Issue: November 2022
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Pandemic dividend comes fresh from the oven
Economic upheaval helps spur new micro-bakeries across region Kean McIlvaine moved from Washington, D.C., to Washington County, N.Y., after the pandemic threw her culinary career into turmoil. Once here, she started Covered Bridge Bread, a home-based baking business. Joan K. Lentini photo By STACEY MORRISContributing writer SHUSHAN, N.Y. After the pandemic clobbered the read more
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How dark Covid times nurtured bakers’ dreams
Dede Weber started her Bohemian Nouveaux Bakery at the height of the pandemic and soon built a following in the northern Berkshires. Now she’s preparing to open a new bakery cafe in North Adams. Susan Sabino photo By KATE ABBOTTContributing writer Dede Weber imagines a winter day in North Adams, with snow falling read more
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State’s new ethics panel off to rocky start
By MAURY THOMPSONContributing writer When Kathy Hochul took over as New York’s governor last year after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, one of her first promises was to strengthen the state’s system for policing the ethics of its top officials. The state’s ethics watchdog at the time, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, known read more
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Maker space grows with a green mission
In a 19th century mill, two artists create a center for ‘upcycling’ Dozens of cast-off bicycles are gathered in one room at the Old Stone Mill Center for Arts and Creative Engineering. After repairs and modifications, most will be shipped to countries in Africa to provide basic transportation. Susan Sabino photo By KATE read more
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Saving democracy might require more than electoral reform
In nearly two decades of reporting on elections and politics across our region, we’ve covered lots of ideas for making our political system more open and accessible — and for giving voters more meaningful choices. On our editorial page, our guiding principle has been that anything that gets more voters to participate in elections, and read more
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Vigilante groups sprang up locally — and spurred a backlash
A former Saratoga Springs tally-ho driver who had fallen into reckless living experienced a forced conversion on his way home from a night of carousing. “He was suddenly confronted by several men wearing white caps, who gave him some sound and telling advice, and warned him that unless he kept better hours and discontinued drinking, read more