The sweeping views of the Catskills were illuminated by clearing skies at the top of Cole Hill.
Wednesday January 1, 2020 — Notes — Alma Pond 🗺 — Dobbins Memorial State Forest 🗺 — Donahue Woods State Forest 🗺 — Little John Wildlife Management Area 🗺 — Otter Lake 🗺 — South Hill State Forest (Oneida 23) 🗺 — Summer Hill State Forest 🗺 — West Parishville State Forest 🗺— PDF with All Maps 📚
In her book, author Alissa Quart lays out how America’s middle class is being wiped out by the cost of living far outpacing salaries while a slew of traditionally secure professions — like teaching — can no longer guarantee a stable enough income to clothe and feed a family.
“Middle-class life is now 30 percent more expensive than it was 20 years ago,” Quart writes, citing the costs of housing, education, health care and child care in particular. “In some cases the cost of daily life over the last 20 years has doubled.”
The freezing rain and icing was particularly severe on the top of Woodstock Road in Berne near the doppler radar tower. I was quite beautiful!
Wednesday January 1, 2020 — Berne
In 2019, the federal government delivered an extraordinary financial aid package to America's farmers. Farm subsidies jumped to their highest level in fourteen years, most of them paid out without any action by Congress.
The money flowed to farms like Robert Henry's. When I visited in early July, many of his fields near New Madrid, Mo., had been flooded for months, preventing him from working in them. The soybeans that he did manage to grow had fallen in value; China wasn't buying them, in retaliation for the Trump administration's tariffs.
That's when the government stepped in. Some of the aid came from long-familiar programs. Government-subsidized crop insurance covered some of the losses from flooding. Other payments were unprecedented. The U.S. Department of Agriculture simply sent him a check to compensate him for the low prices resulting from the trade war.
A public hearing has been set for the Jan. 8 town board meeting at 6 p.m. where people can comment on how Bethlehem intends to pass a local law authorizing the creation of a Community Choice Aggregation program.
Since October, Bethlehem originally began exploring — but not officially enrolled in it yet — a regional CCA program with Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance, a local corporation that helps the town purchase electricity in bulk from renewable energy resources. Ten other municipalities have also joined to explore the program: the towns of Guilderland, New Scotland, Niskayuna and Knox, the villages of Kinderhook and Voorheesville, and the cities of Glens Falls, Troy, Watervliet and Saratoga Springs.
Bethlehem’s participation in the regional CCA program would only go into effect much later in 2020 if the town decides to officially enroll in the program. Even though Bethlehem is exploring the program now, there is still a chance that the town can ultimately not enroll in it. MEGA also still needs to identify potential suppliers, negotiate pricing, review bids and reconnect with the town government in the months to come.