Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the proposed renovation of the Columbia Apartments, including the nine-story, 117-unit Bliss Towers and a 15-unit low-rise building, has been put on hold. “My suggestion here is to take our time here with Bliss Towers,” Hudson Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Mattice said at an April 24 meeting of the agency's Board of Commissioners. “To not jump into anything that is going to put us in a position where we are over our heads and jeopardize the progress that we’ve made. And really jeopardize the financial situation of the Housing Authority by jumping into something we’re not ready to do and risk default for our investors.” The Housing Authority will complete the modernization of a third of the units at Bliss Towers this year, Mattice said. In 2019, an additional 40 units will be updated. At the same time, the Housing Authority will move ahead with plans to build more than 40 additional units on a vacant State Street lot. In response to RFPs issued for that project , Beacon Communities in Albany and Duvernay and Brooks in White Plains submitted proposals. The two groups will meet with the Housing Authority in early May to present their plans for the new development, Mattice said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Jimmy Vielkind is reporting for Politico New York state Sen. John Bonacic announced April 27, he will not seek reelection this year, the second Republican in less than a week to make that decision. Sen. Kathy Marchione of Saratoga announced her retirement just two days prior. Bonacic was first elected to the Senate in 1998 after serving in the Assembly and local offices in Orange County since 1973. “The 20 years I have spent in the Senate have been rewarding both personally and professionally, despite the frustrations that all of us experience in any career,” Bonacic said in a statement. “Twenty years, though, is enough....” Democrats said the retirements were a sign of their momentum in the state. “Clearly the Republicans see the writing on the wall,” said Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the Senate Democratic conference. “Democrats have gained 10 seats in two weeks, while three Senate Republicans have abandoned ship in just three days. And I am sure there are more to come.” Read the full story at Politico New York.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Rain and snow showers likely, turning to rain after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 51. Monday night, a slight chance of showers before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear. Low around 39.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 71. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 50.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 80. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 59.

Sunrise today: 5:50 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:54 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:03 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS and POLITICAL EVENTS for Mon., Apr. 30:
Please see the WGXC Community Calendar.

USA Today reported that T-Mobile and Sprint announced a merger April 29 that would make the combined company the third-largest cellular carrier in the U.S. The new company, which would be called T-Mobile, would have more than 90 million wireless subscribers, behind AT&T's 93 million subscribers, and Verizon's 116 million. The combined companies would be valued at $146 billion, including debt. "It's a very simple rule of business. Both companies need each other," said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure on a conference call April 29. "The reason why this is going to work is that T-Mobile cannot do the 5G strategy without Sprint and Sprint cannot do it without T-Mobile." Currently, the two companies employ 80,000 people, but most mergers like this result in layoffs at redundant positions. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota on the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee, said in a statement, “Competition among the four largest cell phone carriers has led to lower prices, better service and more innovation.... I remain concerned that increased consolidation could undermine benefits to consumers.” T-Mobile and Sprint said they believe the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department will sign off on the merger by the first half of 2019.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Fri., Apr. 27 (3:09). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressperson for the WGXC listening area. The Fivethirtyeight.com website currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 87.3 percent of the time, the same as last week. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (10:45).

• This week there was not much voting in Congress, and Faso only released one press release. It boasted that the Congressperson from Kinderhook was "Recognized as One of Most Bipartisan Members in House of Representatives." The Lugar Center Bipartisan Index did rank Faso the 18th most bipartisan member of the House of Representatives for 2017. But for voters locally, the district is now represented by someone less bipartisan than last year. In 2016, Republican Chris Gibson, also from Kinderhook, finished third in the same ranking. In Congress April 24 Faso voted for the resolution, "Recognizing and supporting the efforts of the United Bid Committee to bring the 2026 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup competition to Canada, Mexico, and the United States." Congress did not consider much this week, with Republicans and Democrats mostly agreeing on a few non-controversial bills. • The Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting U.S. Rep. John Faso dismissed his critics and vowed victory for Republican candidates in remarks made at a political fundraiser on April 22. “There is, no doubt, excessive polarization in our country,” the Kinderhook Republican said. “The other side is very energized. They are determined to reverse the outcome of the 2016 election; that’s what this is really about, folks, when you really cut to the chase. The Democrats, if they win control of the House of Representatives, the very first item on the agenda, is going to be impeachment [of President Donald Trump],” he said. Faso said Democrats have failed to produce anything that could be seen as an impeachable offense. “Excessive tweeting is not an impeachable offense, last time I looked,” he laughed. Faso told those in attendance that Republicans should talk to Democrats to find common ground, at the same time he characterized "people on the other side" as intolerant. In late 2017, the first-term Congressman was named one of Roll Call's 10 most vulnerable House incumbents at mid-term. A field of seven Democrats are currently vying to unseat him in November. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

• Ariél Zangla reports in The Daily Freeman that objections were filed with the state Board of Elections over the nominating petitions of three candidates in the election for New York’s 19th Congressional District seat. There were objections filed against the petitions for Democrat Erin Collier, Green Party candidate Steven Greenfield, and Women’s Equality Party candidate Chad McEvoy before the April 23 deadline. John Conklin, director of public information for the election board, wrote in an email, “Bipartisan teams will begin to review the objections and determine if they are valid and whether it will reduce the number of valid signatures on the given petition.... If enough signatures are declared invalid so that the petition is invalid, the candidate is notified and offered a public hearing to attempt to change the staff determination. Otherwise, the staff recommendations go to the commissioners for a vote at their next meeting, which is currently scheduled for May 3.” The objection to Collier’s petition was filed by Barbara Sides, a supporter of competing Democratic candidate Pat Ryan , and a voting member of the Gardiner Democratic Committee. In an email, she claimed Collier needed at least 1,250 valid signatures but had only 284. “In reviewing the petitions, I’ve seen an entire sheet with signatures of people who live in NYC (New York City) and the Bronx — not in CD-19 as required,” Sides wrote. “About 90 percent of the petition witnesses are from NYC, and it is possible that they did not understand or hadn’t been told the requirements for petitioning in the Hudson Valley. Additionally, numerous signatures are completely illegible, and some signers signed their name on multiple petitions.” Collier, in an April 16 Facebook post, claimed it was just politics at play. “In a thinly veiled attempt to keep the only woman in this race from having a chance to run, ‘Democratic’ candidate Pat Ryan is behind a lawsuit to kick me off the ballot,” Collier wrote. “In 2018, women should have a seat at the table. Because when we’re not at the table, we don’t get paid fair wages, and our health care is thrown around as a political bargaining chip.” Greenfield is the lone Green Party candidate running in the Congressional election, and McEvoy is not really in the election, but filed as a placeholder for the Women’s Equality Party line to let the eventual Democratic nominee take his spot. Collier, of Cooperstown, and Ryan, of Gardiner, are opposing Jeffrey Beals of Woodstock; David Clegg of Woodstock; Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck; Brian Flynn of Elka Park; and Gareth Rhodes of Kerhonkson in the Democratic primary June 26. Two independents, who did not require petitions, have announced they are running: actor Diane Neal, from Hurley, and activist Luisa Parker of Callicoon. They all want to take on incumbent Republican John Faso, who hails from Kinderhook. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

• The Mid-Hudson News Network reports the Upper Delaware Council gave its Advocacy Award this week to Faso for his support of the council’s federal funding and for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program. UDC Executive Director Laurie Ramie said Faso shows “exemplary support for the sustainability of our organization and for the Delaware River watershed.” Faso was enthusiastic about the council, saying it “performs critical work to conserve and manage the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.” Read the full story at the Mid-Hudson News Network website.


• Faso discussed "the oversupply of milk in the U.S. and how Canada’s supply management system is impacting their neighbours to the south" April 22 with the Canadian news outlet, Global News.

Here are some stories from the Hudson River this week. Click here to hear an audio version of this report. (4:09)

• The Stevens Institute reports temperatures this week in the Hudson River at Schodack Island were between 45 and 51 degrees, much warmer than last week.

• Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media residents, environmental advocates and politicians rallied April 22, at Ernest R. Lasher Memorial Park in Germantown in opposition to the Amtrak proposal to build 8,600 feet of fencing in Columbia and Duchess counties, thereby preventing access to the Hudson River. The towns of Germantown, Stockport and Stuyvesant in Columbia County, and Rhinebeck and Tivoli in Dutchess County, would be impacted by the plan. Protesters carried signs at the rally with messages such as “Stop the fence” and “No fences, no gates, no wall.” The Germantown Waterfront Advisory Committee has found that Amtrak’s proposal is not consistent with the state’s Coastal Management Plan and the gates are unnecessary. The committee chair, Jennifer Crawford said, “I want the train to be here, but I want the train to let me be here as well. CSX tried to block us from this land as recently as 2001, but we rallied and the gates came down.” Republican state Sen. Kathy Marchione attended the rally and called the proposal misguided and ill-conceived. The project will impede first responders from doing their jobs in a timely manner, she added. Marchione also said she will express her opposition directly to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Assembly member Didi Barrett, a Democrat, said local voices deserve to be heard, and a public meeting between residents and Amtrak representatives should be held. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

• David Figura at New York Upstate reports that striped bass are starting to bite on the Hudson River this week with warmer temperatures. Local fisherpeople are reporting the presence of herring in the river, which stripers eat. Capt. Bob Trenz, of Off the Charters boat service in Newburgh, said his clients are catching the smaller "schoolies" in the river using blood worms, including one 30-incher this week. Tom Gentalen, of River Basin Sports in Catskill, says warm water from the river's tributaries is flowing into the Hudson River. "Right now, the water temperatures between the Albany (area) and the lower river is almost equalized," Gentalen said. Once that happens, he added, "the fish won't show any hesitation." He also wrote on his website, "Now we are seeing three-foot-long fish being taken along the entire waterway." Read the full story at New York Upstate.

There are so many political stories after the April 24 special elections. On April 27 Cindy Doran conceded on Facebook that "we will not be able to overcome the margin for a win in this election," in her contest against Jake Ashby for the 107th Assembly seat that represents parts of Columbia County and Rensselaer County. Doran was 280 votes behind Ashby on election night. In the 102nd Assembly election Republican Chris Tague was ahead of Democrat Aidan O’Connor by 288 votes and at least 1,324 absentee ballots will be counted between between May 1 and May 8, with 986 still not returned, according to John Conklin, director of public information for the state Board of Elections. And three Republican State Senators announced they are retiring at the end of their terms: John Bonacic, who represents Ulster, Orange, and Delaware counties; Sen. Kathy Marchione, who represents Columbia and Rensselaer counties; and Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, who also suspended his campaign to get the Republican nomination for governor.

Eric Anderson reports in the Albany Times Union that, as of last year, Metro-North has installed just 63 percent of the required hardware for positive train control, the system designed to prevent accidents. But an MTA meeting last week claims 81 percent of the installed hardware and 84 percent of its employees have been trained on the safety system. "Getting PTC installed as soon as possible should be at the top of Metro-North's priority list," New York Senator Charles Schumer said April 26. A 2013 Metro-North derailment killed four people after the engineer headed into a curve at excessive speed, something the PTC system is designed to prevent. Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.

Audrey Matott in the Greenville Pioneer reports that the Greenville Town Board voted April 16 to put a commercial solar moratorium in the town for six months. "Over the past year, Cypress Creek Renewables, a commercial solar development company headquartered out of Santa Monica, CA have presented four possible community solar farms in the town, all of which are planned within a few miles of one another," Matott writes. The company has since withdrawn one of the proposals, though three remain the Basic Creek and its tributaries. During the moratorium, the town board will reconsider the solar regulations passed in Greenville in 2016. A committee of town board members Greg Davis and Richard Bear, Planning Board member Don Teator, and two community members, Barbara Valicenti and Phil Restino, meets at 6 p.m. May 21 at Pioneer Town Hall. Read the full story in the Greenville Pioneer.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 64. Saturday night showers are likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 9 p.m., then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
SUNDAY: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46, and a low around 35.
MONDAY: Again, there's a chance of rain and snow showers before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain showers, with a high near 50, and a low around 37.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Fri., April 27 (5:03). (Produced by Neva Wartell.)

Richard Moody reports in Columbia-Greene Media that local farmers are talking after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last week arrested migrant workers without a warrant on a famr in Central New York. “We’re not worried because we go through the government H2A program,” James Story, of Catskill's Story Farms said. “But people are worried, even the guys [laborers]. Just because they have all the paperwork doesn’t mean they’re not going to be bothered.” The Bulich Mushroom Company in Catskill can’t rely on temporary migrants because the visa programs such as H2A don't keep workers around long enough, co-owner Mike Bulich said April 26. “If you have them [ICE] just showing up on your doorstep, no business would be happy about that,” Bulich said about the Rome, New York raid. “Agents coming onto farms is inexcusable,” said Jim Taylor, owner of Sunny Acres Farm in Athens, which has been family-owned for 120 years. “Some of these people aren’t undocumented and they’re here because this is the land of opportunity, as far as they can see.” Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a most-likely unenforceable cease-and-desist letter to ICE on April 25 because of the warrantless raid. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.

The Mid-Hudson News Network reports that on April 24 five state corrections officers were attacked by an inmate at Green Haven Correctional Facility. That is “another example of how dangerous the environment can be inside our prisons,” said Michael Mazzella, Mid-Hudson vice president of New York State Police and Corrections Officers Benevolent Association. He claims state regulations make prisons more dangerous. “More officers are being injured because of the lack of disciplinary measures the department can apply to violent inmates.” As that occurs, Mazzella said officers “have become hesitant to protect themselves because of the department’s policies on using force to control a violent and dangerous inmate.” In this case, an inmate knocked a female officer unconscious, punching her in the face before four other officers, brought pepper spray so subdue the inmate. Read the full story at the Mid-Hudson News Network website.

Gwendolyn Craig reports in the Post Star that Albany Supreme Court Justice David Weinstein ruled April 23 that the Department of Environmental Conservation’s pollution discharge permit it hands out to some large dairy and other livestock farms is not fully kosher with the federal Clean Water Act. Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, and Waterkeeper Alliance brought a suit to court last year. By October 23, the DEC will need to create a new concentrated animal feeding operation permit for farms that discharge into a water source. Farms can keep up what they are doing until new permits are issued. Mike Dulong, an attorney for Riverkeeper, was happy with the judge’s decision. “The opinion is very much focused on state and public oversight of these operations, and I think, personally and on behalf of Riverkeeper, there is a way to do, to make agriculture sustainable and make it safe for water quality, and that’s what we’re looking for here,” Dulong said. “A little bit more public and state oversight will make that possible.” Read the full story in the Post Star.

Michael Gormley reports in Newsday that Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said April 26 that he will get the Republican nomination for governor through the endorsements of county chairpersons. That came after Sen. John DeFrancisco suspended his campaign for the GOP nomination. Molinaro’s campaign says he has 82.3 percent of the weighted votes of county Republican chairs for the vote for the nominee at the Republican's May convention. “I know what it’s like to struggle in the state of New York,” Molinaro said April 26. “And I may be an unconventional candidate . . . someone who is willing to put ideology and partisanship aside to solve problems.” The campaign for Democrat Andrew Cuomo, the incumbent governor, was ready with a response. “Marc Molinaro’s pro-NRA, anti-LGBTQ, anti-woman campaign speaks to the sad state of the NY GOP,” said Cuomo campaign spokesperson Abbey Fashouer. “Their only ‘success story’ in recent memory is Donald Trump — who is punishing New Yorkers by raising our taxes, terrorizing immigrant communities, and rolling back critical environmental protections.” Read the full story in Newsday.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Fri., Apr. 27 (6:25). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Beth Horton is stepping down as executive director of the Catskill Community Center after more than two years on the job. Horton and her husband are moving to Delaware. “This has been a very difficult decision for me,” Horton said. “I just love the Community Center, I love what we represent, I love the staff that we have.” The Catskill Community Center Board created a search committee and it is currently advertising the open position and sorting through resumes. Horton intends to stay and assist her successor transition into the position. She will be a resource for the person who takes over, board Vice President Jeff Friedman said. Horton has been with the Community Center for five years. She worked in the after-school program and as the program coordinator before becoming executive director in January 2016. Under Horton’s tenure, the center became more efficient and better at serving the village, Friedman said. “She’s going to be greatly missed,” he said. “She has provided the center with so much expertise...we’ve come a long way expanding our programming.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Andrew R. Chow is reporting for The New York Times Steepletop, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's farmhouse in Austerlitz, is in danger of being closed. The Millay Society has started a fundraising campaign, but says the historic site will close in November unless $1 million is raised. “The cost of operating the site, even with a small staff and an extremely tight budget, exceeds the money brought in each year from donations and visitor fees,” Vincent Elizabeth Barnett, the president of the organization’s board of trustees, wrote in a statement. Millay and her husband bought the property in 1925, when it was still a blueberry farm, lived there until her death in 1950, and is buried on the grounds. The site was named a National Historic Landmark in 1971. It later became home to the Millay Colony of the Arts, which offers residencies and workshops. The Millay Society said that $1 million would allow the house to remain open for three to five years. The society hopes either to start an endowment or combine operations with another organization to stay open beyond that five-year period. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Bill Williams is reporting for WCTW-FM, The Cat, the Zone 14 Law Enforcement Academy held its 2018 graduation exercises at Columbia-Greene Community College April 7. The Class of 2018 included eleven officers representing departments in six counties, including the village of Athens, town of Germantown, the Greene County Sheriff's Department, town of Greenport and the village of Philmont. Class awards were given -- the Top Gun Award for proficiency in firearms to Matthew Putnam of the Village of Philmont Police Deparment; the Highest Academic Average Award to Matthew Novotny of the Village of Philmont Police Department; and the Physical Training and Overall Outstanding Recruit awards to Colin M. Miller of the Greenport Police Department. The Zone 14 Police Law Enforcement Academy is sponsored by the Columbia and Greene Sheriff’s Offices and Columbia-Greene Community College. It is fully accredited by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Read the full story at 985thecat [dot] iheart [dot] com.