Cover Story
On the Cover: Andrea B. Swenson’s Laughing Mermaid | January 2022
Hudson Valley photographer Andrea B. Swenson captures a happy moment at the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
The Fight to Include Home Care in New York’s Budget
It’s been said that a government’s budget makes a statement about its values. In that context, consider the following: There are 20 million New Yorkers. More than 3 million are over 65, and 1,200 folks join that club every week. And a million and a half New Yorkers under 65 are people with disabilities. Add to this the…
This Week’s 8 Hudson Valley Events
February fumbles in, bringing with it these fun and fabulous events.
On Cannabis Opt-Out, Towns Search Their Souls
As Georgia Lopez, a member of Hastings-on-Hudson’s Board of Trustees, cast the first vote in favor of allowing marijuana dispensaries to open in the village, her voice shook with emotion. “I really do believe that most [opponents] are well-intentioned, but many do not know what it is like to be othered,” she said, looking into…
Boitson’s Closes in Uptown Kingston (2010-2022)
Maria Philippis calls it quits a dozen years after she opened her pioneering bistro in Uptown Kingston. A look back with the owner as she plots her next move
Ice, Ice Baby: A Day on the Slopes Pairs Perfectly with Ice Water Hash-Infused Edibles
Got your heart set on a weekend on the snowy slopes? There’s no cooler pairing for your cold-weather excursion than ice water hash-infused edibles, the perfect pick-me-ups to pop in your parka pocket. Never heard of ice water hash? Think of it as your ticket to all the good stuff from the plant, without any…
High Traffic: The DUI Conundrum
Despite the fact that marijuana is now legal in New York, there is no definitive test for detecting for marijuana in driver’ suspected of being under the influence.
The Future of Overdose Prevention in New York
The death rates associated with the opioid crisis are so staggering that they can be difficult to comprehend through statistics alone. According to New York State and City health department data, at least 4,181 people died from opioid overdoses in the state in 2020—a per capita rate of 20.7 per 100,000. To put that into…
Here Are This Week’s Hudson Valley Events
Dig this week’s list of Hudson Valley events.
Demand for Environmental Purity Endangers Fight against Climate Change
As 2021 came to an end and the Build Back Better Act was predictably torpedoed by US Senator Joe Manchin, a group of activists in Ulster County felt compelled to write an open letter to Anthony Delgado, the Democrat who represents New York’s 19th Congressional district, taking him to task for not having made the…
Overwhelmed by Omicron: Stories from the Pandemic’s Third Wave
The media dubbed it The Week That America Called in Sick. It was early January 2022, the first full week after the winter holidays, when most of us return to some form of work. This year, all bets were off because America’s Christmas present was the Omicron variant—a highly contagious yet purportedly milder version of…
Market Street Studio: Artists Amy Park and Paul Villinski Alight in Ellenville
In the past several years, a tide of creatives and professionals have relocated to Ellenville from New York City to start families or lower living costs or simply to get a view of the horizon. In 2019, artists Paul Villinski and Amy Park packed up their lives in Long Island City and joined the northbound…
Hochul’s Budget Charts a Middle Path on Climate
This story was published in partnership with New York Focus, an independent, investigative news site covering New York state and city politics. On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul released her proposed budget for New York’s 2023 fiscal year. Flush with higher-than-expected tax revenues and billions in federal pandemic relief funds, the $216.3 billion budget includes significant…
Leading the Flock
This story has been supported by the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. We are seeking reader feedback via a survey at the bottom of the article. This is how it begins: A farmer and an agricultural economist walk into a bar. Greater Ithaca…
Cold Spring Museum Magazzino Breaks Ground on a New Building
When Magazzino opened in June 2017, “not exactly a museum, or a gallery,” with 18,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated exclusively to showcasing and uplifting postwar and contemporary Italian art, it was, well…unprecedented, to say the least. Here, on the side Route 9, outside the quaint upstate village of Cold Spring, in a one-time…
What Happens When Amazon Comes to Town
In recent years, Amazon has grown to more than 1.3 million workers, the second largest employer in the US, after Walmart. Unlike Walmart, however, the great majority of those employees—950,000 of them—are fulfillment and logistics workers, not frontline sales associates. Amazon, then, is by far the largest employer of warehouse workers in the US, and…
Fund the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act
In 2019 New York State became a leader in responding to climate disruption when it passed the nation’s most progressive climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Nevertheless, in the State of the State message, Governor Kathy Hochul missed an opportunity to lay out a broad vision to address the climate crisis…
Michael Lang (1944-2022)
The Woodstock Festival impresario and local resident died on January 8.
Anti-Vaxxers Maintain Persistent Presence in the Hudson Valley
By most accounts, COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the Hudson Valley have been successful. As of January 3, about 70 percent of the population in the Mid-Hudson Valley and Capital regions are fully vaccinated, including nearly 80 percent of those over age 18. Thanks in large part to vaccination, deaths statewide have correspondingly declined from the…
We Still Have Options to Fight the Vaccination Misinformation Crisis
When even Dr. Fauci feels defeated, you know you’re in trouble. “Pure persuasion? I think we’ve sort of run out of options,” President Biden’s chief medical adviser recently lamented to The New York Times amid stalling national COVID vaccination and booster rates. This despite record-shattering caseloads caused by the Omicron variant and resulting burdens on…
This Week’s 8 Hudson Valley Events
Start 2022 off right with these hand-picked local activities.
Private Eye: “I Remember…Remember?” at Private Public Gallery
“I Remember…Remember?” is the second show at artist Chris Freeman’s new Hudson gallery Private Public.
Branded Content
Upstate’s Bride & Groom Boom
We talk to wedding industry insiders about how 2022 is shaping up to be the busiest year in recent memory for Hudson Valley nuptials.
Short List: 5 Events to Bookmark for January 2022
From the Met’s “Rigoletto” broadcast to comedian Colin Quinn at the Egg in Albany, here are our cultural picks for January 2022.
Bridging the Gap
Forty percent of students who enroll in college never graduate and public confidence in higher education has slipped. Local educators and administrators are taking steps to address the crisis.
Aries Horoscope | January 2022
You’ll feel a confidence boost, but ensure that your sense of what is right is based on verifiable fact.
Silents, Please: Masterpiece “The Last Laugh” Screens at Rosendale Theatre 1/9
F. W. Murnau’s 1924 German silent film “The Last Laugh,” a middle-class drama starring Emil Jannings and Maly Delschaft, screens at Rosendale Theatre January 9.
Cancer Horoscope | January 2022
Get ready for your emotional self to fully open to being filled with security-enhancing love.
Great Barrington: Bustle in the Berkshires
A wave of new residents has pumped new life and money into the town, defined by its boutique shopping district, artistic focus, quality restaurants, outdoor activities, and recreational cannabis dispensaries that have opened in the past three year
Capricorn Horoscope | January 2022
Continue to focus on securing ties to that which resonates with your highest ideals.
Album Review: Marc Black | Everybody Wants My Hat
Michael Eck reviews Marc Black’s new album Everybody Wants My Hat.
January 2022 Astrological Forecast
An abundance of compassion and empathy helps to heal relationship rifts developed over the polarizing politics of the last few years.
Album Review: Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter | Northeast
Jason Broome reviews Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter’s latest album, Northeast.
Gemini Horoscope | January 2022
Take stock of yourself—examine what has emerged in the past year and evaluate what you’ve learned about yourself.
Editor’s Note: Last Year’s Language | January 2021
Brian Mahoney strives to see the positive amidst a sky-rocketing surge in COVID case and anti-democratic sentiment.
Leo Horoscope | January 2022
Your sense of personal uniqueness and charisma is strengthened this month.
Album Review: Sarah Perrotta | Blue to Gold
Seth Rogovoy reviews Sarah Perrotta’s latest album Blue to Gold.
Pisces Horoscope | January 2022
Get ready to enjoy a run of “dumb luck,” seemingly out of nowhere.
Esteemed Reader: The Tripartite Instrument | January 2022
Jason Stern considers the three families of content of inner life: thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
Libra Horoscope | January 2022
It’s time to review your highest ideals and consider adjustments to your life to better align with them.
Sound Check: Spike Priggen’s Listening Picks | January 2022
Owner of Spike’s Record Rack Spike Priggen shares what he’s been listening to lately.
Collage of the Present Moment
Artist Marcie Paper and woodworker Sean Paige reimagine a brick ranch in Saugerties built on the grounds of the former Bonesteel Sanitarium.
Scorpio Horoscope | January 2022
You’ve utterly lost patience with the extended uncertainties of the past two years; you’re ready to take matters into your own hands.
6 Books to Cozy Up with in January 2022
From a best-selling author Gary Shteyngart’s new pandemic-focused novel to Jennifer Golub’s behind-the-scenes peek Russel and Mary Wright’s transformation of Dragon Rock at Manitoga, here are six books to add to your January reading list.
Parting Shot: Taha Clayton’s Soldier of Love | January 2022
Painter Taha Clayton’s powerful work Soldier of Love is on display at Wassaic Project as part of a group show “What Comes After.”
Taurus Horoscope | January 2022
Leaving your pragmatic impulses aside, this month you may be swayed by near-magical promises.
Class Action Park: A Q&A with the Documentary’s Codirector Seth Porges
Brian Mahoney catches up with Beacon resident and Class Action Park codirector Seth Porges on the heels of the documentary’s release.
Virgo Horoscope | January 2022
Much of the background noise of the last 19 months will recede and allow you to think for yourself.
Sips & Bites: 5 Places to Eat this Month | January 2022
From a distinctly New York spin on barbecue to links-side dining at the revamped hotel/restaurant/country club Inness in Accord, here are 5 places to sip & sup in January 2022.
Sagittarius Horoscope | January 2022
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 22) Jupiter in Pisces through mid-May triggers self-sacrificial service to others. Nuclear family issues can be resolved with generosity and the understanding that time is fleeting, and all things must pass. Personal growth is enhanced and choices you wouldn’t have made for yourself a dozen years ago suddenly make sense. You’re living…
Taking Flight: Morningbird and the Kinderhook Knitting Mill
Artist Darren Waterston and chef Yen Ngo are teaming up to bring a multifaceted enterprise of flavor, design, and art to the Kinderhook Knitting Mill, where Morningbird, an Indo-Dutch cafe, has already opened.
Aquarius Horoscope | January 2022
Some sense of restriction is easing as you regain some of your own equilibrium and self-confidence.
Green Dreams
While New York State waits on further clarification around licensing roll-out, local would-be cannabis entrepreneurs share their business ideas.
6 Shows to See in January 2022 (If the World Doesn’t End)
From big names like Cat Power and Marty Stuart playing Albany venues to the Chris Forsyth Quartet at Tubby’s here are 6 live music shows in the Hudson Valley we’re looking forward to in January.
Climate Health is Human Health
Making progress on climate action will give us all longer and healthier lives— even if we don’t stop global warming. A collaboration with The River Newsroom.
Sip with a View: 8 Scenic Craft Beverage Destinations Upstate
Want to take in a beautiful sight while you sip on an artisanal drink. These cideries, distilleries, and wineries serve up epic panoramas alongside their craft beverage offerings.
