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Weekend in review

Jun 25, 2012 9:48 am
Stories that made the news, June 21 to 24, 2012:

Protect Project Ghent, the organization fighting the New York State Electric & Gas plan to install an 11-mile high-voltage overhead powerline near or through Ghent and Chatham, reported Sat., June 23, the Public Service Commission has notified NYSEG of several deficiencies in the application submitted for the Columbia County Transmission Project. The deficiencies must be corrected before the matter can move forward. In addition, Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) is now on the record about the NYSEG plan after expressing concern over the potential loss of agricultural lands, the project's impact on important historic and archeological resources and its visual impact. In a letter to the PSC dated June 17, Gibson also voiced his dismay over NYSEG's "apparent disregard" of input from local elected officials. Read the full update -- and the full text of Gibson's letter -- at the Protect Project Ghent Web site.

Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star Columbia County has seen a sharp increase in the number of children being served by its children's mental health clinics in the past year. Human Services Director Michael Cole reported the number of children served increased more than 37 percent in 2012. The clinic increased outreach with the establishment of three school-based satellite clinics in the Taconic Hills and Hudson school districts during that time. Cole recently requested the Board of Supervisors hire an additional psychiatric social worker to help with the demand, despite a hiring freeze in effect since last year. Asked if the added satellite clinics were the reason for the increased demand, Rosemarie Ansel, the department's director of operations, said that was a part of it. "We're reaching out," she said. Read the full story in the Register Star.

Rob LeDonne reported in The Daily Mail concern has arisen in the town of Durham over the construction of billboards on Route 145. Town Supervisor William Carr Jr. told the paper tourism is going well this season and the town's appearance has a lot to do with its popularity, and he does not want billboards to become a problem. Carr's comments were prompted after hearing from an advertising company asking "how many hurdles they'd have to face" to construct a few boards. The answer, Carr found, was "not that many." The town board is now exploring the possibility of adding "a reasonable amount of regulation" around billboard placement in the town. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

More than 1,000 high school seniors in Columbia and Greene counties received their diplomas this weekend. Graduating classes varied in size -- New Lebanon High School senior class consisted of 36 students, while the Ichabod Crane Class of 2012 boasted 155 members. In Hudson, the 129th annual event went on as planned, Fri., June 22, despite the declaration of a citywide state of emergency in the aftermath of the major storm that hit the area Friday afternoon. Read the full stories in the Register Star and The Daily Mail.