Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
The Roslyn News · Nassau, NY
Nearby: Nassau, NYAt the Science Museum of Long Island (SMLI) on Leeds Pond Preserve in Nassau County, ecological stewardship is central to the museum’s mission. Two local Scouts recently joined this mission, working to restore the native woods habitat to support local wildlife. Ryan Colello, a senior at Kellenberg Memorial High School and a member of Plandome Troop 71, and Joshua Lin, a junior at Manhasset High School and a member of Manhasset Troop 97, chose SMLI for their Eagle Scout projects, leading an effort to clear invasive non-native plants from the museum grounds and replace them with native species. [caption id="attachment_379841" align="aligncenter" width="518"] Troop 97 Manhasset planting native shade-tolerant bushes in an irrigated area, later to be moved to the woods. Photo courtesy of North Shore Audubon Society[/caption] On two weekends in September, Colello and Lin each led Scout volunteers in removing invasive species from a wooded area near SMLI's visitor parking lot.
Long Island Press · Nassau, NY
Nearby: Nassau, NYPlainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School junior Michael Li has been named the 2026 Nassau County boys badminton champion, earning the first individual county title in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District’s badminton program. Li won the county singles championship Oct. 17, defeating Great Neck South in straight games, 21-17, 21-17, in the final at Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School. The victory capped a county tournament featuring top individual players from schools across Nassau County. “Winning a county championship is no small feat, and Michael's accomplishment is certainly one worthy of recognition and celebration,” said Jenna Cavuto, Plainview-Old Bethpage varsity badminton coach. “He has represented Plainview-Old Bethpage with tremendous pride and his success reflects positively on our badminton program and the district as a whole.”
Lakeville Journal · Chatham, NY
Nearby: Chatham, NYFALLS VILLAGE — Is popcorn really corn? Young Region One students put their knowledge of farms and food to the test during a visit from author, environmentalist and educator Nancy Castaldo on Friday, Nov. 6. Castaldo held three sessions at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, beginning with children in pre-K through second grade. A Chatham, New York, resident who has written about 25 books on environmental subjects for young readers, Castaldo opened her “Good Farms = Good Food” presentation by describing the working farms she passed on her drive to Connecticut. “I saw one that had animals called alpacas,” she said. “And another one with cows.” She introduced the children to different kinds of farms, drawing them into the discussion with a series of true-or-false questions about where food comes from. “People eat most of the corn grown in the U.S. How many think that’s true?” she asked. A handful of children raised their hands.
The Berkshire Edge · Catskill, NY
Nearby: Catskill, NYDarlin’ Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, N.Y. Written by Michelle Carter Directed by Katy Early “You are really important.” In this world-premiere production of Michelle Carter’s “Darlin’,” it is clear that some additional work needs to be done before a perfect performance is viable. There is much that is good in this show, but a few things are confusing and feel incomplete. At the center of the play is the relationship between a single mother and her daughter. The daughter is still only a very young teenager, with lots of room to grow. The actress in this role also plays her own grandmother, and this provides half of the confusion that reigns here. There is also a man in the play who does many things, including straightforward narration, which makes little sense as that is not his principal role in the play. It provokes the question: Who is he, and why is he saying these things, and to whom?
Manchester journal · Bennington, VT
Nearby: Bennington, VTCommunity News As a reward for the students’ hard work, the first responders of Manchester generously gave a tour of the local police and fire facilities. PROVIDED BRSU students collect 450 socks for neighbors in need Third graders from three local schools donated the socks through Socktober to help people experiencing homelessness in Bennington County. Robert Niles Robert Niles Journal correspondent Published November 11, 2026 - 2:31 p.m. Modified November 11, 2026 - 2:33 p.m. MANCHESTER — Winter just got a lot warmer for a few neighbors in need.
Rockland Review News · Florida, MA
Nearby: Florida, MAFlorida voters approved a sweeping property tax cut on Tuesday, and the margin was thinner than the headline suggests. Amendment 3, which raises the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, cleared the 60% threshold with exactly 62%, according to WLRN. Two points of slack is not a mandate. It is a win that squeaked. Why should Rockland County readers care about a Florida ballot measure? Because the argument that decided it — homeowner relief versus the services property taxes pay for — is the same argument every town board here faces every budget season, just compressed into one dramatic vote. The result is a live experiment in what happens when a community slashes its own revenue base on purpose. The early warnings came from the people who run the services. What did Florida actually vote for?
Lakeville Journal · Great Barrington, MA
Nearby: Great Barrington, MAGREAT BARRINGTON — Climbers of all ages and ability levels filled Berkshire Boulders on Friday, Nov. 6, as the new rock climbing gym celebrated its grand opening just north of downtown on Route 7. As the crowd began to build at 4 p.m., founder Nick Friedman said it was gratifying to see the long-planned project finally open to the public. “It’s a bit surreal but it feels good,” he said. “It’s this idea that’s been percolating in climbers’ minds for decades.” The type of climbing on offer is bouldering — a short but often powerful and technical form of the sport, usually practiced on walls less than about 14 feet tall. Mats cushion falls, and climbers use no harnesses or ropes. Beginners need only a pair of climbing shoes and some chalk, available to rent for $7, making bouldering a popular entry point to the sport. In addition to climbing, the gym offers a fitness room with exercise equipment, a shower, and a back porch and picnic tables overlooking the Housatonic River valley.
Lakeville Journal · Great Barrington, MA
Nearby: Great Barrington, MANow celebrating 40 years, Cowboy Junkies will perform Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The band is celebrating its long career with a triple-vinyl retrospective album called “Open to Beauty,” featuring a selection of songs from 2000 onward, including material from its most recent release, “Such Ferocious Beauty.” Initially, the band was inspired by the dark, spacious qualities of post-punk and goth groups such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division. But the musicians soon settled on an organic, rootsy country-blues sound with hints of psychedelia. Their hushed sound developed from playing quietly in their garage rehearsal space so as not to disturb their neighbors. Formed in 1985, the band made a huge impact on the indie rock scene with its second album, “The Trinity Session,” recorded with a single ambisonic microphone at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.
Lakeville Journal · Sheffield, MA
Nearby: Sheffield, MASubway stations may seem unlikely places to encounter the divine, but amid the rumble of trains, the crush of commuters and the cavernous underground passageways, Salisbury artist Mike Selbach finds moments of unexpected beauty. In “Subway Saints,” his solo exhibition opening Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Warren Family Gallery at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Selbach transforms ordinary commuters and familiar transit spaces into sacred moments. Through carved, two-sided wooden sculptures and expressive woodcut prints of New York City subway stations, Selbach captures both the individuality of the people who pass through these spaces and the shared experience of moving through the city. His work draws on decades of experience in sculpture and printmaking, with a distinct focus on the expressive possibilities of wood.
Lakeville Journal · North Canaan, CT
Nearby: North Canaan, CTNORTHWEST CORNER — Libraries provide much more than books nowadays, and eligible Connecticut residents now have another resource available. All six libraries in the Region One school district are participating in Laptop ConneCT, a program that allows eligible residents to borrow laptops for long-term use. “It’s terrific,” said Meg Sher, executive director of the D.M. Hunt Library in Falls Village. “We’ve already given out two.” Laura Moran, director of the Douglas Library in North Canaan, spoke enthusiastically about the program, saying it has particularly benefited people over 65. “They are able to use it for such things as telehealth,” she said. “They are finding it easier to read because of a larger screen and keyboard than on their phones.” Each library has received an allocation of laptops through the statewide program. The Dell Pro 16 laptops run Windows and have built-in cameras for video calls, online classes, virtual doctor appointments and more.
Lakeville Journal · North Canaan, CT
Nearby: North Canaan, CT“I think art is the thing that allows us to feel there’s something in the universe that loves us,” said painter Peter Cusack in his new studio, a mid-19th-century stone church on Main Street in North Canaan. For Cusack, art has always been a way of reaching toward something beyond the physical world. That sensibility runs through “Eternal: New, Recent, and Near Distant Paintings,” his upcoming exhibition in the church, a setting that seems an improbably good fit. Cusack recently moved his painting practice from Torrington into the former church at 58 Main Street. The move came about somewhat unexpectedly, after a change in ownership made his previous studio untenable. “At first I thought it was just gonna be too much,” Cusack said. When he first saw it, the building still looked unmistakably like a church, with its vaulted ceiling, stained glass and architectural details intact. It had served as a place of worship for generations before closing roughly 12 years ago.
