Today's daily news update.

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

Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Jesse McKinley report for The New York Times that Hector D. LaSalle, Governor Kathy Hochul's nominee for the state's top judge, was rejected on January 18, by the state Senate Judiciary Committee, the first time New York lawmakers have rejected a governor's choice for chief judge. The 19-member committee voted 10 to 9 against moving LaSalle's nomination to a full vote on the Senate floor. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR PLAY SHORT CLIP OF VOTE. All 10 who voted against the judge were Democrats; two Democrats voted in support of the nomination, while one Democrat and all six Republicans voted in favor “without recommendation." However, the rejection does not necessarily mean the matter is concluded. Hochul has not ruled out taking legal action to force a vote on the Senate floor, and she has argued that a committee vote is irrelevant; that her nominee must be subject to a full vote on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats, as well as other legal experts, argue the Senate has the authority to determine its own rules and procedures to consider judicial nominations, especially since the state Constitution does not explicitly say a nomination must be voted on by the full state Senate. LaSalle's nomination provoked an intense backlash from progressives. His nomination in December was immediately opposed by several unions, reproductive rights groups, and community organizations, which pointed to cases they said revealed he was anti-union and anti-abortion. At the hearing Wednesday, LaSalle attempted to dispel what he said were unfair characterizations of his judicial record. “I only ask that this body look at my entire record, not just the record that certain advocates have chosen to look at,” LaSalle said, arguing that some of his cases had been the target of “mischaracterization simply to derail my nomination.” Asked by lawmakers about his judicial philosophy, LaSalle argued that many of the cases that had been singled out had hinged on procedural questions, and did not necessarily reflect his underlying beliefs on larger issues involving union rights and abortion. LaSalle is serving as presiding justice of the Appellate Division of the Second Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court, which handles civil and criminal appeals from Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Westchester County, and a half-dozen other counties. He was considered among the more moderate potential nominees from a list of seven candidates that Hochul was given to choose from by a special commission as she looked to replace Janet DiFiore, who resigned last year. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Columbia County Social Services Commissioner Bob Gibson on January 11 announced his candidacy for Columbia County Judge. Republican Gibson is a graduate of Albany Law School and has been engaged in the practice of law since 2000. He is a resident of Kinderhook, where he was born and raised. Gibson has been Commissioner of Social Services since 2017, and early in his career, he served as an assistant in the office of the Columbia County District Attorney. Gibson is the brother of former U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson. “I’m running for county judge to bring my decades of experience and lifetime of community service to work for every citizen of Columbia County,” Gibson said. “From representing children to prosecuting dangerous criminals as an Assistant District Attorney, to helping our most vulnerable citizens as commissioner of Social Services, my wide and varied background has prepared me well for this important position of trust.” During his time with DSS, Gibson has overseen the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. “Keeping the children and families of Columbia County safe has been my top priority for many years,” he said. If elected judge, Gibson said, his primary goal would be to ensure that everyone in his courtroom is treated with respect and "all parties are heard with impartiality and fairness.” Hudson attorney Michael C. Howard recently announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party nomination to run for Columbia County judge. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Porcupine Soup reports that Columbia-Greene Community College President Carlee Drummer announced January 17, that enrollment for the Spring 2023 semester at the SUNY Greenport campus is up. Drummer said, “We are happy to say that our enrollment numbers are very strong ..., with an 8.5 percent increase in headcount over the start of the Spring 2022 semester.... This is the second semester in a row that the college has seen robust growth in its enrollment numbers.” She said the college has emerged stronger after two years of pandemic-related changes and challenges. “In particular, Columbia-Greene now accommodates students who prefer to take a class virtually, and new micro-credentials are accelerating opportunities to enter the workforce,” Drummer said. The final enrollment numbers will not be known until February. The numbers touted in the announcement refer to enrollment on the first day of classes, January 17. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that a major property in the Village of Catskill has gone from a lumberyard to an empty space, to a potential dance and film hub, and now is a large question mark. The Lumberyard arts center is now selling for $11.5 million. The American Dance Institute purchased the former Dunn Builders Supply space in 2015, and promised a bustling campus of dance rehearsals and film shoots, with community involvement. But that never materialized in full. The American Dance Institute is not responding to requests to explain why it is selling the property, but a recent New York Times story said, in part, “As demand for the space has fallen during the pandemic and the priorities of donors have shifted, the institute’s leaders concluded that maintaining the campus was impractical.” The arts group did add a theater with 33-feet high ceilings, warehouse space, office space, and a lodging area that accommodates up to 24 people to the space off of the Catskill Creek near W. Bridge St. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Geoff Herbert at Syracuse dot com reports how Rep. Elise Stefanik is being tied closer and closer to Rep George Santos, the Long Island Republican who lied about just about everything in his election campaign. Santos is being investigated for many issues, with a $700,000 loan he reportedly gave his campaign the leading mystery. Stefanik endorsed Santos on Aug. 11 and has not addressed the allegations. The New York Times reported that associates of Stefanik were aware of Santos’ lies when she endorsed him in the 2022 election. On Jan. 15 Democratic Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres wrote a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, GOP Conference Chair Stefanik, and Republican fundraiser Daniel Conston, asking them to “proactively and forthrightly” cooperate with an investigation into Santos. Stefanik's 21st Congressional District now includes Rensselaer County. Read the full story at Syracuse dot com.

New York State of Politics reports that almost all elected officials and housing advocates agree there is a shortage of affordable spaces to rent or buy in New York. Cea Weaver, a campaign coordinator at Housing Justice for All, explains that, “In every part of the state, low-income New Yorkers can’t afford the rent and homelessness is at record highs.” There are currently a backlog of COVID-era eviction cases, much tenant displacement, and rising rents causing an affordable housing crisis. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced $38.2 million to establish outreach, engagement, and care coordination services for people experiencing homelessness outside of New York City but is not doing much to quickly add to the state’s housing stock. “The truth is, it just takes a really long time to build a building,” Weaver said. "The governor has already said that…she is not interested in supporting raising taxes and increasing permanent social service programs like rental assistance. She said that she opposes good cause eviction protections. So she’s putting, in our minds, all of her eggs in the wrong basket when it comes to solving the housing crisis.” Hochul is emphasizing working with developers to build new housing. “In our mind, the private sector is one of the underlying root causes of the housing crisis,” Weaver said. "A tax exemption is sort of a lazy way to produce market-rate housing and it’s just not going to work for the people who need housing the most.” Read the full story at New York State of Politics.

The committee assignments for the state assembly are all out, and now on the WGXC Newsroom.

• Democrat Didi Barrett, from Assembly District 106 in Columbia and Dutchess counties, is the Chair of the Committee on Energy this year. Barrett is also on the Environmental Conservation; Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; Agriculture; Mental Health committees; and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force and Task Force on Women's Issues; and is a member of the Legislative Women's Caucus.

• Sarahana Shrestha, a Socialist Democrat in Ulster County representing the 103 District, sits on the Committee on Aging; as well as the Energy; Local Governments; Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; and Transportation commitees.

• Republican Chris Tague represents the 102 district that includes Greene and Schoharie counties. Tague is on the Agriculture; Election Law; Environmental Conservation; Real Property Taxation; and Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development committees.

• Scott Bendett is a Republican representing the 107th District, including parts of Columbia and Rensselaer counties. Bendett is on the Aging; Health; Insurance; Labor; and Small Business committees.

Today's daily news update.

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

The Daily Freeman is reporting U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro has been chosen to sit on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 118th Congress. The Red Hook Republican said the assignments will allow him to work on issues important to residents of the 19th Congressional District, including the next Farm Bill as well as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “I am excited to get to work,” he said. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan said in a statement that although Democrats are still awaiting formal committee assignments, Ryan hopes to remain a member of the House Committee on Armed Services. He has also requested a seat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over aviation, maritime transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit and railroads, as well as aspects of clean water management, wastewater management, and flood damage reduction. The committee also has broad oversight of various federal agencies including the Department of Transportation, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union presiding appellate Justice Hector D. LaSalle will appear Wed., Jan. 18, before the state Senate's judiciary committee an important step toward his confirmation as chief judge of New York's highest court. LaSalle was nominated last month by Gov. Kathy Hochul to lead the Court of Appeals. Multiple senators on the judiciary committee have indicated they would not support LaSalle. He currently presides in Brooklyn over one of the busiest appellate courts in the nation. Since his nomination, he has come under intense scrutiny from both his supporters and opponents. LaSalle, who is Puerto Rican, would be the first Latino chief judge in New York if confirmed. Many of LaSalle's opponents are urging Hochul to withdraw the nomination, and some Senate Democrats argue there are not enough votes in the conference to confirm him. But LaSalle could be nominated if he receives votes from Republicans. Hochul and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins disagree about whether LaSalle's nomination would need to be adopted by the judiciary committee before going to the full Senate for a vote. "It doesn't get to the floor unless it gets out of committee," Stewart-Cousins said last week. "It is the practice that what happens in committees matter." Hochul, however, says under the state Constitution the Senate "has to advise and consent the governor on her appointment." The number of opponents and supporters of LaSalle continues to swell. So far, 14 state Senate Democrats have said they oppose the nomination, which means he would need to rely on Republican votes to be confirmed. But Stewart-Cousins has said there are more senators in her conference who have privately said they oppose his nomination. If LaSalle is not confirmed, it would be the first rejection of a governor's nominee to the court since 1978. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Democrat Jarrid Blades, a former Ulster County assistant district attorney, announced January 17, he hopes to secure the Democratic line in the November race for District Attorney. Blades currently works in the county Sheriff’s Office, Blades is the second candidate to announce his plan to run for the office now held by Democrat David Clegg. In early January, Michael Kavanagh announced his second bid for the seat. In 2019, Kavanagh ran on the Republican line for the office and then lost to Clegg by just 77 votes. Clegg said recently he will announce his plan for re-election next week. Blades is an Ellenville native and holds a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law. From 2017 to 2019 he worked as an assistant district attorney in Ulster County where, according to his release, he prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases in courts throughout the county. Jammel Cutler is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia County attorney Michael C. Howard has announced that he will seek the Democratic Party nomination to run for Columbia County judge. Howard said his background, temperament and understanding of the community makes him uniquely qualified to serve as a county court judge. "I’m looking forward to serving as a Columbia County court judge and believe that I will be able to use my experience to serve all of the litigants that appear before me,” he said. Howard is the Columbia County First Assistant Public Defender and operates a private law practice at 118 Green St. in Hudson. He has served twice as the president of the Hudson Rotary Club, served on various boards including the Columbia Golf and County Club, Columbia County Association in the City of New York and the Hudson Area Library Association. Howard is a graduate of Hudson High School and holds a degree from Brooklyn Law School.

Today's daily news update.

Melissa Manno reports in the Times Union that Rep Paul Tonko wants to contrast the previous Congress, run by his party, and the new Congress now run by the Republicans. “A powerful statement was made by the 117th Congress and now, following that with the opening of the 118th, which to me, seemed to surround itself with chaos and confusion and crisis ... the stark contrast between the two sessions to date is very powerful,” the Amsterdam Democrat said to reporters at his Albany office on Jan. 14. Tonko boasted that when his party ran things, they passed the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. And Tonko bemoaned that Republicans are seating, and putting on committees, George Santos, who was elected on Long Island despite a mountain of lies. “The trust between the representative and the representative’s constituents is powerful and essential, and once that trust is eroded, I don’t think you can serve in an effective capacity,” Tonko said. So far, Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed a number of bills with no chance to pass the Senate, still held by Democrats, or be signed by President Joe Biden. Tonko, though, says the Democrats are focused on legislation that probably won't get anywhere in the Republican-controlled House. Tonko said House Democrats are working on a clean energy innovation economy, driving down the cost of health care, and making certain that “the path forward is one of progress for the American public and for the American business community.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.