Here is this week's WGXC Congressional Report, tracking the votes, statements, positions, and campaigns of the representatives and candidates for the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Congressional seats in New York. Democrat Pat Ryan is representing the 18th Congressional District, Republican Marc Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Paul Tonko represents the 20th District, and Republican Elise Stefanik represents the 21st District. Click here to listen to this report.

Katherine Doyle reports at NBC News that Rep Elise Stefanik is again working for former President Donald Trump, filing new documents to her judicial ethics complaint against the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial in New York. She amended her complaint by attaching the mistrial motion filed by Trump's attorneys accusing Judge Arthur Engoron of bias. Engoron ruled against the motion. On Nov. 17 Stefanik said that motion was “wrongly denied” and that “A week ago, I filed an ethics complaint against Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron for his partisan antics, bias, and railroading of President Trump.... After my complaint, a New York appellate court smacked down Judge Engoron for his blatantly unconstitutional gag order. Today, I’m supplementing my ethics complaint against Judge Engoron with examples of even more of his egregious misconduct after he just wrongly dismissed President Trump’s motion for a mistrial.” Engoron said the arguments Trump's lawyers made in the motion were “utterly without merit.” Engoron is presiding over a $250 million civil lawsuit about fraud in the former president's business. He has already ruled that the fraud existed, and is now deciding how much to fine Trump and his business. Read more about this story at NBC News.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Rep. Pat Ryan announced legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs in Poughkeepsie Nov. 21. Ryan's “Stopping Pharma’s Ripoffs and Drug Savings For All Act” would make less-costly, generic alternatives easier to produce. Ryan said, “For too long, Big Pharma has been allowed to game the system, rake in record profits, and rip off hard-working Hudson Valley families. I’m pushing relentlessly to finally hold Big Pharma accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs.... This bipartisan legislation holds Big Pharma accountable and lowers drug prices,” Ryan said. “It lowers drug costs across the board and generations.” While Ryan, a Democrat, claims the proposal is bipartisan, the story does not name any Republican co-sponsors, and an internet search for the bill's name only found a few results, all related to Ryan. Currently Republicans control the House of Representatives, so Ryan needs Republican support to pass the measure. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

Today's audio daily news update.

Steve Hughes reports for the Times Union that in Coeymans the Carver Cos. have backed off part of their proposal for for an 80-acre wind turbine facility there, and developers now say they will not need the town to rezone a 364-acre wildlife management area. In southern Albany County, the wind turbine facility project would be just north of the Port of Coeymans, between Route 144 and the Hudson River. Carver Cos. now says they can keep the manufacturing portion of the project on land owned by Holcim just north of the Port of Coeymans, between Route 144 and the Hudson River that is already zoned for manufacturing. The developers hope to manufacture more than 200 wind turbine blades a year and create up to 600 jobs in Coeymans. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that there is at least one local election with results still pending. Currently, in Wallkill in Ulster County, incumbent Republican George Serrano and Democrat Neil Meyer are tied in the town supervisor election. Both have 1,910. Next week the board of elections will do a hand recount, and say they will have results by Dec. 2. So either the incumbent Serrano, or the town board member and former deputy supervisor of the town Meyer will become the next supervisor. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that in the election held this year in October and November, only between 20 and 30 percent of voters turned out to cast ballots. Backers of a proposal to move local elections to year when turnout is naturally higher because of high-profile presidential and senate votes are still getting push back from many local leaders who want to maintain the status quo. Moving local elections to even-numbered years is one of more than 150 bills passed that are waiting for a signature from Gov. Kathy Hochul to become law. New York Public Interest Research Group's Executive Director Blair Horner said, "In a democracy, a representative democracy, you want to have the biggest turnout possible.... We think it's easier for voters to remember that they're supposed to go to the polling place, particularly when there's a high-profile election." Stephen Acquario, executive director of the state Association of Counties, says most county leaders across the state are opposed to moving local elections, saying, "I think we need to respect their choice, their decisions, and not change laws because people in the Capitol think that they have a better view on how to control their behavior.... People are motivated by their own behavior, by what their own values are, what matters to them [for] whether or not they'll go to a voting machine and cast a ballot." Elections for city or village elections, and for races for county clerk, sheriff, district attorneys, local judges and others protected in the state Constitution to be held in odd-numbered years would not be moved if Hochul signs the bill. Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Department of Environmental Conservation Police are asking for public help identifying the vehicle and subjects involved in a deer poaching incident in Lexington in Greene County on Nov. 22. A DEC statement said, “Fortunately, no one was home at the time of the shooting, but the poaching incident was captured on a doorbell camera.” Shooting off firearms within 500 feet of a dwelling or other occupied structure unless permission is received from the owner is generally against the law, and the DEC is investigating the incident. Deer hunting season began recently locally. Anyone with information about the Lexington incident should contact Officer Lucas Palmateer at 518-478-1698 or Officer Jason Smith at 518-703-3529 or call DEC’s 24-hour dispatch line at 518-408-5852. Read the full story in Porcupine Soup.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that the Village of Athens gets $75,000 for a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program update, and the Town of Prattsville receives $67,500 for its Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan from Regional Economic Development Council Initiative funds. Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, chair of the Regional Economic Development Councils said, “This is how we build a more equitable future across our state. By investing in our communities and funding crucial economic development programs, we can ensure more New Yorkers have access to the opportunities, tools, and resources they need to succeed.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Lana Bellamy reports for the Times Union that New York is putting speed-enforcement cameras in construction work zones that can automatically fine vehicle owners for exceeding speed limits. The state Department of Transportation and state Thruway Authority will start issuing automatic speeding tickets in 13 work zones throughout Warren, Orange, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk and Jefferson counties, according to information posted on ny.gov. The automatic fines began Nov. 20. Drivers getting automatic tickets will pay $50 for a first-time violation, the second violation within an 18-month period is $75, and three or more violations within an 18-month period cost $100. Computers identify license plate information in photos to generate the tickets, and a state-certified technician will review the violations before a notice of liability is mailed out, according to the DOT. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's audio daily news update.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Rep. Pat Ryan announced legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs in Poughkeepsie Nov. 21. Ryan's “Stopping Pharma’s Ripoffs and Drug Savings For All Act” would make less-costly, generic alternatives easier to produce. Ryan said, “For too long, Big Pharma has been allowed to game the system, rake in record profits, and rip off hard-working Hudson Valley families. I’m pushing relentlessly to finally hold Big Pharma accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs.... This bipartisan legislation holds Big Pharma accountable and lowers drug prices,” Ryan said. “It lowers drug costs across the board and generations.” While Ryan, a Democrat, claims the proposal is bipartisan, the story does not name any Republican co-sponsors, and an internet search for the bill's name only found a few results, all related to Ryan. Currently Republicans control the House of Representatives, so Ryan needs Republican support to pass the measure. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

Ski resorts locally prefer a cold Thanksgiving weekend, to take advantage of visitors in town for the holiday. But this year temperatures should reach the 50s on Thanksgiving in some areas and temperatures should stay mostly above freezing. Belleayre Mountain opened some ski runs early on Nov. 16 and 17, but then closed and their website says they will reopen on Nov. 24. "As long as mother nature cooperates, we expect to reopen on Friday, November 24," the website says. Windham Mountain's website does not hint when they will start skiing, and Hunter Mountain's website also does not say when it will open and reports no snowfall yet this season.

Many local government offices and local businesses are closed on Nov. 23. Here is a roundup of what is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Banks: Closed
County Offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Financial markets: Closed
Mail delivery: None
Metro-North: Saturday schedule on Thursday; expanded Saturday schedule on Friday
Schools: Closed Thursday and Friday
State offices: Closed
Trailways: Regular schedule.

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

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that after a delay, a special meeting, and opposition from five legislators, Greene County agreed to spend $28.8 million on a new building for judges and lawyers next to the county courthouse in Catskill. Republicans Thomas Hobart, Matthew Luvera, Jay Lucas, Michael Bulich, and Democrat Harry Lennon all voted against the spending. Hobart delayed the vote from last week's original meeting. He objects to New York's Office of Court Administration being included in the building he says is meant for Greene County use. Hobart said, “I believe there are things that haven’t been brought forth… I want to see justification of the space we want utilized [for the district attorney and public defender] and possibly leave the whole Court Administration out, not building this entire building.” The special meeting was not held for the public under democratic standards of transparency. Instead, legislators met secretly for 25 minutes in executive session and then voted. The public could not comment, nor learn why the legislators were acting the way they were. All they saw was a seven-to-five vote in favor of spending the taxpayer money. The funds will be spent on contractors from outside Greene County. The building will be 16,000-square-foot with three stories, including a ground level parking garage.

Steve Hughes reports in the Times Union that the Town of Berne wants to sell the Switzkill Farm property to Albany County for $150,000. During the COVID-19 pandemic, town officials discussed turning the southern Albany County farm into a tourist spot. Instead, if the Albany County Legislature approves, they will own and maintain the 358-acre plot of woodlands, streams and several aging buildings, while allowing Berne to use it for events. Berne had more recently been considering logging the property. The county says it will stabilize a 5,000-square-foot lodge and a retreat house on the property, and reopen some trails by the spring. Berne's Supervisor Dennis Palow and Deputy Town Supervisor Anita Clayton did not return calls from the newspaper for comment. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that former Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver may have lost his bid for re-election, but outgoing County Executive William F.X. O’Neil on Nov. 20 appointed Pulver the next county comptroller. If the county legislator approves, the Republican will take over for Democrat Robin Lois, who is becoming deputy comptroller of Local Government and School Accountability in the New York State Comptroller’s Office in the new year. O'Neil did not run for reelection, and Republican Sue Serino was elected Dutchess County Executive, also taking on that role in the new year. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's audio daily news update.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that the Fourth Judicial Department, a mid-level appellate court in New York, has reinstated a rule allowing the state Health Department to order someone to involuntarily isolate or quarantine to control a highly contagious disease. That overturns a 2022 decision by a state Supreme Court justice in Cattaraugus County who found the rule violates the constitutional requirement for a separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches when promulgating rules as severe as involuntary isolation. Republicans behind the lawsuit said they plan to appeal the decision to the state Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. The Nov. 17 ruling was on a technicality, as Republican officials filing the suit did not sufficiently establish why they were so severely harmed, and that the trial court failed to adequately rule on the merits of whether the petitioners had a right to bring the case in the first place. Assemblymember Chris Tague, who represents Greene and Schoharie counties, was one of the Republicans behind the lawsuit. The Republicans released a statement saying, “This has been a ‘David v. Goliath’ fight from the beginning on many levels, so it is not surprising that the state, with its limitless resources, has effectuated a win this round.... We will never stop fighting for New Yorkers against government overreach.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.