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Monday headlines and audio
Jul 11, 2011 1:27 am
Insider deal in Columbia County DWI case?
Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times-Union reports that, a "politically connected" Columbia County man was able to plead guilty to a misdemeanor when he should have faced a felony charge under Leandra's Law, a Times-Union review of court records shows. Timothy McEachern, 46, paid a $700 fine instead of four years in prison for driving drunk with his kids as passengers. McEachern is a major political supporter of Columbia County District Attorney Beth Cozzolino, his wife's sister. Vielkind writes that, "McEachern was deeply involved in Cozzolino's successful 2007 bid for district attorney." Then, her campaign committee was registered to his Spencertown home. Now McEachern and his wife Andrea hosted a fundraiser Saturday, July 9, to kick off Cozzolino's campaign to replace Paul Czajka as Columbia County judge. Cozzolino's office recused itself from the McEachern case after it was brought, asking that it be handled by a special prosecutor from the office of Republican Greene County District Attorney Terry Wilhelm. Wilhelm declined to return calls from the Times Union, but Cozzolino's opponent for Columbia County Judge this November returned Vielkind's call. "This only points out that if you're a member of the club in Columbia County, you'll be taken care of. It's a classic example," said Gene Keeler, a former Columbia County district attorney, and a Democrat. "According to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, Columbia County prosecutors disposed of seven cases under Leandra's Law: One was dismissed, three resulted in felony convictions, three in misdemeanor convictions. Two defendants were imprisoned, three were sentenced to probation, and one -- McEachern -- was fined," Vielkind writes. Read the complete story in the Albany Times-Union.
DEC releases hydraulic fracturing statement
The 2011 draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for high-volume hydraulic fracturing is now available on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/75370.html. A link to the draft SGEIS webpage can also be found on DEC's homepage at http://www.dec.ny.gov/index.html.
Town picks up where zoning panel left off
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in The Daily Mail that the Cairo Town Board will not do anything about the proposed zoning law until September. “We will continue going forward with this document,” Town Supervisor John Coyne said. “I don’t want to see it put on the shelf.” The Board took over the proposed zoning law from the zoning commission Thu. July 7 and the zoning commission was disbanded after four years and a 163-page proposal. A public hearing will be held before the Board votes on the proposal. The zoning commission held a public hearing April 26, available to hear in the WGXC archives, with many critics speaking and only two favoring the proposal. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Historic Hudson looks at other ways of preserving Robinson
Jamie Larson in the Register-Star reports that the local architectural preservation group Historic Hudson has at least temporarily abandoned its efforts to get the Hudson Historic Preservation Commission to designate Robinson Street a historic district. “Although we have not abandoned the goal of preserving this unique Hudson neighborhood,” Historic Hudson President Timothy Dunleavy wrote in a statement read at Friday’s HPC meeting by the group’s vice president Carole Osterink. “We have come to realize that a great deal of education is required to make property owners in the proposed district comfortable with the idea of historic designation.” Historic Hudson considers the working class, turn-of-the-last-century houses on Robinson St. interesting historically. At an April meeting, Robinson resident and Second Ward Supervisor Rev. Edward Cross led protests from homeowners and renters worried the historic preservation guidelines would be expensive. Read the story in the Register-Star.
MONDAY AUDIO CLIPS
• A Very Incomplete Calendar: 20110711
A weekly round up oh Hudson Valley music events from Terry Doyle, who hosts "Imprint" on WGXC which looks at the regional music scene. PLAY CLIP.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Aaron Gwin wins the UCI World Cup on Windham Mountain Sunday, July 10. From Windham Mountain's Facebook page."]
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Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times-Union reports that, a "politically connected" Columbia County man was able to plead guilty to a misdemeanor when he should have faced a felony charge under Leandra's Law, a Times-Union review of court records shows. Timothy McEachern, 46, paid a $700 fine instead of four years in prison for driving drunk with his kids as passengers. McEachern is a major political supporter of Columbia County District Attorney Beth Cozzolino, his wife's sister. Vielkind writes that, "McEachern was deeply involved in Cozzolino's successful 2007 bid for district attorney." Then, her campaign committee was registered to his Spencertown home. Now McEachern and his wife Andrea hosted a fundraiser Saturday, July 9, to kick off Cozzolino's campaign to replace Paul Czajka as Columbia County judge. Cozzolino's office recused itself from the McEachern case after it was brought, asking that it be handled by a special prosecutor from the office of Republican Greene County District Attorney Terry Wilhelm. Wilhelm declined to return calls from the Times Union, but Cozzolino's opponent for Columbia County Judge this November returned Vielkind's call. "This only points out that if you're a member of the club in Columbia County, you'll be taken care of. It's a classic example," said Gene Keeler, a former Columbia County district attorney, and a Democrat. "According to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, Columbia County prosecutors disposed of seven cases under Leandra's Law: One was dismissed, three resulted in felony convictions, three in misdemeanor convictions. Two defendants were imprisoned, three were sentenced to probation, and one -- McEachern -- was fined," Vielkind writes. Read the complete story in the Albany Times-Union.
DEC releases hydraulic fracturing statement
The 2011 draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for high-volume hydraulic fracturing is now available on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/75370.html. A link to the draft SGEIS webpage can also be found on DEC's homepage at http://www.dec.ny.gov/index.html.
Town picks up where zoning panel left off
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in The Daily Mail that the Cairo Town Board will not do anything about the proposed zoning law until September. “We will continue going forward with this document,” Town Supervisor John Coyne said. “I don’t want to see it put on the shelf.” The Board took over the proposed zoning law from the zoning commission Thu. July 7 and the zoning commission was disbanded after four years and a 163-page proposal. A public hearing will be held before the Board votes on the proposal. The zoning commission held a public hearing April 26, available to hear in the WGXC archives, with many critics speaking and only two favoring the proposal. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Historic Hudson looks at other ways of preserving Robinson
Jamie Larson in the Register-Star reports that the local architectural preservation group Historic Hudson has at least temporarily abandoned its efforts to get the Hudson Historic Preservation Commission to designate Robinson Street a historic district. “Although we have not abandoned the goal of preserving this unique Hudson neighborhood,” Historic Hudson President Timothy Dunleavy wrote in a statement read at Friday’s HPC meeting by the group’s vice president Carole Osterink. “We have come to realize that a great deal of education is required to make property owners in the proposed district comfortable with the idea of historic designation.” Historic Hudson considers the working class, turn-of-the-last-century houses on Robinson St. interesting historically. At an April meeting, Robinson resident and Second Ward Supervisor Rev. Edward Cross led protests from homeowners and renters worried the historic preservation guidelines would be expensive. Read the story in the Register-Star.
MONDAY AUDIO CLIPS
• A Very Incomplete Calendar: 20110711
A weekly round up oh Hudson Valley music events from Terry Doyle, who hosts "Imprint" on WGXC which looks at the regional music scene. PLAY CLIP.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Aaron Gwin wins the UCI World Cup on Windham Mountain Sunday, July 10. From Windham Mountain's Facebook page."]
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