Find out how you can help the Red Cross prevent, prepare for and respond to local disasters. The Red Cross is holding a county-wide event to inform residents about the many ways they can become involved with the Red Cross. Over 90 percent of our programs and services in Greene County are delivered by Red Cross volunteers. Please join us on Monday, March 22 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Emergency Services Building, 25 Volunteer Drive, Cairo, NY to learn about Red Cross programs and services along with volunteer opportunities for Greene County residents.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Video, drum performance, and text (preverbs) by George Quasha

Axial Drumming with Preverbs I from George Quasha on Vimeo.

First full live performance of "Axial Drumming with Preverbs" using digital LED of Preverbs text (presentation design by Susan Quasha) on the occasion of a benefit concert at Nicole Fiacco Gallery in Hudson, New York, for WGXC radio station --"Hands-on Radio 90.7 FM," a high-level community radio project (see WGXC.org).

Event organized by Paul Smart and Max Goldfarb for WGXC (Galen Joseph-Hunter, Executive Director; Tom Roe, Program Director; Kaya Weidman, Station Manager).

See quasha.com for meanings of "axial" and "preverbs."


Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

DJ times for WGXC's "Radio, Radio" fundraiser this Saturday night at the former Muddy Cup storefront in Catskill, NY.:

8-8:45: DJ Dizzy
8:45-10: DJ Sam
10-10:45: The Magic Stranger
10:45-11:30: Tony Fletcher
11:30-12:15: The NRG People/Male Room
12:15-1: DJ John Deux

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

The Greene County Council on the Arts, in partnership with the Columbia County Council on the Arts and Questar III, is pleased to announce the following Arts in Education grant awards for the 2009-2010 school year through the Twin Counties Partnership for Arts in Education. Awards have been given to schools that applied for matching funds to support creative, curriculum-based partnerships between a teacher and an artist or arts organization working with the same groups of students in three or more sessions. The requests reflect interdisciplinary collaborations between classroom teachers and performance, music, literary, folk arts, crafts and visual artists and provide intensive arts experiences integrated into classroom curricula for pre K – 12 students.

In Columbia County, the following awards were approved:

Hawthorne Valley School - $2,000 toward a partnership between the school and professional actor/director David Anderson of Walking the Dog Theater to produce two plays: “Harvey” for Grade 10 and “Macbeth” for Grade 12. The project involves students in casting, rehearsing and staging the productions.

Hudson Intermediate School - $2,500 toward a Bengali culture and arts project for 6th grade students called “A Culture Study of South Asia.” The program uses Bengali dance, music and culture for a total immersion experience. Students will work with Middle Eastern dancer Carolyn Kay and storyteller Johanna Shogan as well as classroom teachers in a wide variety of disciplines related to South Asia.

Mountain Road School - $850 toward a paper making workshop for students in grades K-6 turning old cotton T shirts into paper. Students will use the paper for a public wall hanging and to create personal journals about the experience.

Taconic Hills High School - $2,000 in support for “Fall Festival of Shakespeare 2009,” a collaboration with Shakespeare & Company. High School students produced and performed classic plays under the direction of a professional theater company.

In Greene County, the following awards were approved:

Catskill Elementary School - $1,500 toward “Books Alive!,” a partnership with Soup-2-Nuts Theater involving first grade students who study and perform three books by children’s author Eric Carle. Director Margo Mullein Feron coordinates the project with art and music teachers and with the school librarian.

Catskill Middle & High School - $2,000 toward “Legacy in Light,” a program with holographer Linda Law to introduce students in Grades 6 & 12 to the art and physics of holography through the works of the late, internationally famous holographer Rudie Berkhout. Twenty Grade 6 students and 18 12th grade Physics students will visit a retrospective exhibit of Berkhout’s work and then work with Law and art teacher Corie Fong to design and create holograms.

Hunter-Tannersville Middle-High School - $3,000 toward a project with students in grades 8-12 who will design a sculpture garden as part of a comprehensive landscaping project on the school grounds that involves the entire school community. Under the direction of art teacher Ritamary Vining, students will meet with area landscape artists, visit Storm King Sculpture Garden and other area sculpture gardens, learn sculpting skills and techniques from local sculptor Kevin VanHentenryck and visit foundries to learn about fabrication techniques. Student designs will be displayed locally and undergo a review process.

Funding for Arts in Education programs is determined by a panel of educators, artists and arts-in-education specialists. Successful applicants follow these basics: (1) Schools develop curriculum integrated artist partnerships which address the NYS Learning Standards; (2) Planning and implementation are conducted by school educators working directly with artists or cultural institutions; (3) Projects integrate the arts into other academic disciplines and do not solely address art curriculum and (4) Grants are used to pay artist fees, artist travel expenses and materials.

Planning for next year’s Arts in Education projects is already underway! Interested schools should contact Kay Stamer at the GCCA, 943-3400, e-mail gcca@greenearts.org. Guidelines and applications may be obtained by contacting Kay at the GCCA, Colleen Schaffernoth at the CCCA 518-671-6213, or Arlene Sampson, Arts Specialist at Questar III at 518-477-8771.

The Twin Counties Arts in Education (AIE) Partnership Grants Program is made possible with public funds from the Local Capacity Building Initiative of the AIE Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Corporate sponsors include the Bank of Greene County, Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation, Stewart’s Shops and the Windham Chapter of the Catskill Mountain Foundation.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Sat. Feb. 27, 2010: 9 p.m. – Feb. 28, 2010: 1 a.m. at the former Muddy Cup storefront, 410 Main St., Catskill, NY. $5 admission.

The Magic Stranger, Tony Fletcher, DJ Jean Deux, The NRG People/Male Room, DJ Sam, DJ Dizzy, and others perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 in Catskill, in the empty storefront where the Muddy Cup coffee house used to be on Main St. Projections, lights, and other surprises. Come out and dance to bring community radio to Greene and Columbia counties. Become a WGXC Founding Member, buy a WGXC t-shirt, or donated artwork from local artists, or just enjoy the music.

WGXC is getting closer to getting on the air. We have our license. We have a matching grant from the U.S. Commerce Department for over $71,000 for all the major equipment needed for the station -- a transmitter, an antenna, and three studio consoles and equipment for spaces in Cairo, Catskill, and Hudson. Now we need to raise the other half of that, another $71,000. So far, we are 30 percent of the way there. We need as many folks in the area to become Founding Members and donate a little bit of money so we can make this goal. Can you help us?

One way is to attend this show this Saturday night in Catskill. You can sign up to be a Founding Member, dance the night away, buy a t-shirt, get your business to become a Founding Underwriter, enter a raffle for a Gibson Les Paul guitar currently on view at Musica in Hudson,

The Magic Stranger is John Cleater, an artist/architect who lives in Columbia County. He shows his work at Nicole Fiacco Gallery in Hudson and is on the advisory committee of the architecture program at Art OMI. http://www.cleater.com/

Tony Fletcher (born April 27, 1964) is a music journalist best known for his biographies of drummer Keith Moon and the band R.E.M.. Born in Yorkshire, England, Fletcher was inspired by the London punk rock movement and started a fanzine as a thirteen-year-old schoolboy which he named Jamming!. The magazine developed over the next eight years into an independent alternative to more established music magazines of the day such as the NME and Melody Maker. This led to Fletcher presenting TV programmes and networking with numerous post-punk figures including Paul Weller and Echo & the Bunnymen, the latter of which were the subject of his first book published in 1987. He has two children and is married to Posie. Fletcher then juggled band and record label management before moving to New York in the late 80s, where he also became involved with DJing, club promotion and music industry consultant. His first novel, Hedonism, was published in 2003. Fletcher lives in Ulster County. http://www.ijamming.net/

Conrad Kaneshiro (Machines), Giorgio Handman and Ngonda Badilla on vox make up The NRG People (Male Room), Giorgio and Connie first played together in electro punk band Split Me Wide Open and then in Male Room since the early 00s. Male Room played at NYC dance clubs,leather bars, and festivals in Mexico City and London. Male Room put out tracks on Cleopatra Complilations, Dinero Rosa (MX), ElectroWave, and have co-written tracks for underground superstars including Kenny Kenny and Tobel Von Cartier, with videos directed by Nick Zedd these two queens were unstoppable! Then Connie moved to Distrito Federal (Mexico City) for two years mastering the High Energy sound and his dance moves while Giorgio met the fabulous and amazing Ngonda upstate and they started doing shows as The NRG People. This will be the first show of The NRG People (Male Room) with all three members present, so get ready to MOVE YOUR BODY! Handman lives in Hudson, NY.

DJ Jean Deux is Dan Seward, of John Deux Books & Records in Hudson, the band Bunnybrains, and the host of "Battlefield Earth" on free103point9 Online Radio.

DJ Dizzy is Tom Roe, who lives in Acra, NY regularly hosted DJ nights in NYC at Diner in Williamsburg, and Angel in Manhattan, and performed at many underground Brooklyn venues such as Rubulad and Manhattan spaces such as The Kitchen. Roe has performed on turntables live with Daniel Carter, members of the Gold Sparkle Band (as DizzySparkle), Pierre Huyghe, and others, and recorded with Scanner, Kristin Lucas, and Matt Bua.

DJ Sam is Sam Sebren, who lives in Athens, NY and recorded two records with Menlo Park with his band Splotch. His multimedia installations have been at Protest Space in Chelsea, The College of St. Rose in Albany, and a former Ulster County Jail. Sebren's “This” comes out in March on Aboriginal Records, and his video work will be included in the Photography Triennial at the Center for Photography in Woodstock in June. Sebren also participates regularly in publications and performances with Creative Capitalism, a collective in Baltimore included in this year's Whitney Biennial.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

From Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential:

Former Saratoga County Assistant District Attorney David Harper formally declared his candidacy against Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls [for the NY-20th Congressional seat]. “I’m running for Congress to put an end to the out of control spending and fiscal irresponsibility that dominates Washington and is ruining our economy,” Harper, of Saratoga Springs, said in a press release sent Sunday afternoon. He said last week he was interested in the seat, and has now created a campaign committee with $50,000 of his own money. Republican leaders have asked prospective candidates to formally declare their intentions by March 7. Harper joins Dan Stec, the Queensbury town supervisor, in doing so.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Seeing Greene's Dick May was the first to track down Linda Fenoff, who ran the Greenville Press newspaper until the last three issues have not shown up on newsstands. She hopes to return, May writes, "Ms Fenoff told Seeing Greene... she suffered a collapse from exhaustion and was hospitalized for several days. Now she is resting at the home of a friend, is still weak and depressed, but is 'absolutely' determined to get back to the job.

Governor Paterson's plan to save the state money by closing come state parks permanently or part-time includes closing Columbia County's Olana two days a week. Greene County is spared any cuts, but Rudd Pond area in Taconic State Park in Dutchess County is on the chopping block.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

In a bit of wild speculation, two Times-Union writers are passing around a story that President Barack Obama might visit Earlton in Greene County. Steve Barnes says Damon Baehrel the owner of The Basement Bistro in Earlton called the paper reporting that the White House staff called him to ask if he would be interested in hosting the First Couple. “Of course I said yes — and they’re going to give me some possible dates,” Baehrel said. He hopes to be able to host the first couple in the summer, when his gardens are at their peak.

From John in Gawker:

"Political genius and shadow Senate candidate Harold Ford has called on New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to release her tax returns, but says he doesn't have to do the same because he hasn't "announced" his candidacy yet. It's the rule!"

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

From Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential:

After meeting yesterday at the Desmond, the 10 Republican county leaders in the 20th District have set up a a time line to endorse a candidate against Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls. Prospective candidates should announce their intention to run by March 7, according to Warren County Republican Chairman Mike Grasso, and make their rounds to the individual county committees before March 31. The 10 chairs will then meet in Albany to ballot toward an endorsement, which will be determined based on the weighted vote of the counties. “We intend to have a candidate probably ready to go the first week of April. That’s our plan,” Grasso told me by phone this morning. “It’s very difficult for committees to interview a couple of people who have announced and then have other people come forward. It’s very difficult to ascertain…We’re going to ask everybody’s who’s interested to come to us by March 7, so we can then arrange during a three-week period of orderly interviews with them.” Of course, this doesn’t guarantee a candidate will get on the ballot. Unlike a statewide race, the party’s endorsement is just that: an endorsement. Any prospective candidate – irrespective of whether they’ve been endorsed by some, all, or none of the Republican leadership–can get on the ballot by securing the valid signatures of 1,250 enrolled party members in the district. Republicans who have expressed interest in challenging Murphy are John Faso, David Harper, Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, Queensbury Supervisor Dan Stec and Patrick Ziegler. Christopher Gibson, an Army Colonel from Columbia County, is also considering a run, according to several Republican leaders in the district.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

WGXC Online Radio will air a live conference call with Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20) answering questions from members of the media Thursday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. Tune in at www.wgxc.org.

Rep. Murphy is returning from a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip to Afghanistan where, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he met with troops and generals, "to assess the current situation on the ground," according to his office's press release. Click here to listen to an mp3 audio recording of the conference call or paste the following into your default media player:
http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/02/ScottMurphy_mediaconferencecall_021810.mp3

(Murphy at town hall meeting in Valatie, Aug. 2009.)

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Paul Riismandel in Radio Survivor reports Great Barrington's low-power WBCR (97.7-FM) has been granted an upgrade to full-power by the Federal Communications Commission.

Columbia County ranks 45th, and Greene County ranks 59th among 62 New York counties in overall health. Nearby Putnam County ranked first in the state, Dutchess ranked 11th, Ulster County 33rd, Albany County 27th, and Rensselear County 35th. The study was by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation using data from 2000 to 2006.

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Kyle Wind in The Daily Freeman reports that the state Commission on Judicial Conduct unanimously decided to admonish state Supreme Court Justice Patrick J. McGrath, "for misrepresenting his jurisdiction over pistol permits and making “improper pledges and promises” in a letter to 7,000 pistol permit holders during his 2008 election campaign," wrote Wind. McGrath serves in the state’s Third Judicial District, which includes Ulster and Greene counties. He has 30 days to appeal the decision to the state Court of Appeals.

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Mike McCagg in ccScoop exposes two proposals for hydroelectric plants in Columbia County, in Stottville and Stuyvesant Falls. The Stottville plan proposed by Claverack Creek LLC is along Claverack Creek in the Stockport hamlet of Stottville, and would produce 450 kilowatt hours over an unreported amount of time. Albany Engineering Corporation plans, "a power plant at Stuyvesant Falls, from the Kinderhook Creek to produce 7,000 kilowatt hours of electricity —- enough to power about 2,000 homes," according to the story.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

One of the best results from the recent redesign of the web sites of The Daily Mail and The Register-Star has been the increase in reader participation through online comments. Lately, the politicians and officials at the heart of many stories on the paper's web sites are writing their own comments. Or are being carefully impersonated in the largely unregulated world of online comments. First, Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera, or someone posing as the mayor, responded to a Feb. 11 Register-Star "My View" opinion column by Taghkanic-based activist Sam Pratt. Three days later, State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, or an online simulacrum, commented on a Register-Star article about his recent vote against making it easier to cast an absentee ballot. Bob Sacks, or someone claiming the identity of the Copake Town Councilman, also commented on that article. And if The Daily Mail mentions the Cairo Planning Board, you can bet board Chairman Dan Benoit will comment. In a Feb. 11 "My View" column by Leeds-based businessman Bob Nappa, Benoit pipes in once the chatter in the comments section gets around to Cairo. In each case, officials leave e-mail addresses and phone numbers for constituents to get in touch about whatever issue getting is being discussed. Bravo!

Help WGXC get on the air. Currently, WGXC is attempting to raise $71,000 for a matching grant from the U.S. Commerce Department for most of the major equipment to get WGXC on the air including the antenna, transmitter, and studio consoles for spaces in Cairo, Catskill, and Hudson. You can help us get on the air by:
*Stopping by Swallow on Mondays in February, and buying a Machiatto, with all proceeds going to community radio.
*Buy a $5 raffle ticket at Musica in Hudson to win a Gibson Les Paul guitar in a March 17 drawing. You can buy raffle tickets online here, and see a photo of the guitar here.


Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

Bunnybrains "Let the Smog Out" video filmed in Hudson.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k-OavA5WJY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
From www.HVscan.com, a short clip just north of the Metro-North Train Station in Poughkeepsie, NY, at about 11:30 p.m., on 02.03.10.

Click on WGXC or WGXC Newsroom for more information. Send news, tips, etc. to news@wgxc.org.