The Federal Communications Commission has a $388 million proposed budget, up 13 million from this year's, and up nearly 30 million from two years ago. The new budget is the largest ever, and Wheeler explained why May 12 at a Senate Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing about the FCC's budget. Wheeler is being criticized for spending too much and also not enough, as the proposal would close a number of FCC Field Offices and reduce by half the number of enforcement agents. The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) sent Wheeler a letter May 12 saying, "It is SBE’s view that the draconian cuts proposed now will have a substantially adverse effect on compliance in virtually all radio services." Click here to hear a quote from Wheeler at the hearing.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="274"] Fugary shacks (circa 2012)
(Source: Michael Cooney)[/caption]

John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star the Hudson Common Council will decide next week if the Furgary shacks, located in the city's North Bay, will be demolished. At the informal meeting of the council Mon., May 11, President Don Moore expressed Mayor William H. Hallenbeck, Jr.'s desire to move forward on the issue. Moore said the first step toward removal is to conduct an environmental assessment. First Ward Alderman Nick Haddad said the Council's Furgary Committee had done several walk-throughs of the shacks. “The owners don’t want them; there’s no interest on the state’s part to preserve any of them. I lobbied to keep one of them; the state wants nothing to do with them,” he said. The decades old fishing shacks are located just west of the sewer treatment plant at Dock and Front streets. Residents of the shacks were evicted in July 2012. Since that time the structures have stood vacant. The council will take up the matter at its formal meeting, Tue., May 19. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="208"] The fire is located just off of Heavenly Valley Road in Lanesville.
(Source: Google maps)[/caption]

Kate Seckinger is reporting in The Daily Mail state emergency personnel continue to battle a 135-acre forest fire in the town of Hunter near Lanesville. The fire started Thu., May 7. As of Monday evening (May 11), the blaze was contained to the Catskill Forest Preserve within the southwest region of Hunter Mountain, but it had not been extinguished yet. Officials are reporting the wind and the weather are making conditions dangerous for firefighters. The fire is located in very steep terrain, which makes it difficult to put out, forest ranger Robert Dawson said. There have been no injuries and the flames are still not threatening any structures. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential state Sen. John Flanagan was elected Mon., May 11, to lead the chamber’s 33-member Republican conference. Flanagan succeeds Dean Skelos exactly one week after Skelos was arrested alongside his son to face federal corruption charges. Flanagan added the vote of Sen. Simcha Felder, a Democrat who conferences with the GOP, to win a narrow 32-vote majority. Sen. John DeFrancisco of Syracuse competed with Flanagan for the job, and in the end, sponsored the motion for Flanagan’s election.. Flanagan is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. He is a lawyer in private practice and a former Assembly member, and was first elected to the Senate in 2002. His father served in the Assembly for 14 years. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Laura Nahmias is reporting at Capital New York in an audit released Mon., May 11, state comptroller Tom DiNapoli criticized the state’s decision to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising to promote Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s economic development programs. A press release accompanying the audit said the Empire State Development agency spent $211 million in advertising "with no tangible results." The funds were spent to promote five different economic development programs, including Start-Up NY, which creates tax-free areas around college campuses, in an attempt to draw businesses to relocate or set up shop in the state. DiNapoli’s audit was sharply critical of the program, which has come under fire from critics for the number of jobs it has created. Empire State Development said earlier this year the program created 76 jobs in 2014, generating just under $57,000 in tax benefits. DiNapoli said the ad spending to support Start-Up NY had been conducted without clear guidance from the state on what it hoped to achieve. The audit also found the agency continued to allocate more and more funding to promote the program, despite a precipitous decline in applications from potential enrollees. Read the full story at Capital New York.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the average retail gasoline price statewide in New York rose 4.3 cents per gallon last week, to $2.83 as of Sun., May 11. The national average increased 4 cents per gallon to $2.66, according to GasBuddy. “The rapid rise we’ve seen in the national average over the last several weeks appears to be slowing,” said petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. “The rise in crude oil prices has been the largest explanation for the rise in gasoline prices over the past few weeks." New York’s average gas price Sunday was $1.06 per gallon lower than the same day a year ago, but more than 27 cents higher than a month ago. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 85F; low 50F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 86F; low 52F.[/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 Hazardous Weather Outlook for the region, Tue., May 12. Scattered non-severe thunderstorms are expected, along and ahead of a cold front. Thunderstorms could contain locally heavy rain and frequent lightning. There is the possibility of scattered frost overnight, Wed., May 13.

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. Tuesday night, isolated showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers after 2 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 61. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear. Low around 37.
Thursday: Sunny. High near 66. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 45.
Friday: Partly sunny. High near 74. Friday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 53.

Sunrise today: 5:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:06 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:30 hrs.

Public meeting
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 Workshop meeting and public hearing on 2015-16 budget, 6:30 p.m. at Chatham High School, 50 Woodbridge Ave., Chatham (391-2400).
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).
DURHAM Chamber meeting, 7 p.m. at Town building, 7309 St. Rte. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
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).

WGXC Fundraising Advisory Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m. at 704 Columbia St., 2nd Fl., Hudson (697-7400). This group provides leadership with respect to fundraising events and major donor gifts for WGXC 90.7-FM. For information, contact Station Manager Lynn Sloneker (lynn@wgxc.org).

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: 20150512 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. Live from the Hudson Studio. Hosted by Laura Reed.
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.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Children's Records, Songs and Stories A show dedicated to children's records! Some 78s and and some awesome songs and stories for the young-un's. Plus local news, a rundown of local and regional events, weather updates, and more about and for the community. Broadcast live from the Carnegie Room at the Catskill Library. Hosted by Jill Sutton and Cory McCasland, with Kit Towlson.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

May 12 is the Federal Communications Commission's deadline for public comments on a few large broadcasters’ proposal to legalize payola, pay-to-play "advertisements" for new music on the radio. Currently payola is legal -- record companies are allowed to pay radio stations to play certain songs as long as the radio station identifies immediately that the song was paid for by the record company. The big broadcasters from iHeartMedia (formely Clear Channel), Entercom, and Cumulus Media want to change the rules so that, eventually, a station would air a single announcement, probably very, very early in the morning, saying that some of the songs were paid for by a few companies. The broadcasters provided this example announcement:

“Some of the music [and/or] sports programming that you hear on this station is sponsored [or paid for] by Interscope, Sony, Universal Records, or the Washington Nationals. For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.WXYZ.com or contact the station at 12345 Main Street, Washington, DC 20036, info@wxyz.com, or 202-555-1234.”

Comments can be made at the FCC website under FCC Media Bureau docket #15-52.

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., May 8 through Sun., May 10

Michael Ryan reported in the Windham Journal, the forest fire that burned in the mountains of Greene County for four days has been contained. According to Department of Environmental Conservation Lieutenant Robert Morse there is active fire within the 110-acre scorch zone, but the flames are not running. As of 6 p.m., Sun., May 10, one dozen DEC rangers were on site, west of Route 214 in the notch between the town of Hunter and the town of Phoenicia, in Ulster County. The rangers replaced local volunteer firefighters who, for two days,  used rakes, chainsaws and leaf-blowers to thwart the fire's advance. In lieu of rain, a state police helicopter continues to be used to dump thousands of gallons of water on the area.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="226"] Dr. Alan McCartney
(Source: www.rcscsd.org)[/caption]

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Superintendent Dr. Alan McCartney died this weekend at the age of 67. The announcement was made via the school district's website. McCartney battled a brief illness before succumbing to a heart attack Fri., May 8, at his home in Voorheesville. McCartney served as RCS interim superintendent for less than three years, but came to the district with more than 35 years of experience as a teacher and coach, an administrator and educational consultant. During his time with RCS, McCartney supervised the installation of solar panels on district buildings, developed a $30.1 million facilities improvement project and implemented a school security system. Until a replacement has been named, Capital Region BOCES will assist in the short term with district operations.

Jimmy Vielkind reported at Capital New York embattled state Sen. Dean Skelos is threatening to resign his seat if he is forced from his leadership post, according to published reports. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, is clinging to his position as Senate majority leader as he fights federal corruption charges. The threat would deprive Republicans of the 32-vote bloc they need to control the 63-seat chamber outright. According to the New York Daily News Skelos has a plan that would force the GOP to enter into some kind of power-sharing coalition with either the Democrats or a group of five breakaway Democrats. Under the scenario Skelos would resign, at the same time, Sen. Simcha Felder, a Democrat who sits with the GOP and is loyal to Skelos, would switch allegiance to the Democrats. One GOP source hopes Skelos ultimately does what is best for the conference and steps aside. The source said, “At this point, he is at the angry stage. Hopefully that will pass to the acceptance stage.”

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="287"] Sheen observed off Verplanck Point, Sun., May 10.
(Source: riverkeeper.org)[/caption]

The Associated Press reported a portion of the Indian Point nuclear power plant remained offline Sun., May 10, after a transformer fire at the facility caused thousands of gallons of oil to leak into the Hudson River. At an afternoon briefing Sun., May 10, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said emergency crews were out on the water near Buchanan, in Westchester Co.,  trying to contain and clean up the transformer fluid that leaked from Indian Point 3. The transformer at the plant failed Sat., May 9, causing a fire that forced the automatic shutdown. State Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Joseph Martens said measures were taken to keep the oil from spreading. He said booms were set up over an area approximately 300 feet in diameter in the water. The governor said the cleanup should take a day or two.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 88F; low 65F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 86F; low 65F.[/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 cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High of 86. Monday night, considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. Low near 65.

Forecast for the next three days:
Tuesday: Isolated thunderstorms in the morning. Skies will become partly cloudy later in the day. High of 87. Tuesday night, Partly cloudy. Low 53.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High around 60. Wednesday night, clear skies. Low 43.
Thursday: Mainly sunny. High 72. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low 44.

Sunrise today: 5:37 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:05 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:28 hrs.

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CANAAN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Rte. 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature County Services, Public Works  committee meetings cancelled; rescheduled for Mon., May 18, 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON City School District Board of Education budget hearing and meeting, 7 p.m. at Hudson Sr. High School cafeteria, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).
HUDSON Common Council Informal meeting, 7 p.m. at Central Fire Station, 77 N. 7th St., Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Village Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 7955 Main St., Hudson (263-4020).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
TAGHKANIC Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

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: 20150511 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. Plus, guest host Tyson Hauf will play some Bobby Zimmerman and Joanie B. Live from the Hudson Studio.
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 Albany Report: Kathleen Farrell The statewide school budget vote and board elections will be held May 19. This episode of The Albany Report will focus on the latest education news coming out of Albany with Catskill School District Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Farrell. She will discuss how new education policies and state aid are impacting local schools. Call (518) 828-0290 to go on air during the show, or send your comments or questions via email to info@wgxc.org. Or take three minutes and record a question or comment ahead of time at (518) 291-WGXC (9492). Hosted by Cecilia Tkaczyk.
2 p.m.: Resistance Radio: Norma Ramos Norma Ramos is a social justice attorney; she is the former Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International, and self-defines as an eco-feminist. She links the inequality of women worldwide to the destruction of the environment. Hosted by Derrick Jensen.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show 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 Kieran Riley.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Harry Cole at the Comm Law Blog reports that, though the Federal Communications Commission approved net netutrality in February and published the Report and Order last month, there are challenges from opponents, at the FCC and some U.S. Court of Appeals to be determined. First, petitions for review (filed with the courts) need to be filed by those opposed by June 12, and petitions for reconsideration have to be filed by May 13. As of May 9, Cole reports, the FCC’s ECFS system was not showing any petitions for reconsideration on file. In the courts, a number of appeals have already been filed against net neutrality, all jockeying for different courts. So far the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pulled the D.C. Circuit ping pong ball out of the Official Lottery Drum, so the court that ruled against previous versions of net neutrality may be hearing the case again. There may be a second drawing, though, after 10 more petitions for review were filed. The FCC believes that the net neutrality appeal will eventually be heard in the D.C. Circuit. Cole writes, "Why would the FCC prefer D.C.? Perhaps because, even though the Commission’s net neutrality efforts did not fare well there the first two times, the FCC’s most recent “Open Internet” effort was ostensibly designed to follow directions implicit in the D.C. Circuit’s last net neutrality decision. The Commission may therefore be figuring that, if it can convince the D.C. Circuit that the FCC’s latest iteration tracks the D.C. Circuit’s Verizon decision closely enough, that may do the trick." So net neutrality remains the law of the land at least until the courts can decide where the lawsuits will play out. Read the full story in the Comm Law Blog.

The Daily Freeman reports that a New York legislator introduced federal legislation that would immediately ban the interstate shipment of high-volatility crude oil by rail. The bill would also direct federal agencies to set a national standard for oil train shipping. The bill from Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Westchester) would permit rail shipments of Bakken crude that has been treated to make it less volatile. According to the story, "Bakken crude has an RVP of over 8.5 pounds per square inch or higher, compared to lower volatilities of Eagle Ford Shale of 8 psi, Brent at 6.17 psi, and Basrah Light at 4.8 psi." Regular shipments of Bakken crude pass along the wast side of the Hudson River and sit in yards in Albany, since a recent uptick in production. On May 6 there was another accident nationally, with ten tanker cars on a BNSF Railway oil train catching fire in North Dakota. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Local News
Local news Click here for news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., May 10. PLAY AUDIO (3:13)

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

• Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 79, and a low around 64.

• Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79, and a low around 64.

• Tuesday: A 60 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.

Sunrise 5:38 a.m.
Sunset 8:04 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 12:58 A.M. 11:34 A.M.
Mercury 6:35 A.M. 9:56 P.M.
Venus 8:07 A.M. 11:46 P.M.
Mars 6:09 A.M. 8:51 P.M.
Jupiter 11:41 A.M. 2:02 A.M.
Saturn 8:52 P.M. 6:40 A.M.
Uranus 4:25 A.M. 5:18 P.M.
Neptune 2:59 A.M. 1:59 P.M.
Pluto 12:07 A.M. 9:33 A.M.

WGXC Programming

Radia: Matthew Biederman, Marko Peljhan, Brian Springer, Aljosa Abrahamsberg
May 10, 2015: 5:05 a.m. – 5:35 a.m.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] A wildfire is burning on the side of a mountain peak in rough terrain off Route 214 near Lanesville.
(Source: Google maps)[/caption]Governor Andrew Cuomo sent state emergency personnel to the wildfire in Greene County Friday, May 8, which started May 7 and was 30 percent contained at last report. State officials say fires in Chenango, Yates, Ulster, and Sullivan counties are now 100 percent out. In Greene County, the wildfire is located near Lanesville, part of Hunter. The Department of Environmental Conservation has closed all trails in the Hunter-West Kill Wilderness area in the town of Hunter, in Greene County, until further notice due to a 60-acre forest fire. The closed trails are:
· Devil’s Path Trail
· Diamond Notch Trail
· Beckner Hollow Trail
· Hunter Mt. Trail
· Spruceton Trail
· Colonel’s Chair Trail
All campfires in the Catskill Forest Preserve are banned through May 14 due to the continued high fire danger as a result of the dry weather conditions.

The Galvan Foundation Fri., May 8, announced it will partner with the Berkshire Union Free School, Questar III BOCES (BOW-seez) and Bard College to create a Bard program at the Warren St. Academy in Hudson. The Academy is a new 150-student high school located in the former Coarc building at 11 Warren St. According to a statement released by Galvan Foundation representative Daniel Kent, the new initiative is "an integrated program running concurrently with the [Berkshire] Alternative Transition Program..., [and] will involve Bard’s Institute for Writing and Thinking and the Bard Master of Arts in Teaching Program and...leverage Bard’s expertise running innovative early college high school programs in partnership with public school systems." The Alternative Transition Program was formerly known as the Columbia-Greene Partnership Academy, or "The Bridge." The Galvan Foundation will support the initiative in the form of a $250,000 development grant. Galvan is a private grant-making and operating foundation with a special focus on the city of Hudson. The full press release can be found here.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., May 9. PLAY AUDIO (2:49)

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

• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 79, and a low around 60.

• Sunday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 81, and a low around 61.

• Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 77.

Sunrise 5:40 a.m.
Sunset 8:03 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 12:13 A.M. 10:29 A.M.
Mercury 6:36 A.M. 9:57 P.M.
Venus 8:06 A.M. 11:45 P.M.
Mars 6:10 A.M. 8:51 P.M.
Jupiter 11:44 A.M. 2:05 A.M.
Saturn 8:57 P.M. 6:44 A.M.
Uranus 4:29 A.M. 5:22 P.M.
Neptune 3:03 A.M. 2:03 P.M.
Pluto 12:11 A.M. 9:37 A.M.

WGXC Programming

CounterSpin: Richard Rothstein, Sue Sturgis
May 9, 2015: 5:05 a.m. – 5:35 a.m.
Radia: Videofreex
May 9, 2015: 5:35 a.m. – 6 a.m.
ARRL Audio News: Nepal
May 9, 2015: 6:45 a.m. – 7 a.m.
Off The Hook: Bryson Payne
May 9, 2015: 7 a.m. – 8 a.m.
Saturday Morning Serial: Quintron's Weather For The Blind
May 9, 2015: 11 a.m. – noon
Other Music: Quintron
May 9, 2015: 12:05 p.m. – 1 p.m.
The Cutty Strange: Alex Norton, Vicki Norton
May 9, 2015: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Radia: Matthew Biederman, Marko Peljhan, Brian Springer, Aljosa Abrahamsberg
May 9, 2015: 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Radio Camp: Rama, Dlisah, and Lo'am Lapidus
May 9, 2015: 3:30 p.m. – 4 a.m.
Saturday Afternoon Show: Janek Shaefer
May 9, 2015: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
ARRL Audio News: Nepal
May 9, 2015: 6:45 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday Night Special: Amplitude Live
May 9, 2015: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.

The Daily Freeman reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued an “air quality alert” for Ulster and Dutchess counties from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri., May 8. "Air quality levels of outdoor air are predicted to exceed recommended levels for ozone, a pollutant at ground level," the report said. The state Department of Health recommends individuals limit strenuous outdoor physical activity. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

The New York Times is reporting a large, new Harvard study finds that poor children who grow up in some cities and towns have sharply better odds of escaping poverty than similar poor children elsewhere. The study was based on the earnings records of five million children whose families moved across counties between 1996 and 2012. According to that study, Greene County is about average for income mobility for children in poor families. It ranked better than 43 percent of counties nationwide. However, Columbia County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in similar circumstances. It was found to be better than 26 percent of the counties examined. If you are poor and live in the Albany area, it is better to be in Rensselaer County than in Schenectady County or Columbia County. Researchers found five factors associated with strong upward mobility nationwide: Less segregation by income and race, lower levels of income inequality, better schools, lower rates of violent crime and a larger share of two-parent households. In general, the impact of place is sharper for boys than for girls, and for lower-income children than for rich. Read the full story in The New York Times.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] A wildfire is burning on the side of a mountain peak in rough terrain off Route 214 near Lanesville.
(Source: Google maps)[/caption]

Ryan Anglim and Michael Ryan are reporting in The Daily Mail a wildfire that started early Thu., May 7, near Lanesville, has spread over approximately 200 acres of wilderness and forest. The fire is said to be located on the side of a mountain peak in rough terrain off Route 214 in the town of Hunter. Very few homes are located in the area and they are not believed to be in any danger at this time. Fire investigators suspect the fire was started accidentally by a tree-trimming crew, when a falling limb hit a high-tension power line and caused sparks to fly. The dry brush on the ground below ignited quickly. Approximately 100 firefighters from as far away as Sullivan County responded. Helicopters made aerial drops of water, and more are expected Friday. Firefighters retreated from the forest after sundown Thursday, and are expected to return early Friday. Lexington firefighter Don Falke said he has never witnessed a fire of this size in the area before. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Associated Press is reporting clean-up crews have begun the sixth and final season of PCB dredging in the upper Hudson River. Regional Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Judith Enck said this is an important year in the history of the river. Work on the estimated $2 billion cleanup began Thu., May 7. The season typically runs into the fall. GE began discharging PCBs into the river 70 years ago and continued to do so for decades when the compounds were used as coolants in electrical equipment. The practice turned the Hudson River into a polluted Superfund site for 200 miles from its northern reaches to New York Harbor. Flood plain work, habitat reconstruction along the river and long-term monitoring will continue after dredging is finished. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.