Today's daily news update.

Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that Democrats are split: progressives do not want to jail people who are considered innocent by the courts, and conservative Democrats do. Gov. Kathy Hochul is trying to find a middle ground. "I have 10 days to work that out," Hochul said on March 21. "I didn't sign up for this job because I thought it was easy." Anyone arrested for a crime is innocent until proven guilty, but Republicans, and some Democrats, want to lock most arrestees up before their trials. Progressive Democrats recently overturned that system, but now conservative Democrats are backpedaling in the face of attack ads from Republicans. So far, Hochul has said she wants to strengthen Kendra's Law, which requires people who have mental health issues receive treatment. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has said a "national Republican campaign of fear" is behind the efforts to lock up innocent New Yorkers. Progressives are hosting rallies to keep the innocent from being held with bail, while Republicans hold press conference denouncing the policy. Hochul is stuck between the two sides. "The public is aware that I share their concerns about public safety and that's why we're working with my team and working with the legislators to craft a position and a policy and work toward getting it in the budget that I believe is working to respond to the needs right now," Hochul said. The resolution will come in the state budget, which lawmakers need to approve by April 1. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that the town of Greenville is creating a Scenic Viewshed Committee to define and identify areas and views the community would like to preserve. “In the process of going through one of the solar projects, we definitely encountered that there was some real vagueness and some lack of clerical organization in understanding what in town is seen as a viewshed,” planning board member William Bardel said at the March 21 meeting of the town board. “In the planning board report there is a recommendation that there be a Scenic Viewshed Committee established to do a comprehensive review of scenic destinations in town. It’s not specific to addressing solar — it’s more a matter of there needs to be a review in general, just to see what has been identified as scenic in town.” The town already has two areas designated by the state years ago as protected viewsheds. “One of them is up off Plattekill Road, that area on top of the hill, and East Red Mill Road off Route 32,” Greenville supervisor Paul Macko said. “Those are the two areas that we know about right now and they were designated by New York state.” Anyone interested in serving on Greenville's Scenic Viewshed Committee should call the town offices at 518-966-5055. Read more about this story at TheUpstater.com.

On March 22 New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York is now first in the nation with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed and operational. That is enough to power 209,000 homes across the state. And Hochul says there is enough community solar under construction to serve an additional 401,000 homes. “Reaching this nation-leading milestone – with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed – is a testament to New York’s aggressive pursuit of clean-energy alternatives that will supercharge our economy and bring us one step closer to a carbon-neutral future,” Hochul said. The governor's plan calls for New York to reach ten gigawatts by 2030. "Currently, many residents who want to transition to solar are barred because they cannot afford the cost of panels, they live in rented properties, or their rooftops simply don’t support solar. Community solar is a game changer for overcoming these barriers, allowing more New Yorkers to be part of the clean energy transition," said Rep. Paul Tonko, who represents the 20th District, including Albany County. WGXC recently added solar panels, and will flip the switch to become a solar-powered radio station later this week.

Today's daily news update.

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

Valerie White is reporting for Porcupine Soup that the Cairo Town Board on March 16 once again focused its attention on allowing recreational cannabis dispensaries and consumption lounges in the town. New York legalized recreational cannabis in March 2021, and municipalities had until December 31 of that year, to opt-out of allowing the businesses within their borders. Under the rules, localities that did not opt out were permitted to opt back in at a later date. On December 16, the Cairo board voted 3 to 2 to opt-out. The vote followed a standing-room only public hearing where the vast majority of residents in attendance wanted the town to opt in. Last week, Cairo Supervisor Jason Watts brought up the subject again, saying he wanted to schedule another public hearing to consider opting back in, but comments from the floor that night were opposed to the idea. “This needs to go to a referendum,” said board member Tim Powers, who voted against cannabis sales in December. “Every person who is of voting age in this town should have a say in it… I’m not going to make a decision for 6,700 people and I don’t think you should either.” Watts said he had "no problem putting it on the ballot.” Cannabis sales are not expected to begin in New York until 2023. When sales begin in Greene County, the Catskill Town Board has agreed to allow dispensaries, but not on-site consumption lounges. The village of Catskill will allow both types of businesses, as will the towns of Coxsackie and Athens. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Democratic New York state Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara March 21, called for a suspension of tolls on the state Thruway system during the summer months. The proposal was put forward as gas prices and inflation are pushing consumer prices upward for the foreseeable future. The bill backed by Santabarbara would set a toll holiday during the months of June, July, and August. “Typically the summer months are when most people make their travel plans and this savings will encourage tourism in our upstate areas,” he said. “These active months are important for local businesses and we must do all we can to encourage economic activity when they need it the most.” Santabarbara is urging state officials to use New York's surplus of federal aid to help cover the lost revenue from any suspension.  In response, the Thruway Authority said the proposed toll holiday would deprive the authority of much-needed revenue. In a separate measure, Santabarbara and state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for taxes on gasoline sales to be suspended. New York collects about $2 billion in gas tax revenue. A different proposal advanced last week by state Senate Democrats would suspend the gas tax from May 1 through the end of the year. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

John Cropley reports for the Daily Gazette that Schoharie County officials are looking for someone to buy their former jail building. The building was made unusable more than ten years ago by flooding from the storms associated with Hurricane Irene. Buyers would get 30-year-old buildings with 80,000 square feet on 6.7 acres that might flood again with the Schoharie Creek just 100 yards away. “They did do some cleanup post-flood,” said Julie Pacatte, executive director of the Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corp., which is leading the marketing effort to sell the land. “Some of the ground floor of the two-story administrative office building is essentially gutted. The upper floor is in great shape. It’s as though folks were working there yesterday.” Earlier this month the Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corp. issued a request for proposals for the site without a minimum bid. Ulster County is attempting to turn its former jail site into housing, and Greene County is expanding its court at the site of its former jail in Catskill. Read more about this story in the Daily Gazette.

Today's daily news update.

Ashley Miller reports for WNYT that the Ichabod Crane boys basketball team won its first ever state championship March 20. The Ichabod Crane Riders beat Friends Academy 63-62 in the Class B state championship game at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. The team won despite star Brett Richards going down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, but he returned and helped the Riders with a comeback with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Richards was named tournament MVP. WNYT talked to coach Will Ferguson and Richards after the game. Click here to download or play a short clip of the interviews. Read more about this story at WNYT.

Michelle Del Rey reports in the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul is slowly starting to respond to Freedom of Information Law requests quickly and transparently. Previously, legal requests for public information from the state were often delayed, or ignored. Since taking office last summer Hochul's office has changed many policies of her predecessor. Hochul is now requiring state agencies to identify and publicly post frequently requested documents. While former Gov. Andrew Cuomo required certain Freedom of Information Law requests, especially those from by news organizations, be forwarded to the Executive Chamber for review, Hochul has not. And Hochul is getting the state Office of Information Technology and Services to improve the state’s process for receiving, processing and responding to FOIL requests. "On my first day in office, I pledged to turn the page on the old ways of Albany and restore New Yorkers’ faith in their government," the governor said in a statement last week. "We’re taking meaningful action to streamline the process to access public records, so journalists and members of the public can more easily access information to which they are entitled. While there’s always more to do, I’m proud of the steps my administration has taken to increase transparency and accountability in New York state government." Reinvent Albany, a government accountability group, applauded Hochul's efforts. "Gov. Hochul’s agency transparency plans are a fundamental first step for assessing what agencies need to do to comply with the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), Open Data Executive Order and other mandates. If done well, the plans will also show the governor and Legislature what else needs to be done to increase public access to state government information." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

MidHudson News reports that New York's Department of Environmental Conservation has new freshwater fishing regulations that go into effect on April 1. Rainbow trout, brown trout, and splake in lakes and ponds can now be caught year-round, with a five-fish daily limit, any size, with a “no more than two longer than 12 inches” harvest rule. The season for Walleye, Northern Pike, Pickerel, and Tiger Muskellunge now opens May 1; the season for Muskellunge opens June 1; the season for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass now opens June 15. The statewide sunfish daily harvest limit has been reduced from 50 to 25 fish. And the statewide minimum size limit for crappie has been increased from nine inches to ten inches. There are also other new regulations specific to bodies of water outside the WGXC listening area. Read more about this story at MidHudson News.

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

Today's daily news update.

Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 19th and 20th Congressional seats in New York. Current Democrat Reps. Antonio Delgado and Paul Tonko vote with the positions of President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time, according to the fivethirtyeight.com website. Click here to listen to this report.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that more than $800,000 in federal funding is expected for broadband in the towns of Ghent, Canaan, New Lebanon, and Austerlitz. Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill last week which allocates nearly $830,000 in funding, which will become available after the measure is signed into law by President Joe Biden. A broadband study conducted for Columbia County in 2021, found there are more than 1,200 unserved addresses that do not have access to broadband. Columbia Economic Development Corporation President and CEO F. Michael Tucker said, “With these funds it is anticipated that close to 25 percent of those addresses will get access to broadband service, reducing the need for the funding necessary to serve all of Columbia County.” Three hundred homes and businesses of the 1,250 unserved addresses in the county are located in the four towns named, Tucker said. “We have seen estimates of $10 million to $12 million needed to serve all 1,250 addresses but are awaiting detailed cost estimates from the four broadband providers in the county," he said. The four towns began issuing Requests for Proposals for the broadband work in January. U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado announced he voted for the federal bill last week, which his office said included funding for nine Delgado-led community projects in the district. “The investments in this package address some of our nation’s biggest challenges while providing much needed support to my constituents in upstate New York,” the Rhinebeck Democrat said in a statement. “With this funding we are investing in the middle class, lowering costs for working families, creating American jobs and supporting vulnerable folks in our communities.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Justin Dawes is reporting for the Albany Business Review a federal report released last week by the Veterans Administration included a number of proposed changes for veterans health-care services in the Capital Region totaling $1.5 billion. The plan calls for the closing of Albany Stratton VA Medical Center after the construction of a new hospital. Albany Stratton was last renovated in 1985. The VA says the building’s infrastructure and layout do not meet modern health care standards, and it would take more than $222 million for a full upgrade. The replacement facility would offer inpatient mental health, nursing home, rehab program, urgent care, primary care, outpatient specialty care and outpatient mental health services. The federal Asset and Infrastructure Review report said the existing hospital, located between Holland and New Scotland avenues near Albany Medical Center, would be shut down after "the realignment of services to the new Albany [VA Medical Center].” The new facility would consolidate the clinical services currently located in Clifton Park, Troy and Schenectady, as well. Meanwhile, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan is upset that the VA also recommended closing the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls in Dutchess County. Ryan wrote on Twitter that, "tens of thousands of veterans and military families rely on" the facility. "This is unacceptable and we are rallying to push back on these recommendations and push for real investment in strengthening our regional VA services," Ryan wrote, about a March 19 rally at the Ulster County Office Building about the proposed closure. Rep. Antonio Delgado and state Sen. Michelle Hinchey attended the rally, the Times Union reports. “Closing the Castle Point VAMC without first clearly establishing a replacement facility that provides equally accessible services of the same or higher quality is unacceptable,” Delgado said. Click here to download or play Delgado's speech at the rally. Read more in the Albany Business Review.

Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that a new state law will change the way absentee voting works in New York. The changes are effective immediately, in time for the June primary election. Under the new law, a voter who applies for an absentee ballot can vote only by absentee or affidavit ballot. They will not be permitted to vote on the machine, either during early voting or on Election Day. “The law has changed," Columbia County Democratic Elections Commissioner Ken Dow said March 18. “So now once a person has requested an absentee ballot, not even if they sent it in, just if they sent in an application for an absentee ballot, then they are no longer allowed to vote on the machine.” He said the law will have an impact because quite often people request an absentee ballot and then, for one reason or another, don't use them. Under the previous law, even if a voter had asked for a paper ballot they were still able to vote in person. Dow said, “We’re trying to make people aware that once they ask for the absentee ballot they cannot vote on the machine. They can vote by affidavit but really my guidance would be, if you ask for an absentee ballot you should send it in.” Local boards of election officials are encouraging all voters to learn more and to understand the revisions to absentee voting before they apply to vote by absentee ballot. Read the full story at HudsonValley360n [dot] com.

Tim Blydenburgh is reporting for the Times Union that Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced March 19 he has COVID-19 and is recovering at home. McCoy has been one of the most prominent local faces in the fight against the virus since the pandemic began. “I have confirmed with my doctor that I’ve contracted COVID-19," he said. "While I’m feeling under the weather, I’m thankful that I’m fully vaccinated and boosted, because this very well could have been much worse. I am isolating and recovering at home." Just the day before the county ran down the statistics for the disease, indicating that more than 62,600 people in Albany County have contracted the coronavirus since March 2020, with 46 new cases reported March 17.  The next day McCoy reported the county’s seven-day average of new daily positive cases rose from 29.5 to 33.1. "It’s moments like this that remind us that COVID is still not done with us yet,” McCoy said. More than 81 percent of all Albany County residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and 74 percent are fully vaccinated. The virus has killed 536 people in the county. In August 2020, McCoy told reporters he had antibodies from a bout of COVID-19 that he believes he contracted around the first of that year. He had an antibody test in May 2020, that revealed he had previously contracted the virus. Statewide, the number of hospitalizations was at 925, the lowest number since Aug. 3, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said over the weekend. There were five deaths reported since March 18. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Heather Bellow is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle Roger Kavanagh, a West Stockbridge, Massachusetts Select Board member, has announced his resignation, citing frustration with what he calls "inefficient" functioning and bias in town government. Kavanagh made the announcement March 14. That same day he expressed dismay about what he said was a dismissive response by a town official to an inquiry by a resident and former board member. Kavanagh will remain a board member until May 9, the date of the annual town elections. He had two years remaining of his three-year term. “I’ve learned that the Town is slowly and not so quietly splitting into factions, one that wants ‘everything to be like it used to be’ and one that sees ‘transformation as the only answer for the future,’ ” Kavanagh said in a statement. “I believe the Select Board needs to actively bridge that divide and ensure that the voices of both groups are heard and their collective needs are recognized.” Kavanagh's announcement comes after months of unrest last year about how the town handled the permitting for a performing arts space, The Foundry. Problems that included noise complaints exposed past, though inadvertent, negligence by the town and what Kavanagh suggested is bias by town officials. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.

Cloey Callahan is reporting for the Times Union that the town of Wawarsing Planning Board on March 15 gave the green light to Cresco Labs plan to build a $9-million 380,000-square-foot cannabis grow facility in Ulster County that promises to create hundreds of jobs. The approval process “went quicker than most projects,” said Ulster County Director of Economic Development Tim Weidemann. “It’s a model of what we should try to do for other big projects. We’ve seen so many of them get stuck in this process, and now we have a roadmap for others.” Cresco Labs will take over the former Schrade Knife and Avnet Channel Master facilities in Wawarsing for cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution on 91 acres that have been empty and unused for 17 years. The applicant for the cannabis facility is Valley Agriceuticals, which currently operates a medical cannabis manufacturing facility in Wallkill and four medical cannabis dispensaries across the state. Its parent company is Chicago-based Cresco Labs, which operates in 10 states nationwide where medical cannabis is legal. Cresco originally projected it would create 300 to 400 jobs at the processing plant, but increased that estimate to 679 future employees, according to the approved proposal. Cresco Labs must now work with the Cannabis Control Board and the Office of Cannabis Management to secure an adult-use license for a vertically integrated operation that includes cultivation, processing and distribution, but not sales. Construction of the facility could be completed within 12 to 18 months after all approvals. Read the full story in the Times Union.