Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 65F; low 44F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 65F; low 43F.[/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: Mostly cloudy. High in the mid 60s. Friday night, mostly cloudy. Low in the low 40s.

Forecast for the next three days:
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 70s. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low in the mid 40s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Sunday night, mostly clear. Low in the upper 40s.
Monday: Mostly clear. High in the upper 70s. Monday night, partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s.

Sunrise today: 5:49 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:55 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:05 hrs.

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

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
1 a.m.: Taran's Free Jazz Hour: Roscoe Mitchell Episode 09 of 2015 of two-hour free jazz show that airs on eight European radio stations and Wave Farm Radio and WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, in New York, in the United States. Click on title to access the playlist.

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.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Hudson Children's Book Festival Select authors scheduled to appear at the 7th annual Hudson Children's Book Festival, Sat., May 2, will join the hosts of WGXC's Bound By Books and Emily Chameides in the Hudson studio. Guests will include Artie Bennett, Doug Snelson, Barbara Slate, Jerry Craft, Jennifer Donnelly, Jennifer Castle, Aileen Stewart and Laurie Stolarz. Plus local news, information on local and regional events, weather updates, and more about and for the community.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

April 30 was World Press Freedom Day, and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) hopes that press freedom extends to the radio waves. AMARC launched its International legal protection and global advocacy program for community media, and noted several recent attacks on radio press freedom. "In 2014, Radio Estéreo Luz and Radio La Voz de Sonora, located in the western department of Quiché, Guatemala, have been shut down and their equipment have been seized. In Egypt, Internet Radio Horytna was recently persecuted because of illegal internet streaming. In April 2015, in Mexico, Abel Manuel Bautista Raymundo, founder and director of Radio Espacio 96.1 FM in Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca state, was murdered," AMARC wrote in a press release. They note that Swedish commercial stations currently occupy community radio frequencies there, and say, "community radio licences are becoming less a resource for non-profit associations and more an opportunity for commercial operators who can circumvent the formal commercial radio sector and its official responsibilities, including concession fees to the government." AMARC is creating a legal office for "frequency planning, technical standards for telecommunications and radio, and development resources" for community media.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting in The Daily Mail the Village of Coxsackie is mourning the loss of Trustee Dan Hellen, who passed away unexpectedly on April 22. He was 43. Hellen was elected to the Coxsackie Village Board in May 2014. He filled the seat formerly held by Damian Johnston. Hellen served as liaison to the village police department, finance, parks, parades, beautification and other departments. At the time of his election, Hellen said he had always had a strong interest in political issues and in the operation of small town government. Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans said Hellen’s contributions to the village would be missed. Evans said, "...He was elected last year and served admirably, bringing a great personality, wit and level-headedness to our board. Dan had the gift of being able to engage anyone and leave them feeling good that they knew him." Hellen leaves behind his wife Helen and seven children. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the Catskill village Department of Public Works will clean and repaint on-street parking spaces and crosswalk areas along Main Street beginning at 7 a.m. Sun., May 3. Beginning at 11:59 p.m. Sat., May 2, parking is prohibited on Main Street between Green Street and Summit Avenue. Residents who usually park on Main Street are advised to use the municipal parking lots. Any vehicle parked on the roadway in violation of the no parking notice will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. As soon as the work is completed, Main Street will reopen for parking.

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential a new report from the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics reveals that lobbying spending in 2014 increased approximately 8 percent over 2013. A total of $226 million was expended and more than $194 million in compensation was paid to lobbyists. Education groups topped the list for 2014. The pro-charter group Families for Excellent Schools came in at No. 1 with nearly $10 million spent on advertising and event-related expenses. The group organized a massive rally in East Capitol Park during last year’s budget negotiation, and staged another one last month. The New York State United Teachers union with $3.2 million in lobbying expenditures came in second. Other top spenders included the Greater New York Hospital Association, the No More Casinos Coalition, the United Federation of Teachers and the Trial Lawyers Association. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

The Albany Business Review reports that the New York state Assembly passed a bill ensuring equal-pay for women April 27, sending it to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to sign into law. The bill already passed the state Senate in January, and would also increases damages for violations by 300 percent, and does not let employers keep their compensation secret. "All women deserve to receive a paycheck based on their position and job performance rather than their gender," Cuomo said. "I look forward to signing this legislation as we continue to advance and ensure the rights of women across New York State." Read the full story in The Albany Busines Review.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 65F; low 45F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 64F; low 45F.[/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 66. Thursday night, a slight chance of showers after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Friday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 61. Friday night, a slight chance of showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 40.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers after 8 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 72. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 44.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 74. Sunday night, mostly clear. Low around 49.

Sunrise today: 5:51 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:53 p.m.
Length of the day: 14:02 hrs.

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

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.
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: 20150430 Police murder continues: Freddie Gray dead, the story of Tyisha Miller, and how much longer will we tolerate this? Hosted by Michael Slate. From Pacifica.
11 a.m.: One Size Fits All: 20150430 An hour-long investigation into the idea of amplified sound, beginning with Zak Ozmo & L'Avventura London and concluding with Fran Farley. Full playlist at www.Facebook.com/OneSizeWGXC. Produced by Your Host.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="645"] Hudson River shoreline in Stockport.
(Photo by Robert Rodriquez, Jr., via Scenic Hudson)[/caption]

The Daily Freeman is reporting environmental group Scenic Hudson has purchased 590 acres along the Hudson River in Stockport. The parcel comprises approximately 2.5 miles of river shoreline, grasslands, bluffs and ravines, tidal wetlands and segments of 11 tributary streams, the Poughkeepsie-based group announced, Tue., Apr. 28. It said the property was one of the largest privately owned, undeveloped tracts along the river. The cost of the acquisition was nearly $5.3 million. The site sits directly adjacent to 296 acres protected by the organization in 2011, which was subsequently incorporated into the Stockport Flats portion of the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The purchase was made as part of Scenic Hudson's "Save the Land That Matters Most" campaign. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Scott Waldman is reporting at Capital New York New York state's fracking ban may be more of a freeze. Since announcing the ban in December, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has resisted calls by environmentalists to change the law and make the ban permanent. The state is soon to release its final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for fracking and, shortly after that, a findings statement that will lay out the reasons for the state's decision to prohibit the practice in New York. The documents are expected to be used by anti-fracking advocates in other states to push for more bans, but they will also form the basis of the fracking industry's legal challenge to the ban. As things current stand, New York's prohibition is effective as long as Cuomo keeps it in place, but could be revisited and changed by a future administration. State Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Joe Martens recently acknowledged that the ban could be lifted. He said it would largely depend on the outcome of ongoing, long-term studies on the health effects of fracking. Waldman writes that business groups will first use the courts to test the ban, but will lobby New York's next governor to lift it, if necessary. Read the full story at Capital New York.

The Daily Mail is reporting Greene County Emergency Services announced Tue., Apr. 28, Route 23C in Tannersville, between Main and Cranberry streets, will be closed during business hours from Wed., Apr. 29, through Fri., May 1. The town of Hunter said Route 23C, and some of its side streets, will be closed due to repaving. The closure will be in effect when construction begins Wednesday morning, but the roads will be reopened to traffic at the end of each work day. Motorists will be detoured onto alternate routes during the road repairs.

Volunteer efforts are getting under way to clean up local parks and the Hudson River in the coming weeks. First, the fourth annual "I Love My Park Day" will be held Sat., May 2. Volunteers can sign up to help clean local parks at ptny.org/ilovemypark. Locally, at Taconic State Park in Copake Falls from 9 a.m. until noon volunteers will lean out the "kiddie pool" and setting up picnic tables. Volunteers at Schodack Island State Park will plant flowers, assemble picnic tables, and remove of vines and wood from the camping sites. Then, Sat., May 9, Greene Land Trust and Riverkeeper host the fourth annual Riverkeeper Sweep, a shoreline cleanup of the following locations:

COLUMBIA COUNTY
Taghkanic Town Hall Trees for Tribs Maintenance (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Middle Ground Flats from Hudson (9 a.m. to noon)
Hudson: Greenport Conservation Area (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Stuyvesant: Nutten Hook (1-4 p.m.)

GREENE COUNTY
Catskill: Dutchman’s Landing (1-3 p.m.)
Middle Ground Flats from Athens (9 a.m. to noon)
Athens: Riverfront Cleanup at Brandow Point (noon to 4 p.m.)
Coxsackie: Riverside Park (9 a.m. to noon)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="129"] Pete Lopez, from Wikipedia.[/caption]

The Schoharie News interviews New York State Assemblyman Pete Lopez (R-Schoharie), who says he is not officially running for Congress yet, may announce soon. The Daily Mail reported April 15 that Lopez was running for the seat that Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) is giving up in 2016. If he does run, it will be on flood recovery, common core, and the SAFE Act, the report says, but that he would not run unless he could "remain focused on my job as an Assemblyman, because that's my highest priority." Besides Lopez, State Senator James Seward, Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, and former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso have been mentioned as potential Republican candidates in other media accounts. Read the full story in The Schoharie News.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 71F; low 44F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 71F; low 45F.[/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: Mostly sunny. High near 70. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 42.

Forecast for the next three days:
Thursday: A slight chance of showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 64. Thursday night, a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 42.
Friday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 59. Friday night, a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 43.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 64. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 43.

Sunset today: 7:52 p.m.
Length of the day: 14 hrs.

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

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: Rick Burstell 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. During the 9 a.m. hour, Rick Burstell from Cornell Cooperative Extension Columbia and Greene Counties will discuss latest news and research on tick-borne illness, as well as the May 1 event sponsored by CCECGC with Dr. Brian Fallon at Columbia-Greene Community College. Fallon is the Director of the Tick-borne Disease Research Center at Columbia University. Broadcast live from the WGXC Acra Studio at the Wave Farm Study Center in Greene Co. Hosted by Tom Roe.
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.: @Issue: Kathryn Bielke, Drew Paton, Kaya Weidman What the Black Lives Matter movement means for white people and the role and responsibility of white allies, with guests Kaya Weidman, the Rev. Kathryn Bielke and the Rev. Drew Paton. Hosted by Victor Mendolia, Debora Gilbert and Debby Mayer.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News
7 p.m.: All Hopped Up (And Ready to Go): 20150429 Tony Fletcher takes listeners through a tour of his music collection, connecting the dots between genres and generations.

[caption width="330" align="alignright"] From Norwegian radio website. http://radio.no/[/caption]CNN's headline last week "Norway to become first nation in world to shut down FM radio" was not quite true. First, the Norwegian Local Radio Association (NLF) said besides the major stations, only 23 local radio stations will transition to DAB. NLF also said the Norwegian parliment requires 50 percent of the country already be listening to digital feeds before turning the analog signals off. Currently only 19 percent of Norway tunes in DAB broadcasts. And, the analog switch-off still needs approval from parliament. Paul Riismandel in Radio Survivor reports the shut-off has majority support, but opposition from the Progress Party and the Green Party say the change is only due to lobbying from the Digitalradio Norge AS company, not by any consumer demand. Digital broadcasting there is well ahead of the United States, though, where two or three percent of the population can tune in digital radio according to Riismandel in Radio Survivor. "The country’s topography is hard on analog radio signals. Its population-density and distribution makes planning a network of DAB+ transmitters to serve the country a relatively straightforward exercise. And most importantly, Norway’s radio industry isn’t that large, and its most powerful constituents are public and state broadcasters, who’ve been quite supportive of digital radio from the outset," John Anderson in diymedia.net writes. The U.K. has 36.8 percent digital penetration, and most Norwegian broadcasters have upgraded to newer DAB+, which means much better sound quality then in England. The United States are under a completely different format, with major differences. HD Radio, the format here, puts digital signals on analogue frequencies, with usually two extra channels with sound quality issues. DAB, the format chosen by the rest of the world, sounds better and seems more adaptable. For instance, Ofcom, England's radio regulator like the FCC, is allowing community groups to apply for small-scale, stand-alone DAB stations, akin to the digital version of low-power FM. Norway may not be turning off its FM transmitters any time soon, but an all-digital future is probably inevitable.

Melanie Lekocevic and Ryan Anglim are reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County investigators have been so far been unable to determine the cause of the fire that destroyed the Lincoln Auction Services building in Coxsackie, Sat., Apr. 25. The 100-year-old building, known locally as Lincoln Center, was left a burned-out shell that was still too dangerous for fire investigators to enter as of Monday. A witness told the paper the smoke and flames could be seen for miles. On Saturday, it took five local fire departments two hours to bring the blaze under control. Coxsackie Fire Department Assistant Chief Scott Bennett said there were no known injuries. The Bronck Museum, located behind the building was never in any danger, according to fire officials, because the wind was blowing in the other direction. The property is owned by Anthony Patsky, a former Athens village trustee and retired teacher. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. It is believed the age of the building and its contents worked as a catalyst in feeding the blaze. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Associated Press is reporting a new study links three out of four, or 75 percent of very hot days to humanity's impact on the environment. And as climate change worsens around mid-century, that percentage of extremely hot days being caused by man-made greenhouse gases will exceed 95 percent, according to the report published Mon., Apr. 27, in the journal Nature Climate Change. The Swiss scientists who conducted the study examined just the hottest of hot days, the hottest one-tenth of 1 percent. Then using 25 different computer models. they simulated a world without human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and found those hot days happened once every three years. Half a dozen outside scientists praised the study as valid, elegant and important. “This new study helps get the actual probability or odds of human influence,” said University of Arizona climate scientist Jonathan Overpeck. And once that percentage of impact can be attributed to human influence, it becomes easier for governments to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to control global warming, said Duke University climate scientist Drew Shindell. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential the state Senate minority Mon., Apr. 27, pushed for legislative action on a bill that would close the loophole that allows limited liability companies to donate as if they were individual entities and not tentacles of larger business concerns. Sen. Daniel Squadron’s bill would treat LLCs like corporations or other joint-stock entities for the purposes of campaign limits. The state Board of Elections deadlocked last week on a proposal to revisit its 1996 ruling that created the loophole. Approximately an hour after the Democrats’ press conference Monday, the Elections Committee met and approved the bill, moving it to Corporations for further consideration. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo included the LLC loophole closure in his executive budget proposal, but did not make it one of his five mandatory ethics fixes in the final fiscal plan. The governor’s campaign is the state’s most successful recipient of LLC dollars. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

New York will launch a pilot program to provide free English-language training via mobile phones to hundreds of immigrant who may lack regular access to a classroom, a computer or the Internet, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced April 27. Audio and text lessons will be made for personal cell phones under the program. Initially, it is being set up to reach farm workers in the “dairy belt” in both the Finger Lakes and North Country regions, and downstate in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Cuomo claims it is the first state program of its kind in the country.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced April 27 that state buildings will turn off non-essential outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to dawn during the times of peak bird migration: from April 15 through May 31 and August 15 through November 15. The governor's office says excessive outdoor lighting can cause "fatal light attraction" among birds who use stars to navigate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says an estimated 500 million to a billion birds annually in the United States die through collisions with windows, walls, floodlights, or the ground.