Internet providers were expected to sue the Federal Communications Commission over the agency's net neutrality rules, passed last week. But now The Washington Post is reporting that many have other battles to fight. AT&T wants FCC and Justice Department approval for its $49 billion merger with DirecTV. Verizon has a proposed deal with Frontier Communications that also needs federal approval. And Comcast is seeking approval from many government agences for a $45 billion merger with Time Warner Cable. "Optically, it looks bad for Comcast to say, 'We don't agree with whatever the FCC's doing,' but, 'Oh, you need to approve our merger,'" one anonymous industry analyst told Post. But 'optics' aren't usually a problem for cable television companies such as Time Warner, one the cable giants that are now key players in internet access nationwide. Bruce Kushnick of the New Networks Institute, a consumer advocacy group, told Capital New York that the industry has a tradition of charging more with imaginary fees. He points to Time Warner bills with charges for a “Broadcast TV Fee,” or “Public Access Fee,” and “Regulatory Recovery Fee.” “Made up garbage,” says Kushnick, not required by any government regulation or tax rule. Already, New York State has delayed its decision on the Comcast-Time Warner merger five times, perhaps waiting for the feds to move first. The FCC won't decide the issue until at least March 30, and then the Justice Department weighs in on the proposed merger of the two least popular companies in America, according to the University of Michigan American Customer Satisfaction Index. Remember the recording of the phone call between customer Ryan Block and a belligerent Comcast service reprsentative that went viral last summer? Customers with only a cable option for internet service, and others who want to spend less, might have a new alternative soon for internet service. Slate reports Google confirmed this week that the company will announce a wireless service of its own soon. They won't hang their own antennae on towers around the country, but partner with Verizon and AT&T's smaller rivals, Sprint and T-Mobile. The Slate writer, Will Oremus, thinks it will be, "a 'Wi-Fi first' service that could deliver adequate, if slightly spotty, coverage at a fraction of the prevailing cost." It would focus on data coverage, rather then phone and text, since anyone can use many web apps such as Skype, FaceTime, iMessage, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger over a data plan for those features.

Michael Ryan is reporting in The Daily Mail the proposed plan for a unified ambulance system covering all 14 towns and five villages in Greene County will be unveiled at the county Legislature Health Committee meeting tonight, Wed., Mar. 4. Pending the committee's recommendation, the proposal would move on to the full Legislature for approval, followed by every constituent town within Greene County. The initiative could fail overall if it is rejected by a minimum of five or six towns. The plan is projected to cost $6 million. The new countywide system would be administered by a not-for-profit entity and be coordinated through the county’s emergency call center. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

John Mason is reporting in the Register Star Hudson Mayor William H. Hallenbeck Jr., along with staff and volunteers from the American Red Cross Eastern New York Region, will be going door-to-door throughout much of Hudson Wednesday (March 4), to distribute information about home fire preparedness and prevention. Residents will also be offered the opportunity to have up to three free smoke alarms installed in their homes by appointment. The effort is in response to the house fire on State St., Sat., Feb. 27, that left 16 people homeless. The Red Cross has provided financial assistance to fire victims to buy food and clothing, and hotel lodging for several days. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Will Brunelle is reporting at Capital New York funding for public state colleges could be tied, in part, to how they attract businesses to tax-free zones developed under the Start-Up NY program. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed withholding 10 percent of aid for SUNY and CUNY schools if they do not submit so-called performance improvement plans. He is also dangling $30 million in bonus funding as he pushes to move from enrollment-based to performance-based funding for the college system. One of the four points of the plan calls for schools to outline financial incentives for college presidents who provide leadership that results in commercialization of research. Cuomo has touted the program as key to reviving the upstate economy. Critics on both the left and the right say the administration is inappropriately picking winners and losers, and is not being sufficiently transparent about administration or marketing. Read the full story at Capital New York.

Closings and delays for Wed., Mar. 4:

Chatham Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Chatham Kids Club | Delayed two hours; open at 8:30 a.m.
Germantown Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Hawthorne Valley School | Delayed two hours.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Pine Plains Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Red Hook Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Rhinebeck Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Saugerties Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Taconic Hills Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District | Delayed two hours.

Source: Times Union

Julia Reischel in The Watershed Post reports that Tim Knight, the 21-year-old owner of the online Schoharie News will beging a weekly tabloid edition beginning in May. Knight had previously sold the online publication to Robert Panico, but bought it back last month. "There is a dearth of real reporting in this county, and change is needed in the media landscape," Knight said. "While digital has its advantages, it's limited in what you can do professionally." Currently, two print publications cover Schoharie County: the Stamford-based weekly Mountain Eagle, owned by Columbia-Greene Media (who owns The Daily Mail and Register-Star), and the Cobleskill-based Times Journal. Knight freelanced for The Mountain Eagle. He says "I am hopeful that they are receptive to having competition in the Schoharie Valley for the first time since the 1980s." Read the full story in The Watershed Post.

Julia Reischel in The Watershed Post reports that David Salway, the director of the New York State Broadband Program office, spoke about rural broadband at the Roxbury Motel in Delaware County on Feb. 25. Greene County, for instance, has the worst broadband access in the entire state, according to statistics released by the governor’s office, and Andrew Cuomo is hoping to change that. “We’re talking about very high speed internet access by 2019,“ Salway said. “We want to connect every business premise and every residence. It’s not just about people in their homes running Netflix videos; it’s about the business, the economic opportunities as well. Health care, telemedicine, school access.” At the Roxbury Hotel, there is no high-speed yet. “We can’t market ourselves as a cutting-edge hotel when the bandwidth often gets maxed out,” owner Greg Henderson said. “People have no patience for internet outages. And it’s always our fault. Having enough bandwidth to accommodate all of our guests at once would be an absolute godsend.” Read the full story in The Watershed Post.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 42F; low 15F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 43F; low 19F.[/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 and snow before noon, then a slight chance of rain between noon and 4 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow after 4 p.m. Cloudy. High near 41. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Wednesday night, a chance of snow, mainly after 9 p.m. Cloudy. Low around 19. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Forecast for the next three days:
Thursday: A chance of snow, mainly before 3 p.m. Cloudy. High near 22. Thursday night, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear. Low around 3.
Friday: Sunny. High near 24. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 8.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 37. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 22.

Sunrise today: 6:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:49 p.m.
Length of the day: 11:24 hrs.

Public meetings
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).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Pine Haven Sub-Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
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).
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 the Main Street Public House, 12 Main St., Philmont (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
12:05 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Machinefabriek Episode 970 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click on title for playlist 970. Rescheduled from previous week.
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Jaap Blonk Episode 971 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click on title for playlist 971.
2 a.m.: Tabs Out: Three-Legged Race Episode #61 of the cassette show. A post-Valentine’s Day special. For lovers only!! Please, join us on our erotic expedition of sensual goofs and cassettes by C Plus Plus, White Hernia, Sam Lisabeth, Lichens, Three Legged Race, Colored Mushroom And The Medicine Rocks, James Fella, True Neutral Crew, Ultralyd, JUJU, Power Monster, Pulse Emitter, Ondness, R. Lee Dockery, and Nightshades & Gel Nails.

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, weather, events, music and more. Live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. Hosted by Michelle Lewis.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. National, daily, independent, award-winning news program providing audiences with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S. corporate-sponsored media.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues.
10 a.m.: @Issue: Germantown Central School District Capital Project Discussion of the Germantown Central School District's Capital Project proposal. Plus, the destruction of two homes in the 300 block of State St. in Hudson, Sat., Feb. 28, and the community's response to the event. Hosted by Victor Mendolia, Debora Gilbert and Debby Mayer.
11 a.m.: Vinyl Rundown: Daytime Premiere New day and time. Host Chris Bishop moves his popular vinyl show to 11 a.m., every Wednesday. Bishop reviews recent vinyl albums, singles and reissues. He writes about '60s garage music at www.garagehangover.com.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

While the costs of storing electronic data and sharing that with the public continues to drop with technological innovations, many governments across the United States continue to delete emails as soon as they can. In New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo was elected on the pledge to lead the most transparent administration in state history, there is a policy in place to delete emails after three months. "It’s like something out of 'Mission Impossible' – this email will self-destruct in 90 days. This is the type of stuff that happens in a dictatorship," said Steve McLaughlin, a Republican assemblymember, in a Tweet. The Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan nonprofit that advocates for open government, points out several other examples:
• Ferguson, Mo. officials determining that emails related to officer Darren Wilson’s case didn’t serve the “public interest” and therefore would be available only at prohibitive cost.
• Broward County, Florida officials are charging journalists $132,348 to provide emails associated with foreclosure cases.
• Pennsylvania state agency officials are using personal discretion about which emails to keep after only five days, a policy which led to the governor’s special advisor on education having only five traceable emails after working for the state for a year.
Why is this important? In the Los Angeles Unified School District, officials are now increasing their email destruction after older emails revealed the closeness of officials’ relationships with potential district vendors. If these public records are not available for journalists and members of the public to request, then public documents about important governance issues are being hidden from the public. In the pre-digital age, paper records could be found in file cabinets. Now, some emails public employees write are about the latest cat video on the internet, or requests from lobbyists for policy changes. Often, both are thrown out quickly, when the latter should be stored for later review. The Sunlight Foundation finds this worrisome. "Both in the federal government and in state and local governments across the nation, the most common method presently used to archive electronic records allows public employees to decide which individual emails they would identify as 'public records.' Other observers of government IT have noted that this approach to email retention practically works against the robust protection of public records."
Even more troubling, some government bodies aren't keeping any email records. California’s Tri-City Healthcare District has no general email retention requirement, according to Sunlight Foundation. And on March 3, The New York Times reported Hillary Rodham Clinton exclusively used a personal email account to conduct government business as secretary of state, avoiding any future inquiries. Clinton may have violated federal requirements that officials’ correspondence be retained as part of the agency’s record, according to the paper.

Michael Ryan is reporting in the Windham Journal details surrounding the arrest and indictment of Windham Town Supervisor Stacy Post have been released. Post was indicted by a Greene County grand jury Feb. 18 on 30 felony counts of eavesdropping, official misconduct and possession of eavesdropping devices. The report of Greene Co. grand jury was made public late last week. The report alleges Post had installed in February 2014 video-audio surveillance software and a camera/microphone on the town supervisor's computer located inside Windham town hall. The report further alleges Post secretly recorded both video and audio inside the supervisor's office beginning on Feb. 25 and continuing through Mar. 15, 2014. Most of the daily recordings began at 7 a.m., before the office was open for business, and continued uninterrupted until 11 p.m., and captured the private conversations of town board members, town employees, cleaning personnel and the general public. Post's exploits came to light after she asked a Windham police officer to help copy the audio-video files to a mobile flash drive. The police officer then reported the activity, which prompted the subsequent state police investigation. Post served as the Windham police chief until she assumed the position of town supervisor in January 2014. She will be arraigned March 10 in Greene County Court in Catskill on the felony indictment. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Jessica Bateman is reporting at Capital New York more than 1,000 teachers and public education advocates marched through the Empire State Plaza concourse Mon., Mar. 2, in a protest of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's education reform proposals. Led by New York State United Teachers, protesters arrived from around the state in 15 buses, as well as by car from local school districts. The teachers' union is the primary opponent of Cuomo’s plans to overhaul the teacher evaluation system and tenure laws, and to boost charter schools. Members of both houses of the Legislature attended the rally, Monday. Earlier that day approximately 100 pro-charter school advocates rallied in support of Cuomo’s proposals in the same location. Education reform group Families for Excellent Schools has planned a massive outdoor rally for Wed., Mar. 4. Read the full story at Capital New York.

Jeff Waggoner is reporting at Capitol Confidential the state Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association posted a video Fri, Feb. 27, in which the union president says new guidelines on the use of solitary confinement “place the lives of prisoners and prison employees at risk.” The association is the union that represents prison guards. The rules referenced were implemented as part of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit last year, filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The union said the decision was based on a NYCLU’s study, entitled "Boxed In," which was filled with “fabrications and assumptions.” A comprehensive, federally funded survey, just completed this year, directly contradicts the union’s claim that segregation reforms will make staff less safe, the NYCLU said. See the full COPBA video online at YouTube.

John Mason is reporting in the Register Star a new law setting a minimum apartment size in the city of Hudson is now on the desk of Mayor William H. Hallenbeck Jr., following a public hearing Mon., Mar. 2. The proposed law, passed by the Common Council Feb. 17, sets the minimum size for all newly constructed apartments in the city at 350 square feet. The mayor now has three days to either sign or veto the measure. Following the hearing, Hallenbeck vowed to review the document in its entirety before taking action. The legislation was created with two purposes in mind: To increase the amount of affordable housing in the city, and to ensure health and safety in such housing. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 31F; low 26F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 31F; low 27F.[/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 Winter Weather Advisory from 3 p.m., Tue., Mar. 3 until 10 a.m., Wed., Mar. 4 throughout eastern New York and western New England. Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected. Total accumulations of 2 to 5 inches are possible. Precipitation will begin as snow late Tuesday afternoon and then transition to sleet and freezing rain during the late evening and overnight hours before tapering off Wednesday morning. Travel conditions will be adversely effected due to snow and ice covered roads.

Today: Snow likely, mainly after 3 p.m. Increasing clouds. High near 29. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Tuesday night, snow and sleet before midnight, then freezing rain. Low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New ice accumulation of around a 0.1 [one tenth] of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Forecast for the next three days:
Wednesday: A chance of rain, freezing rain, and sleet before 3 p.m., then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy. High near 41. Wednesday night, a chance of snow. Cloudy. Low around 21.
Thursday: Scattered snow showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy. High near 25. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 2.
Friday: Sunny. High near 25. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 14.

Sunrise today: 6:26 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:48 p.m.
Length of the day: 11:21 hrs.

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

CATSKILL Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COPAKE Park Commission meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
HUNTER Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (263-4020).
ICHABOD CRANE Central School District Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m. at Ichabod Crane High School, 2910 Route 9, Valatie (758-7577).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

WGXC Programming Advisory Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m. at the WGXC Hudson Studio, 704 Columbia St., Hudson (697-7400). WGXC Community Programming Advisory Committee reviews incoming program applications, conducts programming evaluations and provides feedback about the community program schedule. Meetings are held monthly. The public is welcome to attend. Information at wgxc.org/volunteer.

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, weather, events, music and more. Live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. 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.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Emperor Palpatine, from Star Wars wiki.[/caption]

The opposition to net neutrality -- which was passed on a 3-2 party line vote Feb. 26 at the Federal Communications Commission -- reacted strangely to the news that there would be no fast lane for corporations who have more resources than the average consumer. Republican commissioner Ajit Pai choose to quote a character from "Star Wars" to illustrate his opinion. Did he choose the heroic Luke Skywalker, the swashbuckling Han Solo, or the thoughtful Obi-Wan Kenobi? No, he picked a quote from Emperor Palpatine: “Young fool, only now, at the end, do you understand.”

[audio mp3="http://newsroom.free103point9.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DarthSidious_EmperorPalpatine_quotecitedbyFCCcommish_in_netneutralitydebate_20150303.mp3"][/audio]

That's from the end of "Return of the Jedi," just before Palpatine attempts to kill Luke Skywalker. A strange choice for a quote buttressing a political position. Evan Greer, campaigns director at Fight for the Future, retorted with his own adapted "Star Wars" quote: “What they didn’t know is that when they struck down the last rules we would come back more powerful than they could possibly imagine.” Verizon, the phone company unhappy with the idea of net neutrality, also had a strange response to the FCC's action last week. They released a press release in morse code, saying the ruling was rolling back the clock to 1934.

[audio mp3="http://newsroom.free103point9.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/JohnOliver_NetNeutrality_Verizon_morsecode_20150303.mp3"][/audio]

But just because multi-national corporations are tapping out dots and dashes, does not mean that the internet will be free forever. Next week, Congress will consider the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which may include jail terms for downloading TV shows. We can't say for sure, because the TPP is being secretly negotiated. The White House is claiming the trade agreement is, "the most progressive trade agreement the world has ever seen." Massachussetts Senator Elizabeth Warren disagrees, saying, "this enormous new treaty would tilt the playing field in the United States further in favor of big multinational corporations. Worse, it would undermine U.S. sovereignty." Fight for the Future, an open-Internet advocacy group, has criticized the proposed trade agreement as a plot that "would force SOPA-like Internet censorship on the world." So, if the TPP passes, perhaps this quote from Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars" might be appropriate.

[audio mp3="http://newsroom.free103point9.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/excerptfromStarWars_LukeObiWan_deathstardestroysAlderon_20150303.mp3"][/audio]

"I felt a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and then were suddenly silenced." LISTEN TO AUDIO VERSION HERE. (2:14)

Closings and delays for Mon., Mar. 2:

Germantown Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Pine Plains Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Red Hook Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Rhinebeck Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Saugerties Central School District | Delayed two hours.

Source: Times Union

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Feb. 27 through Mon., Mar. 2:

Matthew Hamilton reported at Capitol Confidential a new report from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office shows that it has helped more than 17,000 New Yorkers resolve their consumer complaints since January 2011. The report outlines more than $13.5 million in refunds and other relief for consumers obtained by the AG’s Consumer Assistance Program. On average, more than $1,100 per complaint has been recovered, the report states. Complaints span various industries, with the automobile industry generating the most emails, calls and letters. Among the top five complaint categories: Credit and identity theft, the service industries, utilities and landlords/tenants. The AG’s office said internet scams are on the rise, as well.

The village of Catskill Fri. afternoon, Feb. 27 lifted the “boil water” order it issued earlier in the week due to water main breaks. In a press release the village advised customers it was no longer necessary to boil water before drinking.

William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the state Public Utilities Commission has approved a net metering increase for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Co. The decision left in place a December order that doubles the amount of electricity that utilities can credit to customers for power placed back into the grid under net metering rules. The rules were discussed during a commission board meeting Thu., Feb. 26, The agency only reversed sections of the order that would impact non-residential customers who put more electricity into the grid than used.

Ryan Anglim reported in The Daily Mail state Senator George Amedore commemorated the town of Athens on its 200th anniversary, Sat., Feb. 28. The New York State Senate Wed., Feb. 25, passed a resolution celebrating the legislation signed in 1815, which established the town and designated its boundaries. Amedore presented a copy of the resolution to town officials at an event held at the Athens firehouse.

WGXC 90.7-FM concluded its For WGXC! Winter 2015 Pledge Drive, Sun., Mar. 1, after successfully raising its goal of $15,000. Station Manager Lynn Sloneker said, "We are grateful to all those who contributed during the drive. We also want to thank everyone who came out for the various events and remote broadcasts held during the past two weeks. Community radio cannot exist without the support and investment of its listeners. Thank you!"

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 33F; low 9F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 33F; low 11F.[/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: Scattered flurries. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 33. Monday night, mostly clear. Low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -2.

Forecast for the next three days:
Tuesday: Snow likely, mainly after 5 p.m. Increasing clouds. High near 28. Tuesday night, snow before 10 p.m., then sleet between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., then freezing rain after 1 a.m. Low around 27.
Wednesday: A chance of rain before noon, then a slight chance of rain showers. Cloudy. High near 45. Wednesday night, a chance of snow. Cloudy. Low around 20.
Thursday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 26. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 6.

Sunrise today: 6:27 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:47 p.m.
Length of the day: 11:19 hrs.

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

ANCRAM Conservation Advisory Council at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
ATHENS Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at 2 First Street, Athens (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting and public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant application, 6:30 p.m.; both at Cairo Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CATSKILL Recreation Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Catskill Town Hall,
439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Church Street, Mellenville (672-7911).
CLERMONT Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12 a.m. (midnight): Radio Stew: Nonsense Songs Songs with "non-lexical vocables," scat singing, and other vocal sounds.
5 a.m.: This Week in Radio News: Net Neutrality Hear FCC chair Tom Wheeler's speech about net neutrality and the vote at the bureau that passed the internet equalization Feb. 26. Plus, Amy Goodman interviews Tim Wu, who coined the term, on a clip from "Democracy Now!"

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, weather, events, music and more. Live from the WGXC Hudson Studio. 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: Didi Barrett, Susan Lerner Premiere episode of "The Albany Report." Assembly member Didi Barrett represents Duchess and Columbia counties, and will be the guest. She will discuss state business, including the state budget process, her legislative agenda and more. Also, Common Cause New York Executive Director Susan Lerner is a guest. Call (518) 828-0290 to go on air during the show, or send your comments or questions via email to thealbanyreport@gmail.com. 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: Soft Silly Music An investigation into the dreams of an unfulfilled human being. Tune in for some slightly otherworldly sounds, some terrestrial oddities and some stuff that isn't so odd, but in this context, may seem odd. Hosted by Tyson Hauf.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

[caption width="300" align="alignleft"] Parry Teasdale in 1971.[/caption]Susan Hodarafeb in The New York Times reviews the Videofreex "The Art of Guerrilla Television" art show at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz. The group -- which included Parry Teasdale, the publisher of The Columbia Paper -- started what may be the nation's first pirate television station, Lanesville TV, in the early 1970s in Greene County. The exhibition includes more than 170 photographs, drawings, publications, installations, video recordings, pieces of audiovisual equipment, and other items, many from their Greene County. The group met at Woodstock, and was hired by CBS to produced a news show "Subject to Change" aimed at the counter-culture of the day. When CBS eventually ditched the project and fired the executive responsible for the idea, they left New York City for Greene County. Teasdale helped write the guerrilla broadcasting chapter in Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book," which paid for a transmitter they brought to Lanesville, near Tannersville and Hunter. From the review: "Determined to use the airwaves to reach audiences, Videofreex started Lanesville TV, believed to be the country’s first pirate television station. From 1972 to 1977, the collective’s members created approximately 258 programs geared toward, and often featuring, local residents. Museumgoers can watch examples on a large display and on their smartphones using QR codes. One selection, 'The Buckaroo Bart Show,' stars Mr. Friedman as a cowboy and a young neighbor, John Benjamin, as 'Sheriff John.' In 'Harriet,' John’s mother, Harriet Benjamin, acts out a fantasy of abandoning the tedium of housekeeping. 'Goodbye, Lanesville!' she declares as she climbs into a car and drives off." Read the full review in The New York Times.

Joseph Spector in Politics on the Hudson reports that Tannersville is in “moderate fiscal stress” according to New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The comptroller has been scoring financial problems based on year-end fund balance, short-term borrowing, and operating deficits. Red Hook in Dutchess County made the list for the second year in a row. Read the full story in Politics on the Hudson.