DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Mon., Nov. 30 (6:20). (Produced by Phil Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/4g/0g/6k/WGXCWeekEndInReview20151130.mp3

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Nov. 27 through Sun., Nov. 29

Charlie Holmes reported in The Daily Mail the Odyssey of the Mind 2013 World Champions were honored this weekend with the unveiling of a commemorative sign installed on the lawn of Hunter-Tannersville Central School.  The sign was commissioned by the Greene County Legislature. Team members Emily Farrell, William Garrison, Dylan Endy, Neal Staatts and Troy Bates were joined by coaches Dawn and Richard Outtrim at the unveiling. In the Odyssey competition, team members are asked to apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretations of literary classics. After making its way through regional and state contests in 2013, the Hunter-Tannersville team successfully completed the world finals held at Michigan State University. The students battled three teams from South Korea, two from Singapore and from Mexico and Poland, as well, to take the world crown. “Being one of the smallest schools in New York state competing and then going on to the world stage — it is an amazing feat. It really is,” Hunter-Tannersville Superintendent Patrick Darfler-Sweeney said.

William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman both the state Thruway Authority and the developers of the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline have declined to discuss how much revenue is at stake for the requested use of approximately 117 miles of the Thruway corridor. This question is among several other unanswered concerns around the $553.2 million project. State Thruway Authority press officials issued a statement saying there is no public information available about how revenue would be determined. A Pilgrim Pipeline spokesperson said it is way too early in the process to engage in that particular discussion. The Thruway route is worth at least $294 million to the pipeline company, according to the developers. The Authority, already under political pressure for rising vehicle tolls, is searching for ways to pay for the new Tappan Zee Bridge. A proposal has been floated in the state Legislature to fold the New York State Bridge Authority, which operates the five vehicle bridges in the Mid-Hudson Valley, into the Thruway Authority. Some officials worry the tolls on those bridges could rise to subsidize the Tappan Zee construction if the bridges were to become part of the Thruway system.

John Mason reported in the Register-Star Hudson Mayor William H. Hallenbeck Jr. last week declared free parking throughout the city in December. Suspending the use of all parking meters from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, both on-street and off, is an annual custom. It is designed to give a boost to local merchants during the holiday shopping season.

Dan Goldberg reported at Politico New York the state is reporting zero HIV/AIDS infections have been passed from mother to child during the past year, for the first time since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began. "Pretty terrific stuff," said Dan O'Connell, director of the state's AIDS institute. Two decades ago, New York had one of the highest rates in maternal transmission nationwide. In 1990, nearly 1,900 HIV-positive women in the state gave birth, with up to 700 of those babies born infected. New York's success comes on the heels of reports that Cuba has also eliminated mother-to-child transmission. The state's Maternal-Pediatric HIV Prevention and Care Program began in 1996 and required all women in prenatal care receive HIV counseling, and testing was recommended. With advances in screenings and medications, the number of infants born with HIV began dropping dramatically.

Jeanette Wolfberg reported in the Columbia Paper the homeless headcount in Columbia County was a topic of discussion at the November meeting of the county Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee meeting. At that meeting, Social Services Commissioner Kary Jablonka said Department of Social Services data indicated 24 hotel rooms had been rented in the month of October to shelter those seeking assistance from the department. However, Hudson 4th Ward Supervisor William Hughes, Jr. said, the schools have counted 165 children with no permanent address. This number most likely comes from more than 24 households, he said. Even though the 24 households accounted for by DSS was less than the 29 reported in September, and 54 last fall, Jablonka called homelessness in the county a big problem. He said, "Homelessness is a larger issue than how many people we pay hotels for.”

Rick Karlin reported in the Times Union the "tax freeze" property tax rebates have started to go out to homeowners statewide last week. Property owners inside the individual taxing districts that kept their budgets within the state's tax cap will receive checks. The money is rebated directly to the homeowners, essentially freezing the local property tax since the state covers the increase. Some school districts, municipalities and entities like fire districts and libraries, exceeded the cap. In those instances, the state rebate will not reflect those increases, which are shouldered by the taxpayer.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 42F; Low 26F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 42F; Low 30F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

FAR LEFT: The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

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

Today: Sunny. High near 43. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 29.


Forecast for the next two days:
Tuesday: Rain likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 46. Tuesday night, rain likely. Cloudy. Low around 42.
Wednesday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy. High near 50. Wednesday night, a chance of rain showers before 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 34.


Sunrise today: 7:04 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:24 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:20

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

COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors .1 [point one] Committee, 1 p.m.; Finance Committee, 1:30 p.m., at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).

DOWLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Sun., Nov. 29 (2:56). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/wt/vn/f2/WGXC_local_news_20151129.mp3

Julia Reischel in The Watershed Post reports that there's a second threat from an armed American to drive across the country to attack Islamberg, a community of about 25 African-American Muslim families in the Delaware County town of Tompkins. Jon Ritzheimer, an ex-Marine from Phoenix, Arizona, posted a video on Facebook Oct. 18, with a handgun by a car, saying that he is on his way to Islamberg. Ritzheimer and thr group have tussled before. "In June, Islamberg and its parent organization, The Muslims of America (TMOA), ran an article in their newspaper, The Islamic Post, calling Ritzheimer a member of “The American Taliban," The Watershed Post reported. Paul Holstein, the media representative for the Albany Field Office of the FBI, released a statement: "The FBI vigorously investigates threats and allegations of hate crimes. After recently becoming aware of a video which could have been perceived as threatening against the Muslim community in Hancock, NY, the FBI immediately took steps to notify our federal, state and local partners. The FBI and New York State Police have maintained communication with the community to keep them informed of pertinent information. As always, we remain committed to protecting the civil liberties of Americans and make every effort to preserve their safety." The New York Daily News on Nov. 27 reported the FBI has issued a formal alert calling Ritzheimer a “potential threat to law enforcement,” but an FBI spokesperson in Albany would not confirm that fact for The Watershed Post. Read the full story in The Watershed Post.

Columbia County holds a Public Informational Meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 on their plan for broadband. The “Columbia County Open Access Fiber Lateral & Wireless Assessment” draft is online, and the public can also learn about the plan at this meeting in the first-floor committee room at the County Office Building at 401 State St. in Hudson. The draft plan can be found at www.columbiacountyny.com. Written comments can be sent to kenneth.flood@columbiacountyny.com.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., Nov. 29 PLAY AUDIO (3:40)

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Acra, in Greene County.

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 45.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 41, and a low around 27.

• Tuesday: Showers are likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunrise 7:02 a.m.
Sunset 4:24 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 8:28 P.M. 10:09 A.M.
Mercury 7:42 A.M. 4:41 P.M.
Venus 3:16 A.M. 2:30 P.M.
Mars 2:08 A.M. 1:55 P.M.
Jupiter 12:32 A.M. 1:10 P.M.
Saturn 7:00 A.M. 4:32 P.M.
Uranus 2:00 P.M. 2:52 A.M.
Neptune 12:31 P.M. 11:24 P.M.
Pluto 9:41 A.M. 7:03 P.M.

[caption width="188" align="alignleft"] Image from Pilgrimpipeline.com.[/caption]William J. Kemble reports in The Daily Freeman about newly released plans for the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline, and opposition to turning over enviromental review to the Thruway Authority. The $553.2 million, 178-mile pipeline would carry Bakkan crude oil to New Jersey, and refined material back to Albany. While the pipeline largely stays near the Thruway, 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. About 90 miles of the pipeline is along the Thruway. "Pilgrim Pipeline developers filed an occupancy permit with the state Thruway Authority in August, but only made the paperwork public last week after issuing a notice to municipalities stating that the Thruway Authority was considering becoming lead agency for review. The draft state environmental impact statement was immediately criticized because it appears to have skipped steps in the review process," The Daily Freeman reports. Pilgrim Pipeline's document dump just before Thanksgiving includes impacts on several local locations. Historic sites such as Perrine’s Bridge in Esopus and the Trumpbour Farm in Saugerties would be crossed by the pipeline if built, and a proposed pump station in the town of Ulster would be constructed near a residential area. And Pilgrim Pipeline officials say bald eagles in the town of Ulster, the city of Kingston, and towns of Rosendale, New Paltz, Coxsackie, Athens, and Catskill, would be negatively impacted. Bat habitats in the city of Kingston and towns of Ulster, Rosendale, New Paltz, Catskill, Coxsackie, and Athens would also be affected. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic reports in the Ravena News-Herald that after a police investigation, Coeymans town officials have been cleared of any wrong-doing in a sale of an abandoned property. Town Supervisor Stephen Flach told Police Chief P.J. McKenna that he might have offered “inadvertent information” to other prospective bidders, and questions were raised when the winning bid showed signs of white-out use. Carver Laraway, who owns the Port of Coeymans, bid $6,500, beating Coeymans resident Rose Gladney's $6,000 bid for 78 Main St. Flach said that those questions raised deserved an investigation, and he requested the Coeymans Police Department look into the matter. They determined that no wrongdoing had taken place. But Flach and the Coeymans Town Council rejected Laraway’s second bid for $6,500and sold the property to Gladney at last week’s town board meeting. “We did not want there to be any appearance of impropriety, so we talked to the first bidder, Mr. Laraway, and he was fine with awarding the property to the person who had the second bid, who was Mrs. Gladney,” Flach said. Read the full story in the Ravena News-Herald.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Nov. 28. PLAY AUDIO (2:55)

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Acra, in Greene County.

• Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 47, and a low around 27.

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 44, and a low around 24.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 38.

Sunrise 7:01 a.m.
Sunset 4:25 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 7:28 P.M. 9:21 A.M.
Mercury 7:38 A.M. 4:39 P.M.
Venus 3:14 A.M. 2:31 P.M.
Mars 2:09 A.M. 1:57 P.M.
Jupiter 12:36 A.M. 1:14 P.M.
Saturn 7:03 A.M. 4:35 P.M.
Uranus 2:04 P.M. 2:56 A.M.
Neptune 12:35 P.M. 11:28 P.M.
Pluto 9:45 A.M. 7:07 P.M.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Fri., Nov. 27 (6:50). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/h2/1s/fg/WGXCDailyNews20151127.mp3

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting in the Register-Star the paper is now 230 years old, making it the second-oldest paper still in print nationwide. The paper is only a few months older than the Poughkeepsie Journal. The Register-Star has undergone many incarnations since it was founded as The Hudson Gazette in April 1785, by Ashbel Stoddard and Charles Webster. The Gazette began as a weekly publication. The paper ceased publication for more than 20 years, but was revived in 1824. The Hudson Daily Register was founded immediately after the Civil War and nearly a century later purchased The Star and the Register-Star was born in 1952. The Register-Star was bought by the Johnson Newspaper Corporation in 1997. The paper began operating from a building located at the corner of Fourth and Warren streets in 1861, where it remained until Columbia-Greene Media moved its offices to the corner of Green and State streets in 2012. To celebrate its history, the Register-Star will publish various historic pages in its print edition, and the county's top 25 athletes will be featured in the sports section through the end of the year. Read the full story in The Register-Star.

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star two Democrats, Arthur McGuire in Taghkanic and Patti Matheney of Ghent, have prevailed in their respective town board races following the tabulation of absentee ballots by the Columbia County Board of Elections. In Taghkanic, McGuire and incumbent Republican Richard Skoda came out the winners; in Ghent, Matheney and incumbent Republican Peter Nelson were the top vote-getters. McGuire defeated incumbent Linda Swartz by one vote. Matheney defeated incumbent Richard Sardo. Both will take the oath of office January 1. The ballot count was completed last week, but the final results were not determined until ballot challenges were resolved Tue., Nov. 24. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Jay Braman Jr. is reporting in the Daily Freeman it appears unlikely the slopes at the Belleayre (BELL-air) Mountain Ski Center will be open this weekend. Belleayre is owned by the state and located in Shandaken, Ulster County. The resort has often offered skiing right after Thanksgiving, but Tom Tar, the site’s superintendent, said that will not happen this year. Tar said, “We’re hoping for a strong opening the next weekend." From the top of the mountain to the lower lodge at Belleayre, the ground is covered with machine-made snow, but Tar said it’s not enough to support skiing. The resort intends to stockpile man-made snow to reduce melting over the holiday weekend. Tar hopes this will make for a good foundation to build on next week amid expected colder air. Both Windham Mountain and Catamount in Hillsdale are making snow, but have not announced an opening date as yet. Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wed., Nov. 25, announced that Whiteface Mountain would open Thursday, and Gore Mountain on Friday. Skiing at the state's 51 mountains generates $1 billion for the state economy. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Michael Ryan in The Daily Mail reports that Windham town supervisor and former police chief Stacy Post pleaded not guilty Nov. 24 to four felony counts of eavesdropping and official misconduct. No date for a trial has been set. Post was also indicted last year, but a judge started things over again. Post lost a re-election big in November to councilman Robert Pelham. He takes over for Post as supervisor on Jan. 1, leaving an open seat on the town board. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman has a rundown of how various services will be affected during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

• Amtrak: Holiday schedules through Sunday


• Banks: Open Friday.


• County offices: Greene open Friday; Columbia closed Friday; Ulster open on limited basis Friday; Dutchess Water and Wastewater Office closed Thursday and Friday


• Federal offices: Open Friday


• Financial markets: Open until 1 p.m. Friday


• Greene County Transit: No service


• Mail delivery: Normal delivery Friday


• Metro-North: Holiday schedule through Saturday


• Schools: Closed Friday


• State offices: Open Friday


• Trailways: Holiday schedule Friday

Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports that New Paltz lawmakers want the Department of Environmental Conservation, not the Thruway Authority, leading the environmental review of the Pilgrim Pipeline. The pipeline would travel 170 miles from the port of Albany to New Jersey, running along the thruway for 90 miles. The pipeline would carry Bakkan crude oil to New Jersey, and refined material back to Albany. While the pipeline largely stays near the Thruway, 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. Recently the DEC said it may turn over the environmental review of the proposed pipeline to the Thruway Authority. New Paltz has already voted to oppose the change, and Kingston's Common Council will vote on a similar proposal Dec. 1. Kingston city lawmakers voted in January 2015 to oppose the Pilgrim Pipeline. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 63F; Low 43F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 61F; Low 44F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

FAR LEFT: The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

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

Today: Partly sunny. High near 63. Friday night, scattered showers, mainly after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 45.

Forecast for the next two days:
Saturday: Scattered showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Cloudy. High near 50. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 26.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 48. Sunday night, mostly clear. Low around 26.

Sunrise today: 7 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:25 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:24

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

HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission meeting cancelled (828-1030).

Robert Cairns in The Watershed Post reports that the Delaware County Board of Supervisors voted for a hotel and motel occupancy tax on Nov. 24. The tax may raise $192,000 per year for the county's tourism promotion efforts, more then doubling the current tourism budget. Only two folks spoke at the last piublic hearing on the issue: Maureen Wacha, the owner of a motel in Walton, said, “The motels are an easy target for taxation," and that the tax, "is grossly unfair and discriminatory.” Leland Ploutz, the owner of a motel in Hamden, said the tax was, “unnecessary and a wrong way of going.” Read the full story in The Waterdshed Post.

Michael Ryan in The Windham Journal reports that Prattsville passed a 2016 budget, $665,861 in spending for the general and highway funds and $94,370 for the fire district. Overall, Prattsville taxes will rise .06, under the state-mandated two-percent tax cap and smaller than last year’s .84 percent increase. Council members did not get pay raises, but the town supervisor’s pay goes up from $8,500 to $8,750. The town meeting also reported that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection bought 123 acrea next to the highway department in the vicinity of Conine Road. Read the full story in The Windham Journal.