PHILLIP PANTUSO
Special Projects
A special section in the July 2020 issue of Chronogram that looks at the opportunities before us and what it will take to capture them in the wake of COVID-19, across six interrelated themes: health, economy, food and agriculture, public space, education, and social justice. Chronogram/The River, July 2020. Awarded Best Special Section from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia
The River's ongoing project dedicated to original reporting and analysis on how the climate crisis is changing the Hudson Valley and Catskills region, and the solutions that are helping us prepare for and adapt to that change.
At the Black Lives Matter Protests in the Hudson Valley
On the ground in nine municipalities across the region. I developed the package and commissioned and edited every dispatch. The River, June 2020
A four-part series co-created with Scenic Hudson that asks environmental activists in the region what they envision in their areas over the next decade, and how we get there. We also commissioned original collages depicting each subject and their vision from the artist Johanna Goodman. The River, December 2020
Features and Enterprise
An investigation into opioid addiction in the region, and its larger impacts on New York state, from both human-centered and research-based perspectives. The River, December 2019. Awarded Best Feature Article in its division by the New York Press Association
The Little Schooner That Might
A longform feature, with original photography, about the schooner Apollonia and her quixotic dream of bringing sail freight back to the Hudson River—and reducing carbon emissions in the process. Proud of the layout on this one. The River, February 2022
The Future of Overdose Prevention in New York
The nation’s first supervised injection sites opened in late 2021 in Manhattan. Could this effective yet controversial solution come upstate? The River, January 2022
Anti-Vaxxers Maintain Persistent Presence in the Hudson Valley
The Columbia County group Do We Need This? waged an aggressive campaign of disinformation, with vaccine uptake stalled and Omicron surging. The River, January 2022
A Refugee's Journey from Afghanistan to Albany
Some 650 Afghan refugees are expected to resettle in the Capital District before the end of 2022. Will they have the resources they need? The River, December 2021
The Backyard Battle for New York’s Climate Future
A proposal to place large solar arrays in bucolic Copake has inflamed passions on both sides—and illuminated a challenge for the state in reaching its energy goals. The River, September 2021
A Real Estate Developer's Plot to Sell Newburgh
Seraphim Equities pushed an arts festival and made appeals to community—while buying up buildings and evicting residents. The River, April 2021
How the Poughkeepsie Police Union Tried to Defeat Reform
A monthslong dispute between the council and the police department’s labor union spilled out into the public, revealing the tactics cop associations use to bully politicians. The River, April 2021
Amtrak’s Secret Plan to Fence Off Parts of the Hudson River
A confidential document we obtained details the railroad company’s strategy for further limiting access to the river’s east bank. The River, January 2021
Uneven Police Reform Compliance Frustrates Mid-Hudson Communities
In Executive Order 203, Governor Cuomo gave officials a litmus test in community engagement. Constituents say they’ve got a ways to go. The River, April 2021
How a Luxury Hotel Gained Control of Access to a State Trail
Emails reveal how Kingston officials ceded control of a gate in a public area, while activists say the city was dragging its feet on a solution for those facing homelessness. The River, June 2021
Remote Learning Doesn’t Support Special Education Learners
Shuttered schools posed learning challenges for most families. But parents of children with developmental disabilities fear a critical loss of educational and social skills. The River, June 2020