Matt Bathrick reports in the Columbia Paper residents in two Claverack election districts will be voting at a new location beginning this fall. Polling sites for Election Districts 3 and 4 will now be at the Nutrition Center for the county Office for the Aging on Main St. in Philmont. District 3 previously voted at Claverack Town Hall in Mellenville; District 4 voters went to Philmont Village Hall. The changes were made for economical reasons and because the Nutrition Site is more accessible and will make the process easier for voters and auditors. The move will save an estimated $1,000 to $2,500 per year, according to the Columbia County Board of Elections. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.

Jessica Mosier reports in The Daily Mail the Cairo Republican Committee has chosen four candidates to compete in the upcoming town elections in November. The caucus chose incumbent Douglas Ostrander Jr., and former town councilwoman Mary-Jo Cords for town board. Also chosen were Leland Miller, for re-election as a town justice, and Susan Hilgendorff for tax collector. Long-term Republican councilman Ray Suttmeier will not seek re-election this year. He is retiring after 24 years in office. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 75F; low 61F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 73F; low 64F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.

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

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

The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for northwestern Connecticut, western Massachusetts, east central New York and southern Vermont for Thursday. Showers along with a few embedded thunderstorms may produce some locally heavy rainfall. Ponding of water on roadways, as well as some localized flooding of poorly drained low lying areas is possible.

Today: Showers, mainly after 2 p.m. High near 74. Thursday night, showers and thunderstorms before 3 a.m., then a chance of showers. Low around 60.

Forecast for the next three days:

Friday: A slight chance of showers, mainly between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny. High near 79. Friday night, a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy. Low around 57.
Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly after 9 a.m. Mostly sunny. High near 79. Saturday night, a chance of showers. Partly cloudy. Low around 58.
Sunday: A chance of showers before 9 a.m., then isolated showers after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny. High near 76. Sunday night, mostly clear. Low around 52.

Sunrise today: 5:49 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:13 p.m.

Length of the day: 14:24 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the first Thursday of the month.
WGXC suggests you call ahead to confirm time and location.


ANCRAM Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
AUSTERLITZ Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
COPAKE Planning Board meets at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GHENT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
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

Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: More NSA Surveillance From Free Speech Radio News: "New revelations about the breadth of the National Security Agency’s mass spying programs came to light today. In addition to collecting data about Americans’ phone records, the NSA collects information from emails and web searches without individual warrants. Senators convened this morning to question government officials about these spying programs, and demanded more transparency and more oversight. On Capitol Hill, FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more."
12:05 a.m.: NRRF B Radio: Insect Invasion Anna Friz, Jonny Farrow, Jeff Kolar, Peter Speer and Stephen Germana perform in this transmission from Chicago. Live webstream 7-10 p.m. ET (-4 UTC, 6-9 p.m. Chicago time), rebroadcast on WGXC 90.7-FM at midnight. This episode: "The Brood II: Insect Invasion" Year 17 has arrived, the genus Magicicada are crawling out of the ground, and playing the largest noise show of all time. But there may be more than one genus of insect emerging from its pupa…. Join the swarm as insects invade the radio. On show days in Chicago’s north side, tune in to 87.9FM, or listen online at http://free103point9.org. free103point9/ WGXC in Greene/Columbia counties NY will rebroadcast the shows following the live show at 11CDT.
3 a.m.: NRFF B Radio: Occult Anna Friz, Jonny Farrow, Jeff Kolar, Peter Speer, and Stephen Germana perform in this transmission from Chicago. Rebroadcast of "occult" episode from July 17, 2013.
5 a.m.: TUC Radio: Alfred W. McCoy In July 2013 an article appeared on line in TomDispatch that gave an up to date and chilling analysis of the unprecedented powers of the US Surveillance state. It's author, University of Madison, Wisconsin, professor of history Alfred McCoy, credits Edward Snowden for having revealed today's reality. And McCoy adds his perspective of the intriguing history that led up to this point - and he makes a few predictions as to what to expect in the near future. That article in TomDispatch caught the attention of radio host, writer and Middle East expert Jeff Blankfort who allows me to broadcast the highlights of his interview with Professor McCoy. From Pacifica Radio.
5:30 a.m.: A Community of Voices: No Idea Interview with Tony Weinbender, who works for independent record label No Idea Records, and is the organizer of the annual underground punk festival in Gainesville, Florida, The Fest. From Pacifica radio.

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC Hands-On Community Radio

6 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Also local news, previews of events in Greene and Columbia counties, music, and more. Call in to have your say at (518) 828-0290.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, and events. Call 518-828-0290 to comment during the "WGXC Morning Show."
2 p.m.: The Art of the Hudson Valley: Jacob Flossum, David Konigsberg Interviews with Jacob Flossum and David Konigsberg, participating artists in "The Man Show" at Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson. Hosted by Chad Weckler.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: The Fly in the Ointment David Shaw-Parker reads D.H Lawrence's short story "The Fly in the Ointment," plus works by Spike Jones ("There's a Fly in My Music"), The Rolling Stones ("The Spider and The Fly"), Wire ("I Am The Fly"), and The Cramps ("Human Fly").
3:30 p.m.: Kids' Brain Radio Live from the Catskill Community Center. Hosted by Matt Bua and Sam Sebren.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="475"] EAB infested and quarantined counties in New York. The insect has now spread eastward into New Hampshire. (NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation)[/caption]

Jim Planck reports in The Daily Mail Sen. Kirsten Kirsten Gillibrand has asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for funding to combat the Emerald Ash Borer. Greene and Ulster counties together form the largest core area of New York’s Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate’s Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, said in her letter to Vilsack, the insect “has the potential to destroy 7.5 percent of trees across the U.S.,” and that it “is continuing to spread, causing serious devastation to our trees, and potential harm to some of our wood industries.” Gillibrand said it is critical the federal government provide the necessary resources to reverse the trend. The Asian insect migrated quickly after it first surfaced in the Detroit area in 2002. It now infests 21 states plus the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Its larval form burrows under the ash tree’s bark and cut off the flow of all fluids, killing the tree. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Rick Karlin is reporting in the Times Union Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's push to make New York the nation's "Yogurt Capital" is hitting a sour spot in the form of a court challenge to his loosening of environmental regulations for dairy farmers. Just short of a year after Cuomo said he would ease the rules for medium-size dairy herds as a way to help farmers meet the growing demand for milk used in Greek-style yogurt, a coalition of environmental groups has filed suit. They claim the regulations were improperly eased and could add to water pollution through poorly controlled manure runoff. Known as CAFO regulations, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, the rules mandate construction and management of tools for keeping manure and other waste products out of the water supply. Farmers complained the cost of the systems, which can run into six figures, has stopped them from expanding. Earlier this year, more lenient rules went into effect for dairy farms with between 200 and 299 cows. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Joe Gentile reports in the Register Star five local Bank of America retail branches are among 20 statewide to be transferred to Berkshire Bank under a recently reached agreement. The acquisition is expected to be finalized by the first quarter of 2014. Affected branches in Columbia and Greene counties include those located Cairo, Chatham, Greenville, Hudson and New Lebanon. Berkshire is awaiting regulatory approval for the acquisition. According to a company statement, “Berkshire intends to offer continued employment to branch associates who are on staff when the acquisition is completed.” Customers have not yet been contacted. With currently $5.2 million in assets, Berkshire Bank manages 74 full-service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors learned Mon., July 29, the county's health insurance obligations to its employees and retirees could rise to $100 million by 2020. The county's current obligation is estimated to be $57 million for a lifetime of health insurance to cover employees after they retire from employment. The figures are based on projections of the cost of health insurance, the size of the county’s workforce and longer life expectancy. After 10 years of service, county employees are eligible for county health insurance following retirement. With 10 years of service, the county pays half of a retiree's health insurance costs. For those with 25 years or more of service, the county covers 75 percent of their health insurance costs. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 84F; low 63F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 81F; low 64F.[/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 83. Wednesday night, Mostly cloudy. Low around 60.

Forecast for the next three days:

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. High near 77. Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before midnight, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 62.
Friday: Isolated showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Partly sunny. High near 82. Friday night, Isolated showers after midnight. Partly cloudy, Low around 59.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 83. Saturday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 57.

Sunrise today: 5:48 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:15 p.m.

Length of the day: 14:26 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fifth Wednesday of the month.
WGXC is unaware of any regularly scheduled town meetings.


The day ahead on 90.7-FM

Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: Bradley Manning Verdict From "Free Speech Radio News": "Today, a military judge found Army Private Bradley Manning guilty on espionage, theft and computer fraud charges related to his leaking of hundreds of thousands of government and military documents to Wikileaks, but acquitted him of the most serious charge he faced of aiding the enemy. Judge Col. Denise Lind read the verdict from the bench at Ft. Meade, Maryland. She said she would release details of her findings later. Sentencing begins Wednesday. Manning, who had previously plead guilty to some of the 22 counts against him, could now face more than 100 years in prison. Outside the courtroom at Fort Meade, supporters for Manning gathered this morning ahead of the verdict. FSRN spoke to Mike Mckee, one of the organizers with the Bradley Manning Support Network. He described the gathering, larger than it had been in weeks. “We had about between 50 or 60 people here today as well as a rather revved up media presence as well, both representatives of American media and foreign as well. We’ve held a vigil on the first day of each week of court proceedings, attendance fluctuates, this was certainly one of the larger ones although the numbers weren’t totally uncommon. You saw a good variety of home-made signs as well as banners that people have made for various events and demonstrations that have been had for Bradley over the past year.” McKee said he made the trip from Oakland, California to witness today’s ruling because it was a key event in the debate on freedom and secrecy. “Well, I think the trial is of tremendous importance because what we’ve seen in the government’s argument and what we very well may see in the court’s decision is an approximation or a stand-in for the enemy is now equated to the general public at large and information being available and I think that is obviously very troubling.” Adam Klasfeld is a reporter with the Courthouse News Service. He’s been covering the Manning court martial. Speaking from Ft. Meade today, he said Manning’s act of bringing the material to the public would have implications for years to come. “The largest intelligence leak in US history. It has many different facets. Bradley Manning revealed the world of how diplomacy functions behind closed doors. What the secret conduct of war is and what the dimensions of these are and in learning that, in making sense of it, we come to learn a more intimate perspective.” Today’s ruling followed weeks of arguments and capped a three year period, during which at times Manning had been held in solitary confinement and under other restrictions. Klasfeld said the portraits of Manning that emerged from the prosecution and defense diverged and in the final weeks, language from the prosecution grew increasingly polarizing. “Describing Manning as a traitor, using that word for the first time, and a hacker and using the language of espionage and then we get this radically different perspective from the defense that the leaks did not cause the tremendous amount of damage that everyone had originally anticipated.” That question of damage could be an important factor during the sentencing phase of the trial, which begins tomorrow."
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Bradley Manning Past coverage of the Bradley Manning trial, spy sounds, leaking faucets, and more.
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Artificial Memory Trace Episode 891 of weekly experimental new music show, by folks formerly behind Staalplaat. Click here for playlist 891.
2 a.m.: Tabs Out: Hausu Mountain Mugen Series On July 22, Chicago-based label Hausu Mountain began releasing the “Mugen Series.” Split cassettes featuring solo performances, recorded in single takes with absolutely no overdubs or edits, of loop-based improv on the noise/drone spectrum. Each artists tackles the task in their own way, with the instruments and non-instruments of their choosing.
2:30 a.m.: Live Inside the Radio Noise artist Carlos Giffoni plays the radio at free103point9's "Tune (In)))" event at The Kitchen.
3 a.m.: Sunburned Hand of the Man Sunburned Hand of the Man performance Sept. 22, 2009 at The Elevens in Northampton, MA.
4 a.m.: Name That Wave Form Rebroadcast of new game show, hosted by SPEKTR Collective during their residency at Wave Farm in Acra, NY.
5 a.m.: Shortwave/Pirates: John Davis/WB4QDX First, "The RAIN Report," from Chicago, Hap Holly, KC9RP, produces this 10 to 15- minute weekly amateur radio program service, featuring timely interviews, occasional commentaries from other hams, excerpts from Hamvention Forums, and other items of general interest to the ham radio community. This week: "Does D-STAR Rely Too Much on the Internet? (John DavisWB4QDX?" Then, "PiratesWeek" from Ragnar Daneskjold in upstate New York. This week: "Pirates in the news this week include Pirate Stations Invade FM Radio Dial in Costa Rica and signals from Palestinian Authority pirate radio stations are interfering with the air tower communication network at Ben Gurion International Airport. The Verge recently had an article about pirate radio. ‭Select postings from the Free Radio Network, HF Underground and note stations logged per the Free Radio Weekly. The imminent demise of Monitoring Times from the International Radio Report. ‭Off Air Recordings include the stations of: Red Mercury Lab, Radio Free Whatever, Rave on Radio, Vagina Radio and Skyline International from Europe."

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC Hands-On Community Radio

6 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Also local news, previews of events in Greene and Columbia counties, music, and more. Call in to have your say at (518) 828-0290.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, and events. Call 518-828-0290 to comment during the "WGXC Morning Show."
10 a.m.: @Issue: L. Edward Moore Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore will join host Tom DePietro on the next edition of @Issue. Moore will discuss the city of Hudson, his reflections on the job so far, and his vision for the city police department in the coming years. Moore is a 32-year veteran police officer. He previously served as the First Sergeant of the State Police’s Troop K. He is the recipient of six superintendent commendations and an award for Troop K Supervisor of the Year. He is a graduate of Germantown High School.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Jim Planck reports in The Daily Mail the Catskill GOP has chosen incumbent Robert Antonelli and newcomer Jared Gordiano as candidates for two open seats on the town board. Republicans held their caucus Mon., July 30, at the Washington Irving Senior Center. In his remarks, Antonelli, a 16-year veteran of the town board, highlighted the board’s accomplishments, which included keeping the tax rate down. Gordiano cited a desire to improve the town infrastructure and support of business growth as his major goals. The election is Nov. 4. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Arthur Cusano reports in the Register Star approximately a half-dozen Ichabod Crane school district employees were evacuated from the middle school, Mon., July 29, when toxic fumes began to fill the hallways. Firefighters from Niverville and Valatie were called to the school in the early morning hours after a toilet bowl cleaner mixed with another material to create a toxic cloud. No students were in the building at the time of the incident, and the OK Kids Day Care program was redirected to the nearby primary school. A custodian was examined by emergency responders and released. Read the full story in the Register Star.

James Odato reports at Capitol Confidential “Project Sunlight” has launched, one of the requirements of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's ethics law of 2011. As a result, a database with information about lobbyists and clients who contact state agencies for public business is now available on the Office of General Services’ Web site. Project Sunlight lists meetings between government officials and outsiders on subjects such as state procurement, rate-making, regulatory matters, agency-based judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings and the adoption or repeal of rules and regulations. The database can be found at Project Sunlight [dot] NY [dot] gov. Read the full story in the Times Union.

William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman the state Public Service Commission is being asked to reduce the profits that Fortis Inc. can make through ownership of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. Fortis was approved in June to take over Central Hudson's parent company CH Energy Group. The request comes from three major opponents of that acquisition. The commission has been asked to set new hearings on the takeover. The three separate filings for a rehearing contend the state Public Service Commission will allow Fortis to make profits at the expense of ratepayers. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 79F; low 55F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 81F; low 57F.[/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 79. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 55.

Forecast for the next three days:

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 84. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 62.
Thursday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 80. Thursday night, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 a.m., then scattered showers. Cloudy. Low around 64.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny. High near 91. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 60.

Sunrise today: 5:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:16 p.m.

Length of the day: 14:28 hrs.

Town meetings

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


COLUMBIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Board meeting, 8:30 a.m. at 4303 Route 9, Greenport (828-4718).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: Headlines Radio and media news.
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: SPEKTR The SPEKTR Collective recounts their recordings and projects during their residency at Wave Farm.
1 a.m.: Liminal Transmission Liminal Transmission is a theoretical and experiential research-based project concerned with testing the limits of FM radio's frequency response (30Hz - 15kHz). Using tone generators and sound art works that employ frequencies situated along the upper and lower ranges of human auditory perception, this broadcast will probe the poles of the FM frequency response spectrum through a live experiment conducted on WGXC. Writes Cornell, "The hypothesis for the experiment is as follows: If FM radio operates within a set frequency response range, then frequencies that are situated outside of that range are transmitted as "silence". If not silence, then what sounds will fluctuate the carrier wave?
3 a.m.: Golden Age of Radio: 20130730 Ginger Rogers is featured, dancing on the radio. From Pacifica Radio.
4 a.m.: Radio for One Excerpts from Bob Lassiter's notorious Sept. 12, 1996 broadcast on WFLA in Tampa, FL for a man who wrecked many radio careers in Florida and other U.S. markets working for Cox Broadcasting.
5 a.m.: PCJ Media Network Plus: 20130730 International radio and media show. The show is produced jointly by PCJ in Taiwan and Canada. Producer/Presenter: Keith Perron.

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC Hands-On Community Radio

6 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Also local news, previews of events in Greene and Columbia counties, music, and more. Call in to have your say at (518) 828-0290.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, and events. Call 518-828-0290 to comment during the "WGXC Morning Show."
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Some of the stories that made the news July 26 to 29:

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="302"] The Two Row Wampum Campaign launched near Albany, Sun., July 28.[/caption]

The Mid-Hudson News Network reported more than 200 paddlers, Native and non-Native Americans, on Sun., July 28, began their journey down the Hudson River near Albany to New York City. The rowers will travel in two lines to honor the Two Row Wampum, the beaded record of the first treaty between the first European settles 400 years ago and the Iroquois Confederacy. The group will land in Coxsackie, Mon., July 29, and arrive at Catskill Point Park, Tues., July 30. The group will arrive at its final destination, at the World Financial Center and North Cove Marina in New York City, Sat., Aug. 10, for that city’s Two Row Wampum Festival. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail an agreement has been reached between Lafarge Ravena and the state and federal governments that will give the company more time to build the dry kiln that is part of its ongoing modernization project, in exchange for funding the company will provide for environmental projects and other concessions. Lafarge North America has agreed to provide $1.5 million to fund projects designed to reduce air pollution in Ravena and the surrounding area and to upgrade the existing plant’s operations to cut down on pollution the plant currently emits. In exchange, the government agreed to give Lafarge more time to complete construction of a dry kiln to replace the two existing wet kilns. The goal of the agreement is to improve air quality in the community, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, while at the same time supporting the local economy by keeping jobs intact. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan is looking to increase the collection of back taxes and other funds, and has proposed the hiring of two new staff members for the county attorney's office for that purpose. The new positions will assist the seven county attorneys who work in the office. The positions were approved by the board’s Finance Committee, Thurs., July 25. Tax collection in the county has more than doubled what was budgeted this year. Read the full story in the Register Star.

The Associated Press is reporting billions of gallons of untreated sewage flow into New York waterways annually, but it remains difficult to tell when and where to avoid contact despite a new law mandating prompt public notice. Overflows of combined storm water and human waste from municipal sewer plants occur often after heavy rains into big rivers like the Hudson, Mohawk and Niagara as well as smaller tributaries and other waterways. The law, effective May 1, requires municipal plant operators to notify health officials within two hours of a spill and the public within four hours. The Department of Environmental Conservation has received 447 reports of releases of untreated or partially treated sewage under the new right-to-know law, an agency spokesman said. The DEC estimates $36 billion is needed over the next 20 years to repair and upgrade sewer systems at 643 municipal treatment plants statewide. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 82F; low 55F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 81F; low 59F.[/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 has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for northwestern Connecticut, western Massachusetts, east central New York and southern Vermont, Monday. Isolated, non-severe thunderstorms are possible, mainly across western New England Monday morning and for areas north and west of Albany Monday afternoon. Any thunderstorms should move west to east at 20 to 25 mph.

Today: Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny. High near 81. Monday night, Mostly clear. Low around 58.

Forecast for the next three days:

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High near 79. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 56.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 83. Wednesday night, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Partly cloudy. Low around 61.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny. High near 83. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. Low around 64.

Sunrise today: 5:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:17 p.m.

Length of the day: 14:30 hrs.

Town meetings

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


COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Fiscal Oversight Committee meeting at 5 p.m.at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: Headlines Radio and media news.
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Prince's Computers Matthew Hall at The Awl notes Prince's long-term relationship with computers. Tune in "Computer Blue," "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)," "My Computer" (with Kate Bush), "Emale," "Batdance," Plus clear reference points: Funkadelic's "No Compute," and Afrika Bambaata’s "Looking For The Perfect Beat." Plus The Time's "777-9311."
1 a.m.: SPEKTR Rebroadcast from "Saturday Afternoon Show" July 27, 2013. THE DARK SPECTRUM follows a series of electromagnetic (EM) spectrum mapping, interception and transmission performance structures, which the SPEKTR collective started exploring in 2004. Their new work in this series will focus on processes of encoding/decoding of the EM spectrum and natural/man made signals. SPEKTR will collectively spend time with a standard suite of tools: HF, VHF, UHF and L-band Receivers and Transmitters software defined radios, home-brew VLF receivers, and ELF probes complimented by software toolkits (COTS and custom coded) to decode, encode and visualize digital signals. Combined with image and audio recording devices and manipulation strategies, the collective will work together to develop new ideas and segments for a new performance focusing on the digital and encoded/encrypted signals domains.
4 a.m.: Antiwar Radio: Bradley Manning Nathan Fuller on the conclusion of Bradley Manning's military trial.
4:30 a.m.: Catskill Review of Books: Nick Bryant  Bryant covered wars and the White House that caused the wars for the BBC. This is his irreverent and self-deprecatory take on his trade and life. Hosted by Ian Williams from WJFF in Jeffersonville, NY.
5 a.m.: This Week in Radio News: 20130729 Radio and media news about the Bradley Manning trial, and efforts by Congress to stop the NSA phone call surveillance program. And more.

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC Hands-On Community Radio

6 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
7 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Also local news, previews of events in Greene and Columbia counties, music, and more. Call in to have your say at (518) 828-0290.
8 a.m.: Democracy Now! hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show continues with local news, weather, and events. Call 518-828-0290 to comment during the "WGXC Morning Show."
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Performance artist Marina Abramović needs $20 million to open the Marina Abramovic Institute, a performance and education center, in Hudson in 2015. This week, she's going online to raise a part of that, and take questions from anyone about the project. Sat., July 27 Abramović started a Kickstarter campaign online to raise $600,000 in 30 days. In the first 24 hours, over $17,000 was pledged to the project. On Tue., July 30 at 12:30 p.m. she takes questions at a @reddit_AMA forum, where anyone can ask about the proposed institute next door to WGXC's Hudson studios. Abramović says she has already financed $1.5 million to purchase the building at 620 Columbia St., six months of MAI office operations, and the design concept from architects Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu.

Marina Abramovic Institute Kickstarter Video from Marina Abramovic Institute on Vimeo.

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

• Sunday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 78, and low around 59.

• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 78, and a low around 53.

• Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 75, and a low around 54.

Sunrise 5:454 a.m.
Sunset 8:18 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 11:29 P.M. 12:33 P.M.
Mercury 4:19 A.M. 7:00 P.M.
Venus 8:27 A.M. 9:48 P.M.
Mars 3:37 A.M. 6:51 P.M.
Jupiter 3:28 A.M. 6:35 P.M.
Saturn 1:21 P.M. 12:09 A.M.
Uranus 10:56 P.M. 11:35 A.M.
Neptune 9:31 P.M. 8:22 A.M.
Pluto 6:23 P.M. 3:59 A.M.

WGXC Programming

8 p.m. – July 28, 2013: 5:30 a.m.: "Radio Stew: A Space Odyssey"
We interrupt this program with news that aliens have invaded the airwaves, for this show about space sounds, invading Martians, interviews with aliens, and more.

5:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.: "CounterSpin: Michael Smallberg, Keane Bhatt"
Media show. Michael Smallberg on regulatory 'revolving door'; Keane Bhatt on TAL and Guatemalan genocide.

In New York, when radio stations apply for licences, or have a question about the rules of broadcasting, they have to call someone in Washington, as the federal government makes rules for the nation's airwaves, and the Federal Communications Commission, enforces those laws. In some states, New York included, there are officials who think regulating the airwaves is their job. In 2011, New York followed Florida and New Jersey, in passing a law making pirate radio illegal, even though states have no jurisdiction over the federally-regulated airwaves. Now Massachusetts wants to pass a similar law, though instead of making pirate transmissions illegal, the bill would empower the state Attorney General to initiate legal action against a broadcaster, which could result in monetary forfeiture of $5,000 to $10,000. In the current legislative session in Albany, a few officials in New York's State Senate want to toughen New York's law, moving an "unauthorized transmission" from a class A misdemeanor to to a class D felony. The bill the legislature is considering says, "JUSTIFICATION: Local radio stations often have their programming and signal 'bumped off' the air, or drowned out by unofficial, unlicensed 'pirate' radio stations that broadcast without FCC approval." This is not true. Legal radio stations rarely, if ever, "have their programming and signal" "bumped off the air, or drowned out by unofficial, unlicensed 'pirate' radio stations." This station, for instance, has never had that problem in two and a half years. Sometimes, on the crowded New York City radio dial, pirate stations create static, interference, or bleed on in certain spots over legal station signals, but this is also very rare. Also, the few pirates that there are in New York City operate on the couple of frequencies where there are not legal stations, so they can be heard. So they often use 87.7-FM, or 89.7-FM, just below the traditional start of the FM radio dial, but heard on most radios. But the original New York law, and this new update, defines an "unauthorized radio transmission" as "a radio transmission in this state, on a radio frequency... or frequency modulation (FM) radio stations between the frequencies of eighty-eight megahertz (MHz) to one hundred eight megahertz (MHz)." So the pirates on 87.7-FM and 87.9-FM are not covered by this law. And states do not have jurisdiction over the airwaves, so when one of these laws is challenged in court they will all be thrown out. So who is behind S3490-2013? The bill is sponsored by Sen. Adriano Espaillat who represents Washington Heights in New York City. The bill passed its committee May 21 with James Seward, the Senator who represents Delaware, Ulster, and Schoharie counties in Albany, voting in favor.

The writer formerly worked with pirate radio stations 87X (87.9-FM) in Tampa, Florida, and free103point9 (various frequencies in Brooklyn, NY).

Local News
Click here to listen to audio report with local news from WGXC Newsroom. PLAY CLIP (3:31)

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

• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Saturday night there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

• Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. There's a 70 percent chance of rain until midnight, with a low around 60.

• Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78, and a low around 53.

• Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Sunrise 5:44 a.m.
Sunset 8:19 p.m.
Other celestial rises/sets
Moon 10:57 P.M. 11:30 A.M.
Mercury 4:21 A.M. 7:00 P.M.
Venus 8:25 A.M. 9:49 P.M.
Mars 3:37 A.M. 6:52 P.M.
Jupiter 3:31 A.M. 6:38 P.M.
Saturn 1:25 P.M. 12:13 A.M.
Uranus 11:00 P.M. 11:39 A.M.
Neptune 9:35 P.M. 8:26 A.M.
Pluto 6:27 P.M. 4:03 A.M.

WGXC Programming

On Saturdays free103point9 Online Radio airs on WGXC 90.7-FM, bringing transmission arts to the airwaves in the Hudson Valley, in New York. Tune in Sat., July 27:

Midnight – 12:05 a.m.: "Radio News: Bradley Manning"
From "Free Speech Radio news": "Today, the defense for Army Private Bradley Manning gave closing arguments before a military judge at Ft. Meade, Maryland. Manning faces 22 charges for leaking military and government documents to Wikileaks. One of those charges is “aiding the enemy”, which could bring life in prison. And much of the final arguments centered on this charge. For more, we’re joined by journalist Kevin Gosztola. He is one of the few reporters who has been covering the trial daily. He’s posting updates on Firedoglake.com."

5 a.m. – 7 a.m.: "Shortwave Hours: Massachusetts Regulates The Airwaves"
Two hours of shortwave radio-oriented programming, starting with solar weather, news on meteor showers and ham radio, and other reports. Other reports include:

5:15 a.m.: "The RAIN Report" Hosted from Chicago by Hap Holly, KC9RP. This week: "Two Homeland Security trainers talk about ham radio's involvement in the ICS & NIMS programs."

5:30 a.m., "The Shortwave Report" with host Dan Roberts and international news via shortwave radio. This week's show features stories from Radio Deutsche-Welle, Spanish National Radio, NHK World Radio Japan, and the Voice of Russia.

6 a.m.: "Glenn Hauser's World of Radio" DX and station news countries all over the world.

6:30 a.m.: "Amateur Radio Newsline" This week: "Ham radio will share a ride to space on a pair of joint mission satellites; a pico balloon remains aloft for over 70 hours; Massachusetts looks to enact an anti pirate radio law and Lithium battery safety is once again a major concern."

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.: "Saturday Morning Serial: Revolution"
The Revolution will not be televised, it will be on the radio. With Malcolm X, Bill Frisell, Gil Scott-Heron, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, The Clash, T. Rex, Public Enemy, Sam Cooke, Chris Lee, Leonard Cohen, and Steve Earle.

10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: "Radia: Sophie Wilder"
Radia Episode 434: "Number Twelve" by Sophie Wilder (Soundart Radio). "Radia" is a weekly show put on by an international network of stations interested in creative and forgotten ways to make radio. Each week, one station makes a show for the rest. This week: Sophie Wilder has been making strange noises for over thirty years, initially at home but then as part of the legendary lost 80s band Well Crucial. Nowadays she intersperses infrequent improvisation as part of the A Band with weekly broadcasts of bizarre sounds on Soundart Radio. Her home equipment consists of a couple of battered synth modules, a few musical toys and primitive recording equipment Things Sophie likes Electronic experimentation Birdsong Old Science fiction Totnes The great outdoors Cats Things Sophie hates Convention Capitalism Broccoli Winter Spiders Garden gnomes Things Sophie is A drifting clarifier An experimenter Usually late An introvert Things Sophie is not Organised Good at writing about herself Sophie Wilder is not married, has no children, and does not live in Surrey.

11 a.m. – noon: "Framework: Aporee Soundmaps"
This regular edition features works by Darius Ciuta, Joe Stevens, Iain Armstrong, Terje Paulsen, a framework intro by James Bailey, and sounds from the Aporee Soundmaps World Listening Day 2013 project by Sala, Ricardo Huismann, Damir Kustic, Enquiring Ear, Udo Noll, Nicolai de Haan, Greg Peterson, and John Grzinich.

noon – 12:15 p.m.: "Radio News: Some NY Lawmakers Want to Toughen NY Pirate Radio Law"
News about proposal to toughen penalties for New York pirate radio law. Plus, "Free Speech Radio News" updates listeners about the Bradley Manning trial.

12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.: "Other Music: Walter de Maria, Dickie Goodman"
First, artist Walter de Maria died July 25, 2013. Tune in to hear about his "Lightning Field" earthwork in New Mexico, and the gallery he filled with dirt in New York City. Also hear the artists "Cricket Music" and "Ocean Music," and two songs recorded with a pre-Velvet Underground Lou Reed and John Cale. Then, From Wikipedia: "Richard Dorian "Dickie" Goodman (April 19, 1934 – November 6, 1989) was an American music and record producer born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for inventing and using the technique of the "break-in", an early precursor to sampling, that used brief clips of popular records and songs to "answer" comedic questions posed by voice actors on his novelty records.... In June 1956 Goodman created his first record, "The Flying Saucer Parts 1 & II," which he co-wrote with his partner Bill Buchanan, and featured a four-minute rewriting of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio show. This recording was the subject of a copyright infringement case against Goodman. The lawsuit was settled out of court. "The Flying Saucer" was officially released under the artist name "Buchanan and Goodman" and was Goodman's highest-charting single on Billboard, peaking at #3. Buchanan and Goodman followed up with four other records: "Buchanan and Goodman on Trial" (#80 in 1956), "Flying Saucer The 2nd" (#18 in 1957), "The Creature (From A Science Fiction Movie)" (as by Buchanan and Ancell) (#85 in 1957), and "Santa and the Satellite (Parts I & II)" (#32 in 1957)." The trial song was about the legal wrangling over their use of popular songs in other songs,

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.: "Radius Sketchpad: IO.SOUND"
IO.SOUND produces this program. Sketchpad is an ongoing monthly radio program produced for free103point9. free103point9 is a nonprofit arts organization based in New York State that defines and cultivates the genre of Transmission Art by promoting artists who make work with, for, and about the electromagnetic spectrum. The Sketchpad program features a re-broadcast of previous Radius episodes. Each episode is followed by a playlist of works selected by that episode’s artist. The series seeks to highlight the peripheral work that influences the research and production of the episode.

4 p.m. – 6 p.m.: "Saturday Afternoon Show: SPEKTR"
Live from Wave Farm with the current artists-in-residence there.

6 p.m. – 7 p.m.: "PiratesWeek: MA H.R. 1679"
First, the Weekly Presidential Radio Address, and Republican Response. Then "PiratesWeek," with "pirates in the news this week include Massachusetts Broadcasters Seek Better Pirate Ammo. Steven Walsh introduced H.R. 1679, which would give the state attorney general the power to seek action against pirates, including seizing equipment and seeking money damages. We also take a look at the FCC Activities. Select postings from the Free Radio Network, HF Underground and note stations logged per the Free Radio Weekly ‭Off Air Recordings include the stations of: Red Mercury Labs, Pee Pee Vagina Radio, Black Cat Radio and Radio Free Whatever. Haarp facility to close down, A story from International Radio Report On the Media looks at Voice of America and the new law that allows some of its programming to be finally available for a domestic audience."

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.: "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?: Sharknado"
Still more blurring of the lines between news and entertainment. Now they've upped the ante by using news programs to promote their own entertainment shows.. And that's just for starters ( What do Sharknado and Under The Dome have in common.? Who owns Simon and Shuster? What did ABC World News NOT say during its coverage of the roller coast death in Texas. Here's a hint: who owns ABC?) . On the plus side, two of the network evening newscasts no longer use celebrities to intro their newscasts....one network still does. So, what does REAL journalism look and sound like? glad you asked. Hosted by Paul Fischer. From Pacifica Radio.

8 p.m. – July 28, 2013: 5:30 a.m.: "Radio Stew: A Space Odyssey"
We interrupt this program with news that aliens have invaded the airwaves, for this show about space sounds, invading Martians, interviews with aliens, and more.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320"] TCI of New York, the transformer recycling company, smolders after it was destroyed by fire, Aug. 2, 2012. (Lance Wheeler photo)[/caption]

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star as the one-year anniversary of the Aug. 1 TCI chemical fire in Ghent approaches, the Columbia County Environmental Management Council has issued a series of recommendations for towns to provide greater oversight over companies that handle toxic substances. The proposal under discussion would require anyone applying to establish a business that would produce or handle toxic substances to pay for a licensed chemical engineer to conduct unannounced inspections of the facility. In addition, it was also recommended a rigorous State Environmental Quality Review Act procedure be required, and the plans reviewed by an independent environmental consulting firm. The recommendations will be released to the full county Board of Supervisors for further discussion. Read the full story in the Register Star.