Adam Sichko in the Albany Business Review reports New York state regulators have cleared Lafarge North America Inc. to modernize its aging cement plant in Ravena. Permits have been issued after months of review, draft reports and public comment periods, all conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC announced the permits on Thursday. Lafarge says up to 800 workers wil be involved in the construction there, costing a few hundred million dollars. John Reagan, environmental manager for the Ravena plant, told the Business Review he expects Lafarge to break ground this fall. Lafarge calculates the construction project will generate $170 million in wages for construction workers, purchases from local supplies, and other spending. "Environmental watchdog groups and other interest groups have criticized Lafarge’s pollution in the past. Federal data show Lafarge had the fifth-largest mercury emissions of any site in New York in 2009, in any industry," Sichko writes. and then quotes New York DEC commissioner Joseph Martens saying, “Lafarge has demonstrated its commitment to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the country. In addition, this new facility will ensure a continued local supply of a critical building material.” Read the full story in the Business Review.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="500" caption="Lake Taghkanic State Park, from its website."][/caption]Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thu., July 21 that he has directed the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to extend hours at state swimming facilities and other state parks during the current heat wave. The extended hours are for Friday and Saturday evening. Swimming beaches at Taconic (Copake Falls and Rudd Pond), and Lake Taghkanic, and Fahnestock State Parks will remain open until 7 pm. The swimming pool at FDR State Park will remain open until 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Glencadia Dog Camp's Will Pflaum is still fighting to keep his business open. The Stuyvesant canine retreat was open for several years when a few neighbors began complaining about barking. Since then, Pflaum has been before every board in town, the the town has hired a law firm just to work on his cases. Pflaum selectivly posts audio on his blog Sunshine on the Hudson of his meeting before the Zoning Board Tue., July 19, so some of the context is lost in these mp3 files from the meeting. Will Pflaum talking 1.
Will Pflaum talking 2.
Will Pflaum talking 3.
Martin Roby asks a question.
David R. Everett, the counsel the town hired for the matter, talks..
Zoning enforcement officer Gerry Ennis of the town of Stuyvesant talking 1.
Zoning enforcement officer Gerry Ennis of the town of Stuyvesant talking 2.
Zoning enforcement officer Gerry Ennis of the town of Stuyvesant talking 3.
Zoning enforcement officer Gerry Ennis of the town of Stuyvesant talking 4.

Friar Tuck Inn in Catskill sells for $2.4M
Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that the Friar Tuck Inn and Spa on Route 32 in Catskill has been sold for $2.425 million to L and H Resort Systems LP. Win Morrison, the realtor for the resort with 376 guest rooms, 52,000 square feet of exhibition space, banquet facilities, conference rooms, two outdoor pools, an indoor pool, and an indoor Jacuzzi, said the buyers were "foreign." The article does not hint at what they might do with the large property. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Proposed highway garage could cost up to $3.5 million
The Greene County News' Melanie Lekocevic reports that the Town of Coxsackie wants to build a new highway garage costing as much as $3.5 million, on a 12-acre parcel of land on Bailey Street near the railroad tracks. Currently, the town uses a building on Bailey Street, opposite the Little League field, that was built in 1935, and is reported to be in disrepair. “We would pay for this through a bond,” Town Supervisor Alex Betke told the paper. “We could probably go as many as thirty years to keep the monthly cost down. That’s one school of thought. Others might have other ideas about financing.” The proposed highway garage plans are available at the town clerk’s office on Reed St. Read the story in The Greene County News.

Cairo Democrats pick candidates
Cairo Democrats caucused at the Acra Community Center Thu., July 21, picking a slate of unopposed candidates for elections this fall: for Supervisor, Ted Banta; for Town Justice, David Hart; for Town Council, Patricia "Pat" Byron and incumbent Rich Lorenz; for Town Clerk, Linda Keever; for Highway Superintendent, Lou O'Connor; and for Tax Collector, Coleen Ray.

National Grid sets record for electricity demand
National Grid electricity customers in upstate New York set a record for demand Thursday, July 21, using more than 7,000 megawatts, beating the previous peak of 6,915 megawatts set on July 8, 2010. "National Grid's increased investment in the upstate New York electric system in recent years directly supports our reliability during summer's peaks," said Kenneth D. Daly, National Grid president for New York. "We continue to encourage customers to be prudent with their energy use and urge all customers, especially seniors, to safeguard their health as they try to stay cool." Friday should be slightly cooler, but if everyone could turn off a few lights today it might add up.

Saratoga Race Course opens Friday
Horse racing should get under way for 40 days at the Saratoga Race Course, if the heat today does not cause a cancellation. Track officials are monitoring weather conditions, but expect to race today. NBC will be airing racing from Saratoga for the next seven Saturdays on television this year.

The United States Geological Service reported an earthquake with a measurement of 3.0 on the Richter scale at 7:05 p.m. Thur., July 21, in southern Ontario, 241.23 Miles north of Albany.

The National Weather Service predicts that it won't be quite as hot today, but still pretty hot. There will be widespread haze, and patchy fog before 7 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 95. Friday night there may be patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 64. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Saturday there may be isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., but otherwise mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Sunday should be mostly sunny and cooler, with a high near 84.

Town meetings today
CLERMONT Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 8:44 a.m./Low, 3 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:43 a.m./8:22 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11:44 p.m./ 1:05 p.m.

Birthdays
July 22 Edward Hopper, Bob Dole, Tom Robbins, George Clinton, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Willem Defoe.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Mark Lacoy and Casson Kennedy present the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Tom Roe updates the morning news. 9 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
PURE MOODS Shannekia McIntosh hosts. Noon-2 p.m.
QUE COCINARE HOY? Mariel Fiori and Antonio Flores-Lobos host in Spanish. 2 p.m.
KNOCK ON WOOD Steve Charney hosts. 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Tom Roe hosts. 4-6 p.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH 6 p.m.
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS 6:30 p.m.
HOTLINE RADIO L. Dot Dinero and The Guy host. 9:30 p.m.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more midnight through 6 a.m. Sunday morning.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Tony Fallon records a PSA for his "Irish Show" in Studio B in WGXC's Hudson studio with WGXC Technical Director Al Davis. Photo by Galen Joseph-Hunter."][/caption]
WGXC Technical Director Al Davis has WGXC's "Studio B" in Hudson working for the first time today, Thu., July 20, as he recorded a new public service announcement with Cairo's Tony Fallon. The new studio will allow WGXC staff and volunteers to train many new DJs and hosts to go on the air with new shows, and contributing audio reports to WGXC listeners. Fallon hosts "The Irish Show" on WGXC Sundays from 7-9 p.m. Click here to listen to the PSA, which is an ogg file, and will only play in certain media players such as Audion.

Dems’ mayoral candidate will be a write-in
Jamie Larson in the Register-Star reports that an error by Hudson City Democratic Committee Chairman Victor Mendolia will force mayoral hopeful Nicholas Haddad to be a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary on September 13. "Haddad, a registered Republican, was endorsed by the committee in March," Larson writes. "Because Haddad is not a member of the party endorsing him, the candidate’s petition process took on two extra steps. First the party had to file Haddad’s petition, which Mendolia did, then they had to file official partly authorization papers for a member of another party to run on the Democratic line; this was also done. Lastly, Haddad had to sign an acceptance of the authorization." “I filed the authorization, but we forgot to file the acceptance form,” Mendolia said Wednesday. “No question this is a screwup and we wish it hadn’t happened.” Mendolia also hosts "@Issue" on WGXC. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Homeowners seeking aid to avoid foreclosure face Friday deadline
The Register-Star reports that Friday is the deadline for New York state homeowners facing foreclosure to qualify for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program, or ELHP. “The clock is ticking for New York state homeowners at risk of foreclosure,” said HUD Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrion. “It is absolutely critical for them to get to the ELHP website at www.findELHP.org, or call 855-346-3345 before Friday, July 22, to apply for an ELHP bridge loan. Simply put, it could be the difference between losing or holding onto their homes.” Read the full story in the Register-Star.


Greene County Youth Fair opens
The Greene County Youth Fair opens today, Thursday, July 21, and runs through Sunday in downtown Cairo's park. There will be all sorts of animals, rides, performances, and more for young people all weekend. WGXC's Emily Bennison will be recording young people for the radio on Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service predicts that it is going to be hot. An Excessive Heat Warning is out through this afternoon, and a Excessive Heat Watch through Friday afternoon. Thursday should be mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97, and a heat index value as high as 106. Thursday night, there is a 20 percent chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m., with a low around 73. Friday, a 20 percent chance if isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., with a high near 96, and heat index values as high as 104.0 Friday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Saturday: A slight chance of showers and mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Sunday should be sunny, with a high near 86.

Town meetings today
ANCRAM Board meeting at 7 p.m. in Town Hall at 1416 County Rte. 7, Ancram (329-6512).
CHATHAM Town Board meeting at 7 p.m. Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham (392-3262).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Public Safety Committee meeting at 6 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
COPAKE Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
DURHAM Town board meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham.
GHENT Town Board meeting at the Ghent Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644)
HUNTER The Village of Hunter Board of Trustees holds a Public Hearing to discuss a proposed Un-mowed Frontage Law and will have a Special Meeting at 6:15 p.m. to discuss procedures for enforcement of building code violations. Meeting at 6 p.m. at Hunter Village Hall, 7955 Main St.
TAGHKANIC The Taghkanic Town Board holds a special meeting for the purposes of conducting interviews, together with such other and further business as may come before the board. Meeting at 6 p.m. at Taghkanic Town Hall, 909 Route 82.
TANNERSVILLE The Tannersville Zoning Board of Appeals holds a Public hearing for an area variance on the Mockin Property located at 96 Park Lane, tax map # 166.17-3-2. Meeting at 6 p.m. at Tannersville Village Hall, 1 Park Lane.
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 8 a.m./Low, 2:17 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:42 a.m./8:22 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11:16 p.m./ 12:07 p.m.

Birthdays
July 21 Marshall McLuhan, Cat_Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Garry Trudeau, Robin Williams, and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Mariel Fiori and Antonio Flores-Lobos present the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more, in English and Spanish. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Norman Keyser updates the morning news, with weekend events from Joan Geitz and Ellen Thurston. 9 a.m.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS Sam Sebren and Christina Malisoff host. 10 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
CROSSROADS Alan Skerrett hosts. Noon-2 p.m.
BETWEEN THE LINES Ann Forbes Cooper hosts. 2 p.m.
RADIO THEATER 3 p.m.
YOUTH RADIO 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Antoine Guerlain hosts. 4-6 p.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH 6 p.m.
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS 6:30 p.m.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more midnight through 6 a.m. Friday morning.

The "Statewide Caravan to Restore the American Promise," protesting at various New York Congressmen's offices to save "social safety net" programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, from Federal cuts, comes to Kinderhook at 1 p.m. Thu., July 21, to protest in front of Rep. Chris Gibson's office, 2 Hudson St. On Tuesday, July 19 Congressional Republicans, including Gibson, passed the "Cut, Cap, and Balance Plan" 234-190 which the activists believe would cut many of these social programs. Gibson disagrees. “Importantly, we make absolutely no changes to Medicare, Social Security, or Veterans Benefits in this bill, and leave open the option of significant cuts in defense spending in future years to bring our budget into balance," he said in a statement.

Mill demolition raises ire in Stottville
Mike McCagg in ccSCOOP reports that contractors are tearing apart the former L&B Furniture and Ferris mill in Stottville and its eight-story water tower on Town Garage Road near County Route 20, and one unnamed resident filed a complaint with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to halt the further demolition of the mill. The anonymous resident told McCagg he wanted to turn the mill into something else, and Sergei Dubois, a spokesman for the anonymous developer, says in the ccScoop article that plans for an “international research center in the abandoned factory” that would have employed “a dozen people” and “brought people from across the globe” were in the works, with a war memorial. Town Supervisor Leo Pulcher told ccSCOOP that he knew about the war memorial but not the research center. Pulcher did not know who is demolishing the mill, and said that no permits for the work had been issued. But he won't interfere. “What happens if we go in there and stop them? Does the state now say to the town you are responsible for the site and we are stuck paying one, two, five million dollars to clean it up?,” Pulcher told the web site. Read the full story in ccScoop.

Efforts to slow the spread of Lyme Disease
Congressman Chris Gibson (R, NY-20) Tuesday, July 19 announced he is co-sponsoring legislation to create a new $250,000-annual committee to work on Lyme and other tick borne diseases. H.R. 2557, the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2011, establishes a Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee, "composed of scientists, representatives from government agencies, health care providers and patient representatives. The Committee is charged with ensuring that a broad spectrum of scientific and stake-holder viewpoints are represented in public health policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced. Locally today, Wed. July 20 The Adult Learning Institute of the Columbia-Greene Community College will have Rick Burstell from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene and Columbia Counties in Room 136 of the Main Building discussing the many steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. That workshop is today from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY AUDIO CLIPS

• Caroline Krumpacker discuss Millay Colony Open House July 23.
Interview by Richard Roth and Ann Forbes Cooper about the local writer's retreat.
CLICK HERE TO PLAY MP3

• Sylvia Hasenkopf and Russ Oeschle discuss Cairo clockmaker Joel Curtis.
Interview by Ann Forbes Cooper and Richard Roth. Hasenkopf is a member of the Cairo Historical Society, which is giving a presentation by Oeschle Thursday at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21 at Gallagher's, 513 Main St. in Cairo.
CLICK HERE TO PLAY MP3

• Al Jazeera English PSA for WGXC.
Recorded by Al Jazeera English staff. "Al-Jazeera English" will now be airing on the WGXC Afternoon Show at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, followed by "Free Speech Radio News" at 6:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO PLAY MP3

The National Weather Service predicts that it is going to be hot. Perhaps there will be patchy fog before 8 a.m., and then sunny, with a high near 92. Wednesday night should be mostly clear, with a low around 70. Thursday, again, mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 103 is possible Thursday. Thursday night there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m., with a low around 74. Friday, again a 20 percent chance for showers and thunderstorms after 8 a.m., with a high near 95.

Town meetings today
CAIRO at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo (622-3120).
CATSKILL at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill.
COLUMBIA COUNTY Human Services meeting at 4 p.m. at County Office Building, 401 State Street, Hudson.
GHENT Planning Board session at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE COUNTY Legislature meeting at 6:30 p.m. at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 7:15 a.m./Low, 1:40 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:41 a.m./8:23 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:51 p.m./ 11:08 a.m.

Birthdays
July 20 Nam June Paik, Cormac McCarthy, Barbara Mikulski, Carlos Santana, and Tobi Vail.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant presents the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant updates the morning news and more. 9 a.m.
@ISSUE Victor Mendolia hosts. 10 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
THE SCHOEMER SHOW Karen Schoemer hosts, plays all sorts of music. Noon-2 p.m.
CATSKILL REVIEW OF BOOKS Ian Williams and Hudson Valley author, Jerry Sander discuss Unlimited Calling (Certain Restrictions Apply) a young adult novel, and consider whether the genre is for or about young adults. “Is Catcher in the Rye a young adult novel, for example? Jerry has been school counsellor, therapist and social worker, so he knows well whereof he writes. 3 p.m.
YOUTH RADIO Radio Explosion! Spotlight on Local Young Artists. Youth Radio makers Olivia Williams and Marie Leshaj spotlight music produced by local young artists. They are looking for submissions; email info@wgxc.org, or drop by WGXC's Hudson studio to submit a song. 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Tom Roe hosts, with guest Lee Palmateer, Athens Town Supervisor, discussing the state report on IDAs in general and the Greene County IDA in particular. 4-7 p.m.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more midnight through 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

Lissa Harris in The Watershed Post reports that Monday, July 18, Gothamist interviewed They Might Be Giants member John Flansburgh who says both members of the band have a place upstate:

"We both have little weekend retreat laboratories in the Catskills. The Catskills is the new Williamsburg. There, I said it! There is more artisanal pork being butchered there than anywhere else."

"...what I really love about Greene County (aside from the natural beauty and the fainting goats at Catskill Mountain Country Store) is feeling there’s a place for me there. I could afford to buy a home, which had long been a dream of mine and was simply not a possibility in my Brooklyn neighborhood. And perhaps that’s why the NYC neighborhood/Upstate town comps can feel a little icky. I don’t want East Jewett (or Cornwallsville or even Saugerties) to become the next Williamsburg. The lack of pretension and the low density and the low pricing are the things that make being Upstate feel so good, especially when you live and work in a big city. And trust me: if I really believed the Catskills were going to become Williamsburg, I wouldn’t be broadcasting my love for them here. I’m guessing John Flansburgh feels the same."

Deal avoids state layoffs
Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a tentative contract agreement with the 54,000-member Public Employees Federation late Friday. The agreement is a five-year contract similar to the one Cuomo completed last month with the Civil Service Employees Administration. Both deals need approval from the unions' executive boards and membership, and include three years without raises, with wages rising by two percent in the contract's fourth and fifth years.
"This agreement reflects the financial reality of the times. I am pleased that we could avoid these layoffs, protect the workforce and the taxpayer," Cuomo said. Read the Times-Union for the complete story.

New Leb hires help to fight dump costs
Parry Teasdale in The Columbia Paper reports that New Lebanon has retained the law firm of Young Sommer LLC to represent the town's claim that the county, not New Lebanon, should pay for the costs of properly closing of a landfill in a former gravel pit on private property owned by Reginald L. Sherman, Jr. The town claims it has never owned the site, and that the county operated it and other landfills in the 1970s. "In the 1981 towns and villages signed an agreement with the county, and county government took over solid waste management in Columbia County. The town believes that county also agreed to reimburse New Lebanon for the costs of operating the landfill until it was closed and agreed to close the site," Teasdale writes. The county began proper closing of the landfill in the late 1980s, Teasdale reports, but no one explains why it was never completed. Now, the bill could be as high as $1.5 million to properly protect the surrounding environment. County Attorney Rob Fitzsimmons did not know that the town had hired a law firm about the issue, but he said there have been ongoing discussions between the parties, and New Lebanon has signed consent orders with the state. Doug Clark, a member of the New Lebanon Town Board and an engineer, says they have been attempting to get the Board of Supervisors to weigh in on the matter. “We just want a straight up or down vote,” said Mr. Clark. “We can't even get that.” Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Town looks to bring Conservation Advisory Council back to life
Lisa D. Connell in The Chatham Courier reports that Chatham resident Deirdre Henderson is spearheading efforts to re-establish a town Conservation Advisory Council to help preserve local ecosystems, natural habitats, and open spacein the town. Henderson is Chatham’s representative to the county’s Environmental Management Council, and earlier this month she spoke to the Town Board about reviving the council. Henderson explained that preparing an inventory of natural resources, documenting open space, and conducting site visits to areas under development consideration are all are within the scope of a CAC. The town had formed a council in 1991, but never implemented any conserving. Field biologist Gretchen Stevens noted the program costs little and, “it’s really just to provide information to applicants, town agencies and the general public,” said Stevens. Read the full story in The Chatham Courier.

The National Weather Service predicts patchy fog before 7 a.m. Tuesday and then, mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Tuesday night should be mostly clear, with a low around 62. Wednesday should be sunny, with a high near 92. Thursday there is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, and it will remain mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Town meetings today
COLUMBIA COUNTY Health and Medical Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. at 401 State St. in Hudson.
DURHAM Town Board meets at 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
HILLSDALE Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on Main Street (325-5073).
HUDSON 5 p.m. Finance Committee meeting; 7 p.m. Regular Common Council meeting at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
LEXINGTON Town board meeting at 7 p.m., at Municipal Building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
PHILMONT The Planning Board of the Village of Philmont holds a Public Hearing to consider the following: The application by Doris Rossman, 33 Main Street, Philmont, NY and Monte E. Jennings, 37 Main Street, Philmont, NY for a minor subdivision pursuant to Section 130-7 of the Code of the Village of Philmont. Meeting is at 7 p.m. at Philmont Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont.
STUYVESANT The Town of Stuyvesant Zoning Board of Appeals holds a special meeting to address the zoning interpretation request of William Pflaum regarding the Glencadia Dog Camp. Meeting at 7 p.m. at Stuyvesant Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant.
TAGHKANIC Planning Board workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall on Route 82 in West Taghkanic (851-7638).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 6:30 a.m./Low, 1:02 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:40 a.m./8:24 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:26 p.m./ 10:10 a.m.

Birthdays
July 19 Buster Benton, Brian May, and Rick Ankiel.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant presents the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant updates the morning news and more. 9 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
VOCAL CHORDS Andrew Sosnowski hosts. Noon-2 p.m.
COUNTERSPIN Presented by FAIR. 3 p.m.
YOUTH RADIO 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Ann Forbes Cooper and Richard Roth host. 4-7 p.m.
JMOORE Jeff Moore plays music. 7 p.m.
BATTLEFIELD EARTH Dan Seward hosts. 9:30-mid.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more through 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Known unknowns: New location, buyer for library
Jamie Larson in the Register-Star reports the Hudson Area Library has a buyer for its current historic library building at 400 State St. and is close to finalizing a sale and a lease agreement at a new location in the city, according to library officials. In April the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move out of the historic old stone building which the board recently purchased. The building, built in 1818, has been a homeless shelter, insane asylum, girls academy, a private residence, an orphanage, and a library. Larson writes that the board is considering four locations. Read the full story in the Register-Star.


Saugerties drops plans to buy Opus 40
Ariel Zangla in The Daily Freeman reports that the town of Saugerties has withdrawn a $400,000 grant that would have been used to help buy the Opus 40 property and turn it into a public park. Opus 40 is a giant bluestone sculpture that took Harvey Fite his lifetime to make. Town Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel released a letter Wednesday, July 13 saying the town had withdrawn acceptance of the $400,000 state Environmental Protection Fund grant and is no longer seek ownership of Opus 40. The town wanted to turn the landmark into a museum to attract more tourists, who also visit nearby Dia:Beacon and the Storm King sculpture center. Zangla reports a new proposal would give, "Fite's studio and the Quarryman's Museum, both on the grounds of Opus 40, a historic designation." Lissa Harris in The Watershed Post has links to more information on the story, and mentions that tonight, Monday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. the town's Historic Preservation Commission holds a informational “conversation” in the Saugerties Town Hall’s Building Department Conference Room at its regular meeting. There is a full public hearing on the matter Aug. 15. Read the full story in The Watershed Post.


Neighbors, conservancy agree: some dog owners misbehave
Chris Simonds in The Columbia Paper reports three residents complained to the Greenport Town Board at its monthly meeting Wednesday, July 6, about dogs making noise early in the morning and running loose at the Columbia Land Conservancy's Greenport Conservation Area off Daisy Hill Road. There are signs in the area telling folks dogs must be on leashes, but no one enforces that rule. “It is not the case that we invite people to bring their dogs and let them off the leash,” said CLC Executive Director Peter Paden. “We have rules that a dog must be on a leash and cleaned up after.” Town Attorney Carmi Rapport suggested closing a loophole in the existing town leash law all dogs must be on a leash, and the board agreed a public hearing on the matter should be held soon. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Catskill justice resigns
Ariel Zangla reports in The Daily Freeman that Catskill village Justice Charles Adsit left the bench after 15 years Thu. July 14. "Adsit, 68, resigned from his position due to a hearing impairment that it is making it difficult to do the job, he said," and he will be replaced by attorney Maria Larosa, until an election next year. Before becoming judge in 1996, Adsit was a village police officer for 30 years, retiring a sergeant, and also serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 to 1965. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

MONDAY AUDIO CLIPS
Click on the headlines or "Click here to play" to listen.

• A Very Incomplete Calendar: 20110718
Produced by Terry Doyle, from his "Imprint" show Sundays at 11 p.m. on WGXC. This is a look at music events this week in the Hudson Valley. 4:49
CLICK HERE TO PLAY

• World Listening Day/Week on WGXC 60-Second PSA
Tune in to field recordings, acoustic ecology, sounds of nature, and more after 1 a.m. and all night July 17-23 on 90.7-FM. WGXC will feature composers such as Pauline Oliveros and groups such as the New York Society for Acoustic Ecology with sounds of the air, sea, mountains, airwaves, ice, animals, and others.
CLICK HERE TO PLAY

The National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10 a.m. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 88. Monday night there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Tuesday should be mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Wednesday, sunny, with a high near 91. Thursday, sunny, with a high near 94.

Town meetings today
ANCRAM The Town of Ancram Town Board holds a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Ancram Zoning Ordinance. Amendments are proposed to section 1- Title and Scope; Section vii- Administration and Enforcement; Section viii- Zoning Board of Appeals; Section ix- Planning Board; Section x- Amendments; Section xi- Interpretation and Application; and Section xii- Definitions. 7 p.m. at Ancram Town Hall, 1416 County Route 7, Ancram.
ATHENS Town meeting at 6:45 p.m. at Town Hall, 2 First Street, Athens (734-3636).
AUSTERLITZ Comprehensive plan meeting at 7 p.m., at 812 Route 203, Austerlitz (392-3260).
CANAAN Planning board meeting at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 1647 Route 5 South, Canaan (781-3144).
GERMANTOWN Town Board meets at 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
GREENE COUNTY The Greene County Department for the Aging and the Greene County Youth Bureau hold public hearing today to review the departments' plan to consolidate effective Aug. 31. The hearing begins at 2 p.m. at the Washington Irving Senior Center, 15 Academy St., Catskill, 518- 943-3013. The new department will be called the Department for the Aging and Youth.
GREENE COUNTY 6 p.m. meetings of Government Ops and Finance committees, plus party caucuses at County Building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
GREENVILLE Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Offices, corner of routes 32 and 81, Greenville (966-8276).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 5:45 a.m./Low, 12:24 a.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:39 a.m./8:25 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:02 p.m./ 9:10 a.m.

Birthdays
July 18 Nelson Mandela, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Hunter S. Thompson, Joe Torre, and Ricky Skaggs.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant presents the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Phillip Grant updates the morning news and more. 9 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
PURE MOODS Shannekia McIntosh hosts. Noon-2 p.m.
KNOCK ON WOOD Hosted by Steve Charney. 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Kaya Weidman and Greg Osofsky host. 4-7 p.m.
BLUEGRASS SHOW Cowboy Jim returns from the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival with interviews and recordings. 7 p.m.
LUNARMOSS DJ Lunar Moss plays mostly vinyl records. 9:30-mid.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more through 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The Little Town Life blog includes audio clips and these YouTube videos of the Town of Copake's Thursday, July 14 meeting. The debate covered several budget issues.

Will Pflaum posts the audio file of the Town of Stuyvesant appointing a special counsel against his Glencadia Dog Camp boarding business, which a few neighbors claim makes too much noise, on his own blog, Hudson Sunshine. David Everett, a partner from Whiteman Osterman and Hanna, LLP, is now the lead attorney. Pflaum's version of how a town could appoint a lawyer just to fight one local business:

So here they are appointing a firm after the firm has already handled three planning board meetings, one appearance as special prosecutor, one appearance before the zoning board? Shouldn't you approve the special counsel first, then have the special counsel write tortured secret memos explaining to the zoning board of appeals that they may not be a zoning board of appeals? The tortured secret memo already exists. Shouldn't you approve the special prosecutor to pursue a charge he knows is false without approval of a judge before he actually writes motions? The case is already dismissed. No, the town would say, we did approve the special counsel first in an executive session. No, I say, you didn't. All you did, and it was illegal, was start the process of looking for a lawyer, not hiring one. And only for Planning. Okay, town, why? Why did you hire special counsel? It can't be because I sued you. I sued you on March 28. You signed the contract on March 10. Why? In the audio above the reason seems to be that I'm so terrible that I have all these cases and am filing all these FOILs (two FOILs!) and am so bad they have to get someone in here to put a stop to my lawlessness? But all the charges against me are false, get dismissed, fall away, all false. You can't really blame me for having too many cases, can you? I was charged with the same offense THREE TIMES. I know the constitution says you can't do that, but they did: planning, zoning and criminal court about the same thing: dog barking. The charge of loud barking dogs is impossible according to the laws of physics because the site where the dogs are kept is 1000 feet away from any neighbor or road and sound tests, affirmed by the editor of the leading peer review acoustics journal in the world, says that the barking contributes ZERO decibels to the ambient noise level at 1000 feet.

Village orders ash tree removal to avoid scourge
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports that the village of Catskill will cut down three ash trees on Greene Street because of an infestation by the emerald ash borer, the destructive beetle killing New York’s ash trees.
Village Department of Public Works Superintendent Lewis O’Connor said (at the village meeting Monday, presumably) removing the trees is cheaper than inoculating them with a pesticide every in two years. Elizabeth D’Auria of the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) reported the group's preliminary April 18 inventory of ash trees this spring:
• Two of the 27 trees found showed a potential sign of EAB damage or general stress.
• Seventeen trees were located near an electrical wire.
• Twenty trees were deemed to be generally or very healthy.
Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Daily Freeman's parent company sold to investment firm
Lissa Harris in the Watershed Post reports parent company of the Kingston Daily Freeman, The Journal-Register Company, was sold to investment firm Alden Global Capital. Harris quotes CEO John Paxton, who writes, "Alden has been an investor in our Company for some time and they have had a courtside seat to the Journal Register Company’s radical makeover following our Digital First strategy. They know what we do, they like what we do, and today they are putting their money behind our efforts." She also quotes The Wall Street Journal, which has a different view. "Newspaper acquisitions are a species rarer than the Yangtze River dolphin. But today, for one of the few times since 2007, a newspaper company was bought. For money. Really....We’re still scouring our databases, but it appears the only post-2007 acquisition of a significant newspaper company was the purchase of a duo of Philadelphia dailies in a 2010 bankruptcy auction." Read the full story in the Watershed Post.

Sentence reduction raises questions for DA
Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times-Union first broke the story, but Jamie Larson of the Register-Star does an excellent job following up on all the local angles of the story of a criminal sentence reduction of a Columbia County political insider. In 2009, Timothy McEachern, 46, of Spencertown, was arrested and charged under Leandra’s Law, which made it a felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, to drive drunk with children in the vehicle. McEachern is Columbia County District Attorney Beth Cozzolino’s brother-in-law. "McEachern’s wife, Andrea Gabel, is the sister of D.A. Cozzolino and the couple’s home was the registered campaign headquarters for Cozzolino’s 2007 run for her position," Larson writes. McEachern pleaded to a misdemeanor DWI in May 2010, with a $700 fine and a $400 court fee, and 40 hours of community service, according to state Department of Transportation records. The Times-Union report showed that was a light sentence compared to others convicted of the new law. Greene County DA Terry Wilhelm took the case after Cozzolino recused herself, and he has not returned any reporters calls on the issue. As the story broke last weekend, Cozzolino kicked off her campaign for Columbia County judge at McEachern’s house. The event was attended by numerous Republican party officials, though Larson reports, "U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-20th District, was billed at the top of the event invitation as a host of the fundraiser, but the congressman’s office said Tuesday that he did not attend, never promised to attend, and has not offered an official endorsement." Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Lopez in Greene County for hunting and boxing Saturday
Republican New York State Assemblyman Pete Lopez, who represents Greene and several other counties west of the Hudson River, makes two area appearances Saturday, first speaking at 5:30 p.m. at the Greene County Federation of Sportsmen's Annual Dinner at the Quarry Steakhouse, 100 Grapeville Road in Coxsackie. At 8 p.m. Lopez will be Guest MC at the "Rumble in the Catskills" boxing event, in the Catskill Elementary School's gymnasium.

The National Weather Service predicts patchy fog before 8 a.m. Friday, Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 83. Friday night should be mostly clear, with a low around 58. Saturday, sunny, with a high near 85. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

Town meetings today
HUDSON Historic Preservation Commission at 10 a.m., 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).

The skies above
TIDES Hudson: High, 4:02 p.m./Low, 10:17 a.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 5:37 a.m./8:26 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 8:37 p.m./ 6 a.m.
Full Moon: 1:41 a.m.

Birthdays
July 15 Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, Trevor Horn, Johnny Thunders, and Ian Curtis.

Tune in today
WGXC MORNING SHOW Mark Lacoy and Casson Kennedy present the morning news, music, other features, agriculture reporting, and more. 6-8 a.m.
DEMOCRACY NOW! Hosted by Amy Goodman. 8 a.m.
WGXC MORNING SHOW Tom Roe updates the morning news and more. 9 a.m.
COUNTERSPIN From FAIR. 10:30 a.m.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH International news. 11 a.m.
PURE MOODS Shannekia McIntosh hosts. Noon-2 p.m.
QUE COCINARE HOY? Mariel Fiori and Antonio Flores-Lobos hosts. 2 p.m.
ASTROLOGY With A.T. Mann. 3 p.m.
KNOCK ON WOOD Hosted by Steve Charney. 3:30 p.m.
WGXC AFTERNOON SHOW Tom Roe hosts. 4-7 p.m.
YASSOU BENEDICT Live performance from Club Helsinki. 8 p.m.
HOTLINE RADIO L. Dot Dinero and They Guy host. 9:30-mid.
TRANSMISSION ART Radio theater, experimental sound, field recordings, radio art, mash-ups, shortwave radio news, and more through 6 a.m. Sunday morning.