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.

The Hudson City Board of Education rejected a proposal to conduct an open, public search for its new superintendent after emerging from executive session, Mon., Mar. 26. The rejected motion was brought forward by Elizabeth Fout, who urged board members to do their "duty and find the best possible candidate" to fill the position vacated by John F. Howe, effective June 30. She further urged the board to do its "due diligence" as an elective body. Peter Meyer spoke for the majority, arguing a traditional, comprehensive search was unnecessary. The board is believed to have already chosen Howe's replacement, after making the decision behind closed doors at a special meeting, Sat., Mar. 17. Read the full story at unmuffled.

Brian Nearing writes in the Times Union about Sandra Steingraber, an Ithaca biologist who donated most of a $100,000 award to a coalition of organizations dedicated to preventing the process of natural gas-extraction commonly referred to as hydrofracking, in New York. Steingraber, an environmental studies scholar at Ithaca College and a cancer survivor, has written two books about cancer and the environment. She received the Heinz Foundation award last fall and eventually made the decision to donate the funds to New Yorkers Against Fracking, a coalition that includes Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizen Action of New York, Food & Water Watch, Frack Action, Water Defense and the Working Families Party. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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 48. Increasing clouds overnight, with a low around 36.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers before 10 a.m., turning to a mix of rain and snow late morning, turning to rain by afternoon.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.

Sunrise today: 6:46 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:16 p.m.

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

GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

Danny Hakim writes in The New York Times "City Room" blog the state is progressing toward full-scale casino gambling and lawmakers have agreed to overhaul the gambling regulation, "concentrating power in a panel that would be largely controlled by the governor." Over the weekend the Assembly and the Senate released the details of new legislation to create a New York State Gaming Commission. The new commission will operate the state’s lottery, regulate bingo halls and other charitable gambling, and regulate Indian casinos, horse racing and video lottery terminals at racetracks. It will consist of seven members, five appointed by the governor, one by the Assembly speaker and one by the Senate majority leader. A similar commission was proposed by Cuomo in January. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Jon Campbell and Joseph Spector report at LoHud.com the April 1 state budget deadline looms but several "sticking points remain" between Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and state legislators. Key issues include: education, the hydrofracking health study and mandate relief. Cuomo's proposed budget set aside $250 million for a competitive school performance grant program. The Senate and Assembly agreed to reduce that program by $200 million and allocated those funds for distribution to the state's 700 school districts as regular school aid. The legislators' proposal leaves $50 million for competitive grants, but the "conference committees might do a little more in competitive grants," said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Assembly and Senate Democrats are pushing to have funding set aside to underwrite a study of the impact of high-volume hydraulic fracturing on human health. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is considering a proposal to allow hydrofracking at locations throughout New York. Negotiations are also ongoing over the governor's proposal to begin the phased-in state takeover of Medicaid costs, now shouldered by local governments. While the governor's plan sets the phase-in to begin during the 2013-14 fiscal year, Senate Republicans hope to launch the program April 1. The measure could save counties and New York City $1.2 billion over five years. Read the full story at LoHud.com.

Debby Mayer reports in The Columbia Paper the Germantown Town Board is considering a moratorium on the natural gas-extraction process, commonly referred to as hydrofracking. A public meeting will be held April 16, to discuss a proposal put forward by Supervisor Roy Brown to impose an 18-month moratorium on natural gas and petroleum exploration or extraction within the town limits. Brown told the board a local business owner was recently contacted and asked if his property could be used for gas exploration. Last month, the state Supreme Court found state law “does not preclude a municipality from using its power to regular land use to ban oil and natural gas production.” The state Department of Environmental Conservation is currently weighing a proposal to allow hydrofracking in New York. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.