DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Wed., Mar. 8 (9:38). (Produced by Philip Grant.)

Amanda Purcell is reporting in The Daily Mail the mice population exploded in 2016, and with it, scientists say, comes a greater risk of contracting Lyme disease as the warmer months approach. Researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, Dutchess County, have tracked the explosion of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in the Hudson Valley for 25 years. Dr. Richard Ostfeld of the Cary Institute said there could be a higher percentage of nymph ticks, the most threatening type, this year than last because of the increased population of white-footed mice. Mice are good carriers for ticks, he said. Mice in the Hudson Valley have been known to carry upwards of 40 ticks at a time, usually on and around their ears and heads, Ostfeld said. The high risk of exposure to Lyme, however, does not guarantee a higher number of Lyme disease cases, Ostfeld said. “Ironically, one of the things that happens when there is a high risk is that more people will then protect themselves by using repellents and protective clothing,” he said. Those who venture outdoors should be vigilant for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme as early as the end of April, rather than the typical month of May, Ostfeld said. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Nick Olivari is reporting in the Register-Star Morris Associates, the consulting engineer advising the town of Greenport on the A. Colarusso and Son haul proposal, will not also advise the city of Hudson on the same project, presumably due to a real or perceived conflict of interest. Hudson Planning Board Chairman Tom DePietro told the paper that Ray Jurkowski, a Morris Associates partner, was asked by the Greenport board to recuse himself. The Hudson board was informed of the decision last week, DePietro said. Morris Associates had been advising both planning boards on the proposed Colarusso haul road project. No further details are known. Neither Jurkowski or the Greenport Planning Board are talking. Morris Associates represents 13 municipalities in Columbia County, including Greenport, but not the city of Hudson, according to the firm's website. Editor's note: DePietro is an active WGXC volunteer programmer. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

Mid-Hudson News Network and the Daily Freeman a CSX freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed Tue., Mar. 7, at approximately 3:30 p.m. in Newburgh. The train derailed when it struck an equipment loader crossing the tracks near the city waterfront and the New Windsor line. All three locomotives derailed, and the lead locomotive ended up blocking a road crossing when it came to a stop. Approximately 20 of the train's 77 cars left the tracks; seven of the cars contained hazardous materials, including sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and aqueous bisulfites. A small amount of sulfuric acid spilled. The remainder of the train carried food, corn oil, bulk salt, cardboard and glass products, the railroad said. There were no major spills, CSX said. Three CSX maintenance employees working in the area were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The two people operating the train at the time of the accident were not injured. The train was traveling from the Selkirk yard in Albany County, to Waycross, Georgia. U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney issued an angry statement after learning about the derailment. “I am getting sick and tired of issuing statements about dangerous train derailments — this time only blocks from my office in Newburgh,” the Cold Spring Democrat said. “I’m glad to hear reports that no one was killed, but even one injury is too many. It’s got to stop. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

With four dead and 13 hunting-related shooting incidents, the State Department of Environmental Conservation said March 6 that the 2016 New York hunting season was the safest since DEC began compiling hunting-related shooting statistics in 1958. "Hunting is a proud tradition in New York State that continues to be safely enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "The trend of declining hunting accidents is proof that our Sportsman Education Program is working thanks, in large part, to the efforts of the 3,000 volunteer instructors that teach our hunter safety courses every year." The past five-year average is down to 3.5 shooting incidents per 100,000 hunters, compared to 19 per 100,000 in the 1960s, according to the DEC.

The Albany Times-Union reports that trout season opens April 1 with the state Department of Environmental Conservation setting a few new regulations March 6. Most of the new rules affect anglers in other parts of the state, but there are a few changes to ice-fishing rules. Adjustments to existing walleye regulations and catch size and creel limits may affect locals. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.

James Nani reports at The Fray blog that three Democratic candidates have filed paperwork to run for New York’s 19th Congressional District against incumbent John Faso (R-Kinderhook). Democrats Steven Mitchell Brisee, Brian Flynn, and Antonio Delgado and Faso have all filed paperwork with the U.S. Federal Election Commission to run in the 19th district in November 2018. Brisee lists his campaign address as 43 Van Werts Lane in Walden, in Orange County and not in the 19th Congressional District. But he plans to move to near Gardiner in Ulster County next month. He is a policy manager at Citi on regulatory risk, compliance. and data security. Flynn, 47, is from Hunter in Greene County. His campaign website says he’s a small businessman, and entrepreneur, and president of AccuMED Corp., a manufacturer of textile-based medical products that are used in hospitals. Delgado is from Rhinebeck, and said he is exploring a run but has not yet made a decision. Delgado is an attorney for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He is also a former hip hop performer known as AD the Voice, according to Hybrid Magazine. Read the full story at The Fray blog.

The White House issued a new immigration ban on March 6, prompting several local officials to release statements. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who filed suit against President Trump’s original immigration ban, said, “Courts across the country have made clear: President Trump is not above the Constitution. While the White House may have made changes to the ban, the intent to discriminate against Muslims remains clear. This doesn’t just harm the families caught in the chaos of President Trump’s draconian policies – it’s diametrically opposed to our values, and makes us less safe. My office is closely reviewing the new executive order, and I stand ready to litigate -- again -- in order to protect New York’s families, institutions, and economy.” Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued a statement saying that Trump's new executive order, "is still cold-hearted, discriminatory and detrimental to our security." Local representative John Faso (R-Kinderhook) did not make a statement about the new immigration ban.

Click here to play or download the Catskill Town Board Mar. 7 meeting. (Recorded from live stream. There are some breaks in the stream at the beginning; and the ending is cut off.)

Agenda

MINUTES TO BE ACCEPTED:
Department Head Meeting, Feb. 2
Town Board Monthly Meeting, Feb. 7
Town Board Committee Meeting, Feb. 15

RESOLUTIONS:
Resolution #29-17 / Appointment Deputy Receiver of Tax
Resolution #30-17 / Change in Employment Status
Resolution #31-17 / Appointment of Town Attorney

COUNTY RESOLUTION:
Resolution #45-17 / Approval and Recommendation of Consolidation and Transfer of Vital Records, Village and Town of Catskill

CORRESPONDENCE:
Save the Date, Friday, May 5th at 6:00 pm to celebrate Community Action’s 50th Anniversary Gala.
Letter from GCDOA designated May as Older American Month and having their 7th annual Senior Citizen Day at the Historic Catskill Point Friday, May 19th from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Letter from NYSDOT culvert replacement notice in the Village of Coxsackie on Route 385, street closing re-routing.
Letter from Central Hudson replacing main lines and service lines in the Jefferson Heights area.
Greene IDA letter re: SEQRA notice of completion draft GIES and public hearing for the CAT 21 Project.
Dog Control Report from NYS Dept Ag & Markets.
Letter from Unified Court System regarding the prohibition of cameras in court rooms.
Year-end report from Catskill Community Center.
Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District 4 hour erosion and sediment control training course March 29th from 8:30 am to 3 pm.
Empire State Development Quality Inn Restore NY grant award notice for the Quality Inn Demo in the amount of $250,000.
DOH monitoring notice for Catskill Water District No. 1; sampling has been completed.
Letter from NYS Ag & Markets regarding surcharge for licensing fees and their submittal to the spay/neuter program.
Email from Chris Pepe regarding NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities outreach program.

NEW BUSINESS:
Inventory Resolution
Zombie Properties
Ball field agreement with CCSD

CONTINUING BUSINESS:
Solar Use Law
Mass Gathering Law
Solar PILOT resolution
Delaware Engineering structure inventory and needs assessment
Restart of Sewer Project in April
Bridge NY Program Grant for Penn Avenue in Palenville

The WGXC Radical Radio 2017 Winter Pledge Drive continues! WGXC 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: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. Cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing. High near 56. Wednesday night, a slight chance of rain showers before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly cloudy. Low around 31.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
THURSDAY: Increasing clouds. High near 46. Thursday night, a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m., then a slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy. Low around 25.
FRIDAY: A chance of snow showers before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of show showers after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy. High near36. Friday night, partly cloudy. Low around 6.

Sunrise today: 6:17 a.m.
Sunset today: 5:54 p.m.
LENGTH OF THE DAY: 11:37 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the second Wednesday of the month.

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

CATSKILL Board of Education Budget Workshop, 7 p.m. at high school, 341 Main Street, Catskill (943-4696).
CATSKILL Town Clerk's Office openi at 12:30 p.m.; Planning Board meeting, 7 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 public hearing, 7:25 p.m.; full board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at 401 State Street, Hudson (828-1527).
COXSACKIE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Reed St., Coxsackie (731-2727).
GREENE County Mental Health / Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Sub-committee meeting, 3:30 p.m. at 411 Main Street, Conference Room 154, Catskill; County Legislature Board 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).
STOCKPORT Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 2787 Atlantic Ave., Stottville (828-9389).

POLITICAL EVENTS
WOMEN'S DAY GATHERING, 6 p.m. Mar. 8, at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, 79 N. Pearl Street, Albany. A variety of speakers on the importance of women running for office on progressive issues.
HUDSON VALLEY PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY, 6:30 p.m., Mar. 9 at Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Newburgh. Meeting with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman organized by Community Voices Heard.
NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION Day of Action, Mar. 13. Action at State Capitol in Albany by the NYCLU against policies of the Republican administration.

DOWNLOAD or PLAY the audio version of the local news headlines for Tue., Mar. 7 (8:52). (Produced by Philip Grant.)