Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that Rep. Paul Tonko joined U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at Hudson Valley Community College in Rensselaer County on June 27 to discuss education. Tonko spoke about careers in science, engineering, technology or mathematics for young people locally. PLAY BRIEF TONKO CLIP HERE. Cardona, the Education Secretary, said, "We're gonna make sure that we have students that are prepared to take on these high-skill, high-career jobs to make that possible." Labor Department Commissioner Roberta Reardon was also there, and reminded the men, "Don't leave women out of the workforce.... Over 50 percent of the workers in this country are women, but they are under employed or not employed at all, and we need them desperately. We need young women to know that they can be in the building trades. They can do CHIPS, they can do anything they set their minds to. And they can certainly come here to Hudson Valley and get a great education." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

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New York State of Politics reports that while one goal of a bill passed in Albany and awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature is to save money on elections by consolidating voting dates, many current election dates will remain on the calendar. The bill would move most elections currently in odd-numbered years, to even-numbered years, when more people vote in Congressional and Presidential elections. But Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny points out the legislature did not, and could not, move all of the odd-numbered elections to even-numbered years. Czarny said, “Any judicial race would not be affected. Supreme Court justices. Town justices. Any other kind of judicial race.... Also, what will not be affected are any races that happen inside cities are protected by the Constitution." Jude Seymour, the Republican elections commissioner for the Jefferson County Board of Elections, points out the ballot will now be much longer now, and defends staggered-year voting saying, “They protect against a wholesale change of government based on the whims that may not last until the next election.... Alexander Hamilton and James Madison warned us centuries ago to protect against factions breaking apart our republic. I think putting all the elections in one year makes that harder to prevent.” Czarny admits that more people will vote in elections moved to even-numbered years saying, “In even numbered years since 2009, we averaged 63 percent turnout. In odd numbered years, we averaged 32 percent turnout. That’s a huge difference. That’s double." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Courtney Ward reports for News10 that Amtrak has temporarily shut down its Adirondack route to Montreal because of the Canadian wild fires. Amtrak’s rail partner, Canadian National, has reduced speed on the rail because of the heat from the ongoing wildfires. All stops north of Albany on the line from Montreal to New York City are currently closed for service. Amtrak only resumed the service there less than three months ago, after it was closed during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about this story at the News10 website.

Jane Kaufman reports in The Berkshire Eagle that there is a proposal in the Town of Washington to put up a 30-foot tower to better receive radio signals from birds. Berkshire County has a large dead zone where radio transmissions from migratory birds cannot be received. Scientists have placed tiny radio transmitters on the backs of some birds to study the large loss in the migratory bird population lately. A $1 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is paying for the installation of 50 receiving towers across New York and New England, with 10 in Massachusetts. The proposed tower in Washington would fit between existing towers in Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown and the Jug End State Reservation in Egremont. Neighbors of the proposed site, though, are opposed to the project. That includes Kent Lew, who is on the town select board and who considers himself a birder. Lew said, “It's a beautiful road.... I get the intentions and the purposes and the bigger picture. But the net effect on an everyday level for those of us who live here is, it's just ugly.” Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

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June 27 is the final date of voting in local primary elections this month. In Greene County there is only one primary election. Republicans in New Baltimore decide between two candidates for Highway Supervisor: Robert P. Van Etten and Alan W. VanWormer. In Columbia County, the Chatham Future party has an uncontested primary in the northern Columbia County town. In New Lebanon, Republicans choose between Peter McCagg and Jeffrey Winestock for Highway Superintendent. And there are also Democrat primary elections in all five city of Hudson wards.

Lauren Stanforth reports in the Times Union that New York's Department of Environmental Conservation is warning that smoke from Canadian wildfires might return to our area on June 28. Winds from a cold front moving into the area June 28 may bring thick surface smoke to the area from the Canadian wildfires. Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement on June 26 that said, “As we closely monitor the changing forecast, New Yorkers should be prepared for the potential return of smoke from the Canadian wildfires.... I encourage everyone to remain vigilant, especially if you are vulnerable to air pollution, stay up to date on the latest information and take steps to protect yourself.” The weather forecast could change, and winds could shift. The Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health said they will wait until June 27 to issue any air quality health advisories if necessary for June 28. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Ashley Hupfl reports in the Daily Gazette that New York Senator Chuck Schumer announced New York state will receive $664,618,251 million in federal funding for high-speed broadband services through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. A 2021 report conducted by the state Department of Education found that 31 percent of households in rural areas do not have broadband, compared to 26 percent of households in metropolitan areas. In Gloversville on June 26, Schumer said, “We all know that broadband is essential the way electricity or water has been essential for hundreds of years.... In the 1930s [former President] Franklin D. Roosevelt said every home should have electricity. We’re saying every home should have broadband, and this money goes a long way to making that happen in New York state.... The pandemic showed us how much we needed work for it — whether it came to telemedicine or to educate — broadband is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity.” An audit released last month by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that broadband subscription services rose from 64 percent to 76 percent between 2019 and 2021 after similar federal funding from the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Affordable Connectivity Program. Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “This transformative investment in New York’s ConnectALL program will be a gamechanger in advancing our statewide strategy to make affordable, high-speed internet available to all.” Read more about this story in the Daily Gazette.

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.

Nick Reisman at New York State of Politics reports that crime and public safety continue to be Republican campaign issues. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said this week, "we're working on that, but we've made great strides." Really, Democrats have done two things on the crime issue recently. They made some changes to the bail laws, including a provision granting judges more discretion in setting bail in a wider array of cases. And legislators just passed the Clean Slate Act, that would seal an estimated two million criminal records. Hochul has not said yet whether she will sign that bill. But she seemed to hint she would saying, "This is driven by the business community at a time of great worker shortages, but we're going to have a lot of safeguards in place." Republicans, such as Assemblyperson Mike Reilly, said, "It seems like we give those who are criminals and those who are incarcerated more rights than the victims that they assault, that they murder." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who represents Rensselaer County and the rest of the 21st Congressional District, released a statement June 20 after the Justice Department charged Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, with federal tax and weapons offenses. Stefanik said, “This is the epitome of the politicization and Weaponization of Joe Biden’s Department of Justice as they give a slap on the wrist to President Biden’s son – a tax fraud and corrupt pay-to-play criminal. It’s never been more clear that we have a two-tiered system of justice." The other Hudson Valley Republican representative, Marc Molinaro, did not release a statement about Biden, but continued to clamor for the censure of California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff, though Molinaro has not said why, exactly, Schiff deserves censure.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman the Republican Marc Molinaro flipped his vote to table a measure to censure Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff. Both local Republicans, Molinaro and Elise Stefanik, sided with censuring Schiff for criticizing former President Donald Trump, while local Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko voted against. The vote to table the censure measure failed 208-to-218 on June 21. Schiff, a California-based Democrat, became the 25th House lawmaker to be censored. Republicans did not like comments he made several years ago about investigations into Trump’s ties to Russia. Molinaro did not say exactly why he voted to censure Schiff in a statement, saying, “Adam Schiff dishonored himself and our nation....When Nancy Pelosi was Speaker, I was disgusted that she punished Republicans without due process." Ryan was clear about his vote against censure, saying, “My constituents in the Hudson Valley sent me here to focus on delivering relief and defending fundamental rights.... Instead, MAGA extremists are holding up Congress for multiple weeks, voting on hyper-partisan resolutions rather than addressing the surge in gun violence, protecting women’s reproductive freedom, or combating inflation.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

John L. Dorman reports for Business Insider that Rep. Elise Stefanik, the Republican who represents Rensselaer County and the rest of the 21st Congressional District, now wants to expunge the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is in favor of the effort, but has not said when, specifically, he would bring a vote to the floor. Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School, told Reuters Stefanik is making up something that does not exist in the U.S. Constitution. He said, "It is not like a constitutional DUI. Once you are impeached, you are impeached." Read more about this story in Business Insider.

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Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that in Albany, state lawmakers have a good-government rule mandating that the public gets three days to see the language in any bill before a vote. But New York also has another rule, where the governor can create a "message of necessity" to get around the three-day rule. This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued 19 messages of necessity, according to the New York Public Interest Research Group. That is the most since then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued 29 in 2011. Hochul used the maneuver to speed along the passage of the state budget, a now-stalled authorization of the Seneca Gaming Compact and several labor agreements. With Democrats in control in Albany, Republicans opposed messages of necessity, and have proposed a constitutional amendment to limit the use of messages of necessity for the 10 budget bills lawmakers must consider each year. But when Republican George Pataki was governor in the 1990s he issued all sorts of messages of necessity, with 144 in 1996. Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Noah Zweifel reports in the Altamont Enterprise that in 2021 Republicans and Democrats in Westerlo endorsed the same slate of candidates, except for town justice. This year, every seat is contested. Democrats have endorsed Bill Morin, who owns Morin’s Body Works, for supervisor; incumbent Conservative Peter Mahan for town board; and Beau Loendorf, an event planner and the planning board chair, for town board. Republicans nominated incumbent supervisor Matt Kryzak; incumbent Amie Burnside for town board; and William Hall, who owns Fresh Starts Family Farm in Westerlo and is on the planning board, for town board. Kryzak and Morin and planning board member Angela Carkner each tried to get the supervisor nomination from both parties. There was cross-party endorsements for incumbent Town Clerk Karla Weaver, and for town highway superintendent Jody Ostrander. Voting takes place this year in late October and early November. Read more about this story in the Altamont Enterprise.

Doug La Rocque reports for the Columbia Paper that a dispute over storage facilities has delayed the New Lebanon Town Board from approving changes to its zoning law at its June 13 meeting. Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling was the only board member in favor of blocking any new storage facilities in New Lebanon, but allowing existing storage units to expand. Coon Storage, on U.S. Route 20, wants to expand, and was hoping Houghtling's change would pass. But some board members said they thought the community did not want any new, or expanded, storage facilities. Now the board will consider more zoning changes at its July 11 meeting. Read more about this story in The Upstater.

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WNYT reports that on June 25 Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill protecting access to gender-affirming care in New York. The state is now not allowed to cooperate with hostile states’ rules against gender-affirming care providers, patients, family members, and those who help people access care. New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman said, "As we mark Pride Month, New York has taken an important step to protect the rights and well-being of the trans community – particularly young people and their families. By signing the Hoylman-Sigal/Bronson bill, the Governor is helping to make our state a beacon for access to gender-affirming care.” Read more about this story at WNYT.

Jane Kaufman reports in The Berkshire Eagle that the invasive plant garlic mustard, with no natural predators, is taking over the roads and trails of Mount Greylock. Officials from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation have an ongoing effort to keep the tall fields of green and white garlic mustard in check. Kristina Stinson, associate professor of plant ecology and conservation at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says the soil in the Berkshires seems to be more susceptible to invasion by garlic mustard than other areas in the state. The plant blocks out local plants and butterflies. Stinson said, “Because it has an impact on tree seedlings, it is really impacting the future canopy of our forest.” Right now is the time to remove garlic mustard, and it needs to be pulled once it emerges in spring but before it seeds, typically in early to mid-July. Read more about this story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that anyone walking across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge recently have seen signs warning about aggressive female peregrine falcon that say, “Caution Falcon Is Very Aggressive Today.” There have been no human injuries reported, but the walkway was closed for several days after the bird harassed workers and walkers on the bridge between Catskill and Hudson. The bird is protecting four babies in a nest on the bridge. Larry Federman, president of the Northern Catskills Audubon Society and former education coordinator for three Audubon sanctuaries, said, “The peregrines have been nesting under the roadway of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge for several years, usually near the Greene County end of the bridge. As on other bridges over the Hudson River, the Department of Environmental Conservation had installed a nest box platform to aid in the nesting.... This year’s protective behavior could be due to fledglings being in a different location―having wandered off of the nest platform.” Peregrines are an endangered species in New York. Federman said once the babies leave the nest, the adult will leave humans alone. He said, “Once the young have fledged―left the nesting site―the parents will remain in the area all year and use the Rip Van Winkle Bridge as the base of operations for hunting birds.” Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.