Greg Hudson is reporting in The Daily Mail the 46th state Senate District race between Republican incumbent George Amedore Jr. and Democratic challenger Sara Niccoli has heated up over the issue of comprehensive ethics reform in Albany. In comments made Thu., May 26, Niccoli referred to Amedore as “part of the problem with state government” she hopes to fix, if elected. “With over half a million dollars a year in outside income and coffers filled with the same pay-to-play financing that got [former state Senate Majority Leader Dean] Skelos into hot water, George Amedore exemplifies why we need real reforms in Albany,” Niccoli said. Amedore responded, denying the allegations. He said Niccoli’s comments were attention-seeking, and not based in fact. He said, “Her statements sound like typical political rhetoric from a very progressive, left-leaning agenda. I think it is unfortunate that we have a candidate wanting to run for public office that is not getting their facts straight.” Amedore went on to defend his record, saying he has supported ethics reform throughout his time in both the Assembly and the Senate. Niccoli, a Democrat, has served as Palatine Town Supervisor since 2014. She laid out her plan for ethics reform, calling on lawmakers to create tighter restrictions on the use of campaign funds and to close loopholes that allow individuals to circumvent the campaign donation cap, strip pension benefits from state and local officials convicted of felonies, and pass laws to increase campaign finance disclosure. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano has suspended weekend alternate side parking for the duration of the summer. Effective Fri., May 28, drivers are permitted to park their vehicles on both sides of the street from 8 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Sunday. Alternate side parking rules within the city limits will remain suspended on weekends only, through Sept. 30.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced $59.3 million in state and federal funding for upstate transit authorities on May 26, with almost a million set for Greene, Columbia, and Rensselaer counties. Greene County gets $489,916 for three buses and mobility management services; Columbia County gets $260,000 for operating assistance, vehicle replacement, and equipment; and $110,000 goes to Rensselaer County for operating assistance. Farther south, Ulster County receives $534,000 for operating assistance and one new bus; Dutchess County got $183,000 for operating assistance.

Photo from Kayln Rock bandcamp page.

Click here to download or play an audio version of this report.

Hudson musician Kayln Rock plays selections from her newly released album and was interviewed by Kieran Riley on the "WGXC Afternoon Show" April 25. She performs with Stephen Bluhm at Spotty Dog Books & Ale on May 28. She grew up in Hudson, New York, and has a new EP, "Heart Contagious," and a previous full-length album, "Passenger."

Karrie Allen reports in The Register-Star that Chatham Bowl closes after 53 years Tue., May 31. The general public, Chatham’s varsity bowling team, and cast-members for an episode of an Australian reality television show were among the bowlers over the years in Chatham, where computerized score keeping was never added. Chet Cross drew up the blueprints, his wife, Carol, took over when he died in 1986, and in 2005, the couple’s daughter, Lynn Cross, and her husband, Ted Miner, bought the bowling alley. Now, though, they are looking forward to June 1. “It will be my first day off in years,” Miner said. Read the full story in The Register-Star.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County officials are moving forward on a plan to create a physical connection between the Olana and Thomas Cole historic sites. Earlier this month, the Greene County Legislature Economic Development and Tourism Committee authorized the creation of a $124,000 budget for the Hudson River SkyWalk project, after the county received grant funding from the state Department of State. The money received will pay for a feasibility study, planning and design of the skywalk, construction drawings, a market study and an economic impact analysis to determine any potential revenue gains. The undertaking will allow for the design and construction of pedestrian improvements for the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The Greene County Legislature, the Cole House, Olana, Scenic Hudson, the state Bridge Authority and the village of Catskill have all been actively involved in the planning process. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Local weather forecast

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the WGXC listening area. Widely scattered to scattered non-severe thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon and evening.

Today: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 85. Friday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 64.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 88. Saturday night, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 67.
SUNDAY: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 85. Sunday night, showers and thunderstorms likely before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 65.

Sunrise today: 5:23 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:22 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:58 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Today is the fourth Friday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission meeting, 10 a.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The Guardian has found in an investigation that new electronic gizmos such as Amazon's Echo violate the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), set up to regulate the collection and use of personal information from anyone younger than 13. The story suggests companies such as Google, Apple, and others marketing artificial intelligence systems to young children could face multimillion-dollar fines. “This is part of the initial wave of marketing to children using the internet of things,” says Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a privacy advocacy group that helped write the law. “It is exactly why the law was enacted in the first place, to protect young people from pervasive data collection.” The story says Google’s standalone Home device, just announced but not yet on sale, and Apple’s Siri, use young children and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street in their ads. “When your advertising markets this product to children, and parents with children, that would absolutely trigger COPPA,” says Khaliah Barnes, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Recording children in the privacy of the home is genuinely creepy, and this warrants additional investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and the states.” Amazon and Google claim they comply with COPPA, while an Apple spokesperson told The Guardian that the company complied and doesn’t target kids. Read the full story in The Guardian.

Melissa Hale-Spencer reports in the Altamont Enterprise that four board members in the Albany County town of Knox held a private meeting May 8, "advised by town attorney John Dorfman," without Town Superintendent Vasilios Lefkaditis or the public. Robert Freeman, director of the state’s Committee on Open Government, said that the meeting is a violation of the State’s Open Meetings Law. Why hold a secret, illegal meeting? “We wanted to sort out information we were considering with health insurance, coming after the misinformation we got about the workers’ compensation policy at the March meeting,” said Amy Pokorny, Knox’s deputy superintendent. So there's some sort of dispute between the board and the supervisor in Knox that could not wait two more days for the regular, public town board meeting May 10? “We were having trouble communicating with him," Pokorny said about Lefkaditis. "It’s difficult because he flies into rages sometimes. We were trying to understand what this is about. It’s hard to have a reasonable and temperate conversation…. The meeting was helpful to us. We were able to sort through and prepare for the public meeting. It was like committee work.” Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.