Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Sept. 11 through Sun., Sept. 13.

Scott Waldman reported at Politico New York a state audit released Fri., Sept. 11, found the state's oil storage facilities are not properly reporting how much crude oil they receive. Auditors for Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that a majority of the facilities examined did not properly classify and report the products received. And some locations underpaid the state Oil Spill Fund as a result. In response to the audit, DEC officials questioned the accuracy of the comptroller’s report, saying it contained multiple errors and relied too heavily on targeted samples that did not represent the full spectrum of the state’s oil storage facilities. Albany has become one of the busiest hubs for oil transportation in the country, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The DEC has given operators approval to move approximately three billion gallons of crude through Albany every year. The DEC collects fees from oil trains for the Oil Spill Fund, which is used to clean up spills and is reimbursed by those responsible.

Audrey Matott reported in The Daily Mail the town of Greenville finds itself in the throes of a disagreement over proposed changes to its zoning laws. Residents who spoke at a recent public hearing voiced their concerns. Greenville offers residents a comfortable, small-town feel, townspeople said, but with little room for commercial growth and plenty of available real estate, some fear their small town may become a ghost town. While some residents requested more restrictions on where commercial zones are located, others pointed out that without ample commercial opportunities, residents would be forced to pay higher taxes that might otherwise be offset or absorbed by commercial business. Another public hearing on the proposed revisions will be held 7 p.m., Sept. 21 at Pioneer Town Hall.

Roger Hannigan Gilson reported in the Register-Star broadband Internet access is now available to residents of Copake and Chatham. New York-based ASA Networks uses TV white spaces technology and is focused on serving rural areas. It recently completed an extensive technology trial in the Gallatin-Ancram area. Approximately 50 of the trial participants in Gallatin continue to be served by the company as paying customers. A connection has been set up at Insight Computer, located at 9 Hudson Ave. in Chatham, to demonstrate the product to the public. “Everyone is welcome to stop by and try it out here," said the store’s owner Frank Shannon. Columbia County has one of the highest rates of unserved and under-served households in the state, according to ASA. The county is working on a plan to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas with plans to lay fiber-optic cables that can be used by various Internet service providers.

Michael Ryan reported in the Windham Journal a document of mysterious origin has popped up in Prattsville, calling for a public vote on the town's decision to sell a piece of land for use in a planned senior housing project. Ryan writes that no one, including the 30 people who signed the petition, has been willing to reveal the source of the document. The petition was delivered to town officials by former town judge Robert Blain and filed on Aug. 17, according to town clerk Kathleen Sherman. The petition was later declared invalid for several technical reasons by the town attorney. The anonymous petition was similar in many ways to a letter sent to the state Department of Transportation in June about the construction of a new Route 23 bridge. That letter, from "50 Concerned Citizens," demanded the DOT revamp its plans for the bridge replacement.

Gail Heinsohn reported in the Chatham Courier the town of Chatham has appointed the Claverack-based Raymond Preusser (Pr-OY-sir) CPA firm as the town's new comptroller. Preusser was one three bidders for the position. He previously stepped forward to help the town following the sudden death in April of then town comptroller Deborah Cesternino, said Town Supervisor Jesse DeGroodt (DEE-groot). The Preusser appointment was not without controversy, however. Board member Maria Lull, who argued in favor of hiring the Hudson firm, Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci, insinuated Preusser had the inside track for the job. “I can appreciate that you have a personal relationship with Ray,” Lull said to DeGroodt. “I have no personal relationship with Ray,” DeGroodt said. Before he offered to help out last spring, "I didn’t know Ray from the next guy," DeGroodt said.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 70F; Low 51F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 71F; 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:

Today: A chance of showers, mainly before 10 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 70. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Monday night, mostly clear. Low around 52.

Forecast for the next two days:
Tuesday: Sunny. High near 81. Tuesday night, clear. Low around 56.
Wednesday: Sunny. High near 83. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 58.


Sunrise today: 6:35 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:06 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:31

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CANAAN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Rte. 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature committee meetings: Health Services, County Resources, Public Safety, County Services, Public Works, Economic Development and Tourism, Government Operations, Finance and the Republican and Democrat caucuses, 6:30 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON City School District Board of Education budget meeting, 7 p.m. at Hudson High School library, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).
HUNTER Village Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 7955 Main St., Hudson (263-4020).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
TAGHKANIC Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

Jason Mick at DailyTech.com reports that the makers of the "Piracy: It's a Crime" commercials used Dutch musician Melchior Rietveldt's song on that project, and then again, without permission, on many others, putting it in over 71 DVDs and pre-movie ads all over the world. Rietveldt discovered the piracy watching a "Harry Potter" DVD with a pre-ad that included his song. So he called Buma/Stemra, the agency he had worked with in 2006 on a project with that song. They promised to send him a list of all the instances the song had been used, and an advance of about $17,000, but never sent any accounting of use. Then he recorded Buma/Stemra board member Jochem Gerrits telling him if he wanted to get paid, he should sign with Mr. Gerrits' label, High Fashion Music, where Gerrits would take 33 percent of Rietveldt's royalties. When that was revealed, Buma/Stemra sent him another $35,000, and last week a court awarded another $68,000, plus legal fees, and a fine of $22,000 against the company to go to promote artist awareness of collecting royalties.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and weather for Sun., Sept. 13 (2;21). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/v2/nf/hp/WGXC_local_news_20150913.mp3

Melanie Lekocevic in the Greene County News reports that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says the state will soon resume removal of the remaining copper- and zinc-contaminated soil at the American Valve manufacturing site, at 170 Mansion St. in Coxsackie. At one time the Greene County IDA considered a project for subsidized housing on the location. The DEC will soon move the contaminated soil into a secure, capped landfill already on the site. The contaminated soil is then covered by clean topsoil and re-seeded. A permanent gravel service road will be built along the western edge of the property, at Cato Street. “Removing this material and adding it to the site’s constructed landfill will complete the cleanup of the property and leave it fit for residential use,” according to the DEC report. Read the full story in the Greene County News.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., Sept. 13. PLAY AUDIO (2:40)

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

• Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 66, and a low around 50.

• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65, and a low around 50.

• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 74.

Sunrise 6:33 a.m.
Sunset 7:08 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 6:49 A.M. 7:20 P.M.
Mercury 8:47 A.M. 7:44 P.M.
Venus 3:49 A.M. 5:12 P.M.
Mars 4:09 A.M. 6:08 P.M.
Jupiter 5:25 A.M. 6:41 P.M.
Saturn 12:24 P.M. 10:10 P.M.
Uranus 8:09 P.M. 9:09 A.M.
Neptune 6:36 P.M. 5:36 A.M.
Pluto 3:39 P.M. 1:06 A.M.

• OFF THE AIR New Palenville low-power FM station WLPP-LP is off the air, after just going on a few weeks ago. The station's Facebook page included a Sept. 9 message saying, "We're currently experiencing technical difficulties: our transmitter is defective, and is being returned to the manufacturer. We'll be back on the air by the weekend, with a better transmitter."

• NEW AD MAN Columbia-Greene Media made Rick Sophia advertising director Sept. 8. Sophia (pronounced So-FI-a) was the advertising director at Strauss Newspapers for 20 years, working with 17 local weekly newspapers in Manhattan and Orange County, as well as northern New Jersey and Pike County, Pennsylvania.

• PLEDGE DRIVE The Daily Freeman reports that Kingston Community Radio begins its latest fund drive Sept. 21, hoping to raise $7,000 from 7 to 9 a.m. each weekday for two weeks. Kingston Community Radio features local interviews and public call-ins mornings on Kingston-based WGHQ (920-AM). Call Walter Maxwell at (845) 331-1004 for more information.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Sept. 12. PLAY AUDIO (2:19)

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

• Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70, and a low around 57.

• Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 66, and a low around 50.

• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.

Sunrise 6:32 a.m.
Sunset 7:10 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 5:52 A.M. 6:51 P.M.
Mercury 8:49 A.M. 7:47 P.M.
Venus 3:52 A.M. 5:15 P.M.
Mars 4:10 A.M. 6:10 P.M.
Jupiter 5:28 A.M. 6:44 P.M.
Saturn 12:28 P.M. 10:13 P.M.
Uranus 8:13 P.M. 9:13 A.M.
Neptune 6:40 P.M. 5:40 A.M.
Pluto 3:43 P.M. 1:10 A.M.

Anyone can add an event to the WGXC Community Calendar, and have it read on the radio and around the world at wgxc.org.

Kinderhook Memorial Library September Book Sale
Sept. 12-13, 18 Hudson St., Kinderhook.
The Friends of the Kinderhook Memorial Library September Book Sale will be held rain or shine under the big tent.

Hudson River School Art Trail Hike
Sept. 12, 9 a.m. at Thomas Cole House, 218 Spring St., Catskill.
Hike to Catskill Mountain House and North-South Lake.

Third Annual Horse Show
Sept. 12, 10 a.m.-noon, at High & Mighty Therapeutic Riding and Driving Center, 71 County Route 21C, Ghent.

Blessing of the Animals
Sept. 12, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Coxsackie Riverside Park.
Second Reformed Church Blessing of the Animals. Rabies and distemper vaccinations will be available.

Busy With the Bees
Sept. 13, 1 p.m. at Bronck Museum, 90 County Rt. 42, Coxsackie.
Beekeeping and the uses of bee products in the early American household. Tours begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Scenic Hudson and Columbia Land Conservancy recently partnered with landowner Abby Rockefeller to create conservation easement on the 390-acre Old Mud Creek Farm in Livingston. Rockefeller donated 50 percent of the easement’s appraised value, and hopes to restore the farm’s soil health after years of pesticide use by previous owners. “I’m very pleased to collaborate with Scenic Hudson and Columbia Land Conservancy on this important effort to preserve and enhance these lands. I’m committed to sustainable agriculture for Old Mud Creek Farm, and this is a step in achieving that vision,” Rockefeller said.

Environmental Advocates of New York released a video produced by Alana Fiera, Voorheesville resident in Albany County who volunteer with the activist group this summer, and made a video about how more than 50-70 freight trains roll through her hometown every day, many loaded with crude oil. The group says there has been more than 4,000 percent increase in rail cars since 2009 and Fiera attempted to highlight the dangers rail communities face, from lives lost to traffic collisions to possible contamination of local drinking water supplies. “I saw the increase in trains firsthand. In communities like Voorheesville, which was settled along the tracks, it’s impossible not to notice," Fiera said. "But what surprised me was the sheer amount of oil cars coming through, the types of oil they are now carrying, and how little has been done by state and federal leaders despite repeated calls for action by local residents and officials.” The video also includes remarks from Albany County Legislator Herbert W. Reilly, Voorheesville Mayor Robert Conway, Second Assistant Chief David Gannon of the Voorheesville Fire Department, and Steven Schreiber, Chairman of the Voorheesville Quiet Zone Committee.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local headlines and news for Fri., Sept. 11 (7:25). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/eb/zb/0x/WGXC%20DailyNews09112015.mp3

GREENE COUNTY
The Daily Mail is reporting the following results from Conservative and Independence primaries held in three locations:

New Baltimore | Independence
Highway Superintendent
ALAN VANWORMER (30) DENIS JORDAN (7)

Cairo | Conservative
Town Supervisor
DANIEL BENOIT (36) Write-Ins: TED BANTA (14)

Cairo | Independence
District 8, County Legislature
HARRY LENNON (24) WILLIAM LAWRENCE (21) SYLVIA HASENKOPF (13)

COLUMBIA COUNTY
Source: Columbia County Board of Elections

Greenport | Democratic Committee
TIMOTHY MJ SHOOK (2) CAROLINE M CLEINMAN (2) EUGENE KEELER (30) DONNA MORGAN (27) Write-Ins (0)

Greenport | Independence
Town Council
KEITH MORTEFOLIO (10) Write-Ins (49)
Town Supervisor
EDWARD F NABOZNY (30) Write-Ins (7)

Greenport | Working Families
Town Supervisor
TIMOTHY MJ SHOOK (2) Write-Ins (6)

Hudson 1st Ward | Democratic
Alderman
RICK RECTOR (77) MICHAEL O'HARA (40) NICK HADDAD (33) Write-Ins (3)

Hudson 4th Ward | Democratic
Alderman
LAUREN A SCALERA (36) RICH "TRIXIE" VOLO (37) ALEXIS B KEITH (52)  Write-Ins (0)

Hudson 4th Ward | Republican
Alderman
DERRICK SMITH (3) Write-Ins (11)

Kinderhook | Independence
Town Council
JEFFREY OUELLETTE (26) TIMOTHY H OOMS (27) DEBORAH A SIMONSMEIER (33)

New Lebanon | Independence
Town Clerk
JEN KELLY (6) Write-Ins (5)

New Lebanon | Republican
Town Supervisor
MICHAEL BENSON (70) COLLEEN TEAL (62) Write-Ins (0)

Stuyvesant | Independence
Town Council
KELLEY WILLIAMS (5) EDSON W FOLMSBEE (10) THOMAS S BURRALL (6) Write-Ins (2)

Rensselaer County | Republican
Sheriff
PATRICK RUSSO (64%) SCOTT RYAN (35%)
(100 percent of precincts reporting)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="201"] (Photo from aggregateresearch.com.)[/caption]

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail the Catskill Town Board and the Catskill Board of Education have each approved the settlement of a tax assessment challenge by Holcim Cement. The agreement will have fiscal ramifications for both the town and the school district during the next budget cycles. The settlement drops the assessment on the Swiss-based global building materials and aggregates company's parcel at Smith's Landing to $2.3 million. The Catskill assessor's office originally valued the property at $5.6 million. At the reduced assessed value, the company's tax bill will decrease by nearly 60 percent. Catskill Town Supervisor Joseph Leggio acknowledged the impact the reductions will have on the town’s 2016 budget, stating the loss in revenue will be difficult to absorb, as it typically compromises either services or a municipality’s tax rate. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper the Columbia County Environmental Management Council reported earlier this summer that tests on treated water from the Dewey Loeffel Superfund site did not reveal the presence of hazardous chemicals in local waterways. The EMC noted that while few sites were sampled, there was no evidence of contaminants in the water or sediment samples collected in the county. Treated water from the Rensselaer County site continues to be released into the Valatie Kill, which runs through the northern part of the county and empties into Kinderhook Lake. The report was presented to county Board of Supervisors Chairman Pat Grattan in June after the EMC reviewed the results of Environmental Protection Agency tests and toured the treatment plant at the site. The report stressed the county must continue to monitor the ongoing clean-up efforts at Dewey Loeffel. “As you are aware, the treatment plant is an interim step designed to prevent the chemical plume from the...site from spreading any further. The plan for ‘complete’ site cleanup and remediation is being developed by [the] EPA, and the entire Superfund cleanup process will take several more years,” the report noted. Dewey Loeffel was a dumping ground for toxic industrial waste by General Electric and other companies from 1952 until 1968, when the state ordered the site closed. The EPA continues to oversee operations at the treatment plant and to test the water. While work to clean the water continues, cleanup of the actual Superfund site will take many more years. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

PLAY or download the audio version of this report.

Andrea Sears is reporting for Public News Service workers and union organizers were cheering in New York City on Thursday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his latest minimum-wage proposal. The governor first announced that the state Department of Labor has officially approved the recommendation to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour. But then he went a step further, saying that if fast-food workers deserve a raise, then so do construction workers, home health-care aides and taxi cab drivers. "Every working man and woman in the state of New York deserves $15 an hour as a minimum wage," Cuomo said, "and we're not going to stop until we get it done." Cuomo will ask the Legislature to pass a bill increasing the wage from the current $8.75 an hour, phasing it in over three years in New York City and six years for the rest of the state, the same schedule as the raise for fast-food workers. Los Angeles and some other cities already have raised their minimum wage to $15, but if state lawmakers act on Cuomo's proposal it would make New York's the highest statewide minimum in the nation. Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, said that will send a clear message to the governors of every other state. "New York is going to challenge the rest of the nation to deal with the grossest inequality in our generation once and for all," she said. Some business leaders claimed that raising the minimum wage will force them to lay off workers and cut hours, but Vice President Joe Biden contended that putting money into the hands of working people actually will stimulate the economy and create more jobs. "It's the right thing to do, and the federal minimum wage needs to be raised," he said. "It's been 10 years since Congress has increased it. People are further behind today than they were 10 years ago." President Obama has called for raising the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour. More information is online at governor.ny.gov.

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

Andrea Sears reports for Public News Service that equal pay for equal work - that's what a bill announced this week would require of companies that want to do business with the state of New York. The bill, drafted by Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Deborah Glick, would make companies submit equal pay reports - broken down by gender, race and ethnicity - as a condition to winning a bid on a state contract. Sonia Ossorio, president of the National Organization for Women of New York, says that would make companies assess whether they are paying their employees fairly. "It's a lever that the state has, and therefore, that taxpayers have, to take a look at pay inequality issues and try to deal with them," she says. The bill would use the same occupational categories as the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but would not apply to companies with fewer than 100 employees. Ossorio says it would complement the New York Fair Pay Act, passed by the Legislature last spring. She adds that more needs to be done, such as addressing the wage differences between job categories. "In schools, janitors are paid more than teachers' aides," she says. "One is very male-dominated, one is very female-dominated." According to Ossorio, women in New York are currently paid an average of 86 cents for every $1 a man is paid for the same work. That falls to 66 cents for African-American women and 54 cents for Latinas.

Cairo-Durham Superintendent Anthony Taibi posted a statement Sept. 10, about an online threat related to the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on New York City. The statement:

Last evening, Cairo-Durham CSD officials and law enforcement authorities responded to an online allegation that there would be violence at the middle school/high school on Friday.

Within learning of this posting the district immediately contacted the state police, who launched an investigation into the statement.

While the investigation is still ongoing, at this time we have been told that there is no specific threat to Cairo-Durham Schools. The original comment – made by an adult with no association with our district during a visit to a student’s home – related to opinions of terrorism and the anniversary of 9/11. Subsequently, this comment was repeated and then posted online by a concerned parent.

We are grateful for the assistance we received from police overnight and this morning. We also wish to remind everyone that all allegations or threats of violence against our students and staff will be taken seriously and investigated fully.

This is an opportune time to remind your child about the importance of speaking with an adult if they need help or see/hear out of the ordinary. As always school and district personnel are available to answer any questions.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 81F; low 54F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 81F; low 56F.[/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: A chance of rain before 7 a.m., then patchy drizzle with a slight chance of showers between 7 a.m. and noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 56.

Forecast for the next two days:
Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly after 1 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 78. Saturday night, showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 61.
Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 3 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. High near 70. Sunday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 52.

Sunrise today: 6:31 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:11 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:40

Public meetings
Today is the second 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., Common Council Diversity Sub-committee, 5 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is backing a $15 minimum wage in the state, announcing his decision at an event with Vice President Joe Biden Sept. 10. Rick Karlin in Capitol Confidential writes that, "by putting the proposal to the legislature, Cuomo is forcing an income inequality debate on the Senate which is facing a 2016 election. With a potentially large Democratic turnout, especially if Hillary Clinton is the nominee, GOP Senators may feel unusual pressure to go along, at least in some purple suburbs where voters swing back and forth from Democrat to Republican." Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.