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The Daily Mail Copyright 2020, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 228, No. 100
All Rights Reserved
WHO are you? Trump threatens WHO with permanent US fund cutoff, A2
The nation’s fourth-oldest newspaper • Serving Greene County since 1792
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020
Price $1.50
Revenue may take a big hit
nFORECAST WEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT THU
By Sarah Trafton Plenty of sunshine
HIGH 72
Mostly sunny A starlit sky and pleasant
LOW 40
75 43
Complete weather, A2
n SPORTS
Columbia-Greene Media
CATSKILL — Greene County lawmakers approved a resolution Monday calling for more direct federal COVID-19 funding, in light of projections that regional governments face losing about $2 billion in sales tax revenue. A report released by the state Association of Counties last month looks at two different scenarios and makes projections for each. In the mild scenario, Greene County is estimated to lose $35.5 million in taxable sales and $1.4 million in sales tax, which is 4.3%. The severe scenario estimates Greene County
will lose $4.4 million, or 13.4% of its potential sales tax. Columbia County’s loss is estimated at $38.4 million in taxable sales based on the report’s mild projection. The potential loss of sales tax is estimated at $1.5 million, or 3.6%. In the severe scenario, that number jumps to nearly 11% at $4.7 million. “Every level of government is going to feel the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and local governments are bracing for that loss of revenue,” NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario said in a statement. “But we are also
File photo
The Finance Committee of the Greene County Legislature on Monday approved a resolution calling for direct aid to the county after the state Association of Counties estimated that sales tax revenue losses in Greene and Columbia counties may reach between 4% and 11% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See HIT A8
How sports can return The awkward and isolated moments will continue at least through late-June as NASCAR runs its other upcoming events without fans PAGE B1
n BUSINESS
Capital Region cleared to reopen
Immunity to coronavirus Walmart sales soar on consumer stockpiling and shift to online, defies economic carnage PAGE A2
Courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office
Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a coronavirus COVID-19 briefing on Monday afternoon.
n STATE
By Kate Lisa Johnson Newspaper Corp.
Rethinking incarceration Amid the COVID-19 crisis state officials review options for early inmate releases PAGE A3
10 to start reopening after five started the process Friday, and Western New York opened on Tuesday. The Capital District needed to hire 383 contact tracers and identified 430 by Tuesday. The tracers were trained Tuesday and will start when Phase I businesses, including construction,
manufacturing and pickup retail industries, resume Wednesday. A company is getting close to developing a coronavirus vaccine, Cuomo said Wednesday, calling the development “exciting news.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may expedite approval.
“And they should,” Cuomo said Tuesday during a pandemic briefing at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. “That would be the best possible outcome.” The federal government must put rules in place to require See REOPEN A8
Twin Counties announce more test clinics
n INDEX Region Opinion State/Nation Obituaries Sports Classified Comics/Advice
MANHASSET — The Capital District on Wednesday was cleared to start reopening, a company said it is getting closer to a COVID-19 vaccine and New York localities can hold Memorial Day services with 10 people or fewer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
said. Since Sunday, the Capital Region, which includes Columbia and Greene counties, had one benchmark left of the state’s seven metrics monitoring COVID-19 hospitalization, death, infection, testing and contact tracing data to start reopening. The region is the state’s seven of
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By Sarah Trafton Columbia-Greene Media
On the web www.HudsonValley360.com Twitter Follow: @CatskillDailyMail Facebook www.facebook.com/ CatskillDailyMail/
File photo
Coxsackie-Athens Central High School was designated as the future site of a Greene County COVID-19 testing site.
After receiving about 1,000 test kits each last week from the state, Columbia and Greene counties are rolling out a series of COVID-19 clinics. Columbia County tested about 80 people at its first testing clinic May 8 at ColumbiaGreene Community College. Greene County held its first clinic Saturday at Catskill Middle School and tested 62, Greene County Legislature Chairman, Patrick Linger, R-New Baltimore, said. Seven more testing dates between the two counties are planned. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that the Capital Region could begin reopening Wednesday after meeting
the final metric and hiring an additional 166 contact tracers, for a total of 383. Greene County submitted about 30 contact tracer candidates, Linger said Monday. The candidates include members of the Greene NY Medical Reserve Corps, members of the Public Health Department who may be reassigned and staff at Coxsackie Transport. Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said he believes more tests will be needed to continue to meet the state’s requirements. Columbia County will need to test 1,900 residents every month, Mabb said while participating in a call with the Columbia Comeback initiative. See CLINICS A8
Recognizing the challenges facing each business, the Downtown Digital Group in association with the Register-Star, The Daily Mail, and HudsonValley360.com is introducing
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