DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Wed., Dec. 16 (5:12). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

The Cairo-Durham Elementary school went into lockout status around 2 p.m., Tue., Dec. 15 after "a potential issue was reported," to the school office. According to one account, there was a report of a suspicious person loitering outside of the building. Normal activities continued inside, but all comings and goings were stopped and local and state police were called. A brief investigation was conducted, but nothing was found and school was dismissed on time. Uniformed and plain clothed law enforcement assisted with dismissal, as an "added safety measure," according to the Cairo-Durham school district website. In a robocall to parents around 4 p.m. Dec. 15, and in the announcement posted at the district website, officials emphasized that the school was never in a lockdown situation. In lockout the potential danger is believed to be outside of the school. In the case of a lockdown, the perceived danger is inside of the building.

Paul Kirby is reporting in the Daily Freeman radio station WGHQ in Kingston was back on the air late Tue, Dec. 15, after a few days of silence at 920 on the AM dial. The station went silent sometime over the weekend when Verizon cut off the transmission from the WGHQ studio to its transmitter. Verizon spokesman John Bonomo told the Freeman the company was working on the matter Tuesday afternoon, but he would not provide details. He did not say why the signal was cut. Walter Maxwell, president of Kingston Community Radio said the problem was not discovered until Monday because over the weekend the station airs syndicated programming from Robin Hood Radio. Community programming airs on WGHQ from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., weekdays. Maxwell said at the time he thought the outage was just a temporary interruption. He also said the station’s bill to Verizon has always been paid on time. Maxwell suspected Verizon disconnected the service because the company wants to get out of the business of leasing hard-wire connections. He said the station is unable to use Verizon’s digital service. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker in The Daily Freeman reports that Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson is the latest local sheriff who wants you to bring your guns to town. On Dec. 14, Anderson said he supports Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum’s call for people licensed to carry guns to do so in public. “During the past week, I’ve been asked if I support Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum of Ulster County and his statement to pistol permit holders and police officers, both active and retired,” Anderson said in a statement faxed to the media on Sheriff’s Office letterhead. “I do support his statement. I encourage all pistol permit holders in Dutchess County and throughout New York state to exercise their Second Amendment right.” Last week, Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett announced his support of Ulster County Sheriff's call for licensed firearms owners to carry their weapons wherever they go. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Click here to play or download an audio version of this report.

Nia Hamm at New York News Connection reports for Public News Service that women are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. prison population with their numbers rising steadily for three decades. The American Civil Liberties Union attributes the trend partly to the war on drugs and incarceration of nonviolent offenders, which describes more than 80 percent of the female prison population in New York. Amy Fettig, senior staff counsel with the ACLU's National Prison Project (NPP), says poor mental health can be a pathway to prison, and many women end up in jail because they lack mental health resources. Fettig says these trends have been detrimental to the communities and children of these women, both in the state and nationally. "They tend to do worse in school," she states. "They have behavioral problems, and research is making connections between parental incarceration and the subsequent incarceration of children. "Taking the primary caretaker away from a child at a critical point in their development has negative outcomes both for the child and the family, but also for the community at large." More than 40 percent of women in New York prisons reported having a serious mental illness in 2007 research. Fettig says it isn't only women of color who are affected by the criminal justice system. More white women also are being sentenced, in part because of the methamphetamine and opioid epidemics. The majority of women in state prisons are mentally ill, according to the Justice Department, and many have experienced physical or sexual trauma. Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, says a new model is needed to address dysfunctional behavior in society, particularly in communities of color. "A disproportionate number of black and Latino women who are incarcerated in New York state, we find that similarly across most of the country," she explains. "And the communities from which they come, the services they provide - as far as being caretakers as far as being economic pillars - all of that is diminished." The advocacy group The Sentencing Project says the number of women in prison has risen at nearly double the rate of men since 1985. Currently, more than 1 million are under some type of supervision by the criminal justice system.

Local weather forecast


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


Today: Partly sunny. High near 45. Wednesday night, a chance of light rain, mainly after 5 a.m. Increasing clouds. Low around 36.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Thursday: Rain, mainly after 9 a.m. High near 49. Thursday night, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low of 40.

Friday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny. High near 44. Friday night, a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 10 p.m., then a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 29.


Sunrise today: 7:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:24 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:06


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).
GERMANTOWN Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Elementary Music Room, Germantown School, 123 Main St., Germantown (537-6281).
GHENT Planning Board, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature regular meeting, 6:30 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
STUYVESANT Zoning Revision Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TAGHANIC town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Rte. 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).
TACONIC HILLS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Central Office boardroom, 73 Co. Rte. 11A, Craryville (325-2800).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Tue., Dec. 15 (6:36). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star newly elected Greenport town justice Glen Graziano has decided he does not want the job after all. Town Supervisor John Porreca (Poor-EEK-ah) said he does not know exactly why Graziano changed his mind, but he did attend a rookie justice class for a few days. Porreca said, "“He decided he wanted to get out of it.” The former town councilman ran as an unopposed Republican candidate alongside incumbent Democrat Francis Abitabile (ABB-eh-tabb-el). Porreca said the incoming town board will now have to appoint someone. If the town board cannot find a candidate, then David Dellehunt of the Office of Court Administration would make the selection. The position pays approximately $11,000 a year. The two justices divide four nights of town court and one special criminal court session a month between them. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail the Cairo-Durham Central School District has begun to develop its 2016-17 school budget. is looking for community input on next year’s school budget. Cairo-Durham Superintendent Anthony Taibi (Tie-EE-bee) and Business Manager Jeffrey Miriello (MEER-ee-ello) held the district's first public feedback meeting of the season, Thu., Dec. 10. In his presentation, Taibi reported the district census has remained stable with 1,273 students enrolled in grades K to 12. He is also expecting Cairo-Durham to receive an increase in state aid of more than $400,000 in 2016-17. Taibi said efforts to reduce absenteeism, increase the four-year graduation rate and to grow the number of students reading at, or above grade level continue. District residents, business owners, parents and faculty are encouraged to participate in the second annual school budget input survey now posted at the district website. Taibi said a long-range financial plan for the district will be presented at the Jan. 7 board meeting, and an additional budget community conversation will be held Feb. 25. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman state Sen. George Amedore says the conviction last week of former Senate leader Dean Skelos points to the need for term limits. Amedore said Skelos' conviction, like that of former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, resulted in part, from allowing people hold office too long. The Rotterdam Republican said that while individuals are responsible for their own behavior, and the actions of any one person cannot be legislated or corrected, term limits are necessary. "That way, it will [cause] a changeover of the people so that those that are in office cannot make a career of the position. And we need to change the length of the term itself,” he said. State senators and Assembly members currently serve two-year terms. There is no limit to number of terms they can serve. Amedore said all legislators should be limited to two, four-year terms. He also would like to see pensions taken away from state lawmakers forced from office following corruption convictions. Under current rules, Silver and Skelos are eligible to receive their pensions. Amedore is serving his first term representing New York's 46th district. The district includes all of Greene, Montgomery, and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Ulster counties. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper the Chatham Town Board is hiring. At a special meeting held last week the board voted to issue Requests for Proposals for key positions, including town attorney, town accounting firm, and town engineer. The board is also seeking candidates for code enforcement officer, and potential members of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. In an email to the paper, Supervisor-elect Maria Lull wrote, “To ensure a smooth transition, we want to give professionals and the public an opportunity to become involved in town governance. While we value all the good people who serve on our boards, one should not be re-appointed indefinitely. " Current code enforcement officer Walt Simonsmeier will retire Dec. 31. Ray Preusser currently provides accounting services to the town and Tal Rappleyea has served as town attorney for several years. Lull has scheduled a swearing-in ceremony at noon January 1 at the village hall. The board will host an organization meeting at 10 a.m. January 2 at the Town Hall. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential an overwhelming majority of New York voters are concerned the state will be the target of a terror attack in the near future, according to a new Siena College poll. Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed said they are at least somewhat concerned a terror attack will occur in the near future, according to the poll out Mon., Dec. 14. Still, 63 percent say they have not changed their lifestyle out of fear of an attack. The Siena poll follows on a New York Times/CBS News poll that indicated Americans are more fearful of another terrorist attack than at any other time since the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Local weather forecast


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

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Wind Advisory for the region. West to northwest winds of 15 to 30 mph, with wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible from mid-morning through early evening. Strong wind gusts may lead to some downed tree limbs and isolated power outages.


Today: Scattered showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 52. Breezy, with a northwest wind increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph. chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 35.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Wednesday: Sunny. High near 43. Wednesday night, a chance of rain, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 37.

Thursday: Rain likely. Cloudy. High near 47. Thursday night, rain likely before midnight, then chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy. Low of 40.


Sunrise today: 7:17 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:24 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:06


PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
HILLSDALE Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on Main Street, Hillsdale (325-5073).
HUDSON Common Council Finance Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m.; Formal Common Council meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Municipal Building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
PHILMONT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m., Philmont Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, West Taghkanic (851-7638).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Mon., Dec. 14 (5:23). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Dec. 11 through Sun., Dec. 13

John Ferro reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal a CSX locomotive with a fuel leak caught fire in Fri., Dec. 11, in Kingston. Local firefighters put out the blaze in Port Ewen. "There are no hazardous materials on the train, and no damage to any of the freight," CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said. A CSX environmental contractor cleaner the diesel fuel spilled from the train that was carrying three locomotives and 97 cars containing automobiles.

WHUC reported Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett announced his support of Ulster County Sheriff P.J. Van Blarcum's call for licensed firearms owners to carry their weapons wherever they go. in a Facebook post last week. Bartlett wrote he has received "many calls and inquiries" seeking his input and opinion on those comments. Bartlett denied Van Blarcum's statement was "a call for lawlessness or vigilantism." He said, "We live in a dangerous world. The threat of violence by nefarious individuals against soft targets is a growing concern...It seems only prudent that we use all appropriate means of deterring and meeting such threats and, as individuals, be prepared to defend ourselves and others...I believe that was the intent of Sheriff Van Blarcum’s message, and I support him on that."

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential the all-too-familiar process of removing the name of a convicted lawmaker from their office doorway was in evidence at the state Capitol Fri., Dec. 11, following the conviction of Dean Skelos on corruption charges. Karlin reported the name of the former Senate Republican Majority Leader was peeled off the glass entrance to his office in the Legislative Office Building earlier that day, but some picture of Skelos was still evident on the wall behind the closed door. His name was also removed from the Senate's online alphabetical listing and his contact information was erased. Skelos was found guilty on eight counts of using his office to secure lucrative employment opportunities for his son by a Manhattan jury on Friday. He served for seven years as the majority leader of the state Senate. Sentencing is set for March 3.

The Daily Freeman reported RUPCO, an affordable housing company, will move one of its Greene County offices to 408 Main St. in Catskill, effective Jan. 4. The office will move between Dec. 24 and Jan. 3. During that time, the agency will not be able to access files or answer client questions, and the phones will be offline until Dec. 31. RUPCO currently administers more than 250 Housing Choice vouchers through its rental assistance program in Greene County. The program provides rental support for families who earn at or below 50 percent of the area median income, which is roughly $30,000 a year for a family of four.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail Coxsackie-Athens school district voters go to the polls Tue., Dec. 15, to decide on a proposed $17.9 million capital project. The project to be approved is intended to improve security at the schools, reconfigure classrooms, build a joint middle and high school library and revitalize the district's athletic fields. It would affect both campuses and all four district buildings. The plan is believed to be eligible for 90 percent state aid, district officials said. If approved, property taxes would increase 33 cents per $1,000 of a property's assessed value. For an average home assessed at $100,000, that would mean a $33 increase in school taxes per year. The referendum would cap project spending at $17.9 million. Polls will be open 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday at E.J. Arthur Elementary School in Athens and at Coxsackie Elementary School in Coxsackie. Absentee ballots must be received by the district no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday.

Local weather forecast


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


Today: Patchy drizzle with a slight chance of showers before 11 a.m., then a chance of showers, mainly after 2 p.m. Patchy fog before 11 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy. High near 56. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. Monday night, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy. Low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Tuesday: A chance of showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 53. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 35.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 47. Wednesday night, a chance of showers after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 39.


Sunrise today: 7:16 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:24 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:07


PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CANAAN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Rte. 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature committee meetings: Special Health Services, County Services, Public Works, Economic Development and Tourism, Government Operations, Finance and Rep. and Dem. caucuses, 6 p.m. in the Caucus Room at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON City School District Board of Education curriculum workshop, 6 p.m.; regular board meeting, including special presentation and public hearing on the proposed 6th grade reconfiguration, 7 p.m. at M.C. Smith Intermediate School library, 102 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).
HUNTER Village Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 7955 Main St., Hudson (263-4020).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
TAGHKANIC< Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

John Ferro in the Poughkeepsie Journal reports that a CSX locomotive with a fuel leak caught fire in Kingston Dec. 11, with local firefighters putting out the blaze in Port Ewen. "There are no hazardous materials on the train, and no damage to any of the freight," CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said. A CSX environmental contractor cleaner the diesel fuel spilled from the train that was carrying three locomotives and 97 cars carrying automobiles. Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Sun., Dec. 13 (3:08). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

Emilia Teasdale in The Columbia Paper reports that security cameras are being installed in the village of Valatie, and town officials aren't yet sure who will get to watch the traffic passing by on village streets. Village Attorney Rob Fitzsimmons said he would draft a policy about the footage. The board was hesitant to create a policy allowing only village officials or law enforcement officials to see the footage. “Village officials have the right to those cameras,” Trustee Frank Bevens said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Michael Ryan in The Daily Mail reports that Windham Town Supervisor Stacy Post pled guilty to disorderly conduct, in a case where she was indicted twice for using recording devices in the town hall. Post was indicted on four felony counts of eavesdropping, official misconduct, and one misdemeanor count of possession of eavesdropping devices, a second set of charges after the first was thrown out by a judge. Columbia County Supreme Court Judge Richard Mott dismissed the four felony counts of eavesdropping and the possession of eavesdropping devices charges, with the official misconduct charge reduced to disorderly conduct, a violation. In all, Post was fined $220. Post, according to the court papers, “did knowingly and unlawfully fail to post written notice that the Windham town supervisor’s office was under video and audio surveillance on individuals meeting with one another without their knowledge or consent.” Post lost a re-election campaign in November. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.