Gibson opens Kinderhook campaign headquarters

The Chris Gibson for Congress Campaign has opened its headquarters at 12 Broad Street directly across from Bagel Tyme cafe in the village of Kinderhook. The campaign invites neighbors and friends from Columbia County to meet the candidate on May 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. Kinderhook-native Gibson is the Republican nominee to challenge incumbent Democrat Scott Murphy to represent New York’s 20th District.

Seward in Coxsackie Friday

New York State Senator James Seward will join the Greene Business Alliance, members of the business community, and local elected officials at an Empire Merchants North open house at 11 a.m. Friday, May 14 at Empire Merchants North, 16 Houghtaling Rd., West Coxsackie, NY.

Audio recording of Lafarge DEC hearing last night in Ravena

WGXC’s Sam Sebren made it out to record the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation legislative hearing for renewal and modification of the existing Lafarge Title V Air Permit application last night at 6 p.m. at the Ravena-Coeymans Selkirk High School Auditorium.

Click here to listen to mp3 audio recording of the hearing, or paste the following url into your computer’s media player:

http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05/Lafarge_DEChearing_WGXC_RavenaHigh_051110.mp3

Review the complete LaFarge application documents at this link: http://www.dec.ny.gov/dardata/boss/afs/draft_atv_l.html. The DEC will be accepting written comments until May 21. Please mail or email your comments & include the application number so your comments aren’t lost.
Mail to:
Sarah H. Evans
NYSDEC Region 4 Headquarters
1130 North Westcott Rd.
Schenectady, NY 12306
518-357-2069
r4dep@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Application ID# : 4-0124-00001/00112

WIOX tests signal

Recently testing began on where [the WIOX] signal can reach. The signal is strong in Fleischmanns, Margaretville, and Andes….tests [continue] over the next few weeks in the other directions….WIOX will have a booth at the Roxbury Sidewalk Festival.

30 speak, largely worried about mercury at Lafarge

From Brian Nearing in The Albany Times-Union:

Several hundred people turned out for a hearing Tuesday on the proposed state air pollution permit for the Lafarge cement plant, and nearly all gave the same message — the state must do more to limit the amount of mercury and other toxins coming from the smokestack. “I think we are splitting hairs here over just how much they are poisoning us,” said Leigh Jamison, who lives about seven miles downwind of the Route 9W plant in Stuyvesant, Columbia County. Nearly 30 people spoke during the three-hour hearing held across from the plant at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Read the entire story in the Times-Union.

WGXC’s Sam Sebren was at the hearing, and made a recording we will upload on Wednesday.

Author interviews from HCBF

WGXC’s Emily Bennison made recordings of children’s authors during the Hudson Children’s Book Festival. Click on the author’s name to listen to an mp3 audio interview.

Anne Broyles
Ann Jonas
Barbara Slate
Danielle Joseph
Donald Crews
Ellen Jensen
Gail Carson Levine
Zetta Elliott

Fireworks in Catskill

Dick May practiced some citizen journalism at the April 26 Catskill Village meeting, forcing the town trustees to go on the record with their decision to move the July 4 fireworks from the Hudson River waterfront to downtown Catskill. He writes, “the Trustees of Catskill Village almost made a controversial decision by stealth. And they made a decision without making a case.” And then recalls the manner the decision was announced.

“After that business had been well under discussion, a spectator (this correspondent) ventured to ask whether the Board had made a decision on the fireworks launch site. Mr. Seeley acted surprised—as if the answer was evident from the trustees’ remarks. The Trustees then proceeded to resolve formally that the July 4, 2010, fireworks shall be launched from a “downtown” site, ‘yet to be determined.’ That resolution did not stem from anything remotely resembling a systematic or comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. The Trustees acted without affirming, much less determining, that the change of launch sites would be popular, would be economical, would produce a net gain of public safety, would enable the fireworks to be more spectacular, would make the viewing population bigger, or would produce an increase in local business. Read the entire story in Seeing Greene.

Hudson school notes

Lynn Sloneker’s Unmuffled keeps the closest eye on the Hudson school system. Several recent items:

From “Rumor Patrol: Rees running?: Board member Patricia Abitabile – re-elected to a second term in 2009 – submitted a letter of resignation from the board, effective June 30, during a closed door session, April 27. Abitabile’s decision to quit was announced to the public in the Saturday edition of the Register-Star. The matter will be discussed at the meeting of the full board 7 p.m., May 10 in the cafeteria of Hudson High School.

From “On the agenda…”: The Claverack building and the former Greenport School were concurrently declared surplus property by the BoE on March 31, 2009, and a proposal to sell the buildings was approved by taxpayers in May 2009. Despite the 2009 voter directive, the board continues to approve funding for the renovation and repair of the Claverack building, as well as for instructional use.

From “Rumor Patrol: Rees running?: Former Hudson City School District Board of Education President Frank Rees may be a last-minute addition to the field of candidates vying for two open board seats in the district’s annual election set for next week….According to several sources, Mrs. Rees was actively soliciting signatures in support of her husband’s candidacy from school faculty and staff last week.

Columbia County assesments online

From Carole Osterink’s The Gossips of Rivertown:

Assessments–the actual assessments for 2009 and the tentative assessments for 2010, for all properties in Hudson as well as the rest of the county–are now available online, accessed from the Columbia County website. Starting today, May 11, Garth Slocum, assessor for the City of Hudson, will be available at the Central Firehouse, 77 North Seventh Street, to meet with people to discuss their assessments. He will be there every weekday except Wednesday up until Grievance Day on May 25. Today he’s not expected to be at the firehouse until 11. I have been told that henceforward he will be there from 9 to 12:30 and again from 2:30 to 5. No appointments are necessary.

NY Environmental Facilities and Cancer Map

New York’s Department of Health’s Environmental Facilities and Cancer Map shows the number of people diagnosed with cancer (cancer counts) for the years 2003-2007 in small geographic areas of New York State. Locations of certain environmental facilities can also be viewed.

Catskill school candidates meet tonight

Catskill School Board candidates Michael Bulich, Catskill; Carthette Burnett, Catskill; Francesca Daisernia, Leeds; Ronald Frascello, Palenville; Randall Griffin, Leeds; Matthew Leipman, Catskill; Tracy Powell, Palenville; Carol Schilansky, Leeds; Christopher Van Loan, Catskill; and Lisa Warner, Catskill will answer questions at 7 p.m. tonight at Catskill High media center, according to The Daily Mail’s Jim Planck. The ten candidates compete for three three-year terms to the three highest vote-getters, and the fourth place seat is a two-year unexpired term of a seat vacated by resignation. The Catskill School District website says, “The candidate forum will be streamed ‘live’ on the Catskill website.”

Senate, Assembly approve extender budget

From Casey Seiler at Capitol Confidential:

The Senate approved the one-week extender on a straight party-line vote, 32-29 [which means Columbia County's representative Steve Saland and Greene County's James Seward both voted against the measure], while the Assembly vote was slightly more mixed: 82-56.

From Rick Karlin and Jimmy Vielkind at the Albany Times-Union:

Assemblyman Tim Gordon told the protesters he would vote against a budget extender. He had been undecided about the vote; by tying the furlough provision to a measure that funds the government, Paterson has jammed several legislators, particularly Capital Region representatives whose constituencies include large numbers of state workers. “If it’s not legal, it’s very difficult to vote for,” said Gordon, I-Bethlehem. “I’ve been deliberating all weekend, and I’ve come to my conclusion: I’m voting no.”

Catskill farmer’s market will close a portion of Main Street on Saturday mornings this summer

Instead of completely closing down Main St., or putting stalls in parking spaces, the Village of Catskill will close one block of Main St. between Thompson Street and the entrance to the municipal parking lot at Willard Alley from 7:30 a.m. to at least 2 p.m., for the Catskill Regional Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market Saturdays from June 19 to Oct. 30, Susan Campriello in The Daily Mail reports. The farmer’s market had been held at Dutchmen’s Landing on the Hudson River, rather than downtown, and Village President Vince Seeley is also spearheading a similar move of the town’s July 4 fireworks, both in an effort to stimulate downtown business. WGXC Radio Council member Hudson Talbott is curating the non-farmer’s booths at the market.

State Senator Seward is a ‘Tenther’

New York State Senator James Seward, a Republican who represents Greene County, is co-sponsoring J4716, a resolution in the State Senate’s Finance Committee to, “Re-Establish our State’s Sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment.” This Legislative Resolution affirms, “the sovereignty of the of the people of the State of New York pursuant to the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” The resolution requests, “Congress cease and desist from enacting mandates that are beyond the scope of the enumerated powers granted to Congress by the Constitution of the United States.” The legislation also seeks to establish a joint committee on the constitutionality of acts, orders, laws, statutes, regulations and rules of the government of the United States of America in order to protect state sovereignty.” The so-called “Tenther” movement is similar to the pre-Civil War nullification movement (that grew out of the 1832 dispute between the United States and the state of South Carolina over the latter’s attempt to nullify a federal law), and an attempt to make all sorts of programs — Social Security, Medicare, health care reform, etc. — unlawful. H/T The Albany Project.


Murphy in Greene County Monday

Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20) will visit several Greene County fire stations, present a USDA infrastructure grant to the Town of Ashland, and host a town meeting in Windham on Monday, May 10. Details:

Murphy at Prattsville Hose Company, Main Sreet, Prattsville, 11:15 a.m.

Congressman Murphy and USDA officials to present a grant to Ashland for improved water and sewer systems at Ashland Town Hall, 12094 Route 23 Ashland, noon.

Rep. Murphy hosts town meeting at Windham Center Church, Windham, 12:45 p.m.

Murphy tours the Leeds Hose Company, Route 23 B, Leeds, 2:15 p.m.

Murphy tours Athens Volunteer Fire Department, Third St., Athens, 3 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public. Murphy faces Republican Chris Gibson in an election this fall.

Palenville’s pagans

In The Watershed Post, Julia Reischel has an excellent, long feature about Cathryn Platine and The Maetreum, a three-story former inn once known as Central House, is run by a non-profit called the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater (MCMM). While the IRS recognizes the Palenville pagan enclave as a non-profit religion, the Town of Catskill wants the $12,627.35 in property tax on The Maetreum, and Platine is taking them to court. Reischel’s story can be boiled down to a few paragraphs:

“We’re not saying they’re not a religious organization,” [Catskill Town Assessor Nancy] McCoy says. “We’re saying the property’s use does not meet the requirement for full tax exemption.” To qualify, a religious group has to show that it is using the property primarily for religious purposes — and that’s where the Maetreum fails, she says. According to [Town lawyer, Daniel] Vincelette’s report, the Maetreum is really a gender-bending housing project: “The primary purpose of the property is residential, to house and shelter transgendered individuals,” it concludes. “I read through that document and felt strongly that they were not entitled to the exemption,” McCoy says. Platine doesn’t deny that before formally becoming the seat of the Maetreum’s faith, the inn was used as an emergency shelter for homeless transsexual women. (Platine herself is intersexed, and has been a transgender activist for decades.) But the inn ceased functioning as a shelter years ago, she says, and now only three people, all priestesses of Cybele, live there. Vincelette says that the Maetreum isn’t the only religious group to have its land taxed; last year, he says, the town put land owned by the Catholic church that wasn’t being used for religious purposes on the rolls as well. “Every single religious group in the town of the Catskill is being treated the same,” he says. “Unfortunately, I think there is a lot of anger on Cathryn’s part. I don’t think she fully understands the legal issues.” Read the entire story in The Watershed Post.

Ethically-challenged chairman used pseudonym

We have posted before about how common it is for local politicians to comment on articles that mention their public sector work, but wonder how many pols are using fake names. At least one, in the letters to the editors section, in Woodstock, according to Jim Romenesko’s Media News:

Woodstock, NY Ethics Board chairman James Dougherty — he used Jim Charles for his letters — threatened to sue the Woodstock Times if was outed as the writer. “He said that now he’d have to resign from the Ethics Board, and that was my fault,” writes editor Brian Hollander. “So be it.”

Hudson Farmer’s Market opens today

WGXC’s Kaya Weidman will have a table about community radio at the first day of this year’s Hudson Farmers Market, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the parking lot at the corner of Columbia and 6th Sts. Master Gardener Donna Peterson will be available on the market’s opening day to help customers choose and care for the right plants for Mother’s Day gifts or for the start of the new growing season.

Hatala drops out of Hudson school board race

Joshua Hatala

Lynn Sloneker at Unmuffled reports Hudson City School District Board of Education candidate Josh Hatala notified Superintendent John Howe that he was withdrawing his name as a candidate for election to a seat on the Board of Education at the May 18, 2010 Annual Budget and Election Vote. Hatala wrote on his candidate Facebook page, “Due to scheduling conflicts in the fall I will not be able to continue running for school board. I hope to take up the opportunity to run in the next election. I would like to suggest you think about voting for Justin Cuckerstein, a Hudson High School teacher who is losing his job due to budget cuts. He knows the inner workings of the school and truly cares about the kids and community.” Sloneker reports New York State Education Law requires that the deadline for submitting nominating petitions be extended to Tuesday, May 11, 2010 until 5 p.m., due to Hatala’s withdraw. “Official absentee and Election Day ballots will not be finalized until after the nominating petition deadline on May 11, 2010. In the event additional nominating petitions are submitted to the Board of Education Clerk by the deadline, another drawing must be conducted for the candidates’ positions on the ballot. The drawing will be held in the Hudson City School District Central Office on May 11, 2010 at 5:15 p.m. if necessary. Nominating petitions are available from the Clerk of the Board at the District Office at 215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson,” Sloneker reports. Carrie Haddad, Cukerstein, Peter Merante, and Mary Daly remain in the May 18 election for two seats.

Gibson says stimulus didn’t; would abolish Homeland Security

The Republican Congressional candidate Chris Gibson would abolish the Department of Homeland Security, and says the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was “a loser for our country, but especially for our area,” in an interview with Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times-Union. He writes: “[Gibson] said that the regional management of the conflict is good — he even said that President Barack Obama has made “good choices” in managing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan — but the separation between military efforts and civil defense, or homeland security measures, must be improved.” The Kinderhook conservative is challenging incumbent Democrat Scott Murphy for New York’s 20th Congressional District seat. Read the entire story in the Times-Union.

Greene weekend

FRIDAY

Sheila Jordan/Cameron Brown (photo, at right) Duo perform jazz at 8 p.m. at Gallagher’s, 513 Main St., Cairo. $25.

SATURDAY

Hudson Farmer’s Market reopens for the season from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at parking lot at Columbia and 6th Sts., Hudson. WGXC will have a table at the market.

Lex Grey and John Pinder with Crooked Toe at Wine and Cheese Festival (fundraiser for Catskill Village parks) 1-6 p.m. at Beattie Powers House, Catskill.

Smokin’ Aces at the Prattsville Tavern’s Pig Roast and BBQ at 2 p.m., $10 donation to Ashland Fire Department.

Avondale Airforce, Billy Mitchell, Naked on the Woodstock green, free, May 8, at 3 p.m.

Catskill gives Wal-Mart tax break

This Greenport Wal-Mart is empty since the new larger store opened down the street last year.

Town, Wal-Mart settle dispute
–The Daily Mail, 05.05.10

Wal-Mart in Catskill gets break on tax bill
–The Daily Freeman, 05.06.10

Catskill is reducing the property tax assessment on the local Wal-Mart $1.67 million, reducing their total to $13.5 million, covering the years 2010 through 2012, effectively granting the giant corporation from Arkansas a large tax break. The Daily Mail first says Catskill is giving Wal-Mart the tax break, “avoiding a costly legal battle.” Then Supervisor Peter Markou reveals a bit more: “We’ve already spent $75,000 in assessment cases,” Markou told The Daily Mail, or said during the meeting. “That’s more than I’ve budgeted for.” Then Colin DeVries, The Daily Mail scribe writes, “The town’s 2010 budget included $40,000 for assessment litigation.” William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman writes, “the reduction, approved at a Town Board meeting Tuesday, is a step toward settling a grievance by the retail giant. Officials said the settlement, which still requires a judge’s approval, was recommended to avoid further court expenses.” Then he quotes Markou — looks like he said it in the meeting — “This town has already spent $75,000 (since 2008) in assessment cases,” said town Supervisor Peter Markou. “That’s a lot of money. That’s way beyond the budgeted (amount) that I had in there.” Kemble’s story is a day late, but no dollars short. He spent the day following the money:

Town Assessor Nancy McCoy said Wednesday that Wal-Mart paid $530,00 in town, county and school taxes in 2009, and this year is expected to save about $62,000 with the reduced assessment. McCoy said the town has spent $10,100 since January to appraise and defend assessments against five major business. “It’s all ‘big boxes,’” Markou said. “They are all going to challenge their assessments. It’s a good year to do it. The economy is in the crapper.” Besides Wal-Mart, the following companies are also seeking assessment reductions:

• Holcim Cement Co., on U.S. Route 9W, from $10,135,700 to $1,650,00. The case was filed in 2008.

• Home Depot, on state Route 23B, from $8,995,100 to $4,060,000. The case was filed in 2009.

• Lowe’s, on state Route 23A, from $7,099,000 to $3,480,000. The case was filed in 2008.

• Rite Aid, on Route 23A, from $1.8 million to $500,000. The case was filed in 2009.

“You have to pick and choose your battles,” McCoy said. “You do the analysis to see if the assessment is supportable and then weigh the cost of supporting assessment versus the possibility of losing it; what it costs versus what you could save by not going to court and settling.”

Taghkanic tales

Sam Pratt‘s blog reprints a press release from Tivoli resident Ardith Truhan (a co-founder of the local community group Taghkanic Neighbors), and, as Pratt points out, it is a story so far unreported. An excerpt of the press release follows, take it for what it is worth:

A former Taghkanic resident has charged the town with arbitrarily and selectively penalizing her and her husband as a result of poor record keeping by the town’s previous building inspector and a politically motivated vendetta in connection with their outspoken opposition to the illegal motorcycle racetrack another resident has attempted to build in the town. Ardith Truhan read a letter at the town’s monthly board meeting Monday night accusing town officials of selectively enforcing a little-used building ordinance that requires all residents to have certificates of occupancy (C of Os) for residential buildings constructed on their property. She added that the town board was “fully apprised of all these events from the start,” and that it met in an improper and illegal executive session last fall—some 13 years after they completed construction on three buildings at their County Rte. 11 property—to determine what she and her husband John Markus owed the town, in “what amounts to an arbitrary $3,500.” Truhan said the board’s “complicity” in the attempt to penalize her and Markus “is quite evident.” At the core of the complaint against them, according to Truhan, was an investigation begun by unsuccessful 2009 town council candidate Erik Tyree, who is an employee of controversial racetrack builder Alan Wilzig. Truhan and Markus have been vocal opponents of Wilzig’s racetrack plan. Tyree, according to Truhan, investigated the paperwork associated with construction of their home, studio and garage apartment, and discovered that former building inspector Ed Waldron had not issued C of Os when the projects were completed in 1996. Tyree then set the town’s current building inspector and code enforcement officer Dennis Callahan on the trail with a formal letter of complaint in 2007, suggesting that Markus and Truhan owed the town $800,000 in fines because of the absence of the C of Os on the buildings. Acting on Tyree’s complaint, Callahan sent Truhan and Markus notices of violation. After consulting with Town Attorney Rob Fitzsimmons, however, Callahan then advised the couple that they could pay “fees” adding up to $10,800 to retroactively renew their building permits for each of the intervening years since construction was completed in order to qualify for the suddenly necessary C of Os. The couple challenged that ruling, and ultimately paid the town a settlement of $3,500 to resolve the matter. Read the entire press release and story at Sam Pratt.

Hudson hate crime?

Andrew Amelinckx reports in the Register-Star about 40-year-old Hudson resident David N. DiBlasi, charged with a hate crime for allegedly assaulting a 29-year-old man because of his sexual orientation in the Seventh Street Park in Hudson at 2:52 a.m. Saturday morning. Hudson Police Officer Rodney Waithe charged DiBlasi with third-degree assault — hate crime, according to the story. “He was arraigned in Hudson City Court and remanded to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash or $2,000 bail bond and will appear again in court at a later date,” Amelinckx writes. Read the entire story in the Register-Star.

GE says dredging causes more pollution

From Andrea Bernstein at WNYC:

The General Electric Corporation is arguing that its clean-up of PCBs from the upper Hudson River is making the pollution worse. GE is telling a panel of scientists meeting today [through Thursday at Queensbury Hotel, Adirondack Room, 88 Ridge Street, Glens Falls] that phase one of the dredging stirred up the toxic chemicals into the river. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that GE is exaggerating the problem. The panel will make recommendations on how to proceed with the clean up. GE has long argued against the clean up, but in 2001 the Bush administration ordered the company to remove tons of PCBs it released into the Hudson before the chemicals were banned in the 1970s. The Hudson River is the nation’s largest Superfund site.

The Times-Union said of the first day’s meeting:

GE believes so many PCBs were stirred up and moved downriver that future dredging ought to be scaled back and PCBs left behind in the river should be covered over. EPA counters that GE is using one-sided data of questionable reliability, that PCB levels released by dredging were never dangerous and future dredging can be improved to reduce the amount of PCBs escaping into the river.

New Pornographers Thursday in Woodstock

From Nippertown!:

Be Here Now: The New Pornographers @ Bearsville Theater, 5/6/10. Just last month Neko Case rolled into The Egg as a back-up singer for Jakob Dylan. On Thursday, she heads into the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock with the New Pornographers, as the band launches their U.S tour in support of their new album, “Together,” which is being released today (Tuesday) on Matador Records. Thursday night’s show is the lone U.S. performance by the band before they launch a whirlwind European tour of England, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium and Holland. In addition to Ms. Case, the indie-rock supergroup from Vancouver also features the talents of of Zumpano’s Carl Newman, cartoonist/filmmaker Blaine Thurler, The Evaporators’ John Collins, Todd Fancey formally of Limblifter, Kurt Dahle formally of Age of Electric and Limblifter, Kathryn Calder also with Immaculate Machine, and Destroyer’s Dan Bejar.

Murphy hires a campaign manager, Gibson meets volunteers

From Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential:

Rep. Scott Murphy’s re-election campaign buried a tidbit in two e-mails they sent soliciting campaign cash before a deadline: Murphy has brought on Mitch Wallace as his campaign manager. A Wisconsin native, Wallace has been involved in several campaigns there and in other states. Also this weekend, Murphy’s Republican opponent Chris Gibson met with over 200 volunteers at West Mountain. A narrative account written… by Gibson’s press aide Rob Clark is reproduced in the link below. Read the entire story at Capitol Confidential.

Amphibian Adventure

Amphibian Adventure!
A Fund-Raiser for WGXC Community Radio

May 21, 2010: 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Greene County Agroforestry Resource Center
6055 Route 23, Acra, NY 12405
518-622-9820

Support your local community radio station and listen to the sounds of our resident frogs – all in one, fun evening! This family-friendly program will include a brief, indoor presentation on frogs and salamanders by Dr. Richard Wyman and an evening walk to the ponds at the Siuslaw Model Forest to hear the dulcet tones of spring peepers and other evening sounds. This program will be recorded for broadcast on WGXC!

Current leader

23rd annual River Basin Sports Striper Contest update.

Tomato blight again?

Blight on tomato leaf.

Meg McGrath, a plant pathologist at Cornell University Agriculture Department, shares these tips for anyone who would like to grow tomatoes in the wake of last year’s blight (h/t Rural Intelligence):

The good news for gardeners is that they are starting with a relatively clean slate this year. Phytophthora infestans, the fungus-like pathogen that causes late blight in tomatoes, potatoes and other tomato-family plants (Solanaceae), currently requires living plant tissue to survive overwinter in the Northeast. That’s why the disease is relatively rare in the region. The bad news is, potato tubers are living plant tissue. So any late-blight-infested potato tubers that survived in your soil, compost pile or root cellar could harbor the pathogen and give it an early start again this season. “Destroy leftover potatoes and any volunteer potato plants as soon as they sprout,” McGrath urges. “Do not wait until you see symptoms. By then, new spores likely will have already developed and spread to other gardens or farmers’ fields.”

Other tips
Keep plants dry. The late blight pathogen thrives in cool, wet weather. That’s because it requires moisture to infect plants, grows best when it’s cool, and clouds protect spores from lethal UV radiation when they are dispersed by wind. Even in absence of rain, the pathogen can infect plants if the relative humidity is 90 percent or more. If plants need watering, water the soil – not the foliage.

Be vigilant. Inspect plants at least once a week – more often if weather is cool and wet. Immediately remove and bag foliage you suspect might be infected.

Act quickly. If symptoms continue despite removing infected foliage, consider removing plants entirely – sooner rather than later.

Dispose of plants properly. To reduce disease spread, remove infected plants during the middle of a sunny day after leaves have dried, if possible….Seal plants in garbage bags and leave them in the sun for a few days to kill plants and the pathogen quickly before placing in the trash or burying underground or deep in a compost pile.

Read the entire story here.

Ghent metal fest off to Schenectady County

John Mason in Register-Star reports Monday that TMT Metal Fest Promoter Kenneth Randeze e-mailed the Register-Star Friday that he has moved the festival’s location from Ghent to Aug. 26-29 at Indian Lookout Country Club in Pattersonville, Schenectady County.

Rural Democrats choose Dinallo for AG

Tom Poelker with Nancy Pelosi.

Jimmy Vielkind of Capitol Confidential was at the Democratic Rural Conference this weekend in Niagara Falls:

As expected, Eric Dinallo won the straw poll for attorney general here at the Democratic Rural Conference with Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice finishing second and Sean Coffey finishing third. Dinallo had the support of 21 county chairs entering the straw poll, and earned 166 votes. Rice earned 79 votes, Coffey 52, Sen. Eric Schneiderman 33 and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky 22 votes.

He also reports that Tom Poelker, the Greene County Democratic chair, and June O’Neill, the St. Lawrence County Democratic chair, nominated Andrew Cuomo for Governor in abstenia.

WGXC at Hudson Children’s Book Festival

WGXC's Kaya Weidman records NY State Senate candidate Didi Barrett at Hudson Children's Book Festival.

Just as WGXC’s Kaya Weidman was about to sit down and interview Fidel Mareno, who was going to talk about Native American rights and the American Indian Pow Wow Aug. 14 in Stephentown, Didi Barrett showed up. We had asked the Democratic candidate for New York State Senate representing Columbia and much of Dutchess counties (a seat held by Republican Steve Saland) to stop by our table in Hudson High’s gym, but everyone arrived at the same moment, and then a recorder failed. Indeed, it was a whirlwind day with so many folks stopping by the WGXC table at the festival, which was even busier then in its first year. Eventually we got another recorder working, and a conversation between Barrett, Mareno, and WGXC staff ensued about absentee voting, Native American rights, and other issues.

Fidel Mareno speaks with Didi Barrett at the Hudson Children's Book Festival.

WGXC's Kaya Weidman records Robert Yellow Fox at Hudson Children's Book Festival.

Later Weidman sat down with Robert Yellow Fox, and spoke about Eagleton School, a private year-round residential, psycho-educational treatment facility for boys and young men ages nine (9) to twenty-two (22) years, with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, Communication and Cognitive Delays, Behavioral Disorders, Emotional Disorders, and Learning Disabilities. Listen to their discussion here or paste this link:

http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05

/RobertYellowFox_HCBF_WGXC_050110.mp3

WGXC’s Emily Bennison also made recordings of children’s authors during the event. Click on the author’s name to listen to mp3 audio interview.

Anne Broyles
Ann Jonas
Barbara Slate
Danielle Joseph
Donald Crews
Ellen Jensen
Gail Carson Levine
Zetta Elliott

Speedway owner sues town over camping

From From Gail Heinsohn in The Columbia Paper:

As he stated he would at the April 5 town board meeting, Lebanon Valley Speedway owner Howard Commander has filed suit against town officials, seeking a state Supreme Court determination as to whether the campers parked on his property trigger state requirements for a campground. The effect of the lawsuit, according to town Zoning Enforcement Officer Stan Koloski, is to stay the town’s efforts to enforce zoning restrictions that the Zoning Board of Appeals believes apply to camping at the racetrack. Read the entire story in The Columbia Paper.

Opening events

Recommended happenings.
FRIDAY
Sideshow clothing store opening at 7 p.m. with Bleeding Hearts belly dancers, Evan Randall, and Stephen Bluhm. 707 Warren St., Hudson.
Avondale Airforce and Battle Ave Tea Club at 9 p.m. at Market Market Cafe, Route 32 North, Rosendale. $5.
Mick Taylor Band and Voodelic at 9 p.m. at Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker St. (Rt. 212), Woodstock.
SATURDAY
Hudson’s Children’s Book Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., with hundreds of authors and WGXC, Hudson High.
“Upstate II” opening, 6 p.m. with Melora Kuhn, Catherine Mosley, Erik Schoonebeek, and Allyson Strafella at Nicole Fiacco Gallery, Hudson. Through June 5.
“Double Duos” 7 p.m. talk, 8 p.m. performance featuring Michael Benedict (vibes), Keith Pray (alto sax), Mike Lawrence (bass) and Brian Patneaude (tenor sax) at the Athens Cultural Center, 24 Second St, Athens.
RE:Vision Forward Motion Theater 8 p.m. at Hudson Opera House.
Club Helsinki in Hudson opens at 9 p.m. with Spottiswoode & His Enemies.
SUNDAY
“Remember the Ladies” open house at noon at Thomas Cole House. Free.

Final Lafarge public hearing May 11

Hilary Hawke in The Daily Mail reports:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced a legislative hearing for renewal and modification of the existing Lafarge Title V Air Permit application on May 11, 6 p.m. at the Ravena-Coeymans Selkirk High School Auditorium. All New York State contaminant-emitting facilities must have either a Title V Air permit, a state facility permit or a registration certificate. Lafarge’s permit expired in 2006 and it has been running under an extension since then. The company, which manufactures Portland cement and operates a limestone quarry, has extensive plans for modernizing the plant, the kilns and for reducing emissions. Administrative Law Judge Richard A. Sherman will preside over the hearing session and will accept unsworn statements on both the Title V application and the draft permit. Any member of the public potentially affected by the proposed project is invited to attend and provide oral or written comments. DEC originally gave public notice for the project in November 2009 and provided a 30-day comment period, later extended to 68 days, which ended on January 11, 2010. Rick Georgeson, DEC Region 4 spokesman, said the agency scheduled the May 11 hearing based on 44 comments, all in written or e-mail form, received during the public comment period. He also said 32 individuals expressed interest in further hearings. Georgeson said that after the May 11 hearing, “DEC will issue a response to the public comments. Going forward DEC can either issue or deny the Lafarge permit or issue a permit with added conditions.” The final decision can take anywhere from months to years. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.

Hunter officials ask to keep park open

From Colin DeVries in Windham Journal:

In an effort to save a key piece of the Mountaintop’s economic puzzle, county and local officials are rallying to keep the Devil’s Tombstone Campground open through 2010. A county resolution was unanimously approved Wednesday requesting that New York State reconsider closing the Devil’s Tombstone Campground in Hunter….The campground, located amidst Route 214’s Stony Clove, has been slated for closure along with six others throughout the state due to a massive $8 billion state budget deficit. “The North-South Lake and Devil’s Tombstone campgrounds bring people here from outside of region and the state,” said Michael McCrary, president of the Town of Hunter Chamber of Commerce. “If they close the campground we can’t put it in any of our promotions.” Officials are now rallying to come up with solutions to keep the campground open… Another alternative posed was the use of national service groups to maintain the campground and keep it operating, particularly the federal Corporation of National and Community Service’s AmeriCorps program. Read the entire story at Windham Journal.

DEP opens public lands

From Watershed Post:

This just in from the DEP: The agency that polices New York City’s upstate watershed will open 12,000 acres of city-owned watershed land to recreation. A total of 71,000 DEP-owned acres in the New York City watershed are now open to the public, according to a press release from the agency.

The 71,000 acres includes approximately 30,000 acres of property designated Public Access Areas which were opened in the last three years, where public hiking, fishing, hunting and trapping is allowed without DEP permits. The remaining acres require a DEP permit for access.

Murphy votes against Congressional pay raise

From Maury Thompson in the Post-Star:

U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, voted to reject a congressional pay raise for the coming federal fiscal year….Members of Congress receive an automatic annual cost-of-living adjustment, unless Congress votes specifically to reject it, as the House did overwhelmingly this week….Salary for House members would remain at $174,000 annually. Read the entire story in the Post-Star.

Murphy, who represents Greene and Columbia counties in NY-20, is running for re-election against Republican Chris Gibson.

Was it cruel? Paper asks local vet

Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper attempts to see the point of view of Hillsdale farmers Jim Clapp, 76, his wife Ida, 74, and their son Charles, 49, who were each charged last week with 33 misdemeanor counts of failure to provide proper sustenance to some of their dairy animals by Columbia-Greene Humane Society investigators and Sheriff’s deputies. (They pled not guilty Wednesday.) While the Clapps are not talking, Valden did speak to local veterinarian George Beneke who was at the Clapps’ Sunny Mead farm when humane society officials visited:

“It’s complicated,” he said of the situation. The Clapps “have had it tougher than a lot of other farmers,” said Dr. Beneke, who has over 40 years of experience in the field. “They haven’t had any excess money for treatment and vaccinations, and I wished they had wormed them, but there was feed in front of those animals, though there was not money for grain,” he said. “Some of the animals looked very well and others looked very thin, but there are a lot of thin animals in the county right now, if you look closely,” Dr. Beneke said. “They were trying to do the best with the feed stuffs they had–haylage and corn silage–but some of it had spoiled. Though they tried to use only the best of it, it was very difficult.” Before the sale of the milking herd, the three of them were trying to take care of 175 head, which is more than they should have been doing, he said. The family hoped to make it through the winter, waiting for the spring grass so they could pasture the animals. The dead animals died of gangrene, mastitis, giving birth and scours–none of them died of starvation, the vet confirmed. “Their judgment could have been better,” says the vet who remained sympathetic to the difficulties the family faced. Still “it takes some source of income” to pay for an adequate parasite treatment and vaccination program, he said. Ron Perez, humane society president and investigator, agreed the “economic woes” of dairy farmers is a factor in the case, but he said that the Clapps are experienced dairy farmers and should have asked for help from the humane society and the local dairy community. Read the entire story in The Columbia Paper.

Five candidates for two Hudson school board seats

Five candidates are vying for two seats for the Hudson City School District, Board of Education: Carrie Haddad, Joshua Hatala, Justin Cukerstein, Peter Merante, and Mary Daly. Unmuffled says:

Daly is the only incumbent in the field. This is her third run for the board. Her first attempt, in 2004, was unsuccessful; she was subsequently elected in 2005. One vacancy is the seat formerly held by Jack Mabb, who resigned from the board following his election as Stockport Town Justice in November 2009. That opening is for a one-year term, and the winner will be seated immediately following the election. The second opening — Daly’s current seat — is for the standard five-year term, effective July 1. In addition to electing two members of the BoE on May 18, voters will also be asked to approve the district’s $41 million spending plan for the 2010-11 school year and approve a $6 million bond referendum to finance a major roof replacement on four of the district’s five buildings. Read the entire story at Unmuffled.

Next DSS meeting is Thursday at 4:15 p.m.

Franceseca Olsen in the Register-Star reports that Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Space Utilization Subcommittee, which is trying to find a location for Department of Social Services within 60 to 90 days, meets today at 4:15 p.m. at 325 Columbia St., Hudson. Olsen reports that at a Columbia Economic Development Corporation meeting this week, BOS Chairman Roy Brown, R-Germantown, and Supervisor (and county budget/corporate compliance officer) Art Baer, R-Hillsdale, “vocally opposed the CEDC’s plan to use $14,000 to fund a study of the economic impact on moving DSS out of Hudson.” The CEDC will pay Camion and Associates from New York City, “for the purpose of conducting a study on the economic impacts derived from the location of … DSS.” Read the entire story in the Register-Star.

UPDATE: Register-Star’s Olsen attended meeting and says, “the Board of Supervisors’ Space Utilization Subcommittee Thursday evening… voted unanimously to, ‘limit site selection to only within the city of Hudson without documenting the need for DSS to remain within the city limits.’”

Deadline for WGXC program applications

MAY 1 IS DEADLINE FOR WGXC PROGRAM APPLICATIONS

WGXC Program Application
Download PDF to apply to host a show on WGXC.E-mail or mail them in to info@wgxc.org or WGXC, 5662 Rt. 23, Acra, NY 12405.

Program Applications received:

JoAnn Piazzi and Peter Lerner (Windham)

Interview show: Politicians, officials, volunteers, activists.

John Cleater (Columbiaville)

Music: international psychedelic music from 1969.

Matthew Slaats (Staatsburg)

Arts Talk: Hudson Valley arts.

Max Goldfarb (Hudson)

“Incident Report”: soundworks, talks, interviews.

Terence Doyle (Delhi)

“Imprint” regional music show.

Chrissy Budzinski (Catskill)

Music: local music.

Laura Kunreuther and Max Goldfarb (Hudson)

Jeffrey P. Moore (Copake)

Music: alternative, electronic, chill.

Bear (New Baltimore)

Kaleidoscopic quilt of sonic ear and mind candy.

Tony Fallon (Durham)

Music: Irish.

Jason Costello (Freehold)

Music: hair metal bands.

Linda Karlsson (Catskill)

Health and wellness.

Jim McCabe (Claverack)

Music: “The Tiki Bar”: Cocktails, tropical drinks, entertainment, always a relaxing island atmosphere.

Ted Banta (Cairo)

Local real estate.

Christina Malisoff (Hudson)

Interview show: authors, artists, activists, unnoticed.

Sandy McKnight (Hudson)

Talk/music with local guests from the arts.

Andrew Amelinckx (Catskill)

History, art, literature.

Studio Stu (Kingston)

Music: jazz improv.

Barbara Sturman (Lexington)

Teen radio, interviews, etc.

Steve Charney (Saugerties)

Children’s/family comedy show

Bill Schmick (Hillsdale)

Business and finance.

Randy J. Hinz (Columbiaville)

Sonny Rock (Windham)

Music: local and national independent bands.

Susan Robinson (Hudson)

Music: House, international, ’70s + ’80s new wave.

Francis Robles (Athens)

Music: Dance, electro, techno, turntablism.

Agroforesty Center (Acra)

“Living with the Land”: regional farming and forestry historical and current.

Susan Arbetter (Albany)

“The Capitol Pressroom”: state government news.

Jackie Thomas (Hudson)

Music: “Sunday Afternoon” with local, national, and international music.

Matt Harle (Beacon)

Found sounds, field recordings, music from the Hudson Valley.

Cairo Library (Cairo)

Children’s reading program, music, and more.

Rob Johanson (Hudson)

Music: Live recordings from the Red Dot Open Mic (Wednesdays), and other local and regional music and recordings.

Brian Branigan (Hudson)

“The WGXC Flea” on-air flea market.

Dominic Merante (Hudson)

Music: Local and national country music.

Mark Read (?)

Music: music and political conversation.

Alan Skerrett (Philmont)

Music: jazz, from big band to fusion.

Nancy Annette Massey Marron (Cornwallville)

Etiquette and social skills.

Chuck Sussman (Philmont)

Music: Local music.

Reggie Madison (Athens)

Music: Jazz.

Deborah McDowell/Marc Schafler (Hudson)

Music: Live from Club Helsinki.

Peter Wetzler (Kingston)

Music: “Sound Forms” new music composers from around the world.

Dawn Collins (Stuyvesant)

Music: interview/intentional and transformational music.

Dan Seward (Hudson)

Music: “Battlefield Earth:” all types of music.

Elizabeth Hess (Spencertown)

On companion animals and farm animals.

Stephanie Hartka (Hudson)

Music: Latin American.

Michael Gogger (Coxsackie)

Psychic show.

Norman Douglas (Hudson)

Experimental, free-format series: interview and oral history, audio collage, etc.

Severine von Tscharner Fleming (?)

“Greenhorn Radio:” Hudson Valley-based show for under-40 farmers.

Vicki Lagoudis (Catskill)

Talk show on alternative healing or spiritual/psychic.

Ann Forbes Cooper (Catskill)

Interview show: arts and culture.

Hank Flick (Hudson)

Music: “Excursions with Lunar Moss:” experimental pop and rock.

E-mail applications by May 1 to info@wgxc.org or mail them to WGXC, 5662 Rt. 23, Acra, NY 12405.

Greene County Bancorp’s net income up 5% in 3Q

From The Business Review (Albany):

Greene County Bancorp Inc., [parent to The Bank of Greene County], reported a five percent increase in net income for its third fiscal quarter. The Catskill, N.Y.-based company had net income of $1.23 million, or 30 cents a share, for the three months ended March 31. This compares to net income of $1.15 million, or 28 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. For the nine months ended March 31, net income was $3.6 million, or 88 cents a share, up from $3 million, or 73 cents a share, a year earlier. Read the entire story in The Business Review (Albany).

Millay Colony announces summer workshops

The Millay Colony for the Arts offers four-day workshop retreats on the Colony’s sylvan setting. Each class includes twelve hours of workshop time, all meals, and ample time to work, ruminate and explore our lush surroundings. Private bedrooms and spacious private studios are provided.
June 30 – July 3: Family: Artmaking with Nina Katchadourian
July 30 – August 2: Archives and Ephemera: Poetry with Ronaldo Wilson
Sept 30 – Oct 3: Weather as Muse: Video with Bernadine Mellis
Oct 30 – Nov 2: After Copenhagen: Ecopoetics with Jonathan Skinner

Catskill relocates July 4 fireworks

William J. Kemble in The Daily Freeman reports that on Monday Catskill officially moved the July 4 Dutchmen’s Landing waterfront site on the Hudson River to downtown Catskill. They will shoot the fireworks from either the Catskill High School track or a platform along the Catskill Creek. Read the entire article in The Daily Freeman.

Historic Ferry Road may close

Bob Green in the Register-Star filed a Freedom Of Information Law request to find out that:

According to the minutes of a non-public meeting between the DOT, the Department of Environmental Conservation and some town officials, the state agencies have again concluded that the at-grade railroad crossing at Ferry Road cannot be made safe, and must be closed. That would leave the three occupied homes there unreachable by emergency vehicles, and subject to purchase and removal by the state under eminent domain. Two of those properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the document, acquired under the Freedom Of Information Law, DOT Acting Region 8 Director Bill Gorton and Grade Crossing Section Director Ed Rosen “elaborated that no real option exists at Ferry Road besides purchasing the properties and closing the crossing. All other options are extremely cost-prohibitive.” A judge ruled in 1996 that the crossing was unsafe, but that ruling was updated in 2006 to say the crossing couldn’t be closed until a connector road was built to Ice House Road, a short distance to the north. DEC officials at the meeting discounted that possibility, saying “there is little lee-way in terms of rearranging the road/rail configuration at Ferry Road due to adjacent wetlands,” according to the minutes. Read the entire article in the Register-Star.

Cairo voters approve new library

Cairo voters today approved a bond to finance a new library for the town, 53 to 47 percent. Totals: 283 yes, 248 no, 531 total voting. The vote at Resurrection Lutheran Church today determined Cairo will build a new library. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered the town a $3.07 million low-interest loan (4.25 percent) and a $200,000 grant with a local share match of about $100,000. The vote is for a bond for the loan. Cairo Library Executive Director Debra Kamecke is on the WGXC Radio Council.

Gordon to host Hudson River estuary forum Thursday

From The Columbia Paper:

Assemblyman Tim Gordon (I-108th) will hold a public forum to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Castleton Boat Club, 92 Main Street to discuss ideas and future plans for the Hudson River estuary. Castleton is on Route 9J just north of the Columbia County line. Among the guests at “Our Hudson River: A Community Conversation” will be state Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Coordinator Fran Dunwell, who will present the 2010-12 Draft Action Agenda and will field questions from the community about the DEC’s vision for the river. Other presenters and guests include Rene Van Schaak, a member of the Hudson River Management Advisory Board, and representatives from several community groups in the region. Parking is available at the club as are docking facilities for those arriving by boat.

Raúl Zurita at Bard College Wednesday

Nippertown! reports renowned Chilean poet Raúl Zurita will read from the newly released bilingual edition of his collection, “Purgatory,” with translator Anna Deeney Wednesday at 6 p.m. Apr. 28 in the Beterlsmann Campus Center at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson in a free show. Read the entire article at Nippertown!