March 2021
Activism in art, the effects of COVID-19 on local farmers, and more.
Keep Live Animals Out of Easter
With Easter right around the corner, the Catskill Animal Sanctuary anticipates a surge in rescue requests for abandoned bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and other animals. These animals are purchased as “gifts” but often end up abandoned when the novelty of caring for them wears off. Over the years, CAS has accepted Easter animals found in dumpsters,…
Coronavirus Roundup: All Adults in New York Will Be Eligible for Vaccination Next Week
This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, March 29, in collaboration with The Other Hudson Valley. NEW YORK STATE 7-day average positive test rate: 3.5%420 deaths past 7 days4,575 hospitalizations (890 in ICUs)Share of population fully vaccinated: 16.8%Share of population given…
8 Great Hudson Valley Events This Week
As spring begins to bloom, notices about new events have been flowing into our newsroom.
‘Swept Downstream’: On a Year of Education During the Pandemic
By seven o’clock every morning until last March, I would have been dressed, my face made up with my current favorite eyeliner, running out to the bus with several pounds of books and papers on my back. Now 7am finds me waking up two minutes before class, rolling over in bed to grab my computer,…
Need a Vaccine? Meet the Greenburgh COVID Angels
There’s nothing special about Greenburgh, a suburban town of about 88,000 in Westchester County, to suggest that it would be the incubator for one of the state’s most ambitious pandemic volunteer projects. Unless you count Paul Feiner, the town’s indefatigable supervisor. Feiner has helmed town government in Greenburgh for 30 years, re-elected again and again…
New York Expands Vaccine Eligibility, Pharmacy Guidance in Race Against Variants
This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, March 22. (Editor’s note: A few hours after the roundup went to press, US health officials raised concerns about the early results from AstraZeneca’s US vaccine trials that contradict prior reporting. This story has…
How to Address the Affordable Housing Crisis Without Building More
I have heard it stated, quite frequently, that the Hudson Valley is experiencing a “housing crisis.” I have found that statement, and its underlying belief, troubling. Population growth in New York State has stagnated in recent decades as people move south in search of warmer climates and employment opportunities. Many of my 500-plus classmates from…
8 Hudson Valley Spring Events This Week
Here are some area events to put you in the spring spirit.
‘Fighting Upstream Against Capitalism’: A Housing Q&A with Evelyn Wright
There is no subject of more intense debate in the Hudson Valley than housing. Tenants and homeowners are concerned about being priced out. Those hit hardest by the pandemic are worried about being evicted (legally or otherwise). New arrivals are flooding the market, playing a life-altering game of musical chairs with a rapidly diminishing stock…
SUNY Faculty Urge Pension to Divest from Fossil Fuels
In late February, the State University of New York Cortland Faculty Senate, which represents instructors at the Southern Tier school, unanimously passed a resolution urging its pension fund manager, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, to divest from fossil fuel companies. “Whereas, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA) has $8…
Coronavirus Roundup: Biden Vows Return to Normal by Summer, While Cuomo’s Vaccine Czar Twists Arms
This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published March 15 in collaboration with The Other Hudson Valley. NEW YORK STATE 7-day average positive test rate: 3.2%556 deaths past 7 days4,517 hospitalizations (923 in ICUs)Share of population fully vaccinated: 11.6%Share of population given 1…
Food Justice in the Hudson Valley: A Recent History
This story was originally published by Hudson River Flows, a storytelling collaborative writing a new narrative in support of truly regenerative economic redevelopment of the Hudson Valley bioregion. The food industry comprises the largest labor force in the United State, but across the system, its workers are among the most exploited in the county. This article—originally…
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Deputy Under Investigation for Social Media Posts
The Facebook posts came frequently, sometimes as many as a half-dozen per day. They included material that was inflammatory, racist, proudly inciting of violence, and in many cases, untrue. And they were posted to the personal Facebook page of Ryan Griffin, a deputy in the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and the president of the department’s…
Coronavirus Roundup: Vaccinated Americans Can Socialize Indoors, CDC Says
This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, March 8, in collaboration with The Other Hudson Valley. NEW YORK STATE 7-day average positive test rate: 3.2%516 deaths past 7 days4,830 hospitalizations (1,005 in ICUs)Share of population fully vaccinated: 9.4%Share of population given…
This Week’s 8 Great Hudson Valley Events
March marches in with these intriguing area events focusing on history, art, literature, music, and more.
Taxing New Homeowners to Preserve Local Character? New Paltz Will Try It
Last November, New Paltz residents voted by a huge margin to institute a new tax on their community. But most voters will likely never have pay a dime. As property values rise across the Hudson Valley, there is growing fear among locals that private landowners will sell to developers, robbing bucolic towns of some of…
A Guide to Getting Vaccinated in the Hudson Valley and Catskills
Note: Some of the information in this guide may be out of date. Please check your county health department’s website, local healthcare providers and pharmacies, or the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hub for the latest information on vaccine availability and sites. Since March of 2020, The River has been covering COVID-19 across the Hudson Valley and…
Why Is Sending Care Packages to Prisons So Hard?
It was a dreary winter Monday morning, and I had virtual court appearances beginning at 9:30, but first I had to make another attempt to get ahold of First Deputy Superintendent Johnson at Green Haven Correctional Facility to ask why, again, three care packages sent by my volunteers to people incarcerated at the prison had…
Coronavirus Roundup: On New York’s COVID Anniversary, Cuomo Dodges the Limelight
This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, March 1, in collaboration with The Other Hudson Valley. NEW YORK STATE 7-day average positive test rate: 3.1%636 deaths past 7 days5,307 hospitalizations (1,065 in ICUs)Share of population fully vaccinated: 7.6%Share of population given…
The Personal Is Delectable: Simply Julia is a Cookbook with a Personal Twist
Renowned chef, food writer, and podcaster Julia Turshen takes a healthier approach to 110 easily prepared comfort foods in her new cookbook, Simply Julia.
Summer Camps & Programs
From utilizing their imagination in the woods with friends to learning to care for gentle giants at an equine nonprofit, Summer in the Hudson Valley is a great time for kids, even during a pandemic!
6 Art Shows to See in March 2021
Newburgh’s newest gallery hosts an exhibit exploring the blurry boundary between perception and experience, and more.
Saugerties: Keep On Pushing
Despite the trials and tribulations Saugerties has faced throughout the pandemic, its people and small businesses have proven to be more resilient than ever.
Trustee To Utopia
Descendant of a Woodstock art colony Laurie Ylvisaker tells the story of her farmhouse inspired home on Ohayo Mountain.
Frame by Frame
Images of Kingston resident and bass legend Tony Levin’s life on the road.
Album Review: Jules Shear | Slower
For a modest, relatively quiet album, Jules Shear’s Slower, his first solo album since 2017’s One More Crooked Dance, sure packs a big emotional punch.
Album Review: Patrick Higgins | Tocsin
With Tocsin it’s tempting to say that Hudson’s Patrick Higgins has fully arrived as a contemporary composer.
Album Review: 100ANDZERO | 4
With most songs clocking in well under three minutes and with precisely zero ballads, 100ANDZERO forge limitless variations on an OG hardcore template.
Sound Check: Trippy Thompson’s Listening Recs | March 2021
Welcome to Sound Check, a new monthly feature in which we visit with a member of the community to find out what albums they’ve been digging. I’ve been dealing with new norms by relying primarily on the comfort food of old and easy ones: Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ Blank Generation, Mdou…
Byrdcliffe Bliss
Expert guidance from Dorothea Marcus and Halter Associates Realty helped the Keithlines find their new home in Woodstock, which perfectly fit their price personal style and everyday needs.
On The Cover: Monik Geisel’s Meowcifur | March 2021
With hackles raised and fangs bared, self-taught multimedia artist Monik Geisel’s painting Meowcifur portrays a frightful feline that embodies her own feelings of frustration and fear.
Your Guide to Spending the Perfect Weekend in Accord, NY
Nestled in the Rondout Valley, the little agricultural hamlet of Accord has a surprising bounty of craft beverage and cultural destinations. Here’s a guide to spending the perfect weekend in Accord, NY.
Parting Shot: Paris from the Air | March 2021
During two trips over the French capital in the spring of 2019, Woodstock-based photographer Jeffrey Milstein shot hundreds of photos from a twin turbine Squirrel SA 355N helicopter.
Six Books for Your Spring Reading List
A roundup of the newest reads; from a deep dive into the world of modern mycological movement to a silly, rhyming tale of pirates.
Support Groups Get A Digital Redo
In COVID times, the move to all-virtual support groups has been a blessing and a gift for the Rhinebeck Parkinson’s Support Group.
Mixed Media | March 2021
From the settlement of a contentious damage suit involving Woodstock 50 to the announcement of the Fisher Center’s 2021 season, art and art news continue to be made here in the Hudson Valley.
Sips & Bites | March 2021
Transport yourself to motor city with a slice Detroit-inspired deep dish pizza at a new Poughkeepsie eatery; pop into your local butchery for custom cuts of ethically raised meats; and sample some fine Mediterranean dining in Fishkill.
A Growing Concern
From increasing pest problems to less productive plants, climate change is creating problems for local farmers.
Conversation Recap: Taking It to the Streets: Art & Activism
A Chronogram Conversations discussion featuring 27 panelists on how they can forge a grassroots regional coalition to bring activist art to a wider audience in the Hudson Valley.
2021 Hudson Valley CSA Farms
This network of over 110 CSA farms spanning 15 counties is committed to making CSA a familiar and accessible option for everyone in the Hudson Valley.
Editor’s Note: Evening All Afternoon | March 2021
Editorial director Brian Mahoney ruminates on near death experiences, the present shifts in our political landscape, and poetic musings while strolling with his pups through the snowy landscape of his local park.
Citizenship 101: Using Civics to Cultivate Responsible Citizens
A conversation with local civics teachers and professors on how we teach civics and what may help make us better citizens
COVID Watch: Essential, Invisible, Ineligible
Vulnerable farm workers and rural communities are being overlooked by New York State’s Covid vaccine rollout.
Museum Town: When the Museum is Also the Artist
Jennifer Trainer, who worked at Mass MoCA for 28 years as the museum’s first director of development, recently directed Museum Town. Her first film, the documentary looks at Mass MoCA through five lenses.
Solving the STEM Jobs Crisis
Using the Hudson River as a natural lab for learning, Clarkson’s Beacon Institute is connecting local students to STEM activities.
Esteemed Reader: Impartiality Through Presence | March 2021
Words can distract from the thing they represent. Publisher Jason Stern finds that under the stress of oppressive conditions we can become really present, and, in presence, we can be impartial.
Shuffle Off to Buffalo: The Empire State Trail is Now Complete
With the completion of the 750-mile Empire State Trail in December, New York can now claim the longest state multiuse trail in the US. The EST connects 20 regional trails to create a continuous route from New York City to Canada and from Albany to Buffalo and is expected to draw 8.6 million residents and…
