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

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 34F; low 23F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 32F; low 28F.[/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 33. A slight chance of snow showers tonight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 24.

The outlook for the next three days:

Tuesday (New Year's Day): Mostly sunny. High near 33. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 13.
Wednesday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny. High near 28. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 7.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 27. Partly cloudy overnight. Low around 9.

Sunrise today: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 4:34 p.m.

Length of the day: 9 hrs., 10 min.

Town meetings

Today is the fifth Monday of the month.
WGXC is unaware of any meetings scheduled for today.

The day ahead on 90.7-FM

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

4 a.m.: Václav Havel: Audience This is the legendary 1978 samizdat recording of "Audience," starring Václav Havel (1936-2011) as Vanek and Pavel Landovský as Sládek. It was recorded by folk singer Vladimír Merta in his Prague apartment in 1978 and published by the Šafrán label, ran from Upsalla, Sweden, by Czech exiles Jirí Pallas and Jaroslav Hutka, both signatories of the Charter 77. The LP was unofficially circulated in Czechoslovakia and many Czechs knew parts of the play by heart after 1978, despite the fact any Havel publication was banned in the country since the 1968 Soviet invasion. Havel himself was briefly imprisoned in 1978 and continuously from June 1979 to January 1984. This is a rare example of a record which proved dangerous for its authors, as well as for the entire Soviet system. Czech record company Bonton officially published the recording for the first time in 1990, soon after Havel became president of Czechoslovakia in December 1989. Václav Havel and Pavel Landovský in "Audience" (as it is titled in Czech) belongs to a trilogy of partly autobiographical one-act plays also known as the Vanek Trilogy, comprising Audience (1975), Protest (1978) and Mistake (1983), based on Havel’s experience of being forced to work in a brewery and under constant harassment from the Communist regime. Taking place in the brewery’s office, Audience is a meeting between the brewery’s manager Sládek and employee Vanek. While the manager is clearly opening too many beers and inducing into binge drinking, it is less clear what he wants from Vanek, though it ultimately transpires he has a deal to offer: a promotion agaisnt informations on Vanek’s political activities.
5 a.m.: Shortcuts: 2012 A Shortcut Through 2012, a retrospective of the year from Peter Bochan via Pacifica Radio. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the Shortcuts series of programs and the events, music and sounds that we've captured in 2012 make for a dense and "sound rich" celebration. Featuring the Presidential election campaign, the primaries, the debates, and the "empty chair" ; the superstorms, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the World Series, the NBA finals, the fiscal cliff, plus all the unrest, the scandals, the tragedies and triumphs; tributes to those who have passed, mixed with all the music that flowed throungh our lives during the past twelve months.

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 predicts two to four more inches of snow may fall in the Hudson Valley Saturday, mainly after 10 a.m. High near 25. Low around 16 with continued snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible Saturday night.

Ariel Zangla writes in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature this month presented the annual Ellen Rettus Planning Achievement Awards for distinguished service, innovative design and community improvement. Recipients included Eric Rasmussen of Cairo for distinguished service in the area of land conservation and education; the Cairo Public Library Board of Trustees for community and main street revitalization; Windham Mountain Partners for the innovative design of its expansion plan, "Destination Windham" and Jim Eisel of Prattsville for community improvement. Eisel was honored for the renovation and expansion of the Great American store in Prattsville. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Gail Heinsohn reports in the Register Star the tax rates in the town and village of Chatham will nearly triple next year. A misunderstanding and miscalculation involving Town Supervisor Jesse Degroodt and Town Assessor Dan Horst led to the higher than expected tax levy increase. The Town Board voted to raise the tax rate by 4.8 percent as part of the budgeting process, but when the tax bills were finalized the actual increase was 14.1 percent. DeGroodt was alerted to the higher rate when the bills were received by the Town Clerk's Office. The board’s first course of action is to assess the situation, DeGroodt told the paper. That discussion will occur at the town organizational meeting, Jan. 3. Read the full story in the Register Star.

[caption width="360" align="alignright"] The Dec. 27 snowstorm left about 14" of new snow on Windham Mountain. Photo from Windham Mountain Facebook page.[/caption]The Catskills finally got a big snowfall Thursday, with Windham Mountain reporting over 14" of snow, Hunter Mountain over a foot of new snow, while Catamount Ski in Hillsdale added five inches. Even better for the long holiday weekend, another couple of inches should fall on the mountains. Windham has skiing and riding on 31 trails (20 groomed) and 170 skiable acres serviced by eight lifts from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. this weekend. Hunter has eight lifts and 41 trails open, and fireworks on New Year's Eve. Catamount has 13 of 33 trails open, with four of six lifts running. Click here to play WGXC Ski Report.
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