MONDAY • Today, Monday, April 15, is the day of that the first-ever criminal trial of a former president of the United States begins. Donald Trump begins his trial in Manhattan about hush money paid to an actress from pornographic films. The National Weather Service in Albany predicts that sunny skies and warmer temperatures return Monday after a few grey, rainy days.

TODAY'S HEADLINES
IN CATSKILL • Porcupine Soup reports that Greene County Legislature Chair Patrick Linger proposed a resolution this week questioning the veracity of the local 2022 elections. Linger was doing the bidding of a group called the New York Citizens Audit, who question the results of the 2022 election in New York and nationally. Linger offered the resolution at a County Services Committee meeting last week, but the committee voted against the proposal to audit the 2022 election results. The story does not say who voted which way, but says the measure was "soundly defeated." Greene County Republican Party Chair Brent Bogardus, who also serves as one of two Board of Election Commissioners, said the allegations of any election fraud were ridiculous. He said, “There isn’t a lot that Democrats and Republicans agree upon at the state level, but they agree on this.”

IN STOCKPORT • HudsonValley360.com reports that many local residents came out for a public hearing April 11 about a proposed Dollar General store that the town of Stockport Planning Board is currently considering. The land is currently inhabitated by Indiana bats, who are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Their population has shrunk by 19 percent since 2007. Tim Farley of Stockport said, “I see them at night flapping around.... They've acknowledged that they're imposing on the Indiana bats habitat. The reason that they're endangered is they don't do well when they're disturbed. They're going to be disturbed, why would it even be allowed if an endangered species could be impacted?” Stockport resident Pik Berwick said, “For me, the town of Stockport is small, but we could do with a nature place.... I would love to see this rewilded. We’re already having problems with the land, let the land and nature do what it wants to do."

IN THE HUDSON VALLEY • Mid-Hudson News spoke with Mid-Hudson Library System Executive Director Rebekkah Smith Aldrich about the popularity of libraries. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR PLAY BRIEF EXCERPT.

ON THE MOUNTAINTOP • Porcupine Soup reports that the local bears have emerged from their winter siestas and are and about looking for food. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation last week issued a reminder to secure all outdoor food sources such as trash cans and bird feeders, as the bears are ready to eat. DEC Big Game Biologist Brendan Quirion said, “This time of year, bears are emerging from their winter dens and over the winter they have been depleting their fat reserves. They are coming out of their dens―and they are hungry." Black bears consume 15,000 to 20,000 calories per day and an average bird feeder contains around 12,000 calories. The DEC does not recommend homeowners have birdfeeders about between April 1 and November 1. Garbage cans and outdoor grills can also be bear targets. And the DEC emphasizes that intentionally feeding bears is illegal. Quirion said, “You shouldn’t be scared if you see a bear.... Bears are more scared of us than we are of them. But you should be cautious. You should never approach a bear and you should never attempt to feed a bear.” He advises anyone seeing a bear to make loud noises by yelling and clapping. loud noise, clapping, or yelling, and that, “You don’t want to surprise a bear.... That can lead to the bear acting aggressively.”

TUESDAY'S EVENTS
IN KINGSTON • Wolf Eyes, Spreaders, and Glockabelle perform at Tubby's in Kingston from 7-11 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.

TUNE IN MONDAY
4 P.M. ON WGXC • Kieran Riley hosts the "WGXC Afternoon Show" live from Housatonic, MA, and this week's edition features "The Ag Report" from Brendan Donegan.