Cara Matthews in Politics on the Hudson reports that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will introduce legislation Monday to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour next year, and tie it to inflation. Currently, New York’s minimum wage is $7.25, the same as the federal minimum wage. "New York’s minimum wage is more than $3 less than what it would be if it had kept pace with inflation in the past four decades, according to the National Employment Law Project Action Fund," Matthews reports. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos' spokesman Scott Reif said Sunday that, “Senate Republicans will continue to promote policies that encourage job growth and make New York a more business-friendly state, just as we did last year partnering with Governor Cuomo.” Read the full story in Politics on the Hudson.

The candidates are in place for the special election for the Assembly seat in 103rd district, which Marc Molinaro vacated to take up a position as Dutchess County executive. Both candidates are Millbrook residents. Didi Barrett will be the Democratic Party’s candidate, and she will face GOP candidate Richard Wager in the March 20 special election. Parry Teasdale previews the contest in The Columbia Paper. Barrett is a member of the Millbrook Education Foundation and helped launch the Dutchess Girls Collaborative. She is currently a board member of the Anderson Center for Autism Foundation and the North East Dutchess Community Fund. Wager is a former aide to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He was chosen over two other GOP candidates including former Assemblyman Pat Manning. The 103rd Assembly District takes in the city of Hudson and the towns of Ancram, Austerlitz, Canaan, Claverack, Copake, Ghent, Greenport, Hillsdale and Stockport in Columbia County and 12 Dutchess County towns, including Red Hook, Milan, Millerton and Pine Plains and most of the eastern side of that county stretching south to the Putnam County border. The majority of the population in the 103rd Assembly District lives in Dutchess County, where registered Republicans have a plurality. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Margaret Roach at the "Away to Garden" blog reports on the new USDA Hardiness Map, and half of the nation's 80 million gardeners are now a half-zone warmer in the first update since 1990. “The increase in our computing power today allows the research team to build into their algorithms things they knew were important factors in 1990, but couldn’t include,” said Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA, in an interview yesterday. Factors such as elevation, the slope of land, or how close to a body of water a location is, can cause sharp variation despite close adjacencies. “Taking those into account now provides a lot more detail,” Woteki said, “and people will be able to see islands of heat, and also cool ones, on the new map. As a scientist and a home gardener, I love seeing this so much more clearly.” Read the full story at Away to Garden.

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 Coxsackie, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts a 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 5 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Monday night there could be a little more snow, maybe an inch, mainly after 11 p.m. Cloudy, with a low around 24. The forecast for later in the week:
• Tuesday: A chance of snow before 10 a.m., then changing to rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43, low around 34.
• Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of rain, with a high near 49, low around 33.
• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44.

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

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:09 a.m./ 5:09 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:27 a.m. / n/a p.m. (Tue)
First Quater moon begins at 11:11 p.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Toronto Raptors 94, New Jersey Nets 73. Deron Williams 24 points, a third of New Jersey's total.
Schedules
NCAA BB: Missouri (2) at Texas, 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Mon. Jan. 30:
• "Monday Music Matinee," Noon-2 p.m.: 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 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

Mountain conditions
All three mountains got a little snow this week. Catamount Ski in Columbia County was closed Friday because of the rain, but reopens Saturday with 16-36" of snow. Windham Mountain has a snow base between 16" and 48" on 40 trails with five lifts open. Hunter Mountain's snowtubing is closed Friday, but back open Saturday. The mountain has up to 18" to 72" of snow on 45 trails with six lifts.

Ivan Lajara at The Daily Freeman thinks it is no joke that LAFTOR is the acronym for the New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. Their "proposals are laughable" according to Lajara's headline in the paper, over a story about the redistricting proposals released Thu., Jan. 26. Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner said, "These maps appear to continue the long tradition of partisan gerrymandering we've come to expect. There are major demographic changes that are simply not reflected on these maps." Governor Andrew Cuomo has vowed to veto any redistricting that is not created by an independent body. This plan was created by the the legislators themselves, so, as almost everyone is pointing out, they have drawn the lines to ensure their own re-election. Republican-leaning districts, now lean more. Democrat-heavy districts are heavier. They have created a new 63rd Senate seat, pairing Greene County with Albany and other points north in Senate District 46. Lajara quotes an AP news account and says, "The story continues, 'The added Senate district would include part of Ulster County (including the city of Kingston), all of Greene County and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery counties.' So imagine my surprise when a total of zero public meetings were scheduled in the area."

Local effects

• Ulster County may be in the worst situation in the entire state. The proposal cuts the county into four Senate Districts, up from two. The people of Ulster County will have almost no representation in the Senate, as those four politicians will care little about its collective well-being, and not even cater much to the few voters they will have there, focusing on their majorities elsewhere.

• Greene County would see much change. Republican James Seward would, under the plan, not be Greene County's senator anymore, but would retain a very safe seat to the west. The new seat includes all of Greene and Montgomery counties, and most of Albany and Schenectady counties, and several towns in Ulster County to the south. In the Assembly Greene is being split into two separate districts. Assemblyman Pete Lopez would continue to represent Ashland, Windham, Durham, Greenville, New Baltimore, Coxsackie, and Cairo in the proposed 102 District which now also includes Coeymans, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville in Albany County, all of Schoharie County, and towns in Otsego, Herkimer, and Oneida counties in what will continue to be a very safe district for him. The southern half of Greene County -- Athens, Catskill, Hunter, Jewett, Lexington, Halcott, and Prattsville -- would be in the proposed 101st Assembly District, which also includes much of eastern Delaware County, four Ulster County towns, and two Orange County towns, and Germantown and Clermont in Columbia County.

• In Columbia County, the Senate District used to be dominated by Dutchess County, as Poughkeepsie Steve Saland currently represents the area in Albany. In this proposal, Columbia County moves to Senate District 43, paired with all of Rensselaer County and parts of Washington and Saratoga counties to the north. In the Assembly, most of Columbia County is represented by the 106th District including Stuyvesant, Stockport, Hudson, Greenport, Ghent, Claverack, Livingston, Taghkanic, Copake, Ancram, and Gallatin. Millbrook in Dutchess County, interestingly, is no longer in the district, and the candidates (Republican Richard Wager and Democrat Didi Barrett) trying to replace Marc Molinaro for the 103rd Assembly, which is similar to the proposed 106th, live in Millbrook. So while they may fight for the seat in March, they may be in 105th District election in the fall. As mentioned before, Germantown and Clermont join the proposed 101st District, stretching across southern Greene County to parts of Delaware, and Ulster and Orange counties. The rest of Columbia County -- Kinderhook, Chatham, Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Canaan, and New Lebanon -- join most of Rensselaer County and two Washington County towns in the proposed 107th district, which is similar to the area Republican Steve McLaughlin represents, though without any of the Greene County towns it used to include.


Public hearings
No public hearings between Albany and New York City. The closest public hearing to our area is this Mon., Jan. 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building, Second Floor in the Hearing Room. (See the complete list of all public hearings after the link below.)


Public Hearing Schedule for Proposed NEW YORK STATE Legislative Redistricting

Common Cause points out other flaws in the plan:
• In the Senate on Long Island the Hispanic and African American communities of Babylon/Islip in Suffolk and Hempstead in Nassau remain cracked between three and four Senate Districts respectively, despite the fact that Long Island is now over 20 percent Black and Hispanic.
• In New York City the new lines are in fact worse than the current ones in various places.
• The Upper West Side has been cracked into four separate Senate Districts up from three.
• South Brooklyn is a mess, worse than current lines. Sunset Park and neighborhoods all throughout South Brooklyn remain cracked as a result of the Marty Golden gerrymander.
• The so-called "Asian district" in Queens includes more of Downtown Flushing and although the population is over 50% Asian on paper, it is a district that continues to split Asian neighborhoods and communities, especially Elmhurst.
• As a result of Senate Republicans' decision to add a 63 Senate district in the Hudson Valley, Ulster County is now divided into four Senate Districts up from two.
• Assembly Democrats correctly moved a 22nd district into Long Island but instead of taking it from New York City, as the actual population figures would have dictated, they kidnapped it from Upstate.

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 Maplecrest, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Western Greene County, and Eastern Columbia County, through 7 a.m. Higher elevations can expect up to three inches of snow, or ice and freezing rain. It should all turn to rain in the morning and continue until 2 p.m. High near 48. Friday night there is a slight chance of showers before 9 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. The weekend forecast is colder:
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39, low around 18.
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37, low around 12.
• Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 28.

Town meetings today
Today is the fourth Friday of the month. We do not know about any town meetings today.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:11 a.m./ 5:06 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9:03 a.m. / 9:58 p.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Boston Celtics 91 at Orlando Magic 83, Paul Pierce 24 points.
Schedules
NBA: New York Knicks at Miami Heat, 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Fri. Jan. 27:
• "WGXC Morning Show," 9-10 a.m.: Regional band The Wiyos will play a few songs, and talk about their new album and performance Saturday at Helsinki Hudson.
• "Guest DJ," 7-9:30 p.m.: Shelley Weiner is in to play music tonight.

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

LATFOR will release a map with the state's new district lines for assembly and senate districts Thu., Jan. 26, with Greene County rumoured to be split into a new, 63rd Senate district with some other Albany County, and northern areas. The maps were due Wed., Jan. 25. According to the Times-Union, the delay was caused by an ongoing discussion about a constitutional amendment that would allow for a more independent redistricting process. Governor Andrew Cuomo campaigned on the promise of a more independent process. The paper reports that several parties -- Cuomo, Assembly Democrats, and Senate Republicans -- are hoping to pair the release with first-passage of the constitutional amendment required to change the process. Read about the release of new district maps in the Times-Union.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="170" caption="Eric Schneiderman, from Wikipedia."][/caption]New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been tapped to "co-chair" a presidential task force investigating the causes of the mortgage meltdown, according to the Times-Union's Capitol Confidential. Schneiderman was a critic of what he saw as a lenient draft settlement agreement between the nation’s biggest banks and a collection of other attorneys general. He and Delaware AG Beau Biden have separately pursued their own investigation. President Barack Obama referred to the initiative during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, calling on U.S. Atty. General Eric Holder to create the unit. Schneiderman will co-chair the newly christened Unit on Mortgage Origination and Securitizations Abuse with officials at the Department of Justice, SEC, and IRS. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="256" caption="A rusty blackbird, from Wikipedia."][/caption]A study by the Biodiveristy Research Institute and the Nature Conservancy found dangerously high levels of mercury in several Northeastern bird species, including rusty blackbirds, saltmarsh sparrows, and wood thrushes. Anthony DePalma describes the report's findings in the Science section of the Tue., Jan. 25 New York Times. The study found that birds in contaminated sites were three times as likely to abandon their nests or exhibit abnormal incubation or feeding behavior. In some nests, the chicks vocalized less and did not beg as aggressively to be fed. David C. Evers, the institute’s executive director, said levels of contamination were highest in habitats like marshes and beaver ponds that go through cycles of wet and dry, even if they are far from power plants. He also applauded the EPA's new mercury standards, adopted last month and scheduled to take effect over the next four years. Read about the study in The New York Times.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="140" caption="Frederick Edwin Church, from Wikipedia."][/caption]Scenic Hudson has secured a conservation easement that protects 72 acres of land next to the Olana State Historic Site. The land resides on a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River in Columbia County. Scenic Hudson has been working to protect the views from the home of renowned 19th-century landscape painter Frederic Church. The conserved land offers views of the distant Catskills and is adjacent to the 95-acre Pleroma Farm, where Scenic Hudson also holds a conservation easement.

The Register Star reports that unemployment rates in Columbia County rose slightly at the end of last year. The New York State Department of Labor figures released on Tue., Jan. 24, reported that unemployment rose to 7.2 percent in December, up from 6.9 in November. The numbers in Greene County also rose slightly, with the unemployment rate up from 8.4 percent to 8.8 percent and total number of unemployed from 1,900 to 2,100 from November to December. Read the article 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 Ancram, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts Ancram has a 40 percent chance of rain before 4 p.m., then a chance of rain and sleet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Thursday night there will be rain and sleet, becoming all rain after midnight. Low around 34. The weekend forecast:
• Friday: Rain likely, mainly before 10 a.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 48, a low around 23.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41, a low around 26.
• Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 39.

Town meetings today
Today is the fourth Thursday of the month.
ATHENS Athens The Town of Athens Planning Board holds a public hearing for an application for a commercial site plan review for propane bulk storage and filling on the lands of Cippitelli Brothers Realty Corp., located on Route 9W, Athens. A regular meeting of the Town of Athens Planning Board follows the public hearing for any other business which may come before the Board. 7 p.m. at Athens Village Hall, 2 First St., Athens, NY 12015
CHATHAM Village Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Budget/Salary Committee at 10:00 a.m.
Public Works Committee at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
GERMANTOWN The Germantown Planning Board holds a Public Hearing on proposed subdivision by boundary line adjustment of Matthew Daly, Jr. of 311 Northern Blvd. Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
HUDSON Historic Preservation Committee at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
RENSSELAERVILLE Rensselaerville Hydrofracking Committee meets at 7 p.m. at Rensselaerville Town Hall, 87 Barger Road, Medusa, NY 12120
STUYVESANT Greenway Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Town Board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:12 a.m./ 5:05 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 8:37 a.m. / 8:58 p.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 81 at Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Amare Stoudemire 19 points, 14 rebounds.
NBA: New Jersey Nets 97 at Philadelphia 90, Deron Williams 34 points.
Schedules
NBA: Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic, 8 p.m. (TV: TNT)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Thu. Jan. 26:
• "Tell It Like It Is," 10 a.m.: Judith Brink from the Prison Action Network discusses parole reform with host Christina Malisoff, and McKenzie Schoonmaker, the staff attorney for Riverkeeper, reports on Monday's anti=fracking rally in Albany.
• "Sound Forms," 2 p.m.: Peter Wetzler visits with Woodstock musician Fredo Viola.
• "The Jazz Disturbance," 7-9:30 p.m.: Host Cheryl K. talks with baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan.

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_20120312_fishmap.mp3

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

The 2nd Annual New York Shout OUT! youth media festival took place on April 30, 2011 at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. Over 40 young media makers from across New York State came together, including WGXC youth producers from the "Radio Explosion" show (Weds., 3:30 p.m.) and the Catskill Community Center. New York Shout OUT! was a day filled with hands-on media workshops and an evening youth film festival featuring the best short films produced by youth from all over the state. Please click on this link to see the "Message In A Minute" short videos produced during New York Shout OUT!: tinyurl.com/3lh3yfq WGXC's youth producers will be participating at this year's NY Shout Out, in April. If you would like to participate with WGXC in this youth media festival, contact sara@wgxc.org

Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential reports that Senate Republicans are proposing a new, 63rd Senate district that includes all of Greene County, and much of Albany and Ulster counties. Vielkind writes that, "the seat is envisioned for Assemblyman George Amedore, R-Rotterdam. It’s boundaries were revealed to the Times Union by a state official; the official maps for all Senate districts will be released this week." The district has about 325,000 residents and has more Democrats than Republicans. President Barack Obama won the proposed district in 2008 by a 55-44 margin. See more for the complete list of towns in the proposed district. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Towns in the proposed district:

All of Montgomery County

Parts of Schenectady County:
Towns of:
Duanesburg
Princetown
Rotterdam
Part of the City of Schenectady

Albany County
Towns of:
Guilderland
New Scotland
Coeymans
Westerlo
Rensselaerville
Knox
Berne

All of Greene County

Parts of Ulster County
Town and City of Kingston
Saugerties
Woodstock
Town of Ulster
Esopus
Hurley
Marbletown
Lloyd

"Main St. market encore favored" is the unfortunate headline on Doron Tyler Antrim's story in The Daily Mail about how Catskill officials, for the third year in a row, are going to spend a lot of time talking about where the Farmer's Market should be located. Antrim quotes only one official, Trustee Brian Kehoe, saying he wants the market to move back to Main St., where it was in 2010. He also quotes Trustee Jim Chewens, who says the businesses in Catskill do not want it there. He also quotes Village President Vincent Seeley, who says it did not work well at its 2011 location, a parking lot adjacent to Church Street. The long public argument over the location may be cut short early this year, as the Catskill Region Farmers Association meets Thursday to discuss the market’s future. They may not want to come back to a town that moves the market to a different location each year. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential reports that Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) raised $245,395 in the last fundraising quarter, and now has $702,022.21 cash on hand to fight off opponents, according to the latest Federal Elections Commission filing. Senior employees of Elliott Associates and Elliott Management, a hedge fund founded by Paul Singer, the chairman of the board of the conservative Manhattan Institute think tank, gave the most. The Congressman, who represents both Greene and Columbia counties, also received $4,000 from the PAC controlled by Goldman Sachs investment firm. Vielkind then relates an old Gibson campaign press releases from his 2010 campaign, when he complained that then-Congressman Scott Murphy accepted money from “Wall Street special interest donors” including Goldman. Gibson’s spokeswoman Stephanie Valle focused on the other half of Gibson's war chest. “We’re fortunate to receive over half of our contributions from individuals, who include seniors, small business owners, farmers and many others from all walks of life,” she told Vielkind. So far, only Dutchess County legislator, Democrat Joel Tyner, has announced an interest in taking on Gibson in the fall. Read the entire story in Capitol Confidential.

Prattsville is indeed rebuilding, after the devastating floods associated with Hurricane Irene last August. This March 3 the town is bringing in government, non-profit organizations, green building groups, mortgage lenders, historic preservationists, architects, real estate agencies, housing specialists, landscapers, and contractors in building, painting, electrical, plumbing, and masonry for a "Housing Expo & Home Improvement Show." A Housing Resource Center will open early to mid-spring to provide ongoing assistance to local homeowners. Annie Hull, the Committee Chairperson says, "the Expo will be a tremendous benefit for homeowners at all phases of rebuilding," as, "homeowners will benefit by being able to meet and discuss projects with many vendors at one time." The Housing Expo & Home Improvement Show will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 3. For more information, contact Annie Hull, Prattsville Housing Committee Chair at 518-299-3278 or email her at dadmhull@aol.com.

Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that Greene County is paying an Leisure Business Advisors of Richmond, Va. something less than $10,000 of taxpayer money to audit financial prospects for the proposed Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park in New Baltimore. County Administrator Shaun Groden told Zangla that he should have a report Feb. 3 on the prospects for $115-million 400-room hotel and 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, restaurant and lounge, large conference center, arcade, and gift shop. The Greene County Industrial Development Agency wants to borrow up to $15.6 million to pay for infrastructure improvements for the Kalkberg Commerce Park in New Baltimore, where the water park would be one of many businesses. That loan would be repaid through a fee on room rentals and sales tax at the hotel. The owners of Zoom Flume, the outdoor water park in Durham, are among the projects critics. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.

[caption id="attachment_17225" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Barbara J. Robinson of Red Apple Realty in Claverack."][/caption]The Columbia-Greene Board of Realtors (CGBR) named Barbara J. Robinson, co-owner and Principal Broker of Red Apple Realty in Claverack, its Realtor of the Year for 2011. Robinson has been a member of the Grievance and Professional Standards committees for the CGBR for 19 years and now chairs the Education Committee and is serving a three-year term on the organization’s Board of Directors. Ted Banta, president of the CGBR and newly elected Town Supervisor in Cairo, said the honor was well deserved. “Barbara champions honesty, dedication and expertise in our local real estate industry. The award is a show of respect she has earned among her peer professionals.”