This is WGXC's Congressional Report, tracking the votes, words, and actions of Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck representing the 19th Congressional District, and Paul Tonko, a Democrat from Amsterdam from the 20th Congressional District. The website fivethirtyeight.com reports that Delgado, Tonko, and Sean Maloney, all Hudson Valley Democrats, vote with President Joe Biden's positions 100 percent of the time so far, while Republican Elise Stefanik votes with Biden just 18.8 percent of the time. Click here to play or download an audio version of this report.

Last week Congress was on a recess, and the U.S. House of Representatives returns

to session May 11.

Brian Lee reports in the Daily Gazette that local Congressional representatives Antonio Delgado, Paul Tonko, and Elise Stefanik are all crowing about the direct relief available from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Republican Stefanik is attempting to take credit for the bill, even though she voted against the measure that was included in the American Rescue Plan. Stefanik's Tweet about the program received more than 5,600 responses online, most pointing out that she did not vote for the program. Delgado and Tonko promoted the fact that as of May 3, restaurants hurt by the pandemic can apply for the $28.6 billion included in the plan. “Upstate New York’s independent restaurants are cornerstones of our community, where we gather with friends and family and mark special occasions in our lives,” Delgado said in a statement. “I’m proud that we passed direct relief for our small businesses and the people they employ as part of the American Rescue Plan. The comeback of our restaurant and hospitality businesses is an important key to a full recovery.” Tonko echoed that statement, saying, “Our Capital Region’s independent restaurants are cornerstones of our communities, yet they are among the businesses hit hardest by this pandemic and most in need of financial help." The funding available does not have to be repaid, provided that the funds are put toward eligible uses by March 11, 2023. Restaurants can apply through the U.S. Small Business Administration at https://restaurants.sba.gov/requests/borrower/login/, a link available on the WGXC Newsroom. Read more about this story in the Daily Gazette.

Emilie Munson reports in the Times Union that on May 4 the National Republican Campaign Committee added Rep. Paul Tonko to its list of Democratic Congressional representatives it is targeting to flip in the 2022 elections. Tonko, who represents Albany County and other Capital Region areas, was first elected to the 20th Congressional District in 2009. Republican Liz Joy, who lost to Tonko in 2020, has already announced she will attempt to unseat him again in 2022. Joy attended the protest at the Capitol in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, but says she stayed "like three football fields away" from the riotous attempted coup. “I think what happened yesterday at the Capitol has taken away from the hopes of people who came out (to Washington) to express their honest concerns about election integrity,” Joy said in January. “Those were extremists. Ninety-nine percent of the hundreds of thousands there were there out of true concern for election integrity.” There were not nearly "hundreds of thousands" of people at the protest or the riot Jan. 6, as Joy claims. Besides Tonko, the National Republican Campaign Committee already announced it is targeting Hudson Valley Reps. Antonio Delgado and Sean Maloney in 2022. Redistricting will change the make up of all those districts, so until the new boundaries are announced it will be difficult to gauge if Republicans can take back any of the Hudson Valley districts. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

While Congress was out last week, both Delgado and Tonko crowed about what they've done while in session. In the Daily Gazette

Today's daily news update.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker is reporting for the Daily Freeman an investigation into a Fri., May 7, bomb threat at the Hudson Valley Mall that forced the county’s coronavirus vaccination clinic to close for the day found no evidence of explosives, town of Ulster Police Chief Kyle Berardi said. Berardi said a caller threatened to blow up the Dick’s Sporting Goods store, which is located across a hallway from the former Best Buy store where the county operates its clinic. The threat was phoned in about 11:30 a.m., prompting the evacuation of the entire mall, Berardi said. Speaking by phone at 1:15 p.m., the chief said the mall was deemed safe after a search by state police bomb-detection dogs found nothing, allowing stores to reopen. The county's walk-in vaccination clinic began operating at 9 a.m. and was to remain open until 4:30 p.m. Dan Proctor, the county’s director of COVID response, said the clinic would not reopen Friday, but it would resume operations as scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon., May 10. County Executive Pat Ryan said in a prepared statement that "out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to close the ... site for the remainder of today, but will continue to operate as planned moving forward." Proctor said the 70 people staffing the clinic and approximately 20 patients had to leave the clinic space when the bomb threat was called in. Berardi said about a dozen employees of Dick’s were also evacuated. Berardi said police are taking the bomb threat seriously and are working to determine where the threat call originated. Hudson Valley Mall is located on Route 9Win the town of Ulster. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson's annual Pride Parade will not be happening this June, according to OutHudson. Instead, there will be outdoor events in June and October. An October parade is not off the table, but at present there are no definite plans. “Due to the pandemic, OutHudson has been unable to clearly move forward with organizing the annual parade and Pride Festival, traditionally held during the third weekend in June,” the nonprofit organization said in a statement. “...{C]onstraints to capacity and ongoing public health concerns continue to suspend our planning. As important as this weekend is to our mission, keeping local residents and visitors safe and comfortable remains OutHudson’s top priority.” Charlie Ferrusi, OutHudson cofounder and board member. said the organization decided to have outdoor events spread throughout the month of June to celebrate the tradition of Pride Month and a weekend festival of events in the fall when restrictions might be loosened. “We’re just not sure if we’ll have the parade component yet,” Ferrusi said. “It’s also dependent on people’s capacity ... It’s really a community event and we need everyone’s participation so we have to gauge where everyone is at.” The Hudson Pride celebration traditionally has been held on the third weekend of June, which is Father’s Day weekend, so events don’t overlap with neighboring celebrations in New Paltz, Albany and New York City. Collaborating partners including WiseBodies, the Hudson Area Library, The Tenth Magazine, Chaseholm Farm, Lil’ Debs Oasis and the First Presbyterian Church. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Noah Zweifel is reporting for The Altamont Enterprise the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education has adopted a proposed $23.7 million budget for the 2021-22 school year, which includes a 2 percent tax-levy decrease as well as increased spending on instruction. The spending plan was adopted following a unanimous vote at the board’s April 19 meeting. In addition to the budget, the district's May 18 ballot will include an uncontested board election and a proposition to purchase three 72-passenger and two 28-passenger buses. Superintendent Timothy Mundell said the tax-levy cut was made possible by an increase in Foundation Aid, which is being expanded this year as the state moves toward fully funding court-required support by 2023. The increase in Foundation Aid will give the district an additional $194,000 to work with this year. Mundell said, “I’ll remind the community that we are overfunded in Foundation Aid, and the formula over the next three years may not yield any additional dollars.” The district will also receive just under $1.6 million through the federal American Rescue Plan, with four years to spend it. “It will be used to supplement … not supplant,” Mundell said, adding that once received the money will be placed in a Special Aids fund, not the general fund. The district’s 2021-22 proposed spending totals $23,672,248, an increase of approximately 1 percent over the current budget. It reflects increases in the instruction, transportation, and central administration categories. Instruction will see the greatest increase — approximately 5 percent from last year “A good portion of that is having to budget for additional out-of-district placement students … and the rest is salaries,” Mundell said. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

Today's daily headlines.

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Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media property owners in the New Lebanon school district are looking at a 6 percent tax levy increase for the 2021- 22 school year as the result of an accounting error, according to officials. The tax levy increase is capped at 0.37 percent, based on the state tax cap formula, but a 6 percent hike is necessary to make up for a shortfall in the budget caused by an error that led to undercharging taxpayers in 2020, that lost the district $382,000 in revenue. The district used nearly $429,000 from its fund balance for the 2020-21 budget, contributing to a $990,000 shortfall in the 2021-22 spending plan, according to District Superintendent Andrew Kourt. Because the proposed 6 percent increase exceeds the tax cap, the district will require a supermajority, or 60 percent of its voters, to approve its budget. Otherwise, the district could see extra-curricular cuts. Kourt advised district residents in February about the error: “... During the 2020-2021 school year the New Lebanon Central School District was scheduled to collect a total of $8,492,589 in school taxes, but instead $8,109,458 was collected. This has resulted in approximately 4.5 percent less [in] taxes collected than was levied.” Taxpayers in the New Lebanon district have not seen a tax increase since 2012. The budget breakdown includes $4 million for instruction, $1 million for special education, $3.6 million for benefits, $154,500 for technology, $762,629 for general support, $917,091 for operations and maintenance, $156,900 for co-curricular and athletics, $716,200 for transportation, $559,882 for debt service and $55,000 for inter-fund transfers. The $11.8 million school renovation project completed in the fall is separate from the annual school budget vote, Kourt said. The superintendent said this week he is “cautiously optimistic” the budget will pass, emphasizing the need for people to get out and vote. If the budget does not get supermajority approval on May 18, the board of education will call a special meeting for May 19 or 20 to assess the next steps. The annual budget vote and school board elections will be held on May 18. District residents will vote this year at the junior/senior high school because of COVID-19 restrictions, Kourt said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on May 5 signed the NY HERO Act into law requiring workplaces to have COVID-related safety measures in place. Passage of the bill came with an agreement with Democrats in the state Legislature that amendments would be added in the coming weeks to provide businesses with a clear timeline for fixing violations. While the measure was supported by a range of advocacy organizations, business groups strongly opposed the measure, pointing to potential legal exposure. Some of the bill's requirements had been in place due to executive orders signed by the governor since last year. Cuomo's approval message after signing the bill into law would include a requirement that "technical changes" be made to the bill. The potential technical changes would include a specific timeline and instructions for implementing the changes, plus an immediate requirement for employers to cure violations in order to better protect the safety of workers and limit lawsuits in the process. “Too many workers have already sacrificed their health for our community’s benefit. The New York Hero Act will honor their efforts by giving workers the tools to protect themselves while on the job,” said Sen. Mike Gianaris, the act's main sponsor in the state Senate. The bill's approval comes as the state is scheduled to reopen of businesses and public gathering spaces on May 19, as the COVID positive rate continues a multi-week decline and more people are vaccinated. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Durham Town Board has voted to allow all existing campsites at the Blackthorne resort to stay open for the time being. The owners of the East Durham resort submitted in late 2020, a site plan application for the addition of 30 campsites to the Subside Road RV Park. However, the sites are already in use. Neighbors and the general pubic are of two minds about the plan — some argue the expansion would have a negative environmental impact, while others are grateful for the economic impact Blackthorne guests have on the area. The town board Tue., May 5, unanimously approved an order on consent. “This agreement says that the applicant is going to withdraw their application, which they have,” said town attorney Tal Rappleyea. “And they are going back to the drawing table and providing us with an overall copy, survey and site plan of all of the sites that are currently on the location, as well as the 30 that were asked for, and others that might be coming down the pike.” Attorney Jonathan E. Cohen, who represents Anais Merle and Michael Pezcek, of 107 Sunside Road, blew the whistle on the unapproved camping spots In a February 2 letter to the board. In that letter, Cohen alleged, “It is believed that the New York State Department of Health has pressured the applicant over the years to come into compliance with applicable sanitary laws, and that this application is the result.” Blackthorne now has until August 1 to submit the required documentation to the town, Rappleyea said. If Blackthorne fails to comply with the order, or submit a new plan by August 1, Town Supervisor Shawn Marriott said the town board will likely review and rescind the agreement. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that on April 26 New Baltimore became the last town in Greene and Albany counties to pass a municipal consent resolution for the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line to be installed. But it was not exactly easy to get approval from New Baltimore officials for the power line that would be in an existing right of way alongside the CSX railroad track and would bring the town $120,000 a year. Some residents had questions first. “We don’t know where this damn thing is going,” said town resident Ellie Alfeld, who owns property near the railroad tracks, where the transmission line is going. "What can New Baltimoreans expect to get out of it?” Alfeld asked, about the $120,000 a year. Then the resolution was unanimously adopted by the town board. “Sometimes David has to challenge Goliath,” resident James Eckl said as he left the meeting, even though in this case David lost. “We did struggle like a fish on a line, but that’s all we were — a fish on a line,” Town Supervisor Jeff Ruso said. Read more about this story in The Ravena News-Herald.

Today's daily news update.

Robert Gavin is reporting for the Times Union the chair of Albany’s Community Police Review Board is accusing an Albany police detective lieutenant of making “several racist and disparaging remarks” during a meeting of the city’s Citizens Police Academy last month. In a letter to the Common Council posted on the board’s Facebook page, CPRB Chair Nairobi Vives said that on April 14, Detective Lieutenant Howard Schechter made pejorative comments about the majority black neighborhoods of Arbor Hill and the South End and referred to victims of sexual assault as promiscuous. Vives identified Schechter, a 35-year veteran of the department, as a presenter at the meeting. Vives said Schechter, while referring to an officer-involved shooting, said in his opinion it was the “only bad one." She said that without any warning, he showed several graphic images mostly of bloodied and beaten black and brown bodies. “He then made the statement that ‘they’ only care when a cop shoots someone but ‘they don’t care’ about the hundreds of other shootings when they are killing each other,” Vives said. Vives said she corrected Schechter but it ultimately led to her walking out of the meeting with Melody Harkness, the CPRB’s program manager. Vives said Schechter spread the racist myths that members of the black community do not care about so-called "black on black" violence in their communities. Schechter declined comment. The goal of the Citizens Police Academy is to increase understanding between citizens and police through education. Vives said In the wake of the incident she wants city police to hire an outside consultant, approved by the Common Council and CPRB, to reform the academy program. Vives also asked the Common Council to enact an amendment so police review board members are not required to take classes at the Citizens Police Academy. “CPRB members should not be required to complete this program until the Common Council can be assured that racist myths are no longer part of the ‘education’ it offers,” Vives wrote. David Galin, the mayor's chief of staff, said of the incident, "The city of Albany is taking the claims very seriously as the representations described in the complaint do not reflect the values or expectations of this administration." Vives said it was troubling to learn later that Schechter allegedly made similar comments four years ago that led to a complaint. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Hudson City School District is expanding summer school to serve kindergarten through 12th grade, Superintendent Maria L. Suttmeier and Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement April Prestipino announced at a recent board of education meeting. In recent years the summer school program was limited to students in 6th through 12th grade. But more students need to make up for a learning loss during the past year and be prepared for the next grade, Suttmeier said. With the increased summer enrollment, the district will provide buses to summer school. Business Administrator Jesse Boehme reported the need to increase bus runs, telling the board, “we’re bringing in more” junior and senior high school students. Eleventh and twelfth graders now have the option of attending school in person twice a week. Suttmeier said about 50 junior high students judged insufficiently responsive have started coming in four days a week. Board member Sage Carter said the district is considering the implications of the new physical distancing protocol: three feet for children in classrooms, but six feet on buses and in the cafeteria. Athletic fields are being prepared for use. And the high school swim team has used the high school pool, but there is no date yet for opening the pool to the public. Standard assessment testing will take place this spring, but the tests will last only one day instead of the usual two, Prestipino said. Suttmeier said the reopening plan for the 2021-22 school year will be guided by the re-opening plan for this year, which was formulated last summer. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman Upstate Films is in talks to buy the Orpheum Theatre in the village of Saugerties. Jason Silverman, one of Upstate's two new executive directors, said on May 5, that discussions are in progress, but he would not elaborate. Orpheum owner Thomas Thornton said a deal could be reached within days. “We might have a contract by the end of the week,” he said. Silverman was hesitant to provide details. “There are so many things that could kill this deal,” he said. The three-screen movie house at 156 Main Street has been on the market for about two years with an asking price of $795,000. The Orpheum opened in 1919 as a vaudeville and silent movie theater, and it has been owned and run by the Thornton family ever since. It is the last in a string of theaters owned by his family, Thornton said. “I had a drive-in in Saratoga, one in Bennington, Vermont, one in Greenville. I had theaters in Tannersville, Windham, Hunter ... [and] Schenectady,” he said. “This is the last one.” Rhinebeck-based Upstate Films has a two-screen theater there. It announced last month that it would stop showing movies in Woodstock, where it had been leasing the one-screen theater known as the Tinker Street Cinema since 2010. Silverman and Paul Sturtz were chosen as co-executive directors of Upstate Films in February. They succeeded founders Steve and DeDe Leiber, who retired in December. Upstate shows primarily independent, foreign and arthouse-style films, as well as hosting special events. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily headlines.

Click above to download or play today's "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

Rick Karlin reports for the Times Union that New York's Department of Environmental Conservation said May 5 that the Holcim LaFarge cement plant in Ravena is not allowed to burn tires in its kiln. “We are modifying this facility’s Title V air permit to remove the authorization to burn tire-derived fuel, or TDF. The LaFarge facility currently lacks the infrastructure to burn TDF, and has not, nor has it ever, completed the steps necessary to burn tires pursuant to this permit,” the DEC said in a prepared statement. It is unclear if the international company will appeal the decision, or add the proper infrastructure to burn tires. “We received the DEC’s correspondence this afternoon and are reviewing it. We will be weighing all available options,” said spokesperson Jocelyn Gerst. Environmental activists were happy with the announcement. "This is good news for people in the Capital District who want to breathe clean air,” said Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator who mentioned that the cement plant is across the street from the Ravena Coeymans Selkirk school complex. Holcim has been planning to burn tires in southern Albany County since at least 2017, records show. The Town of Coeymans passed a law against tire burning but in 2020 a new administration headed by current Supervisor George McHugh was voted into office and weakened the rules. Christine Primomo, a local environmentalist wondered if LaFarge was planning to burn municipal garbage in their kiln. “This is a start,” Primomo said of the decision. “It’s taken all these years.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup Cairo officials are examining how to offer some financial relief to the hotels, boarding houses and all-inclusive destinations located within the town's borders. Cairo Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Esslie has been investigating a resort tax proposal for some time and on Mon., May 3, he updated the Cairo Town Board on his findings. “It’s basically centered around the fact that we have lost a number of resorts over the past decade or thereabouts,” said Esslie. And if a resort owner is forced to sell and the property is purchased by a non-profit, it goes off the tax rolls, he noted. “We are trying to come up with a way to give a little bit of incentive or a helping hand to the resorts, especially in light of the fact that COVID came up,” Esslie explained. “Any little bit can help.” The proposal would include a partial town tax abatement, or property tax break. Esslie said he has been in conversation with the Greene County Industrial Development Agency and such a proposal is possible for the agency to engineer. He encouraged the board to meet with the IDA. “It’s worth a sit-down,” said Supervisor John Coyne. “We aren’t committing to anything; we are getting some information.” Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the village of Catskill will hold a special election on July 6 to fill the seat vacated by former Village President Vincent Seeley. Seeley relinquished the seat in January following a four-month absence related to a new business venture. Seeley was elected to his fifth term on the village board in March 2019. Because his resignation was submitted after Dec. 31, 2020, the special election could not be held in conjunction with the regular village election in March. The village board has operated with only four people since, with Village Vice President Joseph Kozloski substituting for Seeley. Village board member Peter Grasse Jr. was appointed the village's new president in April. The Catskill Democratic Committee has endorsed Michelle Williams, the owner of the Mermaid Cafe and Bittersweet Catskill, as its candidate, Kozloski said. The Catskill Republican Committee has chosen former state trooper Jeff Holiday as its choice to fill the seat, Grasse said. “He’s a lifelong Catskill resident,” Grasse said. Seeley’s uncompleted term will expire in March 2022. Village board member Natasha Law’s term will also expire in 2022. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.