Mid-Hudson News reports that on Aug. 16 Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Roadway Quality Assurance Act. The measure strengthens prevailing wage requirements for construction workers in the state and mandates that utility company contractors and subcontractors pay the prevailing wage to employees on projects where a permit to use, excavate, or open a street is required to be issued. Hochul said, “Our construction workers keep New Yorkers moving but are often underpaid for their hard and impactful work.... I am proud to sign this legislation that will provide construction workers with fair wages and allow them to support themselves, their families, and our local economy.” The new law applies to all contracts for construction executed and permits issued on or after August 29, 2023. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Lauren Stanforth reports in the Times Union that John Wolcott, known for attempts to preserve the Pine Bush ecosystem in Albany County, died this past week. Wolcott was a founding member of Save the Pine Bush activist group in 1978, and was 90 when he died on Aug. 17. The Save the Pine Bush group fought development proposals in the city of Albany, and Colonie and Guilderland. Wolcott also worked to save the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, a rare inland coastal pine ecosystem that is one of fewer than 20 left in the world. In 2003 he explained that when he was young his parents took him to the Pine Bush and he was mesmerized by the land's sand dunes and pine trees and said, "I never got over it.'' Wolcott's first mention in the Times Union newspaper archives came in 1988, as he led a small expedition into the Pine Bush to learn about the Karner blue butterfly, which is a native species to the Pine Bush. And five years later the Karner blue butterfly was declared an endangered species by the federal Department of Interior. Wolcott explained how the butterfly's entire life cycle was dependent on the lupine plant, which is native to the Pine Bush. He said, "If you don't have one, you don't have the other." There is a memorial service for Wolcott on Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 49 Killean Park, in Colonie, and donations can be made in Wolcott's memory Save the Pine Bush, care of Lynne Jackson, 223 South Swan Street, Albany NY 12202. Read the full 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.

CBS News reports that three Republican political operatives agreed to pay more than $50,000 in restitution and penalties in Ohio for their parts of a phony charity that collected money purportedly to help victims of the East Palestine train derailment. One of the three men, Luke Mahoney, is a former campaign staffer for Rep. Elise Stefanik, who represents Rensselaer County and the rest of the 21st Congressional Districts. Mahoney is barred from starting, operating, or soliciting contributions for any charity in Ohio until 2027 under the agreement. The investigation alleged the trio collected nearly $149,000 from donors after the Feb. 3 train derailment. Read the full story at the CBS News website.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that New York's Court of Appeals will hear the latest redistricting case in November. Redistricting is mandated by the U.S. Constitution every ten years, so districts properly represent population shifts. So in 2020, New York changed its districts, but there have been fights in court about those changes ever since. The current court case was filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, after Republicans won several New York Congressional districts in the 2022 elections. That helped Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives by a narrow margin. Now Democrats have until Sept. 18 to file their legal briefs with the Court of Appeals, and Republicans have until Oct. 23 to file a response. Previously in this case the lower court ruled in favor of the Republicans, and then the mid-level court ruled in favor of the Democrats. The case will decide if the current maps are kept until 2030, or if new maps are drawn for New York's Congressional districts. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Rep. Marc Molinaro is bringing the pork home to Leeds and Athens in Greene County. Each year Congressional representatives are able to add discretionary spending projects to appropriations bills, in what is often perjoratively called pork. The hamlet of Leeds and the village of Athens will get more than $3.5 million for water-related and infrastructure projects is the spending bills are approved by Congress and signed by the president. Greene County Highway and Solid Waste Department Superintendent Scott Templeton said, “This is a big boost for Greene County, Greene County Highway Department and more specifically the Hamlet of Leeds as this Community Project Funding will greatly help improve not only the stormwater collection system but also provide safe parking for pedestrians to access the local businesses including ADA- compliant sidewalks and crosswalks in Leeds." In all, Molinaro requested $27 million in pork projects throughout the 19th Congressional District. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Republican Marc Molinaro did not directly comment on the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump. Democrat Pat Ryan, on the other hand, was not afraid to give his opinion. Ryan, who represents the 18th Congressional District, said on social media, “Donald Trump is a traitor who incited and knowingly enabled a violent insurrection, putting our entire nation at risk for his own selfish political gain.... His un-American efforts to undermine our democracy represent one of the most egregious threats against our country and our Constitution since its founding.” Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District, said, “I still share the concerns that Biden, Clinton, and others are not being held to the same standard as the former president and that these prosecutions are coming during an active presidential campaign... In the United States, no one should be above the law and everyone has a presumption of innocence.” Ryan disagreed with Molinaro even if they used some of the same words, saying, “Trump must be held fully accountable under the law and must never hold public office again." Republican Elise Stefanik, who represents the 21st District including Rensselaer County, said, "President Trump had every legal right to challenge the results of the election." Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that Rep. Marc Molinaro said Aug. 11 that no post offices in the 19th Congressional District that have been targeted for closure in a postal service consolidation plan. Molinaro is against the postal plan, saying, “I am deeply disappointed that the administration at the United States Postal Service is ignorant of and uncaring toward rural and upstate communities and that needs to change.” State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, Democrat, has signed on to a letter with Republican state Sen. Rob Rolison to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, protesting the plan. Assemblyman Chris Tague, a Republican, is against the closing of post offices in theory, but did not address any specifics of the plan. He said, “I have always been against post offices closing.... It’s the one last item of convenience that we have in our small rural areas. It’s our last small-town local place where folks always go. Besides that, working in the postal service offers good-paying jobs.” Read more about this story at TheUpstater.com.

Today's audio daily news update.

Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill that bans the dumping of radiological waste from the Indian Point Energy Center nuclear plant into the Hudson River. Hochul said, “The Hudson River is one of New York’s landmark natural treasures, and it’s critical we stand together to protect it for generations to come.... My administration remains committed to protecting the economic vitality of the region and working closely with local communities who have advocated so passionately for this cause.” The only opponents of the bill were a labor union that represents workers at the Westchester County site and the owner of Indian Point, who said the measure is unnecessary and could cost jobs. When it was open, Indian Point routinely dumped radiological waste into the Hudson River, as other nuclear plants around the country do in different bodies of water. Indian Point had been delaying a planned release because of opposition throughout the Hudson Valley. Luke Parsnow reports for New York State of Politics

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that next month the Cairo Town Board might allow a solar farm on the 30 acres at the former Joel M. Austin Road landfill. Two companies, 42 Renewables of Westchester County and SOL Source Power, LLC of Troy, want to put solar farms there. The proposal from 42 Renewables is for to create four megawatts of power, and SOL would create six. Because the landfill was closed in the 1970s before current regulations, it was not capped to today's standards. In January, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation said that the agency, “is supportive of solar projects located at closed solid waste landfills, which align with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act mandate of 6 gigawatts of photovoltaic solar generation by 2025.” Town Supervisor Jason Watts said, “We are going to look at both of your proposals.” Read more about this story for Porcupine Soup.

Mid-Hudson News reports that House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy is coming to Sullivan County next week for a private fundraiser for Republican Marc Molinaro. Molinaro's 19th District seat is expected to be among the country's most contested in next year's election, as Molinaro's win in 2022 helped give Republicans a narrow majority in the House. Anyone, except the media, with $75 can attend, but the location is a secret told to only those who pay. Former Governor George Pataki and former local Congressperson John Faso will also attend the fundraiser. Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District, which includes Greene and Columbia counties. Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's daily news audio update.

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Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Common Council is considering giving amnesty to parking violators. Hudson officials are discussing opening a short window for amnesty for parking violations issued on or before Jan. 1, 2020. Mayor Kamal Johnson said they just want to give local residents a break. Johnson said, “Right now, there are parking issues all over the city.... What I’m looking to do is to create a grace period of 60 to 90 days where they can pay their original ticket and clear it so they’re not booted and towed. This will help out a lot of the citizens. Johnson said, “The conversations I’ve been having, especially with a lot of the elderly population, there’s one woman who had to pay almost $600, and now she can’t afford things such as rent and mortgage.... It’s tough for people. It’s also tough for those who are disabled and have trouble parking close to their homes, and if they get a ticket for not switching sides, those tickets add up very quickly. This is something clear-cut for us to give back to the community; this is a one-time thing to come get it cleared and start fresh.” The Hudson Common Council is expected to vote on the proposal in September. Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media

Meg Britton-Mehlisch reports in The Berkshire Eagle that there may be a lot of standing water in the area, and a few cases of West Nile virus have been found in town, but the Pittsfield City Council voted Aug. 15 not to spray insecticide against adult mosquitoes this summer. Instead, the mosquitoes will multiply as the council voted instead of spraying to have the Board of Health and Conservation Commission discuss their current mosquito policy and “guidelines and protocols on spraying.” Ward 4 Councilor Jim Conant was agitated by the vote, saying, “It’s obvious to me that we do have a health issue and we need to revisit this vote and repeal the action.” But another councilor, Earl Persip III, said, “Throwing chemicals up in the air to try and kill a small percent of adult mosquitoes is not doing anybody any favors — except killing pollinators.... And even if you killed a handful of pollinators, we are not in a place in the world where we can let any pollinators die.” Councilors Karen Kalinowksy, Charles Kronick, Dina Lampiasi, Anthony Maffuccio, Earl Persip III, and Pete White voted against resuming mosquito spraying while Council President Peter Marchetti and Councilors Patrick Kavey, Ken Warren, Kevin Sherman, and Jim Conant voted in favor. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

The Times Union reports that 12 colleges in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley are on The Princeton Review’s annual “Best 389 Colleges” list for 2024. Bard College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are the nearest, but Siena College, Skidmore College Union College, Vassar, Marist, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Sarah Lawrence, Iona, Manhattanville, and SUNY Purchase also made the list. The Princeton Review's list comes from a survey of 165,000 students nationwide, not from the university of the same name. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Today's audio daily news update.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that on Aug. 14 the Greene County Legislature heard a local housing assessment from Greene County Economic Development and Planning Director James Hannahs. Since 2019, Hannahs said, the median income for a four-person household in Greene County went up 35 percent, but median home prices rose about 67 percent. Clearly, Greene County, and the rest of the Hudson Valley, needs more affordable housing. But Catskill Greene County Legislator Michael Bulich said he thinks if the county builds affordable housing “It’s not going to be a solution, unfortunately.” Coxsackie-based Legislator Thomas Hobart said government should not get involved with housing. In April, the Newburgh-based non-profit research group Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress released a report that said, “The Hudson Valley cannot have a strong economy without a robust workforce―and we cannot maintain a workforce without good, affordable places for people to live.” Greene County legislators, though, seem resistant to doing anything about the issue. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that it has been seven years, but the Ferry Street Bridge in Hudson could be back in use soon. The New York State Department of Transportation has now signed off on construction on the site, with a new bridge coming to the site near the Amtrak station. Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Perry said, “We began the design phase in 2016. Since then, the city had to submit all plans and specifications to the New York State DOT, Amtrak and CSX for design review and approval. During the same time, the city acquired right-of-way easements from New York State Parks and the Hudson Terrace and conducted environmental, historical and archaeological reviews of the existing conditions and the future structure.... We had to act as an intermediary between National Grid and Amtrak to secure utility easements necessary to relocate existing gas and electric infrastructure.... Seven years in all.” The city of Hudson has been saving money in a capital reserve account since 2014 for the bill, which is expected to fall between $4.5 million and $6 million. The State Transportation Improvement Program and Department of Transportation are also kicking in money for the project. Perry said, “It will provide access to the waterfront without onerous weight restrictions.... Before the existing bridge was closed, weight was restricted to three tons.... Which is less than the weight of one full-sized truck towing a boat. It has a utility chase that will allow us to reconnect an abandoned water main. And it will provide unrestricted access to the river and the waterfront park for generations to come.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Raymond Pignone updates readers in Columbia-Greene Media about the status of the Jason Jones case in Catskill. He reports no new news about the death of Jones in police custody, who was Tasered by police in 2021 after he doused himself with hand sanitizer. The Taser caused him to catch on fire, and 46 days later he was dead from the burns. All the Attorney General’s office would say on Aug. 16 is that, “The investigation is ongoing.” Albany attorney Kevin A. Luibrand, who is representing Jason Jones’s family, says he also has had no update from investigators who have a video recording of the incident to review. Catskill Village police officers Mark Nazi, Daniel Goldpaugh and Nicholas J. Craig are accused of using excessive force, failing to follow accepted police procedure and running away rather than giving Jones medical aid in a federal lawsuit. That lawsuit alleges that, “For approximately six minutes, the defendants saw that Jason Jones was having difficulty breathing and had sustained burns to his head, face, chest, neck, abdomen, back, arms, hands and torso.” The recording shows the officers run from the room when Jones catches on fire. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Molly Burke reports in the Times Union that a power transmission line that passes through the Town of Schodack in Rensselaer County; the Towns of Stuyvesant, Stockport, Ghent, Claverack, Livingston, Gallatin, and Clermont in Columbia County; and the Towns of Milan, Clinton, and Pleasant Valley in Dutchess County was celebrated Aug. 16 after two years of construction to update the electric grid. The project replaced 1930s-era transmission lines with monopoles, which are better in storms and hold a 345 kilovolt transmission line meant to better transport renewable energy from its source to the region. Over 700 old transmission towers were replaced with about 440 single-pole structures that carry a line with higher capacity. The project also rebuilt the Churchtown substation in Claverack and two new substations were added, in Schodack and Pleasant Valley. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that Republican Marc Molinaro did not directly comment on the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump. Democrat Pat Ryan, on the other hand, was not afraid to give his opinion. Ryan, who represents the 18th Congressional District, said on social media, “Donald Trump is a traitor who incited and knowingly enabled a violent insurrection, putting our entire nation at risk for his own selfish political gain.... His un-American efforts to undermine our democracy represent one of the most egregious threats against our country and our Constitution since its founding.” Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District, said, “I still share the concerns that Biden, Clinton, and others are not being held to the same standard as the former president and that these prosecutions are coming during an active presidential campaign... In the United States, no one should be above the law and everyone has a presumption of innocence.” Ryan disagreed with Molinaro even if they used some of the same words, saying, “Trump must be held fully accountable under the law and must never hold public office again." Republican Elise Stefanik, who represents the 21st District including Rensselaer County, said, "President Trump had every legal right to challenge the results of the election." Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.