Lissa Harris reported at the Watershed Post the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced it is loosening the regulations that govern transportation of firewood in the state. Wood transported to sawmills and other facilities for processing will no longer be considered "firewood," and is not covered by the new regulations. Further, homeowners and other firewood users are no longer required to keep documentation of where their wood came from, unless they are burning it on state land. The regulations, intended to prevent the spread of invasive tree-killing insects like emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, still prevent the transport of untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source. Read the full story at the Watershed Post.

The Daily Freeman reported former Poughkeepsie Journal advertising director Jan Dewey was named publisher of  the  Journal Register Company's New York cluster of newspapers, Tues., July 2. Dewey, a resident of Dutchess County, will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Freeman and JRC's other papers, including the Saratogan, The Record in Troy and The Daily Dispatch in Oneida. Ira Fusfeld, the Freeman publisher for 25 years, has been named publisher emeritus. JRC is based in Yardley, Pa. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 88F; low 61F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 90F low 61F.[/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, temperatures are expected to be cooler than yesterday. Sunny. High near 86; low around 61.

The weekend forecast:

Friday: Sunny. High near 90; low around 67.
Saturday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms; 30 percent chance of precipitation. Mostly sunny. High near 92; low around 65.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 85; low around 60.

Sunrise today: 5:25 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:35 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 10 min.

Town meetings

Today is the first Thursday of the month.
(WGXC 90.7-FM suggests you call ahead to confirm meeting 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).
GHENT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
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).

Cairo Town Supervisor Ted Banta, artist Iza Trapani, members of the town board, and other local officials were on hand Wed. July 4 to start holiday activities in the park and dedicate the new sign and playground equipment in "Three Bears Picnic Area." Banta was elected in November, and is improving Angelo Canna Park nearby the new library, and down the street from where construction began recently on a new grocery store plaza.[caption id="attachment_20465" align="alignright" width="224"] Cairo Town Supervisor Ted Banta. Photos by Tom Roe.[/caption]Click here to play report from Tom Roe of new playground equipment and a sign in Cairo.
PLAY CLIP 4:48

Jim Planck reports in The Daily Mail the Catskill Town Board unanimously approved an application for $500,000 in state grant funding to continue upgrades at Ricky Cramer Field in Jefferson Heights, Tues., July 3. The proposed addition includes the construction of a second baseball diamond, a walkway behind the existing field and an extension of the parking area. If funding is approved, the state will cover 75 percent of the total cost. The field is owned by the town and shared with Little League-Jr./Sr. Divisions, American Legion Baseball and the Catskill Central School District. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

[caption id="attachment_20384" align="alignleft" width="300"] Work on the Three Bears Picnic Area, designed by artist Iza Trapani, continued Mon. July 2, and should be completed for a dedication Wed. July 4 in Cairo's Angelo Canna Park. Photo by Tom Roe.[/caption]

ALBANY COUNTY

New York State's Fourth of July Celebration: Empire State Plaza, Eagle St. and Madison Ave., Albany 2 p.m., Wed. Food, vendors and fireworks at dusk. Performance featuring Tommy James and the Shondells. For more information, (518) 393-1000.

COLUMBIA COUNTY

Old Chatham 4th of July Parade: Step off at 9 a.m., Wed., in the hamlet, Albany Turnpike and County Route 13.
Fourth of July Open House: Malden Bridge Community Center, 1087 Albany Turnpike, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wed. Reading of the Declaration of Independence, 11:30 a.m.
Peoples' Parade: The annual Kinderhook event kicks off at 11 a.m., Wed., at Rothermel Lane park, ends in village square. Sponsored by the Kinderhook Business and Professional Association.
Panfish Derby, Boat Parade and Ring of Fire: The Kinderhook Lake event Wed. includes the 22nd annual Panfish Derby for kids 15 and under; decorated boat parade at 2 p.m. from One Tree Island and create a Ring of Fire around the lake by displaying lights and flares at sundown.
Old-Fashioned Independence Day: Clermont State Historic Site, 4 Woods Rd., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wed. Revolutionary War reenactors, live music, games, races and a view of the Saugerties fireworks. For more information, (518) 537-4240.

DUTCHESS COUNTY


Hyde Park: A parade will step off at 10 a.m., Wed. from the Roosevelt Theatres on U.S. Route 9, and end in the back of Regina Coeli Church School. The parade’s theme is “Girl Scouts of America — Celebrating 100 Years.”
Poughkeepsie: Fireworks will be shot off from Waryas Park along the Hudson River starting about 9 p.m., Wed. They can be viewed from the Walkway Over the Hudson.

GREENE COUNTY

Cairo: A daylong festival will be held Wed. at Angelo Canna Town Park on Mountain Ave. The dedication of the Three Bears Picnic Area, designed by artist Iza Trapani, starts at 11:30 a.m. The rest of the day includes rides, a reading of the Declaration of Independence at 1 p.m., a charity softball game between town police officers and firefighters at 4 p.m., a performance by the Bobby Val Band at 6 p.m. and fireworks at nightfall.
Catskill: Patriot Day in Catskill begins with a children’s parade at 2:30 p.m., Sat., July 7, not on July 4 itself, from Church and Main streets and proceeding to Cone-E Island Ice Cream. Events in the village later in the day will include a magic show, an ice cream-eating contest, music by Conehead Buddha and fireworks.
East Durham: East Durham also celebrates independence this year on Sat., July 7 with a parade at 11 a.m. on Route 145 that heads to the Irish Cultural center grounds for a day of family fun. Fireworks at dusk.
Hunter: The Bear Creek Landing Restaurant will host a fireworks display at nightfall on Saturday.
Windham: The town of Windham's annual 4th of July parade begins on Main Street at 7 p.m. Fireworks at dusk.

ULSTER COUNTY

Kingston: Festivities, including live music, 6 p.m., Wed. at the Rondout Creek waterfront. Fireworks over the creek will start at 9:45 p.m.
Marbletown: Fireworks over Lake Mohonk, 9 p.m., Wed.
New Paltz: Festivities at the Ulster County Fairgrounds on Libertyville Road will begin with music at 4 p.m. Sat., July 7. Fireworks will be shot off at dusk.
Plattekill: Festivities at Thomas Felton Park in the hamlet of Modena begin 5 p.m., Wed. with music. Fireworks will be launched at dusk.
Saugerties: A parade will step off at 11 a.m., Wed. from Saugerties Junior-Senior High School on Washington Ave. Extension and proceed through the village. Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) will march in the parade. Fireworks begin at 9:45 p.m. at the Cantine Field sports complex.
Town of Ulster: Music provided by DJ Brian will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Wed. at Post Park.
Wawarsing: A parade will begin at noon, Wed. on Maple Avenue and follow a 1.1-mile route, ending at its start point.

Sources: The Daily Freeman, The Columbia Paper, Times Union

Al Baker reported in the New York Times under a measure passed by both houses of the State Legislature last month, the “home life and family background” of special education students must be taken into consideration when public school officials are deciding whether to place a child in a public school or pay for private schooling. Critics of the bill found the language in the bill was too broad and may allow individuals to improperly seek to challenge a student’s recommended educational placement by using a student’s religious background as the primary factor to determine placement. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's position on the measure is not clear. The Legislature has not yet sent him the bill, according to the Governor’s office. Read the full story in the New York Times.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine reported Tue., July 3 three cases of late blight in Suffolk County. He warned home gardeners and commercial growers of the potential introduction of late blight this growing season with a press release. Late blight is a plant disease that spreads rapidly from plant to plant in wet, cool weather that causes tomato and potato plants, primarily, to wilt and die. The Hudson Valley suffererd blights in 2009 and 2011, according to the department. “To help protect the State’s potato and tomato crops, the Department has once again initiated a concerted strategy to enhance the State’s detection and eradication efforts for late blight this growing season,” Commissioner Aubertine said. “While the recent hot and dry weather patterns should reduce the spread of this plant disease, commercial growers and gardeners should always be on the lookout and take the recommended precautions to protect their plants.” State inspectors have not found blight on more than 1,600,000 tomato plants and is working with Cornell Cooperative Extension to conduct outreach and follow up in the field with both growers and gardeners. Late blight is a plant disease that mainly attacks potatoes and tomatoes, although it can sometimes be found on other crops, weeds and ornamentals, such as petunias, nightshades, and tomatillos. Late blight was a factor in the Irish potato famine in the 1840’s, during which millions of people in Ireland starved or were forced to emigrate. Late blight is caused by an oomycete pathogen that can produce millions of spores from infected plants, spreading readily with wet weather and high humidity. Spores travel through the air, land on plants, and if the weather is sufficiently wet, cause new infections. Once infected, plants may wilt and die within three days. New York has battled strains of late blight in 2009 and 2011 that were particularly devastating to tomatoes. Presence of the disease, combined with wet weather those years led to a quick and devastating spread of the disease. Organic growers struggled with the disease as they have few approved control measures to use, and commercial tomato growers were challenged to apply crop fungicides in time to prevent the outbreak.

For more information about identifying late blight and how to control it, please visit http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato_LateBlt.htm.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 91F; low 64F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 93F low 66F.[/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, Independence Day, a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. Wed. night a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9 p.m. High near 89; low around 67.

The forecast for the next three days:

Thursday: Sunny. High near 88; low around 61.
Friday: Sunny. High near 93; low around 64.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 90; low around 65.

Sunrise today: 5:25 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:35 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 10 min.

Town meetings

Independence Day observed. All nonessential federal, state, county and local municipalities are closed. Post offices and banks are also closed today.

Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will pay a record settlement of $3 billion for a series of abuses and settle charges centering on the marketing of its anti-depressant drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin, in addition to a failure to pay promised rebates to Medicaid. Part of the settlement includes a $146 million payment to the New York state Medicaid system, with some of that money possibly going back to counties. The company also pleaded guilty in federal court to improper marketing and failing to report safety concerns about the diabetes drug Avandia. In a statement company officials said the company has learned from its mistakes and has agreed to abide by a new corporate integrity compact. The British-based firm occupies the old Stiefel manufacturing plant in Oak Hill, and W.T. Eckert, reporting for The Daily Mail, spoke with Greene County Legislator Patricia Handel (R-Durham) after the settlement was announced. Handel told the paper it was disappointing to learn a company that “brought so much positive feeling” to the town and county has been “labeled as deceptive and fraudulent.” Read the full stories in the Times Union and The Daily Mail.

Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union just 571 bills passed both the state Senate and Assembly this year, fewer than in any year since 1914, according to Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group. The two houses passed more than 600 bills in both 2009 and in 2010. The number of bills peaked under Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, who served between 1959 and 1973. New York's most prolific legislator, according to Vielkind, was Republican Sen. Roy McDonald of Saratoga. McDonald passed 35 bills through both houses over two years, including 19 in 2012. Read the full story in the Times Union.

 

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 90F; low 66F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 90F low 68F.[/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, temperatures are expected to be warmer than yesterday. Sunny. High around 89. Isolated showers and thunderstorms, Tuesday night. Low around 66.

The forecast for the next three days:

Wednesday (Independence Day): Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10 a.m. Partly sunny. High near 92. Thirty percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Wed. evening, before 10 p.m. Low around 68.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 89; low around 63.
Friday: Sunny. High near 92; low around 69.

Sunrise today: 5:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:35 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 11 min.

Town meetings
Today is the first Tuesday of the month.
(WGXC 90.7-FM suggests you call ahead to confirm meeting time and location.)

CATSKILL Town Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COPAKE Park Commission meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Finance Committee meets at 5 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State St., Hudson.

The Register Star is reporting two people were seriously injured this afternoon after a car rear-ended a tricycle motorcycle in Livingston. The names of the motorcyclists and their current conditions were not immediately known; the driver of the car appeared to not be seriously injured. As of 3 p.m., the intersection of Route 82 and Bells Pond Road remained blocked. Read the full story in the Register Star.

[caption id="attachment_20330" align="alignleft" width="270"] State Assemblyman Pete Lopez, Rep. Chris Gibson, and Greene County Legislator Harry Lennon cutting the ribbon at the Cairo Library. Photos by Tom Roe.[/caption]WGXC 90.7-FM broadcast the ribbon cutting of the new Cairo Library Sat., June 30 at 10 a.m. New York State Representative Pete Lopez (R-Schoharie), Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook), Greene County Legislator Harry Lennon (D-Cairo), Cairo Town Supervisor Ted Banta (D-Cairo), and others spoke at the grand opening of the new library, with music from John Gallagher on bagpipes before at 9:30 a.m. and Greg Stewart on acoustic guitar after the ceremony. The new Cairo Library is directly behind the old library, which was in Town Hall on Main St. A bond issued narrowly passed Apr. 24, 2010 to finance the library project.

Click here to listen to a short report on the library opening, with comments from Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook), New York State Assemblyman Pete Lopez (R-Schoharie), Greene County Legislator Bill Lawrence (R-Cairo), Cairo Library Trustee Jill Snyder, and others.
PLAY CLIP 3:43

Click here to listen to the entire ceremony, broadcast live on WGXC 90.7-FM.

INTERVIEWS
WGXC talked with several local officials and others about the new library
and other issues.

• Chris Gibson, U.S. Representative (R-Kinderhook), discusses Cairo Library, proposed Ghent powerline, and the Farm Bill in the U.S. House.
PLAY CLIP 7:31

• Pete Lopez, New York Assemblyman (R-Schoharie), discusses new Cairo Library, and his new renewable energy initiative for farmers.
PLAY CLIP 3:15

• Bill Lawrence, Greene County Legislator (R-Cairo), discusses the local efforts to build the library.
PLAY CLIP 2:19

• Mike Nyerges, the Director of the Mid-Hudson Library system talks about how often communities get new libraries.
PLAY CLIP 2:47

• Jill Snyder, Cairo Library Trustee, discusses the new building.
PLAY CLIP 1:12

• Candice Celestin, from the USDA, explains how her organization helped secure a grant and loan for the library.
PLAY CLIP 2:35

• Paul Mays, the Cairo Library architect, discusses the new building and its geo-thermal heating and cooling system.
PLAY CLIP 3:17

• Albert Gasbarini, who attended the first Cairo Library grand opening in 1963, and the third Cairo Library grand opening in 2012.
PLAY CLIP 2:53




[caption id="attachment_20336" align="alignright" width="224"] Cairo Library Director Debra Kamecke is also on WGXC's Radio Council.[/caption][caption id="attachment_20333" align="alignleft" width="224"] From left, Cairo Town Supervisor Ted Banta, Rep. Chris Gibson, Assemblyman Pete Lopez, and others at the Cairo Library opening.[/caption]


[caption id="attachment_20319" align="alignleft" width="224"]

Stories that made the news, June 28 through July 1, 2012

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star a consultant hired by Columbia County has endorsed a plan for homeless services for the county's singles population. Albany-based CARES, Inc. recently indicated a preference for the joint proposal put forward by the Galvan Foundation and the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties. The county's homeless plan implementation committee wants to hear from Hudson officials before it moves forward. Under the Galvan/MHA plan, the 37-unit emergency housing shelter would be located in the 600 block of State Street. The county is currently discussing a plan to aid homeless families with St. Catherine's Center for Children of Albany. Read the full story in the Register Star.

The Watershed Post launched its Faces of the Flood Project with an interview of Bill Lonecke of Maplecrest, Greene County. Lonecke, a retired history teacher, and family lost their home to the Batavia Kill during Tropical Storm Irene last August. During the 25 years leading up to the storm Lonecke watched as his backyard eroded and the state Department of Environmental Conservation did nothing to stop it. He is angry at the lack of effort to update outdated flood control systems. "It seems to me that whenever I bring these things up to people who should be able to have some authority to makes changes, I get the feeling I’m like a little kid and I get patted on the head," Lonecke told the Post. The series tells the untold stories of the 2011 Catskills floods, and will continue through August. Read the full interview at the Watershed Post.

Rob LeDonne reported in The Daily Mail all eyes in the mountain bike world were on Windham Mountain, Sat., June 30, and Sun., July 1, as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup took place at the resort for the third year in a row. Race officials said more than 16,000 attended the event last year; this year organizers were hoping to break the 20,000 mark. Participants from 35 countries were expected to compete. Greene County Economic Development estimated the weekend could bring in as much as $6 million to the area. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Trevor Alford reported in the Register Star a Ghent man's request to build a recreational pond was recently approved by the Ghent Planning Board after the matter made its way through the courts for six years. The approval came after Vince Molinari and his Carpenter Road neighbors negotiated a plan to allow the mining operation on the property through the end of 2015. A total of six acres -- or 30,000 truckloads of soil -- are expected to be excavated to create the pond. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128"] Cairo: High 86F; low 56F.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125"] Catskill: High 86F; low 57F.[/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 showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.; north wind, with gusts up to 24 mph. Sunny. High near 86; low around 57.

The forecast for the next three days:

Tuesday: Sunny. High near 88. Isolated showers and thunderstorms, Tuesday night. Low around 64.
Wednesday (Independence Day): Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny. High near 89. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. Low around 67.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 87; low around 64.

Sunrise today: 5:23 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:36 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 13 min.

Town meetings
Today is the first Monday of the month.
(WGXC 90.7-FM suggests you call ahead to confirm meeting time and location.)

ANCRAM Conservation Advisory Council at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
ATHENS Town meeting at 7 p.m. at 2 First Street, Athens (734-3636).
CLAVERACK Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Church Street, Mellenville (672-7911).
CLERMONT Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
TAGHKANIC Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82,West Taghkanic (851-7638).

William Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports the state Public Service Commission released a report Thu., June 28 criticizing Verizon for not adequately communicating to its customers in the wake of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee last summer, and praising Central Hudson for quickly informing the public. The report scores utilities and telecommunications companies how well they kept the commission and public informed during 1.1 million electric service outages and loss of service to 900,000 telecommunications customers during the storms last summer. The report included recommendations that utilities and telecommunications companies provide information via text messaging and websites about when service is expected to be restored in specific areas. “We also found the utilities need to expand their use of the newer technologies, such as text messaging and social media, to interact with and keep customers informed,” Christian Bondvin, a systems operations specialist with the state Office for Electric, Gas and Water, said. The report also noted that efforts to share information between wireless and landline phone providers were not always honored. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

The Cruisin' '50s Diner opened in Acra Thu. June 28, and owners Tom Fucito and Sue Holdridge were on the "WGXC Morning Show" Fri., June 29 to discuss the opening. The new diner is very similar to the Johnny Be Goode Diner that closed three years ago in the same location on Route 23 heading toward Windham just before Lang's Motel and the Agroforestry Center. The diner will also have "Fish Fry Fridays," occasional "Car Cruise-Ins" and plenty of burgers and milkshakes, and occasional live performance. Click here to hear interview.
PLAY CLIP 4:49

New York 106 District Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D-Town of Washington) was in WGXC's Hudson studio Thu., June 28, and hosts Christina Malisoff and Doug McGivney asked her opinion on the Ghent power line issue. Protect Ghent, Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) and others have expressed opposition to the New York State Electric & Gas plan to install an 11-mile high-voltage overhead powerline near or through Ghent and Chatham. Gibson recently expressed concern over the potential loss of agricultural lands, the project’s impact on important historic and archeological resources and its visual impact. Barrett agrees, and cites Art Omi, the outdoor sculpture park, as among the most negatively-impacted properties by the proposed powerline. Click here to listen to the full "Tell It Like It Is" program.

Click here to listen to an excerpt of the interview with Barrett speaking about the Ghent power line.
PLAY CLIP 2:48

On Thu. June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the individual health-insurance mandate that is at the heart of President Obama’s landmark health-care law, saying the mandate is permissible under Congress’s taxing authority. “Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country,” Mr. Obama said in the East Room of the White House, immediately after the decision was announced. “Thanks to today’s decision, all of these benefits and protections will continue.” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. sided with the majority in voting to uphold the law. Passage of the legislation by Congress in 2010 capped decades of efforts to implement a national program of health care. The legislation is expected to eventually extend health-care coverage to more than 30 million Americans who currently lack it. Republicans in Congress and GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney have vowed to try and repeal the measure after the November elections. Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Local politicians made the following statements:

Rep. Chris Gibson, NY-20 (and running for NY-19) (R-Kinderhook): “When I ran for Congress in 2010, I heard time and time again from my constituents across New York that we need health care reform, but that the President’s health care bill was not the answer. In addition to multiple tax increases, failing to address rising costs, harming small businesses, and significantly increasing government involvement in health care, this bill stepped on our freedoms," Gibson said. "I respect that the Supreme Court has spoken, and the solution now must be legislative. We should begin substantive, bipartisan discussion on commonsense reforms – a number of which I have cosponsored or voted on already.”

Julian Schreibman (D-Stone Ridge), candidate for NY-19: “I am hopeful that the Supreme Court’s ruling will get Congress to stop bickering and start working together to build on the current laws and improve health care for all Americans. Like most Upstate New Yorkers I support covering children with pre-existing conditions and stopping insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get sick. And I believe that it doesn’t matter what party you belong to, we can all come together to support seniors having their benefits strengthened and guaranteed.”

Wendy Long (R-Manhattan), candidate for U.S. Senate: "Although I have yet to read fully all the opinions in this complicated ruling, I respectfully disagree that Obamacare's individual mandate is justified as a tax. But now that the Court majority has called it a ‘tax,’ as New York's next United States Senator, I will work to repeal this tax and replace it with a sensible plan to improve health insurance coverage for all Americans."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Brunswick): "I am pleased the Supreme Court reaffirmed the hard fought progress that was made to ensure that no one can be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condition, young adults will be covered, prescription drug costs for seniors will be reduced, preventive care including life-saving mammograms will be accessible and that insurance companies can’t cancel their coverage when you get sick."