DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Jun. 5 (7:40). (Produced by Phil Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news, Fri., Jun. 2 through Sun., Jun. 4:

Richard Moody reported in the Register-Star on the town hall meeting held Sat., Jun. 3, at the Hudson Area Library to raise awareness about violence against women and women's rights. The National Organization for Women of New York sponsored the event, and along with Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, called for the renewal of legislation supporting organizations that help women who are victims of violence. NOW New York President Sonia Ossorio spoke about unease over the upcoming renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. “...We are concerned that the ... Trump administration will cut funding to this program,” Ossorio said. “We are doing all we can to raise the alarm.” New York received $8 million in funds for the Violence Against Women Act. Chelly Hegan, CEO of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood said the organization extended an invitation to U.S. Rep. John Faso to the the town hall event, but Faso declined, saying he had a prior engagement.

Chris McKenna reported at The Fray on the response from Democrats and environmental groups to the release last week of the report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency on the state of the Hudson River. The report concluded that no further cleanup was necessary to remove the toxic PCBs dumped by General Electric and other manufacturers in the river decades ago. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged New Yorkers to demand the EPA “finish the job of removing the remaining PCBs” during the 30-day comment period now under way. The EPA must hold two public information sessions during that period, but has not yet scheduled them. U.S. Rep. Sean Maloney, a Cold Spring Democrat who previously questioned the effectiveness of the cleanup efforts, vowed to fight for continued removal of PCBs. “I’m disappointed, but not surprised that Administrator [Scott] Pruitt isn’t taking seriously our concerns or the facts about the effectiveness of the current cleanup strategy...." Basil Seggos, the state’s environmental conservation commissioner, condemned the report and said the EPA had “failed New York.” He said, “We strongly dispute their conclusions and maintain that the significant amount of contamination left in the river threatens both public health and the environment."

David Lee reported in The Columbia Paper on water quality testing of the Roe Jan Creek conducted last month with the assistance of students from Hudson and Germantown high schools. The sampling is done during the second weekend of every month. Roe Jan Watershed Community founder Kaare Christian said that because this is only the second year of controlled sampling, there is not yet a large database from which to make predictions. In general, he said, the Roeliff Jansen Kill is one of the cleanest Hudson River tributaries.

Bethany Bump reported in the Times Union that two state lawmakers are hoping to put an end to the practice of school lunch shaming in New York. The term refers to the policy of denying children hot meals when they can't afford to pay, or owe lunch money. The most common form of discrimination is to deny meals to older students, but provide younger students a peanut butter and jelly or a cheese sandwich. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Liz Krueger and Assembly member Jo Anne Simon, two Democrats from New York City. Before drafting the law, they consulted with hunger and nutrition advocacy groups, and researched best practices around protecting children from mealtime stigma. They were advised that best way to protect children is for a district to either adopt universal free meals or ensure that children who are eligible for the federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program actually sign up.

Amanda Purcell reported in the Register-Star the city of Hudson's new 4 percent lodging tax took effect Thu., Jun. 1. Existing hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and short-term residential rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO, must register with the city within 20 days, or by June 20. Those businesses must also file a lodging tax return and remit the payment quarterly. Lodging business managers that spoke with the paper do not expect the new levy to have a major impact on business. Hudson City Bed and Breakfast owner Barry Butterfield said the new law will increase a guest's bill by about $8 per person, per weekend stay. Crystal Lanphear, general manager of the Barlow Hotel, said the hotel will increase its rates by $5 to $8 per night, depending on the length of the stay.

Debby Mayer reported in The Columbia Paper the Germantown Planning Board last month approved the site plan review application by Michael Lueck of Red Hook following a public hearing that drew a standing room only crowd. Lueck is hoping to move a 1955 diner to Route 9G at Sharpes Landing Road. More than a dozen residents spoke at the hearing, the majority commenting in favor of the project. The Lueck family are the proprietors of the Central House inn on Main Street in Germantown, and of Charlie O's restaurant in Red Hook. The site plan review now goes to the Columbia County Planning Board for consideration.

Anthony Fiducia reported for Columbia-Greene Media the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is telling drivers to keep an eye out for turtles crossing the road. During the months of May and June, turtles leave the water and migrate to nesting areas to lay their eggs. Every year, thousands of turtles are struck and killed as they mosey into traffic, leaving the state’s 11 native land turtles in a state of decline. Drivers should be especially aware of turtles while driving near rivers or marshy areas. "If it’s safe to do so, pull off to the side of the road and assist the turtle by helping it to cross the road in the direction it appears to be headed," DEC spokesman Rick Georgeson said. However, it is important to use extreme caution when moving snapping turtles, he said. It is illegal to remove turtles from the wild in New York. If the animal is injured, the public can contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for help.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. High near 65. Monday night, showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then showers likely. Low around 54.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: Showers likely. Cloudy. High near 61. Tuesday night, a chance of showers. Cloudy. Low around 49.
WEDNESDAY: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 62. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 48.

Sunrise today: 5:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:28 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 15:09 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the first Monday of the month.

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

ATHENS Town Board meeting, 6:45 p.m., Athens Community Center, 2 First Street, Athens (945-1052, ext. 2).
CLERMONT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
COEYMANS Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 18 Russell Ave., Ravena (756-6006).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at town building, 7309 Route 81, East Durham (239-6122, ext 1).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature Alternatives to Incarceration Jail Sub-committee, 4 p.m. at 411 Main Street, Fourth Floor, Catskill (719-3200).
GREENVILLE Board of Education budget meeting, 6 p.m.; full meeting 7 p.m., at high school, Route 81, Greenville (966-5070).
HUDSON Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m. in high school library, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).
HUNTER Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Zoning Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
SCHOHARIE County Planning Commission meeting, 7 p.m. at county office building, 284 Main St., Schoharie (295-8770).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

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 Paltz Climate Action Coalition, 5 p.m., every Thursday at New Paltz Village Hall, 23 Plattekill Ave., New Paltz. Information at (845) 399-247 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.

Indivisible Rensselaer County meeting, 6 p.m., June 5 at East Greenbush Community Library, 10 Community Way, East Greenbush. Planning and organizational meeting for all group members. New people welcome!
Rock the Resistance, 4 p.m., 11 June at Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock. Showcase of progressive organizations. Representatives of NY19Votes, Planned Parenthood of the Mid-Hudson Valley, Riverkeeper, IndivisibleNY19, Healthcare Education Project, Kingston Area Sanctuary Movement and other groups scheduled to speak. Hosted by Andrea Barrist Stern.
Rally for Voting Rights, 11:30 a.m., June 13 at West Capitol Park, Albany. Rally calling for five reforms to voting laws including early voting, automatic voter registration, restoration of parolee voting rights and more. Hosted by Citizen Action of New York.
Sentencing Rally for Albany Bus Incident Defendants, 9 a.m., June 16, at Albany County Judicial Center, 6 Lodge Street, Albany. Hosted by Indefensible.
Training in Non-violent Direct Action, 10 a.m., June 17 at 680 Central Avenue, Albany. Participants will learn about action and support roles, handling aggression, legalities and group decision-making. Hosted by PAUSE.

The New York Times reports that on May 31 a federal judge ruled that the sound the Long Range Acoustic Devices used by New York City police against protesters emits a form of force. In effect, Judge Robert Sweet of the Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that the LRADs are weapons as well as communication devices. Police use them sometimes as loudspeakers, to make announcements to protesters. But at 1 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2014, the police used a 100X Long Range Acoustic Device to make a series of sharp, piercing beeps directed at the Black Lives Matter protest in Manhattan. Use of the device, “as a projector of powerfully amplified sound is no different than other tools in law enforcement’s arsenal that have the potential to be used either safely or harmfully, one example being distraction devices — items like stun grenade, flash bang, or concussion grenades,” Judge Robert Sweet of Federal District Court in Manhattan wrote, adding, “It can be plausibly inferred that the use of a high-powered sound magnifier in ‘close proximity’ to plaintiffs was not appropriate.” The judge did agree with New York City's lawyers that the use of the device did not violate First and Fourth Amendment rights. Instead the judge said the protesters had a “cognizable claim” that the excessive use of force violated their 14th Amendment rights, so their suit against the city and two members of the Police Department’s Disorder Control Unit will continue.

Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressman for the WGXC listening area. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report.

• The Mid-Hudson News Network reports in The Daily Freeman that Ulster County Republicans are planning rallies to support U.S. Rep. John Faso. Faso has drawn protests at any event he attends locally that is announced in advance. This week, while Congress is on a break, Faso was not listing any public events on his website until hours before the events began. And, unlike past local representatives Scott Murphy, a Democrat, and Chris Gibson, a Republican, Faso continues to resist holding traditional town hall meetings. Ulster County party Chairman Roger Rascoe, Mike Dovich from Marlborough, Dan Aversano from Rochester, and Tom Maerling from Wawarsing are on a committee now to support Faso. “John Faso has 166,171 reasons to vote the way he does. He is voting the way we asked him to vote but the left continues to make noise, and the media is right with them. The liberal left can’t stand the fact that we won, and that he [Faso] won, and that President Trump won,” Rascoe said. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

• Matthew Hamilton reports in The Albany Times Union that Rep. John Faso opposes President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts to federal student aid. “I think there’s a pretty broad consensus on both sides of the aisle that these cuts are ill-advised, especially when you’re looking at the ones that would affect people going into certain areas that are considered national service,” the Kinderhook Republican said. Tens of thousands of students in Faso's district would be affected by the proposal for a 13.5 percent decrease to the federal Department of Education, including a 49 percent rollback on federal work-study programs, and the elimination of subsidized low-income loans and the Perkins Loan Program. “The president proposes budgets, but the legislature ultimately has the final say,” Faso said. “I’m anticipating that these particular proposals are not going to survive the legislature.” Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

• John Faso released a statement after Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a global climate change treaty that every country except Syria and Nicaragua has signed. “As a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, I support U.S. efforts to continue promotion of innovative clean-energy solutions which will mitigate the effects of manmade climate change. As such, I believe the withdrawal of the US from the agreement is ill-advised. However, the non-binding Paris COP21 never received Senate approval, as treaties must under our Constitution. The US never ratified the Kyoto agreement yet our nation reduced CO2 emissions beyond those called for in that agreement due to the responsiveness of our market-based economy. Regardless of who is in the White House, I believe the US must continue to work to lower greenhouse gas emissions while balancing the needs of our economy. At the end of the day, economic incentives for cleaner, less-polluting energy will have a greater impact on reducing CO2 emissions than a non-binding agreement with no enforcement mechanisms.”

• Matthew Hamilton reports in The Albany Times Union that Jeffrey Beals, an Ulster County high school teacher and former U.S. diplomat, filed paperwork earlier this month to seek the 19th district seat now held by Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook). Antonio Delgado of Dutchess County, Brian Flynn of Greene County, Steven Brisee of Ulster County, Gareth Rhodes of Ulster County, and Sue Sullivan of Ulster County have also filed paperwork to run in the Hudson Valley district that covers 11 counties including Greene, Columbia, Ulster, Dutchess, and others. Ulster County Executive Mike Hein says he will announced whether or not he's running in July. Beals teaches history and civics at the Woodstock Day School, and used to be a U.S. diplomat in Iraq. "I grew up as part of a generation that believes democracy is something you fight for overseas," Beals said. "I've come to believe increasingly that it's something you have to defend here at home, it's arguably even more important to defend it here at home." Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Here are some stories from the Hudson River this week. Click here to hear an audio version of this report.

• The Stevens Institute reports temperatures this week in the Hudson River below Poughkeepsie have been between 62 and 65 degrees.

• The Daily Freeman reports that the Environmental Protection Agency released a review of the six-year, $1.7 billion Hudson River cleanup June 1, and the agency said it will take decades to get the waterway healthy again. But Catherine McCabe, Acting Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 2, says neither data, science nor law supports requiring General Electric to do more dredging. Between roughly 1947 and 1977, GE released between around 1,000,000 pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River. General Electric removed 2.75 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the upper Hudson during the six-year cleanup. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Tweeted, "Clean air and water shouldn't be up for debate for New York’s families. This decision is awful news for the Capital Region and Hudson Valley." The report says fish in the river could be safe to eat again once a week in "55 years or more," although river data collected by EPA during the last year are "not sufficient" to project that timetable more precisely. “We strongly disagree with their conclusions and maintain that the significant amount of contamination left in the river threatens both public health and the environment,” New York’s environmental commissioner, Basil Seggos, said. “This (EPA) decision flies in the face of the evidence,” said Riverkeeper president Paul Gallay. But Walter Mugdan, acting deputy regional administrator for EPA Region 2, thinks more dredging would prove both costly and inefficient. "A more aggressive model would only accelerate the process by a few years," Mugdan said, adding that the cost would be about $500 million. In a statement, GE said "EPA said the dredging remedy is functioning as intended and will be protective of human health and the environment. Hudson River Fishermen’s Association Vice President Gil Hawkins said, “The Hudson River Fishermen’s Association is disappointed to hear that the EPA is not acting on the findings of the five year review of GE’s cleanup actions. The tests of the downstream sections of the Hudson River have not been encouraging. Science and common sense prove that pollution flows downhill. The Record of Decision mandates the whole river, as a Superfund site, must be cleaned. The public demands that the EPA fulfills its contract with the American people.” No additional dredging in the Upper or Lower Hudson is recommended." The EPA did open a public comment on the report until June 30. Comments can be mailed to EPA Region 2 Director Gary Klawinski at 187 Wolf Road, Suite 303, Albany, NY 12205, or emailed to epahrfo@outlook.com.The Daily Freeman reports

• The City of Hudson Wastewater Treatment Facility released 60, 000 gallons "disinfected primary effluent" for an hour May 29. There was also a 23-and-a-half-hour "combined sewer" discharge that day. Also on May 26 there was another five-hour "combined sewer" discharge in Hudson and a 1,420,000 gallon "disinfected primary effluent" discharge.

Richard Moody reports in the Register-Star that Columbia County officials and residents asked the Public Service Commission to require Consolidated Communications invest in the local broadband as a requirement of their acquisition of Fairpoint Communications May 31 at a public hearing at Columbia-Greene Community College. "We are now woefully underserved in land lines, cell phone service, and broadband. Fairpoint now serves part of our town," said Arthur McGuire, member of the Taghkanic Town Board and chairman of the broadband committee. "We ask the PSC and Consolidated Communications address and improve our service during the application process and after the transfer if it is approved." Hillsdale Town Supervisor Peter Cipkowski said the 2,000 Fairpoint customers in his town deserve the same scrutiny as past mergers. "I am here tonight to ask you to do the same. Hold Consolidated to the same standards as those of other deals," Cipkowski said. That would include upgrading wireline infrastructure, offer high-speed internet service to all customers by 2020, meeting the state’s minimum requirement of 100 megabytes for $59.99 a month and 30 megabytes $14.99 a month for low-income homes, and submitting a plan to reach higher speeds. Comments are due to the PSC by June 5. All comments should refer to “17-C-0050, FairPoint Communications, Inc.” Go to http://www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” enter the case number (17-C-0050), and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page; or e-mail comments to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov. Alternatively, comments may be mailed or delivered to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. Toll-Free Opinion Line: You may call the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is set up to take comments about pending cases from in-state callers, 24 hours a day. Press "1" to leave comments, mentioning “Case 17-C-0050, FairPoint Communications, Inc.” Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Joseph Phelan reports in The Troy Record that Stewart’s Shops plan to install 100 auto charging stations for electric automobiles in the area, including in Hudson. The New York State Public Service Commission needs to approve the plan first. “When this was brought to our attention, we really do see the evolution of where the industry is going and really looking to create an opportunity for the electric car consumer,” said Maria D’Amelia of Stewart’s Shops. “We really see that we have locations that provide that kind of way to be able to serve our customers as they travel in short distances as the electric vehicles evolve and become more popular in the coming years.” This proposed Electric Vehicle Fast Charger Network would be the largest in the nation. Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Lake George, and Hudson will be some of the locations of the charging stations. Read the full story in The Troy Record.

H. Rose Schneider reports in The Altamont Enterprise that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is adding 38 acres of young forest habitat to the Margaret Burke Wildlife Management Area in Knox in southern Albany County. The golden-winged warbler, the white-tailed deer, the New England cottontail, and the wild turkey all live in young forests, which are defined as ten-years-old or less. Now of the 244.4 acres of preserved land in Knox, 16 percent of the land is young forest, 11 percent is grasslands, 5 percent is shrublands, 5 percent is wetlands, and 58 percent is maintained as mature forests. The DEC is contacting loggers to clear-cut certain areas to start the young forests. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

Jeanette Wolfberg in The Columbia Paper reports that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Health and Human Services Committee heard from Dr. Anna-Maria Assevero, an internist at Columbia Memorial Hospital, about the opiod crisis at its May 16 meeting. She said, “We need a drop-in center” for people struggling with opioid use problems. She said some of the problem is the system. Assevero said that, “the insurance companies are calling the shots. We’re now data entry clerks, essentially. Doctors get the highest score if they have the most compliant patients, according to what they put into the computer.” The Columbia County Board of Supervisors Health and Human Services Committee meets next June 20, at 4 p.m. at 401 State Street in Hudson. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY Mostly sunny, with a high near 66, and a low around 46.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SUNDAY: Rain is likely, mainly after 11 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 65, and a low around 52.
SUNDAY: Rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 64.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Friday, June 2 (5:06). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)