Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that the Association of Towns and the New York Conference of Mayors issued a joint statement March 27 applauding Gov. Kathy Hochul's incentive-heavy approach to adding affordable housing in New York. "Housing growth targets, transitoriented development, and state funding all remain, with the addition of a strong, community driven and incentive-based program in which municipalities throughout the state will be poised to participate," the groups said in the statement. The state budget is due April 1, and there should be major housing funding in the plan. "There is no silver bullet solution to the housing crisis," said Sochie Nnaemeka, the state director of the Working Families Party. "But there are proposals currently on the table that would protect tenants from exorbitant rent increases, stem the rising tide of evictions, and end outdated zoning laws that have foreclosed on opportunities for generations of Black, brown, and working class New Yorkers." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

On March 27, Assemblymember Chris Tague crowed about how he, "authored, introduced and passed a legislative resolution memorializing March 25-31, 2023 as Farmworkers Awareness Week in the state of New York." But while Tague was honoring farmworkers today, a month ago, he was one of the loudest advocates for not allowing farmworkers to get paid in the same way as other workers. On March 27, his press release called Tague, "A staunch advocate for New York State agriculture." On Feb. 22, a Tague press release said, "I am deeply disappointed that Commissioner Reardon did not listen to common sense, or most importantly, the farmers and farm workers impacted and reject this downstate-driven policy that has no place in our farms." Tague was commenting on the state, ten years from now, getting farmworkers overtime pay in the same way as everyone else. Currently, farmworkers have to work 60 hours to get overtime pay, while all other workers get overtime after 40 hours. The New York State Department of Labor is easing in the change gradually, so it will be another decade before New York farmworkers get overtime pay the same way that everyone else does. Tague, a Republican, represents Greene and Schoharie counties in the Assembly.

I am so happy to announced today I passed a legislative resolution memorializing March 25-31, 2023 as Farmworkers Awareness Week in the NYS! This week commemorates all the ways farmworkers have enriched our lives, and we thank them. Without farms, there is no food. pic.twitter.com/tVd4wTbFN5

— Chris Tague (@chrisWCtague) March 27, 2023

Today's audio daily news update.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that xylazine, a powerful veterinary sedative, is showing up regularly in overdoses in Ulster County. Ulster County Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith said, “It’s not a new drug per se.... But it’s something we’re just starting to hear more and more about.” The drug is called “tranq” or “tranq dope,” and is a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness and amnesia, can slow breathing and the heart rate, and can cause blood pressure to drop to dangerously low levels. Vets have used it on animals since 1972, but it is not approved for human use. “Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgrim said in a March 20 public safety alert. On March 26, New York Senator Chuck Schumer said, "I am asking the DEA, which has just issued the alert, to focus on stopping Xylazine, this evil drug in New York City. The DEA has diversion control teams. They are agents in law enforcement, but they're also chemists and other kinds of doctors, and they can swoop in on an area and deal with a drug problem." In Ulster County, toxicology reports showed the presence of xylazine in two of the 66 opioid-related deaths in Ulster County in 2020 and four of the 71 opioid overdoses in 2021, and ten in 2022. The drug is especially dangerous because as a sedative and not an opioid, Narcan will not reverse the effects of xylazine. Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said, “We definitely know it’s out there, it’s just a matter of detecting it.... We are talking about it and we’re going to definitely talk about it more in the future because it’s an issue that people need to know about.” While Schumer is proposing legislation on the federal level, in Albany state Sen. James Skoufis introduced legislation last week to designate xylazine as a schedule III depressant-controlled substance, which he said would make its possession a crime. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Heather Bellow reports in The Berkshire Eagle that a report released March 23 showed a record spike in incidents targeting Jews in Massachusetts and New England in 2022, with three in the Berkshires. There were anti-semitic incidents in West Stockbridge, Adams, and Williamstown in 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s new audit on incidents against Jews. There were 152 incidents in 2022 in Massachusetts, 41 percent higher than the 108 reported in 2021. Peggy Shakur, interim regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, explained about the incident in West Stockbridge, where a couple were waiting to enter a parking space at the Olivia’s Overlook trailhead, saying, “The woman pulling out of the space they were waiting for started spewing antisemitic insults at them with no provocation and no indication that they were Jewish, which it turns out they were." Former Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington last year said her office has seen “a shocking rise in hateful incidents over recent years targeting Jewish, Black and Latino communities here in Berkshire County.” Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

The Daily Freeman reports that Rep Marc Molinaro will speak at the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce Breakfast at the Diamond Mills Hotel and Tavern at 7:30 a.m. on April 12. Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, and says he will discuss the workforce shortage, combating inflation, and encouraging business development in the Hudson Valley in the address. It costs $30 for members, and $40 for non-members to attend the event and hear Molinaro speak. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the Metro-North trains on the Harlem and Hudson lines have new schedules beginning March 26. There is a little less weekend service to make more time for track repairs through June 10. Regular weekend service resumes on June 11. There are also a few minor adjustments to weekday service on all Harlem and Hudson lines. Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that after absentee ballots were counted in the March 21 Tannersville Mayor election, David Schneider led McGunningle by two votes, 103 to 101. But McGunningle has one chance to tie the election. On March23, the Greene County Board of Elections reported that they are waiting for two cure letters. Cure letters are from voters to correct or clarify errors on an absentee ballot envelope. So far they board has two, which could make a difference in the race, and other voters have until March 29 to be get more cure letters to the board of election. After that, the board will make a ruling on those ballots, and the election will be decided. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that Catskill High students left school early on March 27 because of a broken pipe discovered beneath the building. High school students have been shifted to remote learning for the rest of the week. Superintendent Melissa A. Barrow said, “A broken pipe was discovered under the building that was used by our science classes. The broken pipe is in an isolated area in the high school crawl space.” All after-school sports will meet in the middle school gym for the rest of the week, the school said. In December, the Catskill middle school building was closed for several weeks and students moved to the high school after an old valve attached to a water main broke. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Tim Williams and Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics the Commission on Judicial Nomination has released their new list of candidates for chief judge of the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. The State Senate blocked Gov. Kathy Hochul's pick off the first list, Hector LaSalle. The new list of possible nominees includes the current acting chief judge (Anthony Cannataro); two current Court of Appeals judges (Rowan Wilson and Shirley Troutman); two presiding justices of the state’s intermediate courts (Elizabeth Garry and Gerald Whalen); and two lawyers (Caitlin Halligan and Corey Stoughton). Now, Hochul needs to choose one from this list, and get their nomination through the Senate. Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Republicans Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik and Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko split their votes on a show bill about parental control of education. Republicans call it the Parents Bill of Rights Act, and it has no chance to pass the Senate or be signed into law by President Joe Biden. Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District, said, “This bill originated from the simple idea that parents should have a say in their child’s education.... I worked so this bill was reasonable, preserved protections for children, and included measures that ensure parents know what’s being taught in schools.” Ryan cited the five Republicans voting against the measure, saying, "“Democrats and Republicans alike opposed this bill because it is a radical federal overreach that bans books and attacks LGBTQ+ students.... It is deeply disappointing that so many of my Republican colleagues went along with this political stunt, rather than working on actual improvements to our education system. I’m focused on the real issues impacting our public schools, like getting guns out of our children’s classrooms, raising pay for teachers and reducing food insecurity.” Molinaro bragged about how he voted against several more radical amendments to the bill. A statement from his office said, “Rep. Molinaro also voted against significant Republican-led amendments – preventing them from being attached to the final bill. These amendments would have burdened schools with significant costs, interfered with state and local educational decisions, and established Congress’ support to suspend all major functions and programs provided by the U.S. Department of Education for K-12 education." But Democrats introduced a motion so that the bill could not lead to book banning. But Molinaro voted against that amendment. But the bill is filled with all sorts of radical amendments. Rep. Lauren Boebert, for instance, successfully backed amendments to require schools to report when transgender girls join girls’ athletics teams and if trans girls are allowed to use girls’ school restrooms or locker rooms. The bill, if it were to become law, would also require elementary and middle schools to get parents’ consent to change a child’s gender designation, pronouns, or name. Tonko said, "This bill tramples on the rights of parents, students, and teachers alike.... This bill would force schools to submit to 'inspections' of every book in their libraries and every piece of assigned reading material to ensure they comply with draconian standards." But, since it is a show vote that won't pass this Congress, Molinaro and Stefanik aligned themselves with radical Republicans in voting for the bill. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that after absentee votes were counted on March 23, David Schneider beat incumbent Tannersville Mayor Lee McGunnigle by two votes and incumbent Athens trustee Joshua Lipsman beat Anthony Proper by nine votes for the second open trustee seat in the riverside village. The Democrat Lipsman had trailed the Republican Proper before the absentee count. In Tannersville, Schneider defeated McGunnigle 103 votes to 101 votes. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that lawmakers in the state Senate this week unanimously passed a bill requiring utility companies in the state to perform actual meter readings. The measure was backed by state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, who said, “Utility companies are using estimation formulas that are not based on past usage, making it impossible for New Yorkers to afford, let alone trust, their utility bills. My legislation to ban the practice will help ensure that this never happens again while bringing needed transparency and accountability to the utility industry as a whole in New York.” Central Hudson, in Hinchey's district, has been widely criticized for estimated billing practices. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

The For the Many and Community Voices Heard activist groups occupied Assemblymember Didi Barrett’s Albany office on March 22, because of her refusal to support Good Cause Eviction. Police turned up to the office, but the activists did not report any arrests. The Good Cause Eviction legislation would make it illegal for landlords to evict tenants unless they violated the lease agreement. “Barrett has refused to personally meet with tenants about the housing crisis in the Hudson Valley—especially in the City of Hudson,” said For the Many Political Director Brahvan Ranga. “Her constituents brought her eviction notices to let her know if she continues to evict us from our homes, then we’re going to evict her from office.”

Alex Gault reports in the Adirondack Daily that Republican Jill A. Lochner announced she is running for the 21st Congressional District seat currently held by Republican Elise Stefanik. Stefanik has long said she would only run for five two-year terms, which would end her term in Congress in 2024. Stefanik’s campaign team did not return a request for comment on whether she would not run again. Lochner said she wants to bring a moderate Republican voice to the district, which now includes Rensselaer County. “One of the big reasons I’m running, it’s not only (Stefanik), it’s some of the Republican Party in general, it’s become disappointing to me,” she said in an interview in Glens Falls on March 23. “The loudest, angriest voices get all the attention, and it gives a bad impression.” Lochner says she favors fiscal conservatism, small-government, and is supportive of business. She does not support Donald Trump, and says she is pro-choice. “I actually struggled with infertility, and my husband and I had to do IVF treatments,” she said. “In that process, it becomes very obvious how precious life is and how difficult it is even to get there when you want it so badly.” Read more about this story in the Adirondack Daily.

Raymond Pignone reports in Columbia-Greene Media that right-wing environmental groups Neighbors 2 Neighbors, Smarter NY Energy and the Empire Center for Public Policy hold a New York State Climate Act Town Hall on March 26 at Columbia-Greene Community College hosted by Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner with former state Sen. Daphne Jordan, both Republicans. Local Democrats are saying the groups are "circulat[ing] myths and misinformation about electrification,” County Democratic Party Chairman Sam Hodge said. “These three provocateurs are facilitating the disinformation campaign in Columbia County against the New York State climate plan.” Tanner, in an email. said both climate deniers and those who want to save the planet for humanity should be heard, saying, “All sides of the issue should be heard, I agree, so that people can be informed about what their government is doing — government for the people, by the people. I did not organize this event. I was asked to help moderate the event, having done large Town Hall meetings for other topics.” Read the full story at HudsonValley.360.com.

Today's daily news audio update.

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