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Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul said on April 5 that she and state lawmakers may not reach a budget agreement by her new, extended deadline of April 10. So Hochul and the legislature may pass another budget extender. The original budget deadline was April 1. Hochul said, "We've passed the first deadline.... We'll be looking at it again on Monday, of course. But it's more important to get it right and I'm committeed to getting it right." Lawmakers and the governor still can't agree on changes, or not, to the bail laws, and how to create more affordable housing in New York. "These are the issues that I'm laser focused on, so it's taking considerable time," Hochul said. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Marie J. French at Politico reports that after a backlash from environmental advocates and lawmakers, Gov. Kathy Hochul has backed off her recent proposal to rewrite the climate law to save money in the state budget. Hochul wanted to change the way some fossil fuels pollution was calculated, making it friendlier to gas and oil industries. Liz Moran, the New York policy advocate for Earthjustice, said, “This is a conversation that really sidetracked us from being able to have a meaningful conversation for about a week,.... What took place over the past week should not be repeated.” Moran said environmentalists will now focus on electrifying new buildings, limiting gas utility expansion, and a cap on utility bill expenses for low and moderate income New York residents. But with Albany talking about extending the budget deadline a second time, positions on these issues could change again. Read more about this story at Politico.

Nancy Kern reports at Columbia-Greene Media that five developers want to put a solar farm on a 32-acra landfill at 211 Joel Austin Road in Cairo. Developer 42 Renewables said at the Cairo town meeting on April 3 that residents could purchase a subscription to 42 Renew for a discount on their utility bill if the town picks their proposal. Some residents at the meeting were skeptical of the plan, worrying about a future environmental mess. After hearing about an escrow account being set up to pay for removing the farm decades from now, one audience member asked, “How do you appraise how much you’re going to need to decommission?.... I know damn well you’re not going to put enough money to decommission [the solar farm], because you don’t know what it’s going to cost in 25 years.” New York State's Inactive Landfill Initiative is encouraging companies to find uses for the state's 1,901 dormant landfills. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that Holtec International now wants to release radioactive water from the spent fuel pools at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant into the Hudson River as soon as May 5. Holtec Vice President Richard Burroni, in a letter to the Indian Point Decommissioning Board, wrote, “Releases are scheduled to be completed in three batches of 18,000 gallons each and will be limited to 45,000 gallons in total for this exercise.... Following this release there will be approximately 265,000 gallons remaining in the Unit 2 Spent Fuel Pool. Currently, we plan to begin the total dewatering process of the Unit 2 Spent Fuel Pool in the August/September time frame.” Thomas Staudter, a spokesperson for state Sen. Peter Harckham, said, “We know that prior to this point that dumping the radioactive wastewater was occurring.... but now there’s a tremendous amount of it stored onsite and Holtec is just trying to get rid of it as fast as it can. There is some concern with just how dirty this water is.” Environmentalists have protested the release of radioactive water in the Hudson River, as have local officials such as Rhinebeck village Mayor Gary Bassett, who said, “As stewards of the Hudson River … we are concerned about any pollution into the river.... Holtec’s reckless decision to rush its plan to dump tritium as early as May should be stopped.” Environmental activist group Riverkeeper President Tracy Brown said, “We were hoping to work in good faith with Holtec to find an appropriate solution for disposal of the tritiated water but it seems their hurry to make profits take precedence over the people and health of the river.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's audio daily news update.

Nancy Kern at Columbia-Greene Media reports that Cairo town officials said April 3 they would build a new dual Senior Center-Community Center and renovate the existing Ambulance Services building, rather than housing the two under a single roof. The town's original plan to put them both together proved too expensive, according to Town Supervisor Jason Watts. Town Councilperson Tim Powers said he saw black mold in the current Ambulance Services building that the town has not addressed. Now the town plans to completely renovate the building. “This has been going on for 14 years,” Powers said. “They’ve promised year after year they’d get a new building. The can’s been kicked down the road so long. But just getting input from the board last night is overcoming a major hurdle that I’m glad we’re getting over.” The senior center will be a new building, with a kitchen paid for by Greene County. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Philmont Public Library is getting a $12,000 grant from Partners of Climate Action to help create the Philmont Pollinator Pathway. Different types of vegetation will be planted at the Philmont library, and four other public spaces on Main Street and at Summit Lake in Philmont to attract butterflies and other insects, bees and birds. According to a 2022 study by the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey, 38 percent to 60 percent of New York native pollinators are at risk of eradication. Philmont Public Library Director Tobi Farley said on April 4 that, “Volunteers will plant native plants such as Echinacea, Blunt Mountain Mint, and Bluestars. We’re planting native plants, and the importance of the plants is that they’ve available to feed and protect the pollinators, and they’re also plants that are especially suited for the area.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that unemployment continues to fall in the Capital Region, with the Capital Region and Hudson Valley with some of the lowest jobless rates in the state. Locally, the unemployment rate in February was 3.3 percent, with only the 2.9 percent rate in the Ithaca area better in New York. A year ago the Capital Region had an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

WTEN reports that a New York law bans televising trials with exceptions at the judges discretion, but now legislators are considering a proposed change. A proposed bill sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal would repeal New York's ban on cameras in court rooms during trials. Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, said, “I think many New Yorkers agree that we need transparency at every level of government.” He said New York banned television in courts in 1952, and he said the media frenzy around the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping case in the 1930s was the cause. Now a new media frenzy, the trial of former President Donald Trump, may inspire a change allowing cameras. In that case, the judge denied media requests to waive the camera ban at Trump's indictment. Republican Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt was skeptical on April 3, saying, “I am certain that we would have members in our conference or in the legislature that might be concerned that it would turn it into more of a circus than maybe it already is.” Read the full story at the WTEN website.

Today's daily news audio update.

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Former President Donald Trump was indicted April 4 on 34 felony counts in Manhattan, and one local politician was there to cheer him on. Dutchess County Legislator Benjamin Geller, a Republican from Hyde Park, Tweeted from outside the courthouse, "Today to no surprise, I was one of two elected officials in New York to show up today in support of President Donald J. Trump." The other New York elected official there was George Santos, the Long Island Congressperson accused of a host of lies. In January, Geller announced that he will not seek re-election in November to his Dutchess County office.

The Altamont Enterprise reports that Berne Democratic Committee members have withdrawn their support for Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, who is running for re-election in November. Berne resident and former supervisor Kevin Crosier, a Democrat, was removed from a public hearing last month by county deputies because the current town supervisor Dennis Palow, a Republican, ordered the deputies to remove him from the Feb. 20 public hearing. Democratic Committee member Peggy Christman, a retired lieutenant with the State Police who lost to Palow in 2021, wrote to Apple on March 6 saying it was Apple’s “responsibility to make clear that your Deputies did not act appropriately.” Apple did not write back. So the Berne Democratic Committee will not carry petitions for Apple for his fall campaign. Apple did not get back to the Enterprise for a comment, nor did he explain why his deputies forced a citizen out of a public meeting in February. Read more about this story in the Altamont Enterprise.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that every member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus during Women’s History Month every year recognize an outstanding woman from their district for exemplary character and leadership and state Sen. Michelle Hinchey chose Greene County Veterans Service Agency Director Michelle Romalin Deyo this year. Hinchey said, “Michelle has served and protected our country with great courage and upon returning home from military service has devoted her life to supporting our veterans here at home, changing lives and strengthening our communities in that work. Michelle makes history as the only woman to lead a countywide veterans agency in Senate District 41, and the Legislative Women’s Caucus’ Women’s History Month recognition is the perfect opportunity to ensure that her legacy of service is rightfully acknowledged and celebrated.” Romalin Deyo served in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Southern Watch, and the NATO Operation Deny Flight. Now she oversees the Greene County Veterans Transportation Program. She is also an EMT with Town of Coxsackie Ambulance, and a volunteer firefighter with Cairo Hose Company. There, she received the Firefighter of the Year award in 2022. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Jeannie Maschino reports in the Berkshire Eagle that Routes 23 and 41 in South Egremont will be reduced to just one-lane of traffic beginning Friday, April 7, through approximately July 10. Highway workers are repairing a deteriorated culvert between the Egremont Village Inn and the Great Barrington town line. Around July 10, the entire road will be closed for 72 hours to install a new culvert. Traffic will be rerouted around the intersection then. Read more about this story in the Berkshire Eagle.

Today's audio daily news update.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County, despite recently building a new jail, is spending money sending female inmates to other county jails. The county's 2023 county budget has allocated $100,000 to pay other counties to house female inmates, while the women’s pod at the new jail is empty. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden says a shortage of corrections officers that, he says, is caused by stringent requirements, is why the county is sending local taxpayer money to other counties. The story says, "In 2021 the county paid $70 to $75 per day for each inmate boarding at a separate facility," but does not say how long Greene County has been sending female inmates to other facilities. Groden argues that Greene County is just sending the money to other counties that they would be spending themselves here. Groden said, “The county’s boarding expenditures are no greater than the amount it would need to pay to keep the women’s pod open.... The County will not see a budget deficit." Taxpayers are paying back the $39 million bond Greene County took to pay for the new jail that they are now partially not using. Groden said the new jail averages 40 inmates a month, but needs at least four more corrections officers to be fully operational. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Liz Montgomery reports in Porcupine Soup that Catskill High School reopened April 3, after the building was closed last week because of a leaking pipe. On March 31, the Catskill Central School District announced, “C.T. Male Associates, who conducted the air quality sampling in the high school, has informed us that it is safe for students and staff to return to the building." The leak came from the science classrooms, and Superintendent Melissa A. Barrow said, “Although our high school teachers are very vigilant about what goes down into the drain, we wanted to be 100 percent sure there were no chemicals in the soil and also wanted to do testing of the air quality." Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Saba Ali reports in the Poughkeepsie Journal that the Northern Dutchess Residential Health Care Facility, also known as The Thompson House, is closing, laying off 102 people. Nuvance Health says the closure of the Rhinebeck nursing home is because of "substantial impacts" of the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility's 38 residents will move to other care centers. “It has not been an easy decision,” said Thompson House Interim Administrator Richard Cleland in a news release. “This facility has provided excellent care to many people over the years. We only reluctantly came to this decision based on the difficult landscape facing nursing facilities today.” The layoffs begin on April 12, with employees getting "unconditional payments" equal to their normal pay and benefits for 60 days in line with New York State law. Assistant Dutchess County Executive Ronald Hicks said of the layoffs, "We have a workforce shortage, especially in the healthcare industry, so it is my hope that these individuals will be quickly absorbed into Nuvance's network, or the healthcare industry in the community." Read more about this story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.