Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Cairo: Rain showers; high 70F; low 52F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Catskill: Rain showers; high  64F; 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, mostly cloudy; high near 68. Tonight, chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10 p.m.; low around 57.

The forecast for the next three days:

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely; high near 74; low around 56.
Saturday: A chance of showers; high near 70; low around 48.
Sunday: Sunny; high near 66; low around 44.

Sunrise today: 5:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:58 p.m.
Length of the day: 14 hrs., 11 min.

Town meetings
This 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).

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star an attempt by Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka to raise the salary of his personal secretary nearly $20,000, was rejected by the Board of Supervisors Finance Committee, Tues., May 1. The matter will be revisited after the board's newly established subcommittee completes its examination of equitable pay in the county and determines a process for evaluating salary increases. The subcommittee is slated to complete its work in 60 to 90 days; however, the subcommittee members have not yet been appointed. The finance committee did approve the hiring of a paralegal and a part-time investigator for the DA’s office. It also forwarded on a resolution to the full board allowing Czajka to establish a new records management office. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Bryan Fitzgerald reports in the Times Union Occupy Albany returned Tues., May 1, for the first time since the city uprooted the group’s encampment on Academy Hill in December. Protesters were arrested throughout the day in the ongoing battle with law enforcement over shelter and an 11 p.m. curfew in Lafayette Park. Twenty protesters were arrested by State Police and charged after curfew; earlier in the day three participants were arrested for refusing to remove tables and other structures set up in the park. Attorneys for Occupy Albany deny a curfew exists. The leaderless, anti-corporate group began the rally with a march across city streets. With police blocking traffic in front of them, the protesters weaved down State Street, Pearl Street, Broadway and back to Lafayette Park, stopping at a Bank of America branch, a Verizon office, the State Education headquarters and the Greyhound bus station to shout anti-corporate chants. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Jim Planck writes in The Daily Mail a small crowd made for a sedate public hearing on the 2012-13 Catskill Central School District budget, held Tues., May 1. Approximately 45 people attended the meeting on the district's $37 million spending plan in the high school auditorium. Queries from the audience covered various budget line items, including: the allocation of after-school funds, the costs associated with printing and mailing, and BOCES data processing services. An attendee asked the status of the offer to forego a six-month salary increase by the Catskill Teachers Association. Superintendant Dr. Kathleen Farrell said negotiations with the CTA are underway. Taxpayers will go to the polls May 15 to approve the $37,088,536 spending plan. The budget calls for a 2.17 percent tax levy increase. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Cairo: Chance of rain; high 66F; low 45F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Catskill: Rain showers; high 61F; 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, a slight chance of showers after 1 p.m.; areas of fog before 8 a.m. High near 62; low around 50. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Thursday: A chance of showers, mainly before 11 a.m.; high near 68; low around 56.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms; high near 77; low around 53.
Saturday: Partly sunny; high near 74; low around 48.

Sunrise today: 5:49 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:57 p.m.
Length of the day: 14 hrs., 08 min.

Town meetings
This 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).

The Times Union's Scott Waldman reports on the State Comptroller's recent audit of BOCES, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, refuting the widely held belief the $2 billion educational network saves taxpayer money. The audit sampled four BOCES districts and found taxpayers in reality paid 56 percent more for services that could have been performed by a local district or private vendor. New York's 37 BOCES were established to save school districts money by bundling services, including special education and vocational programs. Over the years they branched into other areas, such as providing information technology services. Today, BOCES serves 1.5 million students, and offers more than 200 services. Though they claim to offer savings, the comptroller found, BOCES do little to control costs in the non-instructional services they provide for school districts. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Celebrated performance artist Marina Abramovic and architect Rem Koolhaus will make a joint announcement about the proposed Center for the Preservation of Performance Art in Hudson, at PS1 in Queens on May 7, WGXC has learned. A WGXC representative has been invited to the private event. Previously, The New York Times and others have reported that Koolhaus will design the interior of the building at the corner of Columbia Street and Seventh St. in Hudson.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Cairo: Rain showers; high 57F; low 41F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Catskill: Rain showers; high 61F; 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

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers; high near 65; low around 49. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Mostly sunny; high near 68; low around 50.
Thursday: A slight chance of showers; high near 70; low around 55.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny; high near 80; low around 57.

Sunrise today: 5:50 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:56 p.m.
Length of the day: 14 hrs., 06 min.

Town meetings
This 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.

Hudson resident and former alderman Quintin E. Cross surrendered early Mon., Apr. 30, to Hudson police. Cross, 29, was accompanied by his attorney, Susan Tipograph. Cross was the subject of a statewide dragnet in March when he disappeared following questioning by police in connection with a break-in at Hudson City Hall. Two men allegedly entered the building, located at 520 Warren St., through a back entrance sometime between 6 p.m., Fri., Mar. 16 and 6 a.m., Mon., Mar. 19. and stole less than $100 from a petty cash drawer in the Department of Public Works office. Cross was questioned and released, but a felony arrest warrant was subsequently issued March 20. The other man alleged to be involved, Jamont McClendon, 28, was apprehended in a residence on State St. by city police Tues., Apr. 2, following receipt of a tip. McClendon is currently held in Columbia County Jail. As of his surrender, Cross was expected to be processed at HPD and then arraigned in county court sometime later. Editor’s note: Cross was an active WGXC 90.7-FM volunteer as of the date of his disappearance.

Mary Esch is reporting for the Associated Press natural gas training is now being offered in and around Binghamton. High-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been under review by the state Department of Environmental Conservation since 2008. In anticipation of the shale gas boom spreading northward from Pennsylvania, she writes, educators in New York have begun training programs that will enable workers to fill entry-level positions. Broome Community College is set to begin a three-week program to certify roustabouts, or general laborers on a drillling rig. The median salary for a roustabout is $38,000 per year, but with overtime compensation can be much higher. Broome is one of five community colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York participating in a coalition called ShaleNET. Funded by a three-year, $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, ShaleNET focuses on recruiting, training and placing people in high-priority, entry-level natural gas jobs. Esch reported earlier this month on New York's first shale gas-drilling job fair, held at Broome, located "in the sweet spot of the Marcellus Shale region." More than 700 people turned out in the hope of securing a job lead. Read the full Associated Press story.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="480" caption="Gannett fracking map (screenshot courtesy Watershed Post)"][/caption]

Lissa Harris reports in the Watershed Post the Sullivan County town of Bethel unanimously passed a law banning hydraulic fracturing within town borders Thurs., Apr. 27, making it the third (and largest) town in that county to ban the practice. Harris also reports news publisher Gannett recently produced an interactive map showing the nearly 100 New York State towns and cities that have passed laws to ban or delay hydraulic fracturing, as of April 12. Bethel is not yet on the map, nor is Germantown, which approved an 18-month moratorium, April 16. Read the full story and link to the map at the Watershed Post.

John Mason reports in the Register Star Steven Spicer has settled the discrimination matter he filed against the Hudson City School District. Spicer, principal of the John L. Edwards School, filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights in October, alleging he was “subjected to disparate treatment for unlawful discriminatory reasons relating to” his race. Among Spicer's specific complaints: A reprimand of Spicer by Superintendent Jack Howe via email was sent to every other administrator in the district. Spicer was the only administrator not provided a key or key card to access the front door of the district office to attend weekly meetings. He did not receive a $2,000 raise after 10 years of service, as mandated by contract. As part of the conciliation agreement, the district did not accept guilt, but the settlement did specify diversity training be provided for staff. The Board of Education approved the agreement Tues., Apr. 24, without comment. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Michael Ryan of the Windham Journal writes the award of a $12,000 grant will allow one of the oldest buildings in Prattsville to be restored. The Pratt Museum hopes to develop the site, which includes a vintage barn, as a museum of local history and/or apartment units. The Preservation League of New York State recently presented an American Express grant to the Zadock Pratt Museum for restoration of the Arnold House. The house dates back to the town's official founder, Colonel Zadock Pratt, who came to the settlement known as Schoharie kill in 1824. He designed and built Prattsville, one of the first planned communities in New York, home to one of the largest tanneries in the world. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Cairo: Partly cloudy; high 63F; low 39F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Catskill: Partly cloudy; high 61F; low 43F."][/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

Widespread frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with high near 65; showers overnight with low around 43. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: Showers likely, mainly before noon; high near 59; low around 47.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny; high near 72; low around 52. A slight chance of showers after 1 p.m.
Thursday: A chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy; high near 72; low around 54.

Sunrise today: 5:51 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:55 p.m.
Length of the day: 14 hrs., 04 min.

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

HUDSON 6 p.m., Common Council Police Committee; 6:45 p.m., Common Council Fire Committee; City Hall, 520 Warren St. 828-1030

Mark Clayton at the Christian Science Monitor reports that the U.S. House of Representatives voted 248 to 168 late Thu., Apr. 26 to approve the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a "cybersecurity" bill that would have internet providers turning over internet records without warrants. Techdirt's Leigh Beadon reports that, in a last-minute amendment to the bill,

"three more valid uses have been added: investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crime, protection of individuals, and protection of children. Cybersecurity crime is defined as any crime involving network disruption or hacking, plus any violation of the CFAA. Basically this means CISPA can no longer be called a cybersecurity bill at all. The government would be able to search information it collects under CISPA for the purposes of investigating American citizens with complete immunity from all privacy protections as long as they can claim someone committed a "cybersecurity crime". Basically it says the 4th Amendment does not apply online, at all. Moreover, the government could do whatever it wants with the data as long as it can claim that someone was in danger of bodily harm, or that children were somehow threatened—again, notwithstanding absolutely any other law that would normally limit the government's power."

W. T. Eckert reports in The Daily Mail 23-year-old Martin Morales has filed a civil suit against the Rev. Jeremiah Nunan, 74, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Cairo and Our Lady of Knock Mission in East Durham. Morales' family, his attorney, J. Michael Reck and advocates against abuse by priests held a press conference in Albany, Tues., Apr. 24. Morales is currently incarcerated on charges related to the March 2011 attempted kidnapping and murder of his ex-girlfriend. Morales alleges the sexual abuse took place when he was between the ages of 7 and 12, from 1996 and 2003. The alleged abuse then continued for a series of another five years from 2006 to 2011. Nunan was recently placed on administrative leave by the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese after the allegations surfaced. This is the second time Nunan has been accused of the sex abuse of a minor. In 2006, Nunan was accused of abusing a child beginning in 1967, during the time he was serving at St. Mary’s Church in Hudson. Following an 11-month investigation, Nunan was cleared and restored to the ministry. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The BOCES Questar III $4.2 million administrative budget for the 2012-13 school year was approved by component school districts, Tues., Apr. 24, according to a statement released and posted online, Wed. The budget supports the administration of services provided by the educational cooperative. School boards also elected Chris Foster (Averill Park CSD), Nancy Knabbe (Chatham CSD) and Paul Puccio (Schodack CSD) to three-year terms on the Questar III board, beginning July 1.

John Mason reports in the Register Star the Taconic Hills Central School District has released the names of three candidates for the position of superintendent. Each will be interviewed by the Board of Education's Advisory Committee, Thurs., Apr. 26. On Dec. 21, Mark Sposato announced his intention to step down from the district's top spot after five years on the job. The board decided in early April to limit its search to internal candidates. Applications were submitted by Sandra Gardner, Director of Instruction and Staff Development, John V. Gulisane, elementary school principal and Neil Howard, middle school principal. Read the full story in the Register Star.

On Tuesday, the Hudson City Board of Education officially accepted John F. Howe's letter of retirement as district superintendent, effective June 30, and then voted to appoint current assistant superintendent Maria J. Suttmeier to take his place, beginning July 1. The board made the decision to forego a search and chose Suttmeier during a closed door session March 17. Suttmeier and the district signed a five-year contract; she will be paid $140,000 per year.

Jim Planck writes in The Daily Mail the Catskill school board recently voted to extend the contract of its superintendent, Dr. Kathleen Farrell, for an additional three years, through June 30, 2015. The extension provides for no salary increase; Farrell is currently paid $175,887 per year. This is the superintendent's third contract extension. The original agreement was signed in Feb. 2005. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Michael Ryan reports in The Daily Mail Windham-Ashland-Jewett teacher Emily Gage resigned Mon., Apr. 23, following allegations of improper conduct involving a 17-year-old male student, according to district superintendent John Wiktorko. The first-year music teacher submitted a letter of resignation during an emergency board of education meeting. No details of the allegations have been released. Because the student reportedly involved is the legal age of consent no charges have been filed, according to Greene County Sheriff's Dept. investigator Adam Brainard. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Karrie Allen reports in the Register Star, veteran Chatham school board member Francis Iaconetti voluntarily resigned his seat, effective Tues., Apr. 24. Iaconetti told the paper he did not want his presence to "become a distraction." He was found guilty of second-degree harassment of a 15-year-old student on April 17. Board president John Wapner said in a statement Wednesday morning. “...the board considers the matter to be resolved.” Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Cairo: Rain; high 63F; low 39F."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Catskill: Chance of rain; high 59F; low 41F."][/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 chance of rain, mostly after 3 p.m.; high near 64; low around 41.

The forecast for the rest of the week:

Friday: Mostly sunny, windy; high near 56; low around 30.
Saturday: Widespread frost before 8 a.m.; high near 56; low around 29.
Sunday: Widespread frost before 9 a.m., otherwise, sunny; high near 55; low around 30.
Monday: Widespread frost before 9 a.m., otherwise, sunny; high near 61; low around 37.

Sunrise today: 5:57 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:40 p.m.
Length of the day: 13 hrs., 53 min.

Town meetings
This is the fourth Thursday of the month
(WGXC 90.7-FM 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).
HUDSON Historic Preservation Committee at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
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).

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star Anthony Concra is suing the city of Hudson Industrial Development Agency over $100,000 in back taxes the agency claims he owes on the property located at 25 Railroad Ave., home of the Columbia County Department of Social Services. According to Mayberg, the city claims Conra owes the money even though he "doesn't actually hold title to the property." Concra owned the land for more than 20 years before he entered into an agreement with the city Industrial Development Agency to build the DSS building. As part of the deal, Concra transferred the title to the IDA and was granted a tax break; the building was leased to the county beginning in 1991. Concra's attorney, Francis Roche, said there was a failure of both sides to meet and discuss the future of the contract once the lease agreement expired. Concra also named Columbia County, the city of Hudson, the Hudson school district and city assessor Garth Slocum as defendants. The county Board of Supervisors currently has a negotiating committee in place to make an offer on the property, but this litigation "adds a wrinkle" to that plan, Mayberg writes. Read the full story in the Register Star.