The Daily Freeman is reporting voters Tue., Nov. 7, will elect a new state Supreme Court justice in the third judicial district. Julian Schreibman and Peter Crummey are facing off to serve that district, which includes Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Albany counties. Schreibman, 44, is an Ulster Park resident who received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1997. He is a partner in the law firm of Wachtel Missry. A Democrat, Schreibman has also been endorsed by the Working Families Party. Crummey, 61, is an Albany resident and a graduate of Albany Law School. He has been Colonie Town Justice for 18 years and is a private practice attorney. Crummey has also served as acting city court judge for Albany, Cohoes, Hudson and Troy. A Republican, he is also running on the Conservative, Independence and Reform lines. State Supreme Court justices are elected to 14-year terms and are paid an annual salary of $193,000. Supreme Court judges must retire at age 70. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a fire damaged the Canaan Congregational Church early Mon., Nov. 6, bringing firefighters to the scene from both New York and Massachusetts. The fire broke out around 5:30 a.m. at the church, located at the intersection of state Route 295 and county Route 5, and caused the road to be closed for a period of time. Firefighters from Red Rock, Trivillage Fire Company Chatham Center, Canaan Fire District, Lebanon Valley, Chatham, Richmond, North Chatham, and East Chatham responded to the scene Monday morning. Read the developing story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Election Day is Tue., Nov. 7. The Daily Freeman has a rundown of how various services and offices will be affected.

Amtrak: Regular schedule
Banks: Open
County offices: Closed
Federal offices: Open
Financial markets: Open
Greene County Transit: Regular schedule
Mail: Regular delivery
Metro-North: Regular schedule
Schools: Open
State offices: Open
Trailways: Call (800) 858-8555

Simone Pathé is reporting for Roll Call U.S. Rep. John Faso has been named to the paper's list of the 10 most vulnerable House incumbents in 2018. The list of those most unlikely to return to Congress in 2019 includes eight Republicans and two Democrats. GOP strategists admit that if they can’t pass a tax overhaul, more Republicans will be in trouble because the party risks lower turnout from a disappointed base. Faso is number three on the list. Pathé writes that the Kinderhook Republican might not look vulnerable given that the 19th Congressional District went for Donald Trump by seven points last year, but Democrats are motivated and poised to field a candidate with local roots. The paper declares that Pat Ryan and Antonio Delgado are the top candidates in the field, noting that both outraised Faso during the third fundraising quarter this year. Other vulnerable House members include Darrell Issa [EYE-sah], Republican of California, Claudia Tenney, the Republican representing New York's 22nd Congressional District and Tom O'Halleran, Democrat of Arizona. Read the full story in Roll Call.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Nov. 6 (7:55). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news from Fri., Nov. 3, through Sun., Nov. 5:

Lauren Stanforth reported in the Times Union the planned detonation and demolition of a large smoke stack at the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena Sun., Nov. 5, sent a booming sound through neighborhoods as far away as 12 miles north in Slingerlands at around 8:15 a.m. The booming sound came from what Coeymans Supervisor Philip Crandall called the "controlled drop" of a very high smoke stack that has been a fixture in the landscape for decades. Explosives were placed at the bottom, which sent the smoke stack in its entirety crashing to the ground in a grassy area of the plant off Route 9W. The removal is part of $300 million in upgrades the plant has done to reduce emissions.

Bill Williams reported for WCTW-FM, the CAT, five fire companies were on the scene of a structure fire in Chatham Fri., Nov. 3. The call was received at approximately 10 a.m. reporting an electrical fire at Sundog Solar, located on Route 295. Volunteers from Chatham, Ghent, East Chatham, Valatie and Niverville responded. There were no reported injuries.

Patricia Doxsey reported in the Daily Freeman New York voters will consider three propositions on the back of the ballot when they go to the polls on Tue., Nov. 7. One referendum asks voters if the state should create a 250-acre “health and safety land account” in the Catskills and Adirondacks. Voter approval of the Forest Preserve Land Bank Amendment would allow the state to create a 250-acre forest preserve land bank that could be used by municipalities in the “forever wild” preserves of the Catskills and Adirondacks for small public health-related projects, like straightening a dangerous road or digging a drinking well. A second referendum asks if the state should strip the pensions of elected officials convicted of felonies. Voter approval of the public officer pension proposition would amend the state Constitution to allow judges to revoke the state pension of any public officer who is convicted of a felony related to his or her officials duties. The third, and most controversial, asks if the state should hold a constitutional convention. This Constitutional Convention measure is mandated by a provision in the state Constitution that requires voters be asked every 20 years if they want to revise the document. The last time a New York constitutional convention was held was 1967. Ultimately, voters rejected the constitutional amendments recommended by the convention.

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential former New York State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills, has died, according to the state Education Department. Mills served as commissioner from 1995 through 2009. He was responsible for many changes during his tenure and had a tremendous impact on public schools statewide. Mills led the push to make the Regents exams the closest thing to a universal high school exit exam the state had seen. He was also commissioner as the charter school movement got under way in New York. Locally, in 2005, Mills personally ordered a thorough evaluation of the Hudson City School District be conducted by an outside review team in response to the district's over-classification of black students as students with disabilities, its poor academic performance and the district's consistently high suspension rate. After he stepped down Mills kept a low profile and details surrounding his passing last week were not immediately known.

Mid-Hudson News Network and the Daily Freeman reported Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro Fri., Nov. 3, signed into law a ban on the use of polystyrene foam containers at chain food-service businesses countywide. He signed the law surrounded by fourth-graders at Joseph D’Aquanni West Road Intermediate School in Pleasant Valley. The same students who wrote to him in June, when they were in third grade, to express displeasure about foam cups and their impact on the ecosystem. Polystyrene foam, or Styrofoam, is classified as a likely carcinogen in humans. It does not biodegrade and is considered a major component of plastic debris in oceans and the waste stream. The Dutchess ban was approved 23 to 1 in October by the county Legislature. The law takes effect immediately, but will not be enforced until Jan. 1, 2019.

Claire Gilbert reported in The Columbia Paper the Ghent Town Board last month adopted Local Law 2, which amends the town’s zoning laws to include time limits for special use permits. Passage of the law means the town has set parameters on the amount of time an applicant has to begin or finish construction of a building; it also covers the timing for when an applicant applies for a special building permit. If construction has not begun within 180 days of receiving a permit, that permit will have to be renewed.

Richard Moody reported for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County honored retired Staff sergeant Robert Stefanko as Veteran of the Year at the county’s annual ceremony held outside the county courthouse in Catskill, Sat., Nov. 4. Stefanko was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1967, as he was finishing his studies at SUNY Farmingdale State College. Stefanko was deployed to Vietnam in March 1968 with the 31st Infantry Regiment, and became part of the Ninth Infantry Division. During his tour of duty he earned the Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He eventually returned to New York and moved to Windham where he ran Skyland Automotive until his retirement in 2013. “Mr. Stefanko is a proxy for all the other veterans who have fought and died for this country,” U.S. Rep. John Faso said Saturday. “God bless all the veterans and God bless America.” State Sen. George Amedore said, “Veterans are the most important members of our community."

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: Showers and thunderstorms likely, then occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11 a.m. High near 63. Monday night, a chance of showers, mainly before 7 p.m. Patly cloudy. Low around 34.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
TUESDAY (Election Day): Partly sunny. High near 44. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 31.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 47. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 32.

Sunrise today: 6:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:42 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:06 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS and POLITICAL EVENTS for Mon., Nov. 6:
Please see the WGXC Community Calendar.

Jon Brodkin reports in Ars Technica that anyone who hopes the Federal Communications Commission will leave the net neutrality rules are probably not going to be happy with the FCC's Dec. 14 vote. Last week, Comcast officials met with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's staff to prevent states from issuing their own net neutrality rules. Net Neutrality is the basic principle that prohibits internet service providers from speeding up, slowing down, or blocking any content, applications, or websites. It is supposed to give customers an even playing field, instead of having to pay more for services such as streaming audio. But while Pai is doing everything he can to eliminate those rules at the federal level, his Chief of Staff Matthew Berry and Senior Counsel Nicholas Degani met with Comcast Senior VP Frank Buono and a Comcast attorney last week to make sure states cannot make their own net neutrality rules. An ex parte filing about the meeting says the Comcast officials, "also emphasized that the Commission's order in this proceeding should include a clear, affirmative ruling that expressly confirms the primacy of federal law with respect to BIAS [Broadband Internet Access Service] as an interstate information service, and that preempts state and local efforts to regulate BIAS either directly or indirectly." Comcast is telling the public it supports net neutrality, but wants the FCC to do it in the way they tried in 2010. Those rules were thrown out by a court. So Comcast is saying one thing, but asking for another. Expect your internet service to become more costly and slower after the Dec. 14 vote.

SpaceWeather.com reports that on Nov. 6, the Earth crosses a part of interplanetary space separating regions of opposite magnetic polarity. This "solar sector boundary crossing" could trigger geomagnetic activity around Earth's poles. This could mean bright northern lights, visible farther south than normal if skies are clear. Then, the next day, a high-speed solar wind stream will blow across the planet. "NOAA forecasters say there is a 45 percent chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms on Nov. 7 [and Nov. 8] when the emerging wind reaches Earth. That means faint auroras, or northern lights, may be seen in the northernmost United States.

"A Brief History of Hudson's Experience with Urban Renewal" by Peter Cipkowski, November 02, 2017. Videography: Udell Communications

Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressperson for the WGXC listening area. Faso returned to Washington D.C. this week where Fivethirtyeight.com currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 88.2 percent of his votes. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (6:02).

• Mathew Hamilton is reporting in the Times Union on the trend among second-home owning Democrats whose main base of operations may be elsewhere to register and vote upstate. It is still unclear how the trend will impact registrations in the 19th Congressional District. NY 19 Votes, an activist group, started a website in July called Smart Vote NY to help drive registration of those with a second address upstate. The group will send pre-stamped voter registration forms to those who use the website to help ease the transition, NY 19 Votes Campaign Director Dustin Reidy said. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Chris Martin said of the effort, "These shady political tactics epitomize the desperation of a divided and leaderless Democratic Party." The GOP has used the carpetbagger claim in past election cycles, including the contest between Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout and Kinderhook native John Faso. Many of the candidates lining up to unseat Faso in 2018, have already made a point of stressing their roots in the region, even as some have lived elsewhere in the recent past. Asked about downstate voters registering here, Gareth Rhodes of Ulster County said the race will be decided by the residents of the district "...who have been betrayed by Faso's votes to take away...health care and [to] pollute our environment." A spokeswoman for Dutchess County resident Antonio Delgado said, "Antonio supports people registering and voting wherever they’re eligible to do so.” Brian Flynn of Greene County similarly said, “People should decide for themselves where it’s appropriate for them to register to vote.” Jeff Beals of Greene County and Pat Ryan of Ulster County both declined to comment. A representative for Dave Clegg of Ulster County did not respond to a request for comment. Read the full story in the Times Union and at the CapCon Notebook.

• Candace Dunkley reports in Spectrum that Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) had a public event with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Ulster County on Oct. 30. The event, in Espopus, was not listed on his "public schedule" on his website. FBI Albany Division Special Agent in Charge Vadim Thomas discussed "keeping houses of worship safe from terrorist attacks and other acts of violence," according to the report. Thomas discussed both foreign terrorist groups from the Islamic State and domestic white supremacists. Last week a fire destroyed the Taghkanic home that was the target of hate speech vandalism in June. Click here to play a brief recording of Faso speaking with Spectrum Oct. 30 in Ulster County.

• Ariél Zangla reports in The Daily Freeman that U.S. Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) predicts President Donald Trump will not interfere in the ongoing federal investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “I certainly don’t expect interference,” from the White House, Faso said in a phone interview Oct. 31. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation should proceed, and “let the chips fall where they may,” Faso said. On Oct. 30 Mueller indicted Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, and Manafort business partner Rick Gates. The arrest of former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, was also released to the public Oct. 30. Faso said he had not, “seen any indication that would lead me to make [the] conclusion” that the White House would interfere with the investigation, and said Mueller has so far acted with integrity. “I’ve seen nothing to question it,” he said. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

• Barnini Chakraborty reports for Fox News that the Republican tax plan was announced Nov. 2, and it "trims deductions for state and local taxes." The plan limits the deductibility of local property taxes to $10,000 and eliminates the deduction for state income taxes. Some New York House Republicans, such as Lee Zeldin, immediately denounced the plan for raising taxes on New Yorkers. Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) released a long statement Nov. 2 that seemed to support the tax plan, saying it does not give large tax breaks to the rich at the expense of the middle class. But he also said, "I continue to be concerned regarding the impact on New York state due to the elimination of state tax deductibility." Faso voted against the tax plan framework last week, though Democrats in the U.S. House noted he waited until the measure had enough votes to pass before casting his no vote. Read the story at Fox News and Faso's full statement on the WGXC Newsroom.

Rep. John Faso's full statement on the Republican tax plan:

Every worker, family, and small business owner knows our tax code does not work, is too complicated, and forces them to send more of their money to Albany and Washington, D.C. than they should. My goal for tax reform is to get our economy moving again, increase worker paychecks, incentivize small business investment and ensure New York families are better off. The plan released today begins that process by lowering the tax rates and expanding the tax brackets, doubling the standard deduction to $24,000 for married couples, maintaining the ability to deduction charity donations, mortgage interest and a portion of your property taxes. I remain concerned about the elimination of the deduction for state income taxes and will continue to advocate for such a policy and ensure this plan works for New York middle class families.

In the 19th Congressional District, approximately 32% of tax filers itemize deductions, typically for mortgage interest, charitable donations and state and local taxes. With the doubling of the standard deduction for married couples to $24,000, I expect a reduction in the number of taxpayers who chose to itemize deductions if this plan was adopted. In addition, the plan raises the Child Tax Credit from $1000 per child to $1600 per child while also providing a $300 credit for each parent and non-child dependent. These changes will save families money.

I also recognize that there will be attacks that this plan is only to help the “rich” and nothing can be further from the truth. The highest income earners will continue to face the highest taxes and the plan maintains the top tax bracket. Democrat critics need to revise their class warfare playbook as most benefits accrue to middle class taxpayers and small businesses.

Today’s plan also allows American businesses to compete in the global economy on a level playing field by reducing the corporate rate from 35% to 20% to bring the US into range of other industrialized nations that our workers are competing against. The plan would also help US corporations to bring profits home from overseas (repatriation) that will lead to more investment and jobs in the United States. Again, more corporate investment will mean more US jobs and higher paychecks.

Changes of this magnitude will of course be controversial and as I review the details of the legislation and work with my colleagues, I encourage everyone to learn how these changes could impact them and their family specifically and not rely on the rhetoric and attacks they will be hearing from all sides. I am committed to helping New York families and businesses throughout this process and as such I continue to be concerned regarding the impact on New York state due to the elimination of state tax deductibility. Albany’s high taxes already are forcing families and businesses to leave our state and I believe that we cannot accelerate this trend as a result of changes to the federal tax code – we all know two wrongs do not make a right. As I work to lower taxes for middle class families and small businesses at the federal level and allow New Yorkers to compete in the global economy, I would hope Governor Cuomo would look at ways to reform the state’s tax and spending and not just attack the work we are doing to lower taxes for middle class families.

• The National Republican Congressional Committee has been doing opposition research about the Democratic candidates who want to challenge Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), and found many of them were registered to vote out of the district in 2016. In fact, the four Democrats who have raised the most money to challenge Faso did not vote in the 19th Congressional District. "Brian Flynn was living in New York City; Antonio Delgado was living in Montclair, New Jersey; Patrick Ryan was living in New York City; Gareth Rhodes was living in Cambridge, Massachusetts," the NRCC press release reports, with links to their voter registrations. In the last two elections in the district, Democrats have ran candidates Sean Eldridge and Zephyr Teachout who both were labeled "carpetbaggers" for their suspect credentials as residents of the district, and both lost.