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 Surprise, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts scattered snow showers before 8 a.m. Monday in Surprise. Then, mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Monday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 17. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 37, low around 23. Chance of snow showers overnight.
• Wednesday: A slight chance of snow showers before 10 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., then a slight chance of rain showers after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 41, with a low around 25.
• Thursday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 41, low around 33.
• Friday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.

Town meetings today
Today is the second Monday of the month.
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).
HUDSON Board of Education Curriculum Committee meeting. 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
At 3 p.m. at Hudson Jr./Sr. High School, 215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, 518-828-4360.
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).
TANNERSVILLE The Village of Tannersville ZBA holds a public hearing for an area variance for a parcel located at 93 Spruce Street (Vacant Land) Tax Map ID 182.09-1-36; and for an area variance for a parcel located at 6042 Main Street. At 5 p.m. at Tannersville Village Hall, 1 Park Lane, 518-589-5850.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:54 a.m./ 5:27 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET n/a (12:35 a.m. early Tuesday) / 9:48 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Miami Heat 107, Atlanta Hawks 87, Lebron James, 23 points.
Schedules
NBA: LA Clippers at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Mon. Feb. 13:
• "Monday Musical Matinee," Noon-2 p.m.: Host Lincoln Mayorga plays classical music and more.

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 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 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="467" caption="Hunter Mountain snowmaking."][/caption]Click here to play entire WGXC Ski Report with Intro/Outro, report, and interview.

National Weather Service forecasters predict that it may actually feel a bit like winter on the area's three mountains this weekend. Catamount Ski in Columbia County has 28 trails and four lifts open with 16-36" of snow. Windham Mountain has a snow base between 14" and 44" on 40 trails with six lifts open. Hunter Mountain has up to 18" to 72" of snow on 43 trails with six lifts.

WGXC's Paul Smart talked with Hunter Mountain snowmaker Bruce Fansue Wed., Feb. 8 on the "Work" show on WGXC, about just how many people it takes to make all the snow on the mountain. Click here to here an excerpt of that interview.

(Note to hosts: 10-second Ski report bumper is available in Campcaster for intro/outro.)

Jimmy Vielkind is reporting on the Times-Union Capitol Confidential blog that U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe has now set the state's political calendar for Congressional races. In a decision and order dated Thurs., Feb. 9, Sharpe picked the dates submitted by State Board of Elections Democrats and chided "state officials for their persistent bickering." Sharpe pointed out that SBOE Republicans submitted a partial calendar and applied current electoral deadlines to the new primary date. The complete calendar submitted by the Democrats specified a petition period from March 20 to April 16, 10 days shorter than previous years. The submission also reduced the number of signatures required to secure a spot on the ballot by 25 percent. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.

Barbara Reina writes in the Register Star the Village of Kinderhook is in danger of losing $285,000 in newly awarded Community Development Block Grant funds intended for use on a new sewer project. Village Mayor Carol Weaver told Trustees Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Office of Community Renewal notified the village that before the grant agreement can be executed the village must provide additional information. It has 60 days to conduct an income survey and demonstrate that at least 51 percent of residents in the project area are people of low or moderate income. "If we don't meet the income [requirement] we're dead in the water," Weaver told the Register Star. Weaver said if the grant money is lost, the responsibility for filling the funding gap will fall on the 35 property owners in the project area. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Jim Planck writes in The Daily Mail that the Town of Catskill is looking for additional funds to repair damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. At the Town Board meeting Tuesday, Feb. 7, Councilman Kevin Lennon reported a documentation package was submitted to the U.S. National Conversation Resources Service, Jan. 31. Lennon said the NCRS is expected to send a task force to Greene County to examine flood damage not covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sites identified for possible NCRS assistance include: Woodstock Ave. in Palenville, Drummond Falls Road and bridge, the junction of Route 23A and Bogart Road, and the culvert on Pennsylvania Ave. NCRS could cover up to 75 percent of the repair costs. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Tom Casey reports in the Register Star that mandated renovations to the Columbia County Courthouse are one step closer to being realized following a full meeting of the county Board of Supervisors, Wed., Feb. 8. The board unanimously approved a resolution "affirming the declaration that renovations would have no negative environmental impacts under the State Environmental Quality Review Act." The search for bonding and construction bids will now commence. Board Chairman Pat Grattan (R-Kinderhook) pronounced the process "...90 percent complete." In 1987, New York state mandated the building be renovated and brought into compliance with the federal American with Disabilities Act. Design plans for the $8 million project were approved in June 2011. 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 Hunter, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts there will be increasing clouds in Hunter, with a high near 42. Friday night there is a 60 percent chance of rain and snow showers before 10 p.m., then snow showers likely, with a low around 21. The weekend forecast:
• Saturday: Snow showers likely, mainly before noon and after midnight. Cloudy, with a high near 34, low around 5.
• Sunday: A chance of snow showers, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a high near 22, low around 7.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31.

Town meetings today
Today is the second Thursday of the month.
HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission at 10 a.m., 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:57 a.m./ 5:23 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9:01 p.m. / 8:03 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers 88 at Boston Celtics 87, OT. Kobe Bryant 27 points.
Schedules
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks, 8 p.m. (TV: MSG)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Fri. Feb. 10:
• "Knock on Wood," 3:30 p.m.: "Impossible Things," is this week's episode with Steve Charney and his dummy Harry.

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 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 4:29 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:08
• 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

Jim Planck writes in The Daily Mail about a report just released by Transmission Developers, Inc. of Albany, the developers of the Champlain Hudson Power Express, the 333-mile power line project proposed to run from Canada to the greater New York City area. The project is currently in the review process. CHPE will run both underground and underwater for its entire length, utilizing railroads rights-of-way where no water body is available, according to Planck. It is being designed to deliver 1,000 megawatts of hydro- and wind-produced electricity, and has been in the works for more than three years. If approved by the state Public Service Commission, the construction period could run from 2013-2016, bringing the work through the Columbia-Greene corridor in 2014 or 2015. The commissioned study, performed by Boston-based London Economics International, estimates the project has the potential to create anywhere from 300 to 600 construction jobs. Read the full article in The Daily Mail.

Audra Jornov in the Register Star writes Christopher L. Anderson, 24, and Jeremy Bost, 22, of Ghent, and Joshua Spencer, 28, of Hudson, appeared in Columbia County Court, Tuesday. All three entered pleas of "not guilty" to four counts of first-degree burglary; Anderson and Bost pleaded "not guilty" to two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, in connection with a January incident in Chatham. Anderson is represented by David Seth Michaels, Bost by Ann Weaver and Spencer is represented by Steven Patterson. The charges arise from an alleged burglary at a private residence. Katrina Lewis, 19, and Shavanyce Q. Anthony-Lewis, 18, both of Hudson, were arrested and arraigned at the time of the incident, but District Attorney Paul Czajka said Tuesday, "they are not being indicted," according to Jornov. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 8. Jury selection will begin June 11. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Lisa D. Connell writes in the Register Star that the state's Office of Children and Family Services has awarded grant funding to two social service agencies in the area. Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, based in Canaan, and Parsons Child and Family Center of Albany, will share a total of $14.4 million in grant funding made available by the state agency this year. Berkshire received $314,716, to support a family preservation programs to provide at-risk children and families the services and support needed to keep children in their own homes. Parsons received $400,000, as part of the state’s 2011-12 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Prevention (TANF) and Post-Adoption Grants. Berkshire and Parsons were two of the 49 grantees selected from 106 applications submitted. Other regional recipients include: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany and Northeast Parent and Child Society Inc. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Melanie Lekocevic of The Daily Mail reports that John Moree, Sr. will be the lone Republican on the Athens village ballot in March. Moree and Rick Surrano were chosen to run by the GOP caucus, but days later Surrano declined the nomination, saying he is not an Athens resident. Moree is seeking to unseat either Democratic incumbent, Deputy Mayor Herman Reinhold and Village Trustee Gail Lasher. Village elections are March 20. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

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 New Lebanon, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts New Lebanon will be sunny, with a high near 39, and a low around 24. The weekend forecast:
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 39. Friday night there is a 40 percent chance of snow showers, with a low around 24.
• Saturday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers, with a high near 24, low around 8.
• Sunday: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 19, low around 6.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 27.

Town meetings today
Today is the second Thursday of the month.
CHATHAM Village meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
COPAKE Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake (329-1234).
GALLATIN Town Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram (398-7519).
GREENE COUNTY Finance & Audit committee meets at 5 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board Workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
LIVINGSTON Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19.
STUYVESANT Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TANNERSVILLE Village trustees meet at 7 p.m. in their Village Hall on Route 23A.
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:59 a.m./ 5:22 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 7:50 p.m. / 7:32 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 107 at Washington Wizards 93; Tyson Chandler 25 points for Knicks.
NBA: Detroit Pistons 99 at New Jersey Nets 92; Deron Williams 34 points for Nets.
NCAABB: Duke Blue Devils 85 at North Carolina Tar Heels 84.
Schedules
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics, 8 p.m. (TV: TNT)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Thu. Feb. 9:
• "Radio Theatre," 3 p.m.: "The Dating Game: A Fractured Remake II," a Radio Theater Production from KZGM via the Pacifica Radio Network.
• “WGXC Afternoon Show,” 4-6 p.m.: Artist Irene Wiley discusses her work with hosts Ellen Thurston and Richard Roth. Richard Roth will also talk with Laetitia Hussain about her installation at Basilica Hudson this weekend. And Peter Krug highlights Greene County events, and Thurston looks at Columbia County events this weekend.


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 20120210 Coop Ext - Maple Syrup workshop
• A_OFF_PSA_20120313_irene_lee_flood_grants

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 5:17 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:19
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 5:17 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:19
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 5:17 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:19
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 5:17 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:19
• 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

John Reagan posts on the Lafarge Ravena Facts blog, the information post for the large cement plant, that the new "modernization" of the facility is underway after permits were approved last year. He posts this 26-second field recording video of the new storm water basin at the Lafarge plant.

Audra Jornov reports in the Register Star about Shafiqul Islam, 21, suspect in the November death of Lois Decker, 73, of Hillsdale. Islam appeared in Columbia County Court before Judge Jonathan Nichols Tuesday, and entered a plea of "not guilty" to a charge of second-degree murder, and to three charges of criminal possession of stolen property. Islam was represented by Hudson attorney Michael C. Howard. "Islam sat almost motionless, in a stare, never looking around the room, only directly ahead of him," according to Jornov. District Attorney Paul Czajka appeared and said the matter was ready for trial. The pretrial hearing in the matter will be held June 8. Jury selection begins July 16. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Tom Casey and Jeff Alexander report in the Register-Star that the county is not renewing its option to buy the Wal-Mart on Fairview Ave in Greenport. Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan, R-Kinderhook, told the Register Star that, with a Sunday deadline looming, none of the other supervisors had contacted him about renewing the option. The County was considering relocating county offices to the building including the Department of Social Services offices. The DSS building, at 25 Railroad St., is currently undergoing an environmental review. Former County Chairman Roy Brown expressed dismay that the Board will have spent upwards of $150,000 looking to keep Wal-Mart as an option, and $1.2 million on the purchase of Ockawamick, without arriving at a solution. The Ockawamick school in Philmont was purchased by the county for $1.5 million in 2008 as a prospective new home for the county Department of Social Services. Hudson's former mayor and current supervisor, Rick Scalera wants to keep the department in the city and told the paper 25 Railroad Ave. was more than adequate to house DSS long-term. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The Times-Union's Casey Seiler writes about a large lawsuit New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is bringing against several of the nation’s largest banks. The suit charges that the creation and use of a nationwide Mortgage Electronic Registry System has resulted in “a wide range of deceptive and fraudulent foreclosure filings in New York state and federal courts, harming homeowners and undermining the integrity of the judicial foreclosure process.” In broad terms, the suit alleges that the banks used MERS as a front for millions of home loans so that they could easily securitize those mortgages. The AG further alleges that MERS has fraudulently identified itself as the plaintiff in foreclosure actions without the documentation to claim ownership of the loans in question. MERS has been the target of numerous legal actions, including ongoing actions by Massachusetts and Delaware. Unlike many of those suits, this one alleges fraudulent practices as opposed to questioning MERS’ business practices, or its very existence as structured. Suits questioning the company on that basis have encountered resistance from many state courts, most recently in Idaho. The lawsuit was filed in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Friday. It seeks “a declaration that the alleged practices violate the law," as well as injunctive relief, damages for harmed homeowners, and civil penalties” The AG released a statement identifying Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo as defendants and “MERS certifying officers” accused of having “repeatedly submitted court documents containing false and misleading information that made it appear that the foreclosing party had the authority to bring a case when in fact it may not have." The paper reports that the suit was in development long before Schneiderman was tapped by President Barack Obama to co-chair a special task force to investigate the mortgage securities industry. Read about the lawsuit in the Times Union.

Jeff Alexander writes about Philmont woodworker Rowland Butler's contribution to an exhibit currently running at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A profile of the Philmont native, known locally for his one-of-a-kind furniture designs, appeared in the Feb. 3 edition of the Register-Star. The show, “9 Scripts from a Nation at War” paired Butler with designer Nanna Wulfing. The ten-channel video installation was recently acquired by MoMA, and features various perspectives on war. Butler made the chairs, benches and computer monitor enclosures that constitute the installation's circuitous, non-narrative structure. "9 Scripts" was initially commissioned for the international art exhibit, documenta 12 in 2007. The exhibit runs through August 6. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The New York World set out to answer two basic questions: How exactly do districts get gerrymandered – that is, have their boundaries manipulated to benefit a political party or group? And where is this happening in New York? The result is "Redistricting and You," an interactive guide to gerrymandering, produced with ProPublica and the Center for Urban Research. The page allows viewers to overlay the map of current New York state Senate districts and the proposed 2012 lines, just released. The guide also defines redistricting tactics -- "cracking," "kidnapping," "diluting," "dividing," "decoying" -- and shows where those tactics are allegedly being employed.

Amy Halloran writes in Metroland about two rallies in support of independent farmers and locally grown/raised food, scheduled to take place in Albany. The first, sponsored by Food & Water Watch, will take place Wed., Feb. 8, at the Capitol and will appeal to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to support a fair Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is due for reauthorization by Congress this year. Food & Water Watch, according to the article, supports a variety of measures intended to level the playing field between independent small farmers and large agri-business. The American Farmland Trust of New York organized the No Farms, No Food rally for Wed., Feb. 15, to urge state legislators to support measures that back farms, farmers and local food production. Those measures include: Farmland-protection programs; restoration of funds for the New York Farm Viability Institute; increased funding for the New York State Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program; and funding for incentives to increase use of SNAP (food stamp benefits) at farmers markets. Read the full story in Metroland.

On Friday, Feb. 3, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $333,000 in federal funding for five Hudson Valley farms. Edgwick Farm in Cornwall will receive $120,000; Catskill Dudukju in Wurtsboro will receive $49,000; Food Gems, LTD in Middletown is to receive $35,004; Maple Shade Farm in Delhi is going to receive $49,750; and Dagele Brothers Produce gets $79,425. The money was allocated through the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The program is designed to boost farms’ income and productivity by providing access to capital and technical assistance, and developing marketing strategies for independent producers.