Today's daily news audio update.

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

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that as school is about to begin, Catskill Central School District Board of Education President Deborah Johnson resigned with an email to board members on Aug. 31. The board did not release a reason for the resignation. School is not only back in session this week, but Catskill has also had a major shakeup of superintendents this year. Dr. Dan Wilson has been interim superintendent twice, and now is just the superintendent, after the mostly-unexplained resignations of Thomas Bongiovi and Melissa Barrow earlier this year. Johnson's leaving could be more important, as she takes 50 years of experience as a former educator and administrator, who also served for five years as board president. Johnson ran for reelection earlier this year, saying, “I enjoy seeing students succeed and become lifelong learners.... To become lifelong learners, students need to be able to question, make mistakes, try new things, try again, research and know how to find accurate information, develop strategies to handle frustration, and get along well with others." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

The Times Union reports that the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association is working on a proposal for a new section of the trail linking the village of Philmont to the town of Ghent and Chatham village. Phil Meeks, association board chair, said, “We are thrilled to be taking the next step in the expansion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.... This new eight-mile section will dramatically increase the trail’s footprint and bring it to central and northern Columbia County for the first time.” In Chatham, the trail will be near the planned new Shaker Museum. Right now the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is 26 paved miles long from the Metro-North Railroad station in Wassaic to Copake. The plan is for a 46-mile trail from Wassaic to Chatham following the path of the onetime New York and Harlem Railroad. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that after a fire earlier this year, the Dollar General in Cairo will be torn down and completely rebuilt before reopening next year. Store manager Heather Spencer said on Sept. 1 on social media,“We are reopening the Dollar General.... There is no doubt and I have confirmed this high up in the chain of command.... However, the cost to repair the building is too much and we will be forced to tear down and rebuild.” The store moved into the far eastern end of Main St. in 2014 and the 9,300-square-foot building remains standing, but sustained extensive damage in the April 6 fire. No one was injured in the blaze that turned out nine area fire departments. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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.

Joseph Konig reports at New York State of Politics that political strategists believe the Hudson Valley could decide who controls the House of Representatives in 2024 elections. On Aug. 29, Rep. Elise Stefanik said Republicans are committing $100 million to win in the Hudson Valley. Stefanik said, “New York State was THE battleground for House Republicans in 2022.... I am proud to help lead the team effort to protect and expand our House majority again in 2024!” The $100 million will come from the congressional campaigns themselves, the Republican National Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm, and aligned political action committees. Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries already launched a major offensive to retake key districts in New York. Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC, said, “I think part of the reason [the GOP is investing so much money] is because they see the effort that we're putting into it. And they know that these Republicans are extremely vulnerable.” Republican Marc Molinaro's 19th Congressional District will be one of the most important races, as he turned the district red after incumbent Antonio Delgado left to become Lt. Gov. New York Democrats are targeting Molinaro's seat, and those of Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito of Long Island, Rep. George Santos of Long Island and Queens, Rep. Mike Lawler of the northern New York City suburbs, and upstate Rep. Brandon Williams. Republicans are targeting freshman Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan and his 18th Congressional District. It is impossible to predict favorites, as the district lines are still in question, with a case now before the Court of Appeals. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Mid-Hudson News reports that several Republican Congressional representatives from the Hudson Valley sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams opposing using state-owned facilities to house migrants. While Hudson Valley Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik signed the letter, Rep. Marc Molinaro's name was missing. Molinaro recently pushed through a bill banning housing mirgants from being housed in schools. That bill, though, has no chance in the Senate or with President Joe Biden. New York City wants to to use SUNY campuses, vacant prisons, and military bases to house migrants, many being bused to New York by Republican governors in Florida and Texas. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

Today's audio daily news update.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that New York overdose deaths have reached an all-time high, and most of the deaths are related to fentanyl. In 2022 more than 6,300 New Yorkers died by overdose, up from more than 5,800 the year before, according to the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the state Comptroller's Office. Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, "We are at the worst point ever on record in terms of the number of overdose deaths that are happening in New York and the United States.... Our provisional numbers from 2022 show that over 6,300 people overdosed and died, so that's about one person every 90 minutes who's dying of an overdose in New York." Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera said, "Some people still have baked in their brains that addiction is a moral failing, and not the public health crisis that it is, not the disease that it is." New York is getting more than $2 billion in settlement agreements from opioid manufacturers to help slow the death rate. The state is working on harm reduction services and education to end the stigma around addiction and improve available medical treatment. Cunningham said, "We should be talking about addiction like we talk about diabetes or heart disease.... Addiction is a medical problem. It's a medical condition where when people have addiction, their brain gets rewired and it really requires medical treatment and a public health approach. And so I think we just have to keep that in mind." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Mid-Hudson News reports that several Republican Congressional representatives from the Hudson Valley sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams opposing using state-owned facilities to house migrants. While Hudson Valley Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik signed the letter, Rep. Marc Molinaro's name was missing. Molinaro recently pushed through a bill banning housing mirgants from being housed in schools. That bill, though, has no chance in the Senate or with President Joe Biden. New York City wants to to use SUNY campuses, vacant prisons, and military bases to house migrants, many being bused to New York by Republican governors in Florida and Texas. Read more about this story in Mid-Hudson News.

Gio Battaglia reports for News10 that New York State Police are increasing patrols through Monday, September 4, looking for drunk, impaired, and reckless driving over the holiday weekend. There will also be more sobriety checkpoints and undercover police cars on the road this weekend. Experts expect more vehicles on the road this Labor Day than last year. Read more about this story at News10.

Today's daily news audio update.

Rachel Silberstein reports in the Times Union that local elected officials are upset about a survey conducted by a firm hired by St. Peter’s Health Partners to hear about the impact of the proposed closure of their hospital system’s birth center they say was confusingly worded, not widely publicized, and only available for a short time. Closing the Burdett Birthing Center in Troy would leave no birth services in Rensselaer County, while Columbia and Greene counties also lack any birthing centers. Columbia Memorial Health in Hudson gave up hosting birthing mothers in 2019. Assemblymember John T. McDonald and Troy Mayor Patrick Madden want more opportunities for public input on the proposed closure of the Burdett Birthing Center in Troy. Madden said, “During this first-of-its-kind health equity impact assessment, it is important for the state to establish precedent for what constitutes an appropriate standard for robust community engagement.... I am not impressed with the way they have conducted this community survey.” Officials from St. Peter’s say the birthing center has been losing $2.3 million annually, and duplicates services offered at the health system’s nearby Albany location. But while another hospital may be fairly close, anyone taking public transportation from many parts of Rennselaer County have a long trip. McDonald and Madden wrote in a joint letter to state Health Commissioner James V. McDonald, saying, “There must be additional opportunities for the public to provide input on this proposed closure plan, and we urge the Department of Health to engage with us to solicit this community input before the conclusion of the health equity impact assessment.” Read the full story in the Times Union.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that New York's senior Senator Chuck Schumer wants the railroad company CSX to stop the gray liquid leaking from its train bridge over Mansion Street in Coxsackie. At the bridge Aug. 30 with local officials, Schumer called the leak a “long-standing safety concern” and called the unknown substance leaking “potentially dangerous.” Last April, Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans said, “Within a few days of seeing it, I reached out to my contact at CSX, who responded promptly in three emails, over more than a week and half, but never indicated when the issue would be resolved, despite me telling him this needs an immediate response." Eventually a CSX crew looked at the issue, with Schumer saying, “although CSX initially responded by placing plastic culvert pipes cut in half to replace the original 1930s steel drains, the new installation only diverted the water to the sidewalk, leaving it wet and slick and creating yet another safety issue for residents in the village.” Evans says it was not the only issue with the bridge. “About six years ago, a piece of concrete fell off the bridge, and a couple of weeks later they came to check the bridge declaring it safe. Several years ago, a bunch of dirt and gravel came off the embankment in a rainstorm, and it took them a week to clean it up, all the time declaring it was not actually their responsibility,” Evans said. “We will continue to keep the pressure on to get this resolved.” CSX previously reported that the liquid leaking from the bridge was mud. Now CSX spokesman Bryan Tucker said, “CSX teams will return to the bridge to see what else can be done to address the concerns expressed by Senator Schumer." Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Justin Velazquez reports for New York State of Politics that it is now September, and that means cigarettes cost an extra dollar a pack. The additional tax that goes into effect Sept. 1 makes New York one of the most expensive places in the nation to buy cigarettes, with taxes now at $5.35 a pack. The Center for Disease Control says smoking-related illnesses are the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. A World Health Organization study reports a 10 percent increase in tobacco prices leads to about a four percent decrease in consumption in high-income countries. Meghan Hallihan, a public health educator for Tobacco-Free CNY said, “That’s making it harder for kids to be able to afford buying these products, so it's going to make it less likely that they’ll experiment with tobacco products.... If kids don’t start smoking during youth, then hopefully they won’t grow into adults who smoke.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's audio daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that Gov. Kathy Hochul went to the White House Aug. 30 to talk with President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, about the migrants other state's have been busing to New York. Recently, Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and White House officials have pointed at each other, discussing blame for how the issue has been handled. And Hochul said last week, “We cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants,” despite the Statue of Liberty in the New York harbor welcoming migrants to the state and the country. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas suggested three sites in Schenectady County and the remote Massena International Airport in St. Lawrence County, near the Canadian border, as places to house migrants, in an Aug. 27 letter. Rep. Elise Stefanik, did not like that, saying, “Upstate New York and the North Country is not a 'sanctuary city.... We should not have to bear the cost of Joe Biden, Kathy Hochul, and Eric Adams' far left open border policies and the havoc they are causing. … I call on President Biden to end his radical open border policies and secure our northern and southern borders.” In reality, Biden's border policy is not very different from the former Republican president's policy. About Hochul's main request, to let the migrants work, Mayorkas said there are “statutory constraints” that prevent individuals who have applied for asylum to get work authorization in the U.S. any earlier. Mayorkas said, “We are exploring all options available to improve operational efficiency, including through additional staffing and technology improvements to streamline case processing, as well as improved methods of communicating information about the employment authorization process with noncitizens." Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Tim Williams and Marisa Jacques report for New York State of Politics that New York's attorney general announced this week that New York and more than 20 other states reached an updated $12.5 billion settlement with the company 3M for their role contaminating drinking water sources with a “forever chemical” known as PFAS. Rob Hayes, director of clean water for Environmental Advocates NY, said, “so many drinking water sources in New York and across the country are contaminated by these chemicals and are putting New Yorker’s health at risk when they put on the tap.” They are called forever chemicals because they take so long to break down. PFAS can also build up in the body and cause health issues such as cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency issued drinking water standard proposals earlier this year which said there is no safe level of PFAS. The EPA also proposed a cleanup standard of four parts per trillion, which is lower than New York state’s standard of ten parts per trillion. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Larry DiDonato reports for Porcupine Soup that Dutchman’s Landing's boat ramp in Catskill is closing Tuesday, September 5 so it can be replaced. It will be unavailable until the first couple of weeks in November. Local boaters who want to get on the Hudson River will need to use nearby public ramps in Athens, Coxsackie, or Germantown. The Catskill boat launch will be closed for the beginning of duck season in the Southeastern Zone, which opens on October 21 and closes on December 3. Catskill is spending $290,000 in taxpayer money to Flach Industries of Selkirk, to replace the boat launch. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

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

Today's audio daily news update.