DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Aug. 7 (8:21). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news Fri., Aug. 4 through Sun., Aug. 6:

Bill Williams reported for WCTW-FM, The Cat, nine accidents occurred on local highways over the 36-hour period from Fri., Aug. 4 through Sat., Aug. 6. A vehicle rolled over just after 10 p.m., Saturday on Mount Merino Road in Greenport. Earlier that evening, crashes in Greene County brought fire and rescue crews to Route 67 in Cairo, Main Street in Cairo, and route 81 in Coxsackie. On Saturday morning, one person was taken to Columbia Memorial, after they struck a utility pole in Germantown. Two separate one-car accidents occurred on Friday -- one in Valatie, the other in Chatham.

Melanie Lekocevic reported for Columbia-Greene Media more than a week after he went missing at Bash Bish Falls in Copake, the body of 21-year-old Aiden Campion-Pratt has been recovered. The Ghent man went missing on Fri., Jul. 28, after he slipped on a rock while hiking and fell into the falls. A massive search effort was launched in both Columbia County and Berkshire County, Massachusetts to locate him.

Daniel Zuckerman reported for Columbia-Greene Media the subject of Columbia and Greene counties sharing jail services as a possible cost-cutting measure was discussed during a meeting of the Greene County Legislature Public Safety Committee last week. “It made sense to some of us to explore the possibility to do something jointly with Columbia County,” Legislator Lori Torgersen said. “We are in some ways sharing jail services with Columbia County right now.” The exact cost savings from the two counties sharing a jail has to be researched, the Windham Democrat said. “All we are trying to do is explore the option," Torgersen said. Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley opposes moving the county's prisoners to Columbia County. He said it would be more cost effective to build a new jail in Coxsackie, and the county would avoid potential job losses. “It should stay here in Greene County,” Seeley said. “We already gave the hospital away, we gave the college away. Are we going to give the jail away?”

Chris Bragg reported at Capitol Confidential the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office declared its intent to retry former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sometime in the spring of 2018, in court papers filed Fri., Aug. 4. In July, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Silver's 2015 conviction on federal corruption charges. He had been sentenced to 12 years in prison. The appeals court ruled last week it would allow Silver's attorneys to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to end the prosecution, a decision that could delay the second trial.

The Greenville Central School District announced it has hired Amanda Greene as its new high school principal. She comes to the Greene County district from the Red Hook Central School District, where she has worked for six years as an assistant principal. Before moving into administration, Greene taught social studies in the Sewanhaka Central High School District on Long Island. In 2015, she received the School Administrators Association of New York State Outstanding Educator of the Year Award. Greene starts work on August 14.

William F. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman a bill that would grant the state the power to closely scrutinize Hudson River anchorage proposals and passed both houses of the state Legislature, is now awaiting action by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. The bill would amend existing law to allow state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to work with the Department of State and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to set “conditions for petroleum-bearing vessels to enter or move upon navigable waters of the state, as well as tanker-avoidance zones” in the lower Hudson River. Ten new anchorage sites for commercial ships have been proposed between Kingston and Yonkers. In a telephone interview, a representative of the governor declined to say whether Cuomo favors or opposes the legislation. State Assembly member Didi Barrett, Democrat from Hudson, and state Sen. Sue Serino, Republican of Hyde Park, will hold a press conference Mon., Aug. 7, along with representatives of environmental group Scenic Hudson to urge prompt action. They contend that delay could lose an opportunity for the state to strengthen its position with federal agencies before a new U.S. Coast Guard review of the pending anchorage proposal begins. Three of the proposed anchorage sites are between Dutchess County and Ulster County. The northernmost would be in front of the Rhinebeck shoreline. That anchorage ground would encompass 279 acres and accommodate up to three vessels for long-term use, and would be located directly across from the river from Kingston Point Beach.

Richard Moody reported for Columbia-Greene Media tourism continues to grown in Columbia and Greene counties, according to a state survey of the economic impact of tourism statewide. Based on data from 2016, there was a 2.7 percent growth in traveler spending statewide in 2016. Columbia County saw a 7.7 percent increase in traveler spending, the largest increase of any of the six counties included as part of the Hudson Valley Region. Employment in Columbia County was also the county most dependent upon tourism in the region, at 7.6 percent. The number of visitors to Greene County in 2016, most of whom lived in lodging or second homes, increased 4.2 percent.

Emilia Teasdale reported in The Columbia Paper the Chatham Zoning Board of Appeals recently met and reviewed the application for a special use permit from Flying Deer Nature Center. Flying Deer, a not-for-profit education center, hopes to relocate to donated property on Daley Road, a dirt lane. The major issue raised at the meeting was traffic flow on Daley Road if the camp is allowed to operate there. The attorney for Flying Deer said his clients had hired a traffic engineer and a report would eventually be available for the board to review. He also said the town Highway Superintendent Joe Rickert sees no problem with the added traffic on the road. The town granted the center a waiver in April, exempting it from the two-year ban on new construction along dirt roads. The waiver allowed Flying Deer to submit applications to the ZBA for a special use permit and to the Planning Board for a site plan review and approval. A public hearing was held on the applications in June. The next joint meeting of the Chatham Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals will be held 7 p.m., Tue., Aug. 8 at Chatham Town Hall, 488 State Route 295, Chatham.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY : Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. High near66. Monday night, rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 p.m., then rain between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of showers after 2 a.m. Low around 60.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
TUESDAY: A chance of showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly sunny. High near 75. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 53.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny. High near 79. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 59.

Sunrise today: 5:55 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:06 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:10 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the first Monday of the month.

WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.

ATHENS Town Board meeting, 6:45 p.m., Athens Community Center, 2 First Street, Athens (945-1052, ext. 2).
CLERMONT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1795 Route 9, Clermont (537-6868).
COEYMANS Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 18 Russell Ave., Ravena (756-6006).
DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at town building, 7309 Route 81, East Durham (239-6122, ext 1).
HUDSON Common Council Informal meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUNTER Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
LEXINGTON Town Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Municipal building, 3542 Route 42, Lexington, (986-6303).
LIVINGSTON Zoning Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, County Rte. 19, Livingston (851-9441).
SCHOHARIE County Planning Commission meeting, 7 p.m. at county office building, 284 Main St., Schoharie (295-8770).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly events:
Citizen Action HV Action Night, 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday at 7 Grand Street, Kingston. Information at hudsonvalley@citizenactionny.org, or facebook.com/HVCitizenActionNY.
New Paltz Climate Action Coalition, 5 p.m., every Thursday at New Paltz Village Hall, 23 Plattekill Ave., New Paltz. Information at (845) 419-3786 or newpaltzclimateaction@gmail.com.
Faso Friday, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Information at erinpersists@gmail.com.

Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressman for the WGXC listening area. Fivethirtyeight.com currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 87.8 percent of his votes. This week Congress is not in session, and Faso is visiting businesses and other institutions in the area. He's not, though, alerting anyone when he will be anywhere, so there is little access to the representative. Faso has yet to hold a traditional town hall meeting, and does not talk to the media often. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report.

• Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media U.S. Rep. John Faso was in Athens Mon., Jul. 31. The first-term congressman made a stop at Field Goods, a produce delivery business located in Athens, for a tour of the facility and conversation about the various labor issues facing farmers. Field Goods Founder and President Donna Williams hears most often from farmers that the difficulty finding skilled labor is limiting their ability to grow and expand. The minimum wage increase to nearly $15 per hour in two years was another concern raised by those in the meeting. “We really need to solve the immigrant labor question and to do it in a way that keeps these experienced farm workers here and encourages them to come back and also treats people fairly,” Faso said. According to Faso's online public schedule, he also visited the Salvation Army in Hudson, and the Lehigh Hanson Cement facility in Catskill on Monday. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

• Rick Karlin was in Hudson Aug. 1, reporting for the Albany Times Union about Governor Andrew Cuomo's anouncement of a $10 million grant for the city. He noticed that Cuomo, when speaking to the media and locals, took shots at Rep. John Faso, and his support for the bill in Congress that would cut taxes and healthcare for many Americans. "I am not going to stop talking about that healthcare bill," Cuomo said. In a press release July 28, Faso said, "I am working as part of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to initiate reforms which can fix problems with the individual insurance market.” Cuomo says he expects another attempt to pass a large tax cut by cutting the amount of healthcare available to Americans. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington resurrect a healthcare bill," he said. "I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington do anything, by the way. The past few months have been so bizarre — I think the only thing you can count on is more bizarreness." Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.

• Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential Ulster County Executive Mike Hein announced Thu., Aug. 3, he will not seek the 19th Congressional District seat in 2018. Hein said in a statement there is no question that sweeping change must take place in Washington, and that he will also work diligently to ensure that a Democrat takes the seat next time around. Hein said he shares the “profound concern and frustration about the current direction of our country” that millions of Americans feel. He said the "divisive tone, irresponsible behavior and harmless policies" coming from Washington threaten to undermine the foundation of our democracy. Eight Democrats have already entered the field for 2018. The seat is currently held by Kinderhook Republican John Faso. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Here are some stories from the Hudson River this week. Click here to hear an audio version of this report.

• The Stevens Institute reports temperatures this week in the Hudson River at Schodack Island have been between 73 and 78 degrees.

• Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the state Department of Transportation has issued a stop-work order on a project along the Hudson waterfront. Contractors have been clearing vegetation along the rock escarpment in anticipation of covering it in shotcrete. The cliff face was earmarked to be covered in the liquid cement to prevent loose rocks from falling onto the railroad tracks immediately below. The decision to halt the work was made after concerns about the impacts of changing the cliff would have on the nearby historic district and waterfront aesthetic were voiced by residents, the mayor and the environmental advocacy group Scenic Hudson. The spraying of shotcrete was scheduled to begin Aug. 7, but a meeting has now been scheduled for later this week that may delay the process, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton said. “Our goal is to ensure that a proper review is conducted, and alternatives examined, so that the problem can be addressed in a manner that minimizes impacts on the historic district, the city waterfront and Hudson River,” said Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

• Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Port of Coeymans is scheduled to move a 4,000-ton heat recovery steam generator from the port onto a barge, Tue., Aug. 2. The heating structure will then be transported south on the Hudson River to a power plant in Sewaren, New Jersey. This is the first time a structure of this size has been built off-site and then transported, and it is the largest project of this size in the United States. The parts for the 8-million-pound generator were shipped to the port in November 2016, and workers have been putting it together 24 hours a day, six days a week, ever since. The structure will be welded onto the deck of a barge 100 feet wide and 400 feet long, and then pulled by three tugboats down the river. The barge will leave Coeymans Mon., Aug. 7. The trip to New Jersey is expected to take 24 hours. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

• The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hosts the sixth annual Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count Saturday with local fish counters in Coxsackie, Staatsburg, and Castleton-on-Hudson. The public is invited to count the more than 200 fish species that live in or visit the Hudson River. Volunteers collect fish using seine nets, minnow traps, or rods and reels, count them, and release them. Local sites include:
• Staatsburg in Dutchess County at Norrie Point. 10 a.m.-noon; seining next to Environmental Center; Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve Kingston Kingston Point Beach: 5 p.m.; seining; Hudson River Estuary Program.
• Coxsackie at Riverfront Park. 10 a.m.-noon; seining at Riverside Festival, near boat launch; Hudson River Estuary Program /Capital District Marine Aquarists Society.
• Castleton-on-Hudson at Schodack Island State Park. 10 a.m.-noon; seining at boat launch; River Haggie Outdoors/Rensselaer Land Trust.

Diane Valden reports in The Columbia Paper that the Environmental Protection Agency may be able to turn former county dump sites in Ghent, Copake, Hillsdale, Claverack, and Gallatin into solar energy-producing sites. “Overall the landfills assessed in Columbia County appear to have favorable site conditions to support solar PV generation and economic viable reuse,” the EPA reported in a recent study. A study on a Hudson landfill site has not been published at this time. The EPA solar studies will be discussed at the DPW Committee meeting at the County Office Building, 401 State Street, 5 p.m., on August 23. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Lynda J. Edwards reports in the Albany Times Union that a day after a train carrying hazardous cargo and head for Albany County derailed, county executive Daniel McCoy urged President Donald Trump to fill Department of Transportation vacancies. He said that "the top job, for Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, has been vacant since January.... There are so many jobs unfilled...we're dancing with the devil.... I don't want to wait until people die...I don't want to be saying I told you so." The train carrying molten sulphur and liquid petroleum gas caught fire near Hyndman, Pa. The entire town was evacuated, but no one was hurt. Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.