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

On July 29 the U.S. House of Representatives voted 217-213, mostly on party lines, to ban assault weapons. Only five Democrats voted against the ban, while two Republicans voted for it. Locally, Democrats Sean Maloney and Paul Tonko voted for the bill, while Republican Elise Stefanik voted against. No vote was cast from the 19th Congressional District, as Antonio Delgado resigned months ago to become lieutenant governor. The bill -- banning military-grade weapons that shoot multiple rounds and are not suited to hunting -- is not expected to pass the Senate.

MidHudson News is reporting Kingston Mayor Steven Noble has asked the state Public Service Commission to review Central Hudson Gas and Electric’s response to three storms responsible this year for disrupting the power in the city, namely a February ice storm and two July thunderstorm events. In a letter to the commission chair, Noble said first responders and Central Hudson crews “did a tremendous job to help restore service and protect public health and safety.” But, the mayor continued, the widespread outages during all three storms, particularly in the Lucas Avenue corridor, were not related to downed trees or wires. Noble said, “It is my understanding that these outages were due to circuit lockouts, issues with breakers, and/or other issues related to the main transmission systems." The mayor has now officially requested that the PSC “look at these past three storms to identify what if any, trends exist and to require Central Hudson, and its parent company Fortis, make whatever necessary improvements are required to create a more stable and redundant system in light of our changing climate.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Jared Gans reports for The Hill that the right-wing One America News channel, or OAN, is being dropped by Verizon Aug. 1. Verizon said that economic considerations killed the deal and that OAN did not agree to “fair terms.” OAN has also been accused to not being fair with what it calls news coverage, repeating lies about vaccines and election results. DirecTV decided not to renew its contract with the network in January, leaving only minor carriers airing OAN. One of those minor carriers is Mid-Hudson Cable, which also airs lies from another so-called news network, Newsmax. That network just renewed its deal with Verizon, ensuring it sticks around longer, while OAN may not be able to survive without any major carriers. Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN -- which all air on Mid-Hudson Cable locally -- face multi-million dollar lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems, over the false election claims they made after the 2020 presidential election. Read more about this story at The Hill.

The push to expand public power has grown tremendously in New York in recent years. In June, the state Senate passed the Build Public Renewables Act to require the state (NYPA) to build renewable energy, something that the private sector has blocked. Despite a majority of Assemblymembers indicating they would vote for the measure, Speaker Carl Heastie refused to bring it for a vote but did allow a public hearing on the bill to be held on July 28. From the ten-hour hearing, we hear from Laurie Wheelock of the Public Utility Law Project; Megan Carr of NY Lawyers for the Public Interest; Conon Bambrick of Environmental Advocates; Xavier Kandler of New York Renews; and Daniel Chu of NYC Environmental Justice Alliance. By Mark Dunlea from our partner station, WOOC.

The Times Union is reporting Amtrak workers at local stations July 30 helped riders make alternate plans after service was disrupted by chunks of the Central Warehouse falling onto the rail line that runs next to the deteriorating former storage facility. Amtrak is providing bus service between the Albany-Rensselaer and Schenectady stations for the Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf and Ethan Allen Express trains after Empire Service was shut down west of Albany. At the Saratoga Springs train station Saturday, passengers were loaded from the train to buses to connect with the next train station on their stop because of the gap in service. The disruption was caused by safety concerns over the building temporarily suspending Empire Service west of Albany and the Lake Shore Limited, which runs from Boston to Chicago. It is affecting service north and east of Albany, according to Amtrak's website. The line runs west to Schenectady before turning northeast to Saratoga Springs. Starting July 29, service to Saratoga Springs was unavailable and service to Burlington, Vermont, required passengers to take a bus to Saratoga Springs before getting on a train. Full Amtrak service is in effect between Rensselaer and New York City. The city of Albany July 28, declared a state of emergency. A structural engineering report the city received earlier in the week said parts of the exterior southern wall of the Central Warehouse are in danger of imminent collapse. Officials with the city and Amtrak did not return calls for updates as of the afternoon of July 30. Bruce Becker, communications director with Empire State Passengers Association, said, “We understand that at least one additional train across upstate New York will be starting, we believe, on Monday [August 1]. although full service is not slated to resume immediately." Read the full story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Kiskatom Fire Department has been awarded a $50,000 grant to fund the construction of a medivac helicopter landing zone at the firehouse on State Route 32. The award was announced July 29, by state Senator Michelle Hinchey whose office awarded the State and Municipal Facilities Capital grant. Kiskatom Fire Chief Peter Kusminsky thanked Hinchey for the funding. “This landing pad will make the community and the first responders safer,” Kusminsky said. The project would include the construction of an access road from State Route 32, built large enough to accommodate any responding firetrucks and ambulance vehicles needed to safely transfer patients to an aircraft, as well as sufficient outdoor lighting to make the helipad fully functional at night. Medivac helicopters administered by Albany Medical Center, the New York State Police, and other regional agencies will be able to use the helipad for emergency transports requested by Greene County. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Aina de Lapparent Alvarez and Larry Parnass are reporting for The Berkshire Eagle a network of indoor cannabis farms could soon replace the long-gone anchor stores at the Berkshire Mall, located outside of Pittsfield, in Lanesborough, Mass. The Lanesborough Select Board this week agreed to begin negotiations for a Host Community Agreement with JMJ Holdings Corp., a Massachusetts company looking to buy the now closed mall and build out its former commercial spaces as cannabis farms. The sale of the property to Mehran Namiri-Kalantari of Santa Monica, Calif., for $8 million was recorded July 29. It is not yet clear what the nature of the relationship between the buyer and JMJ Holdings might be. Blake M. Mensing of JMJ Holdings, said the corporation plans to prepare space for cultivation, including the acquisition of licenses for manufacturing and distribution from the state Cannabis Control Commission. In so doing, the company would enable those interested in entering the industry to save time. The corporation would line up water supplies for cannabis cultivation and consider installing solar panels on the sprawling mall roof system, to supply power for indoor cultivation. The Berkshire Mall was build in 1988 and was closed in 2019, leaving Target the only business open in the 16.5-acre center off Cheshire Road. A community outreach meeting is planned for August or September. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

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

Today's daily news update.

Ariel Zangla reports in the Daily Freeman that the City of Kingston has declared a housing emergency. Rent control regulations can now be enacted on city properties built prior to 1974 that have six or more units. The Common Council voted 7-1 on July 28 for a resolution declaring a housing emergency in the city and enacting regulations under the state’s Emergency Tenant Protection Act. Minority Leader Michael Olivieri, a registered Democrat who won the Ward 7 election on the Republican Party line, was the lone no vote. Mayor Steve Noble signed the legislation into law on July 29. “I am pleased to be able to codify this legislation and to implement these tenant protections here in Kingston,” Noble said in a statement. “We have known we have a housing crisis in Kingston, and this is yet another step we are taking to protect our residents and make sure that everyone who wishes to live in Kingston is able to. With this law, there are more than 1,200 rental units that are now entitled to rent stabilization.” An undeclared housing crisis exists throughout the Hudson Valley, with few new affordable housing going on the market recently. The problem of higher rents and few available units was made worse by the pandemic, with an influx of new, wealthy homeowners and renters moving to the area from New York City recently. “We are living in a time where housing, in particular, affordable housing, is almost nonexistent,” Majority Leader Rita Worthington, D-Ward 4, said. “There is a housing crisis in our city. This resolution … does not and will not solve the entirety of the crisis that we find ourselves in. But I do believe it is a step in the right direction.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Roger Hannigan Gilson in the Times Union digs in to financial disclosures obtained from the campaign of Jamie Cheney, a candidate running for the new 19th Congressional District seat in a primary Aug. 23 against fellow Democrat Josh Riley. Cheney has loaned her primary campaign $100,000. As an individual, Cheney has joint assets valued at between just under $4 million and just under $15 million, as candidates must only categorize their assets by ranges of value. She is a landlord to a property in New York City and another in Rhinebeck. She also owns and lives in a 65-acre farm in Rhinebeck. She is currently making money from consulting fees and dividends, as well as the rental properties. “Jamie Cheney started a successful business that holds Wall Street accountable by advocating for working parents to have rights like comprehensive healthcare, childcare and flexible work hours,” according to a statement from her campaign. “She is running for Congress to protect reproductive healthcare, pass meaningful gun reform and help working families across the district.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that progressive New York lawmakers and environmental activists continue to push for a special session of the legislature to address climate change. Specifically, they want a vote on a bill meant to require the New York Power Authority to only provide renewable forms of power to customers. "As elected officials, we owe it to our constituents to do everything we can to combat this existential crisis," said Assemblyperson Jessica González-Rojas "Our continued inaction will only perpetuate the injustices we were elected to address. Let’s act with the urgency that the climate crisis demands." So far, Gov. Kathy Hochul has given no indication that she wants to hold a second special session this summer. After a spate of mass shootings, Albany lawmakers passed some gun laws in a special session earlier this summer. Read the full story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news update.

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

Kathleen Moore is reporting for the Times Union the New York State Department of Health announced on July 28, that monkeypox is an imminent threat to public health. The declaration provides local health departments access to additional state reimbursement for response and prevention activities. Monkeypox is spreading rapidly, Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement. Anyone can get the virus, which is primarily spread through close, physical contact between people. Although men who have sex with men constitute the majority of those infected right now, the virus does not differentiate. Anyone can get monkeypox. Contact does not have to be sexual. A baby and a toddler contracted monkeypox from their parents in other states. Because sexual contact is a common way to get the virus, the state Health Department advised all sexual partners to discuss whether they have any rashes or other monkeypox symptoms before skin-to-skin contact. If one person has symptoms, they should isolate at home and contact a health care provider for treatment and pain relief. The person should isolate from pets as well as people. An additional 110,000 doses of vaccine will arrive in New York during the next four to six weeks, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. The vaccine is two shots, given four weeks apart. The person is fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose. New Yorkers can sign up to receive mobile messages about cases and where to get tested or vaccinated by texting "MONKEYPOX" to 81336. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company said July 27, natural gas prices will sharply rise effective Mon., Aug. 1. The supply price for natural gas will increase by 20 percent to 87 cents per 100 cubic feet, up from 72 cents in July, according to Central Hudson spokesperson Joseph Jenkins. He said that while the use of natural gas is typically lower during the summer months, supply prices quoted on bills and overall bill impacts will vary for individual customers depending on their billing cycle and energy use. Jenkins noted that the New York State Public Service Commission and other watchdog agencies had warned of continued rising energy prices. This increase comes on the heels of a slight jump in electricity supply prices, from 4.18 cents per kilowatt-hour in June to 5.83 cents per kilowatt-hour, as of July 13. Jenkins said the August electricity supply rates will not be known until August 9 or 10. The utility said that the new rates were approved by the PSC as part of a three-year plan in November. The approved plan includes another increase in delivery charges in July 2023. This year, the utility has been under fire for billing complaints and skyrocketing customer bills. The PSC as well as a state Senate committee are investigating those matters. The utility announced last week it will re-institute late fees beginning in October. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

MidHudson News is reporting Frontier Airlines, which operates flights to various destinations from New York Stewart International Airport, has started a cadet program to train the next generation of Frontier pilots. Frontier will operate its program in partnership with ATP Flight School. Systemwide, the airline industry is facing a pilot shortage. Frontier is hoping to enroll up to 35 people each month to become commercial airline pilots. No prior flying experience is required, the company said from its Denver headquarters. Cadets will receive assistance in applying for financial aid to help offset training and living expenses. The program will take 24 months to complete. Cadets must be at least 19 years old, willing to relocate, and clear a background check. An associate degree or higher is preferred but not required. Participants must pass all required tests and obtain all necessary certifications before becoming a Frontier pilot. .Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Maura Rosner reports for Columbia-Greene Media that some Athens town officials want to build a new town hall but are being secretive about the process. The story says almost 100 people attended a public hearing July 18 on an eminent domain proposal, but does not say what property the town would be taking over. The story also says that "Attempts to speak with council members in favor of the eminent domain proposal were unsuccessful. Multiple voicemails and emails were left unanswered." The story does not say why the town wants to build a new town hall. The story also says that a resolution to hire an engineer for the project was "seemingly approved" but not recorded in board meeting minutes. Mary Beth Bianconi of Delaware Engineering in Albany was said to have presented a concept plan to the board for the project, but asked to keep it secret. “I cannot discuss those details,” Bianconi said. “You have to talk to the town. The town has that information.” So, there is talk about a new town hall for the town of Athens, but the public is not privy to many details about how taxpayer money is being spent on the project. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.