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Weekend in Review

Nov 14, 2016 12:02 am
Daniel Zuckerman in The Daily Mail reports that there was another hiking death at Kaaterskill Falls this weekend. On Nov. 12 30-year-old Anthony Miele, of Newburgh, hiking on the upper part of Kaaterskill Falls, slipped on ice and wet moss and fell approximately 120 feet. Another hiker died of a nearby fall in July, and in 2015 the Department of Environmental Conservation closed the area for $450,000 in safety improvements. The scene there is also immortalized in Hudson River School paintings and Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle.”

WNYT in Albany reports there was a protest against president-elect Donald Trump Nov. 12, with hundreds gathering in front of the Capitol Building, shouting "not my president." Other protests have been held in towns throughout the Hudson Valley. On Nov. 10 the SUNY New Paltz Bouton Hall dormitory was covered with graffiti with profanity and racist statements. The graffiti included a heart with the word “Trump” next to it, and also said, “ISIS is calling! Muslims can leave!,” calling Latino immigrants “stupid,” and using a derogatory word for African-Americans. On Nov. 14 in Hudson, the Showing Up for Racial Justice group holds a "Building a Racial Justice Movement in the Age of Trump" discussion at 6 p.m. at the Hudson Area Library.

Robert Downen reports in The Albany Times-Union that one shot was fired Nov. 12 at the Crossgates Mall, but the shooter has not been caught. The mall was cleared after, police say, an argument between two people escalated to gunfire. Police say they have leads but no suspects in custody. The mall re-opened Nov. 13 for business.

Geoffrey Wilson reports in The Poughkeepsie Journal that the Church World Services Network is opening a refugee resettlement office in advance of refugees being settled in the area. The group held a community meeting Nov. 10 at the Christ Episcopal Church, as they plan to bring 80 refugees from Congo, Syria, and Iraq to Poughkeepsie. "This isn't a faucet you can turn on and people just start flowing in," Sarah Krause, senior director for programs for CWS, said. "Refugees are the most vetted of anyone trying to enter the United States." Refugees take out no-interest loans to cover travel expenses, and must pay the loan back. Krause said 85 percent of new arrivals are employed and "self-sufficient within 180 days."

Festival Director Robert Manno reports in The Windham Journal that the Windham Chamber Music Festival will suspend programming in Windham and Hunter next year. The Nov. 26 show at the Doctorow Center in Hunter will be the last for the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra. The group just completed its 20th year and 100th performance at the Windham Civic Centre Concert Hall this fall. Manno writes that 23 Arts Initiative and the Catskill Jazz Factory will put on concerts at the Windham Civic Centre next year.

Tamani Wooley at Time Warner Cable News reports that the Albany area is getting a new alternative weekly magazine, The Alt, after the demise of Metroland. The Alt is scheduled to launch on November 15 covering arts, culture, politics, news, and lifestyles in Albany, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy. "We're an alternative paper. We're filling this void I think we believe exists, not only in entertainment coverage in the area, really in depth entertainment, but also coverage of people, places and areas that are ignored," said editor David King. The Daily Gazette, Overit, and Proctors are behind the new venture, with 25,000 copies given away free weekly at 400 locations. The magazine's website is thealt.com.