The Rogovoy Report 4.1.24

From around the corner to around the globe...

Apr 01, 2024

Fear of Missing Out? Find the Joy in Saying ‘No.’

(WaPo) - With the advent of social media, we have the profound ability to see the highlight reel of everyone’s life — and all the potential for comparison. Research shows that higher levels of FOMO, or the fear of missing out, are associated with lower self-esteem, lower life satisfaction and more loneliness. For better mental health, try reframing those feelings of FOMO and instead, try finding JOMO — the joy of missing out.

Why we can’t stop arguing about whether Trump is a fascist (New Yorker)

The Paramilitary Candidate: Trump has made justice for insurrectionists the center of his campaign (New York)

Trump’s racist obsession with Asian cars (TNR)

GOP-appointed judges raise alarm over Trump attacks on law (WaPo)

When a presidential election was really stolen: Al Gore would have won in 2000 if not for an infamous ballot design in Palm Beach County, Fla. (NYT)

She’s Won Big on TV. Now Chef Michele Ragussis Triumphs at Gedney Farm.

(RI) NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - Gedney Farm in New Marlborough has a new executive chef, Michele Ragussis, a repeat judge on "Beat Bobby Flay" and a competitor on major television chef shows like Food Network Star" (where she was Season 8 runner up), and "Guy’s Grocery Games," and "The Bobby Flay Show," both of which she won. After working as a private chef for the last eight years, Ragussis has taken over the kitchen at Gedney and is already attracting crowds to this popular Berkshire destination best known over the years as a venue for weddings and outdoor receptions.

Restaurants Are Family Members Too

(WAMC) by Ralph Gardner Jr., COLUMBIA COUNTY, N.Y. - The recent closing of Kozel’s, a Columbia County restaurant that had been around since 1936, felt like a death in the family. Maybe not an immediate family member, but a family member nonetheless. My grandparents took me there as a child and I’ve been nourished by its cuisine ever since. Part of Kozel’s charm was that walking through its front door felt like entering a time capsule and returning to a more comprehensible era, perhaps the Eisenhower Fifties. Kozel’s had a large dining room and for decades it has been a favorite site for weddings, reunions and political party events. But I always preferred to sit by the windows overlooking Route 9H. Nouvelle cuisine it wasn’t. They served a dependable burger, their steaks were excellent, and were anyone to criticize their unimpeachable French fries, cole slaw or smothered onions they could rightly be called a complainer.

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Every Tuesday, the chefs at Cello in Lenox devise a different themed menu — for dine-in service or take-out (Berkshire Eagle)

Chefs Rachel Portnoy and Franck Tessier are still passionately making Chez Nous Provisions — as long as it doesn’t get too overwhelming (Berkshire Eagle)

Spring foraging provides earthly delights (Edible Berkshires)

Lakeside Bar & Grill in Lanesborough to reopen for what may be final season (Berkshire Eagle)

The Hereafter, Hudson’s newest cocktail bar, offers upscale libations in a storied setting (Chronogram)

Plant-heavy ‘flexitarian’ diets could help limit global heating, study finds (The Guardian)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Adams Theater Igniting Creative Collaborations and Economic Growth

(Berkshire Edge) ADAMS, Mass. - When asked how she became the owner and artistic director of the Adams Theater, Yina Moore admits, “None of this was scripted, but rather the result of an intriguing mix of serendipity and destiny.” Growing up in Shanghai, China, Moore had no idea she would one day buy and renovate a movie theater and inn in north Berkshire County — yet everything she has achieved along her life’s journey has somehow paved the way. Like a phoenix, the Adams Theater is rising from the ashes, offering the surrounding community a welcome alternative to the familiar “profit-oriented, corporate-led, gentrifying development project”—a 12,443-square-foot theater complex dedicated to being “in sync with the community’s cultural climate and inclusive and accessible to all demographics.”

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Zimbabwe’s Mokoomba to bring their high-energy Afrofusion sounds to Williams College (Berkshire Eagle)

Spencertown Academy Arts Center hosting classical concert to benefit Operation Unite (Berkshire Eagle)

The Oppermanns by German author Lion Feuchtwanger, a suspenseful, gripping page-turner from 1933, reads like today’s headlines -- which is very scary (EIB)

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ isn’t a country album. It’s worse. (WaPo)

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NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

Dewey Hall board member Wenonah Webster (l) and manager Maggie McRae (photo Beth Carlson)

Dewey Hall Continues Long Tradition as Sheffield’s Gathering Space

(Berkshire Edge) SHEFFIELD, Mass. - Every community needs a place to gather, a place to meet neighbors, and a place that is truly accessible for all residents. For Sheffield and its surrounding area, that place is Dewey Hall. Dewey Hall has served as a convening venue for the Sheffield population for generations, dating back to its construction in 1887. Over a century later, Dewey Hall is still fostering “good and kindly feelings” for greater Sheffield residents, now with a diversity of offerings that reflect the community’s varied interests. Ongoing opportunities in the historic space include a children’s dance class, a Buddhist healing practice, freestyle movement exercises, music jams, contra dances, and the Hall’s own “Dewey Drop-In” series with a different theme each Wednesday of every month.

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Great Barrington now being sued by four weed dispensaries (Berkshire Edge)

Great Barrington’s Thornewood Inn is one step closer to providing local workforce housing (Berkshire Edge)

MASS MoCA strike ends after three weeks (The Shoestring)

Ribbon cutting marks the full return of North Adams Regional Hospital, a decade after its closure (WAMC)

After pulling papers, North Adams City Council Vice President Shade explains decision not to run for 3rd Berkshire House seat (WAMC)

Williamstown residents concerned over impact of Habitat for Humanity development (iBerkshires)

Former Taconic Restaurant building in Williamstown to be used as dog daycare and training facility (iBerkshires)

After nearly six years of running Shaker Mill Inn, owners are ready to move on (Berkshire Eagle)

Stockbridge voters to decide on 25 mph townwide speed limit at town meeting next month (B Eagle)

Another mixed bag storm heading to Berkshires this week (B Eagle)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

An artist’s rendering of the proposed Hudson Hub at the former elementary school

HDC Hopes to Develop Old School Building as a Community Hub

(The Rogovoy Report) HUDSON, N.Y. - At its meeting last week, the Hudson City School Board accepted an offer from the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) to purchase and develop the John L. Edwards School as a centralized community hub for Hudson residents. The HDC – a nonprofit with the mission of promoting, supporting and growing Hudson’s businesses and workforce – wants to repurpose the vacant school not only to preserve a community asset with historical and cultural significance to Hudson residents, but to provide ample space for the youth center, city offices, educational programs, job training, social services, daycare and a meeting place for local organizations.

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‘I get $500 monthly from a basic income program [in Hudson, N.Y.]. The money helped me get through my husband's cancer diagnosis.’ (Business Insider)

Kingston gets $1.5M to raise flood-prone portions in downtown (Daily Freeman)

Saugerties mayor says village is financially sound despite state report (Daily Freeman)

Tannersville begins process to possibly dissolve village government (ATU)

Presidential primary set for Tuesday (HV360)

Midweek storm to bring rain, snow and possible power outages (ATU)

Can an ancient grain promote soil health in upstate New York? (ATU)

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