Bryan Fitzgerald reports in the Times Union after a week of record-setting high temperatures, the cold weather is back. The National Weather Service predicts temps will peak around 45 degrees this week, close to the average March temperatures of 46 to 48 degrees. The National Weather Service is also predicting "a slight chance of snow showers," Tuesday. Four record highs were set last week in Albany, ranging from 69 degrees on Sunday to 81 degrees, Thursday. Snowfall this season will be far below 55.5-inch average for the date and the 86.3 inches Albany had seen by this time last year. The area reported a total snowfall this winter of less than two feet -- 23.3 inches -- as of Monday. 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, it will be sunny, with a high near 46. Windy, with gusts as high as 45 mph. It will be clear tonight with a low around 20. Wind will continue, with gusts as high as 38 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 44. Increasing clouds overnight, with a low around 27.
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: 6:47 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:15 p.m.

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

CATSKILL Village board meeting at 7 p.m. at Firehouse near Catskill Commons (Wal Mart) (943-3830).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors’ Economic Development/Planning/Tourism/Agriculture/Transportation Committee Meeting, 5 p.m at 401 State St., Hudson.
HALCOTT Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 813 Route 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920)
HUDSON Common Council Police Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall; Fire Committee Meeting at 6:45 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
PHILMONT Local Development Corp meeting at 7 p.m., Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).

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

Melanie Lekocevic writes in The Daily Mail, a farmers' market is coming to Riverside Park in Coxsackie, this May. The Village Board gave the plan a thumbs up at its recent meeting. “The board is committing to sponsor and support a farmer’s market in the village, so we reached out to several people who are willing to work to make it happen,” Mayor Mark Evans said. Melissa Scheriff from Greene County Rural Health Network and Cornell Cooperative Extension worked with the village to launch the project. The village will sponsor the market and provide insurance coverage. The market will be held 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, from May through October. "Such markets are seen to benefit both consumers and farmers by making locally grown, fresh produce more easily accessible, and by providing another marketing outlet to support local farms," Lekocevic writes. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Fifth Ward Supervisor and former Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera and Tom Swope, Executive Director of the GalVan Initiatives Foundation, presented a plan to the Hudson Common Council, Tues., Mar. 21, to design and build a new facility to house the Hudson Police Department and City Court, located at the corner of Fourth and Columbia streets in the city's Fourth Ward. The plan, called the Civic Hudson Project, is co-sponsored by developer T. Eric Galloway's Lantern nonprofit corporation and the GalVan Initiatives Foundation. The project will be funded using private investment funds and tax credits. In addition to a police facility and city court, the 46,995 square-foot structure will contain 33 units of "permanent housing for formerly homeless adults," on the building's top two floors. The City of Hudson is under a consent decree by the New York State Department of Justice and the Third Department to improve conditions of its police station and courthouse. According to Tom Casey's account in the Register Star the plan was praised by several in attendance at the meeting, including Mayor Bill Hallenbeck. But Hudson Police Chief Ellis Richardson, commenting on the decision to mix municipal and residential uses in a single structure, said,  “Although this particular project seems to be financially attractive...one of the biggest concerns I have is homeless housing coexisting with municipal functions.” The design-build project calls for the city court and police to lease space from GalVan. A special meeting of the Common Council will be held Thurs., Mar. 29, to discuss the project. Read the full story online at the Register Star and The Gossips of Rivertown. (Image of the Civic Hudson Project, 25 N. Fourth St., courtesy GalVan Initiatives Foundation.)

Tom Casey writes in the Register Star Democrat Didi Barrett held a slim lead Tuesday night over Republican Rich Wager in the special election to fill the vacated 103rd Assembly District seat. Barrett led with 5,855 votes to Wager's 5,716, late in the evening. In Columbia County, Barrett led 2,011 to 1,530; Wager led among Dutchess County voters, 4,186 to 3,844. More than 1,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted. Because of the marginal lead, Barrett’s campaign has not declared victory. The eventual winner serve the remainder of Marcus Molinaro's term, and then run again in the November election. Redistricting will become an issue in that election. The newly drawn lines split up the 103rd into the 106th and 107th districts. Election results are unofficial pending routine recanvassing and the counting of absentee ballots. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Bob Gardinier is reporting in the Times Union former Hudson Alderman Quintin E. Cross and Jamont M. McClendon are being sought in connection with burglarizing City Hall last weekend. Cross, 29, and McClendon, 28, were allegedly caught on tape by security cameras. The break in at 520 Warren occurred sometime between 6 p.m., Fri., Mar. 16, and 6 a.m., Mon., Mar. 19. According to Gardinier, Mayor Bill Hallenbeck said the men "tried to pry their way into some offices and gained access to the Department of Public Works where they took at most $100 from a petty cash drawer." Hudson Police Department and the Columbia County district attorney's office are collaborating on the investigation. Read the full story in the Times Union. Audra Jornov reported in the Register Star a felony arrest warrant was issued late Tues. Mar. 20, for both suspects. Cross was questioned during "the preliminary investigation," but was permitted to leave because he was not under arrest, at the time, according to Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano. The police have not been able to relocate him since, Jornov writes. Read the full story in the Register Star. Editor's note: Cross is an active WGXC 90.7-FM volunteer.

Melanie Lekocevic reports in The Daily Mail on the recent clash between Coxsackie Mayor Mark Evans and former Deputy Mayor Greg Backus over questions surrounding land ownership and an alleged water deal to supply the proposed water park development on Route 9W. During a recent meeting of the Village Board, Backus revealed Evans' mother, Gina McGrath, owns one-third of the land upon which the park will sit. Evans confirmed the land is held in trust for McGrath, her brother and sister. Backus was under the impression the 103-acre parcel was owned by the IDA, "...as reported in the newspaper," he said. “Why was I misled and why was there no disclosure of who owns that property?” Backus said the mayor has a conflict of interest and should be excluded from any discussion of how water will be supplied to the park. Backus said Evans favors charging the developer a "bulk rate" for water. Backus opposed the idea, and was later shocked to learn Evans' family owned the property. Evans denied a deal was in place to provide water. He later told Lekocevic the issue is "...nothing." Tempers flared after the meeting -- Backus called the village "...a communist state;" and later Police Chief Donald Meier called Backus "an idiot." Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Democrat Didi Barrett will face off against Republican Richard Wager in a special election for the 103rd Assembly seat, Tuesday. The seat was formerly held by Marcus Molinaro, who was elected Dutchess County Executive in November. The 103rd includes the city of Hudson and the towns of Ancram, Austerlitz, Canaan, Claverack, Copake, Ghent, Greenport, Hillsdale and Stockport, and 12 towns in Dutchess County, including Red Hook, Milan, Millerton and Pine Plains. Parry Teasdale writes in The Columbia Paper .there were nearly 81,000 registered voters in the 103rd as of November, 27 percent of those voters reside in Columbia County. Republicans hold a sizable advantage over Democrats among registered voters in Dutchess County. The winner of Tuesday's election will serve through the end of 2012, the balance of Molinaro's term. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

In Greene County, village elections will be held in Athens, Catskill, Coxsackie, Hobart and Ravena.

In Athens, Deputy Mayor Herman Reinhold, Gail Lasher and John Moree are competing for two seats on the village board.

In Catskill, former village trustee and village president Chris Lewoc and attorney Maria LaRosa are running for village justice. In the village trustee race incumbents James Chewens and Patrick McCulloch are being challenged by former trustee Stanley Dushane.

In Coxsackie, a field of four candidates -- Donald Daoust, Damian Johnston, Darryl Proper and Dianne Ringwald -- are vying for two open seats on the village board.

Hobart also has a four-way race. David Hotaling, Gordie Key, Evelyn Kuhn and Jim Quarino are competing to fill two spots..

The trustee races in Hunter and Tannersville are unopposed. Incumbent Michael Tancredi is seeking his sixth three-year term In Hunter. In Tannersville, Leigh J. V. McGunnigle and Brian Walsh will fill two open seats.

The Village of Ravena has two trustee seats and a justice position up for re-election.

Polls are open noon to 9 p.m. Contact the Greene County Board of Elections for further information at 518-719-3550.

In Columbia County, village elections will be held Tuesday in Philmont, Chatham and Kinderhook.

Three candidates are running for two slots on Philmont's Village Board. The candidates are Trustee/Deputy Mayor Brian Johnson, Trustee Barbara Sagal and Matthew Perry. Voters can cast their ballots at the Village Hall, 124 Main St., from noon to 9 p.m.

Four people are competing for two seats on Chatham's Village board. Board member George Grant is seeking another term. The other candidates are former Mayor Paul Boehme, Lenore Packet and Adrienne Morrell. Grant has served on the board for nearly 20 years and Boehme was mayor from 1980 to 2011. Adrienne Morrell is an assistant to the Director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. Lenore Packet runs a preschool in Chatham. Voters can cast their ballots at the Tracy Memorial on Main Street. Polls are open from from noon to 9 p.m.

In Kinderhook, Mayor Carol Weaver is running unopposed. Incumbent trustees Rich Phillips and Brian Murphy are being challenged by Sue Chiafullo in the three-way race for two seats on the village Board of Trustees. Voting will take place at the Village Hall on Rte. 9 from noon to 9 p.m.

To contact the Columbia County Board of Elections, call (518) 828-3115.

John F. Howe officially announced his retirement as superintendent of the Hudson City schools following a Board of Education meeting , Mon., Mar. 19. News of his decision has circulated for the past week. A Hudson native, Howe served as district superintendent for three years. This was his first experience in central administration; it was his first assignment as superintendent. Following a six-month search in late 2008, the board chose Howe to replace Interim Superintendent David Paciencia, and he assumed the district's top spot in Feb. 2009. Before a small audience Monday, Howe said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve, and cited his 34 years in education, with nearly 24 years of that time spent in Hudson as a teacher, coach and principal. "There's certainly no finish line in education, you simply pass the baton," Howe said. He vowed to continue to diligently work through the end of the school year. "I will do whatever the board asks of me," he said. Howe will officially leave the district's employ June 30. No word on when the search for his replacement will begin. Read the full story at unmuffled.

Three Republicans will vie for the chance to unseat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York). New York City lawyer Wendy Long, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and Congressman Bob Turner all received enough delegate votes at the GOP convention Rochester, Fri., Mar. 16, to qualify for the primary. Long led the field with 47 percent of the delegate votes; Maragos and Turner received 27 and 25 percent of delegate votes, respectively. Turner, a relative political newcomer, won a surprise victory last fall in a special election to fill the Ninth Congressional District seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. The new redistricting plan will eliminate that district. Turner jumped into the Senate race one week before the convention. The GOP primary is scheduled for June 26. Read the full story online.

Melanie Lekocevic reports in The Daily Mail the golden arches may be coming to the site of a former tobacco store on Route 9W in Coxsackie. Local developer, Russell Francis, president of R&S Francis Holdings, Inc., "...has been trying to bring McDonald's to the area for four years," Lekocevic writes. The project site plan is under review by the Town of Coxsackie Planning Board. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin as soon as this spring and be completed in four to six months. The restaurant will be housed in a 3,200-square-foot building with two retailers attached -- a Dollar Tree and another, as yet unidentified store. The national restaurant will be a boon to the local economy, Francis said. The project is privately funded and will not utilize county taxpayer dollars, Lekocevic writes. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star the state of New York is launching a tourism and economic development project aimed at getting motorists off the Thruway to visit historic sites, museums and cultural attractions, including several in Columbia and Greene counties. The "Path Through History" initiative will include the Lindenwald, the home of Pres. Martin Van Buren and the Van Alen House, both located in Kinderhook, and Olana in Greenport. The Fireman’s Association Museum of Firefighting in Hudson, may also be included, Mayberg writes. Signs will be installed along the highway to direct travelers to the locations, and information kiosks will be placed at rest stops. "We know that there's a high volume of traffic that goes by Greene County," Warren Hart, the county's director of tourism, economic development and planning, said. "Anything we can do to spotlight the history or tourism attractions that are in the Catskills is a great idea." Read the full story online.

The Associated Press is reporting New York is one of two states nationwide to post a double-digit increase in its graduation rate. A study released Sunday, Mar. 18, by a coalition of education advocacy organizations found the state's graduation rate went from 60.5 percent in 2002, to 73.5 percent in 2009. New York finished second behind Tennessee, among 24 states showing improvement. The national graduation rate is now 75.5 percent, according to the report. Approximately 32,000 more New York students graduated in 2009 than in 2002; 130 schools statewide had a graduation rate of 60 percent or less in 2010, down from 145 in 2002. The improved rate was attributed to "a sharper focus on high-needs districts and a strong commitment to getting diplomas into the hands of all students." Read the full Associated Press story online.

The Cairo-Durham Central School District is currently looking at a budget gap of $924,000 for the 2012-13 school year. At the budget discussion held Wed., Mar. 14, district business manager Lisa Gillette explained district expenditures, projected revenues and the tax cap to an audience of students and community members. She reported Cairo-Durham's top three expenses are salaries (46 percent), benefits (23 percent) and debt service (11 percent). Cairo-Durham's fund fund balance is eroding, she said, but "we are in better shape than many of our neighbors in Greene and Columbia counties." The majority of the district's revenue (87 percent) comes from state and federal aid (44.6 percent) and the tax levy (42.6 percent). "The tax cap has been purposely misrepresented by the governor," Gillette said. She said it is "not really a 'cap,' but rather a way to set a higher threshold for voter approval of school budgets. Based on the tax cap formula, the maximum allowable tax levy increase for Cairo-Durham in 2012-13, is 3.8 percent. Cost-savings proposals under consideration include redistricting 91 Cairo students to Durham, or closing Durham Elementary School. Gillette emphasized the budget process is "far from over" at this point. Board president Greg Koerner-Fox said when considering cost-cutting options, the board is "looking for cuts that least impact students." Listen to the full meeting online (Part 1 and Part 2) at WGXC.org. (Recorded by Anne Horst.)

The Register Star has Trevor Alford's profiles the four candidates vying for two seats on the Chatham Village Board in the March 20 election. Incumbent George Grant will face off against former mayor Paul Boehme, Adrienne Morrell and Lenore Packet. Grant has held a seat on the Village Board for 17 years. He counts the transfer of Union Station from the railroad and an improved village sewer system as two important accomplishments during his tenure. He would like to be involved in the final stages of the sewer plant upgrade and believes a compromise must be found between Price Chopper and the owner of the Chatham Plaza. “It does frustrate me that they don’t seem to be talking to each other,” he said. Boehme served as mayor for 20 years and "used his accounting background to keep the village budget within 1.4 percent over a period of 10 years," Alford writes. He also worked to improve the village water system and its roads. Boehme is interested in joining the board "because...there is a lot of activity in Chatham right now." He, too, believes a solution to the Price Chopper controversy can be found if the parties sit down and talk. But before any expansion can happen, he said, the sewer infrastructure must be upgraded. Morrell grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and attended New York University. She is the executive director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, located in Williamstown, Mass. Her two children are enrolled in the Chatham schools. Morrell's biggest issues are to work within the limits of the 2 percent property tax cap and encourage more residents to volunteer their time to various causes throughout the village. She believes her experience with a non-profit makes her a good candidate for Village Board. As for the Price Chopper controversy, Morrell hopes the planning boards will "balance the increased need for groceries against 'the desire of many of us to protect the beauty and open spaces of Chatham.'" Packet is a Chatham native and the director and teacher of Chatham Preschool. If elected, she told Alford, she "will work with the mayor, other trustees and village department heads to cut costs and 'keep taxes under control.'” Packet said the Price Chopper expansion would be out of her hands as a village trustee, but would prefer the existing mall be expanded. "She likes having some open space that breaks up commercial sites in that area," Alford writes. “We should tread lightly on what open land we have. Once you’ve paved it you’ve lost it,” Packet said. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Emilia Teasdale writes in The Columbia Paper the Ichabod Crane Central School District will receive more than $400,000 as part of a health insurance settlement that may help reduce the district's projected $1.2 budget gap for the 2012-13 school year. Board member John Antalek called the settlement with the Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene Health Insurance Trust and Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare, "a one-time windfall for the district." Interim Schools Superintendent Lee Bordick stressed "this is money the district may never see again," Teasdale writes. "How do we not squander it?” Antalek asked. Bordick said the funds could be used to reduce the deficit in 2012-13, but it would not fill the entire gap. Because ICC will see greater cuts in state aid than other schools in Columbia County, board members will travel to Albany and meet with state representatives this week. The board is encouraging members of the public to write state officials, as well. Contact information for the governor and other state representatives is now posted at www.ichabodcrane.org. Read the full story in the Mar. 8 edition of The Columbia Paper.