Ulster Strong

06/04/2026

"Ulster town officials are under a court order to stop the review of Zena Homes’ request for a 30-lot subdivision until Woodstock Land Conservancy is provided with an explanation of why the application is in front of the Planning Board instead of the Town Board.

In a Tuesday, June 2, decision, Judge Kevin Bryant said the injunction against further reviews will be in place until the town either fulfills state law by making a determination or provides an argument for why it considers that unnecessary."

Ulster town officials are under a court order to stop the review of Zena Homes’ request for a 30-lot subdivision until Woodstock Land Conservancy is provided with an explanation of why the application is in front of the Planning Board…

06/03/2026

"AI firms heavily use news and other creative content to provide answers — but New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger says their resistance to pay for it amounts to a repackaging of ‘stolen goods....
Sulzberger didn’t mince words on the issue, calling what AI companies do “brazen theft” of new organizations’ intellectual property, in a speech earlier this week. He warned that the issue doesn’t stop at journalism, with the future of publishing, music and academic research also at stake."

AI firms heavily use news and other creative content to provide answers — but New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger says their resistance to pay for it amounts to a repackaging of “stolen goods.”

06/03/2026

"Commercial real estate in New York State — and particularly in the Hudson Valley — is in the middle of a genuine realignment. Not the dramatic, headline-grabbing collapse some predicted, and not a triumphant V-shaped recovery either. What we are seeing is something more nuanced: a recalibration of capital, expectations, and deal-making that rewards patience, local knowledge, and strategic clarity. At Rand Commercial, we are watching this transformation unfold across Rockland, Orange, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties every day. The market is moving — but it is moving differently than it did even eighteen months ago."

SEQRA Reform, Mandated Reviews Of Local Permitting Processes, & Application Tracking Signals A Shift In The Regulatory Culture Geared To Removing Roadblocks & Encouraging Development

06/02/2026

Stockade Works is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the potential of film, television, media and tech in the Hudson Valley.
For more info and tix to benefit: https://www.stockadeworks.org/community-events/benefit-2026

06/02/2026

"People move for a variety of reasons, but some of the biggest factors include a higher quality of life, better schools, stronger retirement support systems, rising home values and more job opportunities, according to Mark Castiglione, the executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.

He said that in many cases, people’s decisions about where to move are influenced by the Tiebout Model — a concept more famously known as “voting with your feet.” Essentially, the model suggests that different towns and cities act like competing stores at a shopping mall. Some neighborhoods are like luxury boutiques, charging higher local taxes but giving you top-tier public schools and pristine parks in return. Others operate like budget outlets, keeping taxes incredibly low but offering fewer public perks.

According to this theory, when people decide to relocate, they aren't just buying a house — they are acting as savvy consumers, choosing the exact community with a “price tag and lifestyle” that fits their budget. But sometimes, practical hurdles like job locations and high moving costs mean people are not always fully free to just get up and leave."

Upstate New York’s population changed drastically in the last decade. Charts show where people migrated.

06/01/2026

"The major sewer and stormwater system construction project on Flatbush and Foxhall Avenues in Kingston is beginning.

“The first step in the Flatbush and Foxhall streetscape project is to make extensive repairs to the sewer and stormwater system below the streets,” said Mayor Steven Noble. “Before construction can begin, we need to make these necessary infrastructure repairs. We know this work will be disruptive, so we want residents to understand the extent and duration of this project, which is expected to take two full constructions season to complete.”...
"The streets in the project area currently have intermittent sidewalks and cross railroads that are hazardous for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Approximately two miles of sidewalks will be built and painted crosswalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps will be installed.

The city will also work with CSX to improve safety for all users at the two railroad crossings situated on the route. Bicycle infrastructure will be added along both avenues, connecting to other infrastructure projects, including the Empire State Trail and the Kingston Greenline."

KINGSTON - The major sewer and stormwater system construction project on Flatbush and Foxhall Avenues in Kingston is beginning. “The first step in the Flat

05/30/2026

Kingston is a city of trains. Catskill Mountain Railroad ferries tourists and locals on whimsical, family-friendly, recreational rides. The objectively less charming CSX, a critical supply chain transporter, fills the city air with the sound of train horns at all hours of the day and night, frequently stopping traffic at crossings, occasionally colliding with vehicles and people. Neither offers any sort of passenger transport for Kingstonians. For that, one needs to head to the Metro-North station in Poughkeepsie or Rhinecliff’s Amtrack station. But a proposal is advancing to bring such a service to Kingston and other Hudson Valley municipalities.

Kingston’s Public Safety/General Government Committee voted this week to advance the All Aboard Hudson Valley West Shore Passenger Rail Resolution to the full Common Council, which is expected to take up the measure June 2. The resolution calls for a new feasibility study and modern evaluation of restoring passenger rail service to the CSX West Shore corridor, which once connected Kingston to New York City before passenger service to Kingston ended in 1958.

Kingston is a city of trains. Catskill Mountain Railroad ferries tourists and locals on whimsical, family-friendly, recreational rides. The objectively less charming CSX, a critical supply chain transporter, fills the city air with the sound of train horns at all hours of the day and night, frequent

05/29/2026

Shortage of Qualified Diesel Techs in Trucking
"The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released new research on causes and solutions for the current gaps in diesel technician training, recruitment, and retention. Qualified techs are indispensable to a safe and efficient trucking industry, yet 65.5 percent of shops were understaffed in 2025 with an average of 19.3 percent of positions unfilled. The research synthesized findings from techs, shops, and training programs.

Most techs (61.8%) enter the career without any formal training, requiring an average of 357 training hours and $8,211 in trainee wages to prepare them. Even with formal training, more than 30 percent of training program graduates were unqualified in 20 core skill areas, according to diesel shops. In 7 of these core skill areas, each additional hour of training improved tech qualification by more than 16 percent, and as such additional training hours in these areas can improve outcomes. In 6 core skill areas, however, each additional hour of training improved tech qualification by less than 8 percent, highlighting the need for critical curricula upgrades.

The most common barrier reported by techs at the start of their career was the high cost of acquiring their own tools (29.0%), followed by a lack of prior tech knowledge (28.0%), insufficient pay (16.1%), and poor shop mentorship (10.8%). Though pay and schedules were the two aspects of employment that most attracted techs to the trucking industry, techs also ranked the pursuit of more interesting work (ranked 3rd) and greater variety of work (ranked 5th) as vitally important."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 5, 2025 Contact: Alex Leslie (651) 641-6162 [email protected] Washington, D.C. – The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released new research on causes and solutions for the current gaps in diesel technician training, recruitment, and retention....

05/28/2026

Environmental reviews for certain housing projects up to 300 units are set to be eased after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law her proposed “Let Them Build Act,” her office announced on Wednesday.....

Locally, the law would increase the number of units from a streamlined review of 100 units as first proposed by Hochul, to 300 units, as Kingston is considered an urbanized area, according to Mayor Steve Noble. The 100-unit threshold applies to “non-urbanized” areas with a 20-unit maximum for communities without zoning.

Environmental reviews for certain housing projects up to 300 units are set to be eased after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law her proposed “Let Them Build Act,” her office announced on Wednesday. The reforms had drawn strong …

05/28/2026

Ellenville Regional Hospital's CEO on surviving healthcare cuts and powering the local economy

Steven L. Kelley has led Ellenville Regional Hospital as President and CEO since 2003, when he was sent in to turn around a hospital that had just entered its second bankruptcy in four years. Two decades later, the 25-bed Critical Access Hospital in Ulster County has posted 20 consecutive years of profitability, won national awards for quality and patient safety, and grown into the third-largest employer in the Ellenville area.

Now Kelley is bracing for the next big test. The Healthcare Association of New York State estimates federal healthcare cuts will cost the state nearly $13.5 billion annually, and Governor Kathy Hochul's office has warned that up to 1.5 million New Yorkers could lose coverage. For a small rural hospital that has spent 20 years reinventing itself, the question is no longer whether to adapt, but how fast.

Ellenville Regional Hospital

By Zac Shaw for Ulster Strong Steven L. Kelley has led Ellenville Regional Hospital as President and CEO since 2003, when he was sent in to turn around a hospital that had just entered its second bankruptcy in four years. Two decades later, the 25-bed Critical Access Hospital in Ulster County has p