Saturday is Halloween, and the Daily Freeman has a rundown of curfews in local communities:

Greene County

• Catskill (town): 9 p.m for age 16 and under.


• Catskill (village): 9 p.m. for age 18 and under.


• Hunter (town): 6 p.m. for age 18 and under.


• Hunter (village): 8 p.m. for age 21 and under.


• Tannersville: 6 p.m. for age 17 and under.

• Red Hook (town and village): No curfew.


• Rhinebeck (town): 8 p.m. for children under 10, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian; 11 p.m, for children 17 and under, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.


• Rhinebeck (village): No curfew.


• Tivoli: No curfew

• Esopus: 7 p.m. for all ages.


• Ellenville (village): 8:30 p.m. (Friday and Saturday) for age 18 and under.


• Gardiner: No curfew.


• Olive: 9 p.m. for age 16 and under.


• Saugerties (town and village): 8 p.m. for age 17 and under.


• Shandaken: 9 p.m. for age 18 and under.


• Ulster: 8 p.m. for age 15 and under.


• Woodstock: No curfew.

• WOOC-LP, the new low-power FM station at Troy's Sanctuary for Independent Media are readying to get on the air with a series of monthly "Low Power to the People!" trainings. The first is Sat., Nov. 14, from 1-5 p.m.

• Sonny Rock returns from six weeks on tour, with the "Local Licks" radio show Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. on WRIP (97.9-FM) in Windham.

• WGXC begins holding monthly open houses at each studio to introduce community members to community radio. The first Acra Studio Informational Meeting and Volunteer Orientation is from 1-2 p.m., Sat., Nov. 21 at Wave Farm in Acra. Contact info@wavefarm.org or 518-622-2598 for more information. Walk-ins welcome.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Oct. 31. PLAY AUDIO (2:55)

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

• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48, and a low around 39.

• Sunday: A chance of showers, mainly before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55, and a low around 42.

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Sunrise 7:27 a.m.
Sunset 5:50 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 9:46 P.M. 11:42 A.M.
Mercury 6:30 A.M. 5:30 P.M.
Venus 3:29 A.M. 4:03 P.M.
Mars 3:34 A.M. 4:10 P.M.
Jupiter 3:05 A.M. 3:54 P.M.
Saturn 9:37 A.M. 7:15 P.M.
Uranus 4:56 P.M. 5:51 A.M.
Neptune 3:25 P.M. 2:23 A.M.
Pluto 12:32 P.M. 9:54 P.M.

The Mountain Eagle reports that the Delaware County Sheriff's Office has six officers now trained on horseback. Delaware County returned mounted patrols in 2012, is made up of a team of officers from various law enforcement agencies throughout Delaware County. The officers and their horses were trained in drill and ceremony, crowd control techniques, and public relations and acclimated to smoke, flares, fireworks, gunfire, lights, and sirens. Undersheriff Craig DuMond said, “the use of horses in police work is just as relevant today as it was in 1797 when the Sheriff's Office was established.... The horse makes the officer more approachable to the public in general and helps build the bridge toward effective community relations." Read the full story in The Mountain Eagle.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Fri., Oct. 30 (6:58). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/w5/qf/v7/WGXCDailyNews20151030.mp3

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail the town of New Baltimore has been awarded a $50,000 state grant to purchase handicapped accessible playground equipment for Cecil B. Hallock Park. State Sen. George Amedore secured the funding from the State and Municipal Facilities Program. Amedore made the award announcement Thu., Oct. 29. New Baltimore Town Supervisor Nicholas Dellisanti said the funds are greatly appreciated. Town officials and the Friends of New Baltimore Parks group have indicated some of the park’s existing playground equipment is outdated and poses safety concerns. That equipment will now be removed. Replacement work will begin in the spring of 2016. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register-Star the Germantown Planning Board is moving forward with the proposed Dollar General project on Route 9G. The latest updates on the project were presented to the board Thu., Oct. 29. The plan presented showed a slightly altered location for the store on the 4301 Route 9G property, along with the addition of 38 parking spaces. A full stormwater maintenance and protection plan has been submitted to the state Department of Transportation, as well. The next step for the project is to begin the SEQR [SEE-crah] environmental review process. The board decided to look into hiring an outside planner to help with the application process. If the project gains approval, Primax Properties of Charlotte, North Carolina, would own the land and the Tennessee-based Dollar General Corporation would rent the space. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Dan Goldberg is reporting at Politico New York about the state's new Essential Health Plan, which will begin covering New Yorkers in January. The new plan is an experiment in cost reduction that aims to attract the more than one million New Yorkers who still do not have health insurance. New York, in part because of its unique Medicaid program is planning to offer this type of plan, which was created by the Affordable Care Act. The Essential Health Plan offers additional subsidies for health insurance to people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but still find private health insurance too costly. The plan offers New Yorkers, who income qualify, insurance with minimal or no premium cost. And there is no deductible. Enrollment is open all year and most insurers offering plans on the exchange offer an essential plan. The plan is projected to save the state $300 million per year because the federal government will now be subsidizing insurance for many people who had been receiving state-funded Medicaid. Open enrollment starts Sun., Nov. 1. Read the full story at Politico New York.

Scott Waldman in Politico New York reports that a senior Department of Environmental Conservation official says New York might not be overseeing pipelines soon if it improperly withholds approvals. Currently, there are several pending pipeline propsals criss-crossing the WGXC listening area, in Delaware, Schoharie, Albany, and Rensselear counties. The state has to sign off on water certifications when pipelines crosses stream beds and wetlands. The Cuomo administration has has been slow to approve the current pipelines, and Jared Snyder, assistant DEC commissioner for air, climate and energy, says that could cost New York some of its oversight ability. “If we are to use that authority arbitrarily or to withhold these certifications where we should be granting them, what then can happen … is there is an opportunity for the federal government to just take that process over from us and then we no longer have that authority,” Snyder said at a roundtable discussion on climate change sponsored by the state Assembly Oct. 26. “So that’s the position we’re in. We look at it really carefully. We have people going out in the field, every stream crossing, every wetland to make sure these are being done using the best techniques to protect our resources. But we have limited authority over that broader energy question of whether the pipeline is needed.” Read the full story in Politico New York.

Platte Clove in Greene County got almost four inches of rain Oct. 28 according to the National Weather Service, and other parts of the Hudson Valley also saw much moisture. East Jewett and West Kill in Greene County got around three inches, while Germantown led the Columbia County totals with 2.5 inches of rain. Ravena, Austerlitz, and Cairo, also saw two inches fall Oct. 28.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 50F; Low 30F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 51F; Low 31F.[/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: Mostly cloudy, then becoming sunny during the afternoon. High near 54. Friday night, clear. Low around 28.

Forecast for the next two days
Saturday: Increasing clouds. High near 52. Saturday night, a chance of showers after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 40.
Sunday: A chance of showers, mainly before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 57. Sunday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 43.

Sunrise today: 7:26 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:51 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:24

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

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Thu., Oct. 29 (6:32). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/e8/d3/6h/WGXCDailyNews20151029.mp3

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail the youth grant program administered and funded by the Greene County Legislature has been expanded. The Legislature voted at its regular meeting this month to expand the program to include support for senior and veteran groups. According to the adopted resolution, the existing program has greatly benefited county youth, and it was widely believed that other groups and organizations could do with similar financial assistance. The expanded program will be renamed the Wayne C. Speenburgh Greene County Legislature Grant Program. Speenburgh, the former Legislature chairman, created legislation in 2007 to fund a youth grant program using 20 percent of the profit derived from the county's annual sale of foreclosed properties. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said to qualify, a grant recipient must be a certified not-for-profit group. All funds awarded go directly to programs. The county accepts proposals on a rolling basis. Applications are available for download at Greene Government [dot] com. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Michael Ryan is reporting in The Daily Mail a Greene County grand jury hearing the Stacy Post eavesdropping case was presented testimony last week, and is expected to reconvene the first week of November. A previous grand jury indicted the Windham Town Supervisor in February on 30 felony counts of eavesdropping, official misconduct and possession of eavesdropping devices. Post pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a decision handed down this month, Columbia County Supreme Court Judge Richard Mott dismissed that indictment and gave the state the opportunity to re-present the case. Testimony was heard on Wed., Oct. 21 in Catskill. More witnesses are expected to be called on Nov. 4. Post was sworn into office in January 2014, after winning the election by six votes. She is seeking re-election on Tue., Nov. 3. Before being elected supervisor, Post served as Windham police chief from 2009 through 2013. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Matt Hamilton and Bethany Bump are reporting at Capitol Confidential a majority of the more than 700 school districts in New York may be exempted from implementing the new teacher evaluation system this year. Districts that are not already approved have until Fri., Oct. 30, to submit a hardship waiver application to the state Education Department. The waiver grants districts an extension on the Nov. 15 deadline to implement the state's new teacher evaluation system. That system would tie 50 percent of a teachers' annual evaluation to their students' scores on state tests. Districts that do not receive a waiver and fail to comply with the new evaluation system risk losing eligibility for a state aid increase. Districts that get the waiver still have to evaluate teachers and building principals under the old system. The waiver is good until March. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports numerous minor violations and six so-called "critical defects" that had to be repaired immediately were found when federal and state inspectors last week examined 235 crude oil tank cars, about 195 miles of track, and 72 switches. They also found 80 non-critical problems that must be repaired within 30 days, in the latest so-called "inspection blitz." High-profile accidents, and a huge increase in volume of oil train cars speeding through the Hudson Valley and other parts of New York have led to the added inspections. The CSX Corporation-owned Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, the Global yard the Port of Albany, and the Buffalo Southern Railroad yard in Buffalo were among the areas inspected last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office announced Oct. 27. "At the CSX rail yard in Selkirk, federal inspectors looked at 120 crude oil tank cars and found two non-critical defects, including missing vent protectors. State inspectors looked at 110 tankers in Selkirk and found no defects," Nearing reported. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Michael DeMasi in The Albany Business Review reports that Bruce Roter, a music professor at the College of St. Rose, is serious about building a Museum of Political Corruption in Albany. "It's funny, but it's serious at the same time," Roter said. "Political corruption is a serious subject. If this can make the whole subject less complicated, if people feel empowered they can do something or have a say about the governance in our state, then I think they are doing a tremendous service to our community." Read the full story in The Albany Business Review.

Today is Day 15 of the WGXC Dead Air Pledge Drive. Tune in for special remote broadcasts, and turn out for special events. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain WGXC as a public platform for information, experimentation and engagement. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York’s Greene and Columbia counties. Donate now!

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 65F; Low 40F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 67F; Low 41F.[/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: Periods of rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 11 a.m., then a slight chance of showers after 1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 69. Calm wind. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Thursday night, mostly clear. Low around 40.

Forecast for the next two days
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 54. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 30.
Saturday: Sunny. High near 55. Saturday night, a chance of showers after 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 41.

Sunrise today: 7:25 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:52 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:27

Public meetings
Today is the fifth Thursday 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).

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Wed., Oct. 28 (6:20). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/s3/vc/j1/WGXC_local_news_20151028.mp3

Kate Seckinger is reporting in The Daily Mail the Durham Town Board Tue., Oct. 27, approved the town’s 2016 budget. The measure passed unanimously. Durham Town Supervisor Bill Carr said he is pleased the board was able to stay within the tax cap. The spending plan totals nearly $2 million. Carr said the 2016 budget extends summer programming for children from four to six weeks. He also said the fire department budget will be increased by two percent next year. Carr said the board is already exploring ideas about how to save so the tax increase does not exceed the cap in 2017. Carr said, “We’re pretty frugal – we pretty much have a bare bones stripped down Ford pick-up truck operation.” Carr said although the town will have less discretionary funds, and that staying under the tax cap may be more of a challenge in 2017, he is content for the upcoming year. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.