DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Feb. 2 (7:13). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Victoria Addison is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media sales tax revenue in both Columbia and Greene counties grew in 2016. According to a report from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released Mon., Jan. 30, local sales tax collections grew statewide by 2.3 percent, or approximately $357 million, last year. In Columbia County sales tax revenue increased by 3.7 percent, totaling $37 million during that period. Greene County saw an increase of 1.5 percent, for a total of more than $30 million. Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murrell said of the income, "It’s more than what we projected, and more than the previous year." Murell attributed the increase to the opening of Love’s Travel Stop in Canaan, and tourism. In Greene County, the revenue reported was less than the county anticipated, County Administrator Shaun Groden said. "We were hoping for about $31 million. Sales tax is our single biggest revenue so it’s a very important part of our operations," Groden said. Groden suggested a decline in gas prices may have had an impact on the bottom line. He said the gas tax represents roughly 10 to 15 percent of the county's total tax receipts. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Bethany Bump is reporting in the Times Union on the protest held Wed., Feb. 1, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in protest of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. Approximately 200 students turned out in support of immigrants, refugees and Muslims. The march began at the '86 field on campus and proceeded down the winding granite staircase known as "The Approach," and crossed 8th Street and 6th Avenue. The march attracted the attention of restaurant and business patrons along Broadway, before ending at Monument Square near River Street. The crowd included students from RPI, the University at Albany, Sage Colleges and Hudson Valley Community College. RPI has not released information on the number of students directly affected by the ban. Roughly 11 percent of undergraduate students at RPI are from other countries, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Claire Hughes is reporting at Capitol Confidential Tuesday was the busiest day in the state healthcare exchange's four-year history. Nearly 46,000 New Yorkers signed up for health insurance in the final two days of open enrollment, Jan. 30 and 31, the state Health Department announced Wednesday. On Tuesday, the website was visited by 110,000 users. The site was created in 2013 to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, which requires most Americans to carry insurance. As of the enrollment deadline, 3.6 million New Yorkers have signed up for insurance, an increase of 28 percent over last year. The majority of those who signed up through the exchange enrolled in Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Debby Mayer reports in The Columbia Paper that Germantown will be getting streetlights in the hamlet this spring. Last spring, bases for the streetlights were installed during the sidewalk project completed late last year, and now the town is ready to install the lights. That was the big news at a quiet, 20-minute Jan. 17 meeting. The 7 p.m. Feb. 21 meeting may be busier, with Delaware Engineering tentatively set to make a presentation about the sewer renovation. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Andrew H. Roiter reports in The Albany Business Review that Albany's minor league hockey team is leaving for Binghamton. The American Hockey League's board this week unanimously approved the Albany Devils move beginning next fall. Albany has had a minor league team for the last 24 years. The team will still be called the Devils, and moves from the 17,500-seat Times Union Center to the 5,000-seat Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. In Albany, team averaged 2,888 spectators per game. Read the full story in The Albany Business Review.

Matthew Hamilton reports in Capitol Confidential New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Jan. 31 that he has joined a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and others against Donald Trump's executive order banning immigration from certain countries. Schneiderman called the executive order “unconstitutional, unlawful, and fundamentally un-American.... I will continue to do everything in my power to not just fight this executive order, but to protect the families caught in the chaos sown by President Trump’s hasty and irresponsible implementation – including pressing DHS and CBP to provide a full list of those still detained and allow them access to legal service providers.” The ACLU was first filed Jan. 28 in Brooklyn on behalf of two people detained at Kennedy Airport in New York City, with a federal judge ordering a stay against the order.

The Albany Times-Union reports that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against Charter Communications claiming that the cable and internet provider does not deliver the internet speeds and reliability it promises customers. Spectrum, which used to be known as Time Warner Cable and is Charter's subsidiary, would be part of the lawsuit. Schneiderman's office last year asked Charter to fix the problems after it acquired Time Warner Cable. Charter says it is "disappointed" that Schneiderman is suing the company, and says it is making "substantial" investments to upgrade their system. Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY : A chance of snow showers, mainly after noon. Partly sunny. High near 36. Thursday night, a chance of snow showers, mainly before 9 p.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 14.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: A slight chance of snow showers after 9 a.m. Mostly sunny. High near 29. Friday night, a slight chance of snow showers after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 14.
SATURDAY: Partly sunny. High near 29. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 16.

Sunrise today: 7:06 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:12 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:06 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the first Thursday of the month.

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

ANCRAM Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
ASHLAND Planning Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 12094 Route 23, Ashland (734-3636).
AUSTERLITZ Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
CAIRO Town Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CAIRO-DURHAM Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m. at high school, 1301 Route 145, Durham (622-8543).
COPAKE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
COXSACKIE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 16 Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at middle school, 24 Sunset Blvd., Coxsackie (731-1850).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meeting (tentative), 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
STOCKPORT Town Board workshop, 6 p.m.; regular meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 2787 Atlantic Ave., Stottville (828-9389).

PUBLIC PROTESTS and VIGILS

VIGIL FOR SOLIDARITY and Sanctuary, 7 p.m., Fri., Feb. 3 in Hudson. Organized by the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement in opposition to the presidential executive order of January 27. Participants will meet outside the Hudson Islamic Center, 35 N. Third St.
DONALD TRUMP Protest, 12:01 p.m., Sat., Feb. 4 in North Adams [Mass.] City Hall, 10 Main St., North Adams. General protest against Donald Trump's actions.
NO BAN No Wall Protest, 1:30 p.m., Sat., Feb. 4 at Duchess County Courthouse, 10 Market St., Poughkeepsie. The Muslim Student Organization response to President Donald Trump's Muslim ban and immigration policy with a protest.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD Protests, Sat., Feb. 11. Actions both in support of and against Planned Parenthood at various locations in the Hudson Valley. Details pending.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Wednesday, February 1 (2:45). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)