(JoAnne Lettieri, seated, with her husband, before the Cairo Planning Board. Photo by Tom Roe.)

Cairo Main Street mayhem
Click here to listen or download mp3 of Cairo Planning Board meeting 090209
Click here to listen or download mp3 of Cairo Planning Board meeting talking about amending the site plan law

On August 18, police arrested JoAnne Lettieri in her store, McBride's Resale Shop, at 465 Main St. in Cairo for violation of the town's site plan law. The store, which used to be a restaurant a long time ago, apparently never went before the town's planning board. The owners then left a note on the door of the store, next to the notice of violation that said in part, "Apparently it is easier to sell drugs in this town then a table and chair." Last night Lettieri appeared before the Cairo Planning Board (listen to the link above, at 36:30), and claimed the town's code enforcement officer said she was shutting down the store on orders of the Planning Board. Most Cairo Planning Board members said Wednesday that they had nothing to do with the enforcement issue. Lettieri, clearly upset, left the meeting crying, and her husband said that countless other buildings on Main St. in Cairo had similarly changed businesses without appearing before the Planning Board each time. Lettieri, in fact, said the store had been operating at the location since 2000, selling used items and hosting a few functions for the local Democratic Party. Later in the meeting, two Planning Board members, Eddie Forrester and Tony Puorro, noted that the Cairo Chamber of Commerce on Main St., "is in violation now." Letttieri's husband said he might have to make complaints to the enforcement office about all the other businesses in Cairo that have not properly appeared before the Planning Board. "Main Street just got shut down," Forrester said, as they left. The Cairo town web site already is, and has been dark for over a week. After the meeting's official business, Chairman Dan Benoit brought up his plans to amend the town's site plan law, which was enacted last October. He cited four main issues that needed changing: 1) Noise. Benoit said that the Greene County Planning Board told him that Cairo cannot average out its noise estimates over a 24-hour period, and Benoit said this made mowing lawns illegal; 2) Signs. Benoit wanted new small signs to not come before the board; 3) Waivers of Less Extensive Plans; 4) Waiving Public Hearings for Less Extensive Plans. Puorro seemed to agree with Benoit's proposal, while Frank Pambianchi kept warning, "I think you are leaving yourself open," with the changes. The board decided to continue the conversation at the Oct. 7 meeting. They will hold a special meeting Sept. 14 for the Deschaine project.

Watch video above for artist talk for the show "Afterglow: Four Photographers & the Hand-Held Light" with artists David Lebe, Robert Flynt, Gary Schneider, and Warren Neidich that WGXC aired live from Carrie Haddad Photography in Hudson, NY. From Twittercam feed on WGXC Online Radio Aug. 28, 2009. (Video does not "see" first artist.) Audio recording is also available here by turning the "Audio" triangle on right.

Brown replaces Scheer as deputy on county board
From Parry Teasdale in The Columbia Paper

HUDSON — Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Art Baer (R-Hillsdale) shuffled the leadership of the board, with Germantown Supervisor Roy Brown (R) replacing Gallatin Supervisor Lynda Scheer, as a deputy chairman of the board. Baer’s announcement of the move Friday said that Ms. Scheer resigned from the post “for personal reasons.” Brown stood with Baer on his controversial plan to buy the Ockawamick School building on Route 217 in Claverack and, initially, move much of the Department of Social Services there from Hudson. The change takes effect September 1.

Copake board finds ways to agree except on the deficit
From Diana Valden in The Columbia Paper

COPAKE - This is the sort of amazing story about local town meetings that is almost never written 'round these parts. Instead of deciding one of the night's actions constituted a story and the rest did not, Valden bullet points 10 items that the usually contentious-across-party-lines town board agreed on last week. Then she writes how Councilman Bob Sacks, who has advocated cutting the town's police force to cover the recently discovered large deficit, reported he was told by the Sheriff's Office that patrols from that office cover Copake and all of Columbia County 24/7. Sacks also quoted the supervisors of other towns saying they could not afford their own police force and had no need for one because of coverage by the Sheriff's Office and State Police. Copake Town Police Commissioner Jeff Nayer, then shouted, “Other towns don't set what we do!” Mr. Nayer said that the Police Department had offered to cut 17 percent of its budget to help the town deal with the deficit, while other departments offered nothing.

New parties make ballot for November
From Jim Planck in The Daily Mail

Have A Voice candidates Karen Deyo, Keith Valentine, Linda Overbaugh, and Joseph Izzo will appear on the November ballot, as will Grassroots of Durham candidate Les Armstrong. The Have a Voice folks are Republicans, joining fellow GOPer Overbaugh in this bid to stay on the ballot for the four Catskill Greene County Legislature seats, after errors in her previous petitions kept her off the Republican line. Likewise with Armstrong, a Republican attempting to primary against Elsie Allan but now facing Allan and Democrat Sean Frey for the Durham seat on the legislature. Overbaugh and Armstrong's third-party bids went unchallenged by opponents.

State parks in Columbia County fare better than most
From Mike McCagg in ccScoop

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation shows attendance at parks in the Taconic Region of the state park system, which includes Columbia County, is down 3.7 percent in the period from July 2008 through July 2009. Across New York, park attendance is down 4.5 percent, to 27.2 million visitors. Attendance dropped at the Clermont State Historic Site 18.5 percent to 43,456 visitors, at the Clermont State Historic Site 4.1 percent to 61,896 visitors, at the Olana State Historic Site 14.1 to 61,896 visitors, and at Lake Taghkanic State Park, 5.2 percent, to 95,862. At Taconic State Park in Copake attendance was up 12.9 percent to 13,313, and in Copake Falls attendance rose 5 percent to 73,066 visitors.

Farmland Protection on the way
From Francesca Olsen in The Register-Star

Last Tuesday the Planning and Economic Development Committee passed a resolution to apply for state grant funding for developing a Farmland Protection Plan, with matching funds to be provided by the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), as Columbia County is one of the few in the state without such a plan. The Columbia County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board submitted drafts of a plan to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, but was not approved.

Mario’s moves forward with new warehouse
From Paul Crossman in The Register-Star

VALATIE — Mario’s True Value Home Center is planning a new 20,000-square-foot lumber supply warehouse, and hopes to have closed on the new location by sometime in early September, with winter construction.

(NY State Assemblyman Peter Lopez interviewed by Cairo-Durham High students Michael Davis and Jordan Smith at the Catskill Community Center Sat. Aug. 22, 2009. Photo by Galen Joseph-Hunter.)

Politicians turn out in Catskill despite rain
Click here to listen to or download mp3 interview of NY State Assemblyman Peter Lopez by WGXC's Jordan Smith and Michael Davis at the Catskill Community Center. WGXC interviewed members of the community yesterday in the Catskill Community Center.
Catskill and regional politicians and artists turned out Saturday despite the rain to celebrate the Quadricentennial (400 years of European folk on the Hudson River) Parade in Catskill. Organizer Fawn Potash wrangled all sorts of fabulous sorts such as singer Lex Grey as a mermaid on a float, a Rip Van Winkle impersonator, Kelly Benjamin on WGXC's Radio Bike, Catskill Community Center's Drum and Bugle Corps, bagpipe player Ian Rawlinson, and the Freehold Civil Air Patrol Vanguard Squad, as well as local politicians such as Vincent Seeley (Town President), Peter Lopez (district Assemblyman), Greene County Legslators Keith Valentine (R, majority leader), Karen Deyo (R), and Forest Cotten (D), Catskill Town Supervisor Peter Markou, Town Councilmen Patrick Walsh and Michael Smith, and many others. Hilary Hawke has a good overview of the day's events and more images on The Daily Mail's web site.

Signs of the times



McBride's Resale Shop at 465 Main St. in Cairo was shut down this week. Read all about it in these two images. A sign on the building still calls it Main St. Cafe, though that business has been closed awhile.

Over two thousand without power in Columbia County
National Grid reports over 2300 homes without power in Columbia at 10:30 p.m., with power not expected to be restored until 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Sam Pratt's Facebook status reports that 23B, 9H & Rt. 23 into Hudson are closed, and power lines are down on 29. He also says it seemed dark in Taghkanic, Claverack and Greenport.

Attorney General's new web site not very up-to-date
The attorney general's office showed off its new Sunlightny.com open-government web site Thursday with workshops in Valatie and Cairo. Perhaps Mr. Cuomo will update the site before his gubernatorial campaign starts -- right now the site's Greene County listings do not include any Cairo officials, and report John Bull is still mayor of Coxsackie.

Town trapped in shallower hole
From Jamie Larson in The Register-Star

COPAKE - Through a combination of adjusted revenue statements and reduced spending, the Copake Town Board cut the town's newly-discovered deficit down from an estimated $180,000 to $80,000. On party lines, the board then voted to borrow $100,000 from The Salisbury Bank and Trust Company to cover the revenue shortfall and tax the town based on assessed value in a one-time tax. The loan will be paid back in 2010. Republican supervisor Reggie Crowley, and board members Daniel Tompkins and Walt Kiernan voted to take out the loan, while Democrats Bob Sacks and Linda Gabaccia voted no.

Someone's watching
From Linda L. Fenoff in The Greenville Press (no web site)

CATSKILL - Democrat Robin DePuy of Palenville may have joined the never-dull election for the four Catskill seats on the Greene County Legislature, by forming the "Common Sense" party. Earlier, Linda Overbaugh was ruled not eligible to run on the Republican line because of petition errors, and started the "Have a Voice" party to get on the ballot. Now Overbaugh may be knocked off that line too, as witnesses witnessed two of the "Have a Voice" candidates collecting signatures without witnesses. Can I get a witness?

Team Dudley deflates political football
From Pat Bone Cominos in The Greenville Press (no web site)

Retiring Greene County Legislator Ken Dudley (R-Greenville) withdrew his $80,000 Quantum Fund loan application for his business Tip Top Furniture in Greenville. Minority leader Sean Frey (D-Durham) said he thought the loan was, "not illegal, but unethical for the county to make a Quantum loan to a business owner who is also on the Greene County Legislature."

Cairo board appointments
From Susan Campriello's blog for The Daily Mail

CAIRO - Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne says individuals involved in lawsuits against the town can be appointed to positions on Cairo boards. Several Cairo officials wanted to institute such a ban during a discussion about the ethics board. In a May 5 letter to Supervisor John Coyne, Cairo Town Attorney Tal Rappleyea, and the Town Board, Melanie Trimble, of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the board should not reject a party interested in serving on a board based upon their involvement in such litigation. "Such blanket exclusion must be viewed as retaliation against people for exercising their rights," the letter said.

September auditions for radio theater
From The Mountain Eagle

COBLESKILL - The Theater Project of Schoharie County will hold auditions for an evening of radio theater. Two plays: “His Honor, the Mayor” and “The War of the Worlds” plus commercials and musical interludes. Auditions: Sept. 10 6 - 9 p.m. and Sept. 13 2 – 5 p.m. at Teen Town, 45 North Grand St, Cobleskill.

(Local journalists including, from left, WGXC's Paul Smart, WGXC's Erin Roberts, The Columbia Paper's Parry Teasdale, Bard College's Danielle Riou, unmuffled's Lynn Sloneker, A Few Dollars More's William Schmick, and The Register-Star's Andrew Amelinckx meet about at Parlor coffeeshop in Hudson Thu. Aug. 20, 2009. Photo by Tom Roe.)

WGXC discusses journalism with local practioners
Click here to listen to the WGXC meeting with local journalists from Aug. 20, 2009 at Parlor Coffee Shop (formerly Muddy Cup) in Hudson.
Click here to listen to the WGXC meeting with local journalists from Aug. 20, 2009 at Catskill Community Center.
New community radio station WGXC held meetings in Hudson and Catskill with local journalists Thursday, to discuss possible working relationships. WGXC is developing news policy, and just beginning a Newsroom blog with many audio clips from area meetings and events. Many local journalists met with WGXC staff and Radio Council members, at the two meetings, and also discussed the possibility of different publications and blogs co-sponsoring local political debates and meet-the-candidate forums. WGXC will certainly be interviewing local journalists about the important stories of the day throughout Greene and Columbia counties. WGXC's Erin Roberts spoke about her experience with KBUT in Colorado, where her community radio station paid local journalists a bit extra to create audio versions of their texts, traing the print writers how to record and edit audio, and share files. Several local journalists (including local bloggers and independent producers) were ready to propose their own shows, about subjects such as local history, the outdoors and nature, and the arts, all topics WGXC plans to discuss and include in programming. WGXC will have both a morning and afternoon "magazine" type news shows with news reports, headlines, interviews, phone calls from listeners, the occasional song, and other features such as a brief serial radio drama. Local journalists might be regular contributors to these prime time (6-10 a.m./4-7 p.m.) shows, or part of other shows. WGXC is also encouraging all citizens -- locals who regularly attend meetings, journalists who cover them, and others -- to record and/or learn to create a live web stream of any local meeting possible. The raw recordings will be available for any person to download or listen. Please send other ideas for local news policies to news(at)wgxc.org.

Columbia-Greene Cancer Services Program PSA
Click hear to hear Columbia-Greene Cancer Services Program PSA
Free cancer screening information. More details here: http://www.columbiahealthnet.org/

Council puts hold on new homeless shelters
From Jamie Larson in The Register-Star

HUDSON - The Hudson Common Council voted at their regular meeting to approve a new local law establishing a one-year moratorium on the expansion of existing, and the creation of new transitional housing and homeless shelters, in excess of four units, in the city. The law came in response to the county's proposal to house homeless in the historic St. Charles Hotel in Hudson. Eventually, the city and county agreed instead on the Charles Williams school to be turned into a homeless facility, and this law, apparently, won't stop that deal. Before Mayor Richard Scalera can sign the proposal into law, the moratorium must be discussed at a public hearing, to be held Aug. 28.

(Cairo Town Clerk Tara A. Rumph, and board members Alice Tunison and Janet Schwarzenegger at the Aug. 19, 2009 town board meeting. Photo by Tom Roe.)

Cairo has another strained town meeting
Click here to download or listen to the Aug. 19, 2009 Cairo Town Board meeting.
CAIRO - At town board meetings in Cairo, the board's women are separated from the men by Town Clerk Tara Rumph. Last night there was a real back and forth, as board members Rich Lorenz and Ray Suttmeier made comments after Janet Schwarzenegger's attempt to pass a resolution to redact the names of folks who make complaints in Cairo from Freedom of Information Law requests. Alice Tunison asked Schwarzenegger several questions about her resolution. Lorenz (at 1:05:10 in the recording linked above) interrupted their discussion, and Tunison said, "I wish you wouldn't do that Rich." Tunison grilled Schwarzenegger, and then the entire group failed to second her motion, killing the resolution. Then (at 1:09:00) Lorenz waved a flyer and said "Tomorrow night the attorney general is going to have an open government transparency initiative, come to that and he'll tell us what to do." Tunison was livid. "Rich, I'm usually able to refrain from, but I just want to react a little bit here. I don't know if that was just," Tunison said. Lorenz interrupted, "Well that was just what this is," Lorenz said, holding the flyer. Tunison shot back, "I can appreciate Janet's effort, her work, she copied this, we had a very benefical discussion in my opinion. We gave time to look at it from every angle, and and I think it is a little flip and it seems somewhat disrespectful to her and her efforts. And I would personally just ask you not to do that." "Shame on you Rich," Suttmeier then sarcastically repeated three times. "And shame on him is very juvenile," Tunison then said. Suttmeier said something else, which I cannot make out. Can you? (Listen at 1:09:50, put guesses in the comments.) "That's ridiculous," Tunison responded. Fortunately for decorum, someone wandered into the room at that point and Supervisor John Coyne was able to change the subject. But at the meeting's conclusion (1:32:09) Tunison brought the kerfuffle back. Coyne then noted that the women were also talking during the meeting. Tunison responded, "it is two separate things," comparing talking while others talk to board members making snide comments. "It was a put down, it's unprofessional," Tunison said of Lorenz's comment with the flyer.

Club Helsinki in Great Barrington heads to Hudson
From Club Helsinki
"Berkshire County will see the end of an era," their web site says, announcing that 15-year-old Club Helsinki closes its door there August 31. Club Helsinki will move the equipment over to the much-delayed, about-to-open second location in Hudson. "The Hudson venue will be everything the Great Barrington club was and more; a larger capacity without losing the intimate feel, a full service event space, recording studios, and an infrastructure custom designed for music production," said owners Deborah McDowell and Marc Schafler in an e-mail statement. "It will be a Mecca for artists, agents, music fans and technicians alike."

AG’s Office comes to Valatie, Cairo for fraud talks
From The Columbia Paper

A representative from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s Office will speak to seniors and veterans about consumer fraud issues as a part of the AG’s statewide Smart Seniors Program. The events take place at the Valatie Senior Center at 212 State Farm Road, Thursday, August 27 at 11 a.m., and at 7 p.m. for the Disabled Veterans, Chapter 186, at Cairo Town Hall, 512 Main St. in Cairo. The seminar concerns how to best avoid consumer scams that frequently target seniors, such as sweepstakes, mail orders, and identity theft. Both events are free. For more information visit the Attorney General's website at http://www.oag.state.ny.us.

Soccer players, council dribble over park usage
From Jamie Larson in The Register-Star

HUDSON - "A dozen young men, primarily from the city’s Bangladeshi community, voiced their displeasure with the city’s position not to allow them to play at the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park," Larson's story said. Hudson's Michael Chameides said the city’s signs at the park forbidding soccer are unjustified. Chameides said he doesn’t understand the argument voiced by Mayor Richard Scalera and others, that their activity damages the grass, since most of the time they play without shoes, and don’t play when the ground is wet. Mayor Scalera said the complaints he hears most often from residents about the park are about dogs running around off leash and soccer player disrupting their peace. His solution was to have the footballers play at the Charles Williams Park on the north end of Second St., which is in disrepair.

Ancram Dems choose Bassin for supervisor
From Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper

ANCRAM—Town Democrats picked Art Bassin for Town Supervisor over Rick DuBray 74 to 25, with 3 Democrats voting No, meaning they did not support either candidate at the Democrats’ August 8 caucus. Bassin, the chairman of the town’s Comprehensive Plan Committee, narrowly lost his bid for a seat on the Town Board in 2007.

(7 Second Delay perform at Cairo Open Mic, 081409. Photo by Tom Roe.)

More Cairo Open Mic recordings
Click here to listen or download 7 Second Delay's set.
Click on the above link to hear local band 7 Second Delay's set last Friday night in Cairo town park. The band includes Mike Dwyer (vox/bass), Will Paulicin (gtr), and Dave Monkell (percussion).

Online message board riles Copake officials
From Jamie Larson in The Register-Star

COPAKE - How do you run a story with a headline about a message board, and then not name the message board? The story, about how Copake Councilman Robert Sacks responded in a meeting to an e-mail from Town Supervisor Reggie Crowley that was posted on Copakepolitics, a Yahoo group. Crowley's e-mail implied that Sacks was using the town's $200,000 deficit for political gain. The Register-Star mentions it is a Yahoo message board, where the message was posted. There's also this site if you need more Copake vitriol.

Comments sought on town of Rhinebeck master plan impact statement
From William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman

RHINEBACK - The Town Board will take comments tonight, Wednesday Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Rhinebeck High School on North Park Road, on the final generic environmental impact statements to be used for proposed comprehensive plan revisions and related zoning law updates and the proposed town Freshwater Wetlands Law, which would be included as part of zoning regulations.

NY Assemblyman Pete Lopez will be at Cairo-Durham Middle School
Peter D. Lopez
New York Assemblyman Peter D. Lopez (R-127) will be at Cairo-Durham Middle School, 130 Rt. 145, at 7 p.m. Sept. 3.

Bard College gets full-power FM license
The Federal Communications Commission awarded Bard College a license for 88.1-FM. The signal will barely overlap with WGXC's coverage area (mostly around Germantown), and will mostly cover Duchess County. Plans are to get under way soon at Bard from a temporary studio planned for campus. To the north, the FCC has denied applications for Hudson Valley Community College for 89.7-FM in Troy and "Media Alliance" (folks associated with The Sanctuary for Media Justice in Troy) for 89.9-FM.

Road construction to close Route 9W for three weeks
From The Daily Mail

CATSKILL - The Department of Transportation will re-route Route 9W to replace several culverts, beginning today. The detour: Route 9W rerouted at Route 23A out of Catskill to Route 32 to Route 212; through Saugerties (Ulster Avenue to Market Street to Main Street), returning back to Route 9W (Malden).

(David Woodin and Jonathan Woodin performing at Cairo Open Mic 081409. Poet Nancy Henry reads her recent work, including one that topped the library's poetry contest. Photos by Tom Roe.)

Cairo open mic night
Click here to listen or download mp3 of Jonathan and David Woodin_081409 performing at Cairo Open Mic.mp3
Click here to listen or download mp3 of Tony Fallon_poetry_081409 performing at Cairo Open Mic.mp3
Click here to listen or download mp3 of Nancy Henry_poetry_081409 performing at Cairo Open Mic.mp3
The Town of Cairo Public Library and WGXC, your new community radio station, co-sponsored the second Cairo Open Mic last night in the Cairo town park. Lots of performers, including the three audio clips above. We will post the band 7 Second Delay's set tomorrow.

Seward/Lopez in Athens Saturday
From Seward's office
New York State Senator James Seward and Assemblyman Peter Lopez will join the West Athens-Lime Street Fire Company for community inspection day as officials unveil two new fire trucks at 1 p.m. Sat. Aug. 15 at the West Athens-Lime Street Fire Company, 921 Schoharie Turnpike, Athens, NY.

Second attempt, but with 3rd party
From The Daily Mail

DURHAM - The Democrats knocked Republican Linda Overbaugh off the Catskill ballot and she is starting a new political party to stay on the ballot for a Greene County Legistlature seat; in Durham, the Republicans are keeping one of their own, Les Armstrong, off the ballot, and he is starting the Grassroots of Durham Party, to stay on the ballot, for the Legislature seat now held by Democrat Sean Frey. In 2006, Armstrong beat GOP challenger James Karkheck in the Republican primary, but Karkheck was on the general election ballot on the Conservative line, and Frey won by 11 votes.

Seward complains about driving costs
NY.Sen.James.Seward_Cost%20to%20Drive%20-%2008-11.MP3
Starting September 1, 2009 registration fees are scheduled to increase 25 percent for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, trailers, taxis, busses, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, construction vehicles, motorboats and custom vehicles. Fees for drivers licenses fees will also go up by 25 percent. In total, the fee hikes will create an additional cost to New York drivers projected to be almost $152 million over the next two years. New York State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I- Oneonta) comments on those rising cost in the above audio clip you can click on to listen to or download.

Polling places not ADA accessible
From The Register-Star

COLUMBIA COUNTY - A survey of polling places in Columbia County currently underway could not find one polling place that is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act checklist for voting sites or with standards outlined in the 2002 Federal Help America Vote Act. The survey was taken by Project HAVA, run by The Catskill Center for Independence, based in Oneonta, and funded by a grant from the New York State Commission on Quality Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities.

Budget cuts put art gallery in jeopardy
From The Daily Mail

WINDHAM - The Greene County Council is considering closing the Mountaintop Gallery in Windham Jan. 1, or keeping the gallery running with the help of artist volunteers, Executive Director Kay Stamer told the Greene County Legislature Wednesday. The arts council’s general operating budget was cut by 11 percent this year, while decentralization — the Council’s funding that is redistributed to other arts groups across the county — was reduced by five percent, and arts and education programming remained at 2008 levels.

Seeley proposes full-time village manager
From The Daily Mail

CATSKILL - Village Board President Vincent Seeley wants to eliminate his job and put in a business manager or administrator to oversee department heads but be answerable to the Village Board. The article is unclear what, if any, role Seeley would have under that scenario. Catskill Trustee Patrick McCulloch said the Village Charter would require modification before any managerial position could be created, and any changes would be put before voters in a referendum.

Catskill Community Orchestra at Union Mills
Click here to listen or download Catskill Community Orchestra's performance of Musical Director David E. Woodin's "A Hudson Journey" last Saturday at Union Mills in Catskill
CATSKILL - The Catskill Community Orchestra premiered Musical Director David E. Woodin's "A Hudson Journey" to finish the night at Union Mills along Main St. in Catskill. Click on the above link to listen or download the mp3 recording. Click here to hear other Catskill Community Orchestra recordings.

New party forms in wake of court rulings
From The Daily Mail

CATSKILL - Republicans have set up a new political party to get Linda Overbaugh elected to one of the four seats for Greene County Legislature District No. 1. Overbaugh, Karen Deyo, Keith Valentine, and Joseph Izzo are setting up The Have A Voice Party and need 188 registered voters' signatures to get on the ballot. They have set up party headquarters at 347 Main St., Catskill, the Day & Holt building, and registered voters will stop by. This all comes after the wrong Linda Overbaugh (there are two in Catskill) was listed on petitions for the Republican ticket, Democrats challenged the petition, and a judge excluded Overbaugh from the GOP line.

Hudson dredging resumes -- slowly
From Albany Times-Union

General Electric resumed its clean-up of PCB's in the Hudson River, after high levels of the chemical in the river prompted a four-day shutdown. The story says, "The unsafe PCB levels were found about 20 miles upriver from drinking water intakes used by the towns of Waterford and Halfmoon. Neither town has used the intakes since dredging began; both are using water purchased from Troy. Despite the PCB spikes upriver, chemical levels at the intakes have remained well within the safety standard."

Dec grants mine permit, despite neighbors' objections
From The Register-Star

GHENT - The article is a bit unclear, but implies the Department Of Environmental Conservation ruling that the Vincent and Lisa Molinari mining project on Carpenter Road would not have adverse environmental impacts, which led the town planning board to grant a Special Use Permit, limiting hours of operation to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays only with dust must be controlled with water and by limiting processing to 150 cubic yards per hour.

(Pamela Badila at the WGXC event on Warren St. in Hudson, Aug. 1, 2009. Photo by Dharma Dailey.)

Badila family gathering Saturday in Hudson
Click on mp3 audio files to download or listen online:
WGXC's Allan Skerrett talks with Pamela Badila about community radio, community, and more
Kuyla Badila interviews Pamela Badila
WGXC's Kaya Weidman interviews Goonga Badila
If you attend any musical, cultural, or artistic event or opening in Hudson these days, you have probably run into a Badila. The family includes Pamela (pictured) and Andre Badila, who run the International Folkloric Theater in Hudson; Ngonda Badilla of Lady Moon and the Eclipse (playing at Club Helsinki in Great Barrington on Aug. 13) and four other Hudson-based bands including Nobody Parts (playing at The Spotty Dog Books & Ale on Aug. 21); and Milandou Badila, or Young Paris, who has a mixtape release party Sat. Aug. 29 at Jason's Upstairs Bar. This Saturday in the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, the entire family will be performing, including Diata Diata (African Ensemble), Lady Mood & The Eclipse, and Young Paris. The gathering starts at 2 p.m., with drums at 7 p.m., and is sponsored in part by the City of Hudson, and WGXC. We will be recording the event and playing it back on WGXC Online Radio next week. Listen to the links to the mp3 interviews with various Badilas above to get an idea how important the family is to the local cultural community. Watch the Young Paris "Euro Swag" video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDfHStLOImE&hl=en&fs=1&]

Gypsy Kings perform in Catskill
Reported by Paul Smart
CATSKILL - Folks in the High Falls area of Catskill, adjacent to the town's Ulster County border with Saugerties, found themselves faced with weekend parking problems a few weeks back when new owners of the falls themselves threw a summer bash for 170 or so of their friends. Several complaints were made to the local police, and a number of cars were then reportedly towed from the area. According to those who attended the party from the area, much of the creekside brush below the falls was cleared around the site of the old Civil War-era munitions mill plant there, and a bandstand was erected where the renowned Gypsy Kings played for partygoers' pleasure. The new owners of the falls are said to be partners in a series of restaurants based out of Miami Beach, who moved to the area after visiting other designer and architect friends making homes throughout Catskill.

Court nixes Republican, Independence petitions
From The Daily Mail

CATSKILL - The New York State Supreme Court has invalidated petitions by the Republican and Independence parties seeking “Opportunities to Ballot,” a procedure that would have allowed write-in candidates for a Sept. 15 primary and making Linda Overbaugh's bid to join the Greene County Legislature more unlikely. All four of the petitions — the GOP’s for Catskill and Independence petitions for Catskill, Athens, and Durham — failed to include names for a “Committee to Receive Notices,” and the three Independence ones also failed to name a “Contact Person to Correct Deficiencies.” Tuesday Supreme Court Justice Roger D. McDonough ruled that not designating a Committee to Receive Notices was, “a fatal defect in the four petitions,” and declared them invalid. The Republicans were trying to add write-in names to the primary after they initially petitioned to nominate Linda Overbaugh for a Catskill seat on the legislature, but listed the wrong Linda Overbaugh on the petitions (Catskill has two). Overbaugh, was expected to win a seat, perhaps at the expense of incumbent Democrat Forest Cotton, who was a party to the suits keeping Overbaugh and write-in candidates off the ballot. The Democrats say any candidate who can't get the filing paperwork correct, might not be able to get the county's business correct, while Greene County Republican Party Chairman Brent Bogardus counters that they let the Democrats' filing mistakes slide. “Republicans discovered in [Democratic District No. 1 candidate] Forest Cotten’s petition filing for this year,” said Bogardus, “that there were inadvertently papers for [Democratic District No. 7 candidate] Larry Gardner included. I suppose we could have chosen to challenge Forest Cotten’s petition in court because of that error,” he said. “Instead we advised the Democrats of what we discovered,” said Bogardus, “and allowed them to remedy it.” Catskill Republican Committeeman Peter Markou said the case would continue on appeal in the court system.

Ulster-Greene ARC workers choose SEIU
From Mid-Hudson News

KINGSTON – Direct care professionals, nurses and service workers from the Ulster-Greene ARC have voted to join Service Employees International Union Local 200 United in a National Labor Relations board supervised election last Friday. Two-thirds of the 600 employees eligible to vote cast ballots at polling places in Kingston, Ellenville, and Catskill. The new union group will now enter contract negotiations with ARC.

The son also rises
From The New York Post

ALBANY - New York State Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. secured a newly-created $120,000-a-year Senate job for his son as "deputy director of intergovernmental relations." The Senate Democrat and another, Hiram Monserrate of Queens, switched to the Republican side in early June, putting the Legislature's upper house under GOP control, and into a prolonged state of paralysis. Espada is under all sorts of investigations, while Monserrate is under investigation for beating up a woman.

Budget hole forces Copake to trim its police department
From The Columbia Paper

COPAKE - Councilman Bob Sacks proposes suspending the town's police force for six months, to partially close the $200,000 deficit Copake faces. The article also says that, "If the town has to borrow $200,000 this year, it would cost property owners an additional 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to cover the shortfall. If the town has to raise $450,000 to cover shortfalls of 2009 and 2010, it would cost taxpayers an additional 60 cents/$1,000 assessed value, or $120 for a home assessed at $200,000."

Serrano won't challenge Gillibrand
From The Daily Politics

Rep. Jose Serrano won't challenge NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary, reports Elizabeth Benjamin.

WGXC sets meetings for local journalists
From WGXC
New community radio station WGXC will host a meeting of local journalists Thu Aug. 20. One meeting will be at 10 a.m. in Hudson and one at 6 p.m. in Catskill. There are two purposes for the meetings:
1) Introduce local journalists to WGXC, and talk about ideas to work together. Erin Roberts, who is working with WGXC and used to work with KBUT in Colorado will be there. She will explain a system her community radio station used that trained print journalists to become audio reporters, and then paid them an additional fee for their audio work. This might be one model we use at WGXC. But we also want to hear your ideas, and see how you think the new community radio station might work with your newspaper, blog, or media outlet.
2) See if we can form a loose alliance of all local newspapers, radio stations, writers, blogs, etc. to co-sponsor candidate forums and debates. Again, we are looking for your ideas.
For both of these topics, we will not lecture to you, or tell you how things have to be. WGXC is interested in working with the local journalism industry, just like all other industries, so that all parties benefit. For this meeting we will listen to your ideas. Many local journalists have already contacted us and seem very interested in being involved somehow in the new community radio station. We hope this meeting can be the first step toward making that happen. WGXC will certainly be reporting news on its own, and DJs and hosts will undoubtedly be talking about your stories on the air too.

Morning meeting
Parlour coffeeshop (formerly The Muddy Cup)
724 Warren St., Hudson
10 a.m.

evening meeting
Catskill Community Center
344 Main St.
http://www.catskillcommunitycenter.org/
6 p.m.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to news(at)wgxc(dot)org.

(Rebecca Wolf reading at The Spotty Dog Books & Ale in Hudson Saturday night on WGXC.)

Wolf and Sher read in Hudson
Click here to download or listen to Rebecca Wolf mp3 file
Local authors Rebecca Wolf and Ira Sher read from their new books Saturday night in Hudson at The Spotty Dog. Sher read from his second novel, The Singer, and Wolff, the driving force behind literary magazine Fence, read works from her latest collection of poetry, The King. Both live in Athens, in Greene County.

Officials: Flood damage preliminary total is $4.3M
From The Register-Star

Columbia County officials estimate the Aug. 3-5 flooding caused an estimated $4,833,000 in damage, with the hardest hit areas in the northern parts of the county including New Lebanon, Canaan, and the village of Chatham’s waste water treatment plant. Officials have requested state and federal aid to pay for the repairs and clean up.

Seeking justice against police harassment
From The Greenvilee Press (no web site)

WESTERLO - Robert Meringlo of Westerlo filed a a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court against State Police Seargant Patrick Cullen, his wife Cynthia, and State Police Investigators Lane J. Aguirar and Mario Restivo over repeated harassment over a number of incidents around the Freehold Country Pub. Cullen lives a few doors down from the pub, so it appears to be some sort of neighbor dispute. The Press reports that the officers have arrested Meringlo and others, but the charges usually end up being dropped. Meringlo is seeking $350,000 for lost wages, attorney fees, and other expenses.

John Esposito interviewed by Dharma Dailey
Click here to listen or download the interview
Dharma Dailey interviews Germantown-based jazz musician John Esposito about Sonny Rollins,and what he would like to hear on the radio.

Ex-accountant's history garners regional attention
From The Register-Star

Francesca Olsen connects the dots in an excellent story in The Register-Star about how fired Copake accountant Brian Fitzgerald also worked in Cairo, Germantown, and Clermont. Olsen references a YouTube video from last year (see below) with this caption: "Councilwoman Carol Lent drives the town accountant out of the room while the world watches. She is up for re-election in 2009." Lent tells The Register-Star that Fitzgerald's work is being looked at by the comptroller's office. In Cairo, the comptroller's office already has released a report about Fitzgerald's lax work and the lack of oversight from Town of Cairo officials. The comptroller's report says, “There has been a general lack of financial oversight by both the Board and the Supervisor.... Town officials and the general public have not been able to adequately monitor the town’s fiscal affairs, and the financial condition of the water, sewer, hydrant and lighting district funds has decreased significantly.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE4ZQR4RoCY&hl=en&fs=1&]

Maloney's out
From Capitol Confidential

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said Friday she won’t take on U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand next year in a Democratic primary, opting to stay in the House of Representatives, where she has served for nine terms. Jonathan Tasini continues to challenge Gillibrand for the seat, but is not expected to raise the money or win the media coverage that Maloney would have.

(Scott Murphy at his town hall meeting at The Golden Harvest Farm in Valatie Sat. Aug. 8, 2009. Photo by Tom Roe.)

Murphy speaks locally about health care
Listen to U.S. Representative Murphy's entire town hall meeting:
Part One of Town Meeting
Part Two of Town Meeting
Murphy interview with Albany Times-Union reporter and WGXC reporter after the meeting
Several hundred local residents and others from outside the area turned up this morning at 11 a.m. at The Golden Harvest Farm in Valatie to hear U.S. Representative Scott Murphy (D-20) talk about and answer questions about the health care before Congress. While similar meetings in other Congressional districts have turned into shouting matches and even brawls, this debate was mostly civil, with just a bit of shouting, and mostly respectful questions from all sides of the political spectrum from the crowd of around 400.

There seemed to be as many people who did not want the government providing any health care at all as there were folks who favored a single-payer system, judging by Murphy's poll of the crowd at the end. Of course, by then, after over an hour in the hot sun, the group was much smaller then at the beginning, and perhaps only folks with very passionate political positions remained. Listen to the links above to hear the entire meeting (in two parts), and an interview Murphy gave afterwards with a reporter from the Albany Times-Union and WGXC.

Judge rules against Overbaugh ballot bid
From Seeing Greene

Linda L. Overbaugh's name will not appear on the Republican primary ballot next month for one of the four Catskill seats on the Greene County Legislature, a judge ruled Thursday. Dick May from the Seeing Greene blog scooped everyone, reporting Thursday that Supreme Court Judge Richard M. Platkin ordered the Executive Director of the Heart of Catskill Association off the ballot, after her name was listed incorrectly on petitions. She was listed as Linda H. Overbaugh, her former cousin-in-law, who also lives in Catskill. For the lawsuit, Patricia J. Ruck, who chairs the Town of Catskill’s Democratic Party Committee, adopted the Citizen Objector role, while Forest Cotten, past Catskill Democratic chairman and present candidate for re-election to the county legislature, was designated as Aggrieved Candidate. Overbaugh was expected to win a slot in the legislature, perhaps costing incumbent Cotten his seat. Overbaugh told Seeing Greene “it’s not over," perhaps hinting she will start a write-in campaign for the September primary, where voters would have to write in "Linda L. Overbaugh" exactly. Where was The Daily Mail on this story? They were bested by The Greenville Press for a week before the ruling, and then only mentioned this story for the first time today, two days after May's story.

Town & County magazine writes about Hudson
The September 2009 issue of Town & Country magazine (with actress Jane Krakowski on the cover) features a large story about Hudson's antique stores called "A Hudson River Renaissance." Hopefully, the story will help merchants there struggling during this recession -- one antique store owner told me in Febraury he did not make a single sale.

(At right, Ngonda Badilla and Dan Udell. Photo by Galen Joseph-Hunter.)

Ngonda Badilla interview
Click here to download or listen to wav file
Ngonda Badilla of Lady Moon and the Eclipse (playing at Club Helsinki in Great Barrington on Aug. 13) and four other Hudson-based bands including Nobody Parts (playing at The Spotty Dog Books & Ale on Aug. 21) is interviewed by Dan Udell in the link above. Udell is President of Udell Productions, multimedia company: writing, editing, videos, animation, and records community events that sometimes air on Mid-Hudson's public access channel. Below, Lady Moon's YouTube video "Mirror."
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv112m0dPAQ&hl=en&fs=1&]

New problems from an old accountant
From The Register-Star

COPAKE - Town Supervisor Reggie Crowley now says Copake is $200,000 in the hole, and won't pay recently fired town accountant Brian Fitzgerald, who is yet to return the town's records. Crowley is now suggesting a “Negative Fund Balance Elimination Tax” on each of the 2931 taxable parcels in Copake, charging each land-owner a one-time payment of about $68, to fill the deficit. Some town residents wanted a town referendum on the idea, and were told they'd need to collect 300 signatures to put that in motion.

Murphy to face protesters
The protesters who have been disrupting Congressional town hall meetings this summer are coming to U.S. Representative Scott Murphy's gathering in Valatie Saturday. The Campaign for Liberty, Reboot Our Democracy, and the New York Liberty Council are all organizing their constituencies. Murphy (D-20) will also have supporters there, as Moveon.org is also rallying their supporters to attend the 11 a.m. meeting at The Golden Harvest Farm at 3074 US 9.

Gillibrand, Schumer vote for 'cash for clunkers' and Sotomayor
From The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate joined the House and passed the popular "cash for clunkers" bill Thursday 60-37, with New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand both voting for the bill which President Barack Obama is expected to sign soon. Both New York Senators also voted to add Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

WGXC interview with Erica Nance
AlanSkerrett_interviewwithEricaNanceofDogsofHudsonon_080109_WGXC.mp3
WGXC's Alan Skerrett interviews Erica Nance, owner of Dogs of Hudson on Warren St. in Hudson. Interview took place Sat. Aug. 1, during WGXC in Hudson broadcast on WGXC Online Radio.

Seward calls DEC to extend comment period on natural gas drilling
NYSen.JamesSeward_NaturalGasDrilling_080409.mp3
In the audio clip linked above, Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I- Oneonta) calls on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to extend the public comment period on the draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for natural gas drilling applications. In a letter to DEC Commissioner Alexander “Pete” Grannis, Seward requests an update on the draft regulations that were scheduled to be unveiled this past spring. Seward also says extending the comment period will guarantee all interested parties a chance to express their concerns, resulting in the best possible final product.

Local releases in rotation on WGXC Online Radio
CDs/MP3s currently featured on WGXC:
Alexander Turnquist, "As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color" (VHF)
Alexander Turnquist, "faint at the loudest hour" (VHF)
Young Paris, "EuroWave"
Hudson City Ramblers, "Helvetica Blue" (Rattlesnake Records)
John Esposito, "down blue marlin road" (Sun Jump Records)
Saber Coup, "Comes With Scissors"
Ron Truesdell, "WGXC Station Identifications"
Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers, "Va Va Voom" (Lexgreymusic)
Sheri Bauer-Mayorga + Lincoln Mayorga, "American Snapshots" (Town Hall)
The Felice Brothers, "Tonight at the Arizona" (Loosemusic)
Oded Ben-Ami, "Beyond" Loni Pont, "Pieces" (Planet She Music)
Chrissy Budzinski, "Taking Chances"
Bunny Brains, "Box The Bunny" (Narnack)
United States of Belt, "Ping Pong Holiday" (Chloe)
Evidence, "Receiver" (free103point9)
Way Out West, "Nothin' Left to Lose" (OverIt)
Tuba Skinny, "15 songs"
Tuba Skinny, "12 songs"
various artists, "A Raga for Peter Walker" (Tompkins Square)
Elizabeth Mitchell, "You Are My Little Bird" (Folkways)
John Kirk and Trish Miller, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (A Gentle Wind)
Loni Pont, "Pieces" (Planet She)
Tom Roe, "The Worst Hour of the Year" (free103point9)

Comprehensive planners extend survey deadline, meet with special interest groups
From The Columbia Paper

COPAKE - The Copake Comprehensive Plan Committee has extended the deadline for completing the Comprehensive Plan survey until Labor Day, and is scheduling several public meetings for further input. Copake realtors and the public are invited to a meeting Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m. (the article does not say where), and town officials and the public are invited to another meeting Thursday August 20 (no mention of where or when). E-mail Committee Chair Jeanne Mettler at copakecompplan@aol.com for more information.

Another growth spurt for Valatie
From CCScoop

VALATIE - The Valatie Planning Board could take action tomorrow on a proposed 87-unit development on Route 203, called Kinderkill Meadows, with both town houses and single-family dwellings.

Local Luminaries: Stephanie Monseu & Keith Nelson
From Chronogram Magazine

HUDSON - The August issue of Chronogram profiles the founders of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, who moved from Brooklyn to Hudson a few years ago and have taken the town by storm, producing many shows for kids and adults.