A Test of the Left in NY-16
First-term representative and “Squad” member Jamaal Bowman is facing two challengers in the August 23 primary for New York’s 16th district, which includes southern Westchester County and a portion of the Bronx. Vedat Gashi and Catherine Parker, both Westchester County legislators, are vying for Bowman’s seat, arguing that a more moderate Democrat can better represent…
For A Democratic Leader, A Blue District Is Anything But Safe
The Congressman in charge of fundraising for Democratic midterms this year may not have to worry about his own campaign if New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi has her way in the Democratic primary this August. As chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Sean Patrick Maloney has been at war this midterm season, but…
Hudson Valley Progressives Grapple With Redistricting Chaos
Voters who head to the polls in New York State on Tuesday may find a candidate they had planned to vote for missing from the ballot. It’s not a printing error: rather, it’s the result of a chaotic redistricting process, steered by the courts, that changed newly-created political maps at the last minute and forced…
With Flooding on the Rise, Hudson Valley Superfund Sites Are at Risk
Before the advent of major environmental regulation in the seventies and eighties, the dumping of dangerous chemicals that could persist for decades was common across the US. It took the horrors of Love Canal—a community in western New York built atop an oozing dump of buried toxic waste—to shake the nation from complacency about the…
With Abortion Rights Under Threat, Local Advocates Mobilize
These are bleak times for reproductive rights. By now, most Americans are aware of the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion from Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a Mississippi case currently before the 6–3 conservative-leaning court. The draft opinion forecasts what many abortion advocates around the country have been warning: Roe v. Wade is likely…
Public Power Has Albany Rattled
When I call Aaron Eisenberg, spokesperson for Public Power New York, he apologizes: He has to duck out of his day job to take my call. The Democratic Socialists of America activist is running communications for the public power coalition as an unpaid volunteer, working to pass a bill that would enable the New York…
New York City Prepares to Shut Down the Delaware Aqueduct
Update: On Thursday, June 9, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that the Delaware Aqueduct shutdown will be delayed until next year. It now projects the shutdown will begin on October 1, 2023 and end May 31, 2024. The delay is due to a few preparatory projects that still need some work, according to DEP…
New York’s Hidden Water Affordability Crisis
If you could get to another planet, what would you need to live there? It’s a straightforward question with a simple answer—air, food, shelter, and water. These elements are so basic to life that New York State has programs to help people with each one. Air is free and abundant, but the state has laws…
Central Hudson Is Broken. Can New York Fix It?
Tom Pfeffer thought it would be simple. He owns a property on East Union Street in Kingston, an old firehouse, where he keeps the heat at 50 degrees. Normally his Central Hudson bill runs $5 to $150 a month or so. But his statement last September showed he owed about $9,300, he says. He soon…
The Round Goby Has Reached the Hudson. Will It Keep Going?
A little fish called the round goby has been spotted recently in the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, and threatens to cause big problems for the river and other water bodies connected to it. This week, a state plan to keep the goby from spreading from the Hudson into Lake Champlain will be tested, when the…
A Green Firehouse for New Paltz, Despite the Odds
If you were to travel the length of New York State looking for a friendly place to build a zero-emissions firehouse, you might pick New Paltz. Most public buildings in New York rely heavily on fossil fuels. A left-leaning college town in the shadow of the Gunks, where local elections are often a race between…
The Donut Effect: How Remote Work Is Transforming the Hudson Valley
If you listen to the CEOs of the largest firms, you might conclude that after the pandemic, the overwhelming majority of knowledge workers would be returning to the office. But mounting evidence says that’s not so. This will have major impacts, not only on the central business districts of New York City and other “super…
New York Needs to Rein In Central Hudson’s Profit-Taking
To say that people are fed up with Central Hudson is an understatement. In response to massive public outrage and pressure from State Senator James Skoufis (District 39) and Assemblymembers Kevin Cahill (District 103) and Didi Barrett (District 106), the Public Service Commission (PSC) opened proceeding 22-00666, where Central Hudson customers can register their complaints…
Can Hudson Fix Its Public Housing Playground?
“I would put a tic-tac-toe board here, and change the slide color to dark green, or maybe purple,” says Kodi Rutkowski, a fourth grader in Hudson eager to update his community playground. “I would scrape this stuff off too,” he adds, pointing to corroded spray paint peeling from a walkie-talkie system. Kodi wanted to see…
We Need to Pay Attention to Violence Against Native Persons
May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP). The topic of MMIP (also known as missing and murdered Indigenous women, or MMIW) has only recently made major headlines, but it has been a serious crisis across Turtle Island/North America since Anglo-European settlers arrived unwelcomed in the late 16th…
Summer Season: 7 Hudson Valley Festivals to Catch in 2022
2022 is going to be a blockbuster summer, with full slates of festival programming in the Hudson Valley.
Concert Season: 7 Hudson Valley Shows to See this Spring & Summer
Highlights of the Hudson Valley’s 2022 music season include Alanis Morisette, the Who, and Earth Wind and Fire.
Shop Talk: 6 Creative Shops to Explore in the Hudson Valley
Scratch your shopping itch in the Hudson Valley with these creative retailers.
Take a Hike: 5 Must-Do Hudson Valley Hikes
Local outdoors experts offer tips on where to hit the trails this season.
CMH Celebrates 10 Years of Rapid Care
This year, Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first Rapid Care center in Valatie. In the past decade CMH has also opened two other locations in Catskill and Copake, expanding urgent care options to the largely rural communities.
7 Places To Be a Kid Again in the Hudson Valley
Reconnect with your inner child when you take the family to do these fun-filled Hudson Valley activities.
Local Flavors: 8 New Hudson Valley Restaurants to Try
Asian flavors dominate in the latest crop of new Hudson Valley restaurants, although this list includes everything from Southern comfort food to a meat-centric cafe.
Top Tipples: 7 New Craft Beverage Destinations in the Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley is a hotbed of locally made craft beverages.
8 New & Soon-to-Open Hudson Valley Hotels for Your Next Upstate Getaway
Upstate getaways are back ON. And we head into spring/summer 2022 with 8 new and soon-coming Hudson Valley hotels for your next weekend trip, romantic retreat, or rejuvenating staycation.
