John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star former Columbia Memorial Hospital CEO Jane Ehrlich has been named the recipient of the Columbia County Association's Distinguished Citizen Award. The celebration will take place next month in Manhattan. Ehrlich is being honored for her nearly two decades at the hospital. During her tenure she led CMH to expanded services, new construction and renewed facilities. Ehrlich began working in health care at age 16 as a full-time nurse's aide. After nursing school, she went on to do clinical work in New York City and Boston. She eventually earned her MBA in health care administration. The Columbia County Association in the City of New York meets annually in Manhattan. The members of the association gather to share memories of Columbia County. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the governor's office announced Thu., Apr. 28, the Sam's Point fire in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve has been fully contained. The blaze consumed more than 2,000 acres of forest land since Saturday. More than 300 first responders from state and local agencies helped fight and contain the wildfire. No homes or major structures were affected, according to the governor’s office. Brian Foley Jr. of the New York State Incident Management Team stressed that even after 100 percent containment is reached there will be hot spots and “pockets” where the fire is still burning. Nearly 250 personnel remain on the ground at the fire site. Support was provided by 91 fire departments from Ulster, Greene, Sullivan, Dutchess, Delaware and Orange counties. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. A statewide residential burn ban remains in effect through May 14. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Scott Waldman is reporting at Politico New York the state's independent grid operator is concerned the Cuomo administration's primary method of achieving its goal of doubling the state's renewable energy could prove costly for consumers. The developing Clean Energy Standard would require that New York power at least half its electric grid with renewable energy by 2030. This would lead to an expansion of various renewable sources of energy including wind, solar and hydropower. Under the current proposal, this expansion will be funded by approximately $5 billion collected from monthly utility bills. These so-called purchase-power agreements would unnecessarily put consumers at risk, New York Independent System Operator officials wrote in comments recently submitted to the Public Service Commission. They called the plan a risky strategy that could lead to higher costs for consumers and other problems on the grid. Grid operator officials also recommended the state rely on competitive markets to drive renewable energy growth rather than create incentives that interfere with the open market. Read the full story at Politico New York.

Parry Teasdale has a long story in The Columbia Paper detailing something of a border war between Chatham and Ghent. Chatham Mayor Tom Curran recently discovered a slight change in Ghent zoning that could allow businesses that handle toxic materials to operate within the watershed that supplies drinking water to the Village Chatham and parts of the hamlet of Ghent. Ghent Supervisor Mike Benvenuto responded by calling the mayor’s concerns “insulting” and an “attack” on his town. At first Benvenuto said he would vote against appointing a Ghent resident who lives in the Village of Chatham to the committee in charge of revising the zoning laws. "He subsequently relented on the appointment, but the underlying issue remains to be resolved," Teasdale writes. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports opponents of the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline locally are happy about the state denying permits to another nearby proposed pipeline, and about Kinder Morgan canceling another pipeline for economic reasons. “The (state) did a great thing by rejecting the Constitution Pipeline and recognizing that the project directly contradicts New York’s energy goals,” she said. “The same logic applies to Pilgrim, and this proposal should likewise be rejected.” The Department of Environmental Conservation denied permits last week to the proposed 124.14-mile Constitution Pipeline, which would have moved natural gas from Pennsylvania to Schoharie County. Kinder Morgan announced April 20 that it won't build the $5 billion Northeast Energy Direct pipeline through Albany and Rensselaer counties, because of low gas prices. The Pilgrim Pipeline is proposed in New York along 95 miles of the I-87 Thruway right-of-way, with another 25 miles on private property which would be taken over by eminent domain. Protests are planned for May 1 against the pipeline at the state Thruway toll plazas. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Brendan J. Lyons in Capitol Confidential reports that State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against Rensselaer County district attorney Joel E. Abelove on April 27, claiming Abelove “flagrantly violated” an executive order. Abelove ignored Schneiderman's concerns about a fatal police shooting, with quick grand jury action last week. Schneiderman’s office notified Abelove that the attorney general wanted to review evidence in the case, but three days later the grand jury Abelove ordered cleared Troy police Sgt. Randy French of wrongdoing in the shooting just five days earlier. While the district attorney said the officer acted appropriately in killing a DWI suspect through a windshield when the man’s vehicle allegedly pinned French against his police car. “DA Abelove’s rush to the grand jury flouted at least four lawfully-issued directives by the Attorney General pursuant to Executive Order 147,” the lawsuit states. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential, a Times-Union blog.

Michael DeMasi in The Albany Business Review reports average airfares at Albany International Airport fell 7.3 percent just as discount airline JetBlue began using the facility. Airport officials, though, say the price drop had to do with other market forces. "Increased seat capacity ... combined with a decline in average air fare nationally were the main reasons for the decline in the average air fare," Albany Airport Authority CEO John O'Donnell said in an email. Read the full story in The Albany Business Review.

Local weather forecast

Today: Cloudy. High near 57. Friday night, a chance of showers, mainly before 1 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 40.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: Partly sunny. High near 61. Saturday night, a chance of rain, mainly after 6 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 44.
SUNDAY Rain likely, mainly after 8 a.m. Cloudy. High near 52. Sunday night, rain likely. Cloudy. Low around 43.

Sunrise today: 5:51 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:53 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:02 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

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Techdirt reports that the U.S. House of Repressentatives, after 20 years of complaints, passed a requirement that would close a loophouse that allowed the government to read any email over 180 days old. Any communication on a server more than 180 days was considered abandoned and accessible to government officials without a warrant. That was because back in 1986 you downloaded your email off a server. But now with cloud computing and web mail, that all has changed, and the law makes no sense. The House voted unanimously April 27, 419 to zero with 14 absent for the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The Senate still must pass the bill, but what bill passes the House 419 to zero these days?

The First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, from its Facebook page.

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Karen Frishkoff and Martin Baumgold preview the 15th Annual International Community Dinner Sat. April 30 at the First Presbyterian Church in Hudson with Ellen Thurston and Tom DiPietro on the "WGXC Afternoon Show" April 28.

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Frank Rosa, antique dealer and owner of the Twentieth-Century Gallery on Warren Street, discusses First Dibs, the online service used by antique dealers in Hudson with Ellen Thurston and Tom DiPietro on the "WGXC Afternoon Show" April 28.

Photo from Hudson Little League Facebook page.

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Hudson native and pro athlete Rashad Barksdale talks about Hudson Little League baseball interviewed by Vern Cross, Rainer Blue, and Kamal Johnson on the "WGXC Afternoon Show" April 27.