Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News

September 6, 2025

Fall mornings in Upstate New York often bring heavy fog as cool night air meets warmer ground and lingering moisture from rivers and fields, creating a soft veil that rises with the sun. John Bulmer

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

Bill Haenel is the Director of Digital Services for North Country Public Radio, the NPR affiliate whose signal serves the sprawling and sparsely populated Adirondacks. He’s part of a rotating team that curates the station’s daily email news roundup. There’s an essay at the top, and this week Haenel authored something that is so beautifully written that we — like he with his favorite month — had to share:

What can I say about September, friends —

It's the space between seasonal breaths. Stretching one glow out to meet the next, September is the perfect alignment of summer heat and autumn cool, of equally portioned sunsets and sunrises, of gentle, sunny days, and crisp, starry nights. September is the moderation of letting go and holding on. Knowing this, the seasons don’t argue about September as they do about March. Summer and fall don’t fight for custody over September. They happily share it. September may not have the promise of rebirth and wonder, but it has the wisdom of experience and knowledge. It's grace, poise, and balance. Before September came growth. After it, aging. Ripening. Dropping. It’s the end. It’s the beginning. It’s the beginning of the end. The end of the beginning. Inhale? Exhale. 

It's my favorite month. I like to say it’s my month. But I’m willing to share it. 

ALL FOR LOVE: A woman in British Columbia was mortified to discover her wedding rings missing and sure she would never see them again, especially when she pieced it all together and concluded the rings had somehow slipped into a popcorn bag that was on its way to the compost facility at the local dump. The facility operator took pity when her husband showed up the next morning, agreeing to let the man, Steve Van Ysseldyk, sift through 18 tons of compost — about three dump truck loads — in what the operator was sure was a quixotic search. “It stunk, but I could imagine if it was hotter, it would have been a lot worse,” Van Ysseldyk told The Washington Post. By now you’ve probably surmised, correctly, that Van Ysseldyk found the rings. “You are an amazing man and husband,” Jeannine Van Ysseldyk wrote on Facebook.

PHONES DOWN: A bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use in New York State public schools took effect this school year, with the New York Daily News praising Gov. Kathy Hochul for pushing it through the Legislature and thanking her “On behalf of upwards of a million NYC students, their teachers and their parents.” Sadly, many parents are teaching their kids they don’t have to obey rules they don’t like by actively searching for devices that skirt the ban, evidently believing their “right” to instantly communicate with their child trumps the law.

REPORTS OF MY DEATH: This may come as a surprise, but the president is not dead, though you wouldn’t know it from the online frenzy that erupted in dark corners of the internet last weekend. The phrase “Trump is dead” appeared more than 5,000 times from August 28 to September 2 across various social media platforms in and outside the United States. Posts on X containing the phrase generated the most engagement, with more than 2 million likes and 122,000 shares. For controversial leaders, fake death comes to the internet frequently. Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin have been rumored dead on several occasions, and before them, Fidel Castro and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

SELLING SOBER: Major national hospitality businesses are paying close attention to the social shift toward less alcohol consumption, especially among young adults. Beverage brands are not just removing alcohol from their standard offerings; they’re branching into kombuchas, tonics, infusions, malts, probiotics and craft sodas. Luxury hotel groups are requiring their premium locations to offer a “sophisticated zero-proof option” for guest who choose not to drink. Non-alcoholic “soft pairings” are appearing on the wine lists of fine dining establishments.

WALKING SMALL: Baby Boomers certainly will remember the incredible story of Buford Pusser, the rural Tennessee sheriff who took on vice with powerful gusto, using a bat to smash gambling tables, car windows or whatever else he needed to bust up to lay down the law. His efforts made him a target, and in 1967, we learned in the blockbuster hit movie “Walking Tall,” his wife, Pauline, was killed and Pusser was seriously wounded in an ambush carried out by the criminals he was fighting. His story inspired many people to join the ranks of law enforcement. Authorities in Tennessee now say that Pusser, who died in a car accident in 1974, staged the ambush, and in fact killed his wife before shooting himself. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began reexamining decades-old files on Pauline’s death in 2022 as part of its regular review of cold cases, and agents found inconsistencies between Pusser’s version of events and the physical evidence, which led to the exhumation of Mrs. Pusser for an autopsy.

Enjoy the sunshine and warmth while you can, friends.

A COMPANION’S STORY: You may have wondered about Garrison Keillor since his retirement and the scandal that ended his public radio career. You can hear for yourself: He’s coming to Hudson Falls, N.Y., to the wonderfully renovated Strand Theater, with his longtime friend and accompanist Richard Dworsky, who for 23 years served as pianist and music director for Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Keillor is 83 now, still a working writer, rising at 4 most days to make the coffee and work on a novel, screenplay, a column and shows like the one he will perform Nov. 6 at the Strand. No longer in Minnesota, he’s enjoying the anonymity of New York City. “St. Paul was full of reminders of dreadful mistakes I made, grand houses I bought on impulse, impulsive romances, a wretched decision in 1987 to quit the show I loved and move to Denmark,” Keillor says. Over time, “the mistakes fade away; the lucky turns remain clear …”

NO LAUGHING MATTER: Warren County, N.Y., is looking for a way to ban or limit the sale of nitrous oxide for recreational use after the death of a 31-year-old Queensbury man. Here’s the problem: Nitrous oxide — “laughing gas” — is intended for use in culinary applications and its label advises against inhalation. When it’s inhaled, it slows the nervous system and can produce euphoria. Chronic use may lead to nerve damage and asphyxiation, unconsciousness, cardiac arrest and death.

WAYMO SCARY: If the New York mayoral race isn’t scary enough, self-driving taxis are coming to New York City — at least for a pilot test. The self-driving ride-share company Waymo has been granted the first permit allowing a test of eight Jaguar I-Pace SUVs in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The vehicles will be occupied by a safety operator who will maintain contact with the steering wheel. Waymo is not cleared to test with passengers yet but is pushing for a change in state law that would allow driverless vehicles. The question: Is Waymo ready for New York’s bicyclists, pedestrians, and potholes?

HOMES FOR THE AGES: Two world-class Adirondack estates — including one never before offered for sale — are about to go up for auction this fall. The sellers have chosen a live, luxury auction as the sales method, with bidders both physically present on the property and participating via video or teleconference. “Put simply, we have not encountered a property in all of our experience in upstate NY that is such a pristine example of the beautiful, natural lands in the Adirondacks region,” the listing agent says of one property, in the hamlet of Bloomingdale in Essex County, about 25 minutes from Lake Placid, with 295 acres, two lakes, a meandering brook, hiking trails and panoramic views of Whiteface and Esther mountains. The other property, Camp Iroquois in Saranac Lake, is a historic 4,000-square-foot Great Camp once owned by an Ohio coil and iron dealer who was the son of Ohio’s governor during the Civil War.
 HOME DELIVERY: The new mockumentary “The Paper” debuted on NBC’s Peacock this week. Developed by the team that brought you “The Office,” it’s the story of The Toledo Truth Teller, a local newspaper fighting mightily to reverse the death spiral of print journalism. Next up: “The DMV.” Of course, you’ll need to wait for that.

SURPLUS SKIN: Obesity drugs are helping millions of Americans shed tons of weight. But what about the loose, saggy skin that just hangs on? Skin will flex as you gain weight, build up muscle or become pregnant. But experts say that, like a rubber band, skin stretched for too long doesn’t always snap back.

ROAD RAGE: If you think the roar of summer fun has subsided in Lake George, N.Y., drive up this weekend for the 36th annual Adirondack Nationals car show, one of the largest in the Northeast. More than 1,000 creations of automotive art — hot rods, muscle cars, sports cars, antique and vintage vehicles — will be on display, and 50,000 people are expected.

WILDLIFE AND DEATH: It’s hard to imagine who was more surprised — the bird watcher who spotted a small alligator swimming in a pond on Long Island, or the homeowner who walked into the entry room of his home and was attacked by a black bear. Meanwhile, state authorities are investigating discharges into a creek from a Western New York cheese factory that resulted in what the Department of Environmental Conservation is calling a “significant fish and wildlife die-off.”

ACCIDENTAL WINDFALL: An Ohio couple on a Powerball run made a wrong turn, ending up at a location they had never patronized. One of the tickets they purchased netted them a $1 million jackpot.

JOHN C. LEMERY was born in the proud working-class neighborhood of Glens Falls’ Fifth Ward and became a leading architect in the rebuilding of Upstate New York’s struggling economy. He was instrumental in securing government approvals for the 1,350-acre Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta, Saratoga County, where GlobalFoundries now has its headquarters and 2,000 people work. He also served as the attorney for New York’s first hotel with an indoor water park, the $46-million Six Flags Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury, and for the development of a golf course and upscale residential development in Queensbury. Founder of the law firm Lemery Greisler, he taught entrepreneurship at the University at Albany and served as an adviser on economic development matters throughout the Capital Region and North Country. He was 85.

GIORGIO ARMANI was one of the biggest names in fashion, an iconic Italian designer who built a multibillion-dollar fashion empire that dressed A-listers from Hollywood to C-suites the world over. His handsome black tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show on award season red carpets, and he used his success in fashion to build an empire worth more than $10 billion, all of it solely his, including several clubs, bars and restaurants, two hotels and a professional basketball team in Milan. He wanted to become a doctor before a part-time job as a window decorator in a Milan department store opened his eyes to the world of fashion. He had wardrobe credits in more than 200 films, and his impact was such that, in 2000, New York’s Guggenheim museum presented a retrospective of Armani’s first 25 years in fashion. “I love things that age well, things that don’t date and become living examples of the absolute best,” Armani said of his efforts. He was 91.

MARK KNOLLER was CBS Radio’s correspondent at the White House for 40 years. He was best known among the White House press corps for his meticulous records of the activities of presidents, including how many times they played golf, read from a teleprompter and declared that they “will not rest” until finishing the job for the American people. He shared his voluminous records of presidential daily activities freely with other reporters, rare in the famously cut-throat world of Washington political reporting. “Mark represented the best of the White House press corps,” said AP Executive Editor Julie Pace, who worked alongside Knoller as the AP’s chief White House correspondent. “He demanded the same level of accountability and transparency from every president he covered, regardless of party. He carried out his work in the spirit of true public service, sharing his meticulous records of the presidency with any colleague who asked for a data point.” He was 73.

MARK ANDOL owned a welding and metal-fabrication firm in Elma, N.Y., near Buffalo, that lost a contract to supply steel posts to a fence manufacturer. A rival in China had undercut him by $3 a post. The loss eliminated almost half of his revenue and forced Andol to lay off nearly 40 employees, including a brother-in-law. Andol responded in 2010 by opening the Made in America Store that stocked only items 100% made in the U.S. He required suppliers to sign letters certifying their domestic purity. Tourists and tour buses came in droves. His store offered thousands of items — including plastic fly swatters, Cheese Please dog treats, cowboy hats made of vinyl, EZ-Duz-It manual can openers and T-shirts that encouraged shoppers to buy American-made goods “because China is a long drive to work.” His death at 59 was “sudden and unexpected,” the company said. The cause was not disclosed.

“Attacking me does not change the real cuts his budget threatens to make against patients, health care workers and hospitals. I’m happy to be the target of his outrage and criticism if that distracts him from cutting funding for those who report to work every day to save lives.”
—       Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, responding to the state House speaker’s call for his firing after the group criticized the House for passing a budget that included deep cuts to hospitals’ Medicaid reimbursements.  


ABDICATE THE THRONE: An analysis of 125 people undergoing colonoscopies found that those who scroll their phones while on the toilet had a 46% greater chance of developing hemorrhoids than those who don’t. It’s because of the extra time they spend seated. (Don’t tell us ours was the only house where the bathroom was also known as the library!)

Some of the linked material in Facing Out requires a subscription to read.

PLEASE SHARE: Feel free to pass this along to your friends and colleagues using the button below.

Principal Authors: Bill Callen and Mark Behan.

Contributors: Ryan Moore, Jim Murphy, Kristy Miller, John Brodt, Joe Pepe and John Bulmer.

FACING OUT is what we do. We help companies, organizations and individuals work effectively with their most important external audiences – their customers, their shareholders, their communities, the government and the news media.  www.behancommunications.com

Facing Out features news and other nuggets that caught our eye, and that we thought might be of value to you, our friends and business associates. Some items are good news about our clients and friends, others are stories that we hope will leave you a bit more informed or entertained than you were five minutes ago. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. 

Let’s make it a conversation: [email protected]