The Columbia Paper is reporting former Hudson Department of Public Works Superintendent Charles E. Butterworth died Tue., Mar. 31 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. Butterworth was born in Hudson. He received a degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University, and was hired by the city of Hudson in 1969. He served as the head of public works for 37 years and counted among his accomplishments the renovation of the Hudson Amtrak station, development of the city waterfront and his role as coordinator of the Hudson Elks Flag Day Parade. Butterworth is survived by his wife, Darlene, and children. Funeral services will be held Sat., Apr. 4, at the Cornerstone Fellowship Church, in Kinderhook.

Ben Fischer in the New York Business Journal reports that Brooklyn-based-but-with-a-major-Hudson-location online craft marketer Etsy wants to raise nearly $267 million in its upcoming initial public offering. That would value the company at $1.78 billion, according to an SEC filing March 31. Etsy hopes to sell 16.67 million shares between $14 and $16 a share, the filing said. Shares will trade on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ETSY. Read the full story in the New York Business Journal.

Matthew Hamilton in Capitol Confidential reports that while Albany focused on the state budget, on March 31 state Department of Health officials posted the regulations for New York's medical marijuana program on its website. The story reports officials have said they want to have the medical marijuana program operational at the beginning of 2016. Five registered organizations with up to four dispensaries each will be selected before the program can begin. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Medical Marijuana Regulations

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 61F; low 48F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 61F; low 49F.[/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 through mid-morning, then gradual clearing. High near 57. Thursday night, showers likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy during the early evening, then becoming cloudy. Low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Friday: Showers likely, mainly before 7 a.m. Cloudy. High near 62. Friday night, rain showers likely before 5 a.m., then rain and snow showers likely. Cloudy. Low around 36.
Saturday: Snow showers likely, possibly mixed with rain before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 44. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 27.
Sunday: Partly sunny. High near 45. Sunday night, a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 33.

Sunset today: 7:22 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:47 hrs.

Public meeting
Today is the first 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 Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
ASHLAND Planning Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 12094 Route 23, Ashland (734-3636).
AUSTERLITZ Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
COPAKE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
COXSACKIE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 16 Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
GHENT Town Board informational planning and working session, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
STUYVESANT Board meeting workshop, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
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 Local news, regional events, weather updates, and more, live from the WGXC Acra Studio 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.: We the People: Rob Perry, Timothy O'Connor The city of Hudson's planned sewer-line project will be discussed. City Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry will be in the studio first to discuss the needed replacement of the city's old, combined sewer system, followed by Timothy O’Connor of the South Bay Task Force, who will offer his perspective on the project's potential environmental impact. 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 Tom DePietro.
11 a.m.: One Size Fits All: 20150402 An hour-long investigation into the idea of amplified sound beginning with Mongo Santamaria and concluding with The Temptations. Full playlist found at www.Facebook.com/OneSizeWGXC. Produced by Your Host.
2 p.m.: The Art of the Hudson Valley: Chris Freeman Interview with Hudson painter Chris Freeman. Hosted by Chad Weckler.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: Railway Children Part 1 An anthology series of dramas and comedies for radio. 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. The classic story from E. Nesbit about city children who move to the English countryside next to a Railway Station. Where they have many adventures. Taking place during the Crimean War. 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.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

John Anderson at DIYmedia.net reports more of the details about the proposal to dramatically cut the Federal Communication Commission’s enforcement field offices. Two-thirds of the FCC’s 24 field offices would be closed under the budget proposal, with total enforcement staffing cut in half. Instead, the FCC would establish a “tiger team” of enforcers, who might not be that familiar with the area's airwaves, would be able to use pre-positioned equipment. Last week at the U.S. House's Financial Services Subcommittee budget hearing for the FCC, chairman Tom Wheeler was asked about the new, leaner enforcement strategy. Rep. Jaime Herrera Butler (R-WA) asked Wheeler about the new plan and the lack of any field office in the Pacific Northwest in the proposal. The question comes around one hour and fourteen minutes into the hearing above.[audio mp3="http://newsroom.free103point9.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Congressionalquestion_TomWheeler_enforcementcuts_20150402.mp3"][/audio]

Ryan Anglim is reporting in The Daily Mail the Catskill Village Board of Trustees will hold two public hearings on April 8. One to hear public comment on a local law on the use of scaffolding in the village, and the other on a bond proposition to finance the extension of the Catskill Firehouse. According to Village President Vincent Seeley voters will be asked to authorize the issuance of a 20-year, $350,000 bond to pay for the construction of a 40-by-55-foot free-standing structure at the rear of the existing firehouse. Groundbreaking for the extension is set for late this summer. The proposed local scaffold law would limit to six months the time temporary equipment used for construction, repair or maintenance of a building is allowed to stay in place. Any additional time would require permission from the village building inspector. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Michael Ryan is reporting in the Windham Journal plans to build a new firehouse in Prattsville are well underway. It is hoped the 10,000 square foot building will go out to bid this spring, with construction to begin in the fall. More than two years have passed since the town learned the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide $2.3 million to help fund the project. The building will be constructed on the former Becker property, located on the west end of Main St., well above the flood plain. During Hurricane Irene, in Aug. 2011, Prattsville volunteers were isolated when flood waters rose so fast they were trapped on the second floor of the current firehouse, and unable to assist in rescue efforts. Drawings of the new building are expected to be completed soon, according to first assistant fire chief Tom Olson, who serves as spokesman for the project. The fire company is prepared to relocate in 2016, or later, Olson said. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Jimmy Vielkind, Josefa Velasquez and Jessica Bakeman are reporting at Capital New York the last state budget bill cleared the New York State Assembly just before 3 a.m., Wed., Apr. 1, as Republican members asked questions and raised concerns about pieces of the $150 billion spending plan. Members of the State Senate passed the last of 13 budget bills at 11:10 p.m. The members of the Assembly’s Democratic majority supported the budget bill that overhauled state education law, however reluctantly. One lawmaker even held his nose as he voted. The bill created a new educator evaluation system, rolls back tenure protections and makes it easier to fire teachers. While many expressed grave concerns about the bill, they argued the final agreement was better for public school teachers and students than Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s original proposal and it was better to accept some changes than risk a late budget.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that Chatham Village held a public hearing on a new Comprehensive Plan last week. About 20 people heard about the first update in 20 years, which reads in part, “A combination of tourism, arts, recreation, close-knit neighborhood and home-grown businesses set the Village of Chatham apart from other communities.” An information kiosk and better signs on the roads leading to the village are also part of the plan, as well as a recommendation to evaluate the Historic Overlay District regulations, which would mean changes to the zoning laws. The full draft plan is online at the village website, www.villageofchatham.com, and copies are at the Chatham Public Library on Woodbridge Avenue and at the Village Clerk’s Office in the Tracy Memorial.
Written comments can be submitted until April 13 to Mayor Tom Curran at mayor@villageofchatham.com or at the Tracy Memorial at 77 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12307. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Rik Stevens for the Associated Press in The Daily Freeman has a long story about opposition to natural gas pipelines in the Northeast, and high fuel prices in the region. "There is near universal agreement that the Northeast has to expand its energy supply to rein in the nation’s highest costs" is the story's opening premise, and "not in my back yard" seems to be the response in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York communities where companies are trying to put pipelines. Last year Texas-based Kinder Morgan moved a proposal for one pipeline from Massachusetts after opposition there, to a more northerly route through New Hampshire. Now residents of that state are complaining. In New York, the story mentions the 124-mile Constitution Pipeline running along I-88, where 125 of 651 landowners in New York and Pennsylvania along the route refused to sign right of way agreements. Locally, the Pilgrim Pipeline is proposed to run from Albany to New Jersey, on land near the New York State Thruway (I-87) through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties locally. The 178-mile pipeline would carry Bakkan crude oil to New Jersey, and refined material back to Albany. While the pipeline largely stays near the Thruway, in Greene County, the proposed project veers east of Route 9W west of Sleepy Hollow Lake in Athens, and then back near the interstate around Leeds-Athens Road. After Catskill, the pipeline veers west of the interstate briefly around Cauterskill Road. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 45F; low 27F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 46F; low 24F.[/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: Sunny. High near 43. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 24.

Forecast for the next three days:
Thursday: Mostly cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing. High near 55. Thursday night, showers likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Increasing clouds. Low around 45.
Friday: Showers likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Cloudy. High near 59. Friday night, showers likely. Cloudy. Low around 39.
Saturday: A chance of showers before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 44. Saturday night, partly cloudy. Low around 29.

Sunrise today: 6:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:21 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:44 hrs.

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

CAIRO Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
GHENT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature Health Services, County Resources and Public Safety committees, 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
GREENPORT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).
HALCOTT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Halcott Grange, 254 Co. Rte. 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920).
HUDSON Common Council Youth & Aging Committee meeting, 6 p.m., Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee meeting, 6:45 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON Industrial Development Agency meeting (tentative), 2 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-0212).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
NEW BALTIMORE Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Co. Rte. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Library Board of Trustees meeting, 7 p.m. at Library, 101 Main St., Philmont (672-5010).

WGXC Community Outreach Advisory Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at Crossroads Brewery, 21 2nd St., Athens (697-7400). The WGXC Community Outreach Advisory Committee helps support the station’s outreach efforts, including station events, participation in community events, dissemination of outreach materials, and more. All are welcome to get involved. Meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. To learn more, email Cheryl [at] wgxc [dot] org.

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Pierre Henry Episode 975 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click on title for playlist 975..
2 a.m.: Tabs Out: Witchbeam Tabs Out turned three years old. We celebrated being America’s favorite cassette podcast three years strong by sitting in a smelly, cramped room playing cassettes by Witchbeam, Trust, Stellfox, Parashi, Porenut, Purity Of Essence, New World Pictures, Talugung, Cosi E Cosi, Beast Nest, Contrepoison, Rag Lore, Steve Palmer, and Tropical Rock. We also prank called a lesser cassette podcast and did some general goofin’. Things got a little hairy, so forgive us if we forgot to play a tape or fucked up in any way.
5:05 a.m.: Spoiler Alert Radio: Steve Browell Steve Browell, Sound Effects Editor and Sound Designer for Fantastic Mr. Fox, Jane Eyre, On the Road, Frankenweenie, Under the Skin, and Call the Midwife. From Pacifica Radio.

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 Local news, regional events, weather updates, and more, live from the WGXC Acra Studio 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.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

The revolution may be televised after all, just not in the way Gil Scott-Heron considered in 1970. Instead, everyone will be transmitting from their personal hand-sized computer. Last week Periscope joined Meerkat in the race to establish a generic platform for livestreaming through Twitter accounts. Both are quick, easy-to-use apps that allow anyone with a cell phone to turn it on during their local town council meetings, or school board meetings, potentially radicalizing small town politics. Of course, it will mostly be used at concerts and by tourists walking around exotic locales. But, in the past week, the number and quality of technological breakthroughs that could be used for good by all wired citizens soon, was breathtaking. Micron and Intel announced new 3D NAND technology, stacking layers of flash cells vertically to increase density. Now, "2.5-inch SSDs could come in 10TB capacities, compared to the 1TB drives most laptops max out at today," according to Wired magazine. So computers and tablets and phones are about to hold many more apps and songs and videos, and are also about to work faster, as 5G standards get adopted. The Economist says that new 5G "networks will need to have a 'latency' (ie, response time) of about one millisecond. The speed at which two devices can begin to communicate with one another over today’s 4G networks is about 50 milliseconds, and around 500 milliseconds for the still widely used 3G services." Some of the shiny new roll outs can be scary too. Slate reported last week about StringRrays, devices which pretend to be cell towers so mobile devices will be tricked into connecting to them and revealing their data, and manufactured by the Florida-based Harris Corp. There's also a cheaper version called a KingFish, and both can skim call and messaging logs, geolocation data, and handset information. Some of the new innovations, though, are meant for good. The Freedom of the Press Foundation released a new version of SecureDrop last week, their open-source whistleblower system for media organizations to communicate with anonymous sources, and receive documents from whistleblowers. The Toronto Globe and Mail and Gawker Media are among the early adopters for SecureDrop. Others harnessed the new breakthroughs for their own purposes. On March 30, Jay-Z launched a streaming music service called Tidal with Beyoncé, Daft Punk, Kanye, Arcade Fire, and Rihanna as co-owners contributing exclusive content. Tidal reportedly has higher artist royalties then Spotify, and definitely costs more with subscriptions at $20 for high-definition streaming and $10 for regular quality, and no free ad-supported option. The sound quality is said to be similar to Neil Young's Pono app.

Arthur Cusano is reporting in the Register Star several lawsuits filed over the rejected Ginsberg's Foods proposed expansion will be heard in Columbia County Court Wed., Apr. 1. The food distributor's proposal was denied by the Ghent planning board five months ago. Three Article 78 proceedings were filed by county residents who live near the proposed site, and another was filed on behalf of Ginsberg’s against the Ghent and Claverack planning boards over their rejection of the project. The project called for an expansion of the company’s current facility on Route 66 in Ghent and the construction of a larger facility on a property in the towns of Ghent and Claverack. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Rick Karlin is reporting at Capitol Confidential Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and New York State United Teachers President Karen Magee are at odds over the union's call for a test boycott. In a discussion about the state budget and its teacher evaluation component, Magee said Mon., Mar. 30, she hoped more parents with kids in grades 3-8 would boycott the standardized math and English tests that are used for teacher rating. The tests have become a central focus of the changes proposed to the evaluation system. Later the same day Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch offered a rebuttal saying the tests can be especially helpful for minority children who might otherwise be lost in the system. And she pointed out that funding is at stake too. Schools where less than 95 percent of the students take the assessments can lose federal funding. The Regents and state Education Department will take on the task of revising and reforming teacher evaluation systems, according to the latest version of the budget. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 44F; low 25F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 45F; low 26F.[/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: A chance of rain, mainly after 5 p.m. Increasing clouds. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Tuesday night, a chance of rain, mainly before 7 p.m. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing. Low around 23. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Wednesday: Sunny. High near 44. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 26.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 56. Thursday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 48.
Friday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 62. Friday night, rain likely. Mostly cloudy. Low around 41.

Sunrise today: 6:38 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:20 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:41 hrs.

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

COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Health and Medical Committee special meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Totally Wired Wires are the theme, with clips from "The Wire" television show, and songs from The Fall ("Totally Wired"), U2 ("Trip Through Your Wires"), Henry Flynt ("Jumping Wired"), Porter Wagoner ("Hot Wired"), Wooden Wand ("Wired to the Sky"), Alice Donut ("Wired"), The Stranglers ("Wired"), Superchunk ("Crossed Wires"), John Barry ("The Whole Place is Wired"), Haim ("The Wire"), Leonard Cohen ("Bird on the Wire"), Neil Young ("Down to the Wire"), PJ Harvey ("Hanging on the Wire"), Hoodoo Gurus ("Crossed Wires"), Janek Schaefer ("D2: Crossed Wires").
5:05 a.m.: The RAIN Report: Warren Elly Hap Holly, KC9RP, produces this 10 to 15-minute weekly amateur radio program, featuring timely interviews, occasional thought-provoking commentaries from other hams, excerpts from Hamvention Forums, and other items of general interest to the ham radio community at large. This week: "Warren Elly/W1GUD talks about the fun above 30 mHz."

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 Local news, regional events, weather updates, and more, live from Hudson, Columbia Co. Hosted by Mr. "Peetie Pete" Lievense.
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.
11 a.m.: The Music Maestro Hour
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

The Mid-Hudson News Network reports in The Daily Freeman that Greene County ranked near the bottom in health outcomes, according to the 2015 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Greene County ranked 60th out of 62 counties in New York in the survey. Only Sullivan County and the Bronx ranked lower. Dutchess County ranked the best in the area, at ninth in the state, with Schohahrie County close behind at 14th in the state. Ulster County ranked 21st, Albany County was 29th, Rensselaer was 30th, and Columbia County ranked 35th, according to the survey. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

When talk turns to radio hoaxes, generally the conversation begins with Orson Welles and the Mercury Players 1938 on-air dramitization of H.G. Wells' novel "The War of the Worlds." Americans running screaming into the streets, reportedly, at the idea that Martians were invading, got lots of Congressmen mad at the time, David Oxenford reports at the Broadcast Law Blog, but didn't change anything. "Essentially, through some well-publicized apologies by Welles and others involved in the program, and a promise by the network to take steps to prevent it from happening again, the FCC closed its investigation and no law was passed by Congress," Oxenford wrote. Fifty years later, in the early 1990s, several on-air April Fool's Day incidents did cause the Federal Communications Commission to update their rules, Oxenford reports. Announcers at a one station claimed someone had taken them hostage, and another station pretended that a local trash dump had exploded like a volcano, sending burning trash airborne. Both times, first responders were called to non-existent emergencies, risking lives. So the FCC adopted Section 73.1217 of the Commission’s Rules, preventing stations from discussing a "crime or catastrophe" on the air, if the broadcaster (1) knows the information to be false, (2) it is reasonably foreseeable that the broadcast of the material will cause substantial public harm and (3) public harm is in fact caused. The FCC defines public harm as "direct and actual damage to property or to the health or safety of the general public, or diversion of law enforcement or other public health and safety authorities from their duties."

[caption width="350" align="alignright"] Music & Art Center of Greene County in Jewett.[/caption]At this year's the Greene County Council on the Arts' Beaux Arts Ball on Hunter Mountain March 28, the Council honored Natalia Sonevytsky, co-founder and President of the Music & Art Center of Greene County, with the Distinguished Service Award. For 32 years, the Music & Arts Center has hosted a summer concert series, Ukrainian folk arts workshops, and visual arts at the Grazhda in Jewett, around the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church. Click here to hear audio of Kay Stamer Executive Director of the Arts Council introducing Sonevytsky, and Sonevytsky accepting the award. The audio was recorded from a live WGXC broadcast. PLAY AUDIO (6:34)

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Mar. 27 through Mon., Mar. 30

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced a three-way budget deal just after 9:30 p.m., Sun., Mar. 29. Heastie said the question of who would handle the reform of the teacher evaluation system would be handled by the state Education Department. Teacher tenure will now be available after four years of service, up from the current three years, and will be tied to evaluations. Cuomo administration officials said those evaluations will be tied to both state testing and observations. Details of the ethics package in the fiscal plan were not yet fully available, but Cuomo insisted it would include the five categories of fixes he demanded. The final plan will include the establishment of a pay commission for lawmakers as well as top agency officials, Heastie said. According to a statement released by the three leaders the final budget plan would include $1.5 billion for Cuomo’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative competition and $500 million to make New York the first in the nation to have statewide broadband. Heastie also listed the policy items that will not be dealt with in the budget including the DREAM Act, a boost in the minimum wage, new policies on campus sexual assault and an effort to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Full details and language are to be released Mon., Mar. 30.

Diane Valden reported in the Columbia Paper Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett was recently elected to the executive committee of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association. In that capacity, Bartlett will work with sheriffs across the state to enhance public safety statewide through professional training and accreditation programs, public safety programs and advocacy. The state Sheriffs’ Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation formed in 1934, and is comprised of all elected and appointed sheriffs in the state.

Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail the Catskill Central School District presented its proposed $40 million budget for the 2015-16 school year Wed., Mar. 25. The plan features a decrease in overall spending and state aid, and increases in the tax levy and the use of reserve funds, with minimal program and staffing changes. The tax levy would increase 1.94 percent, within the state mandated cap. The spending plan will allow for the addition of an instrumental music class for the fourth and fifth grades, along with an introductory music class for third graders. It also provides for the addition of one special education teacher and two teaching assistants at Catskill High School. A budget workshop is scheduled for April 15. The public hearing on the budget will be held May 6. The statewide budget vote and school board elections will be held May 19.

Siobhan [She-von] Barton reported in the Register Star Bruce Bohnsack, chairman of the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency and the Capital Resource Commission has resigned, effective Aug. 31. He served as the chair for the two county agencies for 30 years. Bohnsack submitted a letter of resignation to IDA and CRC Executive Director Kenneth Flood last week. He said the decision was the result of his desire for additional leisure time. Bohnsack is the third generation president and general manager of Gtel, which provides telephone, IPTV and broadband service to southern Columbia County. He is also president of Hilltop Communications, Inc., Valstar Inc. and Germantown Cellular Inc. Flood said, “He was a fantastic leader of the IDA in tackling both easy and difficult tasks. He put in a tremendous amount of effort on both boards."