Today's daily news update.

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

The Times Union reports that incumbent Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado won their primary elections. They'll face Republican Congressperson Lee Zeldin and Alison Esposito in November. Locally, there was an upset as progressive candidate Sarahana Shrestha currently leads incumbent Kevin Cahill in the Democratic primary for the 103rd Assembly District, which includes parts of Ulster and Dutchess counties. Absentee ballots still could sway that race. Hochul, with about 67 percent of the vote beat Jumaane Williams, with about 20 percent of votes cast, and Thomas Suozzi finishing with about 13 percent of the votes. In the Republican contest for governor, Congressperson Lee Zeldin, who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election, bested Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and upstate businessperson Harry Wilson, with Zeldin getting about 44 percent of votes, Giuliani at 23 percent, Astorino at 18 percent, and Wilson at 14 percent. For Lt. Gov., Delgado got about 60 percent of the vote, progressive Ana Maria Archila received about 25 percent of votes cast, and New York City's Diana Reyna at about 14 percent. Alison Esposito was unopposed for the Republican nomination for Lt. Gov. Thirty-year incumbent Assemblyperson Kevin Cahill, lost to the more progressive Sarahana Shrestha, a first-generation immigrant from Nepal, with a 600 vote lead. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Ariél Zangla is reporting for the Daily Freeman U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced June 28, the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Dutchess County, will remain open. The independent Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission had previously called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a proposal that recommended closing Castle Point and relocating services. Subsequently, key Senate leaders and members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee said they would not support the commission's proposal moving forward, according to a press release from Schumer's office. That decision led to the preserving healthcare services for nearly 7,000 Hudson Valley veterans, the release said. “After months of fighting, I am pleased to announce the Castle Point VA Medical Center is staying open and right where it is,” Schumer said in a statement. He said the federal government should invest further in bolstering veteran healthcare facilities in the Hudson Valley, a sentiment repeated by Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. He said he hopes the federal government would see the value of Castle Point and build on it as a foundation for increasing veterans’ healthcare, including expanding mental health care. Democrat Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan called the decision to keep the Castle Point center open a “huge win for the Hudson Valley, and for veterans and their families across the nation.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Scott Stafford is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle work on the Main Street bridge in Williamstown, Mass. has begun, affecting the flow of traffic on Route 2. Crews have shifted the lanes to allow for work on the southern side of the span, where support structures are in place. According to information from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the project calls for the removal of the existing bridge’s superstructure and substructure. Work will continue into May 2026. The bridge, that crosses the Green River, will be replaced in stages, in an effort to maintain two lanes of travel as much as possible. The road will likely be closed five times during construction for 24 hours or less at a time, and traffic detoured over Cole Avenue to allow for the erection of bridge beams and the initial curing of the concrete deck. The plan is a complicated total replacement project including bridge reconstruction, roadway reconstruction, drainage modifications, pavement markings, landscaping and other tasks. Mass DOT spokesperson Judith Reardon Riley said a temporary pedestrian bridge will be installed on the south side of the span to ensure that pedestrians can continue to cross during construction. Northern Construction is the main contractor. The bid price for the project was $5.2 million. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

An Associated Press reporter posted on Facebook on June 27, “If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills.” The post was taken down by Facebook within one minute, with the account given a “warning” status, as Facebook saying it violated its standards on “guns, animals and other regulated goods.” So the same reporter then posted on Facebook, “If you send me your address, I will mail you a gun.” This post was allowed to stay online. Then the reporter posted on Facebook, “If you send me your address, I will mail you weed.” That post also was allowed to remain online. Mailing abortion pills is legal. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says "A nonlicensee may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another state. A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of their own state or to a licensee in any state. Mailing cannabis across state lines violates federal law. Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, Facebook's parent company name, said in a Tweet June 27 that the company does not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information on how to access pills. But, Stone said, mistakes have been made by Meta. “We’ve discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these,” Stone said in the Tweet. West Virginia and Tennessee are already prohibiting prescribing abortion pills through telemedicine consultation and the mail, even though Attorney General Merrick Garland said June 24 that, “states may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy.” Mifepristone is a prescription abortion pill. The Supreme Court on June 24 allowed states to ban abortions.

Today's daily news update.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper at the meeting of the Valatie Village Board on June 14, Mayor Frank Bevens announced the village's 2021 Drinking Water Quality Report is now available. According to the report, all levels of chemicals tested “were within acceptable limits with the exception of third-quarter PFOS samples from well 1.” That well has since been taken out of service and village officials are currently working with an engineer and the county Department of Health on a long-term solution. Earlier this year, water supplies in Valatie and New Lebanon were found to have PFOS levels that exceed the state maximum contaminant level. The new report also shows levels of copper from “corrosion of household plumbing system” in the system. Those levels for copper are at "Action Level" meaning “the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements… The Valatie Water System is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.” At the same meeting, Bevens also discussed a state program to help residents pay their water and sewer bills. The mayor said he has posted information on the village website about the Household Water Assistance Program, intended to help households with past due bills. Bevens said the state pays the village directly. To be eligible for the program, residents must qualify based on income, household size, and amount owed to water and/or sewer providers. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Ryan Whalen is reporting for State of Politics under federal legislation people convicted of domestic violence have been banned from possessing guns, if they were married, lived with, or shared a child with the person they committed the crime against. However, advocates for survivors point out there is a significant loophole in that law. "The ‘if I can't have her, nobody can’ attitude that we see so often with abusers can certainly apply to people in a dating relationship," said YWCA of Niagara vice president of programs, Mary Brennan-Taylor. Brennan-Taylor said that while the law did not account for abusers in a romantic relationship who did not meet one of the three stipulations, the federal gun package signed recently by the president would instead only require a victim to prove the relationship. "This is a very positive thing for women across the country who are in a life-threatening situation day in and day out and currently have no protections," Brennan-Taylor said. Currently 31 states prohibit convicted domestic abusers from having guns and the law in New York does close the "boyfriend loophole." Brennan-Taylor said the federal action is still important and welcomed. "This is going to make it nationwide and save thousands of lives," she said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,000 women are killed by their abusers with a gun every year and about half of those victims are not married to the killer. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

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

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media after five years of service, Catskill Central School District Superintendent Ronel Cook has resigned to take a new position outside of the district. “My tenure in the Catskill Central School District is ending effective Sept. 3, 2022, or sooner, if the board finds an interim or successor prior to that date,” Cook said in a statement. “Over the course of five years, an awful lot was accomplished. I am extremely grateful to the board of education, administration, staff, the community at large and most importantly our students. A bond was created that will be everlasting.” Cook declined to specify the position he accepted outside the district. The board of education is hoping to conduct interviews for interim candidates in the coming weeks. “We are currently advertising for an interim superintendent and the application process will close on July 10,” board president Deborah Johnson said. “We hope to interview candidates on July 13.” Johnson said Cook's departure was not anticipated and the sooner the board gets someone on board to serve as the interim, the better. "Because it involves opening school and getting things ready and a new year and a road without COVID, we hope. So we really need someone to start preparing now,” she said. Cook was hired by Catskill in 2017, to replace then-interim School District Superintendent Annemarie Barkman. He previously served as deputy superintendent in the Poughkeepsie City School District. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics nine days of early voting in New York ended June 26, and 178,223 people statewide have cast ballots so far in advance of the final day of voting, June 28, according to unofficial numbers from the state Board of Elections. Of those, 86,890 votes were cast in New York City while 91,333 were cast outside of the five boroughs, Board of Elections data show. The most popular day to vote early was on the final day, June 26, when 28,548 people cast ballots, a small fraction of the 8.5 million active registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the primary contests. This primary election will determine nominations for governor, lieutenant governor as well as for the state Assembly in various locations. August 23 will be the final day for voters to cast primary ballots for the state Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, with more early voting before that. The primaries were split into two separate days of voting after a successful legal challenge to the newly drawn district maps for the state Senate and U.S. House of Representatives led to a redrafting of the lines by a special master in May. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting Ulster County lawmakers have allocated American Rescue Plan Act funding and Opioid Settlement funding to strengthen mental health supports in the county's schools. A resolution to fund the program was unanimously adopted by the county legislature last week. The program will supplement mental health services provided in the county’s nine district schools and will act as a link between school, community, and family. The program was designed with local districts to promote general wellness, offset the effects of trauma, and bolster existing mental health resources in the schools. The Mental Health in Schools program will begin with the 2022-23 school year and work with middle school aged students. Charles Khoury, district superintendent and CEO of Ulster BOCES, said, “The pandemic has shaken the somewhat predictable nature of our pre-pandemic lives and our sense of security. There has been a significant uptick in the number of students and families who need mental health, social, and emotional support. The Ulster County Mental Health in Schools initiative will serve to assist the already overburdened school-based student support staff.” Ulster County will contract with a nonprofit to operate teams of one social worker or mental health counselor and a care manager to support youth, families, and schools. Teams will provide face-to-face sessions with the youth, family support sessions with the youth and their parent or caregiver, ongoing communication with school staff, a connection to community resources, and coordination with other providers. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Radio Ink reports that Florida Senator Marco Rubio was interviewed by Beasley Media Group Director of Latin Formats, Nio Fernandez at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference on June 23. Fernandez asked Rubio if he was in favor of the National Association of Broadcaster’s Local Radio Freedom Act and Rubio replied, “I think the Radio Freedom Act would impose new taxes and fees on an industry that’s already in a lot of trouble when it comes to revenue. We’re going to lose local news and information if we keep raising costs on operation. And this is just one more cost.” A typical politician's response, right? Well, Rubio's answer proves he has no idea what the Local Radio Freedom Act says. The proposal is a non-binding resolution the National Association of Broadcasters has been circulating in Congress for years which says that no new taxes should be imposed on local radio stations. Congress.gov has a one-sentence description of the proposal, House Congressional Resolution 33: "This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings." Rubio says he disagrees with the Local Radio Freedom Act that is against new taxes for radio stations, but in the same interview he said, “Local media outlets are already facing a tremendous amount of pressure and competition from the sheer volume of where people are getting their information from. The last thing I think local media needs is another tax or fee that increases the cost of operating. That business model just becomes cost ineffective.” Fortunately, Rubio is not on the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, which regulates the FCC and radio issues.

Today's daily news update.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics Gov. Kathy Hochul on June 24 announced an extraordinary session of the state legislature on June 30. The reason: to pass legislation in response to the Supreme Court's ruling June 23 overturning the state's concealed gun law. The Supreme Court voted 6-to-3 that New York's law requiring people to show "proper cause" to get a license to carry a concealed handgun outside the home was unconstitutional. "The Supreme Court's reckless and reprehensible decision to strike down New York's century-old concealed carry law puts lives at risk here in New York," Hochul said in a statement. "Since the decision was released, I have been working around the clock with our partners in the legislature to craft gun safety legislation in response to this ruling that will protect New Yorkers. My number one priority as Governor will always be to keep New Yorkers safe." It is still an open question whether lawmakers will use the extraordinary session to legislate other issues, such as the Supreme Court's ruling on June 24 ending the right to abortion. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that Osun (pronounced "ocean") Zotique ended their campaign to represent the 19th District in Congress on June 27. Zotique, the director of Columbia County-based LGBTQ nonprofit OutHudson, had previously mounted a write-in campaign for the Hudson School Board earlier this year, finishing out of the running in sixth place. Now Democrats Josh Riley, from Ithaca, and Jamie Cheney from Dutchess County, are the only candidates in the Aug. 23 primary election for the new 19th Congressional District in Congress. There is also a special election that same day between Democrat Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan and Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro to complete Antonio Delgado's term in Congress in the current 19th Congressional District. Zotique released a statement saying they “do not have the necessary means to win an election against Republican Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro” in the November midterms. “It has been an utter privilege to make United States history as our first transgender non-binary individual to run for federal elected office. Over the course of about a month, I announced, opened myself up to the broader community, received support, collected designating petition signatures, and began making my way onto the Democratic Primary Ballot,” the statement continued. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that before launching a first flight, Norse Atlantic Airways has abandoned New York Stewart International Airport. The airline had applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for international service to the United States, naming Stewart as one of three airports it would serve. But now it has switched from Stewart to JFK and says it was because Stewart did not have the cargo volume needed to keep airfares low. “I can’t speak on how they made their decision, but I will say that we would love to have them here at Stewart just as we are thrilled to have Play, and we are hoping that not just carriers like Norse, but other carriers see the success of Play and see the opportunity here to have a captive audience to come join us at Stewart and offer routes to other places that people want to fly,” said Alex Minton, the Port Authority’s director of airline attraction. Play Airlines is based in Iceland is flying from Stewart to Reykjavík with connections to dozens of European cities. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's daily news update.