Steve Hughes reports for the Times Union that on Oct. 8 Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy unveiled his proposed $819 million 2024 county budget that includes a 12 percent pay raise for himself, county Comptroller Susan Rizzo, and Sheriff Craig Apple. Under the county's charter, elected officials are only supposed to receive raises at the start of their term, so it might be the only raise the three officials get for the next four years. The budget proposal also includes three percent raises for non-union employees. McCoy said the proposed budget would lower the effective tax rate from $3.17 per $1,000 of assessed value to $2.84 per $1,000 of assessed value. McCoy said, “We’re doing that by making government more streamlined and investing in economic development and growth, thereby raising property values, expanding our tax base, and bringing in more revenue.” McCoy is a Democrat, running for his fourth term as county executive this fall unopposed. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Dutchess County resident Dominick Chiumento has been named “acting superintendent” of the State Police, replacing Acting Superintendent Steven Nigrelli. who submitted his resignation after being informed he would not be named superintendent of the 5,000-strong force by Governor Kathy Hochul. Nigrelli is allegedly being investigated for sexual harassment during his 32-year tenure with the department. Chiumento, a colonel with the New York State Police, took over on October 6, as Nigrelli’s resignation became official. Hochul still needs to pick a more permanent leader. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan wants House Republicans to join Democrats to make Democrat Hakeem Jeffries the new House speaker. Republicans are in disarray, with eight ultra-conservative members ousting Kevin McCarthy last week. That has effectively halted the federal government, as the House cannot take any action without a speaker. Ryan said, “I am calling on five Republicans to transcend the partisanship and really operate as patriots and join what has been the most functionally unified coalition and now the plurality of the House, which is the Democratic coalition, to unify with us so we can get back to governing.” Ryan said “a vote for Hakeem Jeffries is a vote to “move from the chaos of the last nine months and get us back to a place of civility delivering results.” Virtually no political analysts believe Republicans will work with Democrats to back a Democrat for House speaker. But Ryan said, “We are in uncharted territory and that calls for an extraordinary and unusual approach.... I think there is a real chance and I hope that we will see a few folks step forward, a few who have the courage, and more will join.” So far, local Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro has not decided who he will support for Speaker. Ryan voted for Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster while Molinaro voted against it. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Kevin Frey reports for NY1 that Amtrak’s inspector general says the railroad’s $2.3 billion program to replace its aging high-speed Acela trains in the Northeast is now at least three years behind schedule. And, the report says, additional delays are “likely.” Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said, “We all know that Amtrak trains are often late, but three years is absolutely absurd.” Even worse news from Amtrak’s inspector general is that each of the 12 train sets already produced has defects. The problems include windows that have shattered “spontaneously,” a water drainage issue that could cause the parts holding the cars together to corrode, and leaks in the hydraulic tiling system. Current Acela trains are more than 20 years old, and the inspector general’s report says the reliability of Amtrak’s “current aging Acela fleet is declining, causing more on time performance delays and forcing the company to modify its Acela timetable.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

News10 Albany looks to the counties in New York that received the most precipitation from September 2022 to August 2023, and Columbia County came in sixth place. Columbia County saw 50.5 inches or precipitation in the past year, ten inches above average. Albany County had 45.6 inches of precipitation, 8.3 inches above average. Rensselaer County had 47.3 inches, eight inches above average. Ulster County saw 55.2 inches, 7.9 inches above average. Greene County had 48.4 inches, 5.6 inches above average. And Dutchess County had 49 inches of precipitation, 5.4 inches above average. Recently, the area has seen large downpours the past three Saturdays. Read more about this story at the News10 website.

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Patrick Tine reports in the Times Union that the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York is hosting a rally for Israel at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Congregation Beth Emeth. They say it will be a “community-wide rally to show support for Israel and pray for peace and aid to those injured and in mourning.” This weekend the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, which then declared war on Hamas, and many civilians were killed. At Temple Israel in Albany on Oct. 7, Gov. Kathy Hochul said: “There is no justification. There never has been. There never will be for such cowardly heinous acts by this terrorist organization known as Hamas. And tonight, we grieve for the families. We pray for the families of those who’ve lost a loved one or are separated tonight living in the unknown, to those who are injured, and those who’ve been kidnapped.” Hochul also said security will be increased near Jewish places of worship and community centers around the state and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said their police department would also be increasing their presence locally around Jewish houses of worship. Mid-Hudson News reports on the reactions from two local Congressional representatives. Democrat Pat Ryan, who represents the 18th District, said, “I stand united with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemn the brutal attacks carried out by Hamas and other terrorist groups this morning. My heart is with the innocent Israeli civilians ruthlessly murdered, and all of those living in fear from these continued terrorist attacks.” Republican Marc Molinaro, who represents the 19th District, said, “The savage attack by Hamas on Israel is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. The United States stands with our ally, Israel, and against these brutal terrorists. We must swiftly and unequivocally condemn Hamas, and always stand with Israel. And, we pray for her people.” Read more about this story in the Times Union and at Mid-Hudson News.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that on Oct. 6 the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District officially announced a nickname change from the Indians to the Ravens. Last November the New York State Education Department told schools with Native American mascots that they would have to change them. The school took a public poll, with 46 percent of the 2,500-plus voters picking the Ravens, while 37 percent preferred the Raptors, and 17 percent were behind the Swarm. The school system said, “Now the mascot has been chosen, we move forward with a student art contest.... Students will submit their concepts for what our mascot will look like and our community will cast one final vote for our new logo. If needed, a professional graphic artist will render our new logo for print and digital use.” The 1,900 students in the school system come from the Albany County town of Coeymans, parts of the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland, and part of the Greene County town of New Baltimore. The nearby the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District Board of Education changed their longtime school mascot and name, also the Indians. to the Riverhawks in 2021. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Patrick Tine reports in the Times Union that more than four inches of rain fell in some places locally this weekend, the third straight Saturday with soaking rains. Most areas got at least two inches of rain on Oct. 7. Knox, in southern Albany County, got 4.13 inches of rain, National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Wasula said. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said that County Route 353 outside of Rensselaerville would stay closed for several days because a pipe there that was damaged in the storm. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

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.

It does not happen much, but occasionally both New York's Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and the four Hudson Valley representatives all vote the same way. It happened on Sept. 30 when Republicans Elise Stefanik and Marc Molinaro, and Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko, all voted to keep the United States government operating temporarily while a few ultra-comservative Republicans holding up a deal decide what, exactly, they want. Only nine very conservative Republicans in the Senate voted against the temporary budget deal, while 90 Republicans and one Democrat in the House voted against the stop-gap measure called, the "Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act." Ryan said of the vote, “For weeks, far-right MAGA extremists have threatened a government shutdown unless we accept cuts to critical programs that Hudson Valley veterans, seniors, and children rely on. Today, I voted alongside a bipartisan coalition to prevent those cuts and pass a bill that keeps the government open.” Molinaro said, “I’m a yes on the short-term government funding extension. We can do both. We can keep our government running while finishing our work to rein in inflation & secure the border.” The next threat of a government shut down is not\w pushed back after elections in November.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that the state Court of Appeals will hear arguments on whether New York's congressional boundaries should be redrawn on Nov. 15. Redistricting is supposed to take place every ten years, so it should have been complete by the 2022 elections. But lawsuits in New York continue to drag the process out. About 17 months ago the Court of Appeals struck the Democrat-drawn political boundaries for the state Senate and Congress that had been established by the Democrat-controlled Senate, ordering a new map. Repeatedly courts have ruled that the map boundaries were intentionally gerrymandered for political gain. That led a judge to pick an outside expert to draw the maps, which were used in the 2022 elections. Republicans did well in those votes, winning House seats in the Hudson Valley that helped flipped control of the House. So Democrats sued, and, again, candidates and citizens can't be sure of the end result. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Republican Rep Marc Molinaro said on Oct. 2 he is standing by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Matt Gaetz moved to remove McCarthy from his post on Oct. 2, after McCarthy cut a deal with Democrats to keep the government open until at least November. Molinaro took to social media to brag about his support of McCarthy, writing, “With Speaker McCarthy, House Republicans have passed bills to unleash American energy, secure the southern border, protect parents rights (and) combat rising crime." Gaetz filed a “motion to vacate the chair,” and only needs five Republicans to break with McCarthy to oust the speaker. Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat who represents the 18th Congressional District said, “This is yet another example of the chaos and dysfunction when MAGA Republicans are in charge.... They’re fighting each other rather than serving the American people, putting at risk Social Security, pay for our troops, food assistance for hungry kids, and more. Now, more than ever, we need patriots in Congress, not political hacks.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Pablo Manríquez writes in The New Republic that Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik could become the Speaker of the House of Representatives. On Oct. 3, Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a “motion to vacate the chair,” against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. More than the five necessary Republicans have said they will vote to vacate the chair, and Republicans in the majority will need to choose a new leader. In January, it took Republicans multiple votes to approve McCarthy. In The New Republic Manríquez writes that Minnesota’s Tom Emmer, the majority whip, and conference chair Stefanik are the top contenders to replace McCarthy. But Manríquez writes, "Emmer is widely regarded as a joke within the House GOP conference for his inability to, well, whip votes. Just last month, Emmer twice failed to get the votes to pass a rule to fund the Pentagon, the congressional equivalent to a shooting guard flinging an open layup into the bleachers." That leaves Stefanik, who represents Rensselaer County and the rest of the 21st Congressional District. Read more about this story in The New Republic.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro voted Oct. 3 to keep Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, a vote he lost. A small group of ultra-conservative Republicans were enough opposition to McCarthy to vacate the chair. It was the first time in America's history that a House Speaker was removed in a no-confidence vote. Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District, said, “I voted to retain Speaker McCarthy because he allows us to keep governing, address inflation, secure the border, and fight for the issues facing families, farmers, and small businesses.” Democrat Pat Ryan voted with the rest of the Democrats against McCarthy. Ryan said, “It’s about delivering results and (McCarthy) has failed Hudson Valley families at every turn.... He’s leading the charge to enact a national abortion ban, voted to kick 18K #NY18 residents off their healthcare and to cut heating assistance for low-income families by 74 percent.” Rep. Elise Stefanik, who represents Rensselaer County and the rest of the 21st Congressional District, took to the House floor moments before the vote to defend McCarthy. Then Rep. Matt Gaetz, who brought the motion to remove McCarthy, spoke. CLICK HER TO PLAY BRIEF CLIP OF STEFANIK AND GAETZ. The Republican's kerfuffle came because Gaetz was upset McCarthy cut a deal with Democrats to keep the government operating. Removing McCarthy as House Speaker effectively stops the government from operating, as Republicans cannot get any business done until they pick a new leader. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

New York State of Politics reports that Congress may have extended federal spending into November to keep the government running, but they let the current Farm Bill expire without voting for a new bill. Christopher Wolf, an agricultural economics professor at Cornell University, said some program are reauthorized automatically, while other parts of the bill are not. He said, “Some of them are permanent and don’t require any extension, like crop insurance. Some of them need reauthorization, and some of them are authorized, but need funding.” A government-funded program to offset the cost of milk, for instance, will end soon and revert back to a 1949 law that would set prices relative to the 1910s, Wolf said. That would send milk prices 2.5 percent higher. “If it were to happen, that would cost billions and billions, but that’s not going to happen,” Wolf said. “It’s really not that unusual to go past the fiscal year expiration date.” New York Farm Bureau spokesperson Steve Ammerman said, “It is too soon to predict what will happen, and we are hopeful to avoid a repeat of years past that took us towards the so-called ’dairy cliff’ where critical risk management programs would be left unfunded and agricultural policy would revert to those in the 1940s.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Kevin Frey reports for New York State of Politics that Rep. Marc Molinaro reflected the confusion and dual tracks of his now leaderless fellow House Republicans when talking about who he wants as their new leader. A handful of ultra-conservative Republicans ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this week, virtually shutting down the government. When actions resume next week, they will have to choose a leader to get anything done. Molinaro said, “We need in our conference to accept that we’re going to have to have a speaker who will mold consensus and accept a degree of compromise on our behalf." So Molinaro wants someone who can compromise with Democrats but who also puts, “forward effectively an aggressive agenda to meet the needs of the American people.” Molinaro also had good things to say about the outgoing speaker, saying, “No one member of Congress had worked harder to help me certainly get here or to win the majority — and then ultimately work towards growing it — than Kevin McCarthy.” House Republicans took 15 votes to elect McCarthy in January, and next week plan to choose a new leader so the federal government can function again. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's audio daily news update.

Liz Montgomery reports in Porcupine Soup that the formerly trailless 17 mountain peaks in the Catskills now have informal trails, and the Department of Environmental Conservation said on Oct. 5 it will spend $50.000 to “promote responsible recreation and sustainable use of the formerly trailless peaks over 3,500 feet in the Catskills.” The money will go to a visitor experience survey and educational signs on the informal trails. The visitor survey begins this weekend, and anyone can also fill out an online survey through November 11 at a link on the WGXC Newsroom (https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/b811830089954c5d913ebbae697fb9ab).

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that New York's Office of Cannabis Management began accepting applications from anyone wanting to open a legal cannabis store on Oct. 3 through Dec. 4. Previously, New York only took applications from someone who has been convicted of a marijuana-related offense or someone whose parent, spouse, child, legal guardian or dependent has been convicted of a marijuana-related offense in New York before March 31, 2021. New York has been criticized for a super-slow rollout of legal cannabis stores, with only a handful open across the state more than two years after legalization, and none locally. Tremaine Wright, chair of the New York State Cannabis Control Board, said the expansion “marks a huge step forward in making our vision of an equitable and accessible New York cannabis market a reality.” But because of the slow application process, those applying for stores now won't have them open for sometime. The Cannabis Control Board has issued 463 conditional cannabis licenses so far, but only 19 retail dispensaries and four temporary delivery-only locations have opened in the state, none closer than Albany. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Luke Parsnow reports in New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul on Oct. 6 boasted about 13,300 new manufacturing jobs added in the state since 2021. Hochul said, “New York’s manufacturing sector is in the midst of a major renaissance, and we’ve got the jobs, the businesses, and the investment to prove it." Nationally, the Labor Department reported on Oct. 6 that the country added 336,000 jobs in September. Unemployment in the United States is near a 50-year low at 3.8 percent. Locally, the rate is lower in all the Hudson Valley counties. Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Today's daily news audio update.

Raga Justin reports in the Times Union that New York's prisons have an internal grievance system that inmates do not trust, according to a new report from the Correctional Association of New York. The Incarcerated Grievance System was created after the 1971 prison riot at the Attica Correctional Facility. The report said, “During monitoring visits, and in correspondence with incarcerated people and their families, the program is frequently cited as restricted in scope, lacking transparency and fairness, failing to resolve grievances within specified time limits, and widely subject to physical and other forms of retaliation.... Together these failures inflict significant damage on perceptions of legitimacy of the system and negatively impact relationships between incarcerated people and staff.” There were more than 10,000 grievances filed in state prisons in the first six months of 2022. In response to the report, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said, "The Incarcerated Grievance Program makes every effort at all levels of the grievance process to fulfill its intent and to provide incarcerated individuals with everything to which they are entitled to by law and/or in accordance with departmental policy.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

New York State of Politics reports that, like everything else, the cost of creating wind power is going up. So now New York state Energy Research and Development Authority-contracted wind project developers want the Public Service Commission to make “inflation adjustments." Anne Reynolds, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy NY, said, “Just like all the household expenses have increased, the price of your groceries have increased, so has the cost to build these projects.” But, according to Reynolds, the cost increases being sought are larger than the rate of inflation, “Ranging from 27 percent for some, all the way up to 70 percent for some other projects.” About 90 renewable energy projects want the cost increases and if the Public Service Commission does not agree, Reynolds says, “A lot of them will get canceled.... Some of them may successfully rebid.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Porcupine Soup reports that Brian Smith has been appointed as the Catskill Central School District’s new athletic director. Smith has taught physical education at Catskill Elementary School for 19 years, and is Catskill’s varsity golf coach and the boys and girls golf coordinator for the Patroon Conference. Smith said, “This is an exciting time because we have a young core of eager coaches to help mold our players and build a new-found culture. Eighteen years ago Catskill took a chance and hired me and I look forward to giving back to this community.” Smith replaces former athletic director Eric Joyce, who resigned in September for personal reasons. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.