DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Tue., Mar. 28 (8:38). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Victoria Addison is reporting in The Daily Mail law enforcement officers in both Columbia and Greene counties are being trained to operate drones for a variety of purposes, including search and rescue. Unmanned aerial vehicles do not require a human pilot and in most cases they are operated with a remote control unit by a person on the ground. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office plans to purchase its first drone using federal funds, Undersheriff John Davi said. The drone will be used to survey large crime or accidents scenes and for search and rescue. A drone recently purchased by a private organization for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office will be used for similar situations, including search and rescue and to survey critical incidents, said Sheriff Greg Seeley. That device will not be in service until pilots are trained and certified, Seeley said, but his office has no timetable for when that will occur. "The sooner the better," Seeley said. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Victoria Addison is reporting in The Daily Mail lawmakers in Greene and Columbia counties this month unanimously approved resolutions in support of a $3 million increase in state funding for the Cornell Cooperative Extension associations. Chuck Brooks, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties said the state awards a total of $3.92 million in funding every year to the associations. This year, Cooperative Extension is asking for an additional $3 million to increase the state's annual support to $6.92 million. If approved, the increase would be the first in 20 years, Brooks said. “Cornell does a great job,” said Ancram town supervisor and Cooperative Extension board member Art Bassin. “The Cooperative Extension program is a wonderful resource for the community and I certainly hope the state will provide additional funding because it benefits a lot of people.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Kyle Hughes is reporting for NYSNYS News advocates are endorsing an Assembly bill calling for the videotaping of police interrogations. Adrian Thomas, a former Troy resident who falsely confessed to murder after two days of police interrogation, participated in the press conference in Albany, on Mon., Mar. 27. “I was tricked,” Thomas said of his treatment by Troy Police detectives. “This should never happen to anybody ... this should never happen on the inside of an interrogation room, period.” Thomas and others endorse an Assembly bill that would impose broad requirements for videotaping police questioning of suspects in violent felony crimes, and makes it difficult for police to bring cases where interrogations are not recorded. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his own proposal for police videotaping, but advocates argue it does not go far enough. “The problem that we have is without recording, it is very difficult to establish through testimony alone what happened in an interrogation room over the course of many, many hours,” Rensselaer County public defender Art Frost said. The video of the complete interrogation was key to having the verdict in Thomas' case overturned, Frost said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Eric Anderson is reporting in the Times Union the Greater Capital Association of Realtors is reporting home sales rose 6 percent in the Capital Region in February. Pending sales were up 8 percent, while the average sale price increased 10 percent to nearly $221,000. The median price of a home rose 4 percent to almost $190,000. The report covers an 11-county region that includes both Greene and Columbia counties. The number of homes for sale fell 19 percent over the past year, the association said. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Lorna Cherot Littleway is reporting in The Columbia Paper Hillsdale Town Supervisor Peter Cipkowski announced last week the town has at long last received approval for its hamlet sidewalks project. The sidewalk will run along both sides of Route 23 from the Route 22 intersection to Town Hall. Construction is expected to take 8 to 12 weeks to complete. The project will cost a total of nearly $1 million; Hillsdale’s share of the bill will be just under $189,000. Town officials, project designers and the contractor will meet on April 3, to finalize a construction schedule. Cipkowski also announced the state Department of Transportation has agreed to investigate the town's request to lower speed limits on sections of county routes 21 and 22. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Jay Braman Jr. is reporting in the Daily Freeman the Catskill Heritage Alliance last week filed an Article 78 action in state Supreme Court in Kingston in its continuing effort to reduce the size of the planned Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park. The alliance is asking for a reversal of a recent Shandaken Zoning Board of Appeals decision that all of the proposed resort buildings comply with the town’s code. The alliance argues that some do not. Belleayre, first proposed by Crossroads Ventures approximately 18 years ago, is to be built on more than 700 acres in Middletown, Delaware and Ulster counties, near the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center. Final approvals for the project came last year, but the Catskill Heritage Alliance’s actions have stalled the process. Alliance President Kathy Nolan said last week the group’s latest court action was not just about the resort. She said it was about not allowing Shandaken’s zoning laws to be undermined. “Crossroads should have to abide by the same requirements as everyone else,” Nolan said. “Otherwise, the integrity of our zoning will suffer." If completed, the Belleayre Resort will be comprised of the Highmount Spa and Resort, and the Wildacres Resort. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Matthew Hamilton is reporting at Capitol Confidential new poll indicates that New York voters continue to support some of the top items in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget. A Siena College poll released Mon., Mar. 27, showed a majority of voters back an extension of the so-called millionaires’ tax, legislation allowing for expansion of ride-hailing services outside of New York City and free tuition at state schools for those from families making less than $125,000 per year. Respondents also support the DREAM Act to allow children of undocumented immigrants to receive financial aid for college and raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 years old. Asked about the American Health Care Act before it was pulled from the House floor last week, 56 percent of those who responded said they opposed the bill, while 27 percent supported it. A majority of voters, or 67 percent, said they want to see the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, stay in place and improved. Thirty percent said they want it repealed and replaced. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Showers, mainly after noon. High near 50 Tuesday night, showers likely, mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 37.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 50. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 30.
THURSDAY: Sunny. High near 49. Thursday night, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Low around 31.

Sunrise today: 6:42 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:17 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 12:34 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fourth Tuesday of the month.

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

CANAAN Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 1647 County Route 5, Canaan (781-3144).
CATSKILL Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill (943-2141).
CHATHAM Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at high school, 50 Woodbridge Avenue, Chatham (392-1501).
COLUMBIA Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors Audit and Finance Committee meeting, 8 a.m.; full board meeting, 8:30 a.m.; Industrial Development Board and Audit Committee meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Capital Resource Corporation Board and Audit Committee meeting, 10:45 a.m.; all at 4303 Route 9, Hudson (828-4718).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6 p.m. at elementary school, 24 Sunset Boulevard, Coxsackie (731-1750).
GERMANTOWN Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 50 Palatine Park Road, Germantown (537-6687).
GREENE County Tourism Advisory Committee meeting, 10:30 a.m. at 411 Main Street, Room 427, Catskill (719-3270).
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).
GREENVILLE Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 11159 Route 32, Greenville (966-5055).
HUDSON Development Corporation meeting (tentative), 12 p.m. at 1 N. Front St., Hudson (751-1044).

POLITICAL EVENTS
BLUE DOT INDIVISIBLE event, 5:30 p.m., Mar. 28 at Red Dot, 321 Warren Street, Hudson. Music and a variety of speakers. Free and open to the public.
ELECTORAL PROCESS Training, 7 p.m., Mar. 28 at Bethlehem Town Library, 451 Delaware Avenue, Delmar. Training on the electoral process by Albany County Legislator Joanne Cunningham.
FASO FRIDAY, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Info at erinpersists@gmail.com.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Mon., Mar. 27 (8:01). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Some of the stories that made the news from Fri., Mar. 24, through Sun., Mar. 26:

Diane Walden reported in The Columbia Paper 1,300 acres of farm and woodland in southeast Ancram has been donated to the Columbia Land Conservancy. The acquisition is CLC’s largest to date and offers an opportunity for more than just public access. CLC Special Projects Manager Tom Crowell appeared at the March 16 Ancram Town Board meeting to announce the donation of a portion of Scotland Farm was finalized last month. Crowell told the Town Board the farmland will continue to be leased by two area farmers under CLC ownership. CLC plans to use the property for public access recreation, but it is also exploring opportunities for other uses, such as ecological research, land management education and site demonstrations of forest management and agricultural practices.

Jim Heaney and Charlotte Keith reported in the Times Union a special report by Investigative Post, ProPublica, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism shows New York's investment in the upstate economy has not generated many jobs. The groups analyzed employment data, interviewed dozens of public officials, and reviewed reports and audits of subsidy programs conducted by the state comptroller and watchdog organizations. That analysis indicated the state's substantial investment in the upstate economy has not generated many jobs. The research also found that economic development programs suffer from a lack of transparency and objective analysis to determine their effectiveness. Since taking office in 2011, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has increased state subsidies, launched several initiatives and announced state-funded projects. "The past four years we have focused on upstate New York and economic development like never before," the governor said in his 2015 state address; however, the upstate economy remains sluggish. Most job growth has occurred downstate. The number of jobs upstate has increased by only 2.7 percent since 2011, and most of the jobs added upstate have been in the low-wage sectors, such as restaurants and bars.

Amanda Purcell reported in the Register-Star the Columbia County Sheriff's Office responded to a threat at the Germantown Central School this week, but determined the threat to be unfounded. Although district parents were notified of the incident, details of what occurred were not forthcoming. Superintendent Sue Brown was unavailable to the press for further questions, and the Sheriff's Office did not provide any additional information. “At no time was there a credible threat to student safety or school security,” Brown wrote in the email to parents. “The safety of our students is our highest priority, and the district takes all threats to school safety seriously.”

Karrie Allen reported for Columbia-Greene Media the Chatham Cafe and Deli on Main Street in the village was seized last week for back taxes owed to the state Department of Taxation and Finance. Department spokesman Cary B. Ziter said, “We seized the business, not the building.” Tom and Dan McDermott opened the cafe and deli in 2015, after Marisa's Bagel Cafe was sold. The McDermotts owe a combination of sales and withholding taxes totaling more than $9,000. “We need places like the cafe,” said Thomas Chulak, president of the Chatham Area Business Alliance. Chulak said while the community needs options for eating, the village needs businesses and eateries that reflect well on the village.

Victoria Addison reported in the Register-Star Keith Kanaga of Ghent has been chosen chairman of the Columbia County Democrats. The committee also chose Matthew Nelson of Kinderhook as first vice chair, Brenda Adams of Canaan as second vice chair and Greenport resident Carol Peckham as secretary. Dave Berman of Ghent was chosen in February as the committee's new treasurer. The change in leadership was trigged by the resignations of committee officers Peter Bujanow, Debby Mayer, Mark Leggett, Angella Pace and Deb Shakotko. The resignations were effective March 10, Communications Committee Chairman Koethi Zan said, but Zan declined to provide more information on the change of leadership. Kanaga is the co-chair of the Ghent Democratic Committee, vice chair of the Ghent Zoning Board of Appeals and chair of the Ghent Board of Assessment Review. He is a U.S. Army veteran and a retired financial services professional.

Pat Doxsey is reporting in the Daily Freeman Ulster County lawmakers passed a memorializing resolution last week calling on the state legislature to classify attacks on first responders as hate crimes. The final vote of 15 to 8 crossed party lines. Legislators took the action despite concerns by some Ulster County residents that the action would diminish the significance of the hate crime provision. The measure was introduced by Legislator Ronald Lapp Jr., a retired New Paltz Police Department sergeant, and asked the state to amend its hate crime law to add the phrase “the occupation of trooper, deputy sheriff, police officer, peace officer and first responder.” A number of county residents argued the proposal should be rejected, saying it would “render hate crimes a meaningless designation under the law.” The existing hate crimes legislation does not apply to people based on their occupation. It applies to offenses motivated by an offender's bias against a person's race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, said a resident of Mount Tremper.

Amanda Purcell reported in The Daily Mail the Catskill Board of Education's efforts to hire a new district superintendent have fallen through, the district announced Fri., Mar. 24. “Negotiations with Catskill Central School District’s initial finalist for superintendent have ended without a contract agreement being reached. The board...is now entering into negotiations with another highly qualified finalist for the position," the board wrote in an emailed statement to the paper. The board's first choice for the district's top spot was chosen Feb. 1, from a list of three finalists. The new superintendent is expected to start the job at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, on July 1. The district has been without a permanent school chief since the departure of Kathleen Farrell in late 2015. Board President Kyle Lyles could not be reached for comment.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Rain, mainly before 11 a.m. High near 52. Monday night, a slight chance of rain or drizzle before 8 p.m., then a slight chance of drizzle between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of rain after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 38.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: A chance of rain before 8 a.m., then showers likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Cloudy. High near 57. Tuesday night, showers likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 38.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. High near 52. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Low around 32.

Sunrise today: 6:44 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:16 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 12:31 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the fourth Monday of the month.

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

COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors Broadband Sub-committee meeting, 4 p.m.; Economic Development Committee meeting, 5 p.m., at 401 State St., Hudson (828-1527).
GHENT Zoning Review Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENVILLE Board of Education budget meeting, 6 p.m. in middle/high school library, Route 81, Greenville (966.5070).
HUDSON Board of Education budget workshop, 6:30 p.m.; meeting, 7 p.m. in high school library, 215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson (828-4360).
HUDSON Industrial Development Agency meeting, 1 p.m. (828-0212); Common Council Fire Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m., Police Committee meeting, 6 p.m. (828-1030). All at City Hall, 520 Warren St., Hudson.
NEW BALTIMORE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3809 Co. Route. 51, Hannacroix (756-6671).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).
TAGHKANIC Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 909 Route 82, Taghkanic (851-7638).

POLITICAL EVENTS
Stop the NORTHERN ACCESS PIPELINE Rally, 12 p.m., Mar. 27 at DEC Building, 625 Broadway, Albany.
Make Schenectady a SANCTUARY, 6:30 p.m., Mar. 27 at Schenectady City Hall, 105 Jay Street. Public discussion of the proposal to make Schenectady a sanctuary city.
BLUE DOT INDIVISIBLE event, 5:30 p.m. at Red Dot, 321 Warren Street, Hudson. Music and a variety of speakers. Free and open to the public.
ELECTORAL PROCESS Training, 7 p.m., Mar. 28 at Bethlehem Town Library, 451 Delaware Avenue, Delmar. Training on the electoral process by Albany County Legislator Joanne Cunningham.
FASO FRIDAY, 12 p.m., every Friday at U.S. Rep. John Faso's District Office, 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook. Info at erinpersists@gmail.com.

Congressperson John Faso (R-Kinderhook) took to the floor of the U.S. House March 24 before the vote on the Republican healthcare plan, or Trumpcare, to explain his vote in favor of the plan. The Republican leadership pulled the vote before Faso could vote for it. Later, in a statement to constituents, Faso wrote, "Pulling the legislation from the floor reveals that there is no Republican consensus on replacement of the Affordable Care Act. As such, it is incumbent upon those of us in Congress to find incremental improvements and reforms to the ACA – hopefully with bipartisan support – which will lower costs and increase healthcare access for all Americans."

Rosa Goldensohn reports in Crains New York that immigrant arrests in western New York have farmers concerned. Immigration authorities seized five apple pickers with no criminal records carpooling to work on an apple farm on March 21, charging them with immigration violations and detaining them "pending removal proceedings," according to a spokesperson for immigration officials. Immigration activist José Coyote Pérez, a dairy farmworker, has been held at ICE's Buffalo detention facility for the past month. "We strive to do difficult work; work nights ... corralling cows, harvesting food in the day, in rain," said Pérez, on the phone, from his jail. "It gives sustenance to our families and we are happy." Farm Credit East, a financial-services provider, estimates that 1,080 farms in the state could go out of business or shrink significantly without migrant workers. If all undocumented workers were deported, they said the state's agricultural production would drop by $1.37 billion, or 24 percent. Read the full story in Crains New York.