Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., May 23. PLAY AUDIO (2:49)

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

• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64, and a low around 43.

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 75, and a low around 52.

• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.

Sunrise 5:26 a.m.
Sunset 8:17 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 10:41 A.M. 12:07 A.M.
Mercury 6:06 A.M. 9:03 P.M.
Venus 8:22 A.M. 11:51 P.M.
Mars 5:47 A.M. 8:47 P.M.
Jupiter 10:57 A.M. 1:14 A.M.
Saturn 7:57 P.M. 5:46 A.M.
Uranus 3:36 A.M. 4:30 P.M.
Neptune 2:08 A.M. 1:09 P.M.
Pluto 11:11 P.M. 8:41 A.M.

WGXC Programming

10 a.m. Trans-X Transmission Art Keynote Address by Knut Aufermann and Sarah Washington
Noon: Framework: Framework: 20150523
2:00pm Radius Sketchpad: Martin Howse
3:30pm Radio Camp: Rama, Dlisah, Lo'am Lapidus
4:00pm Saturday Afternoon Show: Knut Auferman and Sarah Washington and Peter Flemming
6:00pm Special Remote Broadcast: John Cage Evening Broadcast
8:00pm Saturday Night Special: Doug Van Nort, Elliott Fienberg, Sarah Boothroyd
10:00pm Saturday Night Séance: HQTBD | Still//Life

[caption width="554" align="alignnone"] Darker blue is Freeze Warning, lighter blue is Frost Advisory.[/caption]The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Freeze Warning for higher elevations in the Hudson Valley, and a Frost Advisory for along the Hudson River, as temperatures are expected to plummet overnight. Some residents may want to bring in plants, or cover them tonight, as temperatures are expected in the lower 30s.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="180"] (Source: Wikipedia)[/caption]

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in the Columbia Paper the state Department of Agriculture and Markets has placed a ban on all fowl competitions at county fairs statewide as a safeguard against avian flu. The department released a statement this week banning "all breeds of fowl, including chickens, pigeons, turkeys, pheasants, guinea fowl, bantam poultry, geese, and ducks.” The ban includes the Columbia County Fair, which is set for September 2 through 7. County Fair Board of Directors member Angelo Nero said Wed., May 20, he was a little disappointed about the ban, but he understood the state’s concerns about safety. According to Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball, avian flu has not been detected in New York, but it has become a major issue in the Midwest. Linda Tripp, the 4-H Leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties said in her 28 years of working with the 4-H this has never happened before. She said in recent years she has seen a lot more bio-security concerns as birds are moved all around the county. Several other states have also banned poultry competitions and exhibitions at fairs, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Minnesota. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

The Daily Freeman is reporting employment rose in most Mid-Hudson and Catskills counties during the 12-month period ending April 30, the state Department of Labor reported Thu., May 21. Greene and Columbia counties each gained 100 non-farm jobs during the period, bringing the April 2015 totals to 14,000 in Greene, and more than 21,000 jobs in Columbia. The state did not provide private-sector jobs data for Greene and Columbia counties in the report. The unemployment rate statewide in April was 5.7 percent, unchanged from March. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Scott Waldman is reporting at Capital New York after 18 months of pressure from environmental and community groups, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has announced it will now require a full environmental review of a crude-heating facility at the Port of Albany. The facility proposed by Global Partners would allow tar sands oil to be shipped down the Hudson River. In making this decision, the state reversed its earlier position. “This community has voiced its concerns and raised some serious issues. Through the environmental review process, DEC will continue to evaluate the project’s impacts,” DEC commissioner Joe Martens said Thu., May 21. The project has drawn the attention of environmental groups around the country. The state's decision is a major blow to the energy industry as its looks for new routes to ship heavy crude from Western Canada. Read the full story at Capital New York.

The northbound side of the Taconic State Parkway, between Route 23 in Claverack, and Route 295 in Chatham, in Columbia County, will be reduced to a single lane beginning Tue., May 26, through the month of June 2015. The lane closure is required so crews may perform construction activities, the state Department of Transportation says. For up-to-date travel information, call 511 or visit www.511NY.org.

Four local farms won money from New Farmers Grant Fund, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced May 21. Columbia County's Raven & Boar got $50,000 and the Ironwood Farm got $17,748 from the grant, and Dutchess County's Alewife Farm got $16,332, and the·Yellow Bell Farm got $50,000 from the program. “Agriculture remains a vital part of this state’s economy and today we are taking yet another step in developing the next generation of New York’s farmers,” Governor Cuomo said. “With this investment, we are creating opportunities for early-stage farmers that will increase future productivity on all farms and create long-term agricultural growth across New York State.”

The full list of grant recipients, separated by region, are below.




Western New York
· H & H Meadows, Cattaraugus County: $43,219
· Providence Creek Farm, Erie County: $15,104
Southern Tier
· Painted Goat Farm, Otsego County: $29,121
· Mauer's Mountain Farms, Delaware County: $50,000
Finger Lakes
· Silver Thread Vineyard, Seneca County: $20,123
Central New York
· Main Street Farms, Cortland County: $33,000
· New Moon Farms, Madison County: $50,000
· Common Thread CSA, Madison County: $23,969
Mohawk Valley
· Arabeth Farm, Herkimer County: $50,000
· Falls Pride Dairy, Oneida County: $32,765

North Country
· Blue Pepper Farm, Essex County: $34,000
· Full and By Farm, Essex County: $18,576
· Fledging Crow Vegetables, Essex County: $37,248
Hudson Valley
· Alewife Farm, Dutchess County: $16,332
· Yellow Bell Farm, Dutchess County: $50,000
· Raven & Boar, Columbia County: $50,000
· Ironwood Farm, Columbia County: $17,748
Long Island
· Condzella Hops, Suffolk County: $17,009
· Browder's Birds, Suffolk County: $22,045

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “Collaborating with the Department of Agriculture & Markets has allowed us to invest in one of New York’s largest industries. We are proud of the diverse farms sprouting up across the State and are excited to see the industry’s economic vitality strengthen with the expansion of agribusiness.”
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “I couldn’t be happier with the number of applications that were submitted for the New Farmers Grant Fund, indicating there is truly an excitement around agriculture in New York State. The next generation of farmers are passionate and driven, and have the opportunity to use innovative solutions to expand their operations. With some assistance from New York State, these farmers will now be able to grow, benefiting the agriculture economy for years to come.”
Governor Cuomo and the legislature committed an additional $1 million in the 2015-2016 New York State Budget to support a second round of the New Farmers Grant Fund program in an effort to continue to expand New York State’s agriculture industry.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Senator Patty Ritchie said, “Building a stronger agriculture economy means helping the next generation of farmers and planting the seeds of success for future generations—that’s the idea behind the Beginning Farmer grant program. With these grants, New York is investing not only in the success of these farm families, but also in the future of agriculture in our state.”
Assemblyman William Magee said, “With an aging population of farmers, the future of New York agriculture depends on the development and support of our young farm entrepreneurs. The New York State New Farmer Grant Funds will open doors for new and beginning agriculturists by offering much-needed financial help. I applaud Governor Cuomo and the Department of Agriculture & Markets. This support will help ensure our farms continue to thrive.”
New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton said, “Having access to capital to either start or grow a farm is one of the greatest challenges facing new farmers today, and today's announcement will help the recipients clear that hurdle. Ultimately, these grants are an investment into New York agriculture. The farms support their local, rural economies upstate and on Long Island and will contribute to the state's rich agricultural history. We wish the farmers the best of luck with their operations and thank the Governor and his administration for addressing an important need.”
Agriculture is one of the most important economic drivers in New York State. According to a 2014 study published by Professor Todd Schmit of Cornell University, when agriculture is incorporated with agricultural production, support services, and manufacturing, it represents a $53.7 billion industry in New York and accounts for more than 200,000 jobs.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 68F; low 37F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 68F; low 37F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
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 in Albany has issued a Frost Advisory from midnight, Fri., May 22 through 8 a.m., Sat., May 23 for the Greater Capital District and the Mid-Hudson Valley. A low of 33 to 36 is expected.

Today: A slight chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny. High near 68. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Friday night, areas of frost after 3 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear. Low around 33.

Forecast for the next three days:
Saturday: Areas of frost before 7 a.m. Otherwise, sunny. High near 66. Saturday night, mostly clear. Low around 41.
Sunday: Sunny. High near 78. Sunday night, a slight chance of showers after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy. Low around 54.
Monday (Memorial Day): A chance of showers after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 76. Monday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy. Low around 62.

Sunrise today: 5:28 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:15 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:47 hrs.

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

CLERMONT Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission meeting, 10 a.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
6 a.m.: Background Briefing with Ian Masters
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show The WGXC Morning Show is a radio magazine show featuring local news, interviews with community leaders and personalities, a rundown of public meetings, local and regional events, with weather updates, and more about and for the community. Broadcast live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. Hosted by Michelle Lewis.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now!
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues.
10 a.m.: ¿Qué cocinaré hoy?
11 a.m.: Wall to Wall
12 p.m.: WGXC News
12:05 p.m.: The Sugar Shack Jukebox
2 p.m.: From the Vault: Robert Frost Reads His Own Poetry
3 p.m.: Making Contact
3:30 p.m.: Cymon Says
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show The show features local news, interviews with community leaders and personalities, a rundown of local and regional events, weather updates, and more about and for the community. Hosted by Mark Bailey and Gregor Trieste.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
7 p.m. Guest DJ: Tony@Large
9:30 p.m. Guest DJ Rewind

If you shop at RadioShack in Catskill, you don't have much longer to get a soldering iron or police scanner, as the chain's bankruptcy proceedings are closing that location soon. If you bought something at a RadioShack store in the last decade or so, you may have noticed the firm was always persistent about getting all customer’s email and physical addresses, and other information. If you visited a RadioShack store, or its website in recent years, you may have come across the electronics store’s privacy policy. “The information you give us is treated with discretion and respect,” says the RadioShack website. “We pride ourselves on not selling our private mailing list. From time to time, we may send you information from our company or from select, responsible companies that may join with RadioShack to bring you special offers.” But now that the company has gone under, all things must go. The bankrupt firm is attempting to unload social security numbers, emails, home addresses, and telephone numbers from 67 million customers. But, PC World reports, RadioShack made an agreement May 20 with the 38 U.S. states that were suing the electronics outlet because of the data handover. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that credit or debit card account numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth or phone numbers will still be transferred to General Wireless Operations, the winner of both of RadioShack’s bankruptcy auctions. But if you bought something from RadioShack more than two years ago, your data is being dumped, and you need not worry. General Wireless will give more recent customers, PC World reports, “an opportunity to opt out from having their information transferred to General Wireless within one week from being served a notice.” And General Wireless says it will in the future honor RadioShack’s old policy of not selling its customers’ data. New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called that a victory for consumers’ privacy, and said it could serve as a model for future bankruptcies.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="232"] A portion of Hudson's North Bay.
(Source: Columbia Land Conservancy)[/caption]

John Mason is reporting in the Register Star the city of Hudson’s plans to replace storm water/sewer lines on northern Front Street and lower Columbia and State streets ran into still more complications. During its meeting, Tue., May 19, the Common Council once again postponed taking action on a resolution that would have moved the project forward without an environmental review. The Council's decision to put the matter on hold was made after it was learned the state Department of Environmental Conservation recommended responses to a short-form Environmental Assessment Form differed from the answers provided by project planner Delaware Engineering. The Council postponed further action on the matter until its June 8 meeting. Common Council President Don Moore said he would request the presence of Delaware Engineering representatives and Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry at that time. City officials are pushing to get the project underway because of a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant that could disappear. At the same time there has been pressure from the community to proceed with caution and an environmental review. Opponents of the project say it would release hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated runoff water into the city's North Bay. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capital Confidential the state Assembly Wed., May 20, passed an omnibus education reform package that addresses both the updated teacher evaluation system and the Common Core standards. The bill is a one-house proposal that grants an extension to when schools must fully implement the new evaluation system, and breaks the connection between funding from full implementation of the standards. While the Assembly bill has no Senate sponsors, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan is sponsoring a Senate omnibus bill that also would extend the time that schools have to implement evaluation plans and require the state Education commissioner to review the Common Core standards. That bill is still in the Education Committee. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports that 420 gallons of either crude oil or diesel fuel spilled at the Port of Albany on May 19, but did not reach the Hudson River according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Two workers at the Global Partners oil terminal were taken to Albany Medical Center after being sprayed with fuel when a hose came loose. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy used the minor incident to lobby against a request by Global to add a plant at the site to heat crude oil and make it easier to ship during cold weather. "Today's oil spill clearly demonstrates further review needs to be done before any permits for expansion are issued," said McCoy. "What if that oil had been Canadian tar sands (oil) and leaked into the Hudson River? That would have been disastrous." Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Casey Seiler in Capitol Confidential reports that Assembly Republican Steve McLaughlin released a statement denouncing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s transparency summit this Friday, which still lacks a location, or a final list of attendees. It is even unclear if the public will be allowed to attend or view the transpareny event. Perhaps the Cuomo administration policy of automoatically deleting emails after 90 days may be discussed at the event. “Cuomo has a history of using half-hearted promises and deception to appear as though he is actually working on behalf of the people of New York," McLaughlin, who represents parts of Columbia and Rensselear counties in Albany, wrote. "Why waste taxpayer money and hold a summit on a Friday just before Memorial Day weekend when he could easily hold a meeting on a session day when most legislators are in Albany? The answer is that he doesn’t want anyone to show up so there is no dissent and he can claim the credit and media coverage himself." Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 69F; low 46F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 69F; low 46F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
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: Partly sunny. High near 67. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 43.

Friday: A slight chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny. High near 70. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 37.
Saturday: Sunny. High near 67. Saturday night, mostly clear. Low around 47.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 78. Sunday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 54.

Sunrise today: 5:28 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:15 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:47 hrs.

Public meeting
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 day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
6 a.m.: Background Briefing with Ian Masters Inside breaking international and national news. A radio program featuring international and national news, expert guests, policy makers and critics with analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural and social issues. This program goes far beyond the headlines and deep under the radar to bring forward truths unheard in the American media.
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show The WGXC Morning Show is a radio magazine show featuring local news, interviews with community leaders and personalities, a rundown of public meetings, local and regional events, with weather updates, and more about and for the community. Broadcast live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. Hosted by Michelle Lewis.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. National, daily, independent, award-winning news program providing audiences with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S. corporate-sponsored media.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues.
10 a.m.: The Michael Slate Show
11 a.m.: One Size Fits All: 20150521 An hour-long investigation into the idea of amplified sound. This episode will begin with Wanda Jackson and conclude with Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran. Full playlist found at www.Facebook.com/OneSizeWGXC. Produced by Your Host.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: The Mysterious Madame Sara Part 2 An anthology series of dramas and comedies for radio. Each week a program will be made up of one radio play. Produced at KSVR Studios at the radio station KSVR-FM in Mount Vernon, Washington. The actors are from the Skagit Radio Repertory Company. The producer is Joseph C McGuire. Part Two: Madam Sara is a mysterious woman who is out to steal the wealth of upper class America in the 1930's. She uses secret and dark technology to pretend to be a modern day Sorceress. (This is a slightly re-edited version from Season 3. It should be broadcast second as part of the rest of the series.) Produced by Joseph C McGuire; Edited by Jay Charles; Performers: The Skagit Radio Repertory Company. Made with a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. From Pacifica Radio.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Elise McMahon, Hanna Black, Aily Nash, Peter Paden Conversation with Elise McMahon, Hannah Black, and Aily Nash about the HQTBD (Headquarters To Be Determined) exhibit which opens at Basilica Hudson, Fri., May 22. Peter Paden, Executive Director of the Columbia Land Conservancy, discusses the Conservancy’s annual country BBQ, Sun., May 24. Plus local news, a rundown of local and regional events, weather updates, and more about and for the community. Broadcast live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. Hosted by Ellen Thurston and Tom DePietro with Jake "The Intern" Ebel.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Rail officials say, if not for budgetary shortfalls, technical hurdles, and bureaucratic rules, the Amtrak train crash in Philadelpia last week could have been avoided. Radio spectrum is something of a scarce commodity in the Northeasten Corridor, and all sorts of commercial interests have been fighting over the frequencies the railroad needs since 2008 when Congress ordered the positive train control (PTC) systems, which can detect an out-of-control, speeding train and automatically slow it down using radio waves. The New York Times reported that "officials say [a working PTC system] could have prevented the wreck." Amtrack, according to their website, was using the 900MHz frequency for train control, but found during installation of PTC in Michigan that 220MHz transmitted information more quickly, offered better coverage, and more room for growth. "Between 2010 and 2014, litigation and regulatory proceedings obstructed Amtrak’s attempts to purchase bandwidth on the open market," their website claims, saying they tried and failed to get access to the FCC’s inventory of unused spectrum. The New York Times story blames Congress saying, "lawmakers failed to provide the railroads access to the wireless frequencies required to make the system work, Amtrak was forced to negotiate for airwaves owned by private companies that are often used in mobile broadband." The FCC approved Amtrak’s application for the purchase of wireless spectrum from Skybridge Spectrum Foundation on March 5 this year, and Amtrak took title in April, 2015, just before the accident. "Provided the FCC’s requirements are met, we intend to complete the system on the NEC by the end of 2015 and meet the federally mandated requirement," Amtrak's website says. If the system had been operational earlier, “there wouldn’t have been this accident,” said Representative Robert A. Brady, Democrat of Pennsylvania in The New York Times.

Arthur Cusano is reporting in the Register Star start-up ASA Networks is expanding its "Super-Fi" service into Chatham and Copake this summer. New York-based ASA 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 Gallitan continue to be served by the company as paying customers. With the expansion, Chatham and Copake will be ASA's first foray into commercial service. Those communities were chosen based on tower proximity, current lack of internet access, demographics and demand. The service will be available in initial offerings of 6 megabits per second symmetric speed for residential customers, and 10 megabits per second symmetric speed for businesses. Symmetric speed is when uploads and downloads occur at the same speed. The company will hold a public information session during the Chatham Town Board meeting at 7 p.m., May 21 at Chatham Town Hall. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Columbia-Greene Media is reporting school budgets in Columbia and Greene counties were overwhelmingly approved by voters, Tue., May 19. Spending proposals in the Chatham, Germantown, Hudson, Ichabod Crane, New Lebanon and Taconic Hills districts were accepted by a margin of nearly two to one. The story was the same in Greene County. Budgets in Catskill, Cairo-Durham, Coxsackie-Athens, Greenville, Hunter-Tannersville and Windham-Ashland-Jewett all passed by a substantial margin. The Ichabod Crane bus proposition and Taconic Hills capital reserve fund proposition passed. Voters in the Chatham district agreed to seat a student representative on the Board of Education. Voters in the Hunter-Tannersville district elected John Alzstrauts to the Board of Education, thereby ousting current board president Penelope Fromer. And the Coxsackie-Athens board election ended in a tie between newcomers Christopher Chimento and Williams Gates for one of three contested seats. District officials and board members were unclear as to how to proceed as of election night. The district would either hold a special election, or determine the outcome in some other way. Read the full board election and budget vote coverage in The Daily Mail and the Register-Star.

Laura Nahmias is reporting at Capital New York primary care physicians are aging out of the workforce resulting in a doctor shortage, according to a report by the Healthcare Association of New York. The association concludes the shortage could imperil the state's plan to expand preventive care. In 2014, hospitals located outside of New York City hired less than 900 physicians, but more than 2,000 retired, according to the report. In addition, an increasing number of medical school students are opting for specialty fields rather than primary care. Nearly 90 percent of the hospitals surveyed by the association said they have had trouble recruiting both primary care providers and specialty physicians because of a lack of available candidates and requirements. In rural areas of upstate New York, geography also hurts recruiting, the hospitals said. Read the full story at Capital New York.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200"] George Amedore, from NY State Senate website.[/caption]

William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports that State Sen. George Amedore (R-Rotterdam) is standing by the campaign contributions that helped him win his seat last November, after four activist groups objected to him receiving money from Glenwood Management, a company tied to the current scandals in Albany involving Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos. “All of my contributions were within the election laws and were all very transparent [and] reported,” said Amedore, whose district includes part of Ulster, Albany, and other counties, and all of Greene County. “Individuals, corporations, LLCs, organizations all have their right to donate to their campaigns of choice.” Citizen Action of New York, the Labor Religion Coalition of New York State, the People’s Empowerment Project, and End the New Jim Crow Action Network agreed that it is known who donated to Amedore's campaign. “An analysis of Sen. Amedore’s campaign finance records shows that he received $99,600 from the same developer involved in both the Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos corruption schemes,” the groups wrote. “Amedore also benefitted from major independent expenditure spending by the Glenwood-backed Jobs for New York PAC during the 2014 election, which spent $840,918 in just the month before the election to help elect Amedore.” The Senator defeated Cecilia Tkaczyk (D-Duanesburg) last November. Tkaczyk currently hosts a weekly program on WGXC. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.