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Register-Star Copyright 2021, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 237, No. 138
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Mattress fire Electrical fire sets mattress alight in Stockport Inside, A3
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021
Schools seek fall COVID guidance
nFORECAST WEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT THU
By Natasha Vaughn Columbia-Greene Media
Warmer Humid with A t-storm with a heavy clouds and around early t-storm sun
HIGH 85
LOW 63
86 69
Complete weather, A2
n SPORTS
Chatham wins opener Alexis Nehmens ripped a triple in a 12-run first inning and Chatham went on to defeat Alleghany, 16-1 PAGE B1
n LOCAL
HUDSON — Local schools are seeking more COVID guidance from the state before classes resume in the fall. Schools finished off a school year like no other as they were faced with changing schedules, balancing in-person and virtual classes and dealing with masks, social distancing and a host of other pandemic-related protocols. School districts are using the summer to preview what next fall will look like. Questar III BOCES District Superintendent Gladys I. Cruz
DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
A student rides a school bus while wearing a mask.
sent a letter Friday to state Department of Health Director Dr. Howard Zucker asking for guidance from the state so schools can plan ahead for the fall. “We ask for your support in providing updated state guidance that would allow schools to fully reopen for all students in September,” Cruz wrote. “On behalf of the 22 superintendents in the Questar III BOCES region, we recommend the following based on the experiences and lessons learned of the past year, the current downward trend of test positivity, the most recent guidance issued by the Centers See GUIDANCE A8
Claverack residents criticize Hudson truck study
Kitchen fire under control Manpower from several fire companies helped save a home from the spread of a stove fire PAGE A3
n NATION CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Pictured are 5 alternate truck routes determined by MJ Engineering.
By Aliya Schneider Columbia-Greene Media
Rising prices at the pump Fuel market experts say GOP claim that Biden is responsible for higher gas prices is bogus PAGE A2
n INDEX Region Opinion State/Nation Obituaries Sports Classified Comics/Advice
CLAVERACK — A group of 23 Claverack residents sent a letter to the Hudson Common Council speaking up about the city’s truck route ideas. The city hired MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C., of Clifton Park, last fall to conduct a study to find an alternate truck route using a $100,000 budget line secured by Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, D-106, through
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construct. The firm said in May that its next steps are to review public input, recommend a feasible truck alternate route and prepare the final report. But Claverack residents are speaking out about the impact the new routes could have on Claverack, particularly its hamlet. The letter sent to the Common Council was initially presented to the Claverack Town
Board and updated since. The biggest concern of hamlet residents is ensuring a truck route does not impede the hamlet’s future progress, particularly as a walkable town center. “We believe the truck traffic issue is a subregional challenge that affects multiple communities, including Hudson, Greenport and Claverack,” according to a statement from the residents. “Any redrawing of the truck
route in Hudson must respect neighboring communities’ needs for safety and livability.” Claverack hamlet residents will oppose a truck route that would increase heavy truck traffic on state Route 23/23B through the residential area. “None of the proposed options should interfere with Claverack’s plans to create a walkable town center with related See STUDY A8
Wallace named to complete Lewis’ unexpired term By Aliya Schneider
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the state Department of Transportation. Part of the study determined 47% of the trucks that go through Hudson do not have a destination in the city. The firm identified five alternate truck routes that would circumvent the city. A survey of almost 300 respondents conducted by the firm identified three favorite routes that would range from $1.4 million to $25.8 million to
HUDSON — Hudson resident Ryan Wallace was appointed Monday to finish Calvin Lewis Jr.’s 3rd Ward Alderman term. Wallace, 40, will serve in the position until the end of the year and is running for the seat in the general election as a Democrat. Lewis resigned from his post after receiving a job offer as the assistant director of the youth department and the positions were determined to be incompatible. Wallace comes from generations of Hudson locals, he said. Born and raised in Hudson, his family lived on upper Union Street, in what was considered part of the 3rd Ward before redistricting in the city. Wallace’s family moved to Claverack in the late 1980s and he left for
college in 1998. After 20 years living mostly in New York City and San Francisco, he returned home to Ryan Wallace Hudson fulltime in 2018. “I had been spending so much time coming back to visit that it just made sense to become part of the community directly again,” he said Tuesday. Wallace wrote a July 4 letter to the Common Council expressing his interest in filling his ward’s vacancy. “Currently, I have filed a designating petition to run for 3rd Ward Alderman in this November’s general election and would greatly welcome the opportunity to work with the common
council, with the potential to be an asset to my constituents during the January 2022 transition should I be elected Calvin Lewis this fall,” he wrote. Wallace has worked almost 20 years in public relations and marketing communications, he said. He has supported and grown many programs that have positively impacted and profited diverse audiences, he added. Wallace volunteered as a public health educator in Columbia County COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics, including Hudson pods. Wallace has held fiduciary responsibilities for the upkeep
and maintenance of 41 homes as part of the Mount Ray Homeowner’s Association since June 2019. His responsibilities for the association mirror many an alderman holds, he said. “I’ve had incredible success working with my constituents during my two years in this role serving my immediate neighbors,” he said. “I see the Council as an opportunity to put these proven skills to work serving the community that I grew up in and now once again live in.” Wallace ran a write-in campaign for the Hudson City School District Board of Education in May. He received 53 write-in votes in the May 18 election, losing behind write-in candidates Mark DePace and Selha Graham who received 80 and 82 votes respectively, and incumbent Lucinda Segar, who
received 432 votes. Wallace joined the Zoning Board of Appeals in February and has now resigned to avoid a conflict of interest on the council. Fifth Ward Alderman Dominic Merante said on Tuesday that Wallace jumped right into asking questions and listening during the council meeting on Monday, which included two executive sessions. “I think he will be an asset to the council and that he brings in a different educational perspective, and seems excited and willing to work for his community and the city,” Merante said. As of now, Wallace is running unopposed in the general election, Merante said. “It’s always nice when people from Hudson come back with a different perspective,” Merante said.