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

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the 68th Greene County Youth Fair will open July 28, with animals, entertainment, exhibits, food, vendors and more in one of the area's most beloved events devoted specifically to children and youth. The fair is hosted by the Greene County Agricultural Society and held at Angelo Canna Town Park in Cairo. The four-day event runs through July 31, and the theme is the Wild West. “We are really trying to focus on more local acts and bands both this year and going forward,” said Greene County Agricultural Society President Alex Johnk. “Greene County has an amazing variety of entertainment and business that we want to showcase for everyone to see and enjoy.” One of the highlights this year is the woodsman competition that will take place on Saturday. John said the event last year was a demo, and this year it will be an actual competition. Other favorites returning include Mr. Scribbles, an artist who turns children’s own scribbles into works of art; and Buffalo Barfield, troubadours who blend traditional country and western swing, folk, bluegrass, old-time gospel, and jug-band music with dance, education, and humor. There is also live music, tractor pulls, a classic car show, and fireworks on Saturday night. The focus of he fair is agriculture and it celebrates the accomplishments of area youth who work hard all year raising animals to show, as well as the diverse abilities of 4-H kids who showcase everything from sewing to baking. The fair attracts more than 20,000 people. Admission is free due to the dedication of volunteers and support from local residents, businesses, organizations and the Greene County Legislature. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. said July 11, the price for its residential electric supply has slightly increased since June. The company’s residential price for electric supply will rise from 4.18 cents per kilowatt-hour in June to 5.83 cents per kilowatt-hour, as of July 13. In June, the supply price decreased from 6.12 cents per kilowatt-hour in May to 4.18 cents, as of June 10, according to the utility. In late June, Central Hudson said natural gas prices had slightly as of July 1. The utility said the supply price for natural gas has decreased to 72 cents per 100 cubic feet, down from 77 cents in June. Supply prices shown on bills and overall bill effects will vary for individual customers depending on their billing cycle and energy usage. Central Hudson buys electricity and natural gas on behalf of full-service customers on the energy market and, according to the company, it does not mark up the price. The New York State Public Service Commission recently announced the state is prepared to meet the increased demand for electricity this summer, but it anticipates supply costs to increase. The PSC attributes the increase to higher summer energy demand, the ongoing economic recovery and international uncertainty surrounding energy supplies. Central Hudson’s billing practices are currently under investigation by the PSC and a state Senate committee led by Sen. James Skoufis. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Berkshire Eagle is reporting Williamstown, Mass., has issued a “non-essential outdoor watering restriction” until further notice. The action was taken after an extended period of little rainfall. Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, the town forbids outdoor watering of lawns, public parks and recreational fields, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants. The tasks are permitted after 5 p.m. and before 9 a.m., but only with the use of a hand-held hose. The ban prohibits vehicle washing other than by means of a commercial car wash, as well as the washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as needed to apply paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement. Exempted activities include water use for health or safety reasons, the production of food and fiber, for the maintenance of livestock, or to meet the core functions of a business. Anyone who violates the restriction can be cited and charged $50 the first time, and $100 for each subsequent violation. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Portia Munson’s “Flood” is currently on view at Art Omi. Two of the central sculptures are seductive collections of blue discarded plastics and in this segment we focus on the third central sculpture and Munson’s paintings. “Flood” by Portia Munson is on view at Art Omi until September 25, 2022. There will be a second part of this interview focusing on her work with discarded plastics.

Today's daily news update.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker writes a story in the Daily Freeman with Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa and Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky complaining about new gun laws in New York, without offering their solutions. Mostly, Figueroa and Kusminsky complain that they were not consulted on the new laws, as legislators hurried to pass bills after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York's concealed carry law. While Figueroa says, "I don’t think anybody is against — I know I’m not — common sense, reasonable licensing. We don’t want guns to go into the wrong hands,” he does not say what that is, only what he is against. Actually, he is not very specific about what he is against either. Figueroa complains about the new laws vague limit of concealed handguns in "sensitive areas" but is not specific himself about if there is anywhere he would not want concealed guns allowed. He mentions training requirements, and again plays both sides. "I don’t think anybody’s against getting people trained here. I think the point is that we should have had a seat at the table," Figueroa says. Kusminsky does not mention any regulations to gun ownership that he would support, but still tries to sound like he supports reulations. "I support firearms regulations that keep guns out of the hands of people who have no business possessing them but the U.S. Constitution guarantees that the 2nd Amendment Rights of law-abiding citizens not be infringed,” he says. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union New York lawmakers are defending their recent gun regulations with studies showing that states with the lowest rates of suicide are those with the most strict gun laws. Suicide accounts for about half of all gun deaths in New York. New gun regulations were passed recently after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's concealed carry law. "The legal purchase of a handgun appears to be associated with a long-lasting increased risk of violent death," a 1997 American Journal of Public Health article concluded. Another study focused more on suicide. "Our results support the hypothesis that firearms in the home impose suicide risk above and beyond the baseline risk and help explain why, year after year, several thousand more Americans die by suicide in states with higher than average household firearm ownership compared with states with lower than average firearm ownership," a 2013 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded. While suicide numbers have grown in the past 20 years across much of the county, in New York they are flat, with 439 firearm suicides in 1999, 462 firearm suicides in 2020. In New York, suffocation is the leading cause of suicide, while in states with lenient gun laws, firearms are the leading cause. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Adam Penale reports for New York State of Politics that New York Senator Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19. Schumer's office says the majority leader is fully vaccinated and only experiencing mild symptoms, and is quarantining this week. “As a part of his regular testing regimen, Leader Schumer received a positive test result for COVID-19,” Justin Goodman, a spokesperson for Schumer, said in a statement. “The Leader is fully vaccinated and double boosted, and has very mild symptoms. He greatly appreciates the protection the vaccine has provided him and encourages everyone to test regularly and get vaccinated and boosted." Read more about this 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.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that William Maxwell, who pleaded guilty to murder and sex crimes in the 1980s, has been paroled. Maxwell, now 56 years old, was given a release date of July 11, after appearing March 15 before the Board of Parole, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. According to the DOCCS inmate lookup Maxwell remained in state custody on July 10. In 1989, Maxwell was convicted of murder and sexual abuse in the death of Penny Almstead, an aspiring model and mother of three. Almstead's body was found by duck hunters along the Hudson River. He pleaded guilty, admitting to beating and brutalizing her with a tire iron and subsequently given a life sentence. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said he had received emails and phone calls from anxious residents after local media reports suggested Maxwell would be released in May. Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore said he has received calls and emails from worried residents. “There’s a lot of people who can’t believe that, after doing what he did, he can be out,” Moore said. Maxwell will be released as a Level 3 Sex Offender, designating him as someone with a “high risk of repeat offense” and where “a threat to public safety exists,” according to state law. His address will be posted in a public database. Moore said he does not know where Maxwell would be released, but that his department would be informed if the man came to Hudson. The chief denied initial social media reports that his department would be conducting extra patrols after Maxwell's release. He said the department is without the resources needed to add patrols. “But our officers will be cognizant ... it would be part of our daily patrol information,” Moore said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

The Berkshire Eagle is reporting that motorists on I-90 in Becket and Lee, Mass., are being advised to expect temporary lane closures this week due to overnight guardrail repairs and daytime bridge repairs, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The guardrail repairs will happen on both eastbound and westbound I-90 from mile marker 8 to mile marker 14 in Lee and Becket and the bridge repairs will take place from mile marker 10 to mile marker 12. The nighttime work is slated to begin on July 11, and conclude on July 15. It will begin each night at 7 p.m. each night and conclude at 5 a.m. the next morning. The daytime work will be done on Monday beginning at 7 a.m. and conclude by 4 p.m. that same day. The work will require temporary lane closures and appropriate signage, law enforcement details and messaging will be in place to guide drivers through the work area. Drivers should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media for the second time in less than a year, the cost of a first-class Mail Forever stamp has increased. The U.S. Postal Service raised the cost from 58 to 60 cents as of July 10. First-class postage previously increased in August 2021, when the price went from 55 to 58 cents. When the increase was proposed in April, postal officials said first-class mail prices would rise roughly 6.5 percent, a rate lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual inflation rate of 7.9 percent as of the end of February. The mailing services price changes include first-class letters increasing from 58 cents to 60 cents, domestic postcards from 40 cents to 44 cents, and international letters increasing from $1.30 to $1.40. The Postal Service will also implement price adjustments for special services including certified mail, post office box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item, officials said. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a recent study of the condition of federally funded local roads from the office of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli ranked Greene County as second-worst in the state. Discounting the state report based on its limited scope, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden dismissed the reporting, saying its contents are useless. “This doesn’t frighten me at all,” Groden said. “This is worthless data as far as I’m concerned.” The report found the condition of federally funded local roads in Greene County to be fair, better only than Sullivan, the lowest-ranked county in the state. Federally funded roads in Columbia County were classified as good in the report. The road report was released in January and is based on data from 2019 and 2020 collected by the state. The federally funded roads in the county include County Route 12 in Windham, Route 23B and Route 24. The report lists the condition of federally funded roads in the towns of Hunter and Windham as poor, roads in Cairo and portions of Athens fair, while road conditions in Catskill and Coxsackie are good. According to the report, the 67 lane miles of locally owned roads eligible for federal funding in Greene County represent 3.6 percent of total local lane miles in the county. “That means this report is worthless,” Groden said. “We only have four roads that are federally funded that this analysis is looking at. So what’s the value of the report? The county owns 263 miles of county roads...." The county uses a grading system to classify the quality of its roads in order to prioritize the roads that need work immediately, Groden said. “County Route 12 is almost brand new,” Groden said, not denying that other federal local roads are lacking. “We just had the expansion where we added the sidewalk and the bike lane to it.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The UpStater [dot] com is reporting that 2022 is the Lafarge Ravena cement plant's 60th year of operation. Ground was broken by the Atlantic Cement Company in 1961 and the facility, now owned by the Swiss multinational company Holcim, currently employs 160 full-time workers, making it the largest employer in southern Albany County, according to the company. However, while the company claims to have a vital role in supporting the local community and good neighbor status, its 60-year presence in the region has not been without controversy. In 2014, the company was fined $100,000 by the state Department of Environmental Conservation for 50 violations of federal water pollution rules after it released 1,500 gallons of sulfuric acid into a stream that feeds the Hudson River. For decades Holcim and Lafarge were listed among the state’s top polluters by the Environmental Protection Agency and in 2020, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took legal action in federal court alleging a LaFarge contractor fostered a racist work environment at the Ravena plant during the facility's three-year modernization project. Republican Assemblymember Chris Tague, who represents the 102nd Assembly District, credits the company for its contributions to the local economy and how it has driven growth and employment in the area. Lafarge is part of Holcim US, which offers a range of cement, aggregates, asphalt, concrete products, and construction services. Read more at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Gillian Scott is reporting for the Times Union Amtrak has abruptly canceled bike reservations on its Maple Leaf line, leaving some travelers scrambling to salvage their plans. Since July 1, passengers on the Maple line, or trains 63 and 64, are no longer able to reserve spots for bicycles, and all existing reservations for bicycles on those trains were also canceled. The Maple Leaf line runs from New York to Albany to Toronto and it offers a key transportation option for cyclists looking to ride the 360 miles of the Empire State Trail between Buffalo and Albany. Cyclists take the train in one direction and then ride back to their starting point. Cyclists now have to find a shuttle service to take their bikes to Buffalo, rent a car or cancel their trips altogether. Jason Abrams, an Amtrak public relations manager, said the cancellations were caused by a need to change the train used for the line; the new train does not have bike racks. Passengers can try to book space on the Empire Line instead, which also offers travel between Albany and Buffalo, but there are limited spots for bicycles. Folding bikes are still allowed as carry-on luggage. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

Raymond Pignone reports at Columbia-Greene Media that Etsy is closing its operations in Hudson in September, with its 40 employees switching to fully work at home. “That’s why we made the decision to close our physical office, transitioning our Hudson-based employees to our remote work mode. However, we remain deeply committed to the Hudson community. We are ensuring our employees are supported, able to work productively and can still effectively collaborate with colleagues,” said Etsy Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Seymour. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson was not happy about the decision. “It’s very disappointing and heartbreaking to learn the company will be leaving Hudson,” Johnson said. “We had been planning to partner with them on things like hiring and other issues, so this is a great loss for us.” Employees had worked in the former Cannonball Factory building at 359-361 Columbia St., which had been an art and performance space before Etsy moved there. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.