Seders feature endless variety
Jennifer Patterson has a story in the Times Union about changes in the seder, which marks the start of Passover, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the biblical story of the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom, including the release of a new haggadah, or guidebook to the readings, from Maxwell House. "The seder (meaning "order") is one of the most celebrated Jewish home rituals, but no two households conduct it the same exact way," Patterson writes. "For all, it's a chance to come together, share a meal and re-enact history. Some last for less than an hour, others go on for a lot longer. Participants read from the Haggadah (meaning "telling"), which spells out the steps with songs, prayers and commentary for the spring holiday's festive meal." She then notes how new Maxwell House Haggadahs, offered free at supermarkets, has undergone its first major translation makeover since 1932, with antiquated "thees" and "thous" replaced by the more colloquial "you."

Man falls at Bash Bish
The Register-Star reports that a man sustained a fall at Bash Bish Falls at 1:48 p.m. on April 17. The Copake Rescue Squad and Copake, Hillsdale, and Egremont Fire Departments responded to the scene, and the subject was transported via Lifenet helicopter to Albany Medical Center. No word on the subject’s condition is available at this time, and no further information was available.

Lawmakers supporting, not opposing, closure of one state correctional facility
Veronica Lewin has reported in the Legislative Gazette what could be good news for Columbia and Greene counties: Westchester state, county and local legislators are calling for the closure of the infamous Sing Sing correctional facility they say is doing nothing for the community. Which could take the pressure off possible closings of other state prisons, including that in Hudson or, less likely, at Coxsackie. "During his State of the State address, Cuomo called for closing a number of correctional facilities around the state," Lewin writes. "Closing Sing Sing would eliminate approximately 1,700 to 2,000 cells, while preventing an upstate community from losing a correctional facility that its economy depends on."

Young entrepreneurs prep for Lemonade Day
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail on a Sunday, April 17 event at GNH Lumber in Greenville where area kids learned what it takes to build a successful stand for the upcoming Lemonade Day on May 1. "More than 250 children of Greene County are already signed up to sell lemonade during the nationwide event intended to promote entrepreneurship," DeVries writes. "Now, with only a few weeks until Lemonade Day, participants are preparing their business plans, recipes, locations, and constructing an attractive stand."

Front St. work starts Tuesday
The Register Star ran a story this past weekend announcing an earlier Tuesday, April 19 start for the road work that will reduce Hudson's Front Street to one lane. "The milling up of the old roadway will take place on Tuesday because parking is needed on Front Street Wednesday for a large event at the Shiloh Baptist Church on lower Warren Street," the piece reads. "There will now be no roadwork done Wednesday. The surface of the street will be rough." The repaving of the roadway will take place Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22.

Tonight is the first night of Passover. The full moon occurred at 2:44 a.m. this morning.

The National Weather Service says today will see a mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. High 61F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low near 45F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Tomorrow, a few showers in the morning becoming a steady rain in the afternoon. High 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch

Town Meetings
ATHENS town meeting at 6:45 p.m.
AUSTERLITZ comprehensive Plan meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m., 812 Route 203, Austerlitz
CANAAN Planning board meeting at 7:00 p.m.
GERMANTOWN town board meets at 7 p.m., preceded by a 6:30 p.m. public hearing on increasing the Board of Assessment Review from 3 to 5 members
GREENE COUNTY 6:00 p.,. meetings of Government Ops and FInance committees, plus party caucuses.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: Low, 10:20 a.m./High, 3:55 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:10 a.m./7:39 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 6:03 a.m./8:52 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 18 Clarence Darrow, Leopold Stokowski, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Kathy Acker, Conan O'Brien, and Kourtney Kardashian.

In history, today was the day Paul Revere made his famous ride or warning.

Viewshed Symposium shines light on valley
Paul Crossman reports in the Register-Star that about 200 people packed into Columbia-Greene Community College for the first annual "Framing the Viewshed: The Transformative Power of Art and Landscape in the Hudson Valley" symposium, hosted by CGCC and Olana on Saturday, April 16. The symposium featured a number of speakers discussing the importance of the aesthetic aspects of Columbia County and the Hudson Valley, the various changes that have occurred since artists first began to paint the region’s beautiful landscapes, and the importance of keeping this viewshed area pristine. The event itself focused on three different aspects of the viewsheds — artistic, environmental, and historical, and the various speakers addressed each point in different ways, using powerpoint presentations, example artwork, historical examples, question and answer sessions, and even a panel discussion. “We think that this event is the first of its kind,” said Olana Partnership President Sara Griffen. “The idea is to explore the subject of viewsheds in a serious, historical, and holistic way.”

Carlucci introduces legislation to promote local farms
Mid Hudson News Network notes that State Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland-Orange counties) has proposed legislation to preserve, promote and grow New York’s local farms by suggesting that any restaurant that buys produce from within a 100 mile radius of their establishment would receive tax credits, he said. Under his legislation, restaurateurs would receive a $100 tax credit for every $1,000 worth of local produce purchased.

East Durham pair charged in check fraud
Colin DeVries writes in the Daily Mail that Shannon T. Higgins, 45, and William K. Marino, both of East Durham, were arrested April 15 in a scheme to cash a Columbia-Greene Community College check made out to Marino’s roommate. State police allege that Marino forged the name of the CGCC student on the back of the check worth more than $2,000 and deposited it into Higgins’ personal bank account. Both suspects were charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a class E felony, and Marino was charged with second-degree forgery, a class D felony. Higgins was issued an appearance ticket returnable to Cairo Town Court. Marino was arraigned in Cairo Town Court and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.

The importance of school food
Lynn Sloneker has a link on her Unmuffled education blog to a fabulous piece by Kim Marshall about the nation's need to pay more attention to school food. Amongst what's there: School food affects student achievement; Studies are increasingly showing a link between good nutrition and academic success. School food affects teaching; Many educators eat school food, so its nutritional value is important to their performance. Food affects school spending; The money earned from junk food sales benefits schools, which is why some administrators are unwilling to curtail such sales. Schools teach children about food; There’s a “hidden curriculum” in current practices, which can be counteracted by more explicit teaching (and actions) on nutrition. School food is a window into identity and culture. Furthermore, the piece notes how school food affects the environment because of the massive number of meals served in schools every day; making up a significant (and stable) part of the economy; and school food can be a wedge issue, politically. Read this.

ICC looks at district merge
John Mason reports in the Register-Star that talk of merging the Ichabod Crane and Schodack school districts inched forward recently with a joint meeting of districts' board members at Maple Hill Middle School. The two districts received a grant from the Department of State to study the possibility of consolidating services and potentially merging the districts. The study is scheduled to be completed Oct. 31.Questions discussed focused on whether the possible merger would take the form of a centralization or an annexation, with the assumption being centralization. That led to talk about school identity. Advisory committees for the process, which will each include 15 to 18 members, are still being appointed. According to a tentative timeline, their first meetings will be on or about May 3, and they will continue to meet until July 15.

The National Weather Service says today will be windy with rain showers early then partly cloudy for the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Partly cloudy tonight with a slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 40F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow, partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will give way to occasional showers in the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: Low, 9:27 a.m./High, 3:04 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:11 a.m./7:38 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 5:27 a.m./7:34 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 17
J.P. Morgan, Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Thornton Wilder, Jan Hammer, Nick Hornby, and Redman.

Police plan ‘Move Over Act’ enforcement detail
Andrew Amelinckx reports in the Register-Star that New York State Police will be out in force, beginning Saturday, April 16, looking for drivers who are not obeying the new Ambrose-Searles “Move Over Act” that requires drivers to use “due care” when approaching an emergency vehicle that has its emergency lights on and is parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder of a road or highway. Drivers must reduce their speed and if they are on parkways, interstates or other roadways that have multiple lanes, they must move from the lane adjacent to where the emergency vehicle is located, if they can do so safely.

Greene officials test the water
Doron Tyler Antrim writes in the Daily Mail about the fact-finding mission Greene County officials made on April 15 to the Poconos to learn about its indoor water park and hotel — a resort that a developer wants to replicate along the New York State Thruway in New Baltimore. Under a plan announced last June, the Greene County Industrial Development Agency has agreed to sell its option on an expansive property south of Exit 21B in New Baltimore to developer MAR Holdings (of Medusa, in Albany County) for the purpose of building a resort of the same size and scope as the one visited. Specifically, the plan calls for an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, 400 hotel rooms, 25,000-square-feet of meeting space, two restaurants, an arcade and other amenities. Details of the transactions, which were reported as a "deal" awaiting Greene County approval now in an April 15 Albany Business Review story, will be outlined in the coming weeks. Reportedly, over $110 million in investments, a future outlet store mall, and about 1500 jobs are entailed.

Attack victim: Spare the bear
Bryan Fitzgerald follows up on his own story in the Times Union with an update about how the victim in the Greene County bear attack is asking that any bears caught in a trap by her Round Top home NOT be euthanized immediately. "Joy Bayer-Mozynski's northern Catskills home is smeared with sweet-scented syrup and lined with yellow snack cakes. A plastic jug half-filled with honey is tied to a rod in the back that, when pulled hard, will trigger a front door to fall, sealing the cylindrical trap," reads the story. "Bayer-Mozynski thought she would die when a bear pinned her down in her driveway Wednesday, but she said she doesn't want the animal killed by state environmental officials, who said there is no way to know if any bear caught is the one that injured the 53-year-old mother of five." "I don't want it killed. I don't know why they can't take it out into the wilderness. It's just another one of God's creatures," she said Friday, shortly before leaving Albany Medical Center Hospital. "It was just hungry, looking for food." Bayer-Mozynski was picking up spilled trash -- possibly upended by the hungry bear -- when the creature approached her, pushed her to the ground and pinned her with a paw. She said the animal held her down while it snatched a white bag of trash. "There wasn't one second where I thought I was going to live. I begged to God and my guardian angel that my daughters would still have their mother," she said to Fitzgerald.

Three more months to buy a dirty outdoor wood boiler
Julia Reischel reports in the Watershed Post that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation just gave a small reprieve to anyone who sells outdoor wood boilers, the controversial home heating furnaces known as OWBs. As of April 15, sellers have three more months to sell any old OWBs that don't meet the state's new emission standards. The department made the announcement in a press release.

Gtown School budget passes with 2.48 percent increase
The Register-Star reports that the Germantown Central School District Board of Education adopted a 2011-2012 proposed budget with a 5-1-0 vote tally. Shortly after the April 13 budget vote, the board voted to approve an agreement between the district and the Germantown Administrators Association which provided for approximately $49,000 in gift backs to the district over the next two years. It was stressed that as a result of staff reductions over the last two years he and the Board of Education did not want to reduce faculty and staff again this year. In the end they chose to deplete reserves a little more rather than cut into programs and services that would equate to fewer opportunities for students.

HTC adopts $13.2 million budget
Jim Planck reports in the Daily Mail that the Hunter-Tannersville School District has approved a $13,224,338 budget for fiscal year 2011-12, a decrease in total funds of $24,374, or .18 percent, from the current year’s budget of $13,248,712. The tax levy will see an increase of 1.49 percent from 2010-11, for a total of $9,647,540 to be raised by taxes. The administration set a goal for its tax levy amounts and dropped administrative and program expenses while upping capital funds somewhat.

M

The National Weather Service says today will be mostly cloudy and windy with showers developing this afternoon. High 51F. Winds ESE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tonight, mainly cloudy with rain, windy. Low 49F. Winds SE at 20 to 30 mph. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Tomorrow, windy with a few clouds from time to time. High 61F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Astronomical bodies

TIDES Hudson: High, 2:12 p.m./Low, 8:53 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:15 a.m./7:37 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 4:55 a.m./6:15 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 16
Anatole FranceMerce Cunningham, Pope Benedict XVI, Dusty Springfield, Martin Lawrence, and Selena.

Closing bridge means faster, cheaper repairs
Diane Valden writes in the Columbia Paper that Center Hill Road (County Route 7A) will be detoured because of the impending closing of the Roeliff Jansen Kill at Brown's Dam for replacement. "The long-awaited, much-discussed highway project to replace of the crumbling, 76-year-old bridge and resurface Center Hill Road for six miles from Church Street to County Route 7 and on to State Route 23 in Craryville has started with the posting of road work signs throughout the corridor,the setting up of a storage yard for equipment and vehicles, an engineer's field office behind the Copake Pharmacy and the removal of several trees along the project route, most of them in the vicinity of the dam," Valden writes. Road closures will start in the coming week. The replacement of the span will not begin until the first or second week of May. The original project goal was to keep one travel lane over the bridge open with an alternating traffic flow during the bridge construction, but the condition of the bridge has deteriorated over the last few months to the extent that the structural integrity of the downstream lane was brought into question.

Insurance last hurdle for market
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in the Daily Mail about organizers of the peripatetic Catskill Regional Farmers and Artisans Market now shopping for quotes on insurance, following the village board’s April 11 decision to relocate the market to the county parking lot along Church Street. The market must be added to the county’s insurance policy to operate on its property, although Village President Vincent Seeley has said the market, which is run independently of the village and does not receive any village money, has enough surplus funds to pay for any policy updates.

Under new (and much better) management
Sam Pratt writes on his blog that the former Diamond Street Diner, located on Warren Street in Hudson, was acquired at auction on April 15 by a pair of Columbia County organic farmers. "The new Ghent owners—who supplied the only meat served at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding—plan to add a local 'farm-to-chef' angle to the usual diner fare," Pratt writes. "No timetable for reopening has been set yet; but the diner has always been an important part of the community’s life, making this excellent news for Hudson business and stomachs."

Spectrawatt on last amp
While Capital Region publications are touting the surge of federal and private dollars coming into the Albany area for solar power development and manufacturing projects of late, Kathy Kahn of HVBiz writes about the demise of the company "that was going to take the Hudson Valley by solar storm in May 2010." SpectraWatt, a photovoltaic panel manufacturer that set up shop in IBM’s former East Fishkill facility after making a $90 million private investment in the plant and receiving another $8 million in federal funding. is now in the process of laying off its 150 employees before it officially closes its doors in a few weeks. "SpectraWatt and other local solar companies had shipped much of their production to countries that were encouraging solar power using government subsidies, notably in the European Union," Kahn writes. "But harsh winter weather and an uncertain economic climate have reportedly led some countries to curtail or end their subsidized solar energy programs."

All of city’s Front Street to be repaved next week
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star that the entire length of Front Street will be completely re-paved starting April 20, and hopefully finishing by April 22. The work will run from Dock Street on the north to the far end of the Amtrak parking lot where the city has a waste water pump station. During the process, Larson writes, Front Street will be reduced to one lane, with periodic brief traffic stops in both directions as equipment is moved.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, formerly of Greenport (and currently based in Troy) has been making the news this week via several key items in the nationa's capital. First, she gave a speech in defense of reproductive rights, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), including a direct hit at Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who in the past week characterized Planned Parenthood as being 90 percent about abortion. He later admitted that was not intended to be a factual statement; 3 percent of Planned Parenthood activities involve abortion. Then, she became a co-sponsor of new legislation to create a buffer zone around military funerals, the better to thwart the use of first amendment rights by the Westboro baptist Church and other entities using such occasions for protest purposes. According to Huffington Post, Gillibrand was also key in drafting a letter from 22 Democratic senators to President Obama asking him to use his executive authority to prevent deportation of young people who would have benefited from the DREAM Act, a bill that failed in the upper chamber last year. The legislation would have allowed undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children to stay, provided they kept a clean record and either enrolled in college or joined the military. "Current law unfairly punishes thousands of young people who grew up here and know only America as their home, holding them back from making a contribution to our country's military and economy," Gillibrand said in a statement within the message to Obama. "These young people deserve better." After winning re-election with a large majority last November, it seems our junior senator has decided NOT to rest on her laurels... Could SHE be aiming for higher office?

TH approves tax levy hike of 2.78 %
John Mason of the Register-Star reports that the Taconic Hills Board of Education this week approved a $32.6 million budget that represents a 1.92 percent increase in spending and a 2.78 percent hike in the tax levy for the coming year. The increase was the same as would be implemented should the budget vote fail and the district was forced to a contingency plan. $450,000 will be taken out of the district's Employee Retirement System reserve and $150,000 out of an Unemployment Reserve. Another $650,000 would come from funding current positions through Title One grants. More savings have to be found to match cuts in the budget, which superintendent Mark Sposato said would likely include music, art or technology, leaving elementary school and basic high school classes intact. There was some worry, during the vote, about past teacher salary negotiations and deals, as well as the district having a lesser graduating rate than nearby Chatham School District.

Group celebrates Grange Week 2011
Hilary Hawke has a story in the Ravena News-Herald about the upcoming National Grange Week from April 16 through 22, and how the local Ravena Grange will be holding a kick-off chicken and biscuits dinner on April 16 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall on Route 143 in Coeymans Hollow. An open house and awards ceremony on April 18 will feature presentations of the Grange Community Citizen Award and Granger of the Year. "During Grange Week we want our community to know the Grange is a living organization that has a lot to offer," said Ravena Grange President Alfred Kirmss of his chapter, which has close to 100 members. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry is the oldest surviving agricultural organization in America and helped fight railroad monopolies, advocated for rural postal delivery service and supported the suffragette movement in earlier years. There are local Granges in Copake, East Chatham, and
Mellenville.

Lebanon Valley Historic Society documenting, preserving town history
Paul Crossman writes in the Chatham Courier about history-keeping efforts in the Town of New Lebanon, where the oldest pharmaceutical company in America, The Tilden Company, was once based in New Lebanon and a major economic and historic contributor to Columbia County. The Lebanon Valley Historical Society, it turns out, has started “The Tilden Project” to "uncover the effect of the downfall of this national corporation on the economy, landscape and people of New Lebanon and document oral histories, photographs and artifacts of the company and its progressive decline." In addition, the historical society hopes to digitalize its entire collection and put it on CD, which will then be available to anyone in the community through the New Lebanon Library.

Pay freeze would hurt pensions of aging state work force
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that negotiations between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state employee unions have not taken full account of the long-term pension effects of pay freezes being sought. "As the baby boom generation sweeps through New York's public sector work force, more and more union members are approaching retirement," he writes. "They are well aware that their pensions are typically calculated by averaging their three highest earning years, which usually come at the end of a public employee's career -- if only due to longevity-based raises. Because of the impact on their pensions, thousands of union members view a pay freeze as something lasting far beyond the expiration of the contract." According to a state Civil Service Department's 2010 report, 62 percent of the state work force is 45 or older, and 25 percent is 55 or older. Talk about past generation gaps still getting fought over...

Environmental groups urge DRBC to extend gas drilling moratorium
The fracking battle is aiming at the core of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling areas, with environmental groups from four states now urging the not to move forward with gas drilling in the river basin until thorough studies have been completed and can prove drilling is safe. Mid Hudson News Network reports that the groups expressed outrage, and delivered over 30,000 public comments, over the DRBC’s proposal to allow hydrofracking to begin in the Delaware watershed, putting an end to the existing moratorium on any watershed drilling. The groups include Delaware Riverkeeper, Environment New Jersey and Catskill Mountainkeeper.

The National Weather Service says today will be partly cloudy. High 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight will have some clouds. Low 37F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow will be cloudy and windy. A few showers in the afternoon. High 54F. Winds ESE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Town meetings tonight
none, per our schedule

Astronomical bodies

TIDES Hudson: High, 1:14 p.m./Low, 8:04 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:14 a.m./7:36 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 4:25 a.m./4:58 a.m. Saturday

Birthdays
APRIL 15
Leonardo da Vinci, Catherine the Great, Bessie Smith, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dave Edmunds, Emma Thompson and Ed O'Brien.

C-A Board of Ed adopts tentative $25.5M budget with 2.92% tax levy increase
Melanie Lekocevic reports in the Greene County News about the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District Board of Education unanimous passage of a tentative 2011-2012 budget of $25,458,597, which if approved by the voters in May would levy a 2.92% tax increase on homeowners. The vote was unanimous. Most of the increase in the tax levy is due to losses in state aid along with increases in expenses – most notably jumps in the cost of employee salaries and benefits, which account for 95% of the budget increase. Amongst jobs on the chopping block to keep taxes low were a .22 art teacher, four teaching assistants, two teacher’s aides, one clerk/typist, two AIS teachers, two special education/consultant teachers, .4 English teacher, 1.4 math teacher, .5 social studies teacher, one elementary grade 6 teacher, a .5 physical education teacher, one administrator, .4 foreign language teacher and .5 social worker. Originally, one full-time social worker had been cut, but was restored to a part-time position. Other reductions remain as they did in previous discussions about the budget, including some programs, after-school transportation and other budget items.

Public divided over municipal mergers
Doron Tyler Antrim writes in the Daily Mail that consolidating government services is on the minds of local lawmakers across New York, even though a new poll released this week shows the public largely split over the issue. "The Marist College poll found 54 percent of state residents outside New York City, which is mostly consolidated, favored consolidation for their local government, although support varies depending on the service," Antrim writes. "Among the services most favored for consolidation include public transportation, at 73 percent, and road and highway maintenance, at 68 percent. Park and recreation programs, prisons and public libraries were also favored for consolidation by more than half of the respondents, while less support was aired for consolidation of police and fire rescue services. At 45 percent, consolidation on public schools received the least support."

Tuition for veterans
Scott Waldman has a story in the Times Union about U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer introducing legislation that would allow veterans to keep the tuition benefits they were promised under the 2008 Post-9/11 GI Bill. "Veteran students were eligible for full tuition benefits at public institutions, or they could receive up to the same benefit amount if attending a private institution," Waldman writes. "However, a 2010 law would cap that amount at $17,500 for private institutions. Under the current rules, students at private institutions are able to receive up to $1,010 per credit hour or $25,250 for a typical full-time academic year." The change could have meant about 1,000 students would have to drop out. "This legislation will fix this inequity and ensure that our veterans receive the full benefits they were promised and rightly deserve," Schumer said in a statement. "It will make sure we don't change the rules in the middle of the game."

Deadline nears for decision on grant money
Michael Ryan writes in the Windham Journal about a deadline drawing near for government leaders in Lexington to either use or lose a $9.1 million block grant from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to build a wastewater treatment system in their central hamlet. There is a very real possibility the money could be lost, Ruan writes. "Town board members, at a meeting last week, decided to hold off until the last available moment to let the Catskill Watershed Corporation, administrators of the DEP dollars, know if they will push forward with the pre-construction phase of the proposed sewer project." CWC executive director Alan Rosa has given local officials a May 6 ultimatum to either take or leave the DEP offer, stating in a letter, “if the town has not passed a resolution by that date, CWC will accept that your town is not interested and move on to the next community on the list.” In the late 1990s, New York City created a priority list to improve wastewater treatment in 22 watershed communities. The New York City agency has already built systems in the nearby towns of Ashland, Hunter, Prattsville and Windham, among over a dozen altogether.

Civil War Sesquicentennial
Carole Osterink has a reminder about the Friday, April 15 gala opening for a special Columbia County exhibition commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War taking place from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Hendrick Hudson Chapter House of the Daughters of the American Revolution at 113 Warren Street in Hudson. Her Gossips of Rivertown blog adds that a public opening for the exhibit will take place Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. Centering the new exhibit is a restored historic flag.

Bear in DEC's cross hairs after woman attacked
Brian Fitzgerald reports in the Times Union that the Department of Environmental Conservation has set up a large trap outside the home of a woman who was knocked down by a bear in her driveway on April 13. They plan to euthanize the first large bear that is caught, according to DEC spokesman Rick Georgeson. He added that the DEC will not know for sure whether or not a bear caught in the trap is the same one that attacked the woman, but that the first large bear caught will be killed. Because the woman said she was attacked by a fully grown bear, Georgeson said the DEC will not euthanize any cubs or smaller bears that are trapped. "It basically will be up there until we catch one," he added. "We're going to err on the side of caution."

Round Top woman attacked by bear
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail that a 53-year-old Round Top woman was attacked by a bear Wednesday afternoon, April 13. The woman told police she was knocked down by a black bear in her driveway on Alpine Drive. A garbage container was knocked over and trash was strewn about into a wooded area near the home. The woman was transported by Cairo Ambulance to Albany Medical Center for treatment. Environmental conservation officers could not locate the animal when they arrived on the scene.

Supervisors split on filling, creating positions
Francesca Olsen writes in the Register-Star on how the April 13 meeting of the full Columbia County Board of Supervisors dissolved into a series of roll call votes, all pertaining to newly-created positions or the filling of now-empty administrative ones. Usually such decisions are made by acclimation. "The controversy began when Supervisor Pat Grattan, R-Kinderhook, moved to table a resolution that would have granted county Human Resources Director John Rutkey Jr. a deputy with a $60,000 salary," Olsen writes. "The vote was split almost evenly between the supervisors, which is a rarity for a full board meeting. In the end, it was tabled." Five other paid positions were approved by the board in other roll call votes, not including the HR deputy, which did not make it to a vote. The meeting began 15 minutes late because of a delayed Republican caucus.

Job fair to highlight 1,200 positions
The Albany Business Journal reports that a job fair scheduled for April 14, this morning, will feature more than 1,200 jobs. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Career Fair at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany will have more than 90 businesses present, including Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp./Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, CDPHP, Time Warner Cable, GlobalFoundries and Albany Medical Center. The event runs from 12:30-4 p.m. Two workshops are scheduled before the job fair begins, at 11 a.m. The job fair is free to the public. For more information, call (888) 469-7365 or visit http://www.labor.ny.gov.

Seven Catskill teaching positions eliminated
Jim Planck reports in the Daily Mail that the Catskill Central School District adopted its $37 million budget for 2011-12 Wednesday night, April 13, with a 6-3 vote. The budget reduces district employment by 10.3 positions, seven from the teaching staff and 3.3 from support staff, despite protests against the cuts by the Catskill Teachers Association, district parents, and students. The positions that will be eliminated are one art teacher, one music teacher, one foreign language teacher, one science teacher, two social studies teachers, one social worker, one business office administrative assistant, a library teaching assistant, a CHOICES teaching assistant, and a .3 full time equivalent of a monitor. The budget represents a spending increase of $511,147, or a 1.39-percent increase. $480,000 will be taken from the district’s unappropriated fund balance of $2.2 million, which will then reduce the tax levy by another 3 percent, dropping it to $182,564, or a 1.14-percent increase to the tax levy.

UPDATE: 900 Columbia Street
Carole Osterink reports in her Gossips of Rivertown about what happened to the 652 signature Save 900 Columbia Street petition she helped organize and deliver to the executive director and board of the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties and to the commissioner at the New York State Office of Mental Health. She notes that it's been "three weeks since a group of advocates for the house met with Jeffrey Rovitz, executive director of MHA, and Susan Cody, who directs MHA's residential division, to explore how MHA could achieve its goals without demolishing a historic house." Going on, she writes that, "Not surprisingly, the responses to our questions explained why our idea was not possible and showed little willingness to alter the plans in order to save the historic house. MHA did, however, offer to give the house to Historic Hudson so that the organization could move it to another site 'in a timely fashion' after the new facility had been built and the residents moved into the new building. The problem with this idea is that the house is an important element in a surviving historic streetscape, and its location, at the intersection of Columbia and Union turnpikes, contributes greatly to its significance. Moving such a monumental brick structure would not only be a daunting undertaking, but it would diminish the building's historic importance." Finally, Osterink reports that, "The ad hoc group suggested that MHA speak directly with the State Historic Preservation Office about their project. Earlier this week it was learned that MHA had contacted SHPO and now understood their obligations under Section 14.09 of the State Historic Preservation Act. SHPO has also been in touch with the cultural resource person at the Office of Mental Health. The future of 900 Columbia Street, it seems, is now being determined at the state level."

The National Weather Service says today will be partly cloudy. High 69F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. There will then be some clouds this evening that will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 40F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow, sunshine and clouds mixed. High 62F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Town meetings tonight
CHATHAM, Village meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street
COPAKE town board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mountainview Road, Copake
GALLATIN 6:30 town board meeting at Town Hall, 667 Route 7, Ancram
HUDSON Industrial Development Agency meeting at 5 p.m. at City Hall
KINDERHOOK Planning Board Workshop meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Church St, Niverville
LIVINGSTON Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 119 County Route 19
STUYVESANT Town board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive
TANNERSVILLE Village trustees meet at 7 p.m. in their Village Hall on Route 23A.
WINDHAM Town board meets at 8 p.m. at Town Hall, Hensonville.
GREENE COUNTY Finance & Audit committee meets at 5 p.m. in county office building, Catskill

Astronomical bodies

TIDES Hudson: High, 12:09 p.m./Low, 7:13 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:16 a.m./7:35 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 3:55 a.m./3:41 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 14 Sir John Gielgud, Loretta Lynn, Frank Serpico, Ritchie Blackmore, and Win Butler.

Carole Osterink reports in her Gossips of Rivertown blog from the Wed. Apr. 13 Hudson Planning Commission Meeting, that at the end of the session Cheryl Roberts, legal counsel to the Planning Commission, told the Commission that "in June or maybe May" the Common Council would be sending them the LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan). "The Hudson Planning Commission and the Columbia County Planning Department both must review the document and offer advisory opinions about the zoning changes it contains before it can be adopted by the Common Council," Osterink writes of the first public announcement that the LWRP may be considered soon. The Planning Commission also offered an advisory opinion at the meeting, ahead of the Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on the Galvan Partners proposed project for the corner of Union and First Sts. to be held Wednesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. The Planning Commission is required to offer an advisory opinion, and so, at Wednesday night's meeting, they announced that the project was not inconsistent with neighboring properties and would improve the streetscape, according to Osterink.

City picks GAR for reval after last year’s controversy
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star that the city of Hudson is trying again to underfgo a reassessment of local tax values, this time working with the real estate appraisal firm GAR Associates. In 2010, the release of the Hudson assessment roll lead to a much higher than average number of grievances, a lawsuit from a group of building owners and residents crying foul about the values of their homes. That reval was attempted in house. "GAR project manager for the Hudson reassessment, David M. Barnett, said that they aim to be as transparent and public with their process as possible, reaching out to home owners, providing them with information and resources and holding public workshops to explain the process," Larson writes. "Common Council President Donald Moore said that GAR’s bid on the project was accepted for a number of reasons but their stated commitment for community outreach and involvement was a big part of why they were selected." There will be no major revaluation in 2011. The results of GAR’s assessment will be released in 2012.

Board still working to finalize school budget
Michael Ryan reports in the Windham Journal on ongoing talks to determine a 2011-2012 school budget for the Windham-Ashland-Jewett school district. "A draft version of the budget, released by the board of education in early February, showed that the total for mandated expenses and contractual commitments represents a leap of $348,000 from a year ago," Ryan writes. "Combine that with an anticipated $263,265 decrease in State aid and it is small wonder WAJ administrators have been searching every nook and cranny for ways to ease the seemingly inevitable pain for taxpayers." Board of education members are expected to approve a spending package in late April, giving them less than a month to figure out what goes and what stays before sending the numbers to taxpayers for a May 17 vote.

Delayed Master Plan for Martin Van Buren
Mike McCagg reports in CCScoop that a long overdue master plan for the Martin Van Buren Historic Site in Kinderhook is still on the drawing boards, but has been delayed by federal budget impasses. "The first-ever general management plan for the three-decade-old historic site – the site known as Lindenwald that was home of the eighth president of the United States - was expected to be made public in late 2010, but now is on hold until later this year – at the earliest," McCagg writes. "Site Superintendent Daniel Dattilio said funding for the plan is still in place, but cut backs among planners and agency personnel at the national level has delayed the work."

Town awards $93,000 re-val bid
Melanie Lekocevic writes in the Greene County News that the Athens Town Council recently awarded a $93K bid from Appraisal Consultants to perform a revaluation of the town and village. The motion was approved by a 3-2 vote. The Town Council awarded the bid after four re-val companies submitted bids in response to the RFP, or Request for Proposal. Appraisal Consultants was the lowest bidder. "Supporters of conducting a townwide revaluation, or re-val, say it is a way to level the playing field and make sure all property owners are paying their fair share in property taxes," Lekocevic writes. "Over the years, property values change and some may be paying too much, while others may be paying too little."

Lebanon Valley Speedway owner’s plan for motocross still not on track
Gail Heinsohn has a story in the Chatham Courier about pending questions regarding an application to build a motocross track on land adjacent to the Lebanon Valley Speedway. The application was put in to the Stephentown Zoning Board of Appeals in Rensselaer County last year for a variance for about 10 acres of residentially zoned property, to be turned into a “world-class” motocross facility, with a goal of attracting 30,000 spectators. The land contains state-regulated wetlands and archeologically significant areas.

Fire breaks out in Hudson
Jamie Larson reports in the Register-Star on the fire in Hudson this morning at 754 Columbia Street, within site of the WGXC studios. The fire occurred in the second floor apartment of the building next door to Melino’s Pub at around 10:00 a.m., Larson reported. The apartment sustained significant visible damage to the exterior side wall. Firefighters used a chain saw to cut into the roof and the blaze was put out within a half hour. It was unknown what damage local businesses sustained as of this newscast.

By Gus Murphy

ICC passes budget — and football
John Mason reports in the Register-Star on the passage of a budget by the Ichabod Crane Board of Education in Kinderhook, and how the possibility of losing the local football team became the major point of contention at a crowded meeting on Tuesday night, April 12. ICC has ended up with a 3.9 percent tax levy increase to go before voters on May 17. As in Hudson and other local school districts, the board split - 5-3 in ICC's case - in their final budget vote on a spending plan that includes the closing of two schools, the elimination of 32.5 positions, and the discontinuation of the district's pre-K program. The matter that divided them, however, was the last minute addition of $31,000 for the varsity and junior varsity football program, Mason points out, which was also the issue that drew 9- minutes of impassioned speeches from district residents.

Unspent county grants total $375K
Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail writes that Greene County lawmakers have approved the transfer of about $375,000 in unused public safety grants, with legislators encouraging the funds be put to use before its too late. Four grants, awarded to the county Department of Emergency Services and the sheriff’s office, remain in county coffers while the projects they were intended to fund are still in progress. Two grants were awarded to emergency services in May 2009 and May 2010, totaling $299,972, for “support, planning, equipment, training and exercise needs associated with preparedness and prevention activities for terrorist events using weapons of mass destruction involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials.” As of Dec. 31, 2010, $239,449.43 of those Homeland Security grants remained. Two other U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants awarded in March 2010 and August 2010 to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office totaled $89,750 for a “prevention initiative consistent with the local Counter Terrorism Zone strategy, and “to create, train and outfit a countywide dive team to ensure a quick response for water-related incidents.” As of Dec. 31, 2010, $71,464.13 remained between the two grants. Finally, a U.S. Department of Justice grant of $80,000 was awarded for an emergency services radio study, accepted by the county legislature in October 2009. As of Dec. 31, 2010, $61,064.80 of the grant remained unused.

Valatie plans 10% tax cut in new budget
Emilia Teasdale of the Columbia Paper reports that the Valatie Village Board reviewed a proposed $706,905 annual budget proposed some major spending cuts at their most recent budget meeting, working to lower property taxes by 10%. Their areas of saving include closing Village Court, making lower interest payments on loans, and removing the position of deputy village clerk. "Discussion became heated over the Fire Department budget," Teasdale writes, noting how the Fire Company wanted to set aside money for future equipment purchases.

Lack of county historian stirs debate in Dutchess
The Daily Freeman has a story about how debate arose at a legislative meeting in neighboring Dutchess County Legislature over the lack of a county historian. The position, appointed by the county executive, has been vacant for three years and the issue came up during a routine resolution vote declaring Oct. 23 through Nov. 1 to be officially known as “Dutchess County Heritage Days." Legislature Minority Leader Sandra Goldberg said designating Heritage Days without a historian is doing it backward. Republican majority members responded that there were enough historians in the county already.

Library on way to magic number
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in the Daily Mail that the Cairo library board of trustees has noted that it is already quarter of the way toward reaching the $100,000 local match required as part its acceptance of a federal loan and grant package to build a new public library. The money has been collected from donations and fundraisers that library officials and volunteers have organized since last year, and does not include the donation of in-kind services, which have been estimated at about $15,000.

BOE merges 3rd ward districts
Jamie Larson writes in the Register-Star about the Columbia County Board of Elections' decision to combine two Third Ward voting districts in the city of Hudson. The change reduces the number of poll workers and procedural steps needed during elections and was announced at the informal meeting of the Hudson Common Council on April 11 in terms of its savings of $4,000 per year. According to state law, a voting district has to have fewer then 1,150 active voters in it. The new combined Third Ward district has 681, leaving Hudson's Fifth Ward the last one split into two voting districts, with a total 1,280 active voters.

The National Weather Service says today will see rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch. There will be showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low around 45F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 68F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Town meetings tonight
VILLAGE OF ATHENS meets at 6:30 p.m at the Athens Community Center, 2 First St., Athens
CLERMONT Planning Board, town hall at 7 p.m.
COLUMBIA COUNTY holds a full Board of Supervisors meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at 401 State St. in Hudson.
COPAKE Resource Advisory Committee Meeting at 7 p.m.
GHENT Planning Board Application meeting and Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. for each
CITY OF HUDSON Planning Committee meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
JEWETT Town Meeting at 7:00 p.m., town hall.
KINDERHOOK Town's 9 & 9H Corridor Committee at 7 p.m.
KINDERHOOK Village Board meeting and budget hearing, 7 p.m.

Astronomical bodies

TIDES Hudson: High, 10:57 a.m./Low, 6:22 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:18 a.m./7:34 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 3:24 a.m./2:27 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 13 Guy Fawkes, Thomas Jefferson, James Ensor, Jacques Lacan, Al Green, and Amy Goodman.

Registry to chart gas-drilling chemicals
The Ithaca Journal reports that a pair of state groups has launched a registry for chemicals used in extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing. The on-line registry makes it easier for the public to find out what chemicals are being used to extract natural gas in nearby wells. But participating drillers will continue to withhold information about chemicals they consider proprietary. The process known as "fracking" unlocks reserves of natural gas trapped in deep rock formations using the high-pressure injection of water, sand and chemicals to break up rock and release the natural gas. Twenty-four drillers have volunteered to also post that data on the registry, called FracFocus.org, so the public can find information about most of the chemicals used in nearby wells, excepting those termed "trade secrets." The fluids used in the process were exempted from federal oversight by a 2005 law. There are proposals in congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate the fluids and require drillers to disclose all of the chemicals used. The EPA is conducting a study of the process. Initial results are expected to be released by the end of 2012.

White paper says government efficiency is the name of the game in the Hudson Valley
Mid Hudson News Network has a story about a new Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress white paper on government efficiency that suggests that consolidation is not necessarily an answer to Hudson Valley governmental inefficiencies. The white paper suggests a spectrum of options including shared services, collaborations and possible consolidations. It also notes that New York City, with over 8 million people, has one mayor, one police department and one fire department. In the Hudson Valley, meanwhile, there are nine counties, 13 cities, 137 towns, 88 villages, 123 school districts, 220 fire districts, 53 drainage districts, 114 fire protection districts, 227 lighting districts, 32 park districts, 24 refuse and garbage districts, 329 sewer districts, 238 water districts, and another 102 miscellaneous districts. That totals 1,709 units of government and special districts for a population of 2.4 million. Got that all?

Suicide prevention efforts on the rise after recent spike in suicides
CCScoop's Mike McCagg writes about the apparent rise in Columbia County suicides over the past year, and a study begun in 2008 - when a record 20 such tragedies occurred -- that is now nearing completion. “There is a list of 15 recommendations that will be made (in that report) and to the extent that we have resources, we are going to systematically implement them,” said Michael Cole of the Columbia County Department of Mental Health. "It will make an impact to have decentralized services, to have resources available to where people live. If you look at it, a third of the population of Columbia County lives within five miles of Valatie. If we can have a clinic there, that would be significant."

Tax cap finger pointing
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union on the new wars regarding a proposed property tax cap, suggesting that Senate Republicans jumped a bit early into blaming Assembly Democrats for killing any plans for the foreseeable future. The Senate, along with the state Association of Realtors and other lobbying groups, are pushing Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to bring the issue to the Assembly floor for a vote, even though it doesn't have needed support. The fuel? Cap supporters are saying greater school budget cuts are needed to save people from still-high taxes.

Police: Slew of violent domestic incidents in Hudson
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star notes that the Hudson Police Department has made a number of arrests within the past week stemming from domestic incidents, then charts the basic details of each case. The situations involved men breaking women's fingers and arms, smashing vodka bottles in lovers' faces, and use of knives and threats. All the incidents were reported by the Hudson Police Department in one release on April 11.

The Watershed Post reports on the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program's annual Ashokan Watershed Conference held Saturday, April 9 and its region-wide subject: "Flood Resilience for Towns, Businesses and Landowners." Julia Reischel focuses on talk of the effects of climate change on weather, "extreme precipitation events," and flooding. "Storms are getting more severe, rainfall is getting heavier, droughts are getting dryer, and flooding is getting worse," she summarizes a speech by Dan Zarrow, a meteorologist at Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center seen in the above video. "The northeast US is the most sensitive region of the country to climate-change induced-extreme precipitation increases," according to Zarrow. He added that the Climate Center's new interactive website, www.precip.net, says that "100-year-storms" now happen about once every 50 years.

Meanwhile, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County will be hosting a Science and Management Forum on Regional Freshwater Issues, on Saturday, April 16 from 9am to noon. Attendees will be provided with insight into the state of our groundwater supplies, ways of protecting sensitive wetlands, and pressures that threaten freshwater ecosystems, including pollution, development practices, and invasive species. Special attention will be given to green infrastructure and stormwater management, as well as some of the same climate change issues that came up at the Ashokan Conference. The forum is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Participants can register online at www.caryinstitute.org/freshwater.html or call (845) 677-7600 x171. The last two Science and Management Forums filled to capacity; early registration is recommended.