Tropical Storm Irene created a "super flood," Michael Ryan writes in The Daily Mail. Engineer James MacBroom was retained by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to conduct the storm study that characterized the amount of rainfall and resulting water quantities as "off the chart." MacBroom and DEP regional manager Ira Stern recently presented the preliminary findings to members of the Prattsville community. MacBroom said the little town "never had a chance" on Aug. 28, 2011, due in large part to its unique location among steep forest lands and narrow valleys. The study offers suggestions on how Prattsville can move forward. MacBroom said more data is needed before a final analysis can be made. The process was complicated, Ryan writes, because gauges used to measure water levels and stream velocities at Red Falls, on the Batavia Kill, and on the Schoharie Creek just above the Route 23 bridge, were lost in the flooding. Additional public information sessions are planned. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the Red Hook and Germantown school districts are contemplating a study to determine if services can be shared. Consolidation is under consideration primarily for economic reasons, Red Hook Superintendent Paul Finch said at a recent Board of Education meeting. Finch said Red Hook was approached by Germantown Superintendent Patrick Gabriel and asked to join in a state Department of State consolidation grant application. Red Hook is also looking at exploring options with other districts, including Pine Plains and Rhinebeck. In 2009-10, Germantown reported a K-12 enrollment of 611 students, Red Hook's enrollment during the same period was 2,231. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Albany Business Review reports that Hudson has the highest self-employment rate in the state and ranks 83rd nationally, with 9.96 percent of the town working population self-employed, according to a study funded by a company owned by the magazine's parent company. In comparison, in Albany 5.5 percent of workers are self-employed, and Glens Falls has 8.75 percent to rank third in New York. Nationally the average is 6.5 percent. Hudson has a higher rate then San Francisco. The California city had the highest rate in the nation for cities with over 500,000 workers. The figures are as of 2010. Read the full story in The Albany Business Review.

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 Copake, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts rain in Copake Thursday, mainly after 4 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 44. Thursday night there will be rain and snow, becoming all snow after 3 a.m. Low around 30. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Friday: A chance of snow showers, mainly before 7 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 44, low around 22.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42, low around 24 and overnight snow showers possible.
• Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38, low around 20.
• Washington's Birthday: Sunny, with a high near 37.

Town meetings today
Today is the third Thursday of the month.
ANCRAM Board meeting at 7 p.m. in Town Hall at 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
CHATHAM Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
CLAVERACK A presentation and discussion of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's 2012-13 Executive Budget with Brian U. Stratton, Director of Canals, and former Mayor of Schenectady. Stratton will offer an overview of the Governor's spending plan and take questions from attendees. At 11 a.m. at A. B. Shaw Firehouse, 67 Route 23, Claverack.
COLUMBIA COUNTY Public Safety Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town board meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham.
GHENT Town Board meeting at the Ghent Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644)
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:50 a.m./ 5:30 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 2:44 a.m. / 12:20 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Sacramento Kings 85 at New York Knicks 100; 10 points, 13 assists for Jeremy Lin. Seventh straight Knicks win with Jeremy Lin.
Schedules
NBA: Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m. (TV: TNT)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Thu. Feb. 16:
• "Between the Lines," 2 p.m. Interviews with Guy Dayton and Professor Louie about the benefit concert February 19 at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville, New York, to benefit those impacted by Hurricane Irene. Also talking to Machan Taylor who has put together a compilation virtual CD by local musicians to similarly benefit Hurricane Irene victims. Hosted by Ann Forbes Cooper.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play


New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120226 WGXC First Year Membership
• A OFF_PSA _20120226_WGXC ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY .mp3 Pamela Badilla Produced By Shannekia McIntosh

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 5:02 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:00
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 5:02 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:00
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 5:02 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:00
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 5:02 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:00
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

Doron Tyler Antrim reports in The Daily Mail, the Department of Environmental Conservation has declared the American Valve Superfund site, located on Mansion Street in Coxsackie, is no longer a threat to the public health or environment. The state agency announced Feb. 8, the site was reclassified, but that it will remain on the state Superfund list for maintenance and monitoring. The site is the former home of American Valve Manufacturing Corp., a foundry where valves and pipe fittings were produced until 1988, when the company relocated to North Carolina and abandoned the 15-acre property contaminated by lead and other toxic solvents. The location was declared a state Superfund site in 1991. The DEC anticipates years of continued testing and says redevelopment of the site is unlikely. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

W.T. Eckert writes in The Daily Mail about the Greene County Highway Department's continued work to repair major highway damage left in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. At its meeting Mon., Feb. 13, the county Highway Committee authorized the department to enter into agreements with four engineering firms, totaling $819,852. County Highway Superintendent Gary Harvey said the resolutions approved covered the replacement of the County Route 17 slide, eight bridges and three large culverts. Four different engineering firms, all prequalified and previously approved, were retained. Each firm was assigned three or four projects each, according to Harvey. Read the full story in the Daily Mail.

Tom Casey reports in the Register Star the Hudson Common Council is considering how best to fund a proposed expansion of the senior addition to the city Youth Center. The center is located at Third and Union streets on the city's south side. At its informal meeting, Mon., Feb. 13, the Council considered a proposal directing that money from the general fund be used to cover an estimated budget overrun of $130,000. Council President Don Moore said use of the general fund was preferable over other forms of financing if the project expansion is approved. The decision to expand the original plan and add a second floor to the new wing of the center will be made at the Council's formal meeting, Tues., Feb. 21. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Jim Planck reports in the Register Star the Firemen's Association of the State of New York has extended the Higher Education Learning Plan filing deadline for tuition reimbursement to Wed., Feb. 15. HELP is a FASNY-created incentive program intended to draw in new volunteer firefighters. Eligible community college students can qualify to receive full tuition reimbursement when they become a volunteer firefighter. A student must maintain a passing average and be an active volunteer while in school, and during a service period of one to four years following graduation. The program is funded by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Weather right now

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in studio.
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 Acra, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts a chance of snow showers before 9 a.m. Wednesday in Acra, then turning to rain. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Wednesday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 24. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Thursday: Rain and snow likely before 2 p.m., then rain likely between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., then rain and snow likely after 5 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 41, low around 33.
• Friday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 10 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 43, low around 26.
• Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41, low around 19.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36.

Town meetings today
Today is the third Wednesday of the month.
CATSKILL at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill.
COLUMBIA COUNTY Human Services meeting at 4 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
GHENT Planning Board session at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature meeting at 6:30 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:51 a.m./ 5:29 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 1:42 a.m. / 11:23 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: New York Knicks 90 at Toronto Raptors 87. Jeremy Lin hit the winning basket with a half-second left in the game, and scored 27 points total, as the Knicks are now 6-0 since the undrafted rookie from Harvard University took over the point guard position.
Schedules
NBA: Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TV: MSG)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Wed. Feb. 15:
• "WGXC Afternoon Show," 4-6 p.m. Live from the Catskill Community Center.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play


New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120226 WGXC First Year Membership
• A OFF_PSA _20120226_WGXC ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY .mp3 Pamela Badilla Produced By Shannekia McIntosh

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 5:03 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 5:03 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 5:03 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 5:03 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

We will soon update this page with phonetic spellings of local town names, and other local that might often be said on the radio.

WGXC Style Sheet
WGXC Style is the way we, collectively, assemble text in all WGXC public documents, fliers, posters, Facebook posts, Twitter feeds, and other forms of written word. The goal is the present the reader with a consistent text that is reliably easy to understand.

WGXC, generally, uses AP Style, with the exceptions noted below. WGXC also recommends “The Elements of Style” for concise, clear writing tips.

BYLINES "Staff" bylines are used for all almanac items, and any single-source aggregation story. Individual bylines are used for multiple source, or long-form stories.

PUNCTUATION INSIDE QUOTATIONS WGXC keeps punctuation makes inside quotation marks. Final punctuation is followed by one space, only.

SERIAL COMMA WGXC uses the serial comma. That means, when there is a list of three things (such as oranges, apples, and grapes) there is a comma placed between the second thing and the "and."

DATES Refer only to numbered days, write Sept. 22, not Sept. 22nd.

RADIO SHOW NAMES Refer to individual wgxc.org pages for spellings of any WGXC radio show. Use quote marks around WGXC radio show names. The WGXC magazine shows are called "WGXC Morning Show" or "WGXC Afternoon Show."

WGXC MAGAZINE SHOWS The WGXC magazine shows are called "WGXC Morning Show" and "WGXC Afternoon Show," and are managed by staff.

LINKS Post direct links to all sources whenever possible. Please name the writer and publication if basing an item on one specific story. Do that at the beginning, and then reiterate a link to the original publication at the end of the item. If the item is an amalgam of several sources, or totally original reporting, link to as many facts or sources as possible. Always link to as many facts and sources as possible, and always be very clear about attribution.

TAGS Please create as many tags for each article as possible. Do not create a tag if one already exists; an existing tag will load as you type it. Do not use titles in tags: It is Andrew Cuomo not Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Do not tag "Senator Kirsten Gillibrand" or "Representative Kirsten Gillibrand," just "Kirsten Gillibrand." In posts, WGXC does use appropriate titles, just not in tags.

Approving/Adding Events to WGXC website
WGXC events are texts to be read on the air by announcers. Edit for brevity. Only include essential information. Do not include superlatives, this is not advertising copy. Events are for announcers to read, so rely on the link or telephone number to let readers find more information.

All entries need editing. Do not let the person promoting the event put the name of the venue in the title. “Little Red Riding Hood at TSL” is redundant. The location field tells everyone it is at TSL. That does not need to be in the headline. Take out words describing how great something is, and leave in the words necessary to tell someone what something is.

Instructions by each section:

First, is the event already up? Check and see.

ACTIVE
Button must be checked for event to be live on website.

NAME
A very short name of the event. Change when necessary. Do not include name of venue. Do not say “Concert” say “Lex Grey / Pitchfork Militia / Mark Patton.” Do not include a long sentence. Do not include a name that includes a colon; cut it off, or use the second part, whichever is more appropriate. So just “Windham Octoberfest” and not “Windham Mountain’s Octoberfest and Skeeball Tournament” or "Windham Octoberfest: 2013" Again, just because the person organizing the event gave it an incorrect or misleading name, you still need to fix it here. We list artist names, or the specific name of the art exhibit, not “Art Opening” or some other generic name. Only WGXC show titles can have colons in title, with the guest names or show subject after the colon.

If it is a WGXC radio show, the style is name the show, follow with a colon, and then list the guests, separated by commas. So:
@Issue: Don Moore, Sarah Sterling, Ellen Thurston

If the show is about a concept, it could be:
@Issue: School Busing

If there is no guest or concept, the date goes after the colon:
@Issue: 20120801

Dates are listed in descending order year-month-day. 20130922

ONGOING
If an event occurs over more than one day, click the ongoing button. Very important.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Brief is the main word here. This is a one-graph description, with three sentences at most usually. Remember, this is text for someone to read on the air. Remember, the location, time, date and other information are already included. Do not repeat the venue or date here. Do not include the name of the radio show. It is already there. Do not say, “This week on @Issue with Victor Mendolia we interview....” All of that information is already listed. It is redundant. Do not list the same text over and over again. It is redundant. Just the facts: who is performing/speaking/talking about what. Take out any information about how great the artist/performer/speaker is, and let the facts let the listener decide for themselves. These should be as brief as possible. Do not include prices or other money issues, let the link do the work.

LONG DESCRIPTION
This field is only active for Wave Farm or WGXC events. And then it only shows up when you click on the actual event. Superflous information can go here.

URL
Always put a URL in this field. There is always a URL you can use. This lets us put less information in the “Brief Description” field because the reader can always follow the link for more information.

ADMISSION
Ignore, this has zero functionality.

EXTRA ARTISTS
unknown

START DATE
START TIME
END DATE
END TIME

TYPES
Choose “community calendar event” for any event not solely organized by free103point9 and/or WGXC staff. So a Spotty Dog show qualifies. But it is also a “WGXC Hands-On Radio Event” and a “free103point9 Online Radio Event.” Making something a “WGXC Event” means it gets in the sidebar listing of every page of the website.

RELATED FILES
Generally, this is going to be “1086” the WGXC logo. Always attach the WGXC logo to every WGXC event. You will see, it makes them pop out on the WGXC calendar page. You can also attach other images or sound files here. So PSAs or PROMOs or last year’s audio file, or whatever.

LOCATIONS
Always check if the venue already exists in our system before creating a new “location.” Events can have more than one location. If it is a WGXC event on the radio, it should always have “1186” here. Spotty Dog events should have multiple locations: Spotty Dog, Wave Farm Online Radio, and sometimes on WGXC 90.7-FM. These are locations where one could encounter the event.

CURATORS
Usually this can be ignored, but, especially for art events, it is useful.

ARTISTS
Always add artist names. When you interview Bill Hallenbeck, find the Bill Hallenbeck artist number, and add it here. That way, in ten years, there are 30 interviews, 16 photos, and 45 listings of events that included Bill Hallenbeck. Yes, add the WGXC hosts who interviewed them here too, but it is much more important to create and maintain artist pages for anyone interviewed ever on WGXC. Please regularly adding names here. Always search and make sure artist/person is not already in the system.

RELATED WORKS
Usually this can be ignored. It is mainly for artists who have appeared on free103point9 LPs and CDs.

RELATED EVENTS
If an event, like the Greene County Youth Fair, is annual, you can link to all the old youth fairs and connect all the pages.

Premier Brands of America, a national store brands manufacturer, packager and marketer of health and beauty products, is coming to Hudson, according to a statement released by the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency, Mon., Feb. 13. The Mount Vernon-based company is expected to purchase and renovate the 70,000-sq.-foot building located at 128 N. 2nd Street, site of the former button factory. According to the IDA, "one of the factors that made the vacant building attractive is its proximity to an existing available workforce allowing city residents to walk to their site of employment." Premier is expanding and is expected to hire at least 25 new employees in Hudson. “I am pleased that the city, county and IDA came together to work hard in getting a new business to an area where it is much needed,” said Patrick Grattan, Chairman of the county Board of Supervisors.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Mon., Feb. 13, the Department of State has awarded grants to 13 upstate communities hit hard by flooding last year. Communities located in Greene, Delaware and Schoharie counties were each awarded up to $50,000 to support specific rebuilding projects. "This funding will help towns and villages rebuild and find ways to make sure they are better prepared for future flooding," Cuomo said in a statement. The list of Community Recovery Grant recipients included the towns of Prattsville and Blenheim. Prattsville, in partnership with Greene County, will complete a strategy that builds on the initial planning work started with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The town's plan includes a detailed feasibility analysis for priority housing, economic development, and community facility projects ($50,000). Blenheim will establish a way to address revitalization needs relative to housing, business, community facilities, infrastructure and environmental assets ($50,000). Other recipients include Middletown, the villages of Fleischmanns and Margaretsville and Rotterdam.

Lisa D. Connell writes in the current edition of the Chatham Courier that former Chatham Village Department of Public Works foreman Chris Sperl pleaded guilty Wed., Feb. 8, to one count of official misconduct, a misdemeanor. Sperl was arrested last month and charged with one felony and three misdemeanors following the alleged theft of diesel fuel using the village's account at Main Care Fuel Company. Sperl, 45, was a village DPW employee for 23 years. He was represented by Hudson attorney Michael Howard. As a result of the guilty plea, Sperl paid $400 in restitution and a $500 fine. Read the full story in the Chatham Courier.

Audra Jornov reports in the Register Star about Didi Barrett's campaign stop at Club Helsinki, Sunday, Feb. 12. The Dutchess County resident is the Democrat candidate in the March 20 special election to fill the New York State Assembly seat formerly held by Marcus Molinaro. Rich Wager is the Republican candidate, and also a Dutchess County resident. A major challenge: Many voters are unaware the special election is scheduled. Barrett told the crowd Saturday, this is "like a school budget election; the only people who will come out and vote are those who care enough...." Barrett's priorities include a focus on economic development via mandate relief and aid to local farmers, job development, and relief from various unfunded mandates. Jornov writes that Wager "is focusing his campaign issues on changing the culture of state politics and relief on taxes for the district’s small business owners." Read the full story in the Register Star.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="225" caption="From Wikipedia."][/caption]Today is Valentine's Day. Wikipedia says:

Saint Valentine's Day, often simply Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February 14 honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

Weather right now

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in studio.
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 Hudson, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts Hudson will have a chance of rain showers, mainly after 5 p.m. Tuesday. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Tuesday night there is a chance of rain and snow showers before 9 p.m., then a chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 29. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Wednesday: A chance of snow showers before 9 a.m., then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy, with a high near 47, a low around 26.
• Thursday: A chance of snow showers before 10 a.m., then rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 44, low around 36.
• Friday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 46.

Town meetings today
Today is the second Tuesday of the month.
CAIRO Town of Cairo Planning Board holds a public hearing on the application of Slater’s Smart Stop for approval of a Subdivision and Site Plan Review. The store is proposing a storage building, and a diesel and kerosene pump. 7 p.m. at Acra Community Center, Old County Route 23, Cairo, 518-622-9898.
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).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:53 a.m./ 5:28 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 12:35 a.m. / 10:32 a.m.
Last Quarter Moon: 12:05 p.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: LA Clippers 92 at Dallas Mavericks 96; Dirk Nowitzki 22 points.
Schedules
NBA: New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m., Amare Stoudamire returns to join Jeremy Lin and company to try and extend the Knicks five-game winning streak. (TV: MSG)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Tue. Feb. 14:
• "Conversations on a Tight Rope," 2 p.m.: Host Joan Geitz tells the story of Valentine's Day.
• "Social Graces," 3 p.m.: Maureen Boutin of Work Force NY will be the guest on this month's "Social Graces" show. She will discuss LinkedIn, email address names, Facebook, and things of that nature, all pertaining to social skills, with host Nancy Marron.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play


New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120226 WGXC First Year Membership
• A OFF_PSA _20120226_WGXC ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY .mp3 Pamela Badilla Produced By Shannekia McIntosh

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 5:13 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 5:13 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 5:13 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 5:13 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:04
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="From Wikipedia."][/caption]The Jacket Copy blog of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Hudson resident John Ashbery is one of eight recipients of the 2011 National Humanities Medal. Ashbery was chosen "for his contributions to American letters." In a statement released Fri., Feb. 10, the White House said Ashbery, "...has changed how we read poetry and has influenced generations of poets." The National Humanities Medals, and the National Medal of Arts will be presented by President Obama at the White House, Mon. Feb. 13. The ceremony begins at 1:45 p.m., and can be viewed live online. Read the full post at Jacket Copy.

The Watershed Post's Lissa Harris writes about a feature about skiing the Catskills in The Washington Post. In "The Impulsive Traveler," freelancer Irwin Curtin takes his family for a weekend of skiing at Hunter and Windham, and compares the experience at the mountains which are ten miles apart. He also gives a thumbs up to several of the area's inns and restaurants. Read the Washington Post's feature about Hunter and Windham.

Anne Pyburn offers a tribute to two recently deceased local activists in this month's issue of Chronogram. First, Dara Greenwald taught and curated art exhibits, focusing on visual representations of radical culture. She and her partner Josh Macphee organized a traveling exhibit called “Signs of Change: Social Movement Culture, 1960s to Now," that premiered at Exit Art, New York in 2008, before traveling to several other venues.

Also, Gale McGovern was active in the gay rights movement in New York in the 1970s. After moving to Ulster County in 1982, she founded several organizations and led others including WEB (Women Escaping Batterers), the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Youth, the Coalition for an Ulster County Human Rights Law, Friends of Comadres, People Against Racism, the Ulster County Global Warming Project. Read more about their lives and work in Chronogram.

Here are some of the most important public meetings in the WGXC listening area this coming week:

MONDAY
Hudson Board of Education Curriculum Committee meeting
Feb. 13, 2012: 3–5 p.m.
At Hudson Jr./Sr. High School
215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, 518-828-4360.
The discussion will focus on a variety of curriculum-related issues, including: The newly established Limited English Proficiency program, the ongoing curriculum mapping project and a Monday afternoon mentoring program for students at M.C. Smith Intermediate School. The meeting will be held in the Hudson Jr. High School conference room. Members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend.

TUESDAY
Cairo Public Hearing
Feb. 14, 2012: 7 p.m.
At Acra Community Center, Old County Route 23
Cairo, 518-622-9898.
The Town of Cairo Planning Board holds a public hearing on the application of Slater’s Smart Stop for approval of a Subdivision and Site Plan Review. The store is proposing a storage building, and a diesel and kerosene pump. The Smart Shop is next to the Slater's Great American grocery store which will soon be torn down and replaced with a Hannafords.

WEDNESDAY
Greene County Agriculture District Public Hearing
Feb. 15, 2012: 6:15 p.m.
At Greene County Office Building, 411 Main St., Catskill.
A public hearing will be held by the County Legislature of Greene County, in the Legislative Meeting Room, on the Agricultural District encompassing 38,333.49 acres within the Greene County Towns of Athens, Ashland, Cairo, Catskill, Coxsackie, Durham, Greenville, Halcott, Hunter, Jewett, Prattsville, Lexington, New Baltimore, and Windham, and the Villages of Athens, Catskill, Coxsackie, Hunter, and Tannersville (entire County of Greene), known as Agricultural District No. 124, to consider proposed district modifications and recommendations of the Greene County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board. Proposed modifications and recommendations of the Greene County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board.

FRIDAY
WGXC Afternoon Show: Bill Hallenbeck
Feb. 17, 2012: 4–6 p.m.
On WGXC 90.7-FM: Hands-on Radio, 90.7-FM and wgxc.org
Not a town meeting, but a chance to ask questions of Hudson's new mayor. WGXC's Jack Ross-Pilkington will be joined by Bill Hallenbeck for a conversation about his plans as mayor. And we will play some of the Mayor's favorite Elvis Costello songs too. If you have a question for Mr. Hallenbeck that you would like Jack to consider asking on the "WGXC Afternoon Show," email info@wgxc.org. The Mayor will be on in the 5 p.m. hour, after the news.