DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Apr. 27 (6:53). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Nick Olivari is reporting in the Register-Star on the dispute that has arisen over the sudden appearance of a U.S. flag atop a 20-plus-foot-high flagpole, 200 feet from the Columbia County Airport runway in Ghent. The pole suddenly materialized around noon Sun., Apr. 23, said Mahlon W. Richards, chief executive officer for Richmor Aviation. “It’s distracting and we think it is a safety issue,” Richards said. Richmor has operated the airport for the last 50 years. The pole sits on the property of the neighboring Meadowgreens Restaurant and Golf Course. “It was Earth Day and I put up a flag and planted some flowers,” said Carmen Nero, lead investor in the company that owns and operates the nine-hole course. “A person can put an American flag up. I pay property taxes,” he said. The county is seeking advice and consulting with the Federal Aviation Administration on the matter, said Michael Benvenuto, chairman of Columbia County Board of Supervisors Airport Sub-committee. The FAA confirmed it was working with the county airport authority to determine if the flagpole, placed dead center to the runway, posed a hazard to aircraft using the airport. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail Greenville Central schools on Tue., Apr. 25, held its first public information meeting presenting its proposed $9.6 million capital project. Superintendent Tammy Sutherland and architect Philip Snyder outlined planned renovations to science labs and classrooms, agriculture and technology rooms, music rooms, the girls’ and boys’ locker rooms and athletic fields. The district plans to install a new track with a multi-use athletic field in the center, and add new baseball and softball fields, five new tennis courts and a blacktop walkway on campus to provide access to each sports field. The district will use the annual budgeted and capital reserve funds to finance the improvements, as well as issue an $8.6 million bond. District voters will decide the fate of the bond referendum, along with the district's proposed 2017-18 budget, on Tue., May 16. If approved, school officials expect construction to get underway in July 2018. Additional public information sessions will be held on May 2 and May 6. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Brenda J. Lyons is reporting in the Times Union a state Supreme Court justice has upheld a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Petersburgh, Rensselaer County, against a company blamed for polluting the local water with the toxic chemical PFOA. Justice Patrick J. McGrath declined to dismiss the case against plastics company Taconic, citing a recent U.S. District Court decision in a similar class action filed by residents of nearby Hoosick Falls. In both cases, the legal arguments are based around the question of whether people with elevated levels of PFOA in their blood have suffered an injury. Both the Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh cases seek long-term medical monitoring for people with elevated levels of the chemical in their blood. PFOA exposure has been linked to a variety of health problems, including testicular and kidney cancer and thyroid disease. The Petersburgh case was filed on behalf of anyone whose private wells were contaminated, or who have used the town's now polluted public water system. The issue is expected to ultimately be decided by the state Court of Appeals, Lyons writes. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Emilia Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that the county Department of Social Services will reimburse mileage for the Chatham Cares 4U program. In the program, anyone can come to the Chatham Police station in the Village Hall and request help with an addiction to opiates and will be immediately screened into the program. Drugs are confiscated, but no arrests are made. At the April 13 Chatham village Police Chief Peter Volkmann said that the county would reimburse the village for up to $6,000 in mileage expenses for the program. Volkmann also said about $3,000 in private donations have come in for the program, and another group, Columbia Pathways to Recovery, is starting a help line for people to find out information about treatment for addiction. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Rosa Acheson in the Register Star reports that with a government shutdown looming on Friday, local Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) has yet to see any plan to keep the federal government operating. “Congressman Faso does not support a government shutdown,” Faso Communications Director Courtney Weaver said April 25. “A shutdown would be prevented by passing appropriations. The congressman has not seen any language for potential appropriations yet.” Read the full story in the Register Star.

Brendan J. Lyons reports in The Albany Times Union that the law firm that worked for the village of Hoosick Falls billed the village tens of thousands of dollars to provide PR advice, and began settlement talks with the likely polluters almost immediately. Mayor Rob Allen released invoice records of the town's payments to FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth after the village board voted unanimously Monday night to end its contract with the law firm. The chemical PFOA has been found in the Hoosick Falls drinking water, caused by pollution from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Vivian Yee reports in The New York Times that a U.S. District Court judge on April 25 temporarily blocking President Trump’s executive order to take away federal funds from localities that limit their cooperation with immigration enforcement. So-called sanctuary cities will not have funds taken away by the federal government unless the order is overturned by a higher court. Locally, Hudson, New Paltz, Newburgh, Bethlehem, and Kingston have recently declared some version of "sanctuary city" status, saying they would not voluntarily turn over unauthorized immigrants unless compelled by a law or court. Read the full story in The New York Times.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny. High near 76. Thursday night, the National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook due to the chance of thunderstorms along a weakening cold front, mainly after midnight. Increasing cloudy. Low around 58.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 a.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny. High near 76. Friday night, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 56.
SATURDAY: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of showers between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 79. Saturday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 48.

Sunrise today: 5:54 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:51 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 13:56 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fourth Thursday 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 Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at community center, 2 First Street, Athens (945-1052).
CHATHAM Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Chatham (392-5821).
CHATHAM Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 488 Route 295, Chatham (392-1651).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors Finance Committee meeting, 3 p.m. at 401 State Street Office Building, Hudson (828-1527). COPAKE Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 230 Mt. View Road, Copake (329-1234).
COXSACKIE Town Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 16 Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727). HUDSON Community Development and Planning Agency meeting (tentative), 12 p.m. at 1 North Front St., Hudson (751-1044).
WINDHAM Town Board meeting, 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 371 State Rt. 296, Hensonville (734-4170).

People's Climate March Delhi, 11 a.m., Apr. 29. Sister march to the People's Climate March in Washington D.C.
People's Climate March Hudson, 12 p.m., Apr. 29; begins in the Hudson Public Square (7th Street Park). Sister march to the People's Climate March in Washington D.C. Scheduled speakers: Ned Sullivan of Scenic Hudson, state Assembly member Did Barrett, Livingston Town Board member Will Yandik, and Michelle O'Leary from the Hoosick Falls-based NY Water Project.
Day without Immigrants Strike, May 1, details to come. No work, no school and no shopping for a day.
People's March for Free Press, 12 p.m., May 13, at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York. March and rally in support of the press and free speech.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Tuesday, April 25 (2:48). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)