State Assembly passes Wage Theft Protection Act
The New York State Assembly passed the Wage Theft Prevention Act (S8380/Savino - A11726/Heastie) Monday (the state's website does not yet list the vote, but this press release claims it passed by a two-to-one margin). The bill, which protects workers by mandating minimum wages, and ensuring employers cannot use various schemes that result in underpayment of wages, according to the press release from the New York State Senate, which is controlled by the Democrats who passed the bill. The bill now heads to Governor Paterson's desk for a signature. Local Assembly representatives Peter Lopez, Marc Molinaro, and Tim Gordon all voted against the measure.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="328" caption="From ColumbiaPage.com"][/caption]Ghent fire house under construction
ColumbiaPage.com, the site for Columbia County volunteer firefighters, has an update, and photos, from Ghent: "Construction continues on the Ghent Volunteer Fire Company #1 on State Route 66. The work is being done by Hills Construction. Don Hills Jr. operates the lift as he and his crew place roof trusses."




Flood watch and wind advisory
A Wind Advisory (through 1 p.m. Wed.) has been added to a Flood Watch (through 10 a.m. Thur.) for both Greene and Columbia counties. Up to four inches of rain is possible. Information here.

Democrat concedes in Buffalo state Senate contest
Michael Gormley of the Associated Press reports for Fox23 and other outlets that New York State Senate Democrat Antoine Thompson conceded defeat Tuesday to Republican Mark J. Grisanti in the 60th state Senate District in Buffalo. Two other elections are still undecided: "Recounts continue for the seats held by Democratic Sen. Craig Johnson of Nassau County, who trails Republican Jack Martins by over 400 votes, and Westchester Democrat Suzi Oppenheimer, who's up about 300 votes over Republican Bob Cohen," Gormley reports. If both go Republican, then the GOP controls the Senate 32-30, like the Democrats currently rule there. If the two races split as the count currently indicate, the body will be tied 31-31, with new Democrat Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy breaking the deadlock. Gormley says Republicans plan a legal challenge to that tie-breaking procedure in court. Locally, since Republicans Steve Saland and James Seward represent the area, GOP control of the Senate would mean more access to pork for local projects.

Seward in Greene County Thursday
State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) will be in Greene County, Thursday, December 2 at 3:30 p.m. at Kaaterskill Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 161 Jefferson Heights, Catskill, for their annual tree lighting ceremony. Seward will also visit the Greene County Chamber of Commerce annual holiday happy hour at 5 p.m. at Rip Van Winkle Country Club, 3200 Route 23A, Palenville.

Birthdays

December 1 birthdays include Richard Pryor, Billy Paul, and Lou Rawls.

ALBANY - Cathleen Crowley of the Albany Times Union has a story this morning about a new study about the safety of fertility treatments that will involve thousands of infants in the great Capitol region as researchers from the University at Albany and the state Department of Health work with 6,500 babies and their mothers in upstate New York for one of the largest studies of its kind. The project, dubbed "Upstate Kids," will determine whether treatments for infertility cause developmental problems, including cerebral palsy, autism, blindness, hearing impairments and neurological deficits. Researchers will also look at the effects of environmental exposures to substances such as PCBs, pesticides and Bisphenol-A.

About a quarter of the babies in the study were conceived with the help of fertility treatments, and 75 percent of the higher-order births (triplets or higher) used in vitro fertilization. More than 1,000 sets of twins and 46 sets of triplets or higher are enrolled in the study, which is being conducted in partnership with researchers at National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, is funded by a four-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.


"As a mother, I hope we will not find associations," said Erin Bell, an epidemiologist at UAlbany's School of Public Health and a principal researcher on Upstate Kids. "As a scientist, if we do, it gives us a clue about what we can do for interventions."

About a quarter of the babies in the study were conceived with the help of fertility treatments, and 75 percent of the higher-order births (triplets or higher) used in vitro fertilization.

More than 1,000 sets of twins and 46 sets of triplets or higher are enrolled in the study.

"Multiples, because of their risk of being born pre-terms, are at higher risk for development delays and other developmental effects," Bell said.

Smaller studies have shown an increase in birth defects and developmental delays -- although not autism -- among IVF children, Bell said.

"The smaller studies are very informative, but they are not definitive," said professor Lawrence Schell, a human biologist at UAlbany's School of Public Health. Schell is a colleague of Bell's, but not an investigator on the study.

"The Upstate Kids project is fantastic because it is broad and it is deep," he said. "It is broad in the extent of the environmental factors it is considering as influences on childhood growth and development, and at the same time it is following kids for several years."

Those environmental factors include the mother's age, reproductive history, use of fertility treatments and exposure to toxins.

"The fertility issue is a big one because there are so many more women who are using some kind of assisted reproductive technology," Schell said. "If these technologies are associated with a greater or lesser risk of some developmental problems, we need to know that."

Throughout the study, mothers will run simple screening tests on their children to assess their growth, development, and social and motor skills. A unique part of this project is that children who have developmental problems will get treatment and therapy.

The families have also agreed to allow the researchers to use the blood sample from the newborn's heel stick -- mandatory blood tests done in the hospital to check for specific diseases -- to test for the presence of environmental toxins that may have been passed on to the infant.

The study, which is being conducted in partnership with researchers at National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, is funded by a four-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project has enough funding to follow the children until age 3. Studying the children at school age would allow researchers to better assess the behavior and ability to speak, but Bell said she wouldn't mind seeing them into adulthood.

"We'd like to follow them for as long as we can," Bell said.

ALBANY -- The Ithaca Journal reports this morning that the State Assembly approved a temporary moratorium on natural gas drilling as part of its special session on Monday night, Nov. 29, placing a hold on hydraulic fracturing until May 15 by augmenting a similar moratorium bill passed by the state Senate several months ago. The measure passed 93 - 43 and must now go to Gov. David Paterson for his signature before the end of December.

Locally, Republicans Pete Lopez and Marc Molinaro voted for the moratorium, and outgoing Independent Tim Gordon voted against the bill.

Because the bill was not on Paterson's agenda, the Assembly had to gavel into a "regular" session in order to take up additional items not on the discussion list of budget cutting matters, all left unresolved, that the governor had set the session to deal with.

Incoming Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he wants to wait for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its report on the drilling method before allowing any permits to be approved. Also pending, but not expected until year's end, is a state Department of Environmental Conservation study of the controversial drilling method, which downstaters and Democrats tended to vote against, based on environmental fears for the state's water supplies, while Republicans and many other upstaters said should be given a chance for economic development reasons.

Breathe a sigh of relief, for now, but be prepared for this one to race back into the headlines come the Spring.

For the full story, click HERE.

CAIRO - Doron Tyler Antrim reports in today's Catskill Daily Mail that the town of Cairo, where WGXC will be maintaining one of its studios, as well as its transmission tower, is moving ahead towards creation of its first-ever zoning ordinance -- making it something of a beacon for a number of other municipalities in Columbia and Greene counties still looking to codify its land use planning systems. The commission that has proposed what many are calling a residential-centric law announced this week that they are extending the public comment period for the proposed zoning law ro January 10, 2011, and plan to hold their first public work session today.

Today's session will focus on comments that have come in on a draft plan so far, including several from the town's planning board, criticisms from a local realtor, and other laments about what is being called a dearth of commercial zoning in the town. There were also kudos for the work being done. The commission’s first work session tonight, Nov. 30, is set for 6 p.m. today at Gallagher’s Banquet Hall.



It was anticipated the commission would set a date for its public hearing during Tuesday’s meeting, but officials say that will be postponed as the commission takes time to responds to the comments.

The zoning law was unveiled Nov. 4 during a public meeting in Cairo Town Hall.

The release of the plan caps a three-year effort to provide business owners, builders and residents with clear rules governing development.

The “rural-oriented” law divides Cairo into several residential, hamlet and commercial/mixed-use districts that call for specific uses and densities. Homes and home-based businesses are allowed in all districts, but business growth within the town will be centralized in the five hamlet districts, along Cairo’s Main Street and in commercial districts along Routes 23, 145 and 32.

The seven-member zoning commission has met regularly for more than three years to draw up the law. During that time, it also drafted amendments to the town site plan law, which were adopted earlier this year.

Following the zoning commission’s public hearing, which could come in January or February, it will hand the law to the town board. The town board must then schedule its own hearing.

Copies of the law and zoning maps are on file in town hall and the public library at 512 Main Street. All the documents, as well as the public comments, can be accessed online at www.planningbetterplaces.com/cairo.

Written comments or questions can be sent c/o The Cairo Zoning Commission to P.O. Box 922, Cairo N.Y. 12431.

For the full story click HERE...

The Daily Mail and Register-Star are running a comprehensive story by Hilary Hawke this morning on a newly released Health Consultation that starts to evaluate the impact of the Lafarge Cement plant emissions on community health in its home town of Ravena, as well as communities surrounding and across the river from its lower Albany County location..

Sparked by concerns expressed by Community Advocates for Safe Emissions, the DOH, in conjunction with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is conducting a Public Health Assessment on communities potentially impacted by the plant to evaluate whether the chemicals released are harmful.

The newly released document, known as a Phase 1 Health Consultation, summarizes “all available environmental data and information about the cement plant over its 48 years of operation and completion of an exposure evaluation.”

According to the HC, “exposures to cement plant-related contaminants in other environmental media (public drinking water, groundwater, soil, on-site cement kiln dust, surface water, sediment or fish) are not expected.”

"Although cement kiln dust exists on the Lafarge property, the HC states people in the community are unlikely to contact it," Hawke writes. "The report also states that neither the Coeymans Creek nor fish in nearby waterways contain cement plant-related contaminants."

Phase two, the actual Public Health Assessment, will include evaluation of possible exposures to chemicals from the cement plant through the pathways identified in the HC.

If the PHA indicates “some areas around the plant may have air contaminant levels above health comparison values” the DOH could evaluate health outcome data on a smaller geographic scale.

The DOH gathered HOD including respiratory and cardiovascular disease hospitalizations, perinatal health outcomes and elevated blood lead levels in children.

CASE has reported that there were several community residents suffering from the rare cancer Ewings sarcoma.

But the HC states, “We have been unable to verify these cases and have asked CASE for more information.”

It also found “the number of cases of childhood cancer is small.”

The public comment period on the report, which seems designed to spur a split in the already divided greater community, continues until February 15, 2011.

Stay tuned as this one unwraps...

For full story, click HERE.

CATSKILL - Colin DeVries in The Daily Mail today catches up with a report that first was mentioned in the Greenville Pioneer -- that state Department of Environmental Conservation officials are continuing their investigation into a sheriff’s officer who allegedly shot at a Cairo man multiple times on hunting season’s opening day.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said Monday investigators are looking into potential violations connected with Greene County Jail Lt. Kenneth Leis, who was reported to have fired multiple shots at a fellow hunter.

The hunter, Robert Warrings of Round Top, was allegedly shot at while tracking a bear he had recently hit around 10 a.m. on Nov. 20, said DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren.

Warrings reported to investigators that bullets “whizzed by his head” and that a bullet went through his backpack, said Wren.

Warrings also told investigators he had confronted Leis following the incident. Leis told Warrings he was aiming at a fisher nearby, Wren said last week.



Last Monday, DEC investigators reported they had not yet located Leis.

Wren said Monday that Leis has not been formally charged in the incident but an investigation is ongoing.

Wren could not comment further on the details — whether DEC officers had confronted Leis about the incident, or what firearm information was being used in their investigation — due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation.

Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley, who is in charge of the county jail, said Monday he had discussed the incident with Leis and was awaiting the conclusion of the DEC investigation.

Seeley stressed that Leis did not violate any policies or procedures of the sheriff’s office and he was not being disciplined or reprimanded at this time.

“This was strictly a hunting incident and no criminal intent was involved,” he said.

Seeley said he was eager to see what the DEC investigation concludes.

He also wanted to remind local hunters to be careful in the forests of Greene County and be vigilant before discharging firearms.

Leis, who was promoted to jail lieutenant about five months ago, Seeley said, did not return calls made to his home Monday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch effective late tonight through early Thursday morning for an area that includes our portion of the Hudson Valley and surrounding hills and mountains.

Rainfall is expected to start over the region this afternoon and will be heavy at times through Wednesday. Rainfall of 1-3 inches is expected, with 2-4 inches possible across higher terrain and as much as 5 inches possible in some areas.

Sharp rises of water levels are expected in smaller rivers and streams, with major river stems expected to have some minor flooding beginning late Wednesday.

A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. Residents should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

The call for tomorrow is cloudy with heavy rain and strong gusty winds at times. Thunder is possible and the high is expected to be around 56F.

Thursday is predicted to be clear and seasonable.

WGXC's Joan Geitz and Alan Skerrett attended the special Hudson board meeting Monday, and made an mp3 recording you can listen to by clicking here. Or copy and paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/11/HudsonSpecialSchoolBoardmtg.mp3

Press reports from meeting:
From WTEN:

"If two principals can't get along, how are students supposed to get along? That's the question many parents and staff members asked Monday night at an emergency school board meeting for the Hudson City School District. Last week, high school co-principals Thomas Gavin and Steven Spicer got into an argument during a school board meeting. Most staff and parents and administration want to put last week's fight in the past and shift the focus back to the students, where it belongs. 'At some point, it needs to become confidential. That's what we tell our students: keep your personal issues out of the building,' said a teacher at the high school. Steven Spicer sat quietly during the emergency meeting. He was able to keep his position as principal, while Gavin now will work in a district office. Superintendent John Howe briefly touched on the topic, but told the crowd he'd deal with 'personnel issues' behind closed doors. The public comment portion of the meeting focused on another huge concern -- the 13 fights in the high school this year. 'The parents in this school district, need to get off their rump and take a little responsibility and try helping and guiding their children,' said Robert Rockler, the high school safety officer. Possible ways to combat fighting and bullying in the schools were outlined, including peer mediation, instituting a re-entry plan for suspended students, the use of behavior contracts and improving and building community and parental support. Superintendent Howe started off the meeting saying if talk could solve all these problems, there wouldn't be any. He's hoping to implement some of the suggestions that everyone talked about and have an update at the next meeting, scheduled for December 13."

"Packed house at JLE five minutes before meeting set to begin. Four of seven board members present."

"How many ways can our small city be divided? There's 'old Hudson' and the newcomers. There's the south side and the north side. There's black and white. There are the perceived 'rich' and the poor and working class. But tonight at the special meeting of the Board of Education, two new ways to divide us emerged. On the one hand, there are those who think Steven Spicer is a gentle and humane leader and should be the principal of the high school; on the other, those who think Tom Gavin is fair and well-respected and should be the principal of the high school. And then there are those who believe, like Bill Hallenbeck who is one, that the fact that HCSD is the only school district in Columbia County with 'safety officers' (retired law enforcement officers who seem to be a combination of truant officer, EMT, and riot police) is something to be proud of, and those who think, as Alan Skerrett does, that 'if we're the only school district in Columbia County with safety officers, there's something wrong.' Which side are you on?"

"As of Monday, Spicer remains the high school’s principal for instruction, while Antonio Abitabile, the Junior High assistant principal, is acting associate principal, with Gavin working in the District Office, according to Howe. Gavin’s duties, said Howe, are commiserate with his tenure area and experience, that is, 'in the discipline area.' Howe went on to say that they were 'evaluating his status daily.' On several occasions during Monday’s meeting partisan feelings concerning the co-principals rose to the surface, with one Hudson High School student presenting the board with a petition to bring Gavin back to the high school.... At one point during the meeting Board president Emil Meister cut board member Peter Meyer off. Meyer had been speaking about implementing a district task force to look at school violence. Meister told Meyer that the discussion was over and quipped about keeping a microphone out of Meyer’s hands. This was addressed by several people, including Kelly Frank who told the board she wasn’t surprised by the way the high school students acted based on the board members’ behavior. Another action by three board members also drew the public’s ire. After returning from executive session the board quickly voted to end the meeting. Meyer asked that they reconvene so they could discuss the creation of the task force, but Meister, Mary Daly and Elizabeth Fout instead left the building. Meyer then asked the remaining members to reconvene the meeting. Peter Merante and Peter Rice voted yes, but Jeff Otty voted no. All four members would have had to vote in the affirmative to reconvene. Instead the members stayed, as did Howe, to answer questions. 'They walked out on the community,' commented Kelly [Frank] of the three board members who left."

Debora Gilbert's article in The Columbia Paper is titled "Some supes voice second thoughts on voucher change" yet only notes one supervisor with such an opinion. Clearly, though, Democratic election commissioner Virgina Martin voices many second thoughts in the article that details how a recent motion by Leo Pulcher (R-Stockport) changed the requirement that pay vouchers for part-time election workers be signed by commissioners from both major parties; now the vouchers require only one signature. The articles details how Republican elections commissioner Jason Nastke, "promoted the resolution without her knowledge." Mr. Pulcher told The Columbia Paper that the resolution was introduced because, "workers had not yet been paid for the primary elections in September. He said the change would help expedite payments and represent a return to a practice used in the past." Nastke could not be reached by The Columbia Paper for comment.

“None of us were too happy, especially in the Democrat Caucus, that it was pulled over like this,” said Ray Staats (D), supervisor of Clermont, the one supe to voice a second thought on the voucher change. It seems odd for the quick alteration, since this comes 11 months after Ms. Martin and Hudson Democratic Party Chair Victor Mendolia (a WGXC programmer) found irregularities in payments to election workers that:

"included disparities between workers for the two parties with identical job descriptions. They also found changes in amounts and obvious attempts to block out original figures. The irregularities go back to 2008. Ms. Martin and Mr. Mendolia found the documents in the wake of the departure of Democratic Deputy Election Commissioner Geeta Cheddie, now a Hudson Alderwoman. Up until that time, deputy election commissioners had routinely signed pay vouchers using the name of the commissioner from their party. The practice of having two commissioners sign vouchers went into effect last summer, according to Ms. Martin. 'It's the taxpayers' money, they have a right to know and be confident that we are spending it only when necessary. It's important we make sure people are paid what is fair and that county tax payers don't pay a penny more than is necessary,' Ms. Martin said in a statement issued earlier this year."

Perry picked for Taconic Hills school board
Christine Perry was chosen to fill the vacant seat on the Taconic Hills School Board at a meeting last Wednesday, according to the board's website. Perry becomes a replacement for John Mastropolo, who resigned in September. Usually, voters decide on school board officials, but this time the board took over the entire process, making all decisions in executive session. The board picked between Perry, Sally Williamson, and Joan Spencer. In a story about this issue, John Mason in the Register-Star writes, "According to Robert Freeman of the state Committee on Open Government, the only court decision dealing with how school boards may select new members found that such decisions should be made in open, not closed, session." Perry's seat will be decided by voters again in May 2011.

Ravitch has low opinion of Capitol press coverage
Casey Seiler in Capitol Confidential reports on the interview between host Susan Arbetter of the “The Capitol Pressroom” (which will air live Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. on WGXC) and Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch. The outgoing Lt. Gov. told Arbetter that too much coverage of state government was devoted to scandals and “gotcha” journalism, at the cost of a more complete look at pressing problems such as infrastructure decay and the fiscal troubles affecting the state and nation. Ravitch, for instance, said more ink/bytes had been devoted to former Sen. Hiram Monserrate's antics than to the actual state budget. “What the media does by putting so much emphasis on the misdeeds of very few is to create a culture in which going into politics isn’t attractive,” he said.

Central Hudson cleanup video
Albany-based television station YNN is hosting a video from Central Hudson showing their experiments in cleaning the Hudson River. From YNN, but sounding like it came straight from a press release: "Crews were hard a work using a crane to pull the two ton mats off the river floor. Central Hudson says the mats have been in the river for more than a year and says they are testing them to see how well the mats trap contaminants that have made it into the river from the company's old Manufactured Gas Plant site. The plant closed in 1972 and the site is on the Poughkeepsie waterfront. The company says they expect the project to last until the end of the month."

Skiing this weekend?
WGXC reported Friday that Windham Mountain began making snow last weekend, and both Hunter Mountain and Catamount Ski in Hillsdale in Columbia County report they will begin snowmaking after this week's rain passes. Hunter and Windham hope to be open this weekend.

Birthdays
Nov. 30 birthdays include Mark Twain, G. Gordon Liddy, and Abbie Hoffman.

Hudson School District special Board of Education meeting
Mon., Nov. 29 7 p.m. at John L. Edwards Primary School agenda. Meeting in cafeteria.
[* indicates a need for Board action)
1.0 Pledge of Allegiance
2.0 Call to Order
3.0 *Acceptance of Agenda
4.0 Presentation 4.1.1 Discussion of Safety Issues at Hudson High School
5.0 Public Forum
6.0 *Executive Session (Discussion of Employment/Employment History of a Particular Person(s))
7.0 *Adjournment

Veteran state commentator Fred LeBrun of the Times Union has a strong piece about both the chances of approval for Governor Paterson's last-ditch attempt to get a casino approved in Sullivan County, despite federal antipathy to the idea, as well as the implications of what he terms a "Hail Mary" economic development move. Save it for incoming Governor Andrew Cuomo, LeBrun says, while noting that similar attempts to bring gambling to the region have failed since Cuomo 1 a quarter century ago.

Read the entire piece... and then hold off on this story for a few months, at least. Did anyone mention that this may be a diversion of some sort?



Catskills casino deal a bad bet
Fred LeBrun Commentary
Published: 05:00 a.m., Monday, November 29, 2010

About the best thing that can be said for Governor Paterson's surprise announcement of a $700 million casino deal in the Catskills with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans is that the chances of it materializing are in the realm of when pigs fly.

That said, given the blossoming state of genetic recombination that's already given us Dolly the cloned sheep, we can't rule out the chance a particularly gifted hog may yet pursue a career in aviation. That's a worry.

But this casino and the hog face roughly the same odds, the longest of long shots.

And as far as the casino goes, that's a good thing.

Where to begin on why this is such a lousy idea? First and foremost, consider the source; actually, the sources.

The last thing an ethically challenged governor like David Paterson should be doing is making deals of any kind with anybody as he's walking out the door. The inspector general savaged him and his top lieutenants for their handling of the Aqueduct gaming bid process, and that's only one of several negative ethical evaluations Paterson has gotten in his brief tenure as governor.

Frankly, he hasn't got the moral standing at this point to make a gambling deal on behalf of the state. He should have passed it all off to the next governor, who does have that standing. There are so many complicated land claims and counterclaims, and proposed casinos by a half-dozen tribes more or less on the table at the same time that to strike impulsively, as he has, is to invite paralysis rather than resolution of a very complicated process. A resolution that has eluded governors all the way back to Cuomo I.

The other source to consider is the Stockbridge-Munsees. They brought their rather tenuous land claim a whopping 24 years ago. Until now, it wasn't taken all that seriously by the state or other tribes. What Paterson's people have done is elevate the Wisconsin-based tribe's land claims above others far more deserving as a matter of strategic convenience to attempt an end run around prevailing federal rules. Approval of where an Indian casino is located has been entirely in the hands of Congress or the U.S. Department of the Interior. For the feds to willingly give up this authority to individual states, which is what New York is attempting through a land-claim settlement, is up there with the pigs again.

Then again, why do we want to give a franchise to print money to a Wisconsin-based tribe in the first place? That makes no sense at all.

Now, I make no bones about being a steadfast opponent of the glib notion that a casino will save the Catskills' economy. This is Hail Mary economics at its worst. For me, the downsides of casinos preying on the poor and those eager for a quick fix outweigh the attractions of the money spigot that beguiles the shortsighted politician. On moral grounds, I think we invite more problems than we solve.

Sure, there's that great big New York City market to tap into, just dripping with disposable income.

But I thought we just approved, after an overly long and embarrassing process, an elaborate gaming deal at Aqueduct to relieve the Gothamites of their loose change. I have no special fondness for the Aqueduct crowd either, but aren't we betting against ourselves with the Catskill deal?

What I'm getting at is that we have yet to see a holistic state gaming plan that would put all of our casino and gaming aspirations into some understandable perspective. The Legislature, remember, in all its wisdom, approved three casinos for the Catskills. We certainly have enough experience with casinos in this state to answer questions such as, does the local economy really rebound from their presence as advocates claim? How much money does the state really collect? Can we do better? What are the best deals other states have made with their gambling tribes? What are the real problems casinos create for their surrounding geography?

If this were any other comparable business about to be franchised by the state, we'd have a business plan, a social impact plan and a thorough environmental assessment.

Instead, we know squat about what we can expect, from this proposal and the inevitable proposals to come. The vision of easy money mesmerizes governments even more than addicted gamblers.

A big reason I wish Paterson had left this alone is that Andrew Cuomo will be 10 times smarter about dealing with this issue. He is inclined to create broad-based commissions to lay the foundation for policy, before making any deals. That's exactly what's need with casinos in the Catskills.

Just a few years ago, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer signed a similar deal for a Catskills casino with the Mohawks from up north. Like the current proposal with the Mohicans, the tribe in question never had a reservation anywhere near the proposed casino site. So the Spitzer-Mohawk deal stalled. Such proximity has been a condition of granting a casino by the feds in the past, and I can only hope that will continue to be the case.

At least until we can get our act together.

Contact Fred LeBrun at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.

The Times Union's Capitol Connection reports, among much conjecture about the state legislature's lame duck session starting behind closed doors this morning, that Congressman-elect Chris Gibson has named the man who ran his campaign in pivotal Saratoga County, Clifton Park's Steve Bulger, as his district director.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="275" caption="Steve Bulger"][/caption]
Bulger is the second campaign aide Gibson has hired for the payroll; he named Mark Westcott as his regional representative for the northern counties of the district. Steve Stallmer, previously of the General Contractors Association and a veteran of the late Rep. Jerry Solomon's staff, will be Gibson’s chief of staff.

Bulger is a father of three and has worked in medical manufacturing for the last 20 years, most recently for the Stryker Corporation. He currently chairs the Clifton Park Planning Board.



Happy quotes from the press release:

“Steve Bulger is a great example of a citizen dedicated to selflessly improving our community. His volunteerism has already made a difference in countless lives and I’m honored and proud to have him serve as my District Director,” said Gibson. “He has demonstrated an ability to work with all people and has shown compassion and empathy for their struggles and challenges. Steve’s dedication to his fellow man and his superior organizational and business skills will serve our constituents well.”

“I was attracted early on by Chris’s dedication to service and immediately knew that he would make an excellent Congressman. He served our nation for 24 years in the military, taught at West Point, earned a PhD and serves as a great example to future generations of what someone can achieve in this great country,” Bulger said. “The more time I spent with him, the more impressed I became. It is an enormous honor to join his team and become his District Director.”

Various papers today, including the Catskill Daily Mail and Hudson Register-Star, are running an Associated Press story by Michael Virtanen on New York state's initiation of a new electronic data base for quick use by police, their dispatchers and later by prosecutors and researchers that lists domestic incident reports in 57 counties.

The state Division of Criminal Justice Services should have it operating by April, said acting Commissioner Sean Byrne - a Greene County native. New York City already has a similar data base.



Byrne said the detailed reports, about 175,000 each year, will be input and cross-referenced so they can be quickly researched by computer. Police should be able to identify past incidents by address or by those involved, even if they were not arrested before or have moved from another jurisdiction.

"Domestic violence is a serial crime, and it is a series of acts that often escalates in severity," Byrne said. "And so it is a matter of victim safety, and of officer safety that they know this information when they're responding to the call."

The state already has a data base maintained by the court system for about 2 million orders of protection. Family courts, criminal courts and state Supreme Courts can all issue them, and violating one is grounds for arrest. The incident reports represent a larger body of information, Byrne said.

DCJS data on domestic violence in 2009, including homicides by intimate partners, showed most victims were women.

In Albany County, for example, the agency counted 2,527 domestic violence victims last year, 1,632 women hurt by a partner, 327 men hurt by a partner, and 568 people who were victims of other family members. Totals included 2,070 assaults, 228 aggravated assaults, 210 violations of orders of protection and 19 sex offenses.

DCJS reported that state courts issued 262,327 orders of protection last year, up 21 percent from a year earlier. State law in 2008 allowed intimate partners — including dating, teenage and same-sex couples — to seek civil orders of protection against abusers.

There were 130 domestic homicides reported last year statewide, with 89 by intimate partners and 41 by other family members.

Average retail gasoline prices in New York have risen 0.7 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.13 per gallon Sunday. This compares with the national average, which has fallen 1.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.85, according to gasoline price website NewYorkStateGasPrices.com.

Including the change in gas prices in New York during the past week, prices Sunday were 29.9 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 13.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 5 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 22.6 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.

Mid-Hudson and Capital region gas prices range from a high of $3.11 to $3.13 per gallon in the City of Albany and $3.11 near Thruway exit 21 in Catskill to $3.09 elsewhere in Greene County and most of Rensselaer County, an average $3.03 and low of $2.99 in Columbia County, and under $3.00, between $2.89 and $2.95, in Massachusetts.

Murphy still busy as terms nears end
Debora Gilbert in The Columbia Paper has an interview with outgoing Congressman Scott Murphy who says he is most proud of visiting every one of the 137 towns and cities in his district during his abbreviated term (he is pictured at one of those meeting's last March in Coxsackie). "He also held 150 healthcare town-hall-style meetings," the article says, though that is clearly not true (that would be one meeting every three or so days, and without counting those 137 town meetings that would be impossible.) “I helped get money for bridges, high speed Internet and broadband. I enjoyed listening and learning, and working to access federal support for people," Murphy mused, saying he was not sure what he would do next. "We helped with loan programs, grants for fire departments for equipment and materials. We worked to reform Wall Street so that never again will Main Street have to bail out Wall Street. We worked to make the economy stronger at both levels, micro and macro.”

Kentucky horse farm expands into NY
Robin K. Cooper in The Business Review reports Vinery Ltd., a Kentucky-based thoroughbred breeding and racing farm, has taken over Empire Stud farm at 5384 Route 9H-23 in Hudson. The company also operates a farm and training track in Florida. Empire Stud currently employs eight.

WIOX starts webcasting
WIOX, the new full-power non-commercial radio station based in Roxbury, New York, now has its webstream up and running.

Double duty
Fred Rosen in The Daily Freeman writes about Brian Daniels, one of several associate commissioners in the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, directing the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped and an ordained rabbi, leading Temple Israel of Catskill, 55 miles away from Saratoga County, where he lives with his wife and children. “We are a Reform Jewish congregation and our wish is to fulfill the spiritual needs of Jewish people of all ages in Greene County and its environs,” Daniels told Rosen. “We fulfill this through emphasizing the principles of our sacred tradition, including welcoming the stranger, celebrating joyous moments together, providing comfort and sharing in grief during moments of sadness and, just as importantly, fulfilling the expectations set forth by our teachings, which have been inspired by God, whose presence we welcome and feel through our communal pursuits.”

Birthdays
Nov. 29 birthdays include Christian Doppler, C.S. Lewis, and James Rosenquist.

[caption id="attachment_4368" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="NAPA Auto Parts store in Catskill on former site of Catskill Chrome Plating Company and later a Superfund site. "][/caption]

Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reported last week that a residential property on Cauterskill Road in Catskill may be taken off the state Superfund list in January, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. "Records show the former property owners to be Patricia and Paul Helmadach, who once owned the Catskill Chrome Plating Company on West Bridge Street," Antrim wrote. "That site was listed as a federal Superfund site until March 2007. The half-acre property, located at 5040-5048 Cauterskill Road, was used for the storage and disposal of plating solutions and untreated sludges from the mid 1980s until 1993, according to DEC records. Soil samples showed significant levels of cadmium, chromium and cyanide contamination." Google maps (View Larger Map) show 5040 Cauterskill Road is perhaps the location -- it is within a mile of Kaaterskill Creek. Antrim's story says the cleanup there took five years with 2,000 cubic yards of soil removed, costing $385,000.



According to the DEC the plating solutions and sludges found at the home came from the Helmedach-owned Catskill Chrome Plating Company, located on West Bridge Street where NAPA Auto Parts is, a short distance from the Price Chopper where many in this community purchase their food. That location, according to the article, became an Environmental Protection Agency-administered Superfund site after the plating company closed in 1993. DEC records say residual plating waste of acids and caustic liquids were left in open vats. Disposal areas for chromium and cyanide plating sludge were also discovered outside the building. Work there cleaning up that site was completed in November 2005 and the site was taken off the Superfund list in 2007, according to the article. This listing of New York State Superfund sites does not mention the Cauterskill Road location, but does mention the plating company and a few other sites in Greene and Columbia counties. Public comments on the Cauterskill Road property can be made until the end of the year before its removal from the Superfund January 31, 2011. To comment write to: Michael Mason, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Environmental Remediation, Remedial Bureau E, 625 Broadway, Albany N.Y. 12233. Mason can be contacted at 518-402-9814 or at mamason@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Catskill
CATSKILL CATSKILL CHROME PLATING INC 370 WEST BRIDGE STREET NYD085751667
CATSKILL CATSKILL TIRE FIRE RT 9 & BOULVEVARD AVENUE NYD986882637
CATSKILL CENTRAL HUDSON G & E /CATSKILL GAS WATER ST NYD980531826
CATSKILL CFG YACHT CO MAIN ST NYD980528376
Cairo
CAIRO GREENE CTY LF EAST OF ROSS RULAND NYD980506695
SOUTH CAIRO AMERICAN THERMOSTAT CO RTE 23 B NYD002066330
Coxsackie
COXSACKIE AMERICAN VALVE 170 MANSION ST NYD002069573
Durham
DURHAM (T) DURHAM-GREENVILLE LF STATE RTE 145 NYD980508188
Surprise
SURPRISE ROYAL METALS PRODUCTS WEST ROAD NYD002079374

Columbia County
Chatham
CHATHAM COLUMBIA CORP LF NY RTE 295 NYD002063147
Claverack
TOWN OF CLAVERACK CLAVERACK LANDFILL SNYDER TOWN ROAD NYD986886075
Hudson
HUDSON HUDSON COAL TAR RIVER STREET NYD987039104

Between the counties
UNKNOWN HUDSON RIVER MIDDLE OF THE RIVER NYD982540205

Carrie Jones Ross of The Kingston Times has a story about proposed changes to New York State's divorce laws, the last in the nation with no “no-fault” grounds.

"Starting Oct. 12, a sixth 'ground' was added to the acceptable reasons for breaking the legal marriage pact. Formerly in New York, couples seeking divorce were forced to cite specific, humiliating reasons: cruel and inhuman treatment, abandonment, adultery, living separate or apart pursuant to a legal separation or living separate or apart pursuant to a separation agreement," Ross writes. "The law which went into effect last month added to that list 'irretrievable breakdown for six months,' meaning that for six months or more it just hasn’t 'worked out.' The new revision’s proponents say this means that one person no longer needs to accept the blame for the marriage’s collapse, and possibly have untruths about them listed in legal documents, for the marriage to be legally dissolved."

The story goes on to chart lawyers' differences with the new law, and includes statements from the National Organization of Women (against) and Women's Bar Administration (pro).

"While joining the other 49 states of the union in adopting some kind of no-fault rule seemed like a no-brainer, the state legislature got pressured from various religious groups and women’s groups who were concerned with the husband’s ability to divorce his wife without substantial reason, possibly leaving her and the kids vulnerably in the lurch," Ross writes.

She concludes by noting how other pieces of divorce reform legislation attached to the revisions - the “presumption of temporary maintenance” while the divorce is pending if one spouse’s income is less than two-thirds of the other’s, a newly established formula for calculating spousal maintenance (once upon a time referred to as alimony), similar in structure to the one used to determine child support, and the presumption that the spouse with the lesser income gets attorney’s fees paid for as well - have been better received. Formerly spousal maintenance was determined almost exclusively at the whim of the presiding judge.

"Apart from the emotional tolls of dissolving a marriage, it takes a financial toll — according to several mid-Hudson attorneys, divorces range from $3,000 into the tens of thousands, and the majority take roughly one year or more," Ross writes. "Many attorneys require a retainer of several thousand dollars before even accepting the case, with hourly fees ranging from $125-$500. For those with limited income, typically women with young children, the costs are prohibitive. The new law allows attorneys thinking about taking a case a much better idea of how much their client will get when the process is finished."

For the full story, click HERE.

To see the laws themselves, click HERE.

Rick Karlin of The Times Union in Albany has been pondering what to expect for the final weeks of this year's state legislative session starting Monday morning. On the one hand, he's pondering whether governor-elect Andrew Cuomo will be on hand for pep-talks, or even a bit of get-tough counseling. He's also been reporting on the fact that gas drilling companies have been urging the state not to put a moratorium on gas fracking for the coming year (duh) by looking into the mechanics of the Assembly's need to finally take the issue up months after the state Senate passed a resolution for a moratorium last summer. And finally, there's that matter about finally getting a casino into Sullivan County, although we find it telling that it's now been years since Greene County's even been mentioned in the same sentance as gambling, even though the county once banked its future on such possibilities. Or at least a number of its key legislators did, before selling some land they owned for the building of the Home Depot near Thruway exit 21.

Should be an interesting session...
For all of Karlin's and other Capitol Confidential posts, click HERE.

Both the Catskill Daily Mail and Kingston Daily Freeman are running Michael Virtanen's front page Associated Press story on the failure for punishments, of parents or students, to stem absenteeism in our schools.

Virtanen's piece references a report commissioned by the state's Office of Children and Family Services that says that hauling parents into family court is not the best way to combat a rising tide of kids who chronically miss school.

"In New York City, 'chronic absenteeism' — when a student misses at least 20 of the 180 days in a school year — afflicts 40 percent of high school students and educators currently refer cases to social services for neglect," the piece notes. "Under New York law, chronic school absence is a trigger for complaints to the Office of Children and Family Services. Referrals can lead to family court, foster care or probation-like PINS supervision."

Professor Robert Balfanz, at Johns Hopkins University, said his research has shown that about half the students just decide to skip school, a quarter are avoiding something negative such as a bully or uncomfortable class, and another quarter stay out for life issues like work or baby sitting.

Now, a new study by the Vera Institute of Justice — commissioned by the state office of Children and Family Services — backs up the agency's belief that going after parents for educational neglect isn't effective. The report says chronic absenteeism seldom means teens are abused or neglected at home but instead suggests they stay out for other reasons and schools need to find ways to re-engage them.

Talk about a great idea... although statewide, many programs geared towards such re-engagement -- such as the INDIE program in Ulster County's Onteora District -- have been cut entirely in the past two years of drastic school budget cuts.

Seem another new byproduct of our new austerity budgets, on all levels, is rearing its ugly head...

For the full AP story click HERE.

For the report itself, click HERE.