Hank Gross

Responding to two instances of mob violence against police officers in just the past few days, the Newburgh Police Benevolent Association came out Tuesday with a demand for answers and action from the Newburgh City Council to protect its police force.

Among the issues brought up by Teamsters Local 445 Principal Officer Adrian Huff was an insufficiently staffed department, especially at night.

By the end of the year, the financially troubled Westchester Medical Center is expected to face a $60 million deficit and members of the County Board of Legislators Tuesday expressed their concern for the health of the patients, employees and the hospital.

One-third of all of the MTA’s claims resulting from flood and wind damage from last year’s Tropical Storms Irene and Lee were from crippling of the Port Jervis Line, which had sections decimated with rail beds washed out and rails torn up and left as twisted masses of steel.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said $65 million in losses were suffered by the entire transportation system.

Halfway through the year, Westchester County Government is facing a $29.7 million deficit.

County Budget Director Lawrence Soule chalked it up to the continued effects of the weak economy and related continued low income in sales tax, mortgage recording tax and other revenues, as well as increases in union settlements and retirements on unsettled contracts, and higher than projected healthcare costs.

The warmer weather early this year saved the county some $2 million in costs, Soule said.

Orange County Executive Edward Diana has just over a month before he must present his proposed 2013 county budget to the legislature.  He has prided himself with bringing in fiscally conservative spending plans with little to no property tax hikes.

Roads maintained by Ulster County will not be treated with brine used from fracking wastewater.  County Executive Michael Hein signed legislation Thursday at the county highway garage in New Paltz banning the brine from being used on county roads.

The byproduct of fracking will not be used on our roadways,” said Hein. “The truth is that the environmental costs are off the charts. Their bargain is bad and the price is too high.”

County Legislator Kenneth Wishnick, a New Paltz Democrat, introduced the legislation.

A State Supreme Court justice in Nassau County ruled on Wednesday that the MTA payroll tax is unconstitutional. The tax has been levied on all employees in Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties as well as the five boroughs of New York City.

Businesses and not-for-profits in the entire MTA region have been screaming bloody murder since the state legislature imposed the tax to help bail the New York City transportation system out of its massive financial woes.

As the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley, parent corporation to The Kingston Hospital and Benedictine hospital, both in Kingston, work up their plans to close Kingston Hospital and consolidate its healthcare services under one roof at Benedictine, a new purpose for Kingston Hospital may be emerging.

Mayor Shayne Gallo told MidHudsonNews.com that he is having discussions with companies about converting Kingston Hospital into a medical college.

If the Orange County-owned Valley View nursing home is not sold to a private company soon, the county faces a large property tax increase and layoffs next year. That was the warning Tuesday from County Executive Edward Diana.

Diana stopped the funding for the facility as of July 1, but county legislators extended it through September. In the meantime, they have been reviewing four proposals from private companies to buy the facilities with no decision to date.

Diana told MidHudsonNews.com that without a sale very soon, drastic measures will have to be taken.

Mid-Hudson farmers brought their concerns to state and federal lawmakers at a forum at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson Monday night.

Chief among their concerns was the lack of affordable land access for farmers, said Lindsey Shute of the National Young Farmers Coalition.