Local weather forecast


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


Today: Scattered showers, mainly before 8 a.m.. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 54. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 38.


FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Friday: Partly sunny. High near 57. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 41.

Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 55. Saturday night, Mostly cloudy. Low around 46.


Sunrise today: 7:13 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:23 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:09


PUBLIC MEETINGS

Today is the second Wednesday 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 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
COPAKE Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake (329-1234).
GALLATIN Town Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram (398-7519).
HUDSON Community Development and Planning Agency meeting, 12 p.m. at 1 North Front St., Hudson (751-1044).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board Workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
LIVINGSTON Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19.
STUYVESANT Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TANNERSVILLE Village trustees meet at 7 p.m. in their Village Hall on Route 23A.
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Wed., Dec. 9 (6:29). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

Click here for an audio version of this report.

Nia Hamm in New York News Connection for Public News Service reports that since the shooting attack on a San Bernardino health facility in California, county sheriffs in several states have put out a "call to arms" to licensed gun owners. In New York, Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff and Ulster County Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum are encouraging licensed handgun owners to carry their weapons for their own safety and security, if they feel comfortable doing so. Gary Pudup, western New York coordinator for New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, also has 30 years of law-enforcement experience, including with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. He doesn't believe more armed citizens is the answer and worries that some may misinterpret the sheriffs' messages. "Quite frankly, one of the last things that you need is unidentified, untrained people there with firearms, just shooting," he said. "It creates a lot of problems. When officers arrive, they would have no way of knowing, is this person involved with this?" A spokesperson for Schiff's office said the sheriff is encouraging licensed gun owners only to carry their weapons, not to use them, and that gun owners should be familiar with laws governing firearm use. Tim Hunter of Gardiner, N.Y., said he was so put off by the Ulster County sheriff encouraging his neighbors to arm themselves against terrorists that he started a petition on change.org, calling on Van Blarcum to change his tune. "Nothing probably is going to happen in Ulster County that would warrant citizen intervention," he said. "I am concerned, however, not just about my children, but my neighbors' children, the children of gun owners. You introduce more guns, and you introduce more people wearing guns. Something will happen." Pudup said not all sheriffs have a background or training in law enforcement because they're elected officials and aren't required to. Read the full story at Public News Service.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting in the Register-Star on the Columbia-Greene Humane Society's plans to expand its facility located off of Route 66 in Claverack. The society received approval from the Claverack Planning Board Tue., Dec. 8, after agreeing to place sound-absorption barriers around the facility to lessen the impact of noise on its neighbors. The expansion will increase the size of the building by 2,400 square feet and provide a holding area for dogs coming out of surgery. Neighbors attended the public hearing to voice concerns about excess noise generated by the dogs at the facility. Ghent veterinarian Dr. Merrill Johnson also spoke in opposition to the facility and the planned expansion. Johnson complained that the society's nonprofit status created unfair competition to his veterinary clinic. The society maintains a boarding facility at the Claverack site, and the resulting revenue supports the low-cost veterinarian services provided by the society. Humane Society president Ron Perez said individuals seeking care for their pets must show a Department of Social Services card to receive that care. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist is reporting at Capitol Confidential Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan is calling on the Thruway Authority to allow state environmental regulators take the lead role in overseeing a review of the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline. In a letter to the Thruway Authority dated Mon., Dec. 7, Sheehan requested the state Department of Environmental Conservation be permitted to take lead agency status for the 178-mile crude oil pipeline project. Last month, the Thruway Authority notified the DEC that it had until December 16 to contest the authority's assertion of lead agency status on the review. In her letter, Sheehan noted that while much of the pipeline's proposed path is on Thruway land, there are potential impacts on "many environmental areas" not on authority property. She also voiced concern that the Thruway's lead role would nullify requirements to include the project's impacts on environmental justice areas, such as the city's southern end, in the review. The DEC, Sheehan wrote, has “greater experience for providing the most thorough environmental assessment of the proposed action.” The proposed 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. 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. After Catskill, the pipeline veers west of the interstate briefly around Cauterskill Road. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Click here for an audio version of this report. Nia Hamm in New York News Connection reports for Public News Service that profits have been on the rise for businesses in New York since before the economic recovery. Wages for workers? Not so much, according to a Fiscal Policy Institute study. New York businesses saw profits rise by an average of 61 percent between 2001 and 2013, according to the research, but workers in the state saw wages increase less than half as much - just 29 percent - in the same time period. The institute's deputy director and chief economist, James Parrott, said it's more proof that workers are being left behind in the recovery, which is bad for the state's economy. "They don't seem to be having very much trouble hiring workers at low wages," he said, "and nothing is going to change that unless government comes along and says we need to restructure our economy to put in place policies that promote broadly shared prosperity." Parrott said Gov. Andrew Cuomo's minimum-wage hike for state workers to $15 an hour and his proposal to do the same for all workers in New York are good steps toward addressing the problem. According to some critics of the study, it doesn't make clear which industries are seeing the higher profits or the pay that workers in those industries take home. One such critic, Zack Hutchins, the Business Council of New York State's director of communications, said there are regional disparities in wage growth throughout the state that the study doesn't take into account. Hutchins said it also isn't clear which or how many industries were analyzed to determine the profit figures. "It could be that the so-called revenue growth is concentrated in one or two industries," he said, "and for the vast majority of workers in New York State, they have achieved wage growth similar to, or perhaps even better than, what their employers have received." The study also found that college-educated workers in the state saw their wages increase 28 percent - only slightly more than those of low-wage workers, at 25 percent in the same 12-year period. More details from the study are online at fiscalpolicy.org. Read the full story at Public News Service.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist in the Albany Times-Union reports that Albany County may prohibit all radio-controlled flying machines. The county holds a public hearing Dec. 8, and currently has lawyers checking the legality of such a ban. Democratic Majority Leader Frank Commisso, the law's sponsor, said the bill probably won't get a vote in the Albany legislature until next month. Other bills focus just on radio-controlled drones. Last February the Troy City Council tabled proposed drone regulations. State Assembly Minority Brian Kolb last week introduced a bill in the state legislature that would bar drone flight above 400 feet, and around some specific locations. Nationally, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer wants to require drones to be equipped with "geo-fencing" software, blocking them from certain locations. "If the law passes and there is a ban put into place against all [radio-controlled] air vehicles, it could potentially close this store down," said Darrin Nash, a radio-control device tech at Hobbytown USA on Central Avenue in Colonie. The public hearing is at 7:15 p.m., Dec. 8 at Albany County Courthouse at 16 Eagle St. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Click here to hear an audio version of this report. Andrea Sears in New York News Connection reports for Public News Service that the New York Green Bank will be joined by five others around the world in forming the first global Green Bank Network. Announced Monday at the U.N. Climate Conference in Paris, the International collaboration will help channel billions of dollars of public and private investment into clean-energy markets. Douglas Sims, director of strategy and finance at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the goal is to help direct more private capital into clean-energy projects, "partnering with private-sector banks and investors to demonstrate that clean-energy projects could be profitable, successful investments." Formed in late 2013, he said New York Green Bank financing is helping create thousands of jobs while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in the state by up to 886,000 metric tons. The first green banks were established four years ago in the United Kingdom and Connecticut. According to Sims, the global network will help spread the lessons learned by early ventures. "It stops each new green bank from having to reinvent the wheel,-" he said, "both in terms of its approach to different kinds of technologies and transaction structures, but also even things like how do you set up a green bank and how is it managed?" The network also includes green banks in Japan, Malaysia and Australia. The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Coalition for Green Capital were appointed to form the network. To achieve the climate goals, reduce pollution and create jobs, Sims said, they're using what they call an open-source basis. "That means encouraging as much collaboration between the public and private-sector participants as possible to make sure that we get as much investment as possible," he said. The network's six founding banks are expected to deploy more than $40 billion of investment into global clean-energy and energy-efficiency projects over the next five years. More information is online at greenbankny.gov. Read the full story at Public News Service.

William J. Kemble reports in The Daily Freeman that Esopus is the latest town to request that the state Department of Environmental Conservation lead the environmental review of the Pilgrim Pipeline project, not the Thurway Authority. At a Dec. 7 meeting, town board members joined the towns of Ulster, New Paltz, and Catskill, and the city of Kingston, asking for the DEC, not the Thruway Authority, to do the environmental review on the $553.2 million, 178-mile pipeline project that would run dual pipelines from Albany to New Jersey moving Bakken crude and natural gas largely along the I-87 corridor. 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. After Catskill, the pipeline veers west of the interstate briefly around Cauterskill Road. In Ulster County, 40 miles of pipeline would cross Saugerties, the town of Ulster, the city of Kingston, Esopus, Rosendale, New Paltz, Lloyd, Plattekill, and Marlborough. Councilwoman Diane McCord spoke at the meeting against Thruway environmental review. “The New York state Thruway is going to make (millions) of dollars on this,” she said. “I think they’re going to be pretty biased to make sure everything goes smoothly in that direction,” she said. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Local weather forecast


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


Today: Partly sunny. High near 47. Wednesday night, a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.


FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Thursday: A slight chance of showers before 8 a.m. Mostly sunny. High near 53. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 40.

Friday: Partly sunny. High near 54. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 39.


Sunrise today: 7:12 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:23 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:10


PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

ATHENS Village Board meeting, 6:30 p.m at the Athens Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
CATSKILL Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CLERMONT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Insurance Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m.; Public Hearing 6 p.m. relating to the adoption of the water and sewer rates and the review of the 2016 proposed budget for the Columbia County Water & Sewer District #1; public meeting on the 2016 budget, 7 p.m.; full board meeting, 7:30 p.m., all at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Hamlet Revitalization Task Force, 7 p.m.; Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GHENT Planning Board Application meeting and Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. both at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
HUDSON Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meeting, 6 p.m. at Bliss Towers, 41 N. 2nd St., Hudson (822-9743).
HUDSON Development Corporation meeting, 12 p.m. 1 North Front St., Hudson (751-1044).
JEWETT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Municipal Bldg. 3547 Co. Rt. 23C (263-4626).
KINDERHOOK Town’s 9 and 9H Corridor Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
KINDERHOOK Village Board meeting and budget hearing, 7 p.m. at 6 Chatham Street, Kinderhook (758-9882).

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star Hudson Common Council will vote next week on a resolution in support of providing shelter and sustenance to Syrian refugees relocated to the city. The measure was introduced during the informal meeting of the council Mon., Dec. 7. According to the resolution, put forward by Third Ward Alderman John Friedman, Hudson “has been built on the strength of its many diverse communities,” and “the conflict in Syria has caused a refugee crisis, which the city of Hudson will not ignore.” The resolution cites the Refugee Act of 1980, which declared it “the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands.” Friedman said much of the text comes from a similar resolution passed by the Chicago City Council. The resolution was placed on the aldermen’s desks following a motion by Common Council President Don Moore, Friedman and Third Ward Alderman Henry Haddad. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Mon., Dec. 7, the completion of another round of crude oil tank car and rail inspections. According to a statement released by his office, state and federal teams examined 541 crude oil tank cars, approximately 207 miles of track and 80 switches statewide. The probe uncovered four critical defects and 38 non-critical defects. Locally, inspectors examined CSX tracks from Kingston to Selkirk and found 14 non-critical defects, including: loose and missing fasteners on guard rails; loose and missing switch bolts; and, an improper emergency notification sign at a crossing. The inspections are intended to improve public safety and reduce the dangers associated with the transport of fossil fuels in New York via the rail lines. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced he will deliver his hybrid State of the State/executive budget address, January 13. The governor plans to unveil his policy and budgetary proposals in a presentation similar to the one delivered last year. In combining the addresses, Cuomo again breaks with tradition: In the past, the State of the State would be delivered on the actual first day of the session and the executive budget address presented later in the month. Cuomo said the decision to combine the speeches is a metaphor for how his administration has approached governance during his term. "Reexamine everything, keep what works, and fix what doesn't in order to better serve New Yorkers," Cuomo said in a statement. “Frankly it made little sense to lay out a vision and then keep everyone in suspense for weeks on how you plan to pay for it," he said. Among the topics already rumored to be included in the speech: The $15 minimum wage proposal, a Common Core reform plan and a new law establishing a permanent special prosecutor for cases involving civilian deaths at the hands of police. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper on a recent presentation to the Columbia County Environmental Management Council on a project designed to help communities prepare for the impacts of climate change. Andy Peck of the Nature Conservancy told council members that a coalition of organizations is looking at local projects in the stretch of the Hudson River from the Tappan Zee Bridge to the Federal Dam in Troy as part of the Hudson River Comprehensive Restoration Plan. Peck said the purpose of the initiative is to prepare for uncertain future conditions. Together with Maureen Cunningham from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, Peck is collecting suggestions for restoration projects communities located along the river. Projects that involve habitat, river education and access issues are of special interest. They have already met with representatives from Hudson and Stuyvesant. The plan is supported by 25 organizations, including Scenic Hudson, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of State. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Kyle Hughes is reporting for NYSNYS News according to the See Through NY [dot] net database, convicted New York state lawmakers have collected $3.8 million in pensions since 2010. Just last week, the day after he convicted on charges of bribery, extortion and money laundering, former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver filed papers to collect a taxpayer-financed pension of nearly $100,000 a year. Like all state pensions, that income is tax-free. The state Constitution prohibits any reduction in pension benefits for vested retirees. Public employee unions have blocked attempts to amend the Constitution to allow the seizure of pensions, but went along with a 2011 law that permits pension forfeiture in some cases involving workers hired after that date. We the People advocacy group founder Bob Schulz said, “It is clearly wrong that they are able to do this, that they are able to continue getting their pensions after they have been convicted of abusing their power and mistreating the public." His group is pushing for a constitutional convention to take up pension reform and other issues. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Local weather forecast


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


Today: Partly sunny. High near 46. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 28.


FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Wednesday: Partly sunny. High near 49. Wednesday night, scattered showers, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 39.

Thursday: Isolated showers before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny. High near 52. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 38.


Sunrise today: 7:11 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:23 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:11


PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at 488 Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COPAKE Land Use Review Committee, 7 p.m.; Board of Ethics, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234)
COXSACKIE Town board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
LEXINGTON Planning Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 3542 Rte. 42, Lexington (989-6476).
STUYVESANT Trails 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., Dec. 7 (6:05). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Dec. 4 through Sun., Dec. 5

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority has approved a major expansion and modernization of the Belleayre (BELL-air) Mountain Ski Center. Belleayre is owned by the state and located in Shandaken, Ulster County. Most of the approvals announced were finalized in September. The project would expand the resort into the Highmount area, where another ski center once stood. The expansion has been in the planning stage for near 10 years. It calls for hundreds of new hotel rooms, and new and expanded ski lifts and trails. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has also approved and issued a permit for the plan, but a lawsuit filed by the Catskill Heritage Alliance is still pending. The environmental group took legal action over what they contend is the state's failure to pursue a more modest alternative. The resort opened for the 2015-16 ski season Fri., Dec. 4.

John Mason reported in the Register-Star the owners of the Catamount Ski Area in Columbia County have announced their intention to move forward with plans to build a 153-unit, $30 million hotel, despite the withdrawal of the project developer, the Berkshire Mountain Club. Developer Harry Freeman said the legal action taken against the project made it untenable, despite a decision in October by the State Supreme Court in Albany in favor of the development. Gert and Cynthia Alper, owners of the Swiss Hutte Inn and Restaurant, located adjacent to Catamount, brought two Article 78 proceedings against the town planning and zoning boards for approving the project. Freeman said, “It’s very disappointing to all of us. We have 1,100 people interested in buying units. Over three seasons, there has been $1.5 million in lost taxes, plus all the jobs that would have been created at the project.” Freeman said he attempted to come to a settlement agreement with the Alpers, without success. Richard Edwards, Catamount’s vice-president and director of marketing, said he believes that in time the project will go forward. Edwards said, “We believe it’s a very viable project. Our pre-marketing revealed significant interest.” He said the ski area is not dependent on the hotel for its survival.

Lauren Stanforth reported in the Times Union a 62-year-old Cairo man was reportedly in critical condition Sun., Dec. 6, after he attempted to re-light the pilot on his propane heater, causing his home to explode. State Police said the explosion happened at 4:40 p.m. Saturday at 597 Bross St. A preliminary investigation found the unidentified man was attempting to light the pilot light on his propane heater when the gas that had been accumulating in the home ignited. He was flown to the burn unit at Westchester Medical Center. The man was alone in the residence at the time of the blast. According to the account in The Daily Mail, a second man was treated at the scene for burns sustained to his hands while attempting to help the victim.

MidHudson News Network reported Riverkeeper has announced its intention to sue the town of Hunter for alleged pollution discharges into the Schoharie Creek. The environmental organization alleges that incompletely treated leachate from the town landfill on Hylan Road in Tannersville has been discharged into the creek for the past six years. The leachate involved includes heavy metals, ammonia and other contaminants, according to Riverkeeper. The group also claims concentration levels of a variety of pollutants have repeatedly exceeded standards for ammonia, iron, lead, manganese, suspended solids and zinc, and discharges have violated standards for dissolved oxygen.

Michael Ryan reported in The Daily Mail on the town of Windham's adopted 2016 budget totaling $2.22 million, which represented an increase in spending of more than $31,000 over last year. The spending plan included no raises for the town supervisor, town board members, town justices, the tax collector, town attorney, code enforcement or dog control officers. However, salary hikes for the sole assessor, town clerk, highway superintendent, police chief and librarian are planned. Record increases in the mortgage tax collected in Windham since June were an unexpected windfall. According to figures provided by the county treasurer's office, Windham was the top mortgage tax beneficiary countywide, bringing in $53,000 more than the combined total for the village and town of Catskill, the second highest tax earner. Town Attorney Larry Gardner said, “It’s an indication of how well the town is doing.”

Local weather forecast


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


Today: Mostly sunny. High near 51. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 30.


FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High near 46. Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 29.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 45. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 33.


Sunrise today: 7:10 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:23 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 9:13


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.)

ANCRAM Conservation Advisory Council at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
ATHENS Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at 2 First Street, Athens (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Cairo Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CATSKILL Recreation Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Catskill Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Church Street, Mellenville (672-7911).
CLERMONT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
HUDSON Common Council informal meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

The Hudson Opera House announced who anonymous judges picked as winners in the 19th annual Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest Dec. 5. The newly restored stained glass windows at The First Presbyterian Church took the top award. The windows, which were restored by Architectural Stained Glass in Great Barrington, were backlit for the first time at Winter Walk. The complete list of awards are below:

SPECIAL AWARDS

The Jackie O Preservation Award
Newly Restored Stained Glass Window
The First Presbyterian Church, 369 Warren St.

Spirit of Hudson Award
Vince Mulford Antique Shop, 419 Warren St.

Most TraDish
Dish, 103 Warren St.

Most Elegant use of Fern
#1 Savoia, 214 Warren St.
#2 Lili and Loo, 259 Warren St.
#3 Verdigris, 135 Warren St.

Most Edible Display
#1 Talbott & Arding, 323 Warren St.
#2 The Bees Knees, 302 Warren St.

Most Creative Award
The Children in Hélène Lesterlin’s Shadow Puppet Workshop, Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St.

Best New Media Award
RGA, 330 Warren St.

Best Window Painting
Mrs. Zito's First Grade Class at John L. Edwards Primary School, Hudson Police Department, 427 Warren St.
The Barbie Holiday Award
John Doe Records, 434 Warren St.

Best Earl Award
Eustace & Zamus Antiques, 513 Warren St.

Best Dainty Christmas Award
Matt McGhee, 445 Warren St.

Best Use of Fauna Award
Gottlieb Gallery, 524 Warren St.

Most Artful Award
Stair Galleries, 549 Warren St.

Biggest Wreath Award
Department of Motor Vehicles, 560 Warren St.

Best White Christmas Award
#1 Finch, 613 Warren St.
#2 Pampered Pooch, 226 Warren St.