Every year, on a Tuesday in November, millions of Americans across the country exercise their civic duty and vote. This year’s election in Saratoga Springs is slated to be particularly contentious, with many vital policies on the ballot, including the recent shutdown of the CDTA Route 452 bus line, which offers direct service to Skidmore campus.

On Sunday, September 14, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for the 2025 New York City race. Mamdani announced his candidacy for the mayoral election in October of 2024 and has since had an extremely successful campaign, primarily focusing on making the city more affordable.

On October 8th, 2025, Israel and Hamas negotiators met in Egypt and agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire agreement. This monumental task was achieved not through direct discussion between parties, but through intermediaries from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, as well as American businessman and son-in-law of President Trump, Jared Kushner, and the United States’ Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

On Monday, September 15, as the new school year began on campus at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, the body of 21-year-old student Demartravion “Trey” Reed was found hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts.

On September 22nd, US President Donald Trump made an announcement regarding the “Autism Epidemic,” a name to suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased in the American population in recent years. Trump advised doctors to not prescribe the pain reliever Tylenol, formally known as acetaminophen, to pregnant women.

It’s election season. Not a national election, or even a local Saratoga election: it’s time for SGA elections, so let’s learn more about the candidates so you can make an educated choice when you cast your vote tonight. 

In Marvin Gaye’s 1971 song Mercy, Mercy, Me (The Ecology), Gaye sings, “What about this overcrowded land, how much more abuse from man can she stand?” Gaye was tapping into a flourishing environmental movement of the ‘70s. This is where the “Yes In My Backyard” (YIMBY) has come in, a pro-housing movement that encourages new housing, urban development, and opposes density limits.

On March 26, 2025, Skidmore College's World Languages and Literatures Department announced during a Zoom meeting its decision to eliminate the Self-Instructed Language Program (SILP) from the course catalog. SILP allowed students to study a language independently while meeting with an instructor for two hours per week.

After an exciting election season, The Skidmore News was excited to sit down with the college’s next SGA President, Samantha Majiedt, to ask how she felt about her victory and her plans for the upcoming semester.

Over the past few months, the Department of Education has experienced many changes, some of which are causing concern for families, educators, and students across the United States. Among other responsibilities, the DOE is most known for ensuring rights to an equitable education, supporting schools, and providing grants and loans for higher education. 

Perhaps the most anticipated race of the season is for SGA President, as current President Josh Maxwell ‘26 runs against Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Samantha Majiedt ‘27. Although there have been debates for this position in previous years, none in recent memory has stirred this much excitement—or showcased two very different candidates.