Today's audio daily news update.

Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that after 14 years as town supervisor, Paul Macko is not running for reelection this year. Instead, he is running for a town board seat, and Greenville Councilperson John Bensen is running for supervisor. Bensen and Macko were endorsed by the Greenville Republicans on May 9. Republicans also nominated incumbents Clerk and Tax Collector Jessica Lewis and Highway Superintendent Michael Dudley, and Will VonAtzingen for the council. Macko said, “I decided I need to scale back a little bit.... I want to stay on and help John and hopefully when they have the organizational meeting in January I will be the deputy supervisor if they want me to be." Greenville Democrats have not nominated candidates yet. Voting runs from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7 this year. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.

Nancy Kern reports in Columbia-Greene Media that five candidates are competing for three seats on the Cairo-Durham school board in the May 16 election. Aniston Keff, Nicole Plank and incumbents Stephen Brandow, Bernadette Gavin-Palmieri, and Claudia Zucker are all running. Keff graduated from the district two years ago, who said she spoke at a board meeting as a sophomore while the elected officials looked at their phones. Plank has a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University at Albany. Zucker is a local realtor. Gavin-Palmieri owns Gavin’s Irish Country Inn in Durham. Brandow has volunteered for Cairo Little League. They are all running for three-year terms on the board. Voting takes place from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 16 on the high school/middle school campus. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Jammel Cutler reports in Columbia-Greene Media that the Taconic Hills Board of Education is proposing a budget of $38,392,035, a 3.26 percent decrease from last year’s budget. It comes with a 2.29 percent tax levy decrease. The story does not say what is being cut to lower the budget total. Voters are also being asked to decide whether the school purchases two school vehicles for student transportation, one pick-up truck with a plow and sander, and one diesel bus at a maximum cost of $251,000. Another proposition before voters is whether to buy ten zero- emission buses for student transportation at a cost of $4,079,051. New York State is mandating that all new school buses purchased must be zero emission by 2027. Another proposition asks voters if they want to spend $700,000 for electric bus charging including a new electrical transformer, electrical switchgear, panel boards, charging pedestals, transfer switch, wiring, underground trenching concrete and asphalt pavement. Voters cast ballots from noon to 9 p.m. May 16 at the Taconic Hills Central School District Veterans Community Room. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's daily news audio update.

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Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that on May 9 Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency due to “the arrival of increased numbers of migrants seeking shelter” in New York City. The mayor there, Eric Adams, is planning to send asylum seekers to a handful of upstate communities. Hochul's declaration will let state and local officials distribute $1 billion from the recently enacted state budget to help house the migrants. Hochul said it is “already [a] large-scale humanitarian crisis.” A rule enacted by former President Donald Trump to keep migrants out of the country is set to expire soon, leading to many states taking similar actions. Right now New York City is temporarily housing nearly 37,000 migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border, including roughly 1,500 in the past week. Hochul’s declaration said this is “a disaster emergency to which local governments are unable to adequately respond, creating a threat to health and safety, which could result in the loss of life or property.” Most counties in New York already have an affordable housing crisis, so adding new people looking for shelter will just make that worse. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin declared his own state of emergency just before Hochul’s announcement, but instead of providing funds for the crisis, it declares that no hotel or municipality can enter into a contract to house migrants. McLaughlin Tweeted, “Pick a different city picture other than Troy for your illegal invasion advertising.” That prompted a response from the New York City mayor's communications director, Maxwell Young, saying, “Bigotry, idiocy and legal ignorance all in one tweet.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson posted on social media on May 8 that Hudson Police Chief Ed Moore will leave office May 19, with a walking out ceremony at noon. Johnson wrote, "I want to thank him for his service over the past decade. Through periods of turmoil and a global pandemic he’s lead our force. As we look to a new era I’m proud to announce that life-long Hudson resident Lt. Mishanda Franklin will be stepping into the role of chief. I’m proud to announce that the future of the department is in great and capable hands. She will be the city’s first woman of color to accept this position." Franklin's swearing-in ceremony will be at 9 a.m. on May 22.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Austerlitz is celebrating what would have been the world-renowned artist Ellsworth Kelly's 100th birthday this year, with an event at 11 a.m. May 20. The American painter, sculptor, and printmaker was based in Spencertown, and would have turned 100 on May 31, 2023. “Ellsworth Kelly brought his art to the community and his philanthropic endeavors that support students, not just in Austerlitz but the Chatham School District and beyond,” said Karrie Allen Buratto, a marketing and communications specialist at Berkshire United Way, a former writer at Bard College at Simon’s Rock and a former editor of the Chatham Courier. “He was internal to Chatham. His studio was on Main Street in Chatham for a long time. I think it was nice to have such a big artist have a home and work out of a small town in Columbia County.” He was born in Newburgh, and officials are dedicating the Austerlitz town hall to him this month. Austerlitz Town Supervisor Robert Lagonia said, “This dedication shows how much the town and beyond loved Kelly.... His dedication and philanthropic endeavors have been tremendous for the community. I can’t say enough positive things about what the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Jack Shear have done for the community. It’s been incredible. They helped fund broadband for those who need it in the community, and they helped fund a new town park. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for both the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Jack Shear. It’s an amazing thing that they did for us.” To celebrate his centennial, there are also exhibitions and installations of his work at the Art Institute of Chicago, Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Today's audio daily news update.

Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that house inventory is at an all-time low, according to local realtors, and sellers are continuing to get large asking prices. The New York State Association of Realtors reports that home sellers in New York got 98.8 percent of their list prices in the first quarter of 2023. Interest rates have been raised ten times, but that has not seemed to cool the local housing market. Gov. Kathy Hochul, and many Hudson Valley officials, say there is an affordable housing crisis. In Columbia County, home sales increased 13.7 percent in the first quarter of 2022. They fell 2.6 percent in Greene County during the same period. Realtor Claudia Zucker of Living Structures Realty in Cairo said, “We are not seeing prices come down in Columbia or Greene because there is a dearth of listings and a lot of buyers.” Deb Smith of Coldwell Banker Prime Properties in Greenville said, “There is absolutely fewer homes available. I’ve been working with someone relocating from Pennsylvania. We are on our 33rd house. We put in offers on three houses but didn’t get them because of multiple offers.” Across the border in Massachusetts things are no different according to DeWayne A. Powell of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, a leading realtor in the Berkshires. Powell said, “There’s no inventory.... We’ve got plenty of buyers but no houses to sell them.” And there is more bad news. In Columbia County there has been an 850 percent increase in foreclosure filings from the first quarter of 2022 through the first quarter of 2023, according to Arlene Hackel, deputy director of the New York State Unified Court System. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that the U.S. attorney’s office may have other “targets or subjects of the investigation” into election fraud allegations among Republicans in Rensselaer County. The U.S. attorney's office filed for a protective order that would bar the three Rensselaer County government officials indicted last week in the case from disclosing any information they receive through pre-trial discovery in their criminal cases with other potential “targets or subjects of the investigation.” Richard W. Crist, James R. Gordon, and Leslie A. Wallace were indicted in the election fraud case that revolves around filing false absentee ballots. So far, U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, who is assigned the case for trial, has not made a ruling on the Justice Department’s request for a pre-trial discovery protective order. But at the indictment, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter said he was “very concerned about the prospect of witness tampering or coercion,” but rejected the government’s request to not share all information with the defendants. But he warned them that any misconduct could result in a change in their pre-trial release. The trio were indicted for allegedly conspiring to use their official positions to violate the constitutional rights of subordinate county employees to intimidate them into requesting and filing absentee ballots. Crist is the county’s director of operations; Gordon is director of the county’s Bureau of Central Services; and Wallace is an assistant for constituent relations in the office of county Executive Steve McLaughlin. Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Diane Valden reports for the Columbia Paper that a 145-year-old was last seen at the Malden Bridge Community Center on the evening of April 24, and was reported missing the morning of April 25. The bell was originally cast for the Old Chatham Methodist Church in 1878. A flyer being circulated in Columbia County says, “Neighbors, friends, members of the Community Center and members of the church congregations were shocked and heartbroken to see that the Old Chatham bell had been stolen!” Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Mark Dunspaugh said, “It is definitely a possibility,” that the bronze bell made of copper and tin was stolen for its precious metal components. But Dunspaugh said the perpetrators did leave some evidence behind. Lucinda Buckley, president of the Malden Bridge Community Center, said, “It was in the heart of the hamlet for 50 years and all of a sudden it’s gone.... It was a part of our lives, it’s a reminder that things don’t always stay put.” Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Today's daily news audio update.

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

Doug Bierend reports in the Times Union that the schooner Apollonia has moved around 110,000 pounds of cargo and burned fewer than 10 gallons of diesel fuel in three years of sailing on the Hudson River. The 64-foot merchant schooner is the only working sail freighter in the U.S. The boat sails between Troy and Brooklyn, full of grains for breweries, coffee beans for roasters, shiitake-inoculated logs for urban farms, and maple syrup, cider, pumpkins, salt, cider, and other of local goods. Tianna Kennedy, a Delaware County-based farmer who is also an original member of the Apollonia’s crew said, “As a business model, we’re doing remarkably well, almost breaking-even for the cargo and the crew." While others are trying to restore moving goods by sail, they have to overcome neglected port infrastructure, obstacles to funding, problematic regulations, and an aging population who have the relevant skills and knowledge of how sail freight works. “We are really just one or two generations away from people who still know how to do this stuff,” said Andrew Willner, a Kingston-based former shipwright and executive director of the Center for Post Carbon Logistics. So instead, some of the Apollonia crew has no experience, like Brad Vogel, a Brooklyn-based poet. “I came into the role with no logistics training, or really arguably any relevant training whatsoever,” Vogel said. “But I came in with lots of will and enthusiasm and energy and real belief in the cause. It’s been a wild ride, but a very rewarding one to see two full seasons of sail freight happen on the Hudson with Apollonia.” Willner said, “This is the place where the first marine highway existed, and with the addition of the Erie Canal, this became one of the largest inland waterway complexes.... There’s absolutely no reason, with all the improvements we’ve made to both sail quality and the ability to use solar and hydrogen for canal traffic, that we couldn’t replicate that — couldn’t have thousands and thousands of vessels using Hudson, New York Harbor and the coast for transporting goods and people.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Jammel Cutler reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Matthew Fisch, Dawn Friedman, and Marianne Pierro are running for three seats on the Chatham school board. Fisch has been board president since 2021, and is registered independent. Friedman of Ghent has three children in the Chatham schools. And Pierro of Chatham did not respond to questions for the feature about her election. Voters decide on the candidates and the schools budget from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 16 in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School gym. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.

Jeanette Wolfberg reports in the Columbia Paper that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors appointed Kevin Marchetto interim county coroner at its April 12 meeting. Marchetto is running for the position in the fall election. The supervisors also appointed Steve Meehan as deputy Emergency Services coordinator. And the board also reappointed these people to the Columbia Greene Workforce Development Board: Ann Marie O’Hanlon, of Taconic, a business representative; Michael Torchia of Sickler, Torchia, Allen, & Churchill CPAs, business representative; Kristina Vaselewski, of Key Private Bank, a Business Representative; Guy Hughes Jr., representing organized labor; Michele Troy-Ryder, of the Department of Social Services; Ron Valentine, of Questar III; and Chris Nardone, of Columbia-Greene Community College. Read more about this story in the Columbia Paper.

Today's audio daily news update.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Times Union that last year's expansion of New York's so-called "Red Flag" law has caused a major increase in the number of firearms being seized by police from individuals found to be “likely” at risk of harm to themselves or others. Last year Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order issued expanding the 2019 law, and mandated troopers file court applications for “extreme risk protection orders” whenever they encounter a person who is believed to be a danger and in possession of a firearm. So, while in 2020, judges issued just 255 protection orders against people across New York, in the first four months of this year, the number of individuals subjected to emergency or temporary risk protection orders is over 2,120. That has led to many gun seizures too. Beau Duffy, a State Police spokesperson, said, “In some troops storage for seized guns was running short, but we have managed it by reconfiguring storage spaces to accommodate for the increased seizures.” Some attorneys are arguing that the expansion of the Red Flag law is unfair, because the state Mental Health Law requires a physician to determine whether a person presents a “likelihood to result in serious harm,” while the Red Flag Law has that decision made by police officers and prosecutors. Courts will ultimately decide that question. The governor’s executive order came days after a mass shooting in Buffalo last year in which 10 Black people were killed by an 18-year-old white man in what police said was a racially motivated attack. Read more about this story in the Times Union.