[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="William Morgan Davies and Louisa Maria Dickerman, Violet Snow’s great great grandparents, on their wedding day... Before he joined the Civil War as a Union private. Image from Woodstock Times."][/caption]Violet Snow, journalist and tracking specialist, has started off on a journey to trace her own connections to the Civil War. This past week, the Woodstock Times ran a piece in which she writes about her discovery of a bare bones journal by her great-great-grandfather. William Morgan Davies, of the 95th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was an immigrant Welshman whose troubled times as a foot soldier in General Ulysses S. Grant's armies in Tennessee, and later as a prisoner of war at infamous Andersonville Prison, eventually led to a troubled marriage that saw him divorced by the family he started in this country. "Twenty years later, when he took a horsewhip to his wife, the family attributed his rages to the effects of his war experiences, especially his time in Andersonville," Snow writes. "I’m wondering how the trauma of the Civil War is handed down through the generations. Along with the suffering of imprisonment under more or less intolerable conditions, did the stoical Davies experience survivor guilt as men around him died every day? What did he have to do to stay alive in that hell? Does my own tendency toward exaggerated anxiety and guilt have any relationship with his pain? And it’s not just about my family. The more I read about the war and Reconstruction, the more I think about the trauma that underlies modern U.S. politics." She is currently searching through the south, retracing her great-great-grandfather's battle-weary steps set in motion by the outbreak of the Civil War 150 years ago this Tuesday, April 12. She says it comes from new spiritual studies that suggest our nation is marred by its failure to honor, or even try to understand, its ancestors. "Jackson, Clinton, Bolton, Vicksburg, the Black River — where are these places?" she writes. "I don’t know what kind of resonance is waiting for me, but something important is there... I am realizing that the ancestors have tremendous power for us." More when Violet returns...

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Asli Karahan-Ay"][/caption]Dick May has an interesting piece up on his April 9 Seeing Greene blog, about a new Greene County resident who has been named one of 190 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum, better known by the place the WEF meets each year in Davos, Switzerland. Asli Karahan-Ay recently bought a historic home locally with her husband, Evren Ay, and was chosen for her work at the international bank, UBS, where she serves as executive director of the office of the chief executive officer, and previously served as director of UBS' investment bank division. The YGL class of 2011 is composed of 190 people under the age of 40 from 65 countries. Included with Karahan-Ay in the North American contingent of honorees are novelist Dave Eggers, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Fox commentator and former Bush press secretary Dana Perino, and former Senator and current Democratic Party organizer Harold Ford Jr. Below is a video of David Aikman, Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, explaining this year's selection process and what makes this incoming class of Young Global Leaders unique.

WGXC Radio Council member Max Goldfarb recorded the Hudson City School District budget meeting on Monday night, April 11. There, a 9.8 percent tax levy increase, including the loss of 27 employees, passed by a narrow 4-3 board majority. Even if the budget gets voted down May 17, the district has the option to adopt the budget as is, according to Daniel Barrett, the district’s business manager. HCSD board members Peter Meyer, Peter Rice and Elizabeth Fout voted against. Both Rice and Meyer believed the vote should have been put off for one more week with the intention of taking another look at the numbers.

Sound clips featured District Superintendent Jack Howe, who grew up in the district, as the main voice. They include an introduction of the basic numbers, a discussion of state aid figures, and what the HCSD administration saw itself working with, and towards; Board member Elizabeth Fout, who voted against the spending measure, raising other ways of cutting costs at one point, including the cutting of days the buildings were open; and Howe outlining future steps, following the budget's passage by the board, including ways in which job cuts could be re-addressed in the future.

For now, we present some talk of the proposed elimination of a specific social studies teaching position: Board_Ed03_4_11


And finally, some back and forth regarding the costs of transportation, a wild card in recent years: Board_Ed06_4_11

Nomad market finds home on Church St.
Doron Tyler Antrimreports in the Daily Mail that the Catskill Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday, April 11 to relocate the community's seasonal farmers market to the county parking lot along Church Street, perpendicular to where it was last year. The move is a change of opinion since Saturday, when village officials met and agreed the market would remain on Main Street this year, although with a new look. It was decided it would be unsafe to have traffic and kids events simultaneously. The proposal now needs approval from the Greene County Legislature.

Word from the BOE Meeting
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown was the first to report on the June 11 Hudson City School District Board of Education meeting, noting how they voted to accept the proposed budget, "which at $41,249,180 involves the elimination of 26 positions and a 9.8 increase in the tax levy." Four board members--Emil Meister, Jeffrey Otty, Mary Daly, and Peter Merante--voted to accept the budget; three--Peter Meyer, Elizabeth Fout, and Peter Rice--voted against accepting it. "When asked by an audience member what would happen if the voters rejected the budget, three options were explained: (1) the BOE could propose the same budget for a second vote; (2) the BOE could further reduce the budget and propose a new budget; (3) the BOE could go directly to contingency, which would mean that the budget now proposed would be the budget, since a 9.8 percent increase is within the parameters allowed bu the state for a contingency budget." We will have more from this event, with audio, in the coming hours.

Lawsuit could slow Greenport Crossings project
John Mason of the Register-Star reports that despite receiving an unprecedented 20-year tax abatement agreement from the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency,the Greenport Crossing complex is facing a $1.5 million lawsuit. "Developer Harbalwant Singh, in the midst of a brownfield cleanup, said he has decided to forgive both the parties named in the suit and will be dropping it," Mason writes. Singh sued the man he bought the property from for allegedly lying to him about environmental factors on the property. He now says he will forgive the lie and drop his lawsuit so development can proceed.

Drilling foes make point
Brian Nearing reports on the April 11 anti-fracking rally in Albany in the Times Union, noting that "several hundred people descended on the state Capitol to urge lawmakers to reject horizontal hydrofracking, which delivers a high-pressure mix of water, chemicals and sand to free natural gas trapped in shale formations deep underground." He observed the presence of Josh Fox, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Gasland," among a crowd of about 450 people who had signed up to lobby lawmakers against horizontal hydrofracking. The drilling technique remains under study by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. A decision on rules to control the practice could be released sometime this summer after about three years of study... "Also Monday, the gas industry -- which defends the process as safe -- wrote to the governor to ask that he speed up the DEC review," Nearing continues. "The state, the industry says, is missing revenue available in states that allow the process, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia." "New York cannot afford to allow protests rooted in misinformation to halt the tremendous economic development activity that awaits our state," wrote Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York, which represents about 400 energy companies. Also, several Democratic state lawmakers on Monday announced a package of proposals, from an outright ban on hydrofracking to strict controls on the chemicals, some toxic, used in the process as well the large amounts of tainted wastewater that hydrofracking creates.

Gibson calls economy a bipartisan problem
Michael Ryan reports in the Daily Mail that U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson of Kinderhook, R-20th, called the economy "a bipartisan problem" during his town hall meeting in Windham on April 11, where he was joined by State Senator James Seward, R-Milford. Asked to respond to the nuclear power plant emergency in earthquake ravaged Japan and the role of nuclear power in America, the congressman reiterated that he remains a proponent of nuclear power... "when it is done right." “I strongly support all renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and geo-thermal but at the end of the day, when you realistically look at what we consume as a nation, I say let the science go forward," he said. "If a community doesn’t want nuclear, it shouldn’t be forced on them. There are communities that will want it.”

Gasoline prices continue upward surge
The Daily Freeman notes what we all have noticed: average retail gasoline prices in New York have risen 8.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.92 per gallon on April 10. This compares with the national average, which increased 7.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.74, according to gasoline price websiteNewYorkStateGasPrices.com. Including the change in gas prices in New York during the past week, prices April 10 were 95.4 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 18.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 21 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 87.2 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.

Close the creek?
Following up on his own story, Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail writes that area sportsmen have called for a 45-day stay on fishing the Catskill Creek in order to save the fish’s sensitive spawning habitat. Six men were charged with illegally catching walleye there earlier this month and Walter Bennett, president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Greene County, addressed county lawmakers on April 11, urging support to close a section of Catskill Creek from March 16 to April 30. Walleye season is from the first Saturday in May through March 15 of the following year.

The National Weather Service predicts rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High 59F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 47F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch. Tomorrow: a steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall around a half an inch.

Town meetings tonight
CHATHAM Planning Board meeting, 7:00 p.m.
COPAKE Board of Ethics, 7:00 p.m.; Comprehensive Planning Comm., 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall
COXSACKIE Town board at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Reid St.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 9:48 a.m./Low, 5:26
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:19 a.m./7:33 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 2:15 a.m./1:14 p.m.

Birthdays
April 12 Muhammad At Taqi, Lily Pons, Tiny Tim, Herbie Hancock, David Letterman, and Vince Gill.

United Way chief predicts banner 2011
Raymond Pignone writes in the Daily Mail that United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties is predicting a banner year, with Executive Director Brad Poster saying the nonprofit began the year by granting funds to 37 not-for-profit agencies in its two counties. UWCG’s biggest corporate donors are Save-A-Lot in Greene County and UPS in Columbia County. All of the funds collected by UWCG are distributed only to agencies in Greene and Columbia counties, Poster said.

Troopers issue 55 tickets enforcing new move over law
Mid Hudson News Network reports about the enforcement actions of the State Police this past weekend, April 9 and 10, on the Taconic Parkway. They handed out 55 tickets in the towns of Clinton, Stanford and Milan enforcing the new Ambrose-Searles Move Over Act that requires vehicles passing emergency vehicles with their flashing lights on move as far away from them as they can. That means on the Taconic, if a State Police car is on the right shoulder of the road, passing motorists are supposed to move over to the left lane, if possible.

Six charged with illegally taking walleye
Scott Waldman of the Times Union writes that six men were charged with illegally taking walleye from the Catskill Creek, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "An officer saw the men 'snagging,' a term for dragging a large hook through the water until it catches a fish, on April 3," Waldman reports. "Police said they found a cooler where the men were keeping the fish, mostly pregnant females averaging more than 11 pounds and 27 inches long. State Police helped with the investigation. Walleye season runs from the first Saturday in May to March 15. Those who catch the fish out of season face 15 days in jail. "The walleye are particularly at risk this time of year because the fish are spawning," DEC Regional Director Gene Kelly said in a statement. "The Catskill Creek is one of the largest walleye breeding areas in the region and it's imperative that we protect these vulnerable breeding fish." The six men were from the Capitol Region.

Bankruptcy filings drop 15% in 1Q
The Albany Business Journal reports that bankruptcy filings in the Albany court district dropped 15 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to new data posted on April 11. Almost 200 fewer cases were filed when compared to the first quarter of 2010, for a total of 1,086 new cases. The total is lower than levels in 2010 and in 2009. The data is for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court division based in downtown Albany, which covers 12 counties including the Capital District and upper Hudson Valley..

Mid-Hudson bridges are very safe, says bridge chief
Mid Hudson News Network reports that the New York State Bridge Authority’s five bridges across the Hudson River are well maintained and safe, according to Executive Director Joseph Ruggiero. “All of our bridges receive what we call a rating of a five, the highest rating that can be achieved for the older bridges that the Bridge Authority owns; that’s due to our maintenance program being proactive versus reactive and the next 20 years several of our bridges will approach their 100th anniversary of service and the diligence that we apply to our maintenance is even more critical to make sure our bridges continue to provide safe and reliable service,” he said. The Authority operates the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff and Rip Van Winkle bridges. More than 58 million vehicles crossed the bridges in 2010.

Environmental groups from across the state are heading to Albany the morning of Monday, April 11 for a rally against high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region that spans the southern half of New York and parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The Hydro-Fracking Day of Action, according to Citizens Campaign for the Environment, begins with a 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. rally on the Capitol Lawn with activists and advocates from throughout New York; then a 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. series of visits to individual legislators to "educate New York's lawmakers about the dangers of dirty drilling." According to an Associated Press story on the rally found on the website for the Times Herald-Record, "opponents fear the technology commonly called 'fracking' may lead to contamination of water supplies. New York has had a moratorium on permits for high-volume fracking since it initiated a comprehensive environmental review of it nearly three years ago. Fracking involves the high-pressure injection of chemically treated water into a gas well to crack surrounding shale and release trapped natural gas. The industry says fracking is well-regulated and safe." Among the speakers at Monday morning's rally will be Josh Fox, director of the anti-gas industry documentary "Gasland," and actor Mark Ruffalo, who has recorded station welcomes for WGXC.

Hannacroix Creek dumper caught
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail that a 79-year-old Coxsackie man was charged with illegally dumping into the Hannacroix Creek on Saturday, April 9, state police said after a report of a suspicious person dumping household garbage into the creek was reported to them. Lawrence J. Burke was found traveling in his vehicle on County Route 61 and ticketed by police. Police said Burke had dumped a bag of household garbage, containing rancid meat, into the creek. The bag was located and returned to Burke, who was ordered to properly dispose of the refuse.

NYSP makes arrest in underage drinking investigation
The Register-Star reports that a 19-year-old has been charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor, after the New York State Police at Livingston arrested him April 8 following an investigation March 18 by the State Police at Kinderhook, who looked into a report of an underage drinking party being held at a private Kinderhook residence. Troopers located an 18-year-old female described as “obviously intoxicated” and turned her over to her parent. Continued investigation into the incident led to the Friday arrest, with police alleging that Pinkowski intentionally interfered with the troopers’ official duties. He was arraigned in the village of Kinderhook court and released, pending court appearance on April 19.

Goodbye, but not forever
Andrew Amelinckx reports on a ritualistic walking of a labyrinth on Sunday, April 10,to honor Benedicta Bertau, the co-artistic director of Hudson's Walking the Dog Theater. Bertau, who is originally from Germany, is leaving the country for an unknown amount of time while her immigration status is determined. She and fellow Walking the Dog Theater director David Anderson created the labyrinth on the Philmont Village Green two years ago. "Friends came out to say good-bye to Bertau and help clean up the labyrinth, raking leaves and twigs off the stone structure," Amelinckx writes. "While Bertau is gone—she said it could be up to a year—WTD will continue to produce shows." Bertau has been in the U.S. for six years working with WTD under a H1-B visa, a non-immigrant visa that allows non-residents to work in specialty areas. A lawyer is trying to help her secure a green card, but while the process unfolds she will have to be outside the country.

Greene County ski season officially ends
Colin DeVries writes in the Daily Mail about the end of the ski season up at Hunter Mountain, who called it quits for the snow on Sunday, April 10, with ski center reps calling the past year “fantastic.” Hunter Mountain ended its 2010-11 ski season with some mud-skimming revelry a week after Windham Mountain closed on April 3. Also closing on April 10 was state-owned Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort in Ulster County, which faced major state budget cuts and accompanying job losses earlier in the season. Catamount, located in Massachusetts between Hillsdale, NY and Egremont, MA, closed in late March.

The National Weather Service predicts today will be cloudy and windy with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tonight, mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Tomorrow, showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Town meetings tonight
CATSKILL Village meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Firehouse, 1 Central Ave. (behind Walgreens). Final decision on Farmer's Market tonight.
COPAKE Environmental Committee at town hall at 7:00pm,
HUDSON Common Council workshop meeting at 7 pm
HUDSON SCHOOL DISTRICT Special meeting at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and pass a budget
HUNTER Village meeting 8:00 p.m.
NEW BALTIMORE Town meeting at 7:30 p.m.
PRATTSVILLE Town Meeting
GREENE COUNTY LEGISLATURE holds Buildings & Grounds, Conservation, Public Safety, Highway, Government Operations, and Finance committee meetings at 6:00 PM.

Astronomical bodies

TIDES Hudson: High, 8:44 a.m./Low, 4:23 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:21 a.m./7:31 p.m.
MOONSET/MOONRISE 2:13 a.m./12:04 p.m.

Birthdays
APRIL 11
Dean Acheson, Christopher Smart, Joel Grey, Vincent Gallo, and Lisa Stansfield.

Farmers market to stay on Main, but look will change
Doron Tyler Antrim reports on the latest iteration of the Catskill’s farmers market, which now seems poised to will remain on Main Street with traffic flowing through it. The decision — which is not finalized, but was generally agreed to during a discussion among village officials and several business owners on Saturday, April 8, — will see vendors moved to the parking spots on the west side of the road with traffic cones or barriers placed in the road. Board action is expected at an official village meeting on Monday evening, April 11.

More charges for alleged burglar
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star reports that the case of an alleged Columbia County burglar keeps growing, with new charges being added to those already filed against the HIllsdale man behind bars since October. Authorities now believe Samuel Sampson, 39, is responsible for as many as 50 area break-ins, going back to 2009. He was originally arrested by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 29, the result of a two-year investigation with the New York State Police in Livingston into a series of break-ins in Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Philmont, Claverack and across the border in Massachusetts. Sampson was initially charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree assault, both class D felonies. Amongst his loot were four long guns, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Making food available for bears will lead to problems, state warns
The Daily Freeman is running a state Department of Environmental Conservation reminder discouraging human encounters with black bears. “Typically, black bears are timid and will avoid all contact with humans,” said Willie Janeway, the agency’s Region 3 director who lives in Columbia County. “However, bears will become a nuisance and can cause significant damage if they believe they can obtain an easy meal from bird feeders, garbage cans, Dumpsters, barbecue grills, tents, vehicles, out-buildings or houses. Taking preventative action early and consistently is crucial to avoid chronic bear problems.”

South Bay Dumping Update
Carole Osterink updates her own Gossips of Rivertown report by noting that the trucks seen dumping leftover cement in South Bay Friday were located, then reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Hudson Police Department. At about 5:30 on Friday afternoon, April 8, Gossips received a report that "two men with pickup trucks, pickaxes, and shovels" were removing the cement from the marsh. Way to go!

Hudson Valley farmers face development pressure
Bill Fallon of HV Biz writes about a new study that reveals that the Hudson Valley is faced with intense development pressure that is pressuring its agricultural heritage. "Farming endures, according to the data, despite a 10 percent loss of farmland in a five-year period, with a corresponding 21 percent increase in the cost of food production," Fallon writes about “The State of Agriculture in the Hudson Valley," a report by Glynwood, a Cold Spring-based organization devoted to saving Hudson Valley farming. "Perhaps the greatest impediment to small- and mid-size farm viability is the absence of processing and distribution infrastructure necessary for farmers to get their products to market, according to the report. It also documents how the industry is changing as farmers adapt to a shifting economy and to different market opportunities." Yet there are some bright lights on the horizon, according to Glynwood, notably the diversity of markets in the region and the region’s proximity to major urban areas:

The National Weather Service says today will be mainly cloudy. High 63F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight will witness showers early with isolated thunderstorms overnight. Low 54F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 7:44 a.m./Low, 3:10 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:23 a.m./7:30 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:58 a.m./2:13 a.m. Monday

Birthdays
APRIL 10 Joseph Pulitzer, Max von Sydow, Nick Auf Der Maur, Bunny Wailer, Haley Joel Osment, and Eddie Hazel.

The new state budget has already meant one change for anyone fishing for striped bass on the Hudson River: you no longer need a license. Fri., April 8, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that, "a recreational marine fishing license is no longer required to fish in the marine district of New York, including fishing for migratory fish from the sea (e.g. striped bass) on the Hudson River below the Troy Dam." Anglers no longer need to purchase licenses through DECALS, the online license sales system. Legislation included in the final state budget directs DEC to establish a no-fee registry to take the place of the marine license, but that won't be in place until June. The DEC will also provide refunds to holders of lifetime recreational marine fishing licenses later this year, with an announcement about that process coming soon.

City reactions to consolidation plan are mixed
Jamie Larson of the Register-Star reports on the reaction amongst Hudson reactions to the announcement by Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Roy Brown that the county would be consolidating services at the old Wal Mart building in Greenport and moving out of most of its city offices. "Hudson officials have expressed repeatedly that if the county vacated the Railroad Avenue building the city would purchase it for use as a new city court and police department," Larson writes. "Mayor Richard Scalera said he asked Brown that the relocation of DSS be expedited so Hudson can move forward with its plans for the old building as the city is under an order of consent from the Justice Department to improve its court facilities."

Vols needed to inventory ash trees
Jim Planck of the Daily Mail writes about an ongoing effort "to get a handle on just where and how bad the Emerald Ash Borer — a Chinese invasive insect species that is on a path to decimate America’s ash trees — has gotten a toehold in Greene County" via an inventory of ash trees on the streets of Catskill on Sunday, April 17. The action will be overseen by the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP), a gathering of stakeholder groups from across the Catskills, which operates under the umbrella of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, in Arkville, with everyone meeting in front of Village Pizza II on Main Street at 1:00 p.m.

Cuomo: Let’s talk about school performance
Rick Karlin of the Times Union reports on Gov. Andrew Cuomo expandeing the tax cap debate by saying that education funding should be based more on performance of teachers and school systems, instead of giving out money based on formulas based on wealth, enrollment and other factors. “We are talking about the tax cap,” he told Susan Arbetter on the Capitol Pressroom, “And you’re going to hear me talking about something else which I have talked about but I’m going to talk about more which is performance in government, output.” He went on to note that over the past 15 years school funding has doubled while enrollment has dropped about 6 percent. At the same time, he said, using state Education Department statistics, there are 9 percent more teachers and 30 percent more supervisors.

The National Weather Service says today will have plenty of sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight, cloudy skies. Low 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow, cloudy in the morning, then off and on rain showers during the afternoon hours. High around 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 6:51.m./Low, 2:07
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:24 a.m./7:29 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9:57 a.m./1:30 a.m. Sunday

Birthdays
April 9 Eadweard Muybridge, Paul Robeson, Jean Paul Belmondo, and Albert Hammond, Jr.

Tune in today
TRANSMISSION ARTS Max Goldfarb and Galen Joseph-Hunter explain "radio art." 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Panel: Act now on health care reform planning
Barbara Pinckney of the Albany Business Review reports on a Friday, April 8 Power Breakfast on health care reform put on by the publication that featured Maggie Moree, director of federal affairs for the Business Council of New York State, James Connolly, CEO of Ellis Medicine in Schenectady, and Dr. John Bennett, CEO of Capital District Physicians Health Plan in Albany. All agreed that it was time to take the new law seriously, despite political and legal challenges. Moree said employers need to plan now for new W2 rules, Medicaid tax changes and other provisions scheduled to take effect over the next few years. “As business owners you are part of the solution,” Bennett said. “All care is local. You will solve this problem with us.” He later added that rate increases will mirror the rise in medical costs—just as they did before the reform act. The reform act itself, he said, did nothing to control medical costs. Connolly said businesses need to stop thinking of health care as a “purchasing decision” and start investing in employee wellness and become engaged in looking at the data for their workers, to know what their employees are consuming and how much it costs. About 250 businesspeople were in attendance.

Division mirrors House
Leigh Hornbeck writes in the Times Union about the ways in which two local congressmen have been offering starkly different narratives on the possibility of federal shutdown. U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, voted Thursday in favor of a GOP-backed continuing resolution that would fund the Department of Defense for the rest of the fiscal year while cutting current spending by $12 billion. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, voted against the measure, which passed 247-181. "Rather than pointing fingers, I want to see us come to an agreement. I don't want to see either side dig in so we shut down the government," Gibson said. But then he pointed fingers, noting how, "the last Congress didn't make a single cut." Tonko countered by pointing out that the previous Congress made $41 billion in cuts during the lame-duck session at the end of 2010 and have proposed $33 billion in additional reductions that are now on the table. "We have moved three-quarters of the way toward their original request" for $100 billion in cuts, said Tonko. "You don't get everything you want at the negotiating table." Tonko said Republicans were guilty of "moving the goal line" due to "the reckless, insensitive and extreme response from the tea party.... It's not about the numbers, it's about politics -- petty, partisan politics."

Catskill man charged with sexual abuse of 4-year-old
Colin DeVries reports in the Daily Mail on a 28-year-old Catskill village man charged with sexually abusing a 4-year-old Catskill girl. Peter J. Lentz was arrested after the Catskill Police Department received information that Lentz had been abusing the girl over a period of time. In the midst of a longer investigation, Lentz was found in possession of a substantial amount of child pornography on personal computers, police said. He faces a charge of first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, a class E felony. Lentz was arraigned before Athens Town Justice James Robinson and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash and $50,000 bond.

ITW to bring 25 new jobs to Millerton
Whitney Joseph, editor of The Millerton News, writes that a new business moving into the Route 22 corridor will bring two dozen new jobs to the WGXC listening area. ITW, or Illinois Tool Works, Inc., will be expanding its local presence from a current Lakeville, CT plant by opening a second operation in a 25,000-square-foot space at Arnoff Moving and Storage on Route 22, just south of the Columbia County line. The ITW division that is moving to Millerton will be producing “seating components for the automotive industry,” according to a press release. They are expecting to hire 25 local workers.

There are competing bills in the New York legislature currently to name a state vegetable. Sen. David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown, Rockland County, wants onions; Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, Seneca County is pushing for corn, according to Joseph Spector in the Poughkeepsie Journal. "Onions are one of the most important vegetable crops in New York in terms of crop value," Carlucci says. Nozzolio, the corn advocate, has several GOP sponsors in the Assembly.

By Gus Murphy

Carole Osterink's Gossips of Rivertown published photos taken the morning of Friday, April 9, after a reader observed an orange and blue cement truck at the southernmost edge of the paved area beyond Basilica Industria, dumping leftover cement into South Bay at 8:45 a.m. "He went down to investigate and took these pictures," Osterink reports. "Aerial photographs from the 1940s suggest that it was once common practice to clean out cement trucks and dump the slurry in South Bay along Route 9G. It seems the practice continues."

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Columbia County offices, as envisioned at the old Wal Mart in Greenport."][/caption]Francesca Olsen of the Register-Star and @ Issue, a Tuesday morning WGXC news program, reported out of at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast Friday morning, April 8, that Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Roy Brown has announced plans to buy the vacant Walmart in Greenport, and sell both the old Ockawamick building in Philmont and county buildings located at 401 and 610 State Street in Hudson. "Plans are to consolidate county offices in the Walmart building and 325 Columbia St," Olsen added. "There are also plans to vacate the current home of the Department of Social Services at 25 Railroad Ave., freeing it up for the city of Hudson to use as a court facility." The former Walmart was first brought up as a possible option for space consolidation last December by county Director of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood. "The county’s Capital Resource Corporation, a quasi-governmental organization whose board can provide tax-exempt bonding to civic and nonprofit organizations, voted earlier this year to put down a refundable, $50,000 deposit on the Walmart property so it stayed off the market for 90 days while the BOS evaluated the option," Olsen writes. "The 90 days runs out June 8. Brown said the project would be an '18-month consolidation effort.' He said he plans to bring the recommendation to the board’s public works committee this month, and hopes the board will pass a resolution accepting the idea, and the property’s purchase, at its full meeting in May." Brown also mentioned the county plans to create an express bus line from Hudson to the new facility, which would cut down on cab costs for DSS clients without transportation — which the county is mandated to pay for.

Rich and Scott Sitcer, two master builders from Coxsackie, are helping kick off Greene County's drive to have a successful Lemonade Day on May 1 by hosting a lemonade stand building workshop over the next two weekends. The Sitcers will lead sessions on building stands at the GNH Lumber centers in Coxsackie at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday April 9, and in Greenville on Sunday, April 17, again at 9:00 a.m. While participants will not be building their own stand at the workshop, this free workshop will address materials and the secrets of making your stand different from the rest. "“My brother Scott and I wanted to support Lemonade Day because it shows kids the results of a good work ethic,” said Rich Sitcer. “The harder you work at something, the more successful you’re going to be. I know because that’s how we’ve run our own business since the beginning. And using a local business like GNH shows how important small businesses are.” Both workshops will present three full-scale models to illustrate some of what it will take to build a winning stand. “I challenged my brother, as well as our co-worker Barrett and even myself to come up with our own stands to show.” One of three contests Lemonade Day entrepreneurs are eligible to win is for the Best Lemonade Stand Contest by sending pictures in after the event Sunday May 1. Details are provided in the workbooks young entrepreneurs find in their free bright yellow backpacks once they sign up. “Remember you can still signup at any of our sixteen locations,” said Bob Phibbs, Lemonade Day Greene County Champion. “Those include The Bank of Greene County, the National Bank of Coxsackie, Greene Business Alliance, Catskill Community Center, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Greene County YMCA. Lemonade Day is Sunday May 1.