Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget, New York's school districts would be hit with a $1.5 billion cut in state aid for the 2011-12 school year. However, those cuts won't take effect unless approved by the state Legislature. LoHud.com has put up a database that shows how much each school district in the state could lose in funding under the proposed cuts. In Columbia County, the amount of aid coming from the state to Ichabod Crane School District in Kinderhook would drop from $13,067,676 to $11,327,337, a loss of $1,740,339, or 13.32% of their current aid package; in Hudson, aid would go from $20,993,870 to $19,292,336, a loss of $1,701,534 or 8.10% of what the district gets now; in Chatham, this year's $6,581,604 in aid would be $5,877,148 for the coming year, a cut of $704,456 or 10.70%; in Germantown, the current figure of $4,854,985 would become $4,378,482, a drop of $476,503, or 9.81% in aid; in Taconic Hills, a current aid figure of $10,067,763 would become $9,637,360, a loss of $430,403 or 4.28%, while in New Lebanon, the cut would be from $3,508,895 to $3,282,705, a loss of $226,190 or 6.45%. In Greene County, the Cairo-Durham School District will see its aid drop from $14,240,653 to $12,217,446, a cut of $2,023,207, or 14.21%; Catskill will see its aid go from $16,143,409 to $14,703,411, a cut of $1,439,998 or 8.92%; in Coxsackie-Athens, aid will go from $8,448,344 to $7,261,513, a loss of $1,186,831 or 14.05% in school aid; in Greenville, the amounts go from $10,654,474 to $9,619,096, a drop of $1,035,378 or 9.72%; Hunter-Tannersville will see aid go from $2,510,875 to $1,934,974, a cut of $575,901 or 22.94%; while at Windham-Ashland-Jewett, the aid goes from $1,450,874 to $1,187,609, a cut of $263,265 or 18.15%. Other involved districts in our coverage area include Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, where state aid goes from $16,907,275 to $14,503,308, a cut of $2,403,967 or 14.22%; and the Dutchess County district of Pine Plains, where aid shifts from $6,265,215 to $5,647,884, a cut of $617,331 or 9.85%.

Snow days put school to the test
The Daily Mail, along with most of our local papers, looks at what Catskill school superintendent Kate Farrell and others are thinking about how to make up for snow days, with all allotted days for the white stuff now expended. Watch out for the upcoming February and Easter breaks disappearing...

History happened here: The crime commission comes to town
The Register-Star's Andrew Amelinckx has a fine look back at the days when Hudson's Columbia Street was still named Diamond, and a major center for prostitution and other vices, focusing on one great bust and a major crime commission investigation into city corruption.

Community mobilizes to help family which lost house to fire
The Ravena News-Herald gets to the core of what keeps our small towns together in a piece about how neighbors are helping out a Coeymans Hollow family who lost their home.

Not an emergency?
The Woodstock Times' Violet Snow has a great piece about how the state has refused to go along with a plan from officials and residents of flood-ravaged Phoenicia, in Ulster County, to clean out where two streams meet so as to protect their Main Street from reoccurring high waters. The DEC says the application was incomplete...

State jobs pacts in play
The Times Union's Rick Karlin reports on talks, now underway behind closed doors, between Gov. Andrew Cuomo's people and the unions representing state employees, who have been warned about major cut backs in the coming months. Expect the press releases and marches to start soon...


State prison inmate indicted for seeking $650 million in federal refunds
The Mid Hudson News Network has a little item on an inmate at the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie, 47 year old Ronald Williams, being indicted on eight counts of filing false claims against the United States for payment of over $650 million in tax refunds.

It is now official the Year of the Hare.

The National Weather Service says today will involve wintry precipitation this afternoon. High around 35F. Winds light and variable. Chance of precip 90%.Tonight rain with some snow mixing. Low 31F. E winds shifting to WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow cloudy with high of 35.



Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 4:32 p.m./Low, 11:06 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:03 a.m./5:17 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 7:53 a.m./8:06 p.m.


Birthdays
FEBRUARY 5
Adlai Stevenson, Charlotte Rampling, William S. Burroughs, and Laura Linney.

Members of the Coxsackie-Athens Student Council and the group Students Against Destructive Decisions, or S.A.D.D., have teamed up to start a new “No Phone Zone” program, and went before theirBoard of Education the final week in January to present their ideas, and to get the board’s stamp of approval. “No Phone Zone” is a new national program that warns youngsters about the dangers created by “distracted driving” – driving a vehicle while talking on a cell phone, or making or receiving text messages. In a Daily Mail story about the issue, and recent presentation, Student Council President Jack Whiting noted that one in three teens ages 16-17 years old text while driving, and 40% of youngsters ages 12-17 have been in a car while the driver was texting or talking on a cell phone. Half of the teens studied admitted they talk on a cell phone themselves while behind the wheel. “Every day, 16 people are killed by distracted drivers who are texting or using their cell phones while driving,” Whiting said. That equals approximately 6,000 deaths each year. On February 18, the two student groups will co-host an assembly at Coxsackie-Athens High School where students will learn about distracted driving, watch videos and take a personal pledge that they will never text or talk on a cell phone while driving. In addition, a sign reading, “No Distracted Driving”, will be installed at the triangle in the front entrance of the school.

You wouldn't normally look to a monthly meeting of the city of Hudson's Common Council Youth and Aging Committee for news... but then again, not every municipality sees senior yoga and aerobics programs as an area for lively political discourse. The Register-Star reports that at the February 3 meeting, it was announced that those same yoga and aerobics programs, which had been offered at the city's youth building until they wanted their program spaces for themselves, would continue to be offered free of charge — even after a fee schedule worked out with seniors was proposed. The yoga and aerobics courses offered at the city’s Youth Center have been the subject of a heated, months-long discussion fueled by seniors who were devastated to learn that the Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation decided to no longer fund the programs and concentrate on youth programming. However, at Mayor Richard Scalera’s request, the foundation agreed to allot some of the money toward the cost of senior programming, as well as the construction of a new senior center (for which the city also received a $400,000 Community Development Block grant). At a meeting with seniors in December, Scalera committed to covering more than half the cost of senior yoga and aerobics from his special account to be used for municipal purposes at the mayor’s discretion and per council approval. Since Scalera collects a state pension, he is not permitted to make more than $30,000 per year, and since the mayor’s salary is budgeted at $45,000, he requested the extra $15,000 be put into a contingency fund. A resolution was passed authorizing $8,000 from the account to be put directly toward the cost of senior yoga and aerobics. Now the foundation is being approached again to cover the $3,000 shortfall that remains. Meanwhile, meetings onnthe new senior center proposal will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:15 p.m. at the Youth Center. Let's hope they stay civil....

The Daily Mail has a story about freshman Congressman Chris Gibson's talk at a Greene County Industrial Development Agency Leadership Luncheon held at Earlton's Quarry Steak House on February 3 that drew elected officials, business leaders and school district representatives and offered each attendee the opportunity to address the congressman about an issue they were concerned with. And while Gibson charted his top priorities as being taxes, regulations, spending and health care costs, all of them key Republican issues of the day. And nuclear power for the Hudson Valley, his own top issue of the day. Local statements and questions centered on the need for more infrastructure upgrades, with Coxsackie Village Mayor Mark Evans and Athens Village Mayor Andrea Smallwood pointing out that federal help is needed in such matters. On the county level, Greene County Legislature Majority Leader Keith Valentine, R-Catskill, talked about unfunded mandates, while Catskill Central School District Superintendent Kathleen Farrell and Greenville Central School District Superintendent Cheryl Dudley agreed, noting they'd rather have less rules than more money. Kay Stamer, executive director of the Greene County Council on the Arts, pleaded the case for the arts, which has suffered drastic cuts in recent years. And, she said the arts play a bigger role in a community than most people think. “The arts, aside from their intrinsic value and the good they do for our psyches, also mean jobs, they improve quality of life, and they absolutely affect our economy,” Stamer said.

Teachers to get 5.5% raise over 4 years
The Daily Mail follows up on their story about the announcement of a new teachers pay deal in Catskill with details on how it breaks down over the coming years, in small increments reflective of the time it took to negotiate the deal.

A struggle to stay afloat
The Register-Star has a heartbreaking story and photo essay charting 52-year dairy farmer Hans Schober's decision to sell his 90-cow dairy herd and shift to beef cattle on his Austerlitz farm, a reaction to rising costs and stagnant prices in the dairy industry, which is increasingly dominated by large corporate farming.

Ulster justice finds ‘comfort’ in scammer’s house arrest, but serving civil papers proves difficult
The Daily Freeman has an update on the stories swirling around "sovereign" radical Richard Ulloa, who federal judge has forced into house arrest while wearing a monitoring bracelet for a mail fraud conviction based on false mortgage info and various threats. The new problem? Process servers are afraid of coming on to the man's property to serve papers related to several civil suits stemming from his threats. And the man's pulled out his phone and Internet services.

Barn collapse crushes at least 25 cows
The Times Union has a story about the weight of snow crushing a five year old metal and lumber barn onto 265 cows at about 6:30 p.m. on February 2, killing at least 25 of the herd and injuring double that many.

Esopus Creek is now clean, DEP says
The Watershed Post has a fresh look at the muddy waters that have been swirling about reactions to New York City promises to stop dumping muddy waters into Ulster County's Esopus Creek, which still appears headed to court...

Troy’s Sean Rowe just finished up a West Coast tour and has appeared on WNYC’s Soundcheck, and has a new album out Feb. 22 on Anti- Records (the label puts out records by Tom Waits, Michael Franti, and others). Above his his new video for "American."

National Weather Service says more snow Saturday. And then maybe Monday, and then maybe Thursday. 45.2" of snow have fallen in Albany for the season, which is already ahead of the average for the winter.


Continued...

National Weather Service snow totals from the Feb. 2 storm.

COLUMBIA COUNTY...
CHATHAM 12.8 117 AM 2/03 WEATHERNET6
KINDERHOOK 10.2 1107 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
2 SE EAST HILLSDALE 10.0 830 AM 2/03 CATAMOUNT
GERMANTOWN 9.0 618 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
ANCRAMDALE 6.8 550 AM 2/03 WEATHERNET6
LIVINGSTON 5.0 1049 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6

...GREENE COUNTY...
WINDHAM 13.0 755 AM 2/03 WINDHAM MTN
2 SSW WINDHAM 10.0 710 AM 2/03 HUNTER MTN
GREENVILLE 12.0 457 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
CATSKILL 9.1 534 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
DURHAM 6.0 1201 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
CLIMAX 6.0 515 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
MAPLECREST 4.0 1016 AM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
CATSKILL 3.8 611 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6
ASHLAND 3.5 824 PM 2/02 WEATHERNET6

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Scott Murphy April 1, 2010 holding a town hall meeting at the former Knights of Columbus building in Coxsackie. Photo by Tom Roe."][/caption]Work to turn the Knights of Columbus building at 270 Mansion St. into the Coxsackie Senior Center has begun. The Greene County Industrial Development Agency is soliciting design bids from local architectural firms by Feb. 25. There was a ribbon-cutting for the center Nov. 4. Follow the link for the complete Public Notice soliciting bids in The Daily Mail.


Continued...


REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS
Greene County
Industrial Development Agency
Senior Center
Rehabilitation Project
Architectural Design and Construction Services
The Greene County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is requesting proposals (RFP) from qualified professional service firms or individuals to provide architectural design services which will consist of developing plans, specifications and providing construction supervision for the renovation of the former Knights of Columbus facility located at 127 Mansion Street, Coxsackie NY, to accommodate a senior center.
The full text of this RFP is available from Alexander Mathes, Greene County IDA, located at 270 Mansion Street, Coxsackie, NY 12051. (518-731-5500). The deadline for response is February 25, 2011 and should be sent to:  Alexander Mathes, Greene County IDA, 270 Mansion Street, Coxsackie, NY 12051Professional service firms, individuals, or teams that are or include NYS Certified MBE or WBE firms or individuals are encouraged to submit proposals in response to this RFP. Consultants and firms are also encouraged to submit utilizing DBE sub-consultants where appropriate.
DM1T#48682

Link to Scott Murphy recording speaking at Coxsackie Seniors Center April, 1, 2010, recorded by WGXC's Tom Roe is available here.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Wine in supermarkets is one of several revenue proposals not yet on the table as discussions begin on a state budget derived from Governor Cuomo's suggested Executive Budget, released on February 1."][/caption]The Times Union has a succinct look at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive budget, unveiled to the state on February 1, that questions the many gaps on the proposal's revenue side, which reporter Jimmy Vielkind suggests may be strategic on the governor's part. Among the items not mentioned, at present, are a previously proposed move to make wine sales possible in supermarkets and grocery stores, which drew opposition from the liquor store industry but support from legislators who saw a new income stream from licensing fees and sales taxes from expected increases in wine sales should the measure be instituted. "Veterans of the budget process say the absence of such proposals makes them bargaining chips as Cuomo negotiates his spending plan with legislators," Vielkind writes.


Continued...


"There's a strategic element to this: if you don't put up things like wine-in-grocery-stores, you give them the opportunity to restore some of the cuts," noted conservative analyst E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center is quoted as saying. "It's not like Cuomo didn't read the paper last year or that the Budget Division isn't aware of this as an option." Also raised in the story were hints that Assembly Democrats will be seeking to renew an income tax surcharge for individuals making more than $200,000 a year, something expected to be a real revenue boost given the surging gains on Wall Street this year, but something Cuomo has positioned himself against... making it another probable bargaining chip. Let the games begin...

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Mount St. Alphonsus, one of the last great religious facilities along the west bank of the Hudson in Ulster County, has announced that it will close its doors at the end of this year. "][/caption]Publications in the mid-Hudson area of the region, including the Daily Freeman, are running stories about the recent announcement that the Mount St. Alphonsus retreat center, located between U.S. Route 9W and the Hudson River in the Town of Esopus, will close next year after 101 years of operation, drawing to an end one of the last great Catholic mansion-like facilities along the river. The site, which was a seminary for 75 years and has been a retreat for 26 years, will shut down on Jan. 1, 2012, according to an e-mailed statement from the Redemptorists, a Baltimore-based religious order founded in Naples, Italy in the early 18th century.


Continued...

The Redemptorists said they are re-examining their pastoral commitments in light of the increasing age of their members and the need to continue their primary ministry to the poor and spiritually abandoned. Mount St. Alphonsus, which sits on several hundred acres on the west shore of the Hudson, will continue to conduct retreats and host weddings, conferences and receptions through the end of 2011.Town of Esopus Supervisor John Coutant remembered when Mount St. Alphonsus used to serve as the fallout shelter for the local community because of its deep basements. There are approximately 300 Redemptorists serving in the United States and about 5,300 worldwide. When the massive building was constructed, it was one of a number of key monasteries and convents along the west side of the Hudson, facing the historic mansions and private estates along the east shore. Future plans for the property were not immediately announced.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Hillsdale Supervisor Art Baer has filed for an ethics investigation into party caucus influence on county politics. Stay tuned. (Photo from ccscoop.com)"][/caption]The Columbia County Ethics Committee will take up allegations of misdeeds on the part of county officials against Hillsdale Supervisor Art Baer, who made the request for the committee's review. According to a piece in ccscoop.com, Baer’s allegations were made in a letter to media outlets that was penned in response to an opinion piece written by the heads of the county GOP, Conservative and Independence parties that demanded Baer, then the county’s budget officer, be removed from county responsibilities and alleged economic missteps on the former board chairman’s part. Columbia County Board of Ethics Chairperson Valerie Bertram, who is supervisor of the town of Stuyvesant, confirmed that the panel will take action on three topics when it next convenes, including the allegations made by Baer in his letter to the media. It is unclear which allegations will be specifically investigated, although Baer said his allegation of “an attempted quick ‘flip’ of land for a new County Commerce Park property at twice the price paid for it” by “county insiders” is being looked at. Besides Bertram, the board consists of attorneys Jason Shaw and John Friedman, as well as John Finley and former Austerlitz Supervisor George Jahn, county officials said.


Continued...

It issues purely advisory opinions on matters. The advisory opinions can be sent to the Board of Supervisors, District Attorney, Attorney General or other agency or organization, Baer said. Bertram said a meeting of the board will occur as soon as the members – who were appointed or reappointed by the full Board of Supervisors in mid-January – are all sworn into office.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Casinos have been a behind-the-scenes economic development issue in the Catskills for years, but seem headed towards a new impasse, at least as evidenced by recent hearings talk in Albany."][/caption]The Watershed Post has a good compendium story on where things are standing, or slipping might be the better word, in regards to the plans for a Sullivan County-based Native American casino in the southern Catskills, something approved in recent years and then cemented in a questionable closed-door deal by former governor David Paterson. The impetus behind the story are the recent hearings on the plan to allow the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian tribe to build a resort casino in Sullivan County, which have seen project opponents seeking to persuade Governor Andrew Cuomo that the whole scheme is a bad idea. With Gary Pretlow, chairman of the Assembly Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering, publicly stating his dislike for the proposal, various statewide polls (and state-based Indian tribes) showing similar public disapproval for allowing the Wisconsin-based Stockbridge-Munsee tribe into the state, and the powerful Natural Resources Defense Council leading a letter-writing campaign for abolition of the casino to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, this one seems to be on a final ride. The Sullivan deal first surfaced as part of a deal to create a handful of casinos in the state, of which one was built in Niagara Falls to augment two native American ones in the state's center. An earlier deal for a casino in Ulster County was scuttled after closed-door deals by a former legislative chairman resulted in the county passing legislation against ANY casinos in communities that opposed them.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Snow removal is becoming a community issue as Columbia County highway superintendents warn private citizens about pushing their white stuff onto neighbors' properties. "][/caption]The Register-Star checked in around Columbia County’s highway and public works departments for a story about how folks on the east side of the river are coping with the large amounts of snow this winter. Lindsay Suchow reports that Hudson Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Perry thinks the worst is yet to come, and thanked his city's Board of Estimate and Apportionment, as well as the Common Council, for getting his department a new snow blower last year, but also brought up a growing number of mechanical failures triggered by the city's “aging fleet of trucks." Greenport Highway Superintendent Mark Gaylord also said the severe weather has been impacting the department’s machinery, while Copake Highway Superintendent Bill Gregory said his crews are using high amounts of materials, along with overtime costs, and have already used all of the materials it normally uses over an entire winter. All the highway folks, including those at the county, added that a big problem has involved final riddance of the huge piles of snow, with the City and Greenport closing off their own snow pile storage areas to private contractors for the first time, and reminding all private residents that merely shoving their snow onto someone else's property does not a problem solve.


Continued...

I Also on that reminder list all fire hydrants need to be cleared for use. Let's hope that groundhog down in Pennsylvania was right about an early Spring, even if it's still at least a month away...

The Cairo Zoning Commission is continuing to hone its draft law and answer questions submitted by the list of potential uses in the Route 145 commercial/mixed-use district. The Daily Mail reports that at a meeting on Monday, January 31, the group voted that an educational or training facility could be for-profit, and of a wide variety of types. Also, it was noted that under the new zoning law, Cairo's first, all existing uses will be allowed to stay. "Released last November, the zoning law caps a three-year effort to provide business owners, builders and homeowners with clear rules governing development in the town," the story says of the 158-page plan, three years in the making and still controversial because of its very existence. "Since the law’s unveiling, the commission has made many amendments small and large to the text and zoning map." Following a public hearing by the zoning commission, the law will be handed to the town board. The board must then hold its own hearing. The commission’s next meeting is set for Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at Gallagher’s Banquet Hall.

CRC Makes $50,000 deposit on Wal-mart
The Register-Star catches up on the story Carole Osterink ran in her Gosspis of Rivertown yesterday, which we then picked up and aggregated with news about IDA activities around the county. Basically, the county inches forward on plans to buy Wal-Mart for possible county office use.

Monster storm sequel loses a bit of its snarl
The Daily Mail follows up on the latest storm, a news tact all our papers are taking these days as the snow just keeps piling up and schools use up their Spring Vacation days... and villages keep emergency parking measures in place.

Local bee project takes top slot (and $5K) in Pepsi contest
The Watershed Post keeps up its local booster series with a piece about another local project raising funds from the Internet... this time for Delaware County-based Goldenheart Unidiversity's plan to rebuild and expand its bee hive presence.

Albany snow plow catches fire
Not much more to say about this one, except that it's buried on a Times Union front page focused on Super Bowl predictions and more Cuomo budget analysis.

The National Weather Service says today will be partly cloudy with times of sun and times of clouds. High 24F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight mostly clear with a low of 6F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Sunny with a high of 32 on Friday... and then more snow on Saturday. Can we call it a slight reprieve?



Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 3:16 p.m./Low, 9:54 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:01 a.m./5:11 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 7:05 a.m./6:05 p.m.


Birthdays
FEBRUARY 3
Horace Greeley, Gertrude Stein, Lee Ranaldo, and Felix Mendelssohn.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Mongolian Ringneck-type pheasant, from Wikipedia."][/caption]The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) opened the application period for its cooperative Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program that distributes day-old chicks to local groups such as hunting enthusiasts, 4-H youth, and landowners interested in rearing and releasing pheasants. Applications must be filed with a DEC regional wildlife manager by March 15, 2011.


Continued...

The Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program began in the early 1900s. In the early days, pheasant eggs and chicks were distributed to farmers and rural youth. Today, day-old chicks are available at no cost to participants who are able to provide a brooding facility, a covered outdoor rearing pen, and an adequate release site. Approved applicants will receive the day-old chicks in April, May, or June. No chicks obtained through the Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program can be released on private shooting preserves, all release sites must be approved in advance by DEC and all release sites must be open for public pheasant hunting opportunities. The program is funded via license fees paid by hunters, trappers, and anglers. Daily care is necessary to monitor the health of the birds and to ensure there is adequate feed and water for the rapidly growing chicks. The pheasants may be released beginning when they are eight weeks old and no later than December 1. Individuals interested in these programs should contact their nearest DEC regional office (please refer to offices listed below) for applications and additional information. In 2010, DEC distributed 51,267 day-old pheasant chicks to qualified 4-H and sportsmen applicants. A new 10-year Pheasant Management Plan was adopted by DEC last year, a copy of which may be found on the DEC website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7273.html. Individuals interested in these programs should contact their nearest DEC regional office (please refer to offices listed below) for applications and additional information.
R4 - Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties:
65561 State Hwy 10, Suite 1, Stamford, NY 12167
(607) 652-7367

The Thousand Pumpkin March, Oct. 25, 2008.
Pumpkins proudly march along Main Street Catskill 1000 strong. Audio by Madeleine Fix-Hansen and Dharma Dailey. Photos by Dharma Dailey.