Marc Ferris reports in the Times Union that a healthy do-it-yourself music scene has emerged in the Hudson Valley with shows at a derelict community center in Newburgh, a bowling alley in Middletown, the basement of a martial arts studio in New Hampton called the Dojo Dungeon, a warehouse in Troy, and private houses in Albany, Kingston, Cairo, and New Paltz. Ash, the guitarist for Albany-based doom band Carnwennan, said, “Rock lives — you just have to know where to find it.... It’s a deeply ingrained part of our culture that isn’t going away.” Phil Bartsch, the drummer for RBNX and Flowers for Burial, said, “We’ve booked shows from Albany to Beacon and played a boxing ring, a pizzeria kitchen, a bowling alley and in a field.” Liam Singer, co-owner of The Avalon Lounge in Catskill, is impressed with the do-it-yourselves shows, and sees their link to the hardcore and indie music past. Singer said, “They set up an incredible blueprint that is still followed." The DIY shows are not all hardcaore. Two weeks ago there was a noise show at a house in Cairo, and a folk music performance at an art gallery on Main St. there. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

New York foliage report show more color on the trees this week. It says, "In the Catskills, Greene County reports from above 1200’ in Windham predict peak foliage with 80 percent color change and orange, red, yellow and purple leaves, while spotters reporting from the lower elevations expect near-peak foliage with 65 percent change and brilliant autumnal hues. In Ulster County, peak conditions are expected at Belleayre Mountain in Highmount. Kingston spotters anticipate 55 percent change with varying seasonal shades.... In Rensselaer County, volunteers in East Greenbush expect around 40 percent transition with muted to average shades of orange, burgundy, red and yellow.... In the Hudson Valley, Columbia County observers in Hudson project 35 percent change with green and gold leaves of average brilliance along with accents of orange, red, bright yellow and pink. In Dutchess County, reports from Beacon and Fishkill expect 20 percent change with some yellow leaves, while volunteers in Hopewell Junction also predict nearly 20 percent change, with yellow leaves and some shades of red and orange." Read more about this at the New York foliage report.

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Mike Goodwin reports in the Times Union that local non-commercial radio station WAMC is no longer going to pay guests on its “The Roundtable” program. Rosemary Armao said she won't appear on the show anymore because the radio station is no longer paying her $50 an hour to appear on the morning talk show. Armao, a longtime journalist and professor at the state University at Albany, said, “I’m leaving because new interim management at WAMC doesn’t want to pay me anymore starting Dec. 1,... I was hired more than a decade ago to come onto the show but the new guys say it isn’t fair that only some and not all of the Roundtable panelists get money ($50 an hour) to appear,” she wrote. “I agree, but they rejected my suggestion that paying everyone would fix this inequity.” WAMC's interim CEO Stacey Rosenberry said the station could not afford to pay all the panelists any more. WGXC does not pay any guest that appears on the station, and shows are hosted by volunteer community members. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Liz Montgomery reports in Porcupine Soup that the Greene County resort Windham Mountain now wants people to call it Windham Mountain Club. Earlier this year the Beall family and the Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners made a large investment in the local resort. Sandy Beall founded the original Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain, and the Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners formed the Holiday Inn hotel chain. The new owners say they will make more than $70 million dollars in upgrades on Windham mountain. President Chip Seamans said, “With uncrowded slopes for members and the public, our ski racing and development programs, and extraordinary culinary offerings, we aim to create a remarkable end-to-end experience at Windham Mountain Club.” Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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.

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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.”

Mid-Hudson News reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill from Hudson Valley-based state Senator Michelle Hinchey making it illegal to disseminate deepfake porn images. Hinchey said, “What our bill does it now makes it illegal for someone to intentionally disseminate fake explicit images, otherwise known as deepfake, without someone’s consent.” So-called "revenge porn" images have been banned in New York since 2019, and this bill expands that law to include images created by artificial intelligence. The new law includes a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, with the victims allowed to pursue additional legal action against the perpetrators. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Sara Rizzo reports for News10 that the 23rd annual FilmColumbia brings film screenings and live events to the Crandall Theatre in Chatham from October 20 to October 29. The festival includes question and answer sessions with area residents Ruth Reichl, James Schamus, Al Roker, Stephen Lang, Scott Cohen, and Walton Goggins. Co-Executive and Co-Artistic Director Laurence Kardish said, “We tried to show as much good local talent this year as possible.... We recognize their strength in our community and celebrate the abundance of talent in our region—proving how essential it is to keep our historic single-screen cinema open and refreshed so they may continue to show their works in a place that is welcoming, and well, ideal.” Among other highlights at the film festival is a screening of director Todd Haynes' “May December,” with a Q&A with Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler of Killer Films and screenwriting panels with Scott Cohen and Anastasia Traina. Starts at Tracy Memorial Village Hall. Read more about this story at News10.

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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.

Susan Farkas reports in the Times Union that two former colleagues -- Chief Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel “Manny” Nneji and former Chief Assistant District Attorney Mike Kavanagh -- are running to become Ulster County District Attorney this fall. The two worked together for eight years under the previous district attorney. All told, Nneji has spent 33 years, most in the district attorney’s office, prosecuting cases in Ulster County. Kavanagh returned to private practice after unsuccessfully running for DA as a Republican in 2019, when he lost by 78 votes. His father, E. Michael Kavanagh, was Ulster County District Attorney from 1978 to 1998 before going on to serve as a state Supreme Court justice and appellate judge. Incumbent Democrat Dave Clegg is not running for reelection. Kavanagh is running on the Conservative, Republican, and Libertarian ballot lines while Nneji is a Democrat. Kavanagh said he’s running to fix things, claiming, “The DA’s office is a disaster.... There are cases that are being indicted that shouldn’t be and cases that aren’t being indicted that should be.” Without offering details, Nneji made accusations of his own about the office when Republicans were last in control. Voting this year begins on Oct. 28 and ends on Nov. 7. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that First Lady Jill Biden will be in Dutchess County on Oct. 6. Biden will attend the opening of the 6,000-square-foot Dutchess Community College Mechatronics Lab in Fishkill, on the north end of the former Dutchess Mall facility on Route 9 near I-84. Then Biden will go to Poughkeepsie to speak about the Day One Early Learning Center. For security reasons, Biden's full itinerary has not been released. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

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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.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that political parties other than Democrats and Republicans are out of luck in New York, as the U.S. Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to New York's 2020 election reform laws that makes it more difficult for other political parties to get on the ballot. In the past, other political parties needed to earn 50,000 votes in the previous election to remain on the ballot, but that was raised to 130,000 in 2020. Since the law was passed, the Green Party and Libertarian Party did not reach meet the voting threshold for the 2020 elections, while the Conservative and Working Families parties did stay on the ballot. The Supreme Court, in refusing to hear an appeal on the law, said, "New York’s historic threshold increases are not severely burdensome because they remain at or under 2% of the electorate and allow the continued existence of two fusion parties, but disregarded critical facts demonstrating the severe burdens imposed on minor parties that do not nominate by fusion, including Petitioners." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Noah Zweifel reports in the Altamont Enterprise that the Rensselaerville Library has opened a new branch in Medusa in southern Albany County. Library director Patrick Wynne said, “The Medusa Branch grew out of the library’s Strategic Plan.... Through outreach with residents of Cooksburg, Medusa, Potter Hollow, and Preston Hollow, our Board of Trustees recognized that there were barriers to use of the library.... The Public Safety Building was identified as an excellent solution based on location, available parking, one level access — also, the building is near the town’s transfer station and our branch hours are on the days the station is open (Wednesday and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.).” Besides the books, the new branch also has free Wi-Fi, computer and printer access, community and work spaces, and a children’s play area. Read more about this story in the Altamont Enterprise.