Stories that made the news, June 8 through June 10, 2012:

Kristi Berner reported in The Columbia Paper on the New York State Electric & Gas plans to install an 11-mile high-voltage overhead power line, beginning at NYSEG’s existing Klinekill station on Route 203 in Chatham and connecting with an existing National Grid line running south. The Columbia County Transmission Project, as it is known, routes the line near or through dozens of residential properties, several working farms and a nursery, as well as land owned by the Columbia County Land Conservancy. The line would also pass though property belonging to Omi International Arts Center, well within sight of the public exhibition space, The Fields Sculpture Park. An Article VII application was filed by NYSEG with the state Public Service Commission last month, The project is opposed by Project Ghent, a group of more than 100 local residents and business owners. According to a Commission spokesperson, the Ghent project is in the beginning stages and it will be several weeks before an administrative judge is appointed to shepherd the process. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Andrew Wyrich reported in the Watershed Post, Schodack's Niagara Engine Co. No. 6 will be relocated and rebuilt. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has allotted more than $900,000, or 75 percent of the costs. The remaining 25 percent will be covered by the state of New York. The new firehouse will be built on the Fort Road property the Schoharie Fire Department is currently using as a temporary location. The site, a former tractor sales and supply store, will be purchased from its current owner. Member and former chief of the Schoharie Fire Department Matt Brisley told the Post there is no timetable for the rebuilding process, but FEMA will fund the building of a temporary structure so the department can get their fire engines under cover until the new firehouse is built. Read the full story in the Watershed Post.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star the New York state Department of Health has certified Columbia Memorial Hospital's stroke center. In addition to new drug therapies, the hospital's radiologic technicians have been trained to provide neurological CT scans of the brain to determine if there is any bleeding, Medical Director Norm Chapin told the paper.As part of the certification process, formal training was provided to more than 150 staff members on handling acute stroke patients, plans for long-term, post-stroke treatment and formal stroke training for ambulance personnel. Stroke symptoms include a loss of vision, slurred speech, a feeling of confusion, loss of balance, numbness of the body, severe headaches and weakness. Read the full story in the Register Star.


Jim Planck reported in The Daily Mail an email petition is making the rounds in the Greenville Central School District accusing the district of secrecy, procedural violations and fiscal misrepresentation. The petition also calls for the resignation of unspecified parties. Rensselaerville resident Elizabeth Nicosia Britton helped draft the petition in an attempt to get answers from the board on the rationale behind program and personnel cuts. "I guess we just want...justification as to why they made those decisions," Britton told Planck. At issue are cuts to library and computer instruction, physical education, language, sports and the elementary Challenge program. Board President Wilton Bear Jr. said while the questions raised could be viewed negatively, ultimately the actions of Britton and other concerned community members are important to the health of a district. “It shows there’s an interest...in our school,” he said. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Cairo: High 82F; low 57F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Catskill: High 82F; low 59F."][/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 much the same as yesterday. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny. High near 82; low around 61.

The outlook for the next three days:

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 72; low around 59.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High near 77; low around 57.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High near 76; low around 55.


Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:32 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 14 min.

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

ASHLAND Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Main Street, Ashland (734-3636)
CATSKILL Village meeting at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens) (943-3830).
COPAKE Environmental Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GREENE COUNTY LEGISLATURE holds Buildings & Grounds, Conservation, Public Safety, Highway, Government Operations, and Finance committee meetings at 6 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Informal meeting of Common Council at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Village meeting at 8 p.m.
NEW BALTIMORE Town meeting at 7:30 p.m. at 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671)/
PRATTSVILLE Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 14517 Main St., Prattsville (299-3125).

School board meeting
HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Regular meeting, 7 p.m., Hudson High School library, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360).

WGXC's Jess Puglisi broadcast live from inside the Flag Day Parade in Hudson Sat., June 9, with the Twitcast video below, with the audio on WGXC 90.7-FM. Max Goldfarb's M49 radio truck led WGXC in the Flag Day parade, accompanied by an all-volunteer WGXC Marching Band. In the photo above, you can see musician Slink Moss, who played electric guitar in the band, while others prep the M49 for its roll down Warren St. At around the 3:00 mark in the video below, WGXC's entry in the parade passes the viewing stand on Front St. at Warren St. Goldfarb's truck is the former radio truck of the Stockport Fire Department.

Click here to play a collage of the Flag Day audio, which opens with the M49 truck passing in front of the reviewing stand, then goes to WGXC's Philip Grant at the beginning of the parade, and then to the Germantown High band.
PLAY CLIP 3:20

State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) is co-sponsoring the “Family Farmers and Apple Growers Relief Act” that would establish a special tax credit for farmers who experienced damage and loss to their crops this spring's severe frost. Senate Bill 7551, co-sponsored by Senator Seward, would establish a refundable personal income tax credit for farmers who suffered the loss of certain crops as a result of this year’s frost event at the start of the 2012 growing season. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued federal agriculture disaster declarations for New York counties that experienced crop damage as a result of a spring freeze, including Greene, Columbia, Albany, Dutchess, Rensselaer, Schoharie, and Ulster counties. Cornell’s Lake Erie Regional Research Laboratory estimates crop losses for apples at 50 percent, cherries at 100 percent, grapes at 40–50 percent, and peaches at 90 percent, with the level of crop loss varying based on region, elevation, and the crop’s stage of growth. Senator Seward is also co-sponsoring Senate Bill 6778 that would improve the administration of the agricultural districts law by revising the definition of “viable agricultural land” and streamlining the process to recertify agricultural assessments.

Click here to here a brief statement from Sen. Seward about the “Family Farmers and Apple Growers Relief Act.”
PLAY CLIP :27

At 7 p.m. June 24, Man Forever plays at the Spotty Dog Books & Ale in Hudson, one of the many shows from that location that WGXC and free103point9 will have a live webstream available so anyone can listen at home or via mobile phone. John Colpitts (aka Kid Millions) is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer who is perhaps best known as the drummer for Oneida. Man Forever, his vehicle for exploring the outer limits of drum performance, was created to overwhelm, to investigate the nuances that bloom in the midst of repetitive music, and to act as a pure sound experience. Originally based on the idea of creating a sort of punk-infused Metal Machine Music for drums, Man Forever has evolved from a five or six full drum set ensemble to something a lot more stripped down. Based on two drummers playing single stroke rolls on a single drum and the patterns that emerge from that, Pansophical Cataract is propulsive without a pulse. Patterns evolve and burst through the static surface of the material, much of which was produced by electric instruments, though "Ur Eternity" remains mostly drums with only a few bass tracks making an appearance. Click on this link to listen to any show at Spotty Dog Books & Ale. The show will also air on WGXC 90.7-FM Sat., July 1 at noon.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="304" caption="Athens Generating"][/caption]WGXC's Sam Sebren was at the Greene County Industrial Development Agency's public hearing Wed., June 6 in Athens at West Athens-Lime Street Fire House located at 933 Leeds-Athens Road, where several residents spoke against a proposed PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) deal for Athens Generating, a 1,080 megawatt plant already in Athens. PILOTs are tax breaks typically given to lure new businesses to an area. After the public hearing technically closed, the group continued talking, with a heated exchange between Athens Town Supervisor Lee Palmateer and the IDA board. "You haven't provided anything here to describe to us what the benefit is to the community," Palmateer said. "The IDA is not responsible for this re-financing plan, whatsoever, you were on the sidelines watching it happen and intercepting the funds."

Click here to hear Sam Sebren's report on the meeting, with audio of several residents opinions on the matter.
PLAY REPORT 13:00

Click here to hear an excerpt of the recording, of Athens Town Supervisor Lee Palmateer questioning the IDA officials after the public hearing about the propriety of the PILOT deal.
PLAY CLIP 1:41

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Cairo: High 70F; low 50F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Catskill: High 73F; low 52F."][/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 Maplecrest, in Greene County

Today, A 40 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms, otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 74, and a low near 51.

The outlook for the weekend:
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers, with a high near 74; low around 57.
Sunday: Partly sunny, high near 72; low around 52.
Monday: Mostly sunny. High near 74; low around 55.

Sunrise today: 5:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:31 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 12 min.

Sen. Kristen Gillibrand called for restoration of cuts to the food stamp program in the Farm Bill, as debate began in the U.S. Senate on the bill Wed., June 6. The Senator also announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued federal agriculture disaster declarations for New York counties that experienced crop damage as a result of a spring freeze, including Greene, Columbia, Albany, Dutchess, Rensselaer, Schoharie, and Ulster counties. Farms that experienced "frost and freezes that occurred during the period of March 1, 2012," can apply for federal agriculture disaster recovery programs, including financial assistance to compensate for farm losses, low interest emergency loans and assistance in rehabilitating farm land.

In a related story, Common Dreams is reporting 70 leading chefs, authors, food policy experts, nutritionists, CEOs and environment and health organizations sent an open letter to Members of Congress this week, urging lawmakers to reinvest federal farm and crop insurance subsidy dollars into programs that feed the hungry, protect the environment and promote the consumption of local, organic and healthy food. Read the full story at commondreams.org.

Kyle Wind at The Daily Freeman reports Democratic Congressional candidates Joel Tyner and Julian Schreibman have agreed to a debate from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., June 18 at the Woodland Pond retirement community in New Paltz. They have a June 26 primary election in New York’s new 19th Congressional District, for the chance to face incumbent Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) in November. "The Freeman is inquiring with Woodland Pond officials about the extent to which the debate will be open to the public and whether the newspaper can livestream the event on its website," Wind says. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="148" caption="George Brandon."][/caption]

Ysaye Barnwelll and George Brandon host a "Building a Vocal Community" workshop at 8 p.m., June 7 at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, 150 Lake View Drive in Rhinebeck. WGXC's Andrew Sosnowski, host of the "Vocal Chords" show Tuesdays at noon, spoke with musician and anthropologist Brandon about the workshop. Click here to listen to Sosnowski's interview with George Brandon.
PLAY CLIP 14:17

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Cairo: High 70F; low 50F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Catskill: High 73F; low 52F."][/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 will be much the same as yesterday. A slight chance of showers between 10 a.m. and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny; high near 74; low near 51.

The outlook for the weekend:
Friday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly sunny. High near 77; low around 54.
Saturday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, High near 75; low around 59.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High near 81; low around 59.

Sunrise today: 5:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:30 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 11 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).

The Washington Post is reporting author Ray Bradbury died Tues., June 5, at his home in Southern California. He was 91. From Bradbury's Web site:

Ray Bradbury, recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91 after a long illness. He lived in Los Angeles.

...Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screenplay for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. ...

Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, Live forever! Bradbury later said, I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped.

Catskill High School will have a new principal come September, Jim Planck reports in the Daily Mail. Principal Patrick Wemitt's retirement was accepted by the Catskill Board of Education, Thurs., May 31. Wemitt will stay on with the district through August 24. Wemitt was employed for 20 years by the Taconic Hills Central School District, as an elementary classroom teacher, the Dean of Students, and then assistant principal, before coming to Catskill as the principal of the elementary school in August 2004. Wemitt told the paper he will keep a strong memory of Catskill’s sense of community, as well as the positive satisfaction of daily interaction with students. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and legislative leaders announced Tues., June 5, an agreement has been reached on new legislation to establish tighter oversight over the sale of prescription drugs. The new law will include a series of provisions to overhaul the way prescription drugs are distributed and tracked statewide, including enacting a “real time” prescription monitoring registry to provide timely and enhanced information to practitioners and pharmacists; requiring all prescriptions to be electronically transmitted; improving safeguards for the distribution of specific prescription drugs prone to abuse; requiring the Department of Health to establish a safe disposal program for unused medications; and the continuing development of medical education courses and other public awareness measures regarding pain management and prescription drugs. Read the statement released by the Governor's Office.

Brian Radewitz reports in the Register Star, Mike Dodig Jr., third baseman for the Columbia-Greene Twins, was an early pick of the Atlanta Braves during the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft, Tues., June 5. Dodig was the 10th player chosen by the Braves and the 329th picked overall. The freshman criminal justice major is a Saugerties native. He was named to the All-Conference First Team in the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference this season, and was also named NJCAA Region III Player of the Week twice this year. Scott Coleman writes at sbnation.com, because Dodig is just 18 years old and has plenty of college eligibility left, signing him will likely cost the Braves "a bit of cash." Dodig will play in a rookie league in Florida this summer. Read the full story the Register Star.

Susan Campriello writes in The Daily Mail tourism spending in Greene and Columbia counties is up. Visitors to Greene County spent $143 million in 2011. During same period, tourists in Columbia County spent close to $108 million. Statewide visitor spending totaled nearly $54 billion in 2011, an increase of more than 8 percent over the previous year, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office. Tourism spending includes lodging, fuel, retail and convenience store purchases. The most significant contribution to the tourist economy in Greene County are the annual festivals and events. In Columbia County, a significant amount of revenue comes from the bed and breakfast and food industries, as well as the growing wedding industry. Both counties rely heavily on tourism for employment. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Filmmaker Jon Nealon has a Kickstarter campaign to finish a documentary about the group Videofreex. The group was first based in Manhattan, and funded by both corporate CBS television and Abbie Hoffman. Then, en masse, the video collective moved to Lanesville (in the Town of Hunter, near the Ulster County border) in Greene County in the early 1970s. There, they started "Lanesville TV," what they claim is the first pirate television station. The group included Parry Teasdale, now the editor of The Columbia Paper, and formerly of The Independent. Nolan says the group plans a fall reunion, when the film may be completed. Click here to listen to the complete interview with Jon Nealon, conducted by Tom Roe.
PLAY ENTIRE INTERVIEW 15:48

Click here to listen to a brief report, introduced by Tom Roe, with a short clip from the Videofreex documentary movie trailer, and an excerpt of the interview with Jon Nealon.
PLAY CLIP 5:48



From Wikipedia:
The Videofreex were a pioneering video collective who used the Sony Portapak for counter-cultural video projects from 1969 to 1978. They were founded in 1969 by David Cort, Curtis Ratcliff and Parry Teasdale, after Cort and Teasdale met each other at the Woodstock Music Festival. They were based out of a 17 bedroom house in the Catskill Mountains named the Maple Tree Farm. Michael Shamberg, author of Guerrilla Television and founding member of TVTV remarked that “The Freex are the most production oriented of the video groups […] in terms of finished, cleanly edited, high quality tape, which is generally quite entertaining, the Videofreex are clearly the best.” Mirroring the beliefs outlined in Guerrilla Television they believed they could turn the medium of television, at the time dominated by The "Big Three" Television Networks, into a more democratic medium and in 1972 they launched the first pirate TV station, Lanesville TV, using a transmitter given to them by Abbie Hoffman. The Videofreex Archive, containing more than 1,500 original tapes, is housed at the Video Data Bank (http://vdb.org). Work is underway to preserve important titles from the Archive and make them available through distribution. Samples of the group's work is available on the Videofreex YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/videofreex)

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will wage a U.S. Senate floor fight to restore food stamp funding, as debate begins this week on the Farm Bill, several sources reported Tue., June 5. Willie Vogt at Farm Futures reports Gillibrand's office says the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the proposed food stamp losses would result in an average benefit cut of $90 per month, or 32 percent for a half-million households. Instead, Gillibrand will present an amendment with the $4.5 billion in cuts restored by reducing federal subsidies for crop insurance companies "who already make huge profits every year," she says. Read the full story at Farm Futures.

Free Speech Radio News’s Matthew Petrillo reports from a national perspective on the Farm Bill and the proposed food stamp cuts.
LINK TO AUDIO CLIP 3:25

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Cairo: High 72F; low 39F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Catskill: High 70F; 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, will be much warmer than yesterday. A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 70; low near 50.

The outlook for the next three days:
Thursday: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. Partly sunny. High near 76; low around 51.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High near 77; low around 55.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy. High near 78; low around 61.

Sunrise today: 5:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:29 p.m.
Length of the day: 15 hrs., 10 min.

Town meetings
Today is the first Wednesday of the month.
(WGXC 90.7-FM suggests you call ahead to confirm meeting 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).
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).
HUDSON Hudson Common Council Youth & Aging Committee meeting, 6 p.m., and Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee meeting at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
LIVINGSTON Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dale Baker of the Don Baker Farm in Columbia County. Photo from farm's website."][/caption]While state legislators consider help, Dale Baker from Don Baker Farms in Hudson knows his crop has been hurt by this spring's weather including a major late frost. In an interview with Noah Reibel on the "WGXC Afternoon Show." Baker also discusses the changing weather this past decade, and what that has meant to his apple and pear trees. A bill in the New York State Senate, the “Family Farmers and Apple Growers Relief Act,” would establish a tax credit for farmers to claim 35 percent of their losses due to the frost this spring. Click here to listen to the full interview between Baker and Reibel from Mon., June 4, 2012.
PLAY FULL INTERVIEW 14:58

Click here to listen to an excerpt of the interview, about how the weather has affected Don Baker Farm this year and the past decade.
PLAY CLIP 2:45