Issue: September 2020
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Are we ready to vote?
A voter casts an early ballot at North Adams City Hall in advance of the Sept. 1 state primary in Massachusetts. photo by Joan K. Lentini By EVAN LAWRENCEContributing writer Elections officials across the region are scrambling to prepare for a surge of mail-in or drop-off ballots this fall against the backdrop read more
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A farm, tables and a taste of empowerment
Family’s restaurant operation aids immigrants, refugees Jinah Kim, above, welcomes visitors to Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen, her family’s restaurant in Troy, N.Y. Joan K. Lentini photo By STACEY MORRISContributing writer CAMBRIDGE, N.Y. Amos Kim is tending to a row of swelling pumpkins as another scorching August day reaches its peak. There are weeds to read more
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In pandemic’s wake, some see changes for region
Will urban dwellers who escaped to countryside opt to stay long-term? By CRAIG IDLEBROOKContributing writer GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The Berkshires were awfully quiet this summer, with Tanglewood and many other cultural sites shuttered or gone virtual because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Eric Steuernagle has been a very busy man. Steuernagle, the owner of Fairground read more
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Dancing in the gardens and fields
BodySonnet collective set to perform in Stockbridge, Chatham The dance group BodySonnet will perform Sept. 4-5 at Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Mass., and Sept. 6-12 at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y. Courtesy photo By KATE ABBOTTContributing writer CHATHAM, N.Y. A woman turns her head to the sky. She arches with her shoulders open, her head read more
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Will pandemic’s crisis help heal democracy?
Over the past six months, the Covid-19 pandemic has killed nearly 200,000 Americans, sickened millions more, and driven unemployment to Depression-era levels. But as the Nov. 3 election approaches, there are at least some hopeful signs that the pandemic might be helping to make our democracy healthier – if ineptitude and malign actors don’t manage read more
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From Vermont’s marble quarries to the halls of D.C.
Redfield Proctor Sr., the 19th century Vermont politician, lawyer, marble industry executive and Civil War veteran, will soon find his place in 21st century sculpture. The Rutland Herald reported in July that organizers of the Rutland Sculpture Trail have chosen Proctor to be the focus of the 10th sculpture on the trail, a public arts read more