Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper in addition to electing a president and a congressman on Tue., Nov. 8, voters in Chatham will be choosing a new town board member. The person elected will assume the unexpired term of former board member Maria Lull. Lull vacated the seat when she was elected town supervisor last year. Early in 2016, the board appointed John Wapner to fill the seat. Wapner is now seeking election to the board on the Democrat and Chatham Citizen's Party lines. He is facing Jody Nesbitt, who is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independent lines. Nesbitt, 46, is a registered Republican, born in Chatham and currently employed by Columbia Memorial Hospital. She volunteers as the treasurer for the Chatham High School Athletic Booster Club. She is married to Dan Nesbitt and has five children and three grandchildren. Wapner, 67, is an unaffiliated voter and currently serving on the town board. He formerly served on the Chatham Board of Education for eight years. Born in New York City, Wapner has been a clinical and consulting psychologist for 40 years. He provides services to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Social Services, Probation Department, the state Civil Service Department. He also maintains a private practice. Wapner and his wife, Cynthia Bobseine, have two grown children, both Chatham High School graduates. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., November 8. The full text of Nesbitt's and Wapner's candidate statements can be found in The Columbia Paper.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting in the Register-Star Hudson voters will decide next week if a financial retirement program should be created for the city's volunteer firefighters. If approved, Proposition 2 will establish the Length of Service Awards Program for the Hudson Fire Department. Under the program each active fireman in good standing would receive a service award of $700 every year. Those funds would then be invested on behalf of the volunteer by the Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company. A firefighter would be required to serve for at least five years and reach the age of 62 before cashing out. The Hudson Fire Department hopes the initiative will serve as a useful recruitment and retention tool made necessary by the current climate of decreasing volunteerism. Hudson Fire Commissioner Timothy Hutchings said there are multiple reasons for the declining number of city firemen. "It’s due to training requirements as well as outside influences like job commitments, the need to travel for employments — there’s a lot of factors," he said. If instituted, the program would be retroactive to 2012, making the estimated cost to the city nearly $93,000 for the first five years, and then decrease to a little more than $48,000. For owners of property assessed at $100,000, the program is expected to increase their tax bill by $24.15 per year, for the first five years, and $12.50, per year thereafter. Similar programs exist for the Taghkanic, Copake and Greenport fire departments, Hutchings said. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential Democrat Zephyr Teachout is leading Republican John Faso by three points in the 19th Congressional District race, in a WNYT Channel 13/SurveyUSA poll released late Tue., Nov. 1. Teachout is ahead in the race, 45 to 42, but 13 percent of those polled said they have still not decided who they will vote for. In the same poll, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton by three points among the 675 19th Congressional District voters polled. The survey found that 10 percent of Clinton voters support Faso and 11 percent of Trump voters favor Teachout. Asked about the negative television ads currently running, 63 percent said the spots will have no impact on how they vote, while 35 percent said the ads will have at least a minor impact on how they vote. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Nov. 1 more than $1 million in annual funding to create adolescent substance use disorder clubhouses in the Capital Region, North Country, Central New York, and Southern Tier, with the Mental Health Association of Columbia/Greene Counties receiving a $250,000 grant. State Senator Kathy Marchione said, "This funding will make a positive difference in the lives of youths across Columbia County looking to break free from the cycle of abuse and addiction." Assemblywoman Didi Barrett said, "I thank Governor Cuomo and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services for providing funding for a peer-driven clubhouse to support prevention and recovery for our adolescents here in Columbia County."

Matthew Hamilton reports in The Albany Times-Union that there are 32 "official" write-in candidates for president in New York on Nov. 8, including Greenville's 16-year-old William Connolly. Thirteen New Yorkers make the list, with only the Greene County youth and an Essex County woman from upstate. Connolly is constitutionally ineligible for president for another 19 years and is a junior at Greenville High School and a Boy Scout, according to the Greenville Pioneer. Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.

Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 22 grants for trails in the Mid-Hudson Valley and Capital Region got $254,000 for improvements, including several in the WGXC listening area:

• Rensselaer Plateau Alliance - $25,000 - A Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail Action Plan for the Rensselaer Plateau.
• Village of Nassau - $18,300 - Albany-Hudson Electric Trail in the Village of Nassau.
• Town of Kinderhook - $3,000 - Kinderhook Trail Connection to Town Park.
• Columbia Land Conservancy - $7,500 - Interpretive Signage at Greenport Conservation Area.
• Town of Saugerties - $15,000 - Eve’s Point to Bristol Beach Connecting Trail.
• Town of Red Hook - $20,000 - Village to Village Connector Trail: Village of Tivoli-Bard College-Town of Red Hook-Village of Red Hook.
Town of Rhinebeck - $4,000 - Trailhead Pavilion for the Town of Rhinebeck Community Park

Jeanette Wolfberg reports in The Columbia Paper that the county’s hazardous materials vehicle is moving to the Claverack Fire Station from the Livingston Fire Department, according to Fire Coordinator William Hunt at the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee meeting Oct. 20. The Public Safety Committee voted to move the legalization of sales of certain fireworks in Columbia County to the full Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Mike Benvenuto (R-Ghent) and Jeffrey Nayer (I-Copake) voted against the fireworks measure. The next Public Safety Committee meeting is at 5 p.m. Thursday, November 17 at 401 State Street in Hudson. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Partly sunny. High near 66. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 52.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11 a.m. High near 66. Thursday night, showers likely, mainly before 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 41.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 48. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 7:31 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:46 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:15 hrs.




PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

CATSKILL Town Board public hearing on the 2017 preliminary budget, 6:30 p.m.. at Town Hall, 439-44`1 Main Street, Catskill (943-2141).
COPAKE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature Health Services, County Resources and Public Safety committee meetings, 6 p.m. at County Building, Caucus Room, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3255).
GREENPORT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive, Greenport (828-4656).
HUDSON Common Council Youth and Aging Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m.; Arts, Entertainment and Tourism Committee meeting, 6:45 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
JEWETT Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at municipal building, 3547 Co. Rte. 23C, Jewett (263-4646).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
PRATTSVILLE Planning Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
VALATIE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building, 3211 Church St., Valatie (758-9806).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Tuesday Nov. 1 (3:02). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)