Matthew Hamilton reports in Capitol Confidential that New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFranciscio said there were three possibile ways events could lead in Albany this weekend as legislators and the governor try to reach a budget deal. DeFranciscio said Republicans could reject the latest proposal, or agree to it and return to vote by Monday, or wait until after the two-week holiday break, ”which I’d be more than happy to do,” he said. Follow the latest state budget updates at Capitol Confidential.

Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) issued the following statement after the U.S. bombing of an airfield in Syria: “The U.S. attack on the Syrian air base associated with the chemical weapons attack was the correct response. The civilized world must respond to the horrific use of chemical weapons, especially against innocent civilians, or else we risk normalizing such behavior which has been outlawed since the end of World War I." Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also condemned the Syrian's chemical attack, and then said, “However, unilateral military action by the U.S. in a Middle East conflict causes grave concern, given the lack of any Authorization for Use of Military Force from Congress and the absence of any long-term plan or strategy to address any consequences from such unilateral action. Furthermore, there is no ‘military only’ solution to the suffering in Syria. The American people need answers from the Administration about their plan here and how they will bring coalition partners to the table for a long-term diplomatic solution.”

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Fri., Apr. 7 (6:37). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail Sleepy Hollow Lake, the 2,200-acre residential community located in Athens and Coxsackie, has purchased 40 acres of land from Greene County for $40,000. The purchase of 122 storm water lots closed on March 28. The acquisition was made as part of the community's plan to manage stormwater. “We are extremely pleased to have finalized the tax lot disposition agreement with Greene County Legislature which is a key component of our overall revitalization and redevelopment program,” Sleepy Hollow Lake President Andy Gauzza said. Gauzza said the additional land will advance Sleepy Hollow's conservation efforts and enhance its stormwater management system. The acreage sits just above the 16-mile waterfront of Sleepy Hollow Lake. The purchase is a part of the residential community’s plan to invest $10 million in upgrades over the next five years. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Rosa Acheson is reporting in the Register-Star Hudson's new lodging tax was signed into law by Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton following a public hearing, Tue., Apr. 4. The local law was adopted by the Common Council in March and is effective June 1. Under the law, a 4 percent sales tax will be paid by guests at hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, motels, Airbnb and VRBO in Hudson. The city tax will be added to the cost of the room in a similar way guests already pay state sales tax. Inn at 34 owner Robert Rasner was one of 11 local innkeepers that helped develop the measure. "We think it’s a good idea and importantly, it will allow the city to gain an understanding of who is it that’s renting rooms in town," Rasner said. However, Rasner expressed some concerns about the city's ability to manage the registration process and handle the code enforcement issues mandated by the legislation. "The law places high standards on single-family residences converted to a B&B and we know there are establishments in the city that don’t meet those requirements," Rasner said. In previous reports Hamilton said a portion of the tax collected will be set aside for use by a soon-to-be-established tourism board, and the remainder will go into the city’s general fund. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Associated Press is reporting New York is launching a statewide campaign against distracted driving as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. State and local police will increase the number of patrols and checkpoints through Mon., Apr. 10, as part of Operation Hang Up. The same effort last year resulted in more than 18,000 tickets being issued, including more than 2,000 for distracted driving. State officials report an increase of more than 900 percent in tickets for texting while driving statewide from 2011 to 2016. While citations for texting are on the rise, tickets for cell phone use are declining. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Now might not be the best time to take a swim in the Hudson River. Besides the cold temperatures, heavy rains and a large snow melt mean the waters are filled with dirty runoff. And all that water has forced several local coastal communities to release sewage into the river. The Village of Coxsackie had a 18,445-gallon sewage discharge April 4, the City of Hudson Wastewater Treatment Facility had a "combined sewer overflow" on April 4, and the Village of Catskill Wastewater Treatment Plant had a nine-hour long permitted overflow April 4.

James Nani reports in The Fray that Democrats lined up so far to challenge Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) raised almost a half million dollars during the first quarter of 2017. Rhinebeck Attorney Antonio Delgado said April 5 in a press release that he’s raised $300,000. Brian Flynn, a businessman from Hunter, says he's raised $175,000 so far. Steven Mitchell Brisee, a policy manager at Citi, said he has not started asking for donations yet, and reports for January-March campaign fundraising are not due to the Federal Election Commission until April 15. Faso has also filed for re-election. Faso raised $2.94 million in 2016, and has about $103,000 cash on hand, as of his last FEC filing. Read the full story in The Fray.

Extending a spat with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on April 6 Congressperson John Faso (R-Kinderhook) introduced H.R. 1871, the Property Tax Reduction Act, reprising the amendment he added to the failed Republican healthcare proposal two weeks ago. The bill, similar to the amendment to the Republican healthcare plan, would shift Medicaid costs from local counties to the state. “For 51 years Albany has been unfairly mandating counties to pay for a significant share of state Medicaid costs,” a statement from Faso read. “This mandate has caused property taxes to skyrocket and in turn crushing homeowners, seniors, and businesses. Exorbitant property taxes and lack of jobs are the main reasons why New York State continues to lose population to other states." After Faso added a similar amendment to the Republican healthcare bill a few weeks ago, Cuomo and Faso spent a few days trading barbs in the media on the issue.

Steve Ditlea reports in the Poughkeepsie Journal that because of a bumper crop in acorns in 2015, there is a higher risk of Lyme disease this year. "The reason we're more at risk this year is because in the fall of 2015 there was a huge crop of acorns in our forests, which happens every two to five years," said Felicia Keesing, a biologist at Bard College. "That leads to a huge increase in the population of infected mice in the forests the following summer, which is now linked to an increase in Lyme disease in the subsequent year, because of ticks carrying it from their previous meal on a mouse." Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: Showers likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy. High near 46. Friday night, a chance of rain showers before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy. Low around 33.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 49. Saturday night, mostly clear. Low around 32.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 63. Sunday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 45.

Sunrise today: 6:25 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:28 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 13:03 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the first Friday of the month.

WGXC is unaware of any recurring public meetings scheduled for today

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly event:

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.

Dutchess Activist Fair, 2 p.m., Apr. 8 at 60 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie. Local political parties, activist groups and advocacy organizations.
Day without Immigrants Strike, May 1, details to come. No work, no school and no shopping for a day.
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 Thursday, April 6 (3:31). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)