Dan Freedman reports in Capitol Confidential that Republicans released their latest bill to cut taxes and healthcare for Americans, and the new bill still included the New York-specific amendment co-authored by Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook). Faso's amendment moves Medicaid costs from New York counties to the state, providing homeowners with an average $500 lower tax bill. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that will force a tax increase to cover the costs. Faso's staff tweeted for him, "Glad to see our amdt to cut property taxes for NYers included in revised #BCRA." New York Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted that the Better Care Reconciliation Act "guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions; kicks millions of Americans off Medicaid; decimates states' ability to combat opioid addiction; and imposes an age tax on older Americans." New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press release, "The token changes to the Senate health care bill are a thinly veiled attempt to disguise the same cruel bill. Far from improving our health care system, the Senate Republican health care bill is still a death trap for New York." Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a press release that, "The cuts to Medicaid in this tweaked version of a disastrous bill are no less outrageous today than they were a couple of weeks ago." Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Matthew Hamilton reports in the Albany Times Union that an appellate court overturned July 13 the conviction of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on corruption charges. Silver was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May 2016, but has remained free on bail. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Joon H. Kim said they will retry the Manhattan Democrat. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals cited a Supreme Court decision in the case of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, which narrowed the definition of bribery. The appellate judges said that instructions given to the jury were erroneous in light of that Supreme Court decision about McDonnell. "We further hold that this error was not harmless because it is not clear beyond a reasonable doubt that a rational jury would have reached the same conclusion if properly instructed, as is required by law for the verdict to stand," the decision read. Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.

Debby Mayer reports in The Columbia Paper that no one spoke June 20 during a public hearing for Germantown's proposed renovation of the town’s wastewater treatment plant, so the Town Board approved a revised resolution for the improvements. The cost of the renovation is still $2.5 million, with only minor legal language being changed. The Germantown board meets next at 7 p.m. Tue., July 18 at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Mid-Hudson News Network reports in The Daily Freeman that the New York Police troops on both sides of the Hudson River have new commanders. Pierce Gallagher has been promoted from captain to major and been appointed commander of Troop F on the west side of the Hudson River including Ulster, Greene, Sullivan, Orange, and Rockland counties. Maj. Robert Gregory will lead Troop K on the east side including Dutchess, Columbia, Putnam, and Westchester counties. Gallagher currently leads the Troop F Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Gregory has led the New York State Intelligence Center and the Special Investigations Unit. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY : Cloudy. High near 70. Additional periods of showers with some thunderstorms are likely into Friday evening. While some locations may experience some brief downpours, overall heavy rain threat looks to be less significant compared to the past few days. Friday night, patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy. Low around 62.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
SATURDAY: A chance of showers, mainly before 10 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 80. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 62.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 82. Sunday night, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy. Low around 63.

Sunrise today: 5:32 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:30 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:57 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the second Friday of the month.

WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission meeting, 10 a.m. at Hudson City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly events:
Citizen Action HV Action Night, 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday at 7 Grand Street, Kingston. Information at hudsonvalley@citizenactionny.org, or facebook.com/HVCitizenActionNY.
New Waltz Climate Action Coalition, 5 p.m., every Thursday at New Paltz Village Hall, 23 Plattekill Ave., New Paltz. Information at (845) 419-3786 or newpaltzclimateaction@gmail.com.
Faso Friday, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Information at erinpersists@gmail.com.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Jul. 13 (9:41). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a proposal to build a brewing facility in Lexington has been met with resistance from town residents. Many of those concerns, about the potential for increased traffic and disruption to the quality of life, were brought to the Lexington Planning Board Tue., Jul. 11. Greenport Beer & Ale Co. founder Ed Raven wants to build a 9,000-square-foot single story barn and brewing facility with an area for dining and an outdoor biergarden on property he owns at 106 Spruceton Road in West Kill. The proposal is still preliminary. “There’s a lot of issues we have to address before we break ground,” Raven said Tuesday. “The emphasis of this location is not to be a big retail outlet.” “He could present us with something half as big or twice as big,” planning board member Jennifer Caewin said. “He’s got freedom and rights to do anything that he wants.” Planning Board Chairman Robert Hermance has asked that all comments on the proposal be submitted to the board in writing. He said the response so far is "getting a little out of hand." Lori Decker-McKusick, who lives across the street from the proposed brewery, said she felt the board made it "very clear" it did not want to hear residents' concerns. Hermance said the planning board will take all written comments into consideration. “I think people were reacting from their heart and their guts and I do the same,” planning board member Beverly Dezan said. “Change has to be really scary for everyone.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Amanda Purcell reports in Columbia-Greene Media that former Hudson alderman Quintin Cross was acquitted of debit card theft in Columbia County Court July 12. Cross, 34, was arrested for stealing the debit card of his girlfriend and withdrawing more than $3,000 from her account, but was found not guilty on all 10 counts. Justin deArmas, the lawyer for Cross, was happy about the verdict. “We think the jury made the correct decision,” DeArmas said. “Mr. Cross has been innocent of these charges. He always has been. This is the result we expected. And we are obviously very happy.” Just after the verdict, Cross was on WGXC. PLAY EXCERPT HERE. Click here to play or download the full interview with Cross. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.

The Daily Freeman is reporting at the urging of U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, the Trump administration has issued a disaster declaration for the 28 New York counties affected by Winter Storm Stella on March 14, that brought more than two feet of snow in some areas. Four local counties, Columbia, Greene, Duchess and Ulster, made the list. The proclamation unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency resources and money to cover the costs of storm-related emergency work, repairs and replacement of damaged facilities. The funding is available on a cost-sharing basis; FEMA generally covers at least 75 percent of the eligible costs for permanent and emergency work, according to a statement released by Schumer and Gillibrand. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Altamont Enterprise reports that the Department of Environmental Conservation is taking public comments about the state’s Solid Waste Management Regulations, commonly known as Part 360, through July 21. All solid waste management facilities in New York State operate under the rules. There are several new proposals for the public to write comments about including:
• Strengthening prohibitions on the disposal of flowback water and production brine from oil and gas production;
• Tracking for construction and demolition debris and fill material;
• New regulations for producing and storing mulch.
There is a public hearing at 1 p.m. July 13, at at DEC’s headquarters at 625 Broadway in Albany and comments may also be emailed to SolidWasteRegulations@dec.ny.gov until 5 p.m. on July 21.

William J. Kemble reports in The Daily Freeman that the Saugerties school board re-elected President Robert Thomann and Vice President James Mooney July 11. Members Raymond Maclary and Paul VanSchaack were absent from the vote that was unanimous. “We have to make sure ... what our priorities are and ... see how that jibes with the forthcoming district action plan,” Thomann said. The board also added Raymond Preusser as independent auditor and retained Thomas, Drohan, Waxman, Petigrow and Mayle as the district’s law firm. Board meetings were scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month, with additional gatherings Aug. 29, March 20, April 18, May 15, and May 22. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Kenneth C. Crowe II reports in the Albany Times Union that a video circulated in Albany political circles this week showing Rensselaer County Executive Candidate Steven McLaughlin (R,C,I-Troy) yelling at the Albany County Republican elections commissioner. The primary election for Albany County executive this fall has been fierce so far between McLaughlin, a sitting Assemblyperson, and current deputy Christopher Meyer. Meyer is backed by most local Republicans including the retiring County Executive Kathleen Jimino. "I hope you show the video. I saw it. It's a freaking joke," McLaughlin said July 11. "Larry Bugbee and the entire Jimino regime acted illegally and improperly." Bugbee is the GOP elections commissioner McLaughlin berated for rushing off to a court appearance in a McLaughlin-related case when he had an election matter to discuss. "And so he started screaming at me. 'You give me my fricken petitions,' blah, blah, screaming at me. I'm like, 'Steve, there are no petitions to start with. I don't know what's in those envelopes. I don't have time to do it.' And, of course, I'm going to court because he basically sued me to go to court," Bugbee said. Read the full story and watch the video on the Albany Times Union website.

ICYMI: New York Times piece on our Medicaid amendment to cut New Yorkers property taxes: https://t.co/Kp3dCq0ORw

— John Faso (@RepJohnFaso) July 5, 2017

Don Mathisen reported in The Daily Star that Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) says that he doesn’t write his own tweets. He told the reporter that he doesn’t know how to tweet and doesn’t want to learn how to tweet. Someone does write the occasional tweet for Faso, who rarely does interviews, and does not hold town hall meetings. Last week he tweeted a story with an accompanying image of a protester holding a sign with the words "Faso doesn't care" that is still on his feed. Last week he also posted on his public schedule that he was doing an interview with WGXC, when no interview aired. Read the full story in The Daily Star.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY : Mostly cloudy. High near 82. Periods of showers and thunderstorms are likely all day and overnight. There is the continued potential for heavy rainfall and localized flooding. There is a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms for areas from Albany south. Thursday night, cloudy. Low around 62.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
FRIDAY: Periods of showers and thunderstorms are likely throughout the day, along with the continued potential for heavy rainfall throughout the day and overnight, some localized flooding of urban and the potential for isolated flash flooding as well. There is a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms. Cloudy. High near 69. Friday night, Cloudy. Low around 62.
SATURDAY: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 80. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 61.

Sunrise today: 5:31 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:30 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:59 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the second Thursday of the month.

WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

CHATHAM Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
CLAVERACK Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911).
COPAKE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake (329-1234).
GALLATIN Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram (398-7519).
GREENE County Legislature Finance Audit Committee meeting, 4 p.m. at 411 Main Street, Catskill (719-3200).
HUDSON Planning Board public hearing on the application by A. Colarusso and Son for a conditional use permit to repair 75 feet of bulkhead at 175 Front Street; followed by regular meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
LIVINGSTON Town board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19.
NEW BALTIMORE Planning board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 County Route 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
STUYVESANT Town board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Town board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly events:
Citizen Action HV Action Night, 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday at 7 Grand Street, Kingston. Information at hudsonvalley@citizenactionny.org, or facebook.com/HVCitizenActionNY.
New Waltz Climate Action Coalition, 5 p.m., every Thursday at New Paltz Village Hall, 23 Plattekill Ave., New Paltz. Information at (845) 419-3786 or newpaltzclimateaction@gmail.com.
Faso Friday, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Information at erinpersists@gmail.com.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Jul. 12 (7:44). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Parry Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper the U.S. Postal Service will brief the Claverack Town Board and the public on its proposal for a new Mellenville Post Office this week. At the meeting, to be held on Thu., Jul. 13, postal officials will present an overview of the proposal, take questions and solicit feedback. The lease on the existing post office, which is located on Route 217 just west of Philmont, will expire in mid-2018 and the property owner has indicated the lease will not be renewed. Postal officials are looking for a new location where a modular unit can be erected. The Claverack Town Board will meet at 7 p.m., Thu., Jul. 13, at Claverack Town Hall, 836 Highway 217, Philmont. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Anthony Fiducia is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the town of Cairo is the location of a new tiny house resort. The resort is located on 28 acres in South Cairo, off Route 23B, just past Silver Spur Road, on the Catskill Creek. It is expected to open in mid-August. The tiny structures will be between 100 and 400 square feet in size, and have water, gas, electric, Wi-Fi, TV, air conditioning, septic, and both indoor and outdoor cooking facilities. There will be four houses located on the property. The project was approved by the Cairo Planning Board in May. “It’s a clean, good commercial-type business,” Planning Board Chairman Ray Pacifico said. “I think it would be good. It would increase our tax base, which always helps. It’s more higher-end, targeting upscale clients. Owner Bob Malkin plans to seek approval at the state level for additional houses. “Next year, we hope to have 18 houses up,” he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

The Times Union is reporting the Town of Kinderhook Democratic Committee has endorsed its slate of candidates for the November 7 election. The committee gave the nod to Jake Samascott and Bernadette Powis for town board and incumbent John Ruchel for highway superintendent. Samascott owns and manages the family business, Samascott Orchards. He has served for eight years on the town Planning Board. Powis has lived in Kinderhook for more than 15 years. She is a retired psychiatric and medical nurse practitioner. Ruchel is a 50-year veteran of the Highway Department.

Anthony Fiducia reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Cairo Town Board voted unanimously last week to combine its sidewalk construction project with a similar sidewalk project in Greenville. Cairo Town Supervisor Daniel Benoit said the towns could possibly both save several thousand dollars in design and oversight costs by combining the projects, and also lure bigger firms to make bids on the combined projects. “DOT pulled me aside [during a meeting at DOT headquarters in Albany], along with Greenville, and told us that we might want to consider joining our projects together,” Benoit said. In Greenville, where sidewalks haven't been upgraded since 1977, the town will replace and extend existing sidewalks along Route 32 about 100 feet to Garland Lane. In Cairo, a new sidewalk will be built from Cairo Elementary school to the Hannaford supermarket beginning in August 2018. Read the full story at Hudsonvalley360.com.

On July 10 Claverack Town officials met to discuss a proposed Planned Development District law, so that Amedore Homes can build an almost 700-unit mixed use development on Route 9H. Claverack last updated their zoning in 2015, and Planning Board member Gretchen Stearns said previous zoning efforts always put off creating a Planned Development District law. Now, though, Amedore Homes needs the law if it's so-called mixed use proposal -- residential would be on one side of Route 9H, commercial development on the other -- is to be allowed on the site just south of Route 66. Not much about the proposal was discussed at the meeting, as representatives for Amedore Homes talked mostly about the proposed new law they need first before they can take their development to the Planning Board. Some facts did come out in the meeting: there is no town water or sewer on the site, and less than 50 percent of the site, perhaps as low as 30 percent, would be open space. Over 50 residents of the area spilled out of a packed Claverack Town Hall to hear the presentation, ask questions, and voice their opinions. All speaking seemed wary of such a large proposal in the town of 6,021, with an almost 700-unit housing proposal that could add somewhere between 1,400 and 2,000 people to the town, as well as big-box chain stores that could run local mom-and-pop stores out of business. Click here to download or play a recording of the July 10 Claverack Town Meeting.