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Phillip Pantuso

@phillippantuso.bsky.social
380 followers 305 following 96 posts

deputy managing editor for news @timesunion.com | tips, upstate gossip to phillip.pantuso@timesunion.com | depressed Tottenham fan

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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The battle for control of Levin Helm Studios gets uglier with a lawsuit alleging that Amy Helm, the late drummer's daughter, engaged in self-dealing to promote her own musical endeavors with venue resources. @phillippantuso.bsky.social reports.
timesunion.com
Levon Helm Studios sues Amy Helm over alleged self-dealing, ‘Midnight Ramble’ use
A federal lawsuit accuses Levon Helm’s daughter of trademark infringement and $2 million in financial misconduct as the feud over the Woodstock venue escalates.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Some personal news: After four years at the Times Union, I am ... staying at the Times Union! But in a new role: I am now the deputy managing editor for news, helping lead our regional news coverage. Send tips, pitches and Albany-area restaurant recs to phillip.pantuso@timesunion.com.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
not to brag
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The finale of Long Buried is out now. This series began like all investigate forays: an effort to find out what happened and who’s responsible. But it became a larger exploration about justice, memory and the stories we tell. I hope you’ll listen! www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘Long Buried’: Inside a cold case hidden for 44 years
After human remains were found during the construction of a new home in April 2024, it took investigators nearly two months to identify them. When they did, the mystery only deepened.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
SCOOP: Leon Botstein announced his resignation as Bard College president following a review of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which showed he did, in fact, visit the sex predator’s island — which he’d previously denied. Nora Mishanec has it first: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Leon Botstein resigns as Bard College president
The longtime Bard College leader announced Friday afternoon that he was resigning following an internal legal review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
SCOOP: Leon Botstein announced his resignation as Bard College president following a review of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which showed he did, in fact, visit the sex predator’s island — which he’d previously denied. Nora Mishanec has it first: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Leon Botstein resigns as Bard College president
The longtime Bard College leader announced Friday afternoon that he was resigning following an internal legal review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
New: The fourth episode of "Long Buried" succeeds where a lot of true-crime narrative journalism falls flat: giving a rounded picture of a life cut short. Someone erased Karen Ramsey, and @phillippantuso.bsky.social and @jess-on-ice.com do what they can to restore the picture.
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4. 'She Had a Big Heart.' by Long Buried
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The fourth episode of “Long Buried” is out today. It contains almost everything I learned about Karen Angelillo Ramsey and is my attempt to remember her as someone more than a victim. It’s my favorite episode yet. You can listen at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The first 3 eps of my podcast, “Long Buried,” are out now. It delves into the mystery of a woman who disappeared in 1980 and the secrets that spilled out after her body was found 44 years later. It would mean so much to me if you subscribed, rated and reviewed! www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘Long Buried’: Inside a cold case hidden for 44 years
After human remains were found during the construction of a new home in April 2024, it took investigators nearly two months to identify them. When they did, the mystery only deepened.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Check out the second episode of "Long Buried," in which investigators scramble to discover the identity of the person whose remains were uncovered by a construction crew excavating a new home site. More great work from @jess-on-ice.com and @phillippantuso.bsky.social
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2. The Peculiar Messenger by Long Buried
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Jessica Marshall @jess-on-ice.com · 15/04/2026
Episode 2 of the new @timesunion.com true crime podcast I produced with @phillippantuso.bsky.social is out! Listen to "Long Buried" wherever you get your podcasts 🎧 New episodes come out on Tuesdays. open.spotify.com/show/0lZbGTc...
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2. The Peculiar Messenger
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
A project @jess-on-ice.com and I began working on over a year ago launches today. It’s a podcast about a woman who vanished without a trace 46 years ago, and the secrets that tumbled out four decades later after her body was found. Listen, subscribe and rate! www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘Long Buried’: Inside a cold case hidden for 44 years
After human remains were found during the construction of a new home in April 2024, it took investigators nearly two months to identify them. When they did, the mystery only deepened.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Don't miss the first episode of "Long Buried," the new podcast from @phillippantuso.bsky.social and @jess-on-ice.com examining the disappearance of Karen Ramsey, and the secrets that tumbled out more than four decades later. megaphone.link/SFO6559034385
megaphone.link
1. 'This is a human body.' by Long Buried
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
in their defense, who could’ve seen baseball season coming
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
This is great. “Then struggle” is a mantra for creating.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
John Reilly III, the Chester highway supervisor, was found guilty of multiple assault and illegal weapons possession charges related to shooting a lost DoorDash driver outside his home last year. @phillippantuso.bsky.social and Lana Bellamy report. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Chester official guilty of assault, weapons charges in DoorDash shooting
John Reilly III was convicted of assault and illegal weapons possession. The jury did not consider the attempted murder charge against him.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Emily St. James @emilystjams.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
OBAA is only nominally about radical politics, which it views as a lens through which to consider what it’s really interested in, which is the terror of bringing a child into the world, a question that will always have a political valence but not EXCLUSIVELY a political valence.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Breaking tonight: Bard has retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent review of Leon Botstein’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the college’s public first response to mounting scrutiny over its president’s relationship with the convicted sex predator. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Bard trustees hire outside firm to review Botstein-Epstein ties
The news was released in a statement from the Board of Trustees late Thursday afternoon, its first public statement about the scandal.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Maria M. Silva @mariamsilva.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Just in from my colleague Nora Mishanec: ICE officials said Tuesday they had made a “mistake” after falsely claiming to have bought a Hudson Valley warehouse for a detention center. On Friday, after multiple outlets ran with ICE’s claims, we reported that county officials had no record of a sale.
timesunion.com
ICE retracts false claim that it purchased Hudson Valley warehouse
The federal agency said its statement that it bought a former Pep Boys building in Chester to use as a detention center was a “mistake.”
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
The Times Union’s Hudson Valley team, ladies and gentlemen
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Last week, several news organizations uncritically ran with ICE’s claim that it had purchased an upstate warehouse to use as a detention center. The Times Union didn’t. We did some actual reporting and found there were no records of a deal. Then, tonight: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
ICE retracts false claim that it purchased Hudson Valley warehouse
The federal agency said its statement that it bought a former Pep Boys building in Chester to use as a detention center was a “mistake.”
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
It’s been two weeks since new revelations emerged about Bard President Leon Botstein’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The board of trustees has said nothing. A college spokesperson has said only, “The president is listening and engaging.” Students and alumni want more. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘S___show’: Bard students protest Botstein’s ties to Epstein as trustees meet
Anger on campus is mounting amid Bard College’s silence about President Leon Botstein’s relationship with the convicted sex predator.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Our latest story on Leon Botstein’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein shows the college president knew of the trafficking allegations as he sought donations from the sex offender, despite his repeated claims in recent days to the contrary. Much more herein: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Emails show Botstein knew of Epstein allegations while pursuing donations
Condolences sent after public reports of Epstein’s sex trafficking and his ties to then-Prince Andrew indicate the Bard president knew more than he now admits.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
In the four-plus days since the @timesunion.com reported that Leon Botstein’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was much closer than previously known, neither Bard College nor its trustees have said anything. But students are talking. Including to us. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘Gross’: Amid silence from college, Bard students react to Botstein revelations
Amid silence from the college, many students disapproved of Leon Botstein courting a convicted sex offender for donations. But they don’t expect he will resign.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Bard College President Leon Botstein appears in the Epstein files more than 2,500 times, including arranging travel to Epstein’s island, hosting a visit with “girls” to campus and telling the child sex predator, “I miss you.” Sarah Trafton reports: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘I miss you’: Emails detail close ties between Jeffrey Epstein and Bard President Leon Botstein
Leon Botstein’s name appears in the Epstein files more than 2,500 times, including arranging travel to Epstein’s island and a visit with “girls” to the college.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Bard College President Leon Botstein appears in the Epstein files more than 2,500 times, including arranging travel to Epstein’s island, hosting a visit with “girls” to campus and telling the child sex predator, “I miss you.” Sarah Trafton reports: www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
‘I miss you’: Emails detail close ties between Jeffrey Epstein and Bard President Leon Botstein
Leon Botstein’s name appears in the Epstein files more than 2,500 times, including arranging travel to Epstein’s island and a visit with “girls” to the college.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
“Ultimately, that’s what journalism is in for: You need to shed some light and bring true understanding.” www.semafor.com/article/01/2...
semafor.com
“We’re not trying to recreate social media”: How Minnesota’s Star Tribune navigates a local crisis
The publication tries to offer a sober alternative to a social media swarm as a deadly shooting deepens the crisis in Minneapolis.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
BREAKING: The first upstate city to adopt rent stabilization became the first one to do it again. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Kingston votes again to keep rent control, declaring new housing emergency
The city’s Common Council unanimously acted to preserve rent stabilization after a disputed vacancy study threatened tenant protections.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Less than three days after Maria Silva reported on the cancellation of naturalization ceremonies across upstate, an apparent reversal by USCIS. Journalism, amirite?
timesunion.com
USCIS reverses course, reinstates halted naturalization ceremonies across New York
The move comes days after the Times Union revealed abrupt cancellations in at least seven counties, sparking bipartisan criticism and demands for answers.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
This doesn’t happen without Maria’s intrepid reporting on this policy change, which USCIS tried to keep quiet.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Christopher Baldner, the first state trooper in New York to stand trial for murder in connection with a vehicle pursuit, was found not guilty of that charge on Thursday. But jurors are split on whether to convict him of manslaughter. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Former Trooper Christopher Baldner found not guilty of murder, reckless endangerment
Jurors will return Friday to decide if they can convict Christopher Baldner in connection with a Thruway crash that killed 11-year-old Monica Goods.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Naturalization ceremonies are described by new citizens and local officials as joyful celebrations of American values. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services has been canceling them indefinitely in counties across upstate New York, and it won't say why. Maria Silva reports.
timesunion.com
USCIS halts upstate naturalization ceremonies, leaving hundreds waiting
Clerks in seven counties say federal agency under Department of Homeland Security did not explain the sudden cancellations, which have left hundreds of lawful permanent residents in limbo.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
I’m hearing Mark Sanford ran for president?
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Breaking late on Monday: a man has died mysteriously in upstate New York after “striking” two state police troopers with his vehicle. More when I know it. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Driver dies after striking two state troopers in Cairo
The troopers, assigned to the State Police Catskill barracks, suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a Route 23 traffic stop.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
His attorney called the arrest "a gross misunderstanding" and alleged the Ulster County DA was using it "to try to get an enhancement of his sentence” — that is, the plea agreement in which Boyle admitted to a series of felony child sexual abuse material charges.
timesunion.com
Kingston chiropractor facing child sex abuse material sentencing now charged with assaulting toddler
John Boyle III pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child sex abuse material earlier this year and was scheduled to be sentenced in December.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Absolutely fascinating story on the links between today's migrant detentions and the role played by North Country jails where Chinese migrants ended up in the bad old days of the Exclusion Act. Esther Sun reports.
timesunion.com
ICE detentions in county jails have surged. The roots stretch to New York’s North Country
Family searches through North Country jail ledgers recall a hidden history that shaped today’s ICE detention network.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
EXCLUSIVE: A New York judge has rejected Texas’ attempt to enforce an abortion-related judgment against an upstate doctor who mailed abortion pills across state lines. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Court rejects Texas bid to enforce abortion judgment against NY doctor
A NY judge ruled that Texas can’t enforce a $113K judgment against a Hudson Valley doctor, citing the state’s reproductive shield law.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Will Truitt, a fast-rising young Republican who chairs the Dutchess County Legislature, says he lives in his parents’ basement. But he bought a home outside his district last June and we observed him there several times. The law requires reps to live in district. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Dutchess County Legislature’s chairman bought home outside his district
Will Truitt, the Hyde Park lawmaker running for comptroller, bought a $401K home outside his district. Records and observations raise questions about where he lives.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
John Thorn @johnthorn.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
As the NBA season opens, this is a good story on the early days of "basket ball." www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
The Hudson Valley’s forgotten role in basketball history
Hudson Valley teams and Jewish players helped invent modern basketball’s style, decades before the NBA.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
BREAKING: An Afghan refugee whose family resettled in New York after fleeing Taliban persecution was detained by ICE agents following a routine asylum interview on Tuesday. @mariamsilva.bsky.social has the story www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
ICE arrests Afghan refugee living in New Paltz after asylum hearing
Ali Sajad Faqirzada, who resettled with his family in Ulster County in 2022, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
At the Hudson Valley Apple Project, a cider pioneer is reviving rare apples that showcase the fruit’s remarkable — and nearly forgotten — genetic diversity. This is one of the coolest stories we’ve published this year. Liz Susman Karp reports www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
In a Columbia County orchard, heirloom apples tell stories of the past
At the Hudson Valley Apple Project, a cider pioneer is reviving rare apples — and showing how far beyond Red Delicious the fruit can go.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Yes, "hit-and-runs" plural. @phillippantuso.bsky.social reports. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
State trooper charged with DWI after alleged hit-and-runs
An officer with Troop K was arrested after hitting several vehicles while driving the wrong way on state Route 9 in Westchester County.
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
“If Hudson’s gonna be this fancy, it better have weird music shows.” Tristan Geary is out with a terrific profile of Basilica Hudson, which celebrates its 15th year with a new Soundscape festival and a partnership with Bowery Presents. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Basilica Hudson celebrates 15 years as a ‘temple of sound’
From a foundry to a glue factory to an experimental music venue, the cathedral-like industrial building has had many chapters.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Jon Campbell @joncampbellny.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Babe, wake up: The new Ulster County "I voted" sticker (IYKYK) just dropped ... and it's a good one. Shoutout to sixth-grader Ryker Darmanin for the winning design. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
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Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
New York AG Letitia James will intervene in Texas’ lawsuit against an upstate county clerk, setting up a constitutional showdown over the state’s telehealth shield law. www.timesunion.com/capitol/arti...
timesunion.com
New York attorney general to defend state’s shield law from Texas challenge
The move sets up the first major constitutional showdown over telehealth shield laws nationwide.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
BREAKING: AG Letitia James' office will intervene in a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that seeks to compel a New York court to enforce Texas’ abortion ban against a Hudson Valley doctor. @phillippantuso.bsky.social reports.
timesunion.com
New York attorney general to defend state’s shield law from Texas challenge
The move sets up the first major constitutional showdown over telehealth shield laws nationwide.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Jeff Seidman (he/him) @jeffsseidman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
1/x 🧵 🔌💡 #Greensky. Hey climate peeps! Here’s a local victory to celebrate, and some lessons from it. Last night, the Town of Poughkeepsie, NY, voted to overturn its 18-month moratorium (6 months, renewed twice) on grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
A targeted shooting at an Orange County barbershop, committed by a perpetrator who fled on an electric scooter. @phillippantuso.bsky.social reports. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Masked gunman opens fire inside Middletown barbershop
A 17-year-old boy was hit in what police believe was a targeted shooting on Wednesday evening.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Phillip Pantuso @phillippantuso.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
EXCLUSIVE: A New Jersey man is suing an upstate New York town and one of its cops over serious injuries he suffered when the officer slammed him to the pavement during an arrest, knocking him unconscious. The @timesunion.com obtained video. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Lawsuit seeks $27M from the town of Lloyd over alleged police brutality
Video obtained by the Times Union shows Lloyd Police Officer Erich Funccius slamming Mohammed Nashat Khaled to the pavement, rendering him unconscious.
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Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
Casey Seiler @caseyseiler.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
A man who was taken into custody during a DUI stop last December is suing the Ulster County town of Lloyd for $27M after he allegedly suffered serious injuries from bring sent to the pavement by a police officer. @phillippantuso.bsky.social reports. www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
timesunion.com
Lawsuit seeks $27M from the town of Lloyd over alleged police brutality
Video obtained by the Times Union shows Lloyd Police Officer Erich Funccius slamming Mohammed Nashat Khaled to the pavement, rendering him unconscious.
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