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.

Bill Williams Is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that motorists using Fairview Avenue in Greenport next week may encounter delays and backups as scheduled paving of the roadway takes place. The work will take place in the area of Fairview between Livingston Parkway and the Shop Rite Plaza. That portion of the road was originally scheduled to be paved on June 1 and 2, but it was postponed until June 6, because of bad weather. Message boards located along Fairview indicate the work will be done between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The construction began on May 25, and large backups were reported in both directions as crews from the New York State Department of Transportation began tearing up and removing the old pavement. Dozens of huge potholes developed over the winter along a stretch of Fairview that were difficult to avoid and impossible to see in the dark. DOT workers filled many of the potholes temporarily when spring arrived, but a more permanent solution was needed. While the work is ongoing, Fairview Avenue will be reduced to a single lane with alternating traffic controlled by flaggers. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup that the Middleburgh School District in Schoharie County on June 3 closed its doors after a parent took it upon themselves to assess the school’s security measures. Superintendent of Schools Brian Dunn said a community member was discovered looking into elementary classroom windows and making “inappropriate” social media posts. Dunn said that while there was no credible threat, he chose to close down out of an abundance of caution. The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office received a report of a suspicious incident involving a parent “auditing school security measures.” The parent, who has not been publicly identified, was interviewed by deputies and “determined to be a proactive concerned parent.” However, a subsequent social media post made by that same parent was interpreted by some as a threat. “The Sheriff’s Office examined the post and reinterviewed the parent and has determined that no threat was made, nor any criminal offenses committed,” the Sheriff’s Office said. Dunn said, “The district has a comprehensive safety plan. Staff are trained on how to respond to emergency events and practice drills throughout the school year.” School is expected to be back in session on June 6. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

MidHudson News is reporting that Gov. Kathy Hochul on June 3 announced the state has reached a tentative contract agreement with the 52,000-member Civil Service Employees Association. Rank-and-file must now approve the five-year proposal. Coming just weeks before the Democratic gubernatorial primary election, Hochul called the agreement “a win-win for CSEA members and the state of New York.” Union President Mary Sullivan said the proposed contract “recognizes the dedicated CSEA members who kept this state running during the entire COVID pandemic and continue to do so every day.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

New York State of Politics reports about the bills passed by the state legislature in the final moments of its 2022 session on June 2. Among the measures passed:
• People who wish to obtain a semiautomatic rifle will be required to first obtain a permit and be at least the age of 21;
• Legislators outlawed the purchase or the possession of bullet-proof vests;
• Guns will be microstamped to make them more traceable, and social media platforms will be required to maintain ways of reporting hateful behavior;
• Lawmakers passed a two-year moratorium on a specific type of cryptocurrency mining;
• They passed added legal protections for abortion providers, and shielded women from other states seeking abortions in New York against extraditions and arrests.
Read more about these stories at New York State of Politics.

Phillip Pantuso reports in the Times Union that a new vacancy study says Kingston is now qualified to become the first municipality north of the New York City suburbs to opt into the state Emergency Tenant Protection Act. The study conducted by the city found a rental vacancy rate of 1.57 percent, and home values have increased nearly 50 percent since the start of the pandemic. So Kingston now could adopt rent stabilization on buildings constructed before 1974 with six or more units, under guidelines set forth by the state’s Emergency Tenant Protection Act. In 2021, an Ulster County Rental Housing Survey showed a vacancy rate of 1.81 percent for non-subsidized housing in the county. The housing problem -- not enough houses or apartments are available, and they are too expensive -- is prevalent throughout the Hudson Valley. “My hope is that this evidence validates the experiences of Kingston residents, and that action can be taken quickly to help those who are being priced out of their homes every day by speculatory rent increases,” said Rashida Tyler, a housing organizer who helps run the Ulster County Coalition for Housing Justice. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Emilia Teasdale reports for the Columbia Paper that the proposed $11 million visitor welcome facility at Olana State Historic Site is currently in the State Environmental Quality Review Act process, and was unveiled to the public at a virtual meeting recently. “No red flags that have been raised so far” in the SEQR document, said Linda Cooper, regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The new visitor entry and orientation facility, if approved, will be off Route 9G, and would include a 45-spot parking lot, bathrooms, and a cafe. About three-and-a-half acres of trees would be cleared for the 4,500 square feet building. The building will be made from sustainable materials, is all electric, and carbon neutral with an Electric Car charging station. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Today's daily news update.

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Bill Williams and Ted Remsnyder are reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Coxsackie-Athens School District went into lock-out mode on June 2, after a suspicious person was seen on school grounds. The incident began around 10:45 a.m., after a male former student drove onto school property, parked his car and walked into the woods near the school, according to Greene County 911. “When there’s something outside of the schools that we’re not sure of, we lock out until we can ascertain if there’s any type of threat to anybody in the school,” said Coxsackie-Athens Superintendent Randall Squier. Coxsackie Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office and state police were called to the school and immediately began searching the wooded area and the nearby village streets in an attempt to locate the subject. The person police were looking for was found within the hour said Coxsackie Police Chief Samuel Mento. The man was running late for a funeral and he decided to park at the school and cut through the woods to Mansion Street in order to catch a ride. He was dressed in black because he was on his way to the memorial service being held that morning for Coxsackie-Athens alumnus, Lance Cpl. Colby R. Lord, Mento said. “There was never a threat to anybody in the school or anything like that. It was not that type of situation at all. We just wanted to be cautious and make sure what the reasoning was for why the person came to the campus,” Squier said. In hindsight, Mento said the incident was a useful drill for the police officers involved. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Heather Bellow is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle a Pittsfield man has been indicted for allegedly bilking customers in the Berkshires and across five states in a construction scam. Fred Lewis Senter Jr., 40, allegedly stole more than $400,000 through false pretenses, according to a statement from Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington’s Office. The scam allegedly took place between February 2020 and September 2021, through his company, Northern Steel Buildings and Structures LLC. “Mr. Senter is accused of contracting and accepting payments from more than 40 victims across five different states to build steel structures with no intent of completing the work,” the DA said in a Facebook post. She noted that Senter was first arrested and investigated by Pittsfield Police before state police detectives attached to the DA’s office began their probe. Among the victims was the Richmond, Mass. Volunteer Fire Department, which paid Senter a deposit of almost $53,000 to build a steel structure, according to the statement. Harrington asks that any other potential victims contact local police or state police detectives in her office. Senter’s alleged victims stretch across Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania and include multiple residents, businesses and a church. In 2019, Senter was arraigned in Pittsfield for being a fugitive from justice without a warrant after he was charged with grand larceny in Columbia County. That charge was dismissed. Senter’s company was dissolved by court order in June 2021. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Steve Barnes is reporting for the Times Union John DeLucie, a chef and restaurateur on June 4 is opening the farm-to-table restaurant Merchants Social in Hudson. DeLucie has described it as being focused on Hudson Valley ingredients with an approach grounded in the simplicity of Italian home cooking. DeLucie's 20-year culinary career in New York included The Waverly Inn and King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel. Merchant Social is located in the 300 block of Warren Street at City Hall Place, in the space formerly occupied by Ca'Mea, which has moved down the street. The inside space has a casual bar/lounge area and a separate dining room with a rear courtyard that seats more than 70. The restaurant will be open for service Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, and brunch on the weekends. In 2005, DeLucie co-founded, with then-Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the Waverly Inn in Manhattan's West Village. By 2014 he was running five restaurants that grossed $40 million annually, but a collapse soon began, according to press reports. DeLucie currently owns Ainslie, a 10,000-square-foot Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, as well as the Empire Diner, on 10th Avenue in Manhattan. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Karl Bode reports in Techdirt that 5G streaming technology has barely been installed in the United States and the hype for 6G technology has already begun. First, the story reports that the rollout of 5G technology in the United States has been slower than elsewhere. And even when 5G has been built out in the U.S. it is "actually slower than existing 4G networks" often. On the plus side, there is no evidence that 5G causes cancer or COVID-19, as some conspiracy theorists claim. Bode writes, "it’s pretty clear that the technology is more of a modest evolution than a revolution, and 5G hype overkill (largely driven by a desperate desire to rekindle lagging smartphone sales) is a far cry from reality." So take that all into account as you listen to corporate shills hype the 6G technology coming in 2030. "By the time quantum computing is maturing for commercial applications, we’re going to be talking about 6G,” Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark said. “By then, [2030], definitely the smartphone as we know it today will not anymore be the most common interface.” Read more about this story in Techdirt.

Today's daily news update.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that the Republicans in control of the Greene County Legislature are not giving consumers back their share of the gasoline tax like the state of New York and other counties such as Dutchess County. “Asking counties to give up the revenue they need to better the lives of residents so the State can take credit for short term savings at the pump makes no sense on a local level.” says Patrick Linger, chair of the Greene County Legislature. “The overly aggressive State and federal policies attempting to end the use of fossil fuels without affordable energy alternatives is at fault here and saving 25 cents on a five-dollar gallon of gas is like putting a band aid on a broken leg.” New York State legislators are giving up their 16 cents per gallon share of the gas tax, but Greene County officials will not. Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Putnam, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Ulster, Wayne, and Yates counties are all only collecting tax only on the first $2 charged per gallon of gas and diesel. Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Livingston, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Suffolk, and Westchester counties will collect tax only on the first $3 charged per gallon of gas and diesel. Greene County will charge consumers the full amount for gas locally. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.