This Month’s Featured Articles…

How does one properly pay homage to a symbol? As a child, I visited Millerton, NY’s The Moviehouse and gaped at the clock tower perched on its peak like a homing beacon for those in search of an escape into the world of film. It was a treat for myself – a child of divorce – and for my parents, who were able to briefly trade custody schedules and middle-age stress for popcorn and fantasy. Those were happy times for me, logged in my nostalgic [...]

There’s something about watching someone do something they love with their hands that’s mesmerizing. It’s like watching ballet or like watching a child put a puzzle together. You become fully engaged yourself and can’t look away. I didn’t know roasting coffee beans was as hands-on an experience as it is – or can be – until I learned all about it on a visit to Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters in Pine Plains, NY. There, in a nondescript building across from the Central Pine Plains School [...]

After almost a decade in New York State’s Assembly representing District 106, which includes parts of Dutchess and Columbia Counties, it’s easy for residents to feel as though Didi Barrett has been present for most of their lives – and in a way she has. Barrett was elected to the State Assembly after a special election in March 2012 and her following four terms, has become one of the most recognizable names in local government. Despite a recent penchant for many a lawn sign adorning [...]

I’m the Coordinator of the Career Experience Program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) in Falls Village, CT. This initiative helps students become more career aware and expose them to opportunities to gain that awareness. In this Covid year, it’s been a challenge to create opportunities for worthwhile career-related interactions in the absence of in-person job shadows, internships, and career fairs. I’ve been calling it a building year, thinking about big-picture priorities and strategies. One way I’m doing this is through my participation on [...]

Thom Reed There are times when the universe thrusts a moment upon us that possesses the capability of forever altering the course of our lives. As if thrown by some cosmic legionary, fate’s javelin can pierce a quiet life, leaving difficult choices, harsh lessons and unknown paths in its wake. What these moments – often traumatic – do offer us are choices. Choices that are not always clear, but ever-present. Some choose acceptance, others denial – there is no right or wrong, only [...]