Cairo voters today approved a bond to finance a new library for the town, 53 to 47 percent. Totals: 283 yes, 248 no, 531 total voting. The vote at Resurrection Lutheran Church today determined Cairo will build a new library. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered the town a $3.07 million low-interest loan (4.25 percent) and a $200,000 grant with a local share match of about $100,000. The vote is for a bond for the loan. Cairo Library Executive Director Debra Kamecke is on the WGXC Radio Council.

From The Columbia Paper:

Assemblyman Tim Gordon (I-108th) will hold a public forum to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Castleton Boat Club, 92 Main Street to discuss ideas and future plans for the Hudson River estuary. Castleton is on Route 9J just north of the Columbia County line. Among the guests at "Our Hudson River: A Community Conversation" will be state Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Coordinator Fran Dunwell, who will present the 2010-12 Draft Action Agenda and will field questions from the community about the DEC's vision for the river. Other presenters and guests include Rene Van Schaak, a member of the Hudson River Management Advisory Board, and representatives from several community groups in the region. Parking is available at the club as are docking facilities for those arriving by boat.

Nippertown! reports renowned Chilean poet Raúl Zurita will read from the newly released bilingual edition of his collection, "Purgatory," with translator Anna Deeney Wednesday at 6 p.m. Apr. 28 in the Beterlsmann Campus Center at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson in a free show. Read the entire article at Nippertown!

[caption id="attachment_893" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Voters today deciding if Cairo gets a new library."][/caption]Voters in Cairo today are turning out to Resurrection Lutheran Church until 9 p.m. to determine whether Cairo will build a new library. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered the town a $3.07 million low-interest loan (4.25 percent) and, if the town accepts the loan, a $200,000 grant with a local share match of about $100,000. The vote is for a bond for the loan. Cairo Library Executive Director Debra Kamecke is on the WGXC Radio Council.

Marc Molinaro will announce he is seeking re-election for the 103rd Assembly District with three events on Friday, April 30 in Dutchess and Columbia counties. Molinaro will be at Promenade Hill (intersection of Front and Warren Sts.) In Hudson at 11 a.m., at Tivoli Commons (86 Broadway) at 12:30 p.m., and in Pleasant Valley at GE Masten Feed (1 West Rd.) at 2 p.m.

Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential:

Greene County Republican Chairman Brent Bogardus endorsed Rick Lazio lat night, bringing to 51.5 percent the amount of the Republican delegates the Long Islander has in his corner for his question to become governor. “The Executive Committee of the Greene County Republican Party interviewed gubernatorial candidates this weekend,” Bogardus said in a statement put out by the Lazio campaign. “The members of our Committee strongly felt that Rick Lazio was the candidate best equipped to carry our message of lower taxes, less government and personal responsibility to New York’s voters this fall.” Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy remains at 27.1 percent of the weighted vote. As an enrolled Democrat, he will need over 50 percent of the Republican State Committee to support him in order to secure a slot on the primary ballot. Lazio needs just 25 percent. Carl Paladino has yet to secure any endorsements. Read the entire article in Capitol Confidential.

Hudson band Mother Fletcher will be in Woodstock Tuesday recording a video for radio station WDST (100.1-FM), according to the band's Facebook page, as they fight out Elysium Theory and 4 Gun Ridge for a chance to play the station's Mountain Jam festival. Fifteen bands were in the last round, and Mother Fletcher finished in the top three of a public internet vote. Go here to register to vote.

Francesca Olsen in the Register-Star reports:

For four days in July, the site of Meadowgreens Resort will become a haven for metalheads — if the event coordinator satisfies all permit requirements from the state and the county. Planned for July 15-18, Metalfest 2010, presented by Total Music Television and GSR Holdings, Inc., will be a “European style heavy metal music festival for eastern New York Metalheads.” The event, according to a proposal sent to the town of Ghent, will include two stages and 50 national and regional heavy metal bands, as well as a “vendors’ village” and European and American food vendors. Tickets run from a $35 day pass at the gate to an $800 VIP ticket for all four days, with camping extra. But at the county Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee meeting April 22, a group of law enforcement and public safety officials expressed concerns about the event being so close to the county airport, and wondered if K. Randeze, the CEO of GSR Holdings and the coordinator of the event, would complete all the necessary permit documents in time for the festival. Read the entire article in The Daily Mail.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="211 Union St., Hudson from The Gossips of Rivertown."][/caption]Carole Osterink continues her tour of properties in Hudson owned by Eric Galloway, whose group the Lantern Organization was proposing developing a building with "permanent supportive housing" for the mentally disabled, the homeless, and those with substance abuse problems on the corner of Warren and Fifth Sts. in Hudson. Read about the empty lot at the corner of Fourth and Columbia Sts., 345 Allen St., and 620-624 State St., but the post about 211 Union St. is the most interesting so far:

This is 211 Union Street, the birthplace of Hudson's most illustrious native son: General William Jenkins Worth. (How many people have three cities, a lake, a village, and a county named after them?) It's surprising that such a significant Hudson landmark is in private hands, but it is. It's owned by the Galvan Group--named for Eric Galloway and his partner, Henry van Ameringen. William Jenkins Worth was born in this house on March 1, 1794--just a decade after Hudson was founded. His father was Thomas Worth, one of the original Proprietors, and his mother was Abigail Jenkins. Read the entire article in The Gossips of Rivertown.

Congressman Scott Murphy will host a "Buy Local Agricultural Conference" on Friday, April 30 at Tymor Park, 249 Duncan Road, in Lagrangeville, in Town of Union Vale. Murphy will speak with, "farmers, consumers, and community leaders to discuss different approaches and strategies to help local farms and agriculture businesses succeed in the new and increasingly global economy." Murphy is running for re-election against Republican Chris Gibson.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="211" caption="Thom Lail performing at soundBarn."][/caption]The Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) and The soundBarn host River of Drone II: Seven Hours of Sound from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 16 at the soundBarn, 330 Maple Lane, in Valatie. A very special, long-form event, River of Drone II is a free, seven-hour, improvised sound performance with peaceful soundscapes and full-on noise, the ever-shifting rhythm, pace and mood will evolve as the ebb and flow of performers, energy and instrumentation progresses through the seven-hour performance. Set in a former orchard cooler with views of the Catskill Mountains, The soundBarn is a uniquely suited location for visitors to lounge, listen and linger for an hour, a few minutes or the entire performance. The audience is encouraged to make themselves comfortable and to bring pillows, chairs, food and drink. Unlike a traditional concert setting, performers will be located throughout the venue and listeners are encouraged to move around, watch the accompanying video projections, wander in and out and discover new relationships to sound through immersion, reflection, deep listening, meditation, and concentration. Featured musicians include: Jason Cosco, Matt Ernst, Tara Fracalossi, Eric Hardiman (Rambutan, Century Plants, Burnt Hills), Ray Hare (Century Plants, Fossils From the Sun, Burnt Hills), Holland Hopson, Thomas Lail (soundBarn), Patrick Weklar (soundBarn), Matt Weston (Barn Owls), and many more special guests, with videos by Tara Fracalossi, Kyra Garrigue and others. Albany Sonic Arts Collective is a grassroots organization located in and around Albany, NY. The soundBarn is a project of artist/musician Thomas Lail and artist Tara Fracalossi and is located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York. The soundBarn is sited in a modern addition to the orchard’s 100-year-old Dutch style barn. The cavernous, heavily insulated space served as the orchard’s cooler where apples and pears were over-wintered and chilled by the massive, still-visible refrigeration system.

Forward Motion Theater returns to the Hudson Opera House at 8 p.m. Sat. May 1 with "RE:Vision," a collaboration of live performances weaving multimedia and dance from a fresh critical perspective. The evening features seven independent works by artists combining choreography, live mix video, film, dance, spoken word, costume, and music. Tickets are $15 per person, $10 students. Artists include: video artists Wetcircuit and Mikhail Torich, musician Aerostatic, and choreographers Urban Wash Dance Company and Blind. Five artists collaborate creating an evening of seven independent works. Forward Motion Theater is a New York City-based dance-theater-media company founded in 1995 by choreographer Eric Dunlap and media artist Holly Daggers. The mission of FMT is to explore the combination of movement and technology through both live performance and digital media. Works with themes ranging from science fiction, spirituality, and the mutability of the human form are realized through innovative stage and lighting effects and formalized composition. Current projects include both live theater and new performance venues through video and the web. Wetcircuit is Holly Daggers, a New York City-based VJ and Media Artist who creates and composes visual media in real time. Performances include concert VJ for Busta Rhymes, James Brown, Page McConnell, Moby, and T.I., and was voted a Top 20 VJ worldwide by DJ Magazine, UK. She has designed interactive video installations for the Museum of Modern Art and Chelsea Art Museum. Holly collaborates with musicians and choreographers presenting her media performances in both art gallery and theatrical settings, and has opened her shooting studio to create dance on video as a hybrid performance venue. Aerostatic is Terry Golob and Michele Darling. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Aerostatic utilize artifacts of sound generated by digital and analog processing in conjunction with a variety of interactive technologies, to compose and design audio environments for film, installations and music performance. Their work has been featured in shows and festivals in the United States, England, Argentina and Australia. Urban Wash Dance Company is a fusion of dance and technology married to social and political consciousness. Movement vocabulary is derived from multidisciplinary sources enhanced by a high degree of athleticism. Urban Wash Dance Company is made up of dancers, video artists, DJs, and organized by Rebekah J Kennedy, Artistic Director/Choreographer. Performances and choreography have been featured throughout the United States. Mikhail Torich is an international music video director, cameraman, photographer and visual artist shooting in Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States. Blind is dancer and choreographer Eric Dunlap. Based in New York City, Eric toured internationally as a principal dancer with Alwin Nikolais / Murray Louis Dance. He has worked with various companies such as Peter Pucci Plus Dancers, Rebecca Sten/Perks Dance Music Theater, Sarah Skaggs Dancer/Higher Ground Projects, Pilobolus, and Pink Inc., appeared on NBCs Today Show and is currently a member of the New York City Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Eric graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts and is a black belt in Aikido.

On Tuesday the State Senate's Agriculture Committee voted down the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. Among features of the bill, farmers would have had to pay over time to laborers who work more than 60 hours a week or 10 hours in a day and farm workers would gain the right to form a union if they work at the state's largest farms. Some farmers protested that the mandates in the bill would be costly. Six of the committee's nine senators — Darrel J. Aubertine, Michael H. Ranzenhofer, James L. Seward (who represents Greene County), David J. Valesky, George H. Winner Jr. and Catharine M. Young — voted against the bill. On Seward's website he says, "Defeating the so-called, farm worker labor bill is a clear victory for our upstate farmers, farm workers and the agriculture industry,” said Senator Seward. “The bill, supported mainly by New York City politicians, would have forced farms to close, while driving up costs for the few survivors.” The bill would have granted collective bargaining rights to farm laborers; required employers of farm laborers to allow at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week; provided for an 8 hour work day for farm laborers; required overtime rate at one and one-half times normal rate; made provisions of unemployment insurance law applicable to farm laborers; provided a sanitary code that would have applied to all farm and food processing labor camps intended to house migrant workers, regardless of the number of occupants; provided for eligibility of farm laborers for workers' compensation benefits; required employers of farm laborers to provide such farm laborers with claim forms for workers' compensation claims under certain conditions; required reporting of injuries to employers of farmworkers.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Germantown Community Farm"][/caption]The "Feed the Radio" benefit will be held from 3 p.m. on with an afternoon of activities, workshops, and radio fun! Stay for a delicious dinner and silent auction, followed by an evening of lovely live music and a DJ dance party! This we are hosting a joint benefit party for WGXC, our new local community radio station, and to sponsor low income shares for Fog and Thistle CSA (formerly known as Germantown Community Farm CSA). Come have a great time and help us deliver homegrown radio and food to our community!
Suggested donation is $10-$25

Camping in the orchard is welcome! Bring tents, bedding, flashlights. Accomodations in the house and barn are limited; let us know if you need them. Children are welcome!

We also need volunteers to help before, during and after the event, as well as items for the silent auction. Anything you can throw in is most appreciated!

For details check out: www.germantowncommunityfarm.blogspot.com or email Kaya at kaya@wgxc.org.

The farm is located at 4872 State Rt 9G, Germantown NY. 518-537-6139.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Mark Patton"][/caption]The Cairo Library and WGXC held the monthly Cairo Open Mic Fri. Apr. 23 at Gallagher's, across the from the library on Main St. Guitarist Mark Patton; Dawn and Dick Collins; guitarist Michael Ryan, poet Tony Fallon, poet Nancy Henry, (The Daily Mail photographer) Claude Haton and Harry Gottleib (half of the band Wyld Blue), and Kayleigh all performed. Click here to listen to an audio mp3 recording of the performances or paste the following url into your computer's media player:

http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/04
/CairoOpenMic_CairoLibrary_WGXC_042310.mp3

A vote will be held Tue. April 27 at Resurrection Lutheran Church to determine whether Cairo will build a new library. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered the town a $3.07 million low-interest loan (4.25 percent) and, if the town accepts the loan, a $200,000 grant with a local share match of about $100,000. The vote is for a bond for the loan. Cairo Library Executive Director Debra Kamecke is on the WGXC Radio Council.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Scott Murphy photo from April 1 at Coxsackie's Senior Center."][/caption]Congressman Scott Murphy held a town meeting in Palenville Monday, April 19, at 1:30 p.m. at the Palenville Fire Department, 717 Rte. 32A, Palenville. Murphy is running for re-election against Republican Chris Gibson. Listen to an audio mp3 recording of Murphy answering questions from constituents (recorded by WGXC's Debra Kamecke) by clicking here or by pasting the following link into your computer's media player:
http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/04/
ScottMurphy_Palenville_WGXC_041910.mp3

From Lissa Harris in Watershed Post:

This just in: The DEC has declared that their draft regulations on natural-gas drilling don't apply to New York City's watershed. (Or, for that matter, Syracuse's Skaneateles Lake watershed, also among a handful of water systems in the nation allowed by the EPA to operate without filtration.) From the New York Times:

While not an outright ban, state officials said, leaving the watersheds out of the regulatory plan would make it virtually impossible for a natural gas company to seek to drill in the watershed because of the costs and bureaucratic hurdles involved.

Blues legend Pinetop Perkins performs on May 1 at 7 p.m. with Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Pura Fe' in the Arts Center Theater at the Hudson campus of Columbia-Greene Community College. Perkins is one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen still performing and has been playing since 1926, with a unique piano style that has influenced three generations of musicians.

Republican Senator Steve Saland (R,I,C – Poughkeepsie) announced today that he will be seeking re-election to the State Senate for his 11th term, representing all of Columbia County and much of Dutchess County. “Despite the state of affairs surrounding state government and the failing economy, I find myself more compelled than ever to seek re-election to the State Senate. I have no intention of deserting the ship even though it has taken on an abundance of water,” said Senator Saland. “While I have found this past year to be particularly challenging – constantly battling the tax and spend policies of the current Senate Majority, I know it’s critically important that we restore a balance of power in our State Government so taxpayers outside the city of New York once again have a voice of leadership to protect their interests.” Saland and Congressional hopeful Chris Gibson will both speak at a Tea Party Protest in Otego this Saturday, April 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. at River Valley Ford, which is about halfway between Oneonta and Otego on Route 7. Democrat Didi Barrett already announced her campaign to seek the seat.