Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans posted on social media that there was an oil spill in the Hudson River on May 28, The boat launch at Riverside Park in Coxsackie was closed because of the spill, with Evans calling it a “major hazmat” situation. Evans said, “The spill extends well beyond Coxsackie and the source it not known at this time.” Evans said that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Spill Response team is in charge of the incident. Evans said, “Currently they have ordered the boat launch, beach, and docks closed until further notice." Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that correction officers and other employees of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision make up only 15 percent of the state workforce. But a report released this week by New York Inspector General Lucy Lang found that they make up 44 percent of the workers’ compensation fraud cases since 2010 in the state. The report concluded that workers' compensation benefits for correction officers created incentives for fraud. Currently corrections officers get up to six months of medical leave at 100 percent pay for on-the-job injuries. According to the report, the benefit “provides a monetary incentive to DOCCS correction officers across the State to abuse the workers’ compensation system.” The report found that one day last December, eight correctional facilities had at least 10 percent of their entire security staff out on workers' compensation leave. NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association spokesperson James Miller said the union "hasn't had the opportunity to fully review the report, so we're reserving comment at this time." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

New York State of Politics reports that 13,000 petition signatures were delivered to the New York Capitol this week urging passage of a packaging reduction bill. The “Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act" is sponsored by the chairs of the Environmental Conservation Committees in both houses — state Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Sen. Pete Harckham. The bills (A5322/S4246) would require companies to reduce packaging by 50 percent over the next 12 years. Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and current President of Beyond Plastics Judith Enck is backing the measure, saying it is incremental change that companies can handle, with a 10 percent reduction in packaging in year three, a 20 percent reduction in year five, and the 50 percent reduction after 12 years. Enck said, “If there are problems, you can course correct.” And the law only applies to companies with more than $1 million in sales. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Congressional seats in New York. Democrat Pat Ryan is representing the 18th Congressional District, Republican Marc Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Paul Tonko represents the 20th District, and Republican Elise Stefanik represents the 21st District. Click here to listen to this report.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Rep. Pat Ryan keeps insisting that Republicans are proposing to slash veteran services. Currently, Congress must approve a new debt ceiling to cover past spending, and instead of just approving the new limit as in the past, Republicans in the House of Representatives say they will only approve a new limit if there are massive spending cuts in the next budget. Ryan said, “Far-right, extreme Republicans in Washington have offered two bad options: either we default on the full faith and credit of the United States, which is unprecedented in our nation’s history, or we agree to their cruel cuts to veterans’ services.... These are the men and women who risked their lives for our country. American heroes I served with in Iraq who were told this country would always have their back. My response is simple: ‘Hell, no.’” Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro claims there will be no cuts to veterans services, saying, “Cuts to the veterans services and benefits are off the table.... The Limit, Save, Grow Act sets a topline number for the entire federal budget. It does not include cuts to the VA.” Molinaro did not say what spending cuts he is in favor of, or what cuts Republican negotiators are demanding of President Joe Biden's team. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union about what New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has been up to. It has been about a year since Delgado quit on the 19th Congressional District, leading to a special election that Democrats won, and a general election that Republicans won. Delgado was seen widely with Gov. Kathy Hochul during her reelection campaign last fall, but since then Delgado has not been very visible. Now Solomon writes, "he has been relatively absent during the governor’s biggest political fights since the election: the failed nomination of Justice Hector D. LaSalle as chief judge; an unprecedented (and now failed) proposal to increase housing; and recent changes to the state’s bail laws intended to increase public safety." Delgado declined to be interviewed for the story, instead sending a statement that said, in part, that he has “worked in partnership with Governor Hochul to build a safer, fairer and more affordable state.” Instead, Solomon caught up with Delgado speaking in Herkimer, "read[-ing] lines that can be traced back to state websites and administration news releases." Delgado has almost become Hochul, who as number two to Andrew Cuomo, did little but tour the state and meet many local officials. Delgado has been meeting folks such as Assemblyperson Chris Tague, a Schoharie conservative, who at the Olde Tater Barn in Schoharie County saw the Lt. Gov at an annual Chamber of Commerce awards dinner. Delgado said, “This community embraced me, and whether you were a Democrat, a Republican or an independent, there was at least an attempt to be civil, thoughtful.” Delgado then turned to Tague, and said, “We’re not going to agree on every single issue, right, Chris?” Tague said he wishes Delgado had a louder voice in the Hochul administration, saying, “Maybe things would be a little different in Albany if he was able to play a little bigger role.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Kevin Frey reports for New York State of Politics that two Hudson Valley Congressional representatives are sniping at each other, as Democrats want to increase the country's debt limit, while Republicans will only agree to that if Democrats agree to spending cuts. Republican Marc Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District said, “We can neither default, nor can we sustain the rate of spending.” Democrat Pat Ryan is complaining about the spending cuts the Republicans are demanding, even though increasing the country's debt limit was previously routine and non-partisan. Ryan said, “The money has to come from somewhere when you make cuts across the board," and that means, Ryan said, that veterans will see cuts. Molinaro said, “It's an outright lie that quite frankly doesn't astonish me.... We have already moved forward with robust veterans funding.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's audio daily news update.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that an audit of the the New York State Thruway Authority announced May 26 by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found the state is owed $276.3 million in fees and tolls. Almost half of that money is owed by out-of-state drivers. The audit suggested several ways the state could work to collect that money. Thruway Executive Director Frank Hoare said the authority "will continue to utilize all available tools at our disposal to fairly and effectively collect tolls and violation fees from our customers." Thruway officials raising tolls by about 5 percent on the first day of 2024 and additional 5 percent in January 2027. Those increases would be even larger for drivers who do not have E-Z Pass. Politically, collecting tolls from out of state drivers will be more popular than increasing tolls for everyone. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Brian Hubert reports in the Daily Freeman that WAMC President and CEO, and constant on-air presence Alan Chartock, said he is retiring from radio and his newspaper columns. The 81-year-old said it was “time for a new group of leaders to take the helm” of the public radio network. Stacey Roseberry, WAMC’s director of operations and engineering, was named interim CEO by the Executive Committee of the non-profit’s board of trustees. Chartock took over WAMC in 1981 when Albany Medical Center handed over the FM signal. Then Chartock grew WAMC from a single-station into a 29-station network over seven Northeastern states. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Porcupine Soup rounds up a list of all the Memorial Day parades and events in Greene County this weekend. On May 26 Windham VFW Post 1545 held Memorial Day services on the front lawn of the Windham-Ashland-Jewett school. On May 28, American Legion Bunt Brewer Post 165 in Tannersville holds its annual Memorial Day parade meeting at noon at Bottini Fuel on Route 23A, and ending at Tannersville Village Hall. Most of the events are on Memorial Day, May 29. With events in Athens, Cairo, Catskill, Coxsackie, Greenville, Lexington, Prattsville, and Durham. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Kevin Frey reports for New York State of Politics that two Hudson Valley Congressional representatives are sniping at each other, as Democrats want to increase the country's debt limit, while Republicans will only agree to that if Democrats agree to spending cuts. Republican Marc Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District said, “We can neither default, nor can we sustain the rate of spending.” Democrat Pat Ryan is complaining about the spending cuts the Republicans are demanding, even though increasing the country's debt limit was previously routine and non-partisan. Ryan said, “The money has to come from somewhere when you make cuts across the board," and that means, Ryan said, that veterans will see cuts. Molinaro said, “It's an outright lie that quite frankly doesn't astonish me.... We have already moved forward with robust veterans funding.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the Environmental Protection Agency will begin soil sampling after Memorial Day, to see the level of toxic PCBs in the lower Hudson River. Monthly water sampling is being conducted in Poughkeepsie, Albany, and Troy for a year, and fish and blue crab are also being collected to see the impact of the dredging and removal of contaminated soil from the upper Hudson River. General Electric, the company responsible for putting the toxins in the Hudson River, paid for that dredging, and some activists want them to do more. The EPA’s Gary Kiawinski said, “We collect recently deposited sediment, we’re collecting sediment where we collect fish, and we are collecting high-resolution sediment, essentially to push a tube into the bottom of the river, pull it out, and you take each of the layers out of that tube, and analyze them.” Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Greenville school system is holding a public forum about the books in the library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on May 30 in the high school/middle school library. One parent complained about one book recently in the Greenville school library, and the district has responded by explaining their policy. Earlier in May, the district released a “Library Collection Guidelines” document, and is now holding a public forum to explain their library policies. Superintendent Michael Bennett said, “This session will be an opportunity for parents, educators, and community stakeholders to provide constructive feedback and suggestions regarding student access to books within the library.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Today's audio daily news update.

Today's audio daily news update.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that apple and grape crops were hit hard by a late-season frost last week. One farming expert told the newspaper that 30-35 percent of the region’s apple crop was lost in the frost. Golden Harvest farm in Columbia County, with about 200 acres of apple trees, saw temperatures of 29.1 degrees on May 18. Michael Migliore, president of the Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association, said of local growers, “The last time they saw a frost this late that caused this much damage was 60 years ago.” Migliore, who also owns Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, said his vineyards suffered different effects depending on their geography. Migliore's Ulster County vineyard lost between 50-60 percent of its grapes, while his Columbia County vineyard only lost about five percent of its grapes because its location on the east bank of the Hudson River was warmer. His Greene County vineyard was “100 percent wiped out.” Federal crop insurance will help some farmers with their losses, and a federal disaster declaration could mean payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to farmers in need. Migliore said, “Is it going to make up for what happened? No. Will it possibly give you a lifeline to keep you afloat and in business? Maybe.” Read the full story in the Times Union.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Greene County Legislature has approved a new contract for the Greene County Corrections Unit, Council 82. The four-year contract gives workers cost-of-living increases of 4 percent, 3 percent, 3 percent and 2.5 percent through 2025. Plus employees’ health care premium shares increase from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, with work hours and shift hours remaining the same. Currently, the Greene County Jail spends $2,156,418 on salaries for 32 corrections officers. The county recently had to spend $100,000 transferring female inmates elsewhere and closing the women’s pod at the jail because of a shortage of corrections officers. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that more than 50 people rallied on May 23 outside Assemblyperson Didi Barrett’s Hudson’s office in favor of the proposed Good Cause Eviction law. For The Many, the Hudson-Catksill Housing Coalition, Food and Water Watch, the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, and Rivers and Mountains GreenFaith were among the groups protesting to get Barrett to vote their way. Brahvan Ranga, political director of For the Many, said, “Didi Barrett has betrayed the people of Columbia and Dutchess counties.... Instead of working to address the housing and climate crises, Barrett has spent her decade in the Assembly doing the bidding of the real estate and fossil fuel industries. She won’t even meet with our members to discuss how legislation like Good Cause Eviction would help them stay in their homes. Barrett’s support for gutting our state’s climate laws should be the last straw for her constituents. We are discussing our options ahead of next year’s primaries and will announce our decision soon.” Claire Cousin, the former executive director of the Hudson-Catskill Housing Coalition, has already announced a primary challenge to Democrat Barrett in next year's election. Cousin said about Barrett, "She should be fighting for Good Cause Eviction, not to pump more fossil fuels into our environment. That’s why I’ve decided to run against her in next year’s Democratic primary — because Columbia and Dutchess counties deserve better representation in Albany.” Barrett responded to the protest saying, “I passed and led on a lot of legislation and brought money back to the district, millions of dollars for housing, police, library, schools, I’m working to do all the progressive things that I feel that the district wants me to do, I’ve been a progressive my entire life and people can protest, its part our democracy, people need to be honest, there are a lot of lies out there, bills that I have nothing to do [with]." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.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.