Podcasts about Cold Spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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

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

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

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

Republicans say law prevents replacement Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville will remain on November's general-election ballot as the Republican candidate despite abandoning his re-election campaign in June because of an undisclosed illness. Andres Gil, chair of the county's Republican Committee, said on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that state election law prevents political parties from replacing a candidate on the ballot except if they die or are disqualified. A party would then have 10 days to file a certificate with the Board of Elections naming a new candidate. "We did have a lot of interest," said Gil of alternative candidates. There is no Democratic candidate, but Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer, is running as an independent on the Serve & Protect party line. Burke has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, including 26 years with the New York City Police Department. He joined the Cold Spring department in 2013 and served as officer-in-charge for seven years, until 2024. Burke has also been a volunteer firefighter with the North Highlands Fire Co. for 12 years. If McConville outpolls Burke in November and cannot serve, he will be certified as the winner but can notify the Putnam County Board of Elections that he does not intend to take the oath of office, according to the state Board of Elections. Alternatively, he could take the oath and resign. The undersheriff could lead the office until a new sheriff was chosen through a special election or in the 2026 general election. McConville was elected in 2021, defeating Democratic incumbent Robert Langley Jr. with 57 percent of the vote. The sheriff, who lives in Philipstown, will appear on the Republican and Conservative party lines on the November ballot. He began his career in law enforcement as a Cold Spring police officer and rose to become chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police force. He ran unsuccessfully for Putnam sheriff in 2009 as a Democrat and in 2013 as a Republican. Gil said in June that McConville's decision to end his campaign left him "heartbroken." In a letter sent to the committee members, he said the sheriff and his family were the primary concern. "We are grateful for his leadership, his accomplishments and, most importantly, his friendship," Gil wrote. "Anyone who has ever met Sheriff McConville knows that he is truly a remarkable human being who will give you the shirt off his back when in need."

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

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

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

250 Years Ago (July 1775) Benjamin Franklin wrote to William Strahan in England: "You are a member of Parliament, and of that majority which has doomed my country to destruction. You have begun to burn our towns and murder our people. Look upon your hands! They are stained with the blood of your relations! You and I were long friends; You are now my enemy, and I am yours." The mayor of London and the Common Council petitioned King George to end military operations in the colonies. The Continental Congress requested that each colony establish minutemen units. Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler, arriving at 10 p.m. on July 18 to take command at Lake George in the Adirondacks, found a single sentry on duty. On seeing the general, the soldier quickly tried to awaken the three other guards. Patriots in New York City raided royal stores in Turtle Bay (East 42nd Street) for supplies, which were sent to Boston and Lake Champlain. New York observed a day of fasting and devotion, as requested by the Continental Congress. 150 Years Ago (July 1875) After assaulting and robbing the elderly Levi Washburne in Carmel inside his home at 2 a.m., five "ruffians" harnessed a pair of horses to a wagon and drove to Cold Spring, where they abandoned the vehicle. Two men chasing them took the property back to Carmel. The editor of The Cold Spring Recorder noted that local law enforcement did not continue the pursuit, but that the deputy sheriff in Cold Spring and the sheriff likely knew it would be difficult to get reimbursement from the Village Board for their expenses or a reward. A horse left untied by a pineapple peddler at Moshier's fish market was found near the Pacific Hotel. The Cold Spring and Nelsonville rifle clubs held a friendly match, shooting at targets of 50, 75 and 100 yards with Hunter's Pet guns. Cold Spring won, 390-375. Frederick Osborn, 17, drowned while swimming off Mine Point. "His brother made a heroic attempt to save him, but finding that both were sinking, said goodbye and released his hold," according to The Recorder. A passenger on the Montreal Express who disembarked at Cold Spring forgot his pocketbook, with a large amount of cash. He rushed to the telegraph office. His message and the train reached Poughkeepsie at the same time, and the pocketbook was found on the seat, undisturbed. At 7 p.m. on a Tuesday, Miss Kellogg called a girl playing the violin on Main Street for change to her carriage, where they conversed in Italian. After a series of overnight burglaries and home invasions, the Village Board adopted a resolution "that the constables of the town and police officers of the village be specially requested to arrest and take into custody and detain all persons of suspicious character found roaming through the village at any unreasonable hour of the night, or found under suspicious circumstances at any time justifying their arrest and convent without delay to the police magistrate." Billy McCormick, jailed in Cold Spring for stealing a barrel of liquor, claimed he was paid $250 [about $7,300 today] for the job but would not say by whom. A tornado at West Point broke 140 gas hotel lights and moved artillery guns. After a shot was heard at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, two Fair Street men took their guns to Sandy Landing to investigate. They found a dog belonging to Michael O'Brien, of Garden Street, had been shot dead and supposed it was causing trouble for thieves hiding their goods. Passengers aboard the Boardman and Cornwall steam yacht complained that young male swimmers waiting for the swell created by the boat would stand naked on the dock rather than jumping in the water in advance of her passing. Burglars visited B Street, where they attempted to break into the home of James Ball and took a watch from under a mattress in the house of John Butler. A child in Nelsonville was pushed into the road while he and a playmate jostled to catch a pear falling from a tree, and only skillful horse management by Mr. Mangham prevented ...

Help sought for Cortlandt Lake bacteria Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel agreed on July 10 to help arrange a meeting with Cortlandt and Putnam Valley officials over the fecal coliform levels that have forced the closure of the beach at Cortlandt Lake in Continental Village. Putnam County announced last month the closure of beaches at Cortlandt Lake and 13 other water bodies due to the presence of bacteria and harmful algal blooms. Most of Cortlandt Lake is located in Philipstown and Cortlandt, with a small section in Putnam Valley. Jesse Lubbers, a member of the Continental Village Park District board, told the Town Board that the Putnam Department of Health, during testing before Memorial Day, found fecal coliform levels at 30 times the limit considered safe for recreational use. Water discharging into Cortlandt Lake from Canopus Creek and Spy Pond also tested high for fecal coliform, at 10 times the limit, but the contamination "was concentrated at the beach where people go," said Lubbers. Health officials believe that Cortlandt Lake's bacteria levels are caused by failing septic systems at homes around the lake, said Lubbers. Many of those homes were built as summer cottages but are now used year-round, he said. "I have been soliciting advice from the Hudson Highlands Land Trust and others to see if we can get in a room" to discuss the source of the contamination and how it can be fixed, he said. Hudson Highlands Reserve The Town Board held off on giving its consent to the Hudson Highlands Reserve Sewage Works Corp., a private entity created to operate the sewer system serving 23 residences and a community space at the development off Route 9. Philipstown's consent is required under state law. Van Tassel said he wanted the town engineer, Ron Gainer, to review the plans. The town attorney, Steve Gaba, noted that private systems are often "set up to fail and the town winds up having to go in and take over a water system or a sewer system. That's an expensive and difficult proposition." Horton Road LLC, the developer, received Planning Board approval in March to construct homes on a 210-acre property located between Horton Road and East Mountain Road North, with 79 percent of the land set aside as open space. The homes will be clustered on 31 acres, along with two existing residences, and will be accessed from a new road. Route 9D sidewalks Van Tassel said he met with state and local officials about adding sidewalks to Route 9D between the Village of Cold Spring line and Little Stony Point Park. He noted the blacktop that begins north of Haldane's tennis courts is in "rough shape." One of the agencies represented at the meeting, the state Department of Transportation, said it lacks funding, and Van Tassel said the response from a state parks representative "disappointed" him. The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail was invited but no one attended, he said. "We did get some ideas for grants, but solutions are a long way off," he said.

Lost meal demolishes windshield Christine Ortiz, the owner of Oh! Designs Interiors on Stone Street in Cold Spring, was enjoying an average Monday on July 7, but there was nothing average about what happened at 4:15 p.m. as she stepped outside for a walk. "I heard a loud crash and thought something had broken, maybe inside the pub" on the corner, she said. At that same moment, Michelle Kupper was next door, sitting at her desk at the Philipstown Behavioral Health Hub, when she heard what she described as "a loud pop." Kupper saw Ortiz walk by and joined her. "What in the world happened to my car?" Ortiz asked aloud, as they stared at the Subaru parked in a shared driveway. The rear windshield was shattered. "My first thought was that a rock had been thrown," Kupper recalled. "Then I thought maybe the heat made it implode." Kupper peered through the broken glass. She spotted something bright orange. "It's a fish!" Kupper told Ortiz. "What do you mean it's a fish?" Ortiz replied. "Are you kidding me?" To be precise, it was a koi. But how did it end up in the backseat of her Subaru? Talon marks indicated the fish had been taken by a raptor, possibly an eagle or hawk. Ortiz felt it was unlikely to have come from the brackish Hudson River; koi are freshwater fish. "I felt bad; I knew someone was missing a pet," Ortiz said. "That's why I didn't post anything" on social media. The mystery of the Stone Street koi would not be solved by Facebook, Instagram or X. It was a story made for the rumor mill and backyard detectives. Neighbors talked to neighbors. Text messages flew around Cold Spring. Residents shook their heads. All but one, that is. "I heard about it through the grapevine," Garden Street resident Alex Wilcox Cheek said, adding that Teresa Lagerman, who lives across from Oh! Designs, had told him the tale after Ortiz texted her. "It sounded like some Garrison Keillor Lake Wobegon story," Wilcox Cheek said. It also sounded close to home. "I know exactly whose koi that is," he thought. Phil Heffernan, who lives on Church Street and has a koi pond in his backyard, was in California when he received a text from Wilcox Cheek. His pond lies just three blocks due east of where the fish met its end. Wilcox Cheek sent along one of Kupper's photos. Heffernan confirmed it was his koi, and that it had a name: Lucy. In 1953, the previous owner of Heffernan's home had built a 4-foot-deep kiddy pool. In 1990, Heffernan converted it to a fish pond that he keeps well-aerated with "supercharged bubblers" for up to 30 koi. "I always had an aquarium as a kid," he said. Flight Risk July 21, 2024: A fish damaged a Tesla parked in a driveway in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, about a mile from Raritan Bay. After the car alarm went off, the owners investigated and found scales and blood on the broken windshield. They suspected the eagles who had a nest in their backyard. July 13, 2021: Building inspectors in Neenah, Wisconsin, found one of their sedans in the city lot on Monday morning with the hood caved in and a carp, probably from Lake Winnebago, lying on the asphalt nearby. Sept. 5, 2016: Lisa Lobree was walking on Labor Day in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia when she was hit in the face by a 5-pound catfish. "I smelled disgusting," said Lobree, who suffered a cut and had some swelling. While he has never seen an eagle near the pond, hawks are common and the week before Lucy was taken he saw a large peregrine falcon in the backyard. Koi prefer the pond bottom, where the water is coolest. But Heffernan said when temperatures surpass 90 degrees - as they did the week Lucy was taken - the water warms and loses oxygen, and the fish surface to gulp air from the atmosphere. "An eagle would not have dropped that fish; they have claws the size of my hands," he said, adding that on that hot afternoon the hawk would have seen "a mat of koi" on the pond's surface. "The hawk's eyes were bigger than his claws and he grabbed the biggest fish he could," Hef...

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/

Millions expected to lose coverage In addition to love, health insurance pushed Catherine Lisotta and her husband to marry. The Garrison resident's job in the magazine industry offered coverage after he lost his job. When Lisotta got laid off, the couple turned to New York's health exchange, an insurance marketplace where people without access to coverage from employers, and incomes too high for public insurance, can enroll in a private plan using tax credits that lower premium costs. She never considered going without health coverage. "It would worry me too much," said Lisotta, whose insurance is covering a recent hip replacement that would have cost her over $20,000. "It would be like tempting God." Lisotta and other people using exchanges in New York and other states are now facing changes to health care that are estimated to raise the number of uninsured people by 12 million. Those proposals, embedded in U.S. House and Senate versions of the One Big Beautiful Bill, will cost 7.8 million people coverage through Medicaid, according to the Congressional Budget Office The bill was narrowly passed in the House on Thursday (July 3) after passing the Senate on Tuesday (July 1). President Trump signed it on Friday (July 4). New York's two Democratic senators - Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voted against the legislation, as did Rep. Pat Ryan, a House Democrat representing the 18th Congressional District, which includes Beacon. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents the 17th District, which includes Philipstown, voted for the legislation. New York State predicts that 1.5 million statewide will lose insurance, including 38,400 in the 18th District and 31,200 in the 17th District. The bill's provisions would also affect the health care exchanges in New York and other states established when President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Among the changes, people will have to verify their eligibility before enrolling instead of being allowed temporary conditional eligibility. The bill also changes a provision that allows any immigrant who is legally in the country to be eligible for coverage and subsidies through the exchanges, largely limiting that benefit to green-card holders and barring enrollment for refugees and people seeking asylum. There is also concern that Congress will not extend the more-robust tax credits, and expanded eligibility, approved under the administration of President Joe Biden and expiring at the end of the year. Letting them expire would cost 4.2 million people insurance, according to the CBO. Premiums could more than double in both Lawler and Ryan's districts without the extension, according to KFF, a health policy organization. Christine Ortiz, who owns Oh! Designs Interiors in Cold Spring, is among the insured who has been receiving text messages from the state warning that "federal rules may change your health insurance." She not only uses the exchange, but so do a son and daughter. One of them is also self-employed. "The only reason that we can be self-employed is because of health care," she said. "I have a studio in the village, trying to build my business, and having to not have to worry about health insurance has been such a blessing." Sun River Health, whose 40 locations include one in Beacon, estimates that 20,000 of its patients will lose Medicaid, said Ernest Klepeis, its chief of government affairs and advocacy. As the OBBB has worked its way through Congress, Klepeis has been urging senators and representatives to reject the Medicaid cuts, which include stronger work requirements for childless adults between 19 and 64, and a new requirement that recipients recertify their eligibility every six months instead of yearly. While Republicans say that the changes will only impact people who refuse to work, advocates say that most of the people who lost coverage from more stringent work requirements imposed in Arkansas and Georgia were actually eligible for Medicaid. ...

Low ridership, cost drive MTA decision Commuter ferry service between Newburgh and Beacon will not return after being suspended since January, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said last week. NY Waterway has operated the Beacon-to-Newburgh ferry under contract with the MTA since 2005, but the company in March announced that its weekday rush-hour service was discontinued indefinitely due to damage at the Beacon dock. On June 23, Evan Zucarelli, the MTA's acting senior vice president of operations, said during a Metro-North committee meeting that the initial suspension of service was triggered by "typical river icing." However, subsequent assessments "revealed significant damage" to the floating ferry dock the MTA attaches to Beacon's pier, "requiring long-term solutions," he said. After reviewing ridership, which had been "steadily declining" prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the $2.1 million annual cost of the service, the ferry will not return, Zucarelli said. An average of 62 riders used the ferry each day in 2024, down from "approaching 250" per day at its peak in 2008, said Andrew Buder, Metro-North's director of government and community relations. Ridership usually doubles over the summer, but last fall did not rebound to match its numbers from a year earlier, Buder said. "Even with that, we don't see a drop in ridership on the [Metro-North] train correlating to the drop in ridership on the ferry," he said. "If those people are still using the train, they're just choosing to get there a different way." Bus service costing $1.75 per ride will continue ferrying commuters between the two cities on weekday mornings and afternoons for the rest of the year, after which it will become free. The MTA has been working with New York State to expand the frequency and coverage area of the service, Zucarelli said. When pressed by an MTA board member, he said the agency would consider implementing free bus service before 2026. Another factor in the decision, Zucarelli said, is that Beacon is "actively developing plans to activate its dock area for tourism," while in Newburgh, where the MTA had been using a temporary dock, city officials are preparing for similar growth in 2027 with the opening of the $14.3 million Newburgh Landing Pier. The MTA's license to attach its ferry dock in Beacon expired June 30, and the agency notified the city that it did not intend to renew the agreement, City Administrator Chris White said. Neal Zuckerman, a Philipstown resident who represents Putnam County on the MTA board, pushed back against the plans during the June 23 meeting. "It is counterintuitive to me that, at the same time you've mentioned that both Newburgh and Beacon are enhancing their waterfront, that we are finding that use of the waterfront is not valuable," he said. Zuckerman said that what's happening on the Newburgh waterfront is "shockingly nice," while Beacon is a "TOD [transit-oriented development] dream, because it was once a moribund, empty area." Then, when Dia Beacon arrived in 2003, "it created an extraordinary resurgence" in a community that, because of the MTA, was "an easy one to get to." Whether ferry service returns or not, restricted access to the dock has hindered the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which would typically dock in Beacon for at least six weeks out of its April-to-November sailing season. Clearwater has had to reschedule school sails aboard the sloop to depart from either Cold Spring or Poughkeepsie, while some fee-based sails for private groups and pay-what-you-can community sails, which draw about 45 people per outing, have been canceled, said David Toman, the organization's executive director. "Our core - the idea of getting people out on the sloop, out on the water - provides a unique impact that you can't get otherwise," he said. "It is critically important to be in Beacon and be able to serve the community from that access point." Steve Chanks, an art director who lives in Newburgh, often ...

Cold Spring fan hooked for decades The blockbuster Jaws was released 50 years ago today (June 20), and although Cold Spring resident Courtney Clark wasn't born until a decade later, it didn't stop her from becoming a megafan of the ocean thriller. "I've watched it at least 100 times," she says. Based on a novel by Peter Benchley and directed by Stephen Spielberg, Jaws is set in the fictional New England island community of Amity, where a great white appears at peak tourist season, terrorizing residents and visitors. After the predator has claimed three victims, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Capt. Quint (Robert Shaw) head out in the fishing boat Orca to confront the menace. The hunt does not go well. Clark first watched Jaws when she was 10, in Pleasantville, when her family rented the video. "My mom finally decided I was old enough," she recalls. "I was scared, but I didn't appreciate all the nuances I've come to love about the film." Within a year, Clark saw it again, in a friend's darker, scarier basement. By her mid-teens, she was hooked, watching it about three times a year. That habit continues four decades later. "I watch it as much as my husband Dan will tolerate," she says with a laugh. Clark says her favorite line in the 124-minute film is when Quint, aboard Orca, offers a toast to Hooper and Brody: "Here's to swimming with bow-legged women." She can recite much of the movie's dialogue from memory, except for Quint's "Indianapolis" speech. In the monologue, one of the movie's most gripping scenes, Quint recounts in grizzly detail the story of the USS Indianapolis, which was torpedoed by the Japanese near the Philippines in July 1945 during World War II and sank in 12 minutes. Only 316 of 890 sailors survived in the shark-infested waters. Clark feels the movie, which cost $9 million (about $54 million today) to make and grossed $478 million worldwide ($2.9 billion), stands the test of time, even after half a century. "It's always as exciting as the first time I watched it," she says. "Even though I know every scene and what's coming, it's still shocking. I still find details I hadn't noticed before. "I love its style, the '70s, the outfits; it's a little slice of life of that time," she says. "It's so perfectly made; every shot is like a work of art." Her favorite scene is when the shark attacks young Alex Kintner in a rubber raft near the beach. "The camera pans, you see people walking by, and it keeps going back and forth between Brody's face and the water. The feel of that scene is amazing." Her scariest scene: When they find fisherman Ben Gardner's boat, badly damaged by the shark. Hooper goes into the water, and Gardner's head pops out from a hole in the side of the boat. Her favorite character: "Brody, Quint and Hooper are all incredible, but I relate most to Hooper; I appreciate that he's a marine biologist." Events behind the scenes also captured Clark's imagination. "The making of Jaws is as iconic as the film," she said, adding that The Jaws Log, by Carl Gottlieb, the film's screenwriter, details what went on during filming, most of which was on Martha's Vineyard. Clark finds it especially amusing that producers toyed with trying to train a shark to play the central character, rather than building a mechanical double. Gottlieb's book describes how residents coped with a movie crew disrupting life on the island and how the filmmakers dealt with a fake shark that rarely functioned as planned. Ironically, those difficulties may have contributed to the movie's success. There were so many problems with the shark, nicknamed "Bruce" after Spielberg's lawyer, that it appears on screen for only four minutes. "The fact that they had such limited footage makes it much more suspenseful when you actually see the shark," Clark says. Unlike many critics and fans, she enjoyed all three sequels: Jaws 2, Jaws 3 and Jaws: The Revenge, with Michael...

Wet weather spoils plans, but heat is on the way Today (June 20) is the first day of summer, but if you feel like you've been stuck inside more often than not during the last seven soggy weeks of spring, it's because you probably have. Jesse Stacken, a weather monitor who is part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), has recorded rainfall at his Beacon home 31 out of 50 days since the beginning of May. He's seen measurable precipitation 14 of the last 15 weekends, dating to March 16. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 3.72 inches of rain is normal for May in Beacon. Stacken measured 10.29 inches, "so we doubled it and then some," he said. Normal rainfall for June is 4.47 inches; Stacken's gauge had seen 3.54 inches through Thursday, including a Wednesday downpour that dumped nearly an inch in 45 minutes. In Philipstown, CoCoRaHS monitors Joe Hirsch and Heidi Wendel have measured 24.12 inches of precipitation from Jan. 1 through Thursday, including 8.66 inches in May and 3.23 in June. During the same year-to-date period last year, the Nelsonville residents had seen 26.78 inches, with 4.33 inches falling in May 2024 and 1 inch in June through the 19th. The rain has flooded fields and set production back at Common Ground Farm in Wappingers Falls. In addition to losing about 200 feet of kale - a third of what had been planted - and tomatoes to flooding, Rhys Bethke, Common Ground's farm manager, said it was difficult this spring using a tractor on wet, compacted soil. "If you can't get the fields prepared in time, you don't have crops in time," Bethke said. Fungal and bacterial infections have also been more common because they thrive in wet conditions. Foot traffic, particularly on the weekends, has been down on Main Street in Cold Spring, said Fran Farnorotto, the owner of The Gift Hut. "There are a lot of things that are impacting sales," she said, "weather being one of the issues." Ben Noll, a meteorologist who grew up in Orange County and now lives in New Zealand, tracks weather for The Washington Post. He noted via email this week that rainfall in the Hudson Valley has been close to average in 2025. January through April saw below-average precipitation, but May was the "big, wet standout." June could end up having above-average rainfall, as well, he said. And while it's felt cool lately, temperatures in April, May and June were slightly warmer than the long-term (1991 to 2020) average. But because the climate is changing quickly, Noll said, people have grown accustomed to above-average temperatures. When conditions are more "old normal" than "new normal," it may feel cooler than it really is. "The polar vortex, which is responsible for keeping cold air locked up in the Arctic, has been more disturbed than normal this year, allowing strands of cold air to surge southward in the central and eastern United States with greater regularity," Noll said, adding that the same pattern led temperatures to reach near 80 degrees in Iceland in May, a record for that country. "That pattern is finished now and we're about to see a big, warmer and more humid change in our weather." Indeed, we are. Temperatures are expected to reach 98 degrees on Monday and Tuesday. Rombout Middle School in Beacon will dismiss students at 11:15 a.m. both days; the district's four elementary schools will dismiss at 12:10 p.m. The Regents week schedule at Beacon High School, which is air-conditioned, is unchanged. Here's why extreme heat is coming. The jet stream is about to be pushed north of the U.S., Noll said, creating a "heat dome" effect. "This essentially lumps our weather into the same basket as Florida, Texas and the rest of the South," he said. Noll's outlook for the rest of summer is hot and humid, especially at night, "because of extremely warm ocean temperatures in the western Atlantic and Gulf." He predicts that downpours will never be far away, although "I expect there to be plenty ...

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.   

Today's episode features guest host Michael Upshall (guest editor, Charleston Briefings) who talks with Richard Sever, Assistant Director, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Richard earned his PhD in molecular biology and has been with Cold Spring Harbor for over 17 years. He recently became Chief Science and Strategy Officer at Open Archive, which oversees bioRxiv and medRxiv. Richard says he has always been fascinated with figuring out how things work, and that led him to a career in science. He realized that he didn't want a career in academic research but enjoyed science communication instead. Richard moved into scientific publishing, enjoying the range of topics and collaboration with authors, and eventually chose Cold Spring to work with because of the high caliber research and mission driven innovation there.  Richard and his colleague John Inglis founded bioRxiv, a biology preprint server, with hopes to improve how science is evaluated and shared.   The video of this podcast can be found here: https://youtu.be/9dOa9gJy1Y0 Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsever/ Twitter: Keywords: #ColdSpringHarbor #BioRxiv #MedRxiv #STEMCareers #ResearchInnovation #OpenScience #ScientificPublishing #SciComm #ScienceCommunication #preprints #career #collaboration #scholcomm #ScholarlyCommunication #libraries #librarianship #LibraryNeeds #LibraryLove #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #publishing #LibrariesAndPublishers #podcasts

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

Accuse president of meddling with scholarships Nearly all the members of a board overseeing the prestigious Fulbright scholarships resigned Wednesday (June 11) in protest of what they call the Trump administration's meddling with the selection of award recipients for the international exchange program. A Philipstown resident, Sophia Ptacek, earlier this year lost her Fulbright fellowship to spend nine months working on industrial decarbonization and air pollution reduction for a Colombian government ministry. "I'm holding on to hope that it could still happen," said Ptacek, who grew up in Garrison and Cold Spring and attended the Poughkeepsie Day School. "But I am in limbo. It's sad." Ptacek last year completed a dual master's program at Yale University in environmental management and public health. She also was selected for a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, part of a U.S. State Department international exchange and education program suspended by the White House in February. Ptacek wanted to help reduce air pollution in Colombia. "There's quite a lot of manufacturing and heavy industry, and as a result, a lot of air pollution that has public health impacts for communities near these plants," she said. The Fulbright board resignations were first reported by The New York Times. A statement published online by members said the administration usurped the board's authority by denying awards to "a substantial number of people" who already had been chosen to study and teach in the U.S. and abroad. Another 1,200 foreign award recipients who were already approved to come to the U.S. are undergoing an unauthorized review process that could lead to their rejection, the board members said. "To continue to serve after the administration has consistently ignored the board's request that they follow the law would risk legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful and damage the integrity of this storied program and America's credibility abroad," the statement reads. Congress established the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago to promote international exchange and American diplomacy. The highly selective program awards about 9,000 scholarships annually in the U.S. and in more than 160 other countries to students, scholars, and professionals in a range of fields. All but one of the 12 board members resigned, according to Carmen Estrada-Schaye, who is the only remaining board member. "I was appointed by the president of the United States and I intend to fill out my term," Estrada-Schaye said. Award recipients are selected in a yearlong process by the State Department and other countries' embassies. The board has had final approval. The recipients who had their awards canceled are in fields including biology, engineering, agriculture, music, medical sciences, and history, the board members said. All the board members who resigned were selected under former President Joe Biden. The State Department, which runs the scholarship program, said they were partisan political appointees. "It's ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump's Executive Orders," the department said. "The claim that the Fulbright Hayes Act affords exclusive and final say over Fulbright Applications to the Fulbright board is false. This is nothing but a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump."

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.

COLD SPRING SPORTS IN MAINE by 101.9POR

Linda George, parishioner at St. Boniface in Cold Spring, shares how listening plays a role in discernment process – listening to others, to research, to the Holy Spirit. She provides examples of discernment from her life, methods she finds useful and even a nugget of wisdom her daily devotional brought forward on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph.

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A spring garden in ceramics Cindy Pope is a ceramic artist from Waite Park. She got a dose of early spring by visiting the ceramics exhibit “Garden Party” at the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud. Created by Stacy Larson, who is originally from Cold Spring, the exhibit features wheel-thrown and hand-carved cups and tableware that look like delicate leaves and flowers, glazed in springtime colors. The exhibit runs through March. Voices of the Asian American experienceJulia Cheng of Duluth had a chance to hear the world premiere this fall of “mOthertongue: Lived Experience in Asian America.” Soprano Jennifer Lien of Duluth performs three song cycles commissioned by Asian American women composers, accompanied on piano by Lina Yoo-Min Lee. Lien commissioned these new works in partnership with the Cincinnati Song Initiative with support from the Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Individuals grant. The duo has continued to perform these works in what Cheng refers to as “a living collaboration.” They'll perform highlights of the song cycles at the College of St. Scholastica's “Lunch With Friends” on March 25, with the full performance on March 28 at the college's Mitchell Auditorium. Julia Cheng was touched by the performance and looks forward to hearing it again.“I have to say that, as the child of immigrants from China, these songs really resonated with me,” Cheng said. “I always wondered, you know, how did they deal with the dislocation of leaving home, family, language, culture, developing new community, the wrenching loss of being separated from family? These are all things that I heard bits and pieces of in the song cycles by Melissa Dunphy and the other two composers.” Wood sculptures at Tettegouche Annalisa Buerke follows her former colleague artist Rick Love on Instagram, where she enjoyed watching his process of creating a series of sculptures now on view at the Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center in Silver Bay.The five sculptures are all made of wood — some painted, some charred — that celebrate both forests and sustainability. The works evoke the moon, the sun, a tree, a waterfall and Lake Superior. They'll be on view through March.Tettegouche State Park's Visitor Center includes both juried art shows (of which Love's exhibit was one) and an artist-in-residence program. 

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

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

It's been a HOT minute since we got to have a good old fashioned rambling episode, but A LOT has happened in the last few weeks. This episode Mike and Erica dive into the latest winter tour posters, specifically for Dave & Tim Mexico 2025 and the Goose Winter Tour. There's a ton of prints to discuss, including (but not limited to) D&T prints by artists Josh Noom, Brian Steeley, Daniel Danger, Max Mahn, Joaqun Nava, and Goose prints by artists Tiffany Chin, Schnitzelbearstudios, James Flames, Lewy Jones, Dave Kloc and Max Loffler. Deep dives coming soon for a few prints we were able to get in hand. Also, heading into 2025, what would you like to see from the podcast! Please like and share episodes on the socials, and subscribe for first notifications on all streaming platforms!

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

The guys sit down with Luke Junjulas, owner of LJ Property Maintenance to hear about how he got his start doing some very unique residential snow properties, and his plans for the future

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCORPIO!!!!Enjoy November, Scorps! In a special twist, there are two full moons this month and Susan Miller believes that Scorpio will enjoy both of them. Laura kicks off this episode with a tale of finding treasure in the wild. In this case, the treasure is the 2025 Astrology Zone calendar and the wild is a boutique in Cold Spring, NY! The gals then have a discussion about Susan's election-related content. Despite the fact that Susan tends not to make predictions about current events (and she made no exception for the election), there is plenty to chat about regardless. Next Laura and Alex recap Susan's Note to her readers, in which Susan explains why the horoscopes were late: she went to China! Despite Susan explaining otherwise, the forecasts this month are a bit abbreviated, but that's the trade-off for being introduced to Susan Miller Traveler. And while the trip did delay the horoscopes, there is, of course, more to the story, including a respiratory illness and even more stress related to her move. Alex then tells her fellow Scorpios what they can expect during their birthday month, such as money and the adoration of VIPs! The Scorps should also watch out for strange behavior from their partners, be they spouses, colleagues, or, as Laura surmises, Parcheesi partners. Laura then fills Taurus in on everything they need to know for November. They too must keep an eye on their partners and should consider doing their holiday shopping early to avoid complications caused by the many planets that are about to retrograde. Laura and Alex discuss the following at these timestamps: Note from Susan Miller: 8:37Scorpio: 20:19Taurus: 32:50Share your own thoughts on Susan Miller's Astrology Zone with us by emailing astrologyzoned@gmail.com.Links:Read each episode's transcript at our website: astrologyzoned.comHelp Laura reach the full potential of her Susan Miller legacy by buying her romance novels: http://Lauralovelybooks.com

Send us a textWhat if you could transform a dream into reality amidst the chaos of a global pandemic? Hartwell Carson did just that, and we're here to share his journey of turning a piece of family land into the Cold Spring Basecamp. Discover how this family-friendly destination swaps cumbersome tents for cozy cabins, positioning itself as the ultimate launchpad near popular hiking, biking, kayaking & fishing spots.Join us as we explore the unique features and craftsmanship of this rustic retreat, including a professionally built tree house that offers a luxurious escape. We'll uncover the decision-making process behind the various accommodations, from open-air solar-powered cabins to tent camping. The retreat's bathhouse amenities, like outdoor showers and a naturally spring-fed cold plunge, cater to guests seeking both seclusion and modern conveniences. With walnut countertops and barn wood accents in the climate controlled tree house, Cold Springs Base Camp crafts a perfect blend of adventure and relaxation, all fueled by Hartwell's passion and commitment to family-driven exploration.https://www.coldspringbasecamp.com/Your Adventure Starts Here: https://www.coldspringbasecamp.com/en/your-adventureMike AndressHost, Exploration Local828-551-9065mike@explorationlocal.comPodcast WebsiteFacebookInstagram: explorationlocal

No Notoriety Campaign: www.nonotoriety.comDon't Name Them Campaign: www.dontnamethem.comCredits:Narrated By: JT HosackWritten By: Mari ColeCreated, Researched, & Edited by: Kat MorrisDisclaimer By: Lanie Hobbs from True Crime with LanieVisit us online to view original documents pertaining to the cases we cover and more! www.podcastactive.comActive Shooter: The Podcast is a Hi 5 Holly Production.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/active-shooter-the-podcast--3688663/support.

In this episode, I chat a bit about how the Bhagavad Gita, which I consider a kind of human being instruction manual, gives guidance about the qualities of someone who is more "divine" vs. someone more "demonic." Since our political situation has become one where the opposite sides are so at odds, I thought Chapter 16 of the Gita could provide a little insight. And make your plan to vote this November!If you have an interest in the Gita, I would recommend starting with the translation and commentary by Eknath Easwaren.I'm teaching two workshops this fall. One at ISHTA Yoga on Meditation for beginners or people who have trouble trying to meditate. The other at Ascend in Cold Spring is about gaining a richer yoga practice to use in challenging times. For details, see https://ishtayoga.com/workshops and https://www.ascendcenter.com/special-events/richer-practice-richer-life-with-peter-ferko-yogirajPlease support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you!

Carole Osterink writes The Gossips of Rivertown, a blog that is news and commentary (and takes its name from a novel by a Hudson writer). It's a must-read for all of us who live here. This episode tune into Carole's story, how she chooses what to cover, if she considers herself a journalist andtr advise if you want to start a hyperlocal news sources like it in your town.  I hope you have something like it where you live. And I hope it's written by someone like Carole.  Hyperlocal newspapers & blogs (pls send in more!): A Little Beacon Blog (Beacon) 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) The Hudson Valley Pilot (Rhinebeck) Hudson Valley One (Ulster County) Hudson Valley Post IMBY (several counties) Kingston Wire (Kingston)  Mid-Hudson News Ossining History on the Run (Ossining) Tgazette (Taghkanic) Plus, Mat is recently interviewed on the Rhinebeck Scoop podcast about Cidiot. There also are many good visitor and travel blogs to the Hudson Valley but that's a separate list. Let me know if I should put one together.  Cidiot® is the award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley. Please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com, join the mailing list, and get in touch about what you like—and what you'd like to hear about. And come visit. Cidiot® 2024. All Rights Reserved. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cidiot/support

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

One of Minnesota's leading Republicans reacted to Gov. Tim Walz becoming the Democratic candidate for vice president by saying she views it as an opportunity to shine a national spotlight on his record ahead of crucial local elections in November. House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, joined Liz Collin Reports this week.Support the Show.