Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul is still stumping for more affordable housing in the state, after the legislature passed on her plan to build 800,000 new units in the next decade. Hochul said, "We must build more housing.... And then, you continue building the buildings and working on the public infrastructure projects and people who always think about us continue to talk about us and that sense of awe." This month Hochul took executive action to support money for local governments that create more development-friendly rules. Hochul said, "The more we build — and we talk about an affordability crisis, not just here, but every corner of the state — if we build more housing, all levels, I didn't say it had to be all affordable, I never said that.... Just build more housing, all kinds, everywhere, and then we'll be able to start driving down the price because my highest priorities for the state are, number one, public safety, and we're making great progress here." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Town of Athens Zoning Board of Appeals has rejected Freepoint Solar’s request for a variance to build a 43.4-acre solar farm on Potic Mountain in an area zoned residential. Athens resident Margaret Muenkel was part of a group opposing the project, and she said, “It’s good for Athens. It’s good for everybody. Trees should not be killed to save the world. We can find better ways of protecting the environment and not hurt the environment at the same time.” The board, though, had given the proposal a negative declaration under the state environmental quality review and Peter Ford, managing director of Freepoint Solar, said they would appeal the decision. The Zoning Board previously ruled against Freepoint in September 2021. Then, a court directed the Athens Board to consider the variance application under the public utility standard as established by the case Con Ed Co. of NY v. Hoffman. In June, the Town Board passed a six-month moratorium on all solar applications. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that heavy storms caused flash flooding in Haines Falls in Greene County July 25. The flash flooding stranded multiple people in the Kaaterskill Creek, and shut down Route 23A for several hours. Two people were rescued from hanging on between boulders in rapid waters at Fawn’s Leap, and several others were also reported trapped by the flood. WTEN reports that sixteen individuals were rescued after the flooding began. The Greene County Sheriff’s Officer Water Rescue Team, New York State Forest Rangers, Town of Hunter Police, New York State Police, The Ulster County Sheriff’s Water Rescue Team, and the Twin Cloves Rescue Team all responded to the emergency. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

News10 in Albany reports that the Aldi grocery store is closing in the City of Rensselaer, and officials there are complaining they now live in a food desert. The Aldi store is closing there on July 26, and is opening a new location in North Greenbush on July 27. Mayor Michael Stammel is worried about how some of his residents will buy food now, saying, “We have a couple housing projects here for low and moderate income people plus senior buildings and those are the ones who use these buildings the most as well as the people who walk here on a regular basis so transportation that’s something that’s going to be another part of their budget, it’s going to take away money they could use somewhere else.” In June the Rensselaer County Legislature passed a resolution asking Aldi to remain in the city, saying, “There have been concerns in the community that Aldi may close the Rensselaer location and create a virtual food desert for those who rely on the convenient location of the store.” Read more about this story at the News10 website.

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Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Cairo Supervisor Jason Watts wants to give all town employees a raise, even though Cairo is mired in financial difficulties after Watt's administration made major errors with property taxes. The town also needs street light bulbs and to repair its broken electronic sign. For at least two years the town told taxpayers they were getting a low property tax rate, when they were actually getting a higher tax rate. Now, funds the town would be spending on light bulbs are being held in escrow to resolve the tax issue. And, at the same time, Cairo is losing employees to other opportunities. Town board member Tim Powers said, “In Jason’s administration over 30 people have quit.... We’ve lost our entire ethics board.” Watts wants to pay everyone more money, and said. “Every position in the town of Cairo is important.... It’s a team of people, not one person is more important than the next." But he also said, “Why should a court clerk make more than a paramedic police officer or highway employee?” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that the seemingly never-ending Congressional redistricting process continues, with Republicans filing an appeal of the latest court ruling on the issue on July 25. Earlier this month, New York's Appellate Court ruled that the boundaries for New York's U.S. House districts should be redrawn again, this time by the Independent Redistricting Commission. Now the state Court of Appeals will rule on the issue, and might just decide on who is in control of the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. In the 2022 election, Republicans flipped several districts in New York that helped give them a very slight majority in the House. Then, the district lines were drawn in a way that many analysts said favored Republicans. If the Court of Appeals rules for the Democrats, they might get friendly lines in 2024 to help them win. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman that New York Department of Transportation officials still don't think Route 9W in the Town of Ulster needs a lower speed limit. State assistant engineer Mark Morano wrote to the town that, “Our study included a formal review and evaluation of the crash history for the last three years.... The crash analysis indicated that they are random in nature and can be generally attributed to driver error or misjudgment. Additionally, there is no evidence that any of these crashes are associated with motorists that are complying with the existing speed limits within this section of U.S. 9W.” Town Board members want the speed limit reduced along the 2.7-mile stretch of Route 9W from the QuickChek to the municipal line with Saugerties. Town officials say that between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 17, 2022, there were 42 accidents, including one death, along that section of Route 9W. Six years ago the state DOT refused a similar request to lower the speed limit on the road. Supervisor James Quigley said, “We are going to continue to ask as long as constituents come forward and make an issue of it in the Town Board meetings.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

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Several local recent stories show local officials coming up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to try and block migrants from being housed. Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that officials in the Town of Colonie now say there are code violations at the SureStay Plus Hotel on Wolf Road after buses from New York City dropped of migrants there in May. Back then, Colonie officials did not have a problem with the hotel. Now, two code violations were served to Amandeep Dillon, whose family owns the SureStay Plus Hotel. The code violations are for guests staying in a hotel for more than 28 consecutive days and for refusing to allow Deputy Police Chief Robert H. Winn to review the guest registry on June 30. Both rules are in town ordinances passed seven years ago. Winn said, “The perception has been that the enforcement is against the migrants. It’s not.... The enforcement is against the hotel ownership.” The second law, seems to violate a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision against the city of Los Angeles in a case that challenged a local law that made it a misdemeanor for a hotel operator to decline to allow police to review their guest registries. Colonie passed its town ordinance four months before the Supreme Court ruling. Other counties, though, have filed their own lawsuits or issued executive orders to try and block New York City from relocating migrants to their communities. Last week Republicans Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik and Democrat Pat Ryan voted for a bill that prohibits schools from being used as shelters for migrants, while Democrat Paul Tonko voted against. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Amanda Salazar reports for City and State that New York's Republican primary for president is not until April 30, 2024, but two Republican Congressional representatives in the state have already endorsed their picks. Long Island’s George Santos, accused of all sorts of lies, and the North Country’s Elise Stefanik have both endorsed former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. The publication surveyed the rest of the Republican New York Congressional delegation, including Marc Molinaro, but they declined to endorse anyone this early in the process. Trump, already indicted in two cases and expecting a third imminent indictment, could be at trial or in jail by the time the primary date approaches. Republican strategist William O’Reilly said, “There’s no benefit whatsoever to endorsing Donald Trump early, and I would expect most Republican members from New York to keep their powder dry as long as humanly possible.... Trump is without doubt the prohibitive favorite in the primary as of today, but there’s an awful lot of time between now and then. I’d expect most endorsements to come just days or weeks before the New York presidential primary next year.” Read the full story in City and State.

Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that the Greene County Youth Fair opens July 27 in the Cairo Town Park. By the time it closes July 30 there will be all sorts of activities, programs, exhibits, performances, and competitions, this year with the theme of “Enchanted Forest.” New this year are a cavy show for a family of rodents that include guinea pigs., and a llama/alpaca show. Organizers claim it is the last county fair in New York with free admission. Go to thegreenecountyyouthfair.com for more information about the Greene County Youth Fair.

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Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Times Union that for the second time in recent weeks a beaver dam burst locally and damaged human infrastructure. A beaver dam at a 40-acre pond in Stephentown burst at 6 a.m. on July 24, flooding and closing Garfield Road. No human was hurt in the dam break, but the road was ripped apart by the rushing water. Officials expect to have Garfield Road reopened on July 26. Last month a different beaver dam broke in Pittsfield State Forest in Massachusetts's Berkshire County, sending water down a mountain and flooding the hamlet of Lebanon Springs in Columbia County in New Lebanon, and damaging human infrastructure there. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Michael Woyton reports for Patch that the Metropolitan Transit Authority voted last week to raise fares on the Metro-North Railroad. Monthly and weekly fares on the Metro-North Railroad will go up to 4.5 percent beginning Aug. 20. The off-peak discount on Metro-North will be go up to 26 percent, from 25 percent. MTA board member Neal Zuckerman played word games with the larger fares, saying, “This is an increase. I don’t want a hike.... A hike is something like double digits. This is no hike.” Riders going between Poughkeepsie and New York City will see their fares go from $469 a month to $489.50. Read more about this story in Patch.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that the Save the Triplex nonprofit group now officially owns the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. Richard Stanley sold the movie theatre to the group rather than close it. Ben Elliott, the new managing director of the Triplex, said, “What an amazing moment for the Triplex team and the entire town of Great Barrington." In May, the nonprofit group said it would raise $1 million to buy the theatre. The group only formed in April, but raised $200,000 in pledges and more than $124,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. Photographer Gregory Crewdson sold a photographic print for an additional $225,000 toward the sale. The group plans to renovate the theater and hopes to have screenings and live events this fall. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

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 Republican Hudson Valley representatives voted July 14 for a controversial defense spending bill last week, while the Democrats voted against. Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik voted for the bill that would stop military personnel from being reimbursed for travel for out of state abortions. The bill, which Democrats Paul Tonko and Pat Ryan voted against, would also end diversity initiatives in the military. Ryan said, “Far-right extremists just highjacked the (National Defense Authorization Act) to rip away reproductive rights from female soldiers.... These are brave women risking their lives every day to defend our fundamental freedoms. I’ll be standing with my fellow patriots and voting NO on the bill. I was proud to support the NDAA as reported out of committee, which followed the 60+ year precedent of bipartisanship on this crucial legislation. The far-right is risking our national security for selfish, political gain.” Molinaro's statement after the vote ignored the controversial aspects of the bill, and focused on more popular topics. Molinaro said, “(The amendments) are significant wins for our national defense and the well-being of our servicemembers, military families, and veterans.... My measures expand mental health care for our military, support military families with disabilities, and ensure access to quality healthcare.” The U.S. Senate, led by Democrats, will vote on a very different bill, and the two chambers will have to work out the differences. In the House, the vote was 219-to-210, with four Democrats and four Republicans switching sides in a mostly partisan vote. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that counting from April, when Democrat Josh Riley announced his second campaign for the 19th Congressional District, he has outraised Republican incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro, according to second-quarter Federal Elections Commission figures released on July 17. From April 1 to the end of June Riley outraised Molinaro $787,933 to $606,827, or by about 30 percent. Molinaro has been raising money longer, so he has taken $1,278,612 in his reelection campaign. Riley is refusing donations from corporate political action committees, and nearly 95 percent of Riley’s donations came from individual donors. Molinaro only raised 30 percent of his money from individual donors. Molinaro raised $217,000 from more than 160 political action committees, including the Air Line Pilots Association PAC; Avangrid PAC, a single-corporation clean energy fundraising committee, and the American Crystal Sugar Company PAC, which represents the sugar cane and sugar beet industry. If they win their primary elections, Molinaro versus Riley would be a rematch of the 2022 election in the 19th Congressional District, where Molinaro defeated Riley by a two-point margin, 142,354 votes to 136,071. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Alex Gault reports for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that Rep. Elise Stefanik took in nearly $1.2 million in contributions in 2023's second fiscal quarter, far outpacing any rivals. But half of that, $612,658, was from transfers from her other campaign committees and the GOP Battleground fund. Jill A. Lochner is running against Stefanik in a Republican primary election for the 21st Congressional District, and only reported $2,702 in donations last quarter. Steven W. Holden Sr., a Democrat who ran against Congressperson Claudia Tenney in 2022 and recently declared his candidacy for the 21st Congressional District, failed to file any financial disclosures for this election cycle. AT&T, Amazon, Raytheon, the Dairy Farmers of America, a number of groups representing doctors and pharmacists, American Express, and Wells Fargo all donated to Stefanik's campaign. Holden, the Democrat who promises he will take on Stefanik, filed paperwork to run, but his listed campaign website connects to a woodworking blog rather than a campaign page. Stefanik's 21st Congressional District now includes Rensselaer County. Read more about this story in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Paul Kirby reports for the Daily Freeman that Rep. Marc Molinaro said July 18 that he will vote to censure fellow Republican George Santos. Molinaro previously voted against kicking Santos out of Congress. Democrats are expected to introduce a censure resolution into the House soon. Molinaro said, “George Santos should not be a Member of Congress.... I called for his resignation months ago and I’d censure him now.” Republicans have just a four-seat majority in the House of Representatives and don't seem likely to remove one of their members, even with a record of lying like Santos. The Long Island Congressperson has been charged with embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds, and lying to Congress about his finances. Molinaro represents the 19th Congressional District. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that after a group filed a Federal Election Commission complaint alleging that Rep. Marc Molinaro illegally transferred $2,000 from his former campaign for Dutchess County executive into his current reelection campaign, Molinaro on June 8 returned the money to his dormant Dutchess County campaign account. In April the group End Citizens United filed the complaint, alleging the money transfer violated federal campaign finance law. End Citizens United spokesperson Bawadden Sayed asserts that the return of $2,000 to the Dutchess County campaign committee amounted to Molinaro “shamefully admit(ting) wrongdoing in his own quarterly report.” The Molinaro campaign did not explain the money transfers, with Molinaro campaign advisor Dave Catalfamo saying, “The Molinaro campaign has always and will continue to comply with all state and federal laws.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Adam Reiss and Rebecca Shabad reports for NBC News that after former President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he got a letter saying he will likely be indicted for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection he called Rep. Elise Stefanik. Trump called House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Stefanik, who represents the 21st Congressional District in New York including Rensselaer County, and asked them to rally support from other House members. Stefanik has endorsed Trump in his re-election campaign. After the call from Trump, Stefanik said, "We have yet again another example of Joe Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice targeting his top political opponent, Donald Trump." Read more about this story at the NBC News website.

Mid-Hudson News reports that after a Wall Street Journal story said hundreds of communities across the country including Wappingers Falls in Dutchess County have lead telecommunications cables leaching into the ground Congressperson Pat Ryan and Governor Kathy Hochul are upset. Both are demanding telecommunications companies remove lead cables from around the country. Ryan, who represents the 18th Congressional District, has written to the CEOs of Verizon, AT&T, and US Telecom requesting they remove the toxic lead cables. In Wappingers Falls one lead cable runs along the perimeter of a children’s playground and basketball court. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that children avoid soil containing more than 400 parts of lead per million, but samples taken on the local playground tested at 850 parts per million. Hochul has ordered an investigation into the issue, and closed the Wappingers Falls park while the soil there goes under further testing. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Republicans Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik and Democrat Pat Ryan voted for a bill that prohibits schools from being used as shelters for migrants, while Democrat Paul Tonko voted against. Molinaro said, "Schools are places for academics, athletics, community services, and places where children like mine receive vital therapy. They are not migrant shelters." The bill does not ban using schools as shelters for other reasons, such as weather emergencies. It also has very little chance of ever becoming law by passing the Senate and getting the president's signature. Ryan was among only four Democrats voting for the proposal, and Molinaro sponsored the bill. The White House released a statement saying the bill, "would supersede local control, interfering with the ability of States and municipalities to effectively govern and make decisions about their school buildings.” Republicans usually favor local control and less federal regulation, but not this time. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.