Megan Rogers at The Albany Business Review writes that The University at Albany is hoping to expand its research portfolio into data analytics, life sciences, atmospheric sciences, and cyber security as federal funding for reseach continues to decline. In 2014 University of Albany research expenditures were at $89 million, down from a few years ago, when the school regularly topped $100 million. "We of course want to increase our research expenditures and we're looking at alternative ways of doing this," said James Dias, the University of Albany's vice president for research. See the full story in The Business Review.

Full audio of the local headlines and weather for Fri., Jul. 17 (7:33). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/94/fz/y6/WGXC%20Daily%20News%20Friday%2007172015.mp3

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Niobe Falls in Palenville.
(From bluestreakmika.wordpress.com)[/caption]

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail complaints of parking and trespassing near a popular Palenville swimming hole were once again brought to the Catskill Town Board at a meeting Wed., Jul. 15. The board took action on similar complaints last summer, and placed boulders and no parking signs on the sections of Woodstock and Kaaterskill avenues, nearest to the Kaaterskill Creek Bridge. Mill Lane residents told the board Wednesday the parking problem has recurred and that many of the no-parking signs have disappeared. They asked that parking once again be regulated and controlled. Deputy Highway Superintendent Patrick McCulloch told the board posting no-parking signs would not solve the problem because without a local law to define the no-parking zone, enforcement cannot take place. Board members promised to look into the process, and asked the town attorney to research the matter. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting former state Sen. Stephen Saland is one of five recipients of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal Awards this year. Saland represented the 41st Senate District, which includes all of Columbia County, and most of Dutchess County. In 2011, the Poughkeepsie Republican cast the deciding vote for New York's Marriage Equality Act. He lost his 2012 re-election bid in a very tight race, after a Conservative Party challenger made a campaign issue of that vote. Saland will also be honored as a proponent of domestic violence protection law. The award will also be presented to Maria Cuomo Cole, Laurie Marker, Bill Strickland and Yoshiomi Tamai. The annual awards are given to people who have made significant contributions in areas that were the focus of Mrs. Roosevelt’s life, including education, advocacy, social justice, public service and human rights. The award ceremony will be held October 18 at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Andrea Sears is reporting for Public News Service liberals and conservatives have joined in a lawsuit to close what both groups see as a gaping loophole in New York's state campaign finance rules. It's called the "LLC loophole," created in 1996 when the state Board of Elections decided that Limited Liability Companies should be treated as individuals. For example, said Brent Ferguson, a counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice says, in a governor's race, corporations are limited to contributions of $5,000 per election cycle, but individuals can give slightly more than $68,000. "On top of that problem, people can control multiple LLCs," he said, "and then they can give up to that individual limit through each separate one." Ferguson said the contributions flow through this loophole to both Republicans and Democrats, and past efforts to reform the rule have failed along party lines. The lawsuit contends that closing the LLC loophole would make politics more responsive to the voters. The amount of cash flowing from LLCs has risen dramatically, reaching almost $55 million in just the [ast two election cycles. Under the current rules, it's difficult to know who's behind some of these large campaign contributions. Candidates are required to name individual contributors, Ferguson said, "but if an LLC gives a candidate money, the candidate just reports that as coming from an LLC. So, many times we don't know who the actual people behind those donations are." The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Albany, asks the court to order the Board of Elections to rescind the LLC rule and reconsider the issue. More information is online at brennancenter.org. PLAY the full audio version of this report (1:31):

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/e6/e8/3g/LoopholeLawsuit_PublicNewService_20150717.mp3

Deborah Lans in The Columbia Paper reports Stuyvesant's 117-acre Nutten Hook Unique Area owned by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is getting an upgrade thanks to General Electric's bad acts. The site on the Hudson River is getting improvements including gravel car and bus parking areas, a covered pavilion with a view of the river, picnic areas, and a trailhead informational kiosk. The DEC, the Town of Stuyvesant, the state Department of Transportation, and the Hudson River Valley Greenway, all contributed to the prject, with the DEC funding from an enforcement action against GE many years ago. Blueback herring, alewife, American shad, American eel, stripped bass, and the federally-endangered short-nosed sturgeon, are some of the fish that spawn in the bedrock outcropping in the Hudson River Estuary there. Recently Scenic Hudson and the state, with a $800,000 grant from the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have linked nearly five miles of shoreline from Nutten Hook south to the Hudson River Islands State Park, Gays Point Section with public access for recreation. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Governor Andrew Cuomo on July 16 announced a new program, allowing individuals, schools, or businesses to join together on small-scale renewable energy projects to share costs and savings. “The Shared Renewables initiative will help people and communities across the state save money on local clean energy projects,” Cuomo said in a press release. “This program is about protecting the environment and ensuring that all New Yorkers, regardless of their zip code or income, have the opportunity to access clean and affordable power. Together, we will build a cleaner and greener New York.” The state's solar capacity grew 300 percent between 2011 and 2014 without the program. Now different groups can work on local solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects. Each individual member’s production would appear as a credit on their monthly utility bill. The first phase of Shared Renewables will focus on promoting low-income customer participation and installations in areas of the power grid that can benefit most from local power production. Beginning May 1, 2016, a second phase will make shared renewable projects available throughout the state. There's more information about the program at www.ny.gov/REV4NY.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 83F; low 62F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 82F; low 63F.[/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: Mostly sunny. High near 80. Friday night, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. High near 81. Saturday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 64.
Sunday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 90. Sunday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 71.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy. High near 86. Monday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 64.

Sunrise today: 5:34 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:28 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:53 hrs.

Public meetings
Today is the third 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, 10 a.m., Common Council Diversity Sub-committee, 5 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

Full audio of the local headlines and weather for Thu., Jul. 16 (6:31). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/sn/z6/8b/WGXC%20Daily%20News%20Thursday%2007162015.mp3

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential New Yorkers support by a wide majority the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision last month, according to a new poll released Thu., Jul. 16, by the Siena Research Institute. By a 57 to 26 percent margin, New Yorker's also agree with the court’s second ruling upholding the federal Affordable Care Act. More than half of the New Yorkers questioned said flying the Confederate flag represents racial intolerance, rather than a celebration of Southern heritage. And among the four presidential candidates with New York ties, 52 percent of voters most want to see Hillary Clinton elected president. Donald Trump was the candidate the majority least wanted to see elected. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Kate Seckinger is reporting in The Daily Mail what started as a simple yard sale day in the hamlet of Oak Hill has turned into Oak Hill Day, an annual celebration for the entire community. The 10th annual event will take place July 25. The Oak Hill Preservation Association sponsors the celebration, which has grown to include a hot air balloon festival, open residential gardens, local art and plant displays, an open house at the Assemblage Art Gallery, musical performances and the annual car show. “Oak Hill Day began as a way to support St. Paul’s Church in its rummage sale, and has grown to be an event that draws hundreds of people from around the area,” Oak Hill Preservation Association President Nick Nahas said. “We want to preserve the small-town character of the hamlet where people come together to share with each other and have a good time.” The lawn sales that started it all are still a significant part of the community-wide event. The sales take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. can be found along Route 81, and on multiple back roads throughout the hamlet located in the town of Durham. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports that more than 60 locals in Nassau July 14 signed up to speak at the first of three public hearins about a proposed natural gas pipeline that would pass through this area from Schoharie County through Albany and Rensselear counties. "They want to move a monster into my neighborhood," said Katy Garrity, a Nassau resident whose property is near a planned 90,000-horsepower compressor station for the pipeline. The story said critics and supporters of the pipeline spoke, but did not quote anyone in favor of the pipeline. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, owned by Houston-based energy company Kinder Morgan, would build the 412 mile pipeline between northern Pennsylvania natural gas hydrofracking fields and Boston. There would be nine compressor stations along the way, including a 90,000-horsepower station off Clarks Chapel Road in Nassau, south of Burden Lake, and another in Schodack. Locally, the pipeline goes east from Wright, in Schoharie County, to an existing Kinder Morgan right of way through Knox, Berne, New Scotland, and Bethlehem, then crosses at the bottom of the Hudson River at Schodack. From there the pipeline would head south of Burden Lake to near the intersection of routes 43 and 66 at the hamlet of Alps. The pipeline continues north of Route 43 in Nassau and Stephentown for 14 miles before crossing into Massachusetts at Hancock. Besides two hearing July 14 and 15 in Nassau, there's a third public hearing at 7 p.m., Thu. July 16 at the Days Inn, 160 Holiday Way in Schoharie. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

[caption width="245" align="alignleft"] Deer tick, from Wikipedia.[/caption]Last fall, Representative Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) ran for re-election bragging about one accomplishment during the "do-nothing" Congress: writing a bill about Lyme disease, the Tick-Borne Disease Research Transparency and Accountability Act. The Daily Freeman reports that on July 13 at the Dutchess County Department of Health Gibson was finally bragging about the bill getting passed by one legislative body, as the the House of Representatives voted July 10 344-77 for 21st Century Cures Act, which includes the Lyme disease bill. The Senate is working on similar legislation, but the Lyme funding still has a long ways to go in Congress before becoming law. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Eric Goulden lives in Catskill and is better known in music circles as Wreckless Eric. The musician most famous for his song "(I’d Go the) Whole Wide World” his role on a 1977 tour with Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and others. Currently, Goulden is touring the U.S., and on July 15 he told the Houston Post he had to have the entire steering system on his car replaced in St. Louis over the weekend. “I blame all the potholes around my home,” he laughs. “When I get back I may have to take the mayor by the throat and help him eat my property-tax receipt. But we’re all good now.” Of course, Catskill does not have a mayor, but Town Supervisor Joseph Leggio or Deputy Highway Superintendent Patrick McCulloch may want to take note. Read the full story in the Houston Post.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 80F; low 54F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 80F; low 54F.[/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: Sunny. High near 77. Thursday night, patchy fog after 3 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear. Low around 50.

Forecast for the next three days:
Friday: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny. High near 81. Friday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 63.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny. High near 84. Saturday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 67.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 88. Sunday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 68.

Sunrise today: 5:33 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:29 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:55 hrs.

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

ANCRAM Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. in Town Hall at 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
CHATHAM Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Land Use Review Committee meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at middle/high school, 24 Sunset Blvd., Coxsackie (731-1800).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. in Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-6122).
GHENT Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the Ghent Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting is cancelled (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
WINDHAM Town Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

Full audio of local headlines and weather for Wed., Jul. 15 (5:06). (Produced by Tom Roe.)

https://data.wavefarm.org/r/4j/qj/az/WGXC_local_news_20150715.mp3

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star while crime in general is on the decline in Hudson, gun violence is increasing, this according to city Police Chief Edward Moore. “It’s not time to panic, but to focus our resources on it,” he said. Moore made the comments during a meeting with city residents at Providence Hall, Tue., Jul. 14, in response to a question about the decision to deploy the city's SWAT team at Hudson Terrace on July 7 to recover a handgun. In the 30 months since he became chief, Moore said there have been 41 instances of shots fired, a 20 percent increase over the preceding period. “If you look at the statistics, the trend in this city is for gun violence,” Moore said. “That worries me. A police officer is going to get shot, a citizen is going to get shot.” Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Kyle Hughes is reporting for NYSNYS News the decision of medical marijuana licenses in New York are expected any day, but so far there are few clues as to who the growers, processors and sellers will be. Forty-three companies have applied for state Health Department licenses. Some of those competing companies say the remain in the dark about how far along the process is. Six proposals have been made public for medical marijuana operations in the Hudson Valley region, including one in Hudson, one in Saugerties and one in the city of Newburgh. The Cuomo administration has given no clue about when the successful applicants will be announced. Under the new law, by early 2016 patients with a doctor’s approval will be permitted to buy marijuana extracts to consume. Medical marijuana in available in about two dozen states and the District of Columbia. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Chris Bragg is reporting at Capitol Confidential Democrat Shaun Francis has raised nearly $16,000 since February, in his campaign against Halfmoon Republican state Sen. Kathy Marchione in 2016. In an interview, Francis called the fundraising a “respectable showing” so early in the 2016 election cycle, especially for a first-time candidate. Francis is a labor official and former AAA baseball umpire. He was also critical of former Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s use of $500,000 in taxpayer-reimbursed legal fees for a PAC donation. Francis noted that $5,000 of the money went to Marchione, who currently holds Bruno’s old seat. “I think the fact that taxpayer money is being used for donations to [GOP state Sen. George Amedore] and Kathy Marchione is going to upset plenty of people,” Francis said. As of January, Marchione reported having approximately $160,000 is cash on hand. Her July filing was not available as of Tue., Jul. 15. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="250"] Coxsackie Creek goes under Route 9W and into the Hudson River. Photo from DEC website.[/caption]

WNYT in Albany reports 7,700 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a Coxsackie Creek in Greene County, July 12. The Department of Environmental Conservation says a broken pipe caused the spill in Coxsackie Creek. The creek runs into the Hudson River. CBS 6 TV in Albany reports the leak came from the Village of Coxsackie Wastewater Treatment Plant, on the 200 block of Mansion Street.