Cuomo expands 'hydrofracking' review
NY1, The Associated Press, and many other outlets are reporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration has ordered an expanded environmental review of proposed natural gas "hydro-fracking" in New York after an accident in Pennsylvania in April caused a well to leak chemically tainted water for two days, driving a handful of families from their homes. A leaked internal memo dated Friday said the Pennsylvania accident raised issues about the technology and extraction method, which has been assailed by some environmentalists as unsafe. Read the whole story at NY1.

Local water quality
It will be hot today, and you may consider getting in some body of water to cool off. Riverkeeper, the local water advocate group, has posted water quality tests for our area, and the first results went up May 19. All of the local tests show "unacceptable" water quality due to high enterococcus count. Heavy rains this spring have muddied local waters. (Clinical infections caused by Enterococcus include urinary tract infections, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis, and meningitis, according to Wikipedia.)
•Athens:
o Athens Sewage Treatment Plant Outfall (119 enterococcus count)
•Coxsackie:
o Coxsackie Waterfront Park (378)
o Gay’s Point midchannel (260)
•Catskill:
o Catskill Creek – East End (816)
o Catskill Creek – First Bridge (727)
o Catskill Creek Launch Ramp (147)
o Hudson Launch Ramp (238)
o Inbocht Bay (411)

Summer looks busy--and fun--for Ancram kids
Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper reports that Ancram's summer camp program for youngsters was approved at its May 19 meeting. "Ruth Thomas, who will direct the program, said with an enrollment of 50 kids, she expects the program to make a $3,500 profit," the reporter wrote. "Mrs. Thomas, the wife of Councilman Chris Thomas, asked the town for $2,500 up-front to buy a used tent, fix the basketball court and install a railing to help people negotiate a steep hill near the pool." The program includes swimming lessons at the town pool, and run from July 5 through August 12, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $65 for Town of Ancram residents and $75 for non-residents. Adrienne Citrin of the Ancramdale Neighbors Helping Neighbors organization said the group will provide two five-week scholarships for youngsters whose families can't afford to pay. Ancram residents must register for the program at the Town Hall, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 4 or 11; non-residents register June 18. Potential campers must bring proof of residency and immunization records. Anyone with questions should contact Mrs. Thomas at (518) 329-7309. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Radio, Radio
Word of two new local radio stations coming on the air soon with local content. Well, one is new, and one returns to the airwaves. Jim Planck in The Daily Mail reports that WCKL returns to 560 AM at 6 a.m. June 15. “Our proposed programming will be family-oriented — everything from music to talk shows,” General Manager Brian Dodge of Ghent told the newspaper. “We’ll bring back some of the old things that WCKL used to do — like the Swap Shop, and the Talk of the Town, with people invited in.” The new station at Bard College, WLHV (88.1-FM), won't be on the air for another year, but is kicking off its "fundraising and promotional campaign" June 3 at the Black Swan Pub in Tivoli with:
•TULiP members Raissa St. Pierre and Tim Davis spinning 78s
•Members of the dynamic ensemble Contemporaneous performing works for violin and clarinet
•Three readings by faculty in Bard's Language and Thinking Program
•Punk band El Front performing a radio-themed set
•A radio theater performance by Douglas Stone
•Different Guns (Ben Fundis, John Rosenthal, and Sasha Pearl) performing an acoustic set