The D.R. Evarts Library in Athens has an election for the 2017 budget and the election of five members to the Board of Trustees Wed., Oct. 18 at the library from noon until 8 p.m. The proposed budget of $119,564 is up for a vote, a $6,768 increase from last year. Five candidates are seeking five seats on the Board of Trustees. Incumbent Katherine Montague, Patricia Apotas, Sandra Miller, Barbara Iraci, and Leslie Reed are on the ballot. Absentee ballots can be obtained at the library. For additional information contact the library at 518-945-1417 or director@drevartslibrary.org.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper the Kinderhook Town Board last week set rental fees for use of the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building. Use of the building, which is co-owned by the town and village of Valatie, will remain free for most nonprofit programs, but a building committee has developed a schedule of fees for commercial groups and for use of the space for fundraising events by nonprofits. Supervisor Pat Grattan said the committee based the fees on what the Ichabod Crane school district and the village of Kinderhook charge for the use of their buildings. Fees range from $5 to $15 for nonprofit-sponsored events, and $25 to $100 for commercial or for-profit use. “It’s very minimal… it just covers us legally,” Grattan said of the charges. “The last thing we want to do is charge a not-for-profit,” he said. The Kinderhook Town Board has rescheduled its November meeting from the first Monday of the month to November 13 at 7 p.m. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Bethany Bump is reporting in the Times Union schools statewide are mishandling or failing to accurately report incidents of bullying, according to an audit released Fri., Oct. 13, by the Office of the State Comptroller. The Dignity for All Students Act was passed in 2012 and it required schools to hire an anti-bullying coordinator, provide annual training on the law, and every year report incidents of bullying, harassment and discrimination to the state. According to the audit, Greene County schools reported 49 incidents of discrimination and harassment during the 2015-16 school year, while in Columbia County, 86 incidents were reported during the same period. Those statistics did not include incidents of cyberbullying. In Greene County there were 20 incidents of harassment or bullying through electronic communication reported, and 17 incidents in Columbia County. In Columbia County, Hudson High School and Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School reported the most incidents of in-person bullying; in Greene County, Cairo-Durham Middle and High schools and Greenville Junior/Senior High School topped the list. The audit found that part of the reporting problem statewide was a failure to train all staff, specifically those who see students outside of the classroom, where bullying is most likely to occur. And some staff are unsure when an incident rises to the level of bullying and when it does not. The report recommended the state Education Department provide more training opportunities and remind school and district officials of the law's record retention requirements. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Dan Freedman is reporting in the Times Union New York stands to take big financial hit following President Donald Trump’s order to curtail cost-sharing subsidies that help individuals and families just above the poverty line afford health insurance. Along with the Oct. 1 expiration of federal money for children’s health insurance and for hospitals that treat large numbers of Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients, the state is facing a massive blow in its quest to remain one of the nation’s most generous providers of health care. The projected losses are placing significant financial strain on the state’s budget, as well as putting health coverage at risk," said Susan Van Meter, senior vice president of the Healthcare Association of New York State. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to fight the cuts, which were an integral part of the Affordable Care Act, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced the state would join with other states and sue the Trump administration. North County Republican, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who voted in favor of the House Republican Obamacare repeal-and-replace measure in May, said she disagreed with the Trump administration on the cost-sharing cuts. I don’t think we should pull the rug out from under my constituents or the American people until we have a replacement" for Obamacare, she said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Oct. 16 (9:21). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Closings and delays for Mon., Oct. 16:

Grant D Morse Elementary School (Saugerties Central School District) | Two-hour delay. All other schools operating on regular schedule.

Some of the stories that made the news from Fri., Oct. 13 through Sun., Oct. 15:

Richard Moody reported for Columbia-Greene Media Indivisible Chatham and the Columbia County Sanctuary November organized a rally Sat., Oct. 14, in support of the federal DREAM Act. Supporters rallied in Kinderhook village to sign petitions and create photographs and video supporting the passage of federal legislation that would direct the Department of Homeland Security to grant permanent residency to certain undocumented immigrants. “We are here in support of [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], and in particular to encourage [U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-19] to vote for a clean DREAM Act with no strings attached,” said Joannne Trapanese, who organized the rally. “This affects our area in a big way,” said Indivisible Chatham's Alan Gelb. “There are farms all over the area where this population is working. There are restaurants and the whole food fabric of this community.” Faso has said in the past that he agrees that migrant farm workers and DREAMers are important to the economy of 19th Congressional District. Faso is the co-sponsor of two bills meant to address the issue around DACA and provide paths to citizenship for DREAMers.

The Times Union reported a Kinderhook man was taken into custody Fri., Oct. 13, after he allegedly posted videos on social media stating he was planning a mass murder of law enforcement officers and was heard making threats in public, state police said. Vincent Beaudoin, 34, is charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony. He was arraigned and sent to the Columbia County jail without bail. He will next appear in court Tue., Oct. 17.

Mid-Hudson News Network reported the state Department of Environmental Conservation last week announced various Mid-Hudson projects will share more than $1.1 million in funding to help communities in the Hudson River Estuary improve water quality and habitats, conserve open space, increase storm resiliency, and improve recreational access to the river for people with disabilities. Among the grants:
The Upper Hudson Northern Catskill Natural Resource Trust in Greene County will receive $35,000 to work with Hudsonia and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties to complete a natural resources inventory for Greene County to guide conservation work countywide.
Trout Unlimited in Columbia County will receive $38,000 to develop the town of Ancram Road Stream Crossing Replacement Plan.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties will receive $23,0000 to develop a watershed management plan for the Catskill Creek watershed.
The town of Hillsdale will receive $24,000 to work with a consultant to create a natural resources inventory.
The village of Ravena will receive $40,000 to investigate the use of nature-based features, or green infrastructure, to reduce the flow of stormwater entering the sanitary system.
The city of Kingston will receive nearly $46,000 to improve access for people of all abilities for swimming, fishing and environmental education programs at Kingston Point Beach.
Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson will receive $49,000 to work with the Saw Kill Watershed Community to improve understanding about connections between land- use and stream/watershed conditions.

Amanda Purcell reported for Columbia-Greene Media the members of the Columbia County law enforcement and legal communities are remembering the late Robert Q. Moore, longtime Livingston town justice for his public service and dedication to the community. Moore died last week following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the brother of Hudson Police Chief Ed Moore and a lifelong friend of Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka. Moore served on the bench for 41 years. “He was a decent individual and he felt that being a town justice was not just for the purpose of putting someone in jail but to help them if he could,” Greenport Town Justice and friend Robert Brenzel said. Moore was also the owner and operator of B&K Electric and Hudson Valley Home Generators in Livingston.

Diane Pineiro-Zucker reported in the Daily Freeman a man who disappeared “without a trace” in January is not likely to be found alive, a state police investigator said Fri., Oct. 13. Brandyn Dayne “Multy” Foster, 31, was living in Catskill at the time of his disappearance, and “there is a strong indication that he is deceased,” Senior Investigator Peter Kusminsky said. He said Foster’s disappearance is considered suspicious because the man has had “no contact whatsoever with family members.” On Friday, police searched two locations in the village of Catskill. Excavating work at those locations resulted in the collection of "some items,” police said. Kusminsky would not identify the items and said police were not yet sure if they are pertinent to the investigation. Anyone with information about Foster or his disappearance are asked to call state police at (518) 622-8600.

Emily Masters reported in the Times Union ham salad sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches and seafood stuffing sold this month at three New York chains are possibly contaminated with Listeria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thu., Oct. 12. All three products have been recalled from the shelves of northeastern Hannaford, Target, and American Food and Vending stores. The recall includes Turkey Hill minimarts, located in Pennsylvania, as well. The sandwiches and stuffing were prepared by Greencore. The voluntary recall was issued on Sep. 29, after several FDA tests found Listeria in the company's finished products. Consumers who purchased the sandwiches and stuffing before they were pulled from shelves are urged not to eat the products and dispose of them immediately.

Diane Valden reported in The Columbia Paper that a new hops, grains and oilseed growing operation has been established in southeast Columbia County on 50 acres of the old Bryant Farm at the corner of Roche Drive and Route 82. Hudson Valley Hops and Grains was USDA certified organic in July by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. Stuart Farr, the owner/operator of Hudson Valley Hops, said the hops yard at the farm is only an acre, but it contains 1,000 plants of three varieties: Cascade, Chinook and Newport. The hops were planted three years ago and the late summer harvest this year was his second. The farm also produces grains and oilseeds, such as canola and camelina. Hops are perennial plants that grow up a trellis to a height of 18 feet. The fruit, or flower, of the plant, is primarily used to flavor beer, but is also used in fragrances and as an ornamental. Information about the farm is available at HudsonValleyHopsandGrains [dot] com.

Today is Day 13 of the WGXC 2017 Fall 2017 Harvest Pledge Drive. WGXC programmers, volunteers and staff must raise $25,000 to keep WGXC Hands-on Radio on the air, live and local during the coming months. Your support will make all the difference. Call (518) 697-7400 or go online to wgxc.org [slash] donate, and make your commitment to programming curated by humans, not algorithms, that is responsive to your needs and interests. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY : Mostly sunny. High near 53. Monday night, patchy frost is possible overnight. Otherwise, mostly clear. Low around 35.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
TUESDAY: Patchy frost in the early morning. Otherwise, sunny. High near 60. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 43.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny. High near 68. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 44.

Sunrise today: 7:10 a.m.
Sunset today: 6:11 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 11 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS and POLITICAL EVENTS for Mon., Oct. 16:
Please see the WGXC Community Calendar.

Today is Day 12 of the WGXC 2017 Fall 2017 Harvest Pledge Drive. WGXC programmers, volunteers and staff must raise $25,000 to keep WGXC Hands-on Radio on the air, live and local during the coming months. Your support will make all the difference. Call (518) 697-7400 or go online to wgxc.org [slash] donate, and make your commitment to programming curated by humans, not algorithms, that is responsive to your needs and interests. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Fri., Oct. 13 (4:33). (Produced by Neva Wartell.)