Tom Casey reports in the Register Star the offices of two doctors, located in Hudson and Catskill, were subject to a search warrant raid Thurs., Sept. 27, by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the state Attorney General's office. Officers could be seen entering and exiting, removing boxes of documents from the offices of Dr. Ibrahim Y. Rabadi (rah-BAH-dee) and Dr. Arnel B. Hechanova (heck-AH-nova) as employees stood in the parking lot, Casey writes. The AG’s Office was unable to comment on the raid as the investigation is still ongoing. As of mid-day Thurs., no charges had been filed. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit exclusively investigates and prosecutes health care crime in the state. Read the full story in the Register Star.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's fifth annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sat., Sept. 29. The day is an opportunity for those with accumulated unwanted or unused prescription drugs to safely dispose of those medications. There are collection points regionwide, including the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, at 85 Industrial Tract in Hudson, and the Greene County Sheriff's Department, located at 80 Bridge Street in Catskill. For information, go to http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.

The Cairo-Durham school district holds a public workshop about the future use of the Durham Elementary building after the school combines with Cairo next year, on Wed., Sept. 26. Questar's Andy DeFeo moderates, with several other presentations and a question-and-answer session. Questions about the Durham Building Use Study can be sent to boardofeducation@cairodurham.org

Tom Roe has a daughter at Cairo Elementary.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 59F; low 46F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 59F; low 48F.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

Today: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 59. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Rain likely tonight, mainly before 7 p.m., then a chance of showers after midnight. The rain could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy. Low around 50.

The weekend outlook:

Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near  63. A slight chance of showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 48.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Hgh near 67. A chance of showers overnight. Cloudy. Low around 51.

Sunrise today: 6:49 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:42 p.m.
Length of the day: 11 hrs., 53 min.

Town meetings

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

CLERMONT Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).


Programming Notes


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


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Radio Music, Peter Urpeth (57:00)
02:00: John Cage Reflections, David Galbraith (34:33)

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC programming for the day ahead


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
12 p.m. (noon): Pure Moods with host Shannekia McIntosh
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6;30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
9:30 p.m.: Newline Radio

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="218"] (Courtesy slatersgreatamerican.com)[/caption]

Kyle Adams writes in The Daily Mail about the closing of Slater's Great American Marketplace in Cairo this week. One of the region’s last privately owned supermarkets, Slater's will close its doors for good 4 p.m., Sat., Sept. 29, 16 years to the day after it opened. It will be replaced by a Hannaford supermarket. The existing building will be demolished and a 35,000-square-foot store constructed in its place. As an independently owned business, Slater’s supported the community in ways large corporations do not, according to the store’s president, Ellsworth “Unk” Slater. “We were local before local was cool,” he said. The Hannaford store is expected to open in eight or nine months. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting Republican state Assembly candidate David Byrne has  won the Independence Party primary election over incumbent Assembly member Didi Barrett in the new 106th Assembly District. The unofficial results indicated Byrne won by 17 votes. Byrne, of Milan, ran as a write-in candidate against Democrat Barrett of Millbrook, who received the Independence Party endorsement. Barrett will have the Democratic line on the November ballot. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="137"] Former county judge, now District Attorney Paul Czajka.[/caption]

Bob Gardinier reports in the Times Union on the ongoing feud between Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka (ch-AI-k-uh) and local court judges over who controls plea bargains and the backlog of cases the disagreement has created. Shortly after his election last year, Czajka informed town and village justices his office would handle all cases and pleas exclusively, in an effort to streamline prosecutiions. The cases at issue are mostly vehicle-and-traffic violations and low-level misdemeanors, cases that in the past were often resolved by arresting officers or the justices themselves, especially traffic offenses. Czajka's demands have spawned a rebellion in some local courts. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Update (11:25 a.m.): State Sen. Roy McDonald released a statement this morning declaring he will not actively campaign on the Independence line. McDonald said he will campaign for former opponent Kathy Marchione in the general election, "...because I believe maintaining the Republican Majority in the New York State Senate will continue to positively change state government.”

Jimmy Vielkind is reporting at Capitol Confidential Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sent an open letter to Sen. Roy McDonald Wed., Sept. 26,  promising his “full endorsement” if McDonald pushes forward with a third-party candidacy. McDonald, of Saratoga, lost the Sept. 13 Republican primary to Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione. The race largely centered on McDonald's support of the 2011 marriage equality legislation. McDonald has secured the Independence Party line in the November election, and the governor's support could steer money and perhaps draw voters his way. Claverack Town Supervisor Robin Andrews is the Democratic candidate in that race. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 66F; low 48F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 66F; low 45F.[/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 69. Chance of showers overnight. Partly cloudy. Low around 49.


The outlook for the next three days:

Friday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy. High near 62. A chance of showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 50.
Saturday: A chance of showers. Cloudy. High near 65. Mostly cloudy overnight. Low around 50.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. High near 70. A chance of showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 53.

Sunrise today: 6:48 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:43 p.m.
Length of the day: 11 hrs., 55 min.

Town meetings

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

CHATHAM Village Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Budget/Salary Committee at 10:00 a.m.
Public Works Committee at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GERMANTOWN Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
STUYVESANT Greenway Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Town Board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

Programming Notes


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


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Airspace, Gordon W Smith (11:19)
02:00: buicks n' snowbanks, Chad W. Powers (05:04)

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC programming for the day ahead


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 Tom Masterson, "Your Neighborhood Friendly Economist" will join host Christina Malisoff to discuss the 47 percent, capitalism, socialism and communism. These are terms commonly used, but what are these economic systems in reality?
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
12 p.m. (noon): Crossroads in Rhythm with host Alan Skerrett
2 p.m.: Sound Forms Laurie Siegel On this month's "Sound Forms: Conversations with Composers" we get to revisit prescient comments made by Siegel in an interview for eAR Magazine 30 years ago, and listen to a range of her evocative music.
3:30 p.m.: Kid's Brain Radio with Matt Bua and Sam Sebren from the Catskill studio.
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show with Ellen Thurston, RichardRoth and Tom Roe from the Hudson studio.
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6;30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
7 p.m.: The Jazz Disturbance with guest host Max Goldfarb
9:30 p.m.: 69: Underground Sounds From the Year Humans Landed on the Moon

Midnight to 5:59 a.m., Sept. 28: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight


120 Hours for John Cage continuehe s:

01:00: Radio Music, Peter Urpeth (57:00)
02:00: John Cage Reflections, David Galbraith (34:33)

John Mason writes in the Register Star a Columbia County Board of Supervisors search committee has recommended Richard Juliano be appointed the county’s chief technology officer. Juliano would head up the county’s Management Information Systems Department effective Oct. 15, replacing Randy Wheeler, who resigned in June. Juliano resigned his post as network systems engineer at Taconic Hills Central School District effective Oct. 12. The appointment was made pending full board approval. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Kyle Adams reports in The Daily Mail in the Durham primary, Greene County Legislature candidates incumbent Patricia Handel and challenger Les Armstrong, finished in a tie for the Independence Party nomination. Both candidates received 13 votes. In the case of deadlock, the Independence Party Committee decides who to nominate, according to officials. That decision is expected to come in the next few days. Handel defeated Armstrong for the Republican nomination Sept. 13; she ran unopposed on the Conservative line. If Armstrong receives the Independence nomination, he will compete against Handel in the general election. If Handel is chosen, she will run unopposed in November. Handel has represented Durham in the county Legislature since 2010. This is Armstrong's third try for the seat. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Michael Ryan reports in The Daily Mail on the November special election to be held in Prattsville and Lexington. Prattsville town supervisor, Democrat Kory O'Hara, will be pitted against Republican challenger Greg Cross. In Lexington, incumbent council members Lynn Byrne (Democrat) and William Pushman (Republican) will try again for a town board seat they each sought last year. In Lexington, voters will also be asked to fill a vacant town justice position, created by the death of longtime judge Robert Cross Sr. Judge Cross died this spring, with three years left to serve on a four-year term. His son, Allen Cross, a Democrat, and Republican Lubko “Lou” Kizyma are competing to fill that position. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

 

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 68F; low 48F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 73F; low 54F.[/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 likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. High of 73. A chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 55.


The outlook for the next three days:


Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 67. Mostly clear overnight. Low around 50.
Friday: Chance of rain after 9 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 66. Chance of showers overnight. Mostly cloudy. Low around 53.
Saturday: Chance of showers. Cloudy. High near 62. Chance of showers overnight. Cloudy. Low around 54.

Sunrise today: 6:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:45 p.m.
Length of the day: 11 hrs., 58 min.

Town meetings

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

ATHENS Village meeting at 7 p.m. at Community Center, 2 First St., Athens (945-1551).
CAIRO at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).*
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).

Programming Notes


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


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Airspace, Gordon W Smith (11:19)
02:00: buicks n' snowbanks, Chad W. Powers (05:04)

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC programming for the day ahead


The fall Open Air Pledge Drive continues. Tune in for special guests and programming this week, and contribute what you can to keeping the air9waves open in Greene and Columbia counties!

6 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews and features, agriculture reporting, and Kieran Riley during the 7 o'clock hour. 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 Lynn Sloneker on education, plus local news, events, music and more. Philip Grant, host.
10 a.m.: Five O'Clock Shadow with Robert Knight: Greg Palast: Koch/Rove Ballot Fraud (WBAI/Pacifica) (@Issue has the week off).
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
12 p.m. (noon):The Schoemer Show hosted by Karen Schoemer
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show with Ron Diamondstein and Peter Krug from Catskill
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6;30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
9 p.m.: Live from the Red Dot Open Mic
10 p.m. The Vinyl Rundown hosted by Chris Bishop

Midnight to 5:59 a.m., Sept. 27: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Airspace, Gordon W Smith (11:19)
02:00: buicks n' snowbanks, Chad W. Powers (05:04)

The State Labor Department today released local area unemployment rates for August, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor. The state’s unemployment rate was 9.1 percent last month. According to the department, during the past year the state added more than 130,000 private sector jobs, and the number of initial unemployment insurance claims decreased by 10 percent. In both Columbia and Greene counties the number of unemployed decreased, but the unemployment rate remains nearly one percent higher than the rates reported in August 2011. Hamilton County reported the lowest unemployment rate statewide (5.2 percent); Bronx County reported the highest rate (13.1 percent).

Kyle Hughes reports in the Daily Freeman outside donors are writing checks to help fund the 46th state Senate District race between Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk (Tah-KAY-zick) and Republican George Amedore, according to Board of Elections filings. The biggest recipient of money from outside the district is Amedore, the best known of the two candidates because of his Assembly tenure. Democrats say Amedore, whose family has a successful Albany-area home building business, has taken in more than $100,000 from donors outside the district, including several $10,000 contributions from downstate real estate interests. Republicans say Tkaczyk, a school board president and former Senate aide making her first run for legislative office, has taken in more than $45,000 in outside money. Friday, Tkaczyk, reported she has raised more than $100,000, about half of that in loans and donations she made to her own campaign. On July 16, Amedore reported raising $300,258. The 46th SD comprises all of Montgomery and Greene counties, and parts of Ulster, Schenectady and Albany counties. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

WGXC is proud to announce the election of Chris Bishop and Matt Bua to its Radio Council, effective January 1, 2013. Bishop and Bua were chosen by the membership Sept. 8, and approved by the Radio Council, Mon., Sept. 17. They will assume the seats currently held by Pam Badila and Kieran Riley. Nearly 35 station members participated in the election held during the second annual WGXC Membership Meeting at Helsinki Hudson. The meeting provided an opportunity for staff, programmers, Radio Council and members to touch base on the year gone by, to discuss upcoming plans and to elect new council representatives.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="144"] Chris Bishop[/caption]

Chris Bishop (right) has a music show on WGXC every Wednesday at 10 p.m., playing all genres of music off vinyl records. A resident of Ghent (Omi to be exact) in Columbia County since May, he previously lived in Hudson and Brooklyn. Bishop is actively involved in two local issues: The high-voltage power lines proposed to run through Ghent and the fire at TCI. He works in Web publishing and real estate.

Based in Catskill, Matt Bua (below) is an builder/educator who enjoys creating roadside attractions and new public spaces. He helped build the WGXC studio at the Catskill Community Center, where he co-hosts the Thursday youth show, "Kid's Brain Radio."

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="211"] Matt Bua[/caption]

The Radio Council is comprised of 9-15 area residents, designed to reflect the diversity of the station's listenership, to ensure it continues to serve the needs of our communities. Council Members are required to be active in one of four primary committees: Fundraising, Outreach, Programming, Dispute Resolution (Policy). Current members include: Pamela Badila (Hudson), Dharma Dailey (Haines Falls), Max Goldfarb (Hudson), Hosneara Kader (Hudson), Debra Kamecke (Catskill), Kieran Riley (Harlemville), Alan Skerrett (Valatie), Hudson Talbott (Cairo) and Kaya Weidman (Germantown). The Radio Council meets 12 times a year, on the second Monday of the month. Notice of meetings are posted to wgxc.org/events, and open to the public.

Michael Ryan reports in The Daily Mail on allegations the Sept. 17 Democratic Party caucus in Prattsville was illegal. In a statement released Fri., Sept. 21, the Prattsville GOP alleged the Democrats failed to provide the required 10-day notice to the Greene County Board of Elections, citing a Sept. 10 time stamp on a posted notice. A formal protest could have resulted in the removal of all Democratic candidates from the November special election ballot. However, the GOP chose not to protest the caucus, because “Prattsville deserves a clean and fair election,” the release stated. Democrats denied there was a problem, saying, the BOE received notice of the meeting in a September 8 email. The BOE confirmed the message arrived  on time, but noted the attachment was inadvertently left off the posting in its Catskill office. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 70F; low 59F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 70F; low 56F.[/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, light and variable wind. High near 75; low around 39. Tuesday night a chance of showers, mainly after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 55.


The outlook for the next three days:


Wednesday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Cloudy. High near 75. Overnight a chance of showers. Low around 60 percent. A slight chance showers, Sunday.
Thursday: Sunny. High near 68. Mostly clear overnight. Low around 43.
Friday: Partly sunny; his near 67.

Sunrise today: 6:46 a.m.ing a s
Sunset today: 6:47 p.m.
Length of the day: 12 hrs., 1 min.

Town meetings

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

COLUMBIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Board meeting, 8:30 a.m. at 4303 Route 9, Greenport (828-4718).
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).

School board meeting

HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m., Hudson High School library, 215 Fairview Ave., Hudson (828-4360).

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


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Radio Music, Ron Coulter (06:00)
02:00: Walk On a Street And Listen, Ahmet Kizilay (23:52)

6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.: WGXC programming for the day ahead


The fall Open Air Pledge Drive continues. Tune in for special guests and programming this week, and contribute what you can to keeping the air9waves open in Greene and Columbia counties!

6 a.m.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Philip Grant. Morning news, music, interviews and features, agriculture reporting, and more. 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 Lynn Sloneker and Joan Hunt of the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood project, plus local news, events, music and more. Philip Grant, host.
11 a.m.: Al Jazeera English
12 p.m. (noon): Low Tide hosted by Liv Carrow
4 p.m.: WGXC Afternoon Show with Peter Krug and Tom Roe from Acra
6 p.m.: Al Jazeera English
6;30 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News
9:30 p.m.: Battlefield Earth

Midnight to 5:59 a.m., Sept. 26: Free103point9 Transmission Arts overnight


120 Hours for John Cage continues:

01:00: Airspace, Gordon W Smith (11:19)
02:00: buicks n' snowbanks, Chad W. Powers (05:04)

UPDATE: At 5:34 p.m., Mon., Liz Benjamin was reporting on Capitol Confidential it appeared Sen. Roy McDonald had lost the 43rd Senate District GOP primary to Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione. No concession was forthcoming from McDonald, however. Marchione's attorney pronounced his client's win "inevitable," by mid-afternoon.

Capital Tonight is reporting the Sen. Steve Saland versus Neil DiCarlo recount in the 41st Senate District Republican primary has Saland ahead by 107 votes with only 29 contested ballots to count. Fran Knapp, Democratic election commissioner in Dutchess County said, "It's impossible for Saland to lose." DiCarlo was the unofficial winner of a write-in campaign for the Conservative line, making way for a three-way race in November. Ballot counting continues in the other contested GOP Senate primary, pitting Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione against Sen. Roy McDonald in the 43rd SD. "It's not looking good for McDonald at the moment," Capital Tonight reports. Saland and McDonald were both challenged by conservative opponents as a result of their votes in support of the Marriage Equality Act last summer. Read the full story at Capital Tonight.