The Rogovoy Report 7.31.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Jul 30, 2023

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REQUIRED READING

A New Kind of Fascism

(The Atlantic) - For some years, a variety of news commentators and academics have called Donald Trump a fascist. I was one of those who resisted using that term. I thought it had long been abused by casual, imprecise applications, and as a historian of Nazi Germany, I did not think Trumpism was anywhere close to crossing the threshold of that comparison. I still deny that Trump’s presidency was fascist — but I’m concerned that if he wins another trip to the White House, he could earn the label.

READ MORE:

Donald Trump is plotting to make himself dictator (American Prospect)

What Defendant Trump does not understand, by Lucian K. Truscott IV (Substack)

What’s happening in Italy is scary, and it’s spreading (NYT)

‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month ever (The Guardian)

FOOD & DINING

African Flavors Pop at House of Seasoning in Pittsfield

(ATU) PITTSFIELD, Mass. - At House of Seasoning Grill, a short stroll from Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., owners Mathieu Niamke and Raissa Doumbia are bringing West African flavors to the city’s west side. On the menu, “African arome” is their catch-all term for African spices, though I’m fairly sure co-owner Raissa Doumbia is crafting kankankan, an African barbecue spice that originated in Nigeria and Mali and typically blends roasted peanut, chile and black pepper with cinnamon and ginger.

Hudson’s Nine Cakes Bakery Dishes Out Gourmet Pastries & Custom Confections

(Chronogram) HUDSON, N.Y. - “As someone who has a big sweet tooth and loves to bake everything, I love getting to make delicious things and share them with people,” says Betsy Thorleifson, owner and founder of Hudson’s Nine Cakes Bakery, creator of decadent desserts, whimsical wedding cakes, and beautiful baked goods.

READ MORE:

Bimi’s Canteen a captivating addition to Chatham, N.Y., dining scene (ATU)

Prime Italian Steakhouse & Bar in Lenox is closing after 35 years (B Eagle)

Take a country drive to dinner at car-themed Shadow 66 in Ghent, N.Y. (ATU)

New Union Street Brewing Co. in Hudson serves creative brews and upscale bar food (Chronogram)

Hudson Valley restaurants opening soon (ATU)

A new eatery and taproom — the 10th Planet Brewery and Restaurant — is coming to Pittsfield this fall (Berkshire Eagle)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WTF Leaders Admit Old ‘Summer Stock’ Model Is Untenable

(Berkshire Eagle) WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Williamstown Theatre Festival officials say mounting a season similar to its 2019 schedule, a pared down version of it, would cost $1.6 million more to produce today. It’s an amount that isn’t feasible or even sustainable, now that it has abandoned its previous “summer stock” model, in which most apprentices paid to participate in the program and worked long hours in exchange for the experience of learning from seasoned professionals, including Broadway and Hollywood stars, and networking opportunities. In a season of transition, festival officials are reaching out to the public through an online survey and two in-person opportunities to discuss what the future will look like.

Peter Dinklage, the Emmy Award-winning star of the Hudson Film Festival's opening night picture, She Came to Me. The Rebecca Miller-directed film is being shown for the first time in North America at the August festival.

New Hudson Film Fest Features Peter Dinklage Film in US Premiere

(ATU) HUDSON, N.Y. - The inaugural Hudson Film Festival kicks off Aug. 11 with a diverse range of screenings that include the North American premiere of a Peter Dinklage-Anne Hathaway film and the unveiling of a remastered version of a classic cult film. The three-day festival will be held at a trio of storied Hudson venues and represents the latest incarnation of the Hudson Valley’s emergence as a local center in the film industry. The nine films at the festival will be shown at Basilica Hudson, a colossal former industrial building on Hudson’s waterfront known for hosting weddings and musical acts; Time and Space Limited, an independent film and arts complex that has been at the center of the city’s creative scene since the early 1990s; and Hudson Hall, a renovated opera house that is New York’s oldest surviving theater and includes a 5,000-square foot performance space. The festival’s opening night features the North American premiere of “She Came to Me,” starring Dinklage, Hathaway and Marisa Tomei.

READ MORE:

Go west, theater fans. The Berkshires are beckoning. (Boston Globe)

Beyond the city, summertime theater that’s worth the drive to Berkshires and Hudson Valley (NYT)

At two summer theater festivals in the Berkshires, reassuring signs of life (NYT)

American theater is imploding before our eyes (NYT)

A guide to art exhibitions in Hudson Valley and Berkshires (NYT)

‘Are We There Yet?’ celebrates the history and artists of Ferrin Contemporary, celebrating 40th anniversary, before fall closing (Berkshire Eagle)

The landmark Schantz Galleries in Stockbridge is closing (B Eagle)

At The Clark, a less anxious Edvard Munch (NYT)

REVIEW: ‘Fences’ a huge home run at Shakespeare & Company (ATU)

‘Wonder Years’ dad Dan Lauria writes, stars in Great Barrington premiere (ATU)

Move Over Paris, Costa Rica, Naples: Condé Nast Says The Berkshires Is Top Destination for 60th Birthday Celebrations

(CN Traveler) LENOX, Mass. - By the age of 60 you know the importance of taking time for yourself. At the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, no yoga experience is required to partake in a Zen retreat. Instead, choose your own adventure at the 100-acre hilltop property overlooking Lake Mahkeenac: taking a reflective walk through the meditation garden or communing with nature on a network of surrounding wooded trails; observing presentations about ancestral healing or creative expression; and tucking into healthy legume- and veggie-centric meals at the Ayurveda-inflected Buddha Bar.

READ MORE:

Stolen paintings by Pittsfield artist repatriated by painter at local tag sale (iBerkshires)

Work commences on redevelopment of Lee’s Eagle Mill (Berkshire Edge)

Appellate Court rejects argument to overturn Housatonic River cleanup agreement; green-lights toxic waste dump in Lee (B Edge)

Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington now officially owned by community-formed nonprofit, saving the theater (B Eagle)

Already under fire for poor employee relations, library trustees in Great Barrington eliminate virtual access to board meetings (B Edge)

Models of proposed W.E.B. Du Bois sculptures on display at Mason Library (B Edge)

Firefighters save Great Barrington home despite inoperable hydrant operated by Jim Mercer’s embattled Housatonic Water Works Co. (B Eagle)

North Adams woman works toward more diversity in outdoor recreation space (Berkshire Eagle)

Seeking equity and balance in property taxes, Williamstown Selectboard member talks up residential tax exemption, along lines of NY’s STAR exemption (iBerkshires)

Drier, cooler weather coming this week (B Eagle)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Former Helsinki Hudson Music Venue and Restaurant Sold to Controversial Developer

(Albany Business Review) HUDSON, N.Y. - Helsinki Hudson, a former restaurant, music venue, and event space in Hudson, has sold to a major property owner in the city. Helsinki Hudson, at 405 Columbia St., sold July 21 for $6.25 million. The sole trustee of the purchasing LLC is T. Eric Galloway, the co-founder and president of the Galvan Foundation. It’s the latest addition to the controversial developer’s large Hudson portfolio, much of which remains vacant or warehoused and removed from the city’s tax rolls under the auspices of several nonprofits Galloway controls. Owners Deborah McDowell and Marc Schafler moved the beloved club to Hudson in 2010 after 15 years in Great Barrington, Mass. They renovated the 1863 industrial space into four spaces. No information is publicly available as to what Galloway’s plans are for the building.

READ MORE:

Hudson considering increase in lodging tax (GoR)

Aging mains in Hudson symbol of water woes (HV360)

Swanky former church in Hudson hits market for $2.9M (ATU)

Migrant farmworkers seek to unionize (ATU)

Hinchey calls for end to food insecurity cycle (HV360)

Pop-up is ‘appetizer’ for upcoming Borscht Belt museum (ATU)

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