Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 95F; low 63F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 94F; low 65F.[/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 90. Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 68.


Forecast for the next two days:
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny. High near 88. Wednesday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 68.
Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy. High near 81. Thursday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 64.

Sunrise today: 6:28 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:17 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:48

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

CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at 488 Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COPAKE Land Use Review Committee, 7 p.m.; Board of Ethics, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234)
COXSACKIE Town board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
HUDSON Common Council special meeting to discuss and consider an application for a grant under the Greenway Communities Grant Program, 6:45 p.m.; informal meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
LEXINGTON Planning Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 3542 Rte. 42, Lexington (989-6476).
STUYVESANT Trails Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).

Click here to download or play audio version of this report. (2:01)


Matthew Lasar at Radio Survivor writes that Azerbaijani radio host Khadija Ismayilova is in jail in Azerbaijan, for doing her job as a journalist. While convicted of, “running an illegal business, tax evasion, abuse of power and embezzlement," she was really sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail for reporting on corruption within the administration of Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev. Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch issued a statement (above) calling the situation an “outrage.” “I might be in prison but the work will continue,” she vowed at her sentencing. Ismayilova had reported that the Azerbaijan government awarded rights to a large gold field to the President’s family. Her reports have been published in Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, and at Truthdig. Read the full story at Radio Survivor.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="480"] (From dol.gov)[/caption]

Mon., Sept. 7 is Labor Day, an annual celebration of the American labor movement. According to U.S. Dept. of Labor, there is still some disagreement over who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first to suggest a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." While others believe machinist Matthew Maguire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. The holiday is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of the United States.

The Daily Freeman is reporting a rundown of how various services will be affected by the holiday:

• Amtrak: Holiday schedule


• Banks: Closed


• City, town and village offices: Closed


• County offices: Closed


• Federal offices: Closed


• Financial markets: Closed


• Greene County Transit: No service


• Mail delivery: None


• Metro-North: Holiday schedule


• Schools: Closed


• State offices: Closed

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 93F; low 64F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 92F; low 65F.[/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 (Labor Day observed): Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 90. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 64.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Photo from Staley B. Keith Social Justice Center Facebook feed.[/caption]

Many Facebook feeds throughout the area are filled with photo of Confederate flag memorablia for sale from vendors at the Columbia County Fair this weekend. The fair closes Sun., Sept. 6, and since Sept. 2, vendors at the fair have been selling items with the stars and bars. The Staley B. Keith Center for Social Justice Facebook feed includes several photos, and quotes the fair's leader. “For some time it has been our policy to discourage the sale and display of Confederate flags and other objectionable materials at the Columbia County Fair,” said Nelson Alford, a lawyer who is the fair’s president of the board. “The policy’s in place; it has worked very well and will continue.” The New York State Fair banned the flags this year, while officials at the Delaware County County Fair welcomed them, and Greene County Youth Fair officials looked the other way.

The Daily Freeman admits it made a mistake with its initial reporting of the traffic deaths of Dante Crump, 22, of Kingston, Adam (Jeff) McQueen, 22, of Ulster Park, Kaireem Meeks Jr., 24, of Kingston, and Jonte Clark, 26, of Kingston, which included some criminal records. "An early Web version of an Aug. 27 followup story on the deaths included the criminal records of some of the victims. The information was deleted from the story a little less than two hours later and did not appear in print. The Freeman posted an apology on its Facebook page," the paper reported. Freeman Managing Editor Tony Adamis plans to apologize to protesters who plan to gather at 3 p.m. Sept. 8 outside the newspaper's office on Hurley Avenue in Kingston. The Ministers’ Alliance of Ulster County, End Jim Crow Action Network, Kinsgton Council of Churches, Citizens Action of New York, and Midtown Rising are organizing the protest. 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., Sept. 6. PLAY AUDIO (2:40)

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

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82, and a low around 64.

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87, and a low around 61.

• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunrise 6:26 a.m.
Sunset 7:20 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 12:17 A.M. 3:05 P.M.
Mercury 8:50 A.M. 8:06 P.M.
Venus 4:15 A.M. 5:32 P.M.
Mars 4:13 A.M. 6:23 P.M.
Jupiter 5:45 A.M. 7:05 P.M.
Saturn 12:50 P.M. 10:36 P.M.
Uranus 8:37 P.M. 9:38 A.M.
Neptune 7:04 P.M. 6:05 A.M.
Pluto 4:07 P.M. 1:34 A.M.

Click here to download or play an audio version of this report. (1:10)

Public News Service reports that a Vermont-based company has proposed building one of the largest solar farms in upstate New York's Madison County, which it says could save residents millions in energy costs. But the developer, groSolar, is getting push-back from Oneida residents near the proposed site, who fear it could lower their property values and have filed a lawsuit against the city. Katherine Nadeau, program director of Renewable New York, says both sides must find common ground for the solar farm to be built. "In order for these things to really work, it's got to be something the community can get behind," says Nadeau. "We're really hopeful the community can come to some resolution on this, because from Renewable New York and Catskill Mountainkeeper's perspective, more clean energy is more jobs, less fossil fuels, and is better for our communities." Residents opposed to the project also say the city did not adequately inform them about their plans for the land. The developer says the 2.8 megawatt project would save Oneida residents up to $6 million over a 25-year period and would cost the city nothing, thanks to a state grant and tax incentives. Gary Skulnik, groSolar director of marketing, believes the local concerns about the project affecting property values aren't based on facts. "There is absolutely zero evidence anywhere that solar decreases property values," says Skulnik. "The state of Massachusetts did a nationwide survey of Internet sources and could not find a single source that showed any decrease in home value." To address neighbors' concerns, Skulnik says groSolar has agreed to evaluate other sites in the city of Oneida, even though officials there have said they prefer the proposed site.

• WGXC PROGRAMMING CHANGES WGXC (90.7-FM) has many program changes, including a revamped Tuesday broadcast almost entirely from Catskill. The Carnegie Room in the Catskill library is home to the WGXC mobile studio, and now where the "WGXC Morning Show" and "WGXC Afternoon Show" originate every week. WGXC is looking for Catskill youth to host a new youth-oriented show in the 3:30-4 p.m. timeslot. "Super Radio Maniac Fun" is moving to that same time Wednesday. "Vinyl Rundown" from Chris Bishop is also moving to the second Tuesday of the month, as "Low Tide" host Liv Carrow is moving to the Midwest. There are several other time slots open for music programs, and anyone in the community can fill out an application to host a show on WGXC.

• LIVE BROADCASTS WRIP (97.9-FM) hosts two live remote broadcasts this month. Fri., Sept. 11 the station will be at the Windham Country Club at 10 a.m. with a 9/11 Tribute from St. Theresa's Church and the Windham police and fire departments and VFW 1545 Honor Guard. Also, from noon-4 p.m. Sept. 19, WRIP broadcasts from the open house and dedication of the new municipal building in Ashland.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Sept. 5. PLAY AUDIO (4:19)

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

• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 77, and a low around 59.

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 80, and a low around 59.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

Sunrise 6:25 a.m.
Sunset 7:22 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon Prev Day 2:11 P.M.
Mercury 8:49 A.M. 8:09 P.M.
Venus 4:19 A.M. 5:35 P.M.
Mars 4:14 A.M. 6:25 P.M.
Jupiter 5:48 A.M. 7:08 P.M.
Saturn 12:53 P.M. 10:40 P.M.
Uranus 8:41 P.M. 9:42 A.M.
Neptune 7:08 P.M. 6:09 A.M.
Pluto 4:11 P.M. 1:38 A.M.

Anyone can add events to WGXC Community Calendar at wgxc.org and have info about your event read on the radio.
This weekend on the Community Calendar:
• Dirty Paki Lingerie, Fri-Sun at Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill, from playwright/performer Aizzah Fatima and director Erica Gould.
• Joanna Hoffman poetry workshop Sat. 5:30-6:30 p.m., performance, open mic 7 p.m. at Karen's Country Kitchen, Hunter.
• Charles Busch Sun. at Helsinki Hudson, The actor, screenwriter, playwright, and female impersonator performs.
See more events and post your own this weekend at wgxc.org

Will Brunelle in Capital New York reports that New York's Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul said in Albany Sept. 3 that former state senator Cecilia Tkaczyk's attempt to take over the Women's Equality Party was an "affront to women." "To think that other people now are going to try and hijack the party, I think that’s unfair to the over 400 people who have now sought the opportunity to have their name on the ballot with the Women’s Equality line behind them," Hochul told reporters. Tkaczyk, who is also a WGXC volunteer programmer, previously said she is, "making sure women are running it" instead of what she called the "political machine" of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who created the party as part of his campaign strategy last year. "I know that there’s women heavily engaged in this, myself included," Hochul said. "And so to say that it’s not being run by women is really an affront to women like myself." Read the full story in Capital New York.

Full audio of local headlines and weather for Fri., Sept. 4 (6:38). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/k2/1g/fn/WGXC%20DailyNews08042015.wav

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail state Sen. George Amedore has secured needed funds that will allow a New York State Department of Transportation project in Palenville to move forward. Catskill Town Supervisor Joseph Leggio announced the award, Wed., Sept. 2. The DOT will construct a sidewalk along Route 32A from Woodstock Avenue up to the red light with Route 23A, and then along Route 23A up to Bogart Avenue in the hamlet. The $80,000 secured by Amedore represents 20 percent of the total project budget, and serves as the missing local match needed from the town of Catskill. Amedore said he is pleased to have been able to close the funding gap for the town. The funds are state municipal grant money earmarked to help localities with capital projects and infrastructure improvements. Amedore said, “Someday, I would love to see a sidewalk go all the way up to the Falls. That is a dangerous stretch of roadway, and it would make it safe for pedestrians, and safe for commuters.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register-Star restoration work on the Hudson Day Care Center, located at 10 Warren Street, is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Funding for the building repairs came from the city of Hudson and the New York State Rural Area Revitalization Projects plan. In December 2013, the corporation was awarded $150,000 to stabilize and rehabilitate the building that houses the center. Some of the work accomplished includes a full roof replacement, stabilization of the basement, an upgrade of the outdated electrical system and the replacement of rotted structural support beams. “The Hudson Day Care Center, struggle as it might, has served the city for over 40 years. It is gratifying to be able to say...the city has helped secure its future with this grant and the repairs for which it has paid,” said Hudson Common Council President Don Moore. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Nia Hamm is reporting for Public News Service state and local police departments in New York are cracking down on impaired drivers for the Labor Day weekend. "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" is part of a national effort to reduce accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Richard Mallow is executive director of the New York State chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It's located in Suffolk County, which leads every other county in the nation in the highest number of alcohol-related car accidents. "Anytime you have more officers out on the roads specifically looking for drunk and impaired drivers, it sends a message," he says. "And that's what we have to consistently do – send the message that if you do this, you're going to get arrested." Mallow says the state can do more to crack down on impaired drivers, including strengthening existing laws that penalize them. The campaign runs through the Sept. 7 Labor Day holiday. The number of fatal alcohol-related crashes in New York has fallen by about 800 in the last five years but about 30 percent of them still are alcohol-related, and the numbers tend to increase nationally during the Labor day weekend. New York State Police spokesman is Beau Duffy. "The timing is targeted late summer and at Labor Day weekend in order to, you know, get the message out that people need to put away their keys and get a ride if they've been drinking and if they have to drive, don't drink," says Duffy. In 2013, 364 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo's Traffic Safety Committee 2014 annual report.

PLAY the full audio version of this report (1:18):

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/qp/cr/x9/LaborDayImpairedDrivers_PNS_20150904.mp3

Eliza Shapiro reports at Capital New York that Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Sept. 3 that, "The fact is that the current Common Core program in New York is not working, and must be fixed.... To that end, the time has come for a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Common Core Standards, curriculum, guidance and tests in order to address local concerns." While representatives for the state education department did not respond on Sept. 3, Cuomo said he is going to appoint a "representative group" from a pre-existing education commission he created to study the Common Core, and wants a report on what could be done before his State of the State address in January. The story says, "Cuomo ordered a similar investigation to study the state's Common Core rollout last year. It produced a set of recommendations that had already been largely adopted by the state." Read the full story in Capital New York.

Julia Reischel in The Watershed Post reports that area swimming holes are being filled with "diapers, condoms and beer" and other trash this summer. "The locals here along Watson Hollow Road and beyond are heartbroken," said Peggy Brueckner, who lives near the Peekamoose Blue Hole. "There is litter all over the place. There are no laws being enforced and it a total mess up there. Campers are off the designated sites, people are in the middle of the road and it is a free for all! It's not even a family friendly place any more." “The swimming holes along Kaaterskill Clove and Molly Smith parking lot are areas where people leave large amounts of garbage,” said DEC spokesperson Rick Georgeson of the Greene County locations off Route 23A. “The ranger who patrols the area will often remove garbage from these areas on a weekly basis.” In Durham, in Greene County, town officials shut down a popular swimming hole on the Catskill Creek in August after swimmers threw rocks, crammed dirty diapers into nearby mailboxes and left behind “hundreds of broken and empty beer bottles, cigarette butts and other trash” every weekend, according to a report in The Daily Mail. The DEC recommends, according to the Watershed Post report, North/South Lake Campground, Mongaup Pond Campground, Bear Spring Mt. Campground, and Little Pond Campground for uncrowded swimming spots with less trash. Read the full story in The Watershed Post.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 81F; low 53F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 81F; low 55F.[/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: Partly sunny. High near 75. Friday night, patchy fog after 5 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy. Low around 57.

Forecast for the next two days:
Saturday: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 81. Saturday night, mostly clear. Low around 56.
Sunday: Sunny. High near 85. Sunday night, mostly clear. Low around 58.

Sunrise today: 6:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:24 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:59

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

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

John Anderson in DIY Media reports that Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler just about admitted recently that the agency can do nothing about the proliferation of pirate radio stations in the New York City metropolitan area. While the FCC is cutting back employment at its enforcement division, it is adding one position in New York City, where as many as 100 pirate stations may be on the air. In late June, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly convened a “working group” including the National Association of Broadcasters, New York State Broadcasters Association, New Jersey Broadcasters Association, National Public Radio, and others to stop New York City radio pirates. On July 27, Wheeler sent letters to New York and New Jersey’s members of Congress formally replying to a previous letter from the Congresspeople about the problem. According to the letter, the FCC, “has issued more than 100 pirate radio enforcement actions” this year — a claim that Anderson says it not reflected in the FCC's public data. “Given the facts it is clear that the pirate radio problem cannot be solved by enforcement alone,” Wheeler writes. He announces the creation of an “inter-bureau task force” to “develop policy and enforcement optoions to address the issue,” with four options:
• Revision of the Communications Act to provide for “aiding and abetting” liability for landlords and other parties that provide material support to pirate operators;
• Identification of trade associations and law enforcement entities to educate landlords, advertisers and others about the unlawful nature of pirate operations and develop best practices;
• Release of a policy statement/enforcement advisory that could be shared with these groups and help channel state, local, and federal resources on pirates; and
• Additional FCC, state, and local enforcement options for reducing pirate activities.
Anderson predicts a sweep of the New York metropolitan area by the Enforcement Bureau’s new “tiger teams,” similar to sweeps in 1997-98 in the face of the microradio movement. Read the full story in DIY Media. (NOTE: Anderson is on Wave Farm's board.)