The Daily Mail Copyright 2021, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 230, No.22
Serving Greene County since 1792
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022
Wrongful death claim filed in stun gun case
Watts defends vote on land deal
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Cairo Town Supervisor Jason Watts is defending a vote in favor of a town land deal that he now opposes.
By Ted Remsnyder Columbia-Greene Media
TED REMSNYDER/COLUMBIA-GREENE MEDIA/FILE
A photo of Jason Jones displayed at a candlelight vigil held outside the Catskill police station on Main Street earlier this month.
By Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge Columbia-Greene Media
CATSKILL — The family of the Catskill man who died after catching fire when he was allegedly hit with a stun gun in the Catskill Police Station filed a wrongful death claim Monday agains the village of Catskill seeking $20 million in damages.
Justin Jones, brother of Jason Jones, 29, is named as the petitioner for the administrator of the estate of Jason Jones on a notice of claim seeking punitive damages. The notice of claim was signed by Jones’ attorney, Kevin Luibrand, of Luibrand Law Firm PLLC in Latham. According to the civil claim, Jason
Jones sustained grave physical injuries including severe skin burns and fire and heat damage to his lungs resulting in organ failure which were a result of the actions and omissions of the village and the police department. “Prior to Jason Jones’s death, Jason Jones experienced significant
pain and suffering and incurred substantial medical bills proximately caused by the respondent and its employees,” Luibrand said in the notice of claim. The notice of claim outlines what allegedly happened Oct. 30.
CAIRO — Town Supervisor Jason Watts is defending an August vote to approve a town real estate deal that he is now publicly opposing. During a town board meeting on Aug. 30, Watts, in his role as town councilman, seconded a motion to grant former Supervisor John Coyne the authority to sign a contract for a piece of property on William Dinger Road. Watts then joined Coyne and council members Tim Powers, MaryJo Cords and Stephen Kralovich in unanimously approving the deal. Watts said Friday that when he took office Jan. 1 as the new supervisor, he was surprised to learn the town did not include the $70,000 land deal in the 2022 budget. Watts said Coyne told him the purchase of the property near Route 32 and McDonald’s was necessary for water infrastructure, something Watts no
See CLAIM A10
See WATTS A10
New lines mean shift in Delgado’s 19th District By Kate Lisa Johnson Newspaper Corp.
The boundaries of New York’s 19th Congressional District, encompassing all of Greene and Columbia counties, would shift further north and to the west for the next decade if the state Legislature’s draft congressional maps released over the weekend become law. New York lawmakers are preparing to vote this week on new maps delineating the state Senate, Assembly and congressional district lines. The Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment is finalizing the Democratic-led Legislature’s version of the new elective boundaries after
members of the Independent Redistricting Commission failed to reach a consensus on their final attempt to submit a joint plan. The bill will be taken up by the Senate Rules Committee and Assembly Governmental Operations Committee this week and is expected to be brought to the floor for a vote and sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign into law within days. “Ensuring fair representation for New Yorkers is important,” Hochul said Tuesday on the redistricting process during an unrelated press conference in the Bronx. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx; and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers; announced in a joint
statement the Legislature is poised to vote on the maps this week. Candidates are eager to start campaigning in early March for the scheduled June 28 primary, for which the new lines must be in place for. The map revision process must proceed rapidly so candidates and voters alike know their elective districts, the governor said. Under the Legislature’s draft maps released Sunday, the 19th Congressional District population would swell to 776,972 people from 698,673, with 631,726 eligible voters, including all of Columbia, Greene, Delaware and Ulster counties, and parts of Dutchess,
COURTESY OF THE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT
The new boundaries of the 19th congressional District drawn by the state Legislature, which would become the new lines of the upper Hudson Valley election district for the next decade if signed into law.
See DISTRICT A10
Final Voting Round is on! Choose your favorite Greene County Businesses and find out who was the best of the best.
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n FORECAST FOR HUDSON/CA
n WEATHER page A2
TODAY TONIGHT THU
Mostly cloudy
Occasional rain late; fog
Fog with periods of rain
HIGH 41
LOW 37
43 17
n STATE
SPORTS Brantley breaks record Janay Brantley becomes Catskill’s all-time career scoring leader PAGE B1
n INDEX
Holding pattern Hochul, health experts weigh mask mandate timeline PAGE A6
Region A3 Opinion A4 Local A5 State/Nation A6 ObituariesA6 Sports B1 Classified B7-B8 Comics/Advice B9-B10
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