Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics the the state's Department of Labor reported on May 18 that the unemployment rate declined from March to April from 4.1 percent to 4 percent, with the number of unemployed people falling from 391,600 in March to 385,000 in April. The private sector lost 25,000 jobs in April, but the public sector did better. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.

Today's audio daily news update.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that Melissa Barrow is no longer superintendent of the Catskill schools. But it is unclear when she left, and why she left. At the May 17 Catskill school meeting, the Board of Education approved a “settlement and separation agreement” with Barrow who “resigned” from the position for “personal reasons,” according to a statement from the district that did not elaborate on the timing or the reason. The board appointed Dr. Dan Wilson, Catskill’s assistant superintendent for pupil personnel, as interim superintendent of schools for the remainder of the school year. Barrow only spent a few months on the job, as she was Barrow was appointed on Jan. 11 at an annual salary of $171,000 effective Feb. 12, 2023. The terms of the “settlement and separation agreement” were not made public. Wilson was previously interim superintendent from January 1 to Feb. 12 this year. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that schools in Catskill, Chatham, Hudson, and Kinderhook will add full-day pre-kindergarten in the 2023-2024 school year, state Sen. Michelle Hinchey announced on May 15. Catskill Central Schools will receive $466,349 in Universal Pre-K funding for 20 new Pre-K seats; Chatham gets $226,800 for 22 new Pre-K seats; Hudson receives $538,441 for 20 new Pre-K seats; and Kinderhook gets $541,192 for 41 new Pre-K seats. Hinchey said, “This is a huge win for our students, teachers and taxpayers — it means more money for Hudson Valley classrooms, which helps our kids build the foundational skills they need to succeed throughout their lives while helping districts keep a lid on local school property taxes. Every student in New York deserves a good public education, like the one I had in the Ulster County public school system, and I’ll always stand with parents and teachers in championing transformative investments in our public schools.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that Anthony J. Annucci, the acting New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner, will retire effective Aug. 11 after 38 years with the department. He said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to oversee the department for the last 10 years.... Every day throughout my 38-plus years in the agency, I have learned something new and have developed nothing but the utmost respect and appreciation for this department and its incredible workforce.” DOCCS Executive Deputy Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III will take over operational oversight of the agency after Annucci leaves. Gov. Kathy Hochul will nominate Annucci's successor, with state senators voting to reject or appoint her nominee. Read more about this story in New York State of Politics.

Emily Jacobs writes in the Washington Examiner that Alison Esposito, a Republican who ran for lieutenant governor last year, might mount an election campaign for the 18th Congressional District seat now held by Democrat Pat Ryan. Esposito was Rep. Lee Zeldin's running mate in 2024, but failed to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul or Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Ryan beat Assemblyperson Colin Schmitt by a single percentage in 2022 in the 18th Congressional District. A Republican source told the newspaper that, "Alison Esposito is exploring the different ways she can serve New Yorkers. Running for Congress, among other offices, is definitely on that list." Read the full story in the Washington Examiner.

Today's daily news audio update.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports in the Times Union that residents the village of Kinderhook were warned by police to lock their houses and cars on May 16 as a search for a man involved in an unspecified alleged criminal incident took place. Sheriff Don Krapf said State Police continued the search May 17 with officers and a drone. Krapf said that the alleged criminal incident took place outside the county but the suspect ended up in Columbia County. Village of Kinderhook Mayor Mike Abrams said the suspect was wanted for drug-related offenses in Rensselaer County. Abrams said the State Police told him the suspect is a 26-year-old Black man who is 6 feet, 1 inches tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. The State Police and East Greenbush Police Department did not respond to the newspaper with comments. Anyone with any information is encouraged to call 911 or the State Police at 518-851-3111. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Nancy Kern reports in Columbia-Greene Media that some Greene County lawmakers say they intend to declare a state of emergency because Republican governors in Florida and Texas, and the Democrat mayor of New York City, are busing migrants around the country and some might end up in their county. On May 15, Catskill legislator Michael Bulich said at the Government Operations Committee meeting, “We are not to expend any county funds for illegal immigrants brought to this county by New York City or any other county or municipality.” Greene County currently does not have enough housing for its own homeless populations, and not enough affordable housing. County officials have not taken any recent efforts to build any affordable housing. Gov. Kathy Hochul and many Hudson Valley elected officials have identified an affordable housing crisis in the state. Read more about this story in HudsonValley360.com.

Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that a report released this week by the Dutchess County Comptroller’s Office said that a government lease of a luxury vehicle by former Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro gave the “appearance of circumventing normal legislative approval (as required by a purchase) and public transparency.” Dutchess County Comptroller Robin Lois, a Democrat, wrote the report, and focused on an inventory of county vehicles between 2018 and 2023. A summary in the report said, “This report also addresses the 2021 lease of a $75,876 Chevy Tahoe by the County Executive and identifies the execution of said lease, after a 2020 purchase denial, as giving the appearance of circumventing normal legislative approval (as required by a purchase) and public transparency.... Leasing decisions should be held to the same standards as any purchase in the procurement policy by, ‘assuring the prudent and economical use of public monies in the best interest of taxpayers of Dutchess County,’ and to, ‘guard against extravagance.’ It is evident that the lease in question was not held to the same standard expected of all departments.” Molinaro did not comment on the report, but his advisor Dave Catalfamo did, avoiding mentioning anything specific in the report, saying, “Marc Molinaro’s fiscal stewardship as County Executive is indisputable.... He cut taxes, improved the county’s bond rating, and left his successor with significant reserves. This audit has been extensively reported on and thoroughly explained well before its release.” The report showed how previously county executive vehicles were purchased through bonding and budget requests that go through the Legislature for approval, while Molinaro circumvented that process. Democrat Josh Riley, who lost to Molinaro in 2022 and has announced another campaign for the 19th Congressional District in 2024, said, “It’s ironic that Marc Molinaro is lecturing voters about ‘reckless spending’ even as an independent audit concludes that he wasted taxpayers’ hard-earned money on a luxury vehicle for himself.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Tyler A. McNeil reports for the Daily Gazette that Republican Liz Joy will not run for a third time against Democrat Paul Tonko for the 20th Congressional District. Joy is a right-wing Republican who lost in 2020 and 2022 to Tonko by a wide margin in the Capital Region district. Joy attended Trump's rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, though did not enter the House of Representatives during the attempted coup. Now Joy said on social media that she plans on turning her attention to advocate for state-level “election integrity," saying, "Together, we were able to bring serious national attention to the NY Capital Region 20th Congressional District, something that had never been done before. It is a direct result of citizen grass-roots support, our strong common sense message, and daily interacting with the people that live here and work here.” Albany County Republican Chair Randy Bashwinger said he was surprised that Joy won't run again, saying, “I’m sure we’ll find somebody, but it’s going to be tough to find anybody as strong as she was.” Joy lost to Tonko by about a 55-45 percent margin in 2022. Even though she was beaten by about 30,000 votes, Joy’s attorney requested an audit of the election, which the state denied. Joy claimed the state voter rolls have never been “formally audited.” But New York State Board of Elections spokesperson Jennifer Wilson said in an email that Joy is “factually incorrect” on the auditing process. Republican Elise Stefanik, who represents the 21st District, called Joy a “dear friend” and “inspiring patriot" and said, "I look forward to continuing to work with Liz Joy as she begins her next chapter to restore election integrity and to secure our elections in New York." Read more about this story in the Daily Gazette.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Chatham's Park and Recreation Committee is proposing a special-use-permit policy regulating alcohol sales at events on town-owned properties. Drinking, smoking, and drug use are typically prohibited in the park. Currently, though, there is a policy for alcohol sales at the park, with an application due 45 days before the event going to the town board. Applicants need to get liability insurance naming the town as additionally insured, and list the name of a vendor with a New York State liquor license and the required permit for the sales. Then they must leave a $1,000 security deposit and pay a $250 fee and provide a map of the designated area where alcohol would be served. The committee wants the town to be able to discriminate between types of applications The committee wrote to the town that they believe "consideration should be given to the makeup of the attendance at the event," as they are concerned about youth who use the park being exposed to alcohol sales. Chatham Town Recreation Director Michael West said that excessive alcohol use isn’t a problem at the park currently. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's audio daily news update.

Andrea Macko reports for Porcupine Soup that all school budgets in Greene County were approved by voters at the May 16 elections. Also all town library and bus-purchasing propositions passed. In the Cairo-Durham school board election, incumbent Stephen Brandow finished first with 298 votes, incumbent Bernadette Gavin-Palmieri was second with 231 votes, and Nicole Plank took the third seat with 223 votes. Incumbent Claudia Zucker finished just two votes out of the running with 221 and Aniston Keff received 134 votes. In Catskill, incumbent Deborah Johnson received 406 votes, incumbent Ryan Osswald got 247 votes, and Joseph Izzo won 242 votes. Lee Heim with 235 votes, Henry Haye with 226, and Allan Couser with 27 votes finished out of the running. In the Coxsackie-Athens district incumbent Jamie Dorr received the most votes with 475, and incumbents Tara Bachner and Ina Griffin-Guilzon also were reelected with 459 and 455 votes respectively. Sam Anderson also got 355 votes, too few to win a seat. In Greenville, Kelly Hubicki and incumbent Eric Herbstritt won, with 749 and 621 votes, with Robert Pondiscio's 388 votes not enough to win a seat. In Hunter-Tannersville, Courtney Brady won the five-year term with 257 votes and Sarah Pellizzari took the two-year term with 254 votes. Windham-Ashland-Jewett did not report vote totals, but said Heidi Schwarz was elected over Salvatore Sciangula. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Raymond Pignone reports in Columbia-Greene Media the results of the Columbia County school elections May 16, where all budgets and propositions passed. In the Germantown vote for school board members, David Rifenburgh got 211 votes and Teresa Repko received 167 to win seats, with Cheryl Del Pozzo Kaszluga finishing third with 71 votes. In Hudson, Kjirsten Gustavson received 266 votes and Calvin Lewis got 251 for two seats, with 44 other write-in votes. In New Lebanon, officials did not release vote totals, but claimed Sharon Powers and Kyle Kuffel won three-year terms, while Thom Rigg got a two-year term. In Taconic Hills voting, Richard Viebrock, with 378 votes, and Ronald Morales, with 329 votes, won five-year terms, while Margaret Hallisey received 290 votes for a three-year term, and Joshua Loeffler lost with 136 votes. In Chatham, Dawn Friedman, with 357 votes, Marianne Pierro, with 352 votes, and Matthew Fisch, with 332 votes, all won three-year terms. At Ichabod Crane schools, three seats went to Kelly Firmbach, with 752 votes, Megan Pelizza with 567 votes, and Christopher Scoville with 537, while Melissa Miller, with 524 votes, and John Chandler, with 503 votes, finished behind. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Mid-Hudson News reports that the Ulster County Legislature on May 16 voted to spend $357,000 to purchase a military-grade vehicle for the sheriff’s office. Legislatores voting to buy the Bearcat G3 armored vehicle cited the fact that there have been 225 mass shootings around the country in 136 days this year. Legislature Chairwoman Tracey Bartels said, “I cannot in good conscience put our officers in harm’s way sending them to face weapons of war created for the sole purpose of killing human beings without the proper tools.... Gun violence is not inevitable, but it is the status quo. We prepare our children by providing armed officers and having them practice active shooter drills. We hope that they will come home safely.” Ulster lawmakers also voted to spend more money to put deputy sheriffs in both the Rondout Valley and Onteora school districts. Read the full story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

The Times Union has stories of fire and ice locally. H. Rose Schneider reports that the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch through May 18. They warn that the below freezing temperatures could kill plants and freeze outdoor pipes. While overnight lows are normally around 50 degrees this time of year, a high-pressure system from Canada is bringing cold, dry air that could drop below 32 degrees at night, especially at higher elevations. Mike Goodwin reports that there is also a high risk for wildfires across much of New York, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. A DEC alert published May 16 said, “High-intensity burning may develop on slopes or in concentrations of fine fuels. Fires may become serious and their control difficult unless they are attacked successfully while small.” Read more about both of these stories in the Times Union.

Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that there are three bills in Albany now that legislators say will improve accountability and treatment of people held in state and local correctional sites in New York. One bill would give would give county officials unrestricted access to local jails for oversight. There are other proposals to increase the number of people on the State Commission of Correction, and to make all jails and prisions subject to the state Human Rights Law. Those two bills are currently in Senate and Assembly committees. State Senator Robert Jackson is sponsoring the bill to allow county officials access to jails, and he said, "There's certain standards of operation and all of the standards should be one of transparency and accountability for staffing and whether or not the detainees and people incarcerated are being treated in an appropriate manner." Currently state elected officials have access to New York prisons. "If these local officials, local, correctional and local jail administrators have nothing to hide, there's no reason why they should object to access by government officials," said Assembly sponsor David Weprin. But some Republicans are arguing against the measure, such as Albany County Legislator Mark Grimm, who said, "I want things to be fair in the jail.... But that's why we have elections for sheriffs every four years." Legislators have three weeks to get these proposals to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for her signature. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.