Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County Emergency Medical Systems recently presented its 2017 contract renewal request to county legislators. Under the contract the county's share is $1.2 million, while each town is expected to contribute $312,000. “We are asking for the same amount as last year and are hoping to maintain the same level of service throughout the county,” County EMS President Mark Evans said. County EMS currently serves all towns and villages in Greene County, except the town of Catskill, which opted out of the proposed countywide system in 2015. Evans said the town of Catskill is continuing to evaluate its service and financial status. The town’s ambulance service is operating at an estimated $600,000 a year deficit. Among towns countywide, Catskill, Coxsackie and Cairo report the highest call volume. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star the Twin Lakes Improvement Association will present to the Livingston Town Board a petition demanding a temporary, town-wide moratorium on mining. Opponents of Red Wing Sand & Gravel’s application to mine gravel on county Route 19 are expected to appear en masse before the town board Thu., Aug. 11. Red Wing currently has an application for site plan approval and a special use permit pending for a 14.3-acre gravel mine in the northernmost section of a 196-acre parcel along county Route 19. Joseph Sweeney of Twin Lakes said, “This [project] could have a domino effect [in the county],” he said. “The gravel companies are going to say, ‘Let’s buy some property there and start mining.'" More than 70 residents attended a Planning Board meeting on the Red Wing project last week. The Planning Board instructed Red Wing to come back in September with a traffic study, a report on archaeological impacts and a report on impacts to water bodies. According to Red Wing’s Mined Use and Reclamation plan narratives, the current project comprises the first two phases of an 11-phase mining plan, which would include the construction of a processing plant. The town board meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight at Livingston Town Hall. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Times-Union is reporting construction will cause Route 22 in Hillsdale to be narrowed to a single lane for the next several months. The highway is being reduced to alternating single lanes between Labranche Road and County Route 21. The new traffic pattern is expected to start at 7 a.m., Thu., Aug. 11, and continue until Nov. 18.

Jimmy Vielkind is reporting at Politico New York U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Wed., Aug. 11, she is “very grateful” for state and federal hearings that will focus on the presence of toxic chemicals in the water supply of communities like Hoosick Falls. She added that she hopes they will result in “real” medical monitoring for affected residents. Gillibrand, a Democrat, said she was not satisfied with how the government has handled the issue. “Frankly, I think the entire government’s response isn’t enough because people have so many questions. The anxiety level is so high,” she said. The state has been accused of a slow response to the detection of PFOA, a chemical used in the production of Teflon-coated products. It has been linked to cancer and immune system disorders. Another forum for residents in the village of Hoosick Falls is scheduled for Thursday evening. Residents of that Rensselaer County village have an average PFOA blood level at 30 times the national average, according to recent tests. Gillibrand said, “What the state should do, what the Legislature should do after they have their hearings, is really talk to these polluters and say, we want you to pay for medical monitoring for the life of these residents.” Read the full story at Politico New York.

Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper reports that concerned Columbia County citizens are forming the Roe Jan Watershed Association, and will be checking water quality along the Hudson River tributary. Kaare Christian of Germantown founded the group which is already testing the waters of the Roeliff Jansen Kill as part of the non-profit environmental group Riverkeeper’s Water Quality Program. Since state Department of Environmental Conservation, “staffing is down 10 percent over the past decade, and [its] budget is projected to decline 25 percent by 2020,” according to the story, local citizen groups are now doing the state's work. So far volunteers have taken water samples from Hillsdale, Copake, Ancram, Germantown, Clermont, Livingston, and other areas. Christian can be reached at kaare@nysite.com to get involved with the Roe Jan Watershed Association. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Greg Hudson reports in The Daily Mail that the Town of Hunter is trying to convince the state Department of Transportation to slow down speed limits on Route 23A in Haines Falls. Three years ago, a similar effort failed, and there have been no major accidents or traffic-related deaths since. “A couple of years ago we had a number of residents in the Haines Falls area who live off Sunset Road and untilize that road to enter 23A,” Town Councilman Dave Kukle said. “There are some sight constraints there and you don’t see cars until the last moment there as they crest the hill coming east from Hunter.” But DOT officials conducted a survey and found that the current 40 mph speed limit was appropriate. Kukle believes that three years later there is much more development in the town -- a new Dollar General is proposed, for instance -- and many more bikers and hikers on local trails. “We are becoming a much more trail-based community as we look to the future,” Kukle said. “You take a look at what’s going on over in Haines Falls at the old Della Maria [resort] property, where folks are looking for someone to come forward and do a development in there like a hotel.” So Kukle said the board has filed a petition with the DOT to reconsider its previous decision. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that on Aug. 1 the Kinderhook Town Board unanimously enacted a three-month moratorium on non-roof-mounted solar panels. “The Town Board finds that a moratorium should be enacted to enable the town to investigate the appropriate regulation of solar farms and non-roof-mounted solar,” the measure read. The town Codes Committee will propose adding to the zoning law in the meantime “I think it is the impact on the neighbors,” Supervisor Pat Grattan said of why a moratorium and rules rewrite were necessary. “We don’t have anything in the zoning ordinance to deal with this.” The next Kinderhook Board meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, September 12. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Local weather forecast:

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the Hudson River Valley for Thu., Aug. 11. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity levels may produce heat indices reaching or exceeding 100 degrees on Thursday afternoon. There is also a chance for thunderstorms, mainly Thursday night. Severe weather is not expected; however, a period of heavy rainfall and lightning strikes will accompany these storms.

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms are possible after 3 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy. High near 90. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Increasing clouds. Low around 72.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy. High near 91. Friday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy. Low around 75.
SATURDAY: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy. High near 91. Saturday night, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 2 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy. Low around 72.

Sunrise today: 6 a.m.
Sunset today: 8 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14 hrs.


PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

CHATHAM Village meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
CLAVERACK Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911). COPAKE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake (329-1234).
GALLATIN Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram (398-7519).
HUDSON Planning Board meeting (tentative), 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
LIVINGSTON Town board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19.
NEW BALTIMORE Planning board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 County Route 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
STUYVESANT Town board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Town board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

Amanda Fries reports in The Albany Times-Union that voters will not get to decide on whether the Albany County Legislature is made smaller. The legislature voted 31-5 against a bill which involved reducing the number of legislative districts from 39 to 33 in 2024, and to 29 districts in 2032. "It's unfortunate the people didn't get the chance to vote on it," Loudonville Republican Legislator Peter Crouse said of the downsizing legislation. A citizen's charter review commission two years ago suggested the change to the state's largest legislature. Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Aug. 10 (9:54). (Produced by Philip Grant.)