Guest Column
By CHARLENE MARCHAND
February 5, 2026
ONE OF MY friends shared this beautiful piece with me, not long after I had to say goodbye to my beloved heart-dog Cartier. I am not ready yet to write about the incredible daily blessings he brought to my life. We shared deeply on many levels. His loss is still very painful. I trust our readers ...
HUDSON--At the same time as the county adopts its annual operating budget, it also puts forth a capital plan, showing the major investments it intends to make over the next five years. As in the case of the operating budget, many of the planned expenditures will be funded through state and federal ...
ALONGSIDE ROUTE 23 — a major east–west road that carries residents, freight, and visitors through the heart of Columbia County — and sprawling along the entrance to the Copake Lake Watershed, a 42‑megawatt solar proposal has become a test of something larger than energy policy. Shepherd’s Run would ...
OUR PREDOMINANT sparrow of winter is our little American Tree Sparrow or Spizella arborea, whose genus of birds is often referred to affectionately as “spitzes.” This genus is also called another name, one that comes from their frustrating similarities as they flit around and defy identification.
ARE WE still making a difference?After working at the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA for 25 years, the story is still the same when it comes to animal cruelty cases: they are overabundant—and under-punished.Recently, I was in a conversation with my boss Ron Perez who serves as President/CEO of ...
THIS IS THE progressively dark and gloomy time of year, of cold and shortening days. It is a time to welcome the holidays and many faith traditions of light as part of the festivities; the torches, lamps, candles, and bonfires, and now modern electric lights that help dispel the darkness. There ...
THIS PAST WEEK brought what I remembered as a real winter. In 1968, I was working in Schenectady and commuting with a few friends, all of us in our early 20s. I am a farm girl with extensive winter gasoline-engine experience, and I always added dry gas to the full gas tank of my 1960 Chevy Bel Air ...