Author: Peter Spengeman
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Invasive Beetle Makes Home in Ulster County
In July, 2010, an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive beetle residential to east Asia, was found in Saugerties, N.Y., and has since been infecting ash trees all throughout Ulster County in devastating measure. According to the National Invasive Species Information Center, the EAB was originally found in Michigan in 2002, and has been moving eastward…
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Check it Out: Two States
In a world where music can be made by a kid in his mother’s basement using just a computer, it is refreshing to hear some good ol’ rock n’ roll. Enter Two States. Hailing from Pleasantville in southern Westchester County, these five young dudes have been avid listeners of all types of rock, incorporating vocal and…
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Actin’ A Phool!
The Second Annual Phools Parade took place on April 16 in New Paltz. An eccentric march began at the New Paltz Middle School on Main Street and finished at Hasbrouck Park. The Phools Parade is a community event that invites adults and children of all ages to dress up and come together, celebrating the creative…
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Minnewaska State Preserve Stays Open…For Now
A $10 billion deficit in the New York State Park budget leaves hikers and nature enthusiasts despondent over the future of local parks. The economy has poorly affected state parks for the last two years. The popular Minnewaska State Preserve, located in Kerhonkson, was in danger of closing in the winter of 2009. Protests by…
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Quiet for a Cause
On Friday, April 15, a group of New Paltz students participated in Day of Silence, a protest in which those involved took a vow of silence to spread awareness about harassment and bullying in the LGBTQ community. The protest took place in the Soujourner Truth Library lobby. Protesters held signs inviting passersby to comment on a…
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New Paltz Women’s Rugby Wins Ruckfest in Dramatic Fashion
On April 2, the New Paltz women’s rugby football club hosted the 4th Annual Ruckfest, a tournament featuring eight rugby teams from around the state, and won in dramatic, triple-overtime fashion. The New Paltz women’s rugby team, ranked 14th in the nation, faced Division I juggernaut Cornell in the tournament’s final. Both teams went undefeated…
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Spengin’ the Underground: Breakfast in Fur
I asked my good buddy, Dean Engle, who co-runs the cassette record label Responsible Records, based in New Paltz, for some upcoming local releases. He turned me onto Breakfast in Fur, a five-piece ambient bedroom-pop band that is on the rise in the New Paltz scene, and who are gearing up to release their debut EP on…
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Wood Exhibition Spotlights New Paltz Talent
On Friday, March 4, the Fine Arts Building Rotunda was transformed into an art gallery, as students and parents gazed upon the aesthetic creations made by SUNY New Paltz’s wood design students. The 8th SUNY New Paltz Wood Design Exhibition is an event that serves as a showcase for the final projects completed by all wood design…
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Landlord-Tenant Relations Council Looks to Improve Community
The Tenant-Landlord Relations Council, along with special guests, met on Wednesday, March 2, sending the community a simple message: just communicate. In a college-town, where tenants are changing every year, it grows hard for a neighborhood-like atmosphere to emerge. How will students know about their rights as tenants? And who will protect the relationship between…
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Spengin’ The Underground: RADIOHEAD DROPS NEW ALBUM
Earlier this week, the indie-world was all a-flutter when Radiohead announced that their long-anticipated album, The King of Limbs, would be released on Feb. 19. The announcement came as a surprise since, before Monday, the only word known about this release was that “it would be released sometime in early 2011.” All week, the blogs…
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The Budget Debate Rages
The campus is buzzing with a budget debate which is sure to remain a hot topic all semester long. The budget cuts proposed by the SUNY New Paltz administration are poised to face intense opposition from students and faculty alike. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, SUNY New Paltz students are holding a forum to discuss the…
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Spengin’ The Underground: Akron/Family
Akron/Family, a rock-psych band based out of New York, is known for its freak-out jam sessions, thumping rhythms and epic live shows, which sometimes brings people from the crowd on stage. Since 2002, Akron/Family has declared itself an eccentric freak-folk group whose lyrics focus on the cosmos, space and existentialism. In 2007, former member Ryan Vanderhoof…
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Spengin’ The Underground: Woodsman
I love bands that create atmospheric sound. To listen to an album and become totally transfixed by its sound can bring you to another time and place. Cue Woodsman, an ambient psych-rock band from Denver, CO., who offer a unique blend of guitar-driven drone that create a very warm, relaxing, yet otherworldly quality. Woodsman’s sound is very reminiscent of experimental…