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The town we lost while scrolling
I didn’t realize how much I’d come to rely on accidents until I passed the sign on plywood stuck in the ground at Old New Paltz Road. Stop the Crematorium near Highland Elementary School. Weather-beaten, it spoke louder than anything I’ve read online in weeks.
That’s when it hit me. Local news isn’t dying — it’s already dead, not with a shout, not with a final scoop or scandal, but like fruit left on the vine too long: soft, sour and forgotten. No one picked it. No one even noticed when it fell.
And now? Now, the dead pets will be burned beside the schoolyard and few will hear about it until the sign is at the end of the driveway and the contracts are sealed in ink. We learn by accident, driving the back roads and seeing a protester sigh.
It’s not just the crematorium but the town board votes that pass at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday, when everyone’s distracted by whatever the screen decided we should care about. The housing project goes up where the wetland used to be. The old diner was transformed into luxury condos, with fake rustic signs and quartz countertops.
We are living in a trance. Amazon spoon-feeds us our distractions, and we thank it for the convenience. A box arrives, and it feels like a connection. But it’s just static wrapped in tape — zeroes and ones permitting us not to care.
And the developers — well, they don’t need to lie. They only need us not to look.
We used to find things out over coffee or from a cranky old editor with ink-stained fingers. Now we scroll. We doom scroll. And what we find is what we’re meant to see: curated, distant, meaningless.
Word of mouth has been throttled. The mouths are still there, but they’re distracted by our busy figures pushing buttons and writing into voids that are more like mirrors.
I miss being told about things that mattered to my daily life. Not headlines that bleed, not echo chambers of outrage — but the small things that tethered us to place. The bridge will be out next week. The farmer’s dog had puppies. That the board voted yes on something you should’ve known about.
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
But when imagination itself is outsourced — when the algorithm rents our outrage, the real becomes unimportant, and our grief is dulled by distraction.
It may be too late to revive the news. Perhaps the fruit is past saving. But part of me believes that when something ferments in the forgotten, we may crave to taste its bitter, wild, unfiltered news and begin to wake again.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Tim Roger’s acceptance announcement for supervisor primary in New Paltz
Thank you New Paltz Democrats for choosing me to be your general election candidate. Thank you Amanda Gotto for your service to our community and for running a cordial campaign.
I’m proud to have been democratically selected to be on this November’s ballot, along with my endorsement from the Working Families Party, to be on their ballot line. I’m excited for the next steps towards serving as our town supervisor.
During the race, my approach and intentions were clear and upfront. I will take on the supervisor role while working towards consolidating our town and village boards.
Another point of pride for me is that I ran on this platform without spending any money on my campaign or receiving any in-kind contributions. This was intentional. It felt especially important to give voters a true and unfiltered chance to decide whether or not they wanted me in the supervisor seat to lead our community in the near term, and to position us to empower New Paltz’s future leaders with one local government.
Consolidation of the town and village has been debated and studied for at least 80 years. People’s reluctance to change is expected. We need to be patient and do an exceptional job explaining why consolidation makes sense, for it ever to be agreed to by voters.
For the last year, we have been working in earnest to determine how New Paltz could function with one board, as one local government, at this moment in time. Past proposals were rejected, but, now given the current options, we could consolidate without disrupting or reducing the delivery of essential services, and the number of staff needed to provide for our community would not change. Moving to a single board would primarily streamline leadership and better help us smartly plan for the future.
Our New Paltz sensibilities, where we have been, who we are, and why we cherish this community are some of our greatest strengths. We will be better prepared to enjoy the benefits of our community’s assets and uniqueness with one board.
But first we need to complete the consolidation agreement and continue to chart a path towards how to most effectively serve our whole community.
Stay tuned for more public hearings on the process. A robust and very New Paltz process will make for a better consolidation agreement for town-wide voters to consider. A referendum on whether to move to one local government is anticipated for some time in 2026.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Battery energy storage system in Town of Ulster will prioritize safety, health and community benefits
New York State is mandating six gigawatts of energy storage — about 20% of state’s peak electricity requirements — by 2030 to strengthen the electricity grid and replace fossil-fuel use.
Electricity demand is increasing due to high-tech, artificial-intelligence projects and datacenters. Meanwhile, fossil-fuel power plants in the state are near retirement age. In New York, new power sources haven’t kept pace and grid reliability is declining, according to the New York State Independent System Operator, which manages the grid.
In addition, the recent heat wave, related power outages and calls for energy conservation further demonstrate the need to increase the energy infrastructure, including battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Terra-Gen’s proposed BESS facility at 430 Hurley Avenue, the closed John A. Coleman Catholic High School property, would connect to Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation’s Hurley substation. Terra-Gen, an industry leader, would power 250,000 homes for four hours and adhere to the highest standards for safety, technology and equipment. When power is abundant, the batteries store electricity from the grid. When power demand is high, or electricity production is insufficient, stored electricity returns to the grid.
Terra-Gen invites the community to several presentations explaining the project and its extensive health and safety components. The first Zoom is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2. Visit https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84223037795?pwd=SnA2LWvNXJiuI10gBPqvUWCdrNlVL7.1. Please submit questions in advance by emailing info@ulstercleanenergy.com and learn more at UlsterCleanEnergy.com.
BESS facilities are well established in the United States; Terra-Gen operates seven facilities. They comply with local and state regulations as well as Underwriter Laboratories, National Electric Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Terra-Gen will design and build the proposed facility to NFPA 855 standards, which are more strict than New York State’s fire code.
Terra-Gen has a strong safety and health record and incorporates the most advanced safe, reliable technology. There has been no harm to neighbors, businesses, the public or environment from Terra-Gen built-and-managed BESS modular-enclosure units. Multiple government studies of air, water and soil after BESS incidents elsewhere have consistently found no air or water contamination exceeding public health thresholds.
They’re safe because the newest battery models, tested and certified to ensure a failure will not go beyond a single battery enclosure, provide vastly superior protection historic configurations cannot. Industry-wide, incidents from 2018-2023 dropped 97% due to upgraded technology and stricter standards, according to the Electric Power Research Institute.
Terra-Gen also invests in community relationships and preparedness. It hires expert firefighters to lead training for first responders and coordinates with fire departments on safety and emergency response plans. Terra-Gen has met with local fire departments; ongoing conversations continue to play a key role in environmental reviews. In addition, Terra-Gen fire experts were a key voice in New York State’s Inter-Agency Fire Safety Group, which recommended upgraded safety precautions.
Terra-Gen strongly believes in being a responsible neighbor. The project will create construction jobs. In addition, ongoing payments to the Town of Ulster, Kingston schools, Ulster County and fire districts are under consideration.
The Town of Ulster will consider Terra-Gen’s special-use permit application and site-plan request. On the state level, Terra-Gen will apply to the Energy Research and Development Authority and Public Service Commission. The Department of Environmental Conservation will review as well.
Terra-Gen looks forward to thereview process and community engagement. Learn more at UlsterCleanEnergy.com.
Mark Turner, vice president — head of energy storage development
Terra-Gen
Thank you New Paltz voters
Six months ago I declared my candidacy for the Ulster County Legislature, representing the Village of New Paltz and parts of the town. The primary took place during record-breaking temperatures, soaring to nearly 100 degrees, which understandably kept many people at home. A heartfelt thank you to those who persevered through the heat to exercise your democratic right and make your voices heard!
And the result? I have been selected as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming November general election. The November ballot will include candidates vying for village trustee positions, including one that will be available when my term concludes at the end of the year.
Whether I received your vote or not, you are my constituent and I look forward to representing you in the county legislature.
I also want to extend gratitude to my opponent, Stana Weisburd, my fellow member on the village board, for running a commendable campaign. I sincerely wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
For the love and support that I received, especially my family, I’m grateful.
William Murray
New Paltz
Declaration of secession, Part 2
Our legislative branch unfortunately no longer represents the true will of the people. The anti-democratic manipulations of gerrymandering take away the ability of the will of the people to be expressed truthfully and accurately. Districts are contorted into bizarre shapes to isolate blocks of voters and leave a permanent minority in charge. Voter ID laws and restrictions go out of their way to make it more difficult for a person of color to vote in this country. Jim Crow is alive and well in several states, who make registering and voting an unnecessary ordeal for certain segments of the electorate. Former felons, the majority of whom are African-American, often find it impossible to vote after serving their debt to society.
Within the federal system, the Electoral College creates a system where one person’s vote counts differently than another, so that the vote of a Wyoming voter is weighted much greater than that of a New Yorker. Candidates for President routinely ignore wide swaths of our country when campaigning. No other nation in the world has such an antiquated and bizarre method of voting where the person who does not get the majority of votes wins. This has happened one-third of the time in the 21st century in the US and sows the seeds of controversy and questioning of the vote count. The makeup of the US Senate also punishes a large state like New York — as we get the same number of votes as such low population backwaters like the Dakotas and Montana. Instead of counting people — this system counts rocks and trees.
In terms of the federal budget, the people of New York give much more in tax revenue to the federal government than they get back in fiscal support. New York along with New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts are four of the largest victims of this annual fiscal imbalance in the federal budget. Generally, the taxpayers of the northeast put in much more to the federal coffers than they get back — money which is used mainly for the funding of states who are unable to take care of themselves (which are mainly located in the south). We find ourselves in a system of perpetual budgetary abuse. Why should we voluntarily remain in this situation?
Now it’s time for New York to draft a Declaration of Secession. We presently find ourselves in a situation eerily similar to the one the patriots of 1776 found themselves in. The tyranny of King Donald weighs upon us and gives us every legitimate reason to cast off this yoke of oppression. We New Yorkers suffer under a cynical and perverted justice system, an anti-democratic legislative system and a tyrannical leader of the executive branch. We have had three chances (2016, 2020, 2024) to express our will and we resoundingly rejected Trumpism each time.
We were once part of a nation which was a shining beacon of freedom and hope, but now find ourselves in a slimy swamp of corruption and moral degradation. Let us become once again the shining city on the hill, who is respected and admired throughout the world instead of an international pariah loathed by much of the globe. We New Yorkers likely do not have to stand alone though — surely there are many like-minded states throughout the USA that would relish the chance to join us in a prosperous and progressive nation of citizens who cherish freedom, democracy, equality and common decency. Fortunately, we do not need to turn to violence to achieve this goal. A period of debate and discourse followed by a peaceful referendum vote would enable New Yorkers to make their feelings fully known.
Let us truly honor the legacy of the original political dissenters: Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, et al. Let New York move towards a new and brighter future of government by the people and for the people!
John Bohan
Gardiner
Fighting back
When the so-called leader of our country, the man who once bragged about being able to grab women by the pussy, refers regularly to other humans as “animals” (and worse), he clears the way for hate to thrive, violence to proliferate and bombs to drop.
While I understand the impulse to retreat from this nightmare, to put my arms around my family and hope that it all blows over soon, not unlike the way I imagine that some parents must have done in Europe during the Holocaust, I can’t help thinking about what my two sons will someday ask me: “Mom, what did you do to fight back?”
I want to be able to tell them that I did everything I could.
Charlotte Adamis
Kingston
Today’s headline!
Iran and Trump. Liars calling each other liars… Maybe it’s best that the dipshit can’t find anything better to do with his time than rant on social media. Every other thing he acts on, he fucks up beyond belief. Be warned: Trump will likely use his war with Iran as a pretext to further suppress dissent at home. We must be vigilant in resisting his efforts to stifle freedom of speech, make warrantless searches and arrests of Americans, and put more military onto our streets.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” — Yes, he said that.
This is what happens when one tries to rule via Tweet or “Truth” or whatever other shiny bauble can capture his attention for a couple of minutes while focusing on performative chest-thumping and premature victory laps for social media clout rather than employing actual long-term strategy and leadership. This fucking clown and his fucking cult. And Trump wants his Nobel. It was NOBEL, who created dynamite. IMPOTUS Donnie VonShitzhispantz wants to gaslight us and ignite a fuse which explodes his unconstitutional agenda upon the American citizenry. Any “president” who is yelling at countries on effing Truth Social and signing his name after like it’s some kind of official document is insane, full stop.
Early US intelligence report suggests US strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months. He exaggerated the damage done and his overstated success of the bombing. The intelligence report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
People have commented that Trump is not the first president to involve the country in war without following the laws or obtaining the endorsement of Congress. That may well be the case, but it’s not the whole story. No previous president was a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, was impeached twice, and sparked an insurrection to try to overturn an election. No previous president had the deaths of thousands of Americans on his watch because he totally botched handling a pandemic. No previous president had the media bending over backwards to sane wash his remarks.
And it’s a slippery slope. Today Iran, maybe tomorrow — Ohio. He’s nuts… still can’t b’lieve the dick is our — oh never mind.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
My pen pal
In response to a post I made on Facebook asking whether anyone else had received an email in which Bill McKenna recommended a vote for Erin Moran — questioning how he’d obtained individual’s personal email addresses — McKenna replied: “I understand you are very upset you did not receive my endorsement letter for Erin Moran for Supervisor. So, here’s your personal copy.”
The letter he attached was laced with misrepresentations and exaggerations, particularly regarding his tenure as Supervisor. I acknowledged receipt of his letter with: “Thank you so much. However, it would have been nice if you would have warned me to put on my muck boots before reading it. “
Howard Harris
Woodstock
The Moon Too Bright
Tonight the moon too bright.
Too full; too white.
It chases away the stars.
We’ve been awaiting
a rainfall to quench
the burning land, a drop
in degrees cooling
this early summer.
All we get is blazing
moon mimicking blazing
sun. The moon
seems to follow its own
hot trail. Soon it may
stand stock still, glaring
and defiant, and melt
beyond any lunar graph
or measurement.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Graceful Aging: Hawk 2
I am reminded of a formative experience in my late 30’s when I had become engaged in the earlyworks of Carlos Castaneda, a young anthropologist studying the practices of a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan. In his third book, Journey to Ixtlan, Castaneda shares the heart of Don Juan’s wisdom:
“Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you’re about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you’re wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, ‘I haven’t touched you yet.’”
It is in that shamanic context that the Hawk speaks to me. The advisor is wise because of his overview — is end-view. His perspective corrects the novice’s lack of it when he is ina moodof,“Everything is going wrong.” “Be in your present life,” says the wise advisor, Death.
I think of Robert Frost’ sone-sentence poem Dust of Snow.
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Here the words “crow…dust…hemlock,” suggest — mortality: the crow is the corvid preaching “Nevermore” in Poe’s poem; the “dust”is what we become; and “hemlock” is the poison Socrates drank. All these “save” the traveler from his “rue,” his grief. To be saved means to have your perspective corrected. To be re-mind-ed.
In my reflection on the meaning of the hawk’s surprising appearance, another thought comes to me: that I might adopt an attitude of expectancy, even of openness to visitations, to the unforeseen. Life, after all, is full of surprises; the exceptions are those rare moments when things go according to plan. Surprise could be seen as the norm of our actual experience day by day. Surprises come from the small to the life-changing, but we cannot undo them. The Hawk says to me, “Look to the living you still have and assume more surprises are in store. Once you accept the truth of surprise, you may learn to recognize how many there are in a single day. You may shift from anxiety to interest, from resistance to acceptance. You have not been touched by death yet. Might your welcomingof surprise be a fundamental aspect of graceful aging?”
Peter Pitzele
New Paltz
The name is M-A-M-D-A-N-I
Many of us thrilled to Zohran Mamdani’s triumph. A new enthusiasm for city life. A new honesty about the punishing costs faced by so many. Real plans for making things better. A new generation of leadership. A new day. Then I read at “Axios” that certain House Democrats “who hadn’t backed Mamdani were mostly tight-lipped Wednesday. Reps Pat Ryan, Josh Riley … all dodged reporters.” Sigh.
Will Nixon
Kingston
Join the family! 
