DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Apr. 20 (8:33). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Special informational meeting, hosted by the Greenport Planning Board, to listen to comments from the public on the environmental aspects of the proposed Colarusso haul road. Recorded live at Columbia-Greene Community College Tue., Apr. 18, by Dan Udell and uploaded to the udellcommunityaction YouTube channel on Apr. 20.

Rosa Acheson is reporting in the Register-Star the Hudson Common Council unanimously passed a memorializing resolution Tue., Apr. 18, expressing its opposition to the construction of the Pilgrim Pipelines project. The proposed 178-mile Pilgrim Pipelines would move Bakken crude from Albany to Linden, N.J., through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties, and send refined crude back to Albany, largely along the I-87 corridor. The Hudson resolution was introduced by First Ward Alderman J. Michael O'Hara in March. "We find the pipeline potentially threatens the health, safety and the economy of residents and businesses living or working in the region," O'Hara said. A representative of Pilgrim told the paper approximately 30 communities have gone on record against the pipeline so far. He said the company is currently "working through environmental review, environmental studies and impact statements." The next step is community outreach, which is set to begin this summer. Pilgrim hopes to start construction a year from now. Read the full story in The Register-Star.

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail Vincent Seeley has again been appointed Catskill Village President. He was named to fill the position during the Village Board's reorganization meeting last week. Seeley served as Village President for a decade before being defeated by Heather Bagshaw in 2016. Jim Chewens was appointed vice president by Seeley last week. In nominating Seeley Chewens said, "I worked with Vinny for the past 13 years on the village board. He has a proven track record of moving the village of Catskill forward and I would like to see him back as president to lead us." The lone dissenting vote on the appointment was cast by Bagshaw, who expressed concern about Seeley’s attendance record last year, claiming he was present for only 50 percent of the board meetings held. Seeley said his attendance record was around 70 percent. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Daily Freeman is reporting a former secretary/treasurer of the West Ghent Volunteer Fire Company has been accused of embezzling more than $55,000 from the department, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said Wed., Apr. 19. Gail E. Cesternino, 46, was charged in an indictment with grand larceny and 13 counts of falsifying business records, all felonies. She is alleged to have used her position as the fire company's treasurer to regularly withdraw cash, write herself checks and use the fire company’s credit card for personal expenses. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

The Columbia County Clerk’s Office announced Tue., Apr. 18, the annual K.I.S.S., or Keeping Identities of Seniors Safe, program for local residents will take place Mon., Jun. 12, through Tue., Jun. 20. The program is conducted in conjunction with Certified Document Security, a records management company specializing in the secure destruction, storage and recycling of confidential records. The service is offered to seniors over 60, in towns within Columbia County, as well as the city of Hudson. Seniors can bring their sensitive materials, such as old credit card receipts, bank statements and tax records, to their local town hall, where they place them in a locked container. The container is kept secure until the company delivers it to their facility in New Lebanon for shredding. Seniors are advised to check with their city or town officials for specific hours of availability and location. Information on the program is available at (518) 822- 0143.

Amanda Purcell reports in The Daily Mail that crews are now working on the pedestrian footbridge known as the Black Bridge over the Catskill Creek. By October work should be done. "We’re hoping that is closer to September, so that the public can enjoy the bridge before the winter hits," Village President Vincent Seeley said. Schoolchildren will once again be able to reach Catskill High School and Catskill Middle School by taking the bridge, which was built in the 1830s for the Canajoharie & Catskill Railroad. The bridge was also part of the Catskill Mountain Railway but was damaged in the storms surrounding Hurricane Irene in 2011. A federal grant and $600,000 from the Village is paying to resume the pedestrian walkway. "We really think it’s going to be a great addition to the Walking Loop," Trustee Jim Chewens said. The Catskill Creek Walking Loop half-mile-long pedestrian pathway connects Water Street, the Black Bridge, West Main Street, and the Uncle Sam Bridge, with lighting, boardwalks, benches, and pocket parks along the way. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

The Record reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the latest politician not named Donald Trump to post his tax returns publicly. Cuomo reported income of $418,000 on his federal tax return for 2016, more than half of which came from sales of his book. HarperCollins paid him about $218,000 from the book, “All Things Possible.” Cuomo sold 3,200 copies of the book, according to NPD Books, which makes his royalties about $245 per book, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

Click here to play or download the Catskill Town Board April 19 meeting. (Recorded from live webstream.)

H. Rose Schneider in The Altamont Enterprise that new Albany County Department of Public Works Commissioner Lisa Ramundo has several projects planned for the southern part of the county. Now that there is warmer weather her department is working to resurface 25 miles of county roads, replace three culverts in Westerlo, and reconstruct two bridges in Berne. Ramundo is also concentrating on consolidation, with the Knox supervisor looking to share a new highway garage with the county, and Berne considering merging services with the county, and the Voorheesville School District is thinking about letting the county maintain its fleet of vehicles. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

The New Baltimore Democrats held an information session about the proposed new Greene County Jail Tue. April 18. Under the proposal, the county would build a new jail in Coxsackie, moving from next to the county courthouse in Catskill. County administrator Shaun Groden, and county legislators William Lawrence (R-Cairo), Lori Torgersen (D-Windham-Ashland-Jewett-Prattsville), and Pat Linger (R-New Baltimore) were scheduled to attend. The exact cost of the new jail has yet to be determined, but previous reports put the price tag at nearly $70 million, plus the cost of the interest on the bond. The information meeting was held at the Medway-Grapeville Firehouse in Hannacroix.

Beth Schneck recorded the meeting for WGXC.
Click here to download or listen to Part 1 the meeting.
Click here to download or listen to Part 2 the meeting.

Call to order
First speaker: Shaun Groden, Greene County Administrator
20:00
Average stay in the county jail is less than 50 days 
21:00
Drug treatment and training
30:00
Greene County receives no money from the state of New York
33:22
Reducing size? Cells come in pairs; double-bed cells
39:42
How much? Started at $51.3 million, now at $46.7 million. More will be cut. This represents the cost of building only, and not amortized over 30 years.
49:00
Interest rate is locked in. Description of how this process works.
51:30
Not able to whittle down price below $38 million.
56:40
Greene County Legislator Lori Torgersen for the 6th District (Prattsville, Ashland, Windham, Jewett) 
1:06:00
Shaun Groden
1:23:00
Solar usage at jail
1:26:00
Water reservoir used and concerns

UPDATED Thu., Apr. 20 to correct the event host and the project cost.

Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) took questions from The Daily Freeman on April 19. The Congressperson continues to refuse to hold a traditional town meeting or post his local public appearances on his website in advance, like his predecessors Scott Murphy and Chris Gibson.

Local weather forecast:
TODAY: A slight chance of showers before 7 a.m. Mostly cloudy. High near 63. The National Weather Service in Albany has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Thursday. Widespread rain with a chance of non-severe thunderstorms are expected Thursday night into Friday morning. The thunderstorms could produce heavy rain, which may cause some flooding. Low around 51.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: Rain before 8 a.m., then showers likely, mainly between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. High near 60. Friday night, a chance of showers, mainly between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 44.
SATURDAY: Partly sunny. High near 59. Saturday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 41.

Sunrise today: 6:04 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:43 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 13:38 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the third Thursday of the month.

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

ANCRAM Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1416 County Route 7, Ancram (329-6512).
AUSTERLITZ Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 812 Route 203, Spencertown (392-3260).
CAIRO-DURHAM Board of Education special meeting, 7 p.m. at high school, 1301 Route 145, Durham (622-8543).
GHENT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE County Fire Advisory Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Greene County Emergency Control and Training Center, 25 Volunteer Drive, Cairo (622-3548).
GREENE County Industrial Development Agency meeting, 8 a.m. at IDA Office, 270 Mansion Street, Coxsackie (731-5500).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson (828-1030).
KINDERHOOK Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3211 Church St., Kinderhook (784-2233).
STUYVESANT Joint Zoning Law workshop, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Dr., Stuyvesant (758-6248).
WINDHAM Planning Board public hearing on site plan review application for Crown Fuels, 7:10 p.m. at Town Hall, Main St., Hensonville (734-4170).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Weekly event:
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.

Across the Aisle, 9 a.m., Apr. 21 at Marist College Student Center, Poughkeepsie. U.S. Reps. John Faso and Sean Patrick Maloney in a conversation about how Washington politics affect the Hudson Valley. Sponsored by Pattern for Progress.
A Neighbor's Night Out, 6:30 p.m., Apr. 21 at O'Connor's Public House, 6 Broad Street, Paling. U.S. Rep. John Faso, special guest, plus Sheriff Butch Anderson and state Senator Terrence Murphy to speak. Paid admission only.
Community Speakout on Immigration, 2 p.m., Apr. 22 at Morris Memorial Hall in Chatham. Ruth Reichl, moderator, attorney Tom Gerety, Richard Witt, Rural and Migrant Ministry, Cris Morales, chef, artist, writer.
Albany March for Science, 3 p.m., Apr. 22 at Washington Avenue near Capitol. In concert with the DC March for Science.
Earth2Trump Resistance Roadshow, 8 p.m., Apr. 22 at Bearsville Theater, Woodstock. A national tour against the current administration 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 Wednesday, April 19 (2:29). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)