The Greenville Mountain View Pioneer (no website) tracks taxes and budgets each town in Greene County, and lists which raised or lowered next year's budgets. Five towns -- Ashland, Catskill, Durham, Greenville, and Halcott -- exceeded the new two-percent state property tax cap next year. And, the unbylined story also notes, that while the county has been slashing its spending to meet budget restraints, spending rose in two departments: the Probation department added $34,845 in its personnel budget and new County Administrator's office added $29,269 to its budget. The breakdown by towns:
• Ashland: 5.6 percent tax increase
• Athens: 1 percent increase
• Cairo: .3 percent decrease
• Catskill: 4.7 percent increase
• Coxsackie: 1.2 percent increase
• Durham: 4.8 percent increase
• Greenville: 2.8 percent increase
• Halcott: 5.6 percent increase
• Hunter: .9 percent decrease
• Jewett: 1.8 percent increase
• Lexington: .6 percent decrease
• New Baltimore: 1.2 percent increase
• Prattsville: 1.2 percent decrease
• Windham: 1.9 percent decrease

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, Dec. 9, rejected the Portland Cement Association’s attempt to weaken Clean Air Act standards, in a suit filed on behalf of Friends of Hudson, a local environmental group, and national groups such as the Sierra Club. Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson commented in a press release from Earthjustice. “With this decision concerned citizens, particularly those in host communities, can finally breathe a little easier,” she said. Law360 reports:

"The D.C. Circuit on Friday ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider part of a rule regulating emissions from cement kilns, the third-largest source of mercury emissions, but otherwise largely rejected the cement industry's challenges to the rule. The court did not, however, stay the rule pending reconsideration, finding that "it is unlikely that significant changes will be made to the standards upon reconsideration."

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="From Windham Mountain's website."][/caption]Greene County's ski resorts got the season started this weekend, with Hunter Mountain opening Sat., Dec. 10, and Windham Mountain skiing starting Sun., Dec. 11 at 9 a.m. Catamount Ski, in Columbia County, is not open yet. "We are planning a tentative opening day of December 17 based on the current forecast, check back for updates," according to their website.

Film director Josh Fox heralds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s recent report tying hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to contaminated water in the small town of Pavillion, Wyoming in Friday's Guardian. Fox included the testimony of several Pavillion residents in his 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary "Gasland." In The Daily News, Glenn Blain writes about how New York's anti-fracking activists are drawing strength from the EPA report. But DEC spokesman Emily DeSantis told Blain the EPA report was "specific to Pavillion." “New York would require rigorous casing and cementing standards and a minimum of 1,000 feet of separation between the high-volume hydraulic fracturing activity and the deepest ground water,” DeSantis added. Read the full story in The Daily News.

WGXC Town Recorder Sam Sebren reports from the Greene IDA public meeting about the proposed New Baltimore water park:

Close to 150 people attended a 4 hour long public presentation and question-and-answer session at the Catskill High school last night for the proposed Great Wolf Water Park to be situated near the thruway exit in New Baltimore. First there was a presentation given by the Greene Industrial Development Agency, which is coordinating the deal, and representatives from Great Wolf who will operate the park, and MAR Holdings, the developer of the project. What was unusual about this meeting was that all Greene County Legislators were in attendance and were given the chance to ask questions. After the legislators, the public asked questions. The $115 million dollar project, which requires a great deal of additional infrastructure and would be an enclosed, indoor resort with a 400-room hotel, is controversial for residents and business owners in the area and is strongly opposed by the Kerrigans, owners of Zoom Flume who recently built a million dollar addition to their outdoor water park in East Durham. The IDA has created a website, www.greenewaterpark.com with more information about the project.

Here is a clip of the public comment period. PLAY CLIP

Here is a clip of the Greene County legislators asking the IDA questions about the project. PLAY CLIP

Tune in at 9 a.m. Sat., Dec. 10, and WGXC will air some of the public comments on 90.7-FM.

Some Hudson residents have raised concerns about the ongoing demolishing of a building on the corner of Columbia St. and North 3rd, where Columbia St. is blocked. The city has posted signs warning about asbestos nearby. WGXC’s Noah Reibel found Hudson’s Code Enforcement Officer, Peter Wurster, at the site and asked him why the City felt the building, at 255 Columbia St., had to come down now. PLAY CLIP

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Catskill.
The National Weather Service says Monday will be sunny, with a high near 43. Monday night should remain mostly clear, but cold, with a low around 23. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 43.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44.
• Thursday: A 50 percent chance of rain and snow. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 48.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45.

Weather in Harlemville

From 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.
Hosts: You can also read current temperature in Hudson, in Studio A in Hudson.

Town meetings today
This 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).
GREENVILLE Board of Education meeting in the Greenville High School library at 7 p.m.
HUDSON Common Council workshop meeting at 7 p.m., City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
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).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:10 a.m./ 4:29 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 6:38 p.m. / 8:41 a.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Mon. Dec. 12:
• "Women's Health Show," 3 p.m.: Nancey Rosensweig's as-yet-untitled women's health show debuts at 3 p.m. today on WGXC. It airs the second Monday of the month at 3 p.m.

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
• WGXC News 12:54
• WGXC Important Events this Week 3:19
• Sam Sebren's recordings of selected public responses at Greene IDA meeting about New Baltimore water park 4:51
• Noah Reibel's interview with Hudson’s Code Enforcement Officer, Peter Wurster, about demolition of building at corner of Third St. and Columbia St. in Hudson. 1:50
• Sam Starr, who runs Truck Pizza, discusses his Warren St. restuarant on wheels that just opened in Hudson. 11:55

New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20111217 Camphill Shepherds Play
• A OFF PSA 20120120 Anna Friz and Emmanual Madan Joy Channel on WGXC

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 12:54 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 12:54 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 12:54 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport n/a
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 12:54 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

The Nation's Katrina Vanden Heuvel credits several major unions, the Working Family Party Citizen Action, NYCC (the ex-ACORN group), AQE and scores of other organizations large and small for reviving the millionaire's tax in Albany. But, the Occupy movement, it's actions on Wall St. and Park Ave., led "Governor One Percent" to propose a tax plan that taxed the state's highest earners and emphasized fairness over austerity, according to Heuvel. Read the full story in The Nation.

Mark Read, a WGXC volunteer who works on the "To Be Determined" show on the second Sundays of the month at 6 p.m. on WGXC, is now Coordinating Producer for "Occupy Pacifica," a new pilot series on the Pacifica radio network. "I am currently seeking content in the form of produced segments covering the #occupations near you. If you are aware of any material, or any producers that have been covering #occupations, please let me know, and/or put producers in touch with me," Read writes. Read also recently coordinated the video projection on the side of a large building in downtown Manhattan visible from the Brooklyn Bridge, during a major "Occupy Wall Street" protest there. Following that, Read was interviewed on WGXC, "The Rachel Maddow Show," and other media outlets. WGXC will air "Occupy Pacifica," though not yet at a particular time.

The broadcast schedule and themes for "Occupy Pacifica" as follows:

December 14th- "#Occupy: Movement or Moment." What started as a relatively small protest and encampment in the financial district of New York City quickly spread as a meme across the country and around the world, and thus the #occupy phenomenon was launched. But is it accurate to characterize this as a movement? Is the distinction meaningful or anachronistic? How would a phenomenon develop into a movement and would that be a good idea? These are some of the questions that the first program of #Occupy Pacifica will tackle.

December 28th- "The Culture of Resistance." What are the cultural commonalities amongst various #occupations, and what are the differences? How does culture impact the political aspirations and identity of a community? How open and accessible is the culture of #occupy? How can art and culture be used to "redistribute the sensible" and prepare the ground for radical change? Learn about the culture of #occupy in this second episode of #Occupy Pacifica.

January 11th- "Beyond #Occupation." What visions and dreams is #occupy fighting for? What would be considered a "win?" What do various #occupations see as the next steps for this nascent movement? What will we see 6 months from now? One year from now? Five years? Listen to the voices of #occupiers from around the world as we try to piece together the visionary elements of this uprising and discuss how we begin to walk towards those horizons.

Climate justice activists blocked the corridor at UN Climate talks in Durban, South Africa Saturday, as little substantive results have emerged from the conference. WGXC's Kelly Benjamin provides this video report.

"In North America, skywatchers located in western Canada and the United States should have a great view of the eclipse, which will start at around 7:45 a.m. EST (1245 GMT), when the Earth's shadow begins to creep across the lunar disk. By 9:05 a.m. EST (1405 GMT), the moon will be fully engulfed in a glow that could range from light orange to blood red."

Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed a law giving $50 million in additional relief for areas devastated by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Cuomo also gave out $1 million to businesses in Broome and Tioga counties as part of the second round of grants from the Main Street Fund; $1.3 million in Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund grants to 143 farms in 21 counties to help cover the costs of lost livestock feed and damaged crops; and an additional $3 million for communities in the Southern Tier to hire unemployed New Yorkers as part of the Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps program. "The new law leverages tens of millions of dollars in funding for communities that are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee," Governor Cuomo said. Read more about the flood aid after the jump.
Sen. James Seward's statement on flood aid. Seward represents Greene County in Albany.



Flood Recovery Grant Program

This week, the state legislature passed Governor Cuomo's $50 million flood recovery grant program to continue recovery efforts in regions of the state hit hard by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The new law includes the following support for communities recovering from the storms:

· $21 million for small businesses, farms, multiple-dwellings and non-profit organizations that sustained direct physical flood-related damage costs not covered by other federal, state or local recovery programs, or any third party payers. Grants are limited to a maximum of $20,000 and will be provided to applicants that demonstrate the greatest need, based on available flood damage assessments provided by relevant federal agencies.
· $9 million for county flood mitigation or flood control projects. The grants for each county range from $300,000 to $500,000; however, counties can jointly apply. Eligible counties must be included in federal disaster declarations.
· An additional $20 million included in federal disaster declarations distributed on an as needed basis.
· Permitting local government to let taxpayers impacted by the storms to pay their property taxes in installments.


The new law also enacts a job retention credit for businesses harmed by a natural disaster. The credit is available to firms with at least 100 employees that have retained or expanded their workers' roles during this time. The credit equals 6.85 percent of the wages of retained jobs and is targeted towards employers in financial services, manufacturing, software development, new media, scientific development, agriculture and other sectors.

Senator Tom Libous said, "I'm excited that we'll be closing out 2011 with another bipartisan agreement on flood relief. I thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership in making sure communities affected by the flooding have what they need to get back on their feet. Together, we can show that government can work for the people."

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo said, "When the flooding brought so much damage and destruction to the Southern Tier, I introduced several pieces of legislation to make sure our communities had the resources they need to recover. I thank my colleagues in the legislature for taking up the bills this past week, and this funding will help businesses, families, and towns and villages get back on their feet and return to life as normal. It is remarkable what can happen when those in government work together and I thank Governor Cuomo and his team for their leadership in the storm recovery effort and for coming here today to sign this important law."

Main Street Fund

In November, Governor Cuomo announced that up to $3 million had been made available through the New York State Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund to provide money to Main Street businesses in some of the hardest hit areas.

A first round of these awards was announced on November 28, for Greene, Schoharie and Delaware counties, which received $1.5 million combined. Today the Governor announced the second round of these funds, in the amount of $1 million. Broome and Tioga counties will each be awarded $500,000. This funding will address the unmet capital needs of businesses and building owners in municipalities, including: Binghamton, Endwell, Vestal, Conklin and Owego.

The funding was requested by counties on behalf of businesses and building owners to help revitalize local economies. Eligible costs include: rehabilitating buildings for commercial and main street residential use, repairing and replacing permanent fixtures and equipment, as well as for inventory and working capital.

NY Works: Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps

Governor Cuomo today announced that, as a part of his Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps program, an additional $3 million has been set aside to assist communities in the Southern Tier rebuild from damage caused by the recent floods. The Governor has tasked the Department of Labor to work directly with localities in the region to identify projects and provide assistance in the clean-up and repair.

In September, Governor Cuomo launched NY Works: Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps to provide temporary work to several hundred unemployed New Yorkers for a three month period to assist in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. This program was designed to build upon the Governor's successful "Labor for Your Neighbor" initiative where more than 2,000 New Yorkers heeded the call and signed up to help victims of the storm clean up during Labor Day Weekend.

The Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps program is funded by up to a $16 million emergency grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and provides temporary employment that will enable individuals to reenter the workforce by doing disaster recovery work. Temporary workers will be trained to perform demolition, cleaning, repair, renovation, and reconstruction of damaged and destroyed public structures, facilities, and property that are located within designated disaster areas. The work may include both indoor and outside work. Further, funds can also be used to provide equipment for workers.

The program not only functions to rebuild communities, but also to reemploy workers who are temporarily or permanently unemployed as a result of the storm. Under this program, New York State will hire part-time workers for approximately 20 weeks at an average wage of $15 per hour. Job seekers interested in the program can apply by calling the Department of Labor at (888) 469-7365. The Department of Labor is tasked with directly contacting the localities affected. Local governments may also obtain more information about this funding by calling the Department of Labor at (212) 775-3371.

Aid for Farmers

Governor Cuomo today announced that the Farm Operation Match program of the Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund (ACRF) will make $1.3 million in grants to farmers who sustained damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The grants will go to 143 farms in 21 counties. These funds will assist with the costs of lost livestock feed and crops damaged by the storm.

The Farm Operations Match Program provides a 50 percent match for the cost of replacing livestock feed, up to $50,000. It also provides a 50 percent match, up to $10,000, to help cover the purchases of fruits, vegetables, bedding plants, nursery and flowers needed to replace storm-damaged produce to maintain retail operations. The program will accept a second round of applications for costs incurred between November 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

Darrel J. Aubertine, Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture & Markets, said, "Many farmers lost crops that would have fed their livestock this winter. Others lost crops they would sell at their farm stands. This program is intended to help them with some of the costs they incurred because of that loss."

The Governor also announced that the fourth component of the ACRF, the On Farm Capital Program, will begin accepting applications. This program will help pay for capital losses. Eligible costs include certain minor structural repairs, permanent fixtures and equipment. This program will be administered jointly by the Department of Agriculture and Markets and NYS Homes and Community Renewal. Farmers interested in receiving funding should contact the Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Here is the public notice from The Daily Mail about Holcim's permit renewal for the cement plant in Catskill, including a public comment period that ends Jan. 6, 2012:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Notice of Complete Application Date: 12/05/2011 Applicant: HOLCIM (US) INC., 201 JONES RD, WALTHAM, MA 02451 Facility: HOLCIM (US) INC. - CATSKILL PLANT, 6446 US RTE 9W, ALSEN, NY 12414 Application ID: 4-1926-00021/00040 Permit(s) Applied for: 1-Article 19 Air Title V Facility Project is located in CATSKILL in GREENE COUNTY Project Description: The Department has proposed a renewal of the Title V Permit for the Holcim (US), Inc, Facility located at 6446 US Route 9W, Catskill, NY, owned by Holcim (US), Inc., of Waltham, MA. The facility manufactures Portland Cement using a wet process kiln with an electrostatic precipitator to control particulate emissions. This renewal will update the Title V permit to incorporate the new Federal NESHAP rule (40 CFR 63, Subpart LLL) and will also require the facility to install selective non-catalytic reduction to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides in order to satisfy the requirements of 6 NYCRR Part 220 for NOx Reasonably Achievable Control Technology and 6 NYCRR Part 249 for Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART). As required under Part 249, each BART determination will also be submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for approval as a revision to the New York State Implementation Plan. In accordance with 6NYCRR Parts 621.7(b)(9) and 201-6.4(c), the Administrator of the USEPA has the authority to bar issuance of any Title V Facility Permit if it is determined not to be in compliance with applicable requirements of the Clean Air Act or 6NYCRR Part 201. Persons wishing to inspect the subject Title V files, including the application with all relevant supporting materials, the draft permit, and all other materials available to the DEC (the “permitting authority”) that are relevant to this permitting decision should contact the DEC representative listed below. The Draft Permit and Permit Review Report may be viewed and printed from the Department web site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/32249.html. DEC will evaluate the application and the comments received on it to determine whether to hold a public hearing. Comments and requests for a public hearing should be in writing and addressed to the Department representative listed below. A copy of the Department’s permit hearing procedures is available upon request or on the Department web site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6234.html. Availability of Application Documents: Filed application documents, and Department draft permits where applicable, are available for inspection during normal business hours at the address of the contact person. To ensure timely service at the time of inspection, it is recommended that an appointment be made with the contact person. Availability of Application Documents: Filed application documents, and Department draft permits where applicable, are available for inspection during normal business hours at the address of the contact person. To ensure timely service at the time of inspection, it is recommended that an appointment be made with the contact person. State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Determination: Project is not subject to SEQR because it is a Type II action. SEQR Lead Agency: None Designated. State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) Determination. The proposed activity is not subject to review in accordance with SHPA. The permit type is exempt or the activity is being reviewed in accordance with Federal Historic preservation regulations. DEC Commissioner Policy 29, Environmental Justice and Permitting (CP-29) It has been determined that the proposed action is not subject to CP-29. Availability For Public Comment: Comments on this project must be submitted in writing to the Contact Person no later than 01/06/2012 or 30 days after the publication date of this notice, whichever is later. Contact Person: MICHAEL T HIGGINS, NYSDEC, 1130 NORTH WESTCOTT RD, SCHENECTADY, NY 12306. (518) 357-2069

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the distribution of $785 million in economic development funding today.nThe orchestrated event at The Egg is Albany was hosted by Maria Bartiromo of CNBC and included a videotaped interview with former President Clinton, praising the process. The top winners appear to be Western New York, Long Island, and the North Country, whose regional economic development plans received the most funding. Some of the funding to make its way to the region includes $1.5 million for an ice skating facility at Windham Mountain, and $2.2 million for a rail "transloading" facility in Columbia County, serving businesses in the Capital Region that do not have rail access. The Governor's office has posted a press release with details about the distribution of development funding throughout the state: .
Greene County projects awarded $2,617,222:
• Village of Hunter, Main St. Revitalization Program, $372,000
• Town of Prattsville, Main St. Revitalization Program, $215,000
• Greene County, Microenterprise Assistance Program, $200,000
• Greene County, NY Spring Water, $280,000
• Catskill Mountain Housing Development Corp., RESTORE 2011, $50,000
• Ski Windham, Destination Windham, $1,500,000
Columbia County projects approved $7,847,990:
• Village of Kinderhook, Wastewater Collection System, $285,000
• Valatie Housing Group, Valatie Senior Citizen housing, $1,669,265
• The Olana Partnership, Olana Restoration Project, $274,125
• Hudson Opera House, First Floor Restoration, $400,000
• Housing Resources of Columbia County, an Emergency Repair program and two Home Improvement Programs, $675,000
• Historic Hudson, Dr. Oliver Bronson House Restoration, $300,000
• Columbia County IDA, Coulumbia County Rail Transloading Facility, $2,208,600

Cap Region Projects

The Columbia Land Conservancy announced the protection of 94 acres in Canaan in partnership with Byron and Ingrid Greenfield, who donated the property rights on their land. The conservancy created a conservation easement that protects the most important natural characteristics of the property, but allows the landowners to live on and enjoy their land. The Columbia Land Conservancy now holds easements on 21,445 acres. Find out more about their Land Protection program at http://clctrust.org/land-protection.

John Mason of the Register-Star reports on the Germantown School District's "dire" financial picture. School Superintendent Patrick Gabriel said the new state-mandated two-percent limit on tax levy increases has the business office projecting a $2 million deficit in 2013-2014, and a $4.6 million deficit in 2014-2015. Gabriel said he may recommend to the board a five percent tax levy hike. That would require a supermajority -- 60 percent of voters at the polls in May under state law. Read Mason's article about Germantown school district's budget gap.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Philmont.
The National Weather Service predicted the weekend will be clear but cold. Friday should be partly sunny, with a high near 43. Friday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. The forecast for the weekend:
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36, low overnight near 20.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 38, low around 21.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 39.

Weather in Harlemville

From 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.
Hosts: You can also read current temperature in Hudson, in Studio A in Hudson.

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

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:08 a.m./ 4:28 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 3:50 p.m. / 6:14 a.m.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Fri. Dec. 9:
• "Imprint," 10 a.m.: Terry Doyle profiles Hudson Valley musicians, and features area concerts and events.

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.

New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A_OFF_PSA_20111209_dot_holiday_concert.mp3
• A OFF PSA 20111226 Coop Ext Little Theater in the Woods.mp3
• A_OFF_PSA_20120119_farm_film_fest_4 in Chatham at Crandell Theatre.mp3
• A_OFF_PSA_20120128_catskill_filmvid_fest.mp3

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 4:35 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:02
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 4:35 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:02
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 4:35 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:02
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 4:35 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:02
• 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

Central Park (Listen to the Light) - A New Location Aware Album by BLUEBRAIN from BLUEBRAIN on Vimeo.

James C. McKinley writes in The New York Times about Washington D.C.-based musicians Bluebrain, who released a soundtrack to a walk through Central Park as a free app for iPhone and Ipad users. The project, "Central Park: Listen to the Light," uses a global-positioning network to activate different themes as the listener wanders through the park. The app contains more than 400 tracks, each tied to a location. The brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay make up the band. They collaborated with Brooklyn based software developer Brian Feldman to create their first site specific composition for the National Mall in DC. Feldman wrote the new software engine, Sscape, for the application. To use the program, the composers establish map coordinates for each track, and those tracks are set off as the listener approaches. Read the full story in The New York Times.

The New York State Senate unanimously passed an income tax restructuring bill late Wednesday night after a day of closed door negotiations. The Senate voted, 55-0, to approve the tax code changes on Wednesday night, and the Assembly was poised to follow suit. The remarkably rapid progress of the tax revisions and the clandestine nature of the negotiations was criticized by some government watchdog groups. Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times describes how Cuomo has used similar tactics he describes as "stealth manuevering" to pass the same sex marriage act, a property-tax cap, a reworking of ethics rules and extensive budget cuts. The New York Public Interest Research Group said that the actual legislation — 33 pages and over 19,000 words — was posted online 26 minutes before the Senate began voting on it.

Windham-Ashland-Jewett and Hunter-Tannersville schools are delayed two hours this morning, due to the snowstorm last night. In Columbia County, Germantown and New Lebanon schools are delayed two hours, while schools in Hawthorne Valley, Mountain Road, and Taconic Hills are delayed one hour. Germantown schools are delayed due to power outages, and other Columbia County towns are reporting power outages due to the heavy, wet snowfall.