The Associated Press is reporting a judge in Staten Island is set to hear arguments on two lawsuits challenging the state's teacher tenure rules today (Wed., Jan. 14). The plaintiffs in the cases argue job protections for teachers deprive students of a sound, basic education. The defendants, including New York state and New York City, argue the cases should be dismissed and the plaintiffs should lobby the state Legislature for changes. The plaintiffs claim tenure rules keep ineffective teachers in the classroom. The case brought by plaintiff Mona Davids was filed in Staten Island and then consolidated in September with a second filed originally in Albany by a group headed by former TV personality Campbell Brown. Read the full Associated Press story in the Daily Freeman.

Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports the city of Kingston Common Council voted 8-0 last week to adopt a memorializing resolution opposing the Pilgrim Pipeline proposal. The proposed 178-mile Pilgrim Pipeline would move Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, NJ, through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties, and send refined crude back to Albany, largely along the I-87 corridor. 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. So far, Rosendale, New Paltz, Woodstock, and Rhinebeck have also passed measures opposing the pipeline. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Emily Lorsch at Time Warner Cable Southern Tier reports there were many outbursts throughout the DEC's first public hearing Jan. 12 concerning the proposed Constitution Pipeline, a $700 million project that would deliver natural gas from Pennsylvania to markets in New York and New England. There are two more public hearings scheduled, on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, for public input on the project that runs mostly along the I-88 corridor in Schoharie and Delaware counties. "They're bullies, they want to use eminent domain. The landowner gets next to nothing and I'm here to represent landowners who have actually experienced this and it's a disaster," said landowner Craig Stevens. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a certificate of approval last month for the project, and another pipeline, the Pilgrim Pipeline, is proposed to run from Albany to New Jersey through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties. At least one union member supported the project at the first of the three Constitution Pipeline hearings. "The facts speak for themselves. We take a lot of care to put the right-of-ways back the way they were and in fact, some studies show it's actually better for wildlife after the right-of-ways are through the woodlands," said Laborers Local 785 business manager David Marsh. The "Watershed Post" reports that the pipeline has filed 121 eminent domain lawsuits against property owners along the route who don't want the pipeline to cross their land, and that 81 percent of the 625 landowners along the route have signed easements with the pipeline company. The other hearings are at 6 p.m. Tue., Jan. 13, at SUNY Oneonta Lecture Hall IRC #3, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. and at 6 p.m. Wed., Jan. 14, at SUNY Cobleskill, Bouck Hall Theater, State Route 7, Cobleskill. The DEC has extended its public comment period on the pipeline to Feb. 27. Read more at Time Warner's website.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 25F; low 11F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 25F; low 13F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.

FAR LEFT: The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

Local weather forecast
Today’s forecast is specific to Catskill, in Greene County:

Today: Mostly sunny. High near 21. Wind chill values as low as zero. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 8.

Forecast for the next three days:
Thursday: Sunny. High near 27. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 17.
Friday: A slight chance of show showers before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny. High near 26. Friday night, mostly clear. Low around 7.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 25. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 22.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:47 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:26 hrs.

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

ATHENS Village Board meeting, 6:30 p.m at the Athens Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
CATSKILL Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CLERMONT Planning Board meeting at Town Hall, 7 p.m. at 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors meeting, 7:30 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Hamlet Revitalization Task Force, 7 p.m.; Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GERMANTOWN Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Elementary Music Room, Germantown School, 123 Main St., Germantown (537-6281).
GHENT Planning Board Application meeting and Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. both at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
HUDSON Planning Board meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
JEWETT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Municipal Bldg. 3547 Co. Rt. 23C (263-4626).
KINDERHOOK Town’s 9 & 9H Corridor Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
KINDERHOOK Village Board meeting and budget hearing, 7 p.m. at 6 Chatham Street, Kinderhook (758-9882).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Joelle Leandre Episode 964 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click on title for playlist 964.
2 a.m.: FFFoxy Podcast: Bobb Trimble Plenty of newer music in Episode #50. I’ve really been enjoying the great late-night feel of these new LPs by The Frightening Lights and Wonderfuls on Bruit Direct Disques, which I decided to start the show off with. Like the last time around, I also mixed in a few older releases and a couple of titles from the past few months that I wanted to re-visit, too. There’s some old favorites by Major Stars and Double Leopards tucked in there and I spun another track from that excellent compilation on Vitrine called Map of the Interior. Hope you enjoy this episode. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

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 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 Right Opinion: Frank Serpico Frank Serpico will discuss recent incidents in Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island and Brooklyn. Serpico, is the former New York City police officer made famous for exposing police corruption. His efforts resulted in the appointment of the Knapp Commission in 1970 by Mayor John Lindsay. Serpico became even better known following the release of the film, "Serpico" with Al Pacino in the title role. Hosted by Ed Fertik.
11 a.m.: Zoom: Early Mid-Winter Dream "I awoke the other morn, stumbled outside into the freezing grey, and looked up.... Much to my terror and dismay, sinister ghost-like omens were swimming in the ether above my head. Upon further thought, I decided it would not be wise to leave my house on Monday, as suggestions of misfortune were whispering upon the wind. The first "Zoom" ever will be played in place of a live one on Monday. But on Wednesday I will muster the strength to leave the house. A live one! Tune in, where the shunned shine brightly!" -- Host Tyson Hauf
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show Live from the WGXC Mobile Studio at the Catskill Library in Catskill, N.Y.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News
7 p.m.: Untitled Hosted by Peter Brauch.

Michael Ryan is reporting in the Windham Journal following a 10-month state police investigation, felony charges have been filed against Windham town supervisor Stacy Post. Post was arrested Mon., Jan. 12, on charges of eavesdropping, and possession of eavesdropping devices. She surrendered to state police in Cairo, and was arraigned in Athens town court before Judge James H. Robinson Jr. Post entered a plea of not guilty. She was represented by attorney Dennis Schlenker of Albany. If convicted, Post faces one to four years in state prison. “We intend to vigorously and fully defend these charges,” Schlenker said. The former Windham police chief was released on her own recognizance and ordered to return to court, Jan. 22. Post served as Windham’s police chief before she assumed the office of supervisor in Jan., 2014. State police investigators raided Post’s home and seized a computer from her town hall office three months later, in Mar., 2014. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the average retail gasoline price in New York state fell another 8.9 cents per gallon last week, settling at $2.61, Sun. Jan. 11. In the Catskill-Hudson area, prices Tuesday averaged $2.55 for a gallon of 87-octane unleaded, according to GasBuddy.com. The national average also fell last week, to $2.12 on Sunday, the lowest rate since May 9, 2009. New York state’s average gas price Sunday was $1.08 per gallon lower than the same day a year ago and 42.5 cents lower than a month ago.

[Corrected 7:33 a.m.]

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential labor leaders and activists rallied hundreds of people in support of public education on the Great Western Staircase Mon., Jan. 12. The demonstrators called on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and lawmakers to close what speakers described as a growing gap between affluent and poor school districts. Speakers included representatives of the New York State United Teachers, the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as the Rev. Dr. William Barber, a minister who leads the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP.“We don’t need to be following ALEC; we don’t need to follow the Koch (COKE) brothers’ scheme of privatizing public schools,” Barber said. “We don’t need to watch them siphon public dollars and give it to their private friends. Public education is as American as our love for freedom.” A Cuomo spokesman said, in effect, the state is already throwing a lot of money at the problem. Seiler reported data from the state Budget Division shows state aid per pupil in high-needs districts has increased $591 in the past five months years, while the per-pupil state aid in low-needs districts increased nearly $300. The largest increase has been seen in average-need districts, where per-pupil state aid increased $750 during that same period. The crowd also heard from numerous Democrats in both legislative houses, including Senate leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, who chairs the chamber’s Education Committee. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

A portion of Barber's speech is below (12:41:00)

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 14F; low 0F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 15F; low 1F.[/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 16. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around -3. Light northeast wind.

Forecast for the next three days:
Wednesday: Sunny. High near 24. Wind chill values as low as -3. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 10.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 27. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 16.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 32. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 10.

Sunrise today: 7:22 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:46 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:24 hrs.

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

CAIRO Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main Street, Cairo (622-3120).
CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Chatham High School, 50 Woodbridge Ave., Chatham (391-2400).
CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at 488 Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COPAKE Land Use Review Committee, 7 p.m.; Board of Ethics, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234)
COXSACKIE Town board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
DURHAM Chamber meeting, 7 p.m. at Town building, 7309 St. Rte. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
LEXINGTON Planning Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 3542 Rte. 42, Lexington (989-6476).
STUYVESANT Trails Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).

COXSACKIE-ATHENS Central School District Public Forum, 6:30 p.m., Coxsackie Middle School, 24 Sunset Blvd., Coxsackie (731-1700). The first of two public forums for community comment and questions concerning the proposed grade reconfiguration of the district's elementary schools. Note: Due to inclement weather, the second forum has been rescheduled to Tues., Jan. 20.

WGXC Fundraising Advisory Committee, 6 p.m. at the WGXC Hudson studio, 704 Columbia St., Hudson (697-7400). This group provides leadership with respect to fundraising events and major donor gifts for WGXC 90.7-FM.

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 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 Live from the WGXC Mobile Studio at the Catskill Library in Catskill, N.Y.
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Jan. 9 through Mon., Jan. 12:

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] Bob Megna (right)
with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2011.
(Courtesy Governor's Office.)[/caption]

Lauren Stanforth is reporting in the Times Union Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced several state appointments Sun., Jan. 11, including that budget director Bob Megna has become Acting Executive Director of the New York State Thruway Authority. Megna, who has been director for the New York State Division of the Budget since 2009, will take over the Thruway Authority amid questions over tolls, its operations and how it will pay for the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The appointment still must be confirmed by the state Senate. Cuomo also announced his secretary Lawrence Schwartz is entering the private sector, and is being replaced with Bill Mulrow. Mulrow, was most recently a senior managing director at Blackstone, a New York City-based asset management and advisory firm.

William J. Kemble reported in The Daily Freeman the four developers competing for state Public Service Commission approval to upgrade the electric transmission grid all filed revised proposals Jan. 7. The proposals include alternatives to adding transmission lines and towers in Greene, Columbia, and Dutchess counties. One of the Central Hudson Gas & Electric proposals is to remove existing towers instead of building parallel to existing towers, according to a company spokesman. The New York Transco filing contains up to nine alternatives for new lines and equipment that do not expand the existing corridor or require land acquisition. The Public Service Commission has received considerable local feedback about three proposals that would add a third 345-kilovolt electric power line largely following an existing corridor from Leeds in Greene County through Columbia County and points south. A fourth plan would largely use an existing corridor that runs from Hudson to Kingston and then south to Ramapo.

The Daily Freeman is reporting a public meeting will be held Wed., Jan. 14, of the Windham Planning Committee. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the state-sponsored New York Rising community reconstruction program. The program is intended to assist communities severely damaged by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, to facilitate community redevelopment and resiliency planning. The Windham committee will present the projects and initiatives it is recommending for implementation. The meeting will be held at Center Church, located at 5329 state Route 23 in Windham.

Two Columbia County brownfield sites are among 13 municipally owned locations across the state to receive $8.4 million in NY Works II funding for the cleanup and remediation of the sites for redevelopment, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced Fri., Jan. 9. Funding will go to the former Hettling Property Site in Clermont, and the Foster Refrigeration Site in Hudson's North Bay. The sites are part of the state’s Environmental Restoration Program. The DEC will undertake the remediation work directly; the municipality will pay 10 percent of the project costs.

Closings and/or delays for Mon., Jan. 12:
[Updated 12:15 p.m.]


Cairo-Durham Central School District | Delayed two hours. CLOSED No morning pre-K. No morning BOCES.
Catskill Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Catskill Public Library | Closed.
Chatham Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Columbia Christian School | Closed.
Columbia County Senior Meals | Closed. Staff report.
Columbia-Greene Partnership Academy (The Bridge) | Delayed three hours.
Early Childhood Learning Center | Delayed two hours. Closed.
Germantown Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Grapeville Christian School | Delayed two hours. Closed.
Greene County YMCA | Open. No morning classes.
Greenville Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Hawthorne Valley School | Delayed two hours.
Hudson City School District | Delayed three hours. No morning pre-K. No morning BOCES. No breakfast. Tutoring center closed.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Ichabod Crane Central School District | Delayed two hours.
KidZone preschool | Closed.
Mountain Road School | Delayed two hours.
New Lebanon Central School District | Delayed two hours.
O.K. Kids, Inc. | Delayed two hours.
Pine Plains Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Questar III Catskill Academy | Delayed two hours. Closed.
Questar III Columbia-Greene Educational Center | Delayed two hours. No morning BOCES. No New Visions classes.
Red Hook Central School District | Delayed two hours. Closed.
Rhinebeck Central School District | Delayed two hours. Closed.
Saugerties Central School District | Closed.
Taconic Hills Central School District | Delayed two hours.
Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill) | Open. No transportation.
UMC Daycare Norton Hill | Delayed one hour. No morning pre-K.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District | Delayed two hours.

Sources: Times Union.

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the southeast Catskills, southern Taconics and the Mid-Hudson Valley, including Greene, Columbia, Dutchess and Ulster counties through 4 p.m., Mon., Jan. 12. Periods of snow, sleet and freezing rain, with accumulations of one to four inches are expected. Snow will begin before sunrise Monday and then mix with, and change to sleet and freezing rain, turning to rain by early in the afternoon. Precipitation may turn back to snow before ending Monday evening. Hazardous travel conditions can be expected Monday morning, especially during the morning commute.

• WRIP reports that Warren Hart, Chairman of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism for Greene County will discuss Greene County’s broadband initiative in Lexington in the Lexington Municipal Building at 4 p.m. Wed., Jan. 14.

• The Town of Windham hosts a public meeting on Wed., Jan. 14, about the State-sponsored NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program, a state program set up to help communities severely damaged by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee become more resilient through innovative community-driven plans. The meeting, from 7-9 p.m., will be held at the Center Church, 5329 State Route 23, in Windham. For additional information, please visit http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/community-reconstruction-program

• The Greene County News reports the Coxsackie-Athens school district holds public forums on a proposed elementary reconfiguration, 6:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 12 at the E.J. Arthur Elementary School in Athens, and on Tue., Jan. 13 at the Coxsackie Elementary School.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 35F; low 13F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 33F; low 13F.[/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 for the southeast Catskills, southern Taconics and the Mid-Hudson Valley, including Greene, Columbia, Dutchess and Ulster counties through 4 p.m., Mon., Jan. 12. Periods of snow, sleet and freezing rain, with accumulations of one to four inches are expected. Snow will begin before sunrise Monday and then mix with, and change to sleet and freezing rain, turning to rain by early in the afternoon. Precipitation may turn back to snow before ending Monday evening. Hazardous travel conditions can be expected Monday morning, especially during the morning commute.

Today: Rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet before 3 p.m., then rain likely, possibly mixed with sleet betwee 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., then rain, snow and sleet likely after 4 p.m. High near 35. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Monday night, snow, mainly between midnight and 4 a.m. Low around 17. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Tuesday: Sunny. High near 22. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 4.
Wednesday: Sunny. High near 25. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 12.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 31. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 13.

Sunrise today: 7:22 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:45 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:23 hrs.

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636).
CAIRO Town Board meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CANAAN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Rte. 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 91 Church St., Mellenville (672-7911).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature County Services and Public Works committee meetings, 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON City School District Board of Education curriculum workshop, 6 p.m.; meeting, 7 p.m. at John L. Edwards Primary School, 360 State St., Hudson (828-4360).
HUDSON Industrial Development Agency meeting (tentative), 5:30 p.m.; Common Council organizational meeting, 7 p.m.; Informal meeting, 7 p.m. both at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Village Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 7955 Main St., Hudson (263-4020).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).
TAGHKANIC Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

COXSACKIE-ATHENS Central School District Public Forum, 6:30 p.m., E.J. Arthur Elementary School, Athens (731-1700). The first of two public forums for community comment and questions concerning the proposed grade reconfiguration of the district's elementary schools.

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 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

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the southeast Catskills, southern Taconics and the Mid-Hudson Valley, including Greene, Columbia, Dutchess and Ulster counties beginning 3 a.m. Mon., Jan. 12. Periods of snow, sleet and freezing rain, with accumulations of one to four inches are expected. Snow will begin before sunrise Monday and then mix with, and change to sleet and freezing rain, turning to rain by early in the afternoon. Precipitation may turn back to snow before ending Monday evening. Hazardous travel conditions can be expected Monday morning, especially during the morning commute.

William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports that the four developers competing for state Public Service Commission approval to upgrade the electric transmission grid all filed revised proposals Jan. 7 that include alternatives to adding transmission lines and towers in Greene, Columbia, and Dutchess counties. “The alternatives ... would, for example, simply [enhance] some of the existing lines,” Central Hudson spokesman John Maserjian said. “One of the proposals is to remove existing towers instead of [adding] parallel to existing towers ... and replace that single tower with a new tower of the same height that could have two sets of lines.” The New York Transco filing contains up to nine alternatives for new lines and equipment that do not expand the existing corridor or require land acquisition. The Public Service Commission has had much local feedback about three proposals that would add a third 345-kilovolt electric power line largely following an existing corridor from Leeds in Greene County through Columbia County and south through the Dutchess County towns of Milan, Clinton, Hyde Park, and Pleasant Valley. A fourth plan would largely use an existing corridor that runs from Hudson to Kingston and then goes south to Ramapo. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Two Columbia County brownfield sites are among 13 municipally-owned locations across the state that will receive $8.4 million in NY Works II funding to cleanup and remediate the sites for redevelopment, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced Fri., Jan. 9. The former Hettling Property Site in Clermont gets $616,738 and the Foster Refrigeration Site in Hudson gets $427,000. The sites are part of the state’s Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). “The cleanup and restoration of brownfield properties such as these are critical to safeguarding public health, protecting the environment and developing community assets that energize the economy and quality of life,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in a press release. “The funding announced today is made possible by Governor Cuomo and the legislature who have championed the ERP through NY Works funding as a central part of the State budget.” Municipalities and DEC will enter into agreements so DEC will undertake the remediation work directly with the municipality paying 10 percent of the project costs.

Debby Mayer in The Columbia Paper reports that in December Germantown Hose Company No. 1 elected Michael Lawson to another term as chief, by only one vote, 17 to 16, against Richard Jennings, Sr., the highway superintendent for Germantown. But the district’s five commissioners refused to approve the election of Lawson, first assistant chief Douglas Pearson, and second assistant chief James Maruniak. “There’s always been a personal rub, hard feelings between Mike and certain commissioners,” Michael Mortenson, a fire company member and Germantown councilman, told The Columbia Paper. “There have been problems with approving Mike in the past, and this year the commissioners decided to take it all the way.” Two of the fire commissioners, Patrick Ebling and Denis Crawford, work for Jennings in the Germantown Highway Department, and Mortenson considers that a conflict of interest. The other commissioners are Christopher Mullins, a corrections officer, Hugh McLean, who works for the Postal Service, and former town Supervisor Roy Brown, who chairs the commissioners’ board. Others in the story complain the board went into executive session before making the decision. Crawford and Brown were at the company's regular meeting Dec. 7, and Brown said that the vote was not unanimous -— one commissioner abstained —- and that documentation exists to explain the board's decision but could not share it at this time. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Local News
Local news Click here for news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sun., Jan. 11. PLAY AUDIO (5:41)

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

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values as low as -6. Sunday night there is a 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

• Monday: There is a 60 percent chance of snow until 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 35, and a low around 17.

• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 17.

Sunrise 7:22 a.m.
Sunset 4:44 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 11:12 P.M. 10:31 A.M.
Mercury 8:31 A.M. 6:13 P.M.
Venus 8:34 A.M. 6:14 P.M.
Mars 9:24 A.M. 7:56 P.M.
Jupiter 7:03 P.M. 9:08 A.M.
Saturn 3:42 A.M. 1:25 P.M.
Uranus 11:01 A.M. 11:37 P.M.
Neptune 9:37 A.M. 8:27 P.M.
Pluto 6:47 A.M. 4:13 P.M.

WGXC Programming

Radia: Resonance Radio Orchestra
Jan. 11, 2015: 5 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.
CounterSpin: Robert Weissman, Jamie Kalven
Jan. 11, 2015: 5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.
Li Le Li Tan: Jarrice Baptiste
Jan. 11, 2015: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Eric Holthaus reports in Slate that the National Weather Service.may have more accurate weather forecasts soon, with a new computing system that could be the ninth-most powerful supercomputer in the world, according to TOP500.org. "Nearly every entity that produces weather forecasts in the United States, from the Weather Channel to your local TV station, relies on the National Weather Service," according to the Slate story. Later this month, the NWS launches a major interim upgrade to its flagship weather forecasting model, the Global Forecast System, doubling the resolution of short-term forecasts. Read the full story in Slate.

• WRIP reports that Warren Hart, Chairman of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism for Greene County will discuss Greene County’s broadband initiative in Lexington in the Lexington Municipal Building at 4 p.m. Wed., Jan. 14.

[caption width="540" align="alignleft"] Pierce Huff.[/caption]• WGXC's latest intern is Pierce Huff from Bennington College in Vermont.

• Applications are due February 1, 2015 for the Wave Farm Residency program. The residency provides artists with a valuable opportunity to concentrate on new transmission works and conduct research about the genre using the Wave Farm Study Center resource library. In conjunction with their residencies, artists perform, are interviewed, and create playlists for broadcast on Wave Farm's WGXC 90.7-FM, a creative community radio station serving over 78,000 potential listeners in New York's Upper Hudson Valley, and international listeners online. Apply here.