Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that after several years of higher tax bills, Cairo's tax rate is going down if the proposed budget is passed. Councilperson MaryJo Cords said, “Last year we went up 7.5 percent, this year we went down 5.6 percent.” At the Nov. 6 town board meeting Cairo resident John Vandenburgh said, “We are not going to get any surprises?” In previous years Town Supervisor Jason Watts had signed off on, and the town board approved, town budgets that were publicly sold as tax cuts, but actually contained errors that forced the town to raise taxes. This year Watts said, “I want to say we have done everything in our due diligence to make sure that is not going to happen.” Watts blamed previous administrations for the budget errors he and the town board approved. Watts also said Nov. 6 that he has not been able to find a certified public accountant to review the town’s books and that the New York State Comptroller’s Office can't do an audit because of staff shortages. The town board will vote on the proposed 2024 budget at its Nov. 15 workshop meeting. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

News10 in Albany reports that as the first snows of the year fall locally, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles reminding New Yorkers that their snowmobile registrations must be renewed annually. Mark J.F. Schroeder, DMV Commissioner and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Chair, said, “Winter activities like snowmobiling are important to many of us here in New York.... [The] DMV is happy to assist customers in getting their snowmobiles registered and ready for use, and we urge all enthusiasts to ride responsibly and never while they are impaired.” Snowmobile owners can complete an online registration and print a temporary certificate that is valid for up to 15 days., while the DMV mails a permanent registration card with the validation sticker. Read more about this story at News10 in Albany.

Mid-Hudson News reports that in February Breeze Airways says it will begin flights from New York Stewart International Airport to Orlando, Florida and Charlestown, South Carolina. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Pat Ryan were at the Orange County airport for the announcement. Heather Bell, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, said, “Being able to commute directly to Orlando more often as well as Charlestown where there is great industry and economic development is a great huge win for Stewart and its partners.” The Orlando service will run on Thursdays and Sundays, the Charlestown flights will be on Fridays and Mondays. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's audio daily news update.

While the election that ended on Nov. 7 featured mostly unopposed town contests, there were a few close contests. Overall Democrats locally had a good night, as did Democrats nationally. Democrats took city mayoral races in Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Hudson, and Newburgh. The Columbia County District Attorney and judge elections went to Democrats. Also in Columbia County, Democrats won Town Supervisor elections in Ancram, Canaan, Chatham, Copake, Gallatin, Hillsdale, Hudson, Kinderhook, and Stuyvesant. Philip Pantuso reported in the Times Union that Democrat Manny Nneji beat Republican Mike Kavanagh by 195 votes for District Attorney in Ulster County. Nneji is the current chief assistant district attorney in Ulster County. Kavanagh is not conceding the results. In Dutchess County, Mid-Hudson News reports that a Democrat won a District Attorney election for the first time. Democrat Anthony Parisi, a bureau chief with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, beat Republican Chief Assistant District Attorney Matt Weishaupt to become the first Democrat DA in county history. Also in Dutchess County, Republican Sue Serino defeated Democrat Tommy Zurhellen 38,666 votes to 29,596. And Democrats Daniel Lynch and Sherri Brooks-Morton got more votes for District 3 State Supreme Court Judge, beating Democrat Richard Rivera and Republican Dana Salazar.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that two statewide constitutional amendments, both regarding debt, on the back of the ballot, passed by wide margins. One amendment removes the borrowing limit for school districts in small cities, defined as those with fewer than 125,000 residents. Those school districts can now borrow 10 percent of the total value of the city’s taxable property, where they were limited to five percent before. The other amendment makes it easier to construct or repair sewage facilities because it exempts those projects from the overall debt limits that apply to local governments. This amendment must get reapproved by voters every ten years. Both passed with more than 64 percent approval. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

On Nov. 7, New York's Hudson Valley Congressional representatives split their votes on whether to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Republican Reps. Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik and Democrat Pat Ryan voted with the majority, 234-to-188 to censure the Michigan Democrat, "for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the State of Israel." Democrat Paul Tonko did not vote to censure Tlaib. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, and 22 Democrats, including Ryan, voted for the censure measure that was brought by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress. After the vote, she said on the House floor, "The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”

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

Today the news is just election results. In Columbia County, Democrats swept the important countywide district attorney and judge elections, and won several supervisor positions. There are many local town results to report. An X denotes the current winners. All results are unofficial.

COLUMBIA COUNTY JUDGE (two winners)
XBrian J, Herman (D) - 3,140
Joyce Crawford (R) - 1,207
XMichael C. Howard (D) - 3,464
Robert Gibson (R) 1,437

COLUMBIA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
XChris Liberati-Conant (D)- 3,372
Ryan Carty (R) - 1,445

COLUMBIA COUNTY TREASURER
XPaul "PJ" Keeler (R/C) - 2,101

ANCRAM TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XMonica R. Cleveland (R/C) - 68

ANCRAM TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XJames P. Miller (R/C) - 61

ANCRAM TOWN SUPERVISOR
XBonnie J. Hundt (D) - 112
James E. MacArthur (R) - 33
Will Weiss (Ancram United) - 1

ANCRAM TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XColleen M. Lutz (D) - 113
John R. Ingram (R) - 34
XBob Roche (D/Ancram United) - 109
David Boice (R) - 36

AUSTERLITZ TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XKen Kaplan (D) - 130
XCara Humphrey (D) - 131

CANAAN TOWN SUPERVISOR
XBrenda Adams (D, R) - 95

CANAAN TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XVirginia Nightingale (D) - 85
XBrian Lifsec (D) - 84

CANAAN TOWN JUSTICE (two winners)
XKatherine E. Ambrosio (D/R) - 94
XDelena M. Schaefer (D/R) - 94

CANAAN TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XStephen VanTassel (D/R) - 95

CHATHAM TOWN SUPERVISOR
XChristopher W. Spencer (D/Chatham Neighbors) - 302
Donal Collins (R/Chatham For All) - 143

CHATHAM TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XJohn Wapner (D/Chatham Neighbors) - 316
Vance Pitkin (R/Chatham For All) - 126
XAngus Eaton (D/Chatham Neighbors) - 308
Tim Mackerer (R/Chatham For All) - 124

CHATHAM TOWN JUSTICE
XMichael A. Hart (D/R) - 410

CLAVERACK TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XSelha Graham (D) - 283
George E. Duntz Jr. (R,C) - 108
XTracy Hennige (D) - 277
Gene Hallenbeck Jr. (R) - 109

CLERMONT TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XLindsey Lusher Shute (D) - 61
XDawn Brownson (D) - 64

CLERMONT TOWN JUSTICE
XRichard Christensen (R) - 21

COPAKE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XRichard Wolf (D/WF) - 199

COPAKE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
X S tosh Gansowski (R) - 85
XBob Haight (R) - 88

COPAKE TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XLynn M. Connolly (D/R) - 225

COPAKE TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XWilliam H. Gregory (D/R) - 220

GALLATIN TOWN SUPERVISOR
XJohn C. Reilly (D) - 96

GALLATIN TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XLisa DeLeeuw (D) - 104

GALLATIN TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XJeff Jorve (D) - 99
XSara McGhee (D) - 102

GALLATIN TOWN JUSTICE
XEric Mortenson (D) - 103

GERMANTOWN TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XSarah Suarez (D) - 118
XKaare Christian (D) - 109
Zach Moore (Palatine's United) - 12
Genette Picicci Oehlke (Unified Germantown) - 17

GHENT TOWN COUNCIL
XLynda Nielsen (R/C/Connect Ghent) - 111
XDaniel R. Berufaldi (R/Connect Ghent) - 132

GHENT TOWN JUSTICE (two winners)
XMark Portin (R) - 121
XMichael N. Bruno (R/C) - 109

GREENPORT TOWN SUPERVISOR
XKathleen P. Eldridge (D/R/C) - 246

GREENPORT TOWN COUNCIL
XFrancis "Frank" Iaccino (D/R/C) - 244
XGuy Apicella (D/R/C) - 246

GREENPORT TOWN JUSTICE
XBarry Sack (D/R/C) - 259

HILLSDALE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XMike Dvorchak (D) - 153

HILLSDALE TOWN CLERK
XRobina Ward (D) - 142

HILLSDALE TAX COLLECTOR
XJoseph Hanselman, Jr. (D) - 161

HILLSDALE TOWN JUSTICE (two winners)
XRobert Werner (D) - 157
XRuss Immarigeon (D) - 154

HILLSDALE TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XRichard Briggs (D) - 157

HILLSDALE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XJamie Carano Nordenstrom (D)
XIrwin Feld (D)

HUDSON MAYOR
XKamal Johnson (D) - 563

HUDSON COMMON COUNCIL PRESIDENT
XThomas M. DePietro (D) - 549

HUDSON CITY TREASURER
XHeather S. Campbell (D) - 615

HUDSON FIRTS WARD SUPERVISOR
XClaire Cousin (D) - 69

HUDSON FIRST WARD COMMON COUNCIL (two winners)
XMargaret Morris (D) - 81
XGary Purnhagen (D) - 64

HUDSON SECOND WARD SUPERVISOR
XAbdus Miah (D) - 79

HUDSON SECOND WARD COMMON COUNCIL (two winners)
XDewan A. Sarowar (D,C) - 70
XMohammed M. Rony (D) - 57

HUDSON THIRD WARD SUPERVISOR
XMichael Chameides (D) - 80

HUDSON THIRD WARD COMMON COUNCIL (two winners)
XShershah Mizan (D) - 68
XLola Roberts (D) - 76
Bill Huston (Fiscal Responsibility) - 8

HUDSON FOURTH WARD SUPERVISOR
H u d s o n 4 t h W a r d ( V o t e f o r o n e )
XLinda L. Mussman (D) - 161

HUDSON FOURTH WARD COMMON COUNCIL (two winners) XJennifer Belton (D) - 148
XRich "Trixie" Volo (D) - 140

HUDSON FIFTH WARD SUPERVISOR
XRichard Scalera (D) - 253

HUDSON FIFTH WARD COMMON COUNCIL (two winners)
XVicky Daskaloudi (D) - 217
XDominic Merante (D) - 224

KINDERHOOK TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XNataly D. Jones (D/Kinderhook Community Party) - 490
April S. Pinkowski (R/C) - 428

KINDERHOOK TOWN JUSTICE
XKen Golden (D) - 524
David W. Kolb (R) - 369

KINDERHOOK TOWN SUPERVISOR
XTimothy Ooms (D/R/C) - 814

KINDERHOOK TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XPhilip Bickerton (D/R/C) - 797
George J. Graham (R/C) - 288
XSally Naramore (D/Kinderhook Community Party) - 538

LIVINGSTON TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XWilliam "Bill" Bender (D/R) - 145
XWilliam "Will" Yandik (D/R) - 147

LIVINGSTON TOWN JUSTICE
XHarold G."Sonny" Weaver, Jr. (D/R) - 155

NEW LEBANON TOWN CLERK
XAshley Saviano (D/New Lebanon First) - 55
Marcie Robertson (R/C) -23

NEW LEBANON TAX COLLECTOR
XTammie Darcy (D/R) 77

NEW LEBANON TOWN COUNCIL XJosh Young (D) - 53
Kevin C. Smith Sr. (R/C) - 16
Steve Powers (D, New Lebanon First) - 2
Elizabeth Ellen Kroboth (R/C) - 21

NEW LEBANON TOWN COUNCIL UN EXPIRED TERM
XMonte Wasch (D/New Lebanon First) - 53
Craig James Skerkis (R/C) - 24

NEW LEBANON TOWN JUSTICE
XLorrie Wechter (D) - 46
John "Jack" Nevers (R) - 27
Lorrie Wechter (New Lebanon First) - 2

NEW LEBANON TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XPeter McCagg (R/D) - 60
Jeffrey Winestock (C) 16

STOCKPORT TOWN SUPERVISOR
XMatt B. Murell (R/C) - 70

STOCKPORT TOWN COUNCIL
XJohn R. Leone (R/C) - 63
XCharles Florio (R/C) - 66

STUYVESANT TOWN SUPERVISOR
XLee Jamison (D) - 79
Ron Knott (R/C) - 32

STUYVESANT TOWN COUNCIL
XWendy Bopp (D) - 80
Charles Stiffler (R/C) - 28
XCal Waits (D) - 79
Kelley Williams (R/C) - 27

STUYVESANT TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT, UNEXPIRED TERM
XJoseph Scrum (R/C) - 53

TAGHKANIC TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XCheryl E. Rogers (R/C) - 29

TAGHKANIC TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XDouglas Craig (D) - 90
Joshua Plass (R/C) - 10
XPerry Ascher (D) - 88

GREENE COUNTY JUDGE, FAMILY & SURROGATECOUNTY JUDGE, FAMILY & SURROGATE
XDavid M. Costanzo (R/C) - 7,044

GREENE COUNTY SHERIFF
XPeter J. Kusminsky (R/C) - 7,351

GREENE COUNTY CLERK
XMarilyn Farrell (R/C) - 7,233

GREENE COUNTY CORONER (two winners) XGerard Buckley (R/C) - 6,677
XBreanna M. Lennon (R/C) - 6,421

ASHLAND TOWN SUPERVISOR
XRichard Tompkins (R) - 106

ASHLAND TOWN JUSTICE (two winners)
XPatricia E. Lawyer (R) - 110
XKristen L. Leach (R) - 100

ASHLAND TOWN CLERK/COLLECTOR
XDawn J. Thorp (R) - 109

ASHLAND HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XLarry R. Tompkins (R) - 103

ASHLAND TOWN COUNCIL
XJohn Mattice Jr. (R) - 106
XJames Garraghan (R) - 99

ATHENS TOWN CLERK
XPhyllisann Dinkelacker (D) - 572
Karen F. Dudley (R/C) - 478
Susan V. Brown (One Athens) - 26

ATHENS HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XJohn J. Farrell (R/C) 739
ATHENS TOWN SUPERVISOR
XMichael Pirrone (D) - 711
George Greiner (R) - 379

ATHENS TOWN JUSTICE
XDavid G. Cole (D, One Athens) - 595
E. Timothy Mercer (R/C) 482

ATHENS TOWN COUNCIL (two winners) XRebecca Pine (D) - 633
Michael Ragaini (R/C) - 447
XTami Bone (D) - 542
Shannon Spinner (R) - 447
Karen Haas (One Athens) - 28

CAIRO TOWN SUPERVISOR
Timothy Hilgendoff (D) - 649
XJason Watts (R) - 717

CAIRO TOWN JUSTICE
XTanja Sirago (R) - 1,104

CAIRO TOWN CLERK
XKayla L. McAlister (R) - 1,120

CAIRO HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XArthur J. Evans, III (R) - 1,227
CAIRO TAX COLLECTOR
XSusan B. Hilgendorff (R) - 1,182

CAIRO TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
Anna Schmidt (D) - 598
XDebra Bogins (R/C) - 704
XTimothy Murphy (R/C) - 1,032

CATSKILL TOWN CLERK
XElizabeth C. Izzo (R/C) - 1,822

CATSKILL TOWN TAX COLLECTOR
XSamuel D. Aldi (R/C) - 1,769

CATSKILL HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XShawn W. Beers (R/C) - 1,785

CATSKILL TOWN SUPERVISOR
XPatrick McCullough (R) - 1,754

CATSKILL TOWN COUNCIL XBrian Kozloski (D) - 1,428
Paul Vosburgh Jr. (R) - 1,201
Steven Espel (R) - 1,283

COXSACKIE TOWN JUSTICE
XWanda J. Dorpfeld (R/C) - 824

COXSACKIE TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XBambi L. Hotaling (R/C) - 833

COXSACKIE HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XLawrence E. Ross, Jr. (D) - 597

COXSACKIE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XRichard Hanse (R) - 308

COXSACKIE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XMichael Veeder (R) - 781
XShane Pilato (R) - 743

DURHAM TOWN JUSTICE
XRaymond J. Kennedy (R/C) - 313

DURHAM TOWN SUPERVISOR
XShawn Marriott (R) - 308

DURHAM TOWN COUNCIL
XJoan Breslin (R) - 300
XScott Hulbert (R) - 294

GREENVILLE TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XJessica K. Lewis (R/C) - 594

GREENVILLE HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XMichael A. Dudley (R/C) - 596

GREENVILLE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XJohn Benson (R) - 554

GREENVILLE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XPaul Macko (R) - 569
XWilliam VonAtzigen (R) - 558

HALCOTT TOWN CLERK
XPatricia L. Warfield (D/R) - 73

HALCOTT TOWN TAX COLLECTOR
XRobin M. White (D/R) - 75

HALCOTT HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XRussell C. Bouton (D/R) - 73

HALCOTT TOWN SUPERVISOR
XSamantha Bouton (R, D) - 69

HALCOTT TOWN COUNCIL
XInnes Kasanof (R, D) - 68
XAlan Reynolds (R,D) - 70

HUNTER TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XRobert J. Blain, Jr. (D/R/C) - 175

HUNTER TOWN SUPERVISOR
XSean Mahoney (D/R/C) - 172

HUNTER TOWN COUNCIL (two winners) XRaymond Legg (D/R/C) - 177
XDavid Kukle (D/R) - 153

JEWETT TOWN JUSTICE
XStephen P. Canfield (R/C) - 172

JEWETT TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR
XMaya C. Carl (R/C) - 197

JEWETT HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XRobert M. Mallory (R/C) - 185

JEWETT TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XJeanie Scott (R) - 163
XJohn Pumilia (R) - 137

LExINGTON TOWN SUPERVISOR
XJoEllen Schermerhorn (D, R) - 228

LEXINGTON TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XKevin P. Simmons, Jr. (D/R) - 245

LEXINGTON TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XRose Petrella-Wilson (D) - 162
XWilliam Pushman (R) - 162
James Rooney (D) - 104

NEW BALTIMORE TOWN HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
XAlan W. VanWormer (R) - 770

NEW BALTIMORE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XJeffry Ruso (R) - 456

NEW BALTIMORE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
XJanet Kash (D) - 525
Charles Irving Sr. (R) - 432
XDebra Sottolano (D) - 478
William Boehlke (R) - 443

PRATTSVILLE TOWN JUSTICE
XDonald G. Rion (D/R) - 132

PRATTSVILLE TOWN CLERK
XTheresa C. Whitworth (D/R) - 127

PRATTSVILLE TOWN TAX COLLECTOR
Jennifer M. Traver (D) - 48
XCarole Cangelosi (R) - 103

PRATTSVILLE TOWN SUPERVISOR
XGreg Cross (R) - 114

PRATTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL (two winners)
John Maynard (D) - 48
XMason Chase (R) - 70
XJoyce Peckham (D) - 98
Crystal Soule Cornell (R) - 69

WINDHAM TOWN JUSTICE
XMaureen P. McCarthy (R/C) - 242

WINDHAM TOWN CLERK
XBonnie L. Poehmel (R/C) - 252

WINDHAM TOWN TAX COLLECTOR
XKatherine Murray (R/C) - 249

WINDHAM TOWN SUPERVISOR
XThomas Hoyt (R) - 247

WINDHAM TOWN COUNCIL (three winners)
XKurt Goettsche (R) - 229
XStephen Walker (R) - 238

Today's audio daily news update.

Jammel Cutler reports in Columbia-Greene Media about a rare sight: a private developer broke ground on building affordable housing in Hudson on Nov. 3. The Galvan Foundation is building 63 new apartments and four commercial spaces at 76 N. 7th St. Of the 63 apartments, 20 percent will be set aside for moderate-income households, and the rest will be workforce housing, with retail spaces on the first floor. Dan Kent, Galvan vice president of initiatives, said, “We view the ground floor commercial as an extension of Warren Street.... We had so many great businesses on Warren Street, and this is creating a new commercial district. One thing special about the commercial spaces in our buildings is that we’re going to have a priority for minority and women-owned businesses.” The project is costing $25 million and may take 18 months to complete. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said, "We’re happy to have brand new units of housing. This is incredible. Our city is dealing with a housing crisis right now. We’ve seen our football team get canceled for a second straight season because not enough families can afford to live here. We have over 200 open positions in our hospital. This is now somewhere our nurses, doctors and teachers can afford to live.” Gov. Kathy Hochul and many other politicians have been talking about an affordable housing crisis throughout the state, but no local cities or towns have built any new affordable housing lately. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Mid-Hudson News reports that an Orthodox Jewish property developer returned last week to his Hyde Park property in Dutchess County from a trip to war-torn Israel, and found a swastika on the land where he wants to build homes. Sam Mermelstein, the developer of The Enclave at Hyde Park on Cream Street, said, “This is not something you want to see when you come back home.... The swastika really scared me." Mermelstein believes he was targeted. He said, “I dress like a Jew, I look like a Jew, and people know me,” and said he often attends town meetings to get approval for his housing development. Currently, Israel is at war with the terrorist group Hamas, with both sides also killing many civilians. Hyde Park Police Chief Robert Benson said his department is investigating the incident, and anyone with information should call the Hyde Park Police Department at 845-229-9340. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Molly Burke reports in the Times Union that Securus Technologies, a Texas-based company that provides telephone services to thousands of inmates in New York’s prison system and several county jails is being hit with multiple lawsuits alleging it violated inmates privacy rights, including recording privileged calls with attorneys. Many courts have allowed prison officials to surveil inmate communications, but not with attorneys. The company’s software records conversations inmates have on phones, and then transcribes those discussions. Seven years ago in California, Securus Technologies agreed to a $900,000 settlement in a case about the company illegally recording prisoner calls. The Maine Monitor found in 2019 and 2020 that there were recordings of calls between at least 161 inmates and attorneys from 34 law firms at jails that contract with Securus Technologies. But a federal class-action lawsuit filed in Maine against the company failed to show Securus Technologies intended to record those calls. The company has settled with payouts other lawsuits. Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez, a counsel at Neighborhood Defender Services, said, “Since 2014, they have been sued year after year, in jurisdiction after jurisdiction, for this same problem and the same practice and they’re not doing anything to effectively end the issue.” The company released a statement saying, “Securus Technologies takes privacy and security extremely seriously, which is why we have worked diligently to protect the rights of our product users, including incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and the public.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Today is the final day of voting, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that 3.04 percent of eligible voters.or 397,462 people, have already cast their ballots. This odd-year election features many contests for town leadership positions, as well as county judges and district attorneys, and two statewide constitutional questions on the back of the ballot. WGXC will report election results online and on 90.7-FM as they come in Tuesday evening.

Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the local shortage of workers and affordable places to house them led the discussion at the Columbia-Greene Economic State of the Counties roundtable Nov. 3 at Columbia-Greene Community College. Chris Nardone, director of the Columbia-Greene Workforce, said there has been recent 6.5 percent growth in population in Greene and Columbia counties, and a 10 percent drop in the labor force. Nardone said, “We have a situation where the people that are coming to the counties, that are growing our populations and are not people who are participating in our labor force.... And to compound that, they’re also displacing working families that have been here that have traditionally filled those positions.” The median sale prices of homes in Greene County rose 81 percent last year, from $179,000 in 2018 to $325,000 in 2022, according to data from a Greene County Workforce Attainability report. So workers are being priced out of the area. No local towns are building affordable housing locally, as developers only concentrate on high-end construction. James Hannahs, executive director of the Greene County Economic Development Corporation, said at the meeting, “There are no examples of new construction housing across Greene County.... Lay everything on the table, we have to be able to attract developers and build workforce housing.” Earlier this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul promoted a plan to build 800,000 affordable units throughout the state over the next decade, but it failed in the legislature. Officials in Hudson have discussed building new housing, but nothing has been constructed. Otherwise, there is almost no action in the Hudson Valley to build new affordable housing recently. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that 97-year-old Enrico Formica of Athens was named Greene County's Veteran of the Year. Sgt. Enrico “Ed” Formica was honored Nov. 4 at a special ceremony at Catskill Point. Formica served mostly in Europe, but later in the Pacific theater, in World War II. Annmarie Krause, Formica’s daughter, said, “He knew in his heart that he needed to serve his country. And so, he did." Formica got the WWII Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Philippine Independence Medal for his service. Formica was also this year’s grand marshal in the Athens Memorial Day Parade. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Rep. Pat Ryan believes that Americans should be able to watch sports for free and on Oct. 31 demanded an investigation by federal officials into sports “blackouts.” Ryan sent a letter to the United States Comptroller General and the commissioners, saying that team owners have exclusive control of their private business and who airs games, and they sell the rights to a patchwork of networks and streaming services, “leaving fans with no option but to pay thousands of dollars to watch their favorite teams on streaming services like Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and ESPN+.... Because of these monopolistic practices and ‘blackouts,’ fans still can’t do the one thing they want: watch their favorite teams play ball." Monday was a rare day when all four major professional sports leagues all played games, and Ryan seems miffed that they were not all on free television. Ryan says he has regulatory oversight over sports teams because of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, where Congress granted sports leagues an antitrust exemption for their broadcasting agreements. This year Mets and Yankees games were blacked out 25 times each because the league sold exclusive rights to the games to streaming services such as Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Peacock. Ryan said, “Fans who wanted to watch every Mets game this season had to fork over more than $1,400 to a variety of streaming services to avoid blackouts." Ryan wants the Government Accountability Office to investigate. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives failed to oust Rep. George Santos from their body on Nov. 1, with a vote for the expulsion of the Long Island Congressperson failing 213-to-179. Local Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro was one of the sponsors of the effort to remove Santos, who has been indicted for multiple crimes and exposed for multiple lies. Molinaro and Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko voted to expel Santos, but Rep. Elise Stefanik did not. Only 24 Republicans voted to expel Santos, while 182 voted to keep him in Congress. For the Democrats, 31 voted to keep Santos, with 155 for removal. The expulsion measure needed two-thirds support to pass. Santos, meanwhile, faces 23 felony charges.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Rep. Pat Ryan took to the floor of the House of Representatives on Nov. 1 in support of the current ban on dangerous barges being parked on the Hudson River. The Port of New York recently made an administrative change to its rules, allowing large barges up on the Hudson River. Here is what Ryan said on the House floor: Click here to download or play what Ryan said. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Kevin Frey reports at New York State of Politics that while most Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives want to cut money to Amtrak in a new transportation funding bill, local Rep. Marc Molinaro does not. Republicans are proposing a massive, nearly two-thirds funding cut year-over-year for Amtrak. Locally, that incudes a $1 billion cut to the busy Northeast Corridor. Molinaro said, “It's one of the lines that makes money. It is responsible for a good number of jobs." Other New York-based Republicans are also against cuts to Amtrak. A “65 percent cut to Amtrak is a non-starter,” said Nassau County Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. Amtrak says the cuts would “radically reduce or suspend service on various routes across the nation, impacting our State Supported, Long Distance and Northeast Corridor services.” The full House was expected to vote on the transportation bill last week, but that was delayed because or protests from New York Republicans. Democrats who control the Senate want more money for Amtrak, so the final outcome for America's passenger rail service is in doubt. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's audio daily news update.