[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="ATM being hacked in Durham last June, as captured by security camera and published in January 12 Daily Mail."][/caption]A nationwide cash machine scam struck Greene County last year and investigators are seeking tips on catching the suspect, Colin DeVries reports in today's Daily Mail. His story focus on a single instance caught on a security camera in Durham last June, but extrapolates that the incidence may be part of a larger trend that will grow now, at least according to local police.

Investigator S. Williams of New York State Police at Catskill said scammers learn about the hacking method from a “manual” on the Web. Apparently, master codes for various models of ATMs are readily available to hackers online, Williams said, and there are chat rooms where hackers freely exchange code numbers.

In this case, the ATM hacker used a Wal-Mart Visa gift debit card, easily purchased at any Wal-Mart store, and used an ATM master code obtained online to change the currency denominations. The suspect was then able to change the denominations from $20 to $1 at the Durham ATM, making the machine believe it was dispensing one-dollar bills when in fact it was dispensing twenties. For the suspect’s first unauthorized transaction, he requested $100 from the ATM and was dispensed $2,000. In another withdrawal, he prompted the machine to give him $20 and it dispensed $400 — spitting out 20 bills thinking each actual twenty-dollar bill was only a single. The suspect faces felony grand larceny charges and unauthorized use of a computer.

Last June, a white male with short dark-colored hair, wearing baggy jeans and an oversized button-down shirt, was photographed by security cameras at the Milk Run convenience shop on Route 145 in Durham hacking an ATM and stealing cash.

The man, state police said, stole $2,400 and used a method of hacking that has caught on around the nation.

While state police have been working with the FBI on this crime since last year, more information has been requested from the public or other agencies.

If anyone has any knowledge of this crime which occurred on June 14, 2010 at 9:08 a.m. and 10:48 a.m., contact New York State Police at Catskill by phone, 518-622-8600 and refer to case number 3580407.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Senator Chuck Schumer addresses federal cuts to emergency radio communications in photo by Times Union's (John Carl D'Annibale."][/caption]If the Capital Region and Hudson Valley were ever under the threat of terrorism, it could be vulnerable. That's the message Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., delivered under snow flurries and surrounded by police Tuesday on the steps of City Hall according to a piece in today's January 12 Times Union, which goes on to say that Schumer issued the warning after a cut of $913,000 meant to pay for radios that enable emergency agencies throughout the region to communicate. "Our first responders behind us need the resources," Schumer said, adding that the region has the 10th-busiest train station in the country in Rensselaer and is an international leader in nanotechnology, with plants in Albany and the emergence of GlobalFoundries in Saratoga County. It also holds important assets as the state's capital. All of those factors make the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, between Albany and the City, more likely to be threatened, Schumer is further reported as saying.

The region received $1.9 million in 2009 under the Urban Areas Security Initiative program to pay for the improvements, Schumer said, but the number was cut in 2010, even though the overall amount of money distributed by the program increased. The Capital Region was one of two areas in the state to have its 2010 funding cut under the program enacted after the 9/11 terror attacks. The other was Syracuse.

Schumer did not specify how much money it would take to buy the equipment, and only said he wanted funds back to 2009 levels.

"As 9/11 becomes further and further away, some forget how important it is to make inter-operation a reality," he said.

As it stands, police, fire and other emergency responders in the five-county area spanning Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie and Saratoga counties do not have the technology it takes to be able to communicate with each other via radio. Schumer said technology would be essential during a large-scale disaster such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a major ice storm or a pandemic.

Schumer was joined on the steps of City Hall by a number of politicians including Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton and Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino.

Stratton said the region needs the money in light of recent national attention paid by President Barack Obama, who was to visit Schenectady on Tuesday, but postponed after the weekend's deadly shootings in Arizona.

Schumer addressed Saturday's killings, where a congresswoman is fighting for her life after being shot in the head, but said he would not comment on specifics until an investigation reveals all the facts. He said Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., are reviewing whether Congress needs additional security.

"I am going about my job," he said, "the same way I did it before Saturday."

Schumer said he is informed about a handful of threats against lawmakers every month, but they usually come from mentally unbalanced people rather than political extremists.

"Being out and about all the time helps me do my job," he said. "There's got to be a balance."

Current forecast from National Weather Service.

Seven to 14 inches of snow are expected Tuesday night, and the National Weather Service has now updated conditions to a Winter Storm Warning for our area through Wednesday, beginning 7 p.m. Tuesday. Driving conditions may be dangerous Wednesday morning, and schools and businesses may be delayed or closed. More snow is expected in the Lower Hudson Valley, and the New York State Thruway Authority, "advises motorists to avoid any unnecessary travel in the New York region during this severe weather event."

School closings, snow emergencies, and more after the jump.

•SCHOOL CLOSINGS: Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Cairo-Durham, Catskill, Chatham, Columbia-Greene Community College, Coxsackie-Athens, Germantown, Greenville, Hawthorne Valley School, Hudson, Hunter-Tannersville, Ichabod Crane (Kinderhook), New Lebanon, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Taconic Hills, and Windham-Ashland-Jewett schools have announced they will be closed Wednesday.

•OTHER CLOSINGS:
•Columbia County ARC (COARC):  No transportation on Wednesday; Staff to report; Ulster-Greene ARC (Catskill), open, but no transportation.
•Columbia Co Nutrition Program (Philmont)
•Giving Tree Daycare (Catskill)
•Greene County Senior Centers

•HUDSON SNOW EMERGENCY: A snow emergency has been declared for the City of Hudson, effective 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Starting 8 a.m. Wednesday, all vehicles are to be parked on the odd side of the street for 24 hours. At 8 a.m. Thursday, vehicles should be moved to the even side of the street for another 24 hours. The snow emergency will end 8 a.m. Friday morning unless otherwise extended.

•CATSKILL SNOW EMERGENCY: starts Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. All vehicles should be parked on the odd side of village streets from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. At 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., all vehicles should be parked on the even side of the street. Vehicles should continue to switch sides of the street every 12 hours until the snow emergency has been canceled. There will be no parking on Main St. from Greene St. to Fairview Ave. beginning at 11 p.m. Jan. 11, 2011 to ensure that Main Street is one of the first streets to be cleared of snow. Violators will be ticketed and eventually towed.

•CAIRO SNOW EMERGENCY: "All residents are asked to park their vehicles off of the main roads and side streets to allow highway plows to clear the streets of accumulating snow,” said Cairo Police Chief Chris Sprague in <a href="http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2011/01/12/news/doc4d2d35f836bfa300090419.txt">a statement in The Daily Mail</a>. “All Main Street residents are reminded to follow the regulations posted on the alternate side parking street signs.”

•STATE ACTION: Gov. Cuomo announced Tuesday the activation of 224 DOT trucks in the Hudson Valley for the snowstorm. The New York State Thruway is closed to tandem trucks between New York City and Exit 25A (Schenectady) until further notice.

•CURRENT FORECAST:
Overnight: Snow. Low around 22. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. High near 29. North wind between 16 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Scattered snow showers before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 16. Northwest wind around 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

A Chatham man faces felony charges after he allegedly led State Police on a chase early Tuesday, according to this morning's Times Union, which is reporting that Robert E. Perez, 29, is charged with resisting arrest, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, felony DWI, reckless endangerment and marijuana possession after he failed to stop at a stop sign and led police on a 10-mile chase through Columbia County. Around 2:30 a.m., troopers in Livingston said Perez failed to stop at a stop sign on Route 203. Perez did not pull over for police and drove about 10 miles on various roads before finally stopping at Route 21 and Pheasant Lane in the town of Hillsdale. Perez refused to leave his car and allegedly resisted when police tried to remove him by force, troopers added. Perez's breath had a strong alcohol odor and he refused to take a Breathalyzer test, troopers said, and he also allegedly had some marijuana. Perez was arraigned in Greenport Town Court and sent to Columbia County Jail without bail. He is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday.

The Daily Mail reports January 12 that the Cairo Zoning Commission is continuing to shift its first-ever zoning ordinance by now agreeing to expand the list of potential uses in its already-amended commercial/mixed-use district on Route 145 in the direction of neighboring Durham. And while the amended uses include new agricultural allowances for those looking to grow crops for commercial purposes, with no requirement for minimum acreage, Doron Tyler Antrim reports that the commission also decided to put uses such as bed and breakfast operations, day care centers, or nursery schools up for full site plan reviews. In addition, all proposed educational training facilities, wind towers, and hotels or motels must now apply for a special-use permit, too. A bar or tavern must apply a special-use permit to operate in the Mountaintop district, only. The commission plans to review at its next meeting regulations in the new Main Street commercial district, which runs from the intersection with Route 23 near the Bank of Greene County to Route 32. 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 zoning commission also made minor adjustments to the minimum lot size in the Purling, Acra, South Cairo and Round Top hamlet districts. The minimum size will be 10,000 square feet where water and sewer is available and 20,000 where such infrastructure is not available. The adjustment brings all the hamlet districts in line with what is called for in the Cairo hamlet district. Under the zoning law, all existing uses will be allowed to stay. Copies of the law are on file in the town hall and public library at 512 Main St. All the documents, as well as the public comments, can be viewed online at www.planningbetterplaces.com/cairo.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="New York City's Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, center of a new lawsuit over muddy water releases at flood times."][/caption]The Daily Freeman reports this morning, January 12, on what at first looks like an Ulster County-specific story regarding that county's having filed a notice of claim to sue New York City for discharging muddy water from the Ashokan Reservoir into the lower Esopus Creek, but which seems to us a harbinger of things to come throughout our area. While Bill Kemble reports on Ulster County Executive Mike Hein's afternoon press conference about filing notice in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York, citing 79 days of muddy discharges and several flood situations exacerbated by the city's actions - filed under the terms of the federal Clean Water Act - what people are watching are the repercussions for municipal water systems and water ownership issues everywhere.

Hein, visibly angry during the press conference, was joined by county legislators, environmental experts and agriculture representatives.

“New York City ... is showing a blatant disregard for the health and welfare of our residents and the lower Esopus environment,” Hein said. “They need to stop the discharges immediately and make things right. If they are unwilling to cease their actions, the county ... will use every resource at our disposal to protect natural resources, property and the economic prosperity of our community.”

New York City spokesman Farrell Sklerov said “rather than threatening legal action, everyone should work together to reach a solution” and that a meeting scheduled for Friday is intended to resolve some of the problems that led to the legal action. We do not believe we are violating any state or federal law, but we will review any legal actions when they are received,” he said. “We understand that turbidity in the lower Esopus is undesirable and could have some adverse impacts on local communities ... but today’s announcement seems to disregard the interconnected nature of the water system, which must balance water supply from various sources to provide clean water.”

Stone Ridge farmer Bruce Davenport said the damage from the turbid water in the creek is affecting recently sprouted spinach and could leave soil unusable for some types of plantings.

“In the lower Esopus valley, there’s about 2,000 acres of fresh-market produce that’s being sold,” Davenport said. “This is stuff that goes to your supermarket every day ... (from) about a half a dozen family farms that make their living on this land.”

A series of regional meetings between Ulster County towns and the New York City DEP recently resulted in the discovery that the City had been quietly flushing large amounts of water from its massive Ashokan Reservoir into the nearby Esopus Creek, which runs through much of the county's northern half.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, a former legislator, warns in a new release and report against quick budgetary fixes through privatization."][/caption]As the state starts to look into ways of cutting expenses and raising revenues via privatization, that public policy behemoth that first came into view 30 years ago during the Reagan era, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli issued a cautionary press release and report on privatization earlier this week notes the hidden expenses of such exchanges, which have included everything from private prisons to the sale of the Arizona statehouse in recent years. "As New York state grapples with cost-effective solutions for its estimated $250 billion in infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, the state should examine both the opportunities that public-private partnerships offer as well as the underlying financial risks associated with forming those partnerships, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. "Our public infrastructure needs a lot of improvements – $250 billion in improvements over the next 20 years,” DiNapoli said. “The big question is, how are we going to pay for that? Public-private partnerships are a good option to look at, but those partnerships don’t come risk-free. It makes good sense for the state to look at public-private partnerships based on experience in other states, but we have to ensure public assets are not squandered and taxpayers are protected.”

DiNapoli’s report noted that in order for public-private agreements to successfully enable the state to move forward with much-needed capital projects, there are four underlying financial risks in public-private partnerships that must be fully addressed:

· Failure to identify the full value of public property. Public-private partnerships may underestimate the value of public assets and in doing so, short-change the public.
· Unfavorable pricing mechanisms. Public-private agreements may include pricing mechanisms that burden the public with unwarranted costs such as excessive fees and toll increases.
· Unrealistic expectations and poorly drafted agreements. Public-private partnerships may create unattainable expectations when the private entity promises more than it can deliver or contracts fail to detail the private partner’s obligations adequately.
· Budget gimmickry. Public-private agreements sometimes provide short-term fiscal relief that ultimately pushes increasing costs to the future while increasing the public’s debt burden.

To avoid the underlying financial pitfalls of public-private agreements, DiNapoli recommends policy makers must first:
· Identify the best practices for valuation of public assets and make sure taxpayers are not short-changed by an artificially low valuation;
· Keep private sector profits within reason and ensure resulting services are affordably priced for its public users throughout the life of the public-private agreement;
· Carefully draft agreements that specify what the private entity promises to deliver in exchange for the opportunity to participate in the partnership while not including unrealistic or inaccurate financial projections; and
· Adopt financing rules that prevent any disproportionate shift of current capital costs to future generations of taxpayers.

DiNapoli’s report focused on the financial implications of public-private partnerships. The report noted there are many additional policy concerns that may be raised by public-private partnership agreements, such as regulatory oversight, workforce impact, and the effect on local communities, which are beyond the scope of the report but require comparable consideration.

In November, DiNapoli released a report detailing specific reforms to the state’s capital planning process by placing increased restrictions on the use of debt and capital spending. These reforms included imposing a strict and effective cap on public debt, restoring control of debt to voters, ending off-budget capital spending and using a comprehensive, statewide approach to prioritizing capital projects.

To view DiNapoli’s report on public-private partnerships, visit:

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/infrastructure/pppjan61202.pdf.

To view DiNapoli’s report on long-term capital planning, visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/nov10/113010.htm.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Tom Unser, also known as Tom Lussie, 16, has been missing since Monday morning from his Valatie home. "][/caption]What's with all the people going missing from the center of Columbia County? The Register Star reports this morning that the day after a missing Valatie man turned up, another Valatie resident has apparently gone missing, this one a 16-year-old boy. According to reporter Andrew Amelinckx, Tom Unser, also known as Tom Lussier, went missing Monday morning, according to his parents who are asking for the public’s help in finding the young man. who is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 125 pounds with long, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a pierced left ear. He was last seen wearing a black element jacket and blue jeans with black and gray skater sneakers. According to the missing boy’s mother, Cheryl Unser, no family or friends have heard or seen him in more than 24 hours. State Police Senior Inv. Gary Mazzacano said the boy apparently had a fight with his parents and left home. Anyone with information can contact Cheryl Unser at 518-610-3100 or the New York State Police at Kinderhook at 518-758-7010.

The other missing man who returned home Monday, 31-year-old Kenneth French, had been staying with friends in Albany but didn’t tell anyone where he was going before he left.

A Ghent woman, Gwendolyn Fuks, 51, remains missing as well. Fuks is described as being 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She may be driving a 1998, white, four-door Toyota Camry. She was last seen in the Albany area Dec. 30.

According to Mazzacano, Fuks sent a letter to someone that “caused concern. We’re looking to check on her welfare.”

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="379" caption="Lake Taghkanic State Park snowmobiling, from their website."][/caption]As the snow comes down today, you may want to get out in it. Here are some suggestions. Much credit for this compilation of information goes to Ellen Thurston, and others. Today we are asking you to add other public spots in the comments, or send a note to info@wgxc.org.


Hudson Park The former Sunset Meadows location on Route 9 offers ice skating Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., depending on weather conditions. No charge, but bring your own skates. Call 851-2228 to determine ice condition.


Lake Taghkanic State Park Cross-country ski and snowmobile trails, plus ice skating and ice fishing are permitted when conditions are appropriate. Please call the park office at (518) 851-3631 to check ice thickness.


Kiwanis Ice Arena Located in Saugerties, and operates from middle of August to the beginning of April. The ice rink surface is 197 feet long x 85 feet wide.


Art Omi Trails through the sculpture fields and woodlands for cross-country skiing. They claim 2.5 miles of groomed track and skate lanes (for skate skiing.)  Trails will be groomed all winter long as conditions permit. The café in the visitor center is open on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. 1405 County Route 22, Ghent.


Columbia Land Conservancy is offering spontaneous snowshoe hikes when there is adequate snow and the weather conditions are good. CLC will let you know when that time is. Beginners are welcome. CLC has a limited number of showshoes to lend. To register for the snowshoe e-mail alert system go to www.clctrust.org or call 392-5252.


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="Cross-country skiing at Copake Country Club, from their website."] [/caption]


Copake Country Club offers cross-country ski packages (skis, boots, poles, and bindings) for $25, or $10 if you bring your own equipment. Trails are groomed in varying lengths and are well-marked. Information at 325-0019, 44 Golf Course Road (off Lake Shore Drive).


Elliot Park What became of the Catskill ice-skating rink that opened last year?




Beattie-Powers House, owned by the Village of Catskill, overlooks Olana, Frederick Church's home, as well as the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and has a great long sledding run, often filled with local families.

Ramshorn-Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill, owned and operated by Scenic Hudson, is not only the Hudson River's largest tidal swamp forest, but also hosts a great cross country trail through woods, swamp edge, and wide fields.

Town parks in Cairo, Athens and Coxsackie, the latter two by the banks of the Hudson, usually end up with impromptu cross country ski trails whenever it snows. Check them out!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Columbia County's biggest industry is agriculture, as seen in this image from the Columbia Land Conservancy."][/caption]Columbia County government has formed a coalition to craft a plan to support and promote local agriculture. The success of the 18-month process will depend upon broad public input, especially from the farm community, according to a press release sent out on January 11. Five public meetings are planned over the next three months, starting Saturday, January 22 in Chatham, and a survey is being mailed to agricultural producers in order to assess the state of local agriculture and design a county-wide farmland protection plan. The press release from the Columbia Land Conservancy goes on to note that Columbia County is taking advantage of the Farmland Protection Program created by the NY State Legislature. Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation is working with the Columbia Land Conservancy to facilitate the Program with the County’s Ag and Farmland Protection Board. The Program establishes a methodology for local governments to assess the status and potential of farming in every community. Economic value, open space value, and consequences of conversion will be analyzed. A survey has been developed to be distributed to the County’s producers to compliment dialog produced through the five public meetings. The farmland protection plan is expected to be finalized by mid-2012. The process is lead by the County Farmland Protection Board, and a working committee headed by Todd Erling, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation. Other organizations represented on the committee are the Columbia County Department of Planning, Columbia County Soil & Water Conservation District , Columbia Land Conservancy, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Farm Credit East (formerly First Pioneer Farm Credit).

“Farming is an important engine of economic activity and with strategic planning it could play a larger, more beneficial role in our economy,” says Ken Flood, the Columbia County Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors for Columbia County’s economy. As of 2007, there were 554 farms in Columbia County which generated $66,000,000 in annual revenue. As the demand for local and healthy food increases, a smart farming plan will ensure that the County’s economy grows along with it. Over the past 10 years, New York farmers had a 57% increase in annual direct market sales.

Working farmland nets greater revenue for county and municipal budgets than industrial or residential properties. Working land produces the most tax revenue for the services needed.

Farming is beneficial to the economy, but money isn’t the only reason to think about farming. Peter Paden, executive director of the Columbia Land Conservancy points out, “Supporting a flourishing farm sector is one of the best ways to conserve our wildlife habitats, landscapes, and our rural quality of life.”

Everyone involved or concerned about farming is encouraged to attend one of the public meetings that will shape the farmland protection plan. Residents can attend the meeting closest to them, or choose to attend any or all other meetings. The schedule is:

• Saturday, January 22nd, 10 to Noon. North Chatham Fire House, 653 County Route 32, North Chatham. Snow date: Monday, January 24th, 7 to 9 p.m.

• Thursday, February 3rd, 7 to 9 p.m. Cornell Cooperative Extension, 479 Route 66, Hudson. Snow date: Saturday, February 5th, 10 to Noon.

• Saturday, February 19th, 10 to Noon. Copake Town Hall, 230 Mountain View Road, Copake. Snow date: Tuesday, February 22nd, 7 to 9 p.m.

• Thursday, March 3rd, 7 to 9 p.m. Kellner Activities Bldg. 54 Palatine Park Road, Germantown. Snow date: Saturday, March 5th, 10 to Noon.

• Saturday, March 19th, 10 to Noon. Stuyvesant Town Hall , 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant. Snow date: Monday, March 21st, 7 to 9 p.m.

For more information contact, Ellen Jouret-Epstein, Columbia Land Conservancy’s Land Protection Manager, at 518.392.5252, ext. 208 or ellen@clctrust.org.

Tune in today
TUNE IN WGXC will air the following live shows on WGXC Online Radio Wednesday:
•WGXC Morning Show 6-8 a.m. live with Casson Kennedy and Mark Lacoy. They most likely will stay on the air longer and be joined perhaps by others for morning updates.
Click here to listen.

Town meetings tonight
PUBLIC HEARING Columbia County Board of Supervisors shall hold a special meeting and a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors meeting hall, concerning the enactment of two local laws relating to the levels of exemption of payment of real property taxes for 1) senior citizens, which shall occur at 7:20 p.m., and 2) low income disabled citizens, which shall occur at 7:25 p.m. At Columbia County Board of Supervisors, 401 State St. meeting hall, first floor, Hudson.

Weather
SNOW A Winter Storm Watch continues Wednesday, and 2-6" of more snow may fall.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 8:23 a.m./Low, 3:15 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:23 a.m./4:44 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 11 a.m./12:16 a.m. (First Qtr begins at 6:33 a.m.)

Birthdays
JANUARY 12 Jack London, Rush Limbaugh, and Howard Stern.

WDST's Mountain Jam festival will be June 2-5 this year, adding a fourth day of camping this year, with a lineup that includes Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes Band, My Morning Jacket, North Mississippi Allstars, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and local band Voodelic. Tickets for the seventh annual Mountain Jam Music Festival () at Hunter Mountain, in Hunter, NY from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5, 2011. For the first time, Mountain Jam will expand to include four days of music and camping. Early bird tickets are now available at MountainJam.com.Complete press release from WDST if one follows the link.

MOUNTAIN JAM RETURNS TO HUNTER MOUNTAIN, NY JUNE 2-5, 2011

GOV’T MULE, MY MORNING JACKET AND THE WARREN HAYNES BAND TO HEADLINE

FESTIVAL ADDS FOURTH NIGHT OF MUSIC AND CAMPING

(January 11, 2011, Woodstock, NY) – Radio Woodstock and acclaimed guitarist Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band) present the seventh annual Mountain Jam Music Festival (MountainJam.com) at Hunter Mountain, in Hunter, NY from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5, 2011. For the first time, Mountain Jam will expand to include four days of music and camping. Early bird tickets are now available at MountainJam.com.

Gov’t Mule will headline Mountain Jam for the seventh consecutive year on Saturday, June 4. Gov’t Mule’s two-set performance at Mountain Jam VII will be one of only a few select appearances for the group in 2011. Modern rock heroes My Morning Jacket will return to the festival after five years to headline on Sunday, June 5. The newly formed Warren Haynes Band, a soul-infused ensemble will make its debut northeast festival appearance, headlining on Friday, June 3.

“It’s been great to watch Mountain Jam grow over the last seven years from a one-day concert to a multi-day, destination event,” says Haynes. “I’m really looking forward to this year’s line-up and to performing with both Gov’t Mule and the Warren Haynes Band.”

Mountain Jam favorites Michael Franti & Spearhead, hot off the smashing success of their latest hit album The Sound of Sunshine, will return for their sixth consecutive Mountain Jam appearance. The festival’s eclectic lineup will also see return appearances by crossover punk-Americana sensations The Avett Brothers, and modern blues-rock trailblazers North Mississippi Allstars.

A diverse array of first-time Mountain Jam performers will also join in, such as high-energy, hippie folk-pop collective Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, cross-genre banjo wiz Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, legendary blues-rock masters Electric Hot Tuna, rhythm & blues and gospel icon Mavis Staples, high-energy psychedelic rockers Portugal. The Man, West African-influenced Asheville, NC improvisers Toubab Krewe, and Dave Matthews’ collaborator and guitar virtuoso Tim Reynolds & TR3, among others.

Each night Mountain Jam will present additional late night entertainment both outside and inside Hunter Mountain’s Colonel’s Hall. The late night sets include the return of the hot, electronic jamband Lotus, the Canadian dance trio The New Deal and the recently formed supergroup, 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Papa Mali, and Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson).

For the first time, Mountain Jam will also provide music for early arrivals on the night of Thursday, June 2nd starting at 8pm. Funk/soul trio Soulive, will headline Thursday night’s offerings with a set of instrumental Beatles songs from their latest album Rubber Soulive. Rising Brooklyn-based soul-rockers The London Souls, and a late-night band still to be announced will round out Thursday’s entertainment.

“We are really excited to bring this amazing group of artists to the Mountain in 2011 and to expand the fun to a fourth night”, said Mountain Jam Founder, and Radio Woodstock President/Owner, Gary Chetkof. “Every year we strive to make the Mountain Jam experience better than the year before, and this year we know we are going to take this over the top!”

The festival’s forward-thinking Awareness Village will once again host a special acoustic stage, as well as exhibits from not-for-profit organizations and environmental groups, children’s entertainment, performance and sculpture art, physical and spiritual healing, a beer and wine garden, and much more. The Festival will also be continuing its greening efforts with recycling, carbon offsets, and free water refills to reduce the usage of plastic water bottles.

Originally conceived in 2005 as a single-day celebration of Radio Woodstock’s 25th anniversary, Mountain Jam has blossomed into a four-day, multi-stage event, featuring onsite camping, and one of the northeast’s most pristine natural amphitheaters. Over the years, Mountain Jam has hosted some of the top names in live music, including The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, Bob Weir & RatDog, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ray LaMontagne, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Les Claypool, Dave Mason, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, The Hold Steady, Coheed & Cambria, Drive-By Truckers, Dr. Dog, Medeski Martin & Wood, Mike Gordon, G. Love & Special Sauce, Ozomatli, Galactic, Umphrey’s McGee and Robert Randolph & The Family Band, among many others. Last year, the festival presented Levon Helm’s 70th Birthday Jubilee with very special guests Warren Haynes, Donald Fagen, Ray LaMontagne, Sam Bush, Steve Earle, Patterson & David Hood, Jackie Greene and Allison Moorer.

The Hunter Mountain Lodge will provide fans with 24-hour access to both food and indoor bathrooms, while onsite camping and a variety of nearby hotels, lodges and ski chalets will ensure that all attendees have a wide variety of accommodations. This year Mountain Jam will also offer expanded VIP options, and will bring back its highly acclaimed “Tavern in the Woods” featuring private bar area and Hammock Grove, as well as a shaded hospitality tents, early arrival access at no additional charge, private camping areas, and a variety of gourmet food and beverages. Mountain Jam will also offer options for VIP on-site lodging and a VIP RV area on the Mountain.

Following the sellout of Mountain Jam’s Holiday Presale tickets, Festival Passes are now available at Early Bird prices for $142.50, and with camping for $172.50. For an additional $25, attendees can enjoy early admission to the campgrounds on Thursday afternoon and music on the Mountain starting at 8 pm. A limited number of VIP Festival Passes are now on sale for $414.50 which includes Thursday admission.

Hunter Mountain is located within a short drive from anywhere in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

For complete lineup, full details and ticketing, please visit MountainJam.com.

About Radio Woodstock
Radio Woodstock is a global multi-media company that includes the award-winning radio station, Radio Woodstock 100.1 WDST, Woodstock’s hometown radio station, as well as internet radio stations, Radio Woodstock 69, and Radio Woodstock LIVE. All three are available online at RadioWoodstock.com.

Radio Woodstock Presents, a major upstate New York promoter, produces 40+ concerts per year in the Woodstock and Hudson Valley area, in addition to Mountain Jam and the new Bluestock Music Festival, which will debut at Hunter Mountain at the end of August. Radio Woodstock Presents also records many of the artist performances for release through its digital distribution company Radio Woodstock Music.

Listen online:
http://www.wdst.com
http://www.radiowoodstock.com

About Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes has been ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the 23rd Greatest Guitarist of All Time and most recently among the few top “Guitar Gods.” Haynes is a Grammy winner for his work with Gov’t Mule and The Allman Brothers Band. He’s been called both an “American treasure” and a “legend in the making” by his peers.

http://www.warrenhaynes.net
http://www.mule.net

Mountain Jam 2011 Lineup

Gov’t Mule

My Morning Jacket

Warren Haynes Band

Michael Franti & Spearhead

The Avett Brothers

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

Mavis Staples

Electric Hot Tuna

Lotus (late night)

North Mississippi Allstars

7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr. & Papa Mali (late night)

Soulive

The New Deal (late night)

Portugal. The Man

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Tim Reynolds & TR3

Dawes

Toubab Krewe

Zach Deputy

Ryan Montbleau Band

The London Souls

Chris Barron (of The Spin Doctors)

Civil Twilight

The Heavy Pets

Orgone

Kung Fu

Alternate Routes

Dangermuffin

Moon Taxi

Ari Hest

TAB The Band

Morning Teleportation

Bronze Radio Returns

The Erin Hobson Compact

The Big Takeover

Voodelic

Livingston Leo

The above taped interview from is important for the clues it gives us all in the WGXC listening area as to what the new year portends, politically. Key in the talking points captured is Cuomo's blunt insistence that "his push for a property tax cap shouldn’t be linked with changes to the current schedule of rent stabilization laws," as the Times Union's Capital Confidential blog put it this morning, January 11. “I think that these are separate issues, and they should be analyzed as separate issues,” Cuomo says. “One of the mistakes we’ve made in the past is that the Legislature has tended to take issues and group them together in a negotiating style rather that analyzing the individual issues, and making the best policy on that issue.”

Cuomo also firmly addressed the idea of any extension of the so-called millionaires’ surcharge, indicating any action there would face his veto pen: “My position is, has been, will be, that I’m against new taxes. In my opinion, that’s a new tax, therefore I’m against it.”

Cuomo further noted that he's expecting to deliver an on-time budget by the start of February, although he wouldn't confirm a specific date... yet. But he did add that he would push for formal discussions of his proposed 2 percent property tax cap before that time, and not let its implementation get bogged down in the state's always arduous three way budget discussions,

In past years, New York City rent control laws -- and the state's involvement in them -- have played a large role in political bargaining and discussions, and not always in Upstate/Downstate split opinions. On numerous occasions, representatives from Assembly and Senate districts with large second home populations have been told, or noted themselves, the importance of city rent controls on second home real estate and renovation economics.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Durham School Services provides bus transportation for 300 school districts nationwide, and is increasingly facing union frustration with their budget cuts."][/caption]It may not involve the news directly in our listening area, but a story in today's January 11 Daily Freeman about bus drivers still working despite their union's strike vote has local interest because of the ways in which it invokes shifts in Labor's power after a half century of effort against the previous half century's gains for employees, as well as what's at stake in the year to come as folks try cutting away at education expenses wherever they can.

"Employees in the union representing 175 Durham School Services bus drivers and monitors are continuing to work despite a strike vote before students went on Christmas break, as negotiations have moved forward since the vote," the piece by Kyle Wind reads.

“Progress continues to be made, but more is still to be accomplished,” said company spokesman Carina Noble in a prepared statement. “We have set the next meeting date as Jan. 25 and are optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement for our drivers and monitors. In the meantime, we have commitments from union leadership of no work action prior to our next bargaining session.”

Following those negotiations, Adrian Huff, the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 445, said he will meet with membership and “follow their lead.” Huff has said the vote to strike was nearly unanimous. He said the 175 workers unionized last year and are 18 negotiating sessions into creating a first contract with management.

Durham, a subsidiary of National Express Corp. of Great Britain, handles all busing for the Rhinebeck school district and three routes for special education services for the Rondout Valley school district. Thus far, transportation has not been disrupted. It is the nation's second largest school bus operating company.

The current threat of union action is the first in the area of transportation to affect a local school district, many of which are now eying cuts to teaching and other staff, as well as programs and even schools, to meet what is anticipated to be a shrinking of our educational opportunities tied to tax reforms being called for by older voters sick of covering for others' kids, as some have started to say..

Huff has said Durham offered 3 percent raises, but the union found that “insufficient.” Huff noted Durham’s bus drivers do not get paid for sick time and do not receive employer-subsidized health insurance. As such, Huff has said employees, many of whom are making at or near minimum wage, often can’t afford to miss work when they are sick and risk spreading illness to students and co-workers.

Before the Christmas break Huff said the Teamsters would work with schools districts on when the strike was going to begin. “The last thing we want is to leave kids waiting in the cold,” he said.

Huff has said employees are often exposed to illness.

Rhinebeck district Superintendent Joseph Phelan said the company has looked into ways to continue to provide its service if the union does follow through on the strike vote after Jan. 25 so the district’s program would not be interrupted. If non-union workers were brought in from outside the area, Huff has indicated the union would consider picketing school districts.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Shaun Groden, new county administrator, is profiled in this morning's Daily Mail, who also took this photo."][/caption]The Daily Mail has a story in their January 11 issue this morning welcoming Greene County's new administrator, Shaun Groden,who flew in to his new job last Sunday with his family, leaving behind him over six years of leadership in Michigan’s St. Clair County and a track record of positive municipal growth and development. His furniture was expected to arrive this week, according to the story by reporter Colin DeVries.

Groden, 53, is a native of Rochester and a successful leader in business and government. Coming from a county of similar wealth but with more than three times the population size, Groden expects to have a different but extremely constructive experience in Greene. St. Clair County’s annual budget is about $100 million compared with Greene County’s $99.3 million budget. According to 2009 census data, the population of St. Clair County was 167,000 and Greene County’s was 48,947. The mean income per household in St. Clair County was $61,088 in 2009, and $59,773 in Greene County.

DeVries' story continues with comparisons between here and midwestern Michigan, which makes us look pretty progressive, and even affluent.

Though the population of St. Clair County vastly exceeds Greene County’s, 20 percent of people there are unemployed, Groden said. Much of that due to the reduction in the auto industry around Detroit, 60 miles to the southwest of the St. Clair County city of Port Huron.

Unemployment hovers around 8 percent in Greene County and Groden intends to work toward improving that.

“At the end of the day, jobs are the issue,” he said during an interview last week. “I intend to be very active in economic development.”

During Groden’s job search last year, he was pleased to find that Greene County already had quality shovel-ready business parks with significant acreage for development. In fact, Groden said he had pushed his own county lawmakers in St. Clair County to purchase land for similar parks.

In Michigan, Groden had been president of St. Clair County’s Economic Development Alliance — similar to the Greene County Industrial Development Agency — and implemented a workforce training program for high school students called the National Career Readiness Certification Program. The program is becoming more popular among employers to test aptitude on prospective employees.

“We’re trying to branch out into new sectors,” he said. “We need to find where the jobs will be for tomorrow.”

Groden, who has a masters in public administration from SUNY Brockport, said change is the key to success in economic development and the job market.

“We need to keep up with the times,” he said. “If you were doing your job the way you were trained, you’re doing it wrong.”

The order of doing business continues to evolve and demands new efficiencies to save money, Groden said, making adaptability to changes paramount in importance.

As St. Clair County administrator Groden implemented an efficieny by cutting paper use — swapping case files in the district attorney’s office with laptops, for example.

He was also able to save the county money on a jail project when he first became St. Clair County administrator at the end of 2004, identifying savings through financial accounting.

He said he kept the budget balanced each year and improved the county’s credit rating, while making the budget process more transparent and open to public input.

Another efficiency he implemented in Michigan was continuity of services, allowing for more sharing of services and realizing a cost savings throughout the county. He also consolidated some departments to avoid duplicative waste.

St. Clair County can be described as an agrarian, waterfront community, similar to Greene County, but Groden knows there are significant differences and challenges ahead.

“I wanted to be able to come to something that needed change,” he said. “I was looking for an area in distress.”

Groden equated the principles of business to public administration as far as budgeting and the need to uncover new revenues or cut expenditures.

With New York’s depleted fiscal state, Groden knew Greene County may face significant mandates coming forward — something he is ready for.

While earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Groden “fell in love” with the budget process during an internship with the Monroe County budget office.

Forgoing an FBI career to become a public servant, Groden went on to work 15 years with the town of Greece. There he worked as director of finances on a $50 million budget.

After leaving Greece in 1997, he went into the private sector for several years until he returned to public administration in St. Clair County as administrator, a job he left in support of his family’s wishes.

Though he had other job offers, he chose Greene County for its forward-thinking business development, its solid credit rating and fiscal status, its recreational opportunities and an environment suitable for his wife and three children (all in their 20s).

It also helps that he loves to ski.

“I am not here by accident, I’m not here by happenstance,” he said. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

Now here, Groden intends to make a positive impact on Greene County economics and apply his knowledge of municipal government and finances to inspire growth.

“When you have a career in public administration,” he said, “it’s of a desire to do something for the greater good.”

Groden’s three-year contract was unanimously approved by the county legislature at a salary of $132,000.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="NIMBYism in Clifton Park... Image by Cindy Scultz of Times Union."][/caption]NIMBYism - that phenomenon, particularly acute in our Upstate realm, where one neighbor claims not wanting another's actions under the rubric, "Not in my back yard!," -- has raised its head again in our area. On the tails of community complaints, and then new laws outlawing older forms of outdoor wood furnaces that belched smoke through neighborhoods, the latest brouhahas are starting to focus on solar power, at least according to a story in today's January 11 Times Union. There, staff writer Tim O'Brien writes of a Clifton Park couple's decision to build a massive collection of solar panels in their yard, and the controversy their decision has sparked in the suburbs north of Albany.

As Beth and Todd Silaika expanded their already sizable home at 39 Addison Estates, they decided to reduce their impact on the environment. They added one of the largest residential solar arrays in the state. It measures 80 feet long by 20 feet tall and generates 30,240 watts a year.

For the Silaikas, it is a source of pride, a sign of their dedication to conservation and care for the planet. To some neighbors, however, one person's pride is another's eyesore. Diane Miller said the solar array is too big for the residential neighborhood and, ironically, blocks the sun from her back yard.

Town officials admit no regulations exist that govern building such a structure.

This one's a great look at the damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't nature of our current society, which poet philosopher Robert Bly once described as being like kids without proper adult restraints... or models.


"It's definitely fair to say we were caught by surprise," Supervisor Phil Barrett said. "It's difficult. You've got the government giving these grants, you've got a definitive push in our culture to move to these types of installations, but at the same time I do feel there has to be some regulation. I don't think we want to ban them, but we want to have a process to get them approved."

Parents of six children, the Silaikas moved into their newly built home in 2005. It's a dream house, spacious with giant artworks of nature the couple proudly discuss. They recently decided to add a pool house and a detached garage, which generated additional controversy when it was partly built on town land and the town swapped other property for it.

The solar project began when the couple was making the other improvements and realized the impact all their building could have.

"Beth said: 'We've added all this space to the house, we probably should do something to give back to the environment,' " her husband said.

They talked to Mark Bomba of Alteris Renewables, who designed what is called a solar shed. Construction, begun in November, is now complete, though it will likely be about a week and a half before National Grid connects the meters and the system becomes operable.

"We believe it's the largest in New York state, and it might be the largest in the Northeast for a residential solar system," Bomba said. The state Energy Research and Development Authority says the system is one of the largest residential ones in the state but may not be the biggest.

By building the solar power generator, the couple expect to wipe out their $6,000 annual electricity bill and to sell some power back to the grid.

"At the end of the year, they will get paid back," Bomba said. "This is definitely an extreme installation. They are definitely going to get a payback."

There are environmental benefits too, Bomba said. The fuel the solar shed will conserve is the equivalent of taking 4.75 cars off the road for a year. It is equal to planting 15,400 trees over a 20-year period.

While Todd Silaikas says the going rate for selling back electricity isn't all that much -- you get paid only 1/15th of what you'd pay for the same amount of energy -- he said that is expected to improve.

He does not want to disclose how much the couple spent, but adds that the investment should be paid off in a dozen years.

Miller has a clear view of the back of the structure from her rear yard at 42 Michelle Drive. It's not what she ever expected.

"I am going to have to pay several thousands of dollars to conceal this," she said. "I knew there would be homes built behind me. I never expected this. I'm in favor of renewable energy, but I just think there should be a plan for it in a residential neighborhood."

Since no regulations were in place, there wasn't much the town could do when Alteris applied for a building permit, said Town Attorney Thomas McCarthy.

"It's not illegal so the code office reviewed it and issued the permit," he said. "There wasn't any way to tell them no."

The couple agreed to set the solar shed 50 feet from the property line rather than the minimum 10, he said, and they committed to adding mature blue spruces to shield the view.

"I wish they had been a little more sensitive going in but they have been responsive to us," McCarthy said. "I think they are trying to be reasonable."

Todd Silaika doesn't get the neighbors' complaints.

"We've paid as little attention to it as we could," he said. "There has to be a few people displeased by the way the solar panels look. If you're trying to do something positive for the environment, why complain? Personally, when you see it in sunlight, it looks like artwork to me."

"Most people have been positive about it because we're giving back," his wife added.

When work is complete, Bomba said, it will be less visible.

"Once the ground cover is in and they plant some trees and shrubbery around it, it will start to bleed into the environment," he said. "Right now, it looks like a construction site."

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook"][/caption]Wondering just how much the new Republican Congress is valuing idealism over pragmatism? They're willing to allow greater costs for seniors by sacrificing the closing of the so-called “doughnut hole” that costs some senior citizens hundreds of dollars a year in prescriptions that Medicare will not cover so they can claim defeat of the health care legislation approved last year at this time, at least according to freshman Congressman Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, A story in this morning's Register Star on Gibson's views points out that he "may not especially like the coverage gap - but he’s willing to bring it back in order to undo the much bigger health care reform package enacted by Democrats last year." In a telephone interview, Gibson could not say how or if the Republican majority in the House would avoid letting the “doughnut hole” return if the health care reform is repealed. "That’ll be a part of the discussions,” Gibson said. “I’m not going to support a policy that’s not paid for.” Gibson, who defeated Democrat Scott Murphy in November, did however express support for a number of elements of the health care laws within his statements, albeit with caveats that the whole kit and kaboodle be handled fresh, no matter any costs to citizens caught up in the great national debate of the day.

The doughnut hole refers to the gap in coverage beginning at prescription costs of $2,800. Up to that point, the Medicare prescription drug plan pays for medications. But people are on their own until costs reach $6,154, when catastrophic coverage kicks in.

The closing of the gap began to take effect Jan. 1, and beneficiaries should notice the difference immediately in prescription prices, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., reported. By 2020, he said, the gap will be closed.

Columbia County is home to 1,047 people affected by the coverage gap, who will save $9.4 million during the next 10 years, Schumer’s office estimated.

Gibson acknowledged that the issue is not simply whether Congress pays for a doughnut hole fix - the Democratic-passed law does that -- but how. The health care reform law covers the cost by compelling drug companies to give Medicare Part D beneficiaries a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs.

Critics say that’s a flawed approach, however, because drug companies would be able to simply raise prices, while offering the discount, meaning seniors could end up paying more for drugs anyhow.

The new Republican majority has declared that new spending on programs must be paid for with cuts in other programs - but not cuts in other parts of Medicare, for instance, as the Democratic-passed law does and which the GOP attacked during the debate over the legislation.

Democrats note that Republicans enacted the Medicare Part D program under President Bush through borrowing, adding to the budget deficit.

Repeal is unlikely to go any farther than the House, as long as Democrats control the Senate and the White House.

The Republican leadership had scheduled a vote on repeal this week but delayed it because of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. The earliest votes would be next week.

If the leadership follows the script it laid out last week, the House will vote on repeal before considering an alternative reform plan still being crafted by Republicans. Gibson has been critical of that approach, saying they should be considered together.

Generally, Gibson said, he supports a reform package based on free-market principals which cuts down on the cost of medical liability lawsuits and allows access to insurance policies across state lines, in order to contain health care costs.

More competition will reduce premiums, he said.

In addition, Gibson said he favors increasing the number of people with insurance - not over the current law, which greatly expanded coverage, but over the conditions before the law was passed. And he supports giving states more flexibility in administering Medicare.

And although he has been critical of the law, he said he agrees with some aspects, such as prohibiting insurance companies from dropping beneficiaries if they become sick.

“If it’s insurance, you shouldn’t be dropped,” Gibson said.

There's yet another big problem at the Greene County Sheriff's office, which in the past decades have seen sheriff's caught driving drunk, as well as a years-long investigation into missing cocaine.

Now the Daily Mail reports this morning, January 11, that a $214,000 federal grant awarded in 2001 must be repaid by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office this month. Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley made the announcement during the county legislature’s public safety committee meeting on Monday evening, January 10, noting that the sheriff’s office worked hard to preserve the funds awarded more than nine years ago but would still have to return them since they were never spent properly. “It should have been spent,” Seeley said of the funds awarded during the administration of former Sheriff Richard Hussey and never used for their original purpose: which was to purchase computers for patrol vehicles as part of a statewide initiative. The funds are now due back by January 15, this coming Saturday. Greene County legislators expressed dismay at the news, with most seeming to pass blame on their former sheriff.

Intended to purchase computer equipment for patrols, the grant would have redeployed 8.6 full-time equivalent workers.

The total funding amount was $214,088 in federal funds, with a required local cash match of $71,363. It was supposed to be utilized over a 12-month period between Sept. 1, 2001 through Aug. 31, 2002. There was a 90-day allowance after the end date before the grant expired.

In October 2002, the sheriff’s office requested an extension at no cost. No extension was requested after the new end date of Aug. 31, 2003 and the grant expired.

According to a letter from the federal Department of Justice, the sheriff’s office “drew down” $214,000 of the awarded $214,088 on March 2, 2006 after the grant had been expired.

A closeout report kit was sent to the sheriff’s office in August 2006 . In the report Hussey noted the equipment had not been purchased and there was no method in tracking the redeployment, according to DOJ.

Seeley had discovered the funding was sitting idly in the sheriff’s office budget and attempted to contact DOJ about the reimbursement process.

In a letter to DOJ, Seeley wrote that “the former sheriff chose to utilize only $6,000 of this tremendous award. Of the $214,088, $208,000 of the grant is in the sheriff’s office account with the county legislature.”

After a review of grant records and information provided by the sheriff’s office, DOJ requested that the unused funds — $214,000 — be returned.

Seeley said the funds would have been used to equip the office’s fleet of 12 vehicles with computers to allow efficient processing of reports. Four of the office’s vehicles are equipment with the computer system, Seeley said.

He said he would seek other funding options for the computer equipment.

Legislator Karen Deyo, R-Catskill, appeared frustrated over the loss of funding during committee.

“All the years I’ve been here, I never saw anything like this,” she said. “How can we prevent this from happening in the future?… We should have some kind of oversight so this never ever happens again.”

Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh, R-Coxsackie, said it was an unfortunate loss but wanted to thank the efforts of Amanda Boomhower, local advisor to former U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Gwendolyn Fuks, 51 of Ghent, is still missing. Call state police with any leads."][/caption]Kenneth French, 31 year old Valatie man who was reported missing since Jan. 7, has returned to the home where he is staying on Monday, January 10, according to Strate Police in Kinderhook. A story on the case, as well as the continuing disappearance of another Columbia County woman, 51 year old Gwendolyn Fuks of Ghent, last seen in the Albany area Dec. 30, ran in this morning's Jan. 11 Register Star.

According to NYSP Senior Investigator Gary Mazzacano, French had been staying with friends in Albany but didn’t tell anyone where he was going before he left. “He was just hanging out in Albany,” Mazzacano said. French apparently showed up in Valatie, told the people he was staying with where he was, said he was fine and departed for Albany again. Mazzacano said no foul play was suspected and French appeared to be fine. French’s sister reported him missing Jan. 7 and said she had last spoken to him Jan. 4.

Fuks, who is still missing, is described as being 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She may be driving a 1998, white, four-door Toyota Camry. Mazzacano told the Register-Star on Jan. 8 that Fuks sent a letter to someone that “caused concern. We’re looking to check on her welfare.”

Anyone with information on Fuks is asked to call the New York State Police at Livingston at 518-851-2001.

Carole Osterink in The Gossips of Rivertown reports on Monday night's informal Common Council meeting in Hudson where First Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling proposed a resolution "to Authorize the Mayor to Negotiate with Holcim Cement Company for the Purchase of Their Property in the City of Hudson." The resolution to purchase the the deep water port dock for "it's actual worth [of] $1.5 million not the current assessed value of $4.5 million," must now pass through the Legal Committee, chaired by Third Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston (who reads a list of local events on Thursdays on WGXC). That committee is tentatively scheduled to meet 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at City Hall. Read ahead to see the entire resolution quoted from The Gossips of Rivertown.

WHEREAS, the City of Hudson in its proposed Local Waterfront Revitalization Program has recognized the importance of the waterfront, especially the area of the deep water port, to the future economic development of the City of Hudson; and
WHEREAS, the proposed LWRP states that "the City supports the continued operation of this port, preferably under the ownership and control of the City of Hudson"; and
WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City of Hudson believes that revitalization of the City's waterfront is critical to the City's continued economic growth and the health and welfare of its residents; and
WHEREAS, the Holcim Cement Company which owns the deep water port dock that could be an important part of the revitalization of the waterfront has declared that the value of their property in the City of Hudson is actually worth $1.5 million not the current assessed value of $4.5 million and they also report no income from the property despite the evidence of continued delivery of aggregate by trucks through the City to the dock for shipment by barge; and
WHEREAS, the City of Hudson deems that at this time it would be in the City's best interest to acquire this property;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Hudson authorizes the Mayor to enter into negotiations with Holcim Cement Company for the purchase of said property at the company's stated worth of $1.5 million with the purchase monies to be raised by a combination of private donations, grant monies, loans and/or bonds.


The Legal Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet Wednesday, January 26, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.