The Equality Amendment to the New York State constitution would prohibit discrimination based on a person's race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, and sex (including a basis on pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression). Yet even with the Democrats having a supermajority in both Houses, lawmakers failed to act. Melanie Trimble of the NYCLU discusses the issue with WOOC's Mark Dunlea.

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Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union about the first person convicted in a federal grand jury investigation examining widespread ballot-fraud allegations in Rensselaer County. Republican Troy Councilperson Kim Ashe-McPherson admitted to fraudulently submitting absentee ballots in last year's primary and general elections. Ashe-McPherson, after she pleaded guilty to a felony criminal charge in U.S. District Court, could be sentenced to up to 12 months in jail for submitting three illegal absentee ballots. An FBI-led investigation has been examining the filing of absentee ballots in multiple elections over the past two years in Rensselaer County. There have been subpoenas issued for Jason Schofield, the Republican commissioner for the county's Board of Elections, and subpoenas requesting documents from the Rensselaer County Board of Elections. FBI agents also seized the mobile phones of county Operations Director Richard W. Crist and Jim Gordon, the county's director of purchasing. Both Crist and Gordon are political allies of county Executive Steve McLaughlin. Rensselaer County Republican leaders previously told the Times Union that they were unaware of any fraudulent activity by the party during the 2021 election. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Rebecca C. Lewis reports in City and State that after ducking Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at the first debate last week, incumbent Kathy Hochul turned up June 7 and took fire from her challengers. Hochul currently has several scandals: the $850 million deal to build a new Buffalo Bills stadium with a off-the-record meeting with NFL officials, her Lt. Gov. resigning after being indicted on corruption charges, and a last-minute $10 billion tax break pushed by Hochul and quietly passed by the legislature last week. Hochul’s past “A” rating from the National Rifle Association was also brought up by Suozzi, who bragged about his "F" rating. Williams also hit Hochul on the NRA rating. “Ten years ago, I wrote my first report on how to deal with gun violence while the governor touted her ‘A ’rating from the NRA,” Williams said. Hochul criticized Suozzi’s past support for the Hyde Amendment, which limits the use of federal dollars for abortion care. Democratic consultant Camille Rivera, who works on progressive issues, scored the debate for both Hochul and Williams. “(If) Kathy Hochul’s goal was to keep the status quo, she did well,” Rivera said. “If Jumaane’s goal was to define himself on issues, he did well.” Read more about this story in City and State.

Noah Eckstein reports for Columbia-Greene Media that a New England energy company is proposing a 20-megawatt solar facility in the town of Stuyvesant. “They still need to go through a planning board process,” said Stuyvesant Town Supervisor Ron Knott. “Our concern for large scale solar is about protecting farmland and our agricultural community.” The proposal would build utility-scale solar facility generating solar power and feeding it into the electric grid. “These projects will allow us to not just meet but exceed our goal of obtaining 70 percent of our electricity from renewable resources and will further cement New York as a national leader in the fight against climate change,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

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Patricia R. Doxsey reports for the Daily Freeman that Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver is mulling a 2023 run for county executive. “I’m giving it serious consideration,” said the Pine Plains Republican. “I’ve got an exploratory committee kind of looking at things.” Pulver has served on the County Legislature for eight years, and as its chairman for the past four. Before his election to the Legislature, Pulver served for 12 years as Pine Plains supervisor. If tapped by the GOP, Pulver would run in the November 2023 race for the seat now held by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. Molinaro, a Republican from Red Hook, is running in the Aug. 23 special election for the 19th Congressional District seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, who has been appointed lieutenant governor. Molinaro will face off against Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan for a congressional district that, as a result of redistricting, will no longer exist after Dec. 31. If Molinaro’s bid for a two-year Congressional term is successful, Dutchess County leadership could be left in the hands of an unelected leader for a year or more. Molinaro would surrender his position as county executive and the government would be left in the hands of Deputy County Executive William O’Neill, a Republican who has served in his administration since 2012, but has never been elected to public office. O’Neill could serve as long as 16 months as the unelected acting county executive as the result of a quirk in the county’s charter. With the special election for Congress scheduled for Aug. 23, it is too late to put the race for county executive on the ballot for the November 2022 election, meaning that an election for that office would not take place until November 2023. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Robert Gavin is reporting for the Times Union a protester on June 7 snuck hundreds of cockroaches into Albany City Court and set the critters loose during a courtroom scuffle over the arraignment of rent activists. The spectacle prompted the closure of the Morton Avenue courthouse for the remainder of the day as a crew of exterminators dealt with the insects. A source told the Times Union the action occurred during an arraignment by City Court Judge Joshua Farrell of four defendants who had been arrested last month while objecting to state rent issues at the Capitol. As supporters of the defendants objected in the courtroom, one person tried to film the proceeding. As others continued to object, another person dropped lettuce covered with cockroaches onto the floor. Police charged Clyanna Lightbourn, 34, with tampering with physical evidence, a felony, as well as criminal contempt, obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. She was not identified as the person who allegedly released the bugs. Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, provided a photo of large cockroaches on the floor of the courtroom, along with pieces of lettuce and other dark material that appeared to be dirt or insect bedding. "What transpired is not advocacy or activism, it is criminal behavior with the intent to disrupt a proceeding and cause damage," said Chalfen in a statement. Prosecution would include seeking restitution for the cleanup, he said. "Taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for these actions." The incident remains under investigation, according to law enforcement. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media a long-vacant building on Main Street in Ravena will be demolished this summer, Mayor Bill Misuraca said. The mixed-use structure located at 136 Main Street, has had a sign posted in the window for years identifying it as a property to be sold at auction. The structure was supposed to be razed a couple of years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the process. The building was built in 1950, and has been in poor condition for years. It housed a business on the ground floor and apartments above, but has been vacant for well over a decade, the mayor said. “There was a bar there many, many years ago that was Sandy’s Tavern,” Misuraca said. “Then it was Wingnuts, The Lighthouse — it was always a restaurant or bar of some sort.” Demolition of the two-story vacant building is expected to take place sometime this summer and will be paid for by Albany County, the mayor said. A specific date has not yet been set for the building’s removal. It is not yet known what will be done with the property after the structure is demolished. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

The Federal Communications Commission approved the renewal of the WGXC FM license to Wave Farm on May 25. The message from the FCC read, "This is to notify you that your Application for Renewal of License 0000182419, was granted on 05/25/2022 for a term expiring on 06/01/2030." This is the second time WGXC's license was renewed, after the station first went on the air on February, 2011. Wave Farm, the licensee for WGXC, is a non-profit arts organization that works with transmission artists from around the world. "Transmission" artists work with some part of the radio dial, including shortwave radio, baby monitors, webstreams, CB radios, and other broadcast forums.

Today's daily news update.

Callie Patteson reports in the New York Post that Rep. Elise Stefanik currently represents the North Country, and her district moves slightly to include Rensselaer County beginning next year. But after that, political analysts are floating several possibilities for Stefanik. A year ago Stefanik, a Republican, became the third-ranking House Republican, replacing Liz Cheney who truthfully said Joe Biden was elected president. Presumably, as third in line, if Republicans take the House majority in the November elections, Stefanik would become majority whip. But last week the Washington Examiner reported that Stefanik is leaning against seeking the whip position. That might be because of competition for that position from Chief Deputy Whip Drew Ferguson and Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Banks. Others are guessing that Stefanik could end up as Donald Trump's running mate if he launches another bid for the presidency. “There is a part of Trump who thinks he needs a female VP,” a Trump adviser told CNN this week. “He definitely likes her, likely because of how effusive she is to him.” Trump communications director Taylor Budowich said this week, “Elise is a well-known fighter for her district and knows how to communicate our America First message on offense and win.” Last October, Stefanik even commented on working for Trump. “If President Trump is reelected president I think it would be an honor to serve in his administration,” she said. “I hope he runs, I will continue doing the best job I can serving my district and serving as conference chair — and being the best mom I can be to Sam [her infant son].” Read more about this story in the New York Post.

Mid-Hudson News reports that state officials have ended the temporary ban on live poultry shows that had been set in March as a result the spread of avian influenza spread. Now live poultry shows, exhibitions, auctions, sales, meets, and swaps can go on in New York State. That's good news for county fairs set to begin across the state this summer. Officials said they were able to end the ban as studies showed that the majority of flocks affected in the current flu outbreak were infected by introductions from wild birds, rather than by farm-to-farm transmission. New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, “New York has taken an aggressive approach to slowing the spread of avian influenza and it has paid off. With cases decreasing in our state and throughout the country, as well as new data showing very low rates of farm-to-farm transmission of HPAI during the current outbreak, I am confident that it is time to lift the bans on live poultry shows and sales.” Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that S.A. Dunn & Co. will hold a public meeting June 14 about its application to renew its state operating permit for its construction and demolition debris landfill. The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School, a neighbor of the landfill. The state requires a public meeting for the permit application that is being submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Those attending can talk to Dunn representatives, comment about the permit renewal and proposed berm on the northern and eastern side of the property, and get information about other issues. The Rensselaer City School District opposes the renewal of the permit, as does the Rensselaer Environmental Coalition, largely because of dust, debris, and traffic near the site. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news update.

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Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media Greenville Town Supervisor Paul Macko is predicting the town budget cycle will be a difficult one this year. “It’s my belief, and the rest of the board members and the public can echo in, that this is probably going to be the most difficult budget cycle that we have ever encountered in 40 years in the town of Greenville this fall,” Macko said May 16. Macko made his comments during a meeting of the Greenville Town Board. The challenge will be coming up with a budget that meets the needs of the town while contending with high prices and record inflation rates that have been impacting the nation, he said. “I think with inflation running at close to 8.5 percent, fuel oil and diesel and gasoline [up], fuel oil for houses is up 80 percent, gasoline is up 46 percent for the year, and those numbers don’t factor into your inflation,” Macko said. The higher costs across the board will also impact other components of the budget. One area of the budget that remains unknown is a potential new contract currently in negotiations with the Greenville Rescue Squad. That contract expires December 31. Talks stalled after the organization presented the board with a proposed five-year contract. “We are very pleased with the services that the Greenville Rescue Squad provides — they do a fabulous job,” Macko said. “... I really, truly wish that we could try to come to terms with a contract.” The supervisor said the town will try to come up with some kind of agreement, but he is concerned about the impact the proposal that includes a 34 percent increase in the rescue squad tax rate for one year, will have on taxpayers. Other matters currently in negotiation include an agreement with the Teamsters union and the Freehold Volunteer Fire Company, Macko said. “It’s going to be a busy time,” he said. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.

Columbia-Memorial Health hospital announced on June 6 it has partnered with Radiologists Without Borders to donate medical supplies and equipment needed in parts of Ukraine. In addition, CMH providers donated $5,000 to support Radiologists Without Borders’s global humanitarian mission. Founded by the hospital's former Chief of Radiology Tariq Gill, M.D., Radiologists Without Borders is an international organization that provides diagnostic imaging solutions and medical supplies to medically underserved populations around the world. Established in 2007, the organization has provided assistance in Honduras, Haiti, Chile, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and other locations. The supplies recently given by CMH include tourniquets, IV supplies, gloves and aortic grafts, all of which are essential to treat traumatic injuries. The supplies are now in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. “We learned that in many areas of Ukraine people are needlessly dying from wounds that could be effectively treated with basic lifesaving supplies such as tourniquets and IVs,” Gill said. CMH already donated more than $33,000 in medical supplies earlier in the spring in response to a request from Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Hudson. Read more at rwborders [dot] org.

Amanda Burke is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle that Massachusetts residents will soon have access to a searchable online database of the complaints filed against active police officers statewide, as well as the outcomes of resulting internal investigations. The public database will contain the names of officers and the types of complaints filed against them, such as allegations of excessive force, policy and protocol infractions, rudeness and "conduct unbecoming." The release of the database has been delayed by the Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST Commission, which was created as part of the police reform legislation following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Although the POST statewide database of all Massachusetts departments is not yet active, The Eagle compiled the Pittsfield data in a searchable form to give residents an idea of the kinds of information that will become available for departments across Berkshire County and the commonwealth. The Eagle has requested the same data from the North Adams Police Department, which covers Berkshire County's other city, and will make it available in a searchable format when it is received. Police departments throughout Massachusetts were required to submit to the POST Commission data on complaints, both substantiated and unsubstantiated, that were made against currently serving police officers. The data reveals that there were about 200 complaints made against police officers now working in Pittsfield since 1994. Of those, 45 were coded as "substantiated," and 53 resulted in some form of discipline, ranging from a letter of reprimand, retraining, resignation, verbal reprimand, and loss of assignment. A link to the database is available on the WGXC Newsroom page. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.