Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Albany Times Union that the Rensselaer County Legislature quintupled the travel budget for county executive Steven McLaughlin to $5,000 with an 11-7 vote April 10. McLaughlin gets to hire a second secretary to schedule that travel budget. Former County Executive Kathleen Jimino spent $4,054 in total between 2008 and 2016, while McLaughlin gets more than that annually. The second secretary costs taxpayers $50,000 a year. County spokesperson Rich Crist said, “There’s a number of opportunities out there that may require travel.” Minority Leader Edward Manny, D-Troy, said the county-owned 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe McLaughlin drives, paid for out of the sheriff’s vehicle budget at the end of 2017, may be the reason for the bigger travel budget. He said the large vehicle, “drinks gasoline like water.” Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.

Rachel Silberstein is reporting in the Times Union a bill to streamline the way state agencies handle Freedom of Information Law requests is awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature. The measure requires every state agency to include on its website an online form for requesting records that are subject to the state law. The current statute only requires agencies to accept email requests. Adding a requirement to provide an online FOIL request form is a "'low-cost, high-impact' way to improve government transparency and provide the public with access to information," according to the bill's memo. In March, Cuomo's office quietly launched OpenFOIL [dot] NY [dot] gov, a portal that allows requests to be submitted to more than half of the state's 100 agencies and authorities. Read the full story in the Times Union.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Apr.11 (6:01). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media 102nd Assembly District candidate, Republican Chris Tague opened a campaign headquarters 414 Main Street in Catskill April 9. Tague is facing off against Greene County Legislator, Democrat Aidan O'Connor Jr. in the special election scheduled for April 24. Tague has served as the Schoharie Town Supervisor since 2015 and is currently employed as the general manager of Cobleskill Stone Products. Tague's supporters said at the opening the special election is "about fighting back against the momentum Democrats generated in similar elections in recent months," according to Moody. The last thing Albany needs is another liberal Democrat, Greene County Republican Committee Chairman Brent Bogardus said. Tague has identified state spending, high taxes, and the opioid epidemic as the key issues facing the district. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Larry Rulison and Eric Anderson are reporting for the Times Union Amtrak April 10, confirmed that trains from the Capital Region would be re-routed to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan while a bridge, tracks and a tunnel into Penn Station are repaired this summer. The re-routing will begin May 26 and is expected to continue until September 4. Empire Service trains, plus the Ethan Allen Express serving Rutland, the Adirondack serving Montreal, and the Maple Leaf serving Toronto, all will be re-routed to Grand Central. The Lake Shore Limited will only operate between Boston and Chicago, so New York City and Hudson Valley travelers will have to get that train in Rensselaer instead using Empire Service trains. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Debby Mayer is reporting for The Columbia Paper voters in the Germantown school district will be asked to weigh in on a Capital Reserve Fund Proposition when they go to the polls in May. The measure was approved by the Board of Education last month. The proposition seeks voter approval for the creation of a capital reserve fund of $3 million for a maximum term of 10 years. The reserve would be used for the construction and reconstruction of district buildings and facilities. “When you create a reserve, it needs a maximum amount,” Superintendent Brown said. “That’s the rule.” The new capital reserve would be used for a future capital project, not the current one, Brown said. The district's current capital project is pending review by the State Education Department. The board will hold a public hearing on its 2018-19 spending plan Wed., May 2. The annual budget vote and school board election will be held noon to 9 p.m., Tue., May 15 at the school. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Hop-O-Nose Apartments in Catskill and Bliss Towers in Hudson are going smoke-free. The advocacy and education group Tobacco-Free Action of Columbia & Greene Counties will be working with authorities to implement the change at both federally funded public housing facilities by June 1. Tobacco-Free Action Community Engagement Coordinator Lisa Heintz said the Hop-O-Nose Apartments will implement the changes by the federally imposed June 1 deadline, while the changes at Bliss Towers will be completed a month earlier. Low-income housing residents have fewer choices as to where they can live and it’s crucial for them to be healthy, Heintz said. When residents smoke in their apartments, the smoke seeps through walls and permeates the entire building. Tenant meetings will be held at both locations in the coming weeks, and programs on smoking cessation and a presentation about nicotine replacement therapy will be offered to residents, Heintz said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Times Union is reporting a new study ranks New York first in the nation in terms of gender pay equality, at the same time women in the state still face an 11 percent pay gap. According to an analysis released April 10, by the American Association of University Women, women in New York make 89 cents for every dollar a man earns. Nationally, women make 80 cents for every dollar a man is paid, a gap that has decreased by 7 cents over the past 20 years. The group hopes to eliminate the wage gap by 2030, CEO Kim Churches said in a statement. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Increasing clouds. High near 47. Wednesday night, a slight chance of rain showers before 1 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., then a slight chance of snow showers after 5 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 33.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
THURSDAY: Showers likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Increasing cloudy. High near 52. Thursday night, a chance of showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 45.
FRIDAY: A slight chance of showers after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy .High near 64. Friday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 47.

Sunrise today: 6:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:32 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 13:13 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS and POLITICAL EVENTS for Wed., Apr. 11:
Please see the WGXC Community Calendar.

NBC News reports that four U.S. government sources tell them that Russians are jamming American radio-controlled military drones in Syria. "GPS receivers in most drones can be fairly easily jammed," said Dr. Todd Humphreys, the director of the Radionavigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. "It's like shooting at them with radio waves instead of bullets." Blocking or scrambling a drone's reception of a signal from a Global Positioning System satellite could cause them to malfunction or crash. "At the very least it could cause some serious confusion" for the drone operator who might read an incorrect position and get lost. Humphreys says the Russian military began jamming drones in eastern Ukraine four years ago, during the invasion of Crimea. U.S. military officials are mum about what the Russian signal-blocking is doing to the smaller surveillance drones. "The U.S. military maintains sufficient countermeasures and protections to ensure the safety of our manned and unmanned aircraft, our forces and the missions they support," said Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Tues., April 10 (4:30). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)

Registered to vote? Because there are a lot of chances to cast ballots this year. The first is the special election for Assembly Districts 102 and 107 on April 24. The mail-in registration deadline for this election has passed, but the in-person registration deadline is Sat., April 14. The Columbia County Board of Elections is extending its hours for the next two weeks for absentee voters. They'll be open on 4-7 p.m. April 12, 9 a.m. to noon April 14, 4-7 p.m. April 19, 9 a.m. to noon April 21, and 4-5 p.m. April 23. Then there are school budget elections May 15, and Congressional primary elections on June 26. There's a bit of a break for summer before the state primary election on Sept. 13, and then the general election Nov. 6. The Greene County Board of Elections is looking for paid poll workers for some of these elections. Contact the BOE at 411 Main St, Suite 437 in Catskill or call 518-719-3550 or email elections@discovergreene.com for more information.

Jimmy Vielkind reports at Politico that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign for re-election does not seem ready despite several opponents on his left and his right. Vielkind reports Cuomo's "political apparatus seems largely dormant" with a primary election against actor Cynthia Nixon in September, and the general election in November. Cuomo has no separate campaign office or spokesperson yet, and his campaign website has not been updated much. “The governor’s number one priority is taking back the U.S. House and state Senate and defeating Trump Republicans like Marc Molinaro and [state Sen.] John DeFrancisco,” Sarah Paden, a senior adviser to Cuomo 2018, said. “Staffing announcements will be made at the appropriate time.” Cuomo does have more than $30 million in his campaign accounts. Read the full story at Politico.

Debby Mayer reports in The Columbia Paper that three candidates might be running for two seats on the Germantown school board in May 15 elections. Donald Coons, the board's vice president, just completed a four-year term and says he will run again. George Sharpe Sr. won't though. “Two nights per month at GCS plus one night each month on the Germantown Planning Board is taking a toll on me.” Sharpe wrote in an email. "The GCS Clipper Ship is sailing in the right direction!” Heather Schultz and Andrew Soltano have picked up petitions from the town clerk to run. All three candidates need at least 25 signatures by Mon., April 16 to get on the ballot. The board voted for a Capital Reserve Fund Proposition at its March 28 meeting, which voters next month must now also approve. It asks for a maximum of $3 million for a maximum term of 10 years, “to be designated as the ‘Renovation, Reconstruction and Improvement of District Buildings and Facilities Reserve Fund.” On April 18 the board should vote on its the budget, which also must be approved by voters at the May 15 election. The Germantown school district's budget hearing is May 2. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Rachel Silberstein reports at Capitol Confidential that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on April 6 criticized the state board of elections decision to curb the independence of the board’s chief enforcement counsel, Risa Sugarman. “It is deeply disturbing that the Board of Elections would consider gutting one of the few tools that exist to root out public corruption in New York—or sideline a dedicated professional like Risa Sugarman who is committed to upholding the rule of law,” said Schneiderman. “Any weakening of the Enforcement Counsel’s authority or independence would only encourage more corruption across New York State. The Board of Elections should reject any proposal that does so, without delay.” Sugarman must now get board approval for subpoenas, and since the board’s four commissioners are politically appointed, this could create, rather than reduce, corruption, Schneiderman says. Targets of subpoenas can also now ask the two Democrats and two Republicans on the board to quash subpoenas. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Tue, Apr.11 (6:01). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

The Daily Freeman is reporting more than 400 people attended a funeral Mass April 9, for the five members of the Mammano family who died in a house fire last week in East Durham. The bodies of Nicholas and Mary Mammano, both 68, Sophia Mammano, 7, Jayden Caffrey, 8, and Jonathen Mammano, 10, were taken in a procession from Millspaugh Camerato Funeral Home in Catskill to Our Lady of Knock Shrine in East Durham, where the service was held. They were later buried during a private ceremony in the town of Catskill cemetery. The fire, reported at 6:37 a.m. on April 2, consumed the two-story, single-family home on state Route 145. The children’s father was the only survivor and was critically injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Catskill school district April 9, put emergency procedures in place after a Snapchat post was discovered threatening violence at a school with the initials C-H-S. Catskill High School was placed on lockdown and all outdoor activities and classes were canceled for the day, and the district worked with Catskill police to investigate the claim. The threat was later found to have been directed at Clovis High School, located in Clovis, New Mexico. “It has nothing to do with Catskill,” Superintendent Ronel Cook said. “It’s a precautionary procedure.” The confusion came from the shared initials, C-H-S, which many took to mean Catskill High School, Cook said. Other school districts with the C-H-S initials may also have been made aware of the potential threat. “The information was probably being forwarded to them, as well,” Cook said. The superintendent thanked the students for their diligence in providing the information and keeping the school safe. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Carly Miller is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Cypress Creek Renewables was back before the Cairo Planning Board April 5, presenting its initial proposal to build a 10-acre solar farm at 740-770 Main Street, that would power between 300 and 500 homes. The company has multiple applications pending review throughout Greene County, including four in Greenville, as well as Freehold and Coxsackie. The details of the Cairo proposal were based on a prototype, but Cypress Creek’s projects typically include 8,000 to 9,000 enclosed panels and a perimeter fence for safety. The Main Street lot is 87.8 acres with 10.5 acres of panel coverage, but those numbers may change slightly as the project progresses, Cypress Creek zoning manager John Reagan said. The company signed four leases on potential projects in Cairo, but three of those fell through, Reagan said. The board was concerned about the company's failure to include a plan to provide their own emergency response team in the event of an emergency. For the next round of the application review, the board asked Cypress Creek to produce a landscaping plan, a permission letter from the property owner, a decommissioning plan and a $70 public hearing fee. The company is also working with the town on a Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Bill Mahoney and Jimmy Vielkind are reporting for Politico New York former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has created a committee that will allow her raise money for an unspecified state-level campaign. The committee, “Miner for NY,” was registered with the state Board of Elections April 9. Miner served as Syracuse's mayor from 2010 through 2017. Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed her co-chair of the state Democratic Committee in 2012, but she stepped down after publicly feuding with him on a variety of issues. Miner has been mulling over the possibility of challenging Cuomo in a primary this year. She said last month that Cynthia Nixon’s decision to enter the mix would not influence her thinking. Miner said this week she is still “seriously considering” a run. Asked if she would be Nixon’s running mate, Miner replied, “I don’t have any comment on that.” Read the full story at Politico New York.