Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., Aug. 1. PLAY AUDIO (3:19)

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

• Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 79, and a low around 57.

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82, and a low around 61.

• Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.

Sunrise 5:48 a.m.
Sunset 8:14 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 8:56 P.M. 7:13 A.M.
Mercury 6:34 A.M. 8:50 P.M.
Venus 7:49 A.M. 8:40 P.M.
Mars 4:36 A.M. 7:34 P.M.
Jupiter 7:26 A.M. 9:07 P.M.
Saturn 3:06 P.M. 12:59 A.M.
Uranus 11:00 P.M. 12:03 P.M.
Neptune 9:28 P.M. 8:31 A.M.
Pluto 6:30 P.M. 3:58 A.M.

WGXC Programming

Casey Seiler reports at Capitol Confidential that the state Department of Health on Friday announced its selection of five organizations to manufacture and dispense medical marijuana, and none of the local business proposals were accepted. Facilities went to Bloomfield Industries Inc. in Queens County; Columbia Care NY LLC in Monroe County; Empire State Health Solutions in Fulton County; Etain, LLC in Warren County; and PharmaCann LLC in Orange County. Six proposals were made for medical marijuana operations in the Hudson Valley region, including one in Hudson, one in Saugerties, and one in the city of Newburgh. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Bicycles will fill local roadways in Greene County this weekend, with the "Tour of the Catskills" Pro/Am races July 31 through Aug. 2 in Tannersville, Windham, and other local towns. Ryan Anglim reports in The Daily Mail that Greene County officials hope to capitalize on the summer mountain bike races, with Greene County's Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Planning applying for $100,000 state grant July 30. The Windham World Cup races and festival start on August 6, and there are also several other biking events locally. The grant money would go to an advertising and marketing campaign to move some of Vermont biking tourism dolalrs to Greene County, according to Economic Development Director Warren Hart. “We looked extensively at the economic impact of mountain biking on visitor spending,” Hart said. “We looked over at some mountain bike trails in Vermont, and there is a very good return on investment for mountain biking.” In Greene County there are mountain bike trail locations including The Roundtopia Mountain Bike Trails, with over 20 miles of single-track and fire roads built by the Roundtop Mountain Bike Association; The Windham Bike Park opening by the end of July; Elm Ridge Bike Path, located in the Elm Ridge Wild Forest; The Windham Path, a 1.5-mile, single-track loop with a newly constructed bridge over the Batavia Kill with access to South Street Windham. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Full audio of local headlines and weather for Fri., Jul. 31 (5:47). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/hv/hh/8p/WGXC%20Daily%20News%20Friday07312015.mp3

Michael Ryan is reporting in the Windham Journal the Greene County Independence Party has opted out of endorsing any candidate in the Windham town supervisor race in November. “We talked about it as a committee. There’s too much controversy between the players,” chairman George Acker said. “We interviewed everyone involved. We decided to stay out of it and let the chips fall where they may.” Incumbent supervisor Stacy Post is currently facing felony charges over allegations that she placed audio and video recording devices in Windham Town Hall to monitor the conversations of town employees and visitors. In 2013, the Independence Party backed Post, and she went on to defeat then incumbent Republican town supervisor Stephen Walker by a very narrow margin. Post sought the committee's endorsement again this year. In addition to turning away Post, the Independence committee also rejected three candidates with whom she is aligned: Cynthia Bruno, Laura Chase and Debra Sherman. The committee also passed on endorsing Post's GOP challenger, Robert Pelham. Post is expected to create and run on her own party line in November. Ryan reports Post has cut off all communication with the media. She consistently refuses comment on the subjects of town governance, her legal troubles and the election. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Gail Heinsohn is reporting in the Chatham Courier incumbent New Lebanon Town Supervisor Michael Benson has taken legal action to prevent town clerk Colleen Teal from forcing a Republican primary in the town supervisor race in September. In papers filed with the state Supreme Court, Benson has alleged that Teal is no longer a resident of New Lebanon, saying the nominating petitions submitted present "an aura of sham." Benson's attorney, Bryon McKim, presented testimony in court this week that Teal had not slept in her West Hill Road house for months. Teal admitted she has been living in Pittsfield, Mass., but maintains that New Lebanon is her home because she is a property owner in the town. “I still maintain that New Lebanon is my home,” Teal said. The town clerk position “requires residency," she said. The parties must file additional papers before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Koweek renders an opinion. Read the full story in the Chatham Courier.

Rick Karlin is reporting at Capitol Confidential school board members statewide believe the federal government should play a less active role in how schools evaluate teachers, test students or adopt learning standards, according to a recent New York State School Boards Association survey. "Most school board members across the state would like to see the federal government take a less aggressive role in public education at the state and local levels," said the association's Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer in a statement released Thu., Jul. 30. Specifically, 80 percent of members who responded oppose federal government intervention in how states evaluate schools and teachers. Roughly 65 percent of board members polled oppose the U.S. Department of Education offering incentives to states to adopt any particular set of learning standards. The informal three-question survey of school board members was conducted earlier this month, and received approximately 560 responses. The association has a membership of nearly 5,000 elected school officials. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Cairo Democrats held their caucus July 29, and backed current Town Supervisor Ted Banta to retain that role in the November election. New politician Janet Mckeon is running for Town Board, and Ronald Baitsholts, not a registered Democrat, was backed for Highway Superintendent.

Robert Cairns reports in The Watershed Post that the Delaware County Fair is not just allowing, but encouraging vendors to fly the Confederate battle flag at the Aug. 17-22 event. At a Monday, July 27 meeting of the board of directors, directors were asked what they thought of the Confederate flag at the fair. “The more of them, the better,” replied Director Norm Kilpatrick. “The Civil War got over 153 years ago,” said Director John Jackson. “It's just part of history,” added Director Niles Wilson. Last month, the New York State Fair announced that the Confederate battle flag would not fly at its fairgrounds. Read the full story in The Watershed Post.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 86F; low 61F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 87F; low 61F.[/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 Catskill, in Greene County:

Today: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 86. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 61.

Forecast for the next three days:
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Mostly sunny. High near 84. Saturday night, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 58.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 84. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 64.
Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny. High near 87. Monday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 66.

Sunrise today: 5:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:15 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:27 hrs.

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

Full audio of the daily headlines and weather for Thu., Jul. 30 (7:14). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/ds/m8/e6/WGXC%20Daily%20News%20Thursday%2007302015.mp3

Diane Valden is reporting in the Columbia Paper State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office has taken action in state Supreme Court in Columbia County against Copake property owner Salvatore Cascino [CASH-eenoh] over allegations that he is in violation of a 2007 Department of Environmental Conservation consent decree. Cascino is a serial scofflaw with a 17-year history of violations of federal, state and town laws for illegal dumping, building and excavating. Cascino was found guilty of both civil and criminal contempt in 2009. He also pleaded guilty to one count of felony second degree offering a false instrument on behalf of his corporations as part of a plea deal in Albany County Supreme Court in June 2012. The consent decree came about after the DEC found violations of wetlands, stream protection, storm water permitting and solid waste laws stemming from Cascino’s construction and dumping activities on his 300-acre property along the east side of State Route 22, called Copake Valley Farm. In the most recent filing, the attorney general's office has asked the court find Cascino guilty of both civil and criminal contempt, alleging he has continued to use a bridge on the property to allow the dumping of waste material by truck in violation of the DEC consent decree. Cascino is scheduled to answer the charges August 21, before Acting State Supreme Court Judge Jonathan Nichols in Columbia County. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Michael Ryan is reporting in The Windham Journal Windham resident William Lonecke [LOW-neck] is preparing to circulate a petition calling for a two-term cap on town leadership positions, including town supervisor and town board seats. The town clerk, highway superintendent, tax collector and two justices would be included in the proposed changes, as well. Lonecke hopes to have the proposition on the November ballot. Lonecke's decision to push forward with the term limits proposal was prompted by what he claims were legal manipulations employed to build and finance the town's new highway department garage. He said frequent replacement of elected officials prevents any one person or group from acquiring excessive power. “No one should be guaranteed unlimited terms,” Lonecke said. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Ariel Zangla is reporting in the Daily Freeman Belleayre [Bell-AIR] Mountain and two other state-operated ski resorts have committed to using solar power to operate their ski lift and snowmaking operations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wed., Jul. 29. Under a 25-year purchase agreement with Borrego Solar, the Belleayre, Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain ski centers, could save as much as $14 million total and use more than 10 megawatts of solar power over the life of the deal. All three resorts are operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. The solar plant for Belleayre, located in Shandaken, Ulster County, is expected to generate just under 2.8 million kilowatt hours of power annually, for a projected savings of $1.88 million over 25 years. Borrego will build the power plants at its own expense.The solar projects received support from NY-Sun through the New York Energy Research and Development Authority. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Mid-Hudson News Network reports in The Daily Freeman that traffic and revenue were up on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, and four other Hudson River bridges for the first half of 2015, over the previous year. The Catskill-to-Greenport bridge traffic was up four percent, the largest increase among the bridges. “We are finally noticing a bit of an uptick in commercial vehicle traffic, so I don’t think that is anything but good news for the Hudson Valley,” Bridge Authority Chief of Staff John Bellucci said. Total traffic on all five bridges run by the New York Bridge Authority rose just under 2 percent from the first half of 2014, while revenue grew by 1.7 percent on the Rip Van Winkle, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Mid-Hudson, Newburgh-Beacon and Bear Mountain bridges. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Dan Goldberg is reporting at Capital New York a state Assembly member has introduced a bill to toughen New York's vaccination law by eliminating religious exemptions for parents seeking to enroll their children in school. Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Democrat from the Bronx, said he doesn't believe the vast majority of parents taking advantage of religious exemptions are truly devout. Dinowitz said his support of the bill is both a consequence of him recently becoming a grandparent worried about his grandchildren's safety, and a reaction to the measles outbreak in 17 states, Canada and Mexico last winter. The bill applies to public and private schools. If it becomes law, New York would be the fourth state to allow for only medical exemptions. Read the full story at Capital New York.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 88F; low 62F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 85F; low 62F.[/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 Catskill, in Greene County:

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the region, including Greene and Columbia counties for Thu., Jul. 30. Showers and thunderstorms are likely today as a cold front crosses the region. There is a marginal risk of isolated wind damage associated with thunderstorms. In addition, showers and thunderstorms will be capable of producing locally heavy downpours, which may cause flooding of urban and low lying areas with isolated flash flooding possible.

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Increasing clouds. High near 86. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9 p.m. Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear. Low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Friday: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 85. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 60.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny. High near 84. Saturday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 63.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 86. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 64.

Sunrise today: 5:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:16 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:29 hrs.

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

Casey Seiler at Capitol Confidential reports, with video from Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS.com, the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo -- despite more convictions of high Albany figures -- continues to wave off the need for a special legislative session to address ethics issues.

Full audio of the local headlines and weather for Wed., July 28 (5:10). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/y5/58/vp/WGXC_local_news_20150729.mp3

[caption width="600" align="alignnone"] From NWS Albany.[/caption]There is a Hazardous Weather Outlook July 29 for hot weather.