The Rogovoy Report 6.23.25
From around the corner to around the globe...
REQUIRED READING
The Strength You Gain by Not Taking Offense
(The Atlantic) - Unless you inhabit a hermit cave with no internet access, you’ll know that we live in the Age of Offense. With high levels of polarization and innumerable ways to broadcast one’s every thought to strangers far and wide, it is easier than ever to lob insults and to denigrate ideological foes. For most people, being too easily offended is worse for one’s own quality of life than being obnoxiously rude. So instead of spending your efforts trying to stamp out what you find offensive, you should work on being less offended in the first place.
READ MORE:
If literature is dead, at least the funeral is well attended (New Statesman)
Americans are side-hustling like we’re in a recession (WSJ)
The simple truth about these miserable heat waves (TNR)
Dangerous heat dome to bring record temperatures to much of the U.S. (WSJ)
FASCISM WATCH:
America’s Long, Hot Reichstag Moment (Don Morrison/Substack)
Trump’s threat to unleash troops in cities just got darker and scarier (TNR)
Abolishing ICE is the bare minimum (The Nation)
FOOD & DINING
An Old Hudson Diner Has Been Relaunched by an Exciting Culinary Team
(Eater NY) HUDSON, N.Y. - A partner from Hudson’s Mel the Bakery has joined forces with the Meat Hook to open Hudson Diner, which debuted on Saturday, June 14, starting with dinner: items like straight-ahead affordable cocktails, a wedge salad, and chicken tenders. It’s a takeover of what had been Grazin’ Diner, a staple of Warren Street that had been around for a decade. The Meat Hook owner, Brent Young, and Mel the Bakery partner, Ashley Berman, picked up the location back in January. They’ve debuted with items like shrimp cocktail ($16), steak tartare ($18), and chopped liver ($14) for starters. Mains include a chopped steak with a peppercorn sauce with peas and onion rings ($25), a half-Greek chicken with tzatziki and salad ($29), and burgers ($18). There’s also a spaghetti pie ($18) on the menu, “which is kind of like spaghetti Parm that’s baked in a pie dish with cheese on top,” one of Berman’s family dishes growing up. The menu lists other diner classics like a triple-decker, a patty melt ($18), and a tuna melt ($18) made on breads that come from Mel the Bakery. Four salads include a Greek salad, a wedge, a Caesar, and mixed greens ($12 to $16).
READ MORE:
Endangered Diners: 100 years of chrome and coffee (RI)
Homey, gracious and tasty, Via Cassia worth a trip to Hudson (ATU)
Newly opened Phos in Catskill, N.Y., bridges traditional Greek with Hudson Valley sourcing (Chronogram)
Brandy from New York? This Claverack distillery is counting on it. (Eater NY)
Inness’s Taavo Somer opens all-day restaurant Little Goat in Rhinebeck (RI)
Door Prize, a new restaurant and bar, is opening in North Adams’ Hotel Downstreet (Berkshire Eagle)
Teddy’s Pizza in Pittsfield will reopen as Figo’s Pizzeria (B Eagle)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jacob’s Pillow Builds Doris Duke Theatre Up from the Ashes
(ATU) by Tresca Weinstein, BECKET, Mass. - Four and a half years after flames destroyed the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow, a reimagined version of the performance space rises from the ashes this summer. Designed as a high-tech “play space” for artists — in the words of executive and artistic director Pamela Tatge — the new theater makes Jacob’s Pillow whole again. “It restores to us a part of our ecology,” alongside the historic Ted Shawn Theatre and the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, Tatge explained. “The former Duke was the place where we could present intimate works and works by emerging artists, because they didn’t have the pressure of filling a big proscenium house. It was a flexible space that could be configured in multiple ways. We have that back, but with so much more that can serve both artists and audiences.”
Prospect, A Gorgeous Lakefront Resort in Egremont, Just Opened
(Travel and Leisure) EGREMONT, Mass. - Prospect, a 30-acre retreat, welcomes you with open stands of white pine trees, cedar cabins seamlessly tucked into the lush landscape, and a glistening 56-acre lake. Prospect feels less like a tourist destination and more like a timeless return to camp. As much as this hidden Eden is an attraction on its own, the hotel isn’t resting on its laurels. From the reimagined dining venue at the Cliff House (brought to you by the Mezze restaurant empire) to the cinematic pool area, the vibe is well curated and undeniably frolicsome. Back in 2021, the owners and creative couple behind the project, Ian Rasch and Jade-Snow Carroll, set out to transform what had become a dilapidated park with abandoned RVs into a restorative educational space, cultural center, and community hub for both overnight guests and the public. The restaurant and resort day passes aim to keep it that way. Read also, Prospect and The Cliff House now accepting reservations (Berkshire Edge)
READ MORE:
Early music group Aston Magna readies summer season (Classical Scene)
Greg Reiner named managing director of Barrington Stage (American Theatre)
Pamela Anderson’s Renaissance Started in Her Home Garden: ‘That’s where I found myself again’ (Architectural Digest)
The first Arrival Art Fair touches down in North Adams (RI)
Hevreh of Southern Berkshire celebrates 50th anniversary with concert in Lenox (Berkshire Edge)
Berkshire Busk street music festival to return to Great Barrington for fifth season (B Edge)
Swedish singer-songwriter Jesper Lindell finds creative refuge at Camp Irion studio in town of Washington (Berkshire Eagle)
Jazz, khayal, South Indian, Celtic and klezmer music on tap for The Local in Saugerties next fall (Daily Freeman)
NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES
The Uncertainty Machine
(Berkshire Argus) by Bill Shein - In January 2021, the Pittsfield City Council asked the state Department of Public Health to study cancer rates in their city. They were concerned about years of possible exposure to toxic PCBs in their neighborhoods, a legacy of pollution left behind by General Electric. More than four years later, they’re still waiting for the report. But when it finally arrives, will the results matter?
READ MORE:
In wake of Miss Hall’s School horror, State Rep. Leigh Davis (D-Great Barrington) introduces legislation to protect older teens from sexual assault (Boston Globe)
Former Miss Hall’s students at the heart of a sexual abuse scandal tell state legislators to close consent loophole (WAMC)
Triplex Cinema announces renovation plans for outdoor patio (B Edge)
Berkshire Carousel in Pittsfield spins again (iBerkshires)
State Rep. John Barrett III blames fractured relationship with MCLA president James Birge for being disinvited from school’s board of trustees (B Eagle)
Lifeguard shortages may mean ‘swim at your own risk’ in Pittsfield (iBerkshires)
NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY
Hudson Mayor Refuses to Reveal Rent for Home Owned by Prominent Developer
(ATU) HUDSON, N.Y. - In his closing remarks during a debate last week, Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson spoke about his landlord, the controversial developer Galvan. “There were a lot of claims that have been made, and things that I want to address, because my opponent kept saying ‘Galvan’ … to make you guys go crazy,” Johnson said. “And yes, I do live in a Galvan apartment.” However, Johnson’s rental from Galvan is not an apartment. It is a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom, 2,300-square-foot home, according to city property records. It is on Union Street, in one of the wealthiest parts of the city. According to property records, the house is owned by the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, part of Galvan, a multipronged entity with nonprofit and for-profit arms that has conducted business with the city during Johnson’s three terms as mayor.
READ MORE:
In debate, Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson claimed ‘I literally built three parks!’ Except he didn’t. (GoR)
Hudson Democrats go head-to-head in Tuesday’s mayoral primary (HV360)
Hudson city council appoints itself lead agency for environmental review of housing project at old elementary school (HV360)
Joy as Resistance: How the Hudson Valley is resisting DEI repeals (Chronogram)
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Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (9)
Susan Bang
Erik Bruun
Jane & Andy Cohen
Jeffrey N. Cohen
Nadine Habousha Cohen
Fred Collins
Ian Feldman
Fluffforager
Benno Friedman
Amy and Howard Friedner
Jackie and Larry Horn
Richard Koplin
Paul Paradiso
Steve and Helice Picheny
David Rubman
Spencertown Academy Arts Center
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally
Daniel Wollman and Debra Pollack