The Register Star may be moving to a new location but, Debby Mayer of The Columbia Paper writes, publisher Roger Coleman intends to keep the staff and the paper's main office in Hudson. The paper announced the sale of the historic building located at 364 Warren Street to the GalVan Initiatives Foundation in February. The sale is set to close "tentatively in the summer," Coleman told Mayer. Coleman denied the building was actively marketed for sale; he declined to reveal the final selling price. GalVan's offer came by way of a referral, he said. The building is one of 38 properties now owned by developers T. Eric Galloway and partner Henry van Ameringen, and adds to the GalVan Foundation's holdings in Hudson. Of the 17 residential properties owned by Galloway and van Ameringen, 11 are currently vacant; the developers current own or control two percent of Hudson's properties, according to Mayer. Tom Swope, GalVan's Executive Director, told the paper the total assessed value of the properties is $8 million, and the foundation pays $200,000 in property taxes. Swope said GalVan will seek exemptions only on properties where the library or other non-profit organizations or activities may be housed. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

John Mason writes in the Register Star the Clermont Town Board has embarked on a study of hydrofracking. The proposal was put forward by Councilman Edward Kahle at a recent board meeting. Kahle was moved to ask, he said, because someone in Germantown was approached by a fracking company, and Ancram and Claverack have each passed resolutions to support home rule rights in the legal challenges mounted by the towns of Middlefield and Dryden. Supervisor Ray Staats said the matter should be looked into, and he and Kahle agreed to dig for more information. In other Clermont Town business:

• The board approved the outlay of $3,000 from the Highway Department budget to buy a used road grader from the town of Germantown. Staats said the current road grader is a 1953 Cullen model in poor condition and “is starting to have a lot of issues.”


• The board appointed Robert Queirolo as the new Planning Board member, and Luke Kumburis as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.


• Staats said Red Hook Central School District Superintendent Paul Finch would make a presentation at the next Town Board meeting about school consolidation issues.

Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, partly sunny, high near 58; low around 36; a slight chance of precipitation before 5 a.m.; cloudy with a low around 35.

The forecast for the rest of the week:
Wednesday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain showers; high near 54; low around 34.
Thursday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers; high near 55; low around 33.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 59; low around 36.


Sunrise today: 6:22 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:32 p.m.
Length of the day: 13 hrs. 10 min.

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

CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at 488 Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COPAKE Board of Ethics, 7 p.m.; Comprehensive Planning Comm., 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
COXSACKIE Town board at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).

Rob LeDonne reports in The Daily Mail closing Durham Elementary School is one of the options under consideration by the Cairo-Durham Board of Education as a way to close the budget gap projected for the 2012-13 school year. Closing the school outright could save the district $450,000. Redistricting 91 Cairo elementary students into Durham is another possibility, for a savings of $116,000. An earlier proposal to replace Durham Elementary with a charter school is now off the table after the charter application was withdrawn. The board is looking at everything -- "anything that is not a state requirement is currently on the chopping block," including sports, extracurricular activities and AP (Advanced Placement) classes, LeDonne writes. Superintendent Sally Sharkey framed the issue as a choice between keeping the elementary school open, or closing the school and keeping the sports and extracurricular programs going. Sharkey will leave the district at the close of the school year when her current contract expires. The district expects to hire a one-year interim superintendent to manage the district while a search is conducted to find its next superintendent. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced the state has allocated $9.4 million to fund road and bridge repair in Columbia County this year. The program will oversee the following repairs:

• Deck replacement for Route 23B bridge over Claverack Creek in the town of Claverack at a cost of $4.26 million


• Deck replacement for bridge on Route 20 over Wyomanock Creek in the town of New Lebnanon at a cost of $777,450


• Pavement preservation treatment on Route 66 from Claverack Creek to Route 203 at a cost of $2.016 million


• Pavement preservation on Route 9H, from Route 9 and 82 to Route 66 at a cost of $1.344 million


• Pavement preservation on Route 20 in Rensselaer County to begin at Route 22 overlap in Columbia County at a cost of $1.12 million

The projects are part of New York Works, a $1.2 billion program for infrastructure repairs throughout New York; 75 percent of the funds originate with the federal government. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Stories that made the news (Apr. 3 to Apr. 5) in Columbia and Greene counties:

W.T. Eckert reports in The Daily Mail Republican George Amedore declared his candidacy for the new 46th Senate District seat, Wed., Apr. 4 in Windham. He currently serves as assemblyman for the 105th District. During the announcement, Amedore cited his "experience as a business owner in the private sector and the need to reform state government for the sake of small business and tourism," as the cornerstones of his candidacy. According to Eckert, Amedore said "Albany needs people with practical, private sector business experience." Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Tom Casey reports in the Register Star alleged Hudson City Hall break-in suspect Jamont McClendon was apprehended by city police Tues., Apr. 2. Following receipt of an anonymous tip, McClendon was taken into custody at 229 B State St, on the city's north side. He was arrested on a superior court warrant for third-degree burglary and arraigned the following day. McClendon was remanded without bail to the Columbia County Jail by Judge Jonathan Nichols. Casey reports the second suspect in the case, Quintin Cross, is still at large. Read the full story in the Register Star. [Editor's note: Up until the time of his disappearance, Cross was an active WGXC 90.7-FM volunteer.)

The Columbia County Board of Supervisors is moving $50 million in county funds from Bank of America to the Bank of Greene County, writes Nathan Mayberg in the Register Star. County Treasurer PJ Keeler announced the decision Tues., Apr. 3, during the Board of Supervisors’ Finance Committee meeting. Keeler told the committee the move will result in an additional $70,000 to $100,000 in interest revenue to the county. The county is expected to move an additional $15 million in public funds to Kinderhook Bank, as well, as part of a new investment policy. Read the full story in the Register Star.

The Hudson City School District budget gap may be more than expected, Audra Jornov writes in the Register Star. At a previously unscheduled Budget Committee meeting, Wed., Apr. 4, Interim Business Manager Jack McKinney announced a potential accounting discrepancy that could add up to a budget shortfall of $2.5 million, $1.2 million more than previously thought. According to Jornov's report, there appeared to be confusion over how grant-funded positions are accounted for. Out-going Superintendent John F. Howe promised to work "the entire day with the budget,"  Thurs., Apr. 5, and "to try and find the mistakes." Read the full story in the Register Star.

The new owner of the former site of the Wormuth Brothers Foundry in Athens may be preparing the property for new commercial activity and that could be a problem, reports Melanie Lekocevic in The Daily Mail. The property was purchased by the new owner in 2010. While commercial use of the property was permissible when the foundry was operational, after sitting dormant for more than a year, it is now zoned for residential use, only. Town attorney Carl Whitbeck recently advised "that as long as the town could prove the land hadn’t been used commercially for one year, they could block any form of commercial use." Because it is unclear how the property is being used, the town board agreed action needs to be taken. "Whitbeck said he would begin compiling the proof the town would need," Lekocevic writes. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Tom Casey reports in the Register Star the rate of unemployment in Columbia and Greene counties increased in February, according to data recently released by the state Department of Labor. The DoL reported the rate in Columbia County rose to 8.5 percent, up from 8.4 in January; in Greene County the rate rose to 9.8 percent, up from 9.6 percent in January. A total of 2,500 Columbia County residents are out of work; in Greene County that number is 2,400. The statewide average is 9.2 percent, up from 8.6 percent in February 2011.  Read the full story in the Register Star.

In its April issue, Hudson Valley Magazine named Chatham and Athens two of its "7 Top Towns: Best Places to Live in the Hudson Valley in 2012." Writers Barbara Ballinger and Sara Greenberg call Athens, "a riverfront jewel...perched in a prime spot." They include its proximity to Albany and the ski resorts in Hunter and Windham, along with "an almost unheard-of mix of 18th- and 19th-century homes," as major selling points. Chatham, Ballinger and Greenberg write, "is so downright cute that the Berkshires often claim it as their own. While it may be small and difficult to reach without a car...its primo location between Albany, New York and Boston ensures that Chatham continues to thrive." Other towns on the annual list: Saugerties, Beacon, Rhinebeck, Goshen and Carmel. Read the full story in Hudson Valley Magazine.

Weather right now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 showers, until 1p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers, after 2 p.m., high near 54; low around 36; a chance of precipitation before 5 a.m.
Wednesday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain showers; mostly cloudy, with a high near 56; low around 34.
Thursday: A chance of showers; mostly cloudy, with a high near 54; low around 33.


Sunrise today: 6:24 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:31 p.m.
Length of the day: 13 hrs. 7 min.

Town meetings
This 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 Common Council workshop meeting at 7 p.m., City Hall, 520 Warren Street, 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).

Tom Casey reports in the Register Star the rate of unemployment in Columbia and Greene counties increased in February, according to data released Tues., April 3, by the state Department of Labor. The DoL reported the rate in Columbia County rose to 8.5 percent, up from 8.4 in January; in Greene County the rate rose to 9.8 percent, up from 9.6 percent in January. A total of 2,500 Columbia County residents are out of work; in Greene County that number is 2,400. The statewide average is 9.2 percent, up from 8.6 percent in February 2011. The Mary-Alane Wiltse, Director of Workforce Investment Office at Columbia-Greene Community College, told Casey she has noticed an increase in the number of patrons over the past months. In the past quarter, 517 people attended workshops and 780 used the college's resource room; 600 people have registered for services since January. “We have been seeing more people than we have had previously,....It’s been bad since 2008,” said Wiltse. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather warning

The red flag warning remains in effect from 11 am to 7 PM, Wednesday, for the Mohawk Valley, southern reaches of the Lake George/Saratoga region, the greater capital region, including the mid-Hudson valley, Taconics and Helderbergs of eastern New York and all of western New England.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Catskill, in Greene County.
Today, sunny, with a high near 60, and tonight partly cloudy, with a low around 34.

The forecast for the rest of the week:
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 52, tonight mostly clear with a low around 28.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57, and a low around 29.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 61, and a low around 35.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 64.

Sunrise today: 6:32 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:25 p.m.

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).

W. T. Eckert and Audra Jornov report in the Register Star the sale of synthetic marijuana has been banned by the New York State Health Commissioner. The commissioner issued a press release Thurs., Mar. 29, calling for “sales and distribution of these products to cease immediately!” Anyone caught violating the ban will be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution, and civil penalties will be set by a judge, according to the commissioner. The products, sold as a “legal alternative” to marijuana, have been linked to a variety of side effects, including paranoid behavior, agitation and irritability, nausea and vomiting, confusion, headache and hypertension. Synthetic marijuana is commonly sold in convenience stores, smoke shops and tobacco stores, under a variety of brand names, including, “Mr. Nice Guy,” “Chronic Spice,” “Spice Gold,” “Space Truckin” and “K2." It consists of plant material coated by chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Greene County Director of Public Health Marie Cross Ostoyich told the paper her department's "main role, right now, is education and awareness." Columbia County Public Health Department Director Nancy Winch said her department will visit stores throughout the county that carry the product. Read the full story in the Register Star online.

At the Capital Confidential blog, Jimmy Vielkind has posted a spreadsheet sent along by a "delegation source" showing the breakdown of the new congressional districts outside of New York City. "It bolsters the argument that this election cycle, after the once-a-decade redistricting, could lead to a major shuffle in New York," he writes. The data contained in the spreadsheet shows the newly drawn 19th Congressional District -- including Columbia and Greene counties -- has far fewer registered Republicans than the current 20th. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, will be seeking re-election in a district where the number of Republican voters has decreased from 183,485 to 141,258. The district "leans" Republican by more than 10,000 voters. Read the full post and the spreadsheet at Capitol Confidential.

The Associated Press reported New York state prison officials have initiated a new policy of photographing visitors to incarcerated inmates as part of a pilot program slated for a facility in northern New York. The photographs will be filed in a central visitor identification system run by the Dept. of Corrections. There are plans to expand the program to all 60 state facilities housing 56,000 prisoners. The corrections department also announced effective Oct. 1st, all adult visitors to state prison facilities will be required to present photo identification. Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal.

Weather right now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, with a high near 58, a low around 37, with a chance of showers after 1 a.m. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57, and a low around 31.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52, with a low around 31.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57, with a low around 31.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64, and a low around 36.

Sunrise today: 6:34 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:24 p.m.

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.

Lissa Harris reports in The Watershed Post Freshtown, the Margaretville supermarket heavily damaged by the Irene floods, is expected to be "fully operational" by June 1. The news was delivered in a prepared statement to local officials during the third meeting of the newly formed East Branch Flood Commission, Thurs., March 29. The group, chaired by Middletown supervisor Marge Miller, is made up of local officials and stakeholders. It was established "in the wake of the Irene and Lee floods...to fund flood mitigation projects in the East Branch river basin," Harris writes. As part of its mission the commission will identify flood risks in Middletown and the outlying areas, and educate and inform interested parties, including residents, business owners and public officials, of flood risks...." Read the full story and read the minutes of the commission meeting online at The Watershed Post.

Melanie Lekocevic writes in The Daily Mail the Town of Coxsackie is considering a change in health plan for employees that could result in  thousands of dollars in savings. Current coverage is through CDPHP but other plans may be better for the town's bottom line. Several options are under consideration, including the adoption of a higher copay, shifting to a Blue Shield program or implementing a transitional, or hybrid plan with a substantially higher deductible for hospital stays that could result in a savings of 10 to 12 percent. The Town of Coxsackie employs 15 people, and currently spends $148,000 on health care coverage. The cost of the high-deductible plan would cost the town $114,000. Town officials are next expected to discuss the issue with town employees. The question will come back to the town board for a decision next month. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Tom Casey writes in the Register Star the state Dept. of Transportation says its hands are tied until Hudson, Greenport and Claverack come to an agreement on the issue of rerouting truck traffic. On March 20, the Hudson Common Council passed a resolution calling on the DOT to relocate the route outside the city. Officials in the towns of Greenport and Claverack oppose any change to the existing route from routes 9 and 9G/23B that runs through the city. Susan Stepp, a spokeswoman for the DOT, said the city has the right to redraw the route within city borders, but it will need approval from neighboring towns to reroute traffic outside the city. Stepp said her department offered to facilitate a meeting between the towns and the city last year but received no response. Read the full story in the Register Star.

David Lee of the Register Star followed self-proclaimed fly fishing purist John Libruk into Claverack Creek for the first day of trout fishing, Sun., Apr. 1. Lee writes that mild temperatures and a lack of storm water run-off made for ideal conditions in the creek. The fish are more likely to take surface flies when the water is clear. Libruk spotted several “rises," telltale ripples in the water when the trout take food from the surface. Lee reports Libruk caught four brown trout in quick succession. The largest of the four fish was a healthy 13 to 14 inches long. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Parry Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper Democrat Didi Barrett is the winner of the special election to fill the vacant 103rd Assembly District seat. Barrett's opponent Richard Wager conceded defeat, Fri., Mar. 30. The special election was held March 20. Barrett held a slight lead after the initial count, but the final tally awaited the counting of absentee ballots. Teasdale reports Barrett is unlikely to represent Columbia County past this abbreviated one-year term. The candidate is a resident of Washington, located in Dutchess County, which is likely to be redistricted into the 105th Assembly District, following expected approval of the plan by the state Legislature. Read the full story online at The Columbia Paper.

Weather right now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, with a high near 51, and tonight clear, with a low around 24. The forecast for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58, a low around 37, with a chance of showers after 1 a.m.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57, and a low around 31.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52, with a low around 31.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

Sunrise today: 6:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:23 p.m.

Town meetings
This 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).
HUDSON Informal meeting of Common Council at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
TAGHKANIC Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82,West Taghkanic (851-7638).

School Board meeting

HUDSON CITY Budget workshop, 7 p.m., Hudson High School library, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson (828-4360)

Nancy Folbre, an Economics Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, asks why the government continues to nurture nuclear power more than safer, and less costly sources of electricity. Writing in the New York Times "Economix" blog, Folbre compares a $8.3 billion Energy Department guarantee to help utility giant Southern Company build nuclear reactors in Georgia with loan guarantees similar to the incentives awarded to solar panel manufacturer Solyndra. Those loan guarantees drew heavy criticism from Republicans when the business failed, but according to a report published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "subsidies to the nuclear fuel cycle have often exceeded the value of the power produced," Folbre writes. What's more, "the government favors extending the life of aging nuclear plants like Vermont Yankee and Indian Point 2 in Buchanan..., which have reached the end of their projected lifetime operation." Read the full post online at Economix.