Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson school district officials learned last week the afterschool program has lost its primary source of financial support, effective at the end of the current academic year. Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler said she does not want this news to cause alarm because school officials are confident additional funding in the form of grants will be identified to keep the program running. “We need time to plan, shift funding and communicate,” Spindler said. “The afterschool program is an integral part of our school and community. We intend to preserve and enhance our program.” The Hudson Bluehawk Nation Afterschool Program is in its 15th year and is open to students from kindergarten to 8th grade. It has been sponsored for years by a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, a program associated with the U.S. Department of Education, but the grant expires on June 30. Spindler said she plans to "maximize grant funds" from the American Rescue Plan to secure planned summer programming. The district is requesting that concerned community members reach out to elected officials and urge them to support afterschool programs. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Radio Today reports that London's Resonance FM celebrates 20 years of broadcasting this month as one of the world's most creative radio stations. Around the world Resonance FM is known for its radio art, and in England it is known one of the first stations in an experimental program to allow community radio there. “Resonance delivers Arts and Culture on-air through performance, audio arts projects and the wildest cultural conversation anywhere on radio,” said Helen Boaden, former Director of BBC Radio. The station has aired shows such as "Shut Your Eyes to Art" which was a talk show broadcasting from the Tate Modern museum with blindfolded participants who have never met, and are given no topic of conversation. Resonance FM also airs several shows that are also on WGXC, including the field-recordings-as-composition show "Framework," and "Radia," where a show from one of a network of art-interested radio stations around the world contribute an episode each week. Resonance FM has been called “The best radio station in London” by The Guardian and “The UK’s most creative independent radio station” by the Daily Telegraph.

Today's daily news update.

Chris Bragg reports for the Times Union that New York’s ethics oversight commission, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, countersued ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo May 6, to get him to pay back $5.1 million Cuomo made from a book deal in his last year in office. The Joint Commission on Public Ethics ordered the repayment in March, saying Cuomo misused government resources to produce the 2020 book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic." Cuomo has refused to return any of the money, and now the two sides are suing each other. Cuomo filed a lawsuit against JCOPE's order in early April in state Supreme Court. JCOPE also plans to depose Cuomo on June 22. Cuomo has not disputed using state workers to help with his book, but claims that the state employees were just "volunteering." But when requesting approval from JCOPE to write the book, Cuomo's government lawyer told the JCOPE staffer, Martin Levine that state employees would not work on the book. JCOPE lawyers were in court May 6, trying to convince a judge to dismiss Cuomo's lawsuit. “It is, as JCOPE’s motion explains, a naked attempt by a former governor to use a federal civil rights statute to stop the hearing in state administrative proceeding concerning the potential violation of ethics laws by a then-public servant,” wrote attorneys at the law firm Hogan Lovells, which is representing JCOPE. “For many reasons, Cuomo’s cause of action should be dismissed with prejudice.” Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi said May 9 that JCOPE, "is wasting taxpayer money in a feeble attempt to settle political scores." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that the unveiling last week of the Supreme Court's ruling striking down Roe vs. Wade allows individual states to ban abortion. But in New York's legislature, there aren't nearly enough votes to stop the medical procedure here. New York lawmakers are considering bills to to strengthen access to abortion services for women from other parts of the country. "We're having a lot of discussions among the conference as well as at high levels over what exactly it will be -- will it be an omnibus bill or a package of bills," said Senate Health Committee Chairman Gustavo Rivera. "I can assure you before this legislative session is done New York is going to do a lot to make sure we can further strengthen the rights of people to receive safe and legal abortions." Gov. Kathy Hochul has suggested creating a fund for out-of-state residents, and increasing telehealth services, for example. Lawmakers are also considering state constitutional amendments to make it more difficult to stop abortions in the state. "All this is under discussion. I'll underline there's a recognition that this is a four-alarm fire," Rivera said. "When the inevitable happens and Roe becomes a thing of the past, we want to make sure New York is a bulwark for that right." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Dick Lindsay reports in The Berkshire Eagle that voters in Lee, in Western Massachusetts, vote May 16 about whether to rescind an agreement that includes a toxic landfill with up to one million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from the Housatonic River. But it is a non-binding referendum, so the landfill may be filled with toxic chemicals despite the vote. The election also asks voters if they want to return to an open town meeting format and whether Lee should end the surcharge on assessed property values that was instituted four years ago to pay down water infrastructure debt. And Anne Langlais, Gordon Bailey, and Robert Wright are all seeking the Select Board seat being vacated by Patricia Carlino who decided against a re-election bid after 24 years on the board. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Today's daily news update.

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Pete DeMola is reporting for the Times Union Gov. Kathy Hochul tested positive for COVID-19 on May 8. She made the announcement on Twitter. “Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic,” Hochul wrote. “I’ll be isolating and working remotely this week. A reminder to all New Yorkers: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and stay home if you don’t feel well.” The governor's diagnosis comes as multiple high-profile politicians have contracted the virus in recent weeks, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Vice President Kamala Harris. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Katie Oldakowski, Director of Greene County's Mobile Crisis Assessment Team, presented an update on the team's operations to the Greene County Legislature's Health Services Committee last week. The Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties team was established to provide crisis services to both counties with eight hours per day set aside for each. The team includes 19 staff members, including five full-time employees. It has served 3,162 individual Greene County residents since the start of the program in 2015. Oldakowski told the legislature that the team has been dispatched in Greene County 2,503 times in the past seven years. When funding through the Greene and Columbia County HEALing Communities initiative expired at the end of 2021, both counties agreed to step in and each chipped in $170,000 to fund the program annually. Oldakowski said the primary services provided include prevention, crisis intervention and hospital discharge follow-up. She said, “When you look at the total budget and you look at all of the services that we provide, MCAT focuses on prevention before someone is in a crisis and we want to link them to services and make sure that they have the resources that they need. Doctors, health insurance, whatever it is, we’re going to make sure that they get connected to where they need to go. ...” The team has received 97,448 phone calls from residents in distress in almost seven years and has a 93 percent diversion rate for unnecessary hospitalization and a 99 percent diversion rate from police intervention for the calls they respond to. Greene County Mental Health Center Director Jason Fredenberg said the team provides a needed addition to his agency’s staff. "...My entire staff felt the difference when they came into town,” Fredenberg told lawmakers. In 2019, the team provided Greene County with $636,900 in estimated cost savings by diverting police interventions, ambulance transportation and psychiatric emergency department visits. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Times Union is reporting U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko on May 6 stopped by the Port of Albany to promote a plan to make the Capital Region into a hub of offshore wind development. The federal lawmakers announced a bill that would deploy offshore wind energy, create 77,000 jobs and cut carbon emissions. The Restoring Offshore Wind Opportunities Act would reverse a Trump-era ban on offshore wind leasing. Gillibrand said in a news release the legislation would "open the gates to innovation in clean energy." President Joe Biden has set the goal to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.  In January, the administration also announced it would auction off leases to an area of ocean called the New York Bight off the coasts of New Jersey and New York. State lobbying records show that General Electric Co. has recently been meeting with state and local officials about building an offshore wind manufacturing facility in the region. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Progressive activists and proponents of net neutrality are now openly questioning why the Joe Biden administration is doing so little to support its nominee to the Federal Communcations Commission, Gigi Sohn, Common Dreams reports. The digital rights group Fight for the Future tweeted May 5 that, "Joe Biden and Sen. [Chuck] Schumer promised to restore net neutrality. But instead they're sitting on the sidelines while Big Telecom mounts a massive dark money funded smear campaign against their nominee to the FCC, Gigi Sohn." Net neutrality is creating an even playing field for the internet, not a place where the companies with the most money get the fasted speeds. Fight for the Future director Evan Greer said May 5 said the Trump administration's FCC, "repealed it, Dems promised to restore it, and they've so far failed to do so by caving to industry pressure and slow-walking" Sohn's nomination. "The only reason for this is corruption. Plain and simple," Greer said, adding that it is a "good time to remember that Comcast, AT&T, Verizon etc. are huge donors to Democratic leadership and candidates. They've got their hands all up in there." The Obama administration passed net neutrality in 2015, and Sohn was largely the author of those rules. Now she's being attacked by the the Fraternal Order of Police, who claim her, "forceful advocacy of end-to-end encryption and 'user-only-access'" and employment history, public policy stances, and social media activity "indicated serious animus towards law enforcement officers and the rule of law." Techdirt founder Mike Masnick says that, "The smear campaign against [Sohn] has been beyond ridiculous.... Everyone who knows anything about her knows that it's pure nonsense, that she's beyond qualified, and that she will do an amazing job. The smear merchants are doing it because they know she'll do a good job." Karl Bode, writing in Techdirt, blamed the Democrats. "It took the Biden administration nine months to even nominate Sohn, giving the telecom industry… ample time to galvanize opposition." The Biden administration also isn't defending Sohn publicly, or pushing to move the Senate confirmation voting process forward. "The phony appeal of authoritarianism can only be defeated if the [Democratic National Committee] shakes off corruption and truly represents the public interest," Bode added. "You don't accomplish this by letting a hugely popular media and telecom reformer drown under unopposed GOP/telecom propaganda attacks."

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. Antonio Delgado, 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.

Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Nicholas Fandos report in the New York Times that Gov. Kathy Hochul picked Rep. Antonio Delgado as her new lieutenant governor. The choice is considered strange for two reasons: typically a governor/lieutenant governor ticket includes one candidate representing New York City's large population, and the choice makes it much more difficult for Democrats to hold onto Delgado's 19th Congressional District. Delgado, though, is not mired in controversy, an important consideration for the replacement of Brian Benjamin, who was indicted on federal bribery charges last month, leading to his resignation. Democrats voted May 2 in Albany to change state election law, allowing Benjamin to take his name off the ballot, and Delgado to put his name on the ballot. “Having won competitive primary and general elections for Congress, Representative Antonio Delgado is a battle-tested campaigner who has the experience to serve New Yorkers and the work ethic to get our party’s message out to voters, unite communities and lift up Democratic candidates statewide,” Hochul said. In the June primary election Delgado gets two Latina women opponents, Diana Reyna, a former New York City Council member, and Ana María Archila, a progressive activist. Which Democrats might run for Delgado's NY-19 district is unclear. So far, Gareth Rhodes, a former state official, who previously attempted to win the seat, has ruled out running for the seat now. The New York Times reports that according to two people familiar with his thinking, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan is seriously considering running for the now-open seat. Republican Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County Executive who ran for governor in 2018, will run against whichever Democrat emerges for the seat. Read more about this story in the New York Times.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision announced May 3 to make Rep. Antonio Delgado lieutenant governor adds another vote to a summer of elections in New York, with all sorts of cascading effects across ballots. Delgado will take the state oath of office this month at a date to be determined. "The only question is the exact timing he will resign from Congress," Hochul said. "There is work to be finished before he assumes these responsibilities." The day before, former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, recently indicted on corruption charges, removed himself from the ballot after the Legislature passed a law to allow political nominees charged with a crime to vacate a party ticket. So now Delgado will appear on the ballot for the statewide primary election for lieutenant governor scheduled for June 28, as Hochul's running mate. Then, Spectrum reports, a special election for Delgado's 19th District seat must be set within ten days of the resignation and must be held within three months. Marc Molinaro, the Republican Dutchess County Executive who is already running for the seat, will likely be on the ballot then against an at-this-point unknown Democrat. “You left an open seat in Congress,” Assembly Member Maritza Davila of Brooklyn told City & State about Hochul's decision. “This is what we're trying to avoid.” She said she feels confident that the seat will return to Republican hands now. “She has to live with her own choices,” Davila added. Other Democrats were more optimistic about retaining the seat. “We have strong Democratic candidates, I’m sure, looking at that seat,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman of Manhattan told City & State. “I would expect a worthy successor in the Democratic nomination.” State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs told City & State that the party has several potential candidates in mind for the seat, but declined to say who exactly. Two local politicians are floating their names so far. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, who lost to Delgado in the Democratic primary in 2018, hinted at trying again in a May 3 Tweet. "After last night's devastating news, it’s clear that now more than ever we need champions in Congress who’ll protect fundamental rights and freedom and fight back against Washington extremism," Ryan wrote, referring to the news that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade. "So, stay tuned." Anonymous sources also claim state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, of Saugerties, may run for the seat. "She's assessing where she can best help our communities - whether that's in Albany or Washington," a source with knowledge of the senator's plans said. Hinchey, in her only election, turned the 46th Senate District in the Hudson Valley from Republican-control to Democrats in 2020. "Everything is on the table," the source added. Both could run, and because redistricting has been thrown out and maps are being withdrawn, the primary election for Congressional seats will now happen in August. And if a current office holder such as Ryan or Hinchey runs for the Democrats, they will need to find a replacement. Hinchey, right now, is running for re-election this fall against Republican Rich Amedure.

Source with knowledge says that Democratic leaders in NY-19 have lined up behind Ulster County Pat Ryan for the special election to replace soon-to-be Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Ryan would face off against Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro

— Rebecca C. Lewis (@_rebeccaclewis) May 6, 2022

Kate Lisa is reporting for State of Politics state Sen. Michelle Hinchey announced on May 6 that she has chosen to seek re-election to a second term in the state Legislature's upper chamber, ending speculation that she would launch a congressional run. Hinchey, a Democrat from Saugerties, said earlier in the week she was thinking about seeking the Democratic nomination in the 19th Congressional District after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the appointment of U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado as the state's lieutenant governor. Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck, has held the seat since 2019 and will step down soon, with a special election for the seat, and then another in November. Hinchey announced her plan to seek re-election on Twitter. "I ran for office because that’s how I could best serve my community — to give upstate residents a real seat at the table," Hinchey said. "When scenarios change, reflection on where the work is best continued, where you make the biggest difference and what’s truly at stake is brought to the forefront. But, with the events of this week and the impending and detrimental Supreme Court decision to overturn a person’s right to choose, it’s never been more clear that state governments are where the work is most important. With our federal government in turmoil, states are now the active battlegrounds in our fight to protect our democracy and to ensure equitable and just policies that protect all of us," she wrote. Retired state trooper Republican Richard Amedure, of Rensselaerville, announced in March that he is running against Hinchey for a second time. He lost his bid for the seat in 2020. Hinchey did not endorse another Democrat for the congressional nomination. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat who lost the congressional nomination to Delgado in a 2018 primary, was the first person this week to announce that he is considering a run for the federal seat. On Twitter May 6, Ryan said he will make the decision to run for Congress soon, and supported Hinchey's Senate campaign. Also on May 6, City & State New York reporter Rebecca C. Lewis wrote on Twitter that a, "Source with knowledge says that Democratic leaders in NY-19 have lined up behind Ulster County Pat Ryan for the special election to replace soon-to-be Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

MidHudson News reports that May 6 New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Newburgh, talking about how far the U.S. could go to help Ukraine against the Russian invasion. “The reason we don’t want to escalate the war is because Russia has many nuclear weapons which they can easily launch against New York State, Washington DC, against California; any state in the country could be a target.” She says the U.S. is doing everything it can to help. “We are trying to give Ukraine the tools to win,” she said, also saying she is in favor of more sanctions against Russian oligarchs and military leaders. But Gillibrand did not blame the rising gasoline prices here on the war in Ukraine, saying the U.S. no longer buys oil from Russia. Instead, she blamed the high prices on oil company price-gouging wants a Congressional investigation. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

Source with knowledge says that Democratic leaders in NY-19 have lined up behind Ulster County Pat Ryan for the special election to replace soon-to-be Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Ryan would face off against Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro

— Rebecca C. Lewis (@_rebeccaclewis) May 6, 2022

Kate Lisa is reporting for State of Politics state Sen. Michelle Hinchey announced on May 6 that she has chosen to seek re-election to a second term in the state Legislature's upper chamber, ending speculation that she would launch a congressional run. Hinchey, a Democrat from Saugerties, said earlier in the week she was thinking about seeking the Democratic nomination in the 19th Congressional District after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the appointment of U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado as the state's lieutenant governor. Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck, has held the seat since 2019 and will step down soon, with a special election for the seat, and then another in November. Hinchey announced her plan to seek re-election on Twitter. "I ran for office because that’s how I could best serve my community — to give upstate residents a real seat at the table," Hinchey said. "When scenarios change, reflection on where the work is best continued, where you make the biggest difference and what’s truly at stake is brought to the forefront. But, with the events of this week and the impending and detrimental Supreme Court decision to overturn a person’s right to choose, it’s never been more clear that state governments are where the work is most important. With our federal government in turmoil, states are now the active battlegrounds in our fight to protect our democracy and to ensure equitable and just policies that protect all of us," she wrote. Retired state trooper Republican Richard Amedure, of Rensselaerville, announced in March that he is running against Hinchey for a second time. He lost his bid for the seat in 2020. Hinchey did not endorse another Democrat for the congressional nomination. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat who lost the congressional nomination to Delgado in a 2018 primary, was the first person this week to announce that he is considering a run for the federal seat. On Twitter May 6, Ryan said he will make the decision to run for Congress soon, and supported Hinchey's Senate campaign. Also on May 6, City & State New York reporter Rebecca C. Lewis wrote on Twitter that a, "Source with knowledge says that Democratic leaders in NY-19 have lined up behind Ulster County Pat Ryan for the special election to replace soon-to-be Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the contract between the town of Greenville and the Greenville Rescue Squad will expire on December 31, and ambulance officials are concerned over what they say is a lack of communication with the town board. Last week, the rescue squad's Board of Directors met with he press to talk about the future, the proposed contract, and why operational costs are on the rise. Rescue Squad Chairman Theodore Nugent, Jr. said that in November 2021, the rescue squad presented the town with a new five-year contract. “...We laid out costs over five years. It was given to the town board in executive session and somehow those numbers along with the cost per thousand ended up on Facebook. So that was kind of concerning and upsetting to us. ...,” Nugent said. The squad has not received any feedback from the board on the proposal since. “We have asked for some response… to this date, we have not heard anything back,” Nugent said. Town Supervisor Paul Macko said no one from the squad has attended a town meeting in months and noted that a rescue squad update is a standing agenda item at the board’s monthly meetings. Macko said In 2022 the town paid the squad just under $404,000. The squad's request for 2023, is more than $545,000 and the total increases yearly over the life of the contract, to $607,800 in 2027. “We have no issue with the service they provide, they are excellent,” Macko said. “But it is our objective as the town board to do this as [affordably] as possible.” Nugent said the amount paid by the town does not even cover payroll expenses and the squad relies on third-party billing to balance its budget. “This board and this agency are not trying to burden the taxpayers. We are taxpayers, too,” he said. So far in 2022, Greenville Rescue Squad is responding to an average of 50 calls per month. Macko said he would like to negotiate with the squad and would be getting in contact with Nugent. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Industrial Development Agency has decided it will withhold approval of any prospective hotel applications for the next 90 days. This will allow the IDA time to compose evaluation criteria on how to decide whether a prospective hotel or business is appropriate for the city of Hudson. The agency’s board voted unanimously to extend the time period for applications at a public workshop last week. Ryan Wallace, IDA chairperson and Third Ward councilmember said, “...[W]e want to ensure that the IDA Board has the opportunity to discuss, refine and hopefully approve the new criteria so that we can use it to fairly evaluate these hotel projects that are coming before us while doing right by the immediate and neighboring communities.” The IDA promotes, encourages, attracts and develops job opportunities and economically advantageous commerce and industry in the city of Hudson. The agency also offers businesses needs assessment, site selection, financial incentives and access to other public-sector programs. The IDA will continue to accept applications, but they will not be voted on officially until after the 90-day window closes. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Luke Parsnow reports in New York State of Politics that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now considers Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer counties as having "high" community levels of the coronavirus. The CDC now recommends citizens now wear masks inside in public. In all, New York has 36 counties as having "high" community levels of COVID-19. The rest of the Hudson Valley's are considered at medium risk right now, with only three New York counties considered low risk. Albany County reported May 6 its highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate since mid-February. “This is one of the most concerning updates I’ve provided in a long time," said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy. "The daily average of new COVID infections continues to increase and has now trended above 200; the number of residents currently in the hospital with the virus is now the highest it’s been since Feb. 17; and sadly, individuals continue to succumb to COVID complications.” Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Ted Remsnyder reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Greene County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee approved $250,000 in funding for body and car cameras for Greene County Sheriffs during its meeting May 4. Next, the full Legislature is expected to vote for them. “It started two years ago when we had the police reform committee,” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said. “It was a recommendation that came out of the police reform committee and then during the next year’s budget cycle, the board turned down the request to go to body cams. Now (Sheriff) Pete Kusminsky has brought it back up because there’s a general assumption that any accredited agency will pretty much be mandated to have them now. So that’s pretty much being forced.” Groden was pitching the cameras as police helpers. “I think more often than not it exonerates an officer versus not. Particularly with the car cameras, because we’ll have one that actually shoots to the back seat. So if you try to bang your head against the back window and they say, ‘Hey, I got beat up.’ It’s going to be filmed,” he said. It will cost Greene County the county, under the proposal, $29,940 for 60 body cameras, $106,650 for 27 police car camera kits, and $25,299 installation in 38 police vehicles, the story says. Groden says Greene County will hire someone to edit and process the camera recordings. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.