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Your Voice in the Catskills. Community journalism serving Hunter, Hurley, Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken, Windham, Woodstock.

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The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Catskills Communities Confront Flood Damage Amid Climate Change

Nimble Roots Farm was having a successful first season. Farmers Christine and Fabio Ritmo were selling their produce at local farmers’ markets and had opened a storefront with another Catskill farm.  Then the farm flooded. The Ritmos arrived at their Cauterskill Road farm in Catskill, about a 20-minute drive to Haines Falls, on the morning […]

The post Catskills Communities Confront Flood Damage Amid Climate Change appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Margaret Tomlinson

A Record 46 Artists Open Their Doors in Saugerties

The Saugerties Artists Studio Tour will be held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. With 46 artists participating, it will be the largest in the history of the annual event. Founded in 2002 with eleven participating artists, the tour was first organized by landscape painter Nancy […]

The post A Record 46 Artists Open Their Doors in Saugerties appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Haines Falls Exhibit Explores Women Artists of the Catskills’ Past, Present, and Future

The Hudson River School, one of the United States’ first true artistic movements, grew out of the beauty of the Catskill Mountains. Yet much of the art used to characterize the period was painted by men. A new exhibit at the Mountain Top Historical Society seeks to challenge this, showcasing female artists painting the Catskills […]

The post Haines Falls Exhibit Explores Women Artists of the Catskills’ Past, Present, and Future appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Kyle Bredberg

Shandaken Receives $60,000 Flood Management Grant

Shandaken received a $60,000 grant to continue its participation in a federal program that reduces flood insurance costs for property owners, officials announced at the town’s board meeting on Monday. The town will use the money to climb the Community Rating System, a tiered system that rewards communities for good floodplain management, said Deputy Town […]

The post Shandaken Receives $60,000 Flood Management Grant appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Mia Quick

Stream Restoration Underway on Broadstreet Hollow to Cut Sediment in New York City’s Water Supply

Work began in late July on a $1 million restoration of Broadstreet Hollow, a Catskills stream that feeds New York City’s water supply, in an effort to slow erosion, reduce the fine sediment that clouds the water downstream and improve habitat for fish and other aquatic life. The project covers about 1,300 linear feet of […]

The post Stream Restoration Underway on Broadstreet Hollow to Cut Sediment in New York City’s Water Supply appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Hunter Fire Lieutenant Resigns After Clash With Village Mayor Over Flooded Main Street

Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language that some readers may find offensive. A Hunter Fire Company lieutenant and fierce critic of local government quit after a profanity-laced roadside argument with Village Mayor Alan Higgins over whether to close a flooded stretch of Main Street as a July 29 storm dumped eight inches of rain […]

The post Hunter Fire Lieutenant Resigns After Clash With Village Mayor Over Flooded Main Street appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Platte Clove Bridge Restoration Set To Begin Next Year 

Work on a $1.2 million restoration of the historic Platte Clove Bridge will likely begin next year, leaving residents of the hamlet of Platte Clove without access to the lower section of Platte Clove Road for the 2027 season, officials said. Officials confirmed the timeline at a public information session at Hunter Town Hall on […]

The post Platte Clove Bridge Restoration Set To Begin Next Year  appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Eugene L. Meyer

“Fill Your House With Stacks of Books”

Inside the entrance to Chris Evers’ used bookstore on Partition Street in Saugerties is posted “A Doctor’s Advice.” It is from Dr. Seuss: “Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” “Is this good advice?” I asked him. “It’s good advice for my customers,” he said. Evers’ Our […]

The post “Fill Your House With Stacks of Books” appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Margaret Tomlinson

Augusta Savage Day Debuts in Saugerties as Sculptor and Longtime Resident Is Honored

Saugerties honored Augusta Savage, the acclaimed Harlem Renaissance sculptor who lived there for 15 years, with a day celebrating her legacy that included a documentary, a slide show about her upstate life, readings of two of her unpublished short stories — and a mention of the chicken-foot soup she served to neighborhood children. An Orpheum […]

The post Augusta Savage Day Debuts in Saugerties as Sculptor and Longtime Resident Is Honored appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Noah Eckstein

Hunter Officials Call for More Forest Rangers in Greene County

Three state forest rangers cover one of the most heavily hiked corners of New York, down from five, and local police and fire crews are reaching hikers before the rangers do, Hunter officials said last week. The officials called on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to assign more rangers to Greene County, citing the […]

The post Hunter Officials Call for More Forest Rangers in Greene County appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Eva Fulmer

Woodstock’s Bangkok Market Pop-Up Closes 12 Days Early

Bangkok Market, the Thai pop-up eatery on Woodstock’s Dixon Avenue that said it drew 3 ½-hour wait times when it opened July 10 for a month-long run, shut down 12 days early last week after running into financial and staffing difficulties. Award-winning Brooklyn chef Elizabeth Calvo, who was born in Thailand, said on Wednesday morning […]

The post Woodstock’s Bangkok Market Pop-Up Closes 12 Days Early appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

12-Year-Old Dies After Utility Vehicle Accident in Maplecrest

A 12-year-old died Friday night after being ejected from a utility terrain vehicle and pinned beneath it in Maplecrest, in a crash that injured three other children, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. Deputies responded  near 84 County Route 56, also known as Big Hollow Road, in the Windham hamlet of Maplecrest at around […]

The post 12-Year-Old Dies After Utility Vehicle Accident in Maplecrest appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Noah Eckstein

At Home With Marco Benevento, Among Pianos and Peacocks

The tennis was over, and the eggs were nearly gone. Marco Benevento sat at the kitchen table with his wife, KT, working through the last of breakfast, with a flight to Alabama in the morning and, between now and then, a day in the studio. Getting there means crossing the yard, and crossing the yard […]

The post At Home With Marco Benevento, Among Pianos and Peacocks appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Bennet Ratcliff

Scientists Record First Known Sounds Linked to Atlantic Sturgeon Spawning in Hudson River

The solar-powered Solaris slips away from the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s dock, glides through the Rondout Creek, and heads toward the Hudson River. Wearing a flowing white gown, HariPrakaash sits on the boat’s floor before a large gong. She teaches Kundalini yoga, meditation, and gong sound healing, and during the summer she brings her practice […]

The post Scientists Record First Known Sounds Linked to Atlantic Sturgeon Spawning in Hudson River appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Hunter Historical Map Project Enters Next Phase as Planners Wrap Up Townwide Tour

Mountain Top Library Director Jaki Elmo and Town Historian Diann “Dede” Terns-Thorpe joined town residents Carol Dale and Lisa DiNino Nemerson last week at the library in Tannersville, narrowing a final list of historical properties in the village for an ongoing project to map the history of the town of Hunter.  The session was the […]

The post Hunter Historical Map Project Enters Next Phase as Planners Wrap Up Townwide Tour appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Kyle Bredberg

Hurley’s 24-Hour Ambulance Service Cuts Response Time to 3 Minutes

Hurley Ambulance Service, a 24-hour paid operation rolled out in November after months of delays to augment volunteers, has cut emergency response times to under three minutes, according to service President Mathew Sirni. “It was not at all uncommon that people were waiting 15 minutes, 20 minutes, just to find out that there was an […]

The post Hurley’s 24-Hour Ambulance Service Cuts Response Time to 3 Minutes appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Noah Eckstein and Kyle Bredberg

Big Indian Cultural Festival Holds Final Celebration of Unity and Tradition

The Pine Hill Community Center was filled with movement, music and color on Saturday, celebrating unity and Native American and African heritage as the cultural center behind the event prepares to dissolve after more than two decades with the retirement of its founder. Organized by the Big Indian Native American Cultural Center and sponsored by […]

The post Big Indian Cultural Festival Holds Final Celebration of Unity and Tradition appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Hunter Board Asks County to Lower Platte Clove Road Speed Limit

The Hunter Town Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to authorize Supervisor Sean Mahoney to send a letter to Greene County asking to lower speed limits on a section of Platte Clove Road from 40 miles per hour to 30. The vote followed a nearly 20-minute discussion on safety concerns on the roughly 9.6 mile road, […]

The post Hunter Board Asks County to Lower Platte Clove Road Speed Limit appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Windham Seeks Designation as ‘Pro-Housing Community’

The Town Board voted unanimously on Thursday, July 23, to pass a resolution pledging to help alleviate the ongoing housing crisis, the first in a series of steps toward certification under the state’s Pro-Housing Communities Program. State officials use the term to describe a market in which supply has not kept pace with demand, pushing […]

The post Windham Seeks Designation as ‘Pro-Housing Community’ appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Mia Quick

Catskill Game Farm Hits Market in a Two-Part Offer

The full 203-acre property is listed at just under $3 million.

The post Catskill Game Farm Hits Market in a Two-Part Offer appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Noah Eckstein and John W. Barry

‘Shakedown’: Amy Helm Says She Won’t Be Locked Out of the Barn

Musician Amy Helm broke her silence on the intra-family dispute over Levon Helm Studios, accusing her stepmother’s advisors of executing a coordinated financial shakedown. “The hustlers who think they can manipulate her and further cash in on my father’s legacy will be exposed,” Helm, 55, said in a statement posted to social media Thursday. “Their […]

The post ‘Shakedown’: Amy Helm Says She Won’t Be Locked Out of the Barn appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Flash Flooding Closes Roads Across the Catskills

The town of Hunter declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, July 29, after flash floods left multiple roads impassable and forced some residents to boil their water. The emergency, in effect for at least one day, followed rainfall that caused “significant flooding, hazardous roadway conditions, road closures, and damage to public infrastructure throughout portions […]

The post Flash Flooding Closes Roads Across the Catskills appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Future Farmers Find Their Footing at Greene County Youth Fair

Four teenagers guided their pigs around a show ring at the Greene County Youth Fair last weekend, trying to keep the animals moving while giving judge Nick Kron a clear view from every angle. Robert Pautz, 16, of Coxsackie, won the showmanship award with Stripe, his nearly 3-month-old Hampshire cross. “You have a whip in […]

The post Future Farmers Find Their Footing at Greene County Youth Fair appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Some Windham Hotels Oppose Mountain Club’s 26-Room Luxury Hotel Plan

Three Windham hotels are urging the town Planning Board to reject Windham Mountain Club’s proposal for a 26-room luxury hotel, citing low occupancy rates at existing hotels and arguing the town doesn’t need more lodging. The owners of Wylder, Christman’s Windham House, and Albergo Allegria submitted letters to the Planning Board after the club introduced […]

The post Some Windham Hotels Oppose Mountain Club’s 26-Room Luxury Hotel Plan appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Scott Widmeyer

Democrats’ Fight Over Party’s Future Is Just Beginning

Donald Trump may be Democrats’ most immediate political challenge. Their most consequential long-term struggle may be within their own party. From New York City to Michigan, Colorado to Maine, Democrats are engaged in a fierce struggle over who will define the party’s future. Is it the progressive left, energized by democratic socialists and grassroots organizers? […]

The post Democrats’ Fight Over Party’s Future Is Just Beginning appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • John W. Barry

Not Fade Away Reopens in Woodstock With 11th Storefront

Not Fade Away has reopened in Woodstock after eight months without a storefront, giving the music-inspired retailer its 11th local home in 35 years. The shop opened this month at 5 Tannery Brook Road, steps from Tinker Street and next to a municipal parking lot. “We’re back,” co-owner Marty Leffer said. Leffer and co-owner Lindsey […]

The post Not Fade Away Reopens in Woodstock With 11th Storefront appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • John W. Barry

The Felice Brothers Record Album for Sony Nashville in Saugerties

Two years ago in Woodstock’s Bearsville Park, a group of music industry allies urged James and Ian Felice to sign with Sony Music Nashville. The group included Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers and his wife, Brandy Schultz, along with Boiceville record producer David Baron, and Nathan Thomas of Sony Nashville. The meeting was part of […]

The post The Felice Brothers Record Album for Sony Nashville in Saugerties appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • John W. Barry

The Blues Project Brings Its 1960s Roots to Bearsville Theater

Roy Blumenfeld was born in the Bronx, grew up in Yonkers, and spent weekends as a teenager at his family’s home on Ohayo Mountain Road in Woodstock. Now 82, Blumenfeld will return Friday, July 24, to perform at Bearsville Theater with The Blues Project, the band he co-founded more than six decades ago. The show […]

The post The Blues Project Brings Its 1960s Roots to Bearsville Theater appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Hunter Seeks Nearly $1 Million for Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Haines Falls

The town of Hunter is seeking $914,300 to build a sidewalk through Haines Falls that would close the gap in the 11-mile Hunter Regional Trail Corridor between the village of Hunter and Kaaterskill Falls.  The town submitted its application earlier this year and could learn as early as September whether it will receive the funds, […]

The post Hunter Seeks Nearly $1 Million for Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Haines Falls appeared first on The Overlook.

The Overlook
Text • Connor Greco

Hunter-Tannersville Classmates Reunite to Celebrate Turning 80

Sixty-two years after graduation, 11 members of the 44-member Hunter-Tannersville High School class of 1964 reunited on July 17 at the Jewett home of classmate Linda Nicholls. Some spouses joined them, and the classmates spent the day outside catching up over food and a festive birthday cake. Several wore shirts reading, “We’re still standing after […]

The post Hunter-Tannersville Classmates Reunite to Celebrate Turning 80 appeared first on The Overlook.