William J. Kemble reports in the Daily Freeman the Woodstock Town Board will ask state lawmakers to criminalize the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The board adopted a resolution to that effect, Tues., Jan. 15, drawing support from more than three dozen people in attendance. The resolution contends that the energy industry  will be able to find a way around bans on the fracking process. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

WRGB-TV (CBS Channel 6) is reporting the following school closings and delays this morning:

Greene County

Cairo-Durham CSD / Closed, District office closed.
Catskill CSD / Closed
Coxsackie-Athens CSD / Closed
Early Childhood Learning Ctr / Closed
Grapeville Christian School / Closed
Greenville CSD / Closed
Hunter-Tannersville CSD / Delayed two hrs.
Questar III, Catskill Academy / Closed
Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill) / Open; no transportation.
UMC Daycare Norton Hill / Delayed two hrs, No a.m. or p.m. Pre-K.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD / Delayed two hrs.

Columbia County

Berkshire UFSD / Delayed two hrs, Training on as scheduled.
Chatham CSD / Closed
Chatham Kids Club / Closed
COARC Adult Transportation / Open. Staff to report. No transportation.
Columbia Christian Academy / Closed
Columbia County Senior Meals / Closed, Staff to report.
Columbia Cty Healthcare Consortium / Open. Staff to report. No transportation.
Germantown CSD / Closed
Hawthorne Valley School / Closed
Hudson City SD / Closed, Offices closed.
Ichabod Crane (Kinderhook) CSD / Closed
O.K. Kids, Inc. / Closed
Questar III Columbia-Green Educational Center / Closed
Taconic Hills CSD / Closed
TLC Day Care / Closed

New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison will stand-in for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo with a presentation and discussion of Cuomo's 2013 State of the State Address at 11 a.m. Thu., Jan. 17, in the Professional Academic Center of Columbia-Greene Community College, 4400 State Route 23 in Greenport.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for between three to six inches of snow. The snow this morning may mix with, or change over to sleet or rain by early this afternoon, resulting in hazardous driving conditions. The Advisory, and an accompanying Hazardous Weather Outlook, will remain in effect until 7 p.m. The advisory is for Greene and Columbia counties and to the south, including Ulster and Dutchess counties.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 34F; low 91F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 36F; low 19F.[/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 Winter Weather Advisory throughout the listening area, through 7 p.m. tonight. Snow this morning may mix with, or change over to sleet or rain by early this afternoon. Accumulations of three to six inches expected, resulting in hazardous driving conditions.

Today: Rain, snow and sleet, mainly before 2 p.m. High near 33. New snow accumulation of one to three inches possible. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 29.

The outlook for the next three days:

Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 36. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 12.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 28. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 19.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High near 39. Mostly cloudy. Low around 27.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:50 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 29 min.

Town meetings

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

CATSKILL 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 (tentative) 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

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.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show: Cus D'Amato's 105th Birthday Catskill boxing legend Cus D'Amato was born Jan. 17, 1908, 105 years ago. This show, live from the Catskill Community Center with host Matt Bua, traces the history of boxing in Catskill, with famous boxing songs, including one from The Felice Brothers about Cus D'Amato. The Ulster County-based band will be interviewed about the song, "Cus's Catskill Gym." Bua will also talk with Dr. Scott Weiss and Paige Stover Hague, who wrote "Confusing the Enemy: The Cus D'Amato Story." Weiss and Hague will host a multi-media presentation and question-and-answer session from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Catskill Community Center. From Wikipedia: "Constantine "Cus" D'Amato (January 17, 1908 – November 4, 1985) was an American boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, José Torres, and Vinnie Ferguson. Several successful boxing trainers, including Teddy Atlas, Kevin Rooney, and Joe Fariello, were tutored by D'Amato. He is known for developing the 'peek-a-boo' boxing style in which a fighter holds his hands high in front of his face." Plus news and events in Greene and Columbia counties, local weather, music, and more.
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union the state Senate Mon., Jan. 14, voted to broaden the state's definition of banned assault weapons, increase penalties for those convicted of illegal gun possession and create a statewide database for gun permits. "I believe it's the most comprehensive package in the nation," said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Monday night. At the urging of Senate Republicans, the bill also stiffens penalities for the criminal use of a gun and includes an expansion of a mental health provider's ability to commit those found to be a danger to the public. The legislation also makes the murder of a first responder a felony punishable by life in prison without parole. The Assembly is expected to vote on the package, sometime Tuesday. Read the full story in the Times Union. Democracy Now! is reporting President Obama is preparing to unveil a plan to address gun violience, which is expected to include legislation tightening background checks, in addition to 19 other separate actions. The president is expected to implement these changes using executive power. At a news conference Mon., Jan. 14, Obama confirmed he would support proposals for a new assault weapons ban. The full story is available at democracynow.org.

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail a group of Cairo-Durham school district community members have formed an opposition movement against implementation of the so-called Princeton plan, uniting behind a pledge to vote down any budget that includes that plan. District technology teacher Tim Fisher said, in his opinion, the board has turned the May budget vote into a referendum on the proposal. He has so far collected signatures from 150 voters on a pledge to vote "no" on the budget if the plan is implemented. The plan adopted by the board designates one of the district's two elementary schools to house Kindergarten through second grade, the second will contain third through fifth. The elementary reconfiguration is projected to save the school more than $500,000. The district is projecting a $2.4 million deficit in 2013-14. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

W.T. Eckert reports in The Daily Mail Columbia Memorial Hospital saw an increase of 10 to 15 percent in Emergency Dept. visits and admission, due to influenza, during the recent holiday period. There have already been 19,000 cases of influenza reported in the state this season, exceeding the 4,400 positive lab tests reported last year. According to Greene County Public Health, 11 positive cases of flu were identified in the county last week. Within days, on Mon., Jan. 14, there were an additional 10 cases confirmed. Common symptoms include headache, body ache, fever, coughing and chest congestion. Those at greatest risk from the flu are people 70 and over, people with chronic illnesses and children under the age of three. For more information contact Greene County Public Heath at (518) 719-3600 or Columbia County Public Health at (518) 828-3358. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 41F; low 27F.[/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:

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook throughout the listening area. Snow will overspread the area after midnight and continue into the morning hours, Wednesday.

Today: Mostly sunny. High near 38. Snow likely tonight, mainly after 3 a.m. Increasing clouds. Low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. Expected accumulation of around an inch.

The outlook for the next three days:

Wednesday: Snow, mainly before 1 p.m. High near 35. New snow accumulation of one to three inches possible. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 24.
Thursday: A slight chance of snow showers before 1 p.m. Mosly sunny. High near 35. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 14.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 29. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 18.

Sunrise today: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:49 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 28 min.

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).
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

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.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera Englishear
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

Stories that made the news, Jan. 11 to Jan. 14:

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="336"] For sale: 2 Main Street, Catskill
(nrc.com)[/caption]

Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail the former fuel oil storage depot at Catskill Point is for sale. The 5.3-acre site is listed by Getty Realty Corp. at a minimum opening bid of $450,000. The site is the former Kingston Oil Supply Corporation petroleum terminal, and before that the Amos Post Co. terminal. Chicago-based NRC Realty & Capital Advisors is handling the sale for Getty. The bid deadline is March 7. Greene County Economic Development, Tourism, and Planning Executive Director Warren Hart said Fri., Jan. 11, there is a working group researching and evaluating the property. Greene County IDA Executive Director Rene VanSchaack said the IDA has no plans or any intent to directly acquire the property. “We want to work with private owners,” he said. The initial step is to evaluate the property with eye toward potential use and to network with a private developer for possible linkage to Dutchmen's Landing. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star the town of Claverack has adopted new zoning laws. The town board approved the new law last month, following a four-year review process. The law encourages agricultural development, moderately priced housing and multi-family housing. The highway commercial district is expanded to encourage economic development. The law created a variety of zoning districts including a commercial industrial park, mobile home park, rural agricultural, residential and hamlet business districts. "This zoning addresses the very delicate and difficult balance of maintaining our rural character and encouraging economic development,” Supervisor Robin Andrews said in a statement. Read the full story in the Register Star.

W.T. Eckert reported in The Daily Mail Third Judicial District Administrative Judge George B. Ceresia Jr. has resigned from the bench. Ceresia offered no explanation or reason for his departure. He will continue to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in Rensselaer County. Unconfirmed reports indicated Ceresia was about to be removed, but reasons for his possible removal were not disclosed. “He has in fact resigned his position as administrative judge for the Third Judicial District,” New York State Office of Court Administration Spokesman David Bookstaver said. A replacement is expected to be announced this week. The Third Judicial District is comprised of Greene, Columbia, Albany, Ulster, Sullivan, Schoharie and Rensselaer counties. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman residents are urging the Woodstock Town Board to encourage state lawmakers to criminalize the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Ten speakers at a board meeting last week said the energy industry is seeking to earn profits through a practice they say has been shown to contaminate water supplies. The energy industry maintains the practice is safe. The town board will meet Tues., Jan. 15 to discuss and vote on a non-binding resolution to endorse the statewide effort to criminalize fracking. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 52F; low 25F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 50F; 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: A chance of showers, before 10 a.m. Areas of fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy through mid-morning, then gradually clearning. High near 48. Tonight, mostly cloudy. Low around 26.

The outlook for the next three days:

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High near 39. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 24.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 38. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 29.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 41. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 21.

Sunrise today: 7:22 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:48 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 26 min.

Town meetings

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636)
CATSKILL Village meeting at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY LEGISLATURE holds Buildings & Grounds, Conservation, Public Safety, Highway, Government Operations, and Finance committee meetings at 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUNTER Village meeting at 8 p.m.
NEW BALTIMORE Town meeting at 7:30 p.m. at 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671)/
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).

WGXC RADIO COUNCIL meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Cairo Public Library, 15 Railroad Ave., Cairo (622-9864).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

2 a.m.: Persepolis In 1971, former Iranian dictator Muhammad Reza Shah hosted a lavish and highly choreographed event amidst the ruins of the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis in order to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of Iran's founding by Cyrus The Great. The Shah commissioned Greek composer and computer music pioneer Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) to write a piece of music exalting ancient Persia's aristocratic pre-Islamic religious culture.
3 a.m.: Joel Chadabe On the Radio Rebroadcast of Jan. 12 interview with Joel Chadabe, composer, author, is an internationally recognized pioneer in the development of interactive music systems. He has concertized widely since 1969. As president of Intelligent Music from 1983-1994, he was responsible for the development and publication of a wide range of innovative and historically important software, including M and Max. Chadabe is currently Professor Emeritus at State University of New York at Albany; Visiting Faculty at New York University; and Founder and President of Electronic Music Foundation, a not-for-profit organization.
5 a.m.: Radia Doubleshot: 20130113 Radia Show 405: Sound Effects from free103point9; Radia Show 406: Radio Arctic by Marko Peljhan and Radio Student. Radia is an international network of radio stations interested in new and forgotten ways of making radio art. Each week a different station takes a turn creating a show for all the others. From Radio Student, Ljubljana, in Radia show 406 we bring You a mashap of authentic recordings from the Arctic, made by Marko Peljhan and his team, from one of their Arctic Perspective Initiative’s mission: therein recordings, local radio communications over short waves and folklore and pop music from the Arctic. “In the Arctic, there are the openest public radio stations. The radio station does not have a key, anyone can come on the radio and do the 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. Philip Grant, host.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera Englishear
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

The National Weather Service issued a Dense Fog Advisory for the entire WGXC listening area from 10 p.m. Sat., Jan. 12 through 8 a.m. Sun., Jan. 13. Isolated showers are also possible after 1 a.m., with a low around 37.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="194"] Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo
(Courtesy Governor's Office)[/caption]

Jon Campbell reports in the Press & Sun-Bulletin Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thurs., Jan. 10, said no one should read into his decision not to address shale-gas drilling in his State of the State speech, pointing to the ongoing review of the technique. In the 80-minute address, Wednesday, Cuomo did not mention hydraulic fracturing, despite the presence of nearly 2,000 protesters outside the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. “We’re doing a review of fracking on the merits,” Cuomo told reporters Thursday. “We’re now looking at the health consequences of hydrofracking, as you know. That has nothing to do with the State of the State.” Meanwhile, the public comment period on the Department of Environmental Conservation's proposed fracking regulations expires at 5 p.m., today. If approved, the regulations would allow fracking to move forward on a limited basis. The state Assembly held a hearing on the DEC proposal, Thursday, but the DEC and state Health Department declined to participate.  Read the full story in the Press & Sun-Bulletin.

Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union the state's highest court has advised election officials to hold off counting 99 ballots in the 46th state Senate Distract race between Republican George Amedore and Democrat Cecilia Tkacyzk (KAT-chik). Amedore requested the delay, and has also asked the court to hear a formal appeal in the matter. Five appellate court justices ruled Wed., Jan. 9, the ballots, previously invalidated by Acting Montgomery County Supreme Court Justice Guy Tomlinson, should be opened. The pending appeals court deliberation will keep a cloud of indecision over the race until at least next week. Amedore, the certified winner, will not vote on bills when the Senate reconvenes Mon., Jan. 14. The 46th Senate District stretches from Amsterdam to Kingston through Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany, Greene and Ulster counties. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Predicted rain might wash out this weekend of skiing on the local mountaintops. At Hunter Mountain, they've added all sorts of weather features to their website so one can see the weather before making the trek up the mountain where most trails are open with 16-52" of snow. At Windham Mountain, 48 trails and five lifts are open with 26-32" of snow. January 11-13 Windham hosts the annual "Learn to Ski and Ride Festival" teaching wounded warriors skiing and snowboarding. Catamount Ski in Hillsdale has 26 of 33 trails open and four of six lifts running over 10-24" of snow. Click here to play WGXC Ski Report.
PLAY CLIP (1:08)

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 39F; low 32F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 39F; 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: A chance of rain, mainly after 3 p.m. Cloudy. High near 37. Tonight, rain before 2 a.m. Continued rain overnight.Low around 35.

The outlook for the next three days:

Saturday: A slight chance of rain before 8 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 48. Isolated showers Saturday night, after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 43.
Sunday: Scattered showers, mainly after 2 p.m.  Scattered showers Sunday night. Mostly cloudy. High near 53. Rain overnight. Cloudy. Low around 40.
Monday: Scattered showers before 2 p.m. Cloudy. High near 45. A chance of rain and snow overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 32.

Sunrise today: 7:23 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:45 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 22 min.

Town meetings

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

HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission (tentative) at 10 a.m., 520 Warren Street, 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. Philip Grant, host.
10 a.m.: Imprint: Penny Nichols Host Terry Doyle talks with American folk musician and songwriter Penny Nichols.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera Englishear
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

[caption id="attachment_25053" align="alignright" width="386"] Google Flu Trends Jan. 10, 2013 for Albany, NY. Dark line is 2013, other lines are recent years.[/caption]The flu is almost everywhere this winter, by all accounts, and getting worse by the day. The Center for Disease Control says, as of Dec. 29, that this season's flu is "widespread" in New York and 40 other states. Visits for influenza-like illness were 5.6 percent of all doctor visits, above the usual national baseline of 2.2 percent. Google Flu Trends, which analyzes web searches for flu symptoms without the delay of the CDC, says New York, and the Albany area in particular, are experiencing "intense" flu activity. Locally, the Cairo-Durham Central School District sent home a letter to parents Wed., Jan. 9 warning of multiple flu reports there, and asking parents to keep sick children home. The Register-Star reports that the Columbia County Department of Health still has $35 flu shots, and holds a clinic at its 325 Columbia St., Hudson, offices every Tuesday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The department also holds a clinic on every third Wednesday of the month (next Wed., Jan. 16) from 4 to 6 p.m. by appointment. Columbia County residents should call 828-3358.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="337"] Singer Pete Seeger in Albany, Wed., Jan. 9.[/caption]

Outside the doors of the 2013 State of the State Address in Albany, Wed., Jan 9, more than 2,000 anti-fracking protesters, along with at least 100 pro-fracking advocates, lined the length of the north and south corridor of Empire State Plaza in an effort to send a clear message to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo about the process of gas extraction known as "high volume hydrofracking." The event was a raucous, but orderly noise rally, lasting for more than four hours. The sound of people chanting "ban fracking now," and hundreds of signs and banners greeted Assembly members and invited guests as they made their way into the State of the State Address. Pro-frackers chanting "we want jobs" were drowned out by anti-frackers chanting "we want water." During Cuomo's presentation inside, several keynote speakers spoke out in the corridor, including actress and activist Debra Winger, biologist Dr. Sandra Steingraber, and Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Musician Pete Seeger played his banjo, leading the crowd in "This Land Is Your Land." Seeger said if Cuomo stands up to the gas industry and bans fracking in New York, he could become President of the United States. People came to the event from Buffalo, Oneonta, Binghamton, Syracuse, Ithaca, the Southern Tier, New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Pennsylvania, as well. Cuomo made no mention of the controversial drilling process in his State of the State Address. -- Sam Sebren

PLAY Pete Seeger as he leads the crowd singing "This Land is Your Land." (4:00)
PLAY interview with Mary Finneran of Greene Co. (1:14)
PLAY interview with former Greene Co. Legislator Forest Cotten. (:48)
PLAY interview with pro-fracking activist. The woman declined to identify herself. She spoke to Sebren as they walked together through the corridor carrying a sign that read, "Friends of Natural Gas." (:34)
PLAY interview with Roger Downs, Conservation Director of the Sierra Club, Atlantic Chapter. (2:58)
PLAY interview with Kathleen Gore, Mike Gore and Bill Stinson from Niles (Cayuga Co.). (6:02)
PLAY interview with anonymous Marathon (Cortland Co.) couple. They declined to identify themselves for fear of retaliation. (3:56)
PLAY interview with Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. (3:07)
PLAY interview with actress and activist Debra Winger. (2:19)
PLAY interview with Erin Heaton of Chenango Co. Heaton talks about farming, leases and compulsory integration. (6:18)
PLAY interview with Tom Salamone of Minisink (Orange Co.). Salamone is involved in a battle to prevent the construction of a compressor station as part of the Millenium Pipeline. (1:58)
PLAY interview with biologist and author Dr. Sandra Steingraber, founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking. (2:08)
PLAY interview with farmer Carleton Corey of Oneida Co. (3:25)
PLAY interview with Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting, Ithaca. (:57)

PLAY Sam Sebren talks about the rally with Philip Grant on the WGXC Morning Show. (29:30)

Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union a state appeals court has ordered election officials to open 99 additional ballots in the close 46th state Senate District race. The five justices were unanimous in the decision, issued Wed., Jan. 9. The move has the potential to erase Republican George Amedore's 37-vote margin of victory. Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk (KAT-chik) filed the case last month, arguing a Montgomery County judge was wrong in invalidating roughly 450 ballots and certifying Amedore as the winner after a three-week court supervised count. Fifty-three of the invalidated ballots were cast by election workers in Ulster County who filled out and submitted special ballots more than two weeks before Election Day. It was not immediately clear when the ballots would be opened. It is also unclear if the ruling will be appealed. Read the full story in the Times Union. A copy of the ruling can be found here.

The Associated Press reports in his 2013 State of the State Address, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Wed., Jan. 9, called for tougher state bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines of ammunition. Cuomo also would require follow-ups for owners of handgun licenses to make sure they still are qualified to possess a gun based on criminal and other records. He would increase sentences for gun crimes including for using guns on school property and for gang activities. Legislators worked behind closed doors Wednesday, to reach an agreement on the governor’s demand for tighter controls on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. A deal could be announced and acted on this week. Read the full AP story in the Daily Freeman.

Highlights from Cuomo's speech:
Casinos — Three Las Vegas-style casinos built on non-Indian land in upstate New York if the casinos are legalized this year.
Storm preparation — The need to fortify New York’s power and telecommunication systems after Superstorm Sandy. Other proposals among many include: Enhance efforts in workforce training by expanding energy career training, update state building code, update Department of Health’s review of applications for new hospitals and nursing homes, protect New York Harbor, flood-proof subways and bus depots, build redundancies into fuel system.
Minimum wage — Raising the minimum wage to $8.75 an hour from the current $7.25.
Energy — Creating a “Green Bank” to spur private investment in clean energy projects, extending the NY-Sun Solar Jobs program and encouraging local renewable power sources.
Education — Longer school days and years, more prekindergarten, funding based on performance and paying high-performing “master teachers” $15,000 extra a year for four years to teach other teachers.
Gender equality — A Women’s Equality Act to address things like reproductive rights, pay equity, sexual harassment, human trafficking and tougher order-of-protection laws in addition to other forms of discrimination against women.
Campaign finance reform — 48-hour disclosure of contributions over $500, public financing of state elections, lower contribution limits.



Watch live streaming video from newyorkstateofficeofthegovernor at livestream.com New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the "State of the State" address Wed., Jan. 9 at the Capitol in Albany.