Tim Tulloch reports in The Altamont Enterprise that a scenic preservation group lost a court battle against the erection of a 180-foot lattice-work steel communications tower in Rensselaerville. On Dec. 20 Judge Gerald Connolly rejected all possible grounds from Scenic Rensselaerville for blocking the tower. The citizens group did not say if it would appeal the ruling against the public-safety communications tower on Edwards Hill, near Preston Hollow. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said work will begin on the tower after a similar structure in Berne. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

The Daily Freeman reports that, for the 46th year, the New York State Thruway Authority will offer free coffee and hot tea to travelers on the highway New Year’s Eve. Free beverages will be available at the Thruway’s 27 service areas from 11 p.m. New Year's Eve through 7 a.m. Sunday. Service area operators McDonald’s Corp., Delaware North Cos., Travel Hospitality Services and HMS Host Corp. provide the beverages, according to the authority. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Lorna Cherot Littleway reports in The Columbia Paper that last week the Hillsdale Town Board voted to reduced speed limits on County Route 21 and state Route 22. On county Route 21 from Hunt Road to Route 22 the limit would be reduced to 35 mph and from Hunt Road to the hamlet of Harlemville the limit would be 45 mph, and State Route 22 from Schutts Road to Old Town Road would be a 45 mph zone; the speed limit from Old Town Road through the Hillsdale hamlet to the Copake town line would be lowered to 30 mph. The requests to lower the speed limits go to the county Highway Department for review, then to the state Department of Transportation, which must authorize any changes. Hillsdale board members also unanimously voted to buy a new pickup truck by the town Highway Department, not to exceed $40,000. Hillsdale also announced that sludge from the town sewer system will be sent to Hudson instead of Albany for processing. Hillsdale's 2017 Organizational meeting is Mon., Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

@WGXC @PokJournal we are proud that our (amazing) band was selected but would be prouder if the college declined this invitation! (1/2)

— MaristBoycottTrump (@PetitionMarist) December 30, 2016

John Ferro reports in The Poughkeepsie Journal that Marist College's marching band will perform during next month's presidential inauguration ceremonies. Marist spokesman Greg Cannon said the college submitted a performance request before the election, "to give our great band the possible opportunity to show off their talents on a national stage." The college did not say when or where the band would be performing. The inauguration is Jan. 20. The college has had two incidents since the election with a swastika drawn on a bathroom stall and a woman reported being accosted with shouts of "go back to Africa," according to a Nov. 16 letter from college president David Yellen. A "MaristBoycottTrump" Twitter feed was created soon after the announcement. Riana Ramirez, a 20-year-old Marist junior from New York City, said, "At this point, I feel it is only making the political climate on campus worse," said Ramirez, a co-founder the Marist Unity Project, a group that formed in the wake of the post-election turmoil. "Since the election, I feel like our campus has been very divided." Trump owns Trump National Golf Club, Hudson Valley, in Stormville in Dutchess County, and has family that lives in the area. Trump recently appointed Hopewell Junction resident Dan Scavino an assistant to the president and director of White House social media, and named Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson and Michael McCormack, chairman of the Dutchess County Republican Committee, to the Trump Transition Team's Executive Committee. Read the full story in The Poughkeepsie Journal.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Fri., Dec. 30 (8:45). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Diane Pineiro-Zucker is reporting in the Daily Freeman a state appeals court has ruled the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie was correct to force feed an incarcerated man who refused food and medical treatment. The man, who was serving a sentence of 25 years to life, began the hunger strike in an effort to convince officials to move him to another maximum security prison. In the decision, handed down Thu., Dec. 29, the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court, Third Department said officials acted appropriately when they force fed the man by medical means, upholding a lower-court decision. The man argued that decision violated his constitutional right to refuse medical treatment, and his rights to privacy, liberty and free speech. Mid-Hudson civil rights attorney Michael Sussman said the panel's decision was not troubling to him, and found it consistent with existing state law. On one level, Sussman said, the decision is “an expression of society’s concern and respect for a person’s life. ... On the other level, it’s the exact opposite.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential the Buffalo Board of Education Thu., Dec. 29, passed a resolution calling for the immediate resignation of member Carl Paladino. Paladino was co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's New York campaign and the former Republican gubernatorial candidate. The board's action takes place less than a week after his racist and offensive comments about Michelle and Barack Obama came to light. He offered a tepid apology earlier this week for the remarks printed by the Buffalo publication Artvoice. Paladino was not present for the vote. The resolution passed on a vote of six to two. Paladino released a statement, calling the vote “certainly not an illustration of courage or leadership on the part of the council members, legislators, mayor or county executive, who have joined in the chorus of racist and incompetent Board of Ed members seeking my removal.... It’s going to be a very combative year.” If Paladino fails to resign within 24 hours, the resolution calls for the Board of Education to retain an attorney to submit an application for his removal with state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

A video tweeted by Jeff Preval of Buffalo's WGRZ-TV shows the board vote and public response (:27):

The state announced Thu., Dec. 29, oak wilt has been detected in Brooklyn and in parts of Suffolk County. This confirmation marks the fourth county where oak wilt has been confirmed in New York. It was previously found in Scotia, Schenectady County. According to a joint press release from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Agriculture and Markets, oak wilt kills thousands of oaks each year in the eastern United States. It is caused by a fungus. The fungus grows in the water conducting vessels of oak trees, blocking the vessels and preventing water transport. As water movement within the tree is slowed, the leaves wilt and drop off, and the tree dies rapidly. There is no known treatment to kill the fungus. The DEC is in the process of establishing protective zones around Suffolk County and Brooklyn. Once emergency orders are in place, the removal of any part of a living, dead, standing, cut or fallen oak tree will be prohibited. "It is important that these emergency orders are taken seriously," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Moving contaminated wood without taking precautions will spread this serious tree-killing disease to additional areas." The public is asked to be on the lookout next summer for oak trees that suddenly lose leaves in July and August, and to report these occurrences to the Forest Health Information Line at 1 866 640 0652. Read the full press release online at NYS News.

Joshua Barone reports in The New York Times that The Stephen Petronio Company recently purchased a 175-acre property in Cairo called Crows Nest for $1.3 million. The property, in Round Top, includes about 9,000 square feet of residential and studio space for the Petronio Company and the Petronio Residency Initiative, which will start in summer 2018. “With Crows Nest, I’m hoping to leave the world an intimate place where dance can be made, where history happens, and where the dance community can feel at home,” Stephen Petronio, the troupe’s founder, said in a statement. He became, in 1979, the first male dancer to perform with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, working with Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, and Laurie Anderson. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Brian Nearing reports in The Albany Times Union that the New York Power Authority is selling 117 acres of forest land near the Schoharie Reservoir to New York City. The land is near Prattsville and contains several tributaries of the Schoharie Creek, which feeds the city-owned reservoir. An additional reservoir was once planned for the area, but the project was canceled in the 1980s. The authority ruled last week that the proposed sale would not have any significant environmental impact. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Dec. 29 more crude oil rail inspections over 140 miles of track and 87 switches. Across the state inspectors found seven critical defects and 32 non-critical defects. Locally, the 10-mile CSX Mainline Track inspection from Ravena to Coxsackie found one critical defect for failing to ensure a mainline switch was locked when not in use. The CP Mainline Track Inspection from Albany to Clifton Park found one critical defect, a center cracked joint bar, which has been repaired. Inspectors found three non-critical defects, including missing bolts on a switch transition device, broken bolts on a switch transition device, and an insecure heel of switch.

NBC 4 TV in New York reports about opposition in New Jersey from a Native American tribe to the Pilgrim Pipeline. The proposed pipeline would move oil and natural gas between Albany and the Bayway Refinery in Linden New Jersey, cutting through Greene, Albany, and Ulster counties largely along the I-87 corridor. The Ramapough Lunaape tribe are protesting on their 13-acre tribal enclave in Mahwah with signs beside teepees that were erected to recognize the Standing Rock Sioux in their confrontation with an oil pipeline company in North Dakota. “The community needs to stop looking at the Ramapoughs as the canary in the mine and get their helmets on and stand with us, because if that goes it doesn’t matter what your home costs, you can’t drink oil,” Chief Dwaine Perry said. Read the full story in NBC 4 TV in New York.

Local weather forecast:

Today: A chance of snow before noon, then a chance of rain and snow between noon and 2 p.m., then a chance of snow after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 34. Friday night, a slight chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 22.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: A chance of snow, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 33. Saturday night, a chance of snow, mainly before 4 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 31.
SUNDAY (New Year's Day): Mostly sunny. High near 38. Sunday night, a slight chance of snow after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 21.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:33 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:09 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fifth Friday of the month.
WGXC is unaware of any recurring meetings scheduled for today.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Thursday, December 29 (3:09). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)

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