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.

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.

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

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."

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 49F; low 30F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 50F; low 31F.[/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 Mon., Mar. 30 in east central New York, including Greene, Columbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Dutchess and Ulster counties. A fast-moving clipper could bring gusty winds up to 40 mph from a westerly direction, especially Monday afternoon.

Today: A chance of showers, mainly after 1 p.m.. Mostly cloudy. High near 51. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 26.

Forecast for the next three days:
Tuesday: A chance of rain, mainly after 4 p.m. Increasing clouds. High near 45. Tuesday night, a chance of rain and snow before 10 p.m., then a chance of snow. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy. Low around 22.
Wednesday: Sunny. High near 44. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 27.
Thursday: A chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny. High near 57. Thursday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 46.

Sunrise today: 6:40 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:19 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:39 hrs.

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

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12 a.m. (midnight): The Traveling Show Wave Farm Radio will produce a live webstream of "The Traveling Show," spoken word, music, dance, visuals and ritual presenting pieces from the anthology published by Deep Listening Publications and The Ministry of Maåt.
3 a.m.: Free Cake For Every Creature, Trace Mountains Trace Mountains is from the DDW record label. Free Cake For Every Creature is from Katie Bennett, and Bridezilla is Ben Hopkins. Recorded live at Spotty Dog Books & Ale, Hudson, N.Y.
5:05 a.m.: PCJ Media Network Plus: Vanuatu Reports about radio coverage of the cyclone in Vanuatu.

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.
10 a.m.: The Albany Report: Mike Neppi, Tim Burke The show will feature a discussion about libraries. Libraries are key community institutions that ensure the public has access to information. They are an especially vital resource in rural and economically vulnerable communities. Guests Mike Neppl, Director of Government Affairs for the New York Library Association, and Tim Burke, Executive Director of the Upper Hudson Library System, will discuss how Albany policies are affecting local libraries and their ability to fulfill their mission. 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.
11 a.m.: Zoom: The Cry of the People for Meat I am a trained mortician. I always dreamed of being a butcher, and I ended up being a railroader like my Pop. Cured and ground meats are very enigmatic, staples of any good work-a-day peasant. The times are dire and it seems the Georgia Guidestones could contain clues. Maybe programmer and listener could create a symbiosis and make our own messiah! Anybody out there? Host Tyson Hauf
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Two radio legends announced their broadcast ends this week. New York City-area legend Vin Scelsa announced his retirment March 28. Scelsa was a freeform FM radio pioneer since 1967, lately hosting "Idiot's Delight" on WFUV (90.7 FM). Scelsa began at WFMU in East Orange, NJ, in November, 1967, and worked at WBAI, WABC-FM, WLIR-FM, WNEW-FM, WXRK-FM, and moved to WFUV in 2001. He also hosted a show on SiriusXM's "The Loft" satellite channel. "The kind of programming autonomy I've enjoyed, on both commercial and public radio over all these years, is unique," Scelsa said in a statement. "I am grateful to all the stations I've worked on for the privilege of being allowed to wander through their airwaves wherever my interests have taken me. I am grateful to my listeners for their support and their indulgence as we shared this journey together." Ben Sisario in The New York Times wrote that, "Mr. Scelsa had his playlists meander in sometimes whimsical fashion, mixing underground rock, folksy singer-songwriters, even show tunes. Between songs, he spoke passionately and at great length about the music he loved." Scelsa, who is mentioned in the 1981 Ramones song "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)," will host his final shows on May 2, from 8-10 p.m. on WFUV, and April 30 on satellite radio. Also on March 28, Deutsche Welle transmitted its final broadcast from its Kigali, Rwanda relay station on 17,800 kHz, the SWLing blog reports. Deutsche Welle is Germany's international broadcaster, similar to the BBC World Service, France 24, Voice of America, Radio Canada International, Radio Free Europe, and Radio France Internationale. Lately, more and more of these services are cutting back their international broadcasts. Fortunately, a 2012 report in The Communication for Development Journal, found, "In 11 countries surveyed across Africa, local commercial radio grew by an average of 360 percent between 2000 and 2006, whereas community radio grew by a striking 1,386 percent, on average, over the same period."

Matt Bathrick in The Columbia Paper reports that the Ghent Town Board last week addressed the high voltage power lines proposed to go through Columbia County by adopting a resolution asking the Public Service Commission to, “carefully scrutinize all of the environmental issues and review impact on the environment by this project to the maximum extent possible.” The transmission lines would carry more than 1,000 megawatts more than current lines, and are part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Energy Highway initiative, stretching from Albany through Greene County in Athens to Pleasant Valley in Dutchess County. The board voted unanimously, picking among two proposals, one from town attorney Ted Guterman, and another from Ian Solomon, head of Farmers and Families for Claverack, a member of the Hudson Valley Smart Energy Coalition, an activist group opposed to the power lines. “I just thought Ted made it soft. He took some of the language out of Ian’s proposed resolution that I thought was pretty good wording,” Board member Mallory Mort said. “In my opinion, I think I see why Ted omitted some of this language,” replied board member Richard Sardo. “I’m not comfortable with it.” Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

[caption id="attachment_41018" align="alignright" width="300"] New York is drawing more of its electricity from wind power than ever, but that trend could stop if the state abandons its renewable-energy targets this year. Photo credit: Jonathan Percy/CC.[/caption]Derek Hawkins at New York News Service via Public News Service reports New York is drawing more of its electricity from wind power than ever, but that trend could stop if the state abandons its renewable-energy targets this year. The state's renewable-energy standard requires New York to get 30 percent of its electricity from sources such as wind and solar, and the standard is set to expire at the end of 2015. Kit Kennedy, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's energy and transportation program, said the wind industry could feel serious consequences if the state decides not to extend it. "Particularly for wind, it's extremely bad news," she said, "It means that this important policy, which has really supported investment in wind power and the growth that we've had in wind power, will just come to a halt." There are other options for the wind industry if the standard expires. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has created a Green Bank to fund as much as $5 billion in clean-energy investments. The governor's office said the bank is designed to support wind and solar development as well as energy-efficiency projects. In March, New York drew a record-breaking 7 percent of its electricity from wind power - up from virtually nothing 10 years ago. Kennedy said New York should keep up that progress by not only extending but expanding its renewable-energy goals to 50 percent by 2025. "That is both an ambitious and an achievable target," she said, "because, of course, New York state is blessed with great renewable-energy resources - not only wind and solar but a lot of hydropower, which we've successfully harnessed." New York's first wind farm started delivering power in 2000. In the past decade, wind power in the state has grown from about 50 megawatts to more than 1,700 megawatts currently. Click here to hear an audio version of this story. PLAY AUDIO

Local News
Local news Click here for news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., March 29. PLAY AUDIO (3:41)

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

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 38, and a slight chance of snow showers after 2 a.m., with a low around 23.

• Monday: There's a chance of snow showers before 11 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 11 a.m. and noon, then a chance of rain showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42, and a low around 31.

• Tuesday: A chance of showers after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 45.

Sunrise 6:41 a.m.
Sunset 7:18 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 2:05 P.M. 3:35 A.M.
Mercury 6:30 A.M. 6:16 P.M.
Venus 8:09 A.M. 10:25 P.M.
Mars 7:32 A.M. 8:58 P.M.
Jupiter 2:19 P.M. 4:43 A.M.
Saturn 11:49 P.M. 9:32 A.M.
Uranus 7:05 A.M. 7:51 P.M.
Neptune 5:41 A.M. 4:39 P.M.
Pluto 2:52 A.M. 12:19 P.M.

WGXC Programming


Radia: Joni Erika Smith
March 29, 2015: 5 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.

This Week in Radio News: Norman Stockwell
March 29, 2015: 5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.

The Traveling Show
March 29, 2015: 2 p.m.
Wave Farm Radio will produce a live webstream of "The Traveling Show," spoken word, music, dance, visuals and ritual presenting pieces from the anthology published by Deep Listening Publications and The Ministry of Maåt. Performers and artists represented include: Ximena Alarcon, Jo Andres, Sangeeta Laura Biagi, Anne Bourne, Sadee Brathwaite, Donnaldson Brown, Carol Chappell, Andrea Goodman, Anne Hemenway, Jaclyn Heyen, IONE, Andrea Israel, Lisa B. Kelley, Rachel Koenig, Pauline Oliveros, Shirley Parker-Benjamin, Julia White, Julie Winter, and Lorah Yaccarino. The show will be broadcast on WGXC (90.7-FM) at midnight Mon. March 30.

Free Cake For Every Creature, Trace Mountains
March 29, 2015: 8 p.m. – March 30, 2015: 2 a.m.
Live broadcast of performances at Spotty Dog Books & Ale.

Miranda Neubauer in Capital New York reports that New York lags behind the rest of the country in broadband access. More than 25 percent of New Yorkers do not have access to minimal broadband speeds under the Federal Communications Commission's standards, while the number is 17 percent nationwide. In January, the FCC changed the definition of minimum download speed to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Around 5.4 million New Yorkers, or 27.7 percent of the population, lacked access to broadband as of July, according to the state's data. Around 7 million, or 35.8 percent of New Yorkers, do not have access to 100 Mbps, according to the Cuomo administration. Governor Andrew Cuomo is promoting a $500 million broadband initiative in hopes of bringing universal broadband to the state by 2019. That plan calls for 100 Mbps, though they could offer a speed of 25 Mbps in the "most remote unserved and underserved areas of the state." Read the full story in Capital New York.