Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Oct. 16 through Sun., Oct. 18

The Greenport Fire District announced last week it will hold two public information sessions to discuss plans for a new fire house. A vote on the referendum to approve a construction bond for the project will be held Tue., Nov. 17. Open houses will be held 8 a.m., Sat., Oct. 24 at Greenport Station #2 on Route 14; and, 8 a.m., Sat., Oct. 31 at Greenport Station #3 on Washington Boulevard. A full presentation on the project will be made to the town board 6 p.m., Wed., Nov. 4, at town hall. The proposal calls for the replacement of Becraft station, located on Route 14. That station protects the district's largest response area, which includes Columbia-Greene Community College, Olana State Historic Site, and Mt. Merino and Frese roads. According to the district, the existing station provides insufficient space to house fire trucks and equipment, and lacks adequate community space for meetings and emergency shelter.

Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail the public hearing on the hardship waiver request filed by the developers of the proposed Dollar General store near Tannersville will continue next week. The public is being asked to weigh in on whether the project should undergo a site plan review despite the town of Hunter site plan moratorium extension. The developer wants to build on a parcel directly adjacent to the western boundary of Tannersville and on the south side of Route 23A. The project is headed by Primax Properties, of Charlotte, North Carolina, which leases its sites to Dollar General stores. Primax has said any construction delays could jeopardize the project and is seeking a waiver from the ban. Members of the public that spoke at the hearing last week suggested Dollar General would be largely unaffected by any financial impact the delays might cause, so a hardship waiver was not justified. It was also suggested that at most, the waiver would save only three months on the project, but granting the exception would skirt the intent of the freeze, which is to safeguard the town while new rules are developed and adopted. Hunter Planning Board Chairwoman Sarah Killourhy said the hearing will remain open until the town board meeting, Oct. 20, so the public can still submit comments in reference to the hardship waiver request.

WGXC improved its audio signal last week, with a staff visit to the station’s transmitter site to change the audio signal path. Before, the signal switched back and forth between analog and digital. The changes made last week create a straight digital line to the transmitter from the station’s three studios or the station's many remote broadcasts.

Bethany Bump reported at Capitol Confidential the task force charged with reviewing the state’s Common Core program will hold at least a dozen public sessions over the next several months and create an advisory committee to help with that review. The 15-member group is led by Richard Parsons, a senior advisor for Providence Equity Partners. Parsons also chaired the governor’s commission on education reform in 2012. The task force met for the first time Fri., Oct. 16, in Manhattan to review the history and timeline of Common Core in New York and plan out the course of its review. The advisory committee will guide the task force through its review. The committee will include educators, administrators and parents from across the state. A schedule of public sessions to be held in each of the state's 10 regions will be announced in the coming days.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail the proposed new water and sewer rates brought Coxsackie residents out en masse for a village board meeting last week. The proposed increases would more than double the rate residents currently pay. Under the rate structure proposed last month, everyone would pay the same amount for water and sewer, regardless of usage. The rate hikes were introduced as a way to resolve financial shortfalls in the village's water and sewer funds. Echoing the comments of others, resident Brian Wallace said, “To institute anything other than a tiered system is grossly unfair and largely falls on the backs of seniors who use very little water and sewer. This seems to give young families a pass and is a burden on seniors.” Mayor Mark Evans said the board had not yet settled on a rate. He said the matter will remain under discussion in the coming weeks.

Today is Day 5 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 36F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 51F; Low 38F.[/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 51. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 38.


Forecast for the next two days:
Tuesday: Partly sunny. High near 62. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 42.
Wednesday: Partly sunny. High near 62. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 45.

Sunrise today: 7:13 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:07 p.m.
Length of the day: 10:53

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

ATHENS Town meeting, 6:45 p.m. at Community Center, 2 First Street, Athens (945-1052).
AUSTERLITZ Comprehensive plan meeting, 7 p.m. at 812 Route 203, Austerlitz (392-3260).
CANAAN Planning board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Route 5 South, Canaan (781-3144).
GERMANTOWN Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature committee meetings: Economic Development and Tourism, Government Operations, Finance, and the Republican and Democrat caucuses, 6 p.m. in the Caucus Room, County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
GREENVILLE Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Offices, corner of routes 32 and 81, Greenville (966-8276).
HUDSON Common Council Diversity Sub-committee, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

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

About 15 percent of U.S. adults do not use the internet, a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data reports. In the year 2000 almost half of Americans did not use the internet, but that rate of conversion has slowed the past three years, the survey reports. A 2013 Pew survey found three reasons people do not use the internet: no interest, too difficult to use, and too expensive. Younger americans, and those that live in urban areas, are more likely to use the internet, the survey found.

Tune in to hear local officials, organizers, and neighbors, on the air.

MONDAY Katherine Nadeau, RenewableNY Program Director at Catskill Mountainkeeper discusses Gov. Andrew Cuomo's solar energy plans. Plus, a summary of the news out of Albany. To go on air during the show, call (518) 828-0290 or send your comments or questions via email to thealbanyreport@gmail.com. Or take three minutes and record a question or comment ahead of time at (518) 291-WGXC (9492). 10 a.m. Oct. 19 on "The Albany Report" hosted by Cecilia Tkaczyk.

WEDNESDAY Sarah Van Buren and Melissa Auf Der Maur of Basilica Hudson discuss upcoming programs and events there live in Acra 9 a.m. Oct. 21 on "WGXC Morning Show."

WEDNESDAY Democratic candidates for town supervisor Matt Nelson from Kinderhook, Lee Jamison from Stuyvesant, and Ed Nabozny from Greenport are interviewed. To go on air during the show, call (518) 828-0290 or send your comments or questions via email to info@wgxc.org. Or take three minutes and record a question or comment ahead of time at (518) 291-WGXC (9492). Broadcast live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. 10 a.m. Oct. 21 on "@Issue" hosted by Debby Mayer. Mayer is a member of the Hudson Democratic Committee, representing the city's Third Ward.

FRIDAY The Guest DJ is "Rudy Mungaray with Centipede In The Sky." An alien being descends from the sky, seen only by a chosen few. They become transfixed and obsessed with the creature, enduring loss and expulsion by their families and communities. They feel there is a greater cause even if they cannot express it with human understanding. What is the centipede in the sky? Is this invasion or mere hallucination? This show attempts to carry on the tradition of the serial radio show with a modern bent....think Wyllis Cooper's "Lights Out" meets Cronenberg's "Videodrome". 7 p.m., Oct. 23.

Diane Valden reports in The Columbia Paper that at the Oct. 8 Town Board meeting, Supervisor Jeff Nayer said taxpayers will get a .4 percent reduction in their tax rate next year. Total spending will go up by .29 percent to $1,973,207 next year, with a $3,289,219 increase in the town’s total taxable value this year. $1.15 million of the spending next year is for highways, an increase of 1.59 percent. Copake will see a $15,000 to $20,000 increase in the cost of medical insurance next year up to $180,000. The Copake Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Nov. 12. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports that Saugerties school trustee Damion Ferraro wondered why the Saugerties School District has hired only male coaches for girls’ sports teams at a Oct. 13 school board meeting. “I’m finding it hard to believe that there’s not qualified women coaches in our district that are applying for these positions or interested in these positions,” Ferraro said. School district Athletic Director Dominic Zarrella said he is refining the application process, but defended the latest hiring choices, all male. “I think really what you need in a coach is a qualified coach, whether he’s male or female,” Zarrella said. “I do understand that it would be wonderful ... in a perfect world to have a female coach for a female team.” Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., Oct. 18 PLAY AUDIO (5:40)

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

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40, and a low around 24.

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48, and a low around 36.

• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

Sunrise 7:12 a.m.
Sunset 6:08 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 12:12 P.M. 10:13 P.M.
Mercury 5:38 A.M. 5:37 P.M.
Venus 3:17 A.M. 4:19 P.M.
Mars 3:44 A.M. 4:43 P.M.
Jupiter 3:44 A.M. 4:40 P.M.
Saturn 10:22 A.M. 8:01 P.M.
Uranus 5:49 P.M. 6:44 A.M.
Neptune 4:17 P.M. 3:15 A.M.
Pluto 1:22 P.M. 10:44 P.M.

[caption width="320" align="alignright"] From "Spectres of Shortwave" Facebook page.[/caption]Click here to play or download an audio version of this report.

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:

• Pumpkin Walk
Oct. 17, 4 p.m. at Columbia-Greene Community College
The Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties hosts their annual Ninth Annual Pumpkin Walk. Family events begin at 4 p.m. and the Pumpkin Walk is at 6 p.m.

• Spectres of Shortwave
Oct. 17, 4 p.m. at Time & Space Limited, Hudson
Wave Farm presents a special work-in-progress screening of Amanda Dawn Christie's experimental documentary "Spectres of Shortwave," with Christie in person. This is a fundraiser for WGXC.

• Zadock Pratt Museum Dinner
Oct. 17, 5:30 p.m. on Windham Mountain
A fundraiser dinner for the Zadock Pratt Museum will be held at The Club at Windham MountainHors d’ oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30. The eight who will be honored for their work in interpreting and preserving Greene County’s history are Claudia and Ray Bracaliello, Bob and Ann Hallock, Cyndi LaPierre, Charles Schaefer, and Robert and Johanna Titus.

• Haute Cature Fashion Show
Oct 18, 5 p.m. at Club Helsinki, Hudson
Fashion show and auction to benefit the Animalkind cat rescue and adoption center in Hudson.

Charlie Holmes writes in The Daily Mail that 79 percent of people in Greene County lack broadband access, and 74 percent in Columbia County don't have high-speed service. “We are among the worst in the state and we are the worst in the capital region,” said Columbia County Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been outing his new NY Broadband Program, claiming to bring broadband to all New Yorkers by the end of the decade. “We do have our challenges here in Greene County for getting all the residents and businesses access with broadband,” said Warren Hart, Greene County director of economic development, tourism and planning. “It is the superhighway. It is really an infrastructure. It’s no different than any other infrastructure needs for a community. In many regards, it’s now probably become the most important infrastructure, outside sewer and water.” Hart said Hudson Valley Wireless has a joint grant application with Greene to cover the county. Greene County will also allow Internet providers access to the radio and emergency communications towers installed by grants after the storms surrounding Hurricane Irene. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

• SOUNDS BETTER WGXC improved its audio signal Oct. 16, with a staff visit to the station's transmitter site to change the audio signal path. Before, the signal switched back-and-forth between analog and digital, and now there is a straight digital line to the transmitter from the station's three studios or many remote broadcasts.

• MORE BEGGING WGXC's "Dead Air" pledge drive continues through Oct. 31. Anyone can donate online at wgxc.org to end it sooner.

• NOT JEOPARDY The Rip Van Winkle Amateur Radio Society holds its October 2015 meeting at 7 p.m. Oct 19 at the Churchtown Firehouse, 2219 Rte. 27 in Columbia County. There will be a demonstration of Jepardee software.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Oct. 17. PLAY AUDIO (2:55)

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

• Saturday: A slight chance of showers Saturday morning, then partly sunny, with a high near 45, and a low around 27, the season's first frost.

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41, and a low around 25.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 46.

Sunrise 7:11 a.m.
Sunset 6:10 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 11:19 A.M. 9:23 P.M.
Mercury 5:36 A.M. 5:38 P.M.
Venus 3:17 A.M. 4:20 P.M.
Mars 3:45 A.M. 4:45 P.M.
Jupiter 3:47 A.M. 4:44 P.M.
Saturn 10:25 A.M. 8:05 P.M.
Uranus 5:53 P.M. 6:48 A.M.
Neptune 4:21 P.M. 3:19 A.M.
Pluto 1:26 P.M. 10:48 P.M.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Fri., Oct. 16 (8:06). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/q9/av/r1/WGXCDailyNews%2020151016.mp3

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register-Star an effort to move forward interim contract approval between Columbia County and the Columbia Economic Development Corporation hit a snag Wed., Oct. 14, when the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Finance Committee chose to table the action for a month. This despite the matter getting a green light from the board's Economic Development Committee just minutes before. Stockport Supervisor Matt Murrell said, “I think the contract is 95 percent there. Some of the wording needs to be tweaked." Corporation interim executive director F. Michael said, “The general consensus is in favor of moving the contract forward so our funding can be restored.” Once the contract is approved by the full board, $225,000 in county funds would immediately flow to the CEDC. Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan and committee members agreed more public input on the agreement would be solicited if the contract was posted on the county website during the next month. The Economic Development Committee will review input from the supervisors, including potential changes to the agreement, at its Oct. 26 meeting. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential the Cuomo administration has prevailed in court on the question of who controls the Women's Equality Party. At the same time the appellate court ruling did uphold a lower court’s decision to toss WEP candidates off the ballot on a technicality. On Wed., Oct. 14, the Third Department found the group backed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is the only one of the three with standing as the party's controlling entity. A group of Niagara County Republicans and a group led by former state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk (KAT-chik) challenged for control of the party. A Supreme Court judge in Niagara County last month urged all three groups not to nominate any candidates. Hamilton writes that the appellate decision handed down Wednesday is convoluted and confusing, and in the end the ruling did not make crystal clear who runs the party. However, the Cuomo side is claiming victory. WEP chair Rachel Gold said, “We are thankful the courts rejected these cynical and illegitimate attempts to hijack the Women’s Equality Party and ruled in favor of those who formed it and worked hard to get it ballot status.” DISCLOSURE: Tkaczyk is a WGXC programmer. Read the full story and the full court decision at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Michael Ryan is reporting in The Daily Mail with further details on the court decision handed down Tue., Oct. 13, in the Stacy Post felony eavesdropping case. In that decision, Columbia County Supreme Court Judge Richard Mott dismissed the felony indictment handed up in February, and gave the state the option to re-present its case. Mott determined the grand jury proceedings were defective. Mott said, among other things, the state usurped the deliberative role of the grand jurors by soliciting witness opinion and then presenting that opinion as fact. In one instance the credibility of one witness was called into question because they claimed to be a friend of Post's. In another, the witness was asked if they feared Post, "thereby eliciting a response that impugned the defendant's character," Mott wrote. Post’s attorney, Dennis Schlenker, said, “The decision speaks for itself. There are special duties given to a prosecutor and he or she is supposed to adhere to the rules.... This goes beyond whether an attorney obeyed the rules. I find it outrageous. I will defend this case as vigorously as possible." Special prosecutor John Sandleitner said, “Obviously, I disagree with the court’s decision. This case is not going to be abandoned.” Post was indicted on 30 felony counts of eavesdropping, official misconduct and possession of eavesdropping devices. It is alleged that she placed audio and video recording devices in Windham Town Hall to monitor the conversations of town employees and visitors. Post has continued to serve as town supervisor and is seeking re-election on November 3. Sandleitner will present the matter to a Greene County grand jury once again on Wed., Oct. 21. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman reports that Greene, Ulster, and Columbia counties gained jobs during the 12-month period ending Sept. 31, and Dutchess and Delaware counties did not, according to state Department of Labor. Greene and Ulster gained 300 jobs and Columbia County added 100 non-farm jobs with 15,000 total in Greene, 61,300 in Ulster and 21,900 in Columbia County. The Dutchess-Putnam area lost 1,600 non-farm jobs over the past year, and Delaware County lost 400 jobs. New York's unemployment rate last month was 5.1 percent, down from 5.2 percent in August, and 6 percent in September 2014. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Today is Day 2 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 58F; Low 37F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 59F; Low 38F.[/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: Scattered showers, mainly before 9 a.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 61. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. Friday night, a slight chance of showers after 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Forecast for the next two days:
Saturday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 50. Saturday night, mostly cloudy during the early evening, then becoming mostly clear. Low around 28.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 49. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 28.

Sunrise today: 7:09 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:11 p.m.
Length of the day: 11:01

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

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

The digital age and the do-it-yourself movement often conflict, as hacking electronics are sometimes banned or made difficult. The ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio, is asking the FCC to clear up if Amateur Radio licensees may modify non-amateur equipment for use on amateur radio frequencies. In March, 2014 the FCC updated requirements for U-NII devices using 5 Ghz bandwidth that includes many Wi-Fi devices and routers with regulatory language that might not allow altering the devices. In an Oct. 8 comment on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in ET Docket 15-170 and RM-11673 the ARRL wrote, “The Commission should clarify…that the ability of licensed radio amateurs to modify and adapt non-amateur equipment for use in the Amateur Service is beneficial, is permitted, and is not restricted by any rule of general applicability adopted in this proceeding.” The ARRL also asked the FCC not to apply any limitations proposed for Software Defined Radios, and addressed the problem of marijuana grow lights and AM and amateur radio interference. The FCC is overhauling the process where any device that might emit radio waves has to be approved to get that little FCC sticker. Electronic ballasts used in 1000W high pressure sodium or metal halide lamps have interfered with certain radio signals, with a few police officers using AM radios in their vehicle radios to locate illegal indoor marijuana growing operations by listening for interference. The ARRL said, “the only opportunity to preclude widespread sale and deployment of non-compliant RF devices, including unintentional emitters, is via the equipment authorization process.”

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Thu., Oct. 15 (7:48). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/dn/4f/jx/WGXCDailyNews%2020151015.mp3

Michael Ryan is reporting in the Windham Journal Republican Party candidate  for Prattsville town supervisor, Michelle Blain, will reportedly decline the post if elected. Blain is challenging incumbent Kory O'Hara, a Democrat. Blain has not formally announced her intentions; however, Carol Engelmann, the GOP deputy commissioner at the Greene County Board of Elections reported that Blain would not serve. Engelmann said Blain contacted the Board of Elections on Sept. 30, about taking her name off the ballot. She said she was having second thoughts about running. Blain has also spoken with Michele Brainard, chair of the Prattsville Democrats and a town employee. Brainard said, “She asked me to please spread the word. She said she wanted to take her name off the ballot but couldn’t, and that even if she is elected she wouldn’t accept the job.” If Blain wins and resigns, the town board would choose her replacement in January, when the position would officially be vacant. That person would serve one year of a two-year term. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.