Jon Campbell reports at democratandchronicle.com top Democrats in the state Assembly introduced a bill Tues., Feb. 25, to keep gas companies out of New York’s Marcellus and Utica shales until 2014. Speaker Sheldon Silver and Environmental Conservation Chairman Robert Sweeney are among more than 30 lawmakers signed onto the bill, which would implement a moratorium on drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica formations until May 14, 2014. The bill is similar to one passed by the Assembly last year, but with some key differences. The new legislation would specifically prohibit the state from issuing permits to drill in the Utica and Marcellus, two formations where high-volume hydraulic fracturing would be used to unlock gas. Read the full story at democratandchronicle.com

The Register Star is reporting Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano is close to appointing a new police chief to replace Ellis Richardson, who retired Mon., Feb. 25. State Police Sgt. Laurence E. Moore of the Troop K Barracks is reportedly a top candidate. Graziano declined to identify candidates under consideration. Mayor William Hallenbeck Jr. said Graziano has been actively seeking a replacement during the past month. The mayor said he has asked the commissioner to make the appointment within the next week. Hallenbeck said he would like the next chief to be active in the community and for the department to expand its community policing efforts. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Government Committee voted Tues., Feb. 26, for the repeal of the NY SAFE Act. The resolution, passed on a vote of 6 to 2, stated the newly enacted gun control legislation will curtail a citizen's Second Amendment right to bear arms, and criticized how the law was approved -- with limited public notice, public debate or review by state lawmakers. The resolution stated the act also “increases the stigma on the mentally ill.” The measure will now move forward to the full board for consideration. According to Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan, the resolution was written by the County Attorney’s Office based on similar resolutions passed by neighboring counties, along with input from Columbia County Human Services Director Michael Cole. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Columbia County

Berkshire Union Free School District / Two-hour delay; staff report by 9:30 a.m.
Chatham Central School District / Two-hour delay.
Chatham Kids Club / Two-hour delay; open at 8:30 a.m.
Columbia-Greene Community College / Opening delayed until 10 a.m.
Germantown Central School District / Two-hour delay.
Hawthorne Valley School / Two-hour delay.
Hudson City School District / Two-hour delay; no morning pre-K; no breakfast; no morning Questar; no tutoring center.
Ichabod Crane Central School District / Two-hour delay.
Mountain Road School / Two-hour delay.
New Lebanon Central School District / Two-hour delay.
O.K. Kids Inc. / Two-hour delay.
Questar III Columbia-Greene Educational Center / Two-hour delay; no morning BOCES.
Taconic Hills Central School District / Two-hour delay.

Greene County

Cairo-Durham Central School District / Two-hour delay; no morning pre-K.
Catskill Central School District / Two-hour delay; no morning pre-K.
Circle Of Friends (Ravena) / Two-hour delay; daycare center open; 2.5-hour morning program closed; 4-hour class has two-hour delay; 2.5-hour afternoon program open.
Coxsackie-Athens Central School District / Two-hour delay; no morning BOCES; no breakfast.
Early Childhood Learning Center / Two-hour delay.
Grapeville Christian School / Closed.
Greenville Central School District / Closed.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District / Closed.
Questar III, Catskill Academy / Two-hour delay.
Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill) / Two-hour delay.
UMC Daycare North Hill / Closed; no morning pre-K; no afternoon pre-K.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District / Closed.

Source: WRGB-TV, Channel 6 CBS

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 43F; low 30F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 43F; low 36F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
FAR LEFT:The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

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

Today: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10 a.m. High near 42. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Overnight, rain, snow and sleet likely before 4 a.m., then rain and snow likely between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., then snow likely after 5 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 31. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Forecast for the next three days:

Thursday: Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all rain after 10 a.m. Cloudy. High near 44. A chance of rain showers before 8 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 8 p.m. and midnight, then a chance of snow showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 30.
Friday: A slight chance of snow showers before 9 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers after 11 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 43. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 25.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 39. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 22.

Sunrise today: 6:33 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:44 p.m.

Length of the day: 11:11 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fourth Wednesday of the month.
(WGXC suggests you call ahead to confirm time and location.)

ATHENS Village meeting at 7 p.m. at Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
CAIRO Town Board meeting at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee meeting at 6 p.m., 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
HUDSON Common Council Public Works Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren St.; NOTE CHANGE OF LOCATION: Legal Committee meeting at 6:15 p.m., at the Central Firehouse, 7th St., Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON Development Corporation Board meeting (tentative) at 2 p.m., 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

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

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: Court Rejects FISA Challenge From Free Speech Radio News, a report about the Supreme Court rejecting a challenge to government surveillance powers under FISA.
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Sublime Frequencies Thu.March 7, Hisham Mayet of "Sublime Frequencies" screens two films at the Spring Street Gallery, 110 Spring Street in Saratoga Springs, New York. "Sublime Frequencies is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations." This radio show will sample some Sublime sounds.
1 a.m.: Vital Weekly: Stephan Mathieu Tracklist/timelist for Vital Weekly 870, a weekly experimental new music show, formerly by folks behind Staalplaat:
2 a.m.: Tabs Out: February 2013 Episode #20 of the tape-only show not only includes Dave regaling us with tales from the NBA Jam Wikipedia page, but cassettes from Imperial Topaz (Tranquility), Tad (DNT), Grapefruit (Golden Cup), Belarisk (NNA), Sashash Ulz (Lighten Up Sounds), Special People, Planets Around The Sun (Eiderdown), Henry Dawson (Orange Milk), Gold God (Space Slave), Moth Cock (Hausu Mountain), Drowning The Virgin Silence (Cae-Sur-A), Andrew Scott Young (Baked), and Brian Green (A Giant Fern).
5 a.m.: Shortwave/Pirates: 902 mHz First, from "The RAIN Report": "A look at the little-used 902 mHz ham band with Kent Britain, WA5VJB." Then, from "PiratesWeek": "Select postings from the Free Radio Network, HF Underground and note stations logged per the Free Radio Weekly. You may want to check out Shazam for music identification. Off Air Recordings include the stations of: Blue Ocean Radio, Radio Morania, Rave On Radio, The Big Q, European Music Radio. Keith Peron from PCJ Media talks about last years SWL Winterfest."

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 Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Call in with your views 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, events, music and more, with host Philip Grant.
12 p.m. (noon): The Schoemer Show Hosted by Karen Schoemer.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Fawn Potash from Greene County Council on the Arts will be on hand to discuss the upcoming 3rd Annual Catskill Film & Video Festival, as well as the concurrent "Glow Show" exhibit along Catskill's Main St. Local news, local events, music and more. Hosted by Ron Diamondstein.
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
7 p.m.: Premiere: All Hopped Up (And Ready to Go) The premiere episode of the new monthly music program, All Hopped Up (And Ready To Go), hosted by Music biographer and Hudson Valley resident Tony Fletcher takes listeners through a tour of his music collection, connecting the dots between genres and generations. Expect music old and new alike, expect vibrant discussion, and expect regular features, from the Childhood Classic to The Greatest Ride of Our Lives, along with a gradual journey through his history of the New York music scene, All Hopped Up (And Ready To Go).

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="252"] Prattsville, Sept. 2011 -- Before and after photos following Tropical Storm Irene.
Photo by Elissa Jun/FEMA[/caption]

Michael Ryan reports in the Windham Journal Prattsville property owners are now learning the results of a recently completed town-wide revaluation. The town board was last week given an update on the property reassessment conducted in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. The Aug. 2011 storm disfigured Main St., leaving 21 structures in the downtown area either ruined or rendered uninhabitable. The purpose of the reval is to make sure the tax burden is spread as fairly and evenly as possible, assessor Kim Cammer told the board. Adding to the challenge, all of the assessor's records were lost in the flood, requiring that office to start from scratch. Notifications, including estimated tax amounts based on the most recent budget, were mailed to property owners last week. Assessors will meet with the public to hear challenges and review data, March 4 to 6. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

The Associated Press reported the state's largest teachers union and several parents last week sued to overturn the state's property tax cap, alleging it is unconstitutional. The New York State United Teachers contend the tax cap widens the gap between rich and poor districts and interferes with local control of schools. The state Supreme Court case filed in Albany, names Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Education Commissioner John King Jr. and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Read the full AP story in the Times Union.

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail Columbia-Greene Community College adopted a policy mandating the reporting of any suspected child sexual abuse, Mon., Feb. 25, following the lead of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. The policy requires that any employee, student or volunteer at the college who witnesses or suspects the sexual abuse of a child on college property or during college-sponsored events has an obligation to report it to a campus security officer. The policy is similar to those already in place statewide for teachers, nurses, doctors and psychologists. The policy is a response to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal at Penn State University in 2011. In that case several high-level university officials were accused of covering up or failing to report the assistant's coach's sexual abuse of children. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Columbia and Greene counties. A complex storm system is expected to impact the area beginning Tuesday night, possibly lasting into Thursday. There is the potential for snow, rain and even mixed precipitation. The best chance for several inches of snowfall will be north of the Capital region, with the possibility of some freezing rain over the eastern Catskills. Snow is expected to change to rain in most valley locations Wednesday. Any mixed precipitation could change back to snow Wednesday night into Thursday, with the possibility of additional snow accumulations.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 45F; low 32F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 41F; low 36F.[/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 43. Rain likely before midnight, turning to rain and snow. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of one to two inches possible. The National Weather Service has declared a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Tuesday through Sunday. A storm system is expected to impact the area Tuesday night and Wednesday with potentially significant amounts of rain, snow or mixed precipitation.

Forecast for the next three days:

Wednesday: Snow and sleet before 7 a.m., turning to rain after 10 a.m. High near 41. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. Rain likely Wednesday night, turning to mixed rain and snow after 1 a.m. Cloudy. Low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New precipitation between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10 a.m., turning to rain. Cloudy. High near 41. A chance of rain showers turning to rain and snow after 11 p.m. Cloudy. Low around 29.
Friday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 41. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 26.

Sunrise today: 6:35 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:42 p.m.

Length of the day: 11:07 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fourth Tuesday of the month.
(WGXC suggests you call ahead to confirm time and location.)

COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors County Government Committee meeting, 5 p.m., at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
COLUMBIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Board meeting, 8:30 a.m. at 4303 Route 9, Greenport (828-4718).
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

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

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: China Airwave Attacks Reports from Reuters, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, and The Wall Street Journal claim many recent transmission attacks by China on Western interests.
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Telepathy On the occasion of the new Matmos concept album about telepathy, this audio maze through mind-reading is presented."ESP, "Brain Radio," and more, and also songs from Swans ("Telepathy"), Sebadoh ("Mind Reader"), Dave Davies ("Telepathy"), Buzzcocks ("E.S.P."), Modern Lovers ("Astral Plane"), and others.
1 a.m.: Guglielmo Marconi Tune in to Guglielmo Marconi tributes, performances, inventions, and ideas. Tributes include Neptune's "Marconi's Belief," radio dramas starring Marconi as a character, and Marconi-inspired performances.
3 a.m.: Akron/Family Live performance at Rural Route Film Festival at Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan, NY 07.21.05 from free103point9 webcast.
4:30 a.m.: Radia: Béatrice AndréOn the path of a word "Promaja," the draft, is not a draft in the Balkans. This sound is a search, a search made as a draft, a draft running from language to language, from country to country, slapping doors, searching answers in the waves or within the scientific community. Collective and multi-language, a sound experiment by Béatrice André. André made Radia episode 411 for Kanal 103 (Skopje, MK). www.leapromaja.net. Radia is an international network of stations interested in creative ways of making radio. "Radia" airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on free103point9 Online Radio and WGXC 90.7-FM.
5 a.m.: PCJ Media Network Plus: SWL Winterfest Preview Monthly feature from PCJ Radio that looks at the world of communications both old and new. The show is produced jointly by PCJ in Taiwan and Canada. Producer/Presenter: Keith Perron & Paulette MacQuarrie.

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 Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Call in with your views 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, events, music and more, with host Philip Grant.
10 a.m.: Your Friendly Neighborhood Economist Hosted by Tom Masterson.
11 a.m.: 20th Century Country Music
12 p.m. (noon): Low Tide Hosted by Liv Carrow.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="326"] Swimmers prepare to plunge into Upper Rhodia Pond in Copake to benefit Coarc, Saturday. (Jess Puglisi)[/caption]

The Fifth Annual Coarc Polar Plunge was held at Upper Rhoda Pond in Copake, Sat., Feb. 23. The event raised nearly $11,000 for the 47-year-old organization that provides programs and services for people with disabilities. The Plunge featured the most registered teams to date, and more than 50 registered plungers. Groups participating included the Germantown National Honor Society and Junior Honor Society, the Columbia-Greene Human Services Club, the Coxsackie-Athens Little League and the Coxsackie-Athens Girls' Basketball Team. The Copake Community Rescue Squad and the Greenport Rescue Dive Team oversaw participants' safety, by providing divers and other first response personel and equipment. Congressman Chris Gibson was among the first group of plungers. State Assemblyman Pete Lopez arrived late and plunged solo. The informal record for the longest plunge was shared by Mike Molinski, Nick Alger, Nick Morabito, and an unnamed third swimmer. Following the dive, participants and spectators enjoyed donated food from local vendors, including Tracy Holsapple's chili, which placed third in the Hudson Valley Bounty Cook-off in October. -- Jess Puglisi PLAY REPORT (5:30)

Some of the stories that made the news, Feb. 22 to Feb. 25:

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail Coxsackie village's incumbent Republicans will run unopposed this March. Mayor Mark Evans and trustees Stephen Hanse and Paul Sutton will be the only candidates on the ballot, March 19. Evans is running for his third, two-year term as mayor. Hanse is seeking his fourth term, and Sutton his first. The trio recently touted the village's accomplishments during the past four years, most notably getting the village's finances in order, according to Evans. Sutton said teamwork among all the members of the Village Board has been the key to their success. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Joe Gentile reported in the Register Star the Hudson Common Council has decided to rebid the city's Senior Center project, after the project budget skyrocketed. Architect Jane Smith and Engineer David Crawford appeared before the Council last week with a cost estimate summary proposing a redesigned project. The redesign is expected to lower the projected cost from $1.4 million to $1.1 million. In October, the city allocated less than $800,000 to fund the addition onto Hudson's Youth Center. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors is considering funding a re-entry program to help parolees. The action would be taken in an attempt to help reduce the county’s recidivism rate and lessen the demand on the county’s public agencies. Lynn Rothenberg and Carolyn Polikarpus of the newly formed Re-Entry Task Force of Columbia County Inc., met with the Human Services Committee of the Columbia Columbia County Board of Supervisors last week and presented their plans. Supervisors could approve $25,000 in funding for the new program as seed money for a trial program as early as next month. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 43F; low 21F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 43F; low 30F.[/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 42. Partly cloudy. Low around 21.

Forecast for the next three days:

Tuesday: Increasing clouds. High near 43. Rain before 3 a.m., then snow and sleet. Low around 33. The National Weather Service has declared a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Tuesday. A storm system is expected to impact the area Tuesday night and Wednesday with potentially significant amounts of rain, snow or mixed precipitation.
Wednesday: Rain and sleet, becoming rain after 9 a.m. High near 40. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Chance of rain showers Wednesday night, turning to mixed rain and snow. Cloudy. Low around 34.
Thursday: Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all rain after 11 a.m. Cloudy. High near 40. A chance of rain and snow showers Thursday night. Cloudy. Low around 29.

Sunrise today: 6:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:41 p.m.

Length of the day: 11:05 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fourth Monday of the month.
(WGXC suggests you call 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 Economic Development /Planning committee meeting at 5 p.m., 401 State Street, 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 cancelled; 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).

School board meeting

HUDSON City Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. in Hudson High School library, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Deeper Into Movies Songs about movies, and clips from films, are featured. Including every pop culture reference, chronologically, in Quentin Tarantino films. Songs include "Deeper Into Movies" by Yo La Tengo; "The Right Profile" by The Clash, "Cassavetes" by Fugazi, "B-Movie" by Elvis Costello, ""Like Dylan in the Movies" by Belle & Sebatsian; "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran, "Celluloid Heroes" by The Kinks, "Western Movies" by The Olympics, "It's All in the Movies" by Merle Haggard, "Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood" by The Byrds, and others.
1 a.m.: Distant Correspondent David Obuchowski and Edith Frost of the band Distant Correspondent, and Maura Johnston from Maura Magazine, discuss Twitter, the internet, and more with host Tom Roe. Plus the new Distant Correspondent song, "Merge" from Maura Magazine. Recorded from Feb. 16, 2013.
2 a.m.: Joe Milutis on "Ether" Joe Milutis gave a talk, and performed a radiophonic chamber piece to, and introduce his book "Ether: The Nothing That Connects Everything" Oct. 19, 2005 at Location One in Manhattan. http://location1.org.
4 a.m.: John Ashbery Works by the poet John Ashbery are featured.
5 a.m.: This Week in Radio: 20130225 After the weekly Presidential Radio Address, Ragnar Daneskjold of "Pirates Week" reports decline at Radio Shack, with more store closings. Also, a report from Alice Ollstein of Free Speech Radio News about e-mail leaker Jeremy Hammond's trial. Myron Jackson of KZGM interviews Scott MacDonald, Forum Editor, Maneater newspaper of the Univ. of Missouri, about how Fox News grossly exaggerated a story. Bloomberg Law reports on a copyright-free "Happy Birthday" song from WFMU. Also, a report about the BBC news strike, and other radio news.

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 Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Call in with your views 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, events, music and more, with host Philip Grant.
11 a.m.: The Bedazzled Music Hour: The Premiere Tune in for the premiere episode of WGXC's new weekly music show, The Bedazzled Radio Hour, hosted by veejay, deejay, music video durator and pop culture archivist Spike Priggen who will spin his collection of rarities every week.
12 p.m. (noon): Monday Musical Matinee Hosted by Lincoln Mayorga.
2 p.m. Eat Food or Die: Kieran Riley On This Month's episode of Eat Food or Die Executive Chef Hugh Horner discusses the Agricultural and Farming scene of Columbia County with former WGXC Ag Show host Kieran Riley.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Greene County Legislator Chairman Wayne Speenburgh stopped by the "WGXC Afternoon Show" Fri., Feb. 22, to discuss the legislature's recent actions against recently enacted gun control legislation. On Wed., Feb. 20, the Greene County Legislature adopted a resolution in opposition to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act. On Friday, Speenburgh (R-Coxsackie) complained most vigorously about how the legislature passed the resolution quickly late one night, with little public input. Catskill Legislator Vincent Seeley, was the lone dissenter, saying it was not optimal how the state law was passed, but he said it was done so legally. The interview with Speenburgh will be replayed at 6 a.m., Sun., Feb. 24. Click here to listen to the full interview with Speenburgh by host Noah Reibel on the "WGXC Afternoon Show."
PLAY CLIP

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory through 7 a.m. Sunday. Freezing rain and snow is predicted overnight.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 39F; low 21F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 39F; low 30F.[/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 Acra, in Greene County:

Today: A 40 percent chance of snow and freezing rain before noon, then a chance of snow between noon and 1 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow after 1 p.m. until 11 p.m., with a high near 36 and a low around 23.

Forecast for the next three days:

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39, and a low around 21.
Tuesday: A chance of rain between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m., with a high near 40, and a low around 36.
Wednesday: Rain and snow likely, with a high near 40, and a low around 30.

Sunrise today: 6:38 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:40 p.m.

Length of the day: 111:02 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fourth Sunday of the month, and there are no town meetings.
(WGXC suggests you call ahead to confirm time and location.)

The day ahead on 90.7-FM
Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: First WGXC 90.7-FM broadcast, rebroadcast.
6 a.m.: In Cased You Missed It Rebroadcasts of an interview with Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh, and host Ann Forbes Cooper talks with Catskills-based novelist Christine Wade and Catskill-based life coach Janet Riccobono.
8 a.m.: Children's Storytime hosted by Christine Pacuk.
8:30 a.m.: Knock on Wood hosted by Steve Charney.
9 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show hosted by Tommy Sharp. Call 518-828-0290 to participate.
11 a.m.: Foraging Ahead hosted by Kevin Factor with guest Abu Fahrmin.
12 p.m. (noon): In the Cut hosted by Effie Asili.
2-5 p.m.: WGXC 90.7-FM Anniversary Celebration Open House
Not on the radio, but at the radio. Celebrate the launch of the 2013-2014 WGXC 90.7-FM program schedule and the second anniversary of WGXC's FM broadcast with a Hudson Studio Open House.
6 p.m. Mambo Italiano hosted by Tom DePietro.
8 p.m.: The Irish Show hosted by Tony Fallon.
12 a.m. (midnight): Radio Stew hosted by Tom Roe. Songs about movies, and clips from films, are featured. Including every pop culture reference, chronologically, in Quentin Tarantino films.

[caption width="301" align="alignleft"] The Moon passes Regulus a day before it turns full on the 25th.
Sky & Telescope diagram.[/caption]Solar Weather
onale: Feb. 23-24 NOAA reports no significant solar weather over the weekend, though there is a slight chance for an R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) radio blackout storm from Region 1678.

Night Sky
Skyandtelescope.com reports, "Telescope users in eastern North America can watch Jupiter's moon Europa reappear out of eclipse from Jupiter's shadow around 6:59 p.m. EST," on Sun., Feb. 24.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 28F; low 19F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 25F; low 18F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Acra, in Cairo in Greene County:
Saturday: Chance of snow showers and rain between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m., then all rain. High near 38. Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 8 p.m. 1"-3" of snow possible Saturday. Low around 26 Saturday night.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow until 1 a.m.. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38, and a low around 22.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41, and a low around 26.

Sunrise today: 6:39 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:39 p.m.

Length of the day: 11 hrs.

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., Feb. 23:

midnight – 12:05 a.m.: "Radio News: Fox News vs. Univ. of Missouri"
Myron Jackson of KZGM interviews Scott MacDonald, Forum Editor, Maneater newspaper of the Univ. of Missouri, about how Fox News grossly exaggerated a story.

12:05 a.m. – 3:30 a.m.: "Radio Stew: New Radio Art"
New radio art works are explored.

3:30 a.m. – 4 a.m.: "Radia: Dublin Laptop Orchestra"
"Fresh Air," Radia Show 412, is a large-scale sound art piece curated and created by the Dublin Laptop Orchestra. The piece was written to address the sad truth that many common, household and automobile air-fresheners are heavily carcinogenic. "Radia" is a network of 20 stations in 13 countries, including free103point9/WGXC, each interested in new and forgotten ways of making radio. Each week, one station makes a show for all the others to air.

4 a.m. – 5 a.m.: "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?: Theatrics and Politics"
News mash-up show from host Paul Fischer, who worked on Dan Rather's staff. This week: "If you've paid any attention to the latest political discourse on subjects ranging from fed spending to cabinet posts to policing Wall Street...the subject of this week's episode is painfully clear."

5 a.m. – 7 a.m.: "Shortwave Hours: Velveeta"
Two hours of shortwave radio-oriented programming, starting with solar weather, news on meteor showers and ham radio, and other reports. This week: Velveeta runs an ad selling cheese and making fun of amateur radio. Other reports include:
5:15 a.m.: "The RAIN Report"
5:30 a.m., "The Shortwave Report" with host Dan Roberts and international news via shortwave radio. This week's show features stories from Spanish National Radio, Radio Havana Cuba, the Voice of Russia, Radio Deutsche-Welle, and NHK World Radio Japan.
6 a.m.: "Glenn Hauser's World of Radio"
6:30 a.m.: "Amateur Radio Newsline" This week: "Australian radio amateurs may lose the 2300 to 2302 MHz band; Over the Horizon radar invades 10 meters; amateur satellite allocations on the agenda at I-A-R-U meeting in Vienna; Mainland China manufacturer releases low cost all service multi-mode High Frequency transceiver and zombies invade the nations Emergency Alert System."

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.: "Saturday Morning Serial: CB Radio"
Tune in Channel 6 locally on CB radio, and to this story and songs of citizen's band. Includes C.W. McCall's "Convoy," Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton's "10-4 Over and Out," Cledus Maggard's "CB Lingo," Red Sovine's "Teddy Bear," Tom Petty's "Jammin' Me," Rod Hart's "C.B. Savage," Jerry Reed's "East Bound and Down," Dave Dudley's "Me and Ole C.B.," Maggard's "White Knight," Home's "Truckin' For Jesus," Maggard's "Jaw Jackin'," and others. Also, clips from "Smokey and the Bandit," and CB radio lingo instructional recordings.

8 a.m. – 10 a.m.: "Open Air: CB Channel 6"
Anyone can contribute, in many ways, to "Open Air." Matt Bua hosts live from the Catskill Community Center. This is a live transmission art show about local transmissions. As many local frequencies, signals, and transmissions will be mixed in. Check in on CB radio, weather radio, shortwave, scanners, cell phones, strings-and-cups, or whatever else we can tune in. You make up the show with stories, phone calls, messages, requests, further information, and more. WGXC Program Director Shannekia McIntosh will call in and explain the new WGXC program schedule after 9 a.m. Please help be a part of the show. Stop by the Catskill Community Center in person. Call in at 518-219-WGXC. Tweet requests @WGXC. Skype calls at WGXCfm. Talk on Channel 6 on CB radio, we are tuning in. Features include solar weather, shortwave news, and more.

10 a.m. - 11 a.m.: "Radia"
International network of radio art stations in 13 countries interested in new and forgotten ways of making radio. Each week, one station makes a show for all the others.

10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m." "Radio Wonderland"
Joshua Fried remixes New York City radio from his Brooklyn apartment every Saturday on 90.7-FM in the Hudson Valley.

11 a.m. – noon: "Framework: Aporee Soundmaps"
Regular edition featuring sounds by Asférico, James Wyness, Jason Sloan, Olga Palomaki, Simon Longo, Taavi Tatsi, and selections for the Aporee soundmaps.

noon – 2 p.m.: "Vital Weekly: Double Shot"
Two most recent episodes of Vital Weekly 870 and 869, a weekly experimental new music show, formerly by folks behind Staalplaat.

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.: "Radius Sketchpad: U.S.O. Project"
"Radius Sketchpad" is an ongoing monthly program on WGXC 90.7-FM presented by the Chicago-based platform, Radius. This month features U.S.O. Project's InharmoniCity, originally produced for Radius, and is followed by a playlist of works selected by the artist. InharmoniCity realizes an urban symphony by using sounds normally hidden from our perception and revealed through unusual transducers.

3 p.m. - 4 p.m.: "The Human Machine"
From Max Goldfarb.

4 p.m. – 6 p.m.: "Saturday Afternoon Show: Justin Downs"
Justin Downs is at the Wave Farm Study Center this week, tuning up his "Will o' the Wisps" installation for the opening of Wave Farm later this year. "Will O' the Wisps consists of eight modules deployed in and around a meadow on the Wave Farm property. Each module runs and performs its function with power derived from the environment (in this case solar). The networked system works together to move viewers around an area in varying patterns, indefinitely." Also radio news, new radio art, solar weather, and more. Hosted by Tom Roe.

6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: "This Week in Radio News: 20130223"
After the weekly Presidential Radio Address, Ragnar Daneskjold of "Pirates Week" reports decline at Radio Shack, with more store closings. Also, a report from Alice Ollstein of Free Speech Radio News about e-mail leaker Jeremy Hammond's trial. Myron Jackson of KZGM interviews Scott MacDonald, Forum Editor, Maneater newspaper of the Univ. of Missouri, about how Fox News grossly exaggerated a story. Bloomberg Law reports on a copyright-free "Happy Birthday" song from WFMU. Also, a report about the BBC news strike, and other radio news.

6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.: "PiratesWeek: David Lee Roth"
Pirates in the news this week include an arrest of a UK pirate, and a Florida pirate makes the news for possibly interfering with air traffic control. Also, the show will tune in John Cusack’s new movie, "Numbers Station." Off Air recordings include the stations of: Red Mercury Labs, SDF1 Radio, XLR8, Frederic Chopin Radio, Wolverine Radio, Radio City from Europe and a brief clip of the studio copy from WEAK radio’s new show. We’ll also take a listen to David Lee Roth’s memories of growing up with radio in California.

7 p.m. – 10 p.m.: "free103point9 Historical Broadcasts"
Historical interviews, performances, news reports, sounds, documentaries, and more,

Feb. 23, 2013: 10 p.m. – Feb. 24, 2013: 6 a.m.: "WGXC First Broadcast"
The first eight hours of WGXC 90.7-FM on air from Feb. 26, 2011.

W.T. Eckert reported in The Daily Mail the owners of a Spruceton Road property are fighting the seizure of their home through eminent domain by Greene County. The property is located at 942 Spruceton Road in Lexington, along the raised bank of the West Kill. The property has a history of being compromised due to weather conditions, according to county officials. Lawmakers passed a resolution to take the property by eminent domain, Wed., Feb. 20. The property owner said the house was purchased in the summer of 1999, and at the time there were slight “pothole problems being filled by the highway department.” The county and property owners are engaged in additional litigation over the parcel, Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The National Journal's annual Congressional rankings place Kinderhook Republican Chris Gibson as the most liberal Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Gibson's New York 20th District includes Greene and Columbia counties. The former military officer Gibson scored most liberal in foreign policy, and is ranked more liberal then ten Democrats. Read the National Journal rankings here.

For the third weekend in a row, a snowstorm is rushing up the East Coast this weekend, but, like last weekend, this one may stay largely offshore and not heavily impact the Catskills. Windham Mountain hosts its Bavarian Festival this weekend, and final night ski, Sat., Feb. 23. Windham has 41 trails and nine lifts open over 14"-40" of snow. Hunter Mountain has 44 of 58 trails open, and seven of ten lifts running over 18"-60" of snow. Catamount Ski in Hillsdale has 26 of 33 trails open, and four of six lifts running, over 18"-38" of snow. Click here to listen to WGXC Ski Report.
PLAY CLIP (:48)

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 39F; low 21F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 39F; low 30F.[/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 37. Tonight, a chance of light snow, mainly after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 27. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Forecast for the next three days:

Saturday: A chance of rain and snow early in the day, turning to rain in the afternoon. High near 39. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Mixed precipitation Saturday night turning to all snow after 1 a.m. Low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent; amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Sunday: Snow likely before 10 a.m., turning to rain by afternoon. Mostly cloudy. High near 39. A slight chance of snow showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 28.
Monday: Mostly sunny. High near 43. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 28.

Sunrise today: 6:41 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:37 p.m.

Length of the day: 10:56 hrs.

Town meetings

Today is the fourth Friday of the month.
(WGXC suggests you call ahead to confirm time and location.)

CLERMONT Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
HUDSON Regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (tentative), 10 a.m. at City Hall, 520 Warrn St., Hudson  (828-1030).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

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

6 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews features and agriculture reporting. Call in with your views 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, events, music and more, with host Philip Grant.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
12 p.m. (noon): Pure Moods: There Will Be Tears Last. Pure Moods. Ever. What will be the last song that closes out this two-year journey into the "strange moods" of Shannekia McIntosh? You have to tune in to find out...
3:30 p.m. Knock on Wood: Headgear Harry protects himself by wearing headgear, kneepads etc. Working in a radio station can be dangerous! As is proven when Steve starts getting into mishaps because alas, he has no protection. Also: You Gotta Have Skin-Allan Sherman/Eggs Away-Washboard Jungle/Albert And The Car-Bill Cosby/
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News