil- ity, Gowanda Correctional Facility in Erie County and the Clinton An- nex at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora by March 31. Clin- Jazz-rock fusion ton Correctional will not be clos- Courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office ing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo handed pioneer dies Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, left, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a June 18, 2020 COVID-19 briefing in Manhattan. down the decision late last year. The number of incarcerated Chick Corea, the versatile By Kate Lisa New Yorkers has decreased by pianist who made jazz Johnson Newspaper Corp. more than 22,000 people since electric and eclectic, dies ALBANY — Many state Cuomo took office in 2011 — the in Florida at 79 Democrats publicly joined lowest total since 1984, and a 54% Republicans’ cries Friday for decline since the all-time high of PAGE A5 an independent investigation 72,773 in 1999. into the state’s delay in re- The significant population de- leasing COVID-19 death data cline caused the state to close 18 n LOCAL in New York nursing homes correctional facilities without lay- and rescinding Gov. Andrew ing off employees since 2011, sav- Virus advance Cuomo’s broadened author- ing $292 million. ity lawmakers granted at the “Based on the continued decline holds steady start of the coronavirus public of the incarcerated population, Greene County’s COVID health emergency last March. we anticipate additional facility Legislative leaders in both closures in the upcoming two fis- death toll stable, while chambers are discussing the cal years,” DOCCS Acting Com- Columbia County adds potential for an independent missioner Anthony Annucci said one more fatality probe into the state’s COVID Wednesday during his opening PAGE A3 deaths in congregate facilities testimony. after Secretary to the Gover- Lawmakers questioned 33 nor Melissa DeRosa admitted witnesses as part of a bicameral n to Democratic lawmakers in hearing on public protection in INDEX a private Zoom call this week Cuomo’s executive budget pro- Region A3 that the administration inten- Courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office posal for Fiscal Year 2021-22 — the Opinion A4 tionally underreported the to- State Health Department Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker speaks at the opening of a state-run state Legislature’s ninth of 13 this State/Nation A5 tal nursing home fatality count mass vaccination site in New York City on Jan. 13. month. Obituaries A5 out of fear of political retalia- The closures of Watertown, Sports B1 tion from President Donald two-hour closed virtual meet- The Health Department re- on this pandemic response Gowanda and Clinton Annex Classified B6 Trump and federal prosecu- ing between Cuomo’s top ported 8,951 total COVID-19 and a comprehensive vaccina- will result in an annual savings of Comics/Advice B7-B8 tors. aides and several Democratic nursing home fatalities Jan. 27. tion program that has already about $89 million and a reduction “...Basically, we froze, be- legislators, including Sens. Ra- The state was mandated administered more than two of about 2,750 beds, according to On the web cause then we were in a posi- chel May, who chairs the Aging to release additional death million first doses.” DOCCS. “We’re in an enormous situation www.HudsonValley360.com tion where we weren’t sure Committee; Gustavo Rivera, figures Wednesday night in The U.S. Department of Jus- if what we were going to give the Health Committee chair- response to a court order and tice sent a letter to Cuomo on with the budget,” Annucci said. “The budget director is very hard- Twitter to the Department of Justice man; and Skoufis, who chairs advocates increased demand Aug. 26 requesting COVID-19 the Investigations and Gov- for an investigation with sub- pressed to find additional funds for Follow: or what we give to you guys,” data because of a March 25 ernment Operations Commit- poena power into the state’s anything without taking funding @CatskillDailyMail DeRosa said to Sen. James state Health Department me- Skoufis, D-Woodbury, accord- tee. handling of the crisis in con- mo that allowed virus-positive from something else.” Facebook ing to a partial transcript from The state’s reported total gregate facilities. nursing home patients to re- The Watertown facility is an all-male, adult prison and con- the governor’s office. “What of COVID-19 deaths in con- “We said we would release turn to the facility to recover. www.facebook.com/ sists of 90 buildings with 51 inside we start saying was going to gregate care facilities has in- additional data once our audit Many people argue the direc- CatskillDailyMail/ the compound and 39 outside the be used against us while we creased nearly 60% over the was complete and ahead of the tive may have contributed to compound, according to a 2016 weren’t sure if there was going last two weeks to 15,049 people commissioner’s budget tes- the deaths of thousands of el- National PREA Resource Center to be an investigation.” in adult-care facilities who timony — We’re doing that,” derly nursing home residents. audit. The Dry Hill prison em- The New York Post first re- died from the virus as of Feb. 9, state Health Department The Senate and Assembly ploys roughly 400 people total, ported DeRosa’s statements including 4,122 nursing home spokesman Gary Holmes said each sent Health Department Thursday after obtaining a resident deaths that took place in a statement Friday. “In the recording of Wednesday’s outside the facility. meantime, we remain focused See CUOMO A2 See CLOSINGS A2