Podcasts about Cold Spring

Snow and wind expected on Sunday and overnight The National Weather Service is predicting blizzard conditions in the Highlands on Sunday (Feb. 22) and overnight into Monday. A blizzard warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Putnam County from 1 p.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. Monday and for Dutchess from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Monday. Forecasters expect winds of up to 45 mph to be accompanied by falling and/or blowing snow, resulting in reduced visibility. The NWS defines a blizzard as a storm that contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibility of less than a quarter-mile for at least three hours. Putnam is expected to receive 14 to 22 inches of snow, with rates reaching 2 inches per hour. Dutchess is expected to receive 10 to 20 inches. Temperatures will drop to feel as low as 14 degrees. Wind gusts could reach 45 mph, it said, and the wind and the weight of snow may bring down trees and power lines. Dutchess County has issued travel restrictions for all non-essential personnel starting at 9 p.m. Sunday at 9 p.m. through 4 p.m. Monday. County and Beacon city offices will open at 11 a.m. on Monday. Putnam County also restricted all non-essential travel from 9 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday. Metro-North will operate on an hourly service schedule on Monday, with weekend schedules in place on the branch lines. The Hudson Rail Link connecting bus will be suspended. On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in 20 counties, including Putnam and Dutchess. Beginning Sunday, 100 members of the New York National Guard with 25 vehicles will be staged across the lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island to assist first responders, and the State Emergency Operations Center activated Sunday morning. The Village of Cold Spring has restricted parking from 5 p.m. Sunday until 7 a.m. Tuesday. Alternative parking is available at the American Legion lot on Cedar Street (south end only; do not use the Ambulance Corps spaces); the Haldane ballfields lot on Route 9D (no permit is required during snow emergencies); the village lots on Kemble Avenue, The Boulevard and New Street; and the Fair Street municipal lot. For updates, call 845-747-7669. [Update: On Tuesday, temporary no parking signs will be placed throughout the village to allow crews to remove snow.] The Village of Nelsonville announced parking restrictions from noon Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday. Parking will be prohibited on village streets, including on Main Street/Route 301. Designated winter parking spots are available on Adams Avenue and the west side of the Secor Street lot. In Beacon, after the accumulation of 2 inches of snow, vehicles cannot be parked on public streets between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Vehicles can be moved to any city public parking lot, but vehicles must be moved from the lots 24 hours after the snow stops falling. See our online calendar for cancelations. For updates, see our Storm Resource Page.

Programs advocate for long-term-care residents When Janice Munson walks through the entrance of a local nursing home, she has a list of names of the aged and disabled residents who have called for help. After those visits, she'll check in with other residents, sometimes asking if they have a physical therapy plan and if they are being taken for supervised walks to maintain their mobility. The answer is often no. "They'll say, 'I know there aren't enough staff, so I don't want to ask.' " Ensuring that residents obtain services is one of Munson's primary roles as a long-term care ombudsman, a position created by the Older Americans Act of 1965. The legislation requires states to provide independent advocates for residents in nursing homes, adult care homes and assisted living and rehabilitation facilities. Munson is among the eight volunteers who, along with five paid staff members, monitor 120 facilities in Region 4, which covers Putnam, Westchester and Rockland counties. Based in Cold Spring and led by Philipstown resident Judy Farrell, the region is one of 15 in the state. Region 5, based in Fishkill, covers Dutchess and five other counties. Nursing homes are the priority; the state wants them visited weekly and other facilities at least quarterly, said Farrell, who is also a member of the Philipstown Town Board. Although physical abuse draws headlines, complaints range from a staff member giving a resident the wrong medication or failing to follow therapy plans to dirty rooms, substandard food and a lack of recreation. Along with residents, the friends of residents and facility staff can report concerns, said Farrell. During the pandemic, when quarantines prevented families from visiting long-term care facilities, Farrell arranged for "compassionate care" visits. In one case, she helped a man unable to get his dying mother discharged to home hospice care. When she arrived home, he called Farrell, crying and grateful. "You can't replace that feeling," she said. "It's greatly satisfying." Arnold Tanner knows the feeling. A volunteer in Region 4, he visits a facility near his home in Sleepy Hollow twice a week. Carrying an iPad filled with notes, he meets first with people in the long-term-care units before introducing himself to newcomers and checking in at the rehab unit. He sometimes gets "a little better feel for the place" from newcomers and rehab patients, who are less reluctant to speak up, he said. Those in long-term care may fear retribution by staff, which is also a source of complaints. Statewide, the ombudsman program received 18,346 complaints during fiscal 2024, including 1,680 to the Cold Spring office. About a third were care-related, a broad category that includes accidents, falls, general requests for assistance and concerns about medications and physical therapy. Another 15 percent were complaints about staff failing to "honor and promote a resident's right or preferences" about healthcare, privacy, visitors and other areas. Many complaints related to food and admissions, including discharges and evictions. "Sometimes people face discharge for nonpayment when they might be eligible for Medicaid," Farrell explained. Complaints occasionally lead to legal action. In 2024, the state attorney general announced a $45 million settlement with Centers for Care, which owns four facilities, including one in White Plains, for "years of tragic and devastating mistreatment and neglect." According to the attorney general, "call bells regularly went unanswered, residents were forced to sit in their own urine and feces for hours, meals were not provided in a timely manner and personal belongings, including hearing aids, dentures and clothing, were often lost or stolen." After making On the Shoulders of Giants, a film about the orthopedics department at NYU Langone that was a Tribeca Film Festival Special Jury Award finalist in 2024, Cold Spring resident Peter Sanders turned to ombudsman programs. In March 2025, he began ...

Program will fund filters for PFAS contamination Property owners in Dutchess and Putnam counties will soon be able to be reimbursed for testing their wells and installing filters if they exceed limits for a family of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems. Both counties have been selected for a state pilot program to address private wells contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Known as "forever chemicals" because of their persistence in the environment and the human body, PFAS have been used for decades in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and other consumer products, as well as firefighting foams. Researchers have linked them to various health problems, including cancer, low birthweights and high cholesterol. Health concerns have led officials to close contaminated water sources serving the City of Newburgh and other municipalities, and supply filters to well owners in Dutchess and Putnam, including Mahopac and Putnam Valley. According to a groundwater study completed nearly 20 years ago, half of Philipstown's 9,400 residents at the time relied on well water. While Dutchess has yet to finalize details, Rian Rodriguez, Putnam's public health director, told the Legislature's Health Committee on Feb. 11 that the state chose for the pilot six counties "at higher risk" of PFAS contamination. "The goal is to reduce exposure to PFAS from private wells in communities more likely to be impacted, and assess the feasibility for a more comprehensive, statewide program," he said. Homeowners and business owners in Philipstown and other parts of Putnam should be able to begin applying for the county's $1.5 million allocation by June, said Brian Stevens, an associate public health sanitarian with the Health Department. If testing, which can cost hundreds of dollars, confirms levels exceeding the state guideline of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS (the two most common versions of the chemicals), homes and businesses can be reimbursed up to $5,000 for installing "point-of-entry" filtration systems on their main water lines. The state will also subsidize up to $1,000 for "point-of-use" filters installed on faucets or other outlets where water is dispensed, up to $10,000 to connect a property to a public water system and up to $1,500 for ongoing testing and maintenance. New York and the federal Environmental Protection Agency regulate limits on PFAS in public drinking water supplies, such as the reservoirs that serve residents of Beacon and Cold Spring. But the estimated 1 million homes and businesses in New York state that rely on wells must test on their own unless they are part of a larger investigation tied to a verified source of major pollution. Dozens of properties near the Mahopac Business District received point-of-entry filters from the state after testing showed more than 100 private wells in the area had PFAS levels above state limits. The state began testing after discovering chemicals in monitoring wells installed during the district's cleanup of volatile organic compounds and other toxic substances linked to the use of dry-cleaning chemicals. New York has also allocated funds to the Town of Kent, the Birch Hill Acres and Starr Ridge Manor communities in Brewster, and Floradan Estates in Putnam Valley to address PFAS contamination through filtration systems. One such system is filtering water used by students and staff at Putnam Valley Elementary School, whose well once showed levels of 38.3 parts per trillion for PFOS and 23.3 ppt for PFOA. The district blames the problem on the Putnam Valley Fire Department's use of PFAS foams at its firehouses. State funding is also being used by the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority to connect two water systems with PFAS-tainted wells to Hyde Park, which draws water from the Hudson River. The federal government estimates that as many as 50 percent of U.S. households have some level of PFAS in their water — whether from a wel...

Public input on Marathon development "A More Walkable Cold Spring" will be the focus of a public presentation to the Cold Spring board on March 10 to launch a planning process for the 12-acre Marathon property on Kemble Avenue, the village's largest undeveloped tract. The Kearney Group, which owns the property, has hired Jeff Speck, co-founder of Speck Dempsey, a Brookline, Massachusetts-based urban planning firm, to explain the fundamentals of pedestrian-oriented neighborhood design. "We don't have a lot of young people without children, and there aren't really affordable, entry-level houses in the village," Mayor Kathleen Foley noted at the Wednesday (Feb. 11) meeting of the Village Board. The Marathon parcel, formerly the site of a battery plant, is zoned for a mixed-use planned unit development. Foley said a series of charrettes will be held in April and June. The developer will then create an application for the Planning Board. Sidewalk grants Foley updated the board on the status of federal Transportation Alternatives Program grants to add sidewalks along the north end of Fair Street from Mayor's Park to Route 9D and along Morris Avenue/Route 9D at the northern border of the village. The sidewalks were extended on Fair Street from the municipal parking lot to Mayor's Park as part of the recently completed stormwater drainage repairs. Cold Spring owns a short stretch of Fair Street north of Mayor's Park to the village boundary. Putnam County owns Fair Street from there to Route 9D. The cost of the new Fair Street sidewalks is estimated at $2 million. The grant would pay 80 percent of the cost, with the remaining 20 percent paid by Cold Spring, which must show it has the capacity to fund the entire project, a requirement she described as "kind of bananas." Foley said Putnam County is willing to front the 80 percent and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail announced this week it would contribute the 20 percent local share. "We have had less luck on Route 9D," Foley said. State parks, HHFT, the state Department of Transportation and Putnam County have declined to cover 80 percent of the estimated $3 million cost. "We have a few Hail Mary asks out to some private organizations to see if they would loan the town the funds," Foley said. In other business … Village accountant Michelle Ascolillo reported that the cost of snow removal after the January storm was $68,000. In his monthly report, Robert Downey, the Highway Department crew chief, thanked Marc's Landscaping, Sal Pidala and Sons Excavating, Allen's Dumpster Service, Minardi's Excavation, Harold Lyons and Sons, Putnam County, Philipstown, the state Department of Transportation and state parks for their assistance in the aftermath. Matt Jackson, the officer-in-charge of the Cold Spring Police Department, reported that officers responded to 87 calls in January. The most frequent were alarms (12), assisting fire departments (8) and assisting local emergency medical services (8). There were also single calls for a domestic incident, a dispute, disorderly conduct and a person in crisis. Saturdays produced the most calls (22), followed by Fridays (18) and Wednesdays (15). He said Tuesdays produced the fewest calls (5). The Cold Spring Fire Co. answered 16 calls in January, including seven fire alarms, two assists to local EMS, two incidents of propane odor and single calls for a transformer fire, motor vehicle accident with injuries, mutual aid to North Highlands Fire Co., smoke in a structure and a pump out. Stephen Etta answered the most calls (14) with 20 volunteers responding to at least one call. The village said it will forward 16 cases of delinquent taxes, totaling $37,688, to Putnam County for collection.

250 Years Ago (February 1776) Maj. Gen. Charles Lee and a contingent of the Continental Army arrived in New York City from Boston to defend the city against British attack. Col. William Alexander, with 1,000 men, came from New Jersey to serve under Lee. Andrew Allen and Thomas Lynch, delegates from the Continental Congress, met in New York City with Lord Drummond, representing the king, to see if some "accommodation" could be reached. Gen. George Washington wrote to the Committee of Safety of New York, asking it to send any weapons it could spare to his camp outside Boston. Eager to join the fight against the British, the carpenters building military frigates in New York City left their posts to volunteer. Congress reassured them that the boats were equally important to the cause. James Duane, a delegate from New York, noted that Congress was debating the Continental Army's pay, enlistment lengths and whether one colony could use another colony's troops for defense. 150 Years Ago (February 1876) James Nelson of the South Highlands, who had an impressive numismatic collection, showed off a bronze medallion he had acquired that depicted Gouverneur Kemble (1786-1875), a co-founder of the West Point Foundry. It was dated 1837, when Kemble was seated for the first of two terms in Congress. The medal was 3 inches wide with a relief of Kemble in profile; the reverse had his name and birthdate. Benjamin Ireland, who suspected his nephews, Jake and Al Ireland, and a neighbor named Williams had stolen a "skip" of honey he valued at $50 [about $1,500 today], persuaded the constable to obtain a search warrant. No trace of the stolen sweets was found, but one nephew was angry enough at the intrusion that he assaulted Ben near Patterson's store in Mollyville [Nelsonville]. Ben then obtained a "peace" warrant that demanded the constable jail the nephew to keep the peace. A gust of wind blew down C. Manning's chimney, which damaged his roof. Granville Roberts had left his 3-year-old grandson, Willie, in the kitchen for a few minutes to go upstairs when the boy began to cry and climb the steps. Roberts hurried down and found the tablecloth on fire. Asa Truesdell, who had run his meat market for 30 years, died at his Fair Street home at age 73. He had advertised the market for sale, saying it was the oldest business in Cold Spring and generated $30,000 [$900,000] in annual sales. Elias Post sued Ichabod Hunt for cutting wood on his land. After hearing testimony for nearly the entire day, a jury awarded him $4 [$121] in damages. A son of Mr. Hayden of Garrison was brought to Cold Spring on a railroad handcar after he accidentally cut off some of his toes with an ax. James Schegel asked Officer Delaney on a weekend to detain Isaac Levy and his son for assaulting him with a club and threatening him with a revolver. Delaney suggested he wait until Monday to obtain an arrest warrant, but by then, Schegel had decided not to press charges. Mrs. Freley was hanging clothes on a line at West Point when the wind swept her off her feet and down a slope, where she fractured her skull on a rock. About 30 ferry passengers were stuck at Garrison for half a day because the river was choked with floating ice. 1st Lt. Robert Warren, 29, a Cold Spring native, died at Camp Douglas in the Utah territory of apoplexy [stroke]. He had joined the Union Army in 1862 and fought during several major battles in Virginia. The Cold Spring Recorder shared the story of a 7-year-old named Dusty who was running with friends on the cakes of ice in the river when he fell in. Rather than return home wet and face punishment, he removed his clothes, put them on a pile of bricks and waited, naked, until they dried. A high tide overflowed onto the lower end of Main Street, leaving behind blocks of ice that froze fast to the ground. The water pump at the corner of Parsonage and Bank streets was out of order. The Rock Street building used by the street commissioners as a tool house w...

Minnesota lawmakers will face constituent pressure to take action on some potent issues from guns control, immigration, fraud, taxes and more as the convene the 2026 session on Tuesday.The Capitol also remains deeply split, with legislative seats almost evenly divided between the parties in the House and Senate.  Progress will be a challenge in an election year when some key players are looking up the political ladder or worried about the political winds back home.MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with the Minnesota's four caucus leaders about what's in store for the session and what could get accomplished.Guests:Republican Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring.House DFL Caucus Leader Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids.DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, of St. Paul.Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Funds would cover local portion of state grant Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. said on Monday (Feb. 9) that it has pledged $450,000 to extend the sidewalks on Fair Street from Mayor's Park in Cold Spring to Route 9D and Little Stony Point. The village and Philipstown are applying for a grant from the state Department of Transportation that would reimburse 80 percent of the project costs. The $450,000 from HHFT will cover the 20 percent required from the village and town. The project is expected to cost about $2 million. "We've been talking with the village and the town about sidewalks a lot," said Peter Mullan, the HHFT president. "How do we do something quick to address the situation in the village," to provide a safe pedestrian route from Main Street to Little Stony Point and the Washburn Trail. The Fjord Trail, a proposed 7.5-mile linear park connecting Cold Spring and Beacon, is designed to alleviate overcrowding in the village and along Route 9D. Many visitors are hikers who walk from the train station down Fair Street, which has no sidewalks, to reach Little Stony Point, Bull Hill and points beyond. Although Fair Street is not part of the proposed trail, HHFT Executive Director Amy Kacala said it has always been on the designers' minds. "In the master plan, we call Fair Street a 'meander' to acknowledge that people are walking on that route," she said. "It won't be a multimodal route in the same way as our trail, but more ways for people to get out of the village is important to reduce congestion. "While the connection we'll make to Dockside Park will be part of the trail, this is an alternate route people are already used to taking," she said. "We want to make sure that they're walking safely, and we know that the municipalities share that concern." The sidewalks on Fair Street will also be needed because the trail itself won't be coming to Cold Spring anytime soon: HHFT announced on Monday that it is delaying construction on the trail between Breakneck Ridge and Cold Spring for at least two years while it collects more ecological data. HHFT plans to build a boardwalk that extends into the river as part of the southern trail. Many residents, as well as the environmental group Riverkeeper, have expressed concern about the impact of construction on the river. Mullan said he hopes that because the matching funds for the sidewalks are coming from a local nonprofit, rather than the municipalities, it will make for a "stronger application" for the state grant. He said he also hopes the donation will give the project's detractors — of which there have been many in Philipstown — some pause. "I hope that the people of Cold Spring see this as a measure of our commitment to the community," he said. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley, Nelsonville Mayor Chris Winward and Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel said they were grateful for the $450,000 pledge but that the municipalities still must find money to construct sidewalks along Route 9D toward Breakneck. "HHFT was not willing to contribute to funding for 9D, estimated at $3 million, for which we are pursuing a TAP [Transportation Alternatives Program] grant," they said. "In order to qualify for the reimbursable 80 percent from TAP, local governments have to demonstrate in their applications that the full amount for the projects can be fronted. We are actively working to secure front-end funding for both projects, and the situation is fluid."

Breakneck Ridge to Cold Spring delayed at least two years Don't expect the Fjord Trail to reach Cold Spring anytime soon. In addition to announcing a $450,000 grant to the village and Philipstown for the building of sidewalks on Fair Street, Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. said on Monday (Feb. 9) that it will "prioritize" the northern section of the trail from Breakneck Ridge to Long Dock Park in Beacon. The state's recently released environmental impact statement included a timeline stating that construction on the northern and southern sections (Breakneck to Cold Spring) would begin this year. But HHFT Executive Director Amy Kacala and President Peter Mullan said on Tuesday that construction will begin on the northern section this year, and work on the southern portion will be pushed back at least two years. They said a major factor in the delay is that HHFT and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be gathering more data on the stretch of the Hudson River where an elevated boardwalk would be built. Despite overall improvements in the river's health since the 1970s, many fish species have been declining. The DEC and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are also in the midst of a yearslong project to determine the extent of PCB contamination in the lower Hudson River caused by industrial dumping by General Electric. In its public comment on the impact statement, the environmental group Riverkeeper raised concerns that the endangered shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon species would be harmed by construction in the stretch of river that runs through the Highlands. "We're committed to being sensitive to the ecology of the river," said Mullan. "We want to use this time to make sure that we are developing the design as sensitively as possible and look for ways to repair the ecology of the shallow water river habitat, because we're seeing the ecosystem function of that habitat actually going down." Kacala said that the data collection will take at least two years. "We want to do this right, and sometimes that takes time," she said. In the meantime, HHFT will push forward with the northern section, much to the delight of Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou, who has long advocated for the project. "I'm very excited about this, and I think that most people in Beacon are, too," he said on Tuesday. Kacala said that construction along the northern part of the trail would begin on state-owned land. "There are still some conversations we need to have with private landowners," she said. The first phase will include the Wade's Hill lot and trail, followed by a trail north of the Breakneck Connector to an overlook of Bannerman's Island. Many residents who live near Breakneck have had problems with hikers trespassing in their yards to get a better view of the ruined castle in the river. "We're hoping to help them out by alleviating that pressure and putting that part forward first," said Kacala. "Then people have a safe and predictable way where they know they can get to that view." Beacon Rail Trail Update While the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail is being constructed, Mayor Lee Kyriacou said Beacon will be pushing forward with the segment of a larger trail that would connect the Metro-North station to Hopewell Junction along an abandoned rail line. "The pricing for the whole line is fairly expensive, but the Beacon section is fairly doable and doable quickly," he said on Tuesday (Feb. 9), referring to the section that would begin at the train station and stop at the city line near Route 52. "We're hoping to get bids done this year and construction next year." The Beacon trail, which will be paved and mostly flat, will give residents who commute a safe way to reach the train station without a car, said Kyriacou, noting that the city plans on installing more bike lockers. The trail would cross the Fjord Trail near Dennings Point. "This is going to be transformational to Beacon's quality of life," said Kyriacou. "It...

Butterfield could lose $20K in annual revenue The federal government has notified many public libraries that double as Passport Acceptance Facilities that they can no longer offer the service. Librarians at the Butterfield Memorial Library in Cold Spring are trained to accept passport applications, which are sent to the U.S. Department of State for processing. It charges a $35 fee for each application, which brings in $20,000 to $30,000 annually. The change affects only privately chartered "association" libraries such as Butterfield and the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison, which does not offer passport services. The Howland Public Library in Beacon is not an association library and will continue to operate as a Passport Acceptance Facility, said director Gillian Murphy. In its notification, the State Department said association libraries must end passport services by Thursday (Feb. 12). Although such libraries have acted as Passport Acceptance Facilities for years, the State Department said that the Passport Act of 1920 "does not explicitly allow for public libraries, which are organized as nonprofit, charitable organizations, to collect and retain execution fees for processing passport applications." Butterfield Director Johanna Reinhardt said she received notification from the State Department about six weeks ago and learned that Feb. 12 was the end date 10 days ago. "Any loss for us is a big loss in terms of revenue, because we are a small library that continues to grow," she said. "We get the people who come from other neighboring communities [for passport services], who haven't been here, and they end up coming back for programs we offer. The biggest loss is just the ability to provide a much-needed service that people appreciate." Libraries that operate as Passport Acceptance Facilities process applications for people who have never had a passport or whose passport was lost or stolen. They also accept applications from patrons whose last passport was issued when they were younger than 16 or more than 15 years ago or whose name has changed. They do not process adult passport renewals. Librarians undergo a background check before being trained to complete the forms and check proof of citizenship and identity. Murphy noted that participating libraries are audited annually to demonstrate "that we've accounted for each one, followed up, tracked it, filed it away and done it right." A bill introduced Jan. 9 in the U.S. House would amend the Passport Act of 1920 "to authorize certain public libraries to collect and retain a fee for the execution of a passport application." Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican whose district includes Philipstown, and Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, are co-sponsors. Where to Go Outside of the Howland Public Library, the closest Passport Acceptance Facilities are the West Point Post Office (dub.sh/westpoint-passport), the Putnam County Clerk's office in Carmel (dub.sh/putnam-passport) and the Dutchess County Clerk's office in Poughkeepsie (dub.sh/dutchess-passport). On Tuesday (Feb. 3), Murphy was in Albany, along with thousands of other librarians, to lobby state lawmakers. She said that during a meeting with state Sen. Rob Rolison, whose district includes the Highlands, she made the point to inform him about the new State Department policy. "It's a horrible cut," said Murphy. "I don't see any reason for it."

Ends 16-year run in Cold Spring The title of the Buster Levi Gallery exhibit that begins Feb. 7, Open Ending, hints at the end of an era in Cold Spring. When the show concludes six weeks later, the art space at 121 Main St. will close its doors after a 16-year run. The last exhibit will include works by artists who have exhibited at Buster Levi in the past, reflecting a broad range of styles and mediums, including ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, steel and textiles. Martee Levi became the artistic director even before the gallery was established. In 2010, she helped launch the Marina Gallery at 153 Main St. before it moved in 2014. "We were debating names for the new location," Levi recalled, noting that she was always accompanied by her dog, Buster. "He was sitting there looking out the window when someone said, 'Oh, look at that Buster Levi!'" Before Marina, Levi ran a Beacon gallery at the back of Finders Keepers, a Main Street antique store. The first inkling that she'd be an artist came when she was 3. "I remember sitting in my mother's sewing room, playing with crayons," Levi said. "I just knew that art was what I wanted to do." Her ambitions were fueled by a "fabulous" art teacher at her high school in Rochester. Levi said she had wanted to start a local gallery for years. "There were too many artists in the area whose work was not being seen," she said. Over the years, Buster Levi has had 12 to 14 artist members who share the rent and other expenses. When an artist sells a piece, the gallery receives a 10 percent commission. "When I started this, I never thought about making money," she said. "The artists like to make money, and they've done well, but our main reason for being here is to do art." Levi said the gallery is not closing for financial reasons. "It was just time to think about not having a storefront; we don't really need one," said one member, Grace Kennedy. "And there are a lot of artists who don't necessarily work with walls, and we don't have a lot of space here, none for any kind of sculpture." It can also be a challenge to replace artists who move on, Kennedy said. "We've had some fantastic artists who just can't do it anymore," she said. "We try to replace them with local artists because you have to be local to be able to participate." Kennedy said closing the gallery will free the group to do other things, such as pop-ups that incorporate music, which isn't possible in a building with second-floor apartments. "The amazing part is the way the artists have grown," Levi said. "Every artist has grown by being a part of the gallery, and that's been wonderful to watch." She said she has enjoyed interacting with what some might consider an unlikely demographic, the young hikers who visit Cold Spring. "Everybody hates the hikers," she said. "But they're just great because they're young, sophisticated and no matter what, they come in and are very, very interested. "I'm going to miss all the people, but I think I'm going to have gatherings once in a while to talk about art; we'll still get together," Levi said. The gallery will also continue to maintain its website. "When BLG started, Cold Spring had two other art galleries; both succumbed to rising rental prices," said Grey Zeien, a member whose exhibit, The Last Roundup, ends Sunday (Feb. 1). "BLG has been a haven and showplace for mid-career artists; its passing will leave a hole in the arts culture of the area." The Buster Levi Gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. See busterlevigallery.com.

Group shares some of its best work One striking element of the new book published by the Beacon Photo Club is that only two pictures focus on local topics. Though the theme leans toward "we capture the world and make experimental exposures" rather than "look what we have here," Brian Gomez snapped a woman sitting on a bench next to the Cold Spring pier and Megan Breukelman captured ghost-like, altered-reality self-portraits at Long Dock Park. She says her shots are motivated by "emotional excavation" and "psychological archaeology." Jennifer Lauren Smith lives in Beacon, but in one black-and-white photo, the locale of her daughters standing in a field and holding horseshoe crab shells over their faces is generic. The 79-page compilation, which celebrates the club's second year, launches Saturday (Jan. 31) at the Super Secret Projects gallery on Main Street. Club founder Emma Diamond invited all shutterbugs, not just club members, to send in up to 10 works for consideration. She winnowed the 70 or so contributors down to 40, and 15 Beacon photographers made the cut. Diamond waived submission fees, which can range from $5 to $60 per piece in the Hudson Valley and help galleries and other art institutions recover some of their costs. "Creators should have the opportunity to show work," she says. "I got this harebrained idea and was blown away by the talent, which made my job as editor or curator easy. I kept thinking, 'Damn, that's going to look good.' " The work's official title is Beacon Photo Club, Volume #1: The Process, a subtitle defined as both "the craft of creating images — gear, rituals, techniques" and "the inner process of using art to cope, reflect and make sense of the world." Diamond mixes media: The book's literary contributors, all of whom live in Beacon, are Alyssa Follansbee, Alice Graff, Cappy Hotchkiss, Mandy Kelso and Chelsea Rae Mize. Hotchkiss, whose mother died suddenly, occupies eight pages with visual work and an essay about how the creative process helped her cope with the loss. After viewing the ethereal images that look like explosions captured at their apex, some people might want to know how a chemigram is made. One of Victoria Manning's works adorns the cover and a three-page interview with the artist provides answers. Photo by Anna Penny Photo by Jennifer-Lauren-Smith Photo by Lauren Puyleart At the accompanying Super Secret exhibit, the first thing most visitors will notice when navigating from Hyperbole boutique's storefront through a narrow dressing room nook into the gallery is five pieces straight ahead on the wall. Two images on the far left are manipulated: one depicts a graffiti-covered boat; the other shows a portion of the same vessel upside down. Shapes and colors in a couple of lumen prints by Susan Marie White are subtle. In the volume, she explains her process in a brief artist statement. The lone representational photo in the quintet is Lauren Puyleart's shot of a dramatic valley with a waterfall in the background. It could have been taken in nearly any mountainous area but definitely not the Highlands. Along with Club Draw, Little Histories and Write Today Beacon, artists create micro-communities like the photo club due to a "loneliness epidemic," says Diamond. "It's nice for creatives to get out of the studio or workspace and sit down face to face. Our meetup is about inspiring each other." Super Secret Projects is located at 484 Main St. in Beacon. The book release party and closing exhibit reception are scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday; Beacon Photo Club, Volume #1, will be available for $22.

New traffic routes coming to Haldane campus Buses and cars will be required to use separate routes for entering and leaving the Haldane campus as part of a pilot program being implemented in April. Superintendent Gail Duffy and School Board President Peggy Clements explained the changes to the Cold Spring Village Board at its Wednesday (Jan. 28) meeting. The traffic changes will coincide with a voter-approved, $28 million capital project set to begin this year. A multi-purpose student center, science lab and classrooms will be added to the high school, while improvements at the elementary and middle school will include a student support center and science lab. "While the architects were developing the plans, they noted that Haldane has an unhealthy mix of car, bus and pedestrian traffic," especially during peak drop-off and pickup times, Duffy said. In addition, a transportation audit conducted by the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and recommendations from two consultants pointed to the need to address traffic congestion, she said. Beginning April 13, only buses will be allowed to enter and exit campus via Route 9D, while cars will be required to enter on Cedar Street and exit on upper Craigside Drive, Mountain Avenue and its feeder streets. "We all know that traffic movement at Haldane is tough," said Mayor Kathleen Foley. "Folks have been thinking for a long time about how to try to make that better and safer." As part of the pilot, Haldane officials have asked the village to increase police patrols during drop-off and dismissal and shift the crossing guard stationed on Route 301 to Orchard Street. During the discussion, the Cold Spring Police Department officer-in-charge, Matt Jackson, raised concerns over how the traffic patterns will affect the movement of emergency vehicles, including ambulances stationed on Cedar Street. Village and school officials plan to meet to fine-tune the proposal. In other business … Foley praised Robert Downey Jr., the Highway Department crew chief, for his planning and coordination with Putnam County and local contractors before the Jan. 25 snowstorm. She also thanked village workers for the many hours they spent clearing streets. The board reviewed a proposed letter addressed to the state parks department requesting a public hearing on the the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, which was released Jan. 7. Trustee Andrew Hall suggested language be added and objected to sending the letter as presented because he said he had only seen the draft the day before. Hahn Engineering, which serves as the village engineer, was authorized to request proposals for stormwater drainage repairs at the corner of Fishkill and Mountain avenues, necessitated by damage caused by extreme amounts of rainfall during the July 2023 storm. Foley said the intersection is a key area in dealing with stormwater that comes off Bull Hill and flows through the village to the Hudson River. The work, which will be funded in large part by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, could begin this spring and is expected to take four to six weeks. Hahn Engineering will call for proposals to inspect the village dock. The first phase will assess the size boats the dock can handle while phase two will determine if any short- or long-term repairs are needed. The dock was last inspected 15 years ago. The mayor has asked trustee Tony Bardes to document for budget purposes docking fees charged by other Hudson River municipalities. Seastreak has yet to submit a proposal for its fall cruise schedule, but a request to dock at Cold Spring has been received from a company interested in providing ferry service between Peekskill, Bear Mountain, West Point and the village. Foley said the proposal will be discussed after the dock has been inspected and docking fees considered. The proposed 64-foot ferry is about half the length of Seastreak. The board unanimously approved a reso...

Forecasters expect another East Coast storm Three brothers who perished in an icy Texas pond were among several dozen deaths in U.S. states gripped by frigid cold as crews scrambled Tuesday (Jan. 27) to repair hundreds of thousands of power outages in the South, and forecasters warned that snow and severe cold could return to the East Coast this weekend. Deep snow — over a foot extending in a 1,300-mile swath from Arkansas to New England — halted traffic, canceled flights and triggered school closures. According to spotters for the National Weather Service, 13 inches had fallen in Nelsonville as of 7 a.m. on Monday and as much as 17 inches in Beacon as of 11 a.m. In the Highlands, crews worked overnight early in the week to plow the snow and then haul it away. Sitting in his Bobcat on Main Street in Cold Spring on Tuesday, Anthony Winters of the village Highway Department said he had gone to work early Sunday morning and returned home Monday afternoon. The arctic misery across the eastern half of the U.S. could return today (Jan. 30) and Saturday. Although, as of Thursday, less than 2 inches of snow was expected in the Highlands, the National Weather Service said a storm may bring record low temperatures as far south as Florida. "This could be the coldest temperature seen in several years for some places and the longest duration of cold in several decades," the agency's Weather Prediction Center warned on Tuesday. The U.S. aviation system was returning to normal after a brutal weekend that saw more than 17,000 flights canceled. There were about 6,300 cancellations on Monday and 2,500 on Tuesday, but fewer than 500 were expected on Wednesday, according to FlightAware. Officials in states afflicted with severe cold reported at least 50 deaths. In New York City, officials said 10 people had been found dead outdoors in the cold. In Fannin County, Texas, three brothers, ages 6, 8 and 9, died Monday after falling through ice on a private pond, the sheriff said. Other deaths included two people hit by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, two teenagers killed while sledding in Arkansas and Texas and a man found in his home in the Indianapolis area with no heat.

East Coast could get hit again this weekend Many people in the U.S. faced another night of below-freezing temperatures and no electricity after a colossal winter storm heaped more snow Monday (Jan. 26) on the Northeast and kept parts of the South coated in ice. At least 29 deaths were reported in states afflicted with severe cold. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office said at least 10 people were found dead outside as temperatures plunged between Saturday and Monday morning, though the cause of their deaths remained under investigation. Deep snow — over a foot extending in a 1,300-mile swath from Arkansas to New England — halted traffic, canceled flights and triggered school closures. According to spotters for the National Weather Service, 13 inches fell in Nelsonville as of 7 a.m. on Monday and 15.5 to 17 inches in Beacon as of 11 a.m. Beacon lifted its parking restrictions as of noon on Monday, while Cold Spring extended theirs to 7 a.m. Wednesday as plows work to clear streets. Vehicles must be removed from Beacon municipal parking lots by 9 a.m. Thursday. Nelsonville said crews would remove snow from Division and Pearl streets on Tuesday. The National Weather Service said Monday that a fresh influx of arctic air is expected to sustain freezing temperatures in places already covered in snow and ice. And forecasters said it's possible another winter storm could hit parts of the East Coast this weekend, according to AccuWeather. New York City saw its snowiest day in years, with neighborhoods recording 8 to 15 inches. Though public schools shut down, roughly 500,000 students were told to log in for online lessons on Monday. (Haldane will be remote on Tuesday, with after-school activities canceled; Beacon will have a two-hour delay.) Snow days off from school melted away in New York, the nation's largest public school system, after remote learning gained traction during the pandemic. Elsewhere in the country, the death toll included two people run over by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, fatal sledding accidents in Arkansas and Texas, and a woman whose body was found covered in snow by police with bloodhounds after she was last seen leaving a Kansas bar. Most power outages were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, especially in northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee. It was Mississippi's worst ice storm since 1994. The U.S. had more than 11,000 flight delays and cancellations nationwide Monday, according to flightaware.com. On Sunday, 45 percent of U.S. flights were canceled, the worst day since the pandemic, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Report included responses to comments New York State finalized its environmental review on Tuesday (Jan. 20) of the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, summarizing the findings of a report released two weeks earlier. The findings statement concludes that the trail "will achieve a balance between the protection of the environment and the need to accommodate social and economic considerations" and that "the project is consistent with the coastal policies identified in the City of Beacon's approved Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to the maximum extent practicable." Notably, it does not mention Cold Spring's Local Waterfront Revitalization Strategy. The environmental group Riverkeeper, which serves on the HHFT's ecological working group, believes the project conflicts with both Beacon's and Cold Spring's strategies. That conclusion is unlikely to placate residents who believe that instead of mitigating overtourism, the 7.5-mile linear park between Cold Spring and Beacon will make the problem worse. Cold Spring has requested a public hearing to discuss the final environmental report. The parks department received over 650 public comments on the draft environmental review. The 12th and final appendix of the review issued two weeks ago, at 957 pages, includes agency replies to nearly every comment, some of which were hundreds of pages long and not reproduced in full. If a commentator praised the trail, the state typically replied, "comment noted." For those who raised concerns, the parks department often cross-referenced responses because many grievances were common. Here's a look at some of the common concerns and responses: More specifics Some commenters argued that a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) was not right for the project, which needed a more-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). "Unlike an EIS, a GEIS may be broader, analyze impacts generally and include assessment of site-specific impacts only if they are available, and be based on conceptual information," wrote the law firm Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna, representing Protect the Highlands, which opposes the project. The Philipstown Town Board wrote that "the proposal as presented is conceptual in nature and certain thresholds must be met when the final design of the project is complete. … However, the document is vague at best about the particulars. … It is not possible to fully evaluate the extent of potential impacts or assess whether proposed mitigation measures will be effective." State response: The parks department replied that, even with a conceptual design, a GEIS was "appropriate to evaluate this action." HHFT must continue to check in with the state during the process, it said, and the agency "will determine whether any design modifications would warrant supplemental environmental review." Avoiding Cold Spring Many Philipstown commenters said the trail should end at Little Stony Point or Breakneck rather than connecting to Cold Spring. "We believe that the HHFT could be successful if its limits were from the City of Beacon to the Breakneck Ridge train station, where pedestrians could use the train to return to Beacon or points south," wrote the Town of Philipstown Conservation Board. "Allowing the HHFT into Philipstown would only exacerbate vehicular and pedestrian traffic." State response: The parks department replied that a Beacon-to-Breakneck trail would defeat the project's purpose, which is to "address increasing visitation to [Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve] and the surrounding communities and related public safety, quality of life and maintenance concerns arising from such increased visitation" as well as "reduce pedestrian crowding in Cold Spring by offering a more direct route" from the Metro-North station to the trailhead at Dockside Park. With the trail starting at Dockside, visitors arriving by train would be encouraged to walk through the lower village instead of Main Street, the state said. Otherwise, they w...

Restrict parking ahead of weekend storm Cold Spring and Nelsonville have issued parking restrictions due to pending snowfall, and Cold Spring on Jan. 23 declared a storm emergency from Sunday to Tuesday. Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne declared a state of emergency effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday and asked people to "stay off the roads during the duration of the storm, allowing county, town and village highway crews, police and fire personnel and other essential service providers to do their jobs." Huge Storm Approaches Highlands In Cold Spring, no parking will be allowed on village streets between 5 a.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Tuesday to enable plow access. For updates, call 845-747-7669. Update (Jan. 27) Parking restrictions were extended to 7 a.m. Wednesday. The following daylight hours restrictions apply during clean-up: Major paths for first responders, areas around the school, and Main Street, continue to be prioritized for snow removal. Cleared for daytime parking: South side of Main Street; north side of Main Street from Route 9D to Fair Street; Church Street; Garden Street; west side of Cedar Street. Clean-up will continue on Wednesday prioritizing Locust, Fair, Market between New Street and Lower Main Street, Furnace, Kemble between Main Street and Wall/Rock streets), Orchard and Stone. In addition, the village said no parking will be permitted on either side of the following narrow streets from 5 a.m. Sunday until village crews can complete snow removal: Furnace Street, Garden Street, Kemble Avenue (from Rock Street/Wall Street to Main Street), Locust Ridge, Market Street (from New Street to Lower Main Street) and Stone Street. The village said the following streets will be marked with temporary no parking signs: Academy Street, Church Street, Main Street (from Route 9D/Chestnut Street/Morris Avenue to Lunn Terrace) and Orchard Street. It said crews will remove snow on one side, then move the signs to the opposite side of the street. Alternative parking is available at the American Legion lot on Cedar Street (south end only; do not use the Ambulance Corps spaces); the Haldane ballfields lot on Route 9D (no permit is required during snow emergencies); the village lots on Kemble Avenue, The Boulevard and New Street; and the Fair Street municipal lot. Nelsonville has restricted parking all day on Sunday and Monday, with emergency parking available on Adams Avenue and on the west side of the Secor Street lot. On Monday, the village said that crews would remove snow from Division Street and Pearl Street on Tuesday. For updates, bookmark our Storm Resources Page.

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Also: Cold Spring wants Fjord Trail hearing Mayor Kathleen Foley reported at the Wednesday (Jan. 14) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board that the redevelopment project at the former Marathon Battery Co. site on Kemble Avenue "is gearing up to go." The 12-acre parcel — zoned for mixed-use, planned-unit development — is the largest undeveloped tract in the village. The Kearney Group owns the property but has not yet applied to develop it. The mayor said the Kearney Group is "sensitive to the fact" that the last major development in the village, at the former Butterfield Hospital site, had been "sort of put upon us and was not driven from need first." In an email to The Current, Foley said the property owner wants to take "a community-forward approach" to ensure "the public has many opportunities to participate in visioning for redevelopment." Sean Kearney, president of Kearney Group, lives in Cold Spring with his family. "He wants to ensure that what he builds looks and feels like Cold Spring," Foley said. She said a visioning process for the site will be hosted by the village and led by Speck Dempsey, a planning firm known for developing walkable neighborhoods. The Kearney Group will pay the cost of Speck Dempsey's work. In her email, the mayor outlined a tentative timeline for public engagement that includes: March 2026: A public talk on walkable places led by Speck Dempsey and including examples from other communities. April 2026: A weeklong series of public workshops to collect input, with a planning exercise that incorporates community feedback and culminating in a presentation sharing initial site concepts. Summer 2026: A presentation of a refined proposal or proposals that reflect public comment and site goals. Fjord Trail The Village Board will ask the state parks department to hold a public hearing on the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, which was released Jan. 7. The FGEIS includes responses to comments the agency received on the draft statement, including an extensive submission by the village. The decision to request a public hearing was made at a special meeting of the Village Board on Jan. 8 and discussed again on Jan. 14. The FGEIS is "a massive document, roughly 1,000 pages," Foley said, adding that it contains "a lot of findings of no adverse impact, which is obviously problematic for us as a village." She said while state parks is not obligated to hold a public hearing, village attorney John Furst advised the board to request one. In other business … The board approved a law amending Chapter 126 of the Village Code, Vehicles and Traffic, which includes revisions to parking regulations on several streets. The revisions, which were the subject of two public hearings, include eliminating parking along Fair Street except for the municipal lot at Mayor's Park; restricting parking on Northern Avenue; and providing free public parking on the east side of High Street from Haldane Street to Northern. The board approved a new Village Code chapter governing the Justice Court. Chapter 125 includes residency requirements for the justice, associate justice and court clerk. The Stage One water emergency declared in September, which required conservation measures due to low reservoir levels, has been rescinded. The reservoirs are above 90 percent capacity. The Cold Spring Fire Co. responded to 10 calls in December, including five activated alarms, and single incidents of a chimney fire, a lost hiker, an injured hiker, an elevator rescue and a medical emergency assist. The mayor was authorized to sign a memorandum of agreement with the the fire company to provide $147,419 toward the company's 2026 operating expenses. The Town of Philipstown will pay $68,450 for fire protection services. The Cold Spring Police Department answered 77 calls in December, including 28 assists to other agencies, seven alarms, five traffic stops and single incidents involving an overdose, hara...

Outlines precautionary measures and plans After receiving more than 650 comments on a draft, New York State on Jan. 7 released its final environmental impact report for the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, a 7.5-mile linear park connecting Beacon and Cold Spring. The Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement, at 833 pages plus appendices, adds precautionary measures to minimize the trail's impact on the environment, as well as the development of an emergency management plan, a natural resource management program and a commitment to monitor traffic and visitation. Like the draft, the final report concludes that the trail, including a section south of Little Stony Point in Philipstown that would have a boardwalk on pylons in the Hudson River, is the best way to address the effects of increasing visitation to the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve and nearby communities. In one 957-page appendix, the state responded to nearly every public comment received on the draft, including from those who believe the HHFT should begin at Little Stony Point rather than Dockside Park in Cold Spring, which the state owns. In response, the state said eliminating that section "would defeat the project's purpose of addressing pedestrian safety issues in this important geographic area." Of the proposed paths the trail could take from Cold Spring, the state says only one is feasible: starting at the Metro-North station and following the east side of the tracks to Little Stony Point. It has its downsides, according to the state: It would be narrower and steeper, require two pedestrian bridges and "limit the [trail's] ability to highlight the natural beauty of the Hudson River shoreline." The final report also examined "The Upland Alternative," an alignment proposed by Protect the Highlands, that would replace the Dockside-to-Little Stony Point route with one that runs along the east side of Route 9D and through the Breakneck Tunnel. The report concluded that the Upland Alternative has too many downsides, including passing over private driveways, rebuilding hiking trails to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the construction of a 300-foot retaining wall along Fair Street near the tidal pond. "This alignment also would be counter to prior public opposition to the Fjord Trail traveling along these streets," the report states. It says that renovations to the Breakneck Tunnel by the state Department of Transportation are not designed to accommodate large numbers of pedestrians. The report does not examine proposed changes to the former Dutchess Manor on Route 9D, which will become a visitor center. Because those renovations have "independent utility" from the rest of the trail, they are undergoing a separate environmental review led by the Town of Fishkill Planning Board. But the report does include updated traffic projections related to Dutchess Manor. The report also does not address the costs of the trail, which the state said is beyond what is required in its environmental review. (The construction costs of the alternate paths were considered in the earlier scoping document.) The report states that "HHFT is required to provide reasonably satisfactory evidence to the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation commissioner that it has financing or financial commitments sufficient to cover the full cost of construction before each phase of construction may begin." Other notable changes from the draft include: The report lists several steps to minimize the impact of construction. Flags would be placed atop cranes and other equipment to prevent golden eagles and other raptors from attempting to build nests. Wildlife crossings, in the form of culverts and elevated trail sections, would allow passage for wildlife such as timber rattlesnakes, making it less likely that hikers would encounter them. And HHFT has told the state it will undertake a "comprehensive natural resource management program" led by an ecologist....

Upfront costs pose a challenge Philipstown and Cold Spring are pursuing state funding to build sidewalks on the east and west sides of Route 9D between the village, the Gateway Trail at Little Stony Point and the Washburn parking lot. But they must first find the money required by the state's Transportation Alternatives Program, which has a pre-application deadline of Thursday (Jan. 15), with finalized applications due by March 15, said Supervisor John Van Tassel during the Town Board meeting this past Thursday (Jan. 8). Philipstown would apply jointly with Cold Spring for the stretch between Mayor's Park in the village and the Gateway Trail at Little Stony Point, a project that will cost an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million, said Van Tassel. The town is also seeking a grant for a sidewalk along the east side of Route 9D from the village border to Washburn, a $3 million project. The Transportation Alternatives Program reimburses 80 percent of the costs, but the state refuses to waive a requirement that municipalities first spend their own money, said Van Tassel. "Somewhere between Jan. 15 and March 15, we need to have the money secured, or another route to finance the two sidewalks," he said. Van Tassel said he asked Putnam County if it was willing to guarantee the 80 percent outlay, but the county could not because it would need approval from the full Legislature, which is not scheduled to meet again until Feb. 3, after the pre-application deadline. The county did offer to help with engineering and the application process, said Van Tassel. The town also approached Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. for help, he said. "So far, the answer is not 'No,' " said Van Tassel. "They need to explore more, and I understand that. They're really willing to work with us." While funding is uncertain, the Town Board approved a resolution requesting that Putnam relinquish a 0.17-acre strip on Fair Street that is part of the area where the westside sidewalk would go. Depot Theater The board approved a 99-year lease for land at the Recreation Department property where The Depot Theater wants to build a "backstage" building for props, rehearsals and classes for students interested in lighting, set construction and sound. The Depot is seeking a state grant to construct the building, which will be given to the town and leased by the theater. Philipstown has already approved a lease for the building but needed a ground lease because of the state's concern "that there wasn't an immediate possessory right to the land," said Stephen Gaba, the town attorney. "It's one of the considerations that the state has in deciding whether or not to award the funds," he said. Gas station restrictions The Town Board approved laws restricting businesses that store petroleum products from opening north of Route 301. The laws confine new gas stations and "hybrid petroleum storage facilities" — such as home heating oil companies and truck depots — that store up to 25,000 gallons of fuel between Route 301 and Philipstown's southern border on Route 9, as well as a stretch of Route 301 between Route 9 and the Nelsonville border. The changes were spurred by fears that an oil spill could contaminate the aquifer that homeowners and businesses rely on for drinking water. Philipstown also approved a townwide ban on businesses that store large amounts of petroleum products. Conservation subdivisions Philipstown set a public hearing for March 5 to hear feedback on proposed amendments to its conservation subdivision zoning, which allows developers to build at a higher density in exchange for preserving as open space portions of their properties with features such as forests, scenic views and wetlands. Under the zoning code, developers proposing four or more housing units must submit a conservation analysis to the Planning Board. If the Planning Board determines that the project may adversely affect Philipstown's rural character, it has the option of requiring that the devel...

District assesses its transportation system Haldane's school buses are usually less than a third full. And when they're dropping off or picking up students at the school, they're part of an "alarming" traffic pattern, "where you have a lot of students intermingling with buses and buses intermingling with cars." So said Paul Overbaugh, a consultant hired by the district to review its student transportation. Overbaugh works for On the Bus Transportation Planning Service, created in 2023 by the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES in Malone. He presented his findings at the Tuesday (Jan. 6) board meeting. Overbaugh said he found that Haldane buses were never more than 38 percent full and often had far fewer students. He cited one elementary route that averaged only 13 passengers on a 65-passenger bus. The district should aim to fill 70 percent of the seats by consolidating routes or using smaller buses, he said. Eliminating a large-bus route could save $47,000 a year on fuel and maintenance, he said. The district owns 18 buses, ranging in capacity from five to 65 passengers. Superintendent Gail Duffy said that Haldane hopes to increase ridership, which is "lower than we'd like." She said the district plans to evaluate its routes and encourage families to use the buses. Overbaugh recommended that the district formalize its policy around which students live within "walking distance" and are ineligible for bus service. He said the district has 217 students in the "walk zone," which is a half mile for kindergarten through fifth grade and a mile for grades six to 12. Formalizing the policy would require voter approval. He also discussed traffic patterns on campus. "If you have parent drop-offs in the morning, they should be separated from the bus traffic," he said, noting some 200 vehicles drop students off every morning. Overbaugh recommended a pattern that is already included in a $28.4 million capital project approved by voters in 2024. Under that plan, buses would enter campus from Route 9D on Craigside Drive, while parent and student vehicles would enter on Cedar Street from Route 301/Main Street. District officials experimented with the same pattern in the fall of 2018 after discussions with the Cold Spring police and fire departments about cars parked in the circle at the center of campus, which has a fire lane. School officials said at the time that in two cases when the fire department was called to the school during the morning rush, first responders were slowed by vehicle and bus traffic. Duffy said that the district plans to test the pattern beginning in April. She said traffic "gets congested" during pickup and drop-off, and "parents are in a rush and so sometimes they are maybe not following the speed limit." Students are good about using crosswalks, she said. "It's not a free-for-all, but we could absolutely tighten it up." Julia Sniffen, the high school principal, said one issue is the presence of vehicles near the Mabel Merritt building, where some classes are held. "You hold your breath when you see the high school kids pull in [to reach parking behind the building], the buses come down and the high school kids trying to cross, all at the same time," she said. The capital project is expected to reduce pedestrian traffic by eliminating classes at Mabel Merritt and upgrading sidewalks and crosswalks. Construction, which includes a major addition to the high school, is expected to begin later this year.

Blame foreclosure on 'unhinged' acquaintance A state judge has been asked to decide if a former Philipstown couple will have a chance to reclaim a Route 9 property they lost to foreclosure because of what they say was deception by an acquaintance. Judge Gina Capone on Jan. 2 issued a temporary order restraining M&T Bank from transferring the deed for 3154 Route 9, which from 1995 to early 2024 was owned by Sokhara Kim through Mary Dawn Inc., and hosted her business, Nice & Neat Dry Cleaners; a residence she shared with her husband, Chakra Oeur; and a nail salon. Kim and Oeur, immigrants from Cambodia who also operated a restaurant and art gallery at the property, were evicted on Dec. 9, ending a 17-month foreclosure process that began in August 2022 after Kim stopped making payments on a $570,000 mortgage held by M&T. Capone ordered the foreclosure in February 2024. Four months later, a bank subsidiary, Chesapeake Holdings, paid $620,200 for the property at an auction. On Thursday (Jan. 15), Capone will hold a hearing to consider Kim and Oeur's defense — that they were victims of Derek Keith Williams, who met the couple when his girlfriend, Mauny Sun, owned the nail salon. According to court documents, Williams convinced Kim that he had paid off the mortgage. He hid the foreclosure by demanding that she "turn over any mail or paperwork relating to the property, Mary Dawn Inc., any court or any bank," said her attorney, Jacob Chen. From the start, Chen argued, the court "never acquired personal jurisdiction" over Kim because the process server said he handed the original documents to a "co-worker." Chen also said that Oeur should have been included as a party to the foreclosure proceeding because he lived at the property and managed the Khmer Art Gallery. Their loss of the property is a "deeply tragic — and profoundly avoidable — result" of the actions of "an unhinged and dangerous criminal who exercised coercive control over them," said Chen, who is asking Capone to vacate the foreclosure and give Kim and Oeur a chance to regain the property. In a statement filed with the court, Kim said a personal loan she used to rebuild the property after a fire in 2005 had been taken over by M&T Bank when she met Williams through Bun in 2019. Kim said that Bun, whose mother she had known for over 30 years, "reminded me a lot of my daughter … and I put a lot of trust and faith in her." She decided to accept Williams' offer to buy the property for $1.2 million and transfer it to an entity called DKW Trust. "I had worked tirelessly for many, many years at that point," said Kim. "I was excited about the opportunity to take a break from working and to be able to give something to my grandchildren, and so I agreed." Williams requested access to the Mary Dawn bank account, provided Kim with "official-looking documents containing seals and stamps" and said he had paid off the mortgage and would let her live there while he "finalized" the trust, according to court documents. In addition to demanding that any mail related to courts and the bank be turned over to him, he asked Kim to sign documents and submit filings without explaining what they were, and demanded access to her emails, according to court documents. Williams "treated questions as disobedience — responding with rage, profanity and intimidation, including threats that she would 'lose everything,' that the property was 'his' and that he could have her evicted if she did not comply," according to court documents. Kim said she "got on my knees and begged" when Williams badgered her to take him shopping instead of taking Oeur to a hospital visit ahead of his looming kidney transplant. Carmen Chuchuca, who assumed ownership of the nail salon, said Williams began collecting $2,500 per month in "rent" from her, saying he owned the property, which Kim confirmed to her. (Chuchuca moved out before the eviction and has reopened at 1806 Route 9D in Cold Spring.) Kim said she also provided Will...

Visits to new businesses in Beacon and Cold Spring The Chisel Robert Corio knows how to wield tools. His salon in Beacon, The Chisel, is where he showcases his expertise in creating form, whether it's the styles he cuts or the wood furnishings he's crafted. Corio has been a hair stylist for years, starting in New Jersey at his father's shop and graduating to high-end New York City salons before opening a place in Cold Spring with a twist: barbering and beer. While still a partner at Barber and Brew, he's stepped back. In Beacon, he's offering something that's neither a barbershop nor a traditional salon, but a hybrid. "We're very gender-neutral," Corio says. "We want to curate an environment that supports people." Corio believes Beacon was craving a place like The Chisel. Corio occupies the main chair, and several stylists work with him. His wife, Liz, whose background is in fundraising and development, is at the front desk. There are plans for expansion, with colorists joining the group several days a week. "We're hiring," says Corio. The Chisel, at 155 Main St. in Beacon, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment. See chiselbeacon.com or call 845-265-0128. Feel Good Fitness Lisa Delgado-Caccomo has worked in fitness for years, in both chain and boutique enterprises. This year, she took the plunge with her own shop, Feel Good Fitness, which she describes as "a local space" where people can participate in boxing, Zumba, yoga, spin or Pilates classes and use the treadmills and free weights. The former Beacon High School athlete says she enjoys helping neighbors "feel good about themselves." She found a location with good visibility and a multi-year lease. Before opening, Delgado-Caccomo relied on the services of Dutchess County SCORE to analyze her business plan. Nine months in, "it's trending in the right direction in all areas," she says. Most of the trainers are friends, and her mother, sister, niece, daughter and husband have pitched in. "It's surreal to have the opportunity to have a business on Main Street in the place where I grew up," she says. Feel Good Fitness is located at 301 Main St. in Beacon. The sauna and gym are open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. See feelgoodfitnessny.com or call 845-440-6005. The Floral Society Sierra Yaun has expanded her Dobbs Ferry shop to Beacon. The Floral Society is not a florist but specializes in bloom-related products. Foot traffic has helped the business take root in the community, says Yaun. Yaun has lived in Beacon with her daughter for three years. "The objects and tools sold at the store can be kept for life," she says. "They're not disposable." Stock includes home and garden products, beeswax candles, Japanese clippers and ceramic vases. Yaun grew up with a shopkeeper mother in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, so retail is "woven into my DNA - how people come together, and how people support one another," she says. She says she is all-in on brick-and-mortar, where people can select something beautiful for themselves or loved ones. Because of the popularity of online shopping, "gifting can be a lost art," she says. "There's something special about spending time and effort to choose something." The Floral Society, at 161 Main St. in Beacon, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. See thefloralsociety.com or call 914-885-4230. Kapé Mo Filipino coffee beans have come to Cold Spring courtesy of Kapé Mo, an outlet in the Collective at 75 Main St. Mina Soriano-Elwell, her spouse, Angie Soriano-Elwell, and Angie's sister, Jessica Raquino, say they jumped at the opportunity to rent the first-floor space when a previous cafe closed. Now, it's a spot for Filipino flair, with drinks and food from Angie and Jessica's homeland. The menu includes sweet pork sausage, adobe chicken sandwiches, gluten-free pastries, chai, matcha, apple cider an...

Public can comment through Dec. 31 Five years after it was due, Putnam County has released a draft of its updated Solid Waste Management Plan and is seeking public comments through Dec. 31. Each county in New York state is required by law to update its solid waste plans every 10 years; Dutchess released its most recent plan in 2023. One problem for Putnam is a lack of data to determine how much waste, and of what type, each municipality generates. The plan blames this on "inconsistent reporting by private haulers" during the annual permit application and renewal process and "variations in recordkeeping" by its towns and villages. The data gap means the county can't track waste disposal and recycling rates within each town and village. The plan recommends clearer guidelines and increased oversight. But it stops short of recommending a "flow control" system, which would allow the county to dictate to each municipality where waste must be delivered, because "Putnam County is a home-rule county, so each municipality has the authority to district as they see fit." The plan says 78,822 tons of municipal solid waste were generated in Putnam County in 2024, compared to 71,641 tons in 2010, even as the population shrank from 99,644 to 96,870. In addition, 11,083 tons of waste were recycled and composted, compared to 4,839 tons in 2010. Putnam doesn't have any active landfills; some of its waste is hauled to western New York and Ohio. The incinerator in Peekskill burned 54,000 tons of Putnam waste in 2024, and one in Poughkeepsie burned 2,500 tons. The plan notes that a Putnam landfill is not feasible due to cost and watersheds. It said it doesn't know how much local waste is going to landfills because it's dropped at transfer stations outside Putnam and mixed with waste from other counties. In its previous plan, released in 2010, Putnam urged the Legislature to adopt the pay-as-you-throw program that "treats waste disposal like a utility service, where users pay proportionally to their usage. Households that produce less waste pay less, while those generating more pay higher fees. This pricing model provides a direct financial incentive to reduce, reuse and recycle, leading to decreased landfill use and increased participation in diversion programs." The updated plan moves away from that recommendation, saying that research and outreach demonstrated that such a system was "not feasible" for most towns. Organics make up 25 percent to 30 percent of the county's waste stream. While several municipalities encourage backyard composting and food scrap drop-off, Putnam does not have its own composting facility. The plan recommends a feasibility study to determine if, and where, one could be built. The plan also recommends a pilot curbside collection program for compostable materials. In the meantime, compostable materials deposited at drop-off sites are composted at Sustainable Materials Management in Cortlandt Manor and turned into soil amendments that can be bought locally. (In Philipstown, food scraps can be dropped on Saturday mornings at the former landfill on Lane Gate Road.) The draft plan can be viewed online here, or copies are available at the Philipstown Town Hall, Cold Spring Village Hall, Butterfield Library in Cold Spring and Desmond-Fish library in Garrison. Comments are being accepted at bit.ly/PutnamSWMP or by leaving a voicemail at 845-808-1390, ext. 43164.

Community raises funds after eviction A GoFundMe campaign was launched on Wednesday (Dec. 17) to assist Sokhara Kim, the former owner of Nice 'N Neat Dry Cleaners in Philipstown, and her husband, Chakra Oeur, who were evicted from their home and business last week. Kim says she was duped by an acquaintance who told her he had purchased the building at 3154 Route 9 and she no longer had to make payments on her mortgage. According to Janice Hogan, a Philipstown resident who posted the fundraiser, Oeur had returned home from his second kidney transplant the day before the eviction. The couple, who are natives of Cambodia, are staying with Kim's daughter in Connecticut, according to the site, and the funds raised will help cover medical and legal expenses. "All my time living in the United States, I constantly get the feeling of missing my beloved homeland," Oeur said, according to the site. "Now, I experience the feeling of missing my Cold Spring home and my beautiful garden - hopeless, helpless, miserable, empty. The dark feeling shows up in Sokhara's activities. I can feel her pain and frustration even though she doesn't say anything." The campaign, at dub.sh/sokhara-chakra, raised nearly $30,000 within 24 hours.

250 Years Ago (December 1775) The royal governor in New York, William Tyron, took 25 folio volumes of records of the Colony of New York to a British ship anchored in the harbor, HMS Duchess of Gordon, for "safekeeping." The New York Provincial Congress, in reply to a Tyron appeal for peace, said the revolt was not due to "a desire to become independent of the British crown" nor a lack of devotion to the king, but only because of the "oppressive acts of the British parliament." The Continental Congress passed the Naval Construction Act of 1775, which authorized the fitting of 13 gunships, including two stationed in New York. The Provincial Congress ordered 1,000 copies of the proceedings of the Continental Congress translated into Dutch and German. 150 Years Ago (December 1875) The company running the Sunk Mine in Putnam Valley ordered the operation shut down, throwing about 100 miners and 50 drivers out of work. Many of the teamsters had spent hundreds of dollars to get their horses and wagons fit for the winter, and several grocers had extended considerable credit. Constable James McAndrew presented a bill to the Putnam County Legislature for $50 [about $1,500 today] for his services, but a motion was passed to strike $4.75 in line items for tea and horse feed. William Foster shot and killed "a fine dog" owned by John Brewer for humane reasons, according to The Cold Spring Recorder. The dog was being pelted with snowballs by a group of boys when it ran under the No. 5 train to escape, losing a leg and becoming valueless. Five shirts were taken from Michael McCormick's clothesline. The steamer New Champion made its last delivery to the wharf before being retired; even with the lower rates for river transport, the tariff was $450 [$13,000]. William Wood, 24, was severely burned on the head and face while filling an alcohol lamp in Samuel Owen's home. Seth Secor brought two tubs of lard from the depot to his store on a Wednesday afternoon, rolled one inside and left the other on the porch. Two hours later, the second tub had disappeared. A search was conducted among the itinerants at Sandy Landing, where the tub was found hidden in leaves with most of the lard removed. Caleb Mekeel returned from Florida with a carpet bag full of oranges. Gangland Cold Spring On Dec. 18, 1875, The New York Times published a lengthy front-page story about the fall of the Highland Brigands, a gang of thieves whose leader and fence both lived in Cold Spring. For the previous two years, the gang had been a menace, burglarizing freight cars for whatever they could, including a shipment of corsets. The Times story was based on the testimony of a detective who had posed as a thief and won the confidence of the fence, Isaac Levy, who had moved to Cold Spring with his wife after the Civil War and owned two Main Street businesses: a cigar store/barbershop and a clothing store/oyster bar. Mrs. Levy grew suspicious of this new friend, but Levy vouched for him. The gang's leader was William "Bill" Conroy, who was in jail in Oneida County after being charged in a home invasion there. His sisters and mother also lived in Cold Spring, which he considered his hometown. Levy confided much to the undercover detective about crimes committed and planned. For example, he said he'd heard the wife of a railroad flagman who lived in a shanty south of the Garrison station was observed hiding $8,000 [$235,000] in her Bible. Levy alerted his gang, but another gang from the Bowery arrived first, tied up the couple and stole their gold, but couldn't find the cash. Levy also told the detective that Isaac Delanoy, the night watchman at the Cold Spring station, and Mr. Ferris, the village justice, were making it "hot" for the gang and may need to be "fixed." Levy said after the men were dead, he would summon 20 gangsters from the city to burn down the wood-framed village, which had no fire company or water works. Meanwhile, Conroy, sitting in jail in Rome, New York, had aske...

Village says sewage treatment issues rectified Cold Spring will not face financial penalties following four instances in which fecal coliform and biochemical oxygen demand discharges from the wastewater treatment plant on Fair Street exceeded acceptable levels. According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the discharges occurred between August 2024 and August 2025. The DEC issued a Notice of Violation in October that could have resulted in penalties of up to $37,500 per day. A state inspection of the plant in September identified three other infractions: an expired operating permit, an unlicensed assistant plant operator, and the use of an uncalibrated flow meter. At the Wednesday (Dec. 10) meeting of the Village Board, Mayor Kathleen Foley shared recent correspondence from the DEC stating that the agency was satisfied with the measures taken to address the violations and that no fines would be levied. Foley addressed what she described as "a lot of misunderstanding" about the violations. She noted that wastewater discharges and village drinking water are tested twice daily and that the village was not "caught" in the violations. "We reported our own violations" to the state and the Putnam County Health Department, she said, adding that municipalities are allowed up to four discharges that exceed acceptable levels before the DEC will inspect a plant. "At no point was raw sewage or untreated water discharged into the Hudson River; it was always treated," Foley said, explaining that the fecal coliform levels were immediately brought back to the acceptable range after bacteria levels in the plant's digesters had dropped. The village is paying tuition for Landon Wood, an employee of the water and wastewater department, to be trained as an assistant plant operator. He is expected to be licensed by June. In the interim, the village has contracted with a licensed operator as needed. Foley said the village began using a second licensed plant operator in 2022, but the employee later found work elsewhere. Following the state notice, the village also had the plant's flow meter calibrated and is updating its operating permit. In other business … The Village Board held its annual reorganization meeting. Foley, trustees Andrew Hall and Tony Bardes, and village justice Luke Hilpert, each of whom was elected in November, were sworn in. In addition, the board approved appointments to various boards and staff positions. The Poughkeepsie Journal was named the official newspaper for legal notices, while the Putnam County News & Recorder was dropped. The Highlands Current will continue to be used as an alternative. In most cases, a newspaper must have mostly paid circulation to be an official paper. The mayor was authorized to sign an intermunicipal agreement with Putnam County for the collection and distribution of sales tax. The nine county municipalities will collectively share 1 percent of the sales tax collected by the county, with a minimum of $50,000 annually. "It's a small victory - just the beginning," Foley said. "Now we press for more." An engineering inspection on the work on the pedestrian tunnel was scheduled for Monday (Dec. 15). Foley clarified why two crews have been working on trees in the village. Brothers Tree Service has been removing dead trees on village property, and Wright Tree Service is trimming trees near power lines for Central Hudson. The Cold Spring Police Department responded to 115 calls in November, including 27 assists to other agencies, nine traffic stops, eight motor vehicle accidents, eight alarms, eight assists to members of the public, two persons in crisis, two disputes and single calls for a domestic incident, fraud, harassment, lost property, menacing, noise and a missing adult. The Cold Spring Fire Co. answered 13 calls in November, including seven activated alarms, a confirmed carbon monoxide incident, two motor vehicle crashes with injuries and single calls for a mountain rescue,...

Cold Spring company looks to expand With five ballet programs in the can, two more in the works and a troupe of professional dancers that gel well, the Cold Spring Dance Company is entering an ambitious phase since incorporating as a nonprofit in 2019. Last weekend at her studio, artistic director Cally Kordaris debuted The Greek Ballet: Resurrection, which combines classical ballet, contemporary movement and Greek folk dances. At one point, the four female dancers struck poses resembling images found on ancient vases. "I like to call it 'expressive ballet,' " says Kordaris, who nurtured the piece in her imagination for decades. To spread her love of dance, she built a professional studio three years ago at the top of a Philipstown mountain where she has lived since 2014. Her handpicked group of dancers, which ranges from six to 10, depending on the piece, come from prominent companies in the city, including Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp and Dance Theater of Harlem. In these troupes, cast members learn a few vignettes and rehearse them for months. For The Greek Ballet, Kordaris put eight dancers in an Airbnb for four days and, after learning the steps, they presented two performances. "One challenge is that not all of us have danced together before," says Kara Walsh, who freelances. "We enjoy coming up here so much, but we call it a 'work retreat' because we're at it nonstop to make this happen." They pick up the complicated steps quickly because "the brain transfers the muscle memory to the body in a way that's hard to explain," says David Wright, a member of Dance Theater of Harlem. "Repetition also helps." The company presents work twice a year when professional seasons end. An hour after the final performance on Dec. 7, the dancers hustled off to the train station and Nutcracker gigs. The troupe appreciates the studio's sprung floor, which gives a little and reduces wear and tear on their legs, says Wright. After leaping like basketball players, the male dancers landed with gentle thuds. Kordaris' 45-minute ballet animates 2,500 years of Greek history, "something we absolutely revere," she says. "As Greeks, we take it so seriously it's almost like a religion in itself." The professional production, with a light show and voiceovers, recounts many dramatic moments throughout the ages. Of the seven movements, four are set to Greek music. Despite the demanding athletic choreography, which sometimes resembled gymnastics and ice-skating twirls, the dancers moved with amazing grace, even when holding a partner over a shoulder before dropping them to the ground like feathers. Ramona Kelley made a sit-up look fluid and elegant. In another segment, after using the entire stage and expending the equivalent time of someone dribbling a soccer ball the length of a pitch and back, Micah Bullard kept his breathing under control as his chest barely moved after the lights went down. Now that the company is building momentum, Kordaris wants to bring her work to a broader audience in Putnam County or Beacon and plans to pitch producers and impresarios in New York City and beyond. "I've been in a cocoon the last few years, and now that we have five cohesive pieces and a solid core of dancers, it's time to make some moves," she says. For more information, see coldspringdance.org.

Cold Spring underpass being repaired The pedestrian tunnel under the Metro-North tracks in Cold Spring, initially scheduled for closure for repairs until Monday (Dec. 1), will remain closed through at least Dec. 5, the village announced. Officials noted that pedestrians walking to and from Market Street can use the Metro-North walkways flanking the tracks to reach the platforms, and then use the overpass staircase or elevators to cross the tracks. Alternatively, follow the sidewalk on the east side of Lunn Terrace to cross the bridge/overpass to Market Street; turn left to reach the Metro-North parking lot, or turn right to reach lower Main Street and the waterfront.

Writers express virtues, concerns A year ago, the state parks department released a draft of its environmental review of the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail. It then gave the public 60 days to submit comments to the more than 700-page report. After public outcry, the state extended the deadline to 90 days. New Yorkers used the extra time well, submitting over 500 comments addressing the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement and the project in general. The state recently told The Current that the finalized report is expected to be released early next year and that "all comments received were reviewed and will be acknowledged and responded to as appropriate in the final GEIS." Through a Freedom of Information Law request, The Current received copies of every comment submitted before the deadline. Then we read all 517, ranging from a five-word submission ("It is a good thing") to several that exceeded 10 pages, including 103 pages from a Cold Spring resident who criticizes the DGEIS page-by-page; the 143-page comment that professional consultants submitted on behalf of the Cold Spring Village Board; and 274 pages from a local resident who opposes the project. "I wish it wasn't so long," the person wrote in their cover letter. "I had a lot to say." Many who spoke out against the trail urged the planners to scrap the entire project and go back to the simple dirt trail originally proposed as a connection between Beacon and Cold Spring. "If you had quietly made a sweet little trail this might have worked," wrote one Beacon resident. "Let people find it and enjoy searching it out. Why all the hype and promotion?" Supporters point out that the original plan wouldn't address the overcrowding that has made Cold Spring unnavigable on many weekends and clogged Route 9D near the Breakneck Ridge trailhead with hikers running across the highway and looking for roadside parking. "I am so surprised that more people haven't been hit by a car on Route 9D," said one person. A Philipstown resident wrote: "The expansion of its purpose and its scope from a 'simple trail' (as originally conceived), to a more formal, accessible resource that greatly enhances the experience of hikers, bikers and strollers, makes it far more attractive, useful and effective." Others in favor of the trail addressed the ecological damage caused by the now-crumbling artificial shoreline built over 100 years ago to accommodate the railroad. "The natural riverfront no longer exists," wrote one Cold Spring resident, "and in some cases, the trail may improve the connection of the land to the river for flora and fauna that typically exist at that boundary." According to another village resident, "By removing invasive species, adding native plants and trees and bolstering marine habitat along the trail, it will provide better resilience to climate change." With construction of the trail's initial section now underway, here are 10 takeaways from the public comments. Support remains split The Current sorted the comments into those entirely or largely in favor of the trail as currently proposed in the DGEIS (209), those entirely or largely against the current trail (236) and those that were mixed (72). Many of the mixed comments did not take a specific side, but asked for more clarification on certain issues involving traffic, funding and emergency services. A nine-page form letter was used by 131 of trail's opponents, although many added additional comments. ("TOO MUCH. NO!" added a Scarsdale resident.) The letter raises issues about traffic and parking ("would irreparably destroy the scenic character of this area"), added visitation, wildlife and habitat loss, and the demand on emergency services. Heading upland The form letter urges the state to simply scrap the entire plan and instead go with the Upland Alternative suggested by the local group Protect The Highlands. The Upland Alternative would lead from the Metro-North train station in Cold Spring out of the vi...

Future Farmer's Wife. Summer loving, working on the farm. Based on a post by Farmer jill. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. When I was a young girl, every summer was an adventure. The farms around Stearns County, where I lived; would need extra help to cut, bail; and store up the hay for the long snowy winter. Everyone did small square bales back then, and that meant manual labor. The thing was that although the job paid great, it was not a regular job. The hours were always subject to change, with the weather, break downs, or hay production. You had little notice when you were needed, and then it was only for a few days. Farm kids also had to work on our own family farms; so you had to work it around that. Yet since every farmer needed the extra help it was like all the kids were a labor pool to be exploited. I liked working the hay harvests, because it allowed me to have spending money. Sure I was "paid" working for my dad but farming is a long term paying type of job. I didn't get actually paid for my labor but in the winter I would get money to go to the movies and the like. It was the summer of 81. I just turned 18 and the hay season started. The first job I heard about was at the Wilson Dairy Farm. I had worked for the Wilson's before. I showed up at 7am, on the appointed day, and there were four other people. The Wilson's only really need four laborers but you never knew what kind of quality you would get so the first day most farmers would have extras. Then at lunch they would get rid of the lazy, slow or stupid. In addition to myself, there were the Hanson brothers, Bill and Ted. I had worked with them before. They worked hard and usually worked the conveyor. In case you don't know; the conveyor is what gets the bales from the wagon up into the hay loft. It was a tricky job. You couldn't overload it, because it would jam. You also couldn't go to fast because the people unloading would get overwhelmed. There was also a guy I didn't know. He must have been new in our area. I was pretty sure he wouldn't make the cut. His hands had no calluses on them, dead give away. The last person in the group was none other than Cooper Banks, my high school crush. We were both the youngest in our families, and the only kids still living at home. We were both in the high school FFA club, Future Farmers of America, But he quit the club when he became a starter on the wrestling team. He was a year older than me and had just graduated. I'm sure that he didn't even know I existed before today. He was pretty popular at school and never lacked for female attention. Cooper was born on a farm on a different bus route from me, so I never had a chance to be noticed by him. Yet here he was, in the flesh. The Hay Harvest Operation. The way haying worked most times is; you went out with a wagon and while the farmer drove, you loaded the wagon. One person on the wagon, and a couple passing bales up. Other times the bales were formed, tied, and delivered to the wagon and then you stacked them on the wagon. In this case it was both types. Mr. Wilson was baling onto one wagon while the new guy stacked. Meanwhile us four took turns driving and loading/stacking another wagon. Once we had some wagons loaded, people would then work on loading the hay into the barn, hayloft, through an upper door under the gable; while others collected more hay. The farmers kept big coolers of cold water on hand, to hydrate the workers, and we often poured water over our sweaty bodies, to get relief from the humid air. Halfway through the day, our clothes were soaked. At lunch time, as I suspected, the new guy was let go. Blisters developed on his hands, because he didn't bring work gloves; so he was done. This left Bill loading the conveyor, and Cooper and I stacking the hay now in the barn's upper loft. Ted continued stacking bales on the wagon that Mr. Wilson was towing behind his bailor. It's hard work, but you are so busy, that it goes fast. Soon enough, the day was over and Mr. Wilson paid us. Then he asked us to be back tomorrow. That's another good thing, cash at the end of the day. We all said we would be back tomorrow, and went to leave. I ended up walking beside Cooper, and I was desperate to think of something to say to him. He was wearing a Van Halen concert t-shirt, so I asked him about it, "Cooper, that's a nice shirt. Did you like the concert?" "Oh yeah, those guys were great, I'd go see them again. You have a pretty nice shirt on, too." Now I was wearing the usual kind of t-shirt for this work. Mine was Long sleeves to protect my arms and it was well-worn. It was sorta too small for me, because it was pretty tight across the chest. I was pretty proud of my boobs that had kept developing over the past year. My tits were high on my chest, and especially firm, and jiggled a lot. I'm sure Cooper liked what was inside my shirt.  Last winter, my past boyfriend said my tits were the perfect size, just more than a hand full. This is before the days of sports bras, so I had on a plain white cotton bra that I am sure was transparent at this point, from all the sweat. Did I mention that haying was hot sweaty work? It is. My shirt had a John Deere green tractor on it, and said, "Born to Farm." I usually have to wear a large, if I want room for my tits. But a medium was all I had, that morning when I went to work. Cooper would probably fit the shirt just fine. I'm not sure what made me do it, but I blurted out before thinking, "If you like it, Cooper; I would swap it for yours." Cooper looked at me to see if I was serious, "Sure, I will wash it and bring it for you tomorrow." The look on his face was priceless when I replied, "We can swap now." And with that, I pulled my shirt over my head. The look on Cooper's face was priceless. First there was shock, and then, as he took in my transparent wet cotton bra and prominent nipples, his looked turned to lust. Ted and Bill noticed as they were opening their F150 truck doors. Their tongues were hanging out of their open mouths. Not to be outdone, Cooper quickly peeled off his t-shirt. We were almost at his El Camino, and my bike at this point. As I put on his shirt, I could smell the distinct combination of Cooper, hay, and sweat. At this point Bill and Ted lost interest and had left. The manly smell of the shirt must have been really intoxicating, because it made me really bold, "Hey Cooper; maybe we could trade something else." He was holding my shirt in his hand, and his bare rippled chest was making it hard for me to breathe. "Sure Jill, what else did you have in mind?" "If you give me and my bike a lift home, we could trade washing one another's back, in the shower." Once again, the look on his face was priceless. It went from shock to desire. I noticed a bulge form in his pants. He noticed that I noticed. "Sure Jill, let's go." He put my bike in the back of the stylish truck. It was only 2 miles on the county road, to my parents' farm, and his stereo was instantly playing the latest Van Halen album, so we didn't talk, besides me giving him directions. I was really nervous, because I had never done anything like this before. I knew my mom was in town at her part-time job. My dad was setting fence posts til sundown on the back end of the farm. Now this is not to say I was an innocent virgin. I had found my three older brother's stash of porn magazines when I was fourteen. I had also heard and seen them in action, when they thought they were alone with girls. By 18, I figured I had a pretty good working knowledge of the 'birds and the bees.' My mom also knew what was going to happen as I matured, so I was on the pill. Since my hips and tits had filled out, I'd had a few boyfriends. And yes; I fucked two of them. I'm sure Cooper was more experienced, but let's just say, I knew what I was getting into. When we arrived, I led him into our split-level new house, and up to my bathroom. I was so nervous at this point, I didn't know what to do next. Cooper took over, he knew what to do. He kissed me. He was a good kisser and soon we were tongue-wrestling, while Cooper started to feel my tits. His lips felt great and his hands on my tits even better. I helped him get my clothes off and he undid my bra. Then he said something that made my pussy drool.     "Jill Johnson, I'm going to lick the sweat off your luscious tits." He picked me up and sat me on the counter, and went to licking. I leaned back into the big mirror and ran my fingers through his wavy golden hair. I'm not sure why I liked that so much, but I did. He began to kiss and lick my tits. Cooper was very systematic, and I'm sure he got every drop of sweat! He also had me really worked up. I didn't know if I could orgasm from someone just playing with my tits, but I seemed close. When he nipped one of my nipples with his teeth, I moaned loudly. He continued to pleasure my tits with his mouth while his hands worked on opening my pants. He pulled me down from the counter and slipped my sweaty jeans down. My panties went with them and his fingers found my soaking wet center. It felt so good, and I was so caught up in the moment. I didn't realize I was naked and he was still dressed. I had to get to his cock! As he worked his magic fingers in my vagina, and on my clit; I got his shirt off. He was circling my engorged clit as I got his pants off. My hand reached into his sweaty underwear and felt his cock. As I started to stroke it, I noticed it wasn't very big. I didn't have that much experience, but when I pulled it out of his underwear I noticed it was the smallest boner I had ever seen. It wasn't tiny or anything like that. but the other two cocks that fucked me, were bigger. It didn't take me very long, stroking it, maybe a minute; before he was shooting cum all over my leg. It didn't surprise me, that he had a hair trigger, so did the other guys I had been with. I think it's a young man's issue to become aware of, and make adjustments for. I didn't have much time to dwell on it, however; as he turned me facing the other way, and wrapped both his arms around me. We stood before the big mirror, one of his hands was on my cunt, and the other on my nipples, while he kissed my neck and let his semi flaccid cock dangle between my asscheeks. With my horny body wrapped in his arms from behind we watched ourselves while we felt each other. It was so erotic! He redoubled his efforts on my clit and I climaxed on his hand. I gushed a bit, and it ran down my naked legs. I turned on the shower as we took off our socks, and got in the big shower. Cooper answered the question in my head about his recovery time, before I could even reach the soap. His cock was hard again, pressing against me. I turned to observe his slender phallus with excitement. My next question was about how long he would last this time, and boy did he have the right answer! Cooper reached both his hands around my ass cheeks and picked me up My legs naturally came up and locked behind him as his upward-pointing cock smoothly entered my hot hungry cunt. He might not have been that big, but he knew all the right angles, as he plowed me against the wall. It seemed to go on gloriously, forever; until my eyes rolled back in my head and my pussy exploded. Cooper followed me soon; going over the top and blasted three shots of cum, high up in my hungry cunt. My arms were tightly wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Both of us breathing heavy, for a while. Then he slowly released and lowered me. We kissed with intense passion and aggressive tongues. Then we stared into each other's eyes. Then we giggled and he asked, "Are we supposed to be working out a trade?" "Oh, that!" I said, and I grabbed a big sponge and soaped it up. We then actually began to wash one another. This led to more stroking, rubbing, fondling, kissing, sucking and yup; we ran out of hot water. We started laughing at the situation as we got out and dried off. I lent Cooper a clean shirt and basketball shorts from my older brother's closet; so he didn't have to put his sweaty work clothes back on. He would bring them back tomorrow, when he picked me up to go back to Wilson's Dairy. The next morning I was ready at 6:45, and jumped in Cooper's truck as soon as he stopped in our driveway. We each leaned over and kissed, like we had done this a thousand times. Soon enough we were back at the hay harvest, and the day evaporated. My mom was going to be home so after work I had Cooper drive me  down a township road, to a spot nearby, that I knew would afford us some privacy. When we were secluded in the treeline, I told him to stop and he grinned. Soon we were making out. Cooper came around to my door and opened it. Then he slid my legs out the door and slipped off my sweaty jeans and panties. We didn't have much time, so he raised my naked legs over his shoulders and dropped his pants and briefs. Then he leaned over my submissive body and began pumping me faster than a ackrabbit. It felt so good going in, but in only a minute or two, I felt him ejaculate. I was disappointed but only for a few seconds. Cooper never pulled out. He just took a few breaths and kept going. His cock stayed hard! Once again, he worked my pussy with his cock, making sure I came before he did. His hands went up my shirt and he began pinching both nipples. That got me off very effectively. We put our pants back on and left. Cooper then dropped me off with a promise to see me tomorrow. It would be our last day at Wilson's Dairy, and I didn't want to even think about what would happen after that. I was hoping for a lot of things, but I didn't want to screw it up; so I said nothing. The next day, Cooper picked me up and gave me a kiss. It was particularly hot that late June day, and we were a really hot sweaty mess by lunch. After lunch Mr. Wilson told us that once he dropped off the last wagon, he had to go; but his wife would pay us once we finished putting the hay away. The day ended with Bill and Ted working the conveyor and Cooper and I stacking the hay in the loft. When the last bale came off the conveyor they turned off the motor and called out they were heading out. We heard Mrs. Wilson tanking them, then their loud pickup rumbled out to the county road. There was sweat pouring off of us, and we were covered in dust and hay bits. We stacked the last bales, and then I looked at Cooper, "I must be quite a sight, today." "You look great to me!" Then he added with a grin; "Ever fucked in the loft?" I remembered my voyeur delights, watching my brothers fuck the Carlson sisters, in our own hayloft, a couple summers ago. It brought a big grin to my face. I didn't even get to answer before his lips met mine. It was a gross flavor of dust and hay, so we took a drink before resuming making out. Now Cooper had a big water jug that he would fill about 1/3 and then put in the freezer overnight. It would keep his water nice a cool all day and he could even refill it at lunch with ice left. After we drank, Cooper tore my clothes off and then grabbed what was left of the ice from his jug. It was a piece about the size of a small fist. As he kissed me he began circling my nipples with it. It was deliciously exciting as the cold sent two kinds of shivers through me body. One shiver was due to temperature and the other due to the sexual stimulation. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, he slipped it down my stomach, slowly over my clit and into my pussy. I lost my mind! His mouth engulfed my left tit and his left hand caressed my right tit. I came! Damn that Cooper has a way of arousing my horny tits! He then dropped his pants and underwear, bent me over an alfalfa bail, and slammed into me. My mind was in overload, I didn't think I could handle any more stimulation, but Cooper had other ideas. He slipped the last bit of ice into my ass! He told me later I squealed a moan. I didn't know because I was overcome with the most intense orgasm of my young life. Cooper didn't last much longer on the first one, like usual; but I didn't care because when he came, I did again! I put my clothes back on and Cooper pulled up his pants. We then climbed down the ladder, to the lower barn. We exited the barn and went to go see Mrs. Wilson about our pay. She had a smirk on her face when she greeted us at the kitchen door, "I thought you forgot about pay, and left." Cooper did some quick thinking, "A stack was leaning and we restacked it more securely. We just were making sure everything was good before we left. We ah... didn't want to leave a mess and leave a bad impression."     Mrs. Wilson was clearly not buying what Cooper was selling. That's when I noticed that my bra was missing, and my nipples were hard. There was laughter in her eyes as she gave us our pay. Fortunately, we'd left the cooler in the loft, so I ran to get it, and find my wayward bra. We climbed into Cooper's truck for the short ride to my house, and I thought I better say something. I tried not to sound needy, desperate or unsophisticated, "Ah Cooper I was wondering about the rest of the summer?" Cooper gave me a wide grin, "Look, Jill; you and I can have a great summer of fun together if that's what you're asking." "That would be great, Cooper." "But, let's face the facts. You are going to stick around here and be a farmer. Me, I'm going to college in the fall, and I'm not coming back to farm. Farming is nice but I want something different. But, like I said; if you want a summer of fun together with me, then how about you and I go on a date, this coming Friday?" My crush was offering me the summer. Even though he made it very clear to me what kind of relationship he wanted.  I knew I could get him to love me by the end of August. Regardless, I was so happy he wanted to take me on a date, and not just fuck me, "That would be great, Cooper! A summer of fun, or is it going to be a summer of loving?" "Either way, it's going to be great, Jill. There's a big festival in Cold Spring. I told him to stop on the side of the road. I slid over the bench seat at this point, and gave him a kiss. Then I fished his cock out of his pants. Yes, it was covered in sweat, hay and me! But, I didn't care. I slowly took all of it in my mouth. It didn't even reach my throat, at first. no complaints from me. I continued to lick and suck his cock, as it expanded inward. Pressing the back of my throat. I tilted my head and let his extra expansion slide a bit further, til my nose was pressed against his furry pelvis. My only other attempt at blowing a guy, was a complete failure. "Oh, Gawd!" He screamed. "Yes, baby!"  My tongue stroked his cock as though I was trying to swallow him whole. Then he shot his blast deep into my throat. I pulled back just in time to get a second blast in my mouth, followed by a third small pulse. My lips firmly gripped his shaft as my mouth pulled at his cock, stretching it away from his hairy mound. My tongue rubbed his tip, and he screamed; "Too much! Too sensitive!" I released his crown and smiled as I looked up into his happy eyes. As I rose up, my open smile allowed his cum to start drooling out the side of my mouth. I swallowed dramatically, then wiped the drool with my long extended tongue, and swallowed again. Cooper's cock was perfect for learning to deepthroat, and I loved being able to do that successfully, for the first time. I felt powerful and seductive. I knew I could make this man very, very happy.  He had a huge smile on his face as dropped me off. Mom was home, so no inviting him in, but I would see him in 2 days. We had a great summer of fun and loving. We had sex everywhere; his house, my house, his truck, in the pond, in the meadow, you get the idea. We even had sex on the job, in two more haylofts! It was two horny teenagers doing what horny teenagers do best. At the end of the summer, I believed I loved Cooper and he loved me. Cooper very gently reminded me of what it really was. Lust. On what was to be our last date ever Cooper gave me a gift. "Jill, this was an amazing summer I will never forget. I got you this little gift to remind you of our summer of fun." I unwrapped it and it was a framed photograph of Cooper, somehow wearing my John Deere "Born to Farm" t-shirt. It was too tight on his bulging shoulders and his long arms. it looked kind of goofy. It was like a poor imitation of the incredible Hulk. Yet he looked great to me. It seemed like he was looking right into my soul. It made me cry. "Come on, Jill! Lighten up, it's just a picture, I have a better one of you, in my Van Halen t-shirt with no bra, that I'm taking to school." That just made me cry more. Sue me. I was 18; and he was my first crush and my first love, after all. I recall, during my 2nd week of senior year, walking behind a couple junior girls, walking out the school doors, to get on the bus. They were whispering gossip about some guy's small dick. I interjected; "Listen, you two floozies; instead of ridiculing Bobby's hardware, make the most of it. You don't want to learn deepthroating on a fat cock, do you? Bobby may not be everything you need, But he can help you be better able to satisfy the man of your dreams, when he finally arrives." I continued; "Karen, do you want the boys talking about how you stuff your bra? And Cindy, do you want boys talking about how you prefer taking it in the ass?" "You wouldn't dare!" Karen snapped at me. "Hell no!" I retorted. "But Karma will bite you; and it will be unmerciful. So you'd better treat everyone with the respect you want shown to you." The girls stopped and stared at me.  I just walked past them and said; "Hey Bobby!" Bobby was just about to get in the bus. "Save me a seat, will you?" I said so everyone could hear. Rumors are a fact of life, and I did get a reputation for giving the best blow jobs. What the guys didn't admit to, was that only the guys with slender and moderate-size cocks, got my best performances. I wasn't falling for every guy who showed interest in me, but I still made sure we both got something out of the arrangement. I taught guys how to treat a girl right. And I made sure they were rewarded for their attentiveness. I didn't fuck guys a whole lot during my senior year. But I became very, very skilled at deepthroating. My tits and cunt did get a lot of devotion from guys. But I made sure not to lead the guys on. Eventually, girls came to me for advice. They wanted to know if so-and-so was a good date. I tried to be generally positive, yet help girls deal with things I was concerned about, regarding a particular guy I'd known. My philosophy was simple. 'Every cock has value. Some cocks can ream you out, and other cocks can slide in and out with ease. What matters is the guy's attentiveness to you.' Any healthy guy can be satisfying, but you have to be patient and keep improving. Easter came, and I had 14 guys offer to take me to prom. But I decided to invite Ken, my brother's friend. He was a senior in college, majoring in Ag sciences. We got acquainted during Christmas break. I was shocked when they announced the finalists for prom queen. I was speechless when I was declared Prom Queen.  At graduation, after all the diplomas were given out, and the ceremony dismissed, Ken came up the middle aisle where Betty had me distracted. She told me to step out to where Ken was. That's when I noticed all my classmates were watching me. I stepped out and Ken went down to one knee; while the entire gymnasium dropped to a hush. When I noticed my parents and Ken's parents were standing behind Ken. Everything had already been coordinated, and all that was left, was to get my approval. That summer, Ken and I gutted and remodeled the old farm house, next to the new split-level where my folks lived. We had a November wedding and Ken and I became partners with my folks. We also share-cropped, with his folk's land. That spring, I became foreman of the hay harvesting operation.  I went to work training FFA girls on tractors and implement. We had no problem getting harvesting help. A tractor driven by a sexy farm girl, wearing a halter top and denim shorts, will draw a willing workforce. Good bye Cooper. Cooper and I didn't see one another again until after Cooper graduated college. I was married, newly pregnant, and living on our farm with my husband, Ken.  When Cooper was home to say goodbye to his parents, before he went off to Miami, to his new industrial engineering job. When I saw him for just a second; time stood still and my body wanted to drag him off to a hay loft. The second passed and I knew that I loved my husband and would never cheat on him. Cooper and I spoke briefly, because we both were in a hurry to be somewhere else. Then he was gone, and I haven't seen him since. But I'll always fondly remember our summer of loving; and the guy who allowed me to become so skilled at deepthroating. It's a skill that keeps my man happier than you can imagine. Ken is bigger and thicker that Cooper. If I hadn't learned advanced fellatio on Cooper, Ken's life would be less content, and I'd be more worried about hussies seducing him behind my back. Based on a post by Farmer jill, for Literotica.

Future Farmer's Wife. Summer loving, working on the farm. Based on a post by Farmer jill. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. When I was a young girl, every summer was an adventure. The farms around Stearns County, where I lived; would need extra help to cut, bail; and store up the hay for the long snowy winter. Everyone did small square bales back then, and that meant manual labor. The thing was that although the job paid great, it was not a regular job. The hours were always subject to change, with the weather, break downs, or hay production. You had little notice when you were needed, and then it was only for a few days. Farm kids also had to work on our own family farms; so you had to work it around that. Yet since every farmer needed the extra help it was like all the kids were a labor pool to be exploited. I liked working the hay harvests, because it allowed me to have spending money. Sure I was "paid" working for my dad but farming is a long term paying type of job. I didn't get actually paid for my labor but in the winter I would get money to go to the movies and the like. It was the summer of 81. I just turned 18 and the hay season started. The first job I heard about was at the Wilson Dairy Farm. I had worked for the Wilson's before. I showed up at 7am, on the appointed day, and there were four other people. The Wilson's only really need four laborers but you never knew what kind of quality you would get so the first day most farmers would have extras. Then at lunch they would get rid of the lazy, slow or stupid. In addition to myself, there were the Hanson brothers, Bill and Ted. I had worked with them before. They worked hard and usually worked the conveyor. In case you don't know; the conveyor is what gets the bales from the wagon up into the hay loft. It was a tricky job. You couldn't overload it, because it would jam. You also couldn't go to fast because the people unloading would get overwhelmed. There was also a guy I didn't know. He must have been new in our area. I was pretty sure he wouldn't make the cut. His hands had no calluses on them, dead give away. The last person in the group was none other than Cooper Banks, my high school crush. We were both the youngest in our families, and the only kids still living at home. We were both in the high school FFA club, Future Farmers of America, But he quit the club when he became a starter on the wrestling team. He was a year older than me and had just graduated. I'm sure that he didn't even know I existed before today. He was pretty popular at school and never lacked for female attention. Cooper was born on a farm on a different bus route from me, so I never had a chance to be noticed by him. Yet here he was, in the flesh. The Hay Harvest Operation. The way haying worked most times is; you went out with a wagon and while the farmer drove, you loaded the wagon. One person on the wagon, and a couple passing bales up. Other times the bales were formed, tied, and delivered to the wagon and then you stacked them on the wagon. In this case it was both types. Mr. Wilson was baling onto one wagon while the new guy stacked. Meanwhile us four took turns driving and loading/stacking another wagon. Once we had some wagons loaded, people would then work on loading the hay into the barn, hayloft, through an upper door under the gable; while others collected more hay. The farmers kept big coolers of cold water on hand, to hydrate the workers, and we often poured water over our sweaty bodies, to get relief from the humid air. Halfway through the day, our clothes were soaked. At lunch time, as I suspected, the new guy was let go. Blisters developed on his hands, because he didn't bring work gloves; so he was done. This left Bill loading the conveyor, and Cooper and I stacking the hay now in the barn's upper loft. Ted continued stacking bales on the wagon that Mr. Wilson was towing behind his bailor. It's hard work, but you are so busy, that it goes fast. Soon enough, the day was over and Mr. Wilson paid us. Then he asked us to be back tomorrow. That's another good thing, cash at the end of the day. We all said we would be back tomorrow, and went to leave. I ended up walking beside Cooper, and I was desperate to think of something to say to him. He was wearing a Van Halen concert t-shirt, so I asked him about it, "Cooper, that's a nice shirt. Did you like the concert?" "Oh yeah, those guys were great, I'd go see them again. You have a pretty nice shirt on, too." Now I was wearing the usual kind of t-shirt for this work. Mine was Long sleeves to protect my arms and it was well-worn. It was sorta too small for me, because it was pretty tight across the chest. I was pretty proud of my boobs that had kept developing over the past year. My tits were high on my chest, and especially firm, and jiggled a lot. I'm sure Cooper liked what was inside my shirt.  Last winter, my past boyfriend said my tits were the perfect size, just more than a hand full. This is before the days of sports bras, so I had on a plain white cotton bra that I am sure was transparent at this point, from all the sweat. Did I mention that haying was hot sweaty work? It is. My shirt had a John Deere green tractor on it, and said, "Born to Farm." I usually have to wear a large, if I want room for my tits. But a medium was all I had, that morning when I went to work. Cooper would probably fit the shirt just fine. I'm not sure what made me do it, but I blurted out before thinking, "If you like it, Cooper; I would swap it for yours." Cooper looked at me to see if I was serious, "Sure, I will wash it and bring it for you tomorrow." The look on his face was priceless when I replied, "We can swap now." And with that, I pulled my shirt over my head. The look on Cooper's face was priceless. First there was shock, and then, as he took in my transparent wet cotton bra and prominent nipples, his looked turned to lust. Ted and Bill noticed as they were opening their F150 truck doors. Their tongues were hanging out of their open mouths. Not to be outdone, Cooper quickly peeled off his t-shirt. We were almost at his El Camino, and my bike at this point. As I put on his shirt, I could smell the distinct combination of Cooper, hay, and sweat. At this point Bill and Ted lost interest and had left. The manly smell of the shirt must have been really intoxicating, because it made me really bold, "Hey Cooper; maybe we could trade something else." He was holding my shirt in his hand, and his bare rippled chest was making it hard for me to breathe. "Sure Jill, what else did you have in mind?" "If you give me and my bike a lift home, we could trade washing one another's back, in the shower." Once again, the look on his face was priceless. It went from shock to desire. I noticed a bulge form in his pants. He noticed that I noticed. "Sure Jill, let's go." He put my bike in the back of the stylish truck. It was only 2 miles on the county road, to my parents' farm, and his stereo was instantly playing the latest Van Halen album, so we didn't talk, besides me giving him directions. I was really nervous, because I had never done anything like this before. I knew my mom was in town at her part-time job. My dad was setting fence posts til sundown on the back end of the farm. Now this is not to say I was an innocent virgin. I had found my three older brother's stash of porn magazines when I was fourteen. I had also heard and seen them in action, when they thought they were alone with girls. By 18, I figured I had a pretty good working knowledge of the 'birds and the bees.' My mom also knew what was going to happen as I matured, so I was on the pill. Since my hips and tits had filled out, I'd had a few boyfriends. And yes; I fucked two of them. I'm sure Cooper was more experienced, but let's just say, I knew what I was getting into. When we arrived, I led him into our split-level new house, and up to my bathroom. I was so nervous at this point, I didn't know what to do next. Cooper took over, he knew what to do. He kissed me. He was a good kisser and soon we were tongue-wrestling, while Cooper started to feel my tits. His lips felt great and his hands on my tits even better. I helped him get my clothes off and he undid my bra. Then he said something that made my pussy drool.     "Jill Johnson, I'm going to lick the sweat off your luscious tits." He picked me up and sat me on the counter, and went to licking. I leaned back into the big mirror and ran my fingers through his wavy golden hair. I'm not sure why I liked that so much, but I did. He began to kiss and lick my tits. Cooper was very systematic, and I'm sure he got every drop of sweat! He also had me really worked up. I didn't know if I could orgasm from someone just playing with my tits, but I seemed close. When he nipped one of my nipples with his teeth, I moaned loudly. He continued to pleasure my tits with his mouth while his hands worked on opening my pants. He pulled me down from the counter and slipped my sweaty jeans down. My panties went with them and his fingers found my soaking wet center. It felt so good, and I was so caught up in the moment. I didn't realize I was naked and he was still dressed. I had to get to his cock! As he worked his magic fingers in my vagina, and on my clit; I got his shirt off. He was circling my engorged clit as I got his pants off. My hand reached into his sweaty underwear and felt his cock. As I started to stroke it, I noticed it wasn't very big. I didn't have that much experience, but when I pulled it out of his underwear I noticed it was the smallest boner I had ever seen. It wasn't tiny or anything like that. but the other two cocks that fucked me, were bigger. It didn't take me very long, stroking it, maybe a minute; before he was shooting cum all over my leg. It didn't surprise me, that he had a hair trigger, so did the other guys I had been with. I think it's a young man's issue to become aware of, and make adjustments for. I didn't have much time to dwell on it, however; as he turned me facing the other way, and wrapped both his arms around me. We stood before the big mirror, one of his hands was on my cunt, and the other on my nipples, while he kissed my neck and let his semi flaccid cock dangle between my asscheeks. With my horny body wrapped in his arms from behind we watched ourselves while we felt each other. It was so erotic! He redoubled his efforts on my clit and I climaxed on his hand. I gushed a bit, and it ran down my naked legs. I turned on the shower as we took off our socks, and got in the big shower. Cooper answered the question in my head about his recovery time, before I could even reach the soap. His cock was hard again, pressing against me. I turned to observe his slender phallus with excitement. My next question was about how long he would last this time, and boy did he have the right answer! Cooper reached both his hands around my ass cheeks and picked me up My legs naturally came up and locked behind him as his upward-pointing cock smoothly entered my hot hungry cunt. He might not have been that big, but he knew all the right angles, as he plowed me against the wall. It seemed to go on gloriously, forever; until my eyes rolled back in my head and my pussy exploded. Cooper followed me soon; going over the top and blasted three shots of cum, high up in my hungry cunt. My arms were tightly wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Both of us breathing heavy, for a while. Then he slowly released and lowered me. We kissed with intense passion and aggressive tongues. Then we stared into each other's eyes. Then we giggled and he asked, "Are we supposed to be working out a trade?" "Oh, that!" I said, and I grabbed a big sponge and soaped it up. We then actually began to wash one another. This led to more stroking, rubbing, fondling, kissing, sucking and yup; we ran out of hot water. We started laughing at the situation as we got out and dried off. I lent Cooper a clean shirt and basketball shorts from my older brother's closet; so he didn't have to put his sweaty work clothes back on. He would bring them back tomorrow, when he picked me up to go back to Wilson's Dairy. The next morning I was ready at 6:45, and jumped in Cooper's truck as soon as he stopped in our driveway. We each leaned over and kissed, like we had done this a thousand times. Soon enough we were back at the hay harvest, and the day evaporated. My mom was going to be home so after work I had Cooper drive me  down a township road, to a spot nearby, that I knew would afford us some privacy. When we were secluded in the treeline, I told him to stop and he grinned. Soon we were making out. Cooper came around to my door and opened it. Then he slid my legs out the door and slipped off my sweaty jeans and panties. We didn't have much time, so he raised my naked legs over his shoulders and dropped his pants and briefs. Then he leaned over my submissive body and began pumping me faster than a ackrabbit. It felt so good going in, but in only a minute or two, I felt him ejaculate. I was disappointed but only for a few seconds. Cooper never pulled out. He just took a few breaths and kept going. His cock stayed hard! Once again, he worked my pussy with his cock, making sure I came before he did. His hands went up my shirt and he began pinching both nipples. That got me off very effectively. We put our pants back on and left. Cooper then dropped me off with a promise to see me tomorrow. It would be our last day at Wilson's Dairy, and I didn't want to even think about what would happen after that. I was hoping for a lot of things, but I didn't want to screw it up; so I said nothing. The next day, Cooper picked me up and gave me a kiss. It was particularly hot that late June day, and we were a really hot sweaty mess by lunch. After lunch Mr. Wilson told us that once he dropped off the last wagon, he had to go; but his wife would pay us once we finished putting the hay away. The day ended with Bill and Ted working the conveyor and Cooper and I stacking the hay in the loft. When the last bale came off the conveyor they turned off the motor and called out they were heading out. We heard Mrs. Wilson tanking them, then their loud pickup rumbled out to the county road. There was sweat pouring off of us, and we were covered in dust and hay bits. We stacked the last bales, and then I looked at Cooper, "I must be quite a sight, today." "You look great to me!" Then he added with a grin; "Ever fucked in the loft?" I remembered my voyeur delights, watching my brothers fuck the Carlson sisters, in our own hayloft, a couple summers ago. It brought a big grin to my face. I didn't even get to answer before his lips met mine. It was a gross flavor of dust and hay, so we took a drink before resuming making out. Now Cooper had a big water jug that he would fill about 1/3 and then put in the freezer overnight. It would keep his water nice a cool all day and he could even refill it at lunch with ice left. After we drank, Cooper tore my clothes off and then grabbed what was left of the ice from his jug. It was a piece about the size of a small fist. As he kissed me he began circling my nipples with it. It was deliciously exciting as the cold sent two kinds of shivers through me body. One shiver was due to temperature and the other due to the sexual stimulation. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, he slipped it down my stomach, slowly over my clit and into my pussy. I lost my mind! His mouth engulfed my left tit and his left hand caressed my right tit. I came! Damn that Cooper has a way of arousing my horny tits! He then dropped his pants and underwear, bent me over an alfalfa bail, and slammed into me. My mind was in overload, I didn't think I could handle any more stimulation, but Cooper had other ideas. He slipped the last bit of ice into my ass! He told me later I squealed a moan. I didn't know because I was overcome with the most intense orgasm of my young life. Cooper didn't last much longer on the first one, like usual; but I didn't care because when he came, I did again! I put my clothes back on and Cooper pulled up his pants. We then climbed down the ladder, to the lower barn. We exited the barn and went to go see Mrs. Wilson about our pay. She had a smirk on her face when she greeted us at the kitchen door, "I thought you forgot about pay, and left." Cooper did some quick thinking, "A stack was leaning and we restacked it more securely. We just were making sure everything was good before we left. We ah... didn't want to leave a mess and leave a bad impression."     Mrs. Wilson was clearly not buying what Cooper was selling. That's when I noticed that my bra was missing, and my nipples were hard. There was laughter in her eyes as she gave us our pay. Fortunately, we'd left the cooler in the loft, so I ran to get it, and find my wayward bra. We climbed into Cooper's truck for the short ride to my house, and I thought I better say something. I tried not to sound needy, desperate or unsophisticated, "Ah Cooper I was wondering about the rest of the summer?" Cooper gave me a wide grin, "Look, Jill; you and I can have a great summer of fun together if that's what you're asking." "That would be great, Cooper." "But, let's face the facts. You are going to stick around here and be a farmer. Me, I'm going to college in the fall, and I'm not coming back to farm. Farming is nice but I want something different. But, like I said; if you want a summer of fun together with me, then how about you and I go on a date, this coming Friday?" My crush was offering me the summer. Even though he made it very clear to me what kind of relationship he wanted.  I knew I could get him to love me by the end of August. Regardless, I was so happy he wanted to take me on a date, and not just fuck me, "That would be great, Cooper! A summer of fun, or is it going to be a summer of loving?" "Either way, it's going to be great, Jill. There's a big festival in Cold Spring. I told him to stop on the side of the road. I slid over the bench seat at this point, and gave him a kiss. Then I fished his cock out of his pants. Yes, it was covered in sweat, hay and me! But, I didn't care. I slowly took all of it in my mouth. It didn't even reach my throat, at first. no complaints from me. I continued to lick and suck his cock, as it expanded inward. Pressing the back of my throat. I tilted my head and let his extra expansion slide a bit further, til my nose was pressed against his furry pelvis. My only other attempt at blowing a guy, was a complete failure. "Oh, Gawd!" He screamed. "Yes, baby!"  My tongue stroked his cock as though I was trying to swallow him whole. Then he shot his blast deep into my throat. I pulled back just in time to get a second blast in my mouth, followed by a third small pulse. My lips firmly gripped his shaft as my mouth pulled at his cock, stretching it away from his hairy mound. My tongue rubbed his tip, and he screamed; "Too much! Too sensitive!" I released his crown and smiled as I looked up into his happy eyes. As I rose up, my open smile allowed his cum to start drooling out the side of my mouth. I swallowed dramatically, then wiped the drool with my long extended tongue, and swallowed again. Cooper's cock was perfect for learning to deepthroat, and I loved being able to do that successfully, for the first time. I felt powerful and seductive. I knew I could make this man very, very happy.  He had a huge smile on his face as dropped me off. Mom was home, so no inviting him in, but I would see him in 2 days. We had a great summer of fun and loving. We had sex everywhere; his house, my house, his truck, in the pond, in the meadow, you get the idea. We even had sex on the job, in two more haylofts! It was two horny teenagers doing what horny teenagers do best. At the end of the summer, I believed I loved Cooper and he loved me. Cooper very gently reminded me of what it really was. Lust. On what was to be our last date ever Cooper gave me a gift. "Jill, this was an amazing summer I will never forget. I got you this little gift to remind you of our summer of fun." I unwrapped it and it was a framed photograph of Cooper, somehow wearing my John Deere "Born to Farm" t-shirt. It was too tight on his bulging shoulders and his long arms. it looked kind of goofy. It was like a poor imitation of the incredible Hulk. Yet he looked great to me. It seemed like he was looking right into my soul. It made me cry. "Come on, Jill! Lighten up, it's just a picture, I have a better one of you, in my Van Halen t-shirt with no bra, that I'm taking to school." That just made me cry more. Sue me. I was 18; and he was my first crush and my first love, after all. I recall, during my 2nd week of senior year, walking behind a couple junior girls, walking out the school doors, to get on the bus. They were whispering gossip about some guy's small dick. I interjected; "Listen, you two floozies; instead of ridiculing Bobby's hardware, make the most of it. You don't want to learn deepthroating on a fat cock, do you? Bobby may not be everything you need, But he can help you be better able to satisfy the man of your dreams, when he finally arrives." I continued; "Karen, do you want the boys talking about how you stuff your bra? And Cindy, do you want boys talking about how you prefer taking it in the ass?" "You wouldn't dare!" Karen snapped at me. "Hell no!" I retorted. "But Karma will bite you; and it will be unmerciful. So you'd better treat everyone with the respect you want shown to you." The girls stopped and stared at me.  I just walked past them and said; "Hey Bobby!" Bobby was just about to get in the bus. "Save me a seat, will you?" I said so everyone could hear. Rumors are a fact of life, and I did get a reputation for giving the best blow jobs. What the guys didn't admit to, was that only the guys with slender and moderate-size cocks, got my best performances. I wasn't falling for every guy who showed interest in me, but I still made sure we both got something out of the arrangement. I taught guys how to treat a girl right. And I made sure they were rewarded for their attentiveness. I didn't fuck guys a whole lot during my senior year. But I became very, very skilled at deepthroating. My tits and cunt did get a lot of devotion from guys. But I made sure not to lead the guys on. Eventually, girls came to me for advice. They wanted to know if so-and-so was a good date. I tried to be generally positive, yet help girls deal with things I was concerned about, regarding a particular guy I'd known. My philosophy was simple. 'Every cock has value. Some cocks can ream you out, and other cocks can slide in and out with ease. What matters is the guy's attentiveness to you.' Any healthy guy can be satisfying, but you have to be patient and keep improving. Easter came, and I had 14 guys offer to take me to prom. But I decided to invite Ken, my brother's friend. He was a senior in college, majoring in Ag sciences. We got acquainted during Christmas break. I was shocked when they announced the finalists for prom queen. I was speechless when I was declared Prom Queen.  At graduation, after all the diplomas were given out, and the ceremony dismissed, Ken came up the middle aisle where Betty had me distracted. She told me to step out to where Ken was. That's when I noticed all my classmates were watching me. I stepped out and Ken went down to one knee; while the entire gymnasium dropped to a hush. When I noticed my parents and Ken's parents were standing behind Ken. Everything had already been coordinated, and all that was left, was to get my approval. That summer, Ken and I gutted and remodeled the old farm house, next to the new split-level where my folks lived. We had a November wedding and Ken and I became partners with my folks. We also share-cropped, with his folk's land. That spring, I became foreman of the hay harvesting operation.  I went to work training FFA girls on tractors and implement. We had no problem getting harvesting help. A tractor driven by a sexy farm girl, wearing a halter top and denim shorts, will draw a willing workforce. Good bye Cooper. Cooper and I didn't see one another again until after Cooper graduated college. I was married, newly pregnant, and living on our farm with my husband, Ken.  When Cooper was home to say goodbye to his parents, before he went off to Miami, to his new industrial engineering job. When I saw him for just a second; time stood still and my body wanted to drag him off to a hay loft. The second passed and I knew that I loved my husband and would never cheat on him. Cooper and I spoke briefly, because we both were in a hurry to be somewhere else. Then he was gone, and I haven't seen him since. But I'll always fondly remember our summer of loving; and the guy who allowed me to become so skilled at deepthroating. It's a skill that keeps my man happier than you can imagine. Ken is bigger and thicker that Cooper. If I hadn't learned advanced fellatio on Cooper, Ken's life would be less content, and I'd be more worried about hussies seducing him behind my back. Based on a post by Farmer jill, for Literotica.

250 Years Ago (November 1775) Gen. George Washington sent Henry Knox, his newly appointed chief of artillery, to New York City and Fort Ticonderoga to secure cannon, mortar, shells, lead and ammunition to continue a siege of British-occupied Boston. "The want of them is so great that no trouble or expense should be spared to obtain them," Washington said. Knox and his brother arrived in New York City on Nov. 25 and left three days later for Lake Champlain. 150 Years Ago (November 1875) Johnny Mead broke his ankle while playing leapfrog with classmates from the Rock Street school. Tim Dunn nearly lost his ear when a chain slipped loose while he was loading filters aboard the schooner Norma at the foundry wharf. John Meisenbaher opened a Shaving and Hair Cutting Saloon. Hamilton Brown of Garden Street left home on a Friday morning, telling his wife he was headed to Glenham to look for work and would return on an afternoon train. Five days later, there was no sign of him. Investigators learned he had withdrawn all his funds from Fishkill Savings Bank, including a small sum in his 5-year-old son's name. (The Cold Spring Recorder reported that Brown returned home on the following Thursday, although it did not explain his absence.) William Warren, 14, employed by Mr. Ferris in the ice business, was sent home with the team and an empty wagon. On a nearby lane, he encountered the Cronk boys cutting down a tree. The Cronks said Warren told them: "Let 'er go, I can hold the horses," but William said the brothers let the tree fall just behind him, spooking the horses, who knocked a gate from its hinges and left him "demoralized." The Recorder suggested that, unlike in other parts of the state, and against the wishes of the "best class of our citizens," local police too often released suspects before trial for lack of evidence. Gen. Tom Thumb (aka Charles Stratton of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who was 3 feet, 4 inches tall), 37, and his wife, Lavinia Warren, appeared at Town Hall for two performances as part of a world tour. Tickets were 25 cents [$7.50]. The bill also included Minnie Warren and Major Newell, with songs, duets, dances, dialogues and comic acts and sketches. Stratton's small carriage and ponies were driven through the streets to draw attention to the shows. [P.T. Barnum "discovered" Stratton when he was 4 years old; he became a sensation in the 1840s after the showman taught him to sing and dance.] A Poughkeepsie man named Michael Mullen was arrested at Garrison's Landing on a Saturday night and accused of stealing a satchel from a fellow passenger on the 4 p.m. train. After Mullen had been held at the Town Hall jail for two days, the satchel owner said he couldn't identify him, and he was released. Thieves stole a beehive with 30 pounds of honey, valued at $25 [about $735 today], from outside the Nelsonville residence of Malcomb Evans. Mrs. Charles Cooney of Breakneck, after returning from a trip to Cold Spring, built a fire to boil water. The stovepipe, which extended through the floor above the kitchen, sent sparks into the woodwork and her modest home - worth about $100 [$3,000] - burned to the ground. Joseph Dore Jr., 6, was warming himself by resting his feet on a hot-water boiler when the lid tipped, scalding both feet. William Hustis lost 11 sheep overnight in the North Highlands to fatal injuries inflicted by wild dogs. David Hustis had earlier lost 17. Capt. Joshua Cronk was brought to his home on Fair Street after suffering partial paralysis on his left side while lying at anchor in Peekskill Bay to wait out a gale. The Recorder suggested that the cold and anxiety led to the attack. The same gale blew a 500-pound wagon in a semicircle around Thomas Jaycox's barn while spinning it around. The post office announced it would close at 10:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Village officials said the owner of a black lace veil could claim it at Town Hall. Thomas Reed completed a map of Putnam County from his own survey ...

Father of Cold Spring resident sketched Nazis at Nuremberg Eighty years ago this week, on Nov. 20, 1945, trials began in Nuremberg, Germany, for nearly 200 Nazis charged with crimes against humanity, including the killing of an estimated six million Jewish, Roma, gay and disabled people during the Holocaust. The international military tribunal is the subject of a new film starring Russell Crowe, who portrays Hermann Göring, the second most powerful man in Germany during World War II, behind Adolf Hitler. For Cold Spring resident Cassandra Saulter, the courtroom drama that unfolded at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice is more personal. Her father was among the U.S. soldiers assigned to guard the 22 major defendants, and he got Göring. Howard Saulter grew up in Queens and joined the Army at age 19. A private first class, he fought in late 1944 in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium's Ardennes Forest. Germany surrendered the following spring, and that fall, Saulter was assigned to guard the accused in court and its adjacent prison. The guards worked every other day on a rotation of two hours on duty followed by four hours off. Initially, each man monitored three prisoners. But after Robert Ley, a labor leader who once received a gift of a million Reichsmarks from Hitler, committed suicide on Oct. 25, each guard was assigned to one prisoner. The trials riveted people around the world, but for the guards, it was tedious. Saulter began drawing the defendants in their cells out of boredom. Interviewed in 1946 by The New York Times, he said: "I hated the job. I decided to sketch a few of the prisoners in their cells, and it helped a lot." "He thought he might sell the drawings to raise money to attend the Art Students League," said his daughter. Göring may have been one of the most infamous of the Nazis on trial, but Howard Saulter remembered him as a model prisoner. "Göring was the most pleasant on the whole, the best behaved and the best sense of humor," he told his daughter. "Every day, when he returned to his cell after exercise, he'd say to me, 'Well, here we are home again.'" But when Saulter asked the German for his fine leather boots, saying, "You're not going to need them where you're going," Göring was not amused. "He usually had a sense of humor - that was the only time Göring blew up," said Cassandra. "Usually, they had interesting conversations." The walled court of justice building in Nuremberg on Oct. 26, 1945. (AP) A cell in the Nuremberg Prison, photographed in August 1945, before the first defendants arrived. (AP) The first day of the trial, on Nov. 20, 1945 (AP) Wilhelm Frick, left, eats lunch with Arthur Seyss-Inquart, from Army mess kits in the Palace of Justice on Nov. 29, 1945. (AP) Goring (left) eats stew from an Army mess tin at Nuremberg on Nov. 29, 1945. (AP) In this photo, the defendants are seated in front of the row of guards. (AP) Göring was convicted of war crimes but swallowed a cyanide pill the night before his scheduled execution. It was never clear how he got the poison, but Cassandra said her mother, Lillian, had a plausible hypothesis. "My father used to fall asleep, especially when bored - he had narcolepsy," Cassandra said. Her mother wondered if Göring's lawyer waited until Howard nodded off, then passed the pill to his client, possibly inside a pencil, and Göring hid it in the toilet. Saulter never sketched Göring, to his regret, but he did draw Baldur von Schirach (the former leader of the Hitler Youth and commandant in Vienna who was sentenced to 20 years), Franz von Papen (a former vice chancellor and ambassador who was acquitted but sentenced by a civilian court to eight years), Wilhelm Frick (the interior minister, who was hanged) and Arthur Seyss-Inquart (the commander of the occupied Netherlands, also hanged). Only von Papen realized he was being sketched. All four autographed their drawings. Saulter also sketched Albert Speer (the minister of armaments and war production, who w...

Everyone's brains seem to be on high alert in the digital age, although society has become more accepting of mental health struggles and treatment. In this, the second part of a series, we examine the challenges facing first responders. When Kevin Murphy leads monthly workouts at the Cold Spring firehouse on Main Street, he wants to help firefighters get in shape both physically and mentally. It's a goal the former Putnam County sheriff's deputy is passionate about since it wasn't long ago that Murphy was overweight and suicidal. Several times, he took out a bottle of pills and a gun and tried to summon the will to pull the trigger. "I didn't want to die," said Murphy, who leads health and wellness programs for Guardian Revival, the Beacon-based nonprofit that works to improve the mental health and well-being of police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and veterans. "But I wanted the pain to stop. And I figured that the quickest way for that to happen was to kill myself. The pain was intense. It was horrible." The cause was 22 years of responding to traumatic events as a police officer, first for Putnam County, then for the Carmel, Mahopac and Pleasantville departments. At most, the average person might witness two or three traumatic events in a lifetime. First responders like Murphy can see 500 or more automobile deaths, suicides, shootings, homicides and other horrors. And they often fail to safely process what they've seen. "I would just push that traumatic stuff down," said Murphy. "I would just push it down into that bag, and I would push it, push it, push it." His 6-foot-4 frame swelled to 300 pounds. He drank a lot. "It got to the point where I convinced myself that cheap whiskey tasted good because I could afford more of it," he said. Murphy's bag of repressed trauma started to come apart on the morning of Oct. 1, 2020, while responding to a home in Pleasantville. "It was on Elm Street," Murphy said. "So this was my - and other peoples' - nightmare at Elm Street." In the front yard, he found an older woman in a white nightgown screaming about her son. "She looked like a ghost," Murphy said. Inside, Murphy found the man in the dining room, dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. On the table was a police shield. He was a 26-year-old police officer. "I protected myself at the scene by putting myself really deep into work mode," Murphy said. With no sleep, he returned for his midnight shift. "None of my co-workers would have thought any less of me if I took that night off," Murphy said. "But I thought that they would. That's the pressure I put on myself. I completed my paperwork and continued on." His superiors offered counseling. But he refused because he didn't want to "look weak." Driving to work six months later, he started crying. "I just had this immense sadness," Murphy said. "It was everything that I was holding up inside. I didn't know that officer, but I didn't mourn his death, you know? I didn't ask for help or say, 'Help me figure this out. Why am I feeling this way?'" In February 2022, after several suicide attempts, he went to a therapist. "I finally asked for help," said Murphy, who no longer drinks and has lost 60 pounds. Murphy believes that without the therapy he would have killed himself. "I want people to know that they're not alone," he said. "Our guardians should know they can seek help and receive help and have a productive life and a successful career." Murphy's story is all too common. In a survey conducted by New York State last year, more than 50 percent of first responders reported symptoms of depression, compared to 20 percent in the general population. About 16 percent said they'd considered suicide in the past year, four times the number in the general population. Eighty percent felt there was a stigma against seeking help. To address what she called a mental health crisis, Gov. Kathy Hochul this year proposed a scholarship program to train counselors for first res...

Cold Spring underpass being repaired The pedestrian tunnel under the Metro-North tracks in Cold Spring will be closed for repairs until at least Dec. 1, the village announced. Officials noted that pedestrians walking to and from Market Street can follow the Metro-North walkways flanking the tracks to reach the platforms and use the overpass staircase or elevators to cross the tracks. Alternatively, follow the sidewalk on the east side of Lunn Terrace to cross the bridge/overpass to Market Street; turn left to reach the Metro-North parking lot, or turn right to reach lower Main Street and the waterfront.

Three area football teams play in section championships on Friday. The West Central Tribune sports staff makes their picks for top-seeded Albany vs. second-seeded Litchfield in Section 6AAA at Cold Spring, top-seeded Minneota vs. second-seeded Dawson-Boyd in Section 4A at Marshall and top-seeded Upsala/Swanville vs. second-seeded Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in Section 5A at Fargo.

-Congrats to our King of Halloween! It's Halloween Herm and His Deadspring Cemetery in Cold Spring, KY!-The Final Flush for Nate Bargatze Tix!-Would You Stay in a Haunted House? These Listeners Live in One!-The Dad Joke of the Week from Mickey!-Good Vibes: The Garage Beer Rake!-New B-105 Country Club Member Brandee Forman!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us a textConor McCann only started doing stand-up in July of 2024. He entered the Rochester's Funniest Person contest two weeks after his first open mic and took second place. He came back this year and won the title. A former musician from the Cold Spring, N.Y., he's got a dry, dark sense of humor and it's paying off. He's working regularly across New York and has his eyes set on the city. He'll be at the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott between Oct. 16 to Oct. 19.Follow Conor McCann:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conormccanncomedy/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@conormccanncomedySupport the show

SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it's easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– When the Earth Flies into the Sun by Derek Mong– At Length– Annie O. Fisher– The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker– Traveling Sprinkler by Nicholson Baker– The Belle of Amherst by William Luce– A Quiet Passion ()– Being John Malcovich (1999)– Laura Lippman– Lewis Turco– Carl Dennis– Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota by James Wright– Vox by Nicholson Baker– House of Holes by Nicholson Baker– Funny, but Serious Too by Michael Dirda– Poems: North & South; A Cold Spring by Elizabeth Bishop– Geography III by Elizabeth Bishop– Specimen Days by Walt Whitman– Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham– Dead Souls by Sam Riviere– Ep 32: Poets Without Poems, ft. Sam Riviere– Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol– Practice by Rosalind Brown– A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) (Is it a coincidence that her yellow coat and red hat match Amanda Gorman's inauguration ensemble?)– Lupita Nyong'o, great weirdo actor– The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)– Ep 126: Sassy Kids, ft. Alexis Sears, Pt. 1 & Pt. 2– A Teacher (2013)– The American Poet at the Movies by Laurence Goldstein– Paterson (2016)– Ep 27: Baker's Poetry, ft. Alice Allan– Rhyme and Unreason by David Orr– Jason Koo– Meter in English by David Baker– Paul Kiparsky– Sara Teasdale– Lullaby by W. H. Auden– Ashes of Life by Edna St. Vincent Millay– If you stick a stock of liquor by Norman Levy– Susan Delaney Spear– The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe– Sonnet 31 by Philip Sidney– Marilyn Hacker– Horace i.25– The League of Moveable TypeFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– Matt WallOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith

Let's talk about money and about Beacon. This episode, Mat chats with Lena Rizkallah of Conte Wealth Advisors, who is a Chelsea-turned-Beaconite financial advisor.Through Lena, we'll get to know Beacon better, including lots of great places to eat. We'll also hear Lena's story and all she does as a part of the community and building financial literacy in the rest of us. She hosts panels and speakeasies about money, and even does stand up storytelling. Lena was named 2023 Chronogrammies Best Financial Planner of The Hudson Valley, and she was on a great episode of another regional podcast, “Beaconites.” Tune in, and you'll know why.Links to places, stores and restaurants mentioned:Lena Rizkallah (website)Beaconites! PodcastPoor George, Cold Spring  (store)Madam Brett Park, Beacon Long Dock Park, Beacon Lyonshare Public House, Beacon (bistro)Beacon Bread Company (breakfast) Moreish, Beacon (English-style breakfast) Oda Wine Garden, Margaretville Brushland Eating House, Bovina  Events: Lena has an upcoming Women in Business panel at Hudson Yards in NYC Tuesday September 30, 2025.  Please email her at LRizkallah@contewealth.com.Money Speakeasy happens the 2nd Tuesday of every month in Cold Spring. Email her LRizkallah@contewealth.com to be added to the mailing list.Thank you for listening to Cidiot® , the award-winning podcast about living the Hudson Valley. Sign up for the Cidiot listener newsletter and review/rate the shot at Cidiot.com.©2025 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a Registered Trademark. 

Welcome back to Resume Assassin's summer series, Career Stories, where we explore the inspiring lives of hidden figures and quiet disruptors who have made a lasting impact on the world. In this episode, we shine a spotlight on Emily Warren Roebling, a woman whose quiet resilience and brilliance literally changed the New York City skyline. Despite never holding an official title or formal engineering degree, Emily stepped into a role of monumental importance, demonstrating leadership, determination, and ingenuity in a heavily male-dominated field.Her story begins in the quaint town of Cold Spring, New York, where her education and upbringing fostered a curious and ambitious mind. From her early days, Emily showed she was not content to sit on the sidelines—her love for learning and her resilience would set the stage for her remarkable contributions. When tragedy struck her family during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, Emily's role evolved from supportive wife to de facto chief engineer, all while navigating societal expectations that would have otherwise dismissed her from such a pivotal role.Today, Emily Roebling's legacy is a testament to the power of perseverance, resourcefulness, and courage, especially for women breaking barriers long before the concept of women's empowerment gained mainstream traction. Her story reminds us that sometimes leadership looks like quietly carrying the weight when no one else is willing, and that true influence often happens behind the scenes. So stay tuned as we dive deeper into Emily's inspiring journey, and explore what her story can teach us about resilience, advocacy, and making a lasting impact, no matter the circumstances.---------------Update your Resume & LinkedIn Profile:Schedule a 15-minute call with Mary: https://calendly.com/resumeassassin/meet1:1 with Mary: www.resumeassassin.comAI-Enhanced: www.resumesidekick.io---------------Connect with Mary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-southern/

Minnesota was rocked over the weekend by the politically targeted shootings of two state lawmakers. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former DFL House Speaker, was fatally shot along with her husband, Mark. DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are still recovering after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Political leaders and many Minnesotans are still trying to make sense of it all. In the hours after the suspect in those shootings was arrested, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst, Minnesota Now host Nina Moini and politics reporter Clay Masters spoke with three of the state's top political leaders. Guests: Gov. Tim Walz is a former Democratic vice presidential candidate and second-term DFL governor of Minnesota.House speaker Lisa Demuth is a Republican from Cold Spring.Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is a DFLer, a former state representative and a candidate for the U.S. senate.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

Send us a textWhen you're in the business of metal buildings, the tools you use define not just your efficiency, but the quality of your finished product. That's why we were thrilled to welcome Wendell from Cold Spring Enterprises to share the fascinating journey of his family's three-generation manufacturing business and their game-changing VersaBend system.Starting from a converted chicken house in Abbeville, South Carolina in 1977, Cold Spring has grown into a respected manufacturer whose VersaBend machines are powering production at approximately 130 metal building shops nationwide. What makes this system special? It handles four different tube sizes with one die, creates full radius bends for cleaner aesthetics, and processes a full bundle of 25 tubes in under 30 minutes – that's about a minute per bow. At $19,500, the compact machine represents an investment that quickly pays for itself through increased productivity and consistent quality.Wendell shared an exciting preview of their upcoming Swedger machine, expected to launch in early 2025. This innovative tool will swedge tube ends so they fit directly into one another, eliminating the need for separate sleeve pieces and creating stronger connections while saving valuable assembly time. Beyond equipment, Cold Spring also manufactures thousands of the brackets, clips, and hardware components that are essential to metal building construction.Our conversation highlighted a crucial point for both manufacturers and dealers: understanding the components and construction methods that differentiate quality buildings is essential for success in this industry. As Jared noted, "Time is money," and tools like the VersaBend and upcoming Swedger allow metal building professionals to work smarter rather than harder.Ready to elevate your metal building production? Contact Cold Spring Enterprises at 864-446-3645 or visit coldspringmetal.com to learn how their American-made equipment and components can transform your business.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: J Money LLCShed Geek MarketingRealwork Labs

Minneapolis City Council opposition to Law Enforcement on full display as never before. Mayor Jacob Frey pretends to speak to Somalis in their native language. The Trump-Musk feud. Who do you root for? Patrick Reusse with his weekly sports report. Johnny Heidt with guitar news. Heard On The Show:Minnesota Legislature to go into special session on Monday to finish work on budgetChemical spill at Pilgrim's Chicken in Cold Spring sends 26 people to the hospitalD-Day veterans return to Normandy to mark 81st anniversary of landingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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On September 13, 1868, the bodies of Jacob and Nancy Young were discovered brutally murdered along the bank of the White River in Cold Spring, Indiana. Police would eventually set their sights on a charming and fascinating confidence woman named Nancy Clem, who happened to be involved in some extremely shady business dealings with Jacob Young at the time. My guest is Wendy Gamber, author of "The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age". She tells us all about the colorful Nancy Clem, the Cold Spring murder case, and shares theories on how and why the murders might have really happened. The author's Indiana University page: https://history.indiana.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/gamber_wendy.html The author's publisher page: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/authors/wendy-gamber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our newer segment Out to Lunch, we get out of the studio and into the community, where news and life is happening. We sit down with people you may have heard from on the show and get to know them at a deeper, personal level over lunch.In this episode, we hear a conversation with the Republican Speaker of the House, Lisa Demuth. Earlier this month, she became the first Black person and Republican woman to hold the role in the Minnesota House of Representatives.Speaker Demuth has served in the House since 2018 and represents the Cold Spring area, just southwest of St. Joseph. Before becoming speaker, she served as the Republican House Minority Leader when Democrats had full control of the House, Senate and the governor's office.

While living in Brooklyn in the early 1990s, Neil Caplan saw a drawing of Bannerman's Castle on Pollepel Island - situated between Beacon and Cold Spring. Inspired, he set out to gain stewardship of it, shore up its historical features, create a system for public access and ultimately stage theater there. The result is the Bannerman Castle Trust: one part historic preservation, one part public park and one part arts organization. This spring Neil will be honored by the Howland Cultural Center at its annual gala. Current gallery exhibitions at the Howland and Bannerman's Island Gallery feature art and artifacts from the island. Learn more at Bannermancastletrust.org.  Photo credit: Michael Isabell   

#AUSTRALIA: Cold Spring, Angry Magpies, Swarming Great Easter Browns. Jeremy Zakins, NSW. 1918 Brisbane, Queensland