The Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act on May 14, 2018, allowing states to legalize gambling on sporting events. That led to radio and television stations being able to accept advertisements for sports gambling. Anyone in a state that recently legalized gambling, saw and heard thousands of ads for sports betting on TV and radio. Since 1996, 37 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted laws allowing legal access to cannabis, with 15 states and the District of Columbia passing laws legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use. Many radio and television executives hope they get the same advertising bonanza from cannabis that they received from the gambling industry. The difference is there has been no Supreme Court ruling, nor any national legislation passed, or federal executive order decreed, allowing those advertisements on the public airwaves. The Federal government still considers cannabis illegal, and while the drug is currently allowed in both New York and Massachusetts, it is a federal offense to buy cannabis in one state, and then take it across state lines. The Republican-appointed FCC Commissioners Nathan Simington and Brendan Carr have both spoken recently about how broadcasters in states where cannabis has been decriminalized or legalized cannot accept ad dollars from dispensaries, Inside Radio reports. That could change, at least temporarily, soon. Broadcasters backed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (H.R. 3617), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April and would decriminalize cannabis in federal law. But Republicans in the Senate are blocking the bill. To get around that, Democrats in the House have recently included language in the Financial Services and General Government funding bill that says the FCC could not use federal funds to penalize TV or radio broadcasters for airing cannabis ads where it is legal. If passed, this funding bill would legalize cannabis ads in states where it is legal, but only for the one year the bill covers, from this Oct. 1 until Sept. 30, 2023. The spending bill was voted out of the subcommittee on June 16 and now heads to the full House Appropriations Committee for a voice vote, before the entire House can vote on it. But Republicans are still attempting to strip the cannabis language out of the bill before future votes, so an influx of cannabis ads may or may not be coming to the public airwaves.

Today's daily news update.

Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman the revenues of Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. and other upstate utilities will be cut by $19.5 million as a result of performance findings for 2021 by the New York State Public Service Commission, according to that agency. Central Hudson itself is set to make about $5.2 million less for failure to meet reliability targets. The PSC said in a statement that New York State Electric & Gas Corporation and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation each failed to meet their frequency target. As a result, NYSEG incurred a negative revenue adjustment of $7 million, and RG&E incurred a negative revenue adjustment of $5 million. The PSC reviewed the state’s major utilities in terms of their performance in a number of key areas in 2021, including electric reliability service, gas safety, electric safety, and customer service. As a result of the review, utility revenues collected from customers will be reduced for failing to meet reliability and customer service targets, the press release said. The reduced utility revenues will occur in the next rate case of each of the respective utilities. “While most utilities are doing a good job providing safe and reliable service, several utilities have fallen short of our expectations in certain areas and we will continue to act aggressively to ensure utilities improve performance,” said Commission Chairman Rory M. Christian. This year, Central Hudson has been under fire for billing complaints and skyrocketing customer bills. The PSC as well as a state Senate committee are investigating those matters. Read more in the Daily Freeman.

MidHudson News is reporting two properties — one in Greene County and one in Columbia County — have been recommended to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The Captain Joseph Allen House in Catskill's Jefferson Heights is a well-preserved 1814 Federal-style home of Joseph Allen, a Revolutionary war privateer, naval captain and trader. Sweet Homestead in Copake is a well-preserved mid-19th century timber-framed Greek Revival farmstead with several historic outbuildings. “One of State Parks’ most exciting functions is helping to preserve and promote New York’s history,” said Erik Kulleseid, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation commissioner. “Securing State and National Registers recognition for such places provides resources and other potential incentives, such as state and federal tax credits, that will help keep this history alive and vibrant.” Read the full story a MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics a record number of workers in New York filed for paid family leave in 2021 as the law was fully phased in. Gov. Kathy Hochul's office June 17, announced nearly 147,000 claims for paid family leave were filed last year; since the program went into effect in 2018 more than 543,000 claims have been paid. New York's paid family leave law was approved in 2016 under then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The measure was fully enacted in 2021, providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 67 percent of a worker's salary. The measure is meant to help workers take time off to care for a sick loved one or bond with a newborn. "No one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and a paycheck, and today's findings demonstrate how critical paid family leave is, especially for working-class New Yorkers," Hochul said. The law is set to expand again in 2023 when family members can take time off to care for a sibling. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

NBC New York reports that early voting begins June 18 in primary elections for governor and state Assembly seats in New York. For Democrats, incumbent Kathy Hochul, Long Island Congressperson Tom Suozzi, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are on the ballot, and they face off a final time in a debate June 16. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and businessperson Harry Wilson., and Andrew Giuliani, the son of New York City’s former mayor, are on the ballot. Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by more than two to one in New York, so the winner of the Democratic primary has a better shot at winning in November. At the debate, Hochul said that she has “evolved” from her previous pro-gun votes in Congress. Suozzi shot back, “The only thing that's changed are the governor's political ambitions." Williams pushed back on Hochul's current gin positions. "I was in the street trying to address this violence. And what we said each time when the violence happened is that simply adding police wouldn’t help," Williams said. And Hochul complained that as the front-runner, the other two candidates were going after her. “Please stop interrupting me, the people want to hear my answer,” Hochul said to Suozzi. As of late May, Hochul reported $18.6 million in campaign money, with Suozzi at $5.25 million and Williams’ at $130,000. Read more about this story at NBC New York.

Diane Valden reports for the Columbia Paper that the Copake Town Board introduced Local Law #2 for 2022 at the June 9 town meeting, a proposal to allow board, committee, and commission members to participate in meetings via videoconference “under extraordinary circumstances.” Town meetings would remain in person under the proposal, but Copake Town Attorney Jonathan Tingley told the board that if one or two members cannot be there due to extraordinary circumstances, they could beam in remotely. Copake Supervisor Jeanne Mettler said that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors passed a similar policy, and said that “We’ve had some very good conversations and even debates remotely.” A public hearing on the proposal will be held at 6:45 at the July 14 Town Board meeting. Read more about this story at the Columbia Paper.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that the Environmental Advocates Action group on June 16 released its scorecard of state Assemblymembers legislative votes. “As this scorecard clearly shows, the Assembly majority has a strong commitment to improving the health and environment of New York," said Peter Iwanowicz, the group's executive director. "With over 89 members receiving a score of 95% or better along with the fact that no 'smokestack rated' bill came to the floor for a vote, the Assembly is providing the leadership New York’s environment needs.” Locally, the group gave these scores on environmental issues:

• Jake Ashby, a Republican who represents the 107th District, went from a 56 rating in 2021 to a 68 in 2022.

• Didi Barrett, a Democrat who represents the 106th District, went from a 96 rating in 2021 to a 100 in 2022.

• Colin Schmitt, a Republican representing the 99th District and running for the 18th Congressional District seat, had a 56 rating in both 2021 and 2022.

• Chris Tague, a Republican representing the 102nd District, went from a 26 rating in 2021 to a 32 rating this year.

There is a link to all the Environmental Advocates rankings on the WGXC Newsroom here. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news update.

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Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County is preparing to transfer 2.2 acres of property located at New York State Thruway Exit 21 to the Greene Local Development Corporation as part of the planned Exit 21 East Catskill development. During the Greene County Legislature’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee meeting on June 13, the committee unanimously agreed to set a public hearing on the matter for July 6. The county previously entered into a contract with the New York State Thruway Authority to purchase the Route 23B property for $421,100, with the Thruway Authority Board approving the deal in September. The county officially acquired the parcel on June 3. The Greene Industrial Development Agency will develop and market the Exit 21 East project. The development encompasses nearly seven acres off Thruway Exit 21 and will be the home of a Stewart’s shop and is shovel-ready for hotel and restaurant development. The IDA has spent $807,000 to date on the development, with $120,000 in financing pending for a new tourism center on the site. In 2019, the IDA issued a Request for Proposal to find qualified developers for the construction and operation of a hotel for the site. “The project partners intend to secure a developer to construct and operate a hotel that will enhance the sales tax base, create employment, and provide critical resources in support of a historic and strong tourism economy in Greene County,” according to the Request for Proposal. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The state Department of Health is closing its eight COVID-19 mass vaccination sites this month, including those at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland and Aviation Mall in Queensbury. The decision to close the clinics was made as the average daily infection levels throughout New York have dropped to a new low. The number of infections fell approximately 20 percent since last week, according to the latest state data. The walk-in clinic located in Sears at Aviation Mall was shuttered as of 6:30 p.m, June 16, according to the DOH website. The Crossgates vaccination site will continue to provide Pfizer and Moderna doses until 6:30 p.m., June 24. Locations in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo will close at the end of the month. Since the state established its mass vaccination sites in 2021, a network of more than 8,500 providers joined the vaccination effort and now deliver the bulk of vaccinations statewide. In the Capital Region, nearly a million residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and about 900,000 have completed the series, according to the most recent Department of Health data. Another 565,300 have been boosted.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup one person is reportedly dead and two houses in Ashland were destroyed when a loaded dump truck left the roadway and crashed on June 15. The devastating accident occurred around 1:40 p.m. at 12147 State Route 23. The driver of the dump truck did not survive the crash; the incident remains under investigation. The dump truck was reportedly loaded with asphalt and traveling down West Settlement Road to State Route 23. The driver was not able to stop when they reached the intersection, and traveled across the road and struck the house, causing it to catch fire. That building was completely destroyed, as was the neighboring house. Renters of the one house were not home at the time but lost everything in the blaze. A section of State Route 23 was closed to traffic for several hours. Crews from multiple mountaintop agencies responded to the scene. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Paul McLane reports for Radio World that climate change is now affecting radio policy. Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel released a statement June 16 saying the bureau will work to improve cell phone reception during hurricanes and wildfires and other disasters. “While wireless providers have worked hard to prevent outages and restore service during recent disasters, there were times when communications fell short and recovery took too long, which put lives at risk,” her statement read, in part. The Western United States has seen more forest fires recently, and several very large hurricanes have impacted the southern states too. Locally ice storms, high winds, and flooding have knocked out communications in recent years. Rosenworcel, the Democratic-appointed Chair, and Republican-appointed Commissioner Brendan Carr visited in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida and they “heard firsthand where communications resiliency needs improvement" and "now it’s time to act on what we’ve learned,” Rosenworcel said. Proposals for improving disaster communications include mutual aid arrangements that enable service providers to request, or receive a request, for assistance during emergencies. Companies would also draft more complete disaster plans, under the proposal. Public safety and first responder groups including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs approve the proposals, Carr said. The mutual aid agreement may have emerged after some carriers had signals after Hurricane Ida hit the New Orleans area in 2021. WWL asked readers "why were Verizon subscribers still able to make calls while T-Mobile/Sprint and AT&T customers couldn't?" Nearby Lafourche Parish did not have any cell service for a week after the storm hit. Anthony Nordin, a construction manager with a cell company, said service providers can add back-up generators and fuel supplies, and otherwise harden transmitter sites to stay on the airwaves.

On Saturday, June 18, the Underground Railroad Education Center (194 Livingston Ave, Albany) will host a JuneTEENth Freedom Day Celebration from noon to 4 p.m. Co-Founder Paul Stewart discusses the meaning of JuneTEENth and other programs by the Center with WOOC's Mark Dunlea.

Today's daily news update.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that on June 15 Saugerties Town Supervisor Fred Costello, Councilperson Mike Ivino, and Councilperson Leeanne Thornton voted to cancel a gun show scheduled for this weekend on town property. Councilperson Josh Horton voted to allow the event, while Councilperson Peg Nau abstained without providing a reason. Last week, the New East-Coast Arms Collectors Associates Saugerties Gun Show was canceled because of recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas, “by mutual agreement between the town and the promoter,” according to a joint press release from Costello, NEACA president David Petronis and Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra. But on June 10, Petronis changed his mind realizing he could make more money because of the shootings because “controversy equals customers.” So on June 15 the town board voted to return a $2,000 deposit for use of the Kiwanis Ice Arena at Cantine Field. More than 185 people attended the board meeting, with 13 people, who were largely non-residents, in favor of the gun show, and 17 people who were nearly all residents, opposed to allowing the event. “I will not be the person to sit up here and have something tragic go wrong and have a parent come to me and ask me why I let this happen,” Councilperson Ivino said. Resident David Radovanovic said, “It’s hard to believe that Nazi artifacts and lethal weapons across the street from a children’s high school, a playground, and family recreation (could) seem appropriate.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that anyone who buys gasoline and pays attention to politics knows that the state has implemented a gas tax holiday and the price at the pump has continued to rise. Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James warned gas stations on June 16 that they must honor New York's seven-month gas tax suspension. “As gas prices surge nationwide, we are doing all we can to provide some financial relief for New Yorkers,” James said. “New York’s gas stations are required to suspend state and local taxes through the end of the year to help working families because every penny off will help offset the rising costs of gas. I encourage consumers who suspect that their gas station is not following the rules to contact my office.” The state suspended its 16-cents-a-gallon tax two weeks ago, and since June 1 there has been a six-month cap on sales taxes in Dutchess, Ulster, and Delaware counties. Officials in Greene, Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer counties have not suspended their gas taxes. Consumers can file complaints with the state attorney general's office if gas stations are suspected of pocketing the money that should be taken off the price of gasoline. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Bill Mahoney reports at Politico that Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (Gov. Kathy Hochul’s running mate), activist Ana Maria Archila (New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ running mate), and former New York City Council Member Diana Reyna (who is running with Rep. Tom Suozzi) debated June 15. The candidates discussed whether Gov. Kathy Hochul should sign a bill imposing a limited moratorium on cryptocurrency mining in defunct fossil fuel plants. “I want to understand where the community is as far as jobs are concerned – is this something they support?” Reyna said. “I absolutely support the moratorium on crypto mining. I, in fact, met with the communities that live around Seneca Lake,” Archila said. “These power plants [have been] polluting the air, polluting the water and actually damaging the environment in one of the most beautiful regions in the state.” Delgado responded: “This energy intensive process strikes to the heart of what we know about climate change...I think she should give it some serious thought, for sure.” Politico previously reported that Protect Our Future, a pro-cryptocurrency super PAC, is spending $66,000 for digital ads supporting Delgado. Archila rebuked Delgado, saying, “This is a perfect example of a governor being an obstacle to process and the lieutenant governor saying nothing.” Archila and Delgado also offered the same dynamic on a proposed ban on natural gas hook-ups in new construction. “I have to give that more thought,” Delgado said, while Archila had a definitive answer: “We have to move away from it,” she said. The three candidates are on the ballot in the June 28 primary election. Read more about this story at Politico.