DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Jan. 16 (9:13). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Local weather forecast:

Today (Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday observed): Sunny. High near 40. Monday night, mostly clear. Low around 21.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: Rain likely after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 38. Tuesday night, rain likely. Cloudy. Low around 33.
WEDNESDAY: A chance of rain before 1 p.m., then a chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 43. Wednesday night, a chance of rain showers before 4 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 33.

Sunrise today: 7:20 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:50 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:30 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the third Monday of the month.

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

ATHENS Town Board meeting, 6:45 p.m. at community center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1052, ext. 2).
GREENVILLE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 11159 Route 32, Greenville (966-5055).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, West Taghkanic (851-7638).

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Jan. 13, through Sun., Jan. 15:

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the Daily Freeman has a rundown of how various services and offices are affected.
Amtrak is on its holiday schedule.
Banks are closed.
County offices are closed.
Federal offices are closed.
Financial markets are closed.
For information on Greene County Transit's schedule, call (518) 943-3625.
No mail delivery.
Metro-North is running on its Saturday schedule.
Schools are closed.
State offices are closed.
For information on the Trailways' schedule, call (845) 339-4230.

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential according to the state Association of Counties the growth rate of sales tax receipts is slowing, and some counties actually finished the fourth quarter of 2016 with a loss of sales tax revenue. Locally, sales tax receipts decreased in Columbia and Duchess counties between 2015 and 2016, but sales tax revenues increased in both Greene and Ulster counties. The Association of Counties is not sure why this is occurring, but some possibilities include rising health care costs, wage stagnation and the continued shift of retail from brick and mortar locations to the Internet. Counties use sales and property tax revenue to provide road and bridge maintenance, emergency dispatch services, sheriff road patrol, restaurant inspections, veterans services, worker training, addiction prevention counseling, and senior programs.

Debby Mayer reported in The Columbia Paper at its 2017 organizational meeting the Germantown Town Board decided to move its regular meetings to the third Tuesday of the month this year, beginning January 17. In other business, the board hired James Trapp as its new code enforcement officer and building inspector, Les Olsson was appointed to the Board of Assessment review. Ron Moore II was chosen deputy town supervisor, and Town Clerk Joyce was named registrar of vital statistics. The board also appointed Edward Colwell to chair the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Steven Bathrick to the ZBA. Stephen Reynolds was reappointed to chair the Planning Board.

Brendan J. Lyons reported in the Times Union Hoosick Falls officials are looking at farmland located along the Hoosic River as the village's new alternate water supply. The site is situated approximately one mile south of the water treatment plant on Route 22, on land owned by Hoosick town board member Jeff Wysocki. The state Department of Environmental Conservation recently drilled a test well there and the results indicated the water is free of the toxic chemical PFOA. Beginning two weeks from now, the state will install a larger well line to test the strength of the aquifer and confirm whether it will be able to supply the village with the 500,000 gallons it needs every day. The search for an alternate water supply in Hoosick Falls began nearly a year ago under the direction of the DEC, and the agency analyzed a total of four groundwater locations during that search. Many residents in the area have elevated levels of PFOA in their bloodstreams because of the village's tainted water. The DEC identified 11 current and former manufacturing sites in Hoosick Falls where it said PFOA chemicals may have been used. Saint-Gobain operates manufacturing plants on Liberty and McCaffrey streets in the village. The McCaffrey Street site is a few hundred yards from the water treatment plant and has been a focus of the contamination. The state declared that property a Superfund site last year.

Mid-Hudson News [dot] com reported blood testing continues in Newburgh, and it could be several more months before everyone who requested the service is screened. Since the bio-monitoring and blood sampling program began late last year, 545 people have been tested. More than 3,000 residents have requested the opportunity to participate. The blood testing program was needed after it was learned the city of Newburgh's primary source for drinking water contained the carcinogen PFOS. The chemical came from the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport. The city is now getting its drinking water from the New York City Catskill Aqueduct.

Rosa Acheson reported in the Register-Star the state Department of Transportation has approved a permit to allow A. Colarusso & Son, to make curse cuts and other changes on Route 9 and Route 9G. The approved permit was presented to the Hudson Planning Board at its monthly meeting Thu., Jan. 12. Colarusso has proposed the use of a former rail bed as a haul road to provide an alternative route from its quarry to the Hudson River dock, eliminating the need to use the designated truck route through Greenport and the streets of Hudson. On a peak day, residents could see as many as 280 tractor-trailers on city streets, traveling to the riverfront and back, the company's engineer told the board. The Greenport Planning Board has been assigned lead agency status and previously requested specific data for current and anticipated truck volume. The Hudson Planning Board has done the same. "I think we can come up with something," the engineer said. Audio of the most recent Hudson Planning Board meeting can be found on the newsroom page at wgxc [dot] org.

Bethany Bump reported at Capitol Confidential Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo wants recent college graduates to buy a house upstate and near a downtown center. On Fri., Jan. 13, Cuomo unveiled the 37th proposal of his 2017 State of the State, a $5 million Graduate to Homeownership Program aimed at getting millennials to invest in their first home. “Upstate colleges and universities have world-class programs that produce highly skilled graduates — who then leave for opportunities elsewhere. This program will incentivize recent graduates to put down roots in upstate communities, helping to bring new energy into their downtown centers, spur their development and increase their economic vitality,” Cuomo said. The program will provide subsidized low interest loans, down payment assistance and homebuyer education courses. The loans would come from the State Of New York Mortgage Agency, which has served more than 8,000 residents during the past six years.

Daniel Zuckerman reported in The Daily Mail Greene County Jail Superintendent Michael Spitz felt the need last week to clear the air with county legislators over jail population figures. Spitz said some unidentified legislators have alleged the data he has presented was inaccurate. Spitz said lawmakers should not be voting on a new county jail plan without knowing the details. "Some of you guys that supposedly are running around telling people that the numbers that I have given to the county are lies — some of you haven’t even set foot in the jail," he said. Spitz provided everyone with information on the number of incarcerated people in Greene County from 2008 through 2016. Greene County Administrator Shaun Gordon told the paper it was unclear why there was a discrepancy in the numbers because he is in contact with Spitz on a daily basis about the project. Spitz’s comments came as a surprise to Groden. "No one debated the numbers with me," Groden said. The total population of the county jail in 2016 was 536 — 427 men and 109 women, according to the daily population sheet. The daily population count in 2016 varied from a high of 78, to a low of 44, according to the information provided.

Matthew Hamilton in Capitol Confidential reports about the chatter this week that Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan may run for governor in 2018. Newsday spoke with three Republicans who have spoken with Flanagan about opposing current Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and quoted Flanagan saying he's thought about running for governor, "but is concentrated right now" on the work of the Senate. Flanagan previously predicted Republicans can win statewide. “Absolutely,” he said. “Look, ultimately it’s the public who decides, but if we establish the right priorities, we set the right agenda and we attract the right candidates, that’s a good recipe.” State GOP Chairman Ed Cox said Jan. 11, “He is a great majority leader in the Legislature, and I think that’s totally what he’s focused on,” Cox said. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who ran in 2014, and Harry Wilson, a former candidate for state comptroller, are also being mentioned to run against Cuomo. A December Siena College poll, found 73 percent of New York voters didn’t know who the Senate majority leader was. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Matthew Hamilton in Capitol Confidential reports Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to stop motorists from using their cell phones when their vehicle is not in motion. Currently, the law allows drivers to use cell phones if the car is on a roadway but not moving. Cuomo proposed two phone policies in his "State of the State" addresses. One prohibits cell phone use in non-moving cars, and the other prohibits the use of devices by any driver under the age of 18. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Marie J. French reports in Politico New York that the Hoosick Falls village board tabled a possible settlement with the two companies that poisoned the water supply there in the face of many objections from residents. Over 70 people attended a special meeting of the village board to consider a settlement with Saint Gobain and Honeywell. While Mayor David Borge said the $850,000 agreement would cover the village's costs from the water contamination, residents were not impressed. “What is the rush? Where’s the fire? It’s already happened and we’re already dealing with it,” said Hoosick Falls resident Jennifer Plouffe. Many residents in the area have elevated levels of the chemical, PFOA, in their blood, because of the tainted water, and both companies had manufacturing operations in the village that used PFOA. So far, the area has been named a state Superfund site, and is proposed as a federal Superfund site. The proposed settlement would not affect civil lawsuits brought by residents. But the village would not sue the two companies in the future for anything related to the village's existing wells and water system. Hoosick Falls could sue to recover third party costs or for contamination of any future wells, according to the village's mayor. “If we allow the company that poisoned our water to get away without even a minimal admission of liability, I think we would be doing a huge, huge disservice to our community," said Ronald Sampath, a Hoosick Falls resident. Read the full story in Politico New York.

The Daily Freeman reports what is closed Mon., Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Amtrak: Holiday schedule
Banks: Closed
County offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Financial markets: Closed
Greene County Transit: Call (518) 943-3625
Mail delivery: None
Metro-North: Saturday schedule
Schools: Closed
State offices: Closed
Trailways: Call (845) 339-4230

Local weather forecast:

Today : Partly sunny, with a high near 27, and a low around 18.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33, and a low around 14.
MONDAY: Sunny, with a high near 36, and a low around 25.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Friday, January 13 (3:46). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)