Adam Clayton is reporting in the Register Star ArtSpace is returning to Germantown. The announcement was made by Corinne Curry, chairwoman of the Community, Arts and Tourism Advisory Committee at the Germantown Town Board meeting, Mon., Mar. 24. The gallery will be housed in a building on Palatine Park Road owned by Lori Marchisio. The new ArtSpace will debut May 24, with a show of work by Germantown resident Dawn Breeze. ArtSpace, an art gallery created to showcase county artists, was spearheaded and launched by Curry with a 2008 show featuring 27 Germantown artists in space provided by Hal Einhorn, in a building he owned on Main St. The gallery was closed after Einhorn sold the building in 2011. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist is reporting at Capitol Confidential as Legislative leaders met again with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Wed., Mar. 26, to resolve the details of next year’s state budget, those not in the room continued to make their wishes known. State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, along with Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and six other Democrats have written to leadership and Cuomo urging them to include more funding for education in the final agreement, especially for struggling upstate rural and small city school districts. They asked for non-specific increases in Foundation Aid, the main source of state money to schools, and restoration of reductions in state funding to districts that began in the 2009-10 school year to help the state close its own budget gap. Cuomo’s budget would increase spending on education by $807 million, but advocates and the Board of Regents have called for a $1.3 billion boost. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 47F; low 31F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 46F; low 31F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.

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

Local weather forecast

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

Today: Mostly sunny. High near 41. Thursday night, a slight chance of snow, after 3 a.m., mixing with sleet after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Forecast for the next three days:

Friday: Rain likely, mainly between noon and 5 p.m. Cloudy. High near 50. Friday night, a chance of showers, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 34.
Saturday: Rain likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 48. Saturday night, rain likely before 5 a.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy. Low around 35.
Sunday: A chance of rain and snow before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy. High near 48. Sunday night, partly cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 6:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:15 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:28 hrs.

Town meetings
Today is the fourth Thursday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.

CHATHAM Village Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
COLUMBIA COUNTY .1 [point one] Committee at 1 p.m.; Finance Committee at 2 p.m.; Pine Haven Sub-Comittee at 3 p.m., at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COPAKE Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GERMANTOWN Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
HUDSON Community Development and Planning Agency Board meeting at 6 p.m., 1 North Front Street, Hudson (751-1044).
STUYVESANT Greenway Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Town Board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Annie Gosfield Composer Annie Gosfield often employs transmissions in her work. From Wikipedia: "Her work includes large-scale compositions, chamber music, electronic music, video projects, and music for dance. She uses traditional notation, improvisation, and extended techniques to explore a sound world that eliminates the boundaries between music and noise. Her music is often inspired by the inherent beauty of non-musical sounds, such as machines, destroyed pianos, warped 78 rpm records, and detuned radios."

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 Morning news, music, interviews and features.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m. WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, interviews and events.
10 a.m.: Prison Voices Project: Voices UnBroken In this episode of the Prison Poetry Workshop, we go looking for prison poetry and prisoner poets in New York, visiting institutions like Riker’s Island and Attica, to discover poetry as transformation. is a tough place. According to the Correctional Association of New York, about 54 percent of those incarcerated at Mount McGregor are serving time for violent offenses. Working at Mount McGregor, poet Cara Benson opens a session of the poetry workshop by asking a group of all male prisoners to write a feminist poem. Hosted by Rend Smith. Produced by Nick Szuberla and Andrew Parsons.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: Ozma of Oz, Part 2 Ozma of Oz Part 1, Book Three in the Chronicles of Oz From KSVR Studios. An anthology series of dramas and comedies for radio. Each week a program will be made up of one radio play. Produced at KSVR Studios at the radio station KSVR-FM in Mount Vernon, Washington. The actors are from the Skagit Radio Repertory Company. The producer is Joseph C McGuire. This week: "Dorothy returns for another adventure this time not in the land of Oz, but the Land of Ev. Another fairyland where she mets some off kilter Baumian characters, TikTok, Princess Langwidere and the Nome King. There is one overarching law in fairyland animals can speak. So in this story we meet one of Baum's greatest characters Billina the Yellow Hen. Produced by Joseph C McGuire. Edited by Jay Charles. Performers: The Skagit Radio Repertory Company. Made with a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. From Pacifica Radio.
3:30 p.m.: Kid's Brain Radio Live from the Catskill Community Center. Hosted by Matt Bua and Sam Sebren.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: R.O. Blechman, Danielle DeLamater, Sarah Bartolotta Celebrated cartoonist, author, animator, art director, blogger and Hudson Valley resident, R.O. Blechman will be in the Hudson studio to discuss the show of his work opening Sat., Mar. 29, at the Hudson Opera House. Also, Danielle DeLamater and Sarah Bartolotta, seniors at Hudson High School, will talk about the school's production of the Disney musical, "Beauty and the Beast." Plus news, weather, events, music and more. Hosted by Ellen Thurston and Tom DePietro.
6 p.m.: Feature Story News
7 p.m.: The Jazz Disturbance: Beth Jones, Susan Simon Beth Jones and Susan Simon will be in the Hudson studio. Jones is president, and Simon, vice president, of Third Eye Associates, Ltd., the Red Hook-based life-planning firm. And they are Lindy Hoppers! Jones and Simon will share stories and jazz/dance music from the 1920s through the 1950s. Hosted by Cheryl K.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="516"] The Rexmere Hotel[/caption]

Liz Page is reporting in the Register Star the former Rexmere Hotel located in Stamford, Delaware Co., was destroyed by fire Tues., Mar. 25. Firefighters got the call just before 11 a.m. and arrived to find smoke coming from the first floor of the historic building. The fire spread rapidly. Spot fires erupted on the lawns of nearby homes due to the intense heat created as the huge structure burned. Power was shut off and residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Firefighters will likely remain on the scene through the day Wednesday. The Rexmere served as a public hotel for 58 years. Built in 1897, it was opened in 1898 and operated as a hotel until 1955. It was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and was in the process of being sold to a private owner. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Michael Ryan is reporting in The Daily Mail mystery and confusion surround a state police raid on the Windham town offices, where now Deputy Town Supervisor Edward Shanley has reportedly resigned. It is not known if the two events are connected. Shanley's letter of resignation was submitted shortly after the police search. The resignation will not become official unless, or until, it is accepted by the town council. Town officials have remained silent since the team of state police investigators seized a computer from Supervisor Stacy Post's office, Fri., Mar. 21. No charges have been filed, according to Greene County Acting District Attorney Charles Bucca, and no time frame has been set for possible action. The town board will next meet Thurs., Mar. 27. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The New York State Public Service Commission Tues., Mar. 25, announced it will hold two public hearings on the West Point Partners proposal to construct and operate an HVDC transmission line known as the West Point Project. The two hearings will be held Wed., Apr. 23, in Athens. The first hearing will begin at 2 p.m., and be held at the Athens Firehouse. The second will be held at E.J. Arthur Elementary School, beginning at 6 p.m. Both hearings will begin with an informational forum followed by the public statement hearing. The West Point Project, if approved, would run a transmission line from Athens to Cortlandt and then tie into existing transmission facilities downstate to deliver power into New York City. The project also includes the contruction of a converter station in Athens. For a report on the PSC's recent procedural conference go to newsroom.wgxc.org.

Robert Pear is reporting in The New York Times the Obama administration said Tues., Mar. 26, it would allow more time for those who had tried to apply for health insurance but were blocked by technical problems with the federal exchange. Several states running their own exchanges, including Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have taken similar steps in the last two weeks. Open enrollment was scheduled to end on Monday for all Americans. While the deadline to begin the process remains Mar. 31, some people will be given a special enrollment period, beyond the deadline, if they can show they were not able to enroll because of an error by the federal exchange or by the Department of Health and Human Services. Details are expected to be announced Wed., Mar. 26. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 29F; low 13F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 29F; low 14F.[/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 Wind Advisory until 8 p.m., Wednesday, for the Greater Capital District, eastern Catskills, Schoharie Valley, Taconics, Mid-Hudson Valley and the Berkshires. Winds from the northwest of 20 to 30 mph with some gusts between 45 and 50 mph are possible. The strongest winds will develop late Wednesday morning and continue into the afternoon. Downed tree limbs and scattered power outages are possible.

Today: A slight chance of snow showers, before 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny. High near 36. Windy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 23 to 28 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 44 mph. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 13. Blustery, with a northwest wind 13 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.

Forecast for the next three days:

Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 43. Thursday night, a chance of rain, mainly after 5 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 34.
Friday: Rain likely, mainly after 11 a.m. Cloudy. High near 53. Friday night, A chance of showers, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 36.
Saturday: Rain likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 54. Saturday night, rain likely. Cloudy. Low around 37.

Sunrise today: 6:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:15 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:28 hrs.

Town meetings
Today is the fourth Wednesday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.

ATHENS Village meeting at 7 p.m. at Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
CAIRO at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).*
COLUMBIA COUNTY Public Works Committee at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
HUDSON Common Council Public Works Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m.; Legal Committee meeting starts at 6:15 p.m at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON Development Corporation Board meeting at 12 p.m. (noon) at 1 North Front St., Hudson (751-1044).
KINDERHOOK Historical Committee meeting at 7 p.m., Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: NSA Reforms From "Democracy Now!": "Obama Admin to Propose Reforms of NSA Bulk Phone Spying."
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: March 2014 New Music New tracks from Good Willsmith ("& my body to breath / now ~ shower put on all black"), Ancient Ocean ("Yellow Seed"), Peeesseye ("Sci Fi Death Mask", excerpts from Takeshi Murata with Robert Beatty, on the new the LP "Soundtracks for Takeshi Murata," and others. J Spaceman and Kid Millions "Live at Le Poisson Rouge" is also included, as well as new from Aa's "VoyAager". Plus, other works, sounds, and stories are feautured. Tom Roe hosts live from Wave Farm.
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Alejandro Franov Episode 924 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click on title for playlist 924.
2 a.m.: Radio Noise Noise artists employ transmissions in their work. With Carlos Giffoni, The SB, Neptune, and others.
5 a.m.: Low-Power Hour: CB Radio No. 86 - CB -- CB radio is a low power medium and has its place; unlicensed FM in New Zealand; Bill Stumbo's Small Station; Dick Future and his Magic Stool - Episode Two.

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 Morning news, music, interviews and features.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m. WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, interviews and events.
10 a.m.: The Right Opinion: Sue Serino Conversation with Sue Serino, the endorsed Republican candidate for the 106th New York State Assembly District seat. Serino faces incumbent Democrat Didi Barrett in November. Serino is employed as a real estate broker and is currently serving as the Fourth District Legislator in Dutchess County. Hosted by Ed Fertik.
2 p.m.: The Barbershop Talks: Slay Takeover Part II Dya Canty and the 18 Wheeler will be in the Hudson studio to discuss relationships, current events and more. Hosted by Vern Cross and Kamal Johnson.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Matt Alexander, Patrick Kiley, Kristen Ripley Matt Alexander of Old Home Restoration will be in the WGXC Catskill studio for a conversation about home repair. Call (518) 291-WGXC (9492) with your questions about anything and everything concerning your home. And a conversation with Patrick Kiley and Kristen Ripley of Publication Studio Hudson, a new on-demand book design and printing studio located on Main St. in Catskill. Plus, news, weather, events, music and more. Hosted by Harry Matthews.
6 p.m.: Feature Story News

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="218"] West Point Transmission
(Courtesy westpointproject.com)[/caption]

The New York State Public Service Commission held a procedural conference Thu., March 20, in Albany before Administrative Law Judge Kevin Casutto. The purpose of the conference was to hear comments on the West Point Partners proposal to construct and operate a 345kV HVDC transmission line known as West Point Project, which, if approved, would run from Athens to Cortlandt and then tie into existing transmission facilities to deliver power into New York City. The conference was held to identify interested parties, to discuss requests for intervenor funding, to determine a procedural schedule, and the necessity for, and locations of future public statement hearings. An attorney representing the town and village of Athens spoke, and questioned the cumulative impacts, overall need and alternatives for the project: PLAY (1:46). More than 30 people attended the conference in person or via video conferencing, including representatives of West Point, the town and village of Athens, and eight members of the Athens Citizens Development Committee. Also present were representatives of the New York Power Authority, Champlain Hudson, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, Central Hudson Gas and Electric, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, the town of Cortlandt and the hamlet of Verplanck. WGXC was the only representative of the media in attendance. NOTE: Sam Sebren is a founding member of the Athens Citizens Development Committee.

-- Sam Sebren

All audio recorded and produced by Sam Sebren.

Clips

1. Representatives of the state Department of Environmental Conservation asks about the relationship between the DC project and the AC project, and if there is an overlap in need: PLAY (1:07).


2. Attorney representing the town of Cortlandt (Westchester Co.) raises concerns of noise, safety and questions the necessity of the project: PLAY (1:19).


3. Judge Kevin Casutto and attorney representing West Point Partners discuss public disclosure: PLAY (1:13).


4. West Point Partners and attorney representing town and village of Athens discuss alternatives to West Point proposal: PLAY (2:55).


5. West Point Partners and DEC discuss perspectives on alternatives to the West Point proposal: PLAY (2:15)


6. Scenic Hudson, DEC, West Point and Casutto discuss the need to extend the schedule, alternatives to the project and comparisons to the Champlain Hudson buried line project: PLAY (3:24).


7. Prior to the proceeding, James Denn, the Director of Public Affairs for the state Public Service Commission spoke with members of ACDC: PLAY (13:08).


8. The ACDC asks Denn about comparative DC projects: PLAY (2:15).

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="257"] The Burroughs-Foland house.
(Photo by Jennifer Betsworth)[/caption]

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist is reporting at Capitol Confidential the Burroughs-Foland house and farm in Livingston, Columbia County, is one of a half-dozen sites in the Capital Region to be nominated for placement on the state and national Registers of Historic Places. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the nominations by the state Board for Historic Preservation Mon., Mar. 24. The Burroughs-Foland House and Farm was cited as a rare example of Spanish Mission-style architecture in a rural setting. The house and carriage house were built in 1908 as the country home of retired businessman Russell Foland. Among the other nominees are the First Congregational Church of Albany and the Washington County home of the state’s first official entomologist. The sites will now be reviewed for appropriateness by a state preservation officer and then approved. They will then be forwarded for a similar review by federal officials. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

The Art School of Columbia County announced Mon., Mar. 24, it has hired Kinderhook resident Cynthia Mulvaney as its new Program Coordinator. An artist and teacher, Mulvaney is also the Executive Director of the Columbia County Council on the Arts. According to a statement released by Thomas Chulak, president of the school's Board of Directors, Mulvaney has been involved with public art projects throughout the region and has taught at area community colleges. Mulvaney replaces Beth Thielen, the school’s first program coordinator. Thielen remains active as a member of the school's faculty and on the Board of Directors. The Art School of Columbia County is located in Harlemville.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 40F; low 24F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 40F; low 25F.[/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: Partly sunny. High near 37. Tuesday night, a chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 23. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Little or no snow accumulation expected.


Forecast for the next three days:

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers, mainly before 9 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 33. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 15. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 41. Thursday night, a chance of rain and sleet after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 32.
Friday: A chance of rain and sleet before 9 a.m., then rain likely. Cloudy. HIgh near 55. Friday night, showers likely. Mostly cloudy. Low around 40.

Sunrise today: 6:48 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:13 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:25 hrs.

Town meetings
Today is the fourth Tuesday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.

COLUMBIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION annual meeting, 8 a.m. at Kozel’s, 1006 New York 9H, Ghent (828-4718).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors County Government Committee meeting, 5 p.m.; Board of Supervisors Fiscal Oversight Committee meeting at 6 p.m.; both at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: NSA Hacking China Telecom "Democracy Now!" radio headlines: "Leaks: NSA Hacked Chinese Telecom Firm; House Intel Chair: Snowden Backing Russia in Ukraine; Fmr. President Carter Uses Postal Mail to Avoid NSA Spying."
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Dreaming Dreams, often as a crutch for poor writing, are explored. An alternate ending of "Breaking Bad" is explored, as well as dream endings for "The Wizard of Oz," "Newhart," and "Dallas." Plus "Dance of the Dream Man" from "Twin Peaks," "In Dreams" from Roy Orbison, "Dream Lover" from Bobby Darin, "I've Got Dreams to Remember" by Otis Redding, "Dream Operator" by Talking Heads, "Dream On" from Aerosmith, "Dreams" from Fleetwood Mac, "All I Have to Do is Dream" by The Everly Brothers, "If I Can Dream" from Elvis Presley, and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream."
1 a.m.: In Other News: Carissa Conti Carissa Conti, author of the book "Chasing Phantoms: Personal experiences, Observations and Theories into the Abduction/Mind Control Phenomenon" is the guest. It's partially compiled from years of journal entries and various perspectives describing personal experiences with psychic warfare, dream time programming, military abductions, and harassment techniques. From Pacifica Radio.
2 a.m.: Bob's Slacktime Playhouse: Sleep Doc Ellis and Doktor Bugbladder show their Lullaby League membership cards and proceed to scientifically lull you to into the arms of Morpheus...and what the hell, while you're out they have a few tests they'd like to run on you just for shits 'n' giggles. The good (?) Doktors pour their "special" genetically altered honey down your earholes while they discuss the whys and wherefores of stupidly vulnerable organisms who are compelled to regularly fall unconscious for hours at a time. But sleep is not solely about recharging your spent batteries...it's about getting the drop on yourself in a grudgematch from the darkside when the synapses click and your sleeping brain opens up and spews Dobbs-knows-what into your soul. Every sleep cycle is a crapshoot that carries the horrific uncertainty potential of dreams and nightmares. You either find yourself standing there in your underwear in your old 8th-grade school hallway and can't find your class...or else you're sucked into an infinite hell of psyche-searing, soul-consuming, brain-blistering madness. And you're in your underwear. Or even worse--you finally get through an unending shift at werk and go to punch out, and--hey, that's funny...the timeclock's ding sounds just like an alarm clock.
3 a.m.: Radio Discussion Radio artists and scholars discuss radio art.
5 a.m.: PCJ Media Network Plus: 20140325 International radio and media show. The show is produced jointly by PCJ in Taiwan and Canada. Producer/Presenter: Keith Perron.

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 Morning news, music, interviews and features.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m. WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, interviews and events.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Feature Story News
6:30 p.m.: Hudson Valley LPFM Special Interviews and news about new low-power community radio stations possibly coming to Palenville, Troy, Albany, Woodstock, Stamford, Pawling, and other Hudson Valley communities. Tom Roe reports and interviews folks trying to bring new radio stations to the dial. Includes interviews with the Rev. Mother Cathryn Platine from the Maetreum of Cybele, about the future WLPP-LP; Steve Pierce from The Sanctuary for Independent Media; and representatives of the Grand Street Community Arts in Albany.

Some of the stories that made the news March 21 through March 24:

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="213"] Windham Town Hall in Hensonville.
(windhamny.com)[/caption]

Michael Ryan reported in The Daily Mail the state police Fri., March 21, raided Windham Town Hall, removing computer equipment. The raid occurred shortly after the town offices opened at 8:30 a.m. State police investigators in Middletown, where the search was planned and launched, were not available for comment. Greene County acting district attorney Charles Bucca said the equipment was removed as part of an open investigation into potential criminal offenses.

Joe Gentile reported in the Register Star Columbia County Public Defender Bob Linville has secured a $300,000 grant to help area veterans in trouble with the law. The New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services award will fund the formation of a so-called veterans strike force for the next three years. The strike force should include an attorney, who is also a military veteran, and a psychiatric analyst to help returning veterans. The team will housed at 610 State St. in Hudson. The strike force's first project is to collect data on county veterans.

Public News Service is reporting advocates are questioning the state's healthcare outreach effort to New York's nearly half million uninsured Latinos, Hispanics and immigrants. Mark Scheerer has the story: PLAY (1:46).

Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail the Catskill Central School District Board of Education last week approved a four-year contract extension for Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Farrell. Farrell requested the extension. She has been employed by the district since 2005. Catskill Teachers Association President James Maccaline said Thursday he was surprised to learn of the extension, adding that Farrell’s salary, plus benefits, even with no increase, is a substantial amount and a considerable fiscal commitment, given the present economy. With the four-year extension, Farrell's contract will now expire in January 2019. Under the terms of that contract, the superintendent's salary will remain at nearly $176,000 per year.

David Lee reported in the Register Star Germantown Central School District 8th-grader Wyatt Gibbons was chosen the overall winner of the 16th annual Twin County Science Expo, Sat., March 22. The event, held at Columbia-Greene Community College in Greenport, was sponsored by the Columbia-Greene Superintendents Association. Forty-nine projects, assembled by individuals or teams of students from Greene and Columbia counties enrolled in grades 5 through 8 were examined and ranked by 10 science instructors. Gibbons took top honors for his biology research project, “The Effect of Music Tempo on Heart Rate.”

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 32F; low 15F.[/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: Sunny. High near 29. Wind chill values as low as zero. Monday night, partly cloudy. Low around 15.

Forecast for the next three days:

Tuesday: A chance of snow, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy. High near 36. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Tuesday night, a chance of snow. Cloudy. Low around 23.
Wednesday: A chance of snow showers, mainly before noon. Partly sunny. High near 35. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 16.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 44. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 33.

Sunrise today: 6:50 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:12 p.m.
Length of the day: 12:22 hrs.

Town meetings
Today is the fourth Monday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.

CATSKILL Village board meeting at 7 p.m. at Firehouse near Catskill Commons (Wal Mart) (943-3830).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Board of Supervisors Airport Committee meeting at 3 p.m.; Economic Development Committee Meeting, 5 p.m at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
HALCOTT Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 813 Route 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920)
HUDSON Common Council Police Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall; Fire Committee Meeting at 6:45 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
PHILMONT Local Development Corp meeting at 7 p.m., Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio Stew: Reverberation Echoes reverberate through this program. Compositions, sounds, and songs, from Joel Chadabe ("Echoes"), Vladimir Ussachevsky ("Reverberation"), Paul Winter ("Morning Echoes"), Bjork ("An Echo A Stain"), Martha and the Muffins ("Echo Beach"), Gene Clark ("Echoes"), The Partridge Family ("Echo Valley 2-6809"), Eleanor Friedberger ("Echo or Encore"), and others are featured.
1 a.m.: Edward Snowden Special on recent talks from exiled leaker Edward Snowden, mixed with a 2001 Department of Defense video "The People's Right to Know" about how the Freedom of Information Act works.
5 a.m.: This Week in Radio News: 20140324 Turkey tries to shut down Twitter, and everyone tries to shut down Edward Snowden, but he keeps on talking. Plus more radio news about radio waves.

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 Morning news, music, interviews and features.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m. WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, interviews and events.
2 p.m.: Roots, Runners, Rhizomes: 20140324 Health and healing from the underground. Hosted by Sarah Falkner and Lauren Giambrone.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Feature Story News

“There are many ways to increase the amount of power we can deliver to the Hudson Valley,” New York Senator Chuck Schumer said in a press release this week, quoted in The Daily Freeman. He was talking about possible rate increases for Hudson Valley electricity consumers, but the issue is also tied to the amount of power that can be delivered through the Hudson Valley for New York City consumers. The Public Service Commission is considering proposals to refurbish, replace, and/or add new electric power lines through several towns in the WGXC listening area to New York City. The Public Service Commission holds its next meeting at 10:30 a.m., Thu., March 27, in the 19th Floor Board Room of its offices located at Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, with a live webstream available online. William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports that another public forum on the issue will be held Monday in Kingston. This hearing, at 7 p.m. March 24 in the Ulster County Legislature chamber on the sixth floor of the Ulster County Office Building, 244 Fair St., Kingston, is about a proposed “capacity zone” that would require local utilities to purchase their peak-demand electrical supply from sources closer to home. “Both the new capacity zone and the transmission upgrades are meant to address these (consumer demand) bottlenecks,” Citizens for Local Power co-founder Jennifer Metzger told The Daily Freeman. The forum will open with a discussion of planned transmission line upgrades being considered by the state Public Service Commission. Representatives for electricity provider National Grid, transmission line developer Boundless Energy, and New York Independent System Operator, are expected to attend.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald announced March 21 that the DOT will install a four-way overhead flashing beacon at the interesection of Route 9G and Broadway/West Kerley Corners Road (Dutchess County Route 78) in Tivoli, after several recent fatal accidents. Since 2009, there have been oversized stop signs and stop ahead signs on the Broadway and West Kerley Corners Road approaches, which reduced by crashes by 80 percent, according to McDonald's press release. But two Bard College students were killed by a hit-and-run car at the intersection in late January, and after Brandon M. O’Connell, 21, of Hudson died March 3 as a result of a car accident there, Tivoli Mayor Bryan Cranna called for upgrades. Work begins next week to survey the intersection, with the new flashing beacon promised by Memorial Day.

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., March 15. PLAY AUDIO (3:28)

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

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 31, and a low around 7. Wind chill values as low as -9.

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -10. Monday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 11.

• Tuesday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 29.

Sunrise 6:51 a.m.
Sunset 7:11 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 1:31 A.M. 11:27 A.M.
Mercury 6:06 A.M. 4:54 P.M.
Venus 4:54 A.M. 3:15 P.M.
Mars 8:46 P.M. 8:05 A.M.
Jupiter 12:03 P.M. 3:16 A.M.
Saturn 11:12 P.M. 9:19 A.M.
Uranus 7:19 A.M. 7:53 P.M.
Neptune 5:58 A.M. 4:50 P.M.
Pluto 3:04 A.M. 12:34 P.M.

WGXC Programming

March 22, 2014: 8 p.m. – March 23, 2014: 1 a.m.: Saturday Night Special: Edward Snowden
Special on recent talks from exiled leaker Edward Snowden, mixed with a 2001 Department of Defense video "The People's Right to Know" about how the Freedom of Information Act works.

1 a.m. – 5 a.m.: Radius Sketchpad: Rewind
Several past episodes of Radius Sketchpad, an ongoing monthly program on WGXC 90.7-FM presented by the Chicago-based platform, Radius, are featured. Included: ShortWaveMusic'sAll Night Flight.

5 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.: Radia: James Goddard
Radia Show 486: "On Failure" by James Goddard (Ckut Radio Montreal). "Radia" is an international network of 25 stations, including Wave Farm's WGXC, interested in creative and forgotten ways of making radio. Each week, one station makes a show for the rest. This episode of Radia focuses on concept of failure and its sources using radio art as its exploratory medium. Failure of technology, Failure of language, Failure of colonialism, Failure to induce laughter…ultimately, failure to fail and many more expressions of failure, inaction and irrelevancy of success. James Goddard lives in Montréal, QC. He pays his bills by resisting oppressive working conditions and supporting better food options at Le Frigo Vert. He once interned at CKUT 90.3FM, before that he worked at CFRC 101.9FM and CHMA 106.9FM. His writing has appeared on Weird Canada and in Syphon magazine.

5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.: CounterSpin: Carla Murphy, Sarah Jaffe
Tune in wavefarm.org to hear transmission arts around the clock.
Carla Murphy on an FCC diversity study, and Sarah Jaffe on charter schools.

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.: Mambo Italiano: 20140323
Join host Tom DePietro for a show on all things Italian. Music, books, food and more.

The Hudson Valley radio dial may offer more choices soon, as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved new low-power FM (LPFM) stations in Palenville, Albany, Woodstock, Pawling, and other towns. Low-power FM is a 100-watts-or-less broadcast license authorized for non-commercial educational broadcasting that can cover a city or town. It was first created in 2001, after a decade of challenges on the air, in courts, and in Congress. WBCR-LP in Great Barrington emerged from that first LPFM opportunity, and a second application window for non-profit groups to apply for frequencies intended for community use opened last fall. Now these applicants must raise money, organize volunteers, and build studios to get on the air.

This winter the FCC granted a construction permit to WLPP-LP (102.9-FM) in Palenville, where the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc., a pagan-oriented non-profit, now has until Jan. 27, 2017 to get on the air. The group claims their new signal will cover Catskill, Saugerties, and into Columbia County, and is advertising locally for folks to help them. (Click here or here to hear WGXC interviews with the Rev. Mother Cathryn Platine from the Maetreum of Cybele, about WLPP-LP from March 19, 2014 and Nov. 23, 2013)

In Athens, local listeners may or may not hear a new station from the jazz-oriented group Planet Arts. The New York City- and Catskill-based non-profit mistakenly filed two LPFM applications for Athens for the Nov. 2013 FCC deadline. One, to use the public's 96.7-FM frequency, was dismissed by the FCC, and another, at 93.9-FM, is labeled, "applied for," while similar applications without competition have been approved. (Click here to listen to a WGXC interview with Thomas Bellino from Planet Arts from Nov. 23, 2013.)

[caption width="290" align="alignright"]From Grand Street Community Arts Facebook page.[/caption]In Albany, the Grand Street Community Arts, Inc. non-profit, which has run a community center for several years, located at 68 Grand St. near the Capitol, will broadcast at 107.1-FM. Online, they are calling themselves WSER-LP, South End Radio, although those call letters are not yet officially registered with the FCC as of March 21. The group is hosting a volunteer meeting March 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. A representative of the group will call in to the WGXC "Saturday Afternoon Show" before the meeting begins. They have until Feb. 21, 2017 to get on the air.

In Troy five groups have applied for LPFM stations. The Sanctuary for Independent Media; Troy Bike Rescue; Green Education and Legal Fund; Oakwood Community Center; and Tap, Inc. all have applications pending for 92.7-FM. Steve Pierce from The Sanctuary for Independent Media, in a Feb. 1, 2014 interview with WGXC, said the five groups are friendly and will work out a time-share or other arrangements to get on the air. The FCC encourages groups competing for the same frequencies to work out time-sharing arrangements.

In Woodstock, WIOF-LP (104.1-FM) has a construction permit from the FCC. In the 2007 full-power application window the group Birds of a Feather applied to cover a much larger area, but had several competitors, none of which ever got on the air. Now, the group has until Feb. 14, 2017 to begin using this frequency.

In Dutchess County, Pawling Public Radio will occupy 103.7-FM. That group is already up and running with a lively website. It will hold a board meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at 26 E. Main St. in Pawling. The application submitted by a community group in Amenia for 103.7-FM, though, was dismissed by the FCC. In Poughkeepsie, New York Catholic Radio's application for 94.7-FM is unopposed, but has not yet been approved.

Upper Room Ministries of Richmondville applied in Stamford, Delaware County, and will operate WJIJ-LP at 105.9-FM.

In all, New York had 65 applications for low-power stations, most in non-competitive situations. Non-profit groups were able to apply for low-power FM stations on available frequencies from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15.

LISTEN TO WGXC AUDIO INTERVIEWS
WITH HUDSON VALLEY LPFM APPLICANTS

• Click here to hear a WGXC interview with the Rev. Mother Cathryn Platine from the Maetreum of Cybele, about WLPP-LP from March 19, 2014, by Harry Matthews on "WGXC Afternoon Show." (4:07)

• Click here to listen to an interview with Platine from Maetreum about the station Nov. 23, 2013 by Tom Roe on the "Saturday Afternoon Show." PLAY CLIP (4:34)

• Click here to listen to an interview with Thomas Bellino from Planet Arts from WGXC's "Saturday Afternoon Show" Nov. 23. PLAY CLIP (5:46)

• Click here to hear Steve Pierce and Branda Miller from The Sanctuary for Independent Media discuss low-power FM, community media, and radio on WGXC's "Saturday Afternoon Show" Feb. 1, 2014. PLAY CLIP (53:24)

• A representative from Grand Street Community Arts will phone-in WGXC's "Saturday Afternoon Show" March 22 after 4 p.m. Click here to listen live.

• Click here to listen to an audio version of this report. PLAY CLIP (5:55)

Local News
Local news from Wave Farm‘s WGXC 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley, New York for Sat., March 15. PLAY AUDIO (5:55)

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

• Saturday: A chance of rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 11 a.m., then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Saturday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34, and a low around 15.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 28, and a low around 15.

Sunrise 6:53 a.m.
Sunset 7:10 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 12:31 A.M. 10:31 A.M.
Mercury 6:06 A.M. 4:51 P.M.
Venus 4:55 A.M. 3:14 P.M.
Mars 8:51 P.M. 8:09 A.M.
Jupiter 12:07 P.M. 3:19 A.M.
Saturn 11:16 P.M. 9:23 A.M.
Uranus 7:23 A.M. 7:57 P.M.
Neptune 6:02 A.M. 4:53 P.M.
Pluto 3:08 A.M. 12:38 P.M.

WGXC Programming

Radio Stew: Basketball
Midnight - 4 a.m.
Low Power Hour: CB Radio
4 a.m. – 5 a.m.
Shortwave Hours: Ham Radio for the Blind
5 a.m. – 7 a.m.
Saturday Morning Serial: Air Raid Sirens
7 a.m. – 8 a.m.
Open Air: Local Frequencies
8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Radia: James Goddard
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?: Words, Politics, Politicians
11 a.m. – noon
Noon News: Low-Power FM
noon – 12:30 p.m.
Other Music: Raymond Scott
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Radius Sketchpad: ShortWaveMusic
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Human Machine: Brave New World, Part Three
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday Afternoon Show: Grand Street Community Arts, Slink Moss
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Off The Hook: 20140322
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Framework: David Velez
7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday Night Special: Edward Snowden
8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Jim Planck is reporting in The Daily Mail Catskill Town Supervisor Joseph Leggio said Thurs., Mar. 20, the Washington Irving Senior Center will stay open and remain open, despite the recent arrest and resignation of center director Ann Marie Moran on felony charges. He said for the time being, one person is covering most of the hours the center is open. Leggio said he and some of the town board members have been pitching in to help, as well as some of the seniors themselves. The director's position will eventually be posted, but the board intends to take the next two to three weeks to re-evaluate, and decide how to move forward. Moran has been accused of siphoning off funds from accounts she allegedly set up for an 85-year-old woman who attended activities at the center. Moran resigned her position as director, Wed., Mar. 19. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.