Brian Hubert is reporting in the Daily Freeman the Saugerties Town board passed a no confidence resolution Wed., Jun. 18, in relation to the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline project. If constructed, the pipeline would move Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, NJ, through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties, and send refined crude back to Albany, largely along the I-87 corridor. Citing the resolution, Town Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel said the company failed to demonstrate to town officials that it was applying for the necessary permits from the appropriate state agencies, adding that it also failed to show if it was complying with regulations under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. He said Pilgrim also failed to adequately address questions about project investors and how the necessary financing would be procured. Town officials canceled a scheduled public forum on the project Thu., Jun 18, after Pilgrim representatives decided not to attend. Helsmoortel said company officials balked at an agenda that gave them 30 minutes to speak and 30 minutes each to representatives of environmental groups Riverkeeper and Catskill Mountainkeeper. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Kelly Weill is reporting at Capital New York a new study of home-ownership loan applications in New York City shows that black and Hispanic households are far more likely to be denied a home loan compared with whites. The study found that 16 percent of whites citywide were denied a conventional home loan, but 34 percent of black applicants and 29 percent of Hispanic applicants were turned down. The study was conducted by listings service StreetEasy, using loan application data made available by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Alan Lightfeldt, StreetEasy's data scientist, said the statistics show when it comes to loan applications, “race certainly matters.” The denial rates are even more dramatic in individual boroughs. On Staten Island for example, only 12 percent of white applicants were denied, while 51 percent of black applicants were turned away. Read the full story at Capital New York.

Hillsdale Town Supervisor Art Baer has announced he will not seek re-election in November. The 12-year veteran of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors broke the news in an interview with Victor Mendolia on WGXC ,Wed., Jun. 17: PLAY (00:42) Baer is a Long Island native, and he moved to the affluent southern county town of Hillsdale 30 years ago. He has an extensive business background, including general management positions in a variety of service businesses. He is also the former dean of Drexel University's School of Business. Baer is a former chairman of the Board of Supervisors. His tenure was marred by an attempt in 2009, to destabilize the county seat by moving essential services and the county Department of Social Services away from Hudson to an abandoned school in Claverack. He also spearheaded a proposal to house the county's homeless in a historic landmark hotel located in the center of the city's downtown. Baer was elected as a Republican and later as a Democrat. The Board of Supervisors last week chose Baer, and Supervisor John Reilly of Gallatin, to conduct an independent audit of loan procedures of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation. His term will end December 31.

[caption width="200" align="alignleft"] From Wikipedia.[/caption]Rick Karlin in Capitol Confidential reports that while the State Senate has all sorts of important measures to pass before the legislative session ends, on June 17 the Senate voted 32-31 to make the wood frog the official state amphibian. It was the second year in a row the Senate made the declaration, and last year Jon Stewart mocked the Senate on his "The Daily Show." This year, legislators gave him much fodder too: Queens Democrat Mike Gianaris said ”this is an asinine bill;” “They are very small and ugly,” said Toby Stavisky, a Queens Democrat. Catskills GOP Senator John Bonacic said environmentalists would use the designation to impose greater land use restrictions called ”wood frog zone[s].” “You can’t build here or you can’t build something over there. You think it’s a joke?” he said. The punchline is that there is no counterpart bill in the Assembly, so the Senate debate on frogs was a complete waste of time. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Today is Day 16 of the WGXC Radio Active Summer Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of 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!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 76F; low 51F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 76F; low 52F.[/caption]


 




 

 

 

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: Isolated showers before 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 80. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 52.

Forecast for the next three days:
Saturday: A slight chance of showers after 3 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 73. Saturday night, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 66.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain Cloudy. High near 78. Sunday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy. Low around 66.
Monday: Partly sunny. High near 87. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 61.

Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:35 p.m.
Length of the day: 15:16 hrs.

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

[caption width="230" align="alignright"] Michael Hayden, from Wikipedia.[/caption]For months, former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden has been claiming that, if passed, the USA Freedom Act would lead to dire consequencies for American security. Before the slight reform of the Patriot Act passed a few weeks ago, Hayden said, "The bill’s imposition of the warrant requirement on the NSA would be more burdensome than what any assistant U.S. attorney must do to get metadata in a routine criminal case, which is simply to aver that the information is needed in connection with a criminal investigation—period." Now that the USA Freedom Act is law of the land, Techdirt reports he's singing a different tune. "If somebody would come up to me and say “Look, Hayden, here’s the thing: This Snowden thing is going to be a nightmare for you guys for about two years. And when we get all done with it, what you’re going to be required to do is that little 215 program about American telephony metadata — and by the way, you can still have access to it, but you got to go to the court and get access to it from the companies, rather than keep it to yourself” — I go: “And this is it after two years? Cool!”

Full audio of the local headlines and weather for Thu., Jun. 18. (5:06). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

http://data.wavefarm.org/r/pc/96/rx/WGXC%20Daily%20News%20Thursday%2006182015.mp3

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman the state Public Service Commission, Wed., Jun. 17, approved a request by Central Hudson Gas & Electric's to increase residential electric delivery rates by about 9 percent. The Commission also approved a five percent hike in natural gas delivery rates over the next three years. The changes are effective July 1. The new rates reflect only delivery charges and do not include the actual cost of the electric and gas commodities, which, according to Central Hudson, “typically comprise 30 to 50 percent" of the total bill. The company has promised to use the increased revenue that will result to create a major storm reserve, convert customers to monthly billing and create an incentive-expansion program to promote the conversion of customers to gas service, among other things. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting in the Columbia Paper public school enrollment in Columbia County declined 7.7 percent between 2009 and 2013, according to data released by the New York State Education Department. The county combined K-12 enrollment, in six districts, was 7,818 students at the start of the 2009-10 school year. Four years later that number had dropped to 7,219, a loss of nearly 600 students. The county’s overall population during the same period of time also decreased, but at a rate of less than two percent. Amid the general decline, however, enrollment increased for students identified as “Latino” and “Asian/ Pacific.” In five of six county districts, the Latino enrollment increased 46 percent and the Asian/Pacific enrollment increased 13 percent. During the same period, the African-American student population declined 21 percent, while the white student population decreased 14 percent. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Dan Goldberg is reporting at Capital New York the state Legislature Wed., Jun. 17, passed a bill requiring 7th- and 12th-grade students to receive a meningococcal vaccine. The measure now heads to the governor's desk for his signature. Meningitis is a life-threatening bacterial infection. In comments Wednesday, Assembly member Deborah Glick reminded her colleagues that meningitis was a contagious disease and the decision to avoid vaccination could have far-reaching consequences. Assembly member and vaccine opponent Tom Abinanti pointed out that very few people in the state actually contract the disease. He also said the vaccine manufacturer acknowledges that roughly one percent of recipients will suffer harm, and 10 percent of those people will suffer serious harm from the vaccine. The meningitis bill was also targeted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who, earlier this month, accused the press of “parrot[ing] ... orthodoxies” about vaccine safety, and accused the pharmaceutical industry of poisoning children. Read the full story at Capital Confidential.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="600"] The Coxsackie-Athens Community Band, from Facebook.[/caption]


The Music in the Park free Thursday night concert series begins for the summer June 18 at Catskill Point. The Coxsackie-Athens Community Band is the first show of the season at Dutchman’s Landing, or inside the Historic Catskill Point warehouse building if there is rain at 7 p.m.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240"] Jenny Hval, from Wikipedia.[/caption]

Ben Ratliff in The New York Times announces the lineup for the Basilica SoundScape festival in Hudson, Sept.11-13. Norwegian singer and composer Jenny Hval and noise band Wolf Eyes are among the highlights, with others including the Haxan Cloak, Blanck Mass, Actress, Viet Cong, Health, Circuit des Yeux, Weyes Blood, and Indian tabla player and sitarist Gourisankar and Indrajit Banerjee. More information is at basilicasoundscape.com.

Today is Day 15 of the WGXC Radio Active Summer Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of 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!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 74F; low 61F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 73F; low 63F.[/caption]

 

 




 

 

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: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 71. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny. High near 79. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 48.
Saturday: Sunny. High near 78. Saturday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 65.
Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy. High near 81. Sunday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 66.

Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:34 p.m.
Length of the day: 15:16 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, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (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).

The Federal Communications Commission June 17 levied its largest fine ever, charging AT&T Mobility LLC $100 million for offering consumers "unlimited" data, but then slowing their Internet speeds. The FCC said AT&T misled consumers into buying the so-called unlimited plans, but which had slowed-down data. "The FCC has specifically identified this practice as a legitimate and reasonable way to manage network resources for the benefit of all customers, and has known for years that all of the major carriers use it," the company said in a statement. "We have been fully transparent with our customers, providing notice in multiple ways and going well beyond the FCC's disclosure requirements." The FCC disagreed, saying millions of customers saw their Internet service slow to the equivalent of dial-up speeds for up to 12 days a month. “Broadband providers must be upfront and transparent about the services they provide," FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement. "The FCC will not stand idly by while consumers are deceived by misleading marketing materials and insufficient disclosure.” Republican FCC commissioner Ajit Pai called the decision "Kafkaesque" in his dissent. "This case is really just a regulatory bait and switch. The flexibility the agency promised is being replaced by previously unknown and arbitrarily selected obligations," Pai wrote in his dissent. "A once-approved network management practice is now out of favor and carries with it a $100 million penalty."

William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman the town of Saugerties has canceled a scheduled public meeting with representatives of the Pilgrim Pipeline proposal. The information session was to take place Thu., June 18. Pilgrim said the meeting was canceled because town officials were unwilling to abide by a format that would give equal amounts of time to pipeline supporters and opponents. The town, though, blames Pilgrim for the cancellation. Town Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel said Pilgrim representatives were unhappy about the wide publicity around the event. “They didn’t like that the meeting was put on [a] regional website,” Helsmoortel said. The supervisor said he received a call Friday and told no one from Pilgrim would be attending. “There was going to be a lot of opposition [at the forum], and there’s not going to be a lot of support,” Helsmoortel said. “You have to face stuff like that when you do things publicly; when you want to get a project done that’s not well thought of or liked.” The proposed 178-mile Pilgrim Pipeline would move Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, NJ, through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties, and send refined crude back to Albany, largely along the I-87 corridor. The system would carry 8.4 million gallons per day, each way. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

John Mason is reporting in the Register Star Hudson officials are considering legal action against the Columbia County Board of Elections if it continues to refuse to re-register voters into what the city considers the proper election districts. According to Columbia County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Virginia Martin, there are people living in Hudson's Third and Fourth wards who should be voting in the Fifth Ward. Martin said the board had been supplied a survey by city attorney Carl Whitbeck Jr. that clearly supports the claim. She has recommended to Common Council that a change be made. However, Republican Commissioner Jason Nastke disagrees and Martin can do nothing without his approval. Nastke said information has been presented that puts the survey results in dispute. He believes any decision around the redrawing of election districts should be a "transparent, fair and open process." Nastke has requested an opinion from the county attorney. At a meeting of the Common Council, Tue., Jun. 16, Council President Don Moore suggested legal action could be in the offing. Whitbeck will contact Nastke and report back to the council at a special meeting June 25. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Josefa Velasquez and Jimmy Vielkind are reporting at Capital New York the state legislative session is likely to be extended through Fri., Jun. 19. Emerging from a closed-door meeting with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Tue., Jun. 16, his members were prepared to stay beyond Wed., Jun. 17, the scheduled end of session. Lawmakers must come to an agreement on the rent-regulation laws, which expired Monday at midnight. The Legislature also has not come to a consensus on mayoral control of New York City public schools, which expires at the end of the month. Lawmakers have come to agreement on a number of other issues this week, including the allocation of $10 million to combat rape on college campuses, legislation for more stringent nail salon practices and a measure that would allow New Yorkers to bring their dogs to outdoor dining establishments. Read the full story at Capital New York.

Karrie Allen in the Chatham Courier reports that environmental educator from Ghent Fran Martino recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with an Environmental Champion Award for achievements in protecting public health and the environment. Martino works with local school districts, leads canoe trips, and owns and operates River Haggie Outdoors. “These New Yorkers work tirelessly to protect human health and the environment, inspiring us all to strive for a more sustainable future,” Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck said in a press release. “To be included in the list of award recipients referred to as ‘environmental trailblazers’ … is truly an honor for me,” said Martino. Read the full story in the Chatham Courier.

Kate Seckinger in The Daily Mail reports that Durham's last workshop meeting included an angry confrontation, after word of a discussion in executive session leaked. Durham Town Justice Karen Tirpak said at the meeting, “It has been brought to my attention that at the last town board meeting, it was discussed that I wasn’t meeting my hours.... I just terminated my health insurance through the town, and because of that, I just find it a little funny.” Town Supervisor William Carr Jr. said, “When we have discussions in an executive session, they’re meant to allow us to discuss very sensitive issues that can be so very delicate and very damaging.... When an individual takes it upon himself or herself to blow that strategy out of the water, that’s very sad. If I go out and ask about an issue, I always try to do it in a discreet way because I know there might be a 90 percent chance the information we were told is wrong.” Councilman Jerry Cunningham said, “I’d like to know who is keeping track of hours, and why we are. Are we keeping track of everyone in the town and the hours they put in? It’s not up to us to police an elected official.” Apparently the group has patched things up, and at Durham’s next town meeting at 7:30 p.m. June 16, Carr, Cunningham, Sutton and Tirpak agreed that things should run smoothly, according to The Daily Mail.

Today is Day 14 of the WGXC Radio Active Summer Pledge Drive. Tune in for a full slate of 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!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 77F; low 56F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 77F; low 56F.[/caption]

 

 




 

 

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 76. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 57.

Forecast for the next three days:
Thursday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 73. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 61.
Friday: A slight chance of showers before noon. Mostly sunny. High near 76. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 52.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 78. Saturday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 65.

Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:34 p.m.
Length of the day: 15:15 hrs.

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

CATSKILL Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
GERMANTOWN Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Elementary Music Room, Germantown School, 123 Main St., Germantown (537-6281).
GHENT Planning Board, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Public hearing, 6:20 p.m.; Legislature meeting, 6:30 p.m. All at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
STUYVESANT Zoning Revision Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TACONIC town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Rte. 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).
TACONIC HILLS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Central Office boardroom, 73 Co. Rte. 11A, Craryville (325-2800).