commentary & opinion

There is a conviction in Christian tradition that it is often the most dejected or looked-down-upon members of society, rather than the wealthiest and most powerful, who in fact know best about how to make their communities a better place.

Quietly, last month, the New York State Democratic Committee transferred $10 million to Governor Hochul’s re-election campaign war chest. You heard that right: $10 million. And the move was entirely legal.

There are certain crowd environments where you take something of a calculated risk, like sitting in the lower deck at a baseball game or close to the track at NASCAR. In those cases, being close to the game could potentially put you in harm’s way. You wouldn’t expect that to be the case at tennis — the sport of kings, where contact on the court is forbidden, where you have to apologize to your opponent if the ball accidentally hits the top of the net and goes over.

Some years ago, I took my then 83-year-old mother to the ER for a severe allergic reaction that caused her lips and tongue to swell so enormously I thought her airways would become blocked. It was July, when the new interns and residents start.

The way a recurring ad attacking a candidate in the 17th Congressional District of New York is constructed is fascinating. The candidate is Cait Conley, the Democrat who is running against the sitting Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. The ad is not by the Lawler campaign but rather by one of these “educational” organizations, which is only identified by three letters.

It was with some interest that Gardner visited Rolling Hills and Gracious Fields, a new show at the Columbia County Historical Society in Kinderhook, New York. Devoted to the county’s Hudson River School artists, their subject matter was the views outside their windows, or at least within easy hiking distance.

Commentator Jackson Murphy says it'll be a big season for family films, but there will be plenty of blockbusters for adults too. He also says that, so far, theaters seem primed to have the most anticipated releases rather than streaming services.

If you need a cure for the winter blues Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA has the cure. Their “10 x10 New Play Festival” is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

February offers five compelling and diverse plays that seem timely and fun.

The Williamstown Theatre Festival announced it is going from annual productions to a biennial schedule.