Phillip Pantuso
banner
phillippantuso.bsky.social
Phillip Pantuso
@phillippantuso.bsky.social
Hudson Valley editor @timesunion.com | tips, upstate gossip to phillip.pantuso@timesunion.com | depressed Tottenham fan
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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.
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.
www.timesunion.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I’m hearing Mark Sanford ran for president?
November 18, 2025 at 3:56 AM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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.
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.
www.timesunion.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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.
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.
www.timesunion.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:39 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
As the NBA season opens, this is a good story on the early days of "basket ball." www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
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.
www.timesunion.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:05 PM
“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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
September 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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...
September 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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.
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.
www.timesunion.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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).
September 4, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
September 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
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...
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.
www.timesunion.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Excited to share that the @timesunion.com is hiring another Hudson Valley reporter. We want someone with deep reporting skills and an eye for scoops. You may also take on some editing eventually (no prior experience required).

Reach out w/ questions!

eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Hudson Valley News Reporter/Editor
The Times Union is seeking a general assignment news reporter to cover stories in the Hudson Valley and serve as an occasional editor for our expanding team in the region. Our ideal candidate is a dri...
eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
INVESTIGATION: an NY Senate candidate reported contributions of $250 from several homeless people who told the newspaper that they never donated money to his campaign and that they were paid to submit contribution forms for the campaign.
www.timesunion.com/capitol/arti...
Homeless people say they got paid to be donors in Senate campaign
Law enforcement are investigating whether Caleb Slater allegedly paid people in exchange for donations to get money from the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program during the 2024 election.
www.timesunion.com
August 15, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Phillip Pantuso
The man, who was mentally ill, was shot following an encounter with a Dutchess County crisis team.
Bodycam footage shows police killing mentally ill Poughkeepsie man holding sword
The man, who was mentally ill, was shot following an encounter with a Dutchess County crisis team.
bit.ly
August 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
BREAKING: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the acting clerk of Ulster County over his repeated refusal to file a summary judgment and court summons against a New York doctor who mailed abortion pills to a Texas patient.
Texas attorney general sues Ulster County clerk over abortion filing
Ken Paxton is seeking a writ of mandamus that would compel Taylor Bruck to file a Texas judgment in New York state court
www.timesunion.com
July 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
A former high school wrestling coach was charged with 18 counts of rape of two teenage students — which investigators learned about while looking into similar crimes a local cop allegedly committed.

www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
Rape investigation into Saugerties cop leads prosecutors to wrestling coach
Allegations against ex-Saugerties wrestling coach Reid Kappler emerged during an investigation of a local police officer accused of similar crimes.
www.timesunion.com
July 24, 2025 at 9:18 PM