The Little History of Freedom of the Press

This story appeared today in the New York Times: "Judge Dismisses Trump's Suit Against the Wall Street Journal." The following is quoted from that article:

A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal over its report of his lewd birthday greeting to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Judge Darrin Gayles in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida said in his decision that Mr. Trump had not "plausibly alleged" that The Journal published the article with "actual malice," a legal standard meaning that it knew what it was publishing was false or had acted with reckless disregard as to its accuracy.

In the evolution of the laws that protect freedom of the press in this country, there have been many significant milestones. One of them, as has oft been recounted on Gossips, has a Hudson connection. 

In 1803, Harry Croswell, who, under the nom de plume Robert Rusticoat, wrote and published a newspaper here in Hudson called The Wasp, was indicted for "seditious libel" for reporting that Thomas Jefferson had paid a Washington newspaper publisher to run articles in his paper that were hostile to Jefferson's political opponents. At Croswell's trial here in Columbia County, a request to introduce the truth of the story as a defense was denied, and Croswell was found guilty. Croswell appealed the decision, and in his second trial, in New York Supreme Court, he was represented by Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton argued that the press had the right to print the truth, "with good motives or for justifiable ends," even of the truth reflected badly on "the government, magistracy or individuals." In 1805, Hamilton's argument that reporting the truth is not libel was incorporated into law.

An even earlier event in the history of freedom of the press in America is the trial of John Peter Zenger. In 1735, Zenger was tried for libel after he published opinions critical of the colonial governor, William Cosby, in his newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal.  

On Wednesday, April 15, Zenger's trial, in which he was acquitted, will be reenacted at the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse in Albany. The reenactment begins at 5:30 p.m. The courthouse is located at 445 Broadway. For more information, click here.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Warm days with temperatures rising into the 70s are expected in the week ahead. The water will be turned back on at the Hudson Dog Park. And here's what else is happening.

• On Monday, April 13, the Common Council Code and Infrastructure Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. On the agenda for the meeting, in addition to the monthly report from Department of Public Works superintendent Rob Perry, is a proposal from LaBella Associates for "preliminary investigations and concept development" for what is being called "Priority Pedestrian Safety Improvements in the City of Hudson"--pursuing Mayor Joe Ferris's oft-stated goal of improving pedestrian safety and walkability in Hudson. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, April 14, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting, which can be found here, includes public hearings on the plans to build an addition to accommodate an elevator and make interior renovations to the building once known as Helsinki Hudson and to adapt the interior of the houses at 14 and 16 North Fourth Street as hotel rooms, to be part of Hudson Public Hotel. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.   

• Wednesday, April 15, is the deadline for filing income tax returns.
• Also on Wednesday, April 15, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. As always, the meeting offers a chance to learn about HHA's redevelopment plans, and this time we may also learn if Mayor Joe Ferris has appointed someone to replace Sara Black on the HHA board. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.  

• At the very same time on Wednesday, April 15, the Zoning Board of Appeals holds its monthly meeting. On the agenda for the meeting are the area variances needed to construct a new house and carriage house on the site of the current house and outbuildings at 309-311 Union Street, which are being demolished. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.

• On Thursday, April 16, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. This is the meeting at which the Finance Committee will divvy up the $30,000 allocated in the 2026 city budget to support "events, event series, or other tourism-related initiatives." There is still time to submit an application. The committee will be accepting them until 4:00 p.m. on April 16, just an hour and a half before the meeting begins. Click here to submit an application. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Saturday, April 18, Return Brewing hosts its 1st Annual Hudson Neighborhood 5K in support of Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood. The event starts at 10:00 a.m. at Return Brewing, 725 State Street. The 5K race goes from Return Brewing to the waterfront and back again, where it finishes in the taproom with celebrating and music. For more information and to register for the race, click here.

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Restoring What Was

At the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, plans for the rehabbing of 345 Union Street, which once served as the lobby for the Union Street Guest House compound, were presented for review. A welcome part of that proposal is making the window on the second floor, over the door, the same size as the other windows on the facade.

Scrutiny of the picture above suggests there is ample physical evidence that the window opening was once the same size as the others, but there are also these pictures, found on PhotobyGibson.com, which show the building in January 1977, after the building had been damaged by fire.

PhotobyGibson.com

PhotobyGibson.com

The pictures show, too, that the windows were originally taller than they are now. It appears the sills were raised at some point, probably to make the openings a standard size for the replacement windows that were installed after the fire. 

The pictures also provide the answer to the mystery of this strange feature on the facade.

In 1977, it was an opening for an air conditioning unit.

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Happening Today

Today, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., you can learn more about Composing Olana, the new book by Annik LaFarge which explores the significance of Frederic Church's masterwork, Olana. 

After a short presentation, explore Olana's historic carriage roads on an outdoor walk and conversation with The Olana Partnership's landscape curator, Mark Prezorski. Discover the histories embedded in Olana's greater landscape and learn more about the preservation of this important National Landmark. To register for the event, click here.

Spring in Hudson

Spring often brings bear sightings in Hudson, as young bears wander far and wide in search of food. So far, to Gossips' knowledge, no bears have visited Hudson yet this year, but another of form of wildlife. whose presence in Hudson is rare if not previously unknown. has made an appearance. A swan has been spotted on Oakdale Lake, swimming about and contentedly munching on algae.

Photo: Sarah Sterling

Many thanks to Sarah Sterling for bringing this to Gossips' attention.

Hudsonopoly!

The game was created to celebrate Hudson's bicentennial in 1985. At the very first Winter Walk in 1997, Historic Hudson raffled off a Hudsonopoly set. (If memory serves, it was won by Alana Hauptmann and Perry Cooney.) I haven't seen the actual game since. It is the stuff of legend.

Photo: Trixie's List

Today, Rich Volo reports in Trixie's List that he discovered a Hudsonopoly game in mint condition in the window at The Second Show, and he bought it! For more pictures of the legendary game, click here.

History for Sale

Gossips has a few times mentioned the Swallow, the steamboat that crashed into the tiny rock island known as Noah's Brig, just south of Middle Ground Flats, on the evening of April 7, 1845. You can read an account of that disaster and watch a video about it on the Hudson River Maritime Museum website. 

Timbers and lumber from the wrecked steamboat were salvaged and used to build a house in Valatie. Today, the Times Union reports that the house, known as the Swallow House, is for sale: "Historic Valatie home built from sunken steamboat hits the market."  

Photo: Gilcrest Properties

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The News We Wait for Every Spring

Word has just been received from the Hudson Police Department. The usual fair-weather suspension on weekends of alternate side of the street overnight parking will begin this year at midnight on Friday, May 1. This means that, beginning in May, cars can be parked overnight from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday on either side of the street. The weekend suspension continues until further notice, which will be sometime in the fall.

News from Across the River

In January, it was announced by CREATE Council on the Arts that Greene County was appointing its first-ever poet laureate. The role of a poet laureate was meant to promote poetry throughout the county. The history-making appointment was to go to Esther Cohen, who was selected "for her work as a poet and poetry teacher as well as her commitment to Greene County." Tomorrow, April 11, Cohen was to be honored in a ceremony celebrating National Poetry Month.

Today, however, it was reported by The Overlook that Cohen's appointment has been revoked by the chairman of the Greene County legislature: "Greene County Rescinds Poet Laureate Appointment Due to Facebook Posts." Greene County legislators discovered two posts on Cohen's Facebook page that "appeared to celebrate the prospect of President Donald Trump's death."

Something Worth Sharing

I'm a great fan of Parks and Recreation. I'm also a great fan of The West Wing. I have binge-watched both more than once. (Interestingly, Parks and Rec was pitched as "The West Wing with lower stakes.") 

I share this personal confession because today in Chronogram Brian Mahoney reviewed a new book: "Why 'Parks and Recreation' Still Matters in 2026."  

The book being reviewed is Parks & Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit'rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America. The book was written Jennifer Keishen Armstrong, who lives in New Paltz. In the book Armstrong argues that Parks and Recreation "offers a radical vision of government as human-scale, collaborative, and worth believing in." 

The review, and possibly the book too, is recommended reading.

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On the Subject of Paint

Because a classic misconception used to make people fear historic designation is "They're going to tell you what color you can paint your house," the Historic Preservation Commission in Hudson has always stressed that they do not opine on paint colors. When it comes to paint, the only time the HPC wants to be involved is when paint is being removed from masonry or being applied to masonry that has not been painted before, because both actions can damage historic materials. Although this is something the members of the HPC have agreed to among themselves, it doesn't seem to be well communicated to the general public or apparently to our new code enforcement officer. 

At some time recently, 534 Warren Street, the location of Vero Handcrafted Coffeehouse & Market, a brick building that was not previously painted, was painted blue-gray. The plan to paint the building never came before the HPC.

If the HPC is serious about wanting to weigh in on the appropriateness of applying paint to formerly unpainted masonry or removing paint from masonry, they need to find a way to get the word out. The HPC typically relies on the code enforcement officer to determine what projects need to go before the HPC, but since painting a building does not require a building permit, painting projects, even those that involve putting paint on brick that has remained unpainted for more than a century, bypasses code enforcement and hence also the HPC.

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Housing Trust Fund Board Needs New Members

At the meeting of the Housing Trust Fund Board yesterday, only one member of the board was present: Margaret Morris, who as Common Council president is an ex officio member. There are currently only three confirmed members of the committee, two of whom are ex officio members: Morris and Jeffrey Dodson, the executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority. The third member is Usha Berlin, who has served on the Housing Trust Fund Board since its beginning in 2022. 

The board is intended to have from six to nine members, so at least three new members are needed. Candidates must live in Hudson, be at least 18 years old, and have some interest in or knowledge of housing issues. (When the board was first formed, having "some experience in managing funds" was a requirement for membership.) Those wanting to be considered for the Housing Trust Fund Board should submit a letter of interest to Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo at housing@cityofhudson.org. New members of the Housing Trust Fund Board are appointed by the board of Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA).

An overview of the Housing Trust Fund, published in 2022, can be found here. That document describes the mission of the Hudson Trust Fund in this way:

To preserve and create affordable rental units and homeownership opportunities in the City of Hudson so that all our residents, especially the most vulnerable, have access to stable housing

At this point, it seems the Housing Trust Fund's primary function is providing emergency rental assistance through the Hudson Roots program, managed by Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, for which about $50,000 is budgeted annually. Strangely, no information about the program could be found either on the City of Hudson website or the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood website. 

At the meeting yesterday, Michelle Tullo cited "goal setting" as one of the tasks of the Housing Trust Fund Board. These are the goals that were set in 2022 and memorialized in the overview:

• To prevent displacement of residents and to preserve livability for all household types by helping provide a full range of housing choices throughout the City for all incomes, ages, and household sizes 
• To mitigate the cost of housing, particularly for low- and moderate-income households 
• To increase the supply of affordable housing 
• To meet existing and anticipated housing and employment needs within the City

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HCSD Community Budget Workshop Next Week

Last week, Roger Hannigan Gilson reported in the Times Union that the proposed 2026-2027 budget for the Hudson City School District has gone from $61.4 million to $63.1 million. (The budget for the current school year is $58.5 million.) The following is quoted from Gilson's article:

Even if the school board were to approve a budget that would raise taxes by the maximum allowable amount this year--5.8 percent--and spend the maximum allowable amount of the unassigned fund balance, the district would be $2.58 million short, or more than 4% of the total proposed budget of $63.1 million.

Mark DePace, president of the Board of Education, asked the district to prepare plans for cutting $2.5 to $4.5 million from the proposed budget. The results of that effort are expected to be reported at the BOE meeting next Tuesday, April 14. On that day, the Policy Committee will meet from 5:00 to 5:50 p.m. The Community Budget Workshop will begin at 6:00 p.m. Apparently, not a lot of people are expected to show up since the meeting is set to take place in the high school library.

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Intel from the IDA

At the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meeting on Monday, Mike Tucker, the administrative director, reported on the current ownership and leasing status of Hudson Depot Lofts, 76 North Seventh Street.

This recently completed apartment building is one of the properties that the Galvan Foundation is giving to Bard College. Although there has not yet been a closing on the transfer of ownership, there is an agreement in place that allows Bard to manage the property. Tucker reported that he had met with the person from Bard responsible for leasing the apartments in the building, who indicated that Bard had hired a leasing company to carry out the task. Tucker reported that the building is almost fully leased up, although Zillow still indicates there are 47 available units.

The IDA's interest in the building is clear. In 2021, the IDA approved a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) and other financial benefits for the construction of this building with the understanding that the building would provide "workforce housing" at two income tiers: up to 80 percent of area median income (AMI) and up to 130 percent of AMI. Of the 64 units in the building, only 12 were designated for the lower income level; the other 52 units are designated households with incomes between 80 and 130 percent of the AMI.  At that level, the rents start at $2,275 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,775 for a two-bedroom, and $3,400 for a three-bedroom. 

The 12 apartments meant to the lower income bracket were leased quickly. Not so the other 52 units. Tucker explained, as he has before, that the combination of the credit requirements and the income cap "makes for a very small band of eligibility." There is a contingency in the PILOT agreement that allows apartments to be rented to people with incomes above the 130 percent AMI cap if eligible tenants cannot to found within the income limits, but Tucker said Bard was committed to maintaining the income levels and suggested they might consider lowering the rents to make them more affordable. He also suggested the people from Bard involved in managing the building might attend the next meeting of the IDA.

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A Modest Proposal for HCSD

In January, the Hudson City School District Board of Education began its search for a new Superintendent of Schools, using the same search organization they have used in the past with less than satisfactory results, HYA. Addressing the question of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome, Mark DePace, school board president, maintained that this time would be different because they would be working with Kaweeda Adams, an HYA associate based in Albany who, according to DePace, was chosen "because of her familiarity with the district." 

At a school board meeting in late January, a woman identifying herself as a "proud graduate of the Hudson City School District" who has worked for the district for the past sixteen years questioned the need to look outside the district for a new superintendent, asserting, "The strongest leaders the district has known came right up through the ranks right here." She cited as examples Neil Howard, who retired in 1995; Jack Howe, who served as superintendent from 2009 to 2012; and Maria Suttmeier, who succeeded Howe and retired in 2022.

Today, Peter Meyer, who was a member of the school board that hired Suttmeier in 2012, sent the following letter to recipients he described as "Friends of Hudson Education." Gossips received the letter and permission to publish it here.

Dear Friends of Hudson Education,

I'm happy to say that as a result of my delay sending this message out, I can include reference to Roger Hannigan Gilson's story in last Friday's Albany Times Union: "Hudson school board faces tough choices amid huge budget gap." 

Unfortunately, Hudson City School District (HCSD, which includes the communities of Hudson, Claverack, Greenport, Stockport, Ghent, and Livingston) was already in crisis: reading and math test scores are among the lowest in the state; graduation rates are embarrassingly low; enrollment numbers are at a historic low (under 1,500 K-12 students); all amid administrative and classroom turmoil caused by having three different superintendents in just the last four years.

As a former board member, parent, longtime resident and education journalist, I am not happy about the HCSD crisis or Gilson's "huge budget gap" story, but, dear friend of education, you should be alternately alarmed, troubled or mad about what's happening at 215 Harry Howard Avenue. Gilson quotes HCSD board member Diana Howard saying, "I'm just in panic mode right now."

In fact, the board of ed has been a bit panicked for the last several years and I am attaching a suggested letter that I encourage all residents, taxpayers, and parents to send to Ms. Howard and her colleagues on the board as soon as possible--to help them get our dear school district back on the tracks.

There is still time for them to do the right thing: stop using tens of thousands of our dollars searching for yet another superintendent when we have one already working for us (i.e. can the consultants); set up a task force to figure out why two-thirds of our kids read below grade level (hint: it ain't the kids'--or their parents'--fault).

We all know it's not easy teaching kids. But we should also know that it's not impossible if we do what our boys basketball team just did: work hard practicing the skills that work to learn and win.

The board can get started today. And it can certainly be mostly done before May if they decide to do it. See the budget timeline here. We don't need another year of chaos. And we don't need another stack of invoices payable to out-of-state consultants.

Please send a version of the attached to to the Board of Education (via email or USPS) as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for your time and concern. The kids will thank you.

Peter Meyer

Founder & Executive Director

School Life Media

The sample letter Meyer mentions can be found here. The information about the superintendent search provided by HCSD can be found here. 

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article of interest today in the Times Union: "Hudson Valley continues decades long population slide after brief pandemic bump." The article provides this information specifically about Columbia County:

In the northern Hudson Valley, income gains occurred even as population declined, because those moving in tended to earn more than those leaving. In Columbia County, for example, new residents between 2019 and 2021 reported average household incomes of about $166,100, compared to $68,800 for those who moved out--roughly 240% higher.

That gap narrowed in the most recent data. Households moving into Columbia County reported average incomes of $114,885, while those leaving earned $95,936.

It's Confirmed

What Gossips reported on Saturday has been confirmed. The following is a press release just received from Tiffany Martin, mayor's aide.

Mayor Ferris is pleased to announce he will be appointing Sara Black--a research scholar and Lecturer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute--to the Planning Board. A Ph.D. in Geography, Sara conducted work funded by the National Science Foundation at the University of Georgia on gentrification and the Hudson Valley political economy. She moved to Hudson in 2012 to work in agriculture, followed by various positions in the service and retail industries. Since 2019, Sara has been active in local affordable housing initiatives. She contributed qualitative and quantitative research to Hudson’s successful $1M Anti-Displacement Learning Network grant (2019-2020), served as the Administrative Coordinator for the Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency (2021-2024), developed cooperative governance and finance models for Hudson Dots (2024), and served as the Treasurer of the Board of Commissioners for the Hudson Housing Authority (2025-2026). In addition to teaching, she works part-time as the Administrative Director for Sweet Freedom Farm. She is the proud aunt of a Montgomery C. Smith kindergartener (and one soon-to-be preschooler).

The Mayor thanks Gaby Hoffmann for her service to the Planning Board and commitment to the Hudson community.