Another winter week without real snow on the mountains, and higher temperatures. Catamount Ski in Columbia County has 30 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 45 trails with seven lifts. All three mountains are offering Super Bowl-weekend specials.


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

Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that Greene County took in $26.66 million in sales tax in 2011, up $1.26 million from county forecasts, according to Greene County Treasurer Peter Markou. He said the county benefited from folks repairing damage from Hurricane Irene and buying things such as lumber and new appliances, and that vehicle sales were also strong locally. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Baby Atlantic sturgeon, which could grow to as much as 14 feet and 800 pounds over 60 years. From Hudson Riverkeeper Facebook page."][/caption]Juliet Eilperin in The Washington Post reports that the Atlantic sturgeon made the endangered species list Wed., Feb. 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service listed the New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic populations as endangered, and the Gulf of Maine population as threatened. Hudson Riverkeeper's Facebook page says there are under 1,000 of the endangered species left in the Hudson River:

"Riverkeeper commends the National Marine Fisheries Service for taking this critical step to protect one of the Hudson River’s iconic species. Atlantic sturgeon are magnificent, long-lived creatures which have been an integral part of the Hudson River ecosystem for millennia, but have suffered terribly from overfishing, habitat destruction and power plant intakes, decimating their numbers."

More of the Riverkeeper statement:
"Every effort should be made to protect the remaining population and the critical habitat it needs to survive and prosper. Riverkeeper has a long history of working to protect the Atlantic Sturgeon. Late Riverkeeper board member and legendary commercial fisherman Bob Gabrielson alerted biologists to the startling decline in Atlantic Sturgeon in the Hudson, which ultimately triggered the closure of commercial fisheries up and down the East Coast. Our Fishable River Campaign has continued Riverkeeper’s tradition of protecting and restoring our precious fisheries, by supporting state and federal efforts to protect sturgeon as well as American Shad, river herring and other key species. In 2010, Riverkeeper filed comments in support of NOAA’s proposal to list the Atlantic Sturgeon as endangered.

"This increased protection for Atlantic sturgeon has implications for many of our key issues, including the newly proposed reconstruction of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the ongoing destruction of billions of fish in the Hudson by Indian Point’s outdated, once-through cooling technology, the threat of fracking and disposal of its toxic waste, failing water and wastewater treatment infrastructure causing sewage spewing into the river, and invasive species like zebra mussels that have major impacts on the ecology of the estuary.

"The news that there are less than a thousand adult sturgeon in the Hudson is a mixed blessing; tragic that this magnificent species has been brought so low, but hopeful that the increased protection and attention paid to their survival will allow them to recover and repopulate the Hudson River. The future survival of Atlantic Sturgeon goes to the core of what Riverkeeper represents – we fight not only for the public’s right to a clean, healthy river, but to restore the abundance of life that once led the Hudson to be called “'The Serengeti of rivers.'”

Brian Tumulty in the Politics on the Hudson blog reports that the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (Stock) Act, the bill to outlaw insider trading by members of Congress, passed the U.S. Senate 96 to 3 Thu., Feb. 2. New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand has championed the act, and during the "State of the Union" address, President Barack Obama asked Congress to bring it to his desk. An amendment approved by the Senate Thursday also requires lawmakers and executive branch employees to disclose information about all of the real estate mortgages they hold. House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor plans a floor vote, and House Democrats are on board, so the bill may reach the President soon. Read the full story in Politics on the Hudson.

Super Bowl Sunday will be a busy day local bars and restaurants feeding hungry football fans and the Register-Star's John Mason does a round up of what's on tap in the area. Melino’s Pub, the 60-year-old bar on upper Columbia Street in Hudson, has 16 TVs to watch the game on; two of them have 82-inch screens. Angela’s Pizza and Pasta in Greenport offers three different game day family packs, with pizza, wings, garlic knots, salad and soda, depending on the package. They also have a three-foot sub, which needs to be ordered a day ahead of time, and family-style dinners to go. Don Conte of Bubba Bean Barbecue, at 93 Union Turnpike in Greenport, tells the paper his place has "the best (chicken) wings in the area." He'll be selling them until 6 p.m. Sunday, and then close down for the game. M.J. Sports Bar & Grill, 34 Hudson Ave., Chatham, sells seats to a private party. A ticket buys a designated seat for the game and an all-you-can-eat buffet that includes steamed clams, shrimp cocktail, chicken wings and homemade 18-inch subs. M.J.’s boasts 11 TVs, but as of Tuesday, there were only four seats left, out of 70. Park Falafel and Pizza, 11 N. Seventh St., Hudson, offers its own Super Bowl catering package, including 60 falafel balls, a quart of Jerusalem salad, a pint of humus, two pints of other salads, tahini dressing and 20 pita halves.Since it's the 46th Super Bowl, Park Falafel is offering a cheese pizza for 99 cents more to the first 46 people to order the package. Lagonia’s on Main Street in Philmont, will be doing takeout — wings and pizzas — and people can come by to watch the game on the 50-inch screen.
Read the Super Bowl bar restaurant preview 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 Palenville, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts Palenville will be mostly sunny Friday, with a high near 40. Friday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 21. The weekend forecast:
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 36, low around 19.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41, low around 25.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 45, low around 27.

Town meetings today
Today is the first Friday of the month. WGXC does not know about any town meetings.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:05 a.m./ 5:14 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 1:14 p.m. / 3:39 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Chicago Bulls 105 at New York Knicks 102; Amare Stoudemire 34 points.
Schedules
FRI NBA: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
SAT NBA: New Jersey Nets at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TV: YES/MSG)
SUN NFL: New York Giants and New England Patriots, 6:29 p.m. (TV: NBC)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Fri. Feb. 3:
• "Pure Moods," Noon-2 p.m.: Shannekia McIntosh plays all sorts of music.

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 3:58 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:58
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 3:58 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:58
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 3:58 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:58
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 3:58 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:58
• 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

Andrea Macko reports in the now-biweekly Greenville Mountain View Pioneer (no website) that Rensselaerville Town Supervisor, Democrat Marie Dermody, quit Jan. 24, citing the "political culture" in the town was making it "impossible" to get anything done. In November elections, Democrats lost control of the Town Board. Deputy Supervisor Victor La Plante also resigned. At an emergency meeting the next day, the board appointed Valerie Lounsbury deputy supervisor. The board will appoint a supervisor, and another election will be held in November to fill the seat. At that meeting, Conservative Robert Bolte ripped the yellow tape line off the floor, where Dermody made anyone speaking to the board stand at meetings.

Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that Greene County lawmakers will borrow up to $20 million to pay for repairs to the county’s infrastructure as a result of Tropical Storm Irene. At a special meeting Wed., Feb. 1, the Legislature voted to issue $20 million in bonds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency should reimburse 75 percent of costs to municipalities under a disaster declaration, and the state should cover another 12.5 percent of those costs. “We’re going to have a cash flow problem,” County Administrator Shaun Groden said. “So, this whole issue right now is just to get us through cash flow issues. As soon as FEMA makes reimbursements to us, we use that money to pay down these bonds and hopefully by year end, they go away.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Joseph Spector in the Politics on the Hudson blog reports that Senate Democrats sued in state court Tuesday challenging the creation of a new Senate seat by the task force drawing district lines. The plaintiffs, who include Senate Democrats and citizens, allege that Republicans violated the state constitution when they created a 63rd district to bolster their narrow hold on the chamber. Republicans hold a slim 32-29 seat majority in the state Senate with one vacancy. The new seat covers all of Greene County, parts of Ulster, Albany, and Montgomery counties. The lawsuit will complicate matters for the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, which is trying to finalize 213 legislative lines. New Yorkers are still waiting to see the boundaries for the 27 seats in the U.S. House of Representative. Read Politics on the Hudson for more on the suit over the 63rd.

Lisa D. Connell reports in the Register-Star that Attorney Cheryl A. Roberts has resigned from her elected position as Town Justice in Austerlitz. She told the paper she made the decision to step down after she learned of a possible conflict of interest with her current job as lead corporate council for the City of Hudson, although the article does not go into detail about the nature of the conflict. Town Supervisor Jeff Braley said the town is seeking resumes and hopes to have a candidate in place before training for the position begins in March. An interim appointee will serve until a special election is held to fill the remainder of the two-year position. Read the article in the Register-Star.

A bill to expand the state's DNA database passed the state Senate on Tuesday but Democrats, who control the Assembly, have expressed concern about whether the law will do enough to help the wrongfully convicted. Law enforcement groups as well as legislators from both parties agree with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to take DNA samples from people convicted of any crime. But Democrats in the Assembly want defense attorneys to have greater access to the DNA database, and they want the state to adopt other criminal justice reforms. Governor Andrew Cuomo appears to support the bill, S5560A, sponsored by Republican Sen. Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie), who represents much of Columbia County in Albany. Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I – Oneonta), who represents Greene County also supported the bill. It passed in the Senate by a 50 to 10 vote, and Cuomo released a statement Tuesday, calling it "an important step in protecting New Yorkers and modernizing the state’s criminal justice system.” Barry C. Scheck, a founder of the Innocence Project, said that if supporters of DNA expansion were serious about preventing wrongful convictions, they should promote measures like requiring videotaping of interrogations or changing the way lineups are done. Read about the DNA database bill in the Times Union.

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 Hillsdale, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts Hillsdale will be partly sunny Thursday, with a high near 36. Thursday night should be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 20. The weekend forecast:
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34, low around 20.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 33, low around 16.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34, low around 16.

Town meetings today
Today is the first Thurssday of the month.
ANCRAM Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
AUSTERLITZ Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
CAIRO New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald speaks about Gov. Cuomo's budget at 5:30 p.m. at Cairo Town Hall, on Main St., in the meeting room.
CAIRO An explanation and discussion of the Tax Cap. Public attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions. Tax Cap information is also available at www.cairodurham.org. 6 p.m. in Cairo Durham High School Auditorium at Cairo-Durham High School, 1301 Route 145, Durham. 518-622-8543
COPAKE Planning Board meets at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GHENT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
KINDERHOOK Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville (784-2233).
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:06 a.m./ 5:13 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 12:24 p.m. / 2:46 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Detroit Pistons 96 at New Jersey Nets 99, Deron Williams 26 points.
Schedules
NBA: Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks, 8 p.m. (TV: TNT)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Thu. Feb. 2:
• "The Art of the Hudson Valley," 2 p.m.: The folks who run Helsinki Hudson will speak with Chad Weckler about their club.

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 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 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="attachment_17433" align="alignright" width="238" caption="Ryan Holdridge with his English teachers, Mrs. Erin Murphy, left, and Mrs. Donna Howell."][/caption]Cairo-Durham sixth grader Ryan Holdridge won Scholastic’s Storyworks Magazine’s “Create A Character” contest, the school announced Tue., Jan. 31. Barbara O’Connor, an award-winning children’s book author known for books such as "How to Steal a Dog" and "Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia," selected Ryan’s entry out of five thousand others from around the country. O'Conner will use Holdridge's character, Roy Rigatoni, in a story the April/May issue of magazine.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is sending his minions around the state to sell his budget plan to voters. Greene County Democrats are announcing that New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald will be in Cairo at 5:30 p.m. Thu., Feb. 2 in the Town Hall (on Main St.) meeting room to explain Cuomo's 2012 budget proposal.

Most gamblers do not send out press releases announcing their bets. Politicians around Super Bowl time are another matter. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick both announced on Tue., Jan. 31, that they are betting on the Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. They are betting quantities of specialty foods unique to their states, greek yogurt, bagels, and cheesecake from New York, clam chowder, pie and chips from Boston. Both leaders have also pledged that if their team succeeds, they will divert their illegal winnings to a local food bank. New York Senator Chuck Schumer, also sent out a press release announcing his gambling, a Super Bowl bet with New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen with local beers, including one from Troy’s Brown’s Brewing Co., in the bet. Cuomo is also considering allowing casino gambling in New York.

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 Catskill, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers in Catskill Wednesday, mainly before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Wednesday night should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. The weekend forecast:
• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37, low around 24.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 41, low around 24.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39, low around 19.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 40.

Town meetings today
Today is the first Wednesday of the month.
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).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:07 a.m./ 5:12 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11:39 a.m. / 1:51 a.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Detroit Pistons 86 at New York Knicks 113
Schedules
NBA: Detroit Pistons at New Jersey Nets, 7:30 p.m. (TV: YES)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Wed. Feb. 1:
• "Radio Explosion," 3:30 p.m.: Youth radio on WGXC.

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 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 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 in The Daily Mail reports that 40 soldiers with the New York Army National Guard left from the New York State Armory in Leeds, Saturday morning for an eventual security detail in Kuwait. The men of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment left as part of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which left for training in Camp Shelby, Miss. before leaving in April for Kuwait. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail reminds readers that tolls over the Hudson River rose Mon., Jan. 30 from $1.25 to $1.50 over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge that links Catskill and Greenport. EZ Pass tolls go from $1 to $1.25 over the Mid-Hudson, Newburgh-Beacon, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Rip Van Winkle and Bear Mountain bridges. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Earlier this fall, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and many others watched a devastating "60 Minutes" story about how Congressional representatives are allowed to profit on information they might be briefed on in conjunction with their job. Gillibrand has championed reform since then, and last week during the "State of the Union" speech President Barack Obama asked Congress to send him the bill to sign. Mon., Jan. 30, that bill that Gillibrand has advocated for since, the STOCK Act, passed s procedural vote in the Senate 93 to 2, sending the bill to the Senate floor. “The American people need to know that their elected leaders play by the exact same rules that they play by. They also deserve to know their lawmakers' only interest is what's best for the country, not their own financial interests. Members of Congress, their families and staff shouldn’t be able to gain personal profits from information they have access to that everyday middle class families don’t," Sen. Gillibrand said in a press release.

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 a slight chance of snow and sleet before 10 a.m., then a slight chance of rain between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Tuesday night should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Wednesday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51, low around 29.
• Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44, low around 25.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 41.

Town meetings today
Today is the fifth Tuesday of the month, and towns do not schedule regular meetings in the fifth week of a month.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:08 a.m./ 5:11 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11:01 a.m. / 12:54 p.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NCAA BB: Missouri 67 at Texas 66
Schedules
NBA: Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TV: MSG)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Tue. Jan. 31:
• "4th Tuesday Opera Scene," Noon-2 p.m.: A bonus, fifth-week edition of Ed Beaty's "Opera Scene" looks at Strauss.

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 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:15 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:10
• 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