WGXC Newsroom moving again

WGXC Newsroom has moved for the final time:
http://newsroom.wgxc.org/

Chatham cable TV hearing, board meeting Thursday

The Chatham “Village chalkboard” reports there will be a public hearing for Charter Communications cable contract in Chatham at 7 p.m., just before the regular Village Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Tracy Memorial Village Hall, 77 Main St.

Bay bridges

Carole Osterink was at last night’s informal Common Council meeting in Hudson and reports that Holcim attorney Donald Stever and O&G’s Kenneth Faroni sent a letter in response to one from CC president Donald Moore, and anyone following the current waterfront discussion in Hudson will find it and the comments on Osterink’s Gossips of Rivertown blog fascinating. Osterink also says that, “Mayor Scalera reported that CSX had agreed to repair the Ferry Street bridge in time for the Flag Day parade. They will replace the rotted planking ‘to get through the weekend’ and put plywood on the footbridge. CSX also said they would ‘try to put it in some capital plan.'” NY Senator Chuck Schumer will attend the Flag Day parade, and Osterink says Scalera will show him the bridge then, and ask for help.

Tooker challenges Molinaro

Debora Gilbert at The Columbia Paper reports:

Dutchess County resident Susan Tooker threw her hat into the ring at the annual Columbia County Democratic Committee dinner Sunday night, announcing her decision to run against Marc Molinaro (R) in the 103rd Assembly District. A working mother, registered nurse, nurse practitioner and union member, who is pro-choice and in favor of marriage equality, Ms. Tooker was introduced as the Democrats’ choice of an opponent to challenge the two-term GOP incumbent at the Democrats’ third annual Martin Van Buren Testimonial Dinner June 6 at the Columbia Golf and Country Club in Claverack. Read the entire story in The Columbia Paper.

Let the long weekend begin

This weekend:

THU-SAT
Upstate II at Nicole Fiacco Gallery. Melora Kuhn, Catherine Mosley, Erik Schoonebeek, and Allyson Strafella. Tue-Sat, noon-6 p.m.

Dots, Lines and Figures at Carrie Haddad Gallery. Michael McLaighlin, Ben Shecter, Donise English, and Jeff Briggs.

“Maii:” The Wonder of Water by Diata Diata International Folkloric Theatre with the Hudson Opera House, an original play by Pamela Badila at 7 p.m. at Hudson Intermediate School.

FRIDAY
Cairo Open Mic sponsored by WGXC and Cairo Library. 7-9 p.m., with jam until 9:30 p.m. at Gallagher’s, 513 Main St. in Cairo.

FODfest jam honoring Daniel Pearl at 8 p.m. Club Helsinki, Hudson.

SAT-SUN
33rd Annual East Durham Irish Festival includes the Elders from Kansas City; Black 47 and Shillelagh Law from New York City; Barleyjuice from Philadelphia; and Hair of the Dog from Albany, N.Y.; Contemporary Irish Music featuring The Andy Cooney Band; the New York Showband with Tommy Flynn and Jameson’s Revenge from New York City; Searson from Ontario, Canada and the Kitty Kelly Band from Albany, N.Y. are just a few of the bands that will be performing. Pipe Bands and Irish Step Dancing Schools are an added feature each day.

SATURDAY
Tannersville Rubber Duck Race, Crazy Boat Race & Festival 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., Gooseberry Creek in the Village of Tannersville ending by the Rip Van Winkle Lake. Free admission.

Pine Smoke Lodge/Cruudeuces/Fossils From the Sun/Jefferson Pitcher at Upstate Artists Guild, Albany.

Just Wear White Memorial Day party from Trixie with DJ Gio at Red Dot, Hudson. 10 p.m. – 2 a.m., $10 includes free drink.

SUNDAY
Memorial Day Parade, 2 p.m., Main St., Catskill.

Music From China, a New York-based ensemble that specializes in both traditional and contemporary Chinese music. 2 p.m. at Hudson Opera House. $7 per person or $20 for the entire family!

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at 8 p.m. at Club Helsinki, Hudson.

Bella’s Bartok performs at Blue Plate Restaurant in Chatham at 9:30 p.m., $5.

MONDAY
Cairo Memorial Day Observance
Sponsored by American Legion Post #983, Town of Cairo, and WGXC.
9 a.m.: WWI Monument Wreath-Laying, Main St. Fountain.
9:15 a.m.: WWII Monument Wreath-Laying on Library Lawn.
9:30 a.m.: Doughnuts and coffee at Cairo Fire House.
11 a.m.: Parade steps off near Great American.
Noon: Memorial Service in Angelo Canna Park.
12:30: Refreshments and music at Pavillion.
WGXC will provide sound system.

“Maii:” The Wonder of Water

Diata Diata International Folkloric Theatre in part with the Hudson Opera House present “Maii:” The Wonder Of Water. An original play by Pamela Badila respecting the essence and purity of many different exaggerated aspects of water. Free admission. Thu-Sat at 7 p.m. at Hudson Intermediate School.

Assessing the assessor

Garth Slocum via City of Hudson.

Sam Pratt reports that Hudson assessor Garth Slocum and one of the Hudson city attorneys who lives in Spencertown, and perhaps others, are serving as officers of the city of Hudson illegally. Pratt first finds the rule:

“Section C2-4 of Hudson’s Charter says that to “be eligible to any City office under this Charter,” a person must be an elector of the City. Or, if the person is not a Hudson voter but wishes to serve in an appointed position, then s/he must meet two requirements:
1. The appointee must live “within 15 road miles” of Hudson; and
2. “Be a taxpayer on the real property assessment rolls of the City of Hudson.”

Then Pratt looks at Slocum’s particulars:

“Slocum lives in Chatham, well within the 15 ‘road miles’ of Hudson…. But Slocum’s name does not seem to show up in the Hudson 2010 tentative roll as a local taxpayer. The question, then, is: Does he own some property through a corporate name? And if so, would that qualify?”

And then he wonders how many other officers of Hudson do not qualify. Read the entire story at Sam Pratt.

Rock ‘n’ Roll radio

Ryder Cooley created this poster for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Benefit Show for WGXC Community Radio at Club Helsinki June 19:

Greene gains, Columbia barely loses population

Marist College’s Bureau of Economic Research just released an “Economic Report of the Hudson Valley.” Some interesting facts: “During the two-year period ending in 2008, total migration into and out of Columbia County resulted in a net loss of 31 households and a $27.12 million increase in adjusted gross income (AGI)” and during that same time, “total migration into and out of Greene County resulted in a net gain of 247 households and $15.50 million in adjusted gross income (AGI).” Ulster and Sullivan were the only other Mid-Hudson counties with population gains from 2006-2008. H/T The Daily Freeman.

Incident Report: Anthony Graves

Little Assemblies
May 17 – June 21, 2010 at Incident Report, an experimental viewing station for visual projects, 348 Warren St., Hudson.

Anthony Graves, an artist and writer based in Ithaca and Brooklyn and visiting lecturer at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, contributes the current Incident Report: Thinker in the Marketplace contains a silkscreen of excerpted text from Hannah Arendt’s Life of the Mind, and a copy of Richard S. Sloma’s No-Nonsense Planning (1984), two instances of ‘thinking in the marketplace.’ 1989 refers to publication date of Deborah Hoover’s Supporting Yourself as an Artist, as well as a decisive year in the attacks on the NEA. (This was the year the Mapplethorpe exhibition was cancelled at the Corcoran.) The Bad Comrade is a reference to Russian Constructivists’ notion of socialist commodities or objects-as-comrades, ascribed to Aleksandr Rodchenko.

Molinaro hosts town meeting in Ghent Thursday

New York State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, who represents Columbia County (R,C,I-Red Hook), will host a town hall meeting in Ghent on Thursday, May 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the White Stone Café, 2337 Route 66, Ghent.

Columbia County Dems back Schneiderman for AG

Columbia County Democrats Friday endorsed Eric Schneiderman for Attorney General. Schneiderman is largely backed by upstate Dems, while NYC-area Dems (and Greene County Democrats) support Kathleen Rice. Capitol Confidential reports Columbia County Democratic Chair Christopher Nolan previously supported Eric Dinallo.

GhostWALK Hudson Ghost Story Writing Contest

GhostWALK Hudson Ghost Story Writing Contest for youth ages 11-18, due June 1. Winning tales published in August in Register-Star and Chatham Courier newspapers, and performed live by teen actors from Walking the dog Theater’s Afterschool Drama program in November 5’s GhostWALK Hudson tour. A panel of judges will look for the best and/or scariest stories written by Columbia County youth, which young actors will then bring to life in various “haunted” buildings in Hudson as part of the GhostWALK Hudson Tour on November 5, 2010. The winning story will be told in the select locations, evoking some of the history of our community. Judges include playwright James Farrell, Register-Star reporter Andrew Amelinckx, novelist Rebecca Stowe, author David C. King, playwright Susan Willerman, columnist Kate McLeod; Emily Arnold McCully; Mike Bowman; illustrator and author Jacqeuline Rodgers; and young adult fiction writer MJ Caraway.

Prometheus Radio Project to host Radio Barnraising with WGXC

Prometheus Radio Project teams with WGXC to hold our 12th community radio barnraising later this year! Radio barnraisings are weekend-long radio-building and movement-building events. Individuals from the local community and participatory media folks from around the country come together to share ideas, experiences, and skills in the launching of a community radio station.

The overwhelming majority of the airwaves have been reserved for a powerful few who take advantage of the complicated technical and political system of media regulation. This inequity in our media system is a reflection of larger structural inequalities in our society. Prometheus’s mission is to build participatory radio as a tool for social justice organizing and a voice for community expression. We work for media justice, seeking to diversify control of the media as a necessary step towards a more equitable distribution of power and resources. We value radio because it is easy to produce, free to consume, and accessible to more people across the world than any other mass media, and we work to help grassroots organizations build communications infrastructure to strengthen their communities and movements.

Prometheus has supported hundreds of community organizations to apply for non-commercial low power FM (LPFM) radio licenses, as well as full power non-commercial license (full power stations). We have also helped build stations, either through providing resources and support or through radio barnraisings, where hundreds of volunteers gather to build a radio station of the course of a few days. These radio barnraisings have helped groups build their base while training a new generation of media organizers across the country. Prometheus has held barnraisings all over the county with eleven groups over the past eight years. These stations have encompassed everything from farmworker unions to civil rights organizations to rural arts groups.

WGXC: Hands-On Radio is a community-run media project in New York’s Greene and Columbia counties. Over 78,000 potential listeners will be able to receive WGXC’s FM signal on 90.7-FM once the station gets on the air with the Prometheus Barnraising in the last week of September. WGXC will be much more than just a radio station, with regular exhibitions and events, ongoing media trainings for our community’s youth and adults, a news blog, and a local calendar of events, community meetings, and resources. The station will serve a media-deprived area between Albany and New York City, a mostly rural area deeply rooted in agriculture and small industry with small urban centers, and home to a thriving music and arts community. WGXC will be the first radio station of its kind in the area created by and for people who live in the community. With local newspapers and independent media outlets rapidly disappearing from the area, this station offers a important opportunity for journalists and community members to get the training needed to produce high quality local news, as well as the outlet for that information to air.

WGXC will serve as an on-air arena where different and conflicting points of view can come together to share perspectives, acting as a local “trading post” for historic, creative, playful, and informative content. WGXC will provide the tools to make voices heard, and become a vehicle to build understanding. The station will be uniquely decentralized with three main studios spread out across the listening range, allowing broader access and participation from residents of both counties. Partnerships are already forming with schools, music venues, and town halls to live feed from various locations, furthering the scope of the station.

WGXC’s mission is to cultivate and to preserve the unique character of our area, the voices, and conversations of Greene and Columbia county residents, especially those that are rarely heard. “Hands-on Radio” captures the essence of this project. WGXC’s participatory environment will bring to life the idea that media is not something that is fed to us, but something we create with our own hands, hearts, and minds.

Fifth Annual Hudson Valley Songfest and Music Expo

Aspiring songwriters mix with music business pros in educational workshops, panel discussions, and song critiques. Event culminates in special evening concert featuring Ellis Paul, this Saturday, May 22, at Columbia-Greene Community College.

Saland talks on floor fourth most of all Senators

New York State Senator Steve Saland, R-Poughkeepsie who represents Columbia County, spoke the fourth most on the senate floor according to transcripts of floor proceedings that are now posted online and crunched by NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney. H/T Capitol Confidential. Saland spoke 9,251 words this term through April 7, while State Sen James Seward ranks 34th with 1,465 words spoken. See Capitol Confidential for complete list.

School election results

Cairo-Durham school election results: School Budget Passed 551-527; Library Appropriation Failed 477-581; Biomass heating system Failed 433-625. Board Member results: Greg Koerner-Fox – 584; Thomas Plank – 564; Beatrice Clappin – 537; Pat Ublacker – 512; Nicole Maggio – 472; Dean Pectal – 456; Sam Mozzillo – 338. The Daily Mail reports Catskill results:

Catskill Central School District’s $36.6 million budget package for 2010-11 was approved by district voters Tuesday night in a 2-1 margin of 712-375. The Catskill Public Library budget was also passed with an approximate 2-1 margin, 701-368. Elected to the Board of Education for three-year terms were incumbent Michael Bulich, who was returned to the board for his second term with 579 votes, and first-timers Christopher Van Loan and Tracy Powell, who drew 439 and 408 votes, respectively. Elected to a two-year term — the unserved balance of an existing seat from a former BOE member — was first-timer Matthew Leipman, who received 402 votes.

The Daily Mail also has Coxsackie-Athens results:

The 2010-2011 budget for the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District was adopted by voters by a margin of 738 votes to 521. Three Board of Education seats were also up for grabs in the vote held yesterday – incumbents Mark Gerrain, Russell Nadler and Beth Tailleur were all up for re-election. Gerrain and Tailleur had easy victories, but Nadler was unseated by opponent Stephen Oliveira, who won 575 votes to Nadler’s 404.

In Hudson, Register-Star reports:

The Hudson City School District budget for 2010-2011 squeaked by Tuesday by a margin of a little more than 100 votes. District voters also reelected Mary Daly (663 votes) to the School Board and brought aboard Peter Merante Sr. (717), Justin Cukerstein, 593 votes. He may still may get a board seat. Patricia Abitabile, currently in the second year of her second five-year term, is resigning from the board as of June 30. There has yet to be a resolution on how Abitabile will be replaced, but a discussion at a recent BOE meeting seemed to indicate the candidate with the third highest number of votes could garner her seat. Carrie Haddad received 422 votes and Peter Rice Jr., garnered 263.

In Taconic Hills, Register-Star reports:

The 2010-2011 budget for the Taconic Hills Central School District passed Tuesday after polls closed, with 604 yes and 377 no votes….Joseph Costa (552), a Claverack automotive business owner who said he would encourage attendance at board meetings, and Kevin Maisenbacher (511), a branch manager at Key Corp/N.A. Licensed Investment, who hopes to involve the community more deeply in board decisions, won the district’s two open school board seats, replacing incumbent board members Scott Decker and Tom Bailey.

The story does not report the other vote totals. Also: Chatham Central School District voters passed the 2010-11 budget of $26,614,687 Tuesday by a margin of 441 for and 260 against. Incumbent candidate Melony Spock, 473 votes, Gail Day, 463, elected. A $13.6 million Germantown Central School District Budget passed easily Tuesday with 274 votes for the budget and 171 against. Eric Mortenson, 327; Theresa Repko, 320; Cynthia Smith, 304.

Vote Tuesday in school board races

Voting for school board members and issues takes place Tuesday in both counties. From The Daily Freeman:

Greene County

Cairo-Durham
(Polls are open noon to 9 p.m.)
Cairo-Durham Middle School cafeteria.

Catskill
(Polls are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Catskill High School gymnasium.

Coxsackie-Athens
(Polls are open 1 to 9 p.m.)
District elementary schools.

Hunter-Tannersville
(Polls are open 1 to 9 p.m.)
Hunter Elementary School.

Columbia County

Germantown
(Polls are open noon to 9 p.m.)
Germantown Central School office lobby on Main Street.

Nearly all local school districts planning job cuts

Kyle Wind in The Daily Freeman:

More than 250 jobs will be eliminated in the region if voters approve school district budgets as proposed Tuesday. All the districts in the area with except Hunter-Tannersville, in Greene County, plan to cut faculty and staff members in response to projected reductions in state aid, and, in some districts, declining enrollment.

GREENE COUNTY

Cairo-Durham school officials are planning to cut 7.2 teaching positions — half at the elementary level and half at middle and high schools — along with a psychologist and a teaching assistant. Catskill school officials are planning to cut three teachers — an art teacher, a librarian and a foreign language teacher — as well as a secondary school administrator, an assistant principal at the elementary school and 1.4 support staff positions. The district plans to reduce the assistant director of special education from a 12-month to 10-month position. In Coxsackie-Athens, planned cuts include a kindergarten class, a teacher’s aide, a high school teacher’s aide, a part-time high school Spanish teacher, an elementary special education teacher, high school academic intervention teaching assistants in science, English and the computer lab, a middle school enrichment teacher, an elementary school librarian, a middle school reading teacher, a high school special education teacher, a part-time high school math teacher, a fifth-grade section and a sixth-grade section. Hunter-Tannersville is the only district in the region not planning to cut any positions.

COLUMBIA COUNTY

In Germantown, the district is planning to cut 1.5 high school teachers, an elementary teacher, a teaching assistant, a custodian and a part-time Spanish teacher. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.

Performances from Feed the Radio

Sets from “Feed the Radio” fundraiser at Germantown Community Farm:
Click here to listen to an mp3 recording of the set from Lady Moon and the Eclipse: Evan Randall, Peter Lindstrom, Ngonda Badilla, and Milandou Badilla. Or paste the following url into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05
/LadyMoon_WGXC_051510.mp3

Click here to listen to an mp3 recording of the set from Moonlight in Paris: Young Paris with Lady Moon. Or paste the following url into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05/YoungParisLadyMoon_WGXC_051510.mp3

Click here to listen to an mp3 recording of the set from Hi-NRG. Or paste the following url into your media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05/HiNRG_WGXC_051510.mp3

Feed the Radio fundraiser today in Germantown

PEFORMANCES

Lady Moon and the Eclipse (Evan Randall, Peter Lindstrom, Ngonda Badila, Milandou Badila)
Moonlight in Paris (Lady Moon and Young Paris)
Hi NRG with Giorgio
DJ Dance Party
(Sound by Tom Morini)

WORKSHOPS

Making radio: real live tools for real local radio
Meet upstairs in the barn.
From asking good questions to pressing the right buttons, we’ll be producing some short interviews and field recordings while engaging the skills needed to make radio that really represents. Dharma Daily and Emily Bennison will share their expertise and lead us through.

Joining the airwaves: The WGXC radio station “barnraising”
Meet downstairs in the barn.
Capacity Building for Community Building:
WGXC community radio is really rolling. The station launch date is set for late September, and Prometheus Radio Project has chosen us to collaborate with to produce a huge event called a Radio barnraising. Radio barnraisings are weekend-long radio building and movement building events. Individuals from the local community and participatory media folks from around the country come together to share ideas, experiences, and skills in the launching of a community radio station. This is an extremely exciting opportunity for those interested in community radio to get involved and get trained! Come find out more about this event, see a couple short films of other barnraisings, and become a part of making it happen. Cory Fischer-Hoffman of Prometheus Radio Project and Kaya Weidman of WGXC: Hands-On Radio will guide us through.

Food and farmland access
Our regional resources and strategies meet by the tables or in the house
With Ashley Loehr of Fog and Thistle CSA and some other farmers.

Farm Tours

Meet by the washstand next to the barn.
Cruise around the property with the farmers here on the land and hear of the successes, as well as the trials and tribulations of the soil, the seasons, breaking new ground, marketing, and various earthly forces that affect what they grow, how they grow, and what happens.

Labor of Love: get yer hands dirty!
Meet at the greenhouse.

With the farmers: Don’t feel like going to a workshop, and just want to get your hands in the dirt? Luckily, there’s plenty to do! Come see the glamorous side of farming by picking rocks and planting potatoes, and help the farmers enjoy the party by getting some big work done.

TUNE IN TODAY
Tune in today live from Germantown Community Farm.
Click here to listen to live web stream.

Or paste this url into your computer’s media player:
http://comm.free103point9.org:8000/
germantown.mp3.m3u

Thurston named Hudson Citizen of Year by Rotary

Hudson Rotary Club named Ellen Thurston as 2010 Hudson Area Citizen of the Year, according to GoToHudson.com. Ms. Thurston is Third Ward Alderman and Majority Leader of the Hudson Common Council, Vice President of the Hudson Opera House Board, and for years was the principal organizer of Winter Walk. Her events calendar, “Much to Do About Hudson” is a must, for anyone wanting to know what’s happening in Hudson and beyond. There will be a reception in her honor to be held at the Hudson Opera House on Thursday, May 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. Although not required, please RSVP to the Hudson Rotary Club by contacting Joel Allen at hudsonallens@verizon.net or (518) 828-4729.

Crandall Theater close to sold

Chatham resident Judy Grunberg, owner of the Blue Plate restaurant and the founder of the PS/21 arts center, is among a group of investors close to finalizing a deal to buy Chatham’s Crandall Theater, The Columbia Paper, and other papers, report today after the “For Sale” sign came down Thursday. When owner Tony Quirino died in January, he had been working to sell the theater to the Chatham Film Club, though the Club now is among two bidding groups that apparently lost to the Grunberg group. The Grunberg group is reportedly talking with the film club about extending the theater’s previous collaborations.

Chris Gibson opens campaign headquarters in Kinderhook

Chris Gibson opens his campaign headquarters in Kinderhook May 12, 2010.

Republican Congressional candidate Chris Gibson opened his campaign headquarters in his hometown of Kinderhook Thursday, May 12, packing the small space with loyal supporters down the street from Ichabod Crane High School, where Gibson was the point guard and co-captain of the basketball team. The candidate sat down for a few minutes with WGXC to talk about the issues he is hearing about from residents of Greene and Columbia counties, and you can listen to the mp3 file here or paste this url into your computer’s media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05
/ChrisGibson_WGXC_051210.mp3

A Rock ‘n’ Roll Benefit Show for WGXC Community Radio at Club Helsinki

J.P. Harris and the Tough Choices, just plain country from Brattleboro.

The Weight: American rock ‘n’ roll from Brooklyn

Happy Birthday: Sub-Pop recording artist from Brattleboro.

9 p.m., Sat. June 19 at Club Helskini, 405 Columbia St., Hudson, NY 12534
Tickets are $10 for WGXC Founding Members in advance; $12 for others in advance; and $15 for all at door. All proceeds will go to help launch the very exciting new community radio station for Columbia and Greene counties, WGXC. Check out http://www.wgxc.org for more info.

On Saturday, May 19, three bands will take the newly-opened stage of Club Helsinki by storm. Comprising an unrelenting cross-section of American music today, all three acts have more than just old friendships in common: None of them have left a stage in the last year without everyone in the room sweaty, wild-eyed, and screaming for more. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see three bands that are truly shaking the foundations of independent music, all on one stage.

Because of their love for independent community radio, these bands are travelling all the way to Hudson to play this blowout benefit for this area’s soon-to-be very own community radio station, WGXC: Hands-On Radio. The station is gearing up for its grand launch onto the airwaves this fall, and just needs to raise the remaining bucks to do so. So come out, get moving, and help make it happen.

for more info check out:
http://www.wgxc.org

The Weight: If this doesn’t move your body, all hope is lost. “While there’s certainly no shortage of classic rock / Americana revival bands in Brooklyn these days, The Weight… have the drawl and enthusiasm to make the rest sound like they’re reading off cue cards.” -Vice Magazine

Happy Birthday, with their self-titled debut on Sub Pop records (L7, Nirvana, Reverend Horton Heat, etc.) are making waves. Poppy, sour-bubblegum waves. The kind that makes you keep chewing even though it makes your mouth water too much, your eyes tear, and your feet propel your body up and down off the floor. The kind of wave that makes you smile and dance until it hurts. A lot.

J.P. Harris and The Tough Choices play old-fashioned Honky Tonk. Period. If you wanna two-step, if you wanna cry in your drink, or if you just like scruffy young fellas in Wranglers, find them in a low-lit roadhouse near you.

BUY TICKETS THROUGH BROWN BAG TICKETS:
WGXC Founding Members get a discount. Type in “wgxc” in discount box.

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.

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

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Molinaro announces re-election campaign Friday

Marc Molinaro will announce he is seeking re-election for the 103rd Assembly District with three events on Friday, April 30 in Dutchess and Columbia counties. Molinaro will be at Promenade Hill (intersection of Front and Warren Sts.) In Hudson at 11 a.m., at Tivoli Commons (86 Broadway) at 12:30 p.m., and in Pleasant Valley at GE Masten Feed (1 West Rd.) at 2 p.m.

Heavy metal show faces many permits

Francesca Olsen in the Register-Star reports:

For four days in July, the site of Meadowgreens Resort will become a haven for metalheads — if the event coordinator satisfies all permit requirements from the state and the county. Planned for July 15-18, Metalfest 2010, presented by Total Music Television and GSR Holdings, Inc., will be a “European style heavy metal music festival for eastern New York Metalheads.” The event, according to a proposal sent to the town of Ghent, will include two stages and 50 national and regional heavy metal bands, as well as a “vendors’ village” and European and American food vendors. Tickets run from a $35 day pass at the gate to an $800 VIP ticket for all four days, with camping extra. But at the county Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee meeting April 22, a group of law enforcement and public safety officials expressed concerns about the event being so close to the county airport, and wondered if K. Randeze, the CEO of GSR Holdings and the coordinator of the event, would complete all the necessary permit documents in time for the festival. Read the entire article in The Daily Mail.

Historic Hudson

211 Union St., Hudson from The Gossips of Rivertown.

Carole Osterink continues her tour of properties in Hudson owned by Eric Galloway, whose group the Lantern Organization was proposing developing a building with “permanent supportive housing” for the mentally disabled, the homeless, and those with substance abuse problems on the corner of Warren and Fifth Sts. in Hudson. Read about the empty lot at the corner of Fourth and Columbia Sts., 345 Allen St., and 620-624 State St., but the post about 211 Union St. is the most interesting so far:

This is 211 Union Street, the birthplace of Hudson’s most illustrious native son: General William Jenkins Worth. (How many people have three cities, a lake, a village, and a county named after them?) It’s surprising that such a significant Hudson landmark is in private hands, but it is. It’s owned by the Galvan Group–named for Eric Galloway and his partner, Henry van Ameringen. William Jenkins Worth was born in this house on March 1, 1794–just a decade after Hudson was founded. His father was Thomas Worth, one of the original Proprietors, and his mother was Abigail Jenkins. Read the entire article in The Gossips of Rivertown.