Voters endorsed a $41.9 million capital plan Wednesday to overhaul the Onteora Central School District’s Boiceville campus and prepare it to serve all students from kindergarten through 12th grade by 2028. The approval sweeps aside months of objections from residents who argued the price tag was too high and urged the district to keep Woodstock […]
Noah Eckstein
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Officials Weigh Tinker Street Revamp, Ashokan Trail Extension
A $30 million project to rebuild the full length of Tinker Street, from the Village Green, got a show of conditional support this week, as the Environmental Commission heard from supporters who described a project aimed at improving traffic safety – especially for pedestrians and bicycle riders. “Tinker Street has been determined not safe,” Complete […]
Posted inCommunity
Saugerties
Drones, Volunteers Press Search for Missing Miniature Dachshund
Drone pilots, rescue workers and local volunteers are pressing their search for Beans, a miniature dachshund that bolted from her owner’s arms in early October near Route 32 in Saugerties. While the last confirmed sighting came around Halloween, Beans’ family has received “a bunch of calls” from people who thought they saw someone walking a […]
Posted inLetters
Overlook
Letter: When Will We Learn?
The news that a second community school, Woodstock Elementary School, will now close at the end of the 2027-2028 school year is beginning to feel like a pattern. As if shutting down Phoenicia Elementary School two years ago was not harsh enough for one community, here comes another loss. I feel a deep sense of […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Housing, Coworking Plan for Former Woodstock Library Site Gets Planning Board Zoning Endorsement
Bearsville Center owner Lizzie Vann’s plan to redevelop multiple parcels, including the former site of the Woodstock Library, cleared a key bureaucratic hurdle last week as the town’s planning board endorsed a proposal to redraw a zoning line so that the entire project falls within the Hamlet Commercial District. Vann’s Project Regeneration aims to convert […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
In the Catskills, a Small Native Community Preserves a History Fading From View
Morning light captured a circle of stones just beyond the Shokan home of Judith Boggess as she walked its perimeter, like she does most days, pausing at each quadrant of the medicine circle she built years ago. “It’s a circle broken up into the four directions,” the 82-year-old said, referring to a central tenet of […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstove Ashes Ignite Bearsville Brushfire, Prompting Safety Alert
A small brushfire that erupted in Bearsville on Monday prompted warnings by Woodstock firefighters that ashes from wood stoves can stay hot for days, sometimes even igniting full house fires. This week’s fire started after ashes were dumped over a bank into a stoney area filled with old ash, brush, and leaves. Firefighters arrived quickly […]
Posted inEducation
Overlook
Onteora Leaders Outline December 10 Capital Vote, Stress No Tax-Levy Increase
The Onteora Central School District is making its final push ahead of a December 10 vote on two capital propositions that officials say will modernize facilities, support the district’s transition to a single K–12 campus in Boiceville, and avoid an increase to the tax levy. The plan is a scaled-down revision of the $70 million […]
Posted inEssays & Profiles
Overlook
V’s Next Act: Healing, Community, and Deepening Ties to the Mother
Walk into the kitchen of V, the playwright and activist author of “The Vagina Monologues,” and suddenly everything is pink, from the walls to the shades behind the cabinets and beside the sconces. “Everything in this house, every room was supposed to be some vaginal representation,” said V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, during a […]
Posted inInvestigations
Woodstock
‘Why Would We Pay to Live in Danger?’ Inside a Woodstock Building’s Long Decline
Guinevere Sandy stood outside her apartment door at 6 Studio Lane in Woodstock, her infant daughter Naliyah gazing up at the ceiling from her hip. A sign on the wall read “you are loved,” but the apartment that spring day told a different story. “I’m very nervous that my daughter is breathing moldy air,” Sandy […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Environmental Commission Urges Action on Church Road Debris Site
The Woodstock Environmental Commission is urging the Town Board to take immediate action to remove what it estimates to be roughly 200 truckloads of contaminated construction debris at 10 Church Road in Shady—material the group says poses a potential threat to the public water system and nearby private wells. No scientific analysis to date has […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Board Splits Over Supervisor’s Move to Elevate First Deputy Town Clerk
A routine public hearing this week about Woodstock’s 2026 budget spiraled into a broader clash over power, pay and transparency, as board members questioned Supervisor Bill McKenna’s authority to put forth a resolution seeking to reclassify the town’s first deputy town clerk as town clerk. Meghann Reimondo was appointed first deputy clerk on Aug. 19, […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Renews Fight Over Zena Homes as Ulster Takes Lead on Review
A long-running debate over a proposed 30-home subdivision off Eastwoods Drive continues after the state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed in late October that the Town of Ulster—not Woodstock—will oversee the project’s environmental review. The decision, announced just before the Woodstock Planning Board’s Nov. 6 meeting, leaves Woodstock with authority over road and wetlands permits […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
Comment and Chronicle
When we asked readers in October what they wanted more of from The Overlook, the responses were clear: people care deeply about the places they live—and they expect their local digital newspaper to do the same. Across hundreds of responses, readers voiced a desire for more transparency and accountability in local government. They cited the […]
Posted inLetters
Overlook
Letter: From Pumpkins to Pollution
I am writing in response to the article on the “giant pumpkin” on Route 212. Specifically in relation to microplastics. Although I understand the point of the article was human interest, not science, it seems a glaring omission to ignore this subject especially after reading these sentences: “Everybody thought it was the garlic clove for the Garlic […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Democrats Sweep Local Races Across The Overlook Region
Democrats secured decisive wins across the Catskills on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Ulster and Greene County Boards of Elections. In Shandaken, Democrat Barbara Mansfield unseated incumbent Supervisor Peter DiSclafani, who ran on the Working Families Party line, while incumbents including Saugerties Supervisor Fred M. Costello Jr. and Olive Supervisor Jim Sofranko, both […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
When Washington Fails to Feed, Woodstock Steps Up
It’s 7:30 on a Thursday morning, and Gail Bradney flicks on the lights inside the kitchen of the Woodstock Reformed Church. The smell of coffee mixes with the steam of green beans as volunteers shuffle in, tying aprons and stacking foil trays. It’s become routine for the six retired core volunteers who gather here most […]
Posted inPolitics
Saugerties
Video Q&A: Meet the Candidates Running for Saugerties Town Supervisor
The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running for office in the Nov. 4 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, Editor-in-Chief Noah Eckstein moderates a video Q&A with Gaetana Ciarlante, the Conservative nominee, and incumbent Saugerties Town Supervisor Fred Costello, […]
Posted inPolitics
Saugerties
Meet the Candidates: Saugerties Town Board
The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running for office in the Nov. 4 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, Saugerties Town Board candidates Bill Barr and Stephanie Bassler, both Democrats, and Zachery C. Horton and Michael A. Sasso III, […]
Posted inArt
Saugerties
The Man Inside the Giant Pumpkin
If you’re reading this, it’s more than likely that you’ve seen the giant pumpkin on Saugerties–Woodstock Road, also known as Route 212, that signals the arrival of fall in the Catskills. And, if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered what the story is. Every October, Douglas Haeberer, a semi-retired handyman uses a truck and chain […]
Posted inPolitics
Overlook
2025 Election Guide: Who’s on Your Local Ballot
As voters across the Catskills prepare to head to the polls, The Overlook has compiled sample ballots and candidate listings for towns throughout Ulster and Greene counties. Click here to find your polling placeClick here for Ulster County Sample BallotsClick here for Greene County Sample Ballots The early voting period will be from Saturday, October […]
Posted inOutdoors
Overlook
The Dog Who Climbs the Catskills
On any given weekend, if you’re deep in the Catskills and hear a distant howl, it might just be Tater, a seven-year-old mountain cur who’s spent the past five years climbing mountains across the Northeast with his owners, married couple Redmond Haskins and Gina Morrow. Haskins, 39, and Morrow, 36, live in Saugerties, where their […]
Posted inNews
Shandaken
Wellington Hotel Secures County Funds for Affordable Housing
The historic Wellington Hotel project in Pine Hill—led by local residents and the nonprofit RUPCO—has been awarded $700,000 through Ulster County’s Housing Action Fund to support the creation of 10 affordable rental units within the 19th-century landmark. The funding, approved Oct. 21 by the Ulster County Legislature as part of a $3.15 million round for […]
Posted inLetters
Overlook
Letter: Resident Urges Voters to Reject “Bigger Bennett” Bond Proposal
To the Editor: The Onteora Board of Educationhas voted to close Woodstock School.I am pretty sure Woodstock School parentsdon’t think that is very cool. They talked of dismal outlooksand things that look so dire,DiNapoli reports that saydownward financial spire. Then right away they say:let’s expand the last elementary school —bigger, bonded Bennett —but who are […]
Posted inFilm
Woodstock
Robb Moss on Filming Friendship, Time, and the River That Keeps Moving
At the Woodstock Playhouse on Thursday morning, filmmaker Robb Moss screened his new documentary “The Bend in the River,” the final installment in a trilogy that has quietly traced five friends over nearly fifty years. The film premiered at Telluride last month and made its East Coast debut at the 26th annual Woodstock Film Festival […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Town Clerk Jackie Earley Announces Retirement Effective Oct. 31
Town Clerk Jackie Earley announced Tuesday she will retire at the end of the month after 39 years with the town, surprising members of the Town Board during its Oct. 14 meeting. “I am writing to formally announce my retirement as town clerk for the town of Woodstock, effective October 31st, 2025,” Earley said via […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
We want to hear from you!
This week, we’re taking a short break from publishing new stories to hear from you — our readers. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. Your feedback will help us sharpen our coverage and strengthen The Overlook.
Posted inBusiness
Windham
In Hensonville, New Ventures Breathe Life Into a Quiet Catskills Hamlet
Former New York City police sergeant Zack Malegiannakis likes what he sees from the bar and restaurant he runs in the center of the once-sleepy hamlet of Hensonville. “It’s exciting because it’s only getting better,” said Malegiannakis, 61, who moved to Windham from Brooklyn. “I’ve been here for eight years and the only thing we’re […]
Posted inCartoons
Saugerties
A Grave Injustice: Vampires Protest Garlic Fest
The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival returns to the Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Saugerties on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The two-day celebration features more than 200 food, farm, and craft vendors, with garlic worked into everything from sausage and corn […]
Posted inNews
Olive
Olive Free Library to Open Shokan Branch Sept. 27
The Olive Free Library Association will celebrate the grand opening of its new Shokan Branch on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon at the American Legion Hall on Mountain Road. The event will include a ribbon cutting, music, food and community festivities. The branch, more than a decade in the making, comes in […]
Posted inBusiness
Overlook
Catskills Hardware Stores Grapple With Fallout from Tariffs
H Houst & Son, a Woodstock institution for more than nine decades, is feeling the squeeze from President Donald Trump’s insistence that higher tariffs on imported goods will deliver faster economic growth and cheaper prices for U.S. consumers. Items that once cost a dollar now arrive in the U.S. at $1.30 before they reach the […]
Posted inCommunity
Hunter
When Robert Redford Landed at Hunter Mountain
When a helicopter cut through the snow clouds over Hunter Mountain on February 2, 1977, the staff already knew who was coming. The man on board was Robert Redford, then fresh off the success of “All the President’s Men” and one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Redford died on Sept. 16 at his […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Former Woodstock Supervisor Candidate Moran Says McKenna Left ‘Creepy’ Note on Car
A summer-long debate over the leadership of Town Supervisor Bill McKenna took a bizarre turn as former supervisor candidate Erin Moran—who lost her bid for the Democratic nomination to town board member Anula Courtis in June—accused him of leaving an envelope on her car containing a Ten of Swords tarot card, a glass knife, and […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
On Fathers and Disconnect from Dylan to Kirk
To the Editor: President Trump ordered the nation’s flags to fly at half-staff after the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, but not after the killing of Democratic Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in June. His selective decision should trouble anyone who values fairness in honoring public servants. No […]
Posted inCommunity
Woodstock
Woodstock Film Festival Unveils 26th-edition Lineup, Honors, and Oscar-qualifying Shorts
The Woodstock Film Festival announced the program for its 26th edition, running Oct. 15–19 at venues in Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston, and Saugerties, with a special pre-festival event Oct. 14. The slate features 39 narrative features and 27 documentaries, led by the centerpiece film “Jay Kelly” from Noah Baumbach, and highlights including new works by Richard […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Ulster County DA’s Attempt to Cool Woodstock’s Heated Debate Muddies Water Even Further
Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji stepped up at a packed Woodstock Town Board meeting Tuesday to urge residents and officials to cool a summer-long fight over the hiring of a convicted sex offender. By supporting the town’s attorney, he may have instead muddied the waters even further. “I do not want this tearing the […]
Posted inBooks
Woodstock
Bob Dylan Might Be His Father. His Mother Is the Story.
When Sam Sussman stood in the doorway of his mother’s farmhouse in upstate New York one summer evening, nothing could have prepared him for what she had concealed. A blue dress hung from her gaunt shoulders. Her auburn hair was now fragile and gray. Just 24 hours earlier she had told him she had cancer […]
Posted inCommunity
Shandaken
Historic Catskills Inn Hits Market as Pine Hill Revitalization Accelerates
For decades, the Pine Hill Arms was more than an inn. It was a Friday night ritual, a roaring fire, and a place where neighbors became lifelong friends. Listed in July for $675,000, the landmark Catskills property has locals reflecting on what it meant—and what it could be again. “First thing to do was to […]
Posted inNews
Saugerties
Saugerties Animal Shelter Faces Rising Costs, State Mandates, Drop in Adoptions
On any given day, the Saugerties Animal Shelter is a happy, somewhat chaotic cacophony of barks and yaps and the occasional meow, bustling with staffers and volunteers who ensure every dog gets a walk and each cat—even permanent resident Frankie Knuckles—gets attention. Yet a closer look inside the converted garage adjacent to the municipal dump, […]
Posted inArts & Music
Woodstock
Amanda Palmer Returns to Woodstock to Mine Her Soul
Anyone who has seen Amanda Palmer on stage knows the force of her presence. She’s exacting, fearless, unafraid to mine the depths of her soul and bleed in public. At 49, she did just that last Friday night in Woodstock, where she returned with a batch of new songs that cut directly into the marrow […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Library Is a Closed Book This Week as New Space Prepares to Open
The Woodstock Library will close Friday for about a month before reopening in a larger space that will feature more room for children’s programs, archives and community events, the final phase of a $3.3 million project that has showcased both the promise of expanded services and the financial strains that small-town libraries face across the […]
Posted inNews
Olive
Olive General Contractor Detained by ICE After Immigration Interview
Antonio Lopez, 52, a longtime local resident who owns Lopez Construction & Landscaping in Boiceville, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 8 during a routine immigration interview in Albany, according to his cousin, Abril Lazaro. Lopez, who was born in Mexico and has lived in the U.S. since the early 1990s, was […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
When a Tree Falls in Woodstock, Everyone’s Got an Opinion
The removal of a 125-year-old silver maple in front of the Old Forge building on Tinker Street has renewed debate about Town Supervisor Bill McKenna’s singular leadership style, Woodstock laws, and how to balance public safety with preservation. J&J Tree Works of Saugerties cut down the tree on Thursday after Highway Superintendent Donald Allen determined […]
Posted inCulture
Woodstock
At Shivastan Poetry Ashram, Woodstock’s Hippie Spirit Lives On
Shiv Mirabito hasn’t cut his hair since 1985. He usually wears his dreadlocks tied in a bun, but to illustrate the point, he stands up inside his home, Woodstock Shivastan Poetry Ashram, and unravels them to the ground. “I have the longest hair in Woodstock,” he said. For Mirabito, 58, the hair is more than […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
Letters to the Editor
Shandaken has seen an uptick in civic engagement in the past year, with new water district committees in Phoenicia and Pine Hill, a renewed Parks & Rec Committee, a Conservation Advisory Committee that hosted meetings that drew people from other towns, a Housing Smart Committee that spawned a new nonprofit, and PH2, a coalition of […]
Posted inArts & Music
Olive
Kate Pierson Fell Hard for Moroccan Henna in 1970. She Hasn’t Looked Back.
It’s hard to ignore Kate Pierson’s scarlet hair. She was inspired by the henna-friendly Moroccans whom she met as a backpacker in Europe after graduating from Boston University in 1970. “I started doing it then,” she said this week during an interview at her studio, a former dojo in Shokan. Pierson, a key member of […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
Six Months In, A New Chapter for The Overlook
This week marks six months since The Overlook began publishing every Friday morning. In that time, our audience has grown to 4,000 dedicated weekly readers and counting. Your tips, ideas, donations, encouragement, and belief in robust local journalism have fueled our mission to deliver independent, high-quality local news to Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, Hunter, Olive, and […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Woodstock
Union Rules at Center of Woodstock Standoff Over Rehiring of Sex Offender
For all the outrage that accompanied Woodstock Town Supervisor Bill McKenna’s success in rehiring a convicted sex offender, the dispute at this stage comes down to a simple question: Is Michael Innello’s employment protected by his union? Residents already seething over McKenna’s decision to hire Innello without informing the town board or Woodstock police got […]
Posted inOutdoors
Shandaken
Climb it for Climate Draws Record 100 Runners, Walkers for Carbon-Neutral Courses at Belleayre
A record number of runners, joggers and walkers turned out at Belleayre Ski Resort on Sunday to take on eight- and 25-kilometer courses at Climb It For Climate, an eco-friendly event held four times a year across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York that aims to raise awareness of threats to the world’s climate. Sponsored […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock’s McKenna Moves to Reinstate Sex Offender on Town Payroll
Woodstock Town Supervisor Bill McKenna filed paperwork to reinstate maintenance worker Michael Innello, the Level 3 sex offender whose hiring sparked weeks of pushback by town board members and calls by residents for the supervisor’s resignation. McKenna, asserting that Innello had been wrongfully terminated, sent reinstatement paperwork to Ulster County’s personnel department last week. After […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Catskills Socked in as Canadian Wildfire Haze Triggers Statewide Health Alert
The Canadian wildfire haze that blanketed much of the Hudson Valley this week is an eerie portent of a future where local fire departments must do much more than extinguish blazes: They’ll need to prevent them in the future. “The plan is we get dispatched and we put it out,” said Greg Meola, a firefighter […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Woodstock
Woodstock Supervisor McKenna Ending Final Term With Legacy Marked by Sex Offender Controversy
Bill McKenna’s eight-year tenure as Woodstock’s top elected official is ending much as it began, amid disputes about how the job should be done and how he’s carried them out. His fifth and final term will be remembered less for his years of municipal stewardship than for hiring Michael Innello, a Level 3 sex offender […]
Posted inArts & Music
Saugerties
Artists Fill 9W Diner with the Sounds of Stories
The side room of the 9W Diner in Saugerties was crammed this week as attendees dragged in chairs from across the restaurant, eager for performances by three artists from very different disciplines: a memoirist, an abstract painter, and a bassist. The program was part of this month’s “Dialogues for the Ears and Eyes,” a monthly […]
Posted inBreaking News
Woodstock
Woodstock Fires Michael Innello, Level 3 Sex Offender at Center of Governance Crisis
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 6 at 7:20 p.m, and originally published on Aug. 6 at 5:10 p.m. Woodstock fired Michael Innello, the sex offender whose employment as a maintenance worker sparked weeks of public outcry and a governance crisis, an Ulster County official said. “The Town of Woodstock terminated Michael Innello’s […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Hiring of Sex Offender Sparks Governance Crisis in Woodstock
Tensions escalated between Woodstock Supervisor Bill McKenna and the town board during a special meeting Thursday morning, intensifying a crisis that has disrupted municipal services, jeopardized summer programming, and shaken public confidence. What began as a personnel controversy has grown into a broader governance breakdown—raising questions about transparency, fiscal management, and community safety. At the […]
Posted inNews
Hurley
Internet Outages Cripple Hurley Town Work, Isolate Residents
Daily internet outages throughout July disrupted local government operations and left Hurley residents without reliable phone or web access, town officials said. “We’re losing Spectrum every single day,” said Supervisor Michael Boms. “All of July, we kept losing it—either part of the day or intermittently.” Planning Board Clerk Maggie Colan said the outages made basic […]
Posted inNews
Olive
Olive Downplays Risk of Higher Taxes as Property Assessments Spike
The town of Olive has a blunt response to homeowners worried that the third reassessment in five years means higher taxes are coming this fall: It’s just wrong. “These are never done with that intention,” Olive Town Assessor Diana Carchidi said in an interview. “It’s really about how it’s apportioned—making sure that everybody is paying […]
Posted inCommunity
Olive
Olive Community Rallies Around Family After Devastating House Fire
A local family is picking through the ashes after a devastating house fire destroyed their home, soap business, and nearly all their belongings on the morning of July 25. Though the Wingard family live just over the town line in Kerhonkson, members of the Olive community have come together in force—offering food, clothing, shelter, and […]
Posted inObituaries
Woodstock
Laurent Rejtö, Film Advocate and Devoted Community Builder, Dies at 63
Laurent Rejtö, who spent more than two decades building the Hudson Valley into a thriving hub for film and television production, died on July 27 at his home in Woodstock, NY from pancreatic cancer. He was 63. Laurent will be remembered for his creative spirit, generosity, and fierce passion for the people and places he […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Board Votes to Terminate Town Employee Amid Uproar Over Sex Offense Conviction
The Woodstock Town Board voted 3-0 on Tuesday to fire a convicted sex offender hired earlier this year as a maintenance worker—capping weeks of turmoil that prompted a petition drive and calls for the resignation of Supervisor Bill McKenna. Board members Bennet Ratcliff and Maria-Elena Conte seconded the motion introduced by their colleague, Anula Courtis, […]
Posted inBooks
Woodstock
Woodstock Library Fair Marks 94th Year With Parade, Music, and Community Spirit
The 94th annual Woodstock Library Fair returns this Saturday, July 26, from 10 am to 5 pm, bringing music, food, children’s activities, and a vibrant sense of community back to the “Forever Green” Library Lawn at the Woodstock Public Library. More than just a fundraiser, the fair has become a cultural institution—rooted in local history […]
Posted inCulture
Woodstock
A New Wine Class in Woodstock Turns Tasting Into a Form of Attention
When people start drinking wine, it’s as if ennui lifts, just slightly, like the cork on a bottle of prosecco. As glasses are poured, stories that get at the heart of humanity begin to bubble up: stories of love, loss, the things we regret, and the things we’re still chasing. That’s what happened on Wednesday […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Woodstock Library Eyes $250K Bond as Costs Rise on New Building
At a Woodstock Public Library District board meeting on Thursday evening, trustees said they will ask voters this October to approve a $250,000 bond to cover a funding shortfall on the district’s new library at 10 Dixon Avenue. Town Supervisor Bill McKenna appeared early in the meeting to express conditional support for the plan. “The […]
Posted inArt
Woodstock
Woodstock Arts Institutions Launch Upstate Art Weekend With United Front
The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM) held a kickoff event on Thursday to launch Upstate Art Weekend, a regional celebration of the arts, and a boost to the creative economy that runs through Monday across the Hudson Valley and Catskills. In Woodstock, the event underscored a growing partnership among local institutions, with official Upstate […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
McKenna Stays Quiet as Woodstock Board Seeks Answers on Sex Offender Hire
One week after it was revealed that a man hired by the town is a registered Level 3 sex offender, Woodstock Supervisor Bill McKenna has neither responded to requests from the Town Board for hiring records nor convened a special meeting to address the issue. “Several members of the Town Board have asked the supervisor […]
Posted inCommunity
Woodstock
Candlelight Vigil in Woodstock Honors John Lewis’s Legacy
Residents gathered on the Village Green Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil honoring the late Georgia Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, five years to the day after his death from pancreatic cancer at age 80. The event, organized by Third Act Creatives, took place at 8:30 p.m. and featured remarks from local faith […]
Posted inNews
Olive
State Acquires 900 Acres in Olive to Protect Watershed, Expand Forest Preserve Access
New York State has acquired 900 acres of forestland in Olive, marking the largest expansion of the Catskill Forest Preserve in more than a decade and reinforcing the state’s effort to conserve 30% of its land and water by 2030. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the acquisition on Wednesday alongside the completion of safety and accessibility […]
Posted inArt
Woodstock
The Women of the Woodstock Art Colony
The Historical Society of Woodstock will open its 2025 season with an exhibition celebrating the women who helped define one of the nation’s oldest artist colonies. “Making Her Mark: 50 Women Artists of the Historic Woodstock Art Colony” opens Saturday, July 12, at 20 Comeau Drive, with a public reception at 3 p.m. Curated by […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
The Overlook Hosts Open Hours at Woodstock Farm Festival July 16
Come say hello! The Overlook will be holding open hours at the Woodstock Farm Festival (Parking Lot, 20 Mountainview Ave) on Wednesday, July 16, from 3 to 7 p.m. Stop by for free lemonade and conversation, and learn more about our growing community publication.
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Who Owns the Village Green? A New Sign Tells the Story
A new historical display now stands at the edge of Woodstock’s Village Green, quietly correcting a common misconception: the land is not entirely public. Most of it is owned by Woodstock Reformed Church, whose congregation has shared the green with the town for over two centuries. Installed to mark the 20th anniversary of a formal […]
Posted inAffordable Housing
Hunter
Tannersville Breaks Ground on 56-Unit Affordable Housing Complex
Officials, advocates and residents gathered Wednesday to mark the groundbreaking of Cold Spring Apartments, a 56-unit workforce housing development in Tannersville slated for completion in 2027. The project has been in the works for at least four years. The $31 million development, led by RUPCO—a Kingston-based nonprofit housing advocacy group—is located on the former site […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Voter Turnout, Competitive Races Signal a New Chapter for Ulster Democrats
After a tense primary season marked by blistering heat and competitive local races, Democratic voters across Ulster County backed candidates promising transparency, action, and a break from business as usual. In Woodstock, Shandaken, Olive, and Hurley, new and incumbent candidates emerged from Tuesday’s Democratic primaries with clear mandates—though one local contest remains too close to […]
Posted inArts & Music
Woodstock
The Conductor of Funk Lives in Woodstock
“What is funk?” Michael “Clip” Payne leaned back in a chair at Bread Alone in Woodstock—where he’s a near-daily fixture—eyes flashing beneath his cap. He grinned a wide smile. “It’s not even necessarily the music itself,” he said. “It’s the audacity.” He should know. Payne has spent nearly five decades immersed in funk’s wild current—first […]
Posted inArts & Music
Overlook
In Conversation with Marco Benevento
Follow the Arrow Festival returns this Saturday for its fourth year—this time at a new venue, the Griffin House in Palenville. Curated by Saugerties-based keyboardist and songwriter Marco Benevento, the festival brings together a genre-blurring lineup of artists in an intimate, collaborative setting. We spoke with Benevento about the festival’s evolution, life in the Catskills, […]
Posted inBreaking News
Overlook
2025 Primary Election Results: Democrats Choose Nominees Across The Overlook Region
Anula Courtis clinched the Democratic nomination for Woodstock Town Supervisor on Tuesday, decisively defeating opponents Erin Moran and David Wallis in a three-way primary. With all 10 precincts reporting, Courtis earned 60.6% of the vote, outpacing Wallis at 27.2% and Moran at 12.2%. The primary drew 1,366 voters in Woodstock out of 3,609 total registered […]
Posted inArt
Saugerties
Heather Hutchison Builds Light
In the sun-washed hills where Saugerties meets Woodstock—“Saugerstock,” as locals call it—Heather Hutchison builds light. For more than two decades since 2000, the not-formally trained artist has lived and worked in a converted barn purchased in 1996 perched just outside Woodstock, a structure she and her husband, painter Mark Thomas Kanter, transformed into an airy […]
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Maverick Concerts Loses Federal Grant, Moves Forward With Community-Focused Season
Maverick Concerts, host to the nation’s longest-running summer chamber music festival, is seeking local donors and staging a free open house this weekend after losing a key grant from the National Endowment for Arts for the first time in 15 years. The NEA rescinded its $35,000 grant last month, shortly after the Trump Administration released […]
Posted inCulture
Overlook
Pride Takes Root. Tree by Tree.
At high noon on a Wednesday, the Village Green in Woodstock looked like a knitting circle had exploded in technicolor. Spools of pink, orange, electric blue and lime green acrylic yarn weavings spilled from bags, while volunteers crouched at the base of maple and oak trees along Tinker Street, wrapped the trees with vibrant swatches […]
Posted inBooks
Hurley
A Life in Search of Wholeness: Gail Straub’s Memoir Bridges Worlds, Inner and Outer
Gail Straub stands in the meditation room of her A-frame home perched above the Ashokan Reservoir in West Hurley, as she does most mornings. Soft light filters through forested round windows, revealing the green expanse of the southern bowl of the Catskills. It’s a meticulously curated retreat for Straub and her husband, the social change […]
Posted inNews
Judge Rejects Woodstock’s Effort to Dismiss Lawsuit by Officer Accused of Misconduct
A state judge rejected efforts by Woodstock to dismiss a lawsuit by police officer Philip Sinagra, telling local officials they must explain in court whether the town violated a 60-day deadline to lodge disciplinary charges against him. The ruling, issued by Ulster County Supreme Court Justice David Gandin on May 22, found that Sinagra raised […]
Posted inNews
Wittenberg Road Closed Through June 10 for Culvert Work
UPDATE: A section of Wittenberg Road, about 0.2 miles west of its intersection with Route 212, has been closed since April 29 for a major culvert replacement. A culvert is a constructed channel, often a pipe or tunnel, designed to direct water beneath roads, railways, or embankments. Ulster County DPW Bridge Engineer Andrew Emrich said […]
Posted inNews
In Hurley, a New Chapter for an Old Building
A former library at 44 Main Street in Hurley, long closed to daily traffic is getting a new lease on life. Hurley’s planning board voted unanimously on May 28 to approve a site plan and issue a Certificate of Appropriateness to transform the building into the Hurley Heritage Community Center. The project, estimated to cost […]
Posted inArt
A Moment in Woodstock
The door was propped open. A small dog with an exaggerated overbite greeted me with a hesitant sniff last Friday at Tengu Yama Studio on Rock City Road. I stepped into a room filled with hand-painted Japanese-style tattoo sketches, soft chatter, and the steady hum of a tattoo machine. Jay Rios, sleeves rolled and focused, […]
Posted inQ&A
Overlook
In Conversation with Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha
Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha said she will oppose a proposed rate hike settlement for Central Hudson customers, citing what she called “unjust and unreasonable” profit margins for the utility and a lack of transparency in the process. The joint proposal, developed through closed-door negotiations, would allow Central Hudson to collect nearly $144 million more from ratepayers […]
Posted inBreaking News
Woodstock
Oil Truck Crash Prompts Emergency Spill Response Near Sawkill Creek
Officials say swift action limited the environmental impact from a fuel truck spill.
Posted inNews
Woodstock
Former Grossman Estate Listed for $4.99M
The Woodstock property, once home to Albert and Sally Grossman, was the setting for Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home” cover and decades of musical history.
Posted inNews
Shandaken
Wellington Hotel Named One of Nation’s Most Endangered Historic Places
The 1882 Catskills landmark is in danger of collapse without $1.5 million in additional funding. Residents hope national recognition will help save it—and revive Pine Hill in the process.
Posted inCommunity
Woodstock
In Conversation With Peter Beinart
Ahead of his May 13 appearance at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, the author of “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza” reflects on Jewish identity and the moral questions raised by the war in Gaza.
Posted inNews
Hunter
Repairs Begin on Historic Platte Clove Bridge Near Bridal Veil Falls
Crews stabilize shifting 1895 stone arch bridge ahead of seasonal opening; full reconstruction slated for 2026
Posted inCulture
Woodstock
Unbroken Chain: Grahame Lesh Helps Bring the Dead Ahead
At Bearsville Theater, the guitarist led the Terrapin Family Band through a night of memory, improvisation, and tribute—honoring the Grateful Dead’s legacy while charting his own path forward.
Posted inBreaking News
Woodstock
Stolen on Paper
A pink ribbon marked the beginning of a shocking discovery: forged documents, fake passports, and the unauthorized sale of a family’s dream property—part of a growing wave of real estate fraud targeting vacant land.
Posted inUncategorized
Woodstock Celebrates First Cannabis Dispensary
HERbal Woodstock brings sustainability, local partnerships, and community wellness to historic Tinker Street.
Posted inCulture
Woodstock
A Tibetan Pho Shop Expands with Vietnamese Roots
Just steps from Bearsville Theater, flavorful Tibetan momos, Vietnamese pho, and comforting teas bring the flavors of Buddhism to Woodstock.
Posted inNews
Sudden Closure of Samadhi Leaves Residents in Limbo
Financial disputes and management issues leave vulnerable residents uncertain about their future.
Posted inNews
Overlook
Federal Library Cuts Threaten Mid-Hudson System
Librarians across The Overlook Region warn that losing federal funding could disrupt services and halt critical operations.
