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Over 920K in the Hudson Valley are eligible More than 8 million New York state residents and 924,000 in the Hudson Valley will begin receiving "inflation refund" checks ranging from $150 to $400, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Friday (Sept. 25). Automatic payments have started going out to people who filed taxes as a New York resident for 2023 and were not claimed by someone else as a dependent, said Hochul, with payouts continuing through November. "This is your money and we're putting it back in your pockets," she said. The amount a person receives depends on filing status and income. Joint filers with incomes up to $150,000 will receive $400. Joint filers with incomes between $150,001 and $300,000 are eligible for $300 checks. Single filers with incomes up to $75,000 will receive $200. Single filers with incomes over $75,000 are eligible for $150. Visit tax.ny.gov/pit/inflation-refund-checks.htm for more information.

Holtec says no wastewater releases imminent A federal judge ruled on Wednesday (Sept. 24) that the state overstepped its authority when it passed a law to prevent the company decommissioning Indian Point from discharging radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River. The Save the Hudson act was passed in August 2023 to prevent Holtec International from discharging water containing tritium as it decommissions the shuttered nuclear power plant near Peekskill. Holtec sued in April 2024, arguing that the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 gives the federal government the "exclusive right to regulate the discharge of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants." The company also argued in its lawsuit that the discharges would be far below the federal government's limits for tritium in wastewater, and that Indian Point routinely made similar discharges during the 50 years the plant operated. Judge Kenneth Karas in White Plains agreed, ruling Wednesday that Holtec was within its rights and had assured compliance with federal regulations. New York Attorney General Letitia James has not yet announced whether she will appeal the decision. But Holtec officials said Thursday (Sept. 25), during a meeting of the Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board (DOB), that the company is not planning any discharges in the near term, and that they would discuss the issue with local stakeholders at a meeting next month. Even if the company decides to release wastewater into the Hudson, it needs to give the state a minimum 30-day notice. "Everyone is still digesting this," said state Sen. Peter Harckham, one of the Save the Hudson act's sponsors. "We don't know what the attorney general will do. I think we all need to wait and let the process play out, however it's going to play out in the courts." Holtec also said on Thursday that it is not considering reopening Indian Point - despite a recent article in Politico in which Kelly Trice, the company's president, said that it would be possible. The company estimates that rebuilding the reactors would cost $8 billion to $10 billion and take four years. Its estimate was prepared because the federal Department of Energy is "asking everyone that has a closed or decommissioned site," said Patrick O'Brien, a Holtec official. "The question we always get asked is, 'Is it possible to potentially rebuild Indian Point?' " he said at the DOB meeting. "Our goal is to answer the question once and for all publicly and just say yes, but if the political will exists." If Holtec did try to reopen Indian Point, it would face numerous hurdles. First, as part of the shutdown agreement, any plans to again create nuclear energy at the site must be unanimously approved by the Village of Buchanan, the Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York State and the Hendrick Hudson School District. At the DOB meeting, Susan Spear, Westchester's commissioner of emergency services, read a statement from County Executive Ken Jenkins in which he declared that the county "will not agree to support and will oppose any application for nuclear reactors at the Indian Point site." According to Jenkins, "We need to just move on." Holtec would also face logistical hurdles. The company's estimate for reopening is based on essentially rebuilding the current plant, despite the fact that the reactors have been shut down and dismantled. "We would use existing equipment and add reconstituted parts," said O'Brien. "There's still good equipment there. For now we're continuing down a path of decommissioning." As the design of Indian Point was found, near the end of its lifecycle, to be in violation of the Clean Water Act, any new nuclear at Indian Point wouldn't be able to draw water from the Hudson. Holtec is in the final stages of attempting to restart the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, which initially shut down in 2022, by the end of the year. If it succeeds, it will be the first time a shuttered nuclear power plant has been restarted in the Un...

Students adjust to ban with board games, CD players A month into the statewide school cellphone ban, students in Beacon and Philipstown are playing cards during lunch, reading during study hall and showing up on time to class because they can no longer make TikTok videos on campus. Some Beacon High School students recently spent a free period playing tag. "They're being kids again," said Rachel Faiella, a Beacon High School social worker. "It's such a difference." Beginning in September, state law banned students from using their own internet-enabled devices during the school day. Students, teachers and administrators seem to agree that the ban has transformed the culture, particularly at Beacon High School, Rombout Middle School in Beacon and Haldane High School in Cold Spring. Cellphones were already banned in the Beacon and Haldane elementary schools, as well as in Haldane Middle School and the Garrison School, which serves students from pre-K to eighth grade. All local public schools had previously banned the use of cellphones during class. Beacon and Haldane students have mostly been complying, keeping their phones in their backpacks or leaving them at home, according to school officials. On Wednesday (Sept. 24), Julia Sniffen, the principal at Haldane High School, said a handful of students were starting to test the ban. She said she had three confiscated phones in her office. Walking down a hallway during lunch, Sniffen saw several students walking together and said, "I hope I don't see any cellphones." The students smiled and raised their hands to show they were empty. In interviews, students said they like the ban. "It's a lot easier to stay focused and on track, not only academically but also mentally," said Melby Scher, a Beacon senior. She said that, in previous years, the text message "We need to talk" could turn into a daylong distraction. "Before this year, I was on TikTok and Instagram trying to watch everything," said Samiria Ferrer, another Beacon senior. "Now the phone's away, so I can just focus on schoolwork." "In study halls, I'm seeing more actual studying," said Rebecca Masback, a Haldane High School teacher. Students have been innovative in battling boredom, relying on old-school music players that don't violate the ban on internet-enabled devices, said Corey Dwyer, the principal of Beacon High School. "We've seen CD players, Walkmans, MP3 players. We've been joking that the '90s are back." Haldane and Beacon are providing board games like Scrabble, UNO, Connect 4, Twister and Cornhole. "I'm great at Jenga," said Khiana Nicholson, a Beacon senior, who was playing with friends during lunch. Some students noted loopholes. For instance, they have discovered they can still stream shows and movies on Hulu and BritBox through their school-issued Chromebooks. Prince Jones, a Beacon senior, said he thought the ban shouldn't apply to study halls, especially early in the year, when there isn't much homework. During a study hall during the first week of school, "I would just stare at the walls for a little bit and sleep," he said. "It's a hard adjustment for a lot of us, because, you know, we're all addicted to our cellphones," said Nadine Alayon, a Haldane junior, who was playing an oversized game of Connect 4 in front of the school. "It's been hard not going on TikTok during lunch. But it's fun to see everybody talk and socialize in the hallways." "I like it a lot," said David Powlis, another junior at Haldane, who was playing Twister in the hall during lunch on Wednesday. He said in previous years, before the ban, "I would be sitting with my nose in my phone, wasting my lunch period."

Federal government settles over land claims In a settlement with the federal government, eight Dutchess and Putnam County landowners, including five in Beacon, were awarded $1.06 million in compensation for property taken for a proposed 13-mile rail trail - apparently the first resolution in a slew of similar lawsuits. Metro-North, which acquired the dormant Beacon Line in 1995, is negotiating to relinquish the tracks to the state for a Beacon-to-Hopewell Junction trail. It would wind from Beacon's train station for 4 miles around the city's southern perimeter before running parallel with Tioronda Avenue and the east end of Main Street. The entire Beacon Line is 41 miles long and stretches to the Connecticut border. The eight plaintiffs are represented by Lewis Rice, a law firm in St. Louis that specializes in rail trail "takings" cases. Four own homes on Tioronda Avenue and another is the limited-liability company behind the condos at 1 East Main St. The property under and adjacent to the tracks was seized in February 2024 under the National Trails System Act, which allows abandoned railroad lines to be converted to parks. A feasibility study commissioned by Dutchess County and released in August recommended tearing out the unused tracks between Beacon and Hopewell for $46 million to $56 million rather than installing a path alongside them. Landowners adjoining the corridor can claim swaths of land likely lost in the 19th century, when railroads that needed the corridors purchased or condemned the land or acquired easements, according to Steve Wald of Stewart, Wald & Smith, another St. Louis law firm specializing in rail-trail property cases. The firms argue that modern owners are "predecessors in title" who "have the same rights as the original landowners." The plaintiffs in this case and similar ones elsewhere in the country say that, in the event of a conversion of use to something other than rail access, they should receive "full possession and control" or be compensated. If a court agrees, appraisers determine the amount of land lost, as well as any damages related to loss of privacy and/or security from the trail construction. More than 80 abandoned railroad lines in New York state have been converted to trails, including the 13-mile Dutchess Rail Trail that stretches from Hopewell Junction to the Walkway Over the Hudson and the 12-mile Putnam County Trailway between Baldwin Place and Brewster. More lawsuits are pending. Stewart, Wald & Smith has at least three outstanding cases that name 260 landowners. In Beacon, their clients include the Elks, Lank's Automotive, Lori Joseph Builders, Levi Reavey Sr. and Whitefield Properties. On Aug. 21, Lewis Rice filed a lawsuit on behalf of G.P. Beacon LLC at 578 Main St. and property owners in Fishkill and Pawling. On Sept. 17, Stewart, Wald & Smith filed a claim for owners in Fishkill, Hopewell Junction, Pawling and Poughquag.

Italian artist created wry, but serious, works Piero Manzoni, who became famous in Italy before his death in 1963 at age 29, challenged conceptions of art as Marshall Plan funds flowed in after World War II and his nation shifted from agrarian to industrial. He also lampooned celebrity and consumer culture, worked with non-traditional materials and believed that the creator alone determined what is art. As chronicled in a video on display at a new exhibit, Total Space, at Magazzino Italian Art in Philipstown, Manzoni dipped his thumb in ink, imprinted hard-boiled eggs and placed them in small boxes. He blew up balloons for his Artist's Breath series but really grabbed attention with 90 tins of Artist's Shit. No one knows what's inside the cans; even before Warhol, Manzoni made a bold statement about the art world and its pretenses. "Many a truth is told in jest," says Greg Slick, the museum's chief docent. "He lets us into his art with a smile, but he was dead serious about it." Several examples of Manzoni's iconoclastic approach are on view at Magazzino, which specializes in the Arte Povera movement that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Manzoni exerted a major influence on the loosely affiliated group of artists who expanded his ideas into new frontiers. In a cavernous gallery with booming echo and the statement "Stand Here You Are Art" in bold black on the back wall, Manzoni's "Magical Base" (a wood pedestal) offers visitors the chance to play statue and get a good photo op. Also included are six works from the artist's Achrome series, a word he concocted that translates to "anti-color." All the work is whiteish, but the focus is on texture. They are differentiated by dates. A folded canvas created in 1958-59 looks like undulating water. Another, made in 1958 from plaster and kaolin on canvas, resembles a slab of stone; a 1960 piece frames a stack of eight polystyrene squares. Two significant works on display are the roughly 10-foot cubic spaces commissioned by the artist's family foundation in conjunction with the gallery Hauser & Wirth, based on a concept briefly mentioned in a letter the artist wrote to a friend in 1961. In the Lower Gallery Three decanters visible as visitors descend the stairs into Magazzino's lower gallery provide a harbinger of the heart-stopping works in the exhibition Yoichi Ohira: Japan in Murano. Ohira studied in Venice and designed elaborate vessels after becoming artistic director of de Majo glassworks on the island of Murano in 1987. Drawings outlining his intentions hang on the wall. Italian craftsmen executed the details with precision, and Ohira credited the glassblowers and the carvers, as well. The work, primarily executed by maestro Livio Serena, evokes a wide range of textures, some of which resemble wood or ceramics. Several vessels present optical illusions: In the Pasta vitrea series, some of the shapes appear to rise from the surface. Others are specked with colorful chips that seem to be recessed, but everything is flat. For fans of the glassblower's art, run, don't walk. The museum owns the rooms, designed by architect Stephanie Goto. During a preview opening, RAI, the Italian public broadcast outlet, interviewed curator Nicola Lucchi, who is the museum's director of research and education. The patterns in "Hairy Room," whose interior consists of faux white fur, are almost psychedelic. In the also-trippy "Phosphorescent Room," the light switches on and off every 30 seconds. In one mode, the walls and ceiling are fluorescent neon green; the other flips the tint to beige-yellow as the light emanates from the floor. Manzoni may have equated art with excrement to pull people in but, for better or worse, his provocations helped push the philosophical boundaries of conceptual creativity to its extremes during his lifetime. Magazzino, at 2700 Route 9, is open Friday to Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 ($10 seniors, students, disabled visitors; $5 ages 5 to 10...

Retired Beacon officer accused of killing roommate The mental health of Edison Irizarry, the retired Beacon police officer accused of murdering the man who shared his apartment, will be evaluated before his next court date in December. Irizarry, 52, was arrested July 21 after Beacon police responded to a 911 call placed by Irizarry, who said he had shot his roommate. Police found Casey Cuddy, 58, of Beacon, dead inside an apartment at 86 Rombout Ave. Irizarry served 17 years with the Beacon police before retiring in 2021. After determining that the caller was a retired officer, Beacon police turned the investigation over to the New York State Police. Irizarry was indicted by a Dutchess County grand jury on Aug. 5 on a second-degree murder charge and is being held at the county jail in Poughkeepsie without bail. The district attorney's office said that Irizarry is accused of shooting Cuddy, a psychiatric mental health nurse, multiple times with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic Glock pistol. Irizarry pleaded not guilty in Beacon City Court on July 22. In an interview last month, Irizarry told the Times Union that he acted in self-defense to prevent "something evil from happening." On Wednesday (Sept. 24), Susan Mraz Mungavin, Irizarry's public defender, and Brittney Kessel, the deputy unit chief of the Dutchess County DA's Office, met privately for about 10 minutes with Judge Jessica Segal. When they emerged, Segal said that Mungavin had hired a psychiatric expert to evaluate her client. She set an Oct. 22 deadline for Mungavin to file motions related to the evaluation. Prosecutors must file their response, if any, by Nov. 12 and Segal set Dec. 10 as the next court date. Irizarry did not appear.

Howland again focuses on photography Strange things are happening at the Howland Cultural Center's photo exhibit Focus on Photographers II. On Sept. 20, a mother and daughter from New Mexico stopped by. They are friends of Wilbur Norman, one of the artists, who lives outside Santa Fe. The following day, a couple from Queens - by way of Nepal - dropped in and named the monks in Norman's photograph, "Puja for the Safe Trek of Our Tour Group," which captures a cavernous temple scene. Curators Larry Kerschberg and Ronnie Sauers live in Cold Spring. He is a retired computer science professor active with the Beacon Photography Group on Facebook. Sauers, an interior designer, moved to Beacon in 1987. The bridge on East Main Street over Fishkill Creek is named after her and her late husband, Ron, who died in 2011. The exhibit's feng shui is apparent in the way she bookended Norman's display with two striking photos taken abroad - "Bat Man" and "Dance Preparations by Hul Wig Man." The wall flanking Ron Hershey's work features two images showcasing radiant blue hues shot in Morocco. Robert Tirrell, who lives in the city, contributed five photos. In his composition "Bird Gang," seven pigeons strike humorous poses while standing on the roof of a car. Hillary Clements, Ross Corsair, Amy Finkel and Hershey are locals. Clements layers multiple exposures inside the camera, an effect that creates captivating images of leaves and plants. Some look like collages, others resemble human creations. The print "Ferns" evokes an X-ray of the bumpy plants. Also employing an unorthodox technique, Ross Corsair's shots come "straight out of the camera, with no post-processing or AI enhancement," he says. Three deftly silhouetted images convey anonymity, such as "Assignation," an urban street scene taken from a bird's-eye view, where a lone figure with a blue and red umbrella punctuates the bland grays and browns. A creator of lush work, Hershey's misty, dreamy photo, "Li River Landscape, China," looks like a painting. Another shot, "Woman in a Narrow Passage, Morocco," appears to be posed, as the subject fits perfectly into the crevasse and wears a blue outfit that complements the background. Finkel points her camera at everyday subjects, like a dog dressed in a peacock costume baring its lower fangs; "Stanley" is adorable, but also a bit menacing. Another pup chomping on a ball in "New Veneers" appears to have a perfect set of teeth, as the toy's design aligns in the pooch's mouth. "Carousel" captures a girl's face in focus while the swirling background fades into a blur. As the exhibit's title suggests, this is the second go-round for Kerschberg and Sauers in the curatorial department. The exhibit's third iteration will return next year. "It takes a lot of time putting this together," he says, "but it's worth it because the work is so good." The Howland Cultural Center, at 477 Main St. in Beacon, is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and most Sundays. See howlandculturalcenter.org. "Focus on Photographers II" continues through Nov. 16.

Putnam also considers lower premiums for employees A consultant is recommending salary increases for Putnam County public health nurses and other positions. At the same time, the Legislature took up a proposal to dramatically reduce the amounts employees contribute to their health coverage. Julia Culkin-Jacobia of Catapult Executive Consulting presented to the Legislature's Personnel Committee on Sept. 18 the results of her review of the salaries paid to employees covered by the Civil Service Employees Association, the county's largest union. The committee also reviewed a draft agreement between County Executive Kevin Byrne and labor unions that would cap the employee share of their health insurance premiums at 17 percent, instead of the current maximum of 30 percent. The six nursing jobs in the Department of Health were the original focus of the study, but it expanded to include other positions as Putnam seeks to improve recruitment and retention. For nurses, Culkin-Jacobia suggests that Putnam boost the starting rate from $72,269 to $75,770 by reassigning them to a higher CSEA pay scale, Grade 19 instead of Grade 18. The starting salary would then be closer to the average of $74,153 in seven "peer counties," including Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Westchester. Kathy Percacciolo, the nursing supervisor for the Health Department, said that many counties and hospitals used pandemic relief funds to raise the salaries of public health nurses, but in Putnam, "the COVID money was not used for that reason, which set us back." Putnam has had a "real struggle" to fill the nursing positions, said Paul Eldridge, the county personnel officer. Five of the six positions are now filled, but three were open as recently as August, he said. To entice new hires, the county is offering starting pay at the higher end of Grade 18, but that leaves little room for raises. Reclassifying the positions to Grade 19 allows the county to offer higher starting pay while retaining the "ability to use the other steps" of the higher grade, he said. Culkin-Jacobia also suggested changes for management positions, ranging from confidential secretaries and directors to assistant district attorneys and the county executive's staff, that do not have salary scales. She recommended a 12-grade scale "to help manage costs and also have a guideline for administration to make salary decisions." Each grade would have a minimum salary ranging from $62,080 to $177,121, as well as maximums ($80,960 to $230,988). Culkin-Jacobia identified several management positions for raises, including the county auditor (7 to 10 percent), the two elections commissioners (5 percent), an IT systems specialist (28 percent) and the park superintendent (5 percent). "With the labor shortage over the last two to three years, especially, there's been a lot of retention issues, especially as people were retiring from the county," she said. The challenge of recruiting and retaining employees also prompted Byrne to create a committee to review the amount that workers must contribute to their health insurance premiums. Many new hires pay 30 percent, which falls as they accrue time, Eldridge said. Putnam's rate is significantly higher than the cap in Dutchess and Westchester (20 percent each) and Orange (16 percent) counties. Under the proposal, the 30 percent contributions would be reduced to 17 percent under an agreement between Byrne, the CSEA and the three other unions that represent Putnam employees: the Putnam County Sheriff's Employee Association (jail guards and staff), the Putnam Management Association and the Sheriff's PBA (deputies). The committee also calculated the costs if the county changed the maximum to 20 percent, 18 percent or 15 percent, but Byrne, in a letter to the Personnel Committee, called the 17 percent cap "reasonable, fiscally informed, fair and regionally competitive." Eldridge said that 225 Putnam employees would benefit. The plan would add $865,000 to the $11.5 milli...

Seeks class-action status over First Amendment claims The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is banning opinions by professors in the classroom and some books and courses in a crackdown that violates the First Amendment, a law professor at the military school said in a lawsuit Monday (Sept. 22) seeking class-action status. Tim Bakken filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court and named the school and its leaders as defendants. He said he wants to protect free speech and the right to academic freedom at an institution where he has flourished despite his public criticisms of the academy and the U.S. military. Bakken also noted in the lawsuit that he has a contract with a publisher for a book that is critical of some aspects of West Point and doesn't want to seek approval from the school's leadership prior to its publication because "it is very likely such approval will be withheld." The lawsuit seeks class action status for West Point's civilian faculty members, believed to be more than 100 individuals, and a court order to stop restrictions on free speech, along with unspecified damages and legal fees. Bakken's lawsuit said the school began to scrutinize faculty speech after a January executive order from President Donald Trump to "carefully review the leadership, curriculum and instructors of the United States Service Academies and other defense academic institutions." In February, the military academy at West Point issued a policy preventing faculty members from using the school's "affiliation or branding" in connection with any public comments or writings without the academy's approval, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said the policy was "to control, chill and suppress faculty speech." The lawsuit said the academy in the spring withdrew books from its library, removed words and phrases from faculty members' syllabi, eliminated courses and majors and threatened or punished faculty members for teaching, speaking and writing without prior approval from the school. During the summer, the academy removed information about faculty members' published books, articles, essays and scholarship entries from all faculty members' webpages on the school's website, the lawsuit said. It also directed instructors not to express opinions in the classroom, it said. "As a professor of law, Plaintiff's inability to express opinions on the subject matter being taught is stifling and disruptive to the educational process," the lawsuit said. It added that he no longer would be able to express to students whether a major or dissenting opinion is persuasive and why. The military academy did not immediately return a request for comment. Bakken, a civilian professor of law in the academy's Department of Law and Philosophy for the last 25 years, is the longest-serving law professor in West Point's history and has written extensively, including books, articles and essays, along with appearances on podcasts, radio and television, the lawsuit said. His most recent books are The Cost of Loyalty: Dishonesty, Hubris, and Failure in the U.S. Military (2020) and The Plea of Innocence: Restoring Truth to the American Justice System (2022). According to the lawsuit, he traveled with U.S. soldiers to Kabul in 2007 during the war in Afghanistan and created the Department of Law at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. He seeks class action status for West Point's faculty and a court order to stop restrictions on free speech.

White House seeks control of state elections Dutchess and Putnam are among a handful of New York counties where election boards recently have received unusual federal subpoenas for information on registered voters as the administration of President Donald Trump pursues more control over state elections. Lisa Jessup, the Democratic commissioner for the Dutchess County Board of Elections, said on Tuesday (Sept. 16) that in a subpoena received on Sept. 4, the Department of Homeland Security requested information on a single voter who registered to vote as a Republican in 2023 through the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The person has never voted, she said. Two more subpoenas were sent to the Putnam Board of Elections, one in June and another on Sept. 9, said Catherine Croft, the Democratic commissioner, and Kelly Primavera, the Republican commissioner. Primavera said it is not unusual to respond to requests from state or local police, but could not recall having ever gotten a subpoena from the federal government. Homeland Security also subpoenaed records for three voters in Saratoga County and an Ellenville resident in Ulster County who registered through the DMV, according to the Times Union in Albany. A Homeland Security agent contacted by the Daily Freeman in Kingston about the Ulster County request said the subpoena was "related to potential voter fraud," but declined further comment, citing an ongoing investigation, according to the paper. Shadowing the requests is the Trump administration's campaign against alleged widespread voting by non-citizens, despite laws that already prevent them from voting in state and federal elections and a lack of evidence. New York is among at least 27 states where election boards have received requests from the Department of Justice to turn over their databases of registered voters, including driver's license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The letter to New York officials, dated June 30, asked them to detail how the state complies with the Help America Vote Act, including processes for identifying ineligible voters, such as non-citizens and people registered in other states. At least 11 states responded by sending publicly available files, leading to a second round of letters in August requesting the entire databases, according to an analysis by Eileen O'Connor, a senior counsel with the Brennan Center. "The executive branch has no authority to run our elections, nor any authority to compile a massive database of voters' personal information," she said. In March, Trump issued a sweeping executive order that included directing the attorney general and Justice Department to prioritize the prosecution of election crimes, although they appear to be rare. A database maintained by the conservative Heritage Foundation lists 1,276 election-fraud cases nationwide over the past 20 years, including 26 in New York for charges ranging from misusing absentee ballots to voting twice in the same election and forging petition signatures. There were 85 cases involving non-citizens accused of registering to vote or casting ballots during that period, and none in New York state. Heritage's database lists no cases nationally for 2020, when more than 155 million people cast votes in the presidential election that Trump lost to Joe Biden. On Sept. 4, Louisiana's Republican secretary of state, Nancy Landry, announced that an investigation involving voter rolls as far back as the 1980s found 390 non-citizens registered to vote, with 79 having voted in at least one election. "Noncitizens illegally registering or voting is not a systemic problem in Louisiana," she said. "In fact, our voter-list maintenance procedures are a key reason why Louisiana is ranked No. 3 in the nation for election integrity." In June, New York and 18 other states that sued the Trump administration over his executive order won a preliminary injunction against some...

For first time, students don't need to bring their own It's hard to say who likes the Garrison School's new lunch program more: the children who dine daily on entrees such as hot dogs, tacos and chicken Caesar salads, or the parents who no longer have to pack sandwiches. The public school, which has about 200 students from pre-K to eighth grade, had never had a daily lunch program. Students brought their meals from home, although parents sold pizza on Fridays for years as fundraisers. The new program "has been a game-changer," said Principal Allison Emig. "It's a big help to families getting their kids out the door. But also, it's a game-changer in the school culture. The kids are happy." The meals are offered free to every student through a Universal Free Meals program included in this year's state budget. Funded by state and federal grants, it also covers breakfasts if a school offers them. Garrison provides its lunches in partnership with the Putnam Valley Central School District, said Greg Stowell, the superintendent. He said that the meals are prepared, in part, at Putnam Valley High School and delivered to Garrison. The daily menu is posted on the school website, and the students tell their teachers each morning if they want a cafeteria meal. The school provides about 180 lunches each day; some students still bring their own. The district expects to spend about $50,000 to upgrade its kitchen and hopes to add a la carte offerings for purchase. On Monday (Sept. 15), the menu included cinnamon French toast, ham and cheese sandwiches, chef salads, oranges and fruit salads. On Tuesday, Beshea Toribio, a seventh grader, selected chicken tenders, tater tots, green beans and strawberries. "The salads are also good," she said, speaking over the din of the raucous lunchroom. A classmate, Julia Murphy, also chose the chicken tenders and tater tots but added what appeared to be at least four packets of ketchup. She drank chocolate milk. "I love chocolate milk," said Murphy, 12. "Now I get to have it every day for free." Lunch has been "the highlight of her day since she started school," said Julia's mom, Sandi Murphy, who has spent many years packing meals for her three children. "I'm just hoping her excitement about it continues, because it certainly gives me one less thing to do." In Cold Spring, the Haldane district also began offering all students free meals this year and says it has seen a 15 percent increase in lunches served and a much larger jump in breakfasts, from 58 during the first two weeks of school in 2024 to 500 this year. Beacon public schools have offered free meals since January 2024.

Discovery comes as Riverkeeper launches monitoring tool On Sept. 10, the environmental group Riverkeeper launched a water quality portal with an interactive map that shows where it's safe to swim and fish in the Hudson River. It also indicates where sewage is more likely to overflow during heavy rains, the location of concentrated animal feeding operations (a frequent source of pollution) and the presence of bacteria that can form harmful algal blooms that are dangerous to people and pets. The timing, unfortunately, was perfect. Two days later, the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies in Millbrook announced that it had documented the largest harmful algal bloom (HAB) in at least 40 years of monitoring, stretching across the river from Kingston to Staatsburg. The discovery comes at the tail-end of a busy summer for blooms, with similar (although smaller) ones occurring elsewhere, including Beacon's Long Dock Park in August. Earlier this summer, Putnam County shut down 14 beaches due to blooms. "The algal bloom points out both the importance of having historic data" to monitor conditions and consider responses, said Tracy Brown, president of Riverkeeper, which is based in Ossining and Kingston. The nonprofit will soon update its portal to show the effects of climate change on the river. Pollution and stormwater run-off can cause HABs, but Chris Solomon of the Cary Institute, one of the researchers who discovered the large bloom, said its origins are not clear. He said it's likely that drought and warm water were involved, as they were in the creation of an HAB that appeared in Beacon's Melzingah Reservoir during the hot, dry summer of 2021. Both of those factors are likely to become more common in the Hudson Valley. "Increasing water temperatures, air temperatures and droughts are the things that are triggering the algal blooms we're seeing now," said Brown. "Climate change is here, and it's unfolding in real time." The surface area of the HAB near Kingston isn't its only notable feature, said Solomon. Blooms usually only form in slack water, so it's unusual to see one stretch out across the free-flowing river instead of hugging the shore. And the bloom is unusually wide and deep. "Anywhere we looked in the water column, the algae was quite dense," said Solomon. Satellite imagery taken earlier this week showed that the bloom has continued to grow. HABs can cause skin irritation, gastrointestinal symptoms and, in more potent cases, neurological damage and death. Riverkeeper partners with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect data for its portal, but NOAA, like many federal science agencies, has been targeted by the Trump administration for cuts. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) secured $250,000 to launch the portal, but Brown expects there may not be more funds coming. Earlier versions of the portal highlighted that "the open Hudson tends to be cleaner than a lot of the tributary rivers and streams," said Brown. "That flies in the face of people's assumptions. They think, 'Oh, this beautiful little stream going through my local duck pond is going to be nice to swim in as opposed to the big, nasty Hudson.' People were swimming in Rondout Creek in Kingston because they thought it would be cleaner than Kingston Point Beach, on the Hudson." The Riverkeeper portal is one of several new monitoring tools. This past summer, Bard College unveiled an air monitoring site and the Open Space Institute debuted maps that track how much carbon America's forests are sequestering. Riverkeeper's online portal is at data.riverkeeper.org. To report a Harmful Algal Bloom, see bit.ly/HABform or email HABsinfo@dec.ny.gov. The state also maintains a map of HABs at tinyurl.com/nys-hab-map.

Lana Lagomarsini "The best way to get me to do something is to challenge me," says Lana Lagomarsini, who moved with her family from the Bronx to Beacon when she was 15. So far in her career, she has proven that by competing on Bravo's Top Chef, Netflix's Pressure Cooker and the Food Network's Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out. How did she navigate those stressful situations? "I'm generally a calm person, but, yeah, I do like a challenge," she says. "I like a challenge with parameters, too - for some reason, it helps me think." The transition to Beacon from New York City as a teenager was not easy. "We drove out so far and I saw a cow," she says. "I started crying. I had been going to the same school since I was 5 years old." After she settled in at Beacon High School, "I was the cool girl who moved up from the city. I didn't even realize that I had a New York City attitude on me." While studying journalism at Northeastern University, Lagomarsini began blogging about food and Boston's restaurant scene. Posts about her Game of Thrones pop-up dinners prompted a friend to offer her a part-time job as a line chef. "He said, 'How would you like to put your money where your mouth is?'" says Lagomarsini. "That just started everything." She found her niche in restaurant kitchens, where chefs were "pirate-y," she says. "They all had tattoos, and they're saying all this cool lingo. They're working so hard, and everything looks so beautiful and tastes so good. Everything's sparkling clean. I was like, 'I want to do this.'" She tried out for a job with Kristen Kish (who won Top Chef in 2013 and later hosted during Lana's season). "I didn't even have my own knives," Lagomarsini recalls. "I have a plucky attitude, though." The second day of her trial run, Kish told Lagomarsini "nicely" that she needed to go to school or get more experience. Lagomarsini wanted to go to a French cooking school in Thailand, but her mother noted that she could commute to the world-class Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She graduated in 2016 and worked at Restaurant Daniel and Momofuku Ko in Manhattan and apprenticed in Patagonia with Francis Mallman. It was a long way from her first food service jobs at Friendly's and Pizza Hut in Fishkill and Brother's Trattoria in Beacon. For now, Lagomarsini is a private chef (lanacooks.com) who does pop-ups such as a recent collaborative dinner of fried chicken and sparkling wine at the James Beard Foundation and a residency at Fulgurances Laundromat, a chef incubator in Brooklyn. Her cooking is inspired by the African diaspora and the Great Migration, during which her mother's family moved from a small town in Alabama to New York City. Lagomarsini grew up learning - and eating - the food traditions passed down by her grandmother, and she's constantly riffing on Southern classics. "I do a lot of things with pot liquor," she says. "I make a lot of chow-chow. Pimento cheese makes its appearance. Cornbread is on the menu in many ways." Recent experiments include a mash-up of Mexican salsa macha with Nigerian suya (a street food) and a terrine of turmeric dough and oxtails inspired by Jamaican beef patties. "I'm constantly considering what is diasporic food, and that is evolving as well." Of her cooking shows, she most enjoyed Top Chef. "I didn't have to worry about who likes me and who doesn't, because it doesn't matter as long as the judges like the food." On Season 22, against 14 other contestants, she made it to Episode 11. That's when the judges found fault with her grilled steak with potatoes and Haskap berries (the sage was overpowering and the meat "over-rested"). She is working on a dream project: a supper club series inspired by Georgia Gilmore. "She fed the Montgomery bus boycott," Lagomarsini says. "She called it the Club from Nowhere. It was at her house, but she fed people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X." If you haven't heard of her, Lagomarsini says, "that goes to show how much of...

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing. 150 Years Ago (September 1875) Ten residents armed with revolvers formed a "vigilance committee" in Matteawan to "protect persons and property from prowling tramps and other marauders." The roof of the Fishkill Landing Machine Works caught fire from a spark from the chimney. The Dutchess County Citizen, which covered Matteawan, Fishkill and Pine Plains, closed and its publisher left town. When the ticket agent for the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad Co. went upstairs at the depot on a Monday afternoon to retrieve some papers, he left behind his vest, which had $30 [$880] in cash in the pockets. Two boys on the platform testified that James McGinnis, 18, took the money and promised them 50 cents [$15] each to say nothing. The judge set bail at $200 [$6,000]. George Kittridge, while hunting with Henry Alden on a Thursday morning, accidentally shot his companion in the knee. The limb had to be amputated, and Alden died that afternoon. Judge Ornshee of Matteawan ruled that Ada Ray, 14, Minnie Ray, 7, and Willie Ray, 5, had been abandoned by their mother, Olive, and sent them to the House of Refuge at Randall's Island. 125 Years Ago (September 1900) At a Democratic meeting held at Fishkill, John Gracey, a Republican produce vendor, threw ripe fruit at one of the speakers, Col. John Dougherty. "Arrests were made," according to The Cold Spring Recorder. The lineup was released for the firemen's parade at Fishkill and Matteawan: local and visiting fire chiefs, Flocton's Band (Peekskill), Cortland Hook and Ladder (Peekskill), Keink's Band (New York City), Phoenix Hose (Poughkeepsie), Fishkill and Matteawan Military Band (30 pieces), Lewis Tompkins Hose (Fishkill Landing), Nineteenth Separate Drum Corps (Poughkeepsie), Davy Crockett Hook and Ladder (Poughkeepsie), 90th Regiment Band (Kingston), W.H. Mase Hook and Ladder (Matteawan), Middletown Drum Corps, Eagle Hose (Middletown), Rifton Glen Band, Weiner Hose (Kingston), Wheeler & Wilson Band (Bridgeport) and Beacon Engine (Matteawan). Belle Archer, one of the most photographed actors and singers of the 1890s, performed her new Western-themed play, "Jess of the Bar Z," at Fishkill Landing on Sept. 4 as part of a statewide tour. [Two weeks later, Archer tripped at a train station south of Buffalo and hit her head, causing a fatal brain bleed. She was 41.] According to a newspaper account, Mrs. Winthrop Sargent of Matteawan had for nine years operated a school for housekeepers from her home, which included a model kitchen garden. "The pupils do all the work, undertaking for a term of three weeks at a time the duties, now of one servant, now of another, until they thoroughly understand all," it said. The Rev. J. McGrath of St. John's Church admonished his congregation during a sermon for not wearing hats to Mass. He also warned the men that they could not attend services dressed in then-fashionable "shirtwaists" that resembled blouses. Marguerite Upton, 8, who lived in the Timothyville brickyard settlement, was shot in the arm, which had to be amputated. She said she had found a loaded .48-caliber revolver in a drawer. However, a week later, she confessed to a nurse that her cousin, Frank Kilpatrick, 17, had shot her accidentally after coming into the room and playfully telling her, "Throw up your hands!" The Matteawan coroner identified remains found in an abandoned well at a farm near Stormville as Charles Brower, a laborer who had disappeared 14 years earlier. According to witnesses, he and Peter Austin, who owned the farm, left the Austin house together, but only Austin returned. A search party found nothing. In 1898 Austin sold the farm, and the new owner discovered the skeleton. Investigators learned that Austin owed Brower $300 [$11,500], and Mrs. Austin said she was "tricked" by police into admitting her husband had confessed to her. Edward Selek, a Russian making his way to New York City, was struck...

Neighbors raised environmental concerns A mining company won approval on Sept. 11 to build a cement plant on Route 9 just north of Philipstown, overcoming concerns from residents about noise, traffic and potential risks to Clove Creek and the aquifer beneath it, a source of drinking water to several municipalities. After a nearly yearlong review, the Town of Fishkill Planning Board approved a plan by Century Aggregates to build an 8,050-square-foot plant at its 310-acre property at 107 Route 9, on a portion of the property once occupied by the Snow Valley Campground. The operation will draw 10,000 gallons of water daily from a new well, and require a new septic system, 12 parking spaces and six propane tanks. Century Aggregates plans to operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, the firm said. Mixer trucks would enter the site through an entrance opposite Carol Lane and cross an existing bridge over Clove Creek, a protected waterway and tributary to Fishkill Creek that snakes through the property. To address concerns about the environmental impact, Century Aggregates agreed to leave trees and vegetation in an 8.2-acre greenway that is at least 200 feet wide, includes Clove Creek and its shoreline and extends 500 feet north and 700 feet south of the bridge that crosses the waterway. Trees in the zone that "show signs of a material deterioration or tree cover thinning" will have to be replaced, according to Planning Board documents. Ted Warren, public policy manager with the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, joined residents in expressing reservations to the Planning Board during a May 8 public hearing. Along with concerns about truck traffic, noise and dust, and endangered and threatened wildlife such as the timber rattlesnake, Warren said newly paved surfaces risk sending contaminated runoff into the creek, to the detriment of water quality and fish. "Given the increase in extreme precipitation events that we are facing these days, and the fact that the proposed plan is located at the base of steep slopes, the potential for storms to overwhelm the proposed containment and drainage systems during heavy precipitation events should be closely examined," Warren said. Century Aggregate's daily withdrawal of 10,000 gallons of water, which a lawyer for the company called "de minimis" compared to the amount used by homes and businesses, could also affect the creek and its underlying aquifer, said Warren. The aquifer parallels Route 9 from East Mountain Road South to the town border with Fishkill. Its groundwater feeds private wells that supply residents and businesses along Route 9, the towns of Fishkill and Wappinger, the Village of Fishkill and Beacon. "The dust and the pollution that's going to come from the operating of that plant is going to definitely have an impact on the environment, the creek and the living conditions of businesses and houses," Carlos Salcedo, a Philipstown resident whose property on Old Albany Post Road borders the creek, told the Planning Board in May. According to a study based on readings taken at a concrete plant in Hudson, the loudest sounds will come from the blowers on the trucks used to transfer cement to the project's three storage silos, mixer trucks and the loading of the bins that hold the aggregate used in concrete manufacture. The study estimated that "no excessive or unusually loud" sounds will impact neighbors or wildlife, and Century Aggregates agreed to measure noise levels when the plant is operating.

Includes information for renters, homeowners, seniors The City of Beacon has added a Housing Resources page to its website with information on affordable housing and state and county agencies that assist renters and homeowners. See dub.sh/beacon-housing. The page is divided into sections on tenants' rights, affordable housing, emergency housing, accessory dwelling units, short-term rentals and reports by agencies such as Dutchess County and Pattern for Progress. It also provides contacts for immigrant resources, legal assistance and homeownership assistance. The page is maintained by Ben Swanson, the secretary to Mayor Lee Kyriacou.

Climate change is supercharging the frequency and severity of storms and flooding. At the same time, the White House is gutting disaster management. Can the Highlands take care of itself? Four years ago this month, the remnants of Hurricane Ida slammed into the Highlands, dumping 5½ inches of rain. Basements flooded, trains shut down and roads were washed out. Dry Brook on Mount Beacon overflowed, sending debris down the mountain and into Jessen Pond. "That's the area off Violet Drive where Dry Brook comes down from the mountain, and all the cobble and the waste came pouring down and filled it in," said Beacon City Administrator Chris White. Ida came at the tail end of an especially wet summer in the Highlands; a month later a nor'easter dropped another 3 inches of water in two days. If Jessen Pond hadn't been cleared before that storm, the neighborhood around it probably would have flooded. Fortunately, then-President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration in Dutchess and Putnam counties, making them eligible for funding and help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "We spent weeks cleaning out that pond," said White. "FEMA paid the bill," which was $60,000 to $70,000. However, the next time a hurricane or nor'easter affects the Highlands, Beacon and Philipstown may be on their own. FEMA was created in 1979 after years of governors complaining that the U.S. lacked a comprehensive emergency management policy and that some disasters were so costly and destructive that no state could recover from them alone. Like many federal agencies, it has found itself in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's effort to shrink the size of the government. FEMA's workforce, already short-staffed before this year, has been reduced by more than 10 percent since January, and Trump has spoken about eliminating the agency. Last week the Government Accountability Office released a report warning that because of staffing cuts, FEMA no longer has the resources to respond to multiple disasters in a short period of time, such as in 2011 when Tropical Storm Lee hit the Hudson Valley weeks after Hurricane Irene. In response, the White House blamed Biden for making too many emergency declarations, "burning through FEMA's budget on so-called 'climate change' and DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] pet projects." The turmoil at FEMA comes as the effects of climate change are being increasingly felt across the country, leading to costlier and deadlier disasters. New York State has spent at least $5 billion over the past five years on disaster recovery, and the number of disasters that cause at least $1 billion in damage is increasing. However, that may become harder to track. Recently, the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that "in alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates and staffing changes," it would no longer be updating its database. "Many states had already braced themselves for having to continue the fight against climate change, in terms of mitigation and adaptation, without help from the federal government when Trump was re-elected," said Amanda Stevens of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). "This is not an either/or situation. We do need to continue to reduce greenhouse gases. Reducing our emissions will reduce the severity of climate change and the severity of the impacts, but we will still experience impact." With FEMA being diminished and possibly eliminated, municipalities in New York and the Highlands will have to shoulder the burden of those impacts. "Who's going to respond to tornadoes and floods and heat emergencies and fires?" asked White. "People need help getting on their feet again. We don't have the capacity to do that as a city." Bracing for impact A report released last year by NYSERDA outlined how climate change may affect the Hudson Valley: more days above 90 degrees, more humidity, more droughts, more deluges and more ...

Drug World, Beacon Wellness to begin giving vaccine Drug World's phones have been "ringing nonstop" with inquiries from Philipstown residents seeking COVID-19 shots, but owner Heidi Snyder only had one answer while awaiting the annual federal approval that had been routine until this year. That approval is still pending, but the Cold Spring pharmacy will begin scheduling vaccinations as early as Monday (Sept. 15) because of an executive order issued Sept. 5 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who declared an emergency "in the face of attacks on science and healthcare from the federal government." The directive, which expires on Oct 5, allows physicians and nurse practitioners to order COVID-19 shots for patients as young as 3 years old and expands pharmacists' authority to administer vaccines to children under 18, according to the governor. For the first time, she said, it permits pharmacists to prescribe the vaccines themselves. Snyder said that Drug World and other pharmacies now have the "standing order" they need to give the shots to the broader public without a prescription - an approval usually given by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose membership has been gutted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Without ACIP approval, according to Hochul, many pharmacies in New York state began restricting the vaccines for children ages 3 to 17, pregnant people and adults under 65 without an underlying condition, at a time of year when infections typically begin rising as people spend more time indoors. Two days before Hochul's executive order, Tim Lindner, a Cold Spring resident, said in an email to The Current that he visited Sam's Club in Fishkill for the COVID-19 booster shot he gets each September. Lindner, 74, said the pharmacist told him the company had just that day instituted a policy requiring a prescription for the shot. The Beacon Wellness Pharmacy just received one of the two Moderna vaccines this week, according to Lee Williams, a pharmacy technician. Drug World's "hands were tied until Gov. Hochul issued her executive order," said Snyder, who expects to have one of the two Moderna vaccines and the Pfizer shot available on Monday. If ACIP does not approve those vaccines and the one from Novavax when it meets Sept. 18, "I don't know what will happen," said Snyder. "I have to hope that her [Hochul's] executive order is going to hold." Insurers typically base their vaccine coverage decisions on the recommendations of ACIP, a panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some say they will also look to medical professional groups, including the American Medical Association. Earlier this year, Kennedy replaced the entire CDC panel, naming several doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients. In a social media post on Aug. 27, Kennedy said the shots will be "available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors." But Americans are likely to confront logistical hurdles. U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 shots on Aug. 27 but limited their use for many Americans - and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors 65 and older. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who would have to prove their risk - and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify. Drug World will not ask for proof, said Snyder, but "if you're 64 or younger, you're going to need to attest that you have a pre-existing condition," she said. "We have to make sure that we cross our T's and dot our I's and make sure everybody who wants a vaccine can get one." Additionally, Pfizer's vaccine will no long...

Beacon studio hosts Night of Authenticity The principals of Silica Studio 845 are waist-deep in running a business, but eight months ago, they decided to host a Night of Authenticity designed for locals. "This gives people who live here something to do during the week and helps build community," says co-partner Daniela Rzepnicki. "We love the tourists, but on the weekends, you can't find your friends. And there are a lot of people who moved here in recent years, so we also want to welcome them." On the third Thursday of every other month (next up: Sept. 18), working with singer Leah Valentine, they transform the pottery studio into a salon. Around 70 people attended in July. The suggested admission is $10, and beer, spiked seltzer and mixed drinks (especially the spicy margaritas) flowed freely. Vendors plied wares, people swapped clothes and a tattoo artist worked on Rzepnicki's ankle. Only a few of the seven pottery wheels overseen by the other Silica Studio partner, Rachel "Ranch" Miller, got a workout. MJ DiMartino, 27, threw for the first time. "I feel creative and happy," he said. "It's a cool spot, and it's nice to make new connections. I came for the music but got so much more out of it." When the mood lighting clicks in, Valentine grabs the mic. A couple of months ago, singer-guitarist Jessica Simkovic headlined and sang an ode to cannabis, along with the whimsical ditty "Dennis Kucinich Slept in My Bed." Before the set concluded, friends joined in and delivered three-part harmony on a Gillian Welch song. Accompanied by bass ace Nate Allen, Juliet Strong showcased original tunes on keyboard, some of which conveyed an Irish lilt. During the performance, she praised the "listening room environment," likening it to a jazz club where people pay attention to the music. For this month's gathering, it's Strong's turn to headline and recruit an opening act (Lea Serras, who will be the next headliner and choose her opener). Strong praised the "warm vibe" of the July gig: "I come from the folk music tradition, and it felt so intimate, like a house concert." The location, Silica Studio's third-landing spot, opened last summer and occupies the pottery room of the old Beacon High School, now the KuBe Art Center. The space, much larger than their previous place, is spic-and-span because inhaling pottery dust (the silica) can be harmful. Along with a well-organized wall panel holding implements for making clay sculptures or vessels from the wheel, another one hidden in a corner contains power drills and other hand tools. The partners built out the interior and are "always fixing or constructing things," says Rzepnicki, 28. "We have a pro account at Home Depot." She created and designed the studio's logo, a "bleeding blossom that represents the dark side of femininity," she says, rendered in a twisted white neon light that is the centerpiece of a mural on the studio's long wall that features flowers and homages to ancient Japanese water waves. Beyond seeking ways to expand their enterprise, the duo pursues individual artistic directions. Rzepnicki, a glassblower, is constructing a birdbath so large that she had to break down the kiln and rebuild it around the piece to fire it up. Besides her ceramic work, Miller is an illustrator. "Dani and Ranch are cool young whippersnappers," says Strong. "I like being one of the old people in the room. It's great to see earnest artists and entrepreneurs going about their business without airs and making it happen." Silica Studio 845, in Studio 109 of the KuBe Art Center at 211 Fishkill Ave. in Beacon, is open daily except Tuesday. See silicastudio845.com. For tickets to the "Night of Authenticity" on Sept. 18, see dub.sh/silica-sept-18.

The Wednesday (Sept. 10) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board opened on a somber note. "Today we had a political assassination [of Charlie Kirk] and another school shooting [in Colorado]," said Mayor Kathleen Foley. "I'd like a moment of silence for everyone we've lost to gun violence." The mayor also asked that everyone remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Trustee Laura Bozzi introduced the Flood Resilience Reconnaissance Study submitted to the village in June by Fuss and O'Neill, an engineering firm. The study focuses on the Back Brook watershed, the 160-acre drainage area that sends stormwater from as far upstream as Bull Hill to culverts beneath Fair Street before it empties into the Hudson River. The Fair Street drain collapsed during a severe storm in July 2023. The study recommends improvements to the upstream drainage system, which dates to the late 19th century. Bozzi said that once feedback is received from Nelsonville, Haldane, state parks and other partners, a strategy and timeline will be developed. The board accepted the low bid of $60,098 from PCC Contracting of Schenectady to repair damage to the pedestrian tunnel from the 2023 flooding. Six bids were received; the highest was $177,180. The contractor will inject material into the tunnel walls to make them watertight, and doors will be added later so it can be closed off during flooding. Superintendent of Water and Sewer Matt Krug is investigating why the fecal coliform count in treated wastewater entering the Hudson River from the sewage treatment plant exceeded limits set by the state. Kroog also said that, with less than two inches of rain in August, the reservoirs have fallen to 80 percent capacity. The village will establish its fourth public electric-vehicle charging station at McConville Park. Central Hudson will pay 90 percent of the cost, and the village the remainder, about $3,000. The units will be paid for with a state grant. The Highway Department began installing sidewalk ramps at key intersections that will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The board voted to increase the hourly wage for school crossing guards from $15.50 to $20 an hour. The village is short one guard but had no response to its advertisements. The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 25 regarding an application for a change of use from retail to bakery at 37 Main St., adjacent to the pedestrian tunnel. As it did last year, the board authorized the Police Department to suspend on-street parking all day on Fair Street and Northern Avenue on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and to divert traffic as needed through November. CSPD handled 123 calls in August, including 18 traffic stops that resulted in 10 tickets. There were also 27 assists to other first responders, nine alarms, six vehicle crashes, five suspicious incidents, three noise complaints, two domestic incidents, and incidents of burglary, harassment, person in crisis and a dispute. Cold Spring Fire Co. volunteers answered 17 calls in August, including six activated alarms, four medical assists, two brush fires and calls for a mountain rescue, mutual aid to Garrison Fire Co., Metro-North elevator rescue, outdoor smoke investigation and propane odor. CSFC was one of four Putnam County fire departments to take part in the first training session at the county's new $1.6 million Fire & EMS Training Center in Kent.

Two longtime members recently resigned The Beacon school board will leave two vacancies open, opting to stay at seven members, until the election in May. In a straw poll, board members unanimously chose to wait, rather than appoint members to replace Anthony White and Kristan Flynn, who resigned last month. The board had four options: leave the seats open until the election in May; make appointments to fill the seats until the election; ask Jodi DeLucia, the superintendent of the Dutchess Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), to make appointments until the election; or call a special election. However, only two options - leaving the seats open or appointing members - seemed practical, since a special election would cost the district at least $10,000, and DeLucia and other BOCES administrators may not know the Beacon community well enough to make informed choices. The board has taken both paths in recent years. Flynn was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy, while the seat held by John Galloway Jr., who was appointed in 2020, was left open after his 2023 resignation. "There are times when appointments feel very necessary," President Flora Stadler said during the board's Monday (Sept. 8) meeting. But "there's a big difference between appointments to the board and actually running, having to go out and collect signatures and speak to 100 people in your community." She asked her six colleagues to weigh the need for a full, nine-member board versus the value of someone choosing to run for a seat. While everyone said they favored leaving the seats open, Chris Lewine asked whether the board should use the opportunity to revisit another question that has come up in recent years: Should it shrink? According to the New York State School Boards Association, board membership ranges from three to 13 people in public school districts statewide, with seven members the most common size. If the Beacon board were to recommend shrinking, district voters would have to approve a proposition making the change during a May budget vote. The smaller board size would go into effect the following year. The board would need to notify district officials of its intention by March of a given year to get a proposition on the ballot two months later, Superintendent Matt Landahl said. Vice President Meredith Heuer said Monday that she is neutral after having previously advocated a smaller board. Her mind changed "because our committees have become so much more robust and there is a lot of work to do," she said. Stadler noted that keeping membership at nine "allows for a broader range of ideas and experiences" among the group. She added that, in the state's eyes, Beacon still has a nine-member board, so a five-person quorum will be required for future meetings. The next several months will give the board a chance to test-run having seven members, Lewine said.

Sojourner Truth plied the Hudson for 20 years Over seven decades, the Clearwater and Woody Guthrie have sailed the Hudson, amplifying folk singer and Beacon resident Pete Seeger's passionate call to clean up the river and make it more accessible. The iconic sloops are part of Seeger's legacy, but what has largely faded from the collective memory is a third boat he inspired, Sojourner Truth, which carried out his environmental mission for two decades before being destroyed in a storm. Like the Woody Guthrie, the Sojourner Truth was a replica of the ferry sloops that carried goods and people across the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries. By the 1830s, more than 1,000 of the wide, shallow-hulled boats were navigating the river. "Pete was an enthusiast for ferry sloops and after failing to convince people to build one, he decided to pay for the Woody and Sojourner out of pocket," hoping to inspire other river towns, said James Malchow, a Woody Guthrie captain. Seeger wanted the smaller, affordable, volunteer-led sloops to carry out Clearwater's environmental mission. "Pete saw the ferry sloops as an organizing tool - a way to get people to work together," Malchow said. Seeger and his wife, Toshi, are credited with naming the Sojourner Truth, an homage to the former enslaved woman from Ulster County who during the 19th century advocated abolition, temperance, civil rights and women's rights. The sloop's hull was built in 1979 by Ferro Boat Builders in Annapolis, Maryland, using a mold from the Woody Guthrie. The hull consisted of steel mesh, rebar and concrete, which is less costly than wood and requires less maintenance. The hull was trucked to Eddyville, near Kingston, where Seeger and other volunteers began outfitting the boat until Ferry Sloops, a newly created nonprofit, took over the project in Yonkers and later in Hastings-on-Hudson. Con Edison donated a utility pole that became the 46-foot mast. The local highway department provided yellow paint for the hull. The boom was shaped from Clearwater's original gaff. Seeger, who owned the Woody Guthrie, contributed its spare suit of sails. An inboard motor was donated. The 47-foot Sojourner Truth was launched in August 1981 and, within two years, began appearing at riverfront festivals. Its ports included Hastings-on-Hudson; Alpine, New Jersey; Yonkers; and Croton-on-Hudson. Other than the hull color, the Sojourner Truth was a twin to Woody Guthrie, launched three years earlier. (The Clearwater, launched in 1969, is 106 feet.) In the early 1990s, Sojourner Truth was vandalized while moored at Yonkers. Fire destroyed its sails and damaged the deck, but it was repaired and continued to sail. Its volunteer crew numbered from four to eight and the sloop, which could hold a dozen passengers, offered sailor training, venturing as far north as Albany and as far south as Sandy Hook, New Jersey. For years until the late 1990s, in October and November, the three sloops sailed the river filled with pumpkins, replicating the work of the 19th-century sloops. Free sails were offered at each port of call, culminating around Halloween at South Street Seaport in New York City, recalled Maryellen Healy, a former Woody Guthrie captain and Clearwater sailor. "It felt like a special moment in time," she said. Sojourner Truth also was a frequent visitor at the Great Hudson River Revival Festival, a celebration of music and the environment co-founded by Seeger and, until recently, held each June at Croton Point Park. Beverly Dyckman, a former Peekskill resident, sailed on Sojourner Truth in the 1980s, training as a crew member. "It was empowering," she said. "I felt freedom, a respite from my worries. When we were zigzagging across the river, slicing into the wind, there was a feeling of power, with water coming up over the rail because we were going so fast." Although Sojourner Truth had a top speed of 7 knots (about 8 miles an hour), Healy has similar memories. "That sounds slow in the auto...

Transfers Fair Street property to Cold Spring The Putnam County Legislature on Tuesday (Sept. 2) approved contributions of $10,000 each for Boscobel and the Garrison Art Center and the transfer of property on Fair Street to Cold Spring for the village's stormwater project. Boscobel said it will use its funding to expand participation in its Patriots and Loyalists program, an initiative that educates students in about 80 schools about the Revolutionary War. Boscobel wants to involve more schools and older students, said Abby Adams, its communications and marketing manager. Legislator Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley, requested the funding for Boscobel and the Garrison Art Center, which will use its $10,000 on Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant building upgrades. Montgomery also requested the $10,000 the Legislature approved for Second Chance Foods, a Brewster organization that distributes free meals and earlier had received $20,000 from the county. Because Second Chance recently lost $70,000 in federal funding, "there's a lot of pressure on us to meet our community's needs and to find ways to make up that lost funding," said Martha Elder, its executive director. In another vote, legislators approved spending $17,950 to purchase 500 U.S. flags and poles for the county's Row of Honor, an annual display erected on Memorial Day along Lake Gleneida in Carmel. Karl Rohde, director of the Veterans Service Agency, said the current poles are "woefully inadequate" and must be repaired each year. The program allows residents to sponsor a flag for three years for $100. Cold Spring land The Legislature voted to transfer to Cold Spring a vacant 0.9-acre property at 101 Fair St. that the county has owned since 2000. Cold Spring will use the property for a stormwater outfall that is part of its drainage work on Fair Street. Heavy rains in July 2023 caused a subsurface stormwater drain to fail, and parking adjacent to Mayor's Park has been prohibited since. The project will replace the failed 30-inch pipe with two 42-inch pipes. "While it seems to be a simple resolution, it's critical for Cold Spring" in managing stormwater and preventing flooding, said Montgomery. County golf course Legislators voted to pay off the remaining $4.7 million debt on bonds whose proceeds were used by the county to purchase the Mahopac golf course in 2003. Paying off the bonds early will save $477,000 in interest, but the main benefit will be to release Putnam from restrictive IRS rules governing tax-exempt bonds, said Bill Carlin, the interim finance commissioner, on Aug. 25. Because of the restrictions, Putnam owns the drink, food and pro shop inventory and is responsible for the cash-handling, John Tully, the commissioner of general services, said in June. Michael Lewis, the former finance commissioner, noted at the time that Homestyle Caterers & Food Services, which provides beverage and food service to golfers, cannot "claim ownership, claim depreciation and/or amortization deductions, investment tax credits or deduct for any payment." In addition to Homestyle, Putnam contracts with Troon Golf to run and maintain the course and its pro shop, along with a third company "to protect our interests and make sure that those two other contractors are playing nice in the sandbox, and that they're coordinating events and all things together," said Tully. Being released from the IRS rules "will free up the Legislature to make decisions about how the course is run," said Carlin. Montgomery voted in favor of retiring the bonds but said she had "real discomfort with what this signals" because the main driver is not debt reduction but the ability of the county to renegotiate a contract with a vendor. With the vote, she said, the Legislature is "strategically reshaping" financing policy to "allow government-owned property to be run more like a private business." "That's a slippery slope," said Montgomery. "Government's role is n...

Beacon's Jayoung Yoon weaves with hair Jayoung Yoon wants to create larger works, but her hair only grows so long. The artist, who lives in Beacon, specializes in sculpture and two-dimensional pieces created with her hair. During the pandemic, she studied the ancient art of Korean horsehair weaving on the island of Jeju-do and is now crafting intricate works that incorporate her hair, horsetails and, in a deft detail added to "The Fabric of Energy 03," two milkweed seeds suspended at the center of the piece's open ends. For her residency at the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan, which runs through February, she seeks hair donations to incorporate into a sculpture in her Fabric of Energy series. Visitors to her Saturday studio hours or people who contact her online will receive an index card to fill out and a prepaid envelope to mail in at least four to five strands no shorter than 3 inches. Designed to hang at eye level, "The Fabric of Energy 03" is a stunning work of intricate weaving technique that consists of eight separate parts created by making wood molds with a lathe and then dunking the sculpted elements in boiling water for 30 minutes. The pieces, a ball made from her hair, a funnel and what resembles a traditional Korean drum, interlock and are designed to shimmer in the sunlight. Photos cannot do the works justice; they must be seen and experienced to be fully appreciated. The same goes for the Empty Void series, where she stretches her hair in four or five layers across a wood panel covered by canvas and uses a computer program to design shapes inspired by toruses and nature that seem to pop out of the frame, giving them a three-dimensional quality. "The tension has to be perfect," she says. "Too tight and they break; too loose and it doesn't look right." Most of the pieces are 8-by-8 inches. To get the longest length of hair possible, she has shaved her head seven times and created eight videos in which she is bald and naked. For now, the 46-year-old artist's straight, jet-black mane dangles to her hips, but that state is impermanent, something she appreciates as a Buddhist: "I would love to work with gray hair. I look forward to that." There is a conceptual element behind most of her work, some of it stemming from the burden of Korean history. The Japanese imprisoned her grandfather during World War II, and South Korean authorities arrested and monitored her mother during the 1970s for protesting the military dictatorship. During Yoon's residency, she plans to complete four sculptures in the Fabric of Energy series. Of the 429 applicants for this cycle, the program chose six artists, and she will be in the studio greeting visitors on Saturdays through Feb. 20. For a place once called the American Craft Museum, "handcrafting is still in our DNA, but we're trying to push the boundaries," says Lydia Brawner, its deputy director of education. "Many artists work with hair, but we've never collaborated with someone weaving horsehair or human hair with such precision, and we were wowed seeing it in person." The Museum of Arts and Design, at 2 Columbus Circle in New York City, is open daily except Monday. Yoon's studio hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission to the museum is $20 ($16 seniors, $14 students, free for 12 and younger). See madmuseum.org/learn/jayoung-yoon and @jayoungart

Expect the unexpected from Chimera Quartet When the aptly named Chimera Quartet performs, the music is always different and difficult to describe. It will bring its experimental improvisations to the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon on Sunday (Sept. 7). "Almost anything can happen when we play," says guitarist Timothy Hill. "We're not going to break into a pop song, but we go in a lot of divergent directions." During a gig last year at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, violinist Iva Bittová tapped the instrument's backside for percussive purposes. At times, she flitted about the stage like a butterfly and scatted or sang bird-like calls. "With her, you can expect the unexpected," says Hill. Bamboo flute player Steve Gorn imitated avian chirps on a small wind instrument and joined Bittová on her otherworldly vocal wanderings. At one point, Hill and bass player Michael Bisio traded licks, with the guitar taking an atonal tack over an anchoring bass pattern. Bisio also bent low to pluck the strings underneath the bridge. Gorn and Hill are steeped in eastern music and philosophy, which contributes a trance-like underpinning. Chimera's calmer, more mystical tones and drones could serve as the soundtrack for a meditation session. Dynamics veer from slow and heady to bursting fireworks. At one point in the Omega show, the bass and violin erupted into screechy, scratchy interplay. Bisio abused his bow as strands of loose horsehair flapped around. "We're all interested in the relationship between sound and silence," says Hill. "We also want to convey something through the music that brings people to a more peaceful, contemplative place." Bittová often returns to the Czech Republic, where she is well-known as a musician, and brings a Moravian folk music influence to the mix. The group toured her native country earlier this year. "During some of the more frenetic moments, she's quite good at bursting the balloon the rest of us are blowing up and getting us back on a track," says Hill. Though classically trained, Bisio is primarily a jazz cat who teaches at Bennington College and holds down something of a center during Chimera's more avant-garde moments. He is also the low-end specialist with the Matthew Shipp Trio, known for improvisational twists and turns. Gorn, a 2011 Grammy Award winner for Best New Age Album, Miho: Journey to the Mountain, has played with Paul Winter and Paul Simon and brings other instruments to Chimera gigs, including a clarinet and a soprano saxophone. Where the music meanders will determine if he pulls them out of his stand. Like his bandmates, Hill dips his fingers into many musical pies, including singer-songwriter gigs, playing piano in a jazz duo, picking with a bossa nova group and performing with another musician fond of alternate tunings and non-Western microtones played on guitar, harp, lyre and zither. With Chimera, he says, "we're all faithfully relating to the music each of us loves and has spent all our lives learning and playing. But we're trying to leave the past at the door and create something new as we pull out all the instruments' possibilities." The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the performance, which begins at 6 p.m., are $20 at dub.sh/howland-chimera or $25 at the door.

Yefim Bronfman will perform at Howland Center Akiko Sasaki, music director of the Howland Chamber Music Circle, is crushing it. For the second year in a row, she has booked a pianist used to performing in the world's grandest halls for a recital on the music circle's Steinway grand at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon. Last year, she landed Emanuel Ax. On Feb. 4, Yefim Bronfman will arrive in Beacon after touring Asia and Europe and playing Carnegie Hall. Bronfman, 67, who was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated to Israel at age 15, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and won in 1997 for a recording with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic of the three Bartók piano concerti. His program will be announced later. In October, Ax performed two Beethoven pieces and another by Robert Schumann - consisting of thousands of notes - off the top of his head. He also played two modern pieces by Arnold Schoenberg. The season, which features a bunch of other Grammy winners, opens Sept. 14 with a Beethoven tribute by violinist Joseph Lin and Friends that has already sold out. Bronfman's visit is on top of the Music Circle's annual piano series-within-a-series. Sasaki, a pianist herself, is featuring Fei Fei (Jan. 11), Timo Andres and Aaron Diehl (Jan. 25), Jeremy Denk (Feb. 15, also sold out) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (May 17). Sasaki has also arranged some wild combos - for classical music. Two Grammy winners will appear onstage together on April 26 when mezzo soprano Fleur Barron (2025 for Best Opera Recording) teams up with the Parker Quartet (2011 for Chamber Music Performance). "Voice and string quartet collaborations are not common, but they do exist and can be very powerful," says Sasaki. Another unusual pairing will take place Oct. 12 when Stephen Banks joins the Verona Quartet on saxophone, an instrument more commonly associated with jazz, soul and funk. The quartet appeared at the Howland Center in 2022, and Sasaki learned that it had worked with Banks on a composition by Christopher Theofanidis. In addition to Banks' adaptation of a Mozart work and an original piece, the concert will include Theofanidis' Visions of the Hereafter (after Hieronymus Bosch). The Akropolis Reed Quintet, the first ensemble of its kind to win a Grammy, presents another unorthodox combination: oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone and bass clarinet (Nov. 2). Brazilian guitarist Plinio Fernandes will appear with flutist Brandon Patrick George (a Grammy winner with Imani Winds) on May 3. Although guitar ensembles are a thing, the Galvin Cello Quartet (March 29) is a rare bird consisting of young musicians from diverse backgrounds playing the same instrument. As some fans fret about the future of classical music, almost all the performers during the 2025-26 season demonstrate that the genre is adapting. The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets are $25 ($10 for students younger than 26) at howlandmusic.org/tickets; those for the Bronfman performance are $60 ($15 for students). Each concert is followed by a reception

Undersheriff will replace McConville on ballot The Putnam Republican Committee on Aug. 28 chose the county's recently named undersheriff to replace the late Kevin McConville as its candidate for sheriff in the November election. Brian Hess received the endorsement during a meeting that evening, according to the committee. A day earlier, hundreds of law enforcement officers from the Hudson Valley and New York City descended on Cold Spring for the funeral at Our Lady of Loretto for McConville, a village native and resident who died Aug. 22 at age 68. Acting Sheriff Brian Hess Although McConville's cause of death has not been disclosed, his illness was serious enough that in June he ended his bid for re-election to a second 4-year term. His name remained on the ballot because state law prevents political parties from replacing candidates except if they die or are disqualified. Two weeks before he died, McConville appointed Hess, a lieutenant with the Westchester County Police Department, to oversee the Sheriff's Office. Hess succeeded Thomas Lindert, who retired. "I'm honored and excited to receive the Republican endorsement," Hess said in a statement. "I look forward to working with everyone here to keep Putnam safe and strong for our families and future." Hess, who holds a bachelor's degree from John Jay College, spent 20 months as a communications operator with the Fire Control Division of Westchester County's Department of Emergency Services before joining the New York Police Department. He left in 1999, after 18 months, to join the Westchester department. There, Hess rose in rank to lieutenant, founding the Westchester-Putnam Real Time Crime Center to enable intelligence-sharing between more than 65 local, state and federal agencies. On Tuesday (Sept. 2), Hess named his replacement as undersheriff: James Menton, a Carmel resident and retired NYPD detective working as an investigator with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. Ralph Cilento, chief investigator for the Putnam County District Attorney's Office; Eric Grutzner, chief of the Pleasantville Police Department; and Mike Cazzari, the supervisor for the Town of Carmel, were among the other candidates who interviewed for the endorsement, said Andres Gil, chair for the Putnam Republican Committee. Hess' law enforcement background and vision swayed committee members, he said. "He's a visionary leader who's going to have a very positive impact on the sheriff's office and our community." The committee also interviewed Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer. Although he did not win the endorsement, Burke will appear on the November ballot on the independent Serve & Protect party line. Burke, 59, has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including 26 years with the NYPD. He joined the Cold Spring department in 2013 and served as officer-in-charge for seven years. He resigned in 2024 but continues as a part-time officer. Burke has also been a volunteer firefighter with North Highlands Fire Co. for 12 years.

Had ended campaign for re-election because of poor health Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville, who had decided against running for a second term in November because of poor health, died at his Cold Spring home on Aug. 22. McConville, 68, was elected as a Republican in 2021, defeating Democratic incumbent Robert Langley Jr. with 57 percent of the vote. The sheriff began his career in law enforcement as a Cold Spring police officer and rose to become chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police force. He ran unsuccessfully for Putnam sheriff in 2009 as a Democrat and in 2013 as a Republican. Following the sheriff's death, County Executive Kevin Byrne ordered flags flown at half-staff. A funeral service was held at Our Lady of Loretto in Cold Spring on Wednesday (Aug. 27). Andres Gil, chair of the county's Republican Committee, said earlier this month that although McConville ended his re-election campaign in June, his name would remain on the ballot because state election law prevents political parties from replacing a candidate except if they die or are disqualified. Photos by Ross Corsair With McConville's death, the party had 10 days to file a certificate with the Board of Elections naming a new candidate. On Thursday, the Republican Committee announced it would submit the name of Undersheriff Brian Hess, who was appointed to the position by McConville on Aug. 13, following the retirement of Thomas Lindert. There is no Democratic candidate, but Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer, is running as an independent on the Serve & Protect party line. Statement from Undersheriff Brian Hess It is with deep sadness that the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announces the passing of Sheriff Kevin J. McConville on Aug. 22, 2025. Sheriff McConville began his tenure on Jan. 1, 2022, after being elected to a four-year term. Prior to becoming sheriff, McConville had served with the MTA Police Department for 30 years, beginning as a patrolman and rising through the ranks and retiring as the chief. He worked during the 9/11 terror attacks and served as chief during the London and Madrid bombings on their commuter transport system, implementing plans and responses in incident reduction and management. A lifelong resident of Putnam County, as sheriff he worked diligently to improve the working conditions for the men and women of the department so they could better serve the residents of the county. His accomplishments included achieving DCJS (Division of Criminal Justice Services) state accreditation in law enforcement, obtaining a new records management system, improving radio communication systems to greatly reduce areas of poor reception and obtaining newer vehicles. Sheriff McConville devoted his life to serving others with integrity, courage and compassion. Our hearts are heavy as we stand with the McConville family, but we will honor his legacy with pride and continue the mission that we have to serve and protect Putnam County. McConville was a lifelong resident of Cold Spring; his late father, Ronald, served as mayor. According to an obituary posted by Clinton Funeral Home, McConville graduated from Haldane High School in 1975 before earning bachelor's and master's degrees from Marist College (now Marist University). In 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, Janice Brigati, and they raised their three children in the same house he grew up in. McConville worked for 30 years for the MTA Police Department, beginning his career as a patrol officer and rising to become chief in 2005. During his tenure, he created the Interagency Counter Terrorism Team, worked with the FBI and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and created a 50-team K-9 unit. He managed the MTA Police response at Grand Central Station on Sept. 11, 2001. After retiring as chief in 2008, McConville served for 12 years as director of security at what is now NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortla...

Beacon hopes to take ownership of property Linda Richards knows camp magic firsthand. For eight years the former schoolteacher and education director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has led Beacon's Camp at the Camp at the 51-acre University Settlement property along Route 9D. There, Richards and her team unplug all devices and use song, art and woodland exploration to bring an immersive, exhaustive summer camp experience to children ages five to 12. This summer, the camp served 180 children, expanding for the first time to three two-week sessions. "They're outside all day long and they love it," Richards said. "Now we've got counselors in training who were there when they were six. That's the magic, that they keep coming back." After its launch in 2017, a decade after the University Settlement House in New York City closed its sleepaway camp there, Camp at the Camp quickly became the Beacon Recreation Department's signature offering at the property, an expansive, wooded campus at the foot of Mount Beacon. Owned by New York State since 2007, the site is managed by the city through a 20-year, no-cost lease that runs to November 2027. The lease can be renewed, but Beacon officials earlier this year asked the state to convey University Settlement to the city. Linda Cooper, the director for the Taconic Region of the state parks department, said the state is reviewing the request. The city has been reluctant to prioritize spending at the site, putting Recreation Department dollars toward the recent $893,000 rehabilitation of South Avenue Park or $400,000 in upgrades planned at Memorial Park next year. State ownership "makes it harder and creates some uncertainty" for the city to invest in the property, Mayor Lee Kyriacou said. If Beacon were to take ownership of University Settlement, that could change. Settlement Camp History According to the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, Eliza Howland, the widow of Civil War hero Gen. Joseph P. Howland, in 1911 donated her family's 250-acre estate to University Settlement House, which had been founded 25 years earlier by the New York Society for Ethical Culture to serve Jewish refugees living in tenement housing on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The Settlement House eventually sold the land west of what is now Route 9D, including the mansion that would become the Craig House psychiatric center, keeping 51 acres at the base of Mount Beacon. In 1914, Charles B. Stover, a landscape architect and member of University Settlement who had been New York City's parks commissioner from 1910 to 1913, took over the site to run it as an idyllic countryside camp. Stover designed the landscape and supervised construction of the main building, dormitories and an Olympic-sized, concrete pool that is now Beacon's municipal pool. The structure now used as offices for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was housing for summer staff. By the 1950s, folk singer, activist and future Clearwater founder Pete Seeger built his family's home nearby and became deeply involved with the camp, often leading camp-fire singalongs. Seeger's father-in-law, Takashi Ohta, was at one time the camp's gardener. University Settlement House ran the summer camp for 90 years before selling the land to New York State, which added it to the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, in 2007. Pat Freeman, the property's longtime caretaker, is credited with helping to convince the Settlement House to resist selling the land to developers. Richards would love to add a weeklong winter camp. Recreation Director Mark Price envisions a walking trail along the perimeter of the woods and a primitive camping site. The municipal swimming pool, which reopened in 2015 after several years of dormancy, needs a new fiberglass lining to replace the current one, which dates to the 1990s and "is well past its useful life," said Price. While the Recreation Department's operating budget has grown from $304,000 when Price was hired full time in 2014 (he started as a part-t...

District has four options to fill vacancies Two Beacon school board members resigned this week, leaving the nine-member board with vacancies nearly a year before the next election. Anthony White, the longest-tenured board member, and Kristan Flynn, who was serving her third full term, each said the Monday (Aug. 25) meeting was their last. The Wallkill Central School District in Orange County announced in May that White, who was elected to the Beacon board in 2014 and was in the midst of his fourth 3-year term, will succeed Superintendent Kevin Castle, who is retiring in October. White has been the Wallkill district's assistant superintendent of educational services since 2021. White said Monday that he hopes today's students will learn the value of volunteering. "I was always taught volunteerism gives back more than you give it, and it's true," he said. "I tried to give my all, but I got back 10 times fold." Flynn, a market research executive, said that a new job she started last year has not left her with enough time to continue as a board member. "It's hard to feel half-in, half-out," she said. "I wanted to finish this term [which ends in May] but it's feeling like I'm stretched too thin." In an email to the community on Tuesday, President Flora Stadler said the school board has four options, which it will discuss at its Sept. 8 meeting. The board could leave the seats open until the election in May; make appointments to fill the seats until the election; ask Jodi DeLucia, the superintendent of the Dutchess Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), to make appointments until the election; or call a special election. On Monday, Flynn, who was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy and elected for the first time in 2017, called the election process cleaner. "It sets you up for more success if someone is really interested in being on the board," she said. "They can come to meetings and get the feel for things and be a part of it before they're a part of it." The board in 2020 was criticized by some community members who said it was not doing enough to diversify itself when appointing members to fill vacancies. Appointing someone "becomes personal even if you don't want it to be personal," Flynn said. She noted that her appointment felt urgent at the time, but "everyone [on the board] is capable of bringing the work forward" now. White was in his first term in 2016 when Barbara Walkley, the eighth superintendent to hold the job in 10 years, resigned. As a parent group, the Advocates for Beacon Schools, began organizing, White represented "a glimmer of hope that there was someone on the board who cared enough about kids and the impact on kids and teachers that gave our parent group the idea that we could actually make some change," said Meredith Heuer, the board's vice president. Stadler also praised Flynn, who was a member of Advocates for Beacon Schools. In a time of uncertainty, "you brought clarity and data to the conversation, but you also had this insistence that things should and could be better," Stadler said. "We all know how much time and attention and emotional labor goes into doing this job. You've made this district better." Superintendent Matt Landahl thanked White and Flynn, who were both board members (with White being the president) when he was hired in 2017. "I would call Anthony about hiring stuff and budget stuff" during the transition, Landahl said, while he completed his duties in the Ithaca City School District. "But I would also be like, 'Who's your cable provider?' Because we weren't from here. That first president who you work with, you have a connection with because so much goes into that transition." About Flynn, "the word that comes to my mind is the level of thoughtfulness that you bring," Landahl said. "When I say 'thoughtfulness,' I mean smart, deep thinking about every aspect of the community and the district and our kids and our staff. That was from Day 1 all the way to now."

If being born in Butterfield Hospital defines someone as a true local, Jim Myatt more than fits the bill. Myatt, who turns 100 on Saturday (Aug. 30), was one of 21 babies born at the newly opened hospital in 1925. A century later, and 32 years after the hospital closed, Myatt is going strong. He has lived in Nelsonville for a century. Seventy years ago, Myatt built a home on Wood Avenue. He still resides there, along with his partner, Marie Gargano. They met about 10 years ago at the Philipstown senior center when it was in the American Legion on Cedar Street. "He chased me all over town, and I was like, 'What does he want?' " recalls Gargano, 87, with a laugh. "Eventually he gave me his card and said, 'Call me when you're ready.' " She called and they've been together for seven years. "He's kind, patient and never complains about anything," Gargano says. "He's just a great guy." Although Myatt suffered a stroke in December and has less than perfect hearing and eyesight, he remains active, including tending to his lawn on a riding mower. He makes breakfast every morning, a menu that usually includes coffee, V8 juice, scrambled eggs, hash browns and English muffins. He and Marie spend their weekday lunch hours at the Philipstown Friendship Center and on weekends they often enjoy watching NASCAR while sharing a single Miller High Life. Up until a few years ago they liked to drive go-karts at an indoor Poughkeepsie track that has since closed. They were also regular moviegoers until recently. One of Myatt's favorites is the 1980 comedy Hog Wild, and he loves pretty much any Western. The couple doesn't care for most of the latest Hollywood offerings. As a boy, Myatt loved hunting and fishing more than sports. He was a member of the Coon Hollow Bowmen, an archery club that had a course in the woods and trails near Breakneck Ridge. He also belonged to the Philipstown Rod & Gun Club and has fond memories of swimming in the Hudson River. When he was 14, he and a friend answered a Macy's ad that would be unusual today. "They were selling day-old baby chicks," Myatt said. "My friend bought 15 and I bought 25." He remembers his first car fondly, a used 1932 Chevy. Myatt was unable to serve during World War II because he suffered from asthma. "I had quite a few jobs working for town folks during the war," he said. He worked for the Allen Coal Co. in winter, drove a truck for the Percacciolo Co. in the summer and also worked for the local highway department. In 1945, Myatt married Jeanette Maddox. They had three children: Jackie, Jamie and Joan, 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. They divorced in 1972. Myatt married twice more, to Velma "Teddy" in 1975 and Ruthie in 1996. He has outlived all three wives. Myatt has always been involved in village life. He helped build the Nelsonville firehouse in the early 1950s and served as fire chief in the early 1960s. The fire company was disbanded in 2001, and the building now serves as a substation for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Nelsonville Village Board in 1958. Beginning in the late 1960s, he was an officer with the Nelsonville Police Department for 10 years; the department disbanded in 1984. For the past 50 years, Myatt has been a member of Masonic Lodge No. 236, which occupies the former Hickory Grove Academy where Myatt attended school. He was also a founding member of the Cold Spring Boat Club when it was established in 1955. "In the 1960s, we had a cabin cruiser, and we'd go anywhere from the end of Long Island all the way up to Lake Champlain," his daughter, Jackie, recalls. "We were out on the river all summer long." Myatt worked at IBM for 35 years, retiring in 1987 as a senior model toolmaker. He still enjoys tinkering with the metal lathe and drill press in his garage. "He can still pull a car engine apart and put it back together," Jackie says. On Thursday (Aug. 28), the Philipstown Friendsh...

Cold Spring asks residents to move cars The Village of Cold Spring has asked residents near the Clinton Funeral Home and Our Lady of Loretto to move their vehicles for the wake and funeral of Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville, who died Aug. 22. The wake is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 25) at Clinton at 21 Parrott St. To accommodate the family and visitors, there will be no street parking all day at these locations: Pine Street, both sides, from Pearl Street to the end of Grove Court Parrott Street, both sides, from Maple Terrace to Bank Street (the length of the street) Main Street, both sides, from Cedar to Orchard streets For the Mass and burial, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Our Lady of Loretto, there will be no on-street parking until after the funeral procession at about 1 p.m.: Main Street, both sides, from Route 9D to Stone Street Cross Street, both sides, length of street Garden Street, both sides, length of street On Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be no deliveries allowed. The following streets will be closed to traffic: Fair Street, from Northern Avenue to Main Street Cross Street Railroad Avenue

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing. 150 Years Ago (August 1875) About 400 Black residents of Fishkill Landing, Peekskill, Cold Spring and other nearby locations had planned an Emancipation Day excursion for Aug. 11 but were left disappointed on the dock. The steamer Echo was going to take the group and two bands to Poughkeepsie, but the captain said the pickup had to be at 7 a.m. because it had other engagements. According to a news report, he waited until 8:30 a.m. before leaving, but not everyone had arrived, and the affair was postponed. As the Saratoga Special was passing through Dutchess Junction, late by 10 minutes, a broken bolt flew from the engine at the speed of a bullet. It passed between a couple, cutting the ribbon in the woman's hat, and struck the depot between two boys sitting there. After cutting a 1¾-inch hole in the iron sheathing, it rebounded and hit the station agent in the shoulder, ripping through his coat and causing a slight wound. W.H Mase of Matteawan purchased eight shares of the National Bank of Fishkill at auction for $105 each [about $3,100 today]. After driving to Murphy's saloon on the Matteawan road, Theodore Hyatt offered two 7-year-old boys 50 cents [$15] to water his horse. When the boys approached the horse with a pail, it suddenly bit one of them in the face, shook him and threw him 4 feet. The boy suffered a severe wound to his cheek. The Fishkill Landing Machine Co. was still using the 50-foot main belt installed 22 years earlier, when the plant opened. It was double thick and 12 inches wide. Theodore Wood was going downhill toward the river when he rear-ended a wagon driven by Samuel Leith. Wood's horse broke its neck. A watch stolen from Mrs. H.H. Hustis of Fishkill Landing was recovered at a jewelry store in Newburgh, where it had been sold for $8 [$235]. For reasons not reported, Robert Gibson, assistant superintendent of the Newburgh Water Works, fired a pistol at Alfred Post, president of the Highland National Bank, on the street in Newburgh on a Tuesday afternoon. The bullet grazed Post's neck; Gibson aimed for a second shot but forgot to cock the gun. The Empires of Matteawan hosted the Kelloggs of Cold Spring for a Saturday afternoon baseball game, winning 24-23 in 10 innings. 125 Years Ago (August 1900) Patrick Murray of Fishkill Landing was contracted to rehabilitate the Groveville Carpet Mills property for $8,000 [$300,000]. There were new roofs and about 1,000 panes of glass to be installed; the job was expected to take 20 men about two months. George Moore of Fishkill Landing, with the assistance of a Washington, D.C, agent, received a back military pension of $806.93 [$31,000]. He had served during the Civil War with the 19th Regiment from Newburgh. Mary Phelps retired after 30 years as the manager and operator of the Western Union Telegraph Co. office at Fishkill Landing. The Matteawan Manufacturing Co. erected a tent on a Leonard Street lot to make hatboxes because of the lack of space in its factory. The firm had expanded its fur hat business, which occupied the former straw hat space, to include wool hats. Andrew DeGroat, the ferryboat engineer, died at age 53 of mouth cancer. Fifteen co-workers attended the funeral at his home and then took his remains by ferry to Newburgh for interment. The ferry company contributed a floral arrangement shaped like an anchor. School district residents in Fishkill Landing and Matteawan voted to provide free textbooks to students. According to the Matteawan Journal, a freight train made an unscheduled stop at midnight at Fishkill Landing to unload a livestock car. Unfortunately, the 13 bulls inside had broken a thin partition and trampled the 51 calves, killing 11. The carcasses were removed, the bulls moved to a new car and the train continued to New York City. 100 Years Ago (August 1925) The position of railway post office clerk on trains between Beacon and Pine Plains was eliminated be...

Beacon Historical Society opens exhibit on Camp Nitgedaiget Just 2 miles south of Beacon, working-class Jewish progressives and Communist sympathizers from New York City gathered for over 30 years at a 250-acre refuge in Dutchess Junction. Amid ballfields, hiking trails and clusters of bungalows, they exercised, socialized, read the Community Party USA's Daily Worker newspaper, listened to lectures by socialist writers and enjoyed performances by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. That history is the foundation of Beacon's Camp Nitgedaiget: A Vanished Utopia, an exhibit running through November at the Beacon Historical Society. Two galleries filled with photos, postcards, newspaper clippings and artifacts found at the site are devoted to Nitgedaiget, founded in 1922 by immigrant garment workers as one of dozens of socially progressive camps in New York state. A third gallery highlights a housing cooperative comprising more than 700 apartments they built in the Bronx, with materials borrowed from the Bronx County Historical Society. Diane Lapis, a BHS trustee, began rebuilding the history of Nitgedaiget ("no worries" in Yiddish) a decade ago, after a friend from the organization found, in the Library of Congress, photos of the camp taken in 1937. "Besides fresh air and sunshine, there were physical activities - they had winter sports, summer sports," Lapis said. Participants in the camp's theater productions performed songs based on "proletarian" themes, such as "socialism, communism and working together - developing strength and unity to work against the big bosses," she said. Nitgedaiget's roots began in 1910, when garment workers living in the tenements of New York City's Lower East Side formed the United Workers Cooperative Association. Members sought improved living and working conditions and embraced civil rights, social security and health and unemployment insurance. The Dutchess Junction property, now part of Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, straddled Route 9D. Its west side featured a four-story, 56-room hotel, a dining hall, sports facilities, a lake and access to fishing and boating on the Hudson River; the east had a pool and waterfall, hundreds of bungalows, platform tents and a gathering hall for dancing, entertainment and lectures. Because of its Communist sympathies, "there was always a lens on the camp," said Lapis. In 1927, the camp managers received a letter from the Ku Klux Klan demanding that they "withdraw from this territory or else we will take severe measures against you." Hamilton Fish III, the congressman from Philipstown who crusaded against Communism, dispatched representatives to investigate the camp. Several factors contributed to Nitgedaiget's demise in the 1950s, Lapis said, including financial mismanagement and disillusionment with the Communist Party after Russia's Joseph Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with Adolf Hitler. In addition, the children of Nitgedaiget's first generation of working-class campers began to go to college and move into white-collar jobs. "They now have a car, or access to other ways of vacationing, so that the original intention of the camp changes," she said. The Beacon Historical Society, at 61 Leonard St., is open from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursdays and 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. See beaconhistorical.org.

Sheriff Kevin J. McConville passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. He was exactly where he wanted to be: in his bed, in his home, surrounded by his family. He was 68 years old. McConville was a lifelong resident of Cold Spring. He was born on Jan. 31, 1957, and raised in the village, where he lived with his parents, former Mayor Ronald McConville and Marjorie "June" McConville, and his siblings, Barbara, Ronnie and Dickie. McConville graduated from Haldane High School in 1975 and received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Marist University. In 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, Janice Brigati, and together they raised their three children - Ryan, Kylie and Ilana - in the same house he grew up in, in the village he adored. McConville was a man of devotion: to his family, his friends, his community and to his work. He was a proud police officer, a career he treated with unflinching reverence and respect. With more than 30 years of service in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, he began his career as a patrolman, rising through the ranks to become the first member from the agency to be appointed chief of police in 2005. Prior to becoming chief, McConville was first deputy chief, captain of the District 6 Command, captain of the Department Manual Development Team and held roles as sergeant, lieutenant and detective, as well as executive officer in various units. During his tenure as chief, he created the Interagency Counter Terrorism Team, worked closely with the FBI and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and created a 50-team canine (K9) unit. He managed the MTA's response at Grand Central on Sept. 11, 2001, coordinating alongside local and state police agencies to ensure Grand Central, railways and subway lines were safe and secure. He was chief during the London and Madrid bombings, where he assisted the MTAPD response and developed strategies and deployment plans that were instrumental to maintaining public safety and security. He was also a member of the Governor's Homeland Security Team. After retiring as chief in 2008, he served as director of security at Hudson Valley Hospital Center (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital) in Cortlandt until 2020. In 2021, he was elected sheriff of Putnam County, where he was incredibly proud to serve the community and county that he loved. Under his leadership, he improved working conditions for the men and women of his department by implementing safer, more efficient and appropriate services such as a new records management system and a new jail management system. He ensured that a radio communication system, which was years in the making, went into effect and obtained new vehicles for officers. He routinely worked with schools and leadership teams to keep students and faculty safe and partnered with local mental health and domestic violence organizations to provide support, services and resources for those in need. In December 2024, McConville and the Sheriff's Department achieved Division of Criminal Justice Services State Accreditation in Law Enforcement, a major achievement and benefit to all county residents. In addition, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office Response Team met the standards for SWAT Team Certification. The Sheriff's Department became the only agency in Putnam County to receive DCJS accreditation, let alone two certifications. McConville was a public servant in every sense of the word, devoting his life to serving others with integrity, courage and compassion. He was a trustee of the New York State Sheriff's Association and a lifelong member of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, the New York State Fraternal Order of Police, Stephen P. Driscoll Lodge No. 704, the Hudson Valley 10-13 Association, Knights of Columbus Council No. 36318 and the Brewster Elks Lodge No. 2101. His family was exceptionally proud of his professional achievements, but at hom...

Route 9D to Little Stony Point deemed 'unwalkable' Sidewalks dominated the discussion at the Aug. 13 meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board. Concerns increased recently after a wheelchair-bound village resident tipped over along Morris Avenue/Route 9D near Hamilton Street, at the north end of the village. The incident prompted a meeting at Village Hall at which the state Department of Transportation agreed to allow the village to replace the asphalt sidewalk between Whitehill Place and the Haldane football field. Mayor Kathleen Foley said the project, being implemented "until there is a larger plan for 9D," will cost about $30,000. She said she hopes Putnam County, the Town of Philipstown and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail will contribute financially. The work will be done "in kind" by local highway crews. The "larger plan for 9D" relates to HHFT having identified Dockside Park as its preferred southern gateway to the 7.5-mile trail being constructed between Cold Spring and Beacon. Foley and Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel have advocated starting the trail at Little Stony Point, with a series of improved sidewalks leading there from the village. The final route is yet to be decided. During the Aug. 13 meeting, the board voted 4-1 to pay Hahn Engineering up to $2,000 to estimate the cost of installing sidewalks on both sides of Route 9D from the northern boundary of the village to the Washburn Trail parking lot opposite Little Stony Point. The cost of the Hahn study will be split with Philipstown. Foley said pedestrians along that route encounter "holes you can put your foot in, up to your ankle" and that foot traffic can be expected to increase as the fall hiking season begins. She noted that from May to July, visits to the Washburn and Cornish trails increased by 6.6 percent over last year. Along the entire corridor, where Breakneck and the Metro-North platform are closed for HHFT construction, usage is down 47 percent. Trustee Aaron Freimark voted against the Hahn study, saying it would be spending village money on an analysis of a sidewalk that's not on village property. Foley responded that the estimate will be used to negotiate sidewalk improvements with the Department of Transportation (DOT), state parks and HHFT. "It is in villagers' best interest to have a sidewalk there," she said. DOT estimates the project, which requires relocating power lines and constructing a retaining wall, will cost $1 million. The Hahn study will fine-tune that estimate. Foley said DOT encouraged Cold Spring and Philipstown to apply jointly for funding through its Transportation Alternatives Program. Trustee Andrew Hall described the study as an "investment to unlock funding to improve the infrastructure of the village." In other action, the board tabled a letter from the mayor addressed to state parks and HHFT about the "not safely walkable" Route 9 approach to Little Stony Point and the Washburn Trail from the village. A new draft will be considered at the Wednesday (Aug. 27) meeting. The Philipstown Town Board approved a similar letter at its Aug. 7 from Van Tassel to state parks, although an accusation that HHFT was "directing the general public to walk along the shoulder of Route 9D" was removed. Board Member Jason Angell noted that advisories to pedestrians about construction-related closures do not use those words, and that other routes are available. Foley reported that a Breakneck Closures Logistics Working Group has been formed with municipal representatives from Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Philipstown, as well as state parks, HHFT and the Haldane school district, which has raised concerns because hiking apps encourage people to park at the school and use the campus as a short cut to trails. In other business… Marjorie Gage was appointed as village clerk-treasurer through Dec 1. She will earn a pro-rated annual salary of $72,000; the position had been hourly. Greg Henson resigned as clerk-treasurer on June 10. The boa...

Would deter commuters from South Mountain Pass The Philipstown Town Board on Wednesday (Aug. 20) discussed installing gates at two spots on South Mountain Pass to deter commuters from using the road to bypass closures and congestion on the Goat Trail. Supervisor John Van Tassel said that gates could be installed at South Mountain Pass Spur and Putnam Ridge, creating a "dead section" of road that has no homes. The section would be cleared of snow after storms and emergency responders would have access to the gates, he said, adding that the road is also used as a bypass if Route 403 is closed. The idea is "very preliminary," said Van Tassel, and needs to be evaluated for its legality. Local engineer Badey & Watson is being tasked with staking out the town's right-of-way, and the U.S. Postal Service and Garrison school district still need to be consulted, he said. Although the gates would create a "safe environment," he acknowledged there would be "some inconvenience" for residents. "If you live somewhere near South Mountain Pass spur and you want to go to Route 9, it's going to take you a longer time to get there," said Van Tassel. "If you're on the other side, and you want to go to 9D, it's going to delay your trip." Theresa Orlandi, who lives off South Mountain Pass on Coppermine Road, predicted that her commute would increase by 15 minutes. She asked about options such as enforcing speed limits or installing speed humps. Van Tassel said that the town has asked the Putnam County Sheriff's Office to conduct enforcement on roads, but it is residents who are getting ticketed. The town considered adding speed humps to paving planned on the Route 9 end of the road, but they present problems for plows, he said. Orlandi said that "turning the road into one-way only for certain residents, that seems to be a completely unsatisfactory outcome. There's got to be something." Alex Cucchiarella, who commutes from South Mountain Pass to New York City each day, said it was hard to "wrap my head around the reality" of the gates. "The gate is a big issue if we can't get through," he said. "There are plenty of scenarios in this world where we can control the access, and I really ask you to look at that because it's a monumental lifestyle shift for all of us here." Russell Dushin suggested the gate be timed so that the road only closes when the Goat Trail closes, so "people would get the message." If South Mountain Pass were occasionally closed, "they wouldn't do what they do today," he said. Van Tassel said that delineating the town's right-of-way will also help identify where residents have "been encroaching" onto town property with fences and stonewalls, creating narrower sections of roadway. "Where people have encroached on it, we will be pushing back," he said. In other business… The board reappointed Brian Kenney as the part-time assessor for a six-year term that begins Oct. 1. Kenney is also the assessor for the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County. Susan Kenney was appointed the supervisor's clerk after what Van Tassel called a "brief retirement" from her job as the town's assistant budget officer. The board authorized the town court to apply for a grant of up to $30,000 from the state's Justice Court Assistance Program, which provides for expenses such as automation, technology, law books and training.

Layout reconfigured at Fjord Trail hub Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. has reconfigured the parking layout at Dutchess Manor, which it plans to restore as a visitor's center and staff offices, in response to concerns from neighbors about views from their properties. Amy Kacala, HHFT's executive director, presented the revisions to the Town of Fishkill Planning Board at its Aug. 14 meeting. The number of parking spaces planned will remain at 181, including spaces at a nearby building at 14 Coris Lane. But the revised plan calls for focusing expansion on the existing lot and replacing paved space proposed to the south with gravel and grass. Those areas will be limited to occasional overflow parking, and a buffer of vegetation along the lawn will shield a private home at 20 Coris Lane. The overflow area will be gated and should "keep most of the parking further away from the neighbors, most of the year," she said. In addition, standalone restrooms for the estimated 36,000 annual visitors to the center will be relocated to a sunken courtyard on the south side of the main building. Kacala said HHFT had been "struggling with, from a design perspective, the resthouse and how you add a building next to the historic building without those two things fighting." The restrooms will be "earth-sheltered" on three sides and capped with a green roof, she said. Visitors will use a stairway to access an event lawn behind Dutchess Manor or to enter the building from the rear. Introduced in July 2024, the Dutchess Manor project involves the demolition of structures added when the property served as an event and catering venue, and the restoration of historical features that have been effaced since its construction in 1868 as a home for merchant James Wade and his wife, Louisa. Frank Timoney, an Irish immigrant who grew wealthy operating three brickyards at Dennings Point, bought the property in 1889. According to the Beacon Historical Society, George Coris, a furrier from New York City, purchased the property at a tax sale in 1944. His family operated it as a hotel, restaurant and bar and event space until the pandemic. In addition to approvals for its site plan and a special-use permit, HHFT wants to rezone 14 Coris Lane. It plans to revive the structure's original slate roof and rear patio, remove paint to expose brickwork and rebuild trim. Inside, HHFT would create first-floor spaces for a welcome desk and exhibits, upper-floor offices and meeting space and install an elevator. Along with the 14,530-square-foot lawn for events and picnicking, HHFT plans a drop-off area for buses shuttling hikers between the center, trailheads and parking areas planned for Route 9D, along with electric-vehicle charging stations and new landscaping and lighting. A traffic study did not identify any significant impacts, HHFT said, but was updated to include a left-turn lane for northbound vehicles that would need to be approved by the state Department of Transportation.

Transportation council issues draft estimates A nearly two-year study of a proposed biking and walking trail between Beacon and Hopewell Junction recommended tearing out 13 miles of unused railroad tracks at a cost of $46 million to $56 million rather than installing the path alongside them. In a virtual presentation on Wednesday (Aug. 20), Mark Debald, transportation program administrator with the Dutchess County Transportation Council, and two engineers with Barton & Loguidice, said that keeping the tracks and widening their corridor to add an adjacent trail would cost $130 million to $150 million, have greater environmental impacts and require land purchases. Their recommendations, which can be viewed at beaconhopewellrailtrail.com and are open for comment through Sept. 12, call for five phases of construction along the unused tracks, which are called the Beacon Line and owned by Metro-North. The westernmost section would begin at Long Dock Park in Beacon and run 3.6 miles to Jan Van Pelt Park in the Town of Fishkill, winding around the city's southern perimeter before running along Fishkill Creek, parallel with Tioronda Avenue and the east end of Main Street. Major Beacon crossings would include Churchill Street and East Main Street (at the dummy light). The trail would continue underneath Route 9D (at Tioronda) and hug northbound Route 52 (Fishkill Avenue) to the city line on its way to Jan Van Pelt. That segment, which is projected to be the most used because of Beacon's population density, would cost $8 million to $10 million, said Chris Hannett of Barton & Loguidice. From Jean Van Pelt Park, the trail would continue 2 miles to Sarah Taylor Park in the Village of Fishkill, cross Route 9 to connect to a 1.7-mile stretch to Doug Phillips Park in the Town of Fishkill, and wind 4.1 miles to the trailhead at the Hopewell Depot Museum in East Fishkill. From there, bikers and cyclists could access the Dutchess Rail Trail and Maybrook Trailway. The study also recommends repurposing and rehabbing six existing bridges, building a seventh over Route 9 and considering two more over Routes 52 and 82. Funding the trail will be a challenge, said Debald. "We need to identify an agency or municipalities that are willing to apply for funding and potentially manage and design and construct a project, whether it's a phase or the entire trail," he said. "Things take time." The report identifies other hurdles: Because the rail ties contain creosote, a wood preservative and pesticide considered to be toxic, they will require special handling and disposal. Installing a paved trail without damaging a fiber optic line alongside the tracks will also be a challenge, and culverts need to be repaired or replaced. Constructing the trail will require an easement from Metro-North and permits from the state Departments of Environmental Conservation and Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and four municipalities, including Beacon. The line runs through private property, such as Montfort Brothers in Fishkill, where forklifts and front loaders cross the tracks between the masonry plant and storage area. But Hannett and Tom Baird, also with Barton & Loguidice, said the company is open to allowing the trail to cross the southern part of its property.

In words and music, Octet examines internet fallout In Octet, running through Sept. 7 at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, eight internet addicts gather at a self-help meeting in a church basement to save themselves and warn the world about the rampaging monster that devours souls and infects human interaction. For five years, artistic director Davis McCallum pursued Octet, a "chamber choir musical" that features complex eight-part a cappella harmonies often delivered while performers dance or run around the stage. The show debuted in 2019 with an extended off-Broadway run, but the rights holder kept a tight grip after the pandemic killed plans for a film and Broadway production, McCallum says. Productions are now scheduled for Chicago and Toronto. In Philipstown, the HVS cast delivers solid performances that elicited strong applause on opening night (Aug. 16) as each actor took solo turns and melded back into the drum-tight ensemble. Several scenes animate the frantic scrolling and trolling and fretting and freaking out that transpires on corrosive online forums. The title reflects the number of characters but also refers to the eight bits that form a byte, the smallest nugget of computer data. Dave Malloy, who lives in Beacon, wrote the dialogue and thoroughly original score, which seesaws between lush harmonies and more angular passages. References include doo-wop, barbershop, shape notes, Gregorian chants and Tuvan throat singing. Clever wordplay and rapid dialogue abound; Malloy conveys an awful lot of jargon surrounding the machines taking over the world and leaving grievous human fallout. Prudes beware: many F-bombs are dropped, and Eddy the incel (Adam Bashian) laments in graphic detail the content of his foray into pornography at age 9. Toby (Luis Quintero) despairs that "an entire generation of children growing up has seen" a video with a horrifying act. "They will be the greatest monsters humanity ever created." Calling internet consumers "homogenized sheep," blind to the numbing and dumbing, he asks: "Where have all the punk rock kids gone?" A sad interchange between antisocial Eddy and Karly (Melissa Mahoney) about the insidious aspects of porn captures dating-site lunacy. As Henry, Gunnar Manchester's dancing piled more hilarity onto an already funny number about gaming addicts. Testifying to Anand Nagraj's talent, his spot-on Marvin, the geek know-it-all, is a 180-degree pivot from his bombastic portrayal of Antipholus of Ephesus in A Comedy of Errors earlier this season. Jill Paice (Jessica) presents pitch-perfect, deer-in-the-headlights expressions as the white woman canceled after her public flip-out went viral. Alexis Tidwell's Paula elicits empathy as her husband scorns her in bed and scrolls on, oblivious to the fact that a glass of water on the nightstand has gathered dust. The hope is that the internet can redeem people like Velma, who hasn't "really talked to anyone in like two years." Mia Pak slays with the character's poignant material. On Aug. 18, after the show's only solo take as everyone else reposes in a drug-induced coma for five minutes, she cried and subtly dabbed her cheek with a tissue. Velma revels in meeting someone online who is "just like me" but lives across the sea. Arguably, this is a human connection (bot? catfisher?), but she stops cutting herself with hashtag slashes and no longer sees herself as fat, gross, "stupid and lazy / sad and crazy." Octet opens with an elegiac pining for a pristine forest, which represents the pre-internet days that have been bulldozed by the information superhighway. The remedy is to find a field (sans Wi-Fi or hot spot) and "lie there in the grass / let the morning hours pass." Maybe bring along a Walkman or boombox and blast some punk rock. Hudson Valley Shakespeare is located at 2015 Route 9. For tickets, which cost $10 to $100 each, see hvshakespeare.org or call 845-265-9575.

Philipstown octogenarian is champion dancer When Carolyn Fadden did the rumba and the cha-cha in the Albany Hilton ballroom earlier this month, her partner was less than half her age. That didn't handicap the Philipstown octogenarian - she won gold and bronze medals in the Fred Astaire New York Capital Dancesport Championships. Fadden is one of many older ballroom dancers in the Highlands who turn to the activity for fun and companionship, and to combat the challenges of aging. "It is the best exercise for older people," says Fadden. "It's physical, but you have to use your brain. When people do sudokus and crosswords, they're usually sitting." Fadden took up dancing 10 years ago with her husband, Chris. "Our kids were gone and we wanted something we could do together," she says. They tried golf and tennis but settled on dancing. The Faddens dance nearly every week at the Fred Astaire studio on Route 9 in Philipstown, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Carolyn also takes multiple lessons a week, honing her skills for competitions in which amateurs are paired with professionals. She competes in the 75-and-older age group. Her usual partner is Yuriy Herhel, the studio's 43-year-old owner. But Herhel had to care for his newborn. So, in Albany, Fadden joined Ernest Horodnychov, 32, another instructor from the studio. Herhel and Horodnychov each danced and taught in Ukraine before immigrating to the U.S. and settling in Fishkill. Every time she wins, Fadden writes the date on the medal and puts it in a box. "I'm not that competitive, but I like to get the medals," she says. Rita and Mark Warm, of Philipstown, took up dancing more than 20 years ago when Mark asked for dance lessons for his birthday. Mark, 74, said his parents loved to dance, but he was too self-conscious in his youth when Chubby Checker was urging everyone to do The Twist. "Once we reach a certain age, we want to make sure we do everything that we want to do before we die," says Rita, 79. The Warms paused their dancing when Mark, a retired physical education teacher, needed two hip replacements after a lifetime as a baseball catcher, including for a senior men's league. Now the couple dances regularly at the Fred Astaire studio in Philipstown, which is minutes from their home at Glassbury Court. They show off their moves on their trips to Margaritaville, near Cancun, where they get lots of compliments from younger people. "It makes them happy to see old people dancing," says Rita. Many older people take up ballroom dancing for companionship after a spouse dies or becomes disabled, says JoAnn Brown, 84, of Garrison, whose husband has Parkinson's disease. "This is an opportunity to be in the arms of a professional dancer, and to close your eyes and think you're Cinderella, which is not a common experience for an old lady," she says. "It's so good for the soul and spirit." Brown, a certified yoga instructor who offers chair yoga classes online, took dance lessons with her husband at the Fred Astaire studio in Wappingers Falls. "It was a wonderful experience," she said. But they stopped during what Brown suspects was the early stages of her husband's illness. Brown returned to dancing recently at the urging of her friend Carolyn Fadden. Younger people also enjoy ballroom dancing, of course. Many take lessons to prepare for weddings. Amit Dhurandhar, 42, of Nelsonville, decided to take classes because the studio was close. He thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" Now he competes and has won more than 25 medals, including several golds at a national competition held on a cruise earlier this year. He won four silvers this month in Albany, which was a regional competition. He entered because his parents were visiting. "My mom wanted to see me dance," he says.

Beacon band releases debut album After Justin Mayfield left a corporate gig to freelance, he experienced plenty of setbacks. But a former boss called, and all is well. Just as blues artists use real-life experiences to craft their trade and dig deep, the "rejections," as Mayfield puts it, fueled the album Real Life Story, to be released Wednesday (Aug. 27). "I indulged myself and started speedwriting 16 or 17 songs in one pop," says Mayfield, who moved to Beacon from Brooklyn in 2015. "Then I got the band together. It was a condensed, inspired time frame." Mayfield calls his group the Rivers Community Band, after his middle name, which is a thing in his family. An audio engineer, he volunteers at the Fareground community kitchen. "I realized after leaving the city that at this age [37], it's harder to make connections," he says. As "old friends move off in different directions, I enjoy getting out of the house and helping others while I help myself." The songs on the new release meander and fracture the structure of standard pop tunes. A jazzy, psychedelic Grateful Dead space jam aura underpins the approach, and the laid-back "Talk" exemplifies the twists and turns. Despite the difficulty anticipating its direction, the tune is catchy, and an instrumental interlude leads to a laconic guitar solo by Paul Kleinschmidt, whose intertwining lines mesh with the mood. Nothing unfolds in a hurry, including Dan McGroarty's bass. A good portion of the recording took place in drummer Joe Maltese's Beacon basement. "I like a lot of chords and wandering melodies," says Mayfield. "We're on the fringes of sound but not extremely experimental. There are traditional song structures and harmonic conventions, but I like to twist things up a little and strive for the unusual." Mayfield, who played plenty of jazz in college, strums a nylon-string acoustic guitar, typically associated with classical and flamenco styles, and a synthesizer, the only two instruments on the title track. Some of the cryptic lyrics are political, as in the songs "Monocult," "Where to Go" and "When You Ask." Some tunes reflect Mayfield's worries about landing a job when he cut loose from the corporate world, like "Lonely Assignment" and "Talk": "In recent days / I've struck out with my peers / So let's talk about the ways / our plans have not been fair." Relationships are stormy, and Mayfield laments the loss of human connection. In "Describe the Castle," he sings: "But a glance or a brief word my way / while my insides were all decaying / could hold me over for at least a day." On the title track, Mayfield comes to terms with his existence: "You can't escape this world, but it's alright / just enjoy your own real-life story / sincerely but light." Real Life Story is available at riverscommunityband.bandcamp.com.

Must be at least 65 and meet income criteria With funding from the state's Cooling Assistance Program depleted, Dutchess County has allocated $35,000 to provide window air-conditioning units to eligible residents. The program is available to residents who are 65 years or older or have a medical condition worsened by heat; don't already have an air conditioner in their home; and meet income eligibility requirements (for example, about $40,000 annually or less per month for a household with one person, or about $52,000 for a household with two people). For information, contact the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555 or dub.sh/dutchess-aging. The program is being coordinated by the Office for the Aging and the Department of Community and Family Services and implemented by the Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County.

Some say customers are spending less Every receipt brings Richard Shea confirmation. For 100 pieces of 10-foot-long two-by-fours that "not long ago" cost $400, the construction company owned by the former Philipstown supervisor just paid $661. Most of the lumber comes from Canada, whose wood products face tariffs that rose to 35 percent this month. Higher import taxes on aluminum and steel are also driving up prices on metal products ranging from electrical wiring to ladders and scaffolding, he said. Customers have responded in predictable ways. Two projects totaling $100,000 were cancelled, he said, and others have been scaled back. People are deferring maintenance such as roof replacements. "By this point in the summer, we have done at least a dozen roofs," he said. "This summer, we have done two, and one was due to a fire so it couldn't be delayed." Five months into the Trump administration's blitzkrieg of tariffs, businesses in the Highlands, and by extension their customers, are starting to see higher prices that can be attributed to the added costs of importing raw supplies and finished products from nearly 70 countries that trade with the U.S. - even as higher levies on imports from China, our largest trading partner, have been paused for three months. After the introduction in April of 10 percent "reciprocal" tariffs on most imports, products from most countries began being taxed at 15 percent under higher levies launched on Aug. 7. Some tariffs are as high as 50 percent. The average tariff of 18.6 percent is the highest since 1933 and will cost the average household $2,400 this year, according to calculations by the Budget Lab at Yale University. The combined tariffs disproportionately affect clothes and textiles, according to the Budget Lab. It estimates shoe prices will rise nearly 40 percent temporarily and 19 percent in the longer term, while apparel will rise 37 immediately and 18 percent in the longer term. Susan Johnson, who co-owns the Denning's Point Distillery in Beacon, said the prices of bottles from China, Eastern Europe and Mexico that hold the company's bourbons, brandys, gins and vodkas were rising, along with "spotty availability." At Cold Spring Fish in Philipstown, Alejandra Awad said she is seeing increases of 15 percent to 25 percent in supplies like paper goods, food containers and bags, and in the fish she buys at Hunts Point. She has tried to keep sticker prices stable, but that means smaller profits. "There is a lot of uncertainty that we are feeling as a small business," said Awad. "We are not sure the extent of the consequences and how much it will affect us in the long term." The tariffs will almost certainly result in higher food prices, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The U.S. doesn't make enough of some products, like bananas or coffee, to satisfy demand. Along with fish, beer and liquor are likely to get more expensive, the foundation said. The U.S. Wine Trade Alliance and other alcohol industry trade groups recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump that warned a 15 percent tariff on European wines and spirits could result in 25,000 lost jobs in the U.S. and cost the industry nearly $2 billion in sales. General Motors said on July 22 that the impact of the tariffs could get more pronounced in the third quarter. GM has estimated the tariffs will decrease its bottom line by $4 billion to $5 billion. Toyota reported on Aug. 7 a 37 percent drop in profits in the second quarter, cutting its full-year earnings forecasts. Ralph Moran, whose Marterra Specialty Foods in Philipstown imports salmon, sea bass, crab meat, wagyu beef and other products from Chile, along with salmon from Norway, said he paid minimal tariffs before Trump began his second term in January. Now, imports from Chile face a levy of 10 percent and from Norway, 15 percent. Their impact on what customers pay is less straightforward because wholesale prices for seafood are expected to fluc...

$50 million in upgrades to be completed by fall 2028 The Beacon school district's $50 million capital improvement project, approved by voters last year, will begin this fall and continue through late 2028. One of the major upgrades will be air conditioning. Building condition surveys in 2023 and 2024 led the district to propose sweeping improvements to its six schools - its largest capital project in at least 15 years - on the May 2024 ballot. Voters approved the measure, 711-244. The school board on Monday (Aug. 11) awarded PowerGen Electric, an Orange County firm, and ENL Mechanical, of Somerville, New Jersey, contracts of $108,450 and $1.74 million, respectively, to begin the work, which will commence with replacement of the cooling system and water heaters at Beacon High School once air conditioning has been shut down for the year. The boiler will be replaced in the spring or summer, after the winter heating season, the district said. The baseball and softball fields at the high school will be rebuilt, beginning in the spring of 2026, with artificial-turf infields and grass outfields. The tennis courts will also be resurfaced. The summer of 2026 will be busy, with security improvements made at five schools. Security vestibules like the one at Glenham Elementary, where a visitor's ID must be confirmed before a person enters, will be installed at Beacon High School, Rombout Middle School and South Avenue, Sargent and J.V. Forrestal elementaries. Upgrades also will be made that summer to Seeger Theater at the high school, while air conditioning will be installed in the cafeteria and gymnasium at South Avenue to create "cooling centers" for students on especially hot days. Each of the four elementary schools and Rombout Middle School will have their gyms and cafeterias air-conditioned over the course of the project. Although not initially part of the proposal approved by voters, architects devised ways to stay within budget while adding air conditioning to up to 50 percent of the classrooms in the elementary schools, including at South Avenue in the summer of 2026. Second-floor rooms and those with southern or eastern exposures will be prioritized. Sargent will get the cooling centers and AC in select classrooms in the spring of 2027. In the summer of 2027, Glenham will get cooling centers plus AC in select classrooms, and the middle school will get cooling centers, bathroom upgrades and a new roof. In 2028, Forrestal will get cooling centers and AC, a new roof and window and bathroom repairs. The AC installations will make it easier for Beacon to comply with a law enacted by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 14 that requires school districts to lower the temperature if a classroom or support space reaches 82 degrees. The areas must be evacuated if they hit 88 degrees. "High heat" days are increasing locally. Ninety-degree days in the Hudson Valley have grown from about 10 a year in the 1970s to 30 or more today, according to data compiled by the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. By 2050, the number is projected to rise to 50. Among the other capital improvements, Forrestal will have an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant entrance installed next summer, and Glenham will get a new roof and bathroom upgrades. Beacon High School will receive improvements to its swimming pool. Beginning in the spring of 2027 and continuing through the fall, district administrative offices on Education Drive will get ADA-compliant bathrooms, an elevator and a new boiler. A 30-year-old underground fuel tank at the transportation garage will be replaced with an above-ground tank. Roof work will continue at Rombout in 2028, along with a metal deck replacement at the middle school and replacement of the septic system at Glenham, which is not served by the municipal sewer system. Finally, the district will spread the installation of new fire alarm and public-address systems at its buildings over the three-year project, Per...

Artist creates what she calls 'welded drawings' Marieken Cochius paints, sculpts, draws and works with felt. But around seven years ago, she donned a welder's mask and picked up a blowtorch. Although her style keeps evolving, she began to work with flat sheets of steel and create what she calls "welded drawings." Three of her wood sculptures are on display outside the Ligenza Moore Gallery in Philipstown and on Saturday (Aug. 16), she will open a solo exhibition, Axons, at the Garrison Art Center with a 5 p.m. reception. Her work is also showing at galleries in New York City; Clifton Springs, New York; and Lenox, Massachusetts. Soon, she'll be in Newburgh at the revivified New Holland Gallery. Asked about her Dutch heritage, she replies "born and raised" and cracks a deep smile. "But I always wanted to leave after high school." She came to the U.S. as an au pair and settled in Brooklyn, working as an assistant to Eddie Adams, who snapped the iconic photo of a street execution in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Now she lives in Wappingers Falls; the village commissioned a wood sculpture for its Boathouse community center. Cochius is a professional organizer and back then, "my clients went to the Hamptons every summer, so I sublet my apartment and traveled all over the country in a 1982 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It was like driving a couch." She learned to weld 25 years ago while working in a prop shop that made Christmas decorations for department stores, including moving metal arms. "I couldn't believe I got paid to do that," she says. After a hiatus with the torch, she experimented by building reliefs on a piece of sheet metal and turning the results into something unrecognizable by playing with the voltage and wire speed of the welding apparatus to make the metal warp and bend on its own. Sometimes she pokes holes through the surface and uses a Dremel to hash out the details. Peering at one of her creations, she compares a mass of material to a stack of dimes: "It's like blowing bubbles." Despite the industrial origin and process, her work resembles organic matter: roots, leaves, tree bark, blood vessels and the floor of a forest with mushrooms popping up in "Triptych of the Universe," which will be displayed at Garrison. Nothing is wasted and sometimes Cochius cuts away pieces to reuse. The process is meticulous, as one might expect from a professional organizer as reflected in her tidy open-air welding station and immaculate studio. Lately, she's incorporating the detritus of the process into her work, including the byproduct slag and the burnt wire emitted by the welding machine, which she melts on top of the metallic sheet, "playing and drawing with it." Table sculptures featuring wire (also at Garrison) look like they're wrapped in lace or cobwebs. A couple of years ago, Cochius began finishing pieces with a blowtorch, which adds a patina akin to oil in a puddle: the colors change depending on the light and the viewer's angle. And she started working with sheets of rusted zinc taken from the roof of a dark green barn that houses her woodshop. The metallic abstracts unfold as she works. "I have no idea what I'm going to do until I get started at 9 a.m. every day," she says. "I don't wait for inspiration, I just work things out as I go, asking questions like, 'I wonder what would happen if I did this?' " Showing off her blowtorch, Cochius flashes another smile and says, "This is so much fun." The Garrison Art Center, at 23 Garrison's Landing, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Monday. Axons and a show by Bill Schuck, Remnants and Schemes, continue through Sept. 14. Cochius will speak about her work at 2 p.m. on Aug. 23.

250 Years Ago (August 1775) The Continental Congress ordered the Quakers in New York City to submit a list of its male members between ages 16 and 60. The pacifist Quakers refused. Soon after, a group of conscientious objectors (probably the Quakers) sent £152 to the Committee of Safety in support of the Revolution. Admiral Samuel Graves instructed George Vandeput, captain of the HMS Asia, anchored in New York Harbor, to arrest any delegates of the Continental Congress he encountered, as well as "rebel general officers or the chief radical leaders." 150 Years Ago (August 1875) The Cold Spring Recorder noted that, soon after Mr. O'Brian's dog was shot dead at the foot of Fair Street, a dog belonging to Mr. Groundwater was stabbed in the neck on Furnace Street and dogs owned by J.E. Dore and James Balley were poisoned. A pig on Kemble Avenue also died, probably after eating poison set out for dogs and cats. A dozen "well-fed aboriginees" camped overnight in the grove north of Secor Street in Nelsonville, according to The Recorder. When a performance scheduled for the next day was postponed due to rain, the Native Americans earned pennies (the equivalent of quarters today) by shooting them off posts with arrows. Three merchants installed hand pumps and hoses to bring water to their elevated Main Street buildings. A group of older West Point cadets who attacked a plebe at his guard post as what they said was a prank were surprised when he clubbed two over the head with his musket and stabbed another in the thigh with his bayonet. All labor was suspended for a day at West Point so guns could be fired at intervals to honor former President Andrew Johnson, who died July 31. A "nightwalker" was arrested late on a Tuesday and jailed but released in the morning without charges. The Recorder praised the action, saying that "if no one is allowed to prowl around after midnight, we shall surely have no burglaries." The Recorder noted that a dog carcass had been lying on Main Street at Kemble Avenue for a week, perhaps because the village ordinance did not specify who should remove it. A street vendor selling peaches was stopped by the constable and asked for his license. Although he carried a peddling permit from Peekskill, he pleaded ignorance of the Cold Spring law. The officer escorted him to the village limits. He Said, She Said After an accusation in August 1875 by Constable Travis, prosecutors charged Robert Cronk and his wife, Elizabeth, with keeping a "disorderly house" and a "resort of thieves" at their home near Cold Spring known as The Willows. Justice William Clark heard testimony. Constable Travis said that he knew The Willows "to be a home of bad repute. I know Eliza McClean [a boarder] has a bad character, and Mary Ida [a daughter] is bad, too." A.R. Newcomb told the judge that he had visited The Willows and seen "a good many names, obscene pictures, half-nude women and various names written and drawn on the walls." He added: "The general reputation among officers" is that it was "a house of prostitution and for thieves." Elizabeth Cronk said the names and drawings were on the walls when they moved in two years earlier. She said there was "never any noise or disturbance" and that she "never kept anything but water to drink." Her father backed her up, saying the house was always "quiet and still." Robert Cronk said that Capt. Reuben Clark let him use the house in exchange for maintenance, and that a group of Cold Spring men who had a reputation for thievery "came up here one Sunday [for a visit] about a month ago." After a reprimand from the justice, the Cronks were discharged. 125 Years Ago (August 1900) Stages left Cold Spring hourly for a traveling "colored camp meeting" on the Carmel road. "We promise good singing and speaking," said the Rev. W.H. Eley. The next week, The Recorder reported that many residents had been disappointed because there were only four Black people when at least 25 were expected. Mrs. William Wa...

Electric, gas users will see higher bills Central Hudson's charges for delivering electric and gas to customers in Beacon, Philipstown and other areas of its territory will rise over the next three years under a plan unanimously approved on Thursday (Aug. 14) by the state Public Service Commission. The monthly costs for a typical customer will rise by $5.43 during the first year, which covers July 1 of this year to June 30, 2026. Over the subsequent two years, customers will pay an additional $6.25 and $6.62 per month, respectively. Gas bills will also increase - by $7.73 per month in the first year for an average residential customer, and then by $11.27 and $12.37 for the final two years of the agreement. The PSC largely approved a three-year proposal forged between Central Hudson, the Department of Public Service and large businesses and institutions such as Walmart. The plan will produce $96 million in electricity and $48 million in gas revenues, which Central Hudson says it will spend on infrastructure; labor costs and incentive compensation; energy-efficiency and heat-pump programs; and a 9.5 percent return on equity for its shareholders. "I believe the proposal satisfies a balance of the various interests involved, both protecting consumers and ensuring the long-term viability of the utility," said Rory Christian, who chairs the PSC. Under the proposal, Central Hudson agreed to provide customer bills in Spanish, continue outreach to households unaware they are eligible for energy assistance and award up to $200,000 in grants for workforce training in green energy fields. The plan drew criticism from advocacy groups and elected officials, who cited a series of rate increases approved by the PSC for Central Hudson's 315,000 electric customers and 90,000 gas accounts. The most recent, approved in July 2024, added $12.65 per month to the average monthly electric bill and $12.25 to gas. A month after that approval, Central Hudson submitted a request for a one-year increase to electric and gas delivery rates of $9 a month. The three-year agreement approved on Thursday replaces that request. Communities for Local Power, a Kingston-based advocate for renewable energy, said the size of the new rate hikes "is outrageous and is clearly unaffordable and unsustainable." The Public Utility Law Project, an advocate for utility customers, took a neutral position - supporting measures that it said will improve customer service during extreme weather and expand language access but also acknowledging the increases will "place additional strain on household budgets."

Seeks ban on use of name it owns A historic Black church in Washington, D.C., awarded rights to the name and logo of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys is suing the Hudson Valley chapter and its president, a former Beacon resident. In a federal lawsuit filed Aug. 4, the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church accuses the Hudson Valley Proud Boys and Will Pepe of "unlawful and ongoing infringement" of its right to control use of the organization's name. Pepe is one of over 1,000 people found guilty of invading the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and pardoned in January by President Donald Trump. A federal judge awarded those rights to the church in February when the Proud Boys ignored a $2.8 million judgment over a December 2020 attack on the church while hundreds of its members rallied in the city in support of Trump and his unsubstantiated claims that he won the 2020 presidential election. Some Proud Boys, roving the city during a "night march," jumped over Metropolitan's iron fence to tear down and destroy its Black Lives Matter sign. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Proud Boys members "embrace misogynistic, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and anti-LGBTQ+ ideologies, among other forms of hate, including antisemitism and white supremacy." Despite the February order, which prohibits the Proud Boys from "selling, transferring, disposing of or licensing" the name without the church's permission, Metropolitan AME says the Hudson Valley chapter continues to use the name on websites it and other New York chapters created, and on clothing, hats and other merchandise sold online. Metropolitan said Pepe has not responded to a cease-and-desist letter sent in June to a Long Island address, as well as requests that he provide information on the chapter's use of the name and the amount of revenues from members' dues and merchandise sales. Pepe, who did not respond to requests for comment made through the New York Proud Boys' website, lived in Dutchess County until June 2025, according to court documents. The church said it wants to "evolve" the Proud Boys name to become "associated with the church's mission of love and humanity, rather than white supremacy, hatred and violence." In February, it introduced two limited-edition T-shirts replicating the logo with the slogans "Stay Proud, Black Lives Matter" and "Stay Black, Black Lives Matter." "It is justice. It is karmic," the Rev. William H. Lamar IV, the church's pastor, told The Washington Post in February. "It is our victory in a long line of victories." Metropolitan AME was one of two Black churches in D.C. whose Black Lives Matter signs were destroyed on Dec. 12, 2020, by Proud Boys in support of Trump's challenge to the election results. Weeks later, on Jan.6, 2021, protesters broke into and ransacked the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden's win. Police arrested Pepe six days later, accusing him, as president of the Hudson Valley chapter, of coordinating with other Proud Boys by radio and removing a police barricade. A federal judge found Pepe, who was fired from his job with Metro-North in Brewster, guilty in a bench trial on Oct. 23, 2024, of a felony (obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder) and four misdemeanors. He was scheduled for sentencing on March 21 but, just hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump issued "full, complete and unconditional" pardons to more than 1,500 men and women charged with participating in the attack on the Capitol. Declaring his inauguration "liberation day," Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 people associated with the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers and convicted of seditious conspiracy for mounting an organized, military-like assault. Because they did not receive pardons, they will continue to face restrictions such as a ban on voting and owning firearms. Metropolitan AME is chasing the Proud Boys' money. The church initially sued Proud Boys International on Jan. 4, 2021 - two days before the Cap...

State increases renewables projection, finalizes all-electric law Two months after declaring its intention to build a nuclear plant to provide at least 1 gigawatt of power, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) has another ambitious initiative. The draft of the agency's updated strategic plan calls for wind, solar and battery storage projects to provide 7 gigawatts - enough to power between 5 million and 7 million homes - built by the NYPA or private developers. The plan is online at bit.ly/NYPA2025 and the authority will hold virtual public hearings on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. See nypa.gov/public-hearings to register. Although none of the proposed projects are in Dutchess or Putnam counties, the number of renewable energy projects is more than double that in the NYPA's strategic plan released just eight months ago. NYPA credits the boom to funding from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included subsidies and incentives for renewable energy projects. "The last few years have seen a massive growth, not only in the wind and solar that we're adding to our system, but our ability to manufacture and train so that we have a workforce and a system that is ready to meet growing demand," said Amanda Levin, director of policy analysis for the Natural Resources Defense Council. In March, NYPA announced that it would be taking ownership of a solar energy project outside of Glens Falls. A month later, NYPA and the City of Albany announced a plan to develop a solar project on a capped landfill. That project will also be the first to participate in an NYPA program in which power is sold to low- and moderate-income families at reduced rates. But federal actions are threatening to delay the state renewables boom. The budget signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 ended the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives for renewables, except for batteries. A series of executive orders imposed additional restrictions on renewables, including penalties for importing materials from China, a leading manufacturer of renewable energy equipment. This month, the Department of the Interior announced plans to subject wind and solar projects, including some already approved, to "further review." Due to the federal changes, Christopher Hutson, the NYPA's senior vice president of development, warned at a July 29 board meeting of the possibility that not all of NYPA's renewable projects will come to fruition, although some "may progress on their own." The IRA's tax credits for renewables won't end immediately; wind and solar projects that begin construction by July 2026 or begin service by Dec. 31, 2027, can still claim them. Hutson said the state could begin construction of some projects ahead of schedule to meet those deadlines. "Every developer in the country right now is seeking to rapidly procure equipment," he said. "It will be critical to move fast." The NYPA announcement wasn't the only big step New York took last week toward its long-term climate goals. The 2023 All-Electric Buildings Act cleared a hurdle when the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council approved required changes. The law will take effect at the end of the year, making New York the first state to require that all new buildings be powered with electricity instead of oil and gas. Existing buildings are not required to switch, even if renovated, and certain buildings, such as restaurants and crematoriums, are exempt. The law also only applies to buildings up to seven stories high. (Taller buildings have until 2028.) In 2023, Beacon passed a law banning fossil fuels in new construction projects, before the state law. About a third of New York state's greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, according to a December report issued by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. James Hartford, co-owner of River Architects in Cold Spring, doesn't expect the law to change much for his business. As the founder of the New York chapter of the Passive House Alliance, ...

Town Board also approves Glassbury sales price The Philipstown Town Board on Thursday (Aug. 7) agreed to poll residents about implementing a tax on property sales in which the proceeds would be used to protect open spaces, wildlife habitats and other natural resources through land purchases and conservation easements. Ted Warren, the public policy manager for the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, informed the board that revenue for the Community Preservation Fund would be generated through a transfer tax of up to 2 percent, paid by buyers on the portion of a property purchase exceeding the median price for home sales in Putnam County. That is, if the median price is $500,000, a house that sold for $700,000 house would be taxed on $200,000. People buying homes for less than the median price would be exempt. Philipstown took the initial step toward the fund by in August 2023 by adopting a Community Conservation Plan. But Supervisor John Van Tassel said then that the idea of a new tax during the pandemic "did not settle well" with the board. In addition, said Warren, a survey of Philipstown residents conducted by the Trust for Public Land showed "a lot of ambivalence" about a fund. On Thursday, Van Tassel said the "time is right" to revisit the idea, with the goal of having a referendum ready for the 2026 general election. "There have been several parcels that this fund could have really secured for conservation protection," he said. Under the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act, a state law that gives municipalities in Putnam and Westchester counties the authority to create conservation funds, the money would be administered by a five- or seven-member advisory board of volunteer residents. Proposals to create funds in other towns have faced opposition, usually from the New York State Association of Realtors, said Warren. He said the tax could be considered an "investment" for people buying property in Philipstown. "It's a very small amount, compared to what they're probably paying for that home," said Warren. "It is a way of saying, 'You know, we're moving to this community and this is our little investment in allowing the town to have this flexibility.' " Glassbury Court At its Aug. 7 meeting, the Town Board approved a maximum sales price of $547,558 for one of the 10 Glassbury Court units set aside as affordable housing. It also agreed to waive a requirement that the buyer be approved by an "affordability consultant." Under Philipstown's approval of the Quarry Pond Planned Development District for the construction of Glassbury Court, the maximum price at which the affordable units can only be sold is capped by a formula, and buyers must be approved by the consultant. Because the town does not have an affordability consultant, it agreed to allow the owners of 11 Revolutionary Road to sell to any buyer. State parks letter A letter approved by the board will be sent to state parks and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail raising concerns about the safety of hikers who use Fair Street and Route 9D to walk from the Cold Spring Metro-North station to the trails in the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve. A draft written by Van Tassel originally accused HHFT of "directing the general public to walk along the shoulder of Route 9D." He agreed to change the wording after a board member, Jason Angell, noted that advisories to visitors about construction-related closures do not use those words, and that there are alternative routes. According to the letter, titled "Dangerous Condition on Route 9D Caused by HHFT," the closure of the Breakneck train station and parking north of the tunnel, and limited parking at the Washburn trailhead lot, means more visitors catch Metro-North to Cold Spring and walk through the village to the trails. Van Tassel reiterated his proposal that the state and HHFT install sidewalks on Route 9D. Nat Prentice, one of two candidates running unopposed for seats on the Town Board, said he and other volunteers at the ...