Binocular update: Secrets of the best views
Through binoculars, the 3,000 stars visible to the naked eye on the clearest night in the Catskills jump to 30,000.
Voices
Hugh Reynolds: Lessons of the 2017 primaries
Last week’s primary results indicate that at least five of 23 incumbent Ulster County legislators won’t be back come next year, maybe more. It’s an unusually high turnover.
Two spooks and a grump
A portrait exemplifies the richness of authentic local history.
Medical marijuana in New York is needlessly expensive and difficult to obtain
Providing medical marijuana as a doctor in end-of-life care, I received calls from organizations urging me to grow my “marijuana practice.” What these organizations were ready to capitalize on is this truth: medical marijuana works. Unfortunately, it’s prohibitively costly and hard to get in New York State.
Eating Ivan
I’ve discovered since then that Ivan is something of a Rorschach test for people. Sometimes they think it’s cute that he had a name. Sometimes they’re delighted that he had a nice life on a farm down the road, where he had friends both bovine and human, and pretty much did whatever he felt like. But mainly, it seems, a lot of people are horrified.
Hugh Reynolds: A political ambush in Marbletown
As the populations of Ulster County towns go, Marbletown, with 5,607 souls, is a bit on the low side of the gauge. But for a few days last week it was the epicenter of county politics
Saugerties Times letters (9/14-20)
Verizon rolls over Saugerties, good local food, Saugerties’ unsung heroes, touched by Erica’s Cancer Journey,
Kingston After Dark: New Mountaintops
Basilica Soundscape, the music, arts and literature fest in nearby Hudson, is one of the dopest and most sharply curated annual occurrences you’re going to find on American soil.
Equivocally equinoctial: The first moment of fall
The Autumnal Equinox takes place on Friday afternoon, Sept. 22, at 4:02 p.m. At that moment, Earth will angle perfectly sideways to the Sun. Neither pole will tip toward or away from that favorite star of ours. And therefore, as the media never tire of reminding us, days and nights should theoretically be equal. We’ve often pointed out that this is never true.
Hudson Valley Farm Hub in Hurley aims to teach a new generation of farmers
With the age of the average American farm operator now about 59, young farmers are desperately needed. Among other qualifications, applicants must be personable team players with good communications and computer skills. They must also want to live and work in the Hudson Valley, have a valid driver’s license, and be able to lift 50 pounds. Called ProFarmers, the farmers in training earn about $30,000 a year and full benefits, and they have the option of modest free housing at the Farm Hub.