The Senate voted 74 to 21 Oct. 27 in favor of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. Both New York Senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, voted with the majority. The bill was called by some senators necessary for national defense, while others said was another needless way for the government to surveil its citizens. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders disagreed with the New York democrats, saying, "People have a right to make a telephone call without that information being collected by the government."

Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting in the Register-Star the number of reported domestic incidents in the city of Hudson was up this past summer, according to information provided by the city police department in its quarterly report to the Common Council Police Committee. Crime in other categories trended down slightly. During the period from June to September, there were 21 reported assaults, 64 reported domestic disputes and 52 harassment calls. Nine burglaries, 50 larcenies, 36 cases of vandalism or criminal mischief and one motor vehicle theft were reported during the same period. Police officials expect to take at least 200 domestic dispute calls this year, compared with 166 for 2014, Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore said. Reports of vandalism are significantly down, and calls for drug violations decreased slightly when compared to the data from last year, Moore said. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

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

Andrea Sears is reporting for Public News Service Albany sends New York City far more money for pre-K than other parts of the state, and Nassau County wants its fair share. Last year the state spent $340 million dollars on pre-K, and all but $40 million went to the city. According to Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, this year New York City is getting 42 times as much funding as Nassau County, while having only six times as many four-year-olds. "If we don't recognize it and bring it to the attention in a major way it's going to continue, and we don't want it to continue," he says. "We want equitable treatment for our kids." Maragos says to receive the same funding per child, Nassau County would need to receive an additional $77 million from the state. Jan Barbieri, executive director of the Child Care Council of Nassau, says those who get good quality, full-day pre-K perform better in school, giving them advantages that follow them for the rest of their lives. "Those who don't, start falling behind before they're ever even out of grammar school are less likely to graduate high school," she says, "and very often have more difficulty in life from that point forward." The benefits of pre-K include improved language, literacy and math skills through elementary school, and increased earning potential after high school. Barbieri has asked Governor Andrew Cuomo to remember his state of the state address from two years ago, when he spoke of expanding pre-K to all New York children. "Universal pre-K for all includes all of New York State," she says. "Please take a look at the need on Long Island, it's critical." Nassau County officials have sent letters to the governor, state legislators, school superintendents and business leaders asking for equal pre-K funding for all children in the state.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] From National Weather Service.[/caption]

The National Weather Service warns that a "potentially powerful storm working across the northern Great Lakes could bring strong winds to mainly the elevated terrain on Wednesday [Oct. 28] into Wednesday night....Also, this storm looks to bring a soaking rainfall to the entire region." Up to three inches of rain could fall on parts of the region, especially the Catskills.

The Daily Freeman reports that Suffolk County on Long Island on Oct. 26 became the third county in New York to ban microbeads in personal care products. The beads tiny beads show up in the bodies of fish and other wildlife after passing through water filtration systems without disintegrating Albany County is also currently considering a ban. Another proposal to ban microbead toiletries in Ulster County was tabled in committee earlier in October. Connecticut and California ban the beads, and a first effort in Albany for a statewide ban failed last year. Erie and Chautauqua counties, though, have passed bead bans. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

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

Andrea Sears reports for Public News Service that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has moved to ban harassment and discrimination against transgender people in New York. The governor announced his executive action at a dinner hosted by Empire State Pride Agenda, or ESPA, late last week. Among other things, the state's Human Rights Law bans discrimination based on sex, and Cuomo said in 2015 that provision includes gender identity and gender expression. "Therefore I am directing the State Division of Human Rights to immediately issue regulations defining New York State's anti-discrimination law to prohibit discrimination against trans individuals in the state of New York," he stated. New York banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in 2002, but transgender people were excluded from the law. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, called GENDA, has passed in the state Assembly eight times, but has been consistently blocked in the Senate. Melissa Sklarz, co-chair of ESPA's board of directors, says Cuomo's announcement accomplished what the Legislature has failed to do. "The executive order by the governor appears to cover everything that GENDA would," she states. "I think GENDA covered hate crimes protection that was not included in the executive order." The human rights regulations apply to all public and private employers, housing providers, businesses, creditors and others doing business in the state. ESPA still is reviewing the regulations and plans to help in their implementation. After years of legislative stalemate, Sklarz calls the governor's executive order a major step forward. "I'm thrilled to have Governor Cuomo in our corner," she states. "The rest is up to us." The regulations must first be published in the state registry and will be subject to a 45-day comment period before taking effect. Read the full story at Public News Service.

Today is Day 14 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 53F; Low 53F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 54F; Low 53F.[/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:

The National Weather Service in Albany has declared a Hazardous Weather Outlook. A powerful storm will develop and work across the northern Great Lakes Wed., Oct. 28. The storm looks to bring a soaking rainfall to the region. One to two inches of rainfall are forecast, with perhaps higher amounts locally.

Today: Showers likely before 1 p.m., then periods of rain between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 60. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Wednesday night, rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Forecast for the next two days
Thursday: Showers likely before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., then isolated showers after 2 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 69. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 40.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Low around 40. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 32.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:54 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:29

Public meetings
Today is the fourth 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, 7 p.m. at Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Hamlet Revitalization Task Force meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountain View Rd., Copake (329-1234).
HUDSON Common Council Public Works Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m., Legal Committee, 6:15 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON Development Corporation meeting, 12 p.m. (noon) at 1 North Front St., Hudson (751-1044).
KINDERHOOK Historical Committee meeting, 7 p.m., Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
PHILMONT Village Board Workshop meeting, 7 p.m., Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).

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

The Guardian newspaper is reporting that the Internal Revenue Service in the United States bought several Stingray devices between 2009 and 2012. Stingrays are IMSI-catchers, or “cell-site simulators,” small devices that pretend to be cellphone towers in order to catch all local metadata and some content from phones which connect to them. "Despite their extensive capabilities, they require only a low-level court order called a PEN register, also known as a “trap and trace,” to grant permission for their use," The Guardian story says. The Harris Corporation, which makes the Stingrays, are ultra-secretive about the devices. An April Guardian report revealed non-disclosure agreements that local police and prosecutors were forced to sign with the FBI before using Stingrays. The documents demanded local authorities withdraw or even drop cases rather than reveal their use as the source of information. In September, The Guardian reported that this withholding of “discovery” evidence by Baltimore police could lead to 2,000 cases being overturned. The American Civil Liberties Union and various news outlets have now shown that at least 13 federal agencies have Stingrays now. Nate Wessler, an ACLU attorney told the Guardian: “The info showing that they are using Stingrays is generally consistent with the kinds of investigative tactics that they are engaging in, and it shows the wide proliferation of this very invasive surveillance technology.”

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="740"] Catskill Point
(From www.clui.org)[/caption]

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail the village of Catskill has been awarded a total of $68,000 in the form of two grants from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to help increase the community’s ability to recover from major flood events. The village was eligible to receive the funds because Catskill and Catskill Creek are located within the Hudson River Estuary. The funds from one grant will be used to complete a risk and engineering review of the wastewater system on Catskill Point and to implement recommendations contained within the "Resilient Catskill Report," produced by the Catskill Waterfront Resilience Task Force. The second award will pay for the development of a Hudson River Shoreline Flooding Plan. That plan will include an analysis of the changes that may be needed in village zoning laws to address resiliency issues or needs. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register-Star a final review of the proposed contract between the Columbia Economic Development Corporation and Columbia County is officially underway. The county Board of Supervisors Finance Committee tabled approval of the contract pending further changes and public comment earlier this month. At that time supervisors requested clarification that the corporation was working on its own strategic plan, not a plan for towns and villages countywide. The committee members also requested the final version of the agreement include language to indicate the corporation would not interfere with town or village zoning laws. The board's Economic Development Committee Mon., Oct. 26, unanimously approved those requested amendments. The interim contract will be posted online at both the county's and the corporation’s websites sometime Tue., Oct. 27. The public can comment on the agreement through Nov. 15. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting in the Columbia Paper Sergeant Richard Hofstetter is retiring after 41 years of service with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Hofstetter received recognition for his service at the Columbia County Board of Supervisors meeting this month. Speakers said Hofstetter was born in the county, graduated from Hudson High School in 1965, attended Siena College, obtained a degree in accounting and served in the army from 1967 to 1970. His career with county law enforcement included teaching firearms use, teaching public safety and working with architects to assure the county courthouse met public safety needs. Sheriff David Bartlett said of Hofstetter, “He taught me how to be a police officer. He was our training instructor for years.” Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Debby Mayer is reporting in the Columbia Paper the Germantown Board of Education unanimously approved spending up to $40,000 to drill a new well at the K-12 school, after the main well failed last month. The school has other wells, including two that that feed its water system. After the well failed on September 22, the state Education Department declared the situation an emergency on September 30. Claverack Pump Service started drilling the weekend of October 17. “The [Columbia County] Health Department, the architect, school staff and Claverack Pump all collaborated to find the place to drill,” said Superintendent Susan Brown. “Our fingers are crossed that it will be fine. With a well, it’s never over till it’s over.” Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Matt Hamilton is reporting in the Times Union Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch announced Mon., Oct. 26, she will not seek another term on the board. Tisch was first appointed in 1996 and then re-elected to five-year terms in 2001, 2006 and 2011. She has been chancellor since 2009. Tisch will leave office when her term ends in March. In her announcement Monday, she commended the workers in the state Education Department, saying she marveled at the work they have done. In recent years, Tisch's tenure was consumed with controversy over Common Core, which has been derided by teachers and some parents. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Anyone can add an event to the WGXC Community Calendar, and have their local listing read on the radio and around the world at wgxc.org. Some events from the WGXC Community Calendar this week:

Sock and Sweater Darning
Oct. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Drop Forge & Tool, Hudson.
Paige Simpson teaches a basic woven darning technique that can be applied to all knit garments.

[caption width="324" align="alignright"] From The Felice Brothers website.[/caption]The Felice Brothers
Oct. 29, 8 p.m. at Club Helsinki, Hudson.
Live musical performance from Ulster County-based band.

Microsoft Word Class
Oct. 30, 12:30-2 p.m. at Hudson Area Library.
A Course on the creation of a cover letter and resume in Mircosoft Word. All participants should bring their most recent resume and/or job history with dates/locations.

Nightmare on Bridge Street
Oct. 30, 7-9 p.m. at Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill.
Haunted house from Catskill High School students.

The Heavenly Echoes, JV & the Cutters, the Agape Blues Company
Oct. 30, 7-10 p.m. at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy.
Three bands perform a fundraiser for WOOC-LP, the new low-power station from Troy's Sancturary for Independent Media.

Today is Day 13 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 56F; Low 38F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 57F; Low 40F.[/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: Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny. High near 57. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 37.

Forecast for the next two days
Wednesday: Rain. High near 61. Wednesday night, rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 59.
Thursday: Showers likely, mainly before 11 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 67. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 42.

Sunrise today: 7:23 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:55 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:32

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

CANAAN Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Route 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM CENTRAL Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at high school, 50 Woodbridge Ave., Chatham (392-2400).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors County Government Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Agriculture & Farming Protection Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountain View Rd., Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Tourism Advisory Committee meeting, 9:30 a.m. at 411 Main St., Room 427, Catskill (943-3223).
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).

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

Boing Boing reports that Wikimedia's case against the NSA was dismissed by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, saying they couldn't prove the National Security Agency was intercepting data between Wikipedia and its users. Wikimedia never got to challenge the legality of United States government surveillance, and instead fought over standing in the case. Judge Ellis wrote that, "plaintiffs insist that Wikipedia's over one trillion annual Internet communications is significant in volume... but size is always relative. For example, one trillion dollars are of enormous value, whereas one trillion grains of sand are but a small patch of beach." Ellis reasoned that the only people who could challenge NSA surveillance would be those told by the government they were being spied upon. Just because media reports that the government is culling through millions of metadata points, doesn't prove that some of that metadata was Wikimedia's. The American Civil Liberties Union represents Wikimedia in the case, and said, "There’s no question that the NSA is capturing and searching through their communications. That’s something the court — and everyone else — should find extremely disconcerting."

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Mon., Oct. 26 (5:38). (Produced by Phil Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/wt/82/nj/WGXCWeekEndInReview20151026.mp3

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Oct. 23 through Sun., Oct. 25

Keshia Clukey reported at Politico New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Sat., Oct. 24, the state needs to do more to reduce the testing burden placed on students. Cuomo's comments were made after the federal government took some of the responsibility for the testing system that creates "undue stress for educators and students," according to a plan laid out by the Obama administration. The plan included recommendations and proposals for cutting back on testing and easing up on the use of student test scores for teacher evaluation. In his statement, Cuomo cited a need to "reverse the overemphasis on testing that has become the norm in too many of our schools.” State education commissioner MaryEllen Elia [EH-lee-uh] announced last month that the third through eighth grade exams will be of shorter duration this year. Some of the reading and writing passages on the English Language Arts tests and multiple choice questions on the math have been removed.

Debby Mayer reported in the Columbia Paper both major parties are fielding candidates to fill the two open town board seats in Germantown. The term for all offices is four years; there is no supervisor race this year. Republicans Brittany Bohnsack-DuFresne and Ronald E. Moore II are running for town board against Democrats Joe Guida and Arthur Schiff. Justice Robert W. Beaury is running unopposed for his third term, endorsed by the Republican, Conservative and Independence parties. Voters will also decide the Library Referendum, which would approve an annual increase of $30,000 in the town’s contribution to the Germantown Library, for a total of $88,000 annually. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Nov. 3. Diane Valden reported although all town posts will appear on the ballot in the town of Ancram, only the races for two of four town board seats are contested. The three men in the running for those two positions are incumbent Hugh Clark, political newcomers David Boice and Daniel Rothvoss, Jr. Two men are competing for the job of highway superintendent: James Miller and Robert Roche. Town Supervisor Art Bassin, Town Clerk/Tax Collector Monica Cleveland, and Town Justices George Wittlinger, Sr., and Robert Wilcox are all running unopposed.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail the Heermance Memorial Library budget passed 85 to 8, a "landslide" victory for the Coxsackie institution. The vote was held Tue., Oct. 13. The approved 2016 budget includes a spending hike, but because of an increase in the town’s total assessment, there will be no increase in the library tax passed down to property owners. Most of the budget increase was attributed to building maintenance and repair fees. Voters also re-elected incumbent library trustee Claudine Serazio-West, and elected board newcomers Tom Silvious and Eileen West.

John Mason reported in the Register-Star Hudson Mayor William H. Hallenbeck Jr. Fri., Oct. 23, vetoed a measure that would have asked city voters if they wish to change the Common Council's method of voting. The resolution was narrowly passed by the council early last week. Although many counties, such as Columbia County, employ the weighted vote system, Hudson is widely believed to be the only city in the U.S. that uses that method. In his veto message, Hallenbeck stated he agreed with the council that it was time to bring the matter to the voters for consideration, but he said he disagreed with the timing, just weeks before the general election. "On Jan. 1, 2016, the city of Hudson will have a new Common Council president, along with new aldermen representing the 1st Ward, 4th Ward, and 5th Ward," Hallenbeck wrote. Mason calculated that come January, between a third and more than half of the council could change. The mayor also suggested voters would be better served if they were presented with more than one alternative to the current system. A two-thirds vote of the Common Council is needed to override the mayor's veto.

Today is Day 12 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 53F; Low 29F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 53F; 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 53. Monday night, mostly clear. Low around 26.

Forecast for the next two days
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High near 56. Tuesday night, a chance of rain after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 37.
Wednesday: Rain, mainly after 8 a.m. High near 59. Wednesday night, rain before 8 p.m., then showers after 8 p.m. Low around 55.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:56 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:35

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

CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at firehouse near Catskill Commons (Walmart) (943-3830).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Honor A Veteran, 9 a.m.; Board of Supervisors Airport Sub-committee meeting, 5 p.m.; Economic Development Committee meeting, 6 p.m.; Environmental Management Council, 7 p.m., all at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
GERMANTOWN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Rd., Germantown (537-6687).
HALCOTT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 813 Route 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920).
HUDSON City School District Board of Education curriculum workshop, 6 p.m.; full meeting, 7 p.m. at John L. Edwards Elementary School, 360 State St., Hudson (828-4360).
HUDSON Common Council Fire Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m., Police Committee meeting, 6 p.m., City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board work meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Co. Route. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Development Corp meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

Local voices on WGXC this week:

• Game Hoarders Live from Kirwan's Game Store
Oct. 25, 2-4 p.m. live from Kirwan's Game Store in Catskill.
Three natural gamers who usually sit together and talk about the newest and latest games and cards will broadcast live from Kirwan's Game Store in Catskill, NY during two tournaments and attend the Pokemon XY-BREAKThrough Pre-Release. Hosted by Calvin Ruiz, Dominic Domkoski and Jake Ganey.

• Mambo Italiano
Oct. 25, 6-8 p.m. from WGXC Hudson studio.
Guest hosts Jake Ebel, Jared Scali, Ingrid Kildiss, and Antonia Bellamy.

• Guest DJ
Oct. 30, 7-9:30 p.m. from WGXC Hudson studio.
Kenny Landin from Crossroads in Athens hosts, with friends.