Election Day!
The New York gubernatorial race is too close to call, says the Post-Star. Although she is the incumbent, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is running for her first full-term. She was elevated to governor when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped down last year. Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, from Long Island, has made the race tight. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has been campaigning heavily for Zeldin in the North Country, while Hochul has shored up the New York City base with appearances from President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton, the story says. The story runs down the other races, including the race between Stefanik and Democratic challenger Matt Castelli. The Times Union has a rundown of the races, here.
The Daily Gazette is reporting that the gubernatorial election really is a toss-up and that comparisons to previous races are unfounded. The times are just too different than four years ago, the story says.
The Times Union is reporting that early voting netted about 1.5 million votes during the nine days of early voting, which ended Sunday. According to the story, 1.2 million New Yorkers cast their ballots early, in-person, and another 303,122 cast absentee ballots. Another 226,794 absentee ballots are outstanding. They can be delivered to polling places today.
Need to know where to vote? Click here for the NYS Board of Elections poll locator.
[We rarely add our own two cents into these posts, but we are looking forward to the full 12 hours of no campaigning before the Election 2024 coverage begins! –Editor]
Hughes Energy withdraws from Halfmoon
The biofuel company Hughes Energy Group has withdrawn its application to build a garbage autoclave in Halfmoon, the Times Union is reporting. Public feedback was too strong for the developer, the story says. In a similar situation to the Saratoga Biochar project, which passed through the Town of Moreau planning process, Hughes Energy says their system is designed to create energy while using waste in an environmentally friendly way, but the public would not concede that point and feared the talk is better than the reality, the story says. [Read our extensive coverage of Saratoga Biochar here.]
High-end furniture opening in Saratoga Springs
Interior designer Kennedy Taylor plans to open Motif Home Gallery on Division Street in Saratoga Springs, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. Taylor’s Studio K opened about a year ago and specializes in luxury residential, though she has done some commercial work. The retail store will offer furniture, accent pieces and wall decor. She told the paper she had not expected to open so soon, but she saw a gap in the retail furniture market in SpaCity, the story says.