July 2020

Jul 1-31, 2020 / Vol. 22 / No. 39
The July 2020 issue includes the winners of the 2020 Chronogrammies and The Future is Now special section with local thinkers envisioning a better path forward in every area from land use to racial justice and economics.

Coronavirus Roundup: Schools Plan for Reopening

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31.  NEW YORK STATE415,014 cases confirmed (644 new)5,889,237 tests performed (68,869 new)Positive test rate: 0.9%25,150 deaths (5 new)576 current hospitalizations140 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Coronavirus Roundup: Calls to Raise Taxes on Wealthy Grow Louder as Pandemic Drags On

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Tuesday, July 28 and Wednesday, July 29.  NEW YORK STATE413,593 cases confirmed (715 new)5,746,822 tests performed (62,276 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%25,132 deaths (6 new)619 current hospitalizations154 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Prison Visitation in the Era of COVID-19

Roberta last saw her fiancé, Reggie, on March 13 during her regular weekly visit to Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, where Reggie has been incarcerated for nearly 14 years. (The names of sources in this piece have been changed to protect their privacy.) At that visit, Reggie told Roberta that he suspected the Department…

Coronavirus Roundup: What We Talk About When We Talk About Cleanliness

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, July 27.  NEW YORK STATE412,344 cases confirmed (608 new)5,627,149 tests performed (57,270 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%25,117 deaths (11 new)642 current hospitalizations149 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888) 364-3065…

Coronavirus Roundup: New York County Leaders Plead for Federal Aid

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24.  NEW YORK STATE410,450 cases confirmed (753 new)5,444,845 tests performed (76,507 new)Positive test rate: 1%25,090 deaths (9 new)650 current hospitalizations156 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Coronavirus Roundup: ‘Cuomo Chips’ Don’t Satisfy Bar Food Order

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Tuesday, July 21 and Wednesday, July 22.  NEW YORK STATE408,886 cases confirmed (705 new)5,298,640 tests performed (67,659 new)Positive test rate: 1%25,068 deaths (10 new)714 current hospitalizations179 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Deadly Danskammer Plans

While attention is turned toward the phased reopenings in the Hudson Valley after the coronavirus lockdown, another threat to our health is taking shape and bringing with it threats to the climate goals New York State has adopted. Danskammer Energy owns a 68-year-old power plant on the Hudson River in the Town of Newburgh. The…

Coronavirus Roundup: New York Legislators Punt On Looming Budget Gap

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published Monday, July 20.  NEW YORK STATE407,326 cases confirmed (519 new)5,164,812 tests performed (49,342 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%25,056 deaths (8 new)716 current hospitalizations158 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888) 364-3065…

Coronavirus Roundup: Anticipating a Resurgence of the Pandemic in New York

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties for Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17.  NEW YORK STATE405,551 cases confirmed (776 new)4,999,449 tests performed (78,239 new)Positive test rate: 1%25,024 deaths (10 new)765 current hospitalizations179 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Coronavirus Roundup: Fourth of July Infections Are Causing Spikes Across New York

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties covering Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15. NEW YORK STATE404,006 cases confirmed (831 new)4,848,525 tests performed (63,598 new)Positive test rate: 1.3%25,003 deaths (9 new)831 current hospitalizations165 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State…

Coronavirus Roundup: State Issues Data-Driven Guidance for Reopening Schools

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published between Saturday, July 11 and Monday, July 13. NEW YORK STATE402,263 cases confirmed (557 new)4,724,882 tests performed (51,687 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%24,989 deaths (10 new)792 current hospitalizations175 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York…

Coronavirus Roundup: Nursing Home Visits Resume, With Restrictions

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published on Friday, July 10. NEW YORK STATE400,299 cases confirmed (786 new)4,541,574 tests performed (73,558 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%24,968 deaths (9 new)826 current hospitalizations178 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888)…

Coronavirus Roundup: Decision on Schools Won’t Be Made Until August

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published on Wednesday, July 8. NEW YORK STATE398,929 cases confirmed (692 new)4,402,452 tests performed (57,585 new)Positive test rate: 1.2%24,944 deaths (11 new)841 current hospitalizations166 current ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888)…

Why Abolish the Police? Because We Can Replace Them

When you first heard about the movement to abolish the police, did something clench up inside? Same here. Many find the notion bewildering, unthinkable: How would society function? In defense, we step back from that abyss of uncertainty and erect a wall of rationality. “Abolishing the police is crazy,” we assure ourselves, in an unsettling…

The Digital Divide Is Worsening Under COVID-19

The Federal Communications Commission provides data on residential access to internet services sortable by Congressional district. At first glance, Antonio Delgado’s 19th district, which includes most of the mid-Hudson Valley and several rural counties, and Paul Tonko’s 20th district, which includes Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, appear comparable to Peter King’s 2nd urban district on Long…

Coronavirus Roundup: A Red-Hot Real Estate Market in Upstate New York

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published on Monday, July 6. NEW YORK STATE397,649 cases confirmed (518 new)4,288,131 tests performed (54,328 new)Positive test rate: 1.0%24,913 deaths (9 new)817 hospitalizations170 ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888) 364-3065 Rentals…

Coronavirus Roundup: Cases Rise Slightly in Westchester, Ulster Counties

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published on Friday, July 3. NEW YORK STATE395,872 cases confirmed (918 new)4,107,985 tests performed (66,392 new)Positive test rate: 1.4%24,885 deaths (8 new)857 hospitalizations188 ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888) 364-3065 Daily…

Basic Income Guarantee: A Pilot in Hudson

Zohna Everett’s finances had her on the ropes. Throughout much of 2018, the 42-year-old resident of Stockton, California, was barely making ends meet as her professional and personal life problems started to collide. After being laid off from her job with the federal government earlier that year, she struggled to replace the lost income as a…

What Does It Mean to Defund the Police?

Fear. Ecstasy. Revulsion. Relief. How a person reacts to the call to defund their local police department depends powerfully on that person’s experience of police, regardless of ethnicity or color. If the police helped you once—if you’ve been spared too many negative interactions with cops—then you’re liable to view law enforcement as synonymous with public…

Coronavirus Roundup: ‘Every Part of the Country Is at Risk,’ says CDC

This is a roundup of coronavirus news and announcements from New York State and Hudson Valley and Catskills counties published on Wednesday, July 1. NEW YORK STATE394,079 cases confirmed (625 new)3,971,648 tests performed (56,710 new)Positive test rate: 1.1%24,866 deaths (11 new)879 hospitalizations226 ICU admissionsNew York State coronavirus pageNew York State official pressroomHotline: (888) 364-3065 Coronavirus…

Future is Now 2020 Sponsors

A big thank you to the 2020 sponsors of our Future is Now section. Architecture + Construction, PLLC / A+C A+C is a NYC and Hudson Valley New York based architecture firm founded by Joshua Pulver in 2005. We pursue work of varied size, type and aesthetic. Clarity in communication, precision and creativity are constants…

Wedding Venue Spotlight: Red Maple Vineyard

Whether you’re going to be showing up early in sweats to do your own floral arranging or you want a seamless, stress-free wedding package where you don’t have to lift a finger, our readers concur: Red Maple Vineyard is a fabulous place to tie the knot. “It’s definitely a magical spot,” says Shay Stone, who…

Singularity Botanicals

Singularity Botanicals is an African-American-owned business producing medicinal plants and multifaceted training programs in their cultivation and use. It was launched in Chester, Pennsylvania, which founder Pamela Boyce Simms describes as “a small city with grit, heart and indomitable spirit that has also been a toxic dumping ground for the Mid-Atlantic region for decades.” The…


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