DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Jun. 21 (11:08). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Anthony Fiducia is reporting in The Daily Mail the Cairo Town Board meeting, scheduled to take place Mon., Jun. 19, was cancelled after members Doug Ostrander, Daniel Joyce and Gary Warner failed to show. The meeting was called to discuss a dispute over the hog farm located on Mountain Avenue, owned by Mark Meddaugh and Jason Watts. Members of the town board visited the farm two hours before the meeting was scheduled to begin, but Town Supervisor Dan Benoit and board member Mary Jo Cords were the only members to appear later at town hall. Benoit declined to share his assessment of the farm due to the ongoing investigation by the state Health Department and state Agriculture and Markets Department. The three members who failed to turn out felt there was nothing to discuss without the town health officer and a representative of the state Department of Health present. Ostrander, along with the Infantino and MacGiffert families are suing Meddaugh and Watts over the placement of pigpens on Meddaugh's land, located within a state certified agricultural district. Ostrander, along with some neighbors of the 200-year-old farm, including his daughter, are alleging the harmful odors and the potential water contamination created by the animals pose a potential health risk for nearby residents. Other town residents have spoken in support of Watts' right to farm. The Cairo Town Board will next meet, 7 p.m., Mon., Jul. 3 in Cairo Town Hall, 512 Main Street, Cairo. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Amanda Purcell is reporting in the Register-Star the Livingston Town Board Mon., Jun. 19, unanimously adopted a local law to prohibit mining and mines in the town's LDR-2 district, which provides for orderly residential development. The decision was greeted by cheers and applause from more than 20 residents in attendance at the public meeting. "We fought this battle," said Joseph Sweeney, president of the Livingston Neighbors Association, a group of 106 residents who supported the law. "It was a hard battle to protect our neighborhood and the community. ... This will not only help people presently here, it will also help the generations to come in relation to pollution and traffic conditions." The state Department of Environmental Conservation reports there are five active sand and gravel mines in Livingston. Resistance to allowing mining in the residential district began in April 2016, when Red Wing Sand and Gravel submitted an application to the town planning board, requesting the approval of an application to establish a 14.3-acre sand and gravel mine. The new law was passed following an eight-month mining moratorium. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper the Valatie Village Board on June 13, adopted a new local law that would allow a new self-serve carwash to be located on the site of the former Valkin restaurant. The measure changed the zoning, making it part of the business district. Mayor Diane Argyle said approximately one-third of the property was located in the R1, or residential district, and much of that is wetland. Because the wetland is protected, it will not be developed, Argyle said. The village Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals are currently reviewing the application from BJ Cantele and Sting Ray Properties LLC to put a self-serve carwash on the property. Bill Better, the attorney for Cantele, attended the public hearing and applauded the village for making the change, which would allow the existing building to remain and possibly reopen as a restaurant. Cantele has said he would like to rent out the Valkin building to be run as a restaurant. Better's clients must now present a new plan to the Planning Board and ZBA. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Chris Bragg reports in The Albany Times Union that the state Board of Elections' independent enforcement office is investigating whether New York Senate Republicans boosted several specific candidates with financial support from a campaign fund that is not allowed to be used to promote individual candidates. State Senator George Amedore (R-Rotterdam), who represents Greene County in Albany, is one of the legislators who received help from the campaign fund in the 2016 election. Political party housekeeping accounts are not to be used for the, "express purpose of promoting the candidacy of specific candidates." Last month Senate Republicans filed a motion to quash subpoenas issued by the Board of Elections for GOP records related to the issue. Amedore defeated Democrat Sara Niccoli 63-to-36 percent in November 2016. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced more than $1 million in grants to 27 new and early-stage farms through the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund, including three in Columbia County. The Blue Star Farm receives $50,000, Letterbox Farm gets $31,000, and the Morningstar Farm receives $30,436 from the program. "Agriculture remains a major New York industry, and with support from the New Farmers Grant Fund, we will be making investments that will pay dividends for future generations of farmers," Cuomo said. "The Fund continues to provide access to capital to help new and early farms grow, while supporting the expansion of businesses statewide, and with this latest round of awards, New York will help increase production and support this critically important part of our economy for years to come." The Long Season Farm and Westwind Orchard, both in Ulster County received $32,119 and $48,619, respectively.

Mid-Hudson News Network reports in The Daily Freeman that Michael Wendel got the nomination of the Conservative Party last week to run against Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach in November. On June 19, Wendel was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered not to contact Auerbach or his family after violating an order of protection. Ulster County Conservative Chairman Edward Gaddy said he did not know about any kerfuffle between Wendel and Auerbach. “I am going to call a meeting of the Conservative Party Executive Committee, and we are going to have to come to a resolution on this matter,” Gaddy said. Could they withdraw their nomination? “That is certainly one possibility,” he told midhudsonnews.com. “We are going to have to discuss this as the entire group. This is a very serious matter.” Wendel must stay at least 500 feet away from Auerbach and his family during any political activity attended by both parties, according to the protection order imposed by Shawangunk Town Justice Kevin Hunt. On Dec. 17, 2015 Wendell “aggressively approached” Auerbach at the Wawarsing Town Hall in the village of Ellenville, “placed himself within inches of Mr. Auerbach with a camera in his hand” and made statements to the comptroller “of a harassing and taunting nature.” Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.

Rick Karlin reports in Capitol Confidential that just a year after the the Public Service Commission approved Charter Communications' takeover of Time Warner Cable, the company has already violated the deal and faces a $13 million penalty. The New York State Department of Public Service announced June 19 that it had reached a settlement agreement with Charter Communications Inc. over the company’s failure to meet its requirement to build-out its cable network as required in last year’s approval of Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable Inc. “The Commission conditioned its approval of the merger on Charter’s agreement to undertake several types of investments and other activities,” said Department Interim CEO Gregg C. Sayre. “While Charter is delivering on many of them, it failed to expand the reach of its network to un-served and under-served communities and commercial customers in the time allotted.” As of May 18, 2017, Charter had only extended its network to pass 15,164 of the 36,250 premises it was required to pass in the first year of the deal. The public will get to comment on the proposed settlement, which then requires Commission approval. Anyone can read the settlement agreement at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 15-M-0388 in the input box labeled “Search for Case/Matter Number.” Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

The WGXC Radios in Motion 2017 Spring Pledge Drive continues. WGXC programmers, volunteers and staff must raise $20,000 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. Thank you for supporting creative community radio in New York's Greene and Columbia counties.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: Isolated showers between from Wednesday morning into early afternoon. The National Weather Service in Albany is warning there is a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms from afternoon into the early evening. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Otherwise, mostly sunny. High near 81. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 55.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 80. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 63.
FRIDAY: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 p.m.., then showers and thunderstorms likely after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 86. Friday night, showers and thunderstorms likely before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 66.

Sunrise today: 5:19 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:35 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 15:16 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the third Wednesday of the month.

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

CATSKILL Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m. at high school, 341 Main Street, Catskill (943-4696).
CATSKILL Town Board Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee meeting, 5 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
GREENE COUNTY Planning Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. in Room 427; full Legislature meeting, 6:30 p.m.; both in county office building, 411 Main St., Catskill (719-3270).
HUDSON Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on applications for properties located at 22 Cross Street and 245 Montgomery Street, followed by regular meeting 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
STUYVESANT Zoning Revision Committee meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TACONIC HILLS Board of Education special meeting, 6:30 p.m. at high school, Board of Education Room, 73 County Route 11A, Craryville (325-0390).

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) 399-247 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.

Jazz Funeral for Progressive Legislation in New York, 1 p.m., Jun. 21 at the State Capitol, Albany. A New Orleans Style funeral march on the last day of the legislative session to mourn the death of progressive legislation.
Community Speakout on Real News / Fake News, 2 p.m., Jun. 24 at Morris Memorial, Chatham. Scheduled to participate: Victor Navasky, former editor, The Nation; Elaine Salisbury, journalism professor, SUNY Albany; Tom Palmer, journalist, Times Union; Joel Simon, director, Committee to Protect Journalists. Moderated by Michael Singer. Sponsored by Indivisible Chatham.