News

  In the spring of 2013 the cicadas in the Northeastern United States will yet again emerge from their seventeen-year cycle—the longest gestation period of any animal. Those who experience this great sonic invasion compare their sense of wonder to the arrival of a comet or a solar eclipse. This unending rhythmic cycle is just one unique example of how the pulse and noise of insects has taught humans the meaning of rhythm, from the whirr of a cricket’s wings to this unfathomable and exact seventeen-year beat.

  Jacqueline Kellachan from The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY joins us with this week's Book Picks. 

List after the break.

Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, Dr. Jennifer Michaels of The Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and University at Albany Journalism Professor and Investigative Reporter, Rosemary Armao.

Topics include:
Mental Illness in the Family
Generation Rx
Marijuana: Panacea, Pleasure or Plague

TOWN OF WALLKILL – Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill will lay off 80 full-time equivalent positions and Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris will lay off 60 full-time equivalent positions. In total, the hospitals must find cuts of $17 million.  Both hospitals fall under the umbrella of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System, which announced the cuts on Monday due to substantial reductions in reimbursement from the federal and state governments and decreases in revenue caused by healthcare reform.

POUGHKEEPSIE – College students in Dutchess County may now vote so long as they register and need not provide specific information about which dormitory they live.

Last fall, Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight refused to register students if they did not list their specific college address. Democrat Commissioner Frances Knapp challenged that in court and the judge ruled they could vote.

The initial case involved student registrations from Marist, The Culinary Institute of America and Bard College.

The world of sports is taking the backseat to another tragedy as a massive tornado ripped through a handful of Oklahoma suburbs on Monday. Kevin Durant is among a group of sports stars and coaches who are expressing concern for the victims, posting on his Twitter account that he was praying for everyone involved.

Newschannel 13 Meteorologist Paul Caiano gives the WAMC Morning Edition Forecast.

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has issued an apology for his handling of a sexual harassment case that spanned years involving at least four women staffers before it was detected.

Silver specifically apologized for the $103,000 secret settlement he crafted last summer to end the first accusations against Assemblyman Vito Lopez and for failing to stop subsequent incidents claimed by more women staffers.

New York residents are voting on their school districts' proposed budgets for next year.

Authorities say the average proposed tax levy increase is 2.8 percent, with school spending rising about the same amount, driven by increases in contributions to employee retirement systems.

This is the second year school districts are working under New York's tax cap law, which generally limits tax levy increases to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. Budget proposals that exceed the cap need a 60 percent supermajority of votes to pass.

A federal court judge has scheduled a hearing on June 4 on a challenge by the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.