The Catskill Town Board adopted its 2017 budget at its meeting Nov. 16, with no increase in local taxes. Total spending in the budget is $5,868,155, and Supervisor Doreen Davis said the budget would soon be available online. PLAY EXCERPT (Short clip of Catskill Town Supervisor talking about the budget at the hearing, which was broadcast live on WGXC.) :46

A recording of the entire Catskill town meeting is also available on the WGXC Newsroom here.

Greg Hudson is reporting in The Daily Mail Bronck Island, a 147-acre parcel in New Baltimore, is now under the protection of Scenic Hudson. The land, which is connected to the mainland by a man-made isthmus, is located next to more than 250 acres already owned by the state or protected by Scenic Hudson. The addition of Bronck Island has created a block of 400 acres of protected property along the Hudson River in Greene County. "Bronck Island has always been of interest to us for its natural values and potential recreational value. We’ve been talking to the Zacek family on and off for several years," Scenic Hudson Director of Land Preservation Seth McKee said. The property is a working cattle farm, owned by brothers Karl and Peter Zacek. Under the agreement with Scenic Hudson, the parcel will be conserved while the family will retain ownership and continue to use the land. Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan praised the agreement, saying Bronck Island "...contains some of the most important habitats along the entire Hudson River estuary." Scenic Hudson is an environmental conservation organization focused on protecting natural resources throughout the Hudson Valley. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman superintendents of area school districts are reporting a heightened awareness of harassment and bullying based on their concern that young people may feel empowered by the President-elect’s campaign comments about Muslims, Hispanics and women. Following the election of Donald Trump, reports of racist incidents emerged from the nation’s schools and universities. Students have chanted “white power” and called black classmates “cotton pickers.” There were more than 20 of these types of incidents reported by the media last week. Red Hook school district Superintendent Paul Finch said his students have behaved well, but administrators have been asked to be “extra vigilant” for any sign to the contrary. Onteora Superintendent Bruce Watson said there have been no election-related problems among students in his district. However, Watson said he did investigate Facebook postings by people who claimed there were issues. Kingston Superintendent of Schools Paul Padalino said, “I’ve had nothing reported to me from my building principals that there’s been any harassment or bullying.” Padalino said there is a concern that some students might want to follow the example of Trump as a bully. “That’s always a fear,” he said. New Paltz Superintendent of Schools Maria Rice said there have been no instances of Trump-related harassment or bullying in her district. Rice said school staff have used Trump’s demeanor as an example of the type of behavior that should be avoided by students. Rhinebeck Superintendent Joseph Phelan said the district staff addressed concerns about Trump's influence from the beginning of the school year. “In my welcome-back address...I talked...about how the discourse in our country has been less than civil and respectful and just wanting to give the staff a heads-up...,” Phelan said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper Ichabod Crane School Board Facilities Director Steven Marotta assured parents at a recent school board meeting that water tested in the schools is safe from lead contamination, but copper had been detected in the some of the samples tested. The school district is talking with the Village of Valatie about the dosing system used to treat water at the plant, as the school gets its water from the village municipal system at the end of the village water line. The school may have to treat the water if the village can’t solve the problem on their end. Four water fountains and sinks in the high school showed elevated levels of copper. The school board meets next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 6 in high school library. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Almost two inches of rain fell Nov. 15 in Ravena, topping the totals throughout the area with 1.96" according to the National Weather Service. In Livingston, 1.88" fell, with nearly the same in Germantown, Austerlitz, Taghkanic, and Ancramdale. Greenville led Greene County reporting 1.61", with 1.44" of rain in Catskill. Currently moderate drought conditions persist across most of New York state.

Nov. 15 Hudson Common Council meeting ecorded and uploaded to YouTube by Dan Udell.

Bill Mahoney reports in Politico New York that the State Commission on Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Compensation did not raise state lawmakers pay at a Nov. 15 meeting. The commission's deadline has passed and salaries stay where they have been for 18 years: $79,500. Mahoney points out that state lawmakers have passed five reform packages that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has described as historic and transformative, but leaders of both parties and both legislative branches have been sent to jail on corruption charges recently. Cuomo appointees Fran Reiter and Robert Megna abstained from voting on a proposed salary increase, so the measure failed to pass. Read the full story in Politico New York.

Governor Andrew Cuomo launched a toll-free hotline Nov. 15 for New Yorkers to report incidents of bias and discrimination across the state. Anyone with information about any such incidents can call (888) 392-3644 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cuomo's press release says there has been, "an uptick in recent reports of discrimination, bias-motivated threats, harassment and violence," with investigations into alleged hate crimes in Wellsville and Livingston County, NY, and racist graffiti left at several colleges and universities in the state. “We will continue to work with our local partners to investigate all incidents of reported bias, and ensure that New Yorkers feel safe and protected. Any acts of discrimination or intimidation will be met with the full force of the law,” Cuomo said in a press release. The number, again, is (888) 392-3644 to call to report incidents of bias and discrimination.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny. High near 56. Thursday night, mostly clear. Low around 35.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: Sunny. High near 59. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 38.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 60. Saturday night, mostly sunny. High near 60. Saturday night, rain showers likely before 4 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 36.

Sunrise today: 6:49 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:31 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:41 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS


Today is the third Thursday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

AUSTERLITZ Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at middle school, 24 Sunset Boulevard, Coxsackie (731-1850).
GHENT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors meeting has been cancelled (741-5500).
GREENE County Fire Advisor Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Greene County Emergency Control and Training Center, 25 Volunteer Drive, Cairo (622-3548).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3211 Church St., Kinderhook (784-2233). STUYVESANT Joint Zoning Law workshop, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Planning Board public hearing on site plan review application for Crown Fuels, 7:10 p.m. at Town Hall, Main St., Hensonville (734-4170).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Wed., Nov. 16 (3:00). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)