DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., May 3 (7:51). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail the Catskill Village Board has decided to temporarily restrict parking to one side of Lower Main Street for 30 days due to safety reasons. The area becomes congested with heavy traffic and pedestrians during the warmer months and is a hazard, Village President Vincent Seeley said. When the street is filled with parking on both sides, only one car can get through at a time, he said. Following the initial trial period, an additional 30-day order will move parking to the opposite side of the street. Catskill Police Chief Dave Darling will have officers monitor the area and install temporary radar speed signs to reduce speeding, as well. The board cannot make a permanent change in the parking rules without passing a law and conducting a public hearing, hence the temporary orders. Signs will be placed along the street and residents will be notified via letter, Seeley said. "This is something we have talked about before," Trustee Heather Bagshaw said. "I say we move forward and make it permanent." The board will take comments from the public on the parking restrictions at its next meeting. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting country music artist Travis Tritt will be the headline performer at the Columbia County Fair in September. Tritt will perform one show, on September 3, on the main stage. Tritt is a two-time Grammy winner and the recipient of four Country Music Association Awards. The 177th annual Columbia County Fair runs from August 30 through September 4 at the county fairgrounds in Chatham. The fair is presented by the Columbia County Agricultural Society.

Questar III BOCES is reporting its 22 component school districts on Apr. 25 unanimously approved the board's $6.1 million administrative budget for the 2017-18 school year. The 22 component school boards also voted to fill four Board of Cooperative Educational Services seats. Incumbent members Joseph Garland, of the Coxsackie-Athens school district, John Hill, Hoosic Valley, and Marilyn Noonan, of Catskill, were unanimously re-elected to three-year terms beginning July 1. Mary Keeler Daly, representing the Hudson schools, was also unanimously elected to a three-year term beginning July 1. She will replace James Keegan on the board.

Matthew Hamilton reports in Capitol Confidential that a new poll suggests 50 percent of voters in the 19th Congressional District support the current Affordable Care Act healthcare plan and only 33 percent prefer the proposed American Health Care Act replacement bill currently being considered in Washington D.C. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling, and commissioned by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Local Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) said he would have voted for a previous version of the AHCA, and said on May 1 that he would be agreeable to voting on the newest version of the Republican bill even before the Congressional Budget Office is able to assess the fiscal and social impacts of the new version of the bill. The poll says that 52 percent of local voters oppose the AHCA. A March Quinnipiac poll said that 56 percent of voters across the country disapproved of the Republican health plan, and a March Siena College poll showed that 56 percent of registered voters in New York opposed passage of the AHCA. The PPP poll also found that 62 percent of 19th district voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Nick Reisman reports for Spectrum News that U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said on May 1 she is “focused entirely” on running for re-election in 2018, and not thinking about running for president in 2020. “Well, I’m dedicated to serving our state as our senator and I’m running for re-election so I can continue to be their senator,” she said at Fort Drum. “I’m focused entirely on running for Senate, so yes, I’m ruling it out.” On May 1 The New York Times listed Gillibrand among Democratic possibilities to challenge Donald Trump in 2020. Gillibrand won her senate seat by 72 percent in 2012, and no Republican has filed to run against her yet. Read the full story in Spectrum News.

April 2017 goes down in the history books as one of the warmest on record. #nywx pic.twitter.com/HZP2CqDuMv

— NWS Albany (@NWSAlbany) May 2, 2017

The National Weather Service in Albany ranks April 2017 as one of the warmest April's on record. In Glens Falls, it was the warmest ever, an average of 50.1 degrees, much higher than the 44.6 average since 1949. In Poughkeepsie, only the April of 2010 topped this year's 53 degree average. In Albany, a 53 degree average last month was good for fourth on the all-time warmest Aprils list that dates back to 1820.

John Burdick reports in Hudson Valley One that Colony opens in Woodstock this month in the former Colony Cafe space on Rock City Road. New owner Neil Howard has expansive plans for the concert venue and restaurant in the building that opened in 1929. The space will also host Sunday play-readings, children’s shows on weekends, and salsa and swing dancing. read the full story in Hudson Valley One.

Luke Stoddard Nathan reports in The Alt the state’s leading economic development agency, Empire State Development, spent more than $75,000 promoting its own tweets since October. The weekly newspaper obtained the records under a state Freedom of Information Law request. State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has been wary of the state's advertising campaign. “ESD has not quantified what it expects to achieve from its advertising efforts, except in the broadest terms like increasing tourism or creating jobs,” the comptroller wrote earlier this year. But an Albany advertising executive did not notice anything wrong with spending $75,000 to promote tweets. “Allocating $75,000 of their online advertising budget to Twitter advertising doesn’t appear out of proportion or misplaced—no one would balk at that number if it was a traditional media buy,” said Lisa Barone, an executive with Overit Media. Read the full story in The Alt.

Click here to play or download the Catskill Town Board May 2 meeting. (Recorded from live webstream.)

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: Partly sunny. High near 55. Wednesday night, a patchy frost after 2 a.m. The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Frost Advisory for the region from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., Thursday. Otherwise, clear. Low around 35.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: Patchy frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, increasing cloudy. High near 62. Thursday night, showers likely. Cloudy. Low around 44.
FRIDAY: Rain. High near 58. Friday night, showers likely. Cloudy. Low around 51.

Sunrise today: 5:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:57 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:11 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the first Wednesday of the month.

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

CATSKILL Board of Education budget hearing, 7 p.m. at high school, 341 Main Street, Catskill (943-4696).
COPAKE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE County Legislature Health Services Committee, County Resources Committee and Public Safety Committee meetings, 6 p.m. at 411 Main Street, Catskill (719-3200).
GREENPORT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive, Greenport (828-4656).
GREENVILLE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 11159 Route 32, Greenville (966-5055).
HUDSON Common Council Youth and Aging Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m.; Arts, Entertainment and Tourism Committee meeting, 6:45 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
JEWETT Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at municipal building, 3547 Co. Rte. 23C, Jewett (263-4646).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
PRATTSVILLE Planning Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
VALATIE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building, 3211 Church St., Valatie (758-9806).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly event:
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.

People's March for Free Press, 12 p.m., May 13, at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York. March and rally in support of the press and free speech.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Tuesday, May 2 (3:58). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)

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