Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County continues to face obstacles in its fight to gain broadband and better Internet access for residents, especially in the sparsely populated rural zones. The Greene County Legislature heard an update on the county’s broadband project at a meeting of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee , Tue., Feb. 16. Warren Hart, director of the county's Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department, told lawmakers approximately 3,400 households are unserved, and 13,800 households are underserved countywide. He said major parts of the mountaintop are unserved, including Lexington, Prattsville, Ashland and Windham. Valley towns such as Durham, primarily along County Route 10, and Cairo are unserved, as well. Large portions of river towns such as New Baltimore, Coxsackie and Athens do not have broadband access. These households are located outside of the more populated villages, Hart said.  He said the county's broadcast consortium is evaluating opportunities for partnership applications with two private providers, and public-private applications, as well. Hart told the lawmakers, the guidelines listed in the state’s new broadband program are geared more towards urbanized areas. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Today is Day 9 of the WGXC High Five Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of remote broadcasts, and turn out for special events. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain WGXC as a public platform for information, experimentation, and engagement. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

Local weather forecast

Today’s forecast is specific to Cairo, in Greene County:

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the WGXC listening area, for Fri., Feb. 19. A wintry mix of snow, sleet and possibly some light freezing rain is possible Friday night. The better chance for freezing rain will be on the west side of the Hudson River.

Today: Increasing clouds. High near 35. Friday night, a chance of rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet before 2 a.m., then a chance of rain, snow and sleet between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., then a chance of rain and sleet after 3 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SATURDAY: A slight chance of rain showers and sleet before 10 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 51. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 34.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. High near 46. Sunday night, a chance of rain before 11 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of snow after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 29.

Sunrise today: 6:45 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:33 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:47

PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Tue., Feb. 18 (7:44). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail the Catskill Town Board agreed unanimously, Wed., Feb. 17, to oppose the Pilgrim Pipeline as currently proposed because of the adverse impact the project would have on the Leeds sewer corridor. A letter from the board expressing that opposition will be forwarded to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Thruway Authority, the co-lead agencies of the project's environmental review. In Greene County, the proposed project veers east of Route 9W west of Sleepy Hollow Lake in Athens, and then back near the interstate around Leeds-Athens Road. A portion of the Catskill section passes through the area where the town and the Greene County Industrial Development Agency are hoping to attract significant development, especially from the tourism or lodging industry. Following the vote, the board heard from Catskill business and property owner Arielle Herman with pipeline-related concerns. Herman is a member of the Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipeline. She detailed how the pipeline is slated to be constructed across town property, but the developers have failed to reach out to the town about this plan. Herman believes Pilgrim has not acted in good faith with local governments or the public, and seems to be unconcerned about local impacts or the fears that residents may have about the project. DOWNLOAD or play Herman's full presentation to the Catskill Town board (14:28). A recording of the entire board workshop meeting can be found at Wave Farm [dot] org [slash] archive. All Catskill Town Board meetings are live streamed at wgxc.org.

The Windham Journal is reporting David Donner has been appointed building principal by the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Board of Education. Donner is new to the district. For the past seven years he served as a history and government teacher at East Brooklyn Community High School. Before that he was a social studies teacher at the Literacy Arts Academy Middle School in Manhattan. Donner is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo and holds a law degree from St. John's School of Law. Donner wrote in a recent letter to the school staff and faculty, “Every student deserves differentiated, rigorous, and relevant instruction that helps them succeed and prepare for post-secondary life. The learning environment must be as safe and secure as possible for all students, staff, and support personnel, and must be open and inviting for all.” Donner starts work on Mon., Feb. 22. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting a coalition of environmental groups is calling for the immediate closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, but U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says they first should demonstrate how to replace the energy produced by the facility. The Sierra Club, Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, Scenic Hudson and Physicians for Social responsibility said Wed., Feb. 17, they are requesting a suspension of plant operations until the facility’s safety is thoroughly reviewed by state and federal investigators. The call follows a recent leak of radioactive water, the seventh operational incident in eight months. Schumer said that although he did not believe the plant should have been built in a heavily populated area, he does not support shutting down the plant immediately because it provides 25 percent of the power to the downstate area. Entergy, the owner of Indian Point, said the water leaks did not pose any health or safety issues. Read the full Mid-Hudson News Network story in the Daily Freeman.

The Village of Coxsackie Wastewater Treatment Facility has issued an Environmental Alert following a combined sewer overflow discharge of untreated sewage in the village. The discharge occurred over a two-hour period beginning at 9 p.m., Tue., Feb. 16, due to the heavy rainfall and snow melt. It is unknown if any public areas were impacted by the spill. No steps were taken to contain the 800-gallon plus leak. More information is available on this and other discharges, at www.dec.ny.gov.

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman Pilgrim Pipeline foes are urging the Saugerties Village Board to join other municipal officials in calling for a halt to the $533 million project. Bill Barr, a member of the group Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipeline, told the board this week that village officials should be concerned about the project because the pipelines would be nearby. The proposed 178-mile Pilgrim Pipeline would move Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, N.J., through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties, and send refined crude back to Albany, largely along the I-87 corridor. Barr contends that U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show problems with such pipelines are inevitable. Village officials did not commit to joining the opposition, but Mayor William Murphy asked for updates on the project’s environmental reviews. Pilgrim spokesman Paul Nathanson said this week the company stands by its claim that the project would reduce the number of barges and trains carrying crude and petroleum products in the state. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential State Sen. Tony Avella, of Queens, has introduced a bill to make St. Patrick’s Day a school holiday “in districts with a significant Irish-American population.” That means a district where the number of people of Irish descent is 7.5 percent or more, according to the most current Census data. Avella introduced the bill in response to the city Department of Education’s announcement that parent-teacher conferences would be held on St. Patrick’s Day. He said teachers were infuriated that the department had them work all day and night through their only cultural holiday, according to the news release from Avella's office. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Today is Day 8 of the WGXC High Five Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of remote broadcasts, and turn out for special events. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain WGXC as a public platform for information, experimentation, and engagement. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

Local weather forecast


Today’s forecast is specific to Cairo, in Greene County:

Today: Isolated snow showers before 8 a.m. Sunny. High near 28. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Thursday night, clear. Low around 12.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: Increasing clouds. High near 35. Friday night, a chance of snow showers before 1 a.m., then a chance of sleet. Mostly cloudy. Low around 29.
SATURDAY: A chance of rain showers and sleet before 10 a.m., then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 47. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 34.

Sunrise today: 6:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:31 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:45

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).
GREENE COUNTY Industrial Development Agency meeting, 8 a.m. at the IDA office, 270 Mansion St., Coxsackie (731-5500).
GHENT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
STUYVESANT Joint Zoning Law workshop, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Mon., Feb. 15 (8:07). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County officials took another step toward the construction of a new county jail, Tue., Feb. 16. At the special meeting the Legislature's Public Safety Committee authorized SMRT Architects and Engineers of Latham to begin the cost analysis phase of the project. The county has already completed the bed needs and environmental assessments. On Tuesday, county administrator Shaun Groden emphasized the new jail is not a done deal at this point, but the cost analysis is a critical step in the process, he said. Public Safety Committee Chairman William Lawrence said, “This is an important step we are taking tonight.” The Greene County Jail is the oldest county lockup in the state. It has 56 beds, but only 48 are usable. The jail is located behind the county courthouse on Bridge Street in Catskill. Lawmakers appointed the Greene County Jail Task Force in 2014 to evaluate jail conditions, and its recommendations were presented to the full Legislature last year. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register-Star the Columbia Economic Development Corporation will launch a search for a new president and CEO next week, and hopes to have a new leader in place by June. Tony Jones, chairman of the corporation's Board of Directors said Tue., Feb. 16, a search committee has been selected and the full job description is expected to be posted Wed., Feb. 24. The successful candidate will have a minimum of five years of "progressive experience in economic development," plus leadership, communication and management skills with the capacity for financial analysis and financial management. The new president and CEO will report directly to the board. The position will pay between $85,000 and $95,000 a year. Jones said they are looking for local candidates. The corporation is not conducting a regional or national search. "We want someone who knows the landscape,' he said. Interim President and CEO F. Michael Tucker's contract expires June 30. In addition to the new hire, the corporation is expanding its board with seven new members in the coming months. CEDC will hold a public strategic planning public session at Columbia-Greene Community College from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Fri., Feb. 26. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star on the status of the Route 9H Taghkanic Creek Bridge project. The state Department of Transportation intends to replace the existing bridge across Taghkanic Creek, near Stone Mill Road, Yates Road and Route 29. A steel girder bridge with a reinforced concrete deck will be installed and new pavement approaches to the bridge will be built. State officials, contractors, Columbia County and Claverack town officials and residents met Tue., Feb. 16, at the town garage to discuss the project. Mason reports that little of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of the bridge itself. He said most of the conversation was about the proposed detour the replacement project requires. Construction of the detour on Yates and Stone Mill roads, including the installation of a temporary bridge, is scheduled to begin March 17. Following completion of the 9H bridge, the temporary Stone Mill bridge will be removed and the old one destroyed. The detour was investigated and cleared with the town of Claverack in 2014. Opposition to the detour as designed is based on its proximity to historic properties located on Yates Road and a potential mid-18th-century industrial archaeology site adjacent to the Stone Mill Road bridge. As a result, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is calling for a Phase I archaeological survey. The next stage is for the involved state agencies to determine if the problems cited by the historic preservation office can be resolved and if an archaelogical dig is necessary. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting in The Daily Mail the Coxsackie-Athens Board of Education held its first budget workshop this year, Thu., Feb. 11, to discuss its preliminary 2016-17 budget. At this stage in the process, the spending plan totals $30 million. Assistant Superintendent of School Services Leslie Copleston told the board that if staffing, course offerings, and programming remain the same, the budget will increase by more than $600,000 or approximately two percent, next year. That increase is largely due to negotiated salary increases, higher water and sewer rates, and additional BOCES costs. Employee benefits will also grow in the next school year. Line items expected to decrease include equipment expenses and transportation. The district will add a school counselor, two special education teachers, and various full- and part-time classroom support positions next year, but the funds needed to cover those positions are not yet included in the proposed spending plan, Copleston said. Superintendent Randall Squier pointed out the budget under discussion is separate from the capital project that residents will vote on in March. The proposal, if approved, would not impact the 2016-17 spending plan, Squire said. The next budget workshop will be held March 3 at Edward J. Arthur Elementary School in Athens. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the Bard SummerScape festival this year will focus on the music and culture of Italy, specifically opera composer Giacomo Puccini. The 27th annual event will take place from July 1 to August 14 at venues on the Bard campus in Annandale-on-Hudson. The festival will feature music, opera, theater, dance, film and cabaret based on the theme, "Puccini and His World." Among the performances planned, is a rare, fully staged production of "Iris," a precursor of "Madama Butterfly" by Puccini's close contemporary Pietro Mascagni, as well as the world premiere of "Demolishing Everything With Amazing Speed," four newly unearthed puppet plays from Italian futurist Fortunato Depero. Information can be found online at Fisher Center [dot] Bard [dot] edu [slash] SummerScape. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Today is Day 7 of the WGXC High Five Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of remote broadcasts, and turn out for special events. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain WGXC as a public platform for information, experimentation, and engagement. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

Local weather forecast


Today’s forecast is specific to Cairo, in Greene County:

Today: Partly sunny. High near 38. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 19.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: Sunny. High near 29. Thursday night, mostly clear. Low around 12.
FRIDAY: A slight chance of snow showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 36. Friday night, a chance of snow showers before 1 a.m., then a chance of sleet. Mostly cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 6:48 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:30 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 10:39

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Today is the third 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 meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature regular meeting, 6:30 p.m.; Planning Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.; both at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
STUYVESANT Zoning Revision Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Mon., Feb. 15 (7:00). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Closings and delays for Tue., Feb. 16

Chatham Kids Club | Delayed two hours. Open at 9 a.m.
Coarc Adult Transportation | Delayed two hours. Staff report.
Millbrook Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Pine Plains Central School District | Delayed three hours.
Red Hook Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Saugerties Central School District | CLOSED.
Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill) | Delayed two hours.
Webutuck (Northeast) Central School District | Delayed two hours.

Katie Kocijanski and Hunter Harrison are reporting in The Daily Mail both Columbia and Greene counties have seen an overall increase in local sales tax revenue. The state Comptroller's Office released Fri., Feb. 12, its annual report on sales tax collection. According to the report, collections statewide grew by 3.6 percent in 2015. While collections declined in 30 of the 57 counties outside of New York City, in Greene County sales tax revenue grew by 3.1 percent and in Columbia County by .1 [point one] percent. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said the county had a good winter season last year with lots of visitors. He said sales tax is the county's single biggest source of revenue. Chamber of Commerce President David Colby also attributed the increase in Columbia County's numbers to tourism, and he said local businesses are also doing well. Colby said the presence of the Amtrak station in Hudson is an essential factor in the increased visitor traffic. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.