Click here to listen to WGXC volunteer Richard Roth introduce a phone interview by WGXC"s Sam Sebren and Alan Skerrett of Jim Michaels of Bradford County, Pennsylvania (near Scranton) who lives near shale gas drilling, or hydro-fracking, sites. Michaels talks about his experiences with the process of extracting gas from the ground by shooting high pressure liquid. On Wednesday the New York Senate voted for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing until May 2011. Assemblyman Tim Gordon, who represents parts of Greene, Columbia, and Albany counties, supports the measure and told WGXC's Tom Roe, “If we want to proceed on this, I think we need to do it right, and there are still some unanswered questions.” This is the first report created by the WGXC Audio Training program led by Dharma Dailey and Emily Bennison. Help with research from Sara Kendall and recording and editing from Goro Ikeda-Iyeki. File is mp3 audio file. Paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/08/WGXC_Roth_Sebren_Skerret_interviewJimMichaels_080510.mp3

From Wikipedia:

"Hydraulic fracturing (called "frac jobs"[1] or "frac'ing" in the industry[2][3][4] and recently, "fracking" by the media) is a process that results in the creation of fractures in rocks. The most important industrial use is in stimulating oil and gas wells, where hydraulic fracturing has been used for over 60 years in more than one million wells. On the other hand, high-volume horizontal slickwater fracturing is a recent phenomenon. The fracturing is done from a wellboredrilled into reservoir rock formations to enhance oil and natural gas recovery.... Man-made fluid-driven fractures are formed at depth in a borehole and extend into targeted rock formations. The fracture width is typically maintained after the injection by introducing a proppant into the injected fluid. Proppant is a material, such as grains of sand, ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from closing when the injection is stopped. Natural hydraulic fractures include volcanic dikes, sills and fracturing by ice as in frost weathering. Considerable controversy surrounds the current implementation of hydraulic fracturing technology in the United States. Environmental safety and health concerns have emerged and are being debated at the state and national levels." Read the entire entry in Wikipedia.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="490" caption="Catamount People’s Museum in Catskill by Matt Bua."][/caption]Artist Matt Bua's Catamount People’s Museum at 21 West Bridge St. in Catskill -- a handmade structure in the form of a lounging bobcat using discarded tree branches and cut-offs from local mills -- opens soon and he is looking for contributions. From Bua, "The interior of this over-sized Lynx Rufus houses a collection of materials and displays celebrating the people, stories and history of the Catskill Mountains. Content for displays are collected from both historical organizations and the surrounding community. The museum has a unique focus of seamlessly blending the stories, visions and personal collections of residents with the voices of historians. The folk legends, urban myths and favorite, almost forgotten tide bits on display make this new public space a place to soak in what this area is really all about." Bua is collecting stories, ideas, books, xeroxed notes of interest, photos and artifacts from noon to 3 p.m. Sat. Aug. 14 to add to the museums growing collection. The museum will open Saturday, September 4 from noon to 6 p.m.
Sponsors and Support: The project is sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts(NYFA) and made possible with a grant from the Harpo Foundation. Special Thanks to the Village of Catskill, Catskill Valley Pools, Dimensions North LTD, Tony Fallon's Hardware Store (Cairo) Skip Kelly's Lumber (Cairo), West Side Villa Pizzeria, Box Art Inc, MBZ framing, WGXC Community Radio
For mail in submissions:
Catamount People’s Museum
Po box 581
Catskill ny 12414
Contact : Matt Bua 917 291 7404 mattbua@gmail.com

Russ Buettner in The New York Times is reporting that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined O&G Industries $16.6 million in connection with an explosion at their Connecticut plant that killed six workers. O&G Industries also runs a controversial trucking company in Hudson. OSHA found, according to the article, accusations of 371 violations, including 225 considered “willful.” Read the entire story in The New York Times.

Late last night the New York State Senate passed an array of legislation, but the one bill that might impact our area the most
was a measure requiring prisoners be counted as residents not of the (mostly upstate) prisons where they reside, but where they lived before they were incarcerated (most often, New York City). "Most of the state’s prisoners (66 percent) are New York City residents, but the vast majority of them (91 percent) are counted as residents of upstate prisons," according to Prisoners of the Census. Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat running for attorney general told The New York Times, “If other states follow us, it would represent a major shift of political power back to these poor urban communities.” Indeed, this bill would mean that Greene County would lose a sizable portion of its population, and all sorts of funding could be lowered to reflect that change. The inmates inside Coxsackie Correctional Facility (approximately 1,000) at 11260 Route 9W; Greene Correctional Facility, 165 Plank Road, Coxsackie; and the Hudson Correctional Facility (about 600) at 50 East Court St. in Hudson; would no longer be counted as local residents. The Greene County Planning and Economic Development site counts 3,280 "institionalized" people, or 6.8 percent, many of which would, presumably, be counted elsewhere if this measure were to become law. Carole Osterink, in her blog The Gossips of Rivertown, analyzes what might happen in Hudson:

Since the Hudson Correctional Facility is located in the Third Ward, it would reduce the weighted votes of the Third Ward aldermen. The votes of Aldermen Ellen Thurston and Chris Wagoner now each represent 266 toward the 1,011 needed for a simple majority. The only votes on the Common Council more powerful than theirs are those cast by Aldermen Robert Donahue and Richard Goetz, whose votes weigh in at 278 each. Read the entire story in The Gossips of Rivertown.

Coxsackie would obviously face similar "re-districting" if this measure is passed, and possible local funding tied to population could be lost, and perhaps fewer regular visits from State Assemblyman Pete Lopez, State Senator James Seward, and Congressman Scott Murphy as their districts might be enlarged geographically to make up for the loss of prison population. Clearly, Seward is worried about the proposal, as he told The Daily Mail: “I clearly see this as a move to dilute the upstate population numbers to benefit downstate,” he said. Susan Campriello in The Daily Mail reports:

"According to a 2002 report Prison Policy Initiative report by Peter Wagner, roughly 3,000 constituents could be removed from Seward’s district. Such losses could decrease the area’s population to nearly 6 percent below the required average district size of 306,072."... Three facilities are located in [Seward's] district, which includes all or portions of seven counties. Two facilities are in Coxsackie, one is in Summit, in Schoharie County. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.

Tracy Huling, a WGXC Founding Member in Greenville, and author of "Building a Prison Economy in Rural America," writes in in the comments:

My understanding is that the language of the legislation eliminating prison-based gerrymandering leaves intact federal and state aid to prison towns and counties. See North Country Public Radio’s story:
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/16081/inmates-to-be-excluded-from-north-country-districts
Also, Greene County (like 12 other counties in New York) already removes prisoners for the purpose of redistricting. See the Senate bill language at: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6725

From The Business Review (Albany):

The apple harvest this year will be early and the crop will most likely be smaller, according to the New York Apple Association. Apple growers expect a crop of 27 million bushels this year, down from 33 million bushels last year, ranking New York second to Washington State. The decline in this year’s crop was attributed to some frost damage, when some trees bloomed early and were then damaged by a deep freeze in early May. The association, based in Fishers, New York, said the consensus of New York’s apple growers is that this year’s crop got off to the fastest start in recent history because of record temperatures in April. Apple picking will begin 10 days to two weeks earlier than last year, said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.
New York's crop numbers for the past five years:
2009: 32.8 million bushels
2008: 29.8 million bushels
2007: 31.1 million bushels
2006: 29.7 million bushels
2005: 24.7 million bushels
Source: The New York Apple Association. Read the entire story in the Business Review.

Julia Reischel in Watershed Post links to a Times Herald-Record report that, "an unconfirmed [ash tree borer] larvae was also found Thursday in Catskill, in Greene County:

Adam Bosch at the Times Herald-Record had a terrifying story on Saturday about the newfound emerald ash borer infestation in the Catskills. Apparently, things are far, far worse that we originally thought:

"My best guess is that there are thousands of trees infested," said Mark Whitmore, a forest entomologist at Cornell University who's assisting the investigation. "The bug is here to stay, and we're looking at maybe having all of the ash trees disappear." New York is home to some 900 million ash trees, accounting for 7 percent of the forest.

Since the Department of Envionmental Conservation's July announcement that ash borers had been found in Saugerties, ash borers and their larvae have been found across Ulster County and possibly in Greene County as well. Bosch writes that because the beetles can infest trees for a while without any discernible signs, the infestation might already be a few years old. The beetles can live in an area for years before signs of infestation appear, like dead canopies of ash trees or pin-size holes in their trunks. Initial evidence suggests the ash borer has been here for one or two years. And, because there is no "chemical or natural method" of killing the beetles, there isn't that much that can be done.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Scott Murphy at Coxsackie Senior Center April 1, 2010."][/caption]Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20) announced today that Mid-Hudson Cablevision will receive $3,473,919 in USDA funding for rural broadband infrastructure projects. Murphy sent letters and made calls in support of Mid-Hudson's application, in addition to working with the USDA. Murphy says the funding will allow Mid-Hudson Cablevision to expand coverage in Columbia and Greene counties, specifically the Towns of Ashland, Jewett, Lexington, Cairo, Catskill, Windham, Coxsackie and New Baltimore in Greene County, and The Towns of Taghkanic, Copake, Claverack, Ghent, Chatham, Hillsdale and Austerlitz in Columbia County. "Expanding rural broadband in our Upstate communities is key to building businesses and creating jobs,” said Rep. Murphy in a press release. “This project will benefit everyone from farmers and small businesses looking to sell their products online, to volunteer firefighters needing high-speed Internet to keep the public safe.” In Murphy's press release, James Reynolds, president of Mid-Hudson Cablevision, said, “This government support will help make it possible to extend service to rural marketplaces that would otherwise be very difficult reach.”

Doron Tyler Antrim wrote a very detailed story in this morning's The Daily Mail:

Government records show that Holcim has been cited for more than 300 safety violations carrying fines totaling $455,000 since it became the Smith’s Landing plant operator in 2008. The records, compiled by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which regulates U.S. metal, nonmetal and coal mines, show over the last two years the plant has racked up 310 violations, 97 of which the government says could lead to serious injury or illness. During Holcim’s first year as operator, 155 violations were found carrying fines totaling almost $264,000. In 2009, 65 violations were cited with penalties of almost $165,000. So far this year, the plant has been hit with 90 violations costing $26,000. Fines have yet to be assessed for 28 of the 90, however....Furthermore, according to the records, Holcim has been able to reduce its fines from $455,000 to $384,000. To date, the company has paid only $250,500. It’s challenging the remainder of the fines, $133,500 — a legal procedure under current U.S. regulations. Most of the violations carry small fines between $100 and $1,000. But others carry larger penalties from $2,000 to more than $25,000.... Holcim officials have defended the plant’s safety record, saying it’s the top priority. “I think what you’re seeing is not an accurate reflection of the plant,” said Tony Madrazo, Holcim’s human resources manager, during an interview on Monday. “I don’t think we have a poor safety record.” Madrazo admitted, however, the plant is not perfect. “(The inspectors) will find stuff,” he said. Officials also contend many of the violations are resolved while a MSHA inspector is still on site. However, the records show most of the violations are repeatedly cited throughout the past two years. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.

The New York State Senate voted 48-9 to impose a moratorium on shale gas drilling early this morning, just after midnight, passing the Thompson (S.8129B) / Sweeney (A.11443-B) measure. The bill would place a halt on granting new drilling permits until May, 2011. Locally, Steve Saland and James Seward voted for the moratorium. Assemblyman Tim Gordon, who represents parts of Greene, Columbia, and Albany counties, supports the measure and told WGXC, "If we want to proceed on this, I think we need to do it right, and there are still some unanswered questions." Assemblyman Pete Lopez recently came out against the moratorium, saying, "In this case, (a moratorium) just gives the (Department of Environmental Conservation) cover so they don’t have to come out with the regulations."

Capitol Confidential and the New York Civil Liberties Union just tweeted that the Farm Workers Fair Labor Practices Act was defeated tonight 31-28 in the New York State Senate. Capitol Confidential quotes, in a tweet, New York State Senator Steve Saland, who represents Columbia County, on farm workers bill: "Why would you want to dance on the grave of upstate New York?" Both local senators, Saland and James Seward voted against the bill. and local Assemblymen Tim Gordon, Pete Lopez, and Marc Molinaro all oppose the bill. The NYCLU was quick with this statement: “Today’s Senate vote is painfully disappointing given our state’s proud tradition of supporting justice and equal rights,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “The Farm Workers Fair Labor Practices Act is basic civil rights legislation. Farm workers are New York’s least protected laborers. Our farm workers deserve the same labor rights that workers across New York have enjoyed for 100 years.” The bill would have mandated minimum salaries and maximum hours, and benefits for farm workers.

Republican congressional hopeful Chris Gibson (running against incumbent Democrat Scott Murphy) will be in Canaan Wednesday, and Hillsdale and Coxsackie Saturday. Wednesday, he will be at a Canaan Republican Association Meet and Greet from 7 to 8 p.m. at Canaan Town Hall, on County Route 5. Gibson will be at Hillsdale Day from noon to 1 p.m. at The Old Roe Jan School, Route 22, Hillsdale, and at the Riverside Festival, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Riverside Park in Coxsackie.

The Daily Mail has a story without a byline (although contact info for reporter Susan Campriello is listed at the end of the article) about how the Greene County Legislature voted last week to oppose the Farm Worker Fair Labor Act. The bill before the New York Senate would mandate farmers allow laborers at least 24 consecutive hours off, a 10-hour work day, overtime pay at 1.5 times the normal rate and provisions of unemployment insurance. The article never says what the legislatures vote was, or who voted for or against the for-show resolution. The article does say, "Greene County’s state representatives Sen. James L. Seward, R,C,I-Oneonta, Assemblyman Tim Gordon, I-Bethlehem, and Assemblyman Pete Lopez, R,C,I-Schoharie, have all voted against earlier versions of the legislation." The article quotes a spokesman for farmers, but does not quote a similar representative for farm workers. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.

From Lissa Harris in Watershed Post:

Bad news, gardeners: Late blight, which cut a swath of destruction across the Northeast last summer, is back in upstate New York again. Cornell Cooperative Extension sent out a press release yesterday confirming the deadly tomato plague has been found in Norwich, Chenango County. Here's the details:

Late Blight was confirmed on both tomatoes and potatoes on July 27, 2010. Grown in a home garden in the city, the sample was collected on July 25 after the entire crop of tomatoes died almost overnight. Nearby potatoes are also infected. In an effort to avoid the catastrophe that happened last year, please monitor your tomatoes and potatoes in earnest. Look for dark watery lesions on the leaves, stems and fruit. Late blight spreads quickly. Cornell recommends “If late blight becomes severe, remove diseased plants by digging them up. Destroy these plants immediately by one of the following: burying them deeply in an area away from the garden, burning them, or by bagging them in a plastic bag and discarding the bag. These steps will help avoid production of a larger number of spores. Harvest all potato tubers in the garden. If late blight occurs when the tubers have already 'sized up', harvest the crop as soon as possible to avoid post-harvest tuber rot. Again, destroy diseased foliage and stems.” There are fungicides that can be sprayed to prevent infection, but once severe infection has taken hold, chemical controls will not work. Commercial growers please check: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/recommends/ for the latest pesticide recommendations. Home gardeners can follow these recommendations if diagnosis is confirmed: use azoxystrobin (not near apples), Bacillus subtilis, chlorothalonil, copper soap (copper octanoate), or copper sulfate. Protectant fungicides (chlorothalonil or copper products) should be used at first appearance of disease according to the label instructions. The fungus that causes late blight has become a major threat to home gardens and commercial growers because of the migration of new strains (genotypes) into the United States. Verification of a late blight diagnosis and implementation of prompt control measures are highly recommended. The newly arrived strains are more aggressive than previous strains. Current information about late blight and its management can be found at http://blogs.cornell.edu/lateblight/ and great webinars on late blight for home organic gardens and organic farms can be found at http://www.extension.org/article/24989. Details on submitting a sample to the Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic can be found at http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/. Read the entire story in Watershed Post.

Catskill High's Meghan Baxter and recent Cairo grad Michael Davis (both workforce students for WGXC) spent the weekend at the Greene County Youth Fair, where they recorded a number of interviews with folks at the fair, about radio, music, and the community. Click on each link below to listen to an mp3 recording, or paste the individual urls into your computer's media player to listen.

Click here to listen to an interview with superintendent of Catskill schools Kate Farrell.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/Kate_farrel.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Yomara at the Greene County Youth Fair
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/yomaraa.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Wayne at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/wayne.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Sharla at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/sharla.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Sean at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/sean.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Pat the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/pat.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with with Kim at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/kim.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Karen Bennan at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/karen_bennan.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Dana at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/dana.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Betty at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/betty.mp3

Click here to listen to an interview with Adolfo at the Greene County Youth Fair.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/07/adolfo.mp3

From the Post-Star's politics blog:

Republican congressional candidate Chris Gibson would not say, on Friday, whether he would join the newly Tea Party Caucus if he is elected to the House of Representatives. The following is a transcript of the segment of the telephone interview in which the topic was discussed

Q: And there has also been talk in Washington that some of the Republican legislators are forming a Tea Party Caucus. If you are elected do you plan to join that caucus when you go to Washington?

A: “As I’ve said all along, our campaign is attracting support from Republicans. Conservatives, independents, Independence Party members, tea party movement followers and Democrats looking for a better way.”

Q: So would you plan to join that new Tea Party Caucus if you are elected in November?

A: “Again, what I am saying is that our campaign represents a very populous movement within the 20th District and we’re drawing support from across the political spectrum. And what I plan to do is go to Washington and represent this movement that wants to grow the private sector and to balance the budget through reducing federal spending.”

Gibson, on Saturday, issued the following response in clarification:

“Maury, your post misses my main point, please allow me to clarify. It is my aim to go to the Congress to provide leadership. I am interested in helping form a broader American Caucus comprised of Republicans, Conservatives, independents, Independence Party members, Tea Party movement followers, and Democrats looking for a better way. I want to help grow the private sector economy, balance the budget by reducing federal spending and protect our freedoms – all ideas that should transcend party lines. We welcome everyone interested in pursuing these goals ranging from Tea Party movement to Blue Dog Democrat Caucuses. The central point is that I want to go well beyond ‘joining and following’ to bringing leadership to the Congress on my first day to help unite Americans to restore our republic.”

Gibson, a retired Army colonel from Kinderhook, in Columbia County, is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls. Read the entire story in the Post-Star.

From Lissa Harris in Watershed Post:

The Daily Freeman reports that the town's plan is to buy the massive bluestone sculpture [Opus 40] for $800,000 of grant money, and then turn the site over to a private commission to run it without spending taxpayer funds. [From the Freeman:]

Deputy Supervisor Fred Costello Jr. said the town is seeking grants that would total about $800,000 for the purchase of Opus 40. He said the $800,000 is “significantly” less than the asking price, but the town is hopeful the owners will agree to sell the property to the municipality because of their desire to see the bluestone sculpture park remain open to the public. Costello added, though, the town would not be involved in managing the property and taxpayers would not be financially liable for its upkeep. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.

Aaron Enfield, Joe Ullman, Joseph Gaylord, and Amy Lavine are the first officers of the new Columbia County Young Democrats, a new chapter of the New York State Young Democrats. The NYSYD are the official youth arm of the New York State Democratic Committee, representing young democrats between the ages of 16-36 throughout the state. The chapter will be the state's 16th (there is a Greene County chapter of the Young Democrats, but the New York State Young Republicans does not show any local groups), and the group will hold an "Absentee Ballot" event at 7 p.m. August 12 at Mexican Radio, 537 Warren Street, in Hudson for college students to get their absentee ballots filled out before they leave Columbia County for the semester.

Someone has been uploading old Columbia County ArtsWalk videos yesterday. Here is the Badila Family performing at The Pocketbook Factory in Hudson, NY.

ArtsWalk 2005 from Hudson ArtsWalk on Vimeo.

ArtsWalk 2005 from Hudson ArtsWalk on Vimeo.

Mike McCagg in ccScoop reports Greenport "Town Building Inspector John Florio and Planning Board Secretary Beth MacGiffert both told ccSCOOP this week that the lease contract has been signed and that Kohl’s will locate in the town." Kohl's officials had previously said they would not come to Greenport without the county Industrial Development Agency giving them a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) break. From McCagg's story:

Initially, a twenty-year PILOT had been requested, which limited property taxes on the store to $22,500 annually. When that was rejected, a fifteen-year PILOT was proposed which increased the property tax by 1.5 percent. That proposal was also rejected by the IDA, despite support of the Board of Supervisors. The yearly property tax on the store, without a PILOT, is estimated at $81,600. Read the entire story in ccScoop.

Kyle Wind in The Daily Freeman looks at area teacher salaries, comparing Dutchess, Ulster, and Greene County statistics and finds that Greene teachers rank near the bottom in several categories:

Greene County base salaries were some of the lowest among the 18 school districts in the Freeman’s coverage area, with Catskill teachers starting at the third-lowest base salaries and earning a maximum of the second-least top salaries. Coxsackie-Athens teachers in 2009-10 started at the sixth-lowest base salaries and earned a maximum of the fourth-lowest top base salaries. Cairo-Durham teachers started at the fifth-lowest salaries and earned the fifth-lowest top salaries. Hunter-Tannersville teachers earned the region’s lowest minimum salaries and fourth-lowest maximum salaries. Greene County districts also has among the highest teacher turnover rates in the region, according to state Education Department data for 2007-08, the most recent statistics available. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.