Dan Udell recorded and uploaded this video of the June 12 Hudson Common Council meeting.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Jun. 14 (9:20). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Anthony Fiducia is reporting in The Daily Mail on how a dispute over a pig farm is developing into an ethics issue for a Cairo Town Board member. Town councilman Doug Ostrander, and the Infantino and MacGiffert families are suing Mark Meddaugh and Jason Watts over the placement of pigpens on the Watts farm. Ostrander, along with other neighbors, are alleging the harmful odors and the potential water contamination created by the animals pose a potential health risk for nearby residents. The question now is, should Ostrander be expected to recuse himself from any action taken by the Town Board on the subject? "I have a duty to protect the health and welfare of the people of the town." Ostrander said during the Cairo Town Board meeting Mon., Jun. 12. Town Supervisor Daniel Benoit expressed doubts about the board's ability to give the matter a fair hearing due to Ostrander’s personal involvement. "It may be wrong, it may be silly, whether it is illegal for him not to recuse himself is not stated," said Bob Freeman, executive director of the state Committee of Open Government. "We have a long way to a resolution on this," Benoit said. "This is a long investigation." Town Health Officer Rob Schneider and a representative from the state Health Department may attend the next town board meeting, Benoit said. The Cairo Town Board next meets at 7 p.m., Mon., July 3 at Town Hall, 512 Main Street, Cairo. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Daniel Zuckermanis reporting in The Daily Mail Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley has spoken publicly for the first time about the letter from the state Commission of Corrections that cited the county jail for unsafe and unsanitary conditions. During a meeting of the Greene County Legislature Public Safety Committee Mon., Jun. 12, Seeley confronted Legislator Lori Torgersen, Democrat of Windham, over public comments she made alleging that Seeley failed to respond to a series of letters from the state about jail conditions. "I heard it on the mountain that Lori was beating up the Sheriff majorly," Seeley said. Torgersen said she was told by state Commission of Correction Chairman Thomas A. Beilein that Seeley did not respond to the letters over a series of months, she said. "That’s pretty much the beginning and the end of what I said...," Torgersen said. According to the letter, the jail had broken windows which led to high temperatures in the cells and facility officer posts were abandoned so officers could transport inmates to other jails. County officials were summoned to a hearing in Albany on July 12 on the matter, but Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said Tuesday, the hearing has been rescheduled for a later, unspecified date. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Amanda Purcell is reporting in the Register-Star Hudson mayoral candidate Earl Swanigan has been accused of inappropriately touching a woman as he went door-to-door collecting signatures on a nominating petition. Swanigan, 53, was arrested by the Hudson police on Tue., Jun. 13, and charged with two misdemeanors. He is alleged to have entered a woman’s unlocked home on the morning of June 6 without her permission, according to police. Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore said officers seized Swanigan’s petition, which contained numerous signatures. Swanigan is scheduled to appear in Hudson City Court Thu., Jun. 15. Swanigan is a prolific, well-known Warren Street artist. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that Peg Warner was added as the Ichabod Crane School District's new director of education. She joins the ICC team as new superintendent, Michael Vanyo, replaces George Zini. The board also recently moved Primary School Principal Suzanne Guntlow to serve in the central office as principal for the Annual Professional Performance Review, and hired a new Primary School principal, Andrea Williams. “I feel comfortable leaving with such a solid team,” Zini told the board at his final meeting June 6. The ICC board holds an organization meeting at 7 p.m., Tue., July 11 in the high school library. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Claire Hughes reports in The Albany Times Union that New York got high marks in children's health, and low marks for widespread poverty in the 2017 Kids Count Data Book, a study from the nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation. Only two percent of young New Yorkers are without health insurance, the study reported, but 22 percent of children in the state lived in poverty in 2015. Albany County had a child poverty rate of 16.4 percent in 2015, and Rensselaer County had a 18.2 percent rate that year. Larry Marx, chief executive officer of the Rochester-based Children's Agenda, says the poverty figure is the most important predictor of future results. "Whether it's related to the 'toxic stress' that people attribute poverty to creating in families and children, or whether it's the poor educational outcomes, or the health disparities ... without making an impact on children living in poverty and their families living in poverty, we can't make a huge dent in other indicators," he said. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in The Albany Times-Union that the election to replace retiring Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino is already a mudfest with months to go before votes are cast. Rich Crist, a longtime Republican political operative in Rensselaer County, was fired June 12 from a $100,000-a-year job with the county legislature. One source told the paper that the removal may have been because of Crist's support of state Assemblyperson Steve McLaughlin (R-Schaghticoke). Jimino, and other Republicans, have thrown their support to Deputy County Executive Chris Meyer. "That was a legislative action, and I cannot answer for their reasons," Jimino said. "However, I will say it was a personnel matter so that's not something that I will comment on. I doubt the Legislature will either." McLaughlin is upset about the firing. "We have a political civil war going on and you see, I think, the thuggish behavior of the Rensselaer County machine," McLaughlin said. Crist kept mum except to say his attorney is, "reviewing the legality of their sudden action." Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.

Jake Lahut reports at Politico New York that New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is now investigating the Eric Trump Foundation after a recent Forbes story showed the Foundation shifted some money from a benefit for children with cancer at St. Jude's Hospital into the Trump Organization. "I can confirm that our office is looking into issues at the Eric Trump Foundation raised by the Forbes report," said Eric Soufer, the attorney general's director of communications. Schneiderman is now investigating both the Donald J. Trump Foundation and Eric Trump Foundation. Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Eric Trump Foundation, said they will cooperate with investigators. "The Foundation intends to cooperate fully with the Attorney General's review, and looks forward to a productive and open dialogue with the Attorney General's Office to address any questions it may have," Miller said in a statement. Read the full story at Politico New York.

Today is Day 8 of the WGXC Radios in Motion 2017 Spring Pledge Drive. 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: Sunny. High near 79. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 50.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 75. Thursday night, a chance of showers, mainly after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 54.
FRIDAY: A chance of showers. Cloudy. High near 69. Friday night, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 58.

Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:33 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 15:15 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the second Wednesday of the month.
CATSKILL Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Washington Irving Senior Center, 15 Academy Street, Catskill (943-1343).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors meeting, 7:30 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
GREENE County Mental Health / Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Sub-committee meeting, 3:30 p.m.; county Legislature workshop, 6 p.m. at 411 Main Street, Caucus Room, Catskill (719-3200)
GERMANTOWN Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at elementary school, 123 Main Street, Germantown (537-6281, ext. 302.
HILLSDALE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Main St., Hillsdale (325-7563).
NEW LEBANON Board of Education Policy Committee and regular meeting, 6 p.m. at elementary school, 1478 Route 20, New Lebanon (794-7600).
STOCKPORT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 2787 Atlantic Ave., Stottville (828-9389).

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.

Sentencing Rally for Albany Bus Incident Defendants, 9 a.m., June 16, at Albany County Judicial Center, 6 Lodge Street, Albany. Hosted by Indefensible.
Training in Non-violent Direct Action, 10 a.m., June 17 at 680 Central Avenue, Albany. Participants will learn about action and support roles, handling aggression, legalities and group decision-making. Hosted by PAUSE.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Tue., Jun. 13 (7:47). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper Columbia County has announced work to construct paved shoulders for pedestrians along State Farm Road in Kinderhook will begin in July. The three-foot-wide paving will begin at the intersection with county Route 28 and continue to the state Route 9/9H traffic circle. County Superintendent of Highways Bernie Kelleher announced the plan to the Kinderhook Town Board at its regular meeting last week. He said paving the roadside will give “people a place to walk.” Kinderhook town Highway Superintendent John Ruchel told the board that approximately 4,000 cars and 60 school buses travel State Farm Road daily during the school year, making it the busiest road in town. Work is slated to begin in July, once school is on summer hiatus. Kelleher said that, weather permitting, it should be a two-day project. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Greene County has announced its annual household hazardous waste collection event will take place 8 a.m. to noon, Sat., June 24. Old oil-based paint, pesticides and other environmentally hazardous items that cannot be disposed of at the county’s transfer stations can be brought to the event for disposal. The event will take place at the Greene County Highway Department facility at Scott Lane, off State Route 9W in Athens. Proof of residency is required. The county advises a brief wait in line should be anticipated, and it generally takes about 10 minutes for a participant to go through the site. For information call (518) 943-4600 or go online at Greene Government [dot] com.

Brian Nearing is reporting in the Times Union opponents of natural gas fracking continue to press the state Department of Environmental Conservation over proposed new rules that would allow landfills in New York to continue accepting tons of such waste from neighboring Pennsylvania. According to a report by Environmental Advocates of New York, landfills in the western part of the state have taken more than 600,000 tons of solid waste from fracking wells, plus an additional 22,000 barrels of liquids, all from out-of-state sources. DEC spokesman Sean Mahar called the Environmental Advocates report inaccurate. “With its strict oversight, DEC continues to see no evidence of pollution associated with drilling waste at landfills,” said Mahar. Legislative efforts to ban fracking waste imports first occurred in 2012, and have failed to clear the Legislature. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Amanda Purcell reported in the Register-Star this weekend that A. Colarusso and Son, Inc., was unaware that the replacement of a 75-foot dividing wall along the river shoreline at its Hudson dock was required by law to undergo a site plan review, according to the company's consulting engineer. Colarusso was cited in January for replacing the concrete and wood bulkhead with a steel bulkhead without the approval of the Hudson Planning Board. The project consulting engineer, Patrick Pendergast, admitted the plan was not presented because neither he, or company officials, knew it was necessary. "Obviously, we are not going to ask them to tear it apart," said Planning Board chairman Tom DePietro. Prendergast denied the bulkhead replacement is tied to any expansion projects. Instead, he said, it was done for safety reasons because sections of the wooden bulkhead were falling apart. The planning board accepted Colarusso’s application and voted unanimously to hold a public hearing. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Amanda Purcell is reporting in the Register-Star the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse's pier is in dire need of repairs. Years of strong currents and ice flow in the Hudson River have caused damage to the wood pilings that support the lighthouse, and the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society is looking to purchase and install riprap, or a loose stone foundation, to protect the pilings. "What will happen over time is that the lighthouse’s pilings will deteriorate to a point where the lighthouse might lean and it might even fall into the river," said Tom Hoffman, the president of the society. "But we’re looking at many, many years into the future before that happens." The lighthouse has been operational since 1874 and still serves to help ships navigate safely around the Middle Ground Flats. Hoffman estimates the repairs will cost between $400,000 and $800,000. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

The state Board of Regents Mon., Jun. 12, announced it will reduce the number of testing days from three to two for students in grades 3 through 8 statewide next year. “The Regents have taken a bold step forward today,” said Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “This decision not only reduces the amount of time children will spend taking tests, but also returns valuable instructional time to our teachers. We will make certain the tests continue to provide a valid and reliable measurement of student achievement.” The change will take effect beginning with the Spring 2018 testing period. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said the decision was made in response to concerns expressed by parents and teachers, alike. Her department last year reduced the number of test questions on both the English Language Arts and math exams, and moved to untimed testing. Read the full press release online at N Y S E D [dot] gov.

Today is Day 7 of the WGXC Radios in Motion 2017 Spring Pledge Drive. 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: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. The National Weather Service in Albany's Storm Prediction Center has placed the region in a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms. The main threat is gusty winds. Heavy rainfall is also possible. Partly sunny. High near 88. Tuesday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 59.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
WEDNESDAY: Sunny. High near 77. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 49.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 76. Thursday night, a chance of showers after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 54.

Sunrise today: 5:18 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:33 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 15:14 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the second Tuesday of the month.

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

CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main Street, Catskill (943-2141).
CATSKILL Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Washington Irving Senior Center, 15 Academy Street, Catskill (943-1343).
COXSACKIE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
GREENE County Legislature public hearing on the Countywide Shared Services Property Tax Savings Plan, 6:30 p.m. at Centre Property, Windham (719-3200).


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.

Rally for Voting Rights, 11:30 a.m., June 13 at West Capitol Park, Albany. Rally calling for five reforms to voting laws including early voting, automatic voter registration, restoration of parolee voting rights and more. Hosted by Citizen Action of New York.
Sentencing Rally for Albany Bus Incident Defendants, 9 a.m., June 16, at Albany County Judicial Center, 6 Lodge Street, Albany. Hosted by Indefensible.
Training in Non-violent Direct Action, 10 a.m., June 17 at 680 Central Avenue, Albany. Participants will learn about action and support roles, handling aggression, legalities and group decision-making. Hosted by PAUSE.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Mon., Jun. 12 (3:06). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)