DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Thu., Mar. 16 (9:22). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail Dick Brooks of New Baltimore has been named the Greene County 2017 Senior Citizen of the Year, and Athens resident Ed Bloomer has been chosen to receive the Outstanding Contribution by a Senior Citizen award. Brooks and Bloomer were chosen by the Advisory Council to the Greene County Department for the Aging. Both men will be honored at a special ceremony in May. Award recipients are recognized for their years of service and selfless contributions to Greene County. A Maine native, Brooks has lived in Greene County for 50 years. “Where can you find a better place?” he said about choosing to put down roots in Greene County. “In all the traveling I’ve done, I have never run into anything that has more to offer than what we have here.” Brooks served as a county legislator from 1995 to 2002, and a town councilman for New Baltimore. He served on the board of the Greene County Council of the Arts, as president of the board for Greene County Cornell Cooperative Extension, chairman of the board of trustees at Columbia-Greene Community College and deacon at the New Baltimore Reformed Church. Until last October, Brooks served as manager of the Historic Catskill Point. Bloomer contributions including delivering meals and providing medical transportation for seniors. He has also served as a volunteer tutor and on the board of directors for Literacy Volunteers of America. Bloomer was part of an effort to preserve the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, served on the Athens Zoning Board and assisted with the Athens Cultural Center’s activities. He is also a member of the Greene County Planning Board, is a volunteer for the Y-Tri athletic event sponsored by the Greene County branch of the YMCA and serves as a trustee for the Colleburgh Cemetery Association. “It absolutely is a good idea to volunteer,” Bloomer said as a message to his fellow seniors. “Giving back is the best medicine. ..." Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Rosa Acheson is reporting in the Register-Star Hudson Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton announced Wed., Mar. 15, she will not seek re-election in November. While saying the decision came after much consideration, Hamilton did not indicate why she chose not to pursue a second, two-year term. “The past 15 months have in many ways been very rewarding, and I am grateful to the citizens of Hudson for the opportunity to serve them at the executive level,” Hamilton said in a statement. Hamilton, a Democrat, has served as mayor since 2016. With nine months left in office, Hamilton said there are plenty of things she would like to see accomplished, but offered no details. Hamilton said she intends to remain politically engaged, in some fashion, beyond 2017. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

On March 15 Democrats in Congress forced another vote to reveal President Donald Trump's tax returns, and local Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) again voted against the measure. Faso, who says he wants Trump's taxes released, has voted twice against releasing them. The vote March 15 was 223-183, with only one Republican voting to make Trump's taxes public.

Daniel Zuckerman is reporting in The Daily Mail CSX Transportation has begun work on a project to build 18 miles of new track from Coxsackie to Catskill. The track will run parallel to the existing line, near the Hudson River. The new lines are part of a larger rail construction project from Albany to northern New Jersey, which was announced to the public in 2013. The estimated cost of the new track was $26 million. "The objective was for us to handle more trains. The work that’s going on in the Catskill area is a piece of that project," said CSX Director of Communications and Media Relations Rob Doolittle. The line along the Hudson River is vital to CSX’s infrastructure because trains on the line carry freight from Chicago across New York state and up to Albany, Doolittle said. He said the impact of the construction on residents should be minimal. The The Federal Railroad Administration confirmed the project will increase rail capacity. "This will allow freight to move quicker with fewer delays and will reduced instances of trains being held on sidings while other trains have to pass through on a single track," an FRA spokesman said. Contacted by the paper, neither Catskill Town Supervisor Doreen Davis or County Administrator Shaun Groden were aware of the project. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Closings and delays for Thu., Mar.16:

Hudson City School District | Delayed three hours. No morning pre-K. No morning BOCES. No breakfast. Tutoring center closed.
Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | Delayed two hours. No morning BOCES.
Warren Street Academy / The Bridge | Delayed three hours. No breakfast.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School District | Delayed two hours.

Matthew Hamilton reports in Capitol Confidential that Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) believes that humans have affected the earth's climate. Faso and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Essex County) on March 15 joined a House resolution that says humans have had an impact on climate change. Stefanik and former Rep. Chris Gibson previously signed a similar resolution in 2015. Last week new Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to climate change. “I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see,” he told CNBC. “But we don’t know that yet. … We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis.” Read the full story in Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Chelsea Diana reports in the Albany Business Review that the Kinderhook Bank Corp.'s National Union Bank of Kinderhook is buying Patriot Federal Bank, based in Canajoharie, New York. Kinderhook Bank will have 11 offices in five counties. The Columbia County-based bank has been expanding in the Albany area recently too, and now has $601 million in total assets, $446 million in loans, and $521 million in deposits. The bank was founded in 1853, and only expanded outside of the county in 2007. Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.

H. Rose Schneider reports in The Altamont Enterprise that in Westerlo in Albany County there was discussion of broadband and cell service at the town meeting March 7. Dorothy Verch, chairwoman of the town’s Broadband Committee, said the committee is looking to identify areas just outside Westerlo where Mid-Hudson Cable could expand internet coverage. Verch is gathering data for a presentation at the April town board meeting, so that Mid-Hudson Cable can be approached in May. She noted that plans for the county to expand internet to the Hilltowns would likely not reach Westerlo, as internet and cable companies besides Mid-Hudson Cable have not expressed interest in the area. The application for Tarpon Towers’ 120 to 140 foot cell tower, on Route 405, was moved to March 28, with a visibility test Monday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “People will be able to get the feeling of what the tower will look like in that area,” said Verch. NOTE: Mid-Hudson Cable is an underwriter on WGXC. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.

Lauren Stanforth reports in The Albany Times Union that the State Police and the state Health Department are far behind on answering requests for public documents, with more than 100 FOIL requests still pending from 2015. Most agencies, such as the state Comptroller's Office and the State University of New York's administrative office, are current on FOIL, or Freedom of Information Law, requests. The Times Union said it waited for two years for safety and inspection reports for Capital Region ambulances. "The Health Department stands by its record of thoughtful and timely review of all records requested by the public," said Gary Holmes, an agency spokesperson. The story coincides with Sunshine Week, an annual nationwide celebration of access to public information. Read the full story in The Albany Times Union.

Local weather forecast:

TODAY: Mostly cloudy. High near 28. Thursday night, mostly cloudy. Low around 11.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
FRIDAY: Sunny. High near 34. Friday night, a slight chance of snow after 2 a.m. Increasing clouds. Low around 10.
SATURDAY: A chance of snow before 2 p.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy. High near 36. Saturday night, snow likely, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 26.

Sunrise today: 7:03 a.m.
Sunset today: 7:04 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 12 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 first presentation of the 2017-2018 budget proposal, 7 p.m. at high school, 1301 Route 145, Durham (622-8543).
CHATHAM Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m., Thu., Mar. 16, at high school, 50 Woodbridge Avenue, Chatham (392-1501).
COLUMBIA County Board of Supervisors .1 [point one] Committee meeting, 3 p.m.; Health and Human Services Committee meeting, 4 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COXSACKIE-ATHENS Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m. at E.J. Arthur Elementary School, 51 Third Street, Athens (731-1750).
GHENT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m., at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent (392-4644).
GREENE County Fire Advisor Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Greene County Emergency Control and Training Center, 25 Volunteer Drive, Cairo (622-3548).
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
HOW TO RUN for Office, 12 p.m., Mar. 18. Location to be announced. Workshop training local candidates to run for office. Organized and presented by the Working Families Party.
I Stand with PLANNED PARENTHOOD Rally, 2 p.m., Mar. 18, Seventh Street Park (Town Square), Hudson. Rally for unfettered access to women's healthcare, LGBTQ health and access to abortion services. Sponsored by Indivisible CD 19 and Columbia County Democratic Committee.

DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Wednesday, March 15 (3:40). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)