November 2021

Nov 1-30, 2021 / Vol. 23 / No. 3
In this issue, we peak inside Hinterland, the home of designer Jennifer Salvemini; explore the Columbia County initiative Rolling Grocer 19, which is addressing food access in Hudson and beyond; and call out the highlights in this month’s cultural calendar.

Catskill: A Shifting Landscape

Late in the second year of the pandemic, the Greene County town of Catskill has continued to see an influx of new businesses and residents, fueling both a retail boom and exacerbating housing problems that predate the arrival of COVID.

The Costs of Improving Hospital ‘Efficiency’

In early spring 2020, just as COVID-19 was beginning to sink its spike proteins into our nation, Kingston’s HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley hospital shut down its Mary’s Avenue behavioral health unit and transferred its services across the river to Poughkeepsie. The move, orchestrated by HealthAlliance’s parent company, Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), was…

Momentum Is Building to Solve the Home Care Crisis

Early one morning this past June, just before a Zoom meeting with Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, I received a frantic text from Gemma Calinda, Hudson Valley organizer for the NY Caring Majority. “Michael, sorry for this late notice, but can you lead the meeting this morning? My care worker hasn’t shown up, and I can’t get ready.”…

New Yorkers Voted Not to Make Voting Easier. Why?

The majority of New York voters in last week’s election gave a thumbs down to two ballot proposals that would have expanded voting access in the state: Prop 3, which would have eliminated the requirement that a voter be registered at least 10 days before an election, and Prop 4, which would have cleared the…

8 Events in the Hudson Valley This Week

November is here, and Jack Frost is nipping around. But these local events are sure to warm you up. Video Artist Charles Atlas Visits Vassar | November 11 Charles Atlas has been a pioneering figure in film and video for over four decades. Atlas has extended the limits of his medium, forging new territory in…

The Future Must Be Beautiful

We are experiencing a sliver of the new normal. Highly infectious diseases, compromised immune systems, overrun hospitals, overburdened essential workers, an insecure housing market, worker shortages, supply chain disruptions, unplanned migrations, working families left with no care support—everything we’ve lived through during the COVID-19 pandemic is what we’ll live through more frequently, against the backdrop…

Editor’s Note: Happy Accidents | November 2021

I’m fond of painter Bob Ross’s trademark phrase, “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” (Or something like that. There is no canonical version as Ross uttered many variations on his TV show, often invoking diminutive conifers.) Putting aside Ross’s demolition of personal accountability for a moment—admittedly, we’re talking about brushstrokes, not space shuttle O-rings—I…

Judicious Symmetries

In her show “Sound Mirror,” artist Audra Wolowiec has given herself an impossible task: to describe sound in visual terms. The show is up at the Visitor Center gallery in Newburgh until November 26.

Virgo Horoscope | November 2021

VIRGO (August 23-September 23) You’re tying up loose ends you’ve left hanging since early September on November 1-2 when Mercury trines Jupiter and squares Pluto. Unresolved issues are put to bed, ruthlessly, if necessary, when Mercury enters Scorpio November 5. Efforts to be fair and balanced are thrown to the wind November 10-13 when Mercury…

Esteemed Reader: The Master Game | November 2021

“I come to a threshold where I feel that I am no longer a compact mass but an infinity of living particles in movement, in vibration. I feel myself as participating in a Being whose force gives me life, which I then radiate around me. It is a kind of cosmic breathing in which I…

Growing Concerns

On October 5, New York State’s Cannabis Control Board held its first meeting. Under the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act, the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) plays an important role in monitoring the rollout and implementation of cannabis in New York State: it’s responsible for creating the regulations for each of the cannabis programs; granting licenses,…

Hello, Hinterland

In the summer of 2020—with Covid-19 walloping New York, the region on lockdown, and the presidential election looming large—Jennifer Salvemini opened an ice cream business. “It seemed logical,” says Salvemini, a designer and event planner. She had bought her Catskills home in 2017, but had been dividing her time between working in Manhattan and more…

Aquarius Horoscope | November 2021

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19) Sun opposite Uranus at the Scorpio New Moon November 4 brings surprising developments in business and career. First Quarter Moon in Aquarius November 11 supports adjustments to your current trajectory which help to reach goals more efficiently. Mercury opposite Uranus November 13 uncovers private secrets; Venus trine Uranus at the Full…

Finding Family

A family created through adoption often faces issues that are challenging to both adoptive parents and children. These issues—dealing with a child’s sense of loss, identity development, or traumatic separation—are difficult for parents to navigate, and they may feel like they’re struggling all alone. The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York (AFFCNY) is…

Aries Horoscope | November 2021

ARIES (March 20-April 19) Planetary ruler Mars in Scorpio sharpens your competitive edge. Try to calibrate assertive behavior and keep it from turning into downright aggression at the New Moon in Scorpio November 4. Mercury conjunct Mars and both planets square Saturn November 10; forceful communications with friends and those you consider part of your…

Rethinking Primary Care

David Mendez was tired of the medical status quo. He’d had enough of waiting two to three months for an appointment, sitting endlessly in waiting rooms, and then getting to see his doctor for a scant 15 minutes. “Most of that time, they’re looking at a computer,” says Mendez, an engineer from Pine Bush. “And…

Cancer Horoscope | November 2021

CANCER (June 21-July 22) New Moon in Scorpio November 4 syncs your desire for intimacy with your tidal wave-like emotions, creating ease and flow around opening your heart to someone new. First Quarter Moon in Aquarius November 11 enlarges magnanimous feelings around sharing resources with others. Full Moon in Taurus and partial Lunar Eclipse November…

Talking Truth

A new memorial to Sojourner Truth was set to be installed at the eponymous library on the SUNY New Platz campus this fall. Why is it receiving pushback?

Capricorn Horoscope | November 2021

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 20) Planetary ruler Saturn is squared by Mercury, Mars, and the Moon November 10. Try to diminish feelings of conflict with others by considering the big picture point of view rather than only what personally affects you. Identifying as part of the greater whole rather than as a lone individual helps dissolve…

Gemini Horoscope | November 2021

GEMINI (May 20-June 21) Your Mercurial journey began September 6, climaxing November 1-2 with Mercury trine Jupiter and square Pluto as your planetary ruler finishes his return through the post-retrograde shadow. Romantic love and creativity are most affected; lessons learned around relationship power struggles and inner conflicts, which impede imaginative flow, are internalized with Mercury’s…

New Paltz: Wilderness and Walkability

The town nestled at the foot of the Shawangunk Ridge has seen some setbacks in the past 18 months—its chamber of commerce dissolved in August after a 66-year run—but New Paltz’s residents and business owners remain resolutely optimistic and its political leaders are reconceiving what it might look like in the 21st century.

6 Books to Read in November 2021

The Collective Alison Gaylin William Morrow, 2021, $27.99 This riveting psychological thriller from Edgar Award-winning author Alison Gaylin (If I Die Tonight), tells the story of the ferocity of a Mother’s love for her child and the unbearable pain, solace, and vengeance she seeks after her daughter’s violent and senseless death. Camille Gardener, the devastated…

Leo Horoscope | November 2021

LEO (July 22—August 23) New Scorpio Moon with the Sun opposite Uranus November 4 is an intense trigger for unresolved home and family issues. Dig deep now without fear of emotional overwhelm; Sun trine Neptune November 4 supports truly transformational healing. Sun square Jupiter and sextile Pluto November 15—16 imbues you with charisma and persuasive…

Libra Horoscope | November 2021

LIBRA (September 23-October 23) Venus in Capricorn from November 5 turns your creative and aesthetic energies towards home and family. Nesting instinct includes the desire for stable structures and secure foundations in the face of an uncertain future. Your home improvement plans might include building a moat or a wall or both but building intimate…

Pisces Horoscope | November 2021

PISCES (February 20-March 19) Self-confidence is high when the Sun trines Neptune November 12. You’re swimming in the sweet spot of the spectrum between grandiosity and moroseness, not too close to either edge but right in the middle. You can accurately gauge your capabilities and present them to the world in the most attractive way.…

Sagittarius Horoscope | November 2021

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 22) Mercury trines Jupiter November 1, enlarging your already prodigious gift of gab, but this is the time to eschew trivialities and focus on the big issues. The square of the Sun to Jupiter November 15 supports greater consciousness about the value of friendships. Let others know how much they mean to…

Scorpio Horoscope | November 2021

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) Classical ruler Mars in Scorpio and modern ruler Pluto in Capricorn harmonize to enhance your personal charisma this month. Your words have a powerful effect November 2 with Mercury square Pluto; New Moon in Scorpio November 4 with the Sun opposite Uranus usher in sudden, intense, and transformative change. Mars and…

Taurus Horoscope | November 2021

TAURUS (April 19-May 20) During the long transit of revolutionary Uranus in Taurus through March 2026, the many profound and life-altering changes coming your way heighten feelings of uncertainty, which is not your favorite emotion! Security and stability with Venus in Capricorn from November 5 is a huge relief. Venus square “Wounded Healer” Chiron November…


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