The Rogovoy Report 2.20.23
From around the corner to around the globe...
REQUIRED READING
Everything Is About the Housing Market
(The Atlantic) - Housing costs are perverting just about every facet of American life, everywhere. What we eat, when we eat it, what music we listen to, what sports we play, how many friends we have, how often we see our extended families, where we go on vacation, how many children we bear, what kind of companies we found: All of it has gotten warped by the high cost of housing. Nowhere is immune, because big cities export their housing shortages to small cities, suburbs, and rural areas too. Recently, a trio of analysts coined an apt term for this phenomenon: the housing theory of everything.
READ ALSO:
How Finland is teaching a generation to spot misinformation (NYT)
The surveillance economy has all but eliminated Americans’ ability to be 'let alone' (NYRB)
Pink Floyd lyricist calls Roger Waters an antisemite and ‘Putin apologist’ (The Guardian)
To defeat norovirus, wash your hands, mask up -- and pray you don't get sick (The Atlantic)
FOOD & DINING
Most Expensive Big Mac in the US Is in Lee, Mass.
(ATU) LEE, Mass. - As of Wednesday, the cheapest Big Mac in the United States was $3.49 in Stigler, Okla. The most expensive in the nation was $8.09 at a rest stop on the westbound side of the Mass Pike in Lee, Mass. The most common local price for a Big Mac is $6.59. The cheapest Big Mac in the greater region is $5.99 at McDonald's in West Coxsackie, N.Y., and Catskill, N.Y.
Artisanal Ice Made in Hudson Keeping Craft Cocktails Cool
(Chronogram) HUDSON, N.Y. - Many of us who appreciate the refined pleasure of a craft cocktail are familiar with the lore of housemade bitters, syrups, shrubs, and fresh juices that the renaissance of artisanal bartending has brought with it. But how often do we consider the foundation of it all? Shaken or stirred, served up or over rocks, just about every cocktail starts with ice. Twin Lakes Ice Co. in Hudson is supplying "clear ice" to top restaurants around the region.
READ ALSO:
North Adams 'barkery' makes artisanal dog treats (iBerkshires)
Lil' Deb's Oasis has big plans for Hudson as eatery seeks new space (ATU)
Copake’s Alander Hotel opens new North Star restaurant emphasizing seafood (Chronogram)
Iron & Grass in Hudson is a nose-to-tail chophouse (ATU)
Bob Dylan’s Woodstock haunt, Café Espresso, brought back to life (Daily Freeman)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Illustrator Aaron Meshon Finds New Home, New Muse, Away from City
(RI) GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - “When Life Hands You Lemons” is the title of the show featuring the illustration art of Aaron Meshon, currently on view at Berkshire School in Sheffield, and open to the public. Meshon illustrates and designs for magazines, ads, children’s products, murals, food trucks and books that can be found all over the world. He teaches illustration at The School of Visual Arts and has been a guest lecturer at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) — which he attended — and other schools. Meshon grew up in Pennsylvania and lived in New York for 26 years. A devastating fire in his apartment building and the pandemic were the impetus to move to the Berkshires.
READ ALSO:
Dottie's Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield, a mainstay of jazz brunch scene, looking to expand music, cafe (Berkshire Eagle)
Opus 40 set to acquire adjacent former home of site founder and sculptor Harvey Fite (Chronogram)
NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES
Pittsfield Mayor Tyer Won’t Run for Re-election
(WAMC) PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer announced that she will not seek a third term this year. Tyer was sworn in in 2016 after previous stints in public service as Ward 3 city councilor and city clerk, becoming the first Pittsfield mayor to serve a four-year term. City council president Peter Marchetti and former city councilor John Krol are already running for mayor this year.
READ ALSO:
Pittsfielders rally to defend North Street bike lanes (WAMC)
Arthur Oliver, a nationally known costume designer and a beloved figure in the Berkshire theater world who has worked at Shakespeare & Company and has resided in Lenox for 30 years, decries lack of housing, blames short-term rentals (Berkshire Eagle)
Berkshire County real estate prices are out of reach for most residents (B Eagle)
With $10M in hand, Pittsfield plans to redevelop 'scar' left by GE (iBerkshires)
W.E.B. Du Bois sculpture project at Great Barrington library moves forward (Berkshire Edge)
This month on track as the least-snowy February on record (B Eagle)
Buxton School alumni protest sale of property to The Clark (B Eagle)
Bruce Goff named manager of North Adams airport (iBerkshires)
CALLING DON DeLILLO: Bennington, Vt., police refer to bomb as 'an energetic destructive device' (B Eagle)
NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY
Poughkeepsie: The Momentum of Change
(Chronogram) POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The seal of the City of Poughkeepsie features a swarming beehive, sitting on a low table, in a field of tall grass. The symbolism feels apt these days. Surrounded by natural beauty, the city is humming with development, activity and excitement — in a way it hasn't for more than 50 years. As pretty a picture as it may be, longtime residents worry openly about who all the recent change is actually for. Despite tension, it's clear this dynamic period has made Poughkeepsie one of the most interesting places to visit in the Hudson Valley for entertainment, dining, and culture.
READ ALSO:
Sales tax collections in Columbia County show dramatic rise (HV360)
Democratic candidates for Columbia County judgeship debate positions (HV360)
Hudson Housing hears from 20 potential project partners (Columbia Paper)
Task force seeks to make heat pump technology affordable, accessible (HV360)
Special prosecutor probing potential bribery in Harold Handy beating case (ATU)
Roll Call: Founding Members
Anonymous
Anonymous
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Rhonda Rosenheck