Maury Thompson at The Post Star reports that for the second day in a row, Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) broke with Republicans and voted with Democrats in a losing cause on March 29. Faso was one of seven Republicans voting against legislation to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing a rule unless the scientific evidence used as the basis was specifically identified and made available for public review. HR 1430 passed by a 228-194 despite privacy objections. “This bill could negatively impact the EPA’s efforts to make scientifically informed policy decisions,” said Elise Stefanik, another upstate New York representative voting against the measure. Read the full story at The Post Star.

Todd Kehoe reports in The Albany Business Review that the Affordable Care Act has reduced the number of uninsured people in the Capital Region over the past few years according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Greene County changed from a 13 percent uninsured rate in 2010 to an 8.9 percent rate in 2014, and a 6.9 percent in 2015. Columbia County improved from 13.3 percent uninsured in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2014 and 7.2 percent in 2015. The Albany Business Review also reports that Albany County improved from 10.2 percent to 5.5 percent; Rensselaer County moved from 10.8 percent to 5.2 percent; and Schoharie County went from 12.1 percent to 6.2 percent from 2010 to 2015.

Greene County ranks 47th and Delaware County ranks 45th among New York counties in just-released New York health rankings. Most other local counties were near the top of the list with Albany County at number eight, Dutchess at nine, Columbia County at number 13, Rensselaer County number 18, and Ulster County number 19. The rankings from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute include every county in the United States. Greene County ranked 49th in the quality of life category, and 52nd in clinical care without a hospital.

Glenn Blain and Kenneth Lovett report in The New York Daily News thaat the number of visitation days families of inmates at maximum security prisons are allowed might not be slashed after all. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget had cut visits from seven days a week to three days a week. But Assembly Corrections Committee Chairman David Weprin (D-Queens) said March 29 that during current budget negotiations the funding has been restored. "I want to praise the governor for doing the right thing," Weprin said. "I think he heard from a lot of people and realized it doesn't make sense." Read the full story in The New York Daily News.

Matthew Hamilton reports at Capitol Confidential that a budget deal in Albany isn't quite struck yet, with the Sat. April 1 deadline looming. Only debt service has passed, with many issues, such as education and incarceration, still unresolved. Jeff Klein, a Democrat who votes with Republicans as Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader, said, “Everything is really still outstanding — close but still outstanding.” Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Rain and sleet, becoming all rain after 11 a.m. High near 37. Friday night, rain and sleet. Low around 33.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: Rain, snow and sleet likely before 9 a.m., then rain and snow likely between 9 a.m. and noon, turning to rain after noon. Cloudy. High near 40. Saturday night, cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy. Low around 31.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 50. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 29.

Sunrise today: 6:37 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:20 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 12:43 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fifth Friday of the month.

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

GREENE County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors meeting, 8 a.m. at IDA office, 270 Mansion Street, Coxsackie (741-5500).

POLITICAL EVENTS
FASO FRIDAY, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Info at erinpersists@gmail.com.
KNOWN YOUR RIGHTS Training / Day of Action, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Christ Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street, Hudson. Organized by Consecha.
CLIMATE ADVOCATE Training / Group Start Workshop, 1 p.m., Apr. 2 at Bertlesmann Campus Center, Room 214, at Bard College. Presented by Mid Hudson Citizens' Climate Lobby. Learn proven ways to speak effectively and powerfully about climate solutions.
SPEED ACTIVISM: Find out how to get involved, 2 p.m., Apr. 2 at Rosendale Community Center, 1055 Route 22. A fast-paced, lively way to explore 20 local and regional activist organizations.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Mar. 30 (9:56). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Roger Hannigan Gilson and Daniel Zuckerman are reporting for Columbia-Greene Media proposed federal budget cuts to programs funding Meals on Wheels are not expected to impact the program in Columbia and Greene counties, according to state and local officials. The state home-delivered meals program are partially funded by the Community Development Block Grant Program, which is slated to be eliminated. However, Greg Olsen, Acting Director of the New York State Office for the Aging, said those funds are not directed to home-delivered meals in New York. A second program, the federal Older Americans Act, provides support for senior meals, but proposed cuts to the federal budget will not have much of an impact locally, Olsen said. Columbia County Office for the Aging Administrator Kevin McDonald said only 20 percent of his department’s funding comes from the federal government. The majority of the funding comes from the state county and private donors. While Greene County authorities expressed some anxiety over potential budget cuts, but county Department of the Aging Business Manager Ken Brooks said federal block grants do not fund home delivered meals. The program receives state funding and is subsidized by the county and then matched, and some of the seniors contribute, as well, Brooks said. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Rosa Acheson is reporting in the Register-Star the A. Colarusso & Son haul road application was advanced by the Greenport Planning Board, this week. The action was taken despite an unresolved Order To Remedy issued by Hudson Code Enforcement in January. In a unanimous vote Tue., Mar. 28, the planning board moved the application forward to a public information meeting scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m., Apr. 18, at Columbia-Greene Community College. The meeting had been tentatively set for Feb. 28. “The purpose of the meeting will be to receive comments concerning environmental aspects of the project,” Planning Board Chairman Edward Stiffler said, “and provide us with additional information so we can complete the SEQR review. So I think that’s going to be our next step.” Colarusso will have time during the April 18 public meeting to outline the project before the planning board starts taking public comments, Stiffler said. Written comments will be accepted through Apr. 21, Stiffler said. The Order to Remedy issued by Hudson Code Enforcement Officer Craig Haigh January 24, is currently on appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The order alleged the company replaced a concrete and wood bulkhead with a steel bulkhead on the South Front Street loading dock property without the approval of the city Planning Board. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Brian Nearing is reporting in the Times Union a solar farm in Rensselaer County is the first community solar array in the Capital Region. The farm provides power to buildings in the Albany City School District, as well as private homes and apartments. The 1,200 panels are located in a five-acre former hay field in Pittstown. Project builder Mark Fobare, CEO of Monolith Solar, said community solar aims at bundling potential customers who may not want or be able to install individual solar units. Customers pay off their ownership share with fixed monthly payments spanning a five- to nine-year period. The Albany City School District owns half of the Pittstown solar farm, with the balance shared among 26 homeowners or apartment dwellers throughout the Capital Region. The farm is expected to reduce the district's annual electric bill by 4 percent, a school spokesman said. The Pittstown solar farm is among about 40 similar facilities statewide owned by Monolith. A similar community solar project is being planned for a capped former municipal landfill in Kingston. That farm is expected to generate enough power to supply 300 average homes. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Melanie Lekocevic reports in the Ravena News-Herald that the renovations at the Lafarge cement plant are nearly complete. Kathy Keslick, Lafarge’s area environment and public affairs manager last week told the RCS Community Business Association that the modernization work at the plant could be finished in late April or May. The plant's two kilns have been eliminated in favor of a single stack tower, and Keslick predicted a decline in air emissions, power needed, and water usage by Lafarge. “The fabric filter baghouse will replace electrostatic precipitators, which use much less power and are more efficient at removing pollutants,” she said. The site in southern Albany County used to be largest cement plant in North America. Read the full story in the Ravena News-Herald.

Rosa Acheson reports in the Register-Star that Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore again expressed opposition to Hudson's sanctuary city status on March 28 after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said sanctuary cities could be stripped of Justice Department funding. "I have spoken to several members of ICE and I get the feeling that something less than our full cooperation is going to be interpreted as lack of cooperation," Moore said of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. "Such policies make their cities and states less safe, and put them at risk of losing valuable federal dollars," Sessions said March 27. Hudson Police Commissioner Martha Harvey and Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton issued an order Feb. 20 limiting access ICE agents have to city resources, and the Hudson Common Council recently passed a resolution declaring Hudson a sanctuary city. "I do not know if the federal government will move to withhold any of this money, or deny us grants based on their interpretation of our city as sanctuary," Moore said. The Hudson police's Bulletproof Vest Partnership program, which replaces vests as they become obsolete; the PTS-Governor’s Traffic Safety Grant, which provides federal money for traffic safety enforcement and the Tactical Team Grant, which outfits the police team with tactical bulletproof vests and radios, all get federal funds. New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a statement, "As my office’s legal guidance makes clear, President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to broadly cut off funding to states and cities just because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families." Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Patricia R. Doxsey reports in The Daily Freeman that U.S. Rep John Faso (R-Kinderhook) believes his constituency is evenly divided on health care without providing any facts to support that claim. It is true that Faso's Congressional district is closely split between Republicans and Democrats, and he says, “I would say that my constituency is pretty divided on this whole [healthcare] question. A lot of people want to see the A.C.A. or a single-payer system, and just as many people, in my view, want to see us get rid of the A.C.A. I’m trying to listen to both sides.” Faso’s office reports 54,000 telephone calls and emails from constituents since he took office Jan. 3. Faso's office, unlike many other representatives, refuses to release specific numbers on the opinions of his phone callers, but Faso has conceded that “most of the calls” are in favor of keeping or improving the current healthcare system. Faso has refused to hold town hall meetings, but activists have held one for him, and also several protests, marches, and rallies, with most attending opposed to repealing the current healthcare system. In January, Faso polled subscriber's to his online newsletter, asking, “Do you support the reform of the Affordable Care Act to lower costs and expanding access to health care?” 432 computers responded “yes,” 406 responded “no,” and 95 claimed an “undecided” status. That very unscientific online poll is the only fact Faso has said that backs up his claim that his constituents are divided on the healthcare issue. Last week, Faso voted for the new Republican healthcare plan in committee, and announced he would vote for it on the House floor before Republican leadership pulled the bill because it was not going to pass. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Mostly sunny. High near 51. A slight chance of rain before 11 p.m., then rain and snow likely. A period of light snowfall is expected late Thursday night with a dusting possible by daybreak. Cloudy. Low around 33.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: RDain, snow and sleet likely before 7 a.m., turning to rain and sleet. High near 35. Friday night, rain, snow and sleet before midnight, turning into rain and sleet low around 33.
SATURDAY: Rain showers and sleet likely, possibly mixed with snow showers before 8 a.m., evening turning into rain by late morning. Cloudy. High near 40. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 6:39 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:19 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 12:40 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fifth Thursday of the month.

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

COXSACKIE Town Board workshop meeting has been cancelled (731-2727).
GERMANTOWN Comprehensive Plan Review Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
GREENE County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors meeting rescheduled to Mar. 31 at 8 a.m. (741-5500).

POLITICAL EVENTS
FASO FRIDAY, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Info at erinpersists@gmail.com.
CLIMATE ADVOCATE Training / Group Start Workshop, 1 p.m., Apr. 2 at Bertlesmann Campus Center, Room 214, at Bard College. Presented by Mid Hudson Citizens' Climate Lobby. Learn proven ways to speak effectively and powerfully about climate solutions.
SPEED ACTIVISM: Find out how to get involved, 2 p.m., Apr. 2 at Rosendale Community Center, 1055 Route 22. A fast-paced, lively way to explore 20 local and regional activist organizations.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Mar. 29 (7:48). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Victoria Addison is reporting in the Register-Star the Hudson City School District's preliminary budget for the 2017-18 school is projected to total $46.3 million, supported by a maximum tax levy of 2.81 percent. No cuts to staff or programming are projected, said Sharifa Carbon, the district's business administrator, at the Board of Education workshop, Mon., Mar. 27. Carbon provided alternative tax levy scenarios, including an example of how the proceeds from the sale of the former Greenport Elementary School building might be used to lower the increase to 2.49 percent and reduce the budget by $70,000. Under state law the district must use the funds from the sale of that building to be used to pay off building debt or for a tax reduction, Carbon said. However, a lower tax levy in 2017-18 could have an impact on the spending plan for 2018-19, Carbon said. "By going out with a levy less than the maximum allowable amount, it reduces our revenue for [the] next year," she said. Due to the absence of board president Carrie Otty, the board deferred its decision on the tax levy increase until Otty became available. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting in The Daily Mail a second letter appealing the fate of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Catskill has made its way to the Vatican. The letter, from parishioner Matt Luvera, was originally sent to Bishop Edward Scharfenberger asking the Albany diocese reconsider the decision to permanently close the church and rectory. Luvera also requested that parishioners and supporters be allowed the time to raise the needed funds to renovate the historic church. The letter found its way from Albany to the Washington D.C. diocese and then to Rome. "He had some good points in there about the history of the church and what it means," Friends of St. Pat’s co-leader Deb Johnson said during a recent meeting of the group. While Luvera's letter has provided more opportunity for supporters to be heard, the Friends group is concerned that too many messages sent to church leaders might work against them. "I don’t want to be a pain," Johnson said. "I want the letters to have value." The group is now actively seeking support from St. Patrick's School alumni. Johnson said that while some former students live locally, others in California, North Carolina and Florida, and have shown interest in supporting their former school and church. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) was one of 15 Republicans voting with Democrats March 28 on SJ Res 34, a bill that gives internet service providers access to internet browsing histories. Republicans passed the bill that rolls back previous privacy rules by a vote of 215-205. The Senate voted last week 50-48 along party lines in favor of the measure. The bill prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from addressing the issue again, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill. Previously, ISPs would need permission before collecting data on a user's online activity.

Victoria Addison reports for Columbia-Greene Media that actress Linda Lavin and her husband plan to open a restaurant in Claverack. Lavin, the star of the TV show "Alice" and many Broadway productions who lives in Chatham, wants to open a restuarant at 484 Route 23, the former Yorkshire Farms Restaurant and Tavern that has been an antique shop for the last five years. “It’s a wonderful thing to think that Alice, who was a waitress for most of her adult life, could actually be the boss and have her own place,” Lavin said. “That’s what we hope for so many women in society is to be able to achieve financial success and comfort.” The future Joe’s Roadhouse Lodge will serve standard American fare at dinner time, with burgers and steaks, and a pizza oven. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Karen Tararache reports at WNYT TV in Albany that though there is some ethics reform in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget, he's been mum on the issue since his "State of the State" tour in early January. And legislators aren't talking ethics either. "Legislators know that the public, when push comes to shove, they care about their education in their districts. They don't care about ethics because it doesn't affect them," Barbara Bartoletti explained, League of Women Voters Legislative Director. "Although he [Cuomo] puts it in the budget and I think he's done this three budget cycles now, it never rises to the top and he doesn't go out and promote it he puts it in the State of the State he gets a 'rah, rah, rah,' and then he ever talks about it again," Bartoletti said. Read the full story at WNYT's website.