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

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star Columbia County Department of Human Services Director Michael Cole said the newly enacted New York SAFE Act will be a burden on his department. In statements made to the Health and Medical Services Committee of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Wed., Feb. 20, Cole said he objected to the legislation because it increases the stigma on the mentally ill. He also said he is not sure how much the new regulations could cost the county. The law requires mental health professionals to report those they believe could cause serious harm to themselves or others and check those names on a gun registration database. Last week, the Board of Supervisors chose not to act in support or against the legislation. On Wed., board chairman Patrick Grattan said the county may reconsider voting on such a resolution. Read the full story in the Register Star. Ariel Zangla reports in the Daily Freeman, as expected, the Greene County Legislature adopted a resolution in opposition to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act. Legislator Vincent Seeley, Republican of Catskill, was the lone dissenter. He said it was not optimal how the state law was passed, but he said it was done so legally. He said the provisions of the law make sense and that it will be up to the courts to decide which ones stand and which ones fall. Read the full story in the Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting more than a third of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.’s customers may have had their bank account information accessed in a cyberattack last weekend, the utility said in a statement released, Wed., Feb. 20. Central Hudson President James P. Laurito said the security breach potentially affected “approximately 110,000 customers.” There is no evidence any personal information was downloaded or misused as a result of the cyberattack, the company said; however, the investigation remains open. Central Hudson said its employees uncovered the cyberattack as part of “successful control procedures.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the $629,000 offer approved by the Columbia County Board of Supervisors last week to purchase a 15-acre parcel in Ghent to expand the protection zone for the Columbia County Airport runway, was far greater than the assessed value of the entire 96-acre Meadowgreens Golf Course. And the offer was $100,000 more than the market value of the entire golf course, according to county records. Columbia County Department of Public Works Commissioner David Robinson, who oversees the county’s management of the airport, said he expects the county to be reimbursed for 95 percent of the costs from the federal and state governments. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 32F; low 18F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 32F; low 18F.[/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 31. Tonight, mostly cloudy. Low around 16.

Forecast for the next three days:

Friday: Sunny. High near 39. A slight chance of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 26.
Saturday: Snow likely before 1 p.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy. High near 39. Snow and rain, turning to snow overnight. Cloudy. Low around 33. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy. High near 40. Sunday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 25.

Sunrise today: 6:42 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:36 p.m.

Length of the day: 10:54 hrs.

Town meetings

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

ANCRAM Board meeting at 7 p.m. in Town Hall at 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
CHATHAM Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Safety Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town board meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham.
GHENT Town Board meeting at the Ghent Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644)
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
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: FCC Open Meeting, Prison Phone Calls The monthly FCC meeting was held Feb. 20, 2013. This is a report on the agenda "Improving Wireless Coverage for Consumers Through the Use of Signal Boosters;" and "Increasing the Amount of Spectrum Available for Unlicensed Devices in the 5 GHz Band." Plus a Free Speech Radio News report: "One major phone carrier recently settled a multi-million dollar legal action for failing to disclose the high cost of collect calls placed from prison. When the case was filed 12 years ago, prisoner advocates asked the FCC to take action. Now, more than a decade later, the agency is finally moving forward with reform. FSRN’s Caroline Lewis reports."
2 a.m.: Radio Stew: Citizen's Band Tune in Channel 6 locally on CB radio, and to this story and songs of citizen's band. Includes Cledus Maggard's "CB Lingo," Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton's "10-4 Over and Out," Red Sovine's "Teddy Bear," C.W. McCall's "Convoy," Cledus Maggard's "White Knight," and more.
3 a.m.: Giant Ear: Destruction Sounds Field recordings and original works of the sounds of destruction on Giant Ear))) the soundscape of the New York Society for Acoustic Ecology. Audio that evokes or record destruction, crashes, explosions. Curated by Mary Jeys. Tune in at www.free103point9.org.
5 a.m.: WSQT News: 20130221 News from Washington D.C. pirate radio station.
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
2 p.m.: Between the Lines: Janet Riccobono, Christine Wade Life coaching has become hugely popular in recent years. Catskill-based life coach Janet Riccobono describes what it is, dispels some of the myths surrounding it, offers some practical suggestions and reveals her own life-changing experience. Plus, Catskills-based novelist Christine Wade reads from her new novel "Seven Locks," based on local folklore. She talks about what inspired it, what influenced her and the book's unusual characters and structure. Hosted by Ann Forbes-Cooper.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: The Muppet Show A tribute to Muppets with clips from the show, mash-ups, tributes, and more. An episode of the serial "Pigs in Space" is included with an editorial from Sam the Eagle, muppet attacks by Fox News, and Kermit responding to said Fox News attacks.
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
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

ANCRAM Board meeting at 7 p.m. in Town Hall at 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
CHATHAM Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Public Safety Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town board meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham.
GHENT Town Board meeting at the Ghent Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644)
COLUMBIA COUNTY Public Works Committee at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
HUDSON Department of Public Works Committee meeting at 6 p.m.; Legal Committee meeting starts at 6:45 p.m at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Historical Committee meeting at 7 p.m., Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).

Ariel Zangla reports in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature is one step closer to declaring its opposition to the state’s SAFE Act gun control law. At a meeting Tues., Feb. 19, of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, lawmakers endorsed a resolution in opposition to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act signed into law last month. The committee also endorsed a resolution opposing a state Assembly bill that requires gun owners to carry liability insurance of no less than $1 million. The two resolutions will be voted on by the full Legislature tonight, in the County Office Building in Catskill. Also last night, Patricia Doxsey writes in the Daily Freeman, Ulster County lawmakers adopted a resolution in opposition to the SAFE Act, calling for the repeal of portions of the law. The vote was taken after more than three hours of public comment. Nearly 1,000 people packed the Ulster Performing Arts Center to speak out about the resolution, which stated the state law will harm the county’s economy, the recreational opportunities of its residents and its residents’ ability to defend themselves. Read both stories in the Daily Freeman.


Greene County Public Safety Committee Chairman William Lawrence, Republican of Cairo, discusses the NY SAFE Act (:55) Lawrence is a WGXC 90.7-FM programmer.
(PROGRAMMERS: DO NOT PLAY AD)

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. alerted customers Tues., Feb. 19, that private banking information may have been accessed during a cyber attack over the weekend. Customers were notified via automated phone calls, emails and regular mail. The company is conducting an internal investigation into the extent and scope of the attack, in cooperation with local police, said a company spokesman. So far, the customer banking information seems to have been the only target, he said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are recommending that all customers monitor their credit reports and bank accounts in order to detect any unauthorized activity,” said Central Hudson President James P. Laurito in a released statement. Customers are advised to contact their bank and local law enforcement agency if they suspect any unauthorized access to their accounts or irregular activity in checking or savings accounts. Central Hudson serves almost 300,000 customers in Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="278"] Damon Baehrel
(damonbaehrel.com)[/caption]

Steve Barnes writes in the Times Union Damon Baehrel of The Basement Bistro in Earlton, has been named a semifinalist for the 2013 James Beard Awards. The only other non-New York City Beard Award nominees in the state are Yono’s restaurant in Albany, the founders of Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown and a Lake Placid chef. Baehrel is among 21 semifinalists for Best Chef: Northeast. Basement Bistro is located literally in the lower level of Baehrel's home. The restaurant was established in 1989, and notoriously difficult to secure a table for. Its Web site says, “Guests dining now have been waiting since 2007-2010 for the most part. … Reservations are not available for the same day, week or month nor can we accommodate walk-ins. It is not unusual for guests to wait many months or even years to secure a reservation.” The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Finalists will be announced March 18 and winners on May 6. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 36F; low 16F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 34F; low 18F.[/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 cloudy. High near 34. Tonight, a slight chance of snow showers before 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 17.

Forecast for the next three days:

Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 33. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 17.
Friday: Sunny. High near 39. A chance of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 30.
Saturday: Snow likely before 1 p.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy. High near 38. Snow likely Saturday night. Cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 6:44 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:35 p.m.

Length of the day: 10:51 hrs.

Town meetings

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

CATSKILL Town Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill.
COLUMBIA COUNTY Human Services meeting at 4 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
GHENT Planning Board session at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature meeting at 6:30 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

12 a.m. (midnight): Radio News: Radio Shack in Decline Report from Ragnar Daneskjold's "PiratesWeek" show about Radio Shack closing many stores.
12:05 a.m.: Radio Stew: Cartoons at Midnight Radio cartoons, songs from Carl Stalling, sound effects, and more, from Muppets to Warner Bros.
1 a.m. Vital Weekly: 20130220 Tracklist/timelist for Vital Weekly 869, a weekly experimental new music show, formerly by folks behind Staalplaat:
2 a.m.: Taran's Free Jazz Hour: William Hooker no business channels of consciousness: william hooker quintet; nasty & sweet: thomas borgmann/ wilber morris/ reggie nicholson; emanem bouquet: charlotte hug/ frédéric blondy; roguart three compositions: roscoe mitchell & co.; passages: alexandre pierrepont/didier petit; ictus east side banquet: confusion bleue; asuka kakitani bloom: asuka kakitani jazz orchestra; edgetone little bluedevil: bille noertker's moxie; new artists tranceformation: crothers, filiano, wolper; nottwo schmetterling: simon rose, sax solo simon rose; toondist coconut: eric boeren & band.
4 a.m.: Some Assembly Required: Steinski Episode 44 (2003's 4th Anniversary Episode) of mash-up radio show. Featuring interviews with Amirali Raissnia and Wobbly, along with work by artists such as The Button, Cast of Thousands with Escape Mechanism, The Evolution Control Committee, Steev Hise, Laso Halo, Martian Gin Honky, Monster, People Like Us/Wobbly/Matmos, DJ Shadow, Silica-Gel, Splatt, Steinski and The Tape-beatles.
5 a.m.: The Trial of Lucullus KPFA Readers' Theatre, technical production by John Whiting. Translation HR Hays. Broadcast March 18, 1963 on KPFA, Berkeley, California. Bertolt Brecht radio play from 1940. Lucullus, a general, is in underworld and stands trial before members of the lower classes that adorn a frieze. From ubu.com.
5:30 a.m.: Spoiler Alert: Jon Alpert Jon Alpert is an Oscar-Nominated Documentary Director in 2013 for Redemption, about folks collecting bottles and cans for return in New York City. In 1972, Alpert and his wife founded the Downtown Community Television Center, one of the country's first community media centers. Program distributed by Pacifica Radio.

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.
10 a.m.: @Issue: Didi Barrett State Assembly Member Didi Barrett will discuss her legislative agenda and upcoming mobil District Office meetings at local diners. She will also answer questions on a number of issues, such as hydrofracking, the minimum wage, campaign finance reform and more. Barrett is a Democrat. She represents New York's 106th Assembly District. @Issue is hosted by Victor Mendolia. He is the chairman of the Hudson City Democrats and the first vice chairman of the Columbia County Democratic Committee.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Kyle Wind reports in the Daily Freeman the superintendent of the Hunter-Tannersville school district is proposing a gradual consolidation plan to state and local leaders. The idea has gained some traction among Greene County school officials. Patrick Darfler-Sweeney’s proposal will be discussed by the Greene County School Boards Association at the organization’s March 21 meeting, and county superintendents have already begun talking about the plan, Catskill Superintendent Kathleen Farrell said Mon., Feb. 18. “We have looked at collaboration everywhere we can,” Farrell said. Darfler-Sweeney's proposal would make all school superintendents employees of state government and they would be assigned to multiple school districts. The process would consolidate administrations and reporting requirements, make the larger areas into new taxation zones, merge school boards into consolidated bodies and create centralized business offices. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors has no intention of taking a position on the new gun control law recently signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan said there was a consensus among the supervisors not to weigh in on the New York SAFE Act. Grattan said supervisors are are advising constituents to contact their state representatives directly about any concerns they might have. Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh announced at a press conference Fri., Feb. 15, lawmakers in that county will vote on a resolution tonight, expressing opposition to the legislation. Ulster County officials are expected to take similar action, as well. Grattan, a Republican, said in his personal opinion, “the state has dumped a tremendous unfunded mandate on the counties.” He said the law translates into new costs at the county level, including more paperwork for the Sheriff’s Department to handle the renewal of pistol permits. Read the full story in the Register Star.

John Mason writes in the Register Star the idea of a new visual arts school for Columbia County was unveiled at a meeting attended by about 40 people Sun., Feb. 17, at the Old Schoolhouse in Harlemville. The Columbia County Art School is the brainchild of Nicole Furnee and Thomas Chulak, owners of the Chatham Bookstore. The school is presently in the planning stages. The pair has teamed up with the Columbia County Council on the Arts. They are drawing their inspiration from IS183, a non-profit community arts school located in Stockbridge, Mass. Classes and workshops would be offered at the Harlemville location, in addition to other sites throughout the county. A second open meeting on the project will be held April 14 at the Old Schoolhouse. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 45F; low 25F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 45F; low 27F.[/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: Showers. High near 42. Tonight a chance of rain and snow showers before midnight, with a slight possibility of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 26. Little or no accumulation expected.

Forecast for the next three days:

Wednesday: Partly sunny. High near 34. A slight chance of snow showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 17.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 34. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 18.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 40. A chance of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 28.

Sunrise today: 6:45 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:34 p.m.

Length of the day: 10:49 hrs.

Town meetings

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


COLUMBIA COUNTY Health and Medical Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. at 401 State St. in Hudson.
DURHAM Town Board meets at 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
GREENE COUNTY 6 p.m. meetings of Economic Development and Tourism, Government Operations and Finance committees, plus Democrat and Republican caucuses at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HILLSDALE Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on Main Street (325-5073).
HUDSON 5 p.m. Finance Committee meeting; 7 p.m. Regular Common Council meeting at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
LEXINGTON Town board meeting at 7 p.m., at Municipal Building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall on Route 82 in West Taghkanic (851-7638).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

12:02 a.m.: Radio Stew: Phonograph On Feb. 19, 1878, Thomas Edison receives patent for phonograph. This show explores phonograghic sounds, styles, and history.
1 a.m.: Some Assembly Required: Tape-beatles Episode 86 of mash up show. Featuring work by DJ BC, The Beatles, DJ Danger Mouse, Allan Friedman, Go Home Productions, John Oswald, The Tape-beatles and V/VM.
2 a.m.: Jeff Kolar From free103point9/WGXC "Saturday Afternoon Show" July 21, 2012. Hosted with Tom Roe. Kolar is the first artist in resident at free103point9's Wave Farm. This week, he is performing a transmission art show at The Kitchen in New York City.
4 a.m.: Exploration: Asteroids and Meteors What's behind the three near-misses in space, the impact in Russia, the fly-by over San Francisco, and the near miss by asteroid 2012 DA14? And what can be done about these near-misses? Will we be hit in the future? Hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku with guest Dr. Peter Ward, author of "The Flooded Earth," about the threat of rising sea levels.
5 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. The fact that people are willing to put their lives in danger in order to preserve nothing more than the aesthetic qualities of their world typifies the form over function attitude prevalent in our society and is something which we felt was important to deal with. The work is in three sections, (1) Breathe In(side) by Brian Dillon, (2) Form by Gregory Jackson and (3) A Comparison of Worth by Bernhardt McKenna. "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.
5:30 a.m.: PCJ Media Network Plus: 20130219 Weekly media news show.

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
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, Feb. 15 to Feb. 18:

Ariel Zangla reported in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature will vote on a resolution Tues., Feb. 19, expressing opposition to the recently enacted SAFE Act. Legislature chairman Wayne Speenburgh said at a press conference Fri., Feb. 15, many county residents have expressed outrage over the passage of the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act and a state Assembly bill that would, if approved, require gun owners to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance. Speenburgh said many Greene County residents feel the SAFE Act infringes on their constitutional rights, and he agrees. He also said the SAFE Act gives the state leverage to erode the people’s right to bear arms. Speenburgh was joined at the press conference by county Legislature Majority Leader Kevin Lewis, Minority Leader James Van Slyke, Greene County Sheriff Gregory Seeley and Legislator William Lawrence, chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

An excerpt from the press conference (2:45):


Minority Leader Van Slyke on the SAFE legislation (1:23):


William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the Olive Town Board in Ulster County, recently adopted a ban on hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas drilling method commonly known or fracking. Town Supervisor Berndt Leifeld said the ban is largely symbolic because it unlikely drilling will take place in the town and the ban could be overridden if the state Department of Environmental Conservation approves the practice. Leifeld said having the New York City-owned Ashokan Reservoir within the town’s borders should keep gas drilling from occurring locally. Activities prohibited under the ban include fracking-related drilling, storage, treatment, processing, disposal and exploration. The law also bars companies from establishing ponds, gathering areas, venting stations or compressors associated with natural gas or petroleum extraction. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Daily Mail reported an early morning fire at Sunrise Farm, Sun., Feb. 17, is under investigation by fire officials. Firefighters responded to the scene on Cauterskill Road in Catskill around 2 a.m. One of nearly a dozen henhouses on the farm was completely destroyed in the fire that was propelled by strong winds. Between 6,000 and 8,000 chickens are believed to have perished in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials say its origin does not appear to be suspicious. Sunrise Farm produces eggs for scientific testing by the United States government.

Kyle Adams reported in The Daily Mail a group of parents and other members of the Cairo-Durham community met outside the Cairo Elementary School Fri., Feb. 15, to protest the school’s decision to realign the elementary grades between the two schools. Armed with signs denouncing the Princeton plan, about 20 to 30 protesters stood just across the street from the school, drawing honks from passing cars and collecting signatures on a pledge that vows, “I will not vote ‘Yes’ on any budget that includes the Princeton Plan.” The plan calls for housing Kindergarten to second grade in the Durham building and grades three through five in the Cairo building beginning in Sept. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 34F; low 19F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 32F; low 21F.[/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 32. Wind chill values as low as -6. Winds up to 17 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy. Low around 20.

Forecast for the next three days:

Tuesday: A chance of snow before 11 a.m., turning to rain after noon. Increasing clouds. High near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. Scattered rain and snow showers turning to snow showers, Tuesday night. Mostly cloudy. Low around 27.
Wednesday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny. High near 33. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 16.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 31. Mostly clear overnight. Low around 17.

Sunrise today: 6:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:32 p.m.

Length of the day: 10:45 hrs.

Town meetings

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


ATHENS Town meeting at 6:45 p.m. at Town Hall, 2 First Street, Athens (734-3636).
AUSTERLITZ Comprehensive plan meeting at 7 p.m., at 812 Route 203, Austerlitz (392-3260).
CANAAN Planning board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1647 Route 5 South, Canaan (781-3144).
GERMANTOWN Town Board meets at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
GREENVILLE Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Offices, corner of routes 32 and 81, Greenville (966-8276).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

4 a.m.: The Day King Hammer Fell From the Sky 2007 radio play by Gregory Whitehead. He writes: "In the summer of 2007, at the bursting point of a historic credit bubble, a famous hedge fund manager named Harry Hammersmith pledges one billion dollars to his beloved Alma Mater, an elite College south of Boston named Plymouth Mather, founded in the year of our Lord 1728 to honor the memory of one Cotton Mather, a distinguished puritan zealot and accomplished witch burner."
5 a.m.: Twitter, Internet, New Music 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.

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
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="240"] Columbia County Airport, Ghent.
(Courtesy airnav.com)[/caption]

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors gave the go-ahead to making an offer on 15 acres of land in Ghent. The action is part of a plan to expand the Columbia County Airport, located on Route 9H, four miles east of Hudson. The land to be purchased is located directly adjacent to the airport. The full board approved an offer of $629,000. The county will be reimbursed for the purchase by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The purchase of the property could mean the clearing of more than 130 trees to meet FAA standards that govern potential obstruction to airport runways. Two ponds may also be filled in. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Michael Ryan reports in The Daily Mail the town of Prattsville has been hit with a multi-million-dollar lawsuit by Dennis Hull, owner of Randy’s Repairs. The suit names Town Supervisor Kory O’Hara, Town Councilwoman Bonita Chase, onetime town employee Michael “Kipp” O’Hara and a former resident, John King. At issue: The removal of approximately 100 vehicles towed by Hull from the community following Tropical Storm Irene in Aug. 2011. The dispute centers around who authorized removal of the vehicles. Hull has leveled accusations of libel and defamation. He also alleged the actions of town officials caused him a loss of income. The subject was briefly raised early this week at a town board meeting when a resident inquired into the cost of the litigation. “The board has no comment,” O’Hara said. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.