The Thruway Authority again this year will offer free coffee or hot tea at all of its 27 travel plazas from 11 p.m., Friday, December 31 through 7 a.m., Saturday, January 1, according to a piece posted from a TA press release at Mid Hudson News Network today. "Drowsy driving is a major contributor to highway accidents," said Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael Fleischer. "This New Year's Eve tradition, in partnership with Thruway's vendors, is intended to remind motorists to take breaks to prevent drowsy driving on the Thruway and other roadways." Safety officials recommend taking a break from driving every 100 miles or every two hours," added New York State Police Troop T Commander Major Robert Meyers. "It's a good time to enjoy the hospitality of the Thruway vendors." Travelers are advised to never stop along the shoulder of the road, unless it is a true emergency.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="State employee unions rallied against earlier cuts in the state work force last spring, as seen in this Long Island Press image. "][/caption]The two largest public workers unions are mounting a series of coordinated vigils across the state as a last-ditch effort to plead for the 800-odd workers targeted for layoff as of January 1, including large swaths of the state's Departments of Environmental Conservation, Parks, Motor Vehicles, and Transportation.The largest gathering, Capitol Confidential reports today, will be will be held in West Capitol Park in Albany starting at 4:30 PM where "Leaders and members of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) will gather to call out Gov. David Paterson on the layoffs. Union representatives will light hundreds of candles to symbolize the services being 'snuffed out' should the layoff of 902 state employees go forward December 31, as planned. PEF President Kenneth Brynien and CSEA President Danny Donohue will attend the largest gathering at the state Capitol in Albany. Candlelight vigils also will take place in Hornell, Elmira, Endicott, Utica and Poughkeepsie." All that, according to a joint press release from the unions. A similar rally that was to have been held at the entrance road to state-owned Belleayre Ski Center in Ulster County was postponed from Monday due to the blizzard and has been rescheduled for Friday, Dec. 31, at noon.

The massive job cuts and service reductions -- which local toll booth workers on the Rip Van Winkle have indicated will effect their ranks, as well -- may be a sign of things to come, according to a recent piece in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, which notes how incoming Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to limit state spending in the face of a $9 billion budget gap next year and expected deficits of more than $40 billion over the next three years. Cuomo has not ruled out additional layoffs even though the ones being imposed by outgoing Gov. David Paterson are the largest since the early 1990s.

As the state plans to lay off as many as 900 workers at year's end, some of the effects are already becoming obvious. Outgoing Gov. David Paterson has warned that the layoffs may mean longer lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles and other reductions in state services. But state officials have yet to fully detail how the layoffs will affect services or specifically detail how many layoffs are occurring at each agency. Moreover, state officials have indicated that the total number of layoffs may be less than 900 because some laid-off workers may find jobs within other departments. Pink slips went out earlier this month.

"Until agencies have a chance to regroup after the work force reduction takes effect at the end of the year and try to redesign and reconfigure the delivery of programs and services, it's hard to say at this point what additional impact there will be," said Eric Kriss, spokesman for Paterson's budget office.

Still, some state agencies are quietly looking to either sell or close facilities because the layoffs will mean there won't be people to man them. And local governments and residents are considering stepping in to keep some places open, such as the Stony Kill education center in Dutchess County.

Two days after the first big snow event of the current winter and most everyone's dug out. Barely. In Catskill, a friend calls in tears, however, when she discovers her car has been towed. With the declaration of a snow emergency, all parked cars had to be moved from one side of the street to another. But she hasn't gotten in the habit of keeping up with the local news yet. In Hudson, it seems no one planned for what to do on Tuesday, when reports started coming in that there was no parking, or proper snow removal, anywhere yet. Just published reports of the mayor saying everything would be okay by today, Wednesday and the Public Works Superintendent saying snow removal would start Tuesday evening, and that signs would be erected all over the city, instructing car owners when and where to move their vehicles. With ten plows working, including removal of the big snow dumps around town so they could keep up with the removal task at hand.

Today's Daily Mail had a note about how the Village of Catskill was prohibiting all parking on Main Street late Wednesday night as crews attempt to remove the large amount of snow that has built up along the curb there, and a reminder about how Main Street property owners are required to remove snow from their sidewalks within 24 hours after a snowstorm. In the town of Cairo, residents have been asked by the Town Police to park off main roads and side streets to allow for highway plows to clear the streets. Countywide, on both sides of the river, everyone's being asked to pay attention to snow removal signs on the sides of some roads... But little else, in terms of snow removal news, has been made public as people dig their own homes out and businesses clear their lots as best they can.

And that law which our friend didn't abide by, costing her $100 plus to get her car back? All vehicles are required to be parked on the even side of the street from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and moved to the odd side from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. during a snow emergency in both Catskill and Athens. Just as in Greenport, all cars are to be parked off of roads and streets.

Which means, in the end, that the aftermath of our first snow emergency of the season is still with us at least until the warmer weather and rains start to melt this pile over the coming New Year's weekend.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="290" caption="New York State Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin at a campaign event in Spiegletown. Photo from his Facebook page."][/caption]Emilia Teasdale of The Columbia Paper spoke with incoming New York State Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (Republican), who beat Tim Gordon (an Independent who caucused with Democrats) to represent the 108th district, includes the towns of Kinderhook, Chatham, New Lebanon, and Stuyvesant, and north Greene County towns such as New Baltimore as well as portions of Rensselaer, and Albany counties. McLaughlin, a Rensselaer County resident, told Teasdale that he is moving his district office to Castleton on Routes 9 and 20, where Gordon had his office. He also says work on a property tax cap, Medicaid fraud, term limits for legislators are on his horizons. "McLaughlin supports Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo's proposed property tax cap proposal but says he is already getting calls from Columbia County schools superintendents about what it will mean for school funding," Teasdale writes. McLaughlin says, “You can't pass a tax cap without mandate relief.” He also came out quickly already against the proposed (now adopted) stricter regulations from the Department of Environmental Conservation about outdoor wood boilers. Read the entire interview in The Columbia Paper.

Town meetings tonight
TOWN OF CLAVERACK Public hearing at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall, 836 Rte, #217, Mellenville, New York, regarding the fire protection contract between the Town of Claverack and Churchtown Fire Company No. 1, in the amount of $94,850.00 each calendar year for five (5) years. Year-end town meeting, immediately following the above public hearing.
TOWN OF CLERMONT Clermont Town Board will hold their year end meeting to pay the bills at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont. (518) 537-6868.

Weather
WARMER Relatively.


Astronomical bodies
HIGH TIDE Hudson: 8:30 a.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET Catskill: 7:24 a.m./4:31 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET Catskill: 1:28 a.m./12:03 p.m.


Birthdays
DECEMBER 29: Billy Tipton, Mary Tyler Moore, and Marianne Faithfull.

ccscoop includes a report up on what's happening with The Ridge at Columbia Springs near Stottville, which it describes as "the largest housing development project in Columbia County in several years" in a report on its recent appearance before the Stockport Planning Board.

Specifically, Engineer Brandee Nelson detailed for the Planning Board plans for phase one of the development, a 36-town house development that would be located off State Route 9 south of the Stockport monument and north of the hamlet of Stottville. Phase two of the project would see the construction of 76 single family residences on smaller than half-acre lots, mostly along an extension of Sunset Avenue that will connect Chester Avenue to Route 9 near the new water tower on the southern end of the 122-acre development. As shown to planners Tuesday, December 21, the townhouses – which will be known as The Ridge at Columbia Springs - would be constructed in six separate buildings that would be built essentially in two rows. The rows would head east along a driveway constructed off of Route 9.

Talk about a classic Upstate Catch 22, one of those situations where you can't seem to win no matter what direction you turn. The Daily Mail reports today that owners of Diedrich’s Mobile Home Park in Coxsackie have learned that their water wells are contaminated, and they are requesting to be hooked up to the village’s water supply. The village’s water treatment plant, however, is currently under an order of consent from the Department of Environmental Conservation, which means it is prohibited from having new users hooked up to the system. The silver lining, however, is that because the Diedrich’s issue is considered an emergency and a public health concern, an exception could be made enabling the mobile home park to connect to the system. The move hasreceived the thumb’s up from the Town of Coxsackie and the state Department of Health has also approved the move, “contingent on the submission of engineering plans”. “We received a letter from the town stating they are in favor of us linking those 21 units to the water system,” Mayor Mark Evans said, who added that management at Diedrich’s will be solely responsible for covering all the costs of the hook-up and for bringing its residents into the system. The mobile home park, located on Rte. 9W in the Town of Coxsackie, is already on the village’s sewer system, but until now has utilized its own water supply. But with that water deemed contaminated, they may have to join the village’s system. “Their water samples have had high levels of bacterial coliform,” Village Trustee Greg Backus said. “That’s a fecal type of contamination.”

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Retiring Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) has completed a final report on excesses in the state's authorities legislation."][/caption]The Assembly Corporations Committee Monday released its final report of 2010 on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions that recommends consolidating hundreds of unnecessary or duplicative authorities, including county Industrial Development authorities, according to a piece in this morning's Mid Hudson News Network blog. The committee, headed by outgoing Assemblyman Richard Brodsky of Westchester County, said authorities should stop giving away public funds with the public getting nothing in return. “You’ve got to find ways to make sure that when the public gives money to a private company, a corporation, that the public gets benefits back,” he said. “There’s no reason, for example, when ESDC puts literally billions into a project or a large corporation, that it shouldn’t get an equity interest in that project just like a private bank would get.” Brodsky pointed to the nearly $4 billion given to the new Yankee Stadium project to what he said is one of the wealthiest corporations in the world with almost no job creation. "The success of the authority reform effort is by no means assured," he added. "Vested interests, both within and without the network of public authorities are already seeking to weaken the new legal reforms, and to minimize enforcement of the law. It would be unfortunate and unnecessary if this were to occur." For the full Brodsky report on public authorities in New York State, click HERE.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Rip Van Winkle Bridge"][/caption]Traffic and revenue on the five bridges operated by the New York State Bridge Authority showed increases in the latter part of 2010 that could signal better economic times in the future, according to Joseph Ruggiero, executive director of the authority, who added that the figure could be a harbinger of an economic recovery already under way. “A few years ago, I have been told, our staff actually showed a decline in traffic almost indicating that the recession was to come and, then, it did,” he said in a Mid Hudson News Service report that ran in the Kingston Freeman today. “Hopefully, this (increase in traffic) is an indication that maybe we will be coming out of it.” The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, which is part of the I-84 system, typically carries the most traffic of the five bridges. The others operated by the Bridge Authority are the Rip Van Winkle, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Mid-Hudson at Poughkeepsie-Highland, and Bear Mountain Bridge. The New York State Thruway Authority operates two bridges, the Tappan Zee Bridge to the south and the Berkshire Extension bridge to the north, known as the Castleton Bridge, separate from the NYSBA.

Eight Hudson bars and restaurants are being charged with allegedly serving alcohol to a minor following a Hudson Police and State Liquor Authority detail throughout the city last Thursday, Dec. 23. The Register Star reports this morning that out of nine bars/restaurants checked, only one passing muster, authorities said. And according to HPD Lt. Richard Paolino, there were so many violations they weren’t able to hit all the establishments they originally planned to visit. Among the establishments that allegedly sold beer to the minor were: Wunderbar & Bistro, the Warren Inn, Mexican Radio, Baba Louie’s, Ca’mea, Swoon Kitchen Bar, Red Dot Bar & Restaurant and the Spotty Dog Books & Ale. The only establishment checked that didn’t sell alcohol to the minor was American Glory, according to police. “They need to ID customers,” Paolino said of bars and package stores, adding that it wasn’t just important for the bartenders, clerks and businesses, but that it helped “prevent underage drinking fatalities. We’re trying to keep people safe.”

The detail was through funding made available by Catholic Charities of Columbia and Greene Counties to help curb underage drinking through a $20,000 grant the not-for-profit organization that was awarded by the New York state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The first detail, on Dec. 10, focused on package stores. Police went to 13 stores in the city and netted two alleged violators who sold alcohol to a minor, according to HPD.

Last Thursday’s detail sent a 19-year-old working with police into bars and restaurants around Hudson. Eight people ended up being charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child, a class A misdemeanor, and prohibited sale of alcohol, for allegedly selling the minor beer.

Those charged were Christina Bohnsack, 25, of Germantown; Rebecca M. Rogers, 32, of Livingston; Elizabeth T. Carney, 75, of Albany and Hudson residents Stephanie D. Ruff, 50; Laura T. Rogers, 46; Cassandra Cummings, 41; David Drake, 59; and Abby M. Puca, 26. All eight people will be facing charges in Hudson City Court.

Paolino said is especially important to ID customers during this time of year, he said, since college students were on holiday.

“The point is: check IDs,” he said.

The possibility of more of these kinds of details are possible. According to Mary Minahan, senior prevention educator for Catholic Charities, that agency may be getting the grant again next year.

Snow, snow, and more snow... that was the gist of the headline patter in today's newspapers, charting declared states of emergency in all our local counties and the City of Hudson. The Register Star reports on how Columbia County was pelted with between 17 inches and 2 feet of snow from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, with 35-to-40 mph winds making it seem like more. Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Roy Brown declared a state of emergency from 4 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. Monday. Non-essential vehicles were requested to stay off the roadways, and non-essential county offices were closed for the day. In Greene County, the Daily Mail reported nearly a foot and a half of snow falling in some places, though most high accumulations being around 12 inches in depth. The county was under a winter weather advisory until 7 a.m. today, according to the National Weather Service in Albany, and parking was restricted on all roads and streets throughout the county. The advisory cautions strong winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 40 miles per hour could cause blowing and drifting snow, making driving conditions hazardous. Parts of Dutchess County had it worst, although throughout the region only a few thousand homes suffered electrical blackouts of any length. Some of the highest snowfalls in the region were recorded with West Hillsdale in the lead at 2 feet, followed by Ghent, 22 inches; Kinderhook, 21 inches; North Chatham, 20.3 inches; Claverack, 20 inches; Taghkanic, 19 inches, Livingston, 17 inches, 17 inches in Maplecrest, 15 inches in East Jewett and 13.5 inches in Ashland and Athens. Eleven inches in Greenville and Freehold, and seven inches in Durham. Pine Plains, in Dutchess County, registered 25 inches of snow. In Hudson, Mayor Rick Scalera declared a snow emergency Monday morning in response to the blizzard that struck the city Sunday and Monday. As of 8 p.m. Monday, all vehicles were required to be parked on the even side of the street on streets that have odd/even alternate side of the street regulations. As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, all vehicles were to bebe moved to the odd side of the street. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, the snow emergency will be terminated, unless conditions call for an extension, Scalera said.

The National Weather Service was predicting a “nice stretch of three or four days,” starting today, with temperatures getting up around 32 degrees, winds dropping to 10 to 20 miles per hour from Monday’s 35 to 40, and sunshine replacing precipitation until the weekend.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. for Greene and Columbia counties.

Town meetings tonight
TOWN OF CANAAN Zoning Board of Appeals meeting last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. upstairs at the Town Hall, 1647 County Route 5, just off NY Route 295.
TOWN OF GREENPORT Planning Board meeting. Several public hearings followed by regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive, Hudson.
CANCELED Town of Stuyvesant Zoning Board of Appeals December 28 meeting has been canceled.

Weather
COLD Clear.


Birthdays
DECEMBER 28: Guy Debord, Alex Chilton, and Chris Ware.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Taconic Hills Central Schools"][/caption]A top story in both the Register Star and Daily Mail today charts the ways in which Columbia County's Taconic Hills High School is offering its students a number of new electives for the 2011-2012 school year in spite of the economy that's seeing a growing number of school districts cutting back on all they offer. The fields in which new electives will be offered are science, technology, agricultural science, social studies and English. School budgets have been slammed by rising insurance and benefits packages, as well as mandated spending, while teachers have been a brunt of anti-tax rhetoric. A key item up for discussion this year is the possible implementation of a statewide two cercent property tax cap, which would put most local education funding below mandated levels.

The rest of the story runs like this:

“We’re trying to keep our students engaged, keep them from dropping out and enrich their career opportunities,” Principal Kathy Cioppa told the Board of Education Wednesday. “We want to attack the high school graduation rate and allow students to succeed in their chosen fields.”

“Science Research in the High School” would allow highly motivated students to do original science research with the option to earn college credit and be matched with a professional mentor, Director of Instruction & Staff Development Sandra Gardner said. “Advanced Placement Chemistry” would fill in the gap created with the loss of a teacher last year.

In the field of Technology, two new courses will be offered, “Communications Systems” and “Energy and Power Technology.”

Gardner said one out of three Taconic Hills students will have an agriculture-related job. Given the strong community interest in an ag program, courses will be offered in “Agricultural Issues,” “Animal Science,” “Environmental Science,” and “Plant Science,” which would include greenhouse management.

In the field of Social Studies, “The Role of the Family in Society” would look at how the family has changed throughout history; and in the field of English, students will now be able to opt for “Introduction to Drama and Theater I” and “Introduction to Drama and Theater II.”

Board President Ron Morales asked, “How do we find out if the students want these?”

Gardner suggested that electives answer that question by their nature.

“We put it on the table for students, they make their choice,” she said. “We find out what is most popular.”

“You’ll have the course catalogs in January,” Gardner said. “By the break, all students will be scheduled. Finalization will be the last week of January and first two weeks of February.”

It’s important for students to start thinking about NCAA accreditation early, she said, because scholarships carry course requirements.

Morales asked whether the courses would require additional staff, and Gardner said, “We’re looking for guidance from the superintendent and you. We’ll run the numbers.”

Board Vice-President George Lagonia asked whether the courses would be grantable.

“Yes, but to rely on grants is tricky,” Gardner said. “It’s hard to find that niche.”

Grants would likely pay for supplies and materials, she said, but probably not for the teaching.

Some of the positions could be filled from within, she said. Agricultural courses do not fall into that category, however, Gardner said, since she’s the only one in the district certified in that area. But in drama, there’s a teacher “chomping at the bit” to teach courses, she said.

A drama course, she said, couldn’t replace a regular English course, but could replace another elective.

Asked by district resident Robert Piper how the courses were chosen without a survey of student interest, Gardner said the guidance counselors and committees of teachers picked them. For several years, she said, they have known there’s been a high interest in drama.

GED courses were not included, Gardner said, since they are already offered through BOCES.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, says he'll sleep in his office once in Washington, as if his new job were a military deployment."][/caption]U.S. Rep.-elect Chris Gibson plans to make his congressional office his home when in Washington D.C., eschewing paying rent on an apartment or house... and going along with his aides' description of his upcoming first term in office as being like the deployments he's faced as part of a 24-year military career. A Journal Register News Service story in today's Daily Freeman describes the continuing military jargon Gibson is using as he takes office next week after having defeated one-term Kirstin Gilllibrand fill-in Chris Murphy, who he bested by touting his military background and riding the national wave of anti-government rhetoric of the past year with a large amount of financial support from forces outside the state.

“He’s going to look at it as a deployment,” Dan Odescalchi, a spokesman for the Kinderhook Republican, joked about Gibson’s accommodations.

Beneath the joking, however, is some truth. Gibson invoked his military experience often on the path to winning his first elected office in November and portrayed himself, like many other successful Republicans across the nation, as a man on a mission to bring fiscal conservatism to Capitol Hill.

“He’s a guy who is going to Washington with his eyes wide open and who believes in his stump speech, which is less government is better government, less taxes are better than higher taxes,” Rensselaer County GOP Chairman Neil Kelleher said. “He believes it, and I think he’s going to do everything he can to make it happen, too.”

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Lafarge's quarry mining map, from Logimine.com."][/caption]In its attempts to recover from a greater-than-anticipated amount of public opposition at a pair of recent public hearings and information sessions on its plans to expand its Ravena cement plant facility, Lafarge Cement has been quick to point out the good it's been doing of late. In today's Daily Mail, a new story has appeared all about how the beleaguered company, which was also listed near the top of the federal Environmental Protection Agency's list of New York state polluters in a recent report, has been reclaiming its old quarries for eventual use as a public park. "While most know Lafarge focuses on digging out limestone out of its vast quarries and turning it into cement, few know of the company's behind-the-scenes restoration of the land once it's been mined to capacity," reads the story. "One example of their good stewardship is the recent reclaiming of seven and a half acres of previously mined land in the quarry."

Environmental Manager John Reagan said the land, covered with topsoil and planted with various indigenous plants will eventually become part of a public park. The 400 foot deep quarry produces 8,000,000 tons of limestone a year. According to Lafarge, that's enough "to fill the Empire State Building three times."

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Virgina Martin, in a photo from the Columbia County Democrat Party website."][/caption]Columbia County Democratic Commissioner of Elections Virginia Martin has been named “Election Integrity Hero” by the Election Transparency Coalition, a project of the International Humanities Center with an assembled group of non-profits and individuals that takes a strong stance against electronic vote-counting. The Register Star reports this morning that Martins was named for her efforts in orchestrating a hand count of all paper ballots cast in the 2010 general election and called a “treasured colleague” and championed for “leading her county to engage in the only full hand count of November’s election.” Similar handcounts in a Long Island race were ordered to be halted by a state Appeals Court judge last week, which gave the majority in the state Senate to the GOP after two years of Democrat control.

The Register Star reports:

Martin is no stranger to ETC, who have worked on the issue of election transparency for years, including several attorneys who have done pro bono work. They have followed, and laid groundwork for, a lawsuit filed by Nassau County with Columbia County declaring the state’s Election Reform and Modernization Act, the law that requires lever machines be replaced with electronic voting machines, unconstitutional.

An outspoken critic of ERMA who has spoken publicly and testified on the subject more than once, Martin has maintained the best thing New York can do for voters is give back their lever voting machines, and that electronic machines which use counting methods few can understand obstruct the election process and leave uncertainty surrounding election results.

“It would be the height of irresponsibility for me to certify results if I couldn’t understand, examine, or feel confident in the vote-counting mechanism employed,” she said in an interview with ETC. “And I have no reason to be confident about a software-based tabulation of secret ballots.”

“It was very generous of them to call me a hero,” Martin told the Register-Star. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m just doing my job, which is to make sure we put on a fair, secure, accurate election and provide the public with the highest degree of confidence possible.

“We try to do it as cost-effectively as we possibly can,” she continued. “There were many added expenses (mandated by ERMA) that we had no control over ... the overriding priority is making sure the elections are fair and accurate.”

The hand count, which wrapped up recently, cost $15,000 to $20,000 in county funding. Election results were certified locally on Wednesday.

Martin’s Republican counterpart, Commissioner Jason Nastke, has also expressed strong support for a hand count and strong feelings about bringing lever machines back to the election process. “I’m very grateful to Jason for taking the same stand on this as I have,” Martin said. “He believes it.”

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="Screen grab from Windham Mountain web cam."][/caption]Snow fell fluffy and fast and was being whipped by high winds. WTEN reports a foot of snow had fallen by 1 a.m. in Canaan and Hillsdale. In Cairo, only four inches had fallen by 2:30 a.m. Eastern sections of Columbia County saw the worst of the storm. National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement warning of heavy snow until 4 a.m. Dutchess County is under a Blizzard Warning until 5 p.m. Winter Storm Warning for Greene and Columbia counties continues until 5 p.m. Athens, Cairo, and Catskill in Greene County declared snow emergencies. Columbia County had 68 employees working Sunday night with 29 plow trucks out on the streets. WGXC monitored scanner reports throughout the evening, including minor car accidents or incidents in Copake, Livingston, and Germantown. The National Weather Service canceled its winter storm warning for the Mid-Hudson Valley, but announced a winter weather advisory will remain in effect until 7 a.m. Tuesday. The advisory is for strong winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, resulting in blowing and drifting snow. Driving could be hazardous. Columbia County issued a state of emergency, so no one should be driving there. Snow totals from Fox23:
Columbia County
•Kinderhook 21 inches
•North Chatham 20 inches
•Hillsdale 20 inches
•Ghent 20 inches
•Claverack 18 inches
Greene County
•East Jewett 15 inches
•Freehold 11 inches
•Cairo 8 inches
•Maplecrest 17 inches
•Greenville Center 11 inches
•Ashland 11 inches
Windham Mountain say they have 13 new inches of snow, and shot this video, which includes driving through the streets of Windham this morning:




Closings
TIMES-UNION reports COARC Adult Transportation, Columbia County: No transportation, staff report; Giving Tree Day Care Center, Catskill, closed.


Weather
SNOW Blowing everywhere.


Birthdays
DECEMBER 27: Marlene Dietrich, Cokie Roberts, and Sarah Vowell.

There's a Winter Storm Warning for Columbia and Greene counties until noon Monday, and this Weather.com map forecasts between a half-foot and a foot of snow falling in our area as a Nor'easter rides the coast. Earlier in the week, forecasters though the storm would be more off-shore, but now it is forecast slightly to the west, bringing more snow our way. The National Weather Service has the storm playing out this way (Catskill forecast):

•Sunday: Snow likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 27. North wind between 6 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
•Sunday Night: Snow and areas of blowing snow. Low around 19. Blustery, with a north wind between 17 and 24 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.
•Monday: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before noon, then a chance of snow between noon and 4pm, then a slight chance of snow after 4pm. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 27. Blustery, with a north wind around 25 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="211 Union Street, Hudson"][/caption]Carole Osterink's always lively and engaging Gossips of Rivertown captured the behind-the-scenes face of changing Hudson this past week with a pair of Christmas Eve posts that not only showed how a personalized blog can stay objective while maintaining personality, and the personal, but also some of the discussions centering the city's sense of self these days. On the one hand, there's a fine report about the final approval discussion for a facade change at 211 Union Street, the birthplace of General Wm. Worth, by Hudson's Historic Preservation Commission, including much talk about real versus Potemkin historic looks and the concept of "Garden State Brick" facades. The single brick wall proposed was ultimately approved despite the bloggers disapproval, it turns out, with much brought up for future discussions. Balancing the hyperlocal political is some good news of a highly personal nature: Osterink reports on a discussion she had with candymaker Jim Vasilow about what led him to pull his Toffee Pistachios for the season... as well as how he plans to get them back into his historic Vasilow's Confectioners by February. For this full bon bon of a blog, click HERE...

Over 30 people came out Christmas Day for the second annual free holiday dinner at the Catskill Community Center, where a handful of volunteers dished out a good time, and a sumptuous meal, for those in need -- or just needing some community cheer -- this holiday season. Today's Daily Mail reports that for the second year in a row, the Center joined with volunteers and local merchants to make sure everyone had a hot, delicious meal on Christmas Day. The meal was open to anyone in the community who needed a helping hand, didn't want to spend the day alone or just wanted to celebrate with others in their community.

The recently-upgraded Community Center, on Main Street, will serve as the home for WGXC-FM's launch events in January, as well as a future home for the new station's Catskill studio.

"Today we are serving Christmas dinner for anyone in the community who wants to stop by and enjoy some company," said Kellie Darling, director of the Catskill Community Center.

Over 30 people turned out to share a meal, which included turkey, ham, baked ziti, salad, vegetables and other side dishes. And no one could bypass the dessert table on their way out.

All food was donated by local merchants, individuals and members of the Center's board of directors.

The tradition was started last year when a small group said they wanted to do something nice for the community during the holidays.

"Last year, some local merchants said they wanted to give back to the community but they didn't know what to do," Darling said. "We put our heads together and came up with this dinner. Last year we had such a wonderful turnout that I decided we should do it again this year."

"The community center is here for everyone in this community," she continued. "It's a nice feeling to know we can provide something for the community that they might not otherwise have had today."

A handful of volunteers turned out to serve up a good time on Christmas Day, including members of the National Junior Honor Society from Catskill Middle School.

"I wanted to help people in my community," student Rachel Wagman said. "I wanted to serve food to people and I found out I could do it here, so I volunteered."

"I felt like helping people and this is a great time of year to do that - that's what Christmas is all about," student Abbey Schultz added.

While the students volunteered as individuals - it wasn't a project the Honor Society asked them to do - several from the group decided doing a good deed was how they wanted to spend their Christmas. "I saw this in an ad and I called the Community Center," student Uma Kalsoom said. "I like to volunteer and my friend Abbey was doing it so we decided to volunteer together."

Art Klein, co-owner of Functional Sculpture in Catskill, was one of the original driving forces behind the dinner, which is fast becoming an annual tradition.

"This was something I had wanted to do for years," Klein said. "I mentioned it to my wife and she loved the idea, so we spoke to our friend, Hudson Talbott, who got in touch with the board of the Catskill Community Center. They liked the idea and turned it over to Kellie, and this is our second year doing it. It gives the community a sense of unity, fellowship and love, and it's a great sharing."

All leftovers from the meal, according to Klein's wife, Pat Feinman, will be donated to a Catskill halfway house for women. The goal, volunteers said, was to make sure everyone had some way to spend the holiday.

"This is a time of giving," volunteer Kathleen Regan said. "It should be something we do year-long because there are senior citizens, children, and they all get to sit together and enjoy one another."