Podcasts about Cold Spring

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing. William Coggswell was charged with beating his brother, James, with a club at James' saloon on Main Street in Fishkill Landing. John Oderman, the cornet player for a brass band, badly injured his arm at the fulling mill inside a Glenham factory. Burglars carefully removed a light to reach inside a display at a hotel near the railroad depot and stole $20 [about $625 today] worth of liquor and cigars. John Ackerman, 8, caught a 1-pound catfish at Fishkill Landing with a hook and line. Edwin Jewell, proprietor of the Irving House at Fishkill Landing, announced that his bar would close on Sundays. George Owen, editor of The Fishkill Standard, purchased a building at Fishkill Landing for $10,000 [$310,000] at auction that had contained the dry-goods store of the late Charles Owen and the drugstore of Dr. Wilson. After the Watson Bridge Co. went bankrupt, work stopped on the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad bridge at Glenham. A horse and buggy stolen from a barn on Main Street in Fishkill Landing was found abandoned in Lagrangeville. Lewis Tompkins purchased the Beacon House, just west of the Dutchess Hat Works, to convert into a hotel and for short-term rentals. The Saratoga Express struck a man walking on the tracks near Fishkill Landing. A train employee was sent back to gather the remains and take them to Fishkill. According to the Newburgh Journal, a horse attached to a hay-rake on a farm near Fishkill took fright in the field and ran down the long avenue leading to a gentleman's home. The family, which was on the piazza, watched as the horse tore through two gates, across the railroad tracks and into a barnyard, where it made "a most serious commotion" among the ducks and chickens. The farmer's wife and a man followed in pursuit but only managed to divert its course around a corn crib and toward another farmhouse, where a man inside tried to close the door but was pinned against the wall as the horse charged through the kitchen, circled the stove and returned to the yard, where it was caught. Thomas Nolan, a New York City lawyer, wrote to W.C. Harris in Matteawan, demanding payment of an overdue invoice. Harris responded by asking whose invoice he would be paying, because he did not know Nolan. The lawyer sent a postcard that read: "I want no more requests from you, but if you will not at once pay the note into my office, I will sue." Harris replied with his own postcard that read: "I don't send money to anyone unless I know who they are. I should know, just from the tone of your communication, that you are a pettifogger." Nolan promptly sued Harris for $20,000 [$625,000] for libel, but Harris replied in court that a private postcard was not "publication," as required by the law. The Pilgrim Baptist Church in Matteawan hosted a strawberry festival. A neighbor saw a stranger hitching up a horse outside Mr. Stotesburgh's house in Matteawan on a Saturday night and asked if someone was sick. The man said that was the case, and he was going to find the doctor. The horse and wagon hadn't been seen since. During "Beacon Night" on WKBG, a Poughkeepsie-based radio station, Judge Thomas Hassett discussed the city's manufacturing output, including bricks and hats. In addition, the Beacon Imperial Orchestra performed "The Home Circle" and John Montague, a tenor from Beacon, sang "Dreaming Alone in the Twilight," which prompted hundreds of listeners to call the station requesting an encore. Robert Kent Jr. of Glenham, who had been arrested for driving without a license, claimed in court that Judge Hassett was "making an attempt to frame him through his henchmen in the motor vehicle bureau." About 4,000 delegates of the Archdiocesan Union of Holy Name Societies came to Beacon for its annual meeting. Following a smallpox outbreak in Cold Spring, state health inspectors found no cases in Beacon. One suspicious case was diagnosed as chicken pox. Mr. and Mrs. George...

Philipstown to begin billing for water usage Philipstown moved forward on Wednesday (June 10) with replacing broken meters installed at the homes and businesses supplied by the Garrison Landing Water District. A resolution approved by the board authorizes the town to solicit bids for the purchase and installation of 30 meters. The previous ones failed in 1999 after the source "went from a ground/surface-fed system to a well-fed system" and the pressure increased, according to Supervisor John Van Tassel. Philipstown officials said the town did not have the funds to buy new meters until the board last year authorized borrowing $500,000 to cover capital upgrades. To begin repaying the loan, the town this year added a $2,500 levy to the tax bills of the water district's users. Once the meters are installed, the town will calculate a per-gallon usage fee, Van Tassel said. "We want to fairly charge people for the water that they're using, so you will be metered just like you are in the Village of Cold Spring," he said. A state audit released in May 2025 calculated that Philipstown spent $2.4 million between 2018 and 2023 to truck in water for Garrison Landing's, shrinking its general-fund balance from $1 million to $53,137. Annual expenses for the district rose during the same period from about $85,000 to $975,000, "the most significant factor of the town's financial decline," the audit said. Kiko Lattu, director of the Philipstown Food Pantry at First Presbyterian Church, said the first quarter is normally its slowest period, but from January to March, it saw a 41 percent uptick in visits compared to the same period in 2025. A handful of new people began using the pantry, which distributes food from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturdays, after the Meals on Main mobile food pantry operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County shut down, said Lattu. The mobile pantry had delivered free produce weekly to the Chestnut Ridge Apartments and Philipstown Friendship Center in Cold Spring, and the Brookside Senior Citizen Co-op in Philipstown before it ran out of funding. (In May, the Regional Food Bank Hudson Valley added a monthly mobile stop at Brookside.) "Many pantry guests visit frequently, even weekly, indicating ongoing, not temporary, food insecurity," said Lattu. "For food-insecure households, especially seniors and single-family or single-parent families, any disruption can cause a chain reaction." The board approved a resolution to allow a memorial garden with a plaque and benches to be installed in a southwest area of the town park at Glassbury Court by the Nicole Ettere Memorial Gardens Foundation, which supports the families of people who have committed suicide. "It's a beautiful area; it's a beautiful spot," said Van Tassel. Lucille Ettere co-founded the nonprofit with her husband, Roy Ettere, after the death of their daughter, Nicole. During a Town Board meeting in March, she said the gardens they have installed in other municipalities, including the Putnam Trailway in Carmel, are meant to be a "serene space" for families "to visit and honor and remember their loved ones." The board agreed to have the town administer a grant the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce is pursuing to expand the town's residential food-scrap recycling program to include businesses. Jeff Mikkelson, advocacy chair for the chamber and a member of the town's Climate Smart Task Force, said a $6,000 grant from Williams College enabled a startup commercial program that launched this year with the Cold Spring Farmers' Market, The Garrison on Route 9, the Garrison Institute, the Haldane school district and Marbled Meat. He told the board in April that a larger grant — $10,000 to $30,000 — was available through the office of Assembly Member Dana Levenberg, whose district includes Philipstown. The board also voted to support a grant application by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to state parks. If successful, the conference will use the grant t...

Voltpost addresses EV charging station safety At the Wednesday (June 10) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board, James Everley, a representative of Voltpost, the company contracted to install an electric vehicle charging station in the village-owned parking lot on New Street, addressed concerns raised about flooding, electrocution and fires. The Voltpost system includes a dual-charging unit mounted 10 feet off the ground on a wooden pole. When a driver activates the system using a QR code, a 25-foot cable lowers from the unit and retracts when charging is complete. Intense storms have historically caused flooding in the lower village. When Mayor Kathleen Foley pointed out that a number of sources can cause electrification of flood waters when houses are inundated, Everley responded, "Yes but our charger is very unlikely to be one of them." He emphasized that the charging unit will be mounted at a height of 10 feet, well above any flood waters, and that it will be powered by an overhead cable. John Pavlik, a resident of the lower village, asked about potential hazards caused by flood waters reaching as high as the charging port in a vehicle. "Electrocution has always been the main fear when people talk about batteries, so the engineering that has gone into safety is incredibly high," Everley said. "If there were a flood, either the vehicle and/or the charger would turn itself off." He added that Voltpost's unit has been certified by Underwriters Laboratories, which he described as "not an easy feat and a very rigorous process." UL certification is an independent safety verification that ensures products have been rigorously tested and meet national and international safety standards. Everley said that, in his 11 years in the industry, he has never heard of a fire at an EV charging station. He said that while gas-powered vehicles average 1,500 fires per 100,000 vehicles sold, EVs have 25 fires per 100,000 vehicles sold. "The only time you're likely to see a battery fire would be as the result of an accident, the same as a gas car," he said. Paul Thompson, who lives on New Street, said he had no concerns. "I'm just very satisfied as to the safety of this charging supply equipment," he said. The cost of the charging station, including hardware, installation, operations, software, driver support and maintenance, will be covered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Hudson House Inn leases the parking lot from the village for its guests and has agreed to the installation. Although Cold Spring's reservoirs have been providing residents with drinking for nearly 100 years, the village must apply to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a permit to draw water from them. "We've been drawing water from our reservoirs since 1929 and have never had a permit; we've never been asked to apply for one," Foley said, noting the situation is not a violation and that the village will provide an annual report to the DEC summarizing water usage. Hahn Engineering will assist the village in acquiring the state permit. The situation may have come about because the reservoirs were established decades before the DEC was created in 1970. The board approved a $5,000 payment to LaBella Associates of Glens Falls for grant-writing services to assist the village with its application to the DEC Water Quality Improvement Program, which funds land acquisition for surface water protection. The application is part of multimillion-dollar repairs to the upper reservoir dam in North Highlands. Trustee Laura Bozzi said the grant application is "one of the last pieces of protecting the reservoir," will be in the $1 million range, and is highly technical. Foley pointed out that the state doesn't open Consolidated Funding Applications, including funding for WQIP, until June, with a deadline at the end of July. "We want to make sure that we land this grant," she said. The board also approved paying $11,950 to Tecton...

Cold Spring sailor returns after 364 days In the early morning hours on June 1, Aaron Wolfe quietly moored Badger, his 27-foot Vancouver cutter, at the Chelsea Yacht Club just north of Beacon for the first time in 364 days. The 59-year-old Cold Spring resident sailed 14,166 miles, a voyage that included two solo crossings of the Atlantic Ocean. A year earlier, after sailing south to New York City, Wolfe set a course north up the East Coast to the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, then traveled east to Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic, landing at Dingle, Ireland. Among the 18 countries and 82 stops he made were England, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda. The final northern leg followed the East Coast to New York and up the Hudson River. Along the way, Wolfe read 50 books.

Duo led by Woody Guthrie's grandson will perform Music is embedded in the DNA of the Little Stony Point Citizens Association. Pete Seeger and pals lit bonfires on the beach and jammed into the night after he discovered the Philipstown riverside spot. In 1984, The New York Times reported that 200 people attended the association's informal kick-off. Several musicians performed, and Alex Clifton and T. Xiques breakdanced to music from a boombox. Locals called the place Sandy Beach. The fledgling association aimed to create "a safer place to picnic, swim, hike or boat." In a letter Seeger sent to Cold Spring resident Bob Connor around 1983, he wrote that volunteers, beyond picking up litter, should ensure that "people are not getting drunk and getting into fights" and that they stop throwing "the trash barrels into the water." They would also "be of assistance in case anybody needs it." The association became the first of some 30 friends' groups to work with state parks. One early achievement was the pedestrian bridge over the tracks, says Brian Grahn, president of the nonprofit's board. Most recently, the group hired Cold Spring resident Bryan Jennings as a community outreach coordinator to organize live music and "authentic programming." On Thursday (June 18), Woody Guthrie's grandson, Cole Quest, will perform in Seeger's backyard. Along with singer and guitarist Christian Apuzzo, their focus will be on songs by country brother duets from the 1930s to 1950s. Billed as Christian and Cole, the duo is an offshoot of Cole Quest and the City Pickers. The performers met at a bluegrass jam in Astoria. "I had just moved into the neighborhood and heard 'Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,' " says Quest, 40. "I was amazed to hear my grandfather's song at warp speed, like folk music on drugs." As a teen, Quest (his middle name) started on electric guitar, emulating Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, but after stumbling onto the jam, he returned regularly for years, he says. "Rockstar mode was getting stale, and I had to break the mold," he says. "I bought a mandolin and started experimenting with slide guitar [influenced by the electric blues], but notes hit too sharp or too flat, so I placed it in my lap and experimented with open tunings." After hearing a dobro, or resonator guitar, at the Astoria jam, Quest instantly gravitated to the instrument because he liked its bouncy sound. It's also played horizontally in open tuning with a palm-held slide. The strings are located well above the neck, so there are no frets to get in the way. "I didn't know it, but it's exactly what I was looking for," he says. "Someone made a guitar just for me — in the 1920s." As a child, he remembers "driving up the hill to [Seeger's] house" near Beacon. He visits Philipstown often to hike and hang. Quest and Jennings share many friends in the city folk scene. Jennings used to play with The Defibulators (the "Brooklyn hillbilly spelling"), got into booking and moved to Cold Spring in 2020. From the association's inception, Maple Syrup Day in the spring always included a slate of musical performers. Ditto The Hoot, introduced in the fall. Grahn initiated the three-week Global Music Initiative at least a decade ago, he says. Jennings plans to build a weekly Thursday evening concert series and expand the organization's sonic offerings: "Music is at the heart of what we are, and it's time to reconnect with our roots," he says. Little Stony Point is located at 3011 Route 9D in Philipstown. Christian and Cole will perform on June 18 from 7 p.m. to sunset, following a 6:30 p.m. presentation by the Putnam History Museum on the Hudson Valley during the American Revolution. Admission is free. To learn more about the organization, see littlestonypoint.org. To order music, see christianandcole.com.

From the Depression to the iPhone When Mary Williams forgets something important about one of her countless life stories, it isn't a problem: She consults her laptop. Born on May 13, 1926, she's been writing detailed accounts of her life for at least 80 years, from surviving hurricanes and losing her hair on a drill press, to working as an operator for AT&T ("Ma Bell") and traveling the world. She moved to Cold Spring 10 years ago to be closer to her daughter, Galelyn Williams, who lives in the village. She grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during the Depression and remembers the era vividly. "I was kind of a naughty child," she said, recalling that she started smoking at age 11. "No one had any money, but it was OK because families were more tribal, people were more connected and helped each other out," she recalled. "There wasn't a lot of envy, because no one had anything. Everybody was about the same." Jobs were scarce. Her father worked for the Works Progress Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's employment and infrastructure program. Her mother was unable to work but volunteered at Pawtucket City Hall. "We ate hot dogs and whatever we could get ahold of," Williams said, adding that her mom "wasn't much of a cook" but did occasionally prepare a leg of lamb, which at 10 to 15 cents a pound was cheaper than beef or pork. "Everybody was poor — some were dirt poor — but we managed," she said. Their rent was covered by a form of welfare. In 1936, a hurricane devastated the area, killing 600 people, especially close to shore. "It was a bugger; there were no warnings back then," Williams said. "On one little island, the waves wiped all the houses right off the map." She attended a strict Catholic grade school, "an education of thou shall nots." As a teen, she moved to nearby Oakland Beach, where roller skating was the popular entertainment. She and her friends sometimes scraped barnacles off the bottom of rowboats to earn enough to cover the 30-cent entrance fee. "We stayed friends all our lives," she said. Williams remembers skating to her favorite song, the Glenn Miller Orchestra performing "In the Mood." "There was so much good music, couples always had 'their song,' " she said. "It was romantic, gentle music and easy to skate to." She had her first date, at age 15, at the roller rink, with a guy named Louie. "It was the first time a guy kissed me," she said, adding that Louie was quite upset when she told him she didn't like him. She quit school in 10th grade after her father fell ill to work and help her mother raise her younger brother. "My first job was at Sammy Salk's General Store," she said. "I worked six days a week for a total of $15. I could buy enough food with that." She knew many young men who went off to fight in World War II, not all of whom returned. "So many, so many," she recalled. The war meant factory work. "I had a bunch of jobs, including working on a drill press," she said. She once lost half of her hair when it caught in the press. She also worked in a shipyard and took on a second job at a soda fountain. While it was a difficult time to be a teenager, she remembers how the nation unified. "We were together as a country during World War II," she said. "But we've done nothing but fight wars since. That's all we do now, bomb people." Not one to mince words, she said she has "lived through 17 U.S. presidents and one stupid SOB." In 1946, she bought a 1938 Cadillac and a trailer and headed to the West Coast with a friend. "It was a pimp car, and it took us 13 days," she said with a laugh. She kept detailed notes along the 2,448 miles of Route 66 and described California as "America's best kept secret" at the time. Williams was working for AT&T in Rhode Island and transferred to California, staying with the company for 35 years as a telephone operator. She said operators sometimes listened in while couples engaged in phone sex. "We would listen, but if you were caught, the company would fir...

Delivers groceries to Brookside Park Residents of Brookside Senior Citizen Co-op in Philipstown are again receiving free produce and groceries. In March, a Cornell Cooperative Extension program that had three local stops, including Brookside and the Chestnut Ridge Apartments and Philipstown Friendship Center in Cold Spring, ran out of federal funding. On Wednesday (June 3), the Regional Food Bank Hudson Valley, based in Montgomery, made its second monthly visit to provide food assistance at Brookside, a mobile home community on Route 9 for people ages 55 and older. The stop is supported by a grant from the Field Hall Foundation and donations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Changes give municipalities more control The state's 2019 climate law wasn't the only environmental legislation to get an overhaul in budget negotiations. It also amended the State Environmental Quality Review Act to exempt much of the new housing construction from the standard environmental review process. Gov. Kathy Hochul argued that SEQRA, enacted 50 years ago, is redundant because development projects undergo local review. The revision had support from some environmental groups, who hoped it would reduce sprawl while making it easier to build affordable housing. "SEQRA has improved a lot of planning in New York, but it still creates these real costs in the development process," said Johnathan Clark of Scenic Hudson. But Scenic Hudson and other environmental groups felt the law had too many loopholes; the final version addressed many, but not all, of their concerns. One requirement Hochul proposed is that projects exempted from the SEQRA process must be on a "disturbed" site rather than on untouched areas. Critics asked if a 50-acre property had a single house, could a buyer argue that the entire 50 acres was "disturbed"? Clark noted that the enacted law lets local planners interpret the rules. "We see that as an improvement," he said. Hochul's previous housing plan, a 2023 proposal to build 800,000 units over 10 years, fell apart after municipalities said that it would compromise their autonomy. "This is more respectful of home rule," said Pete Lopez, a former state legislator and regional EPA director who works for Scenic Hudson. "This is less prescriptive than what created that uproar in the past." The law also clarifies that former industrial sites, or anything adjacent to them, cannot escape SEQRA review. "A lot of contamination can move off of an immediate property line," said Tracy Brown, the president of Riverkeeper. Hochul's original proposal included two sizing requirements for a project to be exempt: one for New York City and one for the rest of the state. Environmental groups argued that there should be more categories; otherwise, a 300-unit development exempted in Yonkers or Buffalo could also be built in Cold Spring. The final law sets three caps: 250 to 500 for New York City, 300 for urbanized areas outside of New York City and 100 for non-urbanized areas. "That's still a lot for Garrison or Cold Spring, but at least it's better than 300," said Brown. The law also clarifies that any project in a municipality without zoning laws — a distinction that applies to about 20 percent of the state — must undergo a SEQRA review for projects over 20 units. "These SEQRA changes might make certain kinds of development easier, but it's still the actual local laws that are saying what can be built and where," Clark said.

For 11 years, she navigated village forestry Jennifer Zwarich has had a thing for trees for a long time. "I've always been a tree person, although I'm not a tree hugger, exactly," she said. "I was a tree climber as a kid and trees always made me feel small in a good way." On Arbor Day (April 25), Zwarich stepped down as chair of the Cold Spring Tree Advisory Board, a role she took on before the panel was created 11 years ago. In 2012, a handful of volunteers formed the Shady Lane Campaign to tend to village-owned trees. A year later, the Village Board appointed an ad hoc committee to investigate whether a tree board and local tree law were needed. When Zwarich wrote Mary Saari, then the village clerk, to volunteer, Saari replied, "Would you like to chair the committee?" Zwarich soon learned that even tree care can become political. What was supposed to be four quick meetings and a recommendation to the Village Board became much more. A session at Butterfield library drew a passionate crowd. Some vehemently opposed forming a committee. "It was baffling to me," Zwarich recalled. A subsequent meeting at Village Hall also got boisterous. "About 30 people fought for almost an hour over whether to call it a board, a committee or a commission," Zwarich said. (She says now that "board" was the right choice because it carries weight and helped her secure nearly $100,000 in grants.) Looking back, she feels some who opposed the committee felt it would be another layer of government, taking money from the budget. There was also concern that a tree law could infringe on private property rights, although the board only deals with village-owned trees. After the dust settled in 2015, the board added "Chapter 122: Trees" to the Village Code, and a Tree Advisory Board was established, with Zwarich as chair. An initial survey found the village owned about 500 trees, she said. "Our goal was to plant many more trees than we were losing," she said. Since the board was created, volunteers and Highway Department staff have planted about 230 trees, and 592 have been inventoried by species (72) and condition. Zwarich said that while residents seem to love them or hate them, the Main Street tree pits were her favorite project. "They have improved the health of a lot of trees," she said, although some need weeding. She views that as "an invitation for volunteer-minded people and businesses to get involved." Village-Owned Trees Norway maple (50)* Callery pear (48) Black oak (32) Red maple (32) Honey locust (30) Zelkova (22) Cherry (21) Serviceberry (20) Black gum (19) Oak (16) Pin oak (16) Black locust (15)* Sugar maple (15) Plum (14) Gingko (13) Linden (13) Japanese tree (12) Silver maple (11) Sweetgum (11) Eastern red (10) London (10) *New York invasive species Urban forestry can be challenging. "The sidewalk strip is not a place for trees; they're growing in awful conditions most of the time and getting peed on," she said. In addition, many side streets lack tree cover because there's no space to plant on village property. "The oldest trees are all on private property, where they have more rooting space," she said. Zwarich noted that in some places, such as Rhinebeck, the municipality donates and maintains trees near sidewalks that are on private property. "I don't know if it would fly here, but that's the next frontier," she said. She believes most people know trees are good for the environment, giving off oxygen, taking in carbon dioxide and reducing pollution. But she said the economic benefits are overlooked. "Shading your house can reduce your summer electrical bill, and the increase in property values by having trees around your house or in your neighborhood is huge." She said that when the tree committee was created, the village forest lacked diversity, including an overabundance of Norway maples, which grow fast. "They ended up being a real problem," Zwarich said. "They're weak-wooded and brittle and shed branches during storms," creating ...

Changes cover debris, snow removal, vegetation The Nelsonville Board of Trustees, which is rewriting the Village Code, on May 20 reviewed rules governing how residents must maintain their properties. At the monthly meeting, Trustees Alan Potts and Maria Zhynovitch summarized proposed revisions that combine sections on exterior maintenance; litter, snow and ice removal; and vegetation upkeep into a single chapter. "That was part of the goal — to put them all in one area you could easily find and reference," said Potts. The height of grass, brush and weeds would still be limited to 10 inches, but the draft code exempts crops, flowers, native plantings, ornamental grasses, pollinator gardens and other "lawfully cultivated" gardens. In those cases, residents will be prohibited from allowing vegetation to spread to public rights-of-way or neighboring properties, or obstruct the view for motorists and pedestrians, especially at intersections. Snow and ice removal from gutters and sidewalks, which is currently required in a "reasonable time" after a storm, would have to take place within 24 hours under the new regulations. The revised code also mandates that property owners create sidewalk paths that are at least 36 inches wide without discarding snow onto sidewalks and streets or blocking drains and fire hydrants. Properties must be free of "litter, debris, garbage, refuse, rubbish, combustible materials or other waste materials," but compost, mulch, manure and materials used for agriculture, gardening and landscaping are exempted. "We're trying to bring a lot of clarity and avoid situations where, let's say, someone has a bunch of lumber in front of their yard because they're doing an addition," said Zhynovitch. "It's not going to be done in a day, but if it's there for a couple of months, they're technically in violation." Mayor Chris Winward recommended that fines be capped at $250. As drafted, a property owner could be penalized up to $250 for a first offense, up to $500 for a second offense within a year and up to $1,000 for a third violation within a year. "They're a little high," said Winward. "In addition to the fine, depending on whether the village had to act and remedy the situation ourselves, there's also a reimbursement for that remedy." Zhynovitch said she will review Cold Spring and Philipstown's rules for boat and vehicle storage before crafting similar guidelines for the property-maintenance code, and look into adding a section on the removal of garbage cans from sidewalks after trash pickup. The code rewrite began with revised guidelines for animals, including bees and chickens. All the changes will remain in draft form until they are voted on, which Winward said she hopes will happen in December. The board voted to renew a contract with its village attorney, Keane & Beane. The contract runs from June 1 through May 31, 2027, and will pay the firm $230 per hour for general services such as preparing resolutions, providing legal opinions and advising the trustees and the planning and zoning boards. A separate contract approved May 20 retains Kevin Irwin as the village prosecutor for violations and misdemeanors under state vehicle and traffic laws. Irwin's contract pays him $150 an hour and continues through May 15, 2027.

Eclectic jazz performer coming to Cold Spring Modest but accomplished actor and musician Nellie McKay is reticent when asked to discuss her work and style. She's more animated on political passions, like feminism and animal rights, and more talkative onstage. McKay (pronounced "McKye"), who will perform a sold-out show on June 6 at the Chapel Restoration in Cold Spring for its Jazz at the Chapel series, is comfortable enough there to reveal many personal details, like the story about why she mispronounced her guitarist's name after a 2011 appearance at NPR's Tiny Desk: "I was stoned when I met him." Three years ago, while a guest on a radio show in North Carolina, her face brightened when she heard that Sierra Nevada sponsored the segment. "Brought to you by a beer? I love that; it's about time." The host replied, "It's that time sometime" — i.e., 5 o'clock somewhere. Responding with a coy smile, she said, "All the time." The show is broadcast from the campus of Isothermal Community College in the state's Appalachian west: "I feel like I'm going to school again; I want to get some supplies," she said, not in reference to textbooks or pens. Then she launched into "The Drinking Song," a melancholy number about drowning sorrows after the death of a loved one, vowing to "drink, drink, drink" and "dream, dream, dream" when sleeping off the binge. McKay's musical knowledge is vast. She's hip to the Hawaiian music craze that brought the ukulele to the mainland in the 1920s and 1930s. As a pianist, she recorded a tribute album to music, movie and television icon Doris Day, who broke out in the mid-1940s and promoted animal rights. When the topic of World War I came up in conversation, McKay immediately referenced Death of the Liberal Class, by Chris Hedges, which focuses on the Committee on Public Information, a federal agency that created and spread propaganda. "That's where the war economy and the misinformation in the mass media started," she says. "I have to be political — we're such pawns." To escape, she tries to avoid the noise. "It's so good to unplug," she says. "Silence is my favorite music, but it can be hard to find." McKay is a seasoned actor and writer of themed musicals that cover obscure historical figures, like Barbara Graham, the third woman in California to die in a gas chamber (at San Quentin). She also encapsulates the life of Billy Tipton (born Dorothy) in a "Girl Named Bill," a play on Johnny Cash's biggest hit, "A Boy Named Sue." Tipton, who kicked off a career as a jazz pianist and bandleader in the 1930s, passed as a man for her entire life. Paramedics who responded to her death in 1989 discovered the truth. McKay lives on the road, with no fixed address. "Sometimes venues put me up, but I just travel," she says. "I'm a trucker." The Chapel Restoration is located at 45 Market St. in Cold Spring. McKay's performance, which begins at 7 p.m., is sold out, but tickets may be available at the door. To download music, see nelliemckay.com.

1866 painting depicts forging of Parrott rifle In 1866, John Ferguson Weir painted "The Gun Foundry," depicting workers pouring molten iron into a casting pit at the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring to create a Parrott gun. The painting, which lives at the Putnam History Museum, was last cleaned 50 years ago. Kara Mattsen, the director of curation, said the staff noticed "it had gotten a little foggy." It was "dirty, very dirty," said conservator Nadia Ghannam, who on Friday (May 29) will reveal the results of her thorough cleaning, funded by state grants. Ghannam has worked in the conservation departments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, among other museums. At Dia Beacon, she worked on the 102-piece Andy Warhol collection. As you might expect, refreshing a 160-year-old oil on canvas entails far more than a toothbrush and a bottle of Mr. Clean. "In 1973, it underwent a very aggressive treatment," Ghannam said, including a coating of acrylic varnish. "I did tests to see what I could do to improve that synthetic coating, because it was a little thick and gray-looking. It's a small window to find the right combination of materials so you can safely remove a discolored coating without removing paint." She concluded the 1973 layer wasn't discolored enough to take the risk. Ghannam noted that Weir painted "The Gun Foundry" during the Industrial Revolution, a period when artists started using mass-produced materials. "They were using a lot of crazy stuff in the paint," she said. "Some of it's difficult to take off now. For this surface cleaning, I used water with diammonium citrate, a mild chelating agent [which is gentler than acids]. Then I used a mild solvent to deal with the acrylic layer." She laughed while explaining that organic chemistry "nearly killed" her while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Cornell University and a master's degree in art restoration at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. "You have to understand paint chemistry and have a knowledge of artist materials and art history," she said. "My specialty became 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings." She noted that her work on "The Gun Foundry" was not a restoration, which involves repainting, a practice that conservators don't tend to use. "My approach is more minimal," she said. "I did some retouching, but only where there's something missing." On Weir's painting, the damage was limited to the bottom edge and perimeter. There, she used a watercolor formulated for conservators that mimics oil paint. Ghannam also refurbished the wood frame, which she described as "original and beautiful. It has interesting techniques like burnished gold, then matte gold, then textured gold leaf, which was popular in the 19th century." She found no major problems, such as a tear. "It's in good condition, a pretty solid painting — a sign of the painter's good technique," she said. Her work enabled details in Weir's painting to re-emerge. Before the cleaning, even Ghannam didn't notice a dog in the lower part of the painting. Weir's art bucked a 19th-century trend, Mattsen noted. "Much the art at that time reflected the Hudson River School approach of sweeping landscapes and beautiful scenery," she said. "Weir departs from that, focusing on this industrial scene with everyday workers at the forefront." Weir (1841-1926) grew up at West Point, where his father was a professor of drawing and provided much of his formal training. He had 15 siblings. He was fond of visiting the gun factory in Cold Spring, referring to it in his journal as "the dear old foundry." Mattsen said the painting also portrays a who's who of the foundry elite, including founder Gouverneur Kemble and Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point grad who designed a rifled cannon that was mass produced during the Civil War. (A replica is displayed on the Cold Spring waterfront.) Weir started sketching inside the foundry in 1864 and some of his early drawi...

County called on to spend more of savings Putnam County has a good problem: how to best return $6.5 million from a swollen surplus to residents. Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley, and other legislators weighed legality and logistics at the May 12 meeting of the Rules Committee as they volleyed ideas. Among the proposals: $200 rebate checks to homeowners; replicate a state program in which homeowners receive a property-tax credit or check; send funds to residents burdened by the cost of energy, childcare or other necessities. The debate is the progeny of a pandemic-era explosion in sales-tax revenue and federal and state aid. Incoming funds more than doubled the size of Putnam's "unassigned fund balance," an unrestricted pool that County Executive Kevin Byrne and legislators can choose how to spend. Forecasting is never precise, but between 2020 and 2024, sales-tax revenues exceeded estimates by $47.5 million. State and federal legislators also plied municipalities with pandemic aid. Over those four years, the unrestricted surplus ballooned from $29.9 million at the end of 2019 to $78.3 million by 2024. (The 2025 figures are being finalized.) That bounty sparked a clash between Byrne and some legislators and municipal officials who believe more of it needs to be spent. Some funds have been dedicated to capital projects to avoid "saddling taxpayers with unnecessary long-term debt and interest costs," said Byrne. "Putnam County's strong financial position is not money sitting idle." But Montgomery and other legislators say the county should use some funds on direct aid to residents. They voted last year to set aside $6.5 million for tax relief or another giveback. The debate over how to do that continues, but people "need relief now," said Montgomery. "A strong fund balance is good fiscal management, but ours is more than a rainy-day fund," she said. "We're holding public money while our residents are struggling. We should invest in housing, mental health services, childcare and transportation." While state law prohibits school districts from holding surpluses that exceed 4 percent of their budgets, municipalities (cities, counties, towns and villages) and fire districts are allowed to carry over a "reasonable" amount" each year. Putnam's surplus in 2024 represented 38 percent of its $205 million budget for 2025. By comparison, Dutchess County ended 2024 with $104.3 million in its unassigned fund, or 17 percent of its $630 million spending plan for 2025. One reason for Putnam's surplus is unexpected sales-tax growth. Putnam, Dutchess and other counties anticipated a financial hit when New York State ordered non-essential businesses to close in March 2020 due to COVID-19. But Putnam was too conservative: Its revenues in 2020 exceeded its projection by $5.7 million. As the state's economy recovered, Putnam's sales-tax revenues exceeded projections by $18.9 million in 2021, $17.4 million in 2022, $13.6 million in 2023 and $8.6 million in 2024. Nearly $28 million of the surplus has been spent since 2021. Byrne and the Legislature spent $13.2 million in the 2025 budget, including the $6.5 million sought by legislators for tax relief and $150,000 for food programs. This year is also the first in which Putnam is sharing sales-tax revenue with its towns and villages. Philipstown will receive $169,000, and Cold Spring and Nelsonville the minimum $50,000 each, from $2.3 million. The money, which is allocated based on population, is restricted to infrastructure projects. "This is funding that otherwise would have remained in the county's general fund," said Byrne, who also wants to use $2 million for mental-health services. "It is now helping our local partners invest in infrastructure, public works and taxpayer relief in their own communities." Former Legislator Paul Jonke, who proposed the homeowner rebate program before he left office in 2025, said during the Rules Committee meeting that the $6.5 ...

Haldane virtuosos team up for concert For the first time, longstanding Haldane pals Sofia Kelly and Delia Starr are performing their greatest hits together at an independent, one-off concert at St. Mary's Church in Cold Spring on May 31. In the fall, Kelly will attend the University of Cincinnati to study classical vocal music. Many selections on the program will highlight her dramatic, operatic style and are works she submitted on audition tapes for college applications and competitions, like attending the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan and singing at the International InterHarmony Music Festival in Italy. In a video of the lieder "Die Stille Stadt" by Alma Mahler (wife of Gustav), recorded at St. Mary's and on the program for Sunday, she looks ready to vanquish a village as her booming voice resonates. Starr began plunking the piano at age 5 and is a fourth-generation musician. In addition to composing solo piano works in the classical vein, she wrote a piece at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute for a string quartet and will perform a "Piece for Clarinet and Piano" at the show (Katherine Filatov will accompany). Beyond their passion for European art music, the two share another bond: Their fathers are professional musicians. Composer and jazz pianist Daniel Kelly learned to play classical after Sofia cottoned on to the genre a couple of years ago, and will accompany her on a tune by Randy Newman and one of his originals based on a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke. Eric Starr's father, Nelson, played trumpet in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Eric composes, leads Haldane's jazz performance program and teaches drums and piano at his Cold Spring studio. He also holds annual recitals at the Chapel Restoration, where Delia has played three solo shows. Kelly decided to attend a large school where she could minor or double-major in environmental studies. Starr, a junior, is applying to conservatories as well as universities and will major in composition, perhaps with a minor in piano performance. "It's nice to meet other people with different interests," says Starr. "I love music, but don't want to be trapped in a bubble with the same type of people." She's expanding her writing prowess beyond the piano because "it makes you a better candidate," she says. "I'm gearing up for tours and applications." Pecking out parts on the keyboard, she also plays back MIDI simulations of other instruments in her software program. "That's why piano is so great; all the notes are in front of you, and I use that to my advantage because it's easy to translate lines or chords for other instruments," she says. At the concert, Starr will perform her original music alongside pieces by Chopin and Beethoven. Her compositions hint at Brahms' cinematic style, and she admits an affinity for French impressionists like Fauré and Debussy. "I love film scores, and that may be something I get into," she says. Kelly and Starr crafted a thoughtful program that features guest artists, offers varied musical styles and contrasts vocals with instrumentals. "We've been talking about doing a concert together for so long, and it's now or never in our Haldane lives, so we're ready for a musical goodbye," says Kelly. "Delia and I share a sense of deep camaraderie in the music world, and we'll always be in the same orbit." St. Mary's Church is located at 1 Chestnut St. in Cold Spring. The free concert begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

Municipalities, nonprofit, residents challenge review As anticipated by votes earlier this month by the Cold Spring and Philipstown boards, the municipalities on Wednesday (May 20) filed a state lawsuit challenging the conclusions of a mandated environmental review of the proposed 7.5-mile linear park that would connect Beacon to Cold Spring. At the same time, a nonprofit group, Protect the Highlands, filed its own lawsuit. The legal actions name Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc., a subsidiary of Scenic Hudson, and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Both allege that a recently completed state environmental review fails to adequately assess the project's impact on the village and town. The lawsuits had to be filed before May 20, or 120 days after the end of the environmental review process, to meet a state deadline. The legal actions are Article 78 proceedings, which enable municipalities and others to challenge the actions or inactions of local and state agencies. Protect the Highlands filed its challenge in Albany County, along with four Cold Spring residents — Tom Impellittiere, Stephanie Impellittiere, Stephanie Skiptunis and Rosanne Powell — whom the filing says "will suffer direct environmental, aesthetic and community impacts distinct from those experienced by the public at large." The village and town filed their lawsuit in Putnam County. The municipalities hope to have Putnam County join them, but the Legislature did not vote on the request before the filing deadline. At the Wednesday meeting of the Village Board, Mayor Kathleen Foley said that the lawsuit "does not stop the project, as some have erroneously asserted," but that "we would be delinquent in our duties if we did not challenge the findings." She said that, earlier in the week, the village received an email signed by residents who support the Fjord Trail, requesting a referendum on the project. Foley said a vote "is not a possibility under state law." She added that she could say "with certainty that even if every resident in this village stated their unconditional support for the Fjord Trail project, this board would still be asking fiscal, environmental and quality-of-life questions." The lawsuit also names Putnam County, and Cold Spring resident Laura Bergman, which Foley said was done to give both the opportunity to join as petitioners or respondents. Bergman owns property at the entrance to Dockside Park. Both lawsuits focus on the southern section of the trail, from Cold Spring to Breakneck Ridge. In February, HHFT said it would delay construction on the southern end by at least two years to collect data on a stretch of the Hudson River where an elevated boardwalk is planned. A pedestrian bridge at Breakneck, which underwent a separate environmental review in 2022, is under construction, along with a parking lot on Route 9D across from the former Dutchess Manor, which will be the HHFT headquarters. Protect the Highlands alleges that the state's "findings statement," which cleared the way for HHFT to move forward, was "arbitrary, capricious and irrational on several fronts" and should be annulled. The municipal suit asks that the findings statement be nullified for the southern section, and notes that HHFT must get land-use and Zoning Board approvals from Cold Spring and Philipstown for sections of the trail on private property or within the state park. (The environmental review concluded that HHFT does not need local approval for parts of the trail built on state land.) In addition, the suit says that access to Dockside Park, which is owned by the state and maintained by the village, would only be available through an easement on private land. It asks the court to rule that the easement does not provide the access required to reach the trail. Cold Spring and Philipstown argue that concerns regarding traffic and emergency services "were marginalized, if not completely ignored," and that several findings were "arbitrary a...

The growing season is filled with a host of challenges, including insect, disease, and weed pests, resistance concerns, agronomic issues, and soil fertility questions. The Field Notes program is designed for farmers and agricultural professionals as a weekly, 30-minute webinar to address all of your crop-related questions in real-time in an interactive, discussion-based format.Join us as we welcome Extension Agronomists Matt Pfarr and Jeff Coulter as they discuss corn and soybean planting progress and growing conditions this spring.  The session will be moderated by Dr. Anthony Hanson, Extension IPM educator.We want to thank our sponsors the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, along with the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council.

250 Years Ago (May 1776) Gen. George Washington wrote the Continental Congress, asking that two or three thousand stands of arms [weapons for one soldier] reserved for provincial use be "borrowed" to defend New York City. He enclosed a report from troops in the Highlands, where Col. Ritzema said his regiment had only 97 flintlocks and seven bayonets. The Board of Treasury asked New York and five other colonies to conduct a census of their inhabitants for tax purposes. The carpenters, boatbuilders and painters who had been drafted for military service by Major Gen. Israel Putnam were ordered to gather at sunrise outside his New York City headquarters to receive their orders. A general order was issued in New York City to double the number of night sentries due to fears of a surprise British attack. The Third Provincial Congress, based in New York, declared its independence from British rule. Robert Livingston wrote from Philadelphia to his sister, Catherine, at the family estate in Clermont, on the Hudson River in Columbia County. "We have reason to believe that our enemy will make great efforts this summer," he wrote. "I hope, however, by the blessing of God, to see them repelled & this country, after a glorious struggle, emancipated from the tyranny of an inhuman prince." 150 Years Ago (May 1876) Burglars broke through a rear window of William Rumpf's shop and stole hundreds of his best cigars, along with some chewing tobacco. In an item under the headline "Wonderful," the editor of The Cold Spring Recorder reported that "three wagonloads of dirty and dishonest nomads came down Main Street at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, turned onto Garden Street and pushed for the Fishkill Landing road without stopping!" The new Putnam County sheriff, Charles Brewster, a Cold Spring native, ended the practice of allowing inmates at the Carmel jail to lounge outside. According to The Recorder, two patrons of a Cold Spring saloon measured the distance around its walls and raced around the room until they had walked at least three miles. Mrs. P.K. Paulding of Paulding Avenue reported she had lost an oxidized silver pencil with a chain. The schools "have been nearly depopulated for a fortnight" by the measles, according to The Recorder. "Nearly every house has a case." James Trimble and James Kennedy were convicted of breaking the window of Morrison's boathouse before threatening to burn down the shanty and drown its occupant. Both were sentenced to six months in the penitentiary. From The Recorder: "Lost, between Chestnut Street and the post office, on Thursday afternoon, a black feather." Late on a Friday night, after they heard voices inside the Champlin blacksmith shop in Nelsonville, friends of the proprietor went quietly to a back door. Suddenly, two or three men dashed past them. Inside, the friends found a pile of chisels, saws and hammers, ready to be carried away. It was supposed that the intruders planned to free two prisoners at Town Hall. Roger Maher died suddenly on a Wednesday afternoon at C.M. Brown's tavern. The bartender said he had taken a sip of whiskey when his head dropped. Jacob Southard still had his grandfather's discharge papers from the Revolutionary War signed by George Washington and other top officers. The Recorder suggested paying children 10 cents [about $3 today] per cup of potato bugs they collected and delivered to a kitchen stove. While driving along the Garrison road, William Ladue came across a raccoon that had been treed. After going home to retrieve a rifle, he shot the animal dead, then brought the carcass into Cold Spring to show off his marksmanship. David Robinson informed The Recorder of the need for a fence around the New Burying Ground to prevent grazing cattle from knocking down the headstones. Enoch Lawrence, 84, the oldest resident of Cold Spring, was painting his house on Garden Street. William Purdy was jailed at Town Hall after being accused of assaulting his wife. His brother came from Tarrytown to...

Minnesota lawmakers are filling in the details of a legislative budget agreement struck this week and will have to hustle to pass the bills needed to enact it.If they do, Minnesotans will see reductions in their vehicle registration, help with rising property taxes, continuation of a lead pipe replacement push and more. A key hospital in Minneapolis would get a lifeline and counties would get money to replace old technology that makes running programs difficult and fraud more of a risk.The Legislature was tasked with a compact agenda and it looks like that is what will result. Items that were seen as politically problematic were kept to the side in favor of proposals that could get bipartisan buy-in. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with the Minnesota's four caucus leaders about how a session-ending agreement came together — two DFLers and two Republicans. Then, a check-in with our state Capitol team, and what they're picking up on, as the Legislature inches closer to its conclusion. Guests:Rep. Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, is a Republican and the speaker of the Minnesota House.Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, is the DFL caucus leader for the Minnesota House. Sen. Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, is the DFL Senate majority leader. Sen. Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, is the Republican Senate minority leader. Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.Peter Cox is a politics reporter for MPR News.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Asked to join Cold Spring, Philipstown lawsuit The chances that Cold Spring and Philipstown will have Putnam County's resources in their quest to overturn New York State's approval of the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail environmental review just dimmed. One week before a May 20 deadline for the village and town to file a court challenge, the Putnam Legislature's three-person Protective Services Committee voted 2-to-1 to refer a request for the county to participate to the Legislature's legal counsel. Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley in the Legislature, cast the "no" vote. If the committee had approved the request on Wednesday (May 13), it would have gone to the full Legislature, which does not meet until June 2. But Thomas Regan Jr., who chairs the committee, said the request from County Executive Kevin Byrne came two days before the meeting — without a draft lawsuit, cost estimates and enough notice to include the item on the meeting agenda. "Regardless of my feelings on the topic, it would be ill-advised in any circumstance — for just learning about something and say, 'We're going to go in with this lawsuit and see where it goes,' " he said. Before the vote, Cindy Trimble, a Philipstown resident, demanded that Montgomery recuse herself because she has expressed support for the trail and "has not publicly addressed" concerns about the project. "What law says I have to recuse myself?" asked Montgomery. Regan repeatedly asked Trimble to limit her comments to the vote on whether to refer the request to the legislative counsel. He banged a gavel as the back-and-forth continued. "This landed on our desk 48 hours ago, which has now put us in a hot seat," said Regan. "We have constituents who have concerns on both sides of this, and we want to do right by everybody." In a "findings statement" dated Jan. 20 that concluded the mandated environmental review, state parks said that HHFT "avoids, minimizes or mitigates potential adverse environmental impacts to the maximum extent practicable" and "will achieve a balance between the protection of the environment and the need to accommodate social and economic considerations." The town and village boards said the review of the project — a 7.5-mile trail between Dockside Park in Cold Spring and Long Dock Park in Beacon — did not adequately address potential visitor impact on parking, traffic, emergency services and local quality of life. The municipalities have 120 days from the date of the findings statement to file an Article 78 proceeding. Earlier this month, their respective boards authorized Mayor Kathleen Foley and Supervisor John Van Tassel to ask Putnam to join a lawsuit. After the Protective Services Committee voted to refer the request, Van Tassel asked the legislators, "Can I just mention the timeline that we're up against?" Legislator Jake D'Angelo responded: "That's not our problem."

Cold Spring designer to exhibit at furniture fair Many interior designers understand lighting, but few know about electrical wiring, says Charles Burleigh, a Cold Spring resident who recently retired from the industry. Seeking to illuminate dollhouses as a child, he learned the basic engineering concepts from his father. Taking advantage of newfound free time, Burleigh developed a method for turning out flowing porcelain bowls that offered elaborate form and just enough function. Though he dabbled in other media, he always returned to the flowery bowls, figuring that their striking appearance could be put to a practical use. One night, an epiphany: "I figured I could turn them over or mount them on a wall as lamps." It was a simple concept that prompted many possibilities, including acceptance to the juried Launch Pad section for emerging designers at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Center in New York City, which debuted in 1989 to offer an alternative to the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Burleigh will man a 25-square-foot booth for three days at the prestigious annual trade show, which will be open to the public on Tuesday (May 19). "In the interior design world, OMG, you have to go," he says. Acanthus Ceiling Mount Acanthus Wall Mount Helianthus Table Lamp Helianthus Wall Mount Lisianthus Table Lamp Ranunculus Table Lamp Sabelica Pendants Standing in his Cold Spring studio across from Depot Square while constructing the booth, Burleigh contrasted his career and new pathway. "It's nice to have merit-based recognition," he says. "In my other gigs, it was always who you know." The goal is to get a gallery or showroom to represent his work. "I just want to make things and not deal with the business end," he says. Another eureka moment led him to the name, the Herbarium Collection, which is appropriate because the work appears to be organic. Green-glazed pieces resemble cabbage leaves. Others look like seashells or flowers. All are fragile. Some of his white-ish lamps, adorned inside with gold glaze, are ghost-like. The interplay between the glaze, the porcelain and the illumination makes each handcrafted work singular. "I started doing pinch-pots at the Garrison Art Center, little cups, and everything grew from that simple idea," Burleigh says of his textured collection. Raw porcelain consists of 10-pound clay-like chunks. Burleigh places the malleable material into a colander coated with a paper towel, then pinches and presses away, working the material into a translucent state. Deploying the latest LED technology, which uses the power equivalent of a nightlight but emits the brilliance of incandescence, he figured that for some pieces silvered bulbs — with tops coated in silver, gold and other colors to mute the glare — would spotlight the artistry and enhance the presentation. For now, he's sticking with the artisanal approach. "Some people come out of design school and present chairs at ICFF that can be easily replicated," he says. "My work is more involved because I'm showing one-of-a-kind pieces that could be roughly recreated. But if someone wants to mass-produce something based on the style, I'm all ears." ICFF will be open to the public at The Javits Center, 429 11th Ave. in New York City, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 19. Tickets are $250 ($35 students) at icff.com/fair/attend-register. To explore the Herbarium Collection, see charlesburleighporcelain.com.

Changes inspired by Hudson Highlands Reserve Philipstown has amended its regulations for "conservation subdivisions" that sowed some confusion among Planning Board members last year when they reviewed a proposal for a 24-unit housing development called Hudson Highlands Reserve. The project was Philipstown's first conservation subdivision, a residential development in which houses are clustered to preserve more land as open space. Philipstown's zoning allows developers to build more units in exchange for maintaining features such as forests, scenic views and wetlands. The previous regulations required projects to be considered as potential conservation subdivisions but gave the Planning Board discretion to allow a conventional site plan, even if it determined that the plan would adversely affect the town's rural character. Based on recommendations from a Zoning Update Committee, the Town Board on Thursday (May 7) approved language specifying that the Planning Board "shall require" a conservation subdivision if it has fewer adverse effects on the rural landscape or natural resources than a conventional plan. In addition, the new regulations remove steep slopes and wetlands from the calculations for how much land must be preserved and eliminate a "density formula" as one of two methods (along with a "yield plan") for calculating the number of permitted units. (A yield plan requires a preliminary design, with minimum lot sizes ranging from 3 to 20 acres per unit, depending on the district. The density formula allowed 75 percent of slopes, wetlands and other "constrained" land to be subtracted from the buildable area used in determining the number of units.) In March, the Planning Board approved the revisions by a 6-to-1 vote. In reviewing Hudson Highlands Reserve, the board "tore itself up on yield plan versus density and didn't understand why both were there," said Neal Zuckerman, its chair. "We really struggled on why they were getting so much credit for conserving land that could never be built upon in the first place." The changes, which included removing convenience stores as an allowed use in a conservation subdivision, "add clarity, simplicity and directness," he said. Climate Smart Martha Upton plans to resign as coordinator of Philipstown's Climate Smart program. Upton, who became coordinator in 2022, will step down in September or sooner if the town names a replacement. "I reluctantly will have to accept this," said Supervisor John Van Tassell, adding that he knew residents who are interested in the position. "She has really provided us with a lot of equipment, a lot of resources," he said. "So, my appreciation to Martha for her years of service." Tubman Byway The board approved a resolution expressing its support for the state to designate the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway, a 550-mile corridor between Manhattan and Niagara Falls. Phase One runs 173 miles between Niagara Falls and Auburn, home of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. Philipstown is along the Phase Two route, which covers 376 miles between Manhattan and Auburn. Public notices The board tabled a resolution supporting the proposed Local Government Notice Modernization and Transparency Act, which would allow municipalities to post public notices solely on their websites, rather than paying to have them printed in newspapers. Last month, Nelsonville's board approved a resolution supporting the legislation. But Philipstown's board members said they wanted to continue advertising in print newspapers. "I would add that a healthy community relies on a healthy press, and I think we should support our papers where we can," said Ned Rauch, a member of the Town Board and a former journalist. For decades, Philipstown, Cold Spring and Nelsonville used The Putnam County News & Recorder as their "official newspaper" for notices. But after the weekly closed last month, all three municipalities switched to The Poughkeepsie Journal, whi...

Fire companies to be honored for 2025 rescue Marathon site At the Wednesday (May 6) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board, Mayor Kathleen Foley addressed questions she said had been raised about the 12-acre Marathon site on Kemble Avenue during public sessions hosted by the owner, The Kearney Group, and an urban planning firm, Speck-Dempsey. "They were not village events, and there is no application [before village boards] yet for the site," Foley said. "This board is not authorized to act on its own related to this parcel, and I certainly have no authority to authorize anything on my own." The Zoning Board, Planning Board and the Historic District Review Board are the reviewing bodies, the mayor said. She said the process will follow Chapter 134 of the Village Code, which regulates planned mixed-use projects. "There are a lot of thoughtful hoops that project will have to go to before it's ever approved," she said. "There are many process points at which there will be opportunity for public comment, and to shape the outcome." Mountain rescue The Cold Spring and North Highlands fire companies will be recognized at the Putnam County EMS banquet later this month for a mountain rescue they performed, along with the Philipstown Volunteer Ambulance Corp, on May 3, 2025. CSFC Chief Matt Steltz said the victim had been critically injured by a falling tree limb. First responders administered medical care and transported the victim off the mountain, he said. CSFC has conducted four mountain rescues since March. The department answered 14 calls in April, including seven activated fire alarms, three mutual aids to local fire companies and two injured or lost hikers. Police tasers The board approved a recommendation by Matt Jackson, the Police Department's officer-in-charge, to accept a $106,382 bid from Axon Enterprise for tasers and training, amortized over 10 years. Jackson said the units will replace models with outdated technology that are no longer supported by the supplier. CSPD responded to 137 calls in April, including 17 alarms, 16 assists to local EMS and 11 traffic stops. Officers also investigated four suspicious incidents and two calls each involving fraud and harassment. In other news… The Climate Smart Committee's food scrap recycling program will be expanded from weekly pickup to twice weekly. In addition, beginning June 1, any type of food scraps can be deposited in the bin at 46 Kemble Ave. on Tuesday mornings for pickup that evening or on Thursdays for Friday pickup. The board authorized RACE Coastal Engineering to conduct a three-phase structural evaluation of the Cold Spring dock at a cost of $30,125. The board approved in principle a request by the Cold Spring Boat Club to upgrade the club's entrance gate, but tabled a request to allow a food truck to operate on the site. The riverfront property is owned by the village and leased to the club. The board tentatively approved a request for a film crew to shoot in the village on June 3, pending information about traffic control and other details. The areas affected would include Depot Square, a small section of Main Street and the Our Lady of Loretto parking lot. The board accepted Ben Cheah's resignation from the Planning Board, effective June 30, and will seek applicants to fill the position. A youth baseball clinic will be held at Mayor's Park from June 29 through July 1. The park will remain open to the public.

Five takeaways on plans and public response The development of the last substantial piece of real estate in Cold Spring took a significant step forward in public sessions held April 27 to 30 at the Chapel Restoration and the St. Mary's Church rectory. The urban planning firm Speck-Dempsey presented initial concept plans for a mixed-use development on the Kemble Avenue parcel, while residents voiced concerns and shared ideas regarding the 12-acre tract. There were standing-room-only crowds at each of the two charrettes that included presentations; the other two were open houses. The Marathon Battery factory operated on the site from 1952 to 1979, discharging cadmium and other toxins into the soil and the adjacent Foundry Cove and the Hudson River. The Environmental Protection Agency ordered that the cove be dredged in 1972 and, in 1987, began a nine-year cleanup of the property that included demolition of the factory. (For a detailed history, see highlandscurrent.org/marathon.) Kearney Realty Group purchased the property in 2003. In 2023, Cold Spring amended the zoning from light industrial to planned mixed-use. Residents want smaller homes Informal votes among the residents who attended the charrette at St Mary's included a few unrealistic suggestions, such as "nothing" and "a parking lot," but housing received the most attention. Residents advocated for reasonable rents, 12 homes, tiny houses, 55-plus housing, a ban on short-term rentals and a shared, central green space ("cottage courts"). The architecture will echo Cold Spring's historic buildings in style and scale, according to Speck-Dempsey. Sustainability also scored well, with requests for low light pollution, solar power, energy-efficient buildings, trees, green space and preservation of the forest buffer. Community-oriented ideas included an aquatic center, ballfield, skate park, pavilion, safe walking and community-oriented retail. Some people wanted to see a bodega or restaurants that serve Thai and Indian food. The site is larger than it looks Speck-Dempsey drafted 12 concept plans and recommended two, which it dubbed The Amble and The Angle. Each contains 100 to 150 units, which raised some concern. Office uses, live-work spaces, upstairs apartments, small apartment villas and a few medium-size houses were also part of the mix. Restaurants or cafes could be added, but would require a zoning change. To illustrate capacity, Jeff Speck of Speck-Dempsey said two Forge Gate condominium complexes, or 136 units, could fit on the Marathon site with substantial open space. Public spaces would include a playground, the protection and enhancement of the wooded bluff at the south end, paths and viewing areas. Speck stressed the proposed neighborhood's "walkability" and noted that traffic calming devices, such as narrow lanes, are incorporated in the plans. The site is safe, says EPA While some residents have lingering concerns about the polluted past, Chris Dempsey of Speck-Dempsey said the EPA determined that the site was safe for development more than a decade ago. Excavation for construction "won't get close" to the 15-foot limit set by the EPA, environmental monitoring will be carried out throughout construction, and all plans require approval by the EPA and state regulators. Dempsey said the village has indicated it has the capacity to handle water and sewer for the development, although he reserved the right to reassess once detailed plans are ready. Because the site's groundwater is contaminated, the units cannot use wells for drinking water. Traffic flow seems tight Speck-Dempsey say that, even within the narrow confines of Rock Street, Kemble Avenue and Wall Street, traffic will not be a problem, including safe pickup and drop-off at the adjacent Montessori school. It plans to commission a traffic study and will look at access from Lunn Terrace or by connecting Kemble with Chestnut Street, although those options seem unlikely. Changing Kemble to two-way traf...

Haldane graduate bringing quartet to St. Mary's Robert Freimark is best known for two things: his complicated jazz piano compositions and his hair, which is so long and straight that it serves as curtains over his face when he plays. The look resembles that of Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. "Someone told me that recently, but I had no idea who he is," says Freimark, 18, a 2025 Haldane High School graduate who is studying music at William Patterson University in New Jersey. "It makes me more recognizable." On Saturday (May 9), Freimark will perform in Cold Spring as part of the Music at St. Mary's series with his quartet: Carter Stein on saxophone, Maria Kolesnik on drums and Gabriel Balado on bass (stepping in for Marcelo Díaz). Earlier this year, Freimark won a Young-Arts National Competition Award in jazz, one of 741 musicians selected from some 13,000 applicants. His goal is to make a living as a professional musician. He started playing piano at age 7, taking lessons in classical repertoire, but shifted to jazz when his teacher, Jesse Stecken at Forte Piano Studio in Beacon, encouraged him to improvise. A turning point, Freimark says, is when he nailed a solo arrangement of "Rhapsody in Blue" during his sophomore year at Haldane. Conversant with standard and more obscure repertoire, his style is subtle but sophisticated. His goal is to reel off any of hundreds of instrumental jams on the fly. "That's what being a jazz musician is, and I'm going through acute ear identification training," he says. "Another skill is listening and being able to identify chord changes on the spot, even if you don't know the song — 'ear-balling it,' as some people say." Freimark arranged a version of "My Favorite Things," adapting John Coltrane's sax rendition for piano, changing the time signature and delivering a straightforward groove. He can replicate and build on the style of odd-bird Thelonius Monk, whose wobbly, off-kilter phrasing shook up jazz in the 1950s and '60s. "Just You Wait," an original Freimark composition, which sounds like it's dredged from the classic Monk era, opens with a bebop-influenced passage in which the bass, played by Stecken on keyboard in a video shot at the Howland Cultural Center, doubles the piano's left hand through a few bars of Freimark's solo, then shifts into swinging, walking phrases to provide a launch pad for the pianist to modulate the timing and make other low-key modifications. "A bunch of notes came to me so fast; I figured I should write them down immediately," Freimark says. "From that draft, not much has changed. There are abstractions, but it still feels grounded." Reflecting the influence of his mother, Sandy McKelvey, a guitarist who is passionate about the music of Central and South America, Freimark also explores Latin Jazz, executing his feathery touch to "Soñando con Puerto Rico." On Saturday, he and his bandmates will perform an extended version of "Just You Wait," along with a mix of "songbook standards and compositions that are important to jazz musicians," he says. Though he began playing at a young age, Freimark never considered himself a prodigy. "There were always kids half my age who could play more difficult music," he says. "I'm just trying to do my own thing." St. Mary's Church is located at 1 Chestnut St. in Cold Spring. The concert, which begins at 2 p.m., is free, but donations for Music at St. Mary's are welcome.

State weighs second license for the village A cannabis dispensary opened in Cold Spring on Friday (May 1), nearly five years after village residents voted to allow retailers and as the state considers an application for a second shop at the Butterfield complex. Mogu opened in a small space at 137 Main St., where it sells cannabis flower grown at its farm in Warwick, pre-rolls, edibles such as gummies, disposable vapes and accessories such as grinders, lighters and rolling papers. Adults 21 and older can book five-minute appointments online or order pre-rolls and flowers for pickup. The products have names such as Bob Hope, Chubby Bunny, Jelly Donutz and Purple Runtz. The shop operates under a "microbusiness" license awarded by the state Office of Cannabis Management in November 2024 to Pleasant View Harvest LLC, based in Brewster. A microbusiness is allowed to operate a retail shop but can only sell cannabis that it grows and processes. According to its website, the dispensary is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, and from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. "Hopefully, we get a good name and reputation with the folks in the village and people who live in the nearby area," said the store's manager, Greg, who declined to provide his last name because cannabis is still banned by the federal government, and he said some people associated with marijuana businesses have reported having credit cards canceled. According to Cold Spring officials, the Office of Cannabis Management is also considering an application for a dispensary at 10 Julia Lane, adjacent to the U.S. Post Office. The village was notified in December of the application by NYC Sour Apple, doing business as Cannabis Realm of New York. The Office of Cannabis Management also awarded a processor license in 2024 to Two Puffs and Pass LLC, a company registered at an address in Philipstown. Processors extract concentrated cannabis and its compounds and blend, infuse and manufacture them for resale. New York legalized recreational marijuana in March 2021. Under state law, villages, towns and cities could "opt out" of allowing sales and/or on-site consumption. Cold Spring sent the issue to the ballot, and residents voted to allow retail but not on-site consumption. The Philipstown and Nelsonville boards voted to opt out of both, though they can opt in at any time with a second vote. The Beacon City Council took no action, allowing sales and on-site consumption. Today, three dispensaries operate in the city: LotusWorks Wellness, at 261 Main St., and Hudson Valley Jane, at 544 Main St., are microbusinesses, while The Station Beacon, at 463 Main St., can sell cannabis but not cultivate it. New York has 647 licensed dispensaries selling recreational marijuana. In April, the state announced that sales had exceeded $3.1 billion, including more than $400 million in 2026. Sales are taxed at 13 percent — 9 percent goes to New York State, and 4 percent is shared by the county and municipalities where the store is located. (The split on the latter is 75 percent to the city, village or town and 25 percent to the county.) Beacon estimates it will receive $15,000 this year from its three dispensaries, compared to $13,600 in 2025. Despite earning the state billions of dollars in revenues, more than two-thirds of the cannabis businesses surveyed by the Office of Cannabis Management in September 2025 were concerned or very concerned about taxes, out-of-state products infiltrating New York's market, the illegal sales of marijuana, the concentration of proximate businesses and state regulations. Less than half of businesses overall reported being profitable, with variations among retailers (58 percent), growers (46 percent) and microbusinesses (20 percent). Revenue among retailers open at least a year averaged $2.9 million, ranging from $1.2 million to $5.5 million. To boost profits, half the businesses surveyed said they were switching suppliers, cutting advertising and marketing...

Former Cold Spring resident pleads guilty to minor charge The proverb that begins, "The wheels of justice turn slowly…" certainly could be applied to the prosecution of former Cold Spring resident Alexander Welsh, who was arrested in May 2023 but didn't see his case resolved for nearly three years. Just after noon on Friday, May 19, 2023, a Putnam County Sheriff's deputy stationed at the Haldane school reported hearing what sounded like gunshots. The sounds startled elementary students and staff on the playground and prompted a law enforcement response that included additional deputies and officers from the state police and the Cold Spring, Kent and Metro-North departments. School administrators locked down the campus for about 90 minutes. After a resident told police they had seen smoke outside a nearby home, police found what appeared to be recently exploded fireworks in the yard at 34 Mountain Ave. When the occupants were uncooperative, officers returned at 7 p.m. with a search warrant. Welsh, then 28, was arrested and charged with felony criminal possession of cannabis, misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor criminal nuisance. He was given a ticket to appear in the Town of Philipstown Court; the case was later transferred to the Cold Spring Justice Court. Two weeks later, on June 6, a Poughkeepsie-based attorney, Kevin MacKay, notified the court that he represented Welsh. The clerk sent MacKay the case documents, and a hearing was scheduled for June 14. What followed was 33 months of delays, frequently due to adjournments requested by MacKay, who said he had conflicting court dates in Dutchess County. Further delays were caused by procedural details and, most recently, the retirements last year of Justice Thomas Costello and clerk Cathy Costello. Welsh, who last appeared in person in court in May 2023, pleaded not guilty to all three charges. On March 11, MacKay submitted a signed affidavit in which Welsh pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Justice Luke Hilpert fined Welsh $250 plus a $125 fee. Under state law, the sentence could have included up to 15 days in jail. MacKay did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Putnam County district attorney, Robert Tendy, said he offered a plea deal because Welsh has stayed out of trouble since his arrest and that MacKay had kept his office apprised of his client's progress. "Mr. Welsh is now living in California and is leading a law-abiding life," Tendy said. "Given that he has no prior convictions, and is continuing to do well, I thought it appropriate to permit him to plead to a violation instead of holding him to a criminal conviction." Tendy said it appeared Welsh didn't intend to cause chaos when he lit fireworks near the school, "though it was certainly thoughtless and potentially dangerous."

It's natural to want to look away from the inevitable reality of death but Buddhism teaches that death is an alternate phase of life and makes up a larger universal cycle. To understand death is to deepen our understanding of and appreciation for life. Today's guest, John Plummer, of Cold Spring, NY, shares how facing his fear of loss improved his relationships and deepened his work as a film and TV writer.  References:The New Human Revolution, vol. 24, pp. 177–78A Piece of Mirror and Other Essays, pp. 79, 83–84.Leave of Grass by Walt Whitman.“Like the Sun Rising,” Journey of Life: Selected Poems of Daisaku IkedaUnlocking the Mysteries of Unlocking Birth and Death, p. 104.The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition.

Good morning, Woodland! It's Friday, March 20th, and despite the chilly 27-degree weather, we are bringing the heat to your morning. Make sure to grab your new blue logo quarter-zips to stay stylish and warm.In school news, "Heads" dominated over "Tails" in the pompom poll (80-58), and the Class of '27 is challenging you to guess the Lucky Charms count for a gift card. Don't forget to support the NHS Book Drive for Miss Fell's classroom or sign up for the Snack and Paint Party on March 24th.On the news desk, Burger King is officially retiring its "creepy" mascot, while Walmart is making moves with AI-driven surge pricing for groceries. We also have a new dinosaur in town: the Spinosaurus Mirabilis.Finally, in sports, while the NCAA tournament is in full swing, the real story is our undefeated Woodland Hawks (26-0). They head to Mohegan Sun this Saturday at 1:00 PM to face Windham Tech for the state title. Get your tickets on GoFan and let's go, Hawks!

150 Years Ago (March 1876) Two young men from Peekskill opened a pistol-shooting practice gallery in the Lloyds building (the former Methodist Episcopal Church). In their first organized competition, in which shooters stood erect and fired from 55 feet, William Ladue won the silver cup, hitting the target with 25 of 25, 48 of 50 and 446 of 500 shots. On his last target, he fired five consecutive shots within an inch of each other inside the bull's eye. In a sermon at the Baptist Church, the Rev. C.J. Page explained how a Christian's dying day was better than his birthday. The Cold Spring budget included funds to improve Parsonage Street between Main and Pine and deepen the well on Stone Street. A boat filled with lumber that sank near the lighthouse at West Point was raised and towed to shore to be unloaded. At Fort Montgomery, two amateur actors were wed by the Rev. Mr. Millett as part of a play. The next day, the woman claimed it had been a legal marriage. The ballot for the annual Cold Spring election included 20 candidates for trustee, 10 for assessor, 11 for street commissioner and eight for fire warden. A four-day warm spell that began March 5 swept away the last vestige of snow in the village and ice on the Hudson. The barn of Charles and Daniel Hustis, on the road to Fishkill just north of the North Highland schoolhouse, caught fire at 8 p.m. on a Wednesday. The brothers managed to get two horses out, but Charles nearly lost his life enticing one of the other two. Neighbors gathered, but nothing could be done. The brothers lost the horses, wagons, harnesses, farming utensils, a mowing machine, grain and hay. That same night, at 11 p.m., Pierce Denny walked outside his family's home in Putnam Valley and noticed a bright light in the northern room, where a fire had been kept part of the day. Because they had difficulty rescuing a blind boarder, Maria Davenport, Denny and a laborer, John Van Buskirk, had time only to save one item: a melodeon. Josiah Hustis, 60, of North Highland, after serving as a pallbearer at the funeral of Mrs. Shaw, returned home and complained of pain at the base of his skull. He was taken by neighbors to his sister's home in Fishkill, but died there within an hour. The Cold Spring Library Association canceled a free evening of literary readings and music after spectators filled all 450 seats and every corner at Town Hall, including the stairwells and stage. The editor of the Cold Spring Recorder scolded the organizers for the debacle and said he would no longer advertise free events. "Ten cents for admission and ten cents' worth of common sense would have made the evening a pleasure," he wrote. However, the next week, he reversed himself when the association said the rescheduled event would require a free ticket. In a commentary entitled "Youthful Depravity," the Recorder editor wrote: "It is a pity that we cannot, in some way, mete out punishment by the laws to that worse class of sins — those which lie way down in the dirty soul. But alas, the spirit of our laws is to punish the effect and leave the cause to produce other effects. We refer to the arrest of several schoolboys and self-esteemed young men for breaking the windows and otherwise damaging John Chase's house [at Breakneck] on the night of the 4th. [Chase had apparently been accused of living with a woman without being married.] The injury to the property is the far lesser crime — the devilish instinct which leads our lads to chase every filthy, drunken and beastly creature in woman's form which comes within 2 miles of the village is 10,000 times worse than the occasional tearing down of a railroad shanty." Joseph Cox came into town for the first time since Dr. George Murdock removed his right eye. The sheriff sold the stock of William Coleman, the bankrupt West Street grocer. The Kellogg Opera Troupe, led by Philipstown resident Clara Louise Kellogg, was touring New England. The Recorder noted that more than 100 inches of snow had f...

Who do you trust for the "real" news? In a landscape of paywalls and strictly managed county reporting, Mat sits down with Jeff Yeh, the man behind the largest social media news source in Columbia County. From tracking DUI arrests to questioning local political transparency, Jeff's unconventional approach has earned him millions of views—and a fair share of controversy.In this episode of Cidiot®, Mat and Jeff discuss the "wild west" feel of Columbia County, the delicate balance of being a "local meddler," and why Jeff isn't afraid to delete your comment if you won't sign your name to it.Hyperlocal newspapers & blogs (please send in others you know of):Columbia County Morning News - "Start Your Day with with Yeah"A Little Beacon Blog (Beacon)Bluestone Press⁠ (Marbletown, Rochester, Rosendale)Croton History & Mysteries (Croton)The Daily Catch (Red Hook and Rhinebeck)Daily Freeman (Ulster, Green & No. Dutchess Counties)The Gardiner Gazette (Gardiner):The Gossips of Rivertown (Hudson)The Highlands Current (Philipstown, Cold Spring, Garrison)Hudson Valley One (Ulster County)Hudson Valley PostIMBY (several counties)Kingston Wire (Kingston) Mid-Hudson NewsOssining History on the Run (Ossining)Porcupine Soup News (Green County)Tgazette (Taghkanic)Visit Cidiot.com for more links and episodes. Thanks for tuning into Season 9!©2026 Mat Zucker Communications. Cidiot® is a registered trademark.

New program will compost commercial food waste Commercial kitchens in Philipstown can now do what households have been doing for four years — recycle food waste rather than send it to landfills. Jeff Mikkelson, the advocacy chair of the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Philipstown Climate Smart Task Force, is spearheading a pilot initiative to fund food-scrap recycling for up to six businesses and organizations. Mikkelson said 17 of 50 local kitchens surveyed expressed interest in the pilot. The program, the first of its kind in Putnam County, is being funded by the Williams College Community Climate Fund in conjunction with the Center for EcoTechnology (CET), a nonprofit that works with Rethink Food Waste New York, overseen by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The first four participants are the Garrison Institute (which uses Fresh Company to cater its events), Haldane Central School District, Marble Meat Shop and Cold Spring Farmers' Market, Mikkelson said, with two more spots available for restaurants, caterers, nonprofits and other food services with commercial kitchens. The initial $6,000 grant will support the program for six months, he said. The program will provide collection bins and liners and pay for hauling the waste, which can include vegetables, meats, dairy, cheese, fish, seafood and commercial and biodegradable packaging. The scraps are collected by Sustainable Materials Management in Cortlandt Manor, which was founded by the family that owns CRP Sanitation. Michael Fiumara, the sales manager there, said 100 cubic yards of food waste typically will produce the same volume of compost. Most of the material is purchased in bulk by landscapers, garden centers and municipalities, but retail customers can buy 1-cubic-foot bags. Recycling Food Scraps at Home Philipstown's Climate Smart Task Force initiated Putnam County's first household food scrap recycling program in 2022, establishing a Saturday collection station at the town recycling center on Lane Gate Road. About 100 families joined during the first year, and enrollment has more than tripled since. What began as an eight-month pilot is now funded annually. The Village of Cold Spring joined the program in 2024 and installed a collection station on Kemble Avenue for Tuesday drop-offs. "We consistently fill two 64-gallon totes — about 17 cubic feet of food waste per week," said Village Trustee Laura Bozzi, who serves on the Climate Smart Task Force. She said the village may expand the program by adding more bins or a second drop-off day. Karen Ertl, a volunteer who helped establish the household food-scrap program, said 323 families are enrolled. She said that as many as 1,600 pounds of scraps are collected each week at the two stations and processed into compost at Sustainable Materials Management in Cortlandt Manor. To participate, residents can register at Philipstown Town Hall on weekdays or at the Cold Spring Farmers' Market on Saturdays. An optional $20 starter kit includes a countertop pail, storage/transport bin and compostable bags. Food scraps can be dropped at the Recycling Center on Lane Gate Road between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and at the Kemble Avenue site between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, bread, rice, pasta, raw and cooked food, bones and seafood shells can be recycled, as can cut flowers, napkins, paper towels, wax paper, pet food, tea bags, coffee grounds, Popsicle sticks and wine corks. In Beacon, residents can drop food waste in containers at the Beacon Recreation Center (23 W. Center St.), Memorial Park or the Churchill Street parking lot near Hudson Valley Brewery. The program does not accept "compostable plastics," such as bin liners, bags, utensils or containers, unless they are made of bamboo. For more information, see dub.sh/beacon-food-scraps. Community Compost Co. offers residential pickup in Beacon starting at $26 per month or $281 per year. The...

Rena from Cold Spring, NY, called Mark to express her excitement that Curtis Sliwa will be returning to New York radio permanently as the new morning show host alongside Larry Mendte. Dan from Queens, NY, shared his opinion that Ann Coulter should join The View to offer a challenge to the panelists on the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rena from Cold Spring, NY, called Mark to express her excitement that Curtis Sliwa will be returning to New York radio permanently as the new morning show host alongside Larry Mendte. Dan from Queens, NY, shared his opinion that Ann Coulter should join The View to offer a challenge to the panelists on the show.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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