Michael Killgallen is reporting at Capitol Confidential Rep. Chris Gibson Mon., Jul. 18, endorsed fellow Kinderhook Republican John Faso in the 19th Congressional District race. Gibson is not seeking re-election. “I believe that when the voters of this district get to know John Faso the way that I’ve come to know him over the last three decades, they’re going to support him,” Gibson said. The announcement was made outside Gibson's Kinderhook home. Gibson cited Faso’s selflessness and team-oriented attitude as positive attributes for a potential congressman. If elected, Faso pledged to continue working on some of Gibson’s initiatives, including Lyme Disease awareness and disaster recovery. He has been endorsed by the Republican, Conservative and Independence committees. Faso faces Democrat Zephyr Teachout in November. Of Teachout, Gibson said, “I have a favorable view of her, but I have a very favorable view of John. I think he is most qualified to be our representative, and that is because first of all he’s lived here for decades.” Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Listen to Gibson's full announcement (Lance Wheeler video):

Greg Hudson is reporting in The Daily Mail the Tannersville Village Board last week unanimously approved the initial design components for a new municipal website. The site is expected to cost $2,500. “This is an important step for the board in making our website really serve the people who need it,” Village Mayor Leigh McGunnigle said. McGunnigle said the existing website is dedicated mostly to local businesses and attractions and does not suit the village's needs any longer. The board will hire the Kingston-based computer programming service Next Step Digital to design a new site using a WordPress template. The new site will allow residents to view and print documents, and the board will use the site to post meeting announcements, agendas and minutes. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Ulster County has granted a permit to the Catskill Mountain Railroad that allows the company to resume scenic train rides in the Kingston-Ulster area beginning August 1. The permit is good through the end of 2020, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein said Mon., Jul. 18. The county also granted the railroad a short-term permit to provide scenic train rides in the Mount Tremper-Phoenicia area this fall. Beginning next year, that stretch of track will be used for rail bike rides provided by Rail Explorers Corp. The Catskill Mountain Railroad will pay the county a $50,000-per-year user fee. The railroad will use the section of track that starts at the east end of Kingston Plaza and ends at Route 28A in Ulster. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper the Kinderhook Town Board has rejected a request from Columbia Opportunities, Inc. to operate a Head Start class in the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building. The Hudson-based community action program requested use of a classroom on the third floor of the building, for a three-day-a-week program for income-qualified three and four year-olds who live in the Ichabod Crane School District. Columbia Opportunities has been providing preschool services in Valatie for several years, Head Start director Cindy Andrus told the board. The Glynn municipal building is owned jointly by the town and the village of Valatie, so both the town and village boards must approve applications for use the building. The village board approved the Head Start application in June. In rejecting the application last week, town Supervisor Pat Grattan pointed out that Glynn is no longer a school building. And town clerk Kim Pinkowski said having a preschool using a room above the town offices "would not be business friendly." Others on the board were concerned about incarcerated defendants being brought in for arraignment in town court when the children were present. Following the discussion, the board unanimously rejected the application. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting in The Daily Mail the State Police at Catskill Fri., Jul. 15, conducted an underage drinking sweep of several area stores where alcohol is sold. The initiative involved store employees being solicited by a person under the age of 21 attempting to buy alcohol. Slater's Smart Shop in Cairo was the only store in Greene County to have an issue. A Slater's employee was arrested and charged with selling an alcoholic beverage to someone underage. State Police Senior Investigator Pete Kusminskey said this kind of sweep is conducted randomly and happen about twice a year. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting Ulster County Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum is standing by the comments he made last December urging county residents licensed to carry guns to do so at all times. Van Blarcum repeated this idea Mon., Jul. 18, in the wake of recent gun violence in Dallas and Baton Rouge. He said, “What is happening in the world now had nothing to do with that comment, and I still stand by it. I would love to have everybody who is comfortable with it, is proficient with it, to carry their weapon if they can. But that would not have changed anything in Louisiana; it wouldn’t have changed anything in Dallas either. I don’t know what is making this all happen, but we have to figure it out.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Bethany Bump is reporting at Capitol Confidential the state Education Department is encouraging school districts, colleges and other groups to apply for $9 million in grants now available to help prepare boys and young men of color for college, workforce and teaching careers. The grant program is part of the My Brother's Keeper initiative, which aims to eliminate the opportunity gaps that confront minority boys and young men. The grants will support the Teacher Opportunity Corps and the Family and Community Engagement Program, which is intended to bring more economically disadvantaged individuals, black, Hispanic/Latino and other minorities into the teaching profession. And the Family and Community Engagement Program will promote parent advocacy, mentorship and the development of outreach material in home languages so non-English-speaking parents can learn how to be involved in their child's education. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny. High near 78. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 55.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
WEDNESDAY: Sunny. High near 81. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 58.
THURSDAY: Sunny. High near 89. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 67.

Sunrise today: 5:37 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:26 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:49 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS


Today is the third Tuesday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors ..1 [point one] Committee, 3 p.m.; Health and Medical Committee meeting, 4 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COLUMBIA Economic Development Corporation Loan Committee meeting, 1 p.m. at 4303 Route 9, Hudson (828-3326).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
HUDSON Common Council Finance Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m.; Formal Common Council meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
PHILMONT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m., Philmont Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, West Taghkanic (851-7638).
VALATIE Village Board meeting (rescheduled from Apr. 12), Village Hall, 3211 Church St., Valatie (758-9806).

The Republican National Convention began in Cleveland July 18, and the Democratic Convention begins in Philadelphia July 25, and both have radio stories. First, both cities won't allow radio-controlled drones during the conventions, with the Federal Aviation Administration blocking 30 nautical miles in radius around the Quicken Loans Arena from 6 p.m. July 17 through 3 a.m. July 22. Radio-controlled drones not only can't be flown within 30 miles of the RNC, they are among the 26 types of items not allowed in the zone around the arena. Mike Pence, the Republican nominee for vice-president, is familiar with the airwaves. After losing two Congressional campaigns, he started hosting "The Mike Pence Show," on WRCR in Rushville, Indiana in 1994, with Pence calling himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf." The show was syndicated by Network Indiana on 19 stations there, including WIBC in Indianapolis. Slate reports that anyone protesting Pence, or any other issue during the convention, should note what local and federal police can do with the local airwaves. Cleveland has a flash mob law, for instance, that allows the police to arrest anyone arriving at an event organized over social media “to commit a crime,” and police will then confiscate your cell phone as evidence. Ohio police and the FBI also have face recognition technology they may use, and a $50 million grant from Congress to buy equipment such as cameras, surveillance trailers, and and sound cannons. Of course, protesters will also bypass the media by broadcasting from their phones, as we've seen recently in events as diverse as a failed coup in Turkey and a sit-down protest in the U.S. Congress.

Some of the stories that made the news from Fri., Jul. 15 through Sun., Jul. 17:

Casey Seiler reported at Capitol Confidential the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Fri., Jul. 15, issued the first statewide drought watch since 2002, according to a press release from the DEC. “While most public water supplies are still generally normal throughout the state, below normal precipitation over the last 9 months, low stream flows, and reduced groundwater levels have prompted the need for this action,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “We are encouraging residents throughout the state to conserve water whenever possible during the coming months.”

Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail the Tannersville Village Board will hold a special meeting Tue., Jul. 19, to address complaints received about pedestrian safety in the village. Mayor Lee McGunnigle said residents are complaining about a lack of visibility and safe crossing opportunities for the visually impaired. “There are a lot of safety issues here for people who can’t see,” a resident told board members last week. McGunnigle said the complaints are valid, but finding a solution could be challenging. The mayor encouraged residents to attend the special meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, and offer their perspective or concerns on the issue. The meeting will be held at village hall.

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential the Public Service Commission has prohibited the sale of energy by ESCOs, or Energy Service Companies, to low incomes families. The Commission says these firms actually end up costing consumers more. ESCOs offer electric or gas service to consumers, saying they are an alternative to a given region’s established power company, such as National Grid. “The record is clear that low-income customers have not benefited from electric and gas supply services from ESCOs when that’s all that’s being purchased,” PSC Chairwoman Audrey Zibelman said in an announcement about the moratorium, Fri., Jul. 15.

William Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman in another recent decision, the state Public Service Commission has given Central Hudson Gas & Electric Co. permission to pay customers for control over air-conditioning systems during times of peak electricity use. In a statement released last week, state officials said the program will reduce electric use when demand peaks. Under the program, Central Hudson will ask about 61,000 customers in the high-demand areas of Ulster, Greene and Dutchess counties, to install smart thermostats on air conditioners, pool pumps and water heaters. The program will offer an $85 enrollment incentive, plus additional credits for each piece of equipment enrolled. Under the program, thermostats would be connected to the utility using the customers’ wireless Internet service. “Events, or reductions, will be called when energy use in a particular area nears the capacity of the circuits,” a utility spokesman said. Notifications will be delivered through the smart thermostat or smart phone informing customers when a reduction is taking place. The system would call for a one- to three-degree increase in temperature during peak use periods. Customers would have the ability to override the controls by calling the telephone number provided.

Matthew Hamilton reported at Capitol Confidential Kinderhook Republican John Faso has nearly $148,000 on hand following the federal primary last month. Faso is the GOP candidate in the 19th Congressional District race against Democrat Zephyr Teachout. Faso raised more than $178,000 between June 9 and June 30, bringing the total raised since his campaign began last year to $1.4 million. Faso is a former Assembly minority leader and gubernatorial candidate. Looking further ahead on the election front, Andrew M. Cuomo's July 15 campaign filings with the state Board of Elections, disclose the governor has more than $19 million on hand, having raised more than $4 million in the past six months for his potential 2018 re-election bid.

Dan Goldberg and Addy Baird reported at Politico New York New York City reported the world’s first case of female-to-male sexual transmission of the Zika virus. The woman returned home from a Zika-infected country last month and had unprotected sex her first day back in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The woman is not pregnant. Despite this latest finding, sexual transmission remains an unlikely way to contract Zika. The virus is generally considered mild for most, but can be extremely dangerous to a fetus. Of the 309 people in New York that have tested positive, there have been only three cases of sexual transmission. The majority of those diagnosed contracted the virus from a mosquito in Latin America, the Caribbean or South America. The city health department has now updated its guidelines to encourage male and female condoms and warning that women may transmit the virus to female partners.

Katie Kocijanski reported in The Daily Mail the Greene County Jail Construction Committee recommended Thu., Jul. 14, that the Pike Company of Rochester be selected construction manager for the new county jail project. The committee interviewed Pike, BBL Construction Services of Albany and Gilbane Building Company of Providence, Rhode Island. Turner Construction Company of New York City withdrew their proposal. “We can’t go wrong at the end of the day with any of these companies. It seems [that] Pike is the unanimous choice among everyone,” said Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden. Jail Committee chairman William Lawrence said he was looking for experience, and that Pike was at the top of his list. Groden said the county legislature's Public Safety Committee will be asked to approve the jail committee's recommendation during a special meeting, 6 p.m. Mon., Jul. 18. If successful, the full legislature will vote on the proposal Wed., Jul. 20. “Negotiating the contract with Pike will be a part of the next steps going forward,...a lot needs to be worked out,” Groden said. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision last year approved the transfer of more than 50 acres of land in Coxsackie to serve as the site for a new Greene County Jail.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Mon., Jul. 18 (8:01). (Produced by Philip Grant.)