Jim Planck in The Daily Mail reports that the Catskill Town Board overrode the tax cap at a special meeting Nov. 20, and will raise taxes to cover a $3,407,298 budget shortfall. The board adopted a $5.9 million budget at the meeting. Town Budget Officer Michael Richardson said the town was getting no new state aid, the mortgage tax has not yet recovered from the recession, and that property tax revenues are, "always under stress because there’s no major growth (in Catskill).” Catskill will need a five percent tax levy, officials say, to break even. The votes on the budget issue were four-to-zero. Catskill will host another special meeting Monday, Nov. 23, at 8 a.m., to discuss several personnel changes, with qualifications to be discussed in executive session, and, in open session, to discuss and act on a policy on medical insurance for active employees and retirees. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Brian Nearing in the Albany Times Union reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation may turn over the environmental review of the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline to the Thruway Authority. A DEC spokesman on Nov. 19 said no decision has yet been made, but the Thruway Authority asked the DEC, and other state and local agencies, earlier this week to take over the review, and set a 30-day deadline for objections. The 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. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Rick Karlin reports in The Albany Times Union that the hacking collective Anonymous says the Watervliet Arsenal near Troy is on "an ISIS list of U.S. military targets." ISIS, or ISIL or Daesh, are a group of murderers based in the Middle East, northern Africa, and Europe, with recent killings in Beirut and Paris. New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico said, "If you look at some of their publications that have been online they always talk about military targets. Have we stepped up? We take every one of these threats seriously. Fort Drum and Watervliet Arsenal have always been on our radar." Anonymous also mentioned that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn were targets of the murderous group. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Nov. 21. PLAY AUDIO (2:55)

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

• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Saturday night there is a 40 percent chance of rain and/or snow showers, mainly after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

• Sunday: There is a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 10 a.m. Sunday, then a slight chance of rain showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 45, and a low around 23.

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36.

Sunrise 6:53 a.m.
Sunset 4:29 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 2:01 P.M. 1:29 A.M.
Mercury 7:08 A.M. 4:32 P.M.
Venus 3:01 A.M. 2:39 P.M.
Mars 2:16 A.M. 2:16 P.M.
Jupiter 12:59 A.M. 1:39 P.M.
Saturn 7:27 A.M. 5:00 P.M.
Uranus 2:32 P.M. 3:25 A.M.
Neptune 1:02 P.M. 11:56 P.M.
Pluto 10:12 A.M. 7:33 P.M.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Fri., Nov. 20 (5:29). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/k5/gy/va/WGXCDailyNews%2020151120.mp3

Parry Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper following a recommendation by its Economic Development Committee this week the Columbia County Board of Supervisors appears ready to resume funding the Columbia Economic Development Corporation. County payments that support the operations of the not-for-profit CEDC were suspended earlier this year after a state agency found some members of the CEDC board had potential conflicts of interest related to the expansion project of the Ginsberg’s wholesale food company.  A draft of the new contract between the Board of Supervisors and the CEDC calls for the county to pay the CEDC $327,750 by the close of 2015 and a total of $437,000 in 2016. Ancram Supervisor Art Bassin, a member of the Economic Development Committee, said Tue., Nov. 17, that the steps taken by the board president Tony Jones and interim executive director Michael Tucker had “changed the tone of the conversation” concerning CEDC and that the board seemed likely to adopt the new contract. At the CEDC membership meeting last week Jones introduced what he called a “reinvigorated” agency, complete with a new slogan: “Choose Columbia… For Business. For life.” A draft of the new contract is available at the CEDC website, www [dot] columbiaedc [dot] com. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Mid-Hudson counties had a mix of employment gains and losses in the 12-month period ending Oct. 31, the state Department of Labor reported Thu., Nov. 19. While Greene County gained 200 non-farm jobs, for an October 2015 total of 15,100, Columbia County remained unchanged at 22,100. However, the Dutchess-Putnam Metropolitan Division, which includes all of Dutchess County, suffered a sharp loss. The division’s non-farm job total last month decreased a full 2 percent. The state did not provide private-sector jobs data for Greene or Columbia counties. Statewide, non-farm employment grew, and in the private sector alone, the 12-month statewide gain was more than two percent. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in The Daily Mail outgoing Catskill Town Supervisor Joseph Leggio said Thu., Nov. 19, that the days of entitlement for retired town employees and their spouses are closing fast. Leggio said he may propose either to eliminate all health care benefits to all retirees and let them delve into the state's health-care marketplace, or call for a full stop to retiree benefits and raise current town employee contributions from 20 to 25 percent. Leggio was incensed by an explosive meeting Wednesday when some retired town employees and their spouses sounded off about a possible cut in town reimbursement for health-care benefits. He said the town has lost $30 million in assessed value during the past five years. That translates to a tax revenue loss of $25,000 every year, for a five-year total of $125,000. Meanwhile, Leggio said, the biggest expense in the town budget is employee benefits. All town employees not covered by union contracts contribute 20 percent to health care, he said. Town Budget Officer Michael Richardson said, “Each year the town has reimbursed $1,256 per person a year. With the tax levy rising by five percent this year, the town’s fiscal situation is unsustainable with its current budget.” The Catskill Town Board will hold the final 2016 budget hearing at 6 p.m., tonight (Fri., Nov. 20) at Town Hall. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Bethany Bump in Capitol Confidential reports that New York is best in the nation at not taking tests. More New York parents refused to let their children take their standardized tests last year then anywhere else in the country, according to a preliminary report from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. In the state 240,000 students, about one in five, did not take the state tests in 2015. New Jersey followed with around 110,000 opt-outs. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Michael DeMasi in The Albany Business Review reports that in Albany County Xerox recently moved 400 employees into a 92,000 square feet former shopping center in Menands. The company has a five-year, $565 million contract with the state Health Department to modernize New York's Medicaid computer system. The shopping center is near I-787 and I-90 in Albany County. Read the full story in The Albany Business Review.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 49F; Low 29F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 50F; Low 32F.[/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 55. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 27.

Forecast for the next two days:
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 51. Saturday night, scattered rain showers after 1 a.m., mixing with snow after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 35.
Sunday: Scattered rain and snow showers before 7 a.m., then scattered rain showers between 7 a.m. and noon. Mostly sunny. High near 50. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 27.

Sunrise today: 6:52 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:29 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:37

Public meetings
Today is the third 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 (tentative), 10 a.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Wed., Nov. 18 (7:30). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/qe/4j/m4/WGXCDailyNews%2020151119.mp3

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail Kathleen Farrell is retiring as superintendent of the Catskill Central School District, effective Dec. 31. The board of education unanimously accepted her resignation at a public meeting, Wed., Nov. 18. Farrell was placed on administrative leave for unspecified personal reasons last month. On Nov. 4, the board hired Annemarie Barkman as interim superintendent. On Wednesday, board president Andrew Jones, reading from a prepared statement, extended the board's thanks for her contributions to the district and wished her well in retirement. No explanation was offered for Farrell's abrupt departure. She was hired by the district in 2005, and her most recent contract extension was approved by the board in March 2014. Speaking to the paper late Wednesday, Farrell said she had "highly positive and warm memories of the almost 11 years that I was fortunate to serve the Catskill School District as superintendent." She acknowledged the many changes in the district and the community during her tenure, but noted there were always three "constants:" A skilled staff, eager students and a community that values and supports its school system. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings has submitted a use and occupancy permit application for the New York Thruway section of its proposed pipeline, the company announced Wed., Nov. 18.  The application was submitted to the Thruway Authority. The Pilgrim proposal calls for shipping Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, N.J., through a pipeline that would roughly follow the Thruway corridor. Gasoline, diesel, kerosene and home heating oil would be returned to Albany via a parallel line. Approximately 80 percent of the New York state section of the pipelines would run along the Thruway corridor, passing through Greene and Ulster counties. Ulster County would have 40 miles of pipeline, while in Greene County there would be approximately 25 miles of pipeline running through the towns of New Baltimore, Coxsackie, Athens and Catskill. The company estimates that 200,000 barrels of material would flow through the pipes in each direction every day. “We are excited to begin the formal process of obtaining permits in New York for construction of the Pilgrim Pipeline,” George Bochis, Pilgrim’s vice president for development, said in a statement emailed to the media. “This step begins a comprehensive process of review and public comment in New York.” Jennifer Metzger, co-founder of the group Citizens for Local Power and also a member of the Rosendale Town Board, said the project seems to be out of touch with state and federal goals to develop alternative energy sources. Metzger said. “In New York state Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo has rejected the Port Ambrose [natural gas] project ... and the trends have been to say ‘no’ to new fossil fuel infrastructure.” Read the full story in the Daily Mail.

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting in the Register-Star Tiffany Martin Hamilton has defeated William H. Hallenbeck Jr. to become the city of Hudson's first woman to be elected mayor. Following the counting of absentee ballots Wed., Nov. 18, Hamilton received 860 out of less than 1,700 votes cast, winning by 27 votes. In an email to the paper, Hamilton thanked voters. She said, "After a long campaign, I am eager to now shift into planning mode.  In the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to Mayor Hallenbeck and every department head to ensure a smooth transition," she said. Hallenbeck congratulated Hamilton on the win and thanked his family and friends who supported him while he served as mayor. In the Common Council President race, Claudia DeStefano won, receiving a total of 676 votes to opponent Tom DePietro's 564 and Victor Mendolia's 339. DISCLOSURE: DePietro and Mendolia are WGXC programmers. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Daily Freeman reports that Coxsackie has a new business with 95 new jobs. Ferguson Enterprises, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies, opened a distribution facility in Coxsackie on Nov. 17. The company built a 460,000-square foot warehouse in the Fountain Flats Business Park with $1.2 million in tax credits from the state. Ferguson is a large wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies, HVAC/R equipment, waterworks, and industrial products and services. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Roger Hannigan Gilson and Karrie Allen are reporting in the Register-Star two town supervisor races were decided Tue., Nov. 17, as the Columbia County Board of Elections began counting absentee ballots. Independence Party candidate Edward Nabozny defeated incumbent Republican Greenport Town Supervisor John J. Porreca by 20 votes. Nabozny attributed his victory to “a lot of hard work, nuts and bolts, door-to-door” by his supporters on the Greenport Democratic Committee. During his campaign Nabozny promised to address traffic issues, drainage and sewer issues, and also seek a greater share of the county's sales tax revenue for the town. Nabozny served as town supervisor in from 2010 to 2011. He also served on the Hudson school board for more than 15 years, from 1992 until 2007. Porreca said he was proud of his accomplishments in office, including keeping property taxes low. He served for two full terms beginning in 2012. In Chatham, Maria Lull defeated incumbent Supervisor Jesse DeGroodt by 59 votes. Lull ran on the Conserve Chatham and Chatham Now lines; DeGroodt ran unaffiliated. When he learned the results, DeGroodt said only, “congratulations and good luck” to his opponent. Lull could not immediately be reached for comment. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 58F; Low 41F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 58F; Low 43F.[/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: Rain, mainly after 9 a.m. High near 62. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Thursday night, rain, mainly before 9 p.m., then showers likely, mainly between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. Low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.

Forecast for the next two days:
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 54. Friday night, mostly clear Low around 28.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 49. Saturday night, a slight chance of rain showers before 10 p.m., then scattered rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 34.

Sunrise today: 6:51 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:30 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:39

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.)

CATSKILL Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Health and Medical Committee meeting, 3:30 p.m., Public Safety Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at middle/high school, 24 Sunset Blvd., Coxsackie (731-1800).
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).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting  cancelled; Legal Committee meeting, 7 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).

DOWNLOAD or or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Wed., Nov. 18 (5:40). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/g0/v7/23/WGXC_local_news_20151118.mp3

Parry Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper Greenport voters Tue., Nov. 17, rejected a proposal by the Greenport Fire District to spend up to $2.7 million to replace the Becraft Pumper Company Number 2 firehouse located on county Route 14 with a new building. The final vote was 203 to 146. In a press release Tuesday evening, the commissioners said that as a result of the vote the district would not move forward with the building plan. The rejected proposal called for the construction of a 6,800-square-foot building containing three bays for trucks and equipment, a community room and two offices, and would have resulted in a one-time tax increase of 37 cents to 42 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.