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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...

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 ...

Agency: Guatemalan man deported on July 18 A Beacon resident arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in June has been removed from the country, the agency said on Thursday (Aug. 7). ICE officers detained Santos Belarmino Perez Suchite on June 20 for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act, an agency spokesperson said. Perez, who lived on North Elm Street, is a Guatemalan national who "admitted he entered the United States by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in 2024," said Marie Ferguson, the ICE representative. "Not only did this alien blatantly disregard our nation's immigration laws, but he also jeopardized community and officer safety by attempting to flee on foot, leading officials on a brief chase before his capture." ICE removed Perez from the U.S. on July 18, Ferguson said, without specifying where he was sent. Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou announced on June 20 that ICE agents had made an arrest in Beacon after his office was informed by residents about their presence. While city officials stated they were unaware of who ICE had detained or the nature of any charges, Police Chief Tom Figlia confirmed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that an enforcement operation had taken place. "I want to make clear that at no time leading up to this incident did city staff, including our Police Department, have any notice of or involvement in ICE operations," Kyriacou said at the time. "As a city, we remain committed to our safe, inclusive community policy, to preserving rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and to avoiding any policies which engender fear among law-abiding families." Figlia said the following week that ICE returned on June 21, but he did not know if anyone was detained. ICE did not respond at the time to a request from The Current for information. The agency responded to a second request this week but only released information about Perez. "Under President Trump's leadership, Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem is reversing former President Biden's catch-and-release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets," Ferguson said. "It comes down to one question: Is this person violating our nation's immigration laws? If the answer is yes, we're going to remove them." A Beacon resident wrote in a comment after The Current's June 20 story that he saw the ICE officers on North Elm Street. "ICE, the FBI and what appeared to be one police officer (not from the City of Beacon) staked out the house, parked at different locations along the street around 6 a.m., presumably to apprehend him on his morning commute," he wrote. "I believe the kid they took is one of our local bakers. We talk often. We say hello daily." The federal agents were armed and wearing body armor, he wrote.

In Cold Spring, review board keeps an eye out for violations A little-known board in Cold Spring keeps a watchful eye out for changes that threaten the traditional appearance of the village. Since 1976, all changes to the exterior of buildings within Cold Spring's historic district, established that same year, have required approval from the five volunteer members of the Historic District Review Board. The district includes most of the village from Parsonage Street to the riverfront. There is also a national historic district that lies within the local district, encompassing the village core on and near Main Street. At its June 11 meeting, the Village Board reviewed a report from the HDRB outlining five recent violations, which were referred to the code enforcement officer that Cold Springs shares with Philipstown. They included a sign for the Good Life Wellness spa at 143 Main St. that takes up more than 25 percent of the window space; a sign painted on a brick wall for Nobody's Deli at 72 Main St. that is too large; faux foliage and veneer flooring installed outside the Cozy Corner Cafe at 129-131 Main St.; an aluminum and glass entrance door installed at CS Apothecary, 40 Main St.; and faux foliage, a fence and windows added to the Foundry Rose Cafe at 55 Main St. The owner of 72 Main St. and the Cozy Corner Cafe told The Current they are working to fix the violations. The owners of the Foundry Rose and 40 Main St. did not respond to an inquiry, and the phone number for Good Life Wellness is no longer in service. The village and town code enforcement officer, Greg Wunner, did not respond to requests for comment. The code enforcement officer, in consultation with the village attorney, determines the penalty for violations, said Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley. "The Village Board is only engaged when the village attorney recommends the board seek an injunction against a property owner," she added. Foley said the Village Board hasn't received a monthly report from Wunner in more than a year. She said the town plans to hire a second, part-time enforcement officer, and that she hopes "communications and follow-up will improve." Albert Zgolinski, an architect who chairs the HDRB, noted that many Cold Spring homes and businesses have changed hands since the pandemic. "Owners might know their property is located in the historic district, but they may not understand what that means on a practical level," he said. The design standards are posted on the village website at coldspringny.gov. Last updated in 2022, they follow state and federal law and serve as a how-to manual for property owners contemplating exterior changes. Zgolinski said it is a buyer's responsibility to explore land use, zoning and preservation restrictions. Although real-estate agents are not legally required to advise potential buyers that a property is within the historic district and subject to HDRB regulations, "we hope they do as a matter of ethics," he said. People seldom like regulations, but Zgolinski said studies have shown that historic districts help to stabilize or increase property values. He noted the HDRB doesn't regulate changes to the exterior color, a requirement he said would add a cumbersome layer to the permitting process for applicants and the board. Paint color "is a great way for property owners to express themselves or their business, as it gives people some creative flexibility while retaining historic fabric," he said. Zgolinski said that, during the development of the 2012 comprehensive plan, residents expressed support for the historic district but asked that the HDRB make its process more user-friendly. He said that was a goal when the design standards were updated two years ago. "Residents, contractors, architects and real estate agents were engaged in focus groups to contribute to the standards update," Zgolinski said. "We simplified and improved the application process and now regularly 'workshop' ideas." Lauren Wallis Hall, ...

Updates from the City Council The City of Beacon plans to install a bench and seating area with a plaque on Fishkill Avenue to honor Amalio Lombardi, the Goshen man who was struck by an excavator and killed on July 28 during work to replace water and sewer infrastructure beneath the roadway. Chris White, the city administrator, did not make his normal report during the Monday (Aug. 4) meeting of the City Council but instead spoke about Lombardi, a foreman for Sun Up Construction of Wappingers Falls who had worked on capital projects in Beacon for decades. Lombardi, 61, was described as a model employee by colleagues, White said, and as "a good guy. That's a compliment that you hear repeatedly from all who knew him. He was well-known to our staff and our engineer, and he was universally liked." He was close to retirement, White said, "and had certainly considered it, but he had never filed for it because he enjoyed working and spending time with his co-workers." Lombardi is survived by his wife, Juliann; his children, Amanda, Marissa and Michael; his mother, Lina; and his sister, Teresa Fini. Michael Lombardi is studying engineering at Clarkson University. Lombardi came to work on a Saturday, two days before the accident, to make emergency repairs to the water main with city staff. Likewise, White praised the members of Lombardi's crew who stayed on-site to fill the trench in the road after the accident, "because that's what Amalio would have done." "Residents of this city should be very proud of the response by our staff in the face of this tragic accident," White said. "It was handled with professionalism, skill and respect." Following Lombardi's death, Mayor Lee Kyriacou ordered flags lowered to half-staff for the remainder of the week. The Beacon Police Department and the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the accident, along with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 248 Tioronda Ave. The council will ask an "independent expert" to weigh in on The Arno, an apartment complex at 248 Tioronda Ave. where the developer has built two residential buildings but has been unable to find a tenant for a commercial structure that is yet to be built. The commercial structure is required by Beacon's zoning laws. The City Council agreed in December to allow the building inspector to issue certificates of occupancy for 64 apartments. The developer, Bernard Kohn, constructed the apartments but did not build the commercial structure at the same time, a condition for projects within the Fishkill Creek development zone. After the December agreement, Kohn said he would return to the council regularly with updates on the tenant search. On Monday, Jay Blumenfeld, a project representative, said the developer has still been unable to secure a renter. There have been 25 to 30 inquiries, he said, but "only a couple were substantial enough to even think about putting the financing together to build the building. We just feel like we've hit a dead end." Council members last year discussed allowing a third apartment building if more than 10 percent of its units were offered at below-market rate rents. If a conversion to residential were allowed, Kohn would be willing to go beyond the city's 10 percent requirement, Blumenfeld said. It was Kyriacou, then a council member, who in 2017 proposed the law to require that developments in the Fishkill Creek zone have a 25 percent commercial component, but "I do not believe in it anymore," he said Monday. "The market has changed dramatically. We have an extreme housing shortage in the area, and we have a commercial glut." Kyriacou noted that a 2022 Dutchess County study recommended a "fair share" approach through which municipalities would address affordability on a per-capita basis. In Beacon, it suggested 100 "interventions" - roughly equivalent to the construction of a housing unit - at a rate of five per year for two decades. Poughkeepsie and Beacon have the m...

Shigeko Kubota gallery opens in Beacon In a career that attracted interest from prestigious institutions around the globe during her lifetime, Shigeko Kubota peered into the future. As one of the first video-oriented artists in the 1960s, she understood society's obsession with moving images. TikTok is the popular distillation of her vision, but even the Metropolitan Museum of Art is preserving and legitimizing "time-based media," which includes film, video, audio and software. "She democratized the museum experience and was one of the first artists to go beyond figurative sculpture and paintings on a wall," says Reid Ballard, director of collections and exhibitions at the nonprofit Shigeko Kubota Video Art Foundation, which last month unveiled a new Beacon gallery in the North Avenue space formerly occupied by Analog Diary. Kubota, who was associated with the Fluxus movement, along with Yoko Ono and other Japanese artists, became ensconced in the SoHo art scene and married Nam June Paik, an artist who also specialized in video-centric pieces. After Paik suffered a stroke in 1996, Kubota ceased creating, for the most part, until her death in 2015. The foundation's headquarters is the couple's former apartment at 110 Mercer St. in New York City. (Paik died in 2006.) Because they had no children, Kubota chose a friend and collaborator, Norman Ballard (Reid's father), to oversee the estate and lead the nonprofit. The foundation has operated a workshop on West Main Street in Beacon since 2017. Though an early adopter of word crawls, colorization and feedback effects, much of Kubota's content consists of travel footage and street shots in Manhattan and other locales, says Reid, who moved to Beacon in 2023. Her main achievement was in the display of the videos, altering what emanates from the monitors with mirror images and even water to create fascinating reflections. The workshop (open for tours by appointment) houses two iconic works. "Three Mountains" represents a crucial moment in her career, according to the gallery notes, because it was the first piece to embed content in a "volumetric sculpture." The bulky piece consists of three plywood structures, one of which is a chest-high pyramid with an opening at the top that makes it difficult for anyone less than 7 feet tall to see inside. There are visible scuff marks left by viewers who climbed the base or leaned on it while bracing themselves with their hands. More compelling and mesmerizing, "River" suspends three downward-facing monitors above a metal trough filled with water. A splashing device sloshes the liquid around, altering the reflection of the cartoonish video content - created with a color synthesizer. The images also bleed down the vessel's sides. At the new gallery, Norman Ballard pays homage to Kubota's 1996 solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The lush, atmospheric exhibit in Beacon is enhanced by a purplish, pixelated tableau projected onto the long wall opposite the entrance, which reflects the shadows of bodies and the subject's sculptures of trees made from bolts, screws, nails and scrap metal. One colorful work at the exhibit chronicles Kubota and Paik's 1984 visit to South Korea, his home country. What looks like a tiny satellite is augmented with plexiglass extensions that distort the documentary's presentation with mirrored strips of acrylic. "She had a vision about the artistic potential of video and experimented with content," says Norman Ballard. "But it's the sculptures, where the video is embedded into the structural element, that make her work stand out." The Shigeko Kubota gallery, at 1154 North Ave., is open weekends from noon to 5 p.m. into September. See shigekokubotavideoartfoundation.org or call 212-226-5007. The Kubota workshop is at 20 West Main St.

Bonnie Mead doesn't feel she has a story to tell. In fact, she could write a book. Before moving to Cold Spring in November, the 82-year-old won a demolition derby championship, worked with positive thinker Norman Vincent Peale, survived tornado alley and was shocked when, within four months, two of her neighbors in Vermont were attacked and killed - prompting her move. Mead was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and named after "Bonnie Blue," Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler's daughter in Gone with the Wind. Mead's first job was at age 13; she helped a Pawling lawyer and his wife with the office, childcare and housework. "I got 35 cents an hour," Mead said, which would be $4 today. "Boy, I thought I was rich!" Tracking her jobs and hometowns over eight decades with a reporter was a challenge. She always worked two jobs. She was a bartender, veterinarian's assistant, dispatcher, medical assistant and physician's secretary. She lived in towns and villages from Vermont to Iowa. Married twice, she declined to say much about her first husband, whom she divorced. "He spent quite a bit of time in jail," she said, with a rueful smile. In 1967, she was living in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and not working - or at least not being paid for her work, which was raising her young children while her second husband, Gary Mead, drove a long-haul truck. It was there she experienced tornado alley; one "crossed right in front of my car while I was driving," she said. Beginning in 1978, she spent 12 years as a travel agent in Pawling. She was able to take some nice trips, including to Alaska, but hated flying. It was Gary, who raced stock cars, who convinced her to try the demolition derby. "I thought he was crazy but, after a couple races, I kind of liked it," Mead recalled. She competed in derbies throughout the Northeast from 1982 to 1985, driving her "old junker" to a championship at Islip Speedway on Long Island. She kept competing even after divorcing Gary. As it happened, "his new wife was also driving in derbies," Mead said. "I crashed into her, and she broke her nose!" She swears it was not intentional. Mead lost all her derby photos and trophies in a fire 30 years ago. In the early 1980s, she was hired as a secretary for Norman Vincent Peale at his Foundation for Christian Living in Pawling. A Protestant minister, Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, which has sold more than 22 million copies in 42 languages. He was also the pastor at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan for 52 years and officiated at one of Donald Trump's three weddings. Asked if working for Peale gave her a more positive outlook, Mead said, "I never read his book." "He was all business, not overly friendly to his employees," she recalled, adding that her job was tedious. "I learned more ZIP codes than you can ever imagine." It did produce one surprise: "Big 18-wheelers came up every week, just full of money," she said. "They took big baskets of checks out of those trucks; I was amazed." At the same time, she also worked at the nearby YMCA Holiday Hills Conference Center, where actor James Earl Jones often performed in fundraisers. "I got to know him pretty well," she said. "He was one of the nicest people I've ever met." (Jones, who lived in Pawling, died last year at age 93.) Mead also found time to serve with the Amenia Fire Department for 12 years, from 1980 to 1992, as a volunteer firefighter and member of its rescue squad. She said her favorite job was driving a school bus for 11 years, from 2008 to 2019. "I loved it, loved the kids, even more so the special-needs kids," Mead said. But it wasn't easy for someone who stands less than 5 feet tall. "They always knew it was my bus because they couldn't see a driver." She'll never forget the day she drove a school bus to Albany to take her commercial driver's license test. On the way, the bus hit a wild turkey in flight. "There was blood and feathers all over the windshield," Mead said. "I was hysterical." She was still...

Young artists explore during annual Garrison institute Over the last two weeks, the Garrison Art Center has hosted 16 teenagers for its Summer Art Institute. As they work, talk is at a minimum and phones are dormant - for the most part. "I'll let them consult the internet if it's for the art," says Melissa Schlobohm, the printmaking teacher. During five-hour sessions, the students prepared pieces that will be on display at the art center galleries on Saturday (Aug. 9) and Sunday, with a closing reception at 3:30 p.m. The program dates to 1998 and requires participants to rotate between the pottery shop, the upstairs printmaking nook and the painting and drawing studio, located in the center's larger gallery space. They also hang the exhibit together. "Even I get to learn a lot, so this is one of my favorite events of the year," says Kit Burke-Smith, the GAC education director. "It's so great to sit in on Dan [Graham Loxton]'s painting sessions and watch him mix colors and explain the theory and science behind it." Under the tutelage of Lisa Knaus in the pottery studio, Poughkeepsie resident J.V. Ryan worked on the cover of a macabre clay coffin. Though he prefers sculpture, he says, "I like improving other skills." Liam Kemp, who lives in Cortlandt, showed off an elaborate Greek-inspired head with blue dots for eyes and intricate hair and eyebrows. In the printmaking shop, located atop a steep set of stairs, the curriculum covers plenty of ground in an abbreviated time: history, methods, applications and tools. The artists also explore the question, "How is printmaking unique?" and Schlobohm teaches techniques like carving, inking, printing and cleaning up. Turning the big printer's wheel is fun but the results may not turn out as intended. "You never know what the final product is going to look like," Schlobohm says. "Printmakers often take the best images from a series and offer them as limited editions. As with books, the first one is usually the most valuable." Preparing battleship-gray tiles of linoleum before inking them up, some students manipulated gouges with blade shapes, like woodcarving tools. Others employed Dremels with various bits, akin to a handheld drill for art. Haldane junior Rosie Herman leaned into an intricate pattern of leaves, jam jars and strawberries, an image she adapted from Pinterest. "I'm more of a painter, but I appreciate the opportunity to expand my ideas and find my own carving style and voice," she says. Another student, a sculptor primarily, chafed at printing. "He kept making prints with airplanes on them, so we created some that he could fold into paper airplanes," says Schlobohm. "Printmaking is disorienting because the image is backward and it's OK if you don't enjoy it," she says. "But when you stick to the things you're already good at, you don't flex all your creative muscles."

Savage Wonder hosts Saturday night absurdities The ploy each Saturday evening at Savage Wonder in Beacon is simple: Wind the eight actors up by handing them a script, let them rehearse for about five hours and turn them loose. The resulting staged-reading performances take place every Saturday night for a month at the Main Street venue, a former bank. "The last performance is the most polished, but the first one is the most fun," says Chris Meyer, its artistic director. On Saturday (Aug. 9) and each week through Aug. 30, the company will present The Actor's Nightmare, by Christopher Durang and directed by Meyer, along with six 10-minute comedies. Absurdist scenes include a corpse in conversation and a wedding catering menu that offers hand-clubbed baby seal, carpaccio of spotted owl and sashimi from the waters around Fukushima. As Savage Wonder builds out 139-141 Main St., the basement is the only area open to the public. Music and theater performances are held at The Parlor, accessible through the 4,000-square-foot art gallery Savage Wonderground. Formerly known as Vet/Rep (short for veterans repertory theater), Savage Wonder moved from Cornwall last year and plans to open two performance spaces and another bar/cafe upstairs. "We've never produced a show in August before," says Meyer. "We always went dark. This year we figured, let's see what Beacon brings." Next to the performance space is Grape Rebellion, a wine bar and eatery. Patrons can dine and drink while watching the performances. In The Actor's Nightmare, Cian Genaro portrays a befuddled accountant mistaken for an actor (who may also be a thespian having a bad day). He is thrust into a production that shifts from Beckett to Hamlet and A Man for All Seasons. Beheaded at the end, like Sir Thomas More, the actor/accountant lies motionless on the floor during the curtain call. A short, "The Big Dark," referencing hell, relates the fast-moving adventures of a mishmash of nymphs, satyrs and Greek gods as narrated by a hardboiled gumshoe (Dylan Crow). Kia Nicole Boyer laughed after gargling water to imitate a fountain. During a game of craps, a character rolled "Medusa eyes." In "Monkey Do," the protagonist's younger brother died from being strangled by a sock puppet - or an actual monkey; it's ambiguous. Ana Anderson and Leeanne Hutchison heightened the hilarity, reflecting Meyer's mantra to have fun, mix things up and "eat the dessert first," he says. The key to keeping a theater-like flow in the cozy Parlor space is the doorway to a utility room that fills in for backstage. Actors also enter and exit by walking through the house, which is filled with four couches, padded barstools and height-adjustable antique tables. Three rows of lighting gear affixed to the ceiling add ambience to the performances. During "Hamlet in Hiding," they simulate the police raid on a trio of bank robbers with Irish accents holed up in a theater. The room's mottled red, blue and yellow decor is adorned with portraits of Bob Ross, Shel Silverstein and Edgar Allan Poe. For readings this month, the action takes place along the far wall, but configurations are flexible, including in-the-round experiences where the stage stands mid-room, says Topher Kage, associate artistic director. When hosting improv or standup comedy shows, the small stage is placed against one of the side walls. There are 25 chairs, and "pretty much everyone has a first- or second-row seat," he says. Tickets are $25 at savagewonder.org. The play performed on Saturdays in September will be "The Elephant Delivery," by Bill Smith, along with six 10-minute comedies written by veterans. The Grape Rebellion is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Republicans say law prevents replacement Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville will remain on November's general-election ballot as the Republican candidate despite abandoning his re-election campaign in June because of an undisclosed illness. Andres Gil, chair of the county's Republican Committee, said on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that state election law prevents political parties from replacing a candidate on the ballot except if they die or are disqualified. A party would then have 10 days to file a certificate with the Board of Elections naming a new candidate. "We did have a lot of interest," said Gil of alternative candidates. There is no Democratic candidate, but Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer, is running as an independent on the Serve & Protect party line. Burke has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including 26 years with the New York City Police Department. He joined the Cold Spring department in 2013 and served as officer-in-charge for seven years, until 2024. Burke has also been a volunteer firefighter with the North Highlands Fire Co. for 12 years. If McConville outpolls Burke in November and cannot serve, he will be certified as the winner but can notify the Putnam County Board of Elections that he does not intend to take the oath of office, according to the state Board of Elections. Alternatively, he could take the oath and resign. The undersheriff could lead the office until a new sheriff was chosen through a special election or in the 2026 general election. McConville was elected in 2021, defeating Democratic incumbent Robert Langley Jr. with 57 percent of the vote. The sheriff, who lives in Philipstown, will appear on the Republican and Conservative party lines on the November ballot. He 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. Gil said in June that McConville's decision to end his campaign left him "heartbroken." In a letter sent to the committee members, he said the sheriff and his family were the primary concern. "We are grateful for his leadership, his accomplishments and, most importantly, his friendship," Gil wrote. "Anyone who has ever met Sheriff McConville knows that he is truly a remarkable human being who will give you the shirt off his back when in need."

Post for Cold Spring firm promises 'sexy girls' A spa that opened on Main Street in Cold Spring earlier this year and another in Beacon are promoted on adults-only websites with language that implies prostitution. Good Life Wellness Spa, at 145 Main St. in Cold Spring, and Rose Eliza Spa Beacon at 4 Eliza St. in Beacon, are each advertised in posts on sites such as LoveEscort, Bedpage, Rubsguide and XEscortHub. The latter includes a typical legal disclaimer that escorts "do not necessarily involve sexual services." The owners of Good Life Wellness told the Cold Spring Planning Board last year in an application for a change-of-use variance for its rented space that it would offer acupressure, reflexology, skin treatment and skin care. Its phone number and Cold Spring address are promoted on sites with ads that promise "unique massage techniques with sexy girls bring you pleasure. Makes you happy quickly." A similar posting on Bedpage said "two new Asian girls" in "good shape" with a "desire to please you" had joined the Cold Spring location. "Our alluring companions are available for engagements" and "open to all your desires and fantasies," it said. The Rose Eliza Spa promised in an ad that it had "new sweet girls" who are "open-minded" and will "treat you specially." One post features a video clip of a woman making hand motions that suggest manual sex. The spa's website does not contain similar language or images and provides a price list for standard treatments and reflexology. It was difficult to identify the owners of the businesses or to reach them. A woman who answered the phone at Good Life Wellness said she did not speak English well and declined to take a phone message for Yan Min Cao, listed on the Planning Board application as the manager. She said a request for information should be sent by text, which received no response. The spa, which is on the second floor, says in the window it is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. No one answered the doorbell on a weekday morning. A woman who answered the phone number given on the Planning Board application for Cheng Fisher, identified as a spa representative, said Fisher was not available and that Good Life Wellness had been sold. Fisher did not respond to a message sent to an email address provided to the Planning Board. The building owner declined comment and did not respond to a request for contact information for the spa's owner. Good Life Wellness Spa Inc. was incorporated in June 2024, according to state records, with Yinghua Lui as its registered agent but no contact information beyond the Cold Spring address. A woman who answered the phone at Rose Eliza said her English was not good and asked a reporter to send a text. Asked who posted the online ads, she wrote: "We don't know." She wrote that "the boss has returned to China" and "there are only workers here." She added: "We have a regular massage [business]" and sent photos of female customers whom she said were "frequent visitors." Rose Eliza Spa Inc. was incorporated in October 2023, according to state records, with Lihua Li as its registered agent, but no contact information is provided beyond its Beacon address. A message left in person with an employee at the salon was not returned. The owner of the building that includes 4 Eliza St. said in a phone call in April: "Thank you for bringing these ads to my attention. I had never seen these posts before and am appalled. It goes against our lease terms, and we will be taking immediate action." He did not respond to subsequent inquiries. Soon after the Rose Eliza spa opened last summer, a user on AMP Reviews, a website in which men discuss their experiences at "Asian massage parlors," requested "any intel on [the new] Rose Spa in Beacon (Eliza St)? I see them advertising on Skip the Games," another escort directory. A reviewer who posted in August 2024 said his experience at Rose Eliza had been "very mechanical" with "no engagement." A second user who posted in ...

Train complex to include housing, retail, parking The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday (July 30) announced that it has selected a developer to transform the Beacon Metro-North station with a complex containing 265 apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail space and a parking garage for 573 vehicles. Jonathan Rose Companies, a real-estate firm that specializes in the development and management of environmentally sustainable, mixed-income communities, won the bid. It was founded in 1989 by Jonathan F.P. Rose, a Philipstown resident who is a co-founder of the Garrison Institute, a retreat and research center on the grounds of the former Glenclyffe Monastery. The parking garage will replace 484 commuter and 89 MTA employee spaces on the station's 41/2-acre north lot. The apartment complex will have 270 spaces for tenants. The contract will be finalized after the Beacon Planning Board completes an environmental review of the development. The MTA received eight proposals for the project, which was announced in November. Beacon is "an amazingly vital, creative community" Rose said in a statement. "We are so pleased to have been selected." The development will be owned by New York State and leased by the Jonathan Rose Companies. The parking structure, which will be built first and take about a year, will be funded by a $24 million grant from the state's Redevelopment of Underutilized Sites for Housing program. Once the parking structure is complete, it will be turned over to the MTA to operate. The residential and retail components will be built next over about two years and be leased and operated by the Jonathan Rose Companies for an initial payment of $669,430 annually. The residential development must conform to Beacon's zoning by renting at least 10 percent of its units at below-market rates. Mayor Lee Kyriacou, who attended an MTA Finance Committee meeting on Monday in New York City, called the project a "win-win-win" that would provide environmentally friendly housing, replace impermeable blacktop with shops and waterfront activity and contribute tax revenue to the city. Without state funding, "it is very, very difficult" to complete transit-oriented developments at suburban stations, said Robair Reichenstein, the vice president of transactions for transit-oriented developments at the MTA. "It's very expensive to replace that [parking]. This was the reason it happened." In 2023, to address an affordable housing crisis, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed agencies to repurpose underused, state-owned sites. The 2025-26 state budget includes $500 million to build up to 15,000 homes on state-owned property, including the Beacon development. In a statement on Wednesday, Hochul said the Beacon project would revitalize the area surrounding the Metro-North station, "giving more New Yorkers the opportunity to live in a vibrant community with an express train to New York City just next door. This project is a model for how thoughtful development can strengthen communities and make our state more affordable and livable." Kyriacou noted that Beacon has come a long way since 2007, when the MTA asked developers to submit "expressions of interest" for projects on 18 acres adjacent to the train station. The city received proposals that included as many as 600 apartments in buildings ranging from two to six stories, along with a parking garage. A citizens' group, Beacon Deserves Better, opposed the plans. In the years since, zoning has been revised to open land around the station to residential and commercial development while preserving areas such as Dennings Point and Seeger Riverfront Park. A 2017 update to the comprehensive plan names the east side of the Metro-North station as one of four locations where the densest residential development should occur. The MTA "had a lot of places it could go to, and they chose here," said Kyriacou. "That's a statement about how far Beacon has come and where it's headed." Kyriacou added that...

Requests include people without conviction Requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold immigrants detained in the Dutchess County jail and other Hudson Valley lockups have accelerated this year and largely target people without convictions, according to data released in July. The Deportation Data Project, a team of academics and attorneys, sued ICE under the federal Freedom of Information Act to obtain the data, which covers September 2023 through June 26. After receiving 20 "detainers" - requests to hold inmates for up to 48 hours past their release date so ICE could re-arrest them - in 2024, Dutchess has received 19 already this year, with two detainees taken into ICE custody. Nearly all the 17 men and two women - most of whom are from Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico - had pending charges but no convictions. Two were categorized as an "other immigration violator," meaning they had no convictions or charges. While federal officials have said they are pursuing people who have committed "serious" crimes, "everything we've seen about the way this administration operates tells us that they are not targeting people in any particular way," said Zachary Ahmad, senior policy counsel with the New York Civil Liberties Union. "They're, in fact, sweeping very broadly to arrest and detain as many immigrants as they possibly can." Twenty of the 51 people sought by ICE from the Orange County jail since January had criminal convictions, with driving while intoxicated being the most common serious offense, followed by two larceny convictions. Just six of the people sought by ICE from the Westchester County jail had criminal convictions - two for larceny, two for rape and the others for robbery and a traffic offense - while 37 had pending charges and two had no criminal records. The ICE requests led to four inmates held by the Putnam County jail being taken into federal custody, along with 12 from Orange and six from Westchester, according to the data. ICE issues detainers based on final deportation orders, pending deportations, fingerprint matches with Department of Homeland Security records or a person's admission to an immigration official that they are here without authorization. Fingerprints shared with the FBI enable the agency to locate people in local jails. County jails in New York state are not legally obligated to notify ICE that a prisoner will be released from custody or to honor its detainer requests, according to guidance issued in January by the state Attorney General's Office. Requests are often accompanied by an administrative warrant issued by immigration authorities, which local police are prohibited from honoring under a 2018 state court decision in a lawsuit filed by the NYCLU on behalf Susai Francis, a native of India. Attorney General Letitia James recommends that local jails only honor detainers when ICE presents a warrant signed by a federal judge. Such warrants are "something that ICE is not in the practice of providing," instead relying primarily on administrative warrants, said Ahmad. "ICE just sends the detainers, and then it's the local law enforcement that decides what to do with them," he said. "Under the Francis decision, they're not permitted to hold a person beyond their release date." William Moore, the superintendent for the Dutchess County jail, did not respond to a request for comment. Capt. Michael Grossi of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said in January that ICE is notified when detainees sought by the agency are scheduled for release, but that the jail will not hold them longer unless a federal judge signs a warrant. He said that has been the policy for at least 10 years, and under two previous sheriffs.

Assembly member says he'll find money for dock State Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson pledged on Tuesday (July 29) to find funding for the City of Beacon to construct a new ferry dock, the first step, he said, to restoring service between the city and Newburgh. Jacobson, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, was among more than 100 residents and elected officials who braved sweltering heat to rally at the Beacon waterfront in support of the ferry that had connected the two cities for years before being discontinued by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Chanting "Gov. Hochul, MTA / Bring our ferry back today!" and "Keep us afloat / Fund the boat!", the crowd was joined by a flotilla of kayakers in the Hudson River. The MTA announced in June that commuter ferry service would not return after damage to the agency's floating dock at the Beacon waterfront led the MTA to re-examine its cost amid dwindling usage. NY Waterway had operated the ferry for the MTA since 2005, but ridership, which peaked at an average of 227 people daily in 2008, had slowed even before the pandemic. By 2024, it was carrying 62 people per day. On Tuesday, advocates said they want the MTA to restore service for commuters and to provide daily service for tourists visiting Newburgh and Beacon. Jacobson said the $2.1 million the MTA paid annually to NY Waterway to operate the ferry was miniscule compared to the agency's nearly $20 billion budget. "That's one penny out of $100," he said. "Give us our penny and save the ferry." The Assembly member said he would work to find funding. Earlier this month, he secured $250,000 for the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps and in May obtained $150,000 for Beacon's South Avenue Park rehabilitation project. However, Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said in a statement this week that the expense of operating a ferry for relatively few commuters "didn't add up." The good news, he said, is that the MTA launched a Newburgh-to-Beacon bus after ferry service was suspended in January. It "provides more connections to Beacon trains throughout the day than the ferry did," he said. The bus costs $1.75 each way, the same as the ferry, but Metro-North has said it will become free in 2026. The most popular route for the Beacon Bicycle Coalition's monthly group rides has been to cross the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, stop for food and drinks on the Newburgh waterfront and take the ferry back to Beacon, said Yvonne Caruthers, who spoke at the Tuesday rally and is one of the coalition's founders. "Everybody's jaw drops" when they see the landscape from the water, she said. Equally as important as the economics, she said, is "how you feel about where you live." State Sen. Rob Rolison, a Republican whose district includes Beacon and Philipstown, said that the ferry's fate rests with Gov. Kathy Hochul. The MTA Board members, he said, "take their direction from her." Calling the issue nonpartisan, he said the ferry is "smart and it's good for the environment. We're going to get there, I promise you." The MTA Board met on Wednesday, and a handful of advocates made public statements, including Oliver Meyer, 15, a Beacon resident who said he used the ferry to get to and from the ice cream shop on the Newburgh waterfront where he works. "This is my first job, and the ferry played a huge part in my parents allowing me to work at 14," he said. If the ferry was stopped because "it's not making money, then expand the hours. Newburgh has a thriving waterfront, food and tourism scene, but it could be a million times better if you could take the ferry to and from it." Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, wrote to Janno Lieber, the CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, that "permanently discontinuing the ferry will disrupt our constituents' commutes, harm our community's economic development and rip away a special Hudson Valley feature that connects our community in a way that no other transportation mode...

State approves program for moderate incomes A new program will expand energy assistance to moderate-income households facing difficulties paying electric and gas bills, and Central Hudson is requesting more time to begin enrolling customers. Under an order approved by the state Public Service Commission on July 17, Central Hudson and other utility companies must expand their existing discount programs by Dec. 1 to households earning up to the state's median annual income ($82,095), with the cost funded primarily by surcharges on ratepayers. Utility customers already pay a surcharge to fund the state Energy Affordability Program, but eligibility is limited to low-income ratepayers. However, the number of people with unpaid energy bills has grown since the pandemic. Under the expanded criteria, the Public Service Commission estimates that 1.6 million new ratepayers will be eligible for assistance. The benefits are also designed to help the state meet a goal of limiting utility bills to no more than 6 percent of household income. But eligible ratepayers in Beacon, Philipstown and other areas served by Central Hudson may have to wait a few months longer to enroll because the company is requesting more time to expand the program. Joe Jenkins, a spokesperson for Central Hudson, said the company is "deeply committed to making energy more affordable" but must build a system to verify the eligibility of customers and to reconfigure its billing system. As part of its July 17 order, the Public Service Commission is giving Central Hudson three months to file "a detailed explanation of the reasons and root causes" of its request for a delay and to provide an enrollment date "not to exceed 270 days" from the date of the directive. As of June, about 52,000 of Central Hudson's residential customers, or 19 percent, had unpaid charges that were at least two months old. The overdue charges total $137 million, a significant increase from the 8 percent of customers who owed $8.7 million as of December 2019, according to state data. Ratepayers with higher incomes received a one-time lifeline in January 2023 when the state approved credits totaling $672 million for residents and businesses who fell behind during the pandemic. Central Hudson's credits maxed out at $2,000 for qualifying residences and $1,250 for small businesses. Most of those credits ($571 million) came from surcharges on electric and gas bills. The utilities agreed to forgo $101 million they borrowed to cover shortfalls when the state imposed a moratorium on shut-offs. Some consumer groups are pushing the Public Service Commission to consider alternatives to funding the assistance with surcharges, especially as energy charges continue to rise.

Comments on state plan accepted until Aug. 11 Time is running out for the public to weigh in on the draft of the latest Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda, which outlines initiatives that the state Department of Environmental Conservation and partner organizations plan to undertake from 2026 to 2030. Public comments are due by Aug. 11. The document, which is posted at bit.ly/Hudson2030, also looks back at what was accomplished since 2021. While the river has come a long way since the 1960s, when federal officials referred to it as an "open sewer," climate change has created new challenges such as droughts and deluges, which lead to flooding, sewer overflows, polluted stormwater runoffs and hazardous algal blooms. In addition, chemical pollution from decades of manufacturing upriver and cadmium in Philipstown's Foundry Cove are each mentioned in the agenda, as is the uncertainty around what effects newer contaminates such as "forever chemicals" and microplastics will have on the river. More people are enjoying the river, according to the document, but not everyone has access. There are few public beaches along the Hudson, which leads to people swimming in risky locations. The stocks of the river's signature species - striped bass, shad, sturgeon, river herring, blue crab and American eel - continue to fluctuate for reasons that are not clear. There has been progress since 2021 in some areas, according to the report. Six acres of restored oyster habitat are thriving near the Mario Cuomo Bridge. Over 12,000 plants were added along 4 miles of tributaries. Fishery-monitoring programs have arisen to fill a void left when mandated monitoring by the now-closed Indian Point nuclear power plant ended. Several dams along tributaries have been removed, restoring migrations of eels and other species. Recent research on the invasive round goby suggests that the fish may not be able to tolerate the salty lower portions of the Hudson, which would prevent its spread. However, the potential remains for it to thrive in the upper Hudson, which may explain a troubling decrease in younger sturgeon in the river, even as the adult population grows, because round goby feed on sturgeon eggs. The agenda lays out goals for how many acres of wetlands, intertidal habitats and other ecosystems will be restored and protected over the next five years. A blue crab management plan will be developed to ensure that the population remains sustainable, and further research will be undertaken to investigate recent declines in striped bass (diseases caused by mycobacteria appear to be responsible). Studies are planned to determine the best sites for new swimming areas and how to protect current swimming areas from the effects of climate change. Climate adaptation is needed for all communities by the river in the face of rising sea levels and increased flooding. "Homes and businesses may be abandoned due to nuisance flooding if communities do not adapt," the agenda states. New York State plans to have at least 60 percent of municipalities in the watershed complete flood-risk reduction and infrastructure-resilience projects and initiate at least five climate-adaptive shoreline projects. The agenda sets a goal of engaging at least 125,000 students, volunteers and educators in the watershed. "Time with technology is supplanting time outdoors," the report says. "Teachers must meet an increased number of new requirements, and they have limited time for adding new curricula. However, new science standards correlate well with environmental education practices." To comment on the draft agenda, email hrep@dec.ny.gov with "Action Agenda" in the subject line or write Hudson River Estuary Program, NYSDEC Region 3, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561.

Older students present musical whodunit Educational programs happen year-round at Philipstown's Depot Theater, but in the summer, motivated thespians from first graders to high school seniors take over the place. The middle schoolers, known as the Depot Theater Youth Players, performed Music Man Jr. last week. On Thursday (July 31), 15 members of the Teen Players began a weekend run of the youth edition of Curtains, billed as a musical comedy whodunit, that continues through Sunday. The book is by Cold Spring resident Rupert Holmes, best known for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team behind Chicago, Cabaret and the song "New York, New York," made famous by Frank Sinatra, wrote the music. Silvia Hardman, a sophomore at Haldane High School, portrays the female lead, Niki Harris. She says she likes "how the songs are put together; they're written in rounds and the parts fit well." In the farce, characters die onstage, but in a campy way. To Haldane junior Julian Costantine, who plays Lt. Frank Cioffi, the dialogue is "funny and fluid." During a recent rehearsal of a full-cast number, "In the Same Boat," Costantine delivered well-timed staccato lines in the style of Harold Hill, the lead character in The Music Man, and the con man Lyle Lanley from The Simpsons. With acting, "you become a different you," he says. "It's fun to get crazy onstage and go all out inhabiting a character and pretending to be someone." Mistakes, he's made a few. But he takes it in stride: "That's where the improv gene has to kick in." The players are directed by Natalie Arneson, who oversees student musicals for the Sleepy Hollow school district. "It's a real joy to help young people figure something out, either about their ability onstage or in the real world," she says. During the rehearsal, Arneson held the actors to high standards but conveyed the message with a smooth style, starting things off with a jig and breathing exercises to get everyone loose. Sitting at an electronic keyboard, music director Daniel Kelly worked out parts with the singers. The middle school and high school productions shared a set with a 5-foot turntable activated by foot power. For "In the Same Boat," an elaborate song-and-dance number, choreographer Justin Wingenroth crams characters onto the small stage (including nine bodies on the turntable), but the cast made it look easy. Many actors return year after year, says Amy Dul, executive director of The Depot Theater, who established the summer program 28 years ago. Alums include film actor Charlie Plummer and Xena Petkanas, a Broadway lighting designer. "We watch them grow and find themselves by taking on roles and being someone else," says Dul. "It's like a sports team, where they support each other and work together for the greater good." Coming up next at the space is a week-long Sing Away Camp for first through third graders, followed by a performance on Aug. 15. The children will learn and act out three Broadway songs. According to Rachel Moody, director of youth programming, it's "highly adorable." The Depot Theater is located at 10 Garrison's Landing. Tickets to Curtains, which will be performed today (Aug. 1) at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., are $12 at depottheater.org.

Threshold Choir sings for dying patients When Johanna Asher moved to Philipstown from Georgia in 2020, she had to leave behind the Atlanta Threshold Choir, which sings to people in hospice or palliative care, so she formed a Hudson Highlands chapter. It came together organically, she says, as she made friends with other singers. A year ago, she and Donna Reilly, Kate Conway, Melissa Angier and Michele Wolfson began learning the Threshold Choir's songs. They visited their first patient earlier this year. The national Threshold Choir was founded in 2000 in northern California by Kate Munger. It has since expanded to include nearly 200 chapters, spanning Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., the Netherlands, Mexico and Guatemala. "When I heard about this, I just thought this is such a special thing," says Patti Cooper of the choir, which now has 10 members. "I want to be sung to at any crisis time in my life." Adds Conway: "This fills up that need to sing, and it's moving for the patients." The Hudson Highlands Threshold Choir practices every other Monday at Taconic Rehabilitation and Nursing in Fishkill. It sings to patients there and at Taconic Rehabilitation in Beacon and the Sapphire nursing home in Wappingers Falls. The national organization recommends that chapters have 15 songs they know by heart and offers about 300 selections on its website. Each chapter has five to six songs they sing often, Asher says. There is conversation and laughter between songs, although some patients may be sedated. Because only three or four choir members visit at one time, each must be able to sing in at least two pitches and handle multiple parts of each song. The practices can be intense. "It's almost like a sport for me," says Conway. "When I leave, I feel like I got this singing workout." The choir usually starts with "Rest Easy," by Marilyn Power Scott, because "everyone needs to rest easy," Asher says. "Rest easy. Let every trouble drift away. Easy… rest easy…" For more information, see thresholdchoir.org/hudsonhighlands. To request a Threshold Choir visit, see thresholdchoir.org/request-singers.

Retired volunteers claimed 'potential ownership interest' A state judge ruled on Friday (July 25) that the City of Beacon is the sole owner of the decommissioned Beacon Engine Co. fire station at 57 East Main St. Judge Maria Rosa dismissed four requests from retired members of the volunteer fire company that had used the station as its headquarters for 136 years, including an appeal from the firefighters to conclusively determine who owns the facility. The basis of the complaint was the most recent operation and maintenance agreement, from 2019, between the city and the company. In it, the city agreed to pay for most insurance and all utilities and maintenance of the building while acknowledging what the volunteers and city officials had believed for decades: that Beacon Engine owned the 1889 structure, which comprises 62 percent of the 4,688-square-foot station. The city was believed to own an engine bay added in 1924. However, after the City Council voted in February 2020 to close the station, Beacon officials in 2023 conducted a title search that they say revealed municipal ownership of the entire site. The volunteers disputed that, saying ownership was unclear because of "aged, handwritten deeds" and "incomplete searches and conclusory assertions" by the city. The firefighters alleged that the city abandoned the operation and maintenance agreement in November 2020. Mayor Lee Kyriacou told the court that the city notified the volunteers that it was terminating the agreement in February 2021 but permitted them to use the building until the city's $14.7 million central station opened last fall. On Jan. 22, city officials sent a notice to the retired firefighters directing them to vacate Beacon Engine by March 31. The firefighters, who had continued to use the building as a headquarters for charitable efforts and a social hub, argued that the eviction came without due process. Rosa noted that the issue had already been "partially litigated" when the volunteers sought an injunction to halt the eviction and stop the city from selling the property. Rosa denied that request on March 31, saying that the volunteer company had "provided no evidence of ownership" of the station. A week later, the firefighters filed a complaint asking for judgment on whether the company or city owns the historic structure. The volunteers submitted an amended complaint on May 14 claiming they had commissioned a title search that "created a potential ownership interest in [the fire company's] favor." The complaint referred to language in two deeds which "exempts and reserves the lot occupied by the Old Engine House," although no deeds were submitted to the court. The fire company asked to be declared the owner of the property. City attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the complaint a day later. In addition to numerous deeds, the city submitted the testimony of Paul Conrad, president of the Poughkeepsie-based Real Property Abstract & Title Services. Conrad said the firefighters had misinterpreted the two deeds and that a dozen documents, dating from 1860 to 1921, establish the city's ownership. "Beacon Engine at one point in time owned a portion of the property, which it subsequently conveyed to the city over a century ago," he said. "Beacon Engine was never in title to the entirety of the property, and it last had an ownership interest in the property in 1920, almost 105 years ago." Rosa wrote in the July 25 decision that Conrad had "set forth in detail" the chain of title and provided evidence to back it up. The volunteers, she said, failed to assert ownership, while their argument relied "entirely upon [the 2019] agreement as demonstrative of a 'potential ownership interest.' " Joe Green, a Beacon Engine Co. trustee, said the volunteers are "extremely disappointed" and will appeal Rosa's decision. After the 2019 agreement was terminated, the volunteer company spent more than $50,000 on repairs and utilities, he said. "We have all the receipts," Gree...

Goshen man struck and killed by excavator A Goshen man was struck and killed on Monday (July 28) by an excavator during work to replace water and sewer infrastructure along Fishkill Avenue in Beacon. Amalio Lombardi, 61, died at the scene, according to the Beacon Police Department. Fishkill Avenue was closed between Conklin Street and Dallis Place from about noon to 5:30 p.m. Lombardi worked for Sun Up Construction of Wappingers Falls. "The city's administration extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Lombardi," Police Chief Tom Figlia said in a statement. "Amalio had done many projects as a contractor for the city over the past couple decades, so he was well-liked and highly respected by our staff and consultants," said City Administrator Chris White. Mayor Lee Kyriacou ordered flags lowered to half-staff for the remainder of the week. The Beacon Police Department and the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the accident, along with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. According to the Donovan Funeral Home in Goshen, Lombardi is survived by his wife, Juliann; his children, Amanda, Marissa and Michael; his mother, Lina; and his sister, Teresa Fini. Visitation will be held today (Aug. 1) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at St. John the Evangelist in Goshen, followed by interment at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Middletown.

State law requires 'bell-to-bell' restrictions Public school districts in the Highlands adopted policies this month to align student cellphone restrictions with a newly enacted state law that requires a "bell-to-bell" ban. The law, enacted in April as part of the state budget, applies to public schools, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). It prohibits the use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices by students during the school day, including at lunch, recess and study halls. The law allows districts to provide exceptions for emergencies or to manage a student's healthcare, for students with disabilities or individualized education programs, for translation services, or for students who are routinely responsible for the care of a family member. After a meeting on Monday (July 21) with the president of the state teachers' union and Capital Region administrators, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that her priority is ensuring that students receive "a high-quality education, free from constant clicking and scrolling." She said on Thursday that about 300 districts had submitted their policies to the Education Department before the Aug. 1 deadline. The Beacon school board, which last year banned student cellphone use during classes at Rombout Middle School and Beacon High School, extended its restrictions on Monday to align with state law. Beginning Sept. 2, students who bring phones to school will be required to store them in their lockers for the entire day. If a student is found using a phone, it will be confiscated and placed in a locked space in an administrative office for the remainder of the day. The penalty for a second offense will be five school days locked in the office, and a third offense will be 10 school days. If a student is found using a phone a fifth time, it could be locked up each school day for the remainder of the academic year, Superintendent Matt Landahl told the board. Cellphone restrictions will not change at the district's four elementary schools, as students who bring cellphones are required to keep them in their storage cubbies or backpacks at all times. An online survey conducted by the district in June showed support for the new restrictions from the 278 students, teachers, parents and caregivers who responded, Landahl said, but "there's just an incredible variance in all of the details." Students said in the survey that they had grown to appreciate the district's classroom ban on phones, which was adopted a year ago and allowed phone use between classes, at lunch and during recess, Landahl said. However, after adhering to that policy, students were surprised to learn that stricter rules were on the way. Teachers asked for explicit language and consistent implementation of the policy. Some parents "had a lot of serious questions" about contacting their children during the day, either for logistical reasons or for emergencies, he said. The state set aside $13.5 million for schools to purchase "storage solutions," but Beacon's allocation of $13,000 was far less than the $80,000 it would cost to outfit the middle and high schools with locking pouches, Landahl said. The district spent about half of the money to purchase lockboxes for administrative offices. Rombout Principal Brian Soltish said Monday that students would be assigned lockers, whenever possible, close to their last-period class, to give them time to retrieve their phones before being picked up or boarding a bus. For middle school students, using a locker every day will be a shift "from what many are doing, which is just loading everything into their backpacks," he said. The district next month will distribute email addresses and phone numbers to parents or guardians who need to send messages to their children during the day. Students will be able to call their parents using school phones with permission. In the event of an emergency, Landahl said he will communicate with the co...

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing. 150 Years Ago (July 1875) The Matteawan supervisor, highway commissioners and town clerk, meeting at Ambler's Tavern, voted to assess taxes to purchase 33 gas streetlamps at $24 each [about $700 each today] and to sign an 18-month, $495 [$15,000] maintenance contract. "Quite a number of our citizens talk of getting an injunction to stop the tax - not because they are opposed to improvement, but because they have not been consulted in the matter," wrote the Matteawan correspondent of The Cold Spring Recorder. The Fishkill Landing coroner held an inquest into the death of a 14-year-old student from Newburgh who drowned after falling overboard from an excursion boat on the Hudson River. His Catholic school was on a field trip. William Henry was brought before Justice Schenck of Fishkill Landing, accused of assault. James Hunt said he had visited the Henry home to call on a young lady, and that Henry and his wife objected. Henry told him to leave and threatened him. "As all the assault and battery seemed to be on the part of the complainant, the case was dismissed," according to The Recorder. Seventy cases of machinery arrived for a new carpet mill at Glenham, the first installment of 400 to be shipped from Leeds, England. At about midnight, Starr Knox of Fishkill Landing heard a crack in a cherry tree outside his home. He saw dark objects in the branches and, raising his gun, ordered the trespassers to come down and stand in a row with their hands above their heads. They said they were from Newburgh, but a news account offered no further explanation for their presence. Two laborers shoveled 80 tons of coal from a boat on Long Dock in 4½ hours. The Lone Stars of Matteawan, in Catskill for a baseball game, complained about their treatment. After the Lone Stars broke two bats, the hosts refused to lend them new ones and offered refreshments to only half of the players. The Fishkill census-taker recorded Aunt Katy Reynolds, a 106-year-old Black woman. She had been born in the West Indies in 1769. A dental patient in Newburgh, under the influence of gas, punched the doctor and went "cruising about the house tops," according to The Recorder. The Hartford Post reported that, in the office of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad Co., was "a rare museum of curiosities" left by passengers, including fur muffs and collars, boots, shoes, overcoats, parasols, a box of musical instruments, carpet bags, music rolls, storybooks, false teeth, dolls, a cavalry saber, a little brown jug, a white hat and hundreds of umbrellas. Three thieves arrested for "tapping the till" of a Matteawan baker admitted to being members of a gang from Tenth Avenue in New York City that had been preying on Highlands residents. The officers who took the men to the Albany penitentiary said the prisoners unburdened themselves along the way. 125 Years Ago (July 1900) A southbound express train hit a brickyard laborer, Thomas Martin, 55, near Dutchess Junction. He was brought aboard the train but died while being removed at Cold Spring. His home and relatives were unknown; he was interred in the Cold Spring cemetery. The Mount Beacon-on-Hudson Association issued $150,000 [$5.7 million] in capital stock. It planned to build a summer hotel on Mount Beacon accessible by an incline railway. Brickyard owners in Fishkill Landing asked the Dutchess County sheriff to send officers to stop workers armed with sticks, clubs and stones who were visiting each yard to persuade the others to strike. A leftist newspaper in New York City alleged that the owners, to make trouble to justify police intervention, told saloon-keepers to keep the free beer flowing. The strike ended suddenly when its leader, Patrick McCann, was hit and killed by a train. The Melzingah chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a 27-foot-high stone monument on July 4 on top of Mount Beacon, 1,600 feet abov...

Saint Rita's opens in KuBe Art Center Timothy Parsaca is a live-event producer who is now "captain of his own ship," says his wife, Kelly Ellenwood. The couple spent the last two months turning a raw space at KuBe Art Center in the former Beacon High School into Saint Rita's Music Room. They hosted their first concert on July 19. Dressed in a kilt, Parsaca had a blast controlling the sound and lighting for Dick Griffin, former trombone player for free-jazz pioneer Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Griffin's quintet delivered a spirited set with comedic camping from drummer Tommy Campbell. "We see this as an alternative and welcoming venue," says Parsaca. "It's hard to find places to put on drag shows or burlesque that aren't bars, so we want to serve the community that way, too." Black floors and ceilings sandwich red walls. With plants, table seating, vintage couches in the back and "fandeliers" (chandeliers with ceiling fans), the vibe is fancy but unpretentious. It's easy to forget it's a former school band room. Subtle details include the curtains, which look ornamental but improve the sound for the audience and musicians. Behind the performers, the back wall twinkles with white and blue lights to provide depth of field, says Parsaca. The room hosted its first event on July 17 - a party for family and friends. The following night, it was the site of a sold-out performance of Broadway in Beacon. The couple's children, Rowan and Rhiannon, play pivotal roles. On July 19, Griffin and his band opened with a furious flurry of cosmic chaos, then broke into the straight-ahead song "Blues for Sun Ra." Having some fun with his solo, Griffin tried to blow the lowest note possible. When not playing trombone, he tapped on percussion instruments retrieved from a nearby table. On drums, Campbell hit hard and coaxed strange sounds from his cymbals, rubbing the tip of his stick into a groove and emitting a form of feedback. He also brushed a stick across the cymbal, creating another odd tone. He hit the kit with a folding fan and used the prop for slapstick gags. At one point, he did the hambone. During the Latin vamp, he tapped the hi-hat cymbal with his foot, which sounded like he swatted them with his stick, freeing up his hands to create a more complex rhythm. Mimicking Jimi Hendrix playing guitar behind his head, Campbell crossed his arms behind his back and kept on hitting for a few beats, then delivered a furious solo with his snare muffled to provide a sound more attuned to Latin percussion. The rest of the band also slammed. Pianist Alexis Marcelo channeled the herky-jerky style of Thelonious Monk on the Latin piece, but also delivered a feathery, cascading touch on the mellower songs. Bass player Jeremiah Edwards provided solid support along with an upper register solo on the blues tune. Jordan Young on saxophone performed a call-and-response interlude with Griffin. With table seating, Saint Rita's fits 99 patrons. For theatrical performances the space could accommodate up to 200. Though it will serve beer, wine and food, "this is not a bar or a restaurant," says Ellenwood. "It's a listening room." Saint Rita's Music Room is located at 85 Eliza St. in Beacon. The Hudson Valley Flyers will perform honky tonk on Aug. 2 and Broadway in Beacon will host an open mic for singers ages 18 and younger on Aug. 3. See saintritasmusicroom.com.