Rhizome's 2012 Commissions award applications are due Sunday, April 15. This program supports emerging artists by providing grants for the creation of significant works of new media art. Projects can be made for the context of the gallery, the public, the web, or networked devices. Rhizome Commissions awards generally range from $1,000 to $5,000. The Rhizome Commissions program is supported, in part, by funds from Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, Wieden + Kennedy, the Jerome Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper tracks how bear hunting in Columbia County went in its first season. She reports ten black bears were legally shot in Columbia County during the hunting season this past fall. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) allowed Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Rensselaer and Washington counties, and the portion of Rockland that was not already open for black bear hunting. Bear hunting has been allowed west of the Hudson, including Greene County, for some time. Valden's story also tracks 64-year-old grandmother Dona Whiteman, who shot one of the ten with a muzzleloader, a 400-pounder shot in the Town of Claverack in Hollowville. She was watching a doe from up in a tree when a black bear emerged from the woods. "She took about 10 seconds to make sure her shot would hit a vital organ toward the front of the bear and pulled back the trigger," Valden writes. "The bear fell, then ran and was done in 50 feet, she said. She sat in the tree for another hour or so, still waiting in hopes of getting a shot at a doe." Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says the State Senate and its Republican majority will pass the Iran Divestment Act of 2012 during a session Monday, Jan. 9. “The Senate’s swift action shows how important it is that we stand together to condemn tyrannical governments like Iran which sponsor terrorism, have attempted to acquire nuclear weapons and threaten U.S. allies like Israel, as Iran has repeatedly done," Skelos said in a press release. "I applaud [Democrat Assembly] Speaker [Sheldon] Silver for taking the lead on this effort and moving it forward in the Assembly.” The Iran Divestment Act of 2012 (S5917A) was modeled after similar legislation in California and, "conceived with help from the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York," according to Skelos' press release, would prohibit companies that provide goods, services or credit worth $20 million or more to Iran's energy industry from entering into or renewing state and local government contracts. The legislation directs the Office of General Services to create a list of people, corporations and other organizations with investments of more than $20 million in the Iranian energy sector. Those on the list would be excluded from bidding on government contracts. The bill also requires individuals or entities to certify they are not on the list when they submit bids to state and local agencies.

Scott Waldman in the Albany Times-Union has another one of those, 'boy, there sure are a lot of musicians in Hudson' stories. In this one, he outs Replacements bassist Tommy Stintson, and name-checks, "Grammy-nominee Meshell Ndegeocello, and down the road is Melissa Auf Der Maur, the bassist for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. Lenny Kravitz's longtime producer, Henry Hirsch, turned an 1869 church into a recording studio. Members of indie bands Vetiver and Buke and Gass are now Hudsonians." It leaves out others such as Alexander Turnquist, Bunnybrains, and Liv Carrow. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

Michael DeMasi in The Albany Business Review reports Trader Joe’s will open a 13,000-square-foot store at 79 Wolf Road in Colonie, just north of Albany off the interstate. It will be the closest location of the popular specialty grocery chain to the WGXC listening area. Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.

Weather right now
Hosts: Please announce the current temperature in Hudson, which is in Studio A in Hudson. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air. The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; the two others are Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.

Please credit the above temperatures: From the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; and from Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.
On the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page, when the computer at Hawthorne Valley is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information live from Harlemville. Check dates and times at bottom of image to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was last turned off. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Jewett, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts it will be mostly sunny Monday in Jewett, with a high near 35. Monday night should be mostly cloudy on the mountaintop, with a low around 25. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38, low overnight around 23.
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45, overnight low 34, a 50 percent chance of rain after 1 a.m.
• Thursday: A 50 percent chance of rain, with a high near 44, and overnight low of 26.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a high near 32.

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).
HILLSDALE The Planning Board of the Town of Hillsdale holds a public hearing to consider a three-lot subdivision for William Stratton, Route 7D LLC, on Route 7D in Hillsdale. 7:30 p.m. at Hillsdale Town Hall, Main St., Hillsdale, 518-325-7563.
HUDSON Common Council workshop meeting at 7 p.m., City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON SCHOOLS Hudson School District meeting. The board will meet in the HHS library. Questar III BOCES Superintendent James N. Baldwin will be the featured guest. 7 p.m.
HUNTER The Village of Hunter Board of Trustees holds a Public Hearing to discuss a proposed Property Tax Cap Law of 2012. 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).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:20 a.m./ 4:45 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 5:31 p.m. / 7:19 a.m.
Full Moon: 2:31 a.m.

Sports scores and schedules
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NFL: Atlanta Falcons 2, New York Giants 24. Giants play at Greene Bay Packers next Sunday.
NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Denver Broncos 29 (OT). Broncos at New England Patriots next week.
Schedules
NCAA: LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, national championship game, 8:30 p.m.
NBA: Atlanta at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
NBA: Charlotte at New York, 7:30 p.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Mon. Jan. 9:
• "Monday Musical Matinee," noon-2 p.m.: Lincoln Mayorga hosts two hours of 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 20120128 Post Office Stories

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 6:11 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:11 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:11 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:11 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 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

Jeff Alexander in the Register-Star reports that Kinderhook Republican Supervisor Patrick Grattan was sworn in as Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors on Thu., Jan., 5 in Hudson. Grattan replaced Roy Brown (R-Germantown), who did not seek the chairmanship. Grattan said he would not be using a county-owned vehicle, despite that traditional custom among board chairmen of using county vehicles. He also says he will not use a county-owned cell phone, which may save the county one cell phone plan, but means his own cell phone records could be subject to freedom of information requests, if he uses it for county business. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The local ski resorts did not get the snow they want this past week, but the bitter cold mid-week did allow them to add a lot of artificial white stuff to the mountains. Catamount Ski in Columbia County reports 22 of 33 trails are open (they expect 25 open by Saturday), with four of six lifts running, and 12-30" of artificial snow. Windham Mountain has an artificial snow base between 12" and 38" on 25 trails with six lifts open. Hunter Mountain has up to 12" to 50" of mostly artificial snow on 36 trails with seven lifts.

Emilia Teasdale in The Columbia Paper reports that the Ichabod Crane School Board holds a series of public forums in the coming months:
• Jan. 10: Budget projections will be presented for one-bell and two-bell busing systems. The proposals for these systems would reduce the number of bus runs each day.
• Jan. 24: Discussion about high school electives and full-day or half-day kindergarten with the public, and what to do with the elementary schools in Valatie and Kinderhook the board shuttered last year.
• A February forum about sports and special education.
The story says the board is in negotiation with the Village of Valatie and the Town of Kinderhook to lease the Martin H. Glynn School in Valatie for offices. There may be a referendum on the May ballot with the annual school district budget vote about the leasing or sale of the building. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Now that a bit of winter cold has reached the Hudson Valley, it seems apt to note a change in ice fishing regulations the Department of Environmental Conservation made this year. As of August 17, 2011, three hand lines plus five tip-ups may be used except as noted in special regulations for specific waters. Previously, ice anglers could only use two lines with five tip-ups. "According to a recent DEC survey, ice fishing participation has doubled over the past 10 years," said DEC Assistant Commissioner for Natural Resources Kathy Moser. The use of fish for bait is very popular when ice fishing, and bait fish may be used in most but not all waters that are open to ice fishing. See DEC's website for a list of special regulations by county to find out where bait fish can and cannot be used: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/71546.html.

Anglers are reminded to take these important steps when ice fishing:

Follow the bait fish regulations to prevent the spread of harmful fish diseases and invasive species.
Use only certified disease-free bait fish purchased at a local tackle store or use only personally collected bait fish for use in the same waterbody in which they were caught.
Check for sufficient ice thickness before venturing onto the ice.

A minimum of three to four inches of solid ice is usually safe for anglers on foot. However, ice thickness varies on every body of water and anglers should be particularly wary of areas of moving water and around boat docks/houses where "bubblers" may be installed to reduce ice buildup. DEC cautions that the presence of snowmobile tracks or footprints on the ice should not be taken as evidence of safe ice conditions. Individuals are strongly encouraged to check ice conditions for themselves and avoid situations that appear to present even a remote risk.

For more information on ice fishing, ice safety, and places to ice fish, please visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html. New York's freshwater fishing regulations can be found at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html.

Tom Casey in the Register-Star reports that Pat Manning is seeking the 103rd district New York State Assembly seat recently vacated by now-Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro. Manning was Assemblyman from 1995 to 2002 in the 99th district and from 2003 to 2006 held the seat in the 103rd. Then he ran for the Republican nomination for the gubernatorial election in 2006 but dropped out when rumors of an extramarital affair surfaced. Then he tried to keep the 103rd seat, and lost a primary to Molinaro, who held it until last November. Manning used to be a Republican, but the story does not mention his current party registration. Manning is also from Dutchess County, as the main part of the population is there, with fewer constituents in Columbia County. There might be a special election to fill the seat, the seat could sit empty until November, or could be eliminated, or certainly drastically altered, in redistricting. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Weather right now
Hosts: Please announce the current temperature in Hudson, which is in Studio A in Hudson. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air. The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; the two others are Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.

Please credit the above temperatures: From the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; and from Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.
On the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page, when the computer at Hawthorne Valley is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information live from Harlemville. Check dates and times at bottom of image to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was last turned off. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Coeymans, in Albany County.
The National Weather Service predicts it will be mostly cloudy Friday in Coeymans, with a high near 44. Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. The forecast for the weekend:
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Overnight low 25.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Overnight low around 23.
• Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37.

Town meetings today
Today is the first Friday of the month. WGXC is unaware of any meetings.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:20 a.m./ 4:43 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 2:32 p.m. / 4:59 a.m.

Sports scores and schedules
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NHL: Florida 2 at New York Rangers 3 (OT)
NBA: Miami Heat 116 at Atlanta Hawks 109 (3OT)
Schedules
NBA: New York Knicks at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
NBA: New Jersey Nets at Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Fri. Jan. 6:
• "Que Cocinare Hoy?," 2 p.m.: After a few weeks off, Mariel Fiori and Antonio Flores-Lobos are back en espanol.

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 20120128 Post Office Stories

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 8:00 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:23
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 8:00 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:23
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 8:00 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:23
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 8:00 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:23
• 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

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's State of the State Address was streamed live at governor.ny.gov and on the WGXC Newsroom, on Wed., Jan. 4 at 1:30 p.m. live from Albany's Empire State Plaza Convention Center. WGXC's Sam Sebren spoke with many of the protesters outside the center, who were mostly upset about the possibility of high-impact hydraulic fracturing gas drilling starting soon in New York. Click here to play a collage of interviews with protesters Wednesday in Albany. PLAY CLIP 27:00

The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) posted its "State of the Schools 2012" address, a riposte to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's annual "State of the State" speech. Nikki Jones, the organization's Communications Director, says the state's poorest districts are the most vulnerable to cuts in the state's education budget and describes conditions in some schools as appalling. “When Albany slashes school funding, as it has for three years in row, wealthier districts are so much better equipped to protect schools that poor districts," Jones says. "What we are now seeing in poor districts is appalling: crowded classrooms; greatly reduced class offerings and the elimination of tutoring and other programs. These are severe impacts that must be addressed.” She also challenged the Governor's continued emphasis on testing. “Judging school based primarily on test scores in two subjects has resulted in teaching to the test, narrowing of the curriculum and a dumbing down of public education,” Jones said.

Brian Nearing of the Times-Union writes about local farmers worried that warm December weather poses a risk to their crops. Growers say trees, tricked by a warm December after an unusual winter blast in late November, are showing growth at the buds. Ed Miller, the president of 75-acre Gold Orchards, tells the paper there is no going back if an apple tree starts budding off too early. "A tree can decide that it is spring again already and start budding. When it gets cold again, it kills the bud, and you can lose an entire crop," he said. But Ian Merwin, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University, says it's too early to tell whether this mild, snowless start to winter will damage the state fruit harvest. He said an oscillation between unusually warm and normally cold temperatures poses the greatest risk, and that such a pattern is predicted in climatic models used to forecast the direction of man-made climate change. "It is not just how cold it gets; it is whether it was unusually warm before that," Merwin said. Another crop that could be at risk from this winter's lack of snow is alfalfa, which is prime feed for dairy cattle. Snow acts as an insulating blanket to protect field crops like alfalfa. Temperatures could bottom out to 4 degrees Thursday night before rebounding to overnight lows in the mid-20s for the weekend. Highs are expected to be just below freezing through Saturday, when clouds gather and the mercury hits 46. Sunday could see a combination of rain and snow, with the high near 37, and the low near 21. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) and Scenic Hudson are partnering with the owner of a farm in the Town of Stuyvesant to protect permanently 233 high-quality agricultural acres. The transaction marks another important step forward in CLC’s and Scenic Hudson’s collaboration on conserving farmland in Columbia County. The conserved land includes more than 220 acres of USDA Prime Farmland and Soils of Statewide Significance currently in use by local farmers who grow corn and hay, as well as a circa-1760 farmhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property, historically known as the Johannis L. Van Alen Farm, is part of a “Neighborhood Conservation Block” that is comprised of 14 other agricultural properties within three miles totaling 2,926 acres of land permanently protected with conservation easements. This includes an adjacent 440-acre farm previously protected by Scenic Hudson and 166 acres of farmland protected by a CLC-Scenic Hudson collaboration earlier this year. “Hudson Valley farms remain incredibly vulnerable to development pressures just as there is a growing need to secure a sustainable ‘foodshed’ for the Hudson Valley and New York City,” said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan. “That’s why protecting them is a priority of Scenic Hudson’s Saving the Land That Matters Most campaign. Thanks to our partnership with the Columbia Land Conservancy and a generous landowner, we’ve ensured that 233 highly productive acres will always be available to provide nutritious food while supporting Stuyvesant’s economy.”

The Register-Star reports that Acres, Hudson's new food co-op, will host a weekly Saturday indoor food market beginning Jan. 7 to “bridge the seasonal gap” until farmers markets resume in the springtime. Patrons will get a feel for what the market will look like inside the storefront at 702 Columbia Street (below WGXC's Hudson studios.) North Wind Farms, Block Factory Tamales, Breezy Hill Orchards and Migliorelli Farm, Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Tierra Farm, and Amazing Real Life Food Company are among the vendors who will supply organic meat, vegetables, cheese, cider, and other locally made and grown foods. The market will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and will run until early March when the Hudson’s farmers market opens once again. For more information call Mona Coade-Wingate at 774-722-0664.

Weather right now
Hosts: Please announce the current temperature in Hudson, which is in Studio A in Hudson. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air. The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; the two others are Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.

Please credit the above temperatures: From the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page; and from Cairo and Catskill Weather Underground pages.
On the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page, when the computer at Hawthorne Valley is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information live from Harlemville. Check dates and times at bottom of image to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was last turned off. Please properly credit any other local temperatures you announce on the air.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Hillsdale, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts the deep freeze will lift in Hillsdale, with a partly sunny Thurday, with a high near 30. Thursday night there will be increasing clouds, with a low around 19. The weekend forecast for Hillsdale:
• Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Overnight low 28.
• Saturday: A slight chance of showers after 1 p.m., otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 42.
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.

Town meetings today
Today is the first Thursday of the month.
ANCRAM At 6 p.m. the Ancram Town Board holds the 2011 Year End and 2012 Organizational meeting. At 7 p.m., the Planning Board meets 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).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Organizational Meeting at 3 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson.
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).
RENSSELAERVILLE Rensselaerville Hydrofracking Committee Meeting at 7 p.m. at Rensselaerville Town Hall, 87 Barger Road, Medusa.
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:20 a.m./ 4:42 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 1:45 p.m. / 4:04 a.m.

Sports scores and schedules
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: New Jersey 70 at Boston 89
NBA: Charlotte 118 at New York 110
NCAAFB: West Virginia 70, Clemson 33
Schedules
NHL: Florida at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Thu. Jan. 5:
• "The Art of the Hudson Valley," 2 p.m.: Host Chad Weckler talks with installation and performance artists Michael Asbill, Ryder Cooley, and Matthew Slaats.

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 20120128 Post Office Stories

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 15:05 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:55
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 15:05 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:55
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 15:05 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:55
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 15:05 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 2:55
• 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

So far the folks in Ancram turning out for public hearings about a proposed cell phone tower near the Gallatin border say they want better phone service, but they do not want to live near the towers. Now, they have another reason to oppose the project: John Mason of the Register-Star reports that AT&T, the project's proposed service provider, and Mariner Tower, the company that wants to build the tower, helped write the town's cell tower law. “We asked them for input,” Town Supervisor Art Bassin said. “We figured they’ve done this before.” Their input about reducing the required setback from a property line from 750 feet to 150 feet was accepted. Read Mason's story in the Register-Star.

Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that Greene County Attorney Carol Stevens was appointed a second job as interim public defender by Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh (R-Coxsackie), Tue., Jan. 3, at the legislature's yearly organizational meeting. Public Defender Dominic J. Cornelius of Catskill resigned Dec. 31. Stevens has been county attorney since 2001. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.