Today's daily news update.

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

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.

Paul McLane reports for Radio World that broadcasters who use public airwaves to make their own money face 13 percent increases in fees in fiscal 2022 from the Federal Communications Commission. For-profit radio stations pay small fees to the FCC to pay for regulating the industry that makes millions of dollars selling advertising on the public's airwaves. A station that can reach six million listeners, for instance, will have to pay less than $24,000 in fees to keep minting millions from the public's airwaves. A small Class A station that reaches fewer than 25,000 listeners has to pay $1,105. “Unfortunately, the commission continues to unlawfully require broadcasters to subsidize the Commission’s broadband activities,” the National Association of Broadcasters said in a statement that stretches credulity. “For these local stations that are still recovering from the pandemic and face unique economic challenges in today’s media landscape, such an unjustified increase is devastating and risks undermining the unique locally-focused service that our communities rely upon. NAB stands ready and willing to work with the commission to ensure a fair and lawful payment regime.” Anyone with an opinion on FCC fees that “may promote or inhibit advances in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, as well the scope of the commission’s relevant legal authority,” can file comments in the FCC’s online system. In the Proceeding field, refer to MD Docket No. 22-223. Comments are due July 5, and replies July 18. Read more about this story at Radio World.

Another New York legislative session has come to a close with disappointing results on climate. Pete Sikora of NY Communities for Change discusses with WOOC's Mark Dunlea the progress the state has made on since the major CLCPA climate law was passed three years ago.

Today's daily news update.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul on June 6 signed new laws on the licensing of semiautomatic rifles, banning body armor, and expanding the state's "red flag" regulations. "It just keeps happening. Shots ring out, flags come down and nothing ever changes — except here in New York," Hochul said. The biggest change in the new laws is that New York will now regulate semiautomatic rifles the same as semiautomatic pistols, requiring permits and for the license holder to be at least 21 years old. Another law Hochul signed requires officials at the state Division of Criminal Justice Services to study the feasibility of microstamping of bullets when fired from a gun. The slew of new gun laws comes after 18-year-olds in Buffalo and Texas murdered many Blacks and elementary school children, respectively. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that New York's Climate Action Council has received 18,000 comments about the state's draft scoping plan to combat climate change, and have extended the comment period through July 1. Since January, a 120-day public comment period has been extended twice, with six public hearings on the plan. Once the plan is approved, state lawmakers will have to act on the changes. To read the state's scoping plan, go to https://climate.ny.gov/Our-Climate-Act/Draft-Scoping-Plan and to comment, go to https://nyserda.seamlessdocs.com/f/DraftScopingComments.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker reports in the Daily Freeman that Town of Ulster police are slow in responding to a state Freedom of Information Law request. They have not provided the Daily Freeman with a record of complaints, lawsuits, and investigations and their outcomes since 2019 that were requested on Feb. 18. “We are in receipt of your request. Please allow us time to provide the records requested," Ulster Police Chief Kyle Berard said in an email about a request made more than three months ago. Berard also told the newspaper that his department is understaffed and unable to immediately provide the requested information. The Daily Freeman has now "filed an appeal of the apparent denial." A previous state law that made it difficult to get police records has been repealed, but the Town of Ulster is still not providing the public information to the public. By comparison, the Daily Freeman has recently run stories about similar requests for information being fulfilled by police departments in Kingston and Saugerties, and by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

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

Chris Bragg is reporting for the Times Union that the state Legislature passed a bill last week characterized by opponents as the largest industry-specific tax break ever granted by New York’s government. The measure was adopted with little public debate and near the end of the legislative session. Once signed into law it would provide large, private businesses up to $10 billion in state tax credits over 20 years to promote the growth of new, so-called green semiconductor manufacturing projects. The legislation was introduced at the request of Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, approved by the Senate on June 1 and by the Assembly on June 4, before it adjourned. Watchdog groups have questioned why the bill, regardless of its merits, was hastily pushed by Hochul's office. "This is like the ugliest of Albany," said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany. "In this type of fog, the governor’s office can misinform the Legislature, and do it all at the last second." Kristin Devoe, a spokesperson for Empire State Development, the governor's economic development arm, said the bill's late-session introduction was simply a matter of the proposal being "developed very recently." She said the legislation was a way to capitalize on the anticipated passage of a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer in Congress, to expand semiconductor production nationwide, putting New York "in the best position to stand apart from the other states and countries who are trying to attract the semiconductor industry." The Assembly passed the measure using a "fast roll call," where lawmakers are assumed to be in the affirmative, unless they indicate otherwise. The only person recorded in the negative at the time of the vote was Queens Assemblymember Ron Kim, a Democrat. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Porcupine Soup is reporting that the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties Board of Directors named Lisa Gallina executive director, effective June 6. As an educator and community program director Gallina has worked with CCE associations statewide. Her experience managing multiple sites for colleges, the Department of Defense, and nonprofit organizations across New York "will help bring strong leadership and partnership experience to the association," according to the board. Billy Greer, board president, said, “We are thrilled to have Lisa join us. She was unanimously selected from a nationwide search, and we look forward to working closely with her to help CCE make a difference in Columbia and Greene counties.” Gallina will manage day-to-day operations in the CCE Hudson and Acra offices. She will be responsible for maintaining and expanding CCE’s areas of programming including Agriculture and Natural Resource, Climate Change and the Environment, Family and Consumer Sciences, Community Horticulture, 4-H and Youth Development, as well as the management of the state-funded Taste NY store at the Capital Region Welcome Center in New Baltimore. Gallina succeeds Executive Director Evon Antonio. Antonio will remain on staff for the near future to provide support as Gallina transitions into her new role. Read more at porcupine soup [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting Governor Kathy Hochul has made it official. On June 4, Hochul issued a proclamation declaring that special elections be conducted to fill the vacancies in the 19th and 23rd Congressional districts on Aug. 23. The special elections will fill the vacancies created by the resignations of Antonio Delgado and Tom Reed. Delgado, a Democrat, was appointed New York’s Lieutenant Governor last month, replacing Brian Benjamin who resigned in April following his indictment on bribery and fraud charges. Republican Reed, who previously announced he was not running for re-election in the fall, resigned amid sexual harassment claims in early May. “With the resignations of Congressmembers Delgado and Reed, I am declaring a special election to fill these vacancies and ensure continued representation for the residents of the 19th and 23rd Congressional Districts,” Hochul wrote in the proclamation. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, faces Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican, in the 19th District special election, to serve the remainder of Delgado's term. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Scharon Harding reports for Ars Technica that New York's state legislature on June 3 passed the Digital Fair Repair Act, a bill requiring digital electronics manufacturers, such as laptop and smartphone manufacturers, to make diagnostic and repair information available. Consumers will be allowed to fix many radio-related items, or have them fixed at independent repair shops, instead of being forced to buy a new model or go without. Medical devices, home appliances, agricultural and off-road equipment, or public safety communications equipment is exempt from this bill, so John Deere tractors and dishwashers still can't be fixed by consumers in New York if Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the bill. "Nothing prevents third-party repairers from being technically competent to complete digital repairs other than the lack of information being withheld by manufacturers," the bill states. "In too many instances, repairs of digital items are intentionally limited by the manufacturer." New York Assemblymember Patricia Fahy said the bill would "help to reduce the 655,000 tons of toxic e-waste produced [and] typically discarded in a single calendar year here in New York state." A previous study from the U.S. Public Interest Group predicted that the average New York family would save around $330 per year and reduce electronic waste by 22 percent with the right to repair. Now right-to-repair advocates hope other bills like this one will be passed elsewhere. Read more about this story at Ars Technica.

Here is this week's Hudson Valley Congressional Report from WGXC, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives of the Hudson Valley in Congress and the candidates who want to replace them. Current Democrat Reps. Paul Tonko and Sean Maloney vote with the positions of President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time, according to the fivethirtyeight.com website. Republican Elise Stefanik voted with Biden's positions 18 percent of the time. Click here to listen to this report.

Wendy Liberatore is reporting for the Times Union the gun industry has a spokesman with exceptional access to U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 Republican in the House: her husband, Matthew Manda. Manda is the manager of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, based in Newtown, Conn. The trade group's mission is "to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports" and was one of the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit attempting to block a New York law that increases potential liability for gun manufacturers. The suit was dismissed by a  judge in Albany earlier this week, but an appeal is likely. Manda frequently writes for the foundation's website and other outlets about the group's events and policy positions. "Law-abiding Americans choose over and over again to take their personal safety into their own hands and purchase a firearm," he wrote in April. "Congress needs to ensure the industry is free from ‘woke’ corporate discrimination.” Manda's article did not mention that Stefanik is his wife and he did not respond to a Times Union request for comment. A foundation spokesperson refused to say when Manda started working for the group, calling it "personal information." When the Times Union called Stefanik advisor and campaign spokesperson Alex deGrasse, to ask if Manda's work influences Stefanik’s position on gun rights, deGrasse called the reporter “a very sick person.” He then sent an email calling the Times Union “sexist.” Stefanik was a strong ally of the gun industry long before her husband went to work for the NSSF and she has an A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association. Stefanik and Manda met in 2012 and were married in 2017. At the time, Manda was the marketing and communications director for the Virginia-based Media Group of America, which runs the conservative news website the Independent Journal Review. Read more in the Times Union.

Andrew Waite reports for the Daily Gazette that Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik made a rare appearance at a press conference about milk in Albany May 31. It was the first time Stefanik faced reporters since 19 children and two adults were murdered at an elementary school in Texas. “I do not support gun control. But there is work that we need to do, and that is increasing mental health funding,” Stefanik said. “We need to increase school resource officers and make sure that we’re working with our county sheriffs to protect our schools that are most vulnerable.” Matt Castelli, who is one of two Democrats, pointed out Stefanik was not addressing her constituents, which will not include all Rensselaer County residents, because of redistricting. “She’s not in her district. She’s in Albany talking about something that is not related to the job of representing the 21st Congressional District,” said Castelli. “There should be no more compelling issue facing our country right now than addressing the insecurity that our parents and our kids and our teachers are facing with this threat of gun violence in our schools.” Stefanik did say she supported the Fix NICS Act, which strengthened the federal background check system – the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. But Castelli pointed out Stefanik voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. “I would just highlight that she has been in Congress for (nearly) eight years and hasn’t been able to solve this problem,” Castelli said. “It’s not surprising to hear Congresswoman Stefanik’s remarks. She’s got a pattern of behavior where every one of her actions is all about service to herself. In this instance, it’s about putting the needs of her special-interest donors and her gun [advocating] husband above the lives of our kids and the safety of our communities.” Last week, the Times Union reported that Stefanik’s husband, Matthew Manda, manages the public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, based in Newtown, Conn. Read more about this story in the Daily Gazette.

Paul Kirby compares, in the Daily Freeman, the positions on guns of the two candidates for the special election in August to pick a Congressperson for New York's current 19th Congressional District. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, wants to bring back the ban on assault rifles and institute universal background checks on gun purchasers. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican, did not list any specific legislation he would back to address the problem. “We must also institute universal background checks, ban bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, prevent straw purchases, close gun-show loopholes, and institute red flag laws and no-buy lists for domestic abusers and suspected terrorists,” Ryan said. “Americans universally support these measures and they deserve representatives with the backbone to take on the gun lobby and deliver actual results.” Molinaro did not use the word gun in his response to the murder of 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Texas. "It is imperative we attack the root of the problem here; reducing isolation and fighting hatred by building a community of inclusion. It’s what we’ve done in Dutchess County for a decade," he said. The Just Facts website reports that Molinaro, in 2018, had a 92 percent rating from the National Rifle Association. In 2018 Molinaro also had a 100 percent rating from the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. And New Yorkers Against Gun Violence gave Molinaro an F rating in 2008. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan allowed so-called "school resource officers" in the Rondout and Onteora school districts and at Ulster County BOCES last week after the murder of 19 children and two adults at a Texas school. The Ulster County Legislature voted 19-4 for the security guards at the schools at its May 17 meeting, before the Texas shooting. After the shooting, Ryan returned the resolutions unsigned, "a move that is generally used to allow a resolution to go into effect while signaling disapproval of the measure," Doxsey wrote. Ryan put out a statement on the issue May 27. “As a parent, I feel very strongly that we need to do everything that we can to keep our kids safe in school. I also feel strongly that decisions about what happens in schools should be made by parents, teachers, and school boards, that is why I have consistently returned these resolutions unsigned, empowering our school districts to make these decisions,” he said. BOCES will pay the county $53,241.58 for a part-time security guard from July 1, through June 30, 2023. The Onteora and Rondout school districts will each pay the county $111,054.66 for security guards in each of those districts between Sept. 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. The "no" votes against the security guards in schools were from Legislature Chair Tracey Bartels, a non-enrolled voter from Gardiner who aligns with Democrats; and Democrats Philip Erner, Abe Uchitelle, and Eve Walter. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the New York State Senate passed the bill to impose a two-year moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining. The bill had been viewed as dead even though the Assembly had earlier past it. Liz Moran of Earth Justice discusses with WOOC's Mark Dunlea the bill and the fate of other key climate legislation in New York.

Today's daily news update.