Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Mar. 4 through Sun., Mar. 6:

The undefeated Hudson High School boys basketball team won again Sat., Mar. 5 at in a game against Ogdensburg held at SUNY Potsdam in St. Lawrence County. Hudson won the Section II title last week for only the third time in its history, most recently during the 1973-74 school year. Hudson, 26 and 0 for the year, is headed to the state final four and will play Olean Fri., Mar. 11 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential New York City lawyer Wendy Long on Fri., Mar. 4, accepted the state Republican party’s designation to run against Democrat incumbent Sen. Chuck Schumer in the November election. Long delivered a long address to the convention, critiquing Canada's refugee policy, calling for a simplification of the tax code and denouncing U.S. Supreme Court justices who have voted for tougher gun control. “I can’t get a concealed carry permit. I sit there in New York City hoping that ISIS doesn’t show up,” she said.

Katie Kocijanski and John Mason reported in The Daily Mail that 79 percent of Greene County residents and 74 percent of Columbia County residents do not have access to broadband of 6 megabits per second or better. Only one other county, Hamilton, has more than 50 percent of its population without broadband access. U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson places the blame on Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “I absolutely see the need for the broadband program, but [...] Cuomo’s proposal makes it hard for rural areas to gain funding. It is more for urban areas,” Gibson said. Columbia County Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood said that because the county's providers Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications are merging, the county will likely be ineligible for state funding. Warren Hart, Greene County’s director of the Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department, said last month Lexington, Prattsville, Ashland, Windham and Cairo are "unserved." State Senator George Amedore, a Republican who represents Greene County said, “I already had a face-to-face meeting with the governor and am waiting to hear back from his people.”

Thomas Zambito reported in The Journal News Metro-North engineer William Rockefeller has been awarded a federal railroad retirement pension. A little more than two years ago, the Germantown resident fell asleep at the controls of a speeding Manhattan-bound commuter train, causing a derailment that killed four passengers and injured 60. Rockefeller will receive regular payments through the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board for an unspecified disability that has made it impossible for him to return to work as an engineer. He had been an engineer for nearly 11 years at the time of the crash. Rockefeller has yet to face a disciplinary hearing but has been cleared of all criminal charges. A federal probe determined that an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea, coupled with a recent shift change, caused Rockefeller to nod off at the controls. At the time it occurred, the derailment in the Bronx on Dec. 1, 2013, was the deadliest crash in the commuter rail’s history.

Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail the Catskill school board has reduced voting hours for its annual budget vote and school board election from 15 hours to eight. The district polling location will now be open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The board made the decision after evidence of low voter turnout early in the day was presented at the full board meeting, Feb. 24. Board clerk Poscha McDougall said most Catskill voters come out later in the day and after work. She said, “This puts us in line with the other schools in the county. We were the only school that was still open that early.” The polling location remains in the high school gym. The Catskill district's working budget for the 2016-17 school year currently totals $39.2 million, and three board seats will be on the May 17 ballot. Candidate petitions are available at the district office and must be returned by close of business April 18.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Fri., Mar. 4, $1.5 billion in grants for New York State health care providers, including almost $5 million for facilities in Greene and Columbia counties. Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson was awarded $2,550,000 for "advancing primary care capacity," and its satellite Greene County Center in Catskill got $2,192,701.

Hunter Harrison reported in the Register-Star an early 19th-century building in Hillsdale is being considered by the New York State Board For Historic Preservation for nomination later this month to the National and State registers of historic places. The Hillsdale Toll House, also known as the east gate of the Columbia Turnpike, is located on Route 23. It was built in 1799. The distance from the toll house to Hudson on the Columbia Turnpike was considered one of the longest turnpikes in the state at the time. The toll house was part of the turnpike that helped establish a commercial trade route to and from Hudson. The turnpike operated until 1907. The house has not been occupied since 1990. Once designated, the intention is to completely restore the building.

Local weather forecast
Today: Mostly sunny. High near 56. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 36.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: Partly sunny. High near 63. Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 43.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. High near 69. Wednesday night, Mostly cloudy. Low around 44.

Sunrise today: 6:20 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:52 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 11:32

PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

CAIRO Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
HUDSON Common Council special meeting to approve police/court project contracts and to discuss a proposed local law to designate hotel as a conditionally permitted use in the R-S-C Zone, 6:30 p.m.; Informal meeting, 7 p.m.; both at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
ICHABOD CRANE Central School District Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m. at Ichabod Crane High School, 2910 Route 9, Valatie (758-7577).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Zoning Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

The undefeated Hudson High School boys basketball team won again March 5 at SUNY Potsdam against Ogdensburg 7-63. Hudson High won the Section II title last week for only the third time (in the 1973-74, 1964-65, and 1937-38 seasons) and is now in their first state tournament. Hudson, now 26-0 for the year, next heads to the state final four to play Olean at 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 11 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Hudson schools will be dismissing students early on March 11 because of the game. The elementary school day ends at 1 p.m., and the other schools get out at 1:20 p.m. Free spectator buses will depart the high school at 3 p.m., and you must have a ticket to ride. The JHS snowball dance has been postponed to a later date TBA, and all other afterschool activities are canceled.

We will be dismissing early on Friday afternoon to allow everybody time to get to the game. More details to come later this week.

— Hudson High School (@HHSBluehawks) March 6, 2016

Katie Kocijanski and John Mason report in The Daily Mail that 79 percent of Greene County residents and 74 percent of Columbia County residents don't have access to broadband of 6 megabits per second or better. Only one other county, Hamilton, has over 50 percent of its population without broadband access. Chris Gibson, who is running for governor against Andrew Cuomo, blames him. “I absolutely see the need for the broadband program, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal makes it hard for rural areas to gain funding. It is more for urban areas,” Gibson told the paper on March 3. Columbia County Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood said that because the county's providers Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications are merging, the county will likely be ineligible for the state funding. Warren Hart, Greene County’s director of the Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department, said last month that Lexington, Prattsville, Ashland, Windham,and Cairo are "unserved." State Senator George Amedore, a Republican who represents Greene County said, “I already had a face-to-face meeting with the governor and am waiting to hear back from his people.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced $1.5 billion in grants for New York State health care providers on March 4, including almost $5 million for facilities in Greene and Columbia counties. The Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson was awarded $2,550,000 for "advancing primary care capacity," and its satellite Greene County Center in Catskill got $2,192,701. Greene County Legislature Chairman Kevin Lewis said, "Today’s announcement not only gives these organizations the opportunity to transform and grow their operations – it helps the families in Greene County gain access to the healthcare services that they need."

Explosions In the Sky, "Logic of a Dream" from The Wilderness.


Rangda, "To Melt The Moon" from "The Heretic's Bargain" (Drag City)


Dust Bowl Faeries, "Hudson River Shanty" from "Dust Bowl Faeries" album.


Bonobo, "Ghomrassen" made from all "Star Wars" samples from Hollywood Records.


Cate Le Bon, "Wonderful" from "Crab Day" (Drag City).


Heron Oblivion, "Oriar" from "Heron Oblivion" (Sub Pop)


Glitterbust, "The Highline," Kim Gordon's new band, on Burger Records.

The Federal Communications Commission has instituted a new "AM Revitalization" program, which largely makes it easier for AM stations to put their signals on FM frequencies. That may not seem to make much sense, and the folks at Albany AM station WGY (810-AM) don't want to see a different part of the proposal instituted, the part that has them dialing back their power at night. The station's website, with an online petition to stop the change, says, "The FCC’s proposal to reduce WGY’s protected service area will mean that many of our nighttime listeners will not be able to enjoy the same signal quality at night and during drive-times, jeopardizing your ability to enjoy WGY programming and receive important emergency weather alerts and other information." The FCC is accepting comments at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/

The monthly Catskill Town Board meeting audio recorded March 1 in cooperation with WGXC and the Town of Catskill is available here.

The undefeated Hudson High School boys basketball team plays next at 4:30 p.m. March 5 at SUNY Potsdam against Ogdensburg (16-8). Hudson High won the Section II title last week for only the third time (in the 1973-74, 1964-65, and 1937-38 seasons) and is now in their first state tournament. They beat Northeastern Clinton March 2, and a win Saturday would send them to the state final four to play either Olean or Wellsville at 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 11 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.