Jimmy Vielkind is reporting at Capitol Confidential George Amedore filed an oath of office, Thurs., Jan. 3. The Rotterdam Republican is prepared to sit in the Senate chamber when it convenes next week, despite an active court case that could undo his election. Amedore was certified as the winner of the 46th Senate District seat over Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk last month. Tkaczyk's campaign has filed a legal appeal of Amedore's certification, contesting the judge's decision to invalidate approximately 450 ballots. In a statement released Thursday, Amedore said he has "tremendous respect for the appellate process" and that he looks forward to a swift decision. A hearing on the matter is set for Mon., Jan. 7. The state Senate is scheduled to meet in session for the first time this year on Tues., Jan. 5. A spokesman said Amedore intends to sit in the chamber next week and could vote as required. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

The storms last week left almost two feet of snow on the mountains, and arctic temperatures this week mean the three area ski centers can make a lot more. Plus, light snow showers are predicted all this weekend. Windham Mountain has 21 groomed and 47 total trails open with six lifts over 16" to 42" of snow until 8 p.m. each evening. Hunter Mountain has specials for college students this week, with 43 trails and six lifts open over 12-52" of snow. Catamount Ski in Hillsdale has 21 of 33 trails, and five of six lifts open with 10-20" of snow.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 36F; low 25F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 36F; 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 31. Partly cloudy tonight. Low around 24.

The outlook for the next three days:

Saturday: Sunny. High near 32. Scattered snow showers after 1 a.m. Increasing clouds overnight. Low around 20.
Sunday: Scattered snow showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy. High near 38. A slight chance of snow showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 21.
Monday: Partly sunny. High near 32. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 20.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:37 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 13 min.

Town meetings

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


COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Organizational meeting at 3 p.m., 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).

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: Amy Campbell Terry Doyle interviews musician Amy Campbell and music from Fetish Lane, Elly Wininger, Al Gallodoro 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

Danny Hakim is reporting in The New York Times an analysis and other health assessments completed last year concludes the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can be done safely. The eight-page analysis and other health assessments "have been closely guarded by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his administration as the governor weighs whether to approve fracking." It was leaked to The Times by "an expert who did not believe it should be kept secret." The document indicates fracking can be done safely within the regulatory system the state has been developing for several years. A spokeswoman for the State Department of Environmental Conservation said the analysis obtained by The Times was out of date. “The document you have is merely a summary, is nearly a year old and there will be substantial changes to that version,” she said. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Jimmy Vielkind reports at Capitol Confidential the Working Families Party and Citizen Action, two groups that backed Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk’s (KAT-chik's) bid for the 46th state Senate District seat, are circulating a petition to appellate judges to count some 450 votes invalidated during a court-supervised canvass. Republican George Amedore was certified the winner of that race by a 37-vote margin. Tkaczyk's lawyers have appealed the decision and will argue the matter before an appellate panel, Mon., Jan. 7. The online petition was authored by two of the Ulster county poll workers whose ballots were nullified because they voted early at the direction of county election officials. The petition has garnered more than 500 signatures. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Ariel Zangla is reporting in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature has a new majority leader. At a meeting Wed., Jan. 2, the county’s Republican lawmakers chose Kevin Lewis of Greenville to serve as the Legislature’s majority leader. Lewis is starting his second three-year term on the Legislature. He succeeds Keith Valentine of Catskill. Democrats once again chose James Van Slyke of New Baltimore to serve as minority leader. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's New York Education Reform Commission Wed., Jan. 2, released its preliminary action plan. According to Rick Karlin, writing at Capitol Confidential, Cuomo "accepted the report with some cautionary notes, especially when it came to yet-unstated costs of implementing such recommendations and overcoming the politics and intense turf battles that can envelope educational issues, which the governor compared to the state’s other major expense area, health care." Among the Commission's recommendations: Raise the bar for entry into the [teaching] profession; improve the education pipeline through the smart and innovative use of technology; and, increase access to early educational opportunities. In other education news, State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. reported Wednesday the department has approved a total of 533 district teacher and principal evaluation plans. The Cairo-Durham, Greenville and Taconic Hills district plans are now included in that number. Proposals from Coxsackie-Athens, Germantown, Hunter-Tannersville and Windham-Ashland-Jewett are not yet listed as approved. Read both stories at unmuffled.

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 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: Partly sunny. High near 26. Slight chance of snow showers tonight. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 18.

The outlook for the next three days:

Friday: Partly sunny. High near 34. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 23.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 36. A slight chance of snow showers after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 19.
Sunday: A chance of snow showers before noon. Cloudy. High near 34. A chance of snow showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 22.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:37 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 13 min.

Town meetings

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


ANCRAM Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
AUSTERLITZ Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
COPAKE Planning Board meets at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

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.: Tell It Like It Is: L. Randall Wray "The Deficit Debate, the Causes of the Crisis and the Fed's Bailout of Wall Street Crooks." by economist L. Randall Wray at the S17 Occupy National Teach-In on Inequality, Originally a livestreamed teleconference, held Sept. 17, 2012. Hosted by members of the #OWSTeachin Team. Introduction by Cindy Sheehan.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
2 p.m.: Art of the Hudson Valley: Zachary Cale Recorded on location at Waterfront Studios, a recording studio in Hudson and in the middle of a recording session with singer/songwriter Zachary Cale. Zachary Cale originally hails from the small town of Enon, Louisiana. His music ranges from lyrical folk balladry and American primitive inspired guitar instrumentals to experiments in popular song forms. Local musician Otto Hauser joins him on percussion. We'll talk with Zachary, Otto and Henry about his music and songwriting. For more information on Cale, www.zacharycale.com.
3 p.m.: Radio Theatre: Electromatic Radio When Grey can no longer keep himself awake after 52 hours on the air, Matt hooks him up to a "Neurographic Interface Module" that will allow him to host the show from inside his dreams.
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 Englishear
6:30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="242"] (Courtesy usda.com)[/caption]

John Mason writes in the Register Star milk prices will probably not double next month, as feared, thanks to an agreement reached between leaders in the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees to extend the 2008 farm bill one more year. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., indicated the House could vote on the bill soon, though House leaders have not yet agreed to put the bill on the floor. Expiration of those dairy programs could mean higher prices at the grocery store within a few weeks. Chatham dairy farmer Eric Ooms, vice-president of the New York State Farm Bureau, said the agreement is a good thing if it passes, though it remains to be seen whether it will pass in the U.S. House of Representatives. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Mark Santora reports in The New York Times lawmakers from the New York area erupted with outrage Wed., Jan. 2, after the U. S. House refused to take up a federal aid package for states that suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy. Local Republicans blasted their Congressional leaders for the inaction, calling the failure to vote "a betrayal." Last week, the Senate adopted a $60.4 billion dollar aid package, and Wednesday, Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, and other local politicians said they were promised the House would bring the matter up for a vote before the current legislative session ends, Thurs., Jan 3. The aid bill will now have to be reintroduced in the new Congress and passed by both chambers.  Read the full story in The New York Times.

The Daily Mail is reporting Hudson Clothing Outlet may expand to a new location on Route 9W in Catskill. The Hudson-based discount clothing store has been in talks to lease the former Condor/GM auto dealership, located next to Price Chopper on the west side of the village. The building has been unused for about a year, Village of Catskill President Vincent Seeley said. He said the second-hand outlet hopes to use the showroom area of the building only. Negotiations will resume this month, and Seeley said the owner expects to open by March. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail Greene County officials he talked to have a common focus for the new year: the economy. County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh hopes to make gas prices more competitive and thereby attract more business to the county. Lack of competition, he said, has allowed prices in the county to remain 15 to 20 cents per gallon higher than in surrounding counties. Legislator William Lawrence intends to develop shared services among municipalities and the county and attract new businesses. Cairo Town Supervisor Ted Banta's wish list includes the weatherization of town buildings to save on energy costs, the completion of a town zoning law and the development of a solar energy initiative to power municipal buildings. Catskill Village President Vincent Seeley's priorities include development of the town's waterfront and Main Street, and the completion of the Leeds sewer project. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

[caption id="attachment_10211" align="alignright" width="265"] Rep. Chris Gibson at Chatham Middle School. File photo.[/caption]

Republican Congressman Chris Gibson, from Kinderhook, voted with Democrats Tue., Jan. 1, for the fiscal deal that passed 257-167. Gibson was one of 85 Republicans voting with 172 Democrats to approve the agreement. The bill, which passed the Senate New Year's Eve and awaits the president's signature, averts the so-called "fiscal cliff" for now, though setting up three other "cliffs" in the near-future. The full text of Gibson's statement on why he voted for the "fiscal cliff" deal is available in Wednesday edition of the Daily Freeman.

 

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 28F; low 7F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 30F; low 9F.[/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 slight chance of snow showers throughout the morning and afternoon. Mostly sunny. High near 32. Partly cloudy overnight, clearing toward morning. Low around 12.

The outlook for the next three days:

Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 27. Slight chance of snow showers Thursday night. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 21.
Friday: Partly sunny. High near 36. Mostly clear overnight. Low around 21.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 34. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 15.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:36 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 12 min.

Town meetings

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


CAIRO Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main Street, Cairo (622-3120).
GHENT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, P.O. Box 98, Ghent (392-4644). Representatives of TCI New York are expected to appear before the Planning Board to answer questions concerning the company's application to rebuild.
GREENE COUNTY Meetings for Human Services, Health, and Education Committees at 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
GREENPORT Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).
LIVINGSTON Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).

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.
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

Kyle Wind is reporting in the Daily Freeman two polling inspectors have sued over a judge's decision to throw their votes out in the 46th state Senate District race. Barbara Bravo and Carole Furman are appealing the decision of Acting state Supreme Court Justice Guy Tomlinson of Montgomery County to invalidate their ballots, along with those of 51 other Ulster County poll workers. Candidate Cecilia Tkaczyk’s (KAT-chik's) attorney has called mistakes that invalidated more than 300 paper ballots cast in the race, including the absentee ballots for the poll workers, “hyper-technical.” Most of the poll workers were registered Democrats. On Dec. 18, Tomlinson certified Republican George Amedore the winner of the race over Democrat Tkaczyk by a margin of 37 votes. Tkaczyk has appealed Tomlinson's decision. The case is scheduled to be argued Mon., Jan. 7, in Albany. Furman said she found it ironic that she spent election day making sure other people correctly filed their ballots so they counted, then hers did not. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail the Thomas Cole National Historic Site’s Hudson River School Art Trail project has received a $50,000 grant from the Capital Region Economic Development Council. The award will help further develop the state-spanning trail that promotes the Hudson Valley’s native art movement. The trail was established in 2005. It currently consists of 22 sites deemed significant to the history of the Hudson River School of Painting. The grant funding will be shared among Greene, Columbia and Albany counties. It will likely go toward marketing and capital improvements for the trail. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Hudson Talbott, vice chairman of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Board of Trustees, is also a member of the WGXC Radio Council.

The Register Star is reporting Roger F. Coleman, publisher of the Register Star and The Daily Mail, died of an apparent heart attack Mon., Dec. 31, in Kentucky. He was 61. He became publisher of Hudson-Catskill Newspapers, which also includes the weekly publications The Mountain Eagle, Windham Journal, Chatham Courier, Ravena News-Herald and Greene County News, in 2004. Coleman was the vice president of the Hudson Rotary. He was also a member of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Columbia County Association in the City of New York and the Community Advisory Board of the Salvation Army. Coleman is survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 32F; low 7F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 32F; low 10F.[/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 slight chance of snow showers before noon. Mostly cloudy. High near 28. Partly cloudy tonight. Low around 13.

The outlook for the next three days:

Wednesday: A slight chance of snow showers throughout the morning and afternoon. Mostly sunny. High near 32. Partly cloudy overnight, clearing toward morning. Low around 12.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 31. Slight chance of snow showers Thursday night. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 17.
Friday: Sunny. High near 34. Mostly clear overnight. Low around 16.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:35 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 11 min.

Town meetings

New Year's Day
All nonessential federal, state, county and local municipalities are closed. Post offices, banks and school districts are also closed today.


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.
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

Some of the stories that made the news, Dec. 28 to Dec. 30.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star Columbia County officials are now concerned about financial stability in the year to come after receiving reports that sales tax figures dropped by five percent in the past month. Two weeks ago, the Board of Supervisors approved the county's 2013 budget, including a tax levy decrease. The decrease was based on a projected increase in sales tax revenue. Officials are predicting a few cash strapped months until tax payments begin to arrive in March and April. A recommendation is under consideration to recommend departments hold back on non-essential spending in the interim. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Melanie Lekocevic reported in The Daily Mail the historic merger between the Coxsackie and Athens Little Leagues is now official following approval by Little League International. The united league's assets now includes a total of five community fields. Some changes are expected in the coming season, including the decision to play all softball games at Isabel Rainey Field in Athens. The merger also means kids from Athens and Coxsackie will play together on the same teams, and the entire league will operate under one board of directors. Because of the amount of work required to finalize the merger, registration this year may be later than usual. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star the former Claverack School will begin functioning as Columbia County's temporary courthouse this week. The facility is located near the intersection of routes 23B and 9H in the village of Claverack. Contractors continued work on the interior of the building and the parking lot, Fri., Dec. 28, in preparation for its opening. The decision to relocate courthouse operations two and a half miles outside of Hudson was made to facilitate a $9 million renovation of the court's permanent home on the city's south side. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Nathan Mayberg is reporting in the Register Star the Hudson Department of Public Works will begin snow removal 11 p.m., tonight (Sun., Dec. 30) on streets throughout the city. Residents must have vehicles parked in designated locations by 11 p.m. or risk having their cars towed. Warren Street will be cleared first; parking will be allowed on the odd side of the street once the street is cleared. Snow removal will continue all night into Monday, until the work is completed. City officials expect the process to be finished by noon, Mon., Dec. 31.

The complete list of streets to be cleared:

• Warren Street / parking prohibited on both sides


• Worth Avenue / parking prohibited on even side


• Columbia Street / parking prohibited on even side


• State Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Union Street / parking prohibited on both sides


• Park Place / parking prohibited on both sides


• Allen Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Green Street / parking prohibited on even side


• McKinstry Place / parking prohibited on both sides


• City Hall Place / parking prohibited on both sides


• Robinson Street / parking prohibited on both sides


• Eighth Street / parking prohibited on both sides


• Seventh Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Sixth Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Fifth Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Fourth Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Third Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Second Street / parking prohibited on even side


• First Street / parking prohibited on even side


• Fairview Ave. / parking prohibited on even side


• East Court Street / parking prohibited on even side


• West Court Street / parking prohibited on even side


• East Allen Street / parking prohibited on odd side


• Short Street / parking prohibited on odd side


• Carroll Street / parking prohibited on north side