A new report from the Public Policy Institute of New York State concludes that the state's business climate is driving away businesses and residents due to high taxes, regulations, and costs of living. ... Read full Story
Police officers engaged an SUV in a high-speed chase in Glenmont on Tuesday night during a theft investigation, resulting in three arrests. Bethlehem Police Chief Gina Cocchiara issued an extensive statement on Thursday regarding the incident in order to address any community concerns about the department's pursuit protocols. ... Read full Story
(The Hill) – Erika Kirk, widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will lead Turning Point USA as its CEO and chair of the board in the wake of her husband’s death, the organization announced Thursday. The Turning Point Board unanimously elected Erika Kirk on Thursday. In a statement announcing the decision, the organization [...] ... Read full Story
He could face up to 60 years in jail for the phone calls and emails that included hateful comments about Mamdani, his family and Muslims, prosecutors said. ... Read full Story
The weekend is almost here! From the Adirondack Balloon Festival to the Red White and Brew Festival in Albany to the Capital District Reptile Expo, there are a lot of things to do on September 19, 20, and 21. ... Read full Story
The New York State Police has announced the launch of its new Autism Awareness Visor Card Program, which seeks to assist both law enforcement and those on the autism spectrum with communication during a traffic stop. ... Read full Story
An Albany County resident has tested positive and is being treated for West Nile Virus, making it the city's first reported case since 2018. ... Read full Story
With a water system that dates back to 1890, the village of Ravena will soon begin a new water infrastructure project, thanks to over $900,000 in federal grant funding. ... Read full Story
The Ulster County Legislature has voted to improve road safety measures within the County's Bicycle and Pedestrian Policy. According to county officials, the new policy will require the county to add sidewalks and bike lanes to bridges when rehabilitated, if feasible. ... Read full Story
One incarcerated person and 14 staff members in the Fishkill Correctional Facility were hospitalized Monday and Tuesday after being exposed to an "unknown substance," state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) officials said. ... Read full Story
The holiday season is just a few months away, and so is the North American tour of NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet. The lively retelling featuring an international ensemble of ballet, acrobatics and larger-than-life puppets will grace the stage of the Palace Theatre in Albany. Local children can audition to be part of the production at auditions held in Clifton Park. ... Read full Story
So enjoy the warmth while we've got it. Temperatures will peak in the low 80's in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys. The hills and mountains will get to the mid to upper 70's. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2025 is:
lugubrious \loo-GOO-bree-us\ adjective
Lugubrious is a formal word used chiefly to describe something that is very sad especially in an exaggerated or insincere way. The word can also describe something that shows or expresses gloom.
// The movie’s stunning cinematography could not make up for the lugubrious and plodding plot.
// The lugubrious mood of the room shifted when the voices of children playing erupted outside the window.
“On opening night, the audience at St. Petersburg’s Alexandrinsky Theatre were mystified by The Seagull’s neither wholly comic nor wholly tragic tone, hissing and heckling throughout, with Chekhov fleeing from the gallery after the second act. It was only two years later, when Konstantin Stanislavski staged a more lugubrious take on The Seagull at Moscow Art Theatre, that it came to be recognized as a work of pure genius.” — Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025
Did you know?
Everybody hurts, as the classic R.E.M. song goes, and when your day is long and the night is yours alone, lugubrious is a perfect word for describing such sorrowful feelings, or that which inspires them (a lugubrious song, perhaps). That said, if lugubrious strikes you as a tad unusual, no, no, no, you’re not alone. Lugubrious is the sole surviving English offspring of the Latin verb lugēre, meaning “to mourn.” Its closest kin, luctual, an adjective meaning “sad” or “sorrowful,” was laid to rest centuries ago.