The Daily Freeman is reporting unemployment rates in Mid-Hudson counties continued to decline last month, the state Department of Labor reported Tues., Dec. 23. Columbia County scored the lowest local jobless rate in November at 4.4 percent. That was down from 5.3 percent in November of 2013. In Greene County, the November rate was 6 percent, down from 7.4 percent in November. Unemployment in Dutchess, Ulster, Delaware, Sullivan and Orange counties also declined. The statewide unemployment rate in November 2014 was 5.8 percent, down from 6.8 percent the previous November.

The Daily Freeman is reporting two local theaters are among those showing “The Interview” as part of a limited nationwide release. The comedy, about an assassination plot against North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un, is being shown at the Hudson Movieplex in Greenport, and the Orpheum Theatre in Saugerties. The Hudson theater says on its website it will give a free popcorn “to anyone who comes to see ‘The Interview’ and brings a copy of the U.S. Constitution with them.” Sony Pictures Entertainment canceled the planned release after threats were made against theaters planning to show the film. Sony reversed itself Tue., Dec. 23, announcing a limited Christmastime theatrical release. The movie is also available online via YouTube. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="178"] (c) FreeFoto.com[/caption]

Katie Kocijanski is reporting in the Register Star negotiations over the Columbia County Transmission Project are continuing, with plans for the scaled down power line slated to run through Ghent and Chatham moving forward. In the latest development, the parties involved have agreed to inform the public about the progress of the discussions. Talks are ongoing between New York State Gas & Electric Company and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Public Service Commission and the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. “We are very pleased with the progress and all of the parties involved are working incredibly hard,” said a representative of Protect Ghent. “Our voices have been heard and we believe everyone is coming to the table with a good solution for everyone.” Protect Ghent is a group of local residents that organized in opposition to NYSEG's original high voltage transmission line proposal. The line was would have run through conservation lands, farmland, the OMI International Arts Center and historic homes. Attorneys for both the town of Ghent and NYSEG told the paper that while excellent progress has been made, the process is still ongoing. Negotiations are expected to continue into 2015. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 46F; low 34F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 45F; low 32F.[/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 47. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 30.

Forecast for the next three days:

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 50. Saturday night, a chance of showers, mainly after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 34.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Cloudy. High near 47. Sunday night, a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 32.
Monday: Mostly sunny. High near 38. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 22.

Sunrise today: 7:23 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:29 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:08 hrs.

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

CLERMONT Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission meeting cancelled (828-1030).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Sun Ra Four hours of music from Sun Ra. From Wikipedia: "Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, legal name Le Sony'r Ra; May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions, and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979."
5 a.m.: The Shortwave Report: Radio Havana Cuba A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. This week's show features stories from Radio Havana Cuba, NHK World Radio Japan, Radio Deutsche-Welle, and Sputnik 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: Boxing Day For a day after Christmas morning show, listeners are urged to call in and tell their holiday stories -- of Boxing Day or Christmas -- at 518-622-2598 with host Tom Roe at the Wave Farm Study Center in Acra. Tune in for local news and weather, national headlines from Public News Service, local public meetings, music, and more.
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.: ¿Qué cocinaré hoy?: Christmas Special Christmas special with music from around Latin America celebrating the holidays. Produced by Mariel Fiori and Antonio Flores-Lobos.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News
7 p.m.: Guest DJ: James White "The Music Maestro" returns to play holiday music.

Rick Karlin is reporting at Capitol Confidential more than 100,000 New Yorkers could potentially get hit with pension cuts in coming years, due to a provision tucked into the federal omnibus spending bill approved earlier this month. The measure would allow cuts to so-called multi-employer pensions, which are typically union retirement plans. It would apply to plans that become so underfunded as to face insolvency and pose a financial threat to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp, the federal agency that insures private sector pensions. These plans cover union workers who may have worked for different employers during their careers. That would include union truckers, electricians or miners, for example. The midwest could be hit particularly hard since the Central States Teamsters pension is in particular trouble and is cited as one of the reasons for this push for cuts. A growing chorus of groups, including the AARP and unions, are starting to question why this measure was put in the funding bill, with little debate. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Larry Rulison in the Albany Times-Union reports that affluent customers benefit more from Time Warner Cable's $7 million, taxpayer-funded upstate broadband program according to New York's Utility Project, a consumer advocacy group. Time Warner Cable is currently seeking approval from the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) for its $45 billion sale to Comcast. New York's Utility Project attorney Gerald Norlander wrote a letter to the PSC, saying in part, "Our analysis... shows the subsidized expansion is occurring in areas that have significantly higher incomes than the county average." The group says of the 53 projects under the grant that are public, 73 percent of the cable line extension projects are occurring in ZIP codes that have median incomes higher than the rest of the county where they are located. Time Warner Cable spokesman Scott Pryzwansky said, "These projects are all in rural, upstate New York... All are previously unserved by high-speed broadband, and the vast majority are in economically distressed areas." Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) revised the list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), which includes species that are at risk in New York. The draft final list contains 372 SGCN, half of which are considered high priority for conservation action in the near term. SGCN are species that have experienced or are likely to experience population decline in the next 10 years and require conservation actions to stabilize their populations in New York. Examples are American bittern, wood thrush, northern map turtle, eastern red bat, basking shark, and eastern pearlshell mussel. High Priority SGCN are species that are experiencing declines and must receive timely management intervention or their populations are likely to reach unsustainable levels in New York. Examples are black rail, loggerhead shrike, piping plover, eastern hellbender, Blanding’s turtle, Atlantic sturgeon, dwarf wedgemussel, and northern amber bumble bee. In addition, 111 species were categorized as Species of Potential Conservation Need (SPCN). SPCN are species that have poorly-known population status and trends in New York, and will need further research or surveys to determine their conservation status. Examples are Tennessee warbler, American pygmy shrew, smooth hammerhead shark, ebony boghaunter (a dragonfly), and devil crawfish. More information, including the final draft list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need is available on DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9406.html

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Flood Watch from 1 p.m., Wed., Dec. 24 through Friday morning, Dec. 26 for east central New York and western New England. A steady rain will overspread the area Wednesday and continue well into the overnight hours as a low pressure system impacts the region. The rain is expected to be heavy at times. In addition to the rainfall, there will be runoff from snow melt as temperatures rise into the 40s and 50s Wednesday afternoon and evening. The runoff may result in flooding of small streams and creeks, as well as minor flooding on some of the main stem rivers. Urban and poor drainage flooding is likely.

Weather right now


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

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 45F; low 45F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.

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

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

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Flood Watch from 1 p.m., Wed., Dec. 24 through Friday morning, Dec. 26 for east central New York and western New England. A steady rain will overspread the area Wednesday and continue well into the overnight hours as a low pressure system impacts the region. The rain is expected to be heavy at times. In addition to the rainfall, there will be runoff from snow melt as temperatures rise into the 40s and 50s Wednesday afternoon and evening. The runoff may result in flooding of small streams and creeks, as well as minor flooding on some of the main stem rivers as well. Urban and poor drainage flooding is likely.

Today: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Areas of fog before 11 a.m. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Wednesday night, rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:

Thursday (Christmas Day): Showers likely before 9 a.m. Cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a temperature falling to around 44 by 5 p.m. Thursday night, mostly clear. Low around 32.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 48. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 32.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 48. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 35.

Sunrise today: 7:22 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:28 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:06 hrs.

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

KINDERHOOK Historical Committee meeting, 7 p.m., Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).

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 Hudson studio. Hosted by Michelle Lewis.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. National, daily, independent, award-winning news program providing audiences with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S. corporate-sponsored media.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

John Mason is reporting in the Register Star Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore told the Common Council Police Committee Mon., Dec. 22, he is in favor of body cameras for police officers. Funding for the cameras was cut from the 2015 budget, but Moore told the committee grants to support the purchase of cameras are now more generally available. He said the department would need a minimum of five cameras to meet the minimum patrol requirements and still have one left as a replacement when repairs were needed. “I would prefer [to purchase] one that integrates with the cars. I’ll hold off as this develops and see if money is coming in from outside the city. I think it would resolve a lot of issues quickly,” Moore said. Read the full story in the Register Star.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the average retail gasoline prices in New York have fallen an additional 6.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.90 per gallon Sunday. This compares with the national average, which has fallen 10.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.42. Locally, prices varied from $2.73 to $2.94 per gallon. Prices reported Sunday were 76 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 31.2 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has fallen 41.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 80.4 cents per gallon lower this day a year ago.

The New York State Education Department last week announced the overall high school graduation rate for students who entered the 9th grade in 2010, and received a diploma in four years increased to 76 percent statewide, up from nearly 75 percent the year before. The rates reflected the achievement of the first group of students to enter high school after the adoption of the Common Core standards in New York. The average graduation rate in both Columbia and Greene counties was 86 percent, higher than the state average. The New Lebanon Central School District topped the list with a four-year completion rate of 97 percent, followed by Hunter-Tannersville (94 percent), Chatham (92 percent) and Windham-Ashland-Jewett (91 percent). At the bottom of the list: Catskill (76 percent) and Hudson City (72 percent). The average drop-out rate reported in the six districts located in Columbia County (7.2 percent) was higher than for the schools located in Greene County (5 percent). Hudson had the highest drop-out rate for all students in both counties at 16 percent. Drop-out rates reported for various sub-groups within the Hudson student body were higher still: 31 percent of students with disabilities, 20 percent of the economically disadvantaged and 19 percent of black students that entered the 9th grade in 2010 had dropped out by the spring of 2014, according to NYSED.

The Daily Freeman is reporting the Olana Partnership and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site are partnering to launch a joint exhibition of contemporary art. The exhibition will be entitled, River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home. The project’s primary goal is to attract new visitors to the region through a comprehensive multi-media marketing plan, and the creation of a documentary film. River Crossings, opening in May 2015, is a new initiative that will host contemporary art in the 19th-century interiors and on the grounds of the two sites.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 41F; low 40F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 41F; low 41F.[/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: Rain, possibly mixed with sleet, becoming all rain after 1 p.m. High near 42. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Tuesday night, rain likely, mainly after 3 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Wednesday: Rain. High near 53. Wednesday night, rain. Low around 53.
Thursday (Christmas Day): Showers likely before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 55. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 32.
Friday: Sunny. High near 47. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 32.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:27 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:05 hrs.

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

CANAAN Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 Co. Route 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM CENTRAL Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at high school, 50 Woodbridge Ave., Chatham (392-2400).
COPAKE Agriculture & Farming Protection Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountain View Rd., Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY Tourism Advisory Committee meeting, 9:30 a.m. at 411 Main St., Catskill (943-3223).
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12:05 a.m.: Fifth Annual Spotty Dog Christmas Spectacular Liv Carrow, Brian Dewan, Donny Dinero (of Mail the Horse) and others perform Christmas songs and be generally merry. Recorded live Mon., Dec. 22 at the Spotty Dog in Hudson, N.Y.

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 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.
11 a.m.: Classic Country Show: 20141223 Hosted by Tanya Blue.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Some of the stories that made the news, Fri., Dec. 19 through Sun., Dec. 21:

William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman Ulster Supervisor James Quigley has refused permission for Pilgrim Pipeline developers to survey town-owned property. Quigley said he was unhappy pipeline representatives declined to meet with the public. Developers hope to use the state Thruway corridor or adjacent properties to construct a 178-mile long set of dual pipelines that send Bakken crude oil to Linden, New Jersey, and then return refined material to Albany. While town of Ulster officials have no plans to adopt a resolution objecting to the pipeline, it has raised concerns from Quigley that developers would be placing a burden on the municipality. Quigley said Bakken crude oil is too volatile to feel comfortable with the safety of a pipeline. He said the same concerns exist with the rail traffic that goes through residential areas of the town.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail dozens of parents in Athens turned out to a meeting of the Coxsackie-Athens Board of Education last week to voice their opposition to a proposal that, if approved, would reconfigure the elementary schools. Under the proposal all students in kindergarten through second grade would attend E.J. Arthur Elementary, regardless of where they live, and all third and fourth graders would go to Coxsackie Elementary. The reconfiguration was suggested as a cost-savings measure by Questar III BOCES (BOW-seas). Board President Joseph “Seph” Garland said the district will hold public hearings on the issue before any decision is put to a vote.

Matthew Hamilton reported at Capitol Confidential the Cuomo administration Thu., Dec. 18, sent a letter to Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and outgoing Education Commissioner John King outlining the governor’s plann to make teacher reforms a top priority in the coming year. Cuomo intends to push legislative reforms to the current teacher evaluation system as part of the budget process. In a farewell speech to staff members early Thursday, King told reporters he is enthusiastic that Cuomo will make education reform a top priority and that he and Tisch will review the letter. He added there is a need to revisit the education system and law governing teacher evaluations. [OPTIONAL: Read sentence, then PLAY (below) King's responded to the administration's letter in an interview with New York Public Radio's Karen DeWitt, Fri., Dec. 19 (1:45).] Earlier this month King was named senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.



Ryan Anglim reported in The Daily Mail the Greene County Legislature voted last week to increase the maximum income limit required for county seniors, residents with disabilities and limited income to qualify for certain property tax exemptions. The income ceiling will increase from $22,500 to $24,500. Catskill Legislator Vincent Seeley said the bump up was needed to keep in line with the cost of living. The law will become effective after it is filed with the New York Secretary of State, in approximately a month.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 36F; low 33F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 36F; low 34F.[/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 slight chance of snow before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy. High near 37. chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Monday night, a chance of rain, snow and sleet before 11 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., then a chance of snow and freezing rain after 4 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:
Tuesday: A chance of freezing rain and sleet before 7 a.m., then a chance of rain and sleet between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., then a chance of rain after 10 a.m. Cloudy. High near 43. Tuesday night, rain likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 40.
Wednesday: Rain. High near 58. Wednesday night, rain before midnight, then showers, mainly after midnight. Low around 46.
Thursday (Christmas Day): A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 48. Thursday night, partly cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:27 p.m.
Length of the day: 9:05 hrs.

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

CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at firehouse near Catskill Commons (Walmart) (943-3830).
GERMANTOWN Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Rd., Germantown (537-6687).
HALCOTT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 813 Route 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920).
HUDSON Police Committee meeting 6 p.m.; Fire Committee meeting, 6:45 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board work meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Co. Route. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
PHILMONT Development Corp meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

The day ahead on WGXC 90.7-FM
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Agnes Kamara-Umanna Agnes Kamara-Umanna discusses how she uses radio to open up spaces for dialogue and reflection in post-conflict situations. Recorded by Tom Masterson, Dec. 2 at Bard College. "Healing pains, building futures: Hearing the voices of post-conflict Liberia." Radio producer Agnes Kamara-Umunna's presentation at Bard College. She discussed her work, and in particular how she uses radio, to open up spaces for dialogue and reflection in post-conflict situations. The event was co-presented by the Oral History Summer School/Winter School and the Bard Human Rights Project. Kamara-Umunna is the founder of "One Liberia Radio," which began as a United Nations-sponsored show called "Straight From the Heart." It was created for the purpose of brokering conversations between victims and perpetrators of the civil war, incorporating the best that oral history and radio have to offer. Full presentation with audience Q&A following. Introduction by Danielle Riou.
2 a.m.: Radio Benjamin Wave Farm's WGXC-FM is pleased to present a special broadcast of an event hosted by Seattle Town Hall in celebration of the release of Radio Benjamin (Verso Books: 2014), a new collection of Walter Benjamin’s Radio Talks. The program includes readings of Benjamin’s radio talks “The Lisbon Earthquake,” “Bootleggers,” and “Berlin Toy Tour, I.” The recording also features an interview with Radio Benjamin’s editor Lecia Rosenthal. Seattle Town Hall's literary series is curated by ACT Theatre Artistic Director Kurt Beattie. Special thanks to Edward Wolcher for his help in making this broadcast possible. Rebroadcast from Dec. 20.
4 a.m.: In Other News: Robert McChesney Peter and Mickey spend the hour in conversation with media scholar Robert McChesney, discussing topics from political conditions in the U-S, to a plan for financing independent media. McChesney teaches at the University of Illinois; his latest book is "Blowing the Roof Off the Twenty-First Century."

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 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.
11 a.m.: Zoom: Flight of the Shamanic Santa While out hiking in the mountains, I found a power spot and a vision was presented to me, that of the shamanic Santa doing the impossible outside of time, preparing to deliver goodness to humankind. Upon returning to the same spot with a recorder to attempt to capture some EVPs to the lodge as proof, I was greeted by the hideous form of Krampus, the goat-horned holiday devil, complete with a faceless child in chains! Once the shamanic Santa entered his trance, goodness prevailed! Hosted by Tyson Hauf.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: WGXC Evening News

Diane Valden reports in The Columbia Paper that Copake's Dinehart Bridge, also known as the “singing bridge,” will lose its voice when replaced in 2016. The Town Board passed a resolution on Dec. 11 temporarily suspending the five-ton vehicular weigh limit on Center Hill Road, County Route 7A, to establish a truck route detour in anticipation of the replacement of the Bridge. In October, the state Department of Transportation reported, “significant and increased I-beam deterioration near the bridge abutments at four of the bridge’s seven main steel members, which has resulted in the issuance of a red structural flag.” The bridge crosses the Roeliff Jansen Kill, between the Copake hamlet and West Copake. "The 60- to 70-foot long steel girder bridge with an open steel grating deck, which emits a loud humming sound when traversed by vehicle tires, was last replaced in 1938 “after the big flood,” [county DPW Engineering Division Director Dean] Knox told The Columbia Paper in a phone interview this week." The bridge will be closed during construction with traffic moved to Center Hill Road, and then to County Route 7, which comes out in West Copake. Copake's year-end meeting is Dec. 27 at 10 a.m. and its organization meeting is Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. prior to the regular January meeting. 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., Dec. 21. PLAY AUDIO (2:40)

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

• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33, and a low around 25.

• Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. A chance of snow showers before 1 a.m. Monday night, then a chance of snow showers, freezing rain, and sleet. Cloudy, with a low around 30.

• Tuesday: Freezing rain and sleet likely before 10 a.m., then rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 41.

Sunrise 7:21 a.m.
Sunset 4:26 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 6:33 A.M. 4:32 P.M.
Mercury 8:04 A.M. 4:50 P.M.
Venus 8:26 A.M. 5:25 P.M.
Mars 10:04 A.M. 7:52 P.M.
Jupiter 8:34 P.M. 10:34 A.M.
Saturn 4:54 A.M. 2:40 P.M.
Uranus 12:23 P.M. 1:03 A.M.
Neptune 10:59 A.M. 9:47 P.M.
Pluto 8:07 A.M. 5:32 P.M.

WGXC Programming

Saturday Night Special: Holiday Noise
Dec. 20, 2014: 7 p.m. – Dec. 21, 2014: 5 a.m.
Radia: Against the Tide
Dec. 21, 2014: 5 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.
CounterSpin: David Dayen, Ladd Everitt
Dec. 21, 2014: 5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in the Albany Times-Union reports that the state Committee on Open Government cited a "corrosive lack of transparency" for a unanimous vote this week urging the governor and Legislature to repeal a 1976 statute preventing the public from access to the personnel records of police and correction officers. The 11-member Committee on Open Government, including appointees of the governor and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, complained that the systems has evolved to, "allow police departments to withhold from the public virtually any record that contains any information that could conceivably be used to evaluate the performance of a police officer." the committee's report states. The panel's report also says that New York courts have expanded the meaning of statute section 50-A of the Civil Rights Law to now include former police officers, even though the law limits the shielded materials to, "personnel records used to evaluate performance toward continued employment or promotion." Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.