The Rogovoy Report 6.19.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Jun 18, 2023

You are receiving this ad-free, reader-supported email newsletter because you are subscribed to The Rogovoy Report, a twice-weekly digest of news and cultural happenings, mostly in the greater Berkshires and Hudson Valley region. You may also receive Everything Is Broken, a once-weekly, sibling e-newsletter featuring original writing by yours truly. Thank you so very much for your interest and support.

REQUIRED READING

Time-Warped: How Modern Life Shortens Our Perspectives

(The Guardian) - As we navigate the time-shortening pressures of the modern world, it’s worth noting that our minds did not evolve to take a long view. Our mental time machine we inherited from our ancestors changed the course of human evolution, but it came with flaws. One example is the way the mind tends to equate time with space. This tendency to entwine physical dimensions with temporal distance – called construal level theory – means that, in practice, people tend to place greater emotional weight on events that are visible, clearly in view, while feeling relatively indifferent to events “far” from now. The upshot is that events presented within the daily or hourly cadence of news gain disproportionate attention.

READ MORE:

How to quit cars (New Yorker)

The case for ending free parking (NYT)

Why Gretchen Whitmer has what it takes for a White House run (Vanity Fair)

FOOD & DINING

Bimi’s Canteen Brings Farm-to-Table Dining with a Laid-Back Vibe to Chatham

(Chronogram) CHATHAM, N.Y. - A farmer, a Michelin-starred chef, and a fireman walk into a bar. There’s no punchline; this was part of an actual scene during the opening week at Chatham’s new dining hot spot, Bimi’s Canteen and Bar. And it’s the exact type of community commingling the owners were hoping for when they opened in early June. “We’re a Hudson Valley restaurant,” says Ellen Waggett, who runs Bimi’s with her husband Christopher Landy. The pair have owned Bimi’s Cheese Shop next door for the last 10 years, where they sell cheese sourced from both global and local purveyors, along with counter-service sandwiches, espresso, and more.

READ MORE:

Former Nudel restaurant regulars have reopened the Lenox favorite under a new name, Cello (B Eagle)

New bakery and bagel business at North Adams farmers market (B Eagle)

Motor your way to Shadow 66 in Ghent, N.Y., for French bistro fare (RI)

Beige and bougie, Inness’ restaurant offers spectacular food and views (ATU)

Little Rico owner Angelica Hernandez has big dreams for building wellness cafe empire based in Hudson (ATU)

Return Brewing opens its Hudson beer garden (Chronogram)

Lenox's new brewpub Antimony is attracting big crowds in its first weeks (B Eagle)

Inside the last old-school seltzer shop in New York (NYT)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Yidstock Festival to Present the Klezmatics, David Krakauer, Eleanor Reissa and Socalled Alongside Rising Stars of Klezmer

(The Rogovoy Report) AMHERST, Mass. - The Klezmatics, Frank London and the Yidstock All-Stars, and David Krakauer’s Mazel Tov Cocktail Party headline the 11th annual YIDSTOCK: The Festival of New Yiddish Music, taking place at the Yiddish Book Center over the course of four days, Thursday, July 13-Sunday, July 16. YIDSTOCK artistic director Seth Rogovoy curated this year’s lineup, which includes favorites like Merlin Shepherd, Nigunim Trio, and Lorin Sklamberg alongside rising stars making their Yidstock debut, including Forshpil, Midwood, and clarinetist/composer Sam Sadigursky. The 11th annual YIDSTOCK festival also introduces a new program called Festival Artists-in-Residence. This inaugural year features Eleanor Reissa and Socalled, who will make surprise appearances with other performers, participate in artist conversations, and lead short, casual sessions exploring their creative process.

READ MORE:

Berkshire/Columbia Counties arts sector report reveals pay disparities (Berkshire Edge)

New study on pay equity for Berkshire, Columbia county arts workers unveiled in Great Barrington (WAMC)

After 21 years at MASS MoCA, Laura Dickstein Thompson has pivoted to focus on stress-reduction coaching (Berkshire Eagle)

What changes will the BSO’s new president Chad Smith bring to the Boston orchestra? (Boston Globe)

Actor Treat Williams, star of 'Hair' and 'Everwood', killed in motorcycle crash in Vermont (WAMC)

The Garage at Chatham offers a summer salon series in an intimate setting (RI)

Anat Cohen and Marcello Goncalves: A harmonious jazz duo uniting music and emotion (Nippertown)

Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton, where a teacher has resigned due to lack of support from school officials over Jew-hatred among students.

Another Berkshire Schoolteacher Resigns Due to Jew-Hatred

(Berkshire Eagle) - Last week we shared an article about a Jewish teacher at Lee Elementary School who said he would resign due to what he described as indifference among school administrators over antisemitic images in student art projects. This week, a Jewish teacher in Dalton has resigned after a very similar situation, wherein a student harassed him with antisemitic remarks and a hand-drawn picture of Adolf Hitler. The Dalton teacher also felt unsafe and a lack of concern among school officials. Both these incidents prompted the Berkshire Eagle to editorialize on the issue, writing "When hate darkens the doorways of our schools, we can’t look away."

READ MORE:

Nonprofit group acquires Triplex Cinema; needs to raise nearly $2M (Berkshire Edge)

A new study shows housing costs in Berkshire County make it hard for anyone earning under $27 an hour to stay (B Eagle)

Protesters express concerns over planned PCB landfill in Lee: ‘It’s an environmental disaster waiting to happen’ (B Eagle)

Great Barrington considers giving each Housatonic Water Works customer $500 in relief funds (B Edge)

Fitch-Hoose House Museum, located in last remaining home of Dalton's early Black residential neighborhood, opens in Dalton (Berkshires)

A subdivision proposal on a Stockbridge estate was designed to lock in the zoning. The developer’s real plans remain a mystery (B Eagle)

Pittsfield mayoral candidates find much common ground in debate (iBerkshires)

Amid search for his replacement, suit against North Adams, Police Chief Jason Wood offers apology to loved ones (WAMC)

Elks mark 100th anniversary of 'The Elk on the Trail' (iBerkshires)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Why Are There 65 Cat Statues on Catskill Streets?

(ATU) CATSKILL, N.Y. - Every summer for the past 17 years, the streets of Catskill have been populated by fiberglass cat statues decorated in a wide variety of unique and colorful designs. This public community art project has a name — Cat’n Around Catskill — and a purpose: It’s a fundraiser for the Heart of Catskill Association, a nonprofit that organizes public programming in the town and village. This year’s Cat’n Around Catskill is the biggest yet: 65 statues, up from 53 last year.

READ MORE:

Historic Hudson-Athens Lighthouse could collapse into river in five years (ATU)

Groups works to save, preserve endangered Hudson River lighthouse (WAMC)

Columbia and Greene counties see young homeowner surge (HV360)

New market-rate housing development proposed for Hudson’s Fairview Avenue (GoR)

Hudson-Athens ferry returns with weekend service (WAMC)

U.S. Department of Education opens investigation over alleged antisemitism at SUNY New Paltz (ATU)

Hey, did you like this edition of The Rogovoy Report? If so, please consider clicking on the “LIKE” button at the very end of this message. It matters to the gods of Substack.

The Rogovoy Report