Scripts and sounds for WGXC radio hosts to play on the WGXC Morning Show or WGXC Afternoon Show. Breaking news, features, local audio, video, analysis, music, links to events in Greene and Columbia counties, NY. www.wgxc.org
Viewshed Symposium shines light on valley
Paul Crossman reports in the Register-Star that about 200 people packed into Columbia-Greene Community College for the first annual “Framing the Viewshed: The Transformative Power of Art and Landscape in the Hudson Valley” symposium, hosted by CGCC and Olana on Saturday, April 16. The symposium featured a number of speakers discussing the importance of the aesthetic aspects of Columbia County and the Hudson Valley, the various changes that have occurred since artists first began to paint the region’s beautiful landscapes, and the importance of keeping this viewshed area pristine. The event itself focused on three different aspects of the viewsheds — artistic, environmental, and historical, and the various speakers addressed each point in different ways, using powerpoint presentations, example artwork, historical examples, question and answer sessions, and even a panel discussion. “We think that this event is the first of its kind,” said Olana Partnership President Sara Griffen. “The idea is to explore the subject of viewsheds in a serious, historical, and holistic way.”
Carlucci introduces legislation to promote local farms
Mid Hudson News Network notes that State Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland-Orange counties) has proposed legislation to preserve, promote and grow New York’s local farms by suggesting that any restaurant that buys produce from within a 100 mile radius of their establishment would receive tax credits, he said. Under his legislation, restaurateurs would receive a $100 tax credit for every $1,000 worth of local produce purchased.
East Durham pair charged in check fraud
Colin DeVries writes in the Daily Mail that Shannon T. Higgins, 45, and William K. Marino, both of East Durham, were arrested April 15 in a scheme to cash a Columbia-Greene Community College check made out to Marino’s roommate. State police allege that Marino forged the name of the CGCC student on the back of the check worth more than $2,000 and deposited it into Higgins’ personal bank account. Both suspects were charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a class E felony, and Marino was charged with second-degree forgery, a class D felony. Higgins was issued an appearance ticket returnable to Cairo Town Court. Marino was arraigned in Cairo Town Court and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
The importance of school food
Lynn Sloneker has a link on her Unmuffled education blog to a fabulous piece by Kim Marshall about the nation’s need to pay more attention to school food. Amongst what’s there: School food affects student achievement; Studies are increasingly showing a link between good nutrition and academic success. School food affects teaching; Many educators eat school food, so its nutritional value is important to their performance. Food affects school spending; The money earned from junk food sales benefits schools, which is why some administrators are unwilling to curtail such sales. Schools teach children about food; There’s a “hidden curriculum” in current practices, which can be counteracted by more explicit teaching (and actions) on nutrition. School food is a window into identity and culture. Furthermore, the piece notes how school food affects the environment because of the massive number of meals served in schools every day; making up a significant (and stable) part of the economy; and school food can be a wedge issue, politically. Read this.
ICC looks at district merge
John Mason reports in the Register-Star that talk of merging the Ichabod Crane and Schodack school districts inched forward recently with a joint meeting of districts’ board members at Maple Hill Middle School. The two districts received a grant from the Department of State to study the possibility of consolidating services and potentially merging the districts. The study is scheduled to be completed Oct. 31.Questions discussed focused on whether the possible merger would take the form of a centralization or an annexation, with the assumption being centralization. That led to talk about school identity. Advisory committees for the process, which will each include 15 to 18 members, are still being appointed. According to a tentative timeline, their first meetings will be on or about May 3, and they will continue to meet until July 15.
The National Weather Service says today will be windy with rain showers early then partly cloudy for the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Partly cloudy tonight with a slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 40F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow, partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will give way to occasional showers in the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Police plan ‘Move Over Act’ enforcement detail
Andrew Amelinckx reports in the Register-Star that New York State Police will be out in force, beginning Saturday, April 16, looking for drivers who are not obeying the new Ambrose-Searles “Move Over Act” that requires drivers to use “due care” when approaching an emergency vehicle that has its emergency lights on and is parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder of a road or highway. Drivers must reduce their speed and if they are on parkways, interstates or other roadways that have multiple lanes, they must move from the lane adjacent to where the emergency vehicle is located, if they can do so safely.
Greene officials test the water
Doron Tyler Antrim writes in the Daily Mail about the fact-finding mission Greene County officials made on April 15 to the Poconos to learn about its indoor water park and hotel — a resort that a developer wants to replicate along the New York State Thruway in New Baltimore. Under a plan announced last June, the Greene County Industrial Development Agency has agreed to sell its option on an expansive property south of Exit 21B in New Baltimore to developer MAR Holdings (of Medusa, in Albany County) for the purpose of building a resort of the same size and scope as the one visited. Specifically, the plan calls for an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, 400 hotel rooms, 25,000-square-feet of meeting space, two restaurants, an arcade and other amenities. Details of the transactions, which were reported as a “deal” awaiting Greene County approval now in an April 15 Albany Business Review story, will be outlined in the coming weeks. Reportedly, over $110 million in investments, a future outlet store mall, and about 1500 jobs are entailed.
Attack victim: Spare the bear
Bryan Fitzgerald follows up on his own story in the Times Union with an update about how the victim in the Greene County bear attack is asking that any bears caught in a trap by her Round Top home NOT be euthanized immediately. “Joy Bayer-Mozynski’s northern Catskills home is smeared with sweet-scented syrup and lined with yellow snack cakes. A plastic jug half-filled with honey is tied to a rod in the back that, when pulled hard, will trigger a front door to fall, sealing the cylindrical trap,” reads the story. “Bayer-Mozynski thought she would die when a bear pinned her down in her driveway Wednesday, but she said she doesn’t want the animal killed by state environmental officials, who said there is no way to know if any bear caught is the one that injured the 53-year-old mother of five.” “I don’t want it killed. I don’t know why they can’t take it out into the wilderness. It’s just another one of God’s creatures,” she said Friday, shortly before leaving Albany Medical Center Hospital. “It was just hungry, looking for food.” Bayer-Mozynski was picking up spilled trash — possibly upended by the hungry bear — when the creature approached her, pushed her to the ground and pinned her with a paw. She said the animal held her down while it snatched a white bag of trash. “There wasn’t one second where I thought I was going to live. I begged to God and my guardian angel that my daughters would still have their mother,” she said to Fitzgerald.
Three more months to buy a dirty outdoor wood boiler
Julia Reischel reports in the Watershed Post that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation just gave a small reprieve to anyone who sells outdoor wood boilers, the controversial home heating furnaces known as OWBs. As of April 15, sellers have three more months to sell any old OWBs that don’t meet the state’s new emission standards. The department made the announcement in a press release.
Gtown School budget passes with 2.48 percent increase
The Register-Star reports that the Germantown Central School District Board of Education adopted a 2011-2012 proposed budget with a 5-1-0 vote tally. Shortly after the April 13 budget vote, the board voted to approve an agreement between the district and the Germantown Administrators Association which provided for approximately $49,000 in gift backs to the district over the next two years. It was stressed that as a result of staff reductions over the last two years he and the Board of Education did not want to reduce faculty and staff again this year. In the end they chose to deplete reserves a little more rather than cut into programs and services that would equate to fewer opportunities for students.
HTC adopts $13.2 million budget
Jim Planck reports in the Daily Mail that the Hunter-Tannersville School District has approved a $13,224,338 budget for fiscal year 2011-12, a decrease in total funds of $24,374, or .18 percent, from the current year’s budget of $13,248,712. The tax levy will see an increase of 1.49 percent from 2010-11, for a total of $9,647,540 to be raised by taxes. The administration set a goal for its tax levy amounts and dropped administrative and program expenses while upping capital funds somewhat.
The National Weather Service says today will be mostly cloudy and windy with showers developing this afternoon. High 51F. Winds ESE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tonight, mainly cloudy with rain, windy. Low 49F. Winds SE at 20 to 30 mph. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Tomorrow, windy with a few clouds from time to time. High 61F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Closing bridge means faster, cheaper repairs
Diane Valden writes in the Columbia Paper that Center Hill Road (County Route 7A) will be detoured because of the impending closing of the Roeliff Jansen Kill at Brown’s Dam for replacement. “The long-awaited, much-discussed highway project to replace of the crumbling, 76-year-old bridge and resurface Center Hill Road for six miles from Church Street to County Route 7 and on to State Route 23 in Craryville has started with the posting of road work signs throughout the corridor,the setting up of a storage yard for equipment and vehicles, an engineer’s field office behind the Copake Pharmacy and the removal of several trees along the project route, most of them in the vicinity of the dam,” Valden writes. Road closures will start in the coming week. The replacement of the span will not begin until the first or second week of May. The original project goal was to keep one travel lane over the bridge open with an alternating traffic flow during the bridge construction, but the condition of the bridge has deteriorated over the last few months to the extent that the structural integrity of the downstream lane was brought into question.
Insurance last hurdle for market
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in the Daily Mail about organizers of the peripatetic Catskill Regional Farmers and Artisans Market now shopping for quotes on insurance, following the village board’s April 11 decision to relocate the market to the county parking lot along Church Street. The market must be added to the county’s insurance policy to operate on its property, although Village President Vincent Seeley has said the market, which is run independently of the village and does not receive any village money, has enough surplus funds to pay for any policy updates.
Under new (and much better) management
Sam Pratt writes on his blog that the former Diamond Street Diner, located on Warren Street in Hudson, was acquired at auction on April 15 by a pair of Columbia County organic farmers. “The new Ghent owners—who supplied the only meat served at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding—plan to add a local ‘farm-to-chef’ angle to the usual diner fare,” Pratt writes. “No timetable for reopening has been set yet; but the diner has always been an important part of the community’s life, making this excellent news for Hudson business and stomachs.”
Spectrawatt on last amp
While Capital Region publications are touting the surge of federal and private dollars coming into the Albany area for solar power development and manufacturing projects of late, Kathy Kahn of HVBiz writes about the demise of the company “that was going to take the Hudson Valley by solar storm in May 2010.” SpectraWatt, a photovoltaic panel manufacturer that set up shop in IBM’s former East Fishkill facility after making a $90 million private investment in the plant and receiving another $8 million in federal funding. is now in the process of laying off its 150 employees before it officially closes its doors in a few weeks. “SpectraWatt and other local solar companies had shipped much of their production to countries that were encouraging solar power using government subsidies, notably in the European Union,” Kahn writes. “But harsh winter weather and an uncertain economic climate have reportedly led some countries to curtail or end their subsidized solar energy programs.”
All of city’s Front Street to be repaved next week
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star that the entire length of Front Street will be completely re-paved starting April 20, and hopefully finishing by April 22. The work will run from Dock Street on the north to the far end of the Amtrak parking lot where the city has a waste water pump station. During the process, Larson writes, Front Street will be reduced to one lane, with periodic brief traffic stops in both directions as equipment is moved.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, formerly of Greenport (and currently based in Troy) has been making the news this week via several key items in the nationa’s capital. First, she gave a speech in defense of reproductive rights, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), including a direct hit at Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who in the past week characterized Planned Parenthood as being 90 percent about abortion. He later admitted that was not intended to be a factual statement; 3 percent of Planned Parenthood activities involve abortion. Then, she became a co-sponsor of new legislation to create a buffer zone around military funerals, the better to thwart the use of first amendment rights by the Westboro baptist Church and other entities using such occasions for protest purposes. According to Huffington Post, Gillibrand was also key in drafting a letter from 22 Democratic senators to President Obama asking him to use his executive authority to prevent deportation of young people who would have benefited from the DREAM Act, a bill that failed in the upper chamber last year. The legislation would have allowed undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children to stay, provided they kept a clean record and either enrolled in college or joined the military. “Current law unfairly punishes thousands of young people who grew up here and know only America as their home, holding them back from making a contribution to our country’s military and economy,” Gillibrand said in a statement within the message to Obama. “These young people deserve better.” After winning re-election with a large majority last November, it seems our junior senator has decided NOT to rest on her laurels… Could SHE be aiming for higher office?
TH approves tax levy hike of 2.78 %
John Mason of the Register-Star reports that the Taconic Hills Board of Education this week approved a $32.6 million budget that represents a 1.92 percent increase in spending and a 2.78 percent hike in the tax levy for the coming year. The increase was the same as would be implemented should the budget vote fail and the district was forced to a contingency plan. $450,000 will be taken out of the district’s Employee Retirement System reserve and $150,000 out of an Unemployment Reserve. Another $650,000 would come from funding current positions through Title One grants. More savings have to be found to match cuts in the budget, which superintendent Mark Sposato said would likely include music, art or technology, leaving elementary school and basic high school classes intact. There was some worry, during the vote, about past teacher salary negotiations and deals, as well as the district having a lesser graduating rate than nearby Chatham School District.
Group celebrates Grange Week 2011
Hilary Hawke has a story in the Ravena News-Herald about the upcoming National Grange Week from April 16 through 22, and how the local Ravena Grange will be holding a kick-off chicken and biscuits dinner on April 16 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall on Route 143 in Coeymans Hollow. An open house and awards ceremony on April 18 will feature presentations of the Grange Community Citizen Award and Granger of the Year. “During Grange Week we want our community to know the Grange is a living organization that has a lot to offer,” said Ravena Grange President Alfred Kirmss of his chapter, which has close to 100 members. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry is the oldest surviving agricultural organization in America and helped fight railroad monopolies, advocated for rural postal delivery service and supported the suffragette movement in earlier years. There are local Granges in Copake, East Chatham, and
Mellenville.
Lebanon Valley Historic Society documenting, preserving town history
Paul Crossman writes in the Chatham Courier about history-keeping efforts in the Town of New Lebanon, where the oldest pharmaceutical company in America, The Tilden Company, was once based in New Lebanon and a major economic and historic contributor to Columbia County. The Lebanon Valley Historical Society, it turns out, has started “The Tilden Project” to “uncover the effect of the downfall of this national corporation on the economy, landscape and people of New Lebanon and document oral histories, photographs and artifacts of the company and its progressive decline.” In addition, the historical society hopes to digitalize its entire collection and put it on CD, which will then be available to anyone in the community through the New Lebanon Library.
Pay freeze would hurt pensions of aging state work force
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that negotiations between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state employee unions have not taken full account of the long-term pension effects of pay freezes being sought. “As the baby boom generation sweeps through New York’s public sector work force, more and more union members are approaching retirement,” he writes. “They are well aware that their pensions are typically calculated by averaging their three highest earning years, which usually come at the end of a public employee’s career — if only due to longevity-based raises. Because of the impact on their pensions, thousands of union members view a pay freeze as something lasting far beyond the expiration of the contract.” According to a state Civil Service Department’s 2010 report, 62 percent of the state work force is 45 or older, and 25 percent is 55 or older. Talk about past generation gaps still getting fought over…
Environmental groups urge DRBC to extend gas drilling moratorium
The fracking battle is aiming at the core of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling areas, with environmental groups from four states now urging the not to move forward with gas drilling in the river basin until thorough studies have been completed and can prove drilling is safe. Mid Hudson News Network reports that the groups expressed outrage, and delivered over 30,000 public comments, over the DRBC’s proposal to allow hydrofracking to begin in the Delaware watershed, putting an end to the existing moratorium on any watershed drilling. The groups include Delaware Riverkeeper, Environment New Jersey and Catskill Mountainkeeper.
The National Weather Service says today will be partly cloudy. High 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight will have some clouds. Low 37F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow will be cloudy and windy. A few showers in the afternoon. High 54F. Winds ESE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
C-A Board of Ed adopts tentative $25.5M budget with 2.92% tax levy increase
Melanie Lekocevic reports in the Greene County News about the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District Board of Education unanimous passage of a tentative 2011-2012 budget of $25,458,597, which if approved by the voters in May would levy a 2.92% tax increase on homeowners. The vote was unanimous. Most of the increase in the tax levy is due to losses in state aid along with increases in expenses – most notably jumps in the cost of employee salaries and benefits, which account for 95% of the budget increase. Amongst jobs on the chopping block to keep taxes low were a .22 art teacher, four teaching assistants, two teacher’s aides, one clerk/typist, two AIS teachers, two special education/consultant teachers, .4 English teacher, 1.4 math teacher, .5 social studies teacher, one elementary grade 6 teacher, a .5 physical education teacher, one administrator, .4 foreign language teacher and .5 social worker. Originally, one full-time social worker had been cut, but was restored to a part-time position. Other reductions remain as they did in previous discussions about the budget, including some programs, after-school transportation and other budget items.
Public divided over municipal mergers
Doron Tyler Antrim writes in the Daily Mail that consolidating government services is on the minds of local lawmakers across New York, even though a new poll released this week shows the public largely split over the issue. “The Marist College poll found 54 percent of state residents outside New York City, which is mostly consolidated, favored consolidation for their local government, although support varies depending on the service,” Antrim writes. “Among the services most favored for consolidation include public transportation, at 73 percent, and road and highway maintenance, at 68 percent. Park and recreation programs, prisons and public libraries were also favored for consolidation by more than half of the respondents, while less support was aired for consolidation of police and fire rescue services. At 45 percent, consolidation on public schools received the least support.”
Tuition for veterans
Scott Waldman has a story in the Times Union about U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer introducing legislation that would allow veterans to keep the tuition benefits they were promised under the 2008 Post-9/11 GI Bill. “Veteran students were eligible for full tuition benefits at public institutions, or they could receive up to the same benefit amount if attending a private institution,” Waldman writes. “However, a 2010 law would cap that amount at $17,500 for private institutions. Under the current rules, students at private institutions are able to receive up to $1,010 per credit hour or $25,250 for a typical full-time academic year.” The change could have meant about 1,000 students would have to drop out. “This legislation will fix this inequity and ensure that our veterans receive the full benefits they were promised and rightly deserve,” Schumer said in a statement. “It will make sure we don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.”
Deadline nears for decision on grant money
Michael Ryan writes in the Windham Journal about a deadline drawing near for government leaders in Lexington to either use or lose a $9.1 million block grant from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to build a wastewater treatment system in their central hamlet. There is a very real possibility the money could be lost, Ruan writes. “Town board members, at a meeting last week, decided to hold off until the last available moment to let the Catskill Watershed Corporation, administrators of the DEP dollars, know if they will push forward with the pre-construction phase of the proposed sewer project.” CWC executive director Alan Rosa has given local officials a May 6 ultimatum to either take or leave the DEP offer, stating in a letter, “if the town has not passed a resolution by that date, CWC will accept that your town is not interested and move on to the next community on the list.” In the late 1990s, New York City created a priority list to improve wastewater treatment in 22 watershed communities. The New York City agency has already built systems in the nearby towns of Ashland, Hunter, Prattsville and Windham, among over a dozen altogether.
Civil War Sesquicentennial
Carole Osterink has a reminder about the Friday, April 15 gala opening for a special Columbia County exhibition commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War taking place from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Hendrick Hudson Chapter House of the Daughters of the American Revolution at 113 Warren Street in Hudson. Her Gossips of Rivertown blog adds that a public opening for the exhibit will take place Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. Centering the new exhibit is a restored historic flag.
Bear in DEC’s cross hairs after woman attacked
Brian Fitzgerald reports in the Times Union that the Department of Environmental Conservation has set up a large trap outside the home of a woman who was knocked down by a bear in her driveway on April 13. They plan to euthanize the first large bear that is caught, according to DEC spokesman Rick Georgeson. He added that the DEC will not know for sure whether or not a bear caught in the trap is the same one that attacked the woman, but that the first large bear caught will be killed. Because the woman said she was attacked by a fully grown bear, Georgeson said the DEC will not euthanize any cubs or smaller bears that are trapped. “It basically will be up there until we catch one,” he added. “We’re going to err on the side of caution.”
Round Top woman attacked by bear
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail that a 53-year-old Round Top woman was attacked by a bear Wednesday afternoon, April 13. The woman told police she was knocked down by a black bear in her driveway on Alpine Drive. A garbage container was knocked over and trash was strewn about into a wooded area near the home. The woman was transported by Cairo Ambulance to Albany Medical Center for treatment. Environmental conservation officers could not locate the animal when they arrived on the scene.
Supervisors split on filling, creating positions
Francesca Olsen writes in the Register-Star on how the April 13 meeting of the full Columbia County Board of Supervisors dissolved into a series of roll call votes, all pertaining to newly-created positions or the filling of now-empty administrative ones. Usually such decisions are made by acclimation. “The controversy began when Supervisor Pat Grattan, R-Kinderhook, moved to table a resolution that would have granted county Human Resources Director John Rutkey Jr. a deputy with a $60,000 salary,” Olsen writes. “The vote was split almost evenly between the supervisors, which is a rarity for a full board meeting. In the end, it was tabled.” Five other paid positions were approved by the board in other roll call votes, not including the HR deputy, which did not make it to a vote. The meeting began 15 minutes late because of a delayed Republican caucus.
Job fair to highlight 1,200 positions
The Albany Business Journal reports that a job fair scheduled for April 14, this morning, will feature more than 1,200 jobs. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Career Fair at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany will have more than 90 businesses present, including Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp./Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, CDPHP, Time Warner Cable, GlobalFoundries and Albany Medical Center. The event runs from 12:30-4 p.m. Two workshops are scheduled before the job fair begins, at 11 a.m. The job fair is free to the public. For more information, call (888) 469-7365 or visit http://www.labor.ny.gov.
Seven Catskill teaching positions eliminated
Jim Planck reports in the Daily Mail that the Catskill Central School District adopted its $37 million budget for 2011-12 Wednesday night, April 13, with a 6-3 vote. The budget reduces district employment by 10.3 positions, seven from the teaching staff and 3.3 from support staff, despite protests against the cuts by the Catskill Teachers Association, district parents, and students. The positions that will be eliminated are one art teacher, one music teacher, one foreign language teacher, one science teacher, two social studies teachers, one social worker, one business office administrative assistant, a library teaching assistant, a CHOICES teaching assistant, and a .3 full time equivalent of a monitor. The budget represents a spending increase of $511,147, or a 1.39-percent increase. $480,000 will be taken from the district’s unappropriated fund balance of $2.2 million, which will then reduce the tax levy by another 3 percent, dropping it to $182,564, or a 1.14-percent increase to the tax levy.
UPDATE: 900 Columbia Street
Carole Osterink reports in her Gossips of Rivertown about what happened to the 652 signature Save 900 Columbia Street petition she helped organize and deliver to the executive director and board of the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties and to the commissioner at the New York State Office of Mental Health. She notes that it’s been “three weeks since a group of advocates for the house met with Jeffrey Rovitz, executive director of MHA, and Susan Cody, who directs MHA’s residential division, to explore how MHA could achieve its goals without demolishing a historic house.” Going on, she writes that, “Not surprisingly, the responses to our questions explained why our idea was not possible and showed little willingness to alter the plans in order to save the historic house. MHA did, however, offer to give the house to Historic Hudson so that the organization could move it to another site ‘in a timely fashion’ after the new facility had been built and the residents moved into the new building. The problem with this idea is that the house is an important element in a surviving historic streetscape, and its location, at the intersection of Columbia and Union turnpikes, contributes greatly to its significance. Moving such a monumental brick structure would not only be a daunting undertaking, but it would diminish the building’s historic importance.” Finally, Osterink reports that, “The ad hoc group suggested that MHA speak directly with the State Historic Preservation Office about their project. Earlier this week it was learned that MHA had contacted SHPO and now understood their obligations under Section 14.09 of the State Historic Preservation Act. SHPO has also been in touch with the cultural resource person at the Office of Mental Health. The future of 900 Columbia Street, it seems, is now being determined at the state level.”
The National Weather Service says today will be partly cloudy. High 69F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. There will then be some clouds this evening that will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 40F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow, sunshine and clouds mixed. High 62F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Town meetings tonight CHATHAM, Village meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street COPAKE town board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake GALLATIN 6:30 town board meeting at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram HUDSON Industrial Development Agency meeting at 5 p.m. at City Hall KINDERHOOK Planning Board Workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville LIVINGSTONTown board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19 STUYVESANT Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive TANNERSVILLE Village trustees meet at 7 p.m. in their Village Hall on Route 23A. WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, Hensonville. GREENE COUNTY Finance & Audit committee meets at 5 p.m. in county office building, Catskill
City picks GAR for reval after last year’s controversy
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star that the city of Hudson is trying again to underfgo a reassessment of local tax values, this time working with the real estate appraisal firm GAR Associates. In 2010, the release of the Hudson assessment roll lead to a much higher than average number of grievances, a lawsuit from a group of building owners and residents crying foul about the values of their homes. That reval was attempted in house. “GAR project manager for the Hudson reassessment, David M. Barnett, said that they aim to be as transparent and public with their process as possible, reaching out to home owners, providing them with information and resources and holding public workshops to explain the process,” Larson writes. “Common Council President Donald Moore said that GAR’s bid on the project was accepted for a number of reasons but their stated commitment for community outreach and involvement was a big part of why they were selected.” There will be no major revaluation in 2011. The results of GAR’s assessment will be released in 2012.
Board still working to finalize school budget
Michael Ryan reports in the Windham Journal on ongoing talks to determine a 2011-2012 school budget for the Windham-Ashland-Jewett school district. “A draft version of the budget, released by the board of education in early February, showed that the total for mandated expenses and contractual commitments represents a leap of $348,000 from a year ago,” Ryan writes. “Combine that with an anticipated $263,265 decrease in State aid and it is small wonder WAJ administrators have been searching every nook and cranny for ways to ease the seemingly inevitable pain for taxpayers.” Board of education members are expected to approve a spending package in late April, giving them less than a month to figure out what goes and what stays before sending the numbers to taxpayers for a May 17 vote.
Delayed Master Plan for Martin Van Buren
Mike McCagg reports in CCScoop that a long overdue master plan for the Martin Van Buren Historic Site in Kinderhook is still on the drawing boards, but has been delayed by federal budget impasses. “The first-ever general management plan for the three-decade-old historic site – the site known as Lindenwald that was home of the eighth president of the United States – was expected to be made public in late 2010, but now is on hold until later this year – at the earliest,” McCagg writes. “Site Superintendent Daniel Dattilio said funding for the plan is still in place, but cut backs among planners and agency personnel at the national level has delayed the work.”
Town awards $93,000 re-val bid
Melanie Lekocevic writes in the Greene County News that the Athens Town Council recently awarded a $93K bid from Appraisal Consultants to perform a revaluation of the town and village. The motion was approved by a 3-2 vote. The Town Council awarded the bid after four re-val companies submitted bids in response to the RFP, or Request for Proposal. Appraisal Consultants was the lowest bidder. “Supporters of conducting a townwide revaluation, or re-val, say it is a way to level the playing field and make sure all property owners are paying their fair share in property taxes,” Lekocevic writes. “Over the years, property values change and some may be paying too much, while others may be paying too little.”
Lebanon Valley Speedway owner’s plan for motocross still not on track
Gail Heinsohn has a story in the Chatham Courier about pending questions regarding an application to build a motocross track on land adjacent to the Lebanon Valley Speedway. The application was put in to the Stephentown Zoning Board of Appeals in Rensselaer County last year for a variance for about 10 acres of residentially zoned property, to be turned into a “world-class” motocross facility, with a goal of attracting 30,000 spectators. The land contains state-regulated wetlands and archeologically significant areas.
Fire breaks out in Hudson
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star on the fire in Hudson this morning at 754 Columbia Street, within site of the WGXC studios. The fire occurred in the second floor apartment of the building next door to Melino’s Pub at around 10:00 a.m., Larson reported. The apartment sustained significant visible damage to the exterior side wall. Firefighters used a chain saw to cut into the roof and the blaze was put out within a half hour. It was unknown what damage local businesses sustained as of this newscast.
ICC passes budget — and football
John Mason reports in the Register-Star on the passage of a budget by the Ichabod Crane Board of Education in Kinderhook, and how the possibility of losing the local football team became the major point of contention at a crowded meeting on Tuesday night, April 12. ICC has ended up with a 3.9 percent tax levy increase to go before voters on May 17. As in Hudson and other local school districts, the board split – 5-3 in ICC’s case – in their final budget vote on a spending plan that includes the closing of two schools, the elimination of 32.5 positions, and the discontinuation of the district’s pre-K program. The matter that divided them, however, was the last minute addition of $31,000 for the varsity and junior varsity football program, Mason points out, which was also the issue that drew 9- minutes of impassioned speeches from district residents.
Unspent county grants total $375K
Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail writes that Greene County lawmakers have approved the transfer of about $375,000 in unused public safety grants, with legislators encouraging the funds be put to use before its too late. Four grants, awarded to the county Department of Emergency Services and the sheriff’s office, remain in county coffers while the projects they were intended to fund are still in progress. Two grants were awarded to emergency services in May 2009 and May 2010, totaling $299,972, for “support, planning, equipment, training and exercise needs associated with preparedness and prevention activities for terrorist events using weapons of mass destruction involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials.” As of Dec. 31, 2010, $239,449.43 of those Homeland Security grants remained. Two other U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants awarded in March 2010 and August 2010 to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office totaled $89,750 for a “prevention initiative consistent with the local Counter Terrorism Zone strategy, and “to create, train and outfit a countywide dive team to ensure a quick response for water-related incidents.” As of Dec. 31, 2010, $71,464.13 remained between the two grants. Finally, a U.S. Department of Justice grant of $80,000 was awarded for an emergency services radio study, accepted by the county legislature in October 2009. As of Dec. 31, 2010, $61,064.80 of the grant remained unused.
Valatie plans 10% tax cut in new budget
Emilia Teasdale of the Columbia Paper reports that the Valatie Village Board reviewed a proposed $706,905 annual budget proposed some major spending cuts at their most recent budget meeting, working to lower property taxes by 10%. Their areas of saving include closing Village Court, making lower interest payments on loans, and removing the position of deputy village clerk. “Discussion became heated over the Fire Department budget,” Teasdale writes, noting how the Fire Company wanted to set aside money for future equipment purchases.
Lack of county historian stirs debate in Dutchess
The Daily Freeman has a story about how debate arose at a legislative meeting in neighboring Dutchess County Legislature over the lack of a county historian. The position, appointed by the county executive, has been vacant for three years and the issue came up during a routine resolution vote declaring Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 to be officially known as “Dutchess County Heritage Days.” Legislature Minority Leader Sandra Goldberg said designating Heritage Days without a historian is doing it backward. Republican majority members responded that there were enough historians in the county already.
Library on way to magic number
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in the Daily Mail that the Cairo library board of trustees has noted that it is already quarter of the way toward reaching the $100,000 local match required as part its acceptance of a federal loan and grant package to build a new public library. The money has been collected from donations and fundraisers that library officials and volunteers have organized since last year, and does not include the donation of in-kind services, which have been estimated at about $15,000.
BOE merges 3rd ward districts
Jamie Larson writes in the Register-Star about the Columbia County Board of Elections’ decision to combine two Third Ward voting districts in the city of Hudson. The change reduces the number of poll workers and procedural steps needed during elections and was announced at the informal meeting of the Hudson Common Council on April 11 in terms of its savings of $4,000 per year. According to state law, a voting district has to have fewer then 1,150 active voters in it. The new combined Third Ward district has 681, leaving Hudson’s Fifth Ward the last one split into two voting districts, with a total 1,280 active voters.
The National Weather Service says today will see rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch. There will be showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low around 45F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 68F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Town meetings tonight VILLAGE OF ATHENS meets at 6:30 p.m at the Athens Community Center, 2 First St., Athens CLERMONT Planning Board, town hall at 7 p.m. COLUMBIA COUNTY holds a full Board of Supervisors meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at 401 State St. in Hudson. COPAKE Resource Advisory Committee Meeting at 7 p.m. GHENT Planning Board Application meeting and Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. for each CITY OF HUDSON Planning Committee meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. JEWETT Town Meeting at 7:00 p.m., town hall. KINDERHOOK Town’s 9 & 9H Corridor Committee at 7 p.m. KINDERHOOK Village Board meeting and budget hearing, 7 p.m.
Registry to chart gas-drilling chemicals
The Ithaca Journal reports that a pair of state groups has launched a registry for chemicals used in extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing. The on-line registry makes it easier for the public to find out what chemicals are being used to extract natural gas in nearby wells. But participating drillers will continue to withhold information about chemicals they consider proprietary. The process known as “fracking” unlocks reserves of natural gas trapped in deep rock formations using the high-pressure injection of water, sand and chemicals to break up rock and release the natural gas. Twenty-four drillers have volunteered to also post that data on the registry, called FracFocus.org, so the public can find information about most of the chemicals used in nearby wells, excepting those termed “trade secrets.” The fluids used in the process were exempted from federal oversight by a 2005 law. There are proposals in congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate the fluids and require drillers to disclose all of the chemicals used. The EPA is conducting a study of the process. Initial results are expected to be released by the end of 2012.
White paper says government efficiency is the name of the game in the Hudson Valley
Mid Hudson News Network has a story about a new Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress white paper on government efficiency that suggests that consolidation is not necessarily an answer to Hudson Valley governmental inefficiencies. The white paper suggests a spectrum of options including shared services, collaborations and possible consolidations. It also notes that New York City, with over 8 million people, has one mayor, one police department and one fire department. In the Hudson Valley, meanwhile, there are nine counties, 13 cities, 137 towns, 88 villages, 123 school districts, 220 fire districts, 53 drainage districts, 114 fire protection districts, 227 lighting districts, 32 park districts, 24 refuse and garbage districts, 329 sewer districts, 238 water districts, and another 102 miscellaneous districts. That totals 1,709 units of government and special districts for a population of 2.4 million. Got that all?
Suicide prevention efforts on the rise after recent spike in suicides
CCScoop’s Mike McCagg writes about the apparent rise in Columbia County suicides over the past year, and a study begun in 2008 – when a record 20 such tragedies occurred — that is now nearing completion. “There is a list of 15 recommendations that will be made (in that report) and to the extent that we have resources, we are going to systematically implement them,” said Michael Cole of the Columbia County Department of Mental Health. “It will make an impact to have decentralized services, to have resources available to where people live. If you look at it, a third of the population of Columbia County lives within five miles of Valatie. If we can have a clinic there, that would be significant.”
Tax cap finger pointing
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union on the new wars regarding a proposed property tax cap, suggesting that Senate Republicans jumped a bit early into blaming Assembly Democrats for killing any plans for the foreseeable future. The Senate, along with the state Association of Realtors and other lobbying groups, are pushing Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to bring the issue to the Assembly floor for a vote, even though it doesn’t have needed support. The fuel? Cap supporters are saying greater school budget cuts are needed to save people from still-high taxes.
Police: Slew of violent domestic incidents in Hudson
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star notes that the Hudson Police Department has made a number of arrests within the past week stemming from domestic incidents, then charts the basic details of each case. The situations involved men breaking women’s fingers and arms, smashing vodka bottles in lovers’ faces, and use of knives and threats. All the incidents were reported by the Hudson Police Department in one release on April 11.
The Watershed Post reports on the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program‘s annual Ashokan Watershed Conference held Saturday, April 9 and its region-wide subject: “Flood Resilience for Towns, Businesses and Landowners.” Julia Reischel focuses on talk of the effects of climate change on weather, “extreme precipitation events,” and flooding. “Storms are getting more severe, rainfall is getting heavier, droughts are getting dryer, and flooding is getting worse,” she summarizes a speech by Dan Zarrow, a meteorologist at Cornell University’s Northeast Regional Climate Center seen in the above video. “The northeast US is the most sensitive region of the country to climate-change induced-extreme precipitation increases,” according to Zarrow. He added that the Climate Center’s new interactive website, www.precip.net, says that “100-year-storms” now happen about once every 50 years.
Meanwhile, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County will be hosting a Science and Management Forum on Regional Freshwater Issues, on Saturday, April 16 from 9am to noon. Attendees will be provided with insight into the state of our groundwater supplies, ways of protecting sensitive wetlands, and pressures that threaten freshwater ecosystems, including pollution, development practices, and invasive species. Special attention will be given to green infrastructure and stormwater management, as well as some of the same climate change issues that came up at the Ashokan Conference. The forum is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Participants can register online at www.caryinstitute.org/freshwater.html or call (845) 677-7600 x171. The last two Science and Management Forums filled to capacity; early registration is recommended.
William Morgan Davies and Louisa Maria Dickerman, Violet Snow’s great great grandparents, on their wedding day... Before he joined the Civil War as a Union private. Image from Woodstock Times.
Violet Snow, journalist and tracking specialist, has started off on a journey to trace her own connections to the Civil War. This past week, the Woodstock Times ran a piece in which she writes about her discovery of a bare bones journal by her great-great-grandfather. William Morgan Davies, of the 95th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was an immigrant Welshman whose troubled times as a foot soldier in General Ulysses S. Grant’s armies in Tennessee, and later as a prisoner of war at infamous Andersonville Prison, eventually led to a troubled marriage that saw him divorced by the family he started in this country. “Twenty years later, when he took a horsewhip to his wife, the family attributed his rages to the effects of his war experiences, especially his time in Andersonville,” Snow writes. “I’m wondering how the trauma of the Civil War is handed down through the generations. Along with the suffering of imprisonment under more or less intolerable conditions, did the stoical Davies experience survivor guilt as men around him died every day? What did he have to do to stay alive in that hell? Does my own tendency toward exaggerated anxiety and guilt have any relationship with his pain? And it’s not just about my family. The more I read about the war and Reconstruction, the more I think about the trauma that underlies modern U.S. politics.” She is currently searching through the south, retracing her great-great-grandfather’s battle-weary steps set in motion by the outbreak of the Civil War 150 years ago this Tuesday, April 12. She says it comes from new spiritual studies that suggest our nation is marred by its failure to honor, or even try to understand, its ancestors. “Jackson, Clinton, Bolton, Vicksburg, the Black River — where are these places?” she writes. “I don’t know what kind of resonance is waiting for me, but something important is there… I am realizing that the ancestors have tremendous power for us.” More when Violet returns…
Dick May has an interesting piece up on his April 9 Seeing Greene blog, about a new Greene County resident who has been named one of 190 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum, better known by the place the WEF meets each year in Davos, Switzerland. Asli Karahan-Ay recently bought a historic home locally with her husband, Evren Ay, and was chosen for her work at the international bank, UBS, where she serves as executive director of the office of the chief executive officer, and previously served as director of UBS’ investment bank division. The YGL class of 2011 is composed of 190 people under the age of 40 from 65 countries. Included with Karahan-Ay in the North American contingent of honorees are novelist Dave Eggers, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Fox commentator and former Bush press secretary Dana Perino, and former Senator and current Democratic Party organizer Harold Ford Jr. Below is a video of David Aikman, Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, explaining this year’s selection process and what makes this incoming class of Young Global Leaders unique.
WGXC Radio Council member Max Goldfarb recorded the Hudson City School District budget meeting on Monday night, April 11. There, a 9.8 percent tax levy increase, including the loss of 27 employees, passed by a narrow 4-3 board majority. Even if the budget gets voted down May 17, the district has the option to adopt the budget as is, according to Daniel Barrett, the district’s business manager. HCSD board members Peter Meyer, Peter Rice and Elizabeth Fout voted against. Both Rice and Meyer believed the vote should have been put off for one more week with the intention of taking another look at the numbers.
Sound clips featured District Superintendent Jack Howe, who grew up in the district, as the main voice. They include an introduction of the basic numbers, a discussion of state aid figures, and what the HCSD administration saw itself working with, and towards; Board member Elizabeth Fout, who voted against the spending measure, raising other ways of cutting costs at one point, including the cutting of days the buildings were open; and Howe outlining future steps, following the budget’s passage by the board, including ways in which job cuts could be re-addressed in the future.
For now, we present some talk of the proposed elimination of a specific social studies teaching position: Board_Ed03_4_11
And finally, some back and forth regarding the costs of transportation, a wild card in recent years: Board_Ed06_4_11
Nomad market finds home on Church St.
Doron Tyler Antrimreports in the Daily Mail that the Catskill Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday, April 11 to relocate the community’s seasonal farmers market to the county parking lot along Church Street, perpendicular to where it was last year. The move is a change of opinion since Saturday, when village officials met and agreed the market would remain on Main Street this year, although with a new look. It was decided it would be unsafe to have traffic and kids events simultaneously. The proposal now needs approval from the Greene County Legislature.
Word from the BOE Meeting
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown was the first to report on the June 11 Hudson City School District Board of Education meeting, noting how they voted to accept the proposed budget, “which at $41,249,180 involves the elimination of 26 positions and a 9.8 increase in the tax levy.” Four board members–Emil Meister, Jeffrey Otty, Mary Daly, and Peter Merante–voted to accept the budget; three–Peter Meyer, Elizabeth Fout, and Peter Rice–voted against accepting it. “When asked by an audience member what would happen if the voters rejected the budget, three options were explained: (1) the BOE could propose the same budget for a second vote; (2) the BOE could further reduce the budget and propose a new budget; (3) the BOE could go directly to contingency, which would mean that the budget now proposed would be the budget, since a 9.8 percent increase is within the parameters allowed bu the state for a contingency budget.” We will have more from this event, with audio, in the coming hours.
Lawsuit could slow Greenport Crossings project
John Mason of the Register-Star reports that despite receiving an unprecedented 20-year tax abatement agreement from the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency,the Greenport Crossing complex is facing a $1.5 million lawsuit. “Developer Harbalwant Singh, in the midst of a brownfield cleanup, said he has decided to forgive both the parties named in the suit and will be dropping it,” Mason writes. Singh sued the man he bought the property from for allegedly lying to him about environmental factors on the property. He now says he will forgive the lie and drop his lawsuit so development can proceed.
Drilling foes make point
Brian Nearing reports on the April 11 anti-fracking rally in Albany in the Times Union, noting that “several hundred people descended on the state Capitol to urge lawmakers to reject horizontal hydrofracking, which delivers a high-pressure mix of water, chemicals and sand to free natural gas trapped in shale formations deep underground.” He observed the presence of Josh Fox, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Gasland,” among a crowd of about 450 people who had signed up to lobby lawmakers against horizontal hydrofracking. The drilling technique remains under study by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. A decision on rules to control the practice could be released sometime this summer after about three years of study… “Also Monday, the gas industry — which defends the process as safe — wrote to the governor to ask that he speed up the DEC review,” Nearing continues. “The state, the industry says, is missing revenue available in states that allow the process, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.” “New York cannot afford to allow protests rooted in misinformation to halt the tremendous economic development activity that awaits our state,” wrote Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York, which represents about 400 energy companies. Also, several Democratic state lawmakers on Monday announced a package of proposals, from an outright ban on hydrofracking to strict controls on the chemicals, some toxic, used in the process as well the large amounts of tainted wastewater that hydrofracking creates.
Gibson calls economy a bipartisan problem
Michael Ryan reports in the Daily Mail that U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson of Kinderhook, R-20th, called the economy “a bipartisan problem” during his town hall meeting in Windham on April 11, where he was joined by State Senator James Seward, R-Milford. Asked to respond to the nuclear power plant emergency in earthquake ravaged Japan and the role of nuclear power in America, the congressman reiterated that he remains a proponent of nuclear power… “when it is done right.” “I strongly support all renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and geo-thermal but at the end of the day, when you realistically look at what we consume as a nation, I say let the science go forward,” he said. “If a community doesn’t want nuclear, it shouldn’t be forced on them. There are communities that will want it.”
Gasoline prices continue upward surge
The Daily Freeman notes what we all have noticed: average retail gasoline prices in New York have risen 8.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.92 per gallon on April 10. This compares with the national average, which increased 7.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.74, according to gasoline price websiteNewYorkStateGasPrices.com. Including the change in gas prices in New York during the past week, prices April 10 were 95.4 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 18.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 21 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 87.2 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.
Close the creek?
Following up on his own story, Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail writes that area sportsmen have called for a 45-day stay on fishing the Catskill Creek in order to save the fish’s sensitive spawning habitat. Six men were charged with illegally catching walleye there earlier this month and Walter Bennett, president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Greene County, addressed county lawmakers on April 11, urging support to close a section of Catskill Creek from March 16 to April 30. Walleye season is from the first Saturday in May through March 15 of the following year.
The National Weather Service predicts rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High 59F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 47F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch. Tomorrow: a steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Town meetings tonight CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7:00 p.m. COPAKE Board of Ethics, 7:00 p.m.; Comprehensive Planning Comm., 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall COXSACKIE Town board at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reid St.
United Way chief predicts banner 2011
Raymond Pignone writes in the Daily Mail that United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties is predicting a banner year, with Executive Director Brad Poster saying the nonprofit began the year by granting funds to 37 not-for-profit agencies in its two counties. UWCG’s biggest corporate donors are Save-A-Lot in Greene County and UPS in Columbia County. All of the funds collected by UWCG are distributed only to agencies in Greene and Columbia counties, Poster said.
Troopers issue 55 tickets enforcing new move over law
Mid Hudson News Network reports about the enforcement actions of the State Police this past weekend, April 9 and 10, on the Taconic Parkway. They handed out 55 tickets in the towns of Clinton, Stanford and Milan enforcing the new Ambrose-Searles Move Over Act that requires vehicles passing emergency vehicles with their flashing lights on move as far away from them as they can. That means on the Taconic, if a State Police car is on the right shoulder of the road, passing motorists are supposed to move over to the left lane, if possible.
Six charged with illegally taking walleye
Scott Waldman of the Times Union writes that six men were charged with illegally taking walleye from the Catskill Creek, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “An officer saw the men ‘snagging,’ a term for dragging a large hook through the water until it catches a fish, on April 3,” Waldman reports. “Police said they found a cooler where the men were keeping the fish, mostly pregnant females averaging more than 11 pounds and 27 inches long. State Police helped with the investigation. Walleye season runs from the first Saturday in May to March 15. Those who catch the fish out of season face 15 days in jail. “The walleye are particularly at risk this time of year because the fish are spawning,” DEC Regional Director Gene Kelly said in a statement. “The Catskill Creek is one of the largest walleye breeding areas in the region and it’s imperative that we protect these vulnerable breeding fish.” The six men were from the Capitol Region.
Bankruptcy filings drop 15% in 1Q
The Albany Business Journal reports that bankruptcy filings in the Albany court district dropped 15 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to new data posted on April 11. Almost 200 fewer cases were filed when compared to the first quarter of 2010, for a total of 1,086 new cases. The total is lower than levels in 2010 and in 2009. The data is for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court division based in downtown Albany, which covers 12 counties including the Capital District and upper Hudson Valley..
Mid-Hudson bridges are very safe, says bridge chief
Mid Hudson News Network reports that the New York State Bridge Authority’s five bridges across the Hudson River are well maintained and safe, according to Executive Director Joseph Ruggiero. “All of our bridges receive what we call a rating of a five, the highest rating that can be achieved for the older bridges that the Bridge Authority owns; that’s due to our maintenance program being proactive versus reactive and the next 20 years several of our bridges will approach their 100th anniversary of service and the diligence that we apply to our maintenance is even more critical to make sure our bridges continue to provide safe and reliable service,” he said. The Authority operates the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff and Rip Van Winkle bridges. More than 58 million vehicles crossed the bridges in 2010.
Environmental groups from across the state are heading to Albany the morning of Monday, April 11 for a rally against high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region that spans the southern half of New York and parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The Hydro-Fracking Day of Action, according to Citizens Campaign for the Environment, begins with a 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. rally on the Capitol Lawn with activists and advocates from throughout New York; then a 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. series of visits to individual legislators to “educate New York’s lawmakers about the dangers of dirty drilling.” According to an Associated Press story on the rally found on the website for the Times Herald-Record, “opponents fear the technology commonly called ‘fracking’ may lead to contamination of water supplies. New York has had a moratorium on permits for high-volume fracking since it initiated a comprehensive environmental review of it nearly three years ago. Fracking involves the high-pressure injection of chemically treated water into a gas well to crack surrounding shale and release trapped natural gas. The industry says fracking is well-regulated and safe.” Among the speakers at Monday morning’s rally will be Josh Fox, director of the anti-gas industry documentary “Gasland,” and actor Mark Ruffalo, who has recorded station welcomes for WGXC.
Hannacroix Creek dumper caught
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail that a 79-year-old Coxsackie man was charged with illegally dumping into the Hannacroix Creek on Saturday, April 9, state police said after a report of a suspicious person dumping household garbage into the creek was reported to them. Lawrence J. Burke was found traveling in his vehicle on County Route 61 and ticketed by police. Police said Burke had dumped a bag of household garbage, containing rancid meat, into the creek. The bag was located and returned to Burke, who was ordered to properly dispose of the refuse.
NYSP makes arrest in underage drinking investigation
The Register-Star reports that a 19-year-old has been charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor, after the New York State Police at Livingston arrested him April 8 following an investigation March 18 by the State Police at Kinderhook, who looked into a report of an underage drinking party being held at a private Kinderhook residence. Troopers located an 18-year-old female described as “obviously intoxicated” and turned her over to her parent. Continued investigation into the incident led to the Friday arrest, with police alleging that Pinkowski intentionally interfered with the troopers’ official duties. He was arraigned in the village of Kinderhook court and released, pending court appearance on April 19.
Goodbye, but not forever
Andrew Amelinckx reports on a ritualistic walking of a labyrinth on Sunday, April 10,to honor Benedicta Bertau, the co-artistic director of Hudson’s Walking the Dog Theater. Bertau, who is originally from Germany, is leaving the country for an unknown amount of time while her immigration status is determined. She and fellow Walking the Dog Theater director David Anderson created the labyrinth on the Philmont Village Green two years ago. “Friends came out to say good-bye to Bertau and help clean up the labyrinth, raking leaves and twigs off the stone structure,” Amelinckx writes. “While Bertau is gone—she said it could be up to a year—WTD will continue to produce shows.” Bertau has been in the U.S. for six years working with WTD under a H1-B visa, a non-immigrant visa that allows non-residents to work in specialty areas. A lawyer is trying to help her secure a green card, but while the process unfolds she will have to be outside the country.
Greene County ski season officially ends
Colin DeVries writes in the Daily Mail about the end of the ski season up at Hunter Mountain, who called it quits for the snow on Sunday, April 10, with ski center reps calling the past year “fantastic.” Hunter Mountain ended its 2010-11 ski season with some mud-skimming revelry a week after Windham Mountain closed on April 3. Also closing on April 10 was state-owned Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort in Ulster County, which faced major state budget cuts and accompanying job losses earlier in the season. Catamount, located in Massachusetts between Hillsdale, NY and Egremont, MA, closed in late March.
The National Weather Service predicts today will be cloudy and windy with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tonight, mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tomorrow, showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Town meetings tonight CATSKILLVillage meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens). Final decision on Farmer’s Market tonight. COPAKE Environmental Committee at town hall at 7:00pm, HUDSON Common Council workshop meeting at 7 pm HUDSON SCHOOL DISTRICT Special meeting at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and pass a budget HUNTER Village meeting 8:00 p.m. NEW BALTIMORE Town meeting at 7:30 p.m. PRATTSVILLE Town Meeting GREENE COUNTY LEGISLATUREholds Buildings & Grounds, Conservation, Public Safety, Highway, Government Operations, and Finance committee meetings at 6:00 PM.
Farmers market to stay on Main, but look will change
Doron Tyler Antrim reports on the latest iteration of the Catskill’s farmers market, which now seems poised to will remain on Main Street with traffic flowing through it. The decision — which is not finalized, but was generally agreed to during a discussion among village officials and several business owners on Saturday, April 8, — will see vendors moved to the parking spots on the west side of the road with traffic cones or barriers placed in the road. Board action is expected at an official village meeting on Monday evening, April 11.
More charges for alleged burglar
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star reports that the case of an alleged Columbia County burglar keeps growing, with new charges being added to those already filed against the HIllsdale man behind bars since October. Authorities now believe Samuel Sampson, 39, is responsible for as many as 50 area break-ins, going back to 2009. He was originally arrested by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 29, the result of a two-year investigation with the New York State Police in Livingston into a series of break-ins in Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Philmont, Claverack and across the border in Massachusetts. Sampson was initially charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree assault, both class D felonies. Amongst his loot were four long guns, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Making food available for bears will lead to problems, state warns
The Daily Freeman is running a state Department of Environmental Conservation reminder discouraging human encounters with black bears. “Typically, black bears are timid and will avoid all contact with humans,” said Willie Janeway, the agency’s Region 3 director who lives in Columbia County. “However, bears will become a nuisance and can cause significant damage if they believe they can obtain an easy meal from bird feeders, garbage cans, Dumpsters, barbecue grills, tents, vehicles, out-buildings or houses. Taking preventative action early and consistently is crucial to avoid chronic bear problems.”
South Bay Dumping Update
Carole Osterink updates her own Gossips of Rivertown report by noting that the trucks seen dumping leftover cement in South Bay Friday were located, then reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Hudson Police Department. At about 5:30 on Friday afternoon, April 8, Gossips received a report that “two men with pickup trucks, pickaxes, and shovels” were removing the cement from the marsh. Way to go!
Hudson Valley farmers face development pressure
Bill Fallon of HV Biz writes about a new study that reveals that the Hudson Valley is faced with intense development pressure that is pressuring its agricultural heritage. “Farming endures, according to the data, despite a 10 percent loss of farmland in a five-year period, with a corresponding 21 percent increase in the cost of food production,” Fallon writes about “The State of Agriculture in the Hudson Valley,” a report by Glynwood, a Cold Spring-based organization devoted to saving Hudson Valley farming. “Perhaps the greatest impediment to small- and mid-size farm viability is the absence of processing and distribution infrastructure necessary for farmers to get their products to market, according to the report. It also documents how the industry is changing as farmers adapt to a shifting economy and to different market opportunities.” Yet there are some bright lights on the horizon, according to Glynwood, notably the diversity of markets in the region and the region’s proximity to major urban areas:
The National Weather Service says today will be mainly cloudy. High 63F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight will witness showers early with isolated thunderstorms overnight. Low 54F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
City reactions to consolidation plan are mixed
Jamie Larson of the Register-Star reports on the reaction amongst Hudson reactions to the announcement by Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Roy Brown that the county would be consolidating services at the old Wal Mart building in Greenport and moving out of most of its city offices. “Hudson officials have expressed repeatedly that if the county vacated the Railroad Avenue building the city would purchase it for use as a new city court and police department,” Larson writes. “Mayor Richard Scalera said he asked Brown that the relocation of DSS be expedited so Hudson can move forward with its plans for the old building as the city is under an order of consent from the Justice Department to improve its court facilities.”
Vols needed to inventory ash trees
Jim Planck of the Daily Mail writes about an ongoing effort “to get a handle on just where and how bad the Emerald Ash Borer — a Chinese invasive insect species that is on a path to decimate America’s ash trees — has gotten a toehold in Greene County” via an inventory of ash trees on the streets of Catskill on Sunday, April 17. The action will be overseen by the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP), a gathering of stakeholder groups from across the Catskills, which operates under the umbrella of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, in Arkville, with everyone meeting in front of Village Pizza II on Main Street at 1:00 p.m.
Cuomo: Let’s talk about school performance
Rick Karlin of the Times Union reports on Gov. Andrew Cuomo expandeing the tax cap debate by saying that education funding should be based more on performance of teachers and school systems, instead of giving out money based on formulas based on wealth, enrollment and other factors. “We are talking about the tax cap,” he told Susan Arbetter on the Capitol Pressroom, “And you’re going to hear me talking about something else which I have talked about but I’m going to talk about more which is performance in government, output.” He went on to note that over the past 15 years school funding has doubled while enrollment has dropped about 6 percent. At the same time, he said, using state Education Department statistics, there are 9 percent more teachers and 30 percent more supervisors.
The National Weather Service says today will have plenty of sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight, cloudy skies. Low 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow, cloudy in the morning, then off and on rain showers during the afternoon hours. High around 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Panel: Act now on health care reform planning
Barbara Pinckney of the Albany Business Review reports on a Friday, April 8 Power Breakfast on health care reform put on by the publication that featured Maggie Moree, director of federal affairs for the Business Council of New York State, James Connolly, CEO of Ellis Medicine in Schenectady, and Dr. John Bennett, CEO of Capital District Physicians Health Plan in Albany. All agreed that it was time to take the new law seriously, despite political and legal challenges. Moree said employers need to plan now for new W2 rules, Medicaid tax changes and other provisions scheduled to take effect over the next few years. “As business owners you are part of the solution,” Bennett said. “All care is local. You will solve this problem with us.” He later added that rate increases will mirror the rise in medical costs—just as they did before the reform act. The reform act itself, he said, did nothing to control medical costs. Connolly said businesses need to stop thinking of health care as a “purchasing decision” and start investing in employee wellness and become engaged in looking at the data for their workers, to know what their employees are consuming and how much it costs. About 250 businesspeople were in attendance.
Division mirrors House
Leigh Hornbeck writes in the Times Union about the ways in which two local congressmen have been offering starkly different narratives on the possibility of federal shutdown. U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, voted Thursday in favor of a GOP-backed continuing resolution that would fund the Department of Defense for the rest of the fiscal year while cutting current spending by $12 billion. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, voted against the measure, which passed 247-181. “Rather than pointing fingers, I want to see us come to an agreement. I don’t want to see either side dig in so we shut down the government,” Gibson said. But then he pointed fingers, noting how, “the last Congress didn’t make a single cut.” Tonko countered by pointing out that the previous Congress made $41 billion in cuts during the lame-duck session at the end of 2010 and have proposed $33 billion in additional reductions that are now on the table. “We have moved three-quarters of the way toward their original request” for $100 billion in cuts, said Tonko. “You don’t get everything you want at the negotiating table.” Tonko said Republicans were guilty of “moving the goal line” due to “the reckless, insensitive and extreme response from the tea party…. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about politics — petty, partisan politics.”
Catskill man charged with sexual abuse of 4-year-old
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail on a 28-year-old Catskill village man charged with sexually abusing a 4-year-old Catskill girl. Peter J. Lentz was arrested after the Catskill Police Department received information that Lentz had been abusing the girl over a period of time. In the midst of a longer investigation, Lentz was found in possession of a substantial amount of child pornography on personal computers, police said. He faces a charge of first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, a class E felony. Lentz was arraigned before Athens Town Justice James Robinson and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash and $50,000 bond.
ITW to bring 25 new jobs to Millerton
Whitney Joseph, editor of The Millerton News, writes that a new business moving into the Route 22 corridor will bring two dozen new jobs to the WGXC listening area. ITW, or Illinois Tool Works, Inc., will be expanding its local presence from a current Lakeville, CT plant by opening a second operation in a 25,000-square-foot space at Arnoff Moving and Storage on Route 22, just south of the Columbia County line. The ITW division that is moving to Millerton will be producing “seating components for the automotive industry,” according to a press release. They are expecting to hire 25 local workers.
Carole Osterink’s Gossips of Rivertown published photos taken the morning of Friday, April 9, after a reader observed an orange and blue cement truck at the southernmost edge of the paved area beyond Basilica Industria, dumping leftover cement into South Bay at 8:45 a.m. “He went down to investigate and took these pictures,” Osterink reports. “Aerial photographs from the 1940s suggest that it was once common practice to clean out cement trucks and dump the slurry in South Bay along Route 9G. It seems the practice continues.”
Columbia County offices, as envisioned at the old Wal Mart in Greenport.
Francesca Olsen of the Register-Star and @ Issue, a Tuesday morning WGXC news program, reported out of at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast Friday morning, April 8, that Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Roy Brown has announced plans to buy the vacant Walmart in Greenport, and sell both the old Ockawamick building in Philmont and county buildings located at 401 and 610 State Street in Hudson. “Plans are to consolidate county offices in the Walmart building and 325 Columbia St,” Olsen added. “There are also plans to vacate the current home of the Department of Social Services at 25 Railroad Ave., freeing it up for the city of Hudson to use as a court facility.” The former Walmart was first brought up as a possible option for space consolidation last December by county Director of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood. “The county’s Capital Resource Corporation, a quasi-governmental organization whose board can provide tax-exempt bonding to civic and nonprofit organizations, voted earlier this year to put down a refundable, $50,000 deposit on the Walmart property so it stayed off the market for 90 days while the BOS evaluated the option,” Olsen writes. “The 90 days runs out June 8. Brown said the project would be an ’18-month consolidation effort.’ He said he plans to bring the recommendation to the board’s public works committee this month, and hopes the board will pass a resolution accepting the idea, and the property’s purchase, at its full meeting in May.” Brown also mentioned the county plans to create an express bus line from Hudson to the new facility, which would cut down on cab costs for DSS clients without transportation — which the county is mandated to pay for.
Rich and Scott Sitcer, two master builders from Coxsackie, are helping kick off Greene County’s drive to have a successful Lemonade Day on May 1 by hosting a lemonade stand building workshop over the next two weekends. The Sitcers will lead sessions on building stands at the GNH Lumber centers in Coxsackie at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday April 9, and in Greenville on Sunday, April 17, again at 9:00 a.m. While participants will not be building their own stand at the workshop, this free workshop will address materials and the secrets of making your stand different from the rest. ““My brother Scott and I wanted to support Lemonade Day because it shows kids the results of a good work ethic,” said Rich Sitcer. “The harder you work at something, the more successful you’re going to be. I know because that’s how we’ve run our own business since the beginning. And using a local business like GNH shows how important small businesses are.” Both workshops will present three full-scale models to illustrate some of what it will take to build a winning stand. “I challenged my brother, as well as our co-worker Barrett and even myself to come up with our own stands to show.” One of three contests Lemonade Day entrepreneurs are eligible to win is for the Best Lemonade Stand Contest by sending pictures in after the event Sunday May 1. Details are provided in the workbooks young entrepreneurs find in their free bright yellow backpacks once they sign up. “Remember you can still signup at any of our sixteen locations,” said Bob Phibbs, Lemonade Day Greene County Champion. “Those include The Bank of Greene County, the National Bank of Coxsackie, Greene Business Alliance, Catskill Community Center, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Greene County YMCA. Lemonade Day is Sunday May 1.
Grocery store, zoning collide
Doron Tyler Antrim writes in the Daily Mail that plans for a new Hannafords in Cairo are running up against the town’s first comprehensive plan. “Although some parts of the company’s plan are likely to be tweaked as it begins the planning board approval process, Hannaford representatives say one critical aspect is non-negotiable,” Antrim writes. “They say the company is unwilling to build its grocery store closer to the road and have the parking lot in the rear of the property, which is a requirement in the zoning law for new commercial development on Main Street.” Hannaford could seek a waiver of any zoning rules before the Zoning Board of Appeals, a five-member body that will not be appointed by the town until after the law’s passage.
Teachers’ union, district at impasse
Andrew Amelinckx writes that the Hudson City School District’s teacher’s union and its board of education have come to an impasse on contract negotiations.The teachers union and board have met on three occasions over the past three months trying to negotiate a new deal before a current contract expires July 1. According to Jack Howe, the district’s superintendent, if the contract expires it could result in “an additional $900,000 per year” or a 4.7 percent per year increase in the district’s budget for teacher salaries and benefits. According to the teachers’ union, the district asked the union to agree to “no salary increase and no movement on the salary schedule for the 2011-12 school year.” The HTA countered by asking how many faculty positions would be saved and was told it would be five of 22 jobs set to be cut. The union rejected the proposal and proposed its own plan, which the board and Howe have denigrated in public. The HTA’s proposal involved the creation of a loan of sorts, with each teacher deferring one day of pay from one paycheck a month for 10 months. The district would hold the salary and pay it out at a later date. The union estimated that this would be around $696,000, which the district could then use to pay a step increment increase, plus a 1 percent raise to all teachers. The board is expected to vote on their budget on Monday, April 11, and include the elimination of 20 teaching positions. Everyone’s expecting a contentious meeting.
Catskill appeals judge’s ruling in pagan case
Julia Reischel writes in The Watershed Post that Judge George Pulver of Greene County has set a date for a bench trial in a tax status case that has slipped into discrimination charges. The Maetreum of Cybele, a pagan group from Palenville, are claiming that the Town of Catskill has discriminated against them by refusing to grant them a religious property tax exemption. According the the Greene County Clerk’s Office, a notice of appeal was filed on March 28 in the tax case against the Assessor of the Town of Catskill. The town appears to be asking for a higher court to review a tough-talking February ruling from Greene County Supreme Court Judge Pulver, which the judge denied Catskill’s request to dismiss the case. Pulver will hear evidence in the case and rule on it himself on July 20.
County leaders accuse state of adopting “smoke and mirrors” budget
Mid Hudson News Network reports that top county officials from across the Hudson Valley are calling the newly adopted state budget “smoke and mirrors.” In a discussion among regional business executives on April 7 at the annual Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress Presidents’ Day Breakfast in Poughkeepsie, the Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties, Stephen Acquario, complained that the state was passing off its bills to counties and towns. “When the state mandates that the counties must pick up the tab on various services, it destroys their autonomy and siphons significant dollar amounts out of the communities that need that money the most,” he said.
Supes mileage cost $17K in 2010
Francesca Olsen of the Register-Star and WGXC’s @ Issue news show reports that Columbia County paid out $17,506.55 to the Board of Supervisors for mileage reimbursement in 2010. Sixteen supervisors received mileage reimbursement, mostly for traveling to Hudson for county committee meetings. They were reimbursed at 50 cents per mile, at an average of $1,094 each. “The county’s current vehicle use policy does not lay out specific mileage-logging requirements for supervisors and the supervisors queried for this story were not aware of a BOS-specific policy,” Olsen writes. “A new policy… is expected to be adopted in the next few months.” She adds that Board of Supervisors Chairman Roy Brown, R-Germantown, did not log mileage because he has his own county-issued vehicle.
The National Weather Service says today will see clouds and some sun in the morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight will have some clouds. Low around 40F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow sunny with a high of 65F.
Town meetings today HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission 10 a.m.
Hundreds sign petition calling for RCS Board of Ed to listen to taxpayers
Hilary Hawke of the Ravena News-Herald reports a new twist in local school budget battles. Taxpayers in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District submitted a petition asking their school board to make budget decisions, and not leave things up to school administrators. “Keeping the increases at acceptable levels or 2% over last year’s expensed lines, with exceptions for known higher increases such as health insurance and fuel, should cover increases of goods,” the petition reads. Hawke added that its presenter later called the district’s proposal to eliminate a community swimming pool and varsity sports a “cheap shot”, and pointed out that public calls for cutting district administrative costs had been ignored.
Tug of War over Prisoners Continues
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown writes that Senator Stephen M. Saland was one of nine state senators who filed a lawsuit on Monday, April 4, against the New York Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment and the New York State Department of Corrections. “The complaint seeks to reinstate the policy of counting prisoners as residents of the communities where they are incarcerated,” she writes. The main argument seems to be that prisons use services.
Silver: Millionaire’s Tax is Not Dead
Karen DeWitt of WXXI reports that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he hasn’t given up on extending the state’s tax on millionaires, even though it was not a part of the recently approved state budget. Silver pointed out that the current temporary income tax surcharge on New Yorkers making $200,000 and up does not expire until the end of the calendar year, so there’s plenty of time to revisit the issue. “It will be debated now, it will be debated in January, it will be debated next March as well, with the next budget,” said Silver in a radio interview with DeWitt.
Sound the alarm: Chatham, Ghent fire departments recruiting
Paul Crossman of the Chatham Courier writes that the Chatham and Ghent volunteer fire companies are inviting people in the community to come out, visit their local fire departments and learn what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. According to Chatham volunteer firefighter David Chapman, who is also a Village Board member, this is an extremely necessary event, since over the years the number of active volunteer firefighters has been steadily dwindling. “We have no one to fight fires,” he said. “I know that sounds extreme, but we had an alarm last week for a house fire … and under 20 people showed up.”
Police: Grand Prix leads cops on wild 50-mile car chase
Julia Reischel of The Watershed Post reports on the Albany man who drove a stolen Pontiac Grand Prix for a 50-mile car chase through Albany, Greene and Schoharie counties, leading police and deputies from multiple jurisdictions before finally crashing in the Schoharie County town of Broome. The attempt to stop 44-year-old Joseph V. Wagner started in the Albany County Town of Guilderland, raced through Greene County on Rte. 32, where the Greene County Sheriff’s Department blew out two of the car’s tires with spike sticks, then back through Albany County and into Schoharie County, where he ran off the roadway and flipped over. The entire chase reportedly lasted about 45 minutes
"Reparations," by Woodstock-based artist Norm Magnusson, digitally repairs a work by Richard Prince back to its original form as published by Patrick Cariou in his 2000 book, "Yes, Rasta."
Here’s a major art AND copyright story with a local angle nestled right in the WGXC listening area. Last month, a New York federal court ordered artist Richard Prince, who lives in Albany County, to destroy a group of paintings for having breached copyright laws. Prince, known for his appropriations of pop culture imagery, as well as his million dollar auction prices, was sued after reworking a series of photographs by the French photographer Patrick Cariou. The ruling, which may lead to an appeal, could cost Prince and his gallery, the Gagosian, quite a lot of money. Eight works from a 2008 show sold for more than $10 million, and 7 others were traded for other works of art together worth $6m and $8m. Prince, who settled a similar copyright infringement case in the 1980s for an undisclosed amount, tried using a “fair use” defense and described the original photos he slightly altered as being “not strikingly original’ or ‘distinctive’ in nature.” Prince, who moved to the Rensselaerville area in 1996 and started making “upstate art,” donated a showcase installation of his art and 80 acres to the Guggenheim in 2005. In 2007 the piece, entitled “Second Home,” was struck by lightning and destroyed.
WGXC is a community-run media project, re-envisioning radio as an innovative platform for local participation. Our inclusive programming connects diverse voices, and distributes information across the public spectrum in New York’s Greene and Columbia counties.
Send items, tips, press releases, and more to news@wgxc.org.
Call in to WGXC studio at 518-828-0290.
Hosts of the WGXC Morning Show and WGXC Afternoon Show should use the tools on this page to find information, sounds, music, local recordings, event listings, and more to host a WGXC Morning Show or WGXC Afternoon Show. Follow these links, and the others below, to help produce the program.
WGXC ARCHIVES WGXC EVENTS CALENDAR WGXC SCHEDULE
On The Air
WGXC is on 90.7-FM now, at full-power, 3300 watts. We cover all parts of Greene County except parts of the mountaintop, and all of Columbia County except for a bit of Western Columbia County south of Germantown. WGXC also covers a large part of southern Albany County. We have heard reports that the signal is getting from Delaware County to Great Barrington, from Selkirk to Saugerties, from Pine Plains to the I-90 extension.
WGXC Town Reporters
These folks currently occasionally post to the WGXC Newsroom.
Phillip Grant
Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
Noah Reibel
Tom Roe
Sam Sebren
Paul Smart
WGXC Correspondents These folks occasionally post reports to WGXC from far and wide.
Kelly Benjamin
WGXC Town Recorders
The following folks have recorded town meetings and other events that aired on WGXC. You could too! Email info@wgxc.org.
Tanya Blue
Ann Forbes Cooper
Dharma Dailey
Crane Davis
Tony Fallon
Joan Geitz
Christina Malisoff
Victor Mendolia
Fawn Potash
Kieran Rielly
Martin Roby
Richard Roth
Nancy Rothman
Melissa Sarris
Sam Sebren
Alan Skerrett
Ellen Thurston
Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page
When the computer is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information in Harlemville. Check dates and times to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was turned off.
Environmental groups from across the state are heading to Albany the morning of Monday, April 11 for a rally against high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region that spans the southern half of New York and parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The Hydro-Fracking Day of Action, according to 
Carole Osterink’s Gossips of Rivertown published photos taken the morning of Friday, April 9, after a reader observed an orange and blue cement truck at the southernmost edge of the paved area beyond Basilica Industria, dumping leftover cement into South Bay at 8:45 a.m. “He went down to investigate and took these pictures,” Osterink reports. “Aerial photographs from the 1940s suggest that it was once common practice to clean out cement trucks and dump the slurry in South Bay along Route 9G. It seems the practice continues.” 
Recent Comments