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

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

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...

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 ...

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 ...

Philipstown organization gets a triple boost Seamus Carroll and his wife, Marie Wieck, began shopping at Foodtown in Cold Spring when it opened in 2003 following a fire that had destroyed the previous supermarket at the location, the Grand Union. Like other customers, they started accumulating 10 points in Foodtown loyalty awards for every dollar spent. The points could be redeemed for grocery gift cards. Three months ago, the couple became the first Foodtown customers to reach 1 million points, according to the store manager, Mike Wilson. Carroll said they decided to push for 1 million in 2008, when they hit 100,000. "It became a family joke," he said, noting he would scold his daughters if they cashed in points to get discounts at the checkout. "I told them we were saving for 1 million; they laughed at that." When they hit the mark earlier this year, Carroll sent a photo of the receipt to his daughters, who live in England and China, respectively. They responded with smiley faces, he said. This week, Carroll and Wieck donated their points to the Philipstown Food Pantry, which operates on Saturday mornings at the First Presbyterian Church in Cold Spring. The pantry redeemed the points for $1,150 in Foodtown gift cards. The supermarket donated another $350 in cards for an even $1,500. "We thought this would be a way to leverage the gift cards, prompting others to donate," Carroll said. "It's a reminder that you can give points to the food pantry [at the customer service desk]; I'm sure people forget this option." The food pantry will receive another unexpected gift on Saturday (June 14) when Donna Anderson delivers a $1,017 donation from Philipstown Senior Citizens of Putnam County, which disbanded at the end of 2024. Food Insecurity Widespread Even amid wealth, many people struggle to make ends meet. An annual report by the United Way known as ALICE (for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) "is an alarm bell for what we see every Saturday" at the Philipstown Food Pantry, said Kiko Lattu, its coordinator. In May, the pantry provided food and other necessities to an average of 71 households each week. The United Way argues that the federal poverty level does not accurately reflect the number of people struggling financially to meet basic needs. Using census and other federal data, it calculated for its latest report, released in May, that 38 percent of Cold Spring/Philipstown and 35 percent of Garrison households don't earn enough to cover the costs of essentials such as housing, food, transportation, health care, child care and a basic phone plan. "Even more troubling, 51 percent of seniors and about two-thirds of single-parent households in Putnam County are likely struggling," Lattu said. In Putnam County, the United Way calculated that a single adult needs at least $54,180 annually to meet basic needs, or $135,660 for a family of two adults with two children in child care. In Beacon, the United Way calculated that 42 percent of the city's 8,367 households struggle to meet a basic survival budget for Dutchess County of $40,296 for a single adult with $114,996 for a family of two adults and two children in child care. By contrast, the federal poverty level is $14,580 for an individual and $30,000 for a family of four. Anderson, who served as president for the final two years, said the club was formed in 1974 and at one time had more than 100 members. But by last year, the remaining members voted to dissolve the club and donate its fund balance to the pantry because many seniors suffer from food insecurity. Anderson was a vocal advocate for establishing a county senior center at the redeveloped Butterfield Hospital site. After the Philipstown Friendship Center opened there in 2018, she said the need for a seniors' group diminished. On June 1, a Nelsonville family - Karen and Ryan Peters and their daughters, Callie and Sadie - set up a table outside Foodtown to solicit donations for the pantry. In less than three ho...

There are four Democratic candidates for two open seats on the Philipstown Town Board - Ben Cheah, John Maasik, Nat Prentice and Ned Rauch. They will compete in a primary on June 24 for the two Democratic lines on the general-election ballot in November. Cheah and Rauch, who were endorsed by the Philipstown Democratic Committee, also filed independent nominating petitions and will appear on the November ballot on the Philipstown Focus party line regardless of the primary outcome. There are no candidates from other parties. We asked each candidate to answer four questions in a total of 500 words or less. The responses are below, presented in alphabetical order by last name. For information on voting and a link to reader endorsements, see below. What in your background makes you the best candidate? Ben Cheah: I believe that a great board member brings passion, dedication, teamwork and expertise - and I'll bring all of that to the Philipstown board. Ten years ago, my wife Megan and I chose to raise our two sons in Philipstown. We love this community and feel lucky to call it home. Both of us have always been active volunteers. I've served on the Philipstown Recreation Commission, Cold Spring Planning Board (current), as Cub Scouts Pack 137 treasurer and on the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency board. Running for Town Board feels like a natural next step - one I'm genuinely passionate about. I'm especially focused on the challenges of rising costs and tightening budgets. I plan to be hands-on with budgeting and long-term planning to help keep costs and taxes under control. I bring to the table an MBA in finance from New York University's Stern School of Business; 25 years of project management and executive experience in the film and TV industry; and a strong creative background in sound design for film, with credits on Men in Black, The Big Lebowski, The Birdcage and The Wire. John Maasik: I've lived in Philipstown for over 20 years: 10 in Cold Spring and 10 in Garrison, where my wife and I raised our two sons. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours volunteering with community-based organizations, including the Philipstown Recreation Commission, Philipstown Soccer Club, Friends of Philipstown Recreation and Scouting America, in addition to participating in the Haldane turf field effort and the Garrison School Safety Committee. I also helped launch events such as the Castle-to-River Run and Winter Carnival, raising thousands in non-taxpayer dollars and donations for town programs. These efforts have helped me build strong relationships across Cold Spring, Continental Village, Garrison and Nelsonville. Professionally, I've led large teams and managed multimillion-dollar budgets in the private sector, experiences that have shaped my ability to listen carefully, act with integrity and lead without ego. The values that guide me most deeply come from my family's story. My parents were Estonian refugees who fled Soviet occupation after my grandfather was killed by the Russians. My grandmother brought her three children to the U.S. in search of safety, freedom and a new beginning. I was raised with a deep respect for civic responsibility, community and the promise of American democracy. Nat Prentice: Experience, experience, experience. I have had a career in finance and investments. I grew up in Garrison and moved back here 25 years ago. Since moving back, I have attended most of the Town Board's monthly meetings, so I know the commitment that is required to address Philipstown's challenges and opportunities. I helped create the Town's 2007 Comprehensive Plan, and in 2018 I was appointed chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee that published an update adopted in 2021. Working on the plan meant partnering with a multitude of people from the North Highlands to Continental Village. I know the town's goals and priorities really well. In addition, I work with emergency services (commissioner, Garrison Fire District; me...

Recovery from crash called 'miracle' Laura Timmons always believed that her teenage daughter would recover from the traumatic brain injury she suffered in the car accident on Route 9 that killed another Haldane High School student in December 2023. During Theresa Timmons' 15-month rehabilitation at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, Laura Timmons chronicled each "big thing" in her daughter's recovery: the first time she swallowed drinks and food; the first time she responded to questions with gestures; and progressing to writing and talking. "I knew in my heart we would get there, and I never felt any negative," said Laura Timmons, whose family owns Homestyle Bakery in Nelsonville and Peekskill. Her faith received another reward on Thursday (May 29) when Theresa, wearing a shirt filled with signatures from well-wishers and supported on one side by a cane and the other by Laura's boyfriend, Mike Raguso, walked across Blythdale's lobby on her way home for the first time since the accident. A gauntlet of family, friends and Blythedale staff and patients clapped and cheered as Theresa headed through the front door. Outside, Theresa began crying as staff assembled around her to take pictures and say goodbye. First responders from the Continental Village Fire Department, Cortlandt-Peekskill Paramedics and the state police assembled to escort the ambulance carrying her home to Garrison. "Awesome," said Theresa, now 17, when asked about Thursday's sendoff and returning home. "I felt like someone famous." Katherine Ingrasci and Mary Kate Filos used the word "miracle." Ingrasci, a speech-language pathologist at Blythedale, said that Theresa could not eat or talk, and breathed using a tracheostomy tube inserted in her neck when she arrived at Blythedale. Theresa had "a lot of things to overcome" during the hospitalization and made tremendous progress from initially communicating solely through gestures, said Ingrasci. One day, "I walked in and she looked up at me and said a full, beautiful sentence," said Ingrasci. That progress owed much to Theresa, who Filos described as a "fighter" and hard worker. Filos also credited the family and friends who supported Theresa's recovery by donating money, visiting and sending cards and gifts. "They had somebody at the bedside around the clock; Theresa was never alone," said Filos. "So we bonded not just with mom, not just with dad, but with so many extended family members and friends." Also attending the sendoff were some of the Continental Village firefighters and paramedics who responded to the tragedy: a Dec. 15, 2023, car crash on Route 9 that claimed the life of Vlad Saban, a 17-year-old Haldane High School senior, and left Theresa, then 16 and a junior at the school, in critical condition. Chief Joseph Maffettone said in September 2024 that firefighters responding to the accident found "complete wreckage." Attacking the doors and bottom of the wreck with cutting tools, they found Vlad already deceased and Theresa in the rear - unconscious and laying on her left side, protected in a "cocoon," according to Maffettone. "There was a complete tunnel around her," said Maffettone, whose family has been buying baked goods from Homestyle for years and knew the Timmons family. "How she was positioned, it was amazing." Jennifer Hunt, a paramedic with Cortlandt-Peekskill Paramedics, described Theresa's physical condition as "multi-system" trauma. "She had anything and everything that could possibly be wrong with a patient going on," said Hunt last September. "We had a lot of decisions to make in a very short timeframe." Hunt said that she and a colleague, Richard Blackley, sedated Theresa and inserted an endotracheal tube, which is used when patients cannot breathe unaided. With her breathing stabilized, they decided to drive Theresa to Westchester Medical Center rather than wait for a helicopter that had been standing by. By February 2024, Theresa was responding to commands...

Take time today to remember those who sacrificed Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday that's supposed to be about mourning the nation's fallen service members, but it's come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of travel and discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. Iraq War veteran Edmundo Eugenio Martinez Jr. said the day has lost so much meaning that many Americans "conflate and mix up Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, July Fourth." Social media posts pay tribute to "everyone" who has served, when Memorial Day is about those who died. For him, it's about honoring 17 U.S. service members he knew who lost their lives. "I was either there when they died or they were soldiers of mine, buddies of mine," said Martinez, 48, an Army veteran who lives in Katy, Texas, west of Houston. "Some of them lost the battle after the war." Steve Merando, who has marched in Cold Spring's Memorial Day parade since he was 10 years old, agreed. "People forget that Memorial Day is supposed to be a memorial to those who were killed in action while serving their country," said Merando, who served with the U.S. Navy Seabees from 1969 to 1973, including in Vietnam and Thailand. He played Little League baseball with Keith Livermore, one of three Philipstown residents killed in the Vietnam War. In Memoriam: Philipstown and Beacon Here is a look at the holiday and how it has evolved: When is Memorial Day? It falls on the last Monday of May, which this year is May 26. In Cold Spring, a parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Stone and Main streets and progress to Cold Spring Cemetery in Nelsonville for a ceremony. Hot dogs and refreshments will follow at the American Legion. Rain or shine. In Beacon, a ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at 413 Main St. It will include the dedication of a plaque to mark the 100th anniversary of the Veterans Memorial Building, which was completed in 1925. Why is Memorial Day celebrated? It's a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. military. The holiday is observed in part by the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. for a moment of silence. What are the origins of Memorial Day? The holiday's origins can be traced to the American Civil War, which killed more than 600,000 service members - both Union and Confederate - between 1861 and 1865. The first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day occurred on May 30, 1868, after an organization of Union veterans called for decorating war graves with flowers, which were in bloom. The practice was already widespread. Waterloo, New York, in Seneca County, began a formal observance on May 5, 1866, and was later proclaimed to be the holiday's birthplace. Yet Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, traced its first observance to October 1864. And women in some Confederate states were decorating graves before the war's end. David Blight, a Yale history professor, points to May 1, 1865, when as many as 10,000 people, many of them Black, held a parade, heard speeches and dedicated the graves of Union dead in Charleston, South Carolina. A total of 267 Union troops had died at a Confederate prison and were buried in a mass grave. After the war, members of Black churches buried them in individual graves. "What happened in Charleston does have the right to claim to be first, if that matters," Blight told the Associated Press in 2011. When did Memorial Day become a source of contention? As early as 1869, The New York Times wrote that the holiday could become "sacrilegious" and no longer "sacred" if it focused more on pomp, dinners and oratory. In an 1871 Decoration Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, abolitionist Frederick Douglass said he feared Americans were forgetting the Civil War's impetus: enslavement. "We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves between the nation and the nation's destroyers," Douglass said. His concern...

Proposal also would steer revenue to towns, villages Four Putnam legislators who supported lowering the county's sales tax rate acquiesced on Monday (May 19), endorsing state legislation that will maintain the current 4 percent rate and send some proceeds to Cold Spring, Nelsonville, Philipstown and six other towns and villages. Convening for a special session, the Legislature voted 7-1 to support bills introduced by state Sen. Pete Harckham and Assembly Member Matt Slater, whose districts include eastern Putnam, that would extend the 4 percent sales tax rate for another two years. Without the bill, the rate will return to 3 percent. Consumers pay a total of 8.375 percent on eligible purchases, which includes portions that go the state (4 percent) and Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (0.375 percent). The state legislation also requires that one-ninth of 1 percent of Putnam's sales tax revenue be shared with the county's nine municipalities. State lawmakers first approved the increase from 3 percent to 4 percent in 2007, at the county's request, and a series of extensions have kept it in place. The most recent extension expires Nov. 30. In April, five county legislators voted to lower Putnam's tax to 3.75 percent as a give-back to taxpayers amid a $90 million surplus in unrestricted reserves. But County Executive Kevin Byrne vetoed the reduction and announced an agreement to share with the towns and villages proceeds from the 1 percent increase if it were extended. Municipalities can spend the money on infrastructure projects, with each receiving an amount tied to its population and each guaranteed at least $50,000. Harckham and Slater endorsed the agreement, which would take effect Dec. 1 and last through Nov. 30, 2027, if their bills pass the Legislature and become law. In addition to enabling what Byrne calls "a first-of-its-kind sales tax-sharing arrangement," the extension will fund a $1 million reduction in the property-tax levy for the 2026 budget that he said would be the largest in county history. "The alternative was allowing the county's sales tax rate to drop, immediately creating a revenue shortfall of tens of millions of dollars, forcing the county to borrow, raise property taxes or both," Byrne said. Facing those same pressures, Putnam's municipalities have for years demanded a share of the sales tax revenue, something that 50 of New York's 62 counties do with their cities, towns and villages, according to the state Comptroller's Office. Dutchess' 2025 budget includes $46 million in sales tax distributions, with an estimated $6.1 million for Beacon. If the proposed revenue-sharing agreement had been in place in 2024, Putnam would have distributed $2.4 million to the towns and three villages on a per capita basis, Byrne said during a news conference last month. "I haven't heard a single constituent ask us to lower the sales tax," said Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley as the Legislature's sole Democrat, on Monday. "What I have heard loud and clear is stop the back and forth, stop the chaos and work together." Legislator Dan Birmingham, who led the effort to lower the sales tax rate, did not participate in the vote because his law firm represents three of the municipalities that would benefit from the revenue-sharing agreement. Another supporter of the cut, Paul Jonke, was the only legislator voting against endorsing Harckham and Slater's legislation, which must pass the state Legislature before its session concludes on June 12. Amid that pressure, legislators who voted for the vetoed sales tax cut last month endorsed maintaining the current rate. But they complained about being sidelined while Byrne and the municipal officials reached a revenue-sharing agreement and secured backing from Harckham and Slater. Legislator Toni Addonizio, who had voted for the cut, was among those who did not agree with how the revenue-sharing agreement was crafted. She had proposed...

State must approve three-year agreement Central Hudson on Tuesday (May 13) announced a three-year agreement with the state and other parties that would raise electricity and gas delivery rates for most customers. If the plan is approved by the state Public Service Commission, a typical Central Hudson customer will pay $5.43 (5.09 percent) more per month for electricity delivery during the first year, beginning July 1, and $6.25 and $6.62 more for the subsequent two years. Lower-income customers enrolled in an energy-assistance program would see decreases of $3.85 (4.2 percent) per month. The delivery charge for gas would increase by $7.73 (6.6 percent) per month during the first year and $11.27 and $12.37 in subsequent years. After applying $44 million in bill credits, Central Hudson would collect $144 million in new revenue over the three years, according to a summary of the proposal. The company said it would spend that revenue on infrastructure, higher labor costs and bonuses, energy-efficiency and heat-pump programs and a 9.5 percent return on shareholder equity. Central Hudson also agreed to provide customer bills in Spanish, continue outreach to households about energy assistance and award up to $200,000 in grants for workforce training in green-energy fields. Opponents and supporters of the proposal, whose signatories include the state Department of Public Service, have until May 23 to submit statements to the PSC, which scheduled a hearing for June 13. "At Central Hudson, we understand the financial challenges that rising bills place on our customers, and we are committed to easing this burden by implementing a rate plan that balances essential system investments with the need to keep costs as low as possible," said Steph Raymond, the utility's president and CEO. Those costs, however, have been rising for Central Hudson's 315,000 electric and 90,000 gas customers. The most recent rate increase, approved by the PSC in July 2024, was for a one-year hike of $12.65 per month for the average electric bill and $12.25 for gas. The following month, Central Hudson submitted a request for another one-year increase to electric and gas delivery rates of $9 a month. The agreement announced on Tuesday replaces that request. Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, issued his verdict on Wednesday (May 14), urging the PSC to reject the proposed agreement. He said the return on equity is "good for shareholders of Fortis [Central Hudson's parent company] but not for its customers," who include 6,853 households in Beacon, 3,646 in Philipstown, 1,270 in Cold Spring and 326 in Nelsonville.

Philipstown, Dutchess County affected An appeals court on Wednesday (May 7) upheld a law that will shift many county and town elections in New York to even-numbered years, including in Putnam and Dutchess - a change meant to align local elections with statewide and federal races. Democrats argue that the law, which was approved two years ago, will increase turnout in local races. Republicans sued to block it, saying it violates the state constitution and could give Democrats a partisan advantage in higher-turnout election years. State Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat from Orange County who sponsored the legislation, said that town and county elections in odd years typically see 20 percent to 30 percent turnout, while those during presidential years can top 70 percent. The appeals court ruled that the law can take effect immediately. The decision overruled a lower court that struck down the law, enacted in December 2023. The Republican-led Dutchess Legislature voted last year to spend $100,000 to join the legal challenge to the legislation. Under the law, anyone in office before 2025 will complete his or her term, but subsequent terms will be shortened. Here's what that means locally: Two of the four Philipstown Town Board seats, which have four-year terms, will be on the ballot in 2027 for three-year terms. They will be on the ballot again in 2030 for four-year terms. The other two seats, which will be on the ballot in November, will be for three-year terms that end in 2028. The Philipstown highway commissioner and town clerk seats, which have four-year terms, will be on the 2027 ballot for three-year terms, then return to the ballot in 2030 for four-year terms. The town supervisor, who serves a two-year term, will be elected in November to a one-year term and the seat will appear on the ballot again in 2026 for a two-year term. The Dutchess County Legislature seats, which will all be on the ballot in November, will be for one-year terms, rather than two, and return to the ballot in 2026. The election for county executive, a four-year position, will occur as scheduled in 2027, but the winner will serve only three years, until 2030. The law exempts villages, such as Cold Spring and Nelsonville. In cities, such as Beacon, elections can only be changed through a constitutional amendment. The law also exempts county races for sheriff, district attorney, clerk and judges. The law does not affect the Putnam County executive, whose four-year term is on the ballot in even-numbered years and next up in 2026, or Putnam legislators, who serve three-year terms. The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Customers again will be returned to Central Hudson Philipstown residents and businesses receiving fixed-rate electricity through Hudson Valley Community Power will be transferred back to Central Hudson because the program administrator ran out of time to extend the contract. In what is known as a community choice aggregation (CCA) program, municipalities contract with a third-party supplier to offer residents and businesses a fixed rate for electricity, although Central Hudson continues to provide delivery and billing. Cold Spring, Nelsonville, Philipstown and nine other municipalities (not including Beacon) agreed to participate. Residents and businesses are added to the program automatically but can opt out. Hudson Valley Community Power was negotiating to extend a contract that ends June 30. Mike Gordon, founder and chief strategy officer for the program administrator, Joule Assets, said in a letter to municipalities that "times are deeply uncertain at the moment and electricity prices rose quickly in response." Nelsonville Mayor Chris Winward read the letter at the April 21 Village Board meeting. Although prices have fallen more recently, Gordon said Joule lacked enough time to meet new guidelines created by the state utility regulator, the Public Service Commission, to notify and educate customers about new pricing before June 30. Because the "political and economic environment is so volatile," Joule does expect "opportunities to lock in some advantageous pricing" over the next two to three months. Joule will spend those months learning "how best to work through" the new PSC regulations, said Jessica Stromback, the company's CEO. "The order is, let everybody go back to the utility and not scramble," she said on Wednesday (May 7). "That process is smooth; the utility understands it. There's no interruption in service." Under the current contract, residents and businesses in the CCA pay a default rate of 12.24 cents per kilowatt hour for 100 percent renewable energy in Cold Spring and 11.24 cents per kilowatt-hour for 50 percent renewable energy in Nelsonville and Philipstown. Those customers will be charged Central Hudson's variable rate starting July 1. As of April 10, Central Hudson's standard supply rate was 10.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. Last year's summer rates, when electricity demand is higher, averaged 9.6 cents per kilowatt-hour. (Central Hudson charges a separate rate for delivery.) "[The CCA] pricing was high, but it was locked in and we knew what it would be," Winward said at last month's meeting. "We don't know what the volatility of Central Hudson's rates are going to bring us." The July 1 transition will mark the second time residents and businesses enrolled in Hudson Valley Community Power have been sent back to Central Hudson. A former supplier, Columbia Utilities, defaulted on a contract to provide renewable energy at 6.6 cents per kilowatt-hour for residences and 7.1 cents for small businesses, including those in Beacon, Cold Spring and Philipstown. In April 2022, Columbia notified the PSC that it intended to return customers to Central Hudson. A state judge on Dec. 5 approved a $1.5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the municipalities against Columbia Utilities. The company admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to a $1 million payment into a settlement fund and $50,000 monthly payments by June 1, 2025, to cover the balance. The Ulster County judge overseeing the case also approved $286,585 in attorney fees and up to $56,500 in administrative costs. Eligible customers began receiving checks for about $50 last month.

Towns, villages would split sales-tax revenue Putnam legislators on Monday (April 28) discussed a plan to share sales taxes with the county's municipalities - including Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Philipstown - two weeks after County Executive Kevin Byrne outlined a proposal. Members of the Audit Committee reviewed a proposal to distribute $3 million of $90 million in reserves to aid the county's six towns and three villages. The money, allocated based on population, could be used on infrastructure and capital projects and "essential services," but not payroll. Legislator Toni Addonizio suggested increasing the outlay to $5 million and allotting the same amount in 2026. She referenced a charge by Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley that Putnam was "hoarding" money. "We don't want to hoard money; we want to give it out," said Addonizio. Putnam's surplus, including savings allocated to expenses, hit $134 million this year, a level which Legislator Paul Jonke called "obscene." Michael Lewis, the finance commissioner, said Monday that unspent funds from unfilled positions and inflation-driven increases in sales-tax revenue fueled the surplus. Legislator Greg Ellner said that Putnam's next annual audit, when released, will show another $8 million to $12 million in the surplus. By sending some of that money to municipalities, Putnam would join 50 of the state's 62 counties that share revenue. Dutchess, for instance, distributes 2.35 percent of sales taxes collected to Beacon, 5.41 percent to the City of Poughkeepsie and 9.5 percent to its towns and villages. A proposal unveiled by Byrne on April 15 and endorsed by the municipalities would share one-ninth of the 1 percent of sales-tax intake, which would have amounted to about $2.3 million based on 2024 revenue. It would take effect only if the state passes a pending bill allowing Putnam to continue collecting 4 percent, which it has done since 2007 when the state permitted the county to raise its rate by 1 percent. The 4 percent rate has been repeatedly extended but expires on Nov. 30. State lawmakers must pass another extension before the end of the current session on June 12 or the rate will revert to 3 percent. The total sales tax in Putnam is 8.375 percent, which includes 4 percent for the state and 0.375 percent for the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. Legislator Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley, said she likes Byrne's proposal because it is based on sales-tax revenue. If the county came to a point "where we have no fund balance," the money would not be distributed. Montgomery, who once proposed a plan in which the municipalities would receive 50 percent of sales taxes over the amount budgeted, offered several amendments to the Audit Committee resolution: (1) that Byrne be involved in crafting the agreement, (2) that municipalities be allowed to spend on personnel "tied to short-term and public needs" and (3) that it include reporting and audit requirements. "While I appreciate the efforts in including our municipalities in the resolution that you wrote, I think it requires a lot more," she told her colleagues. "I really wish you would have considered my resolution." Foley, who was at the meeting, also expressed concerns, including that the proposal does not establish a minimum amount that municipalities would receive. Byrne's plan guarantees each town and village at least $50,000, a commitment particularly important for Nelsonville, whose 600 residents make it the county's smallest municipality. Foley called for assurances that revenue-sharing would continue beyond next year, such as the long-term agreements Dutchess and other counties have in place. Because of the surplus, the Legislature voted last month, 5-4, to ask the state to allow the county to lower its sales-tax rate to 3.75 percent, but Byrne vetoed the resolution and proponents did not have the six votes needed to override. The county executive cited the loss of a...

Board votes to override levy cap The Nelsonville Village Board on Monday (April 21) approved a $377,540 spending plan for 2025-26 after voting to exceed the state's 2.77 percent cap on levy increases. Expenses are projected to be 6.6 percent higher, and the adopted levy rises by 5.21 percent to $326,697. Taxes for the average property owner will increase by $68, said Mayor Chris Winward. Anticipated legal spending will increase by 20 percent, to $15,000 annually; Keane & Beane has had to defend the village from multiple lawsuits while also reviewing contacts, Winward said. Electricity bills are expected to be 33 percent higher and Nelsonville allocated an increase of 13.6 percent more, to $28,411, for insurance for its buildings (including the one leased by Putnam County for a sheriff station) and court actions against its elected and appointed officials. An additional 9.42 percent was appropriated for employee benefits. The court and village clerk will receive 3 percent raises and the deputy village clerk will receive a 2.55 percent boost. Winward's salary will remain at $4,500 annually and the trustees will continue to receive $2,650. Court changes The Nelsonville trustees voted to appoint Philipstown Justice Angela Thompson-Tinsley as the acting village justice in place of Stephen Tomann, who retired. The board also renewed a $150-per-hour contract with Kevin Irwin, a Pawling attorney who prosecutes traffic tickets and other non-criminal violations for Nelsonville, and approved the use of a credit-card reader giving to the village by the state's Unified Court System. Melissa Harris, the village clerk, said she hopes the machine will increase revenues from fines. "A lot of the time, people will say, 'I only have a card; can I have a week to pay and mail it in?' And then they don't," she said. New meeting day and time The board voted to move its monthly workshop and regular meetings to the second and third Wednesday of each month, respectively. The meeting time will also change, beginning a half-hour earlier, at 7 p.m. Mondays present a problem because many holidays fall on that day, and compiling information packets for trustees by Friday afternoons has proved difficult, said Winward. "This will give us a lot more time to be able to prepare for meetings," she said. No parking A sign prohibiting parking on Spring Street should be installed soon. Nelsonville approved a ban on Spring Street in December in response to drivers parking along the side of Blacksmith Wines, leaving only one lane. Trustee Dave Moroney said the installation of a no-parking sign had to be postponed because of equipment problems. There are new no-parking signs on Secor Street. Winward said the village anticipates more hikers parking there to use Nelsonville Woods because Breakneck closed for two years starting Monday (April 21). "It's only a matter of time until people figure out that they can just have the same view going up Bull Hill," she said.

Endorses revenue sharing with towns, villages Putnam Executive Kevin Byrne this week vetoed a sales-tax reduction passed by the county Legislature and announced a long-discussed plan to share revenue with towns and villages if the rate remains unchanged. In a memo sent Monday (April 14) to the Legislature, Byrne called on lawmakers to convene an emergency meeting to rescind their 5-4 vote requesting the state allow Putnam to lower the county's portion of the tax on purchases from 4 percent to 3.75 percent. The reduction would cost the county an estimated $5.3 million annually. The higher rate has been in place since 2007, when the state enacted a law allowing Putnam to increase its sales tax from 3 percent to 4 percent. A series of extensions have kept the higher rate in place, but the most recent one expires on Nov. 30, requiring passage of another bill before state lawmakers end their 2025 session on June 12. Consumers in Putnam County pay 8.375 percent sales tax, which includes 4 percent for the state and 0.375 percent for the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. With the reduction, the total tax would fall to 8.125 percent. Preserving the rate will allow the county to continue reducing property taxes and fund capital projects, Byrne wrote in his memo. Flanked by officials from Philipstown, Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Putnam's other towns and villages, Byrne also announced outside Kent Town Hall on Tuesday that if county legislators renew the extra 1 percent, one-ninth of its revenue would be distributed annually to municipalities for infrastructure and capital projects. If sales-tax sharing had been in place in 2024, Putnam would have distributed $2.4 million to the county's six towns and three villages on a per capita basis, said Byrne during a news conference. Each would be guaranteed at least $50,000. With the move, Putnam would join 50 of New York's 62 counties that share sales tax revenue with their municipalities, according to the state Comptroller's Office. Dutchess' 2025 budget includes $46 million in sales-tax distributions, with an estimated $6.1 million for Beacon. Extending the current rate will also help fund a $1 million reduction in the property-tax levy that Byrne says he will propose for the 2026 budget. The reduction would be the largest in county history, he said. Addressing the Legislature on April 1, Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley accused legislators of "hoarding" money because Putnam has accumulated $134 million in savings. Speaking at the news conference, Foley said the village has stormwater impacts it needs to address and that extra revenue could also help the village manage tourism. Dan Birmingham, the legislator who initially proposed a reduction to 3.5 percent, said the size of Putnam's savings, or fund balance, justified giving residents a break. During his first stint as a legislator, from 2004 to 2012, Birmingham supported the 2007 increase to 4 percent to cover county losses attributed to the Great Recession. Now, Putnam is "sitting on top of the largest fund balance-to-budget ratio this county has ever seen," he said. When Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of the Putnam Valley, predicted before the April 1 vote that Byrne would veto the lower sales tax, Birmingham said that unless the Legislature has six votes to override a veto, "you return to the status quo" after Nov. 30 - the 3 percent rate that existed before 2007. Byrne said on Tuesday that sacrificing the full 1 percent "would not help the towns; it would hurt this county" because the annual revenue loss would total about $20 million. In 2022, the Legislature unanimously agreed to pass along sales tax that exceeded what the county collected the previous year. In what turned out to be a one-time distribution, it shared $5 million, sending $369,670 to Philipstown, $101,671 to Cold Spring and $31,945 to Nelsonville, which used its portion to study the feasibility of building a sewer system. Nelsonvil...

150 Years Ago (April 1875) The shoe stores of Thomas Martin and Hugh Patterson were burglarized by culprits who fled toward Breakneck in a light wagon. "Strange to say, no reward was offered and, consequently, no pursuit was made," The Cold Spring Recorder reported. A week later, several pairs of ladies' gaiters were found in a buggy stored in an unoccupied building on Market Street that was once the Presbyterian Church. Allen Brewer appeared to have "skedaddled" from Nelsonville with all his family's goods except the calico. A miniature steam engine puffed away in a hole on April 2 opposite Patterson's shoe store to thaw a frozen pipe 2 feet below the surface that had prevented any water from flowing below Chestnut Street. The work continued for more than two weeks. On April 15, the engine exploded outside Mr. Murry's store and a piece of burning charcoal landed between the collar and neck of Jimmie Mellravy, causing a blister. Charles Emerson, who lived near Mekeel's Corners, claimed he killed six crows with one shot from his English fowling piece. Jackson Tompkins of Putnam Valley said he shot 12 foxes over the winter. The Episcopal bishop of New York visited Cold Spring for a Saturday morning service to install the Rev. Mr. Isaac Van Winkle as rector of St. Mary's Church. Van Winkle then left for a 10-day vacation. Twice in a week, a train was stopped by a malfunctioning south signal, which did not instill confidence in the system. Dr. Griffin of Nelsonville opened a branch office at the corner of Main and Stone streets that he manned daily from 7 to 8 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Officer McAndrew caught two truants from the Rock Street School after "a lively chase." After guests at the Pacific Hotel heard wild geese honking on the river, they began to shoot at them for sport. The Recorder editor reported that Jacob Levi and Barny Clinton exchanged "a great many small rocks and vile epithets" just outside the newspaper office. A freight engine, while taking water at the station, sent a spark onto the roof of a shed, but a young man spotted the smoke and climbed to put it out. William Conroy drove to Sandy Landing Cove to wash the mud off his wagon, but the horse sank in the sediment. When Conroy climbed down to get it out, the horse knocked him into the water. After determining that the oath given to members of the Nelsonville board had been improperly administered, the village petitioned the state Legislature to legalize its past proceedings. The governor vetoed a bill giving the Garrison and West Point Ferry Co. a half-mile monopoly. He said it was unconstitutional to give exclusive benefits to a private corporation. The father of Miss Warner, author of Wide Wide World, died at the family home on Constitution Island. She sent for two clergymen to conduct the service but, when they failed to show, knelt by the coffin and led the prayers. There was a split in the Baptist Church among parishioners who wanted to dismiss the Rev. Benjamin Bowen and those who wanted him to stay. When a deacon said taking a vote would be illegal, most people left. Those who remained then voted to keep Bowen for another year. 125 Years Ago (April 1900) The M. Taylor Granolithic Co. rented the Truesdell property on Main Street to manufacture the liquid it used in its patented sawdust flooring. The Cold Spring Hose Co. changed its name to the Cold Spring Fire Co. No. 1. Dr. Lewis Morris, a former Cold Spring physician, was engaged to Katherine Clark, whose father planned to give the couple a mansion on Fifth Avenue. After Thomas Coe began selling 26 eggs for 25 cents [$9.50] at his dry goods store, Truesdell offered 30 for 25 cents; Morris, 35 for 25 cents; and Secor, 36 for 25 cents. Morris then went to 50 for 25 cents. Charles de Rham hired King Quarry Co. to cut a $1,500 [about $57,000 today] fountain and horse trough (shown today, below) for the highway near Indian Brook as a memorial to his late wife. Mrs. Michael Clare reported to the village po...

Renews support for Cold Spring 'pause' The Philipstown Town Board on Wednesday (Feb. 26), by a 4-1 vote, approved more than 100 comments on a draft environmental impact statement for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail and a letter renewing a request to pause construction of a boardwalk between Dockside and Little Stony Point parks. In addition to an 18-page document containing its comments about the state's Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS), the Town Board approved, by the same 4-1 vote, comments crafted by the Conservation Board in response to HHFT's proposal. Board Member Judy Farrell, who said she does not support delaying or pausing the Dockside-to-Little-Stony Point segment, cast the lone "no" votes. Completion of the southern end would boost accessibility to the riverfront and there are "a lot of people in the community who have been waiting a long time" for the trail, she said. "Of course there are going to be problems with this project, but I think we can work them out as it progresses," Farrell said. The HHFT plan comprises a 7.5-mile trail between Cold Spring and Beacon, with a segment containing a boardwalk elevated over the river between Dockside and Little Stony Point. It also includes a bridge over the Metro-North tracks north of the Breakneck tunnel, new platforms at the Breakneck train station, expanded parking and the redevelopment of Dutchess Manor into a visitor's center. State parks, which is the lead agency for the project, released the 700-page draft in December and set a deadline of Tuesday (March 4) for public comments. A consultant with Tim Miller Associates, which reviewed the DGEIS for Philipstown, on Feb. 19 shared some of its concerns, which largely mirror those expressed by elected officials in Cold Spring and Nelsonville. (Update: The full document was released by the town on Monday, March 3.) Primarily, the DGEIS is "lacking in details," said Steven Marino, a senior environmental planner with the firm. For example, he said the document does not sufficiently address increased traffic as the Fjord Trail draws more visitors or the dispersal of sediment when more than 400 concrete pilings are installed in the Hudson River for the section between Dockside and Little Stony Point. Marino also said that HHFT's conclusions about the boardwalk's impact on riverviews along Fair Street and Route 9D between Breakneck and Cold Spring "don't seem to tell the whole story" and need more analysis. He said there are questions about whether the width of the walkway will accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and other users traveling in both directions at the same time. "It is our feeling that, in some ways, the presented DGEIS is too lacking in details or so interested in moving the project forward that some aspects of the plan, especially the potential impacts on community character, congestion and quality-of-life issues are overlooked or downplayed," he said on Feb. 19. On Feb. 26, Van Tassel read a letter the Town Board approved sending with the comments. It reiterates the town's stance that the southern segment should end at Little Stony Point. The town also requested that HHFT pay for emergency services along the trail and calls for a two-year "purpose pause" after the phases north of Breakneck are completed to assess their effect on reducing congestion and traffic. "If the train station and Breakneck work, if Dutchess Manor works, we come back to the table and say, 'Let's see how we can bring the trail to Dockside in a reduced version, in a full version,'" he said.

Concerns include community character, funding The Cold Spring Village Board on Wednesday (Feb. 19) received a report from a consultant it hired to examine how the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the Hudson Highland Fjord Trail addresses potential impacts on the village. Ted Fink of Greenplan, who attended via Zoom, reviewed his 42-page analysis with the board and went over what he considers shortcomings, including: New York State Parks, the lead agency for the DGEIS, chose the generic approach to assessing the Fjord Trail, rather than a Site-Specific Environmental Impact Statement. A more detailed analysis may be required in certain areas, such as the proposed route from Dockside to Little Stony Point, he said. "The Little Stony Point to Dockside stretch is a perfect place for a site-specific deep dive," Mayor Kathleen Foley said in response. "Drill down at a level of specificity that the village, our waterfront and our community deserve. Once you build in the river, there's no going back." The assessment of HHFT's impact on village character is inadequate, Fink said. The DGEIS relies on a consultant's assessment of regional impacts rather than Cold Spring's vision of itself. State courts have stated that defining community character is the municipality's prerogative, he said. The relevance of Cold Spring's Comprehensive Plan, Local Waterfront Revitalization Strategy and local zoning law assessments is not adequately considered, said Fink. DGEIS statements of "no impacts" are not substantiated and the assessment of zoning laws fails to address impacts on residential areas, he said. New revenues are needed to offset village HHFT-related expenses, he said, despite the DGEIS conclusion that HHFT will have no impact on community services funded by the village. Details regarding a required HHFT endowment have not been made available for public review as part of the review process, he said. The report understates HHFT's potential impact on emergency services, he said. Village police and other first responders have expressed concern in particular about Dockside Park, which has only one road in and out. Fink was asked to condense his findings and provide an executive summary that highlights the major concerns. The board will review the update at its Wednesday (Feb. 26) meeting. In other business … After closing a public hearing, the board granted a 10 percent property-tax exemption to volunteer first responders with two years of service. Putnam County, Philipstown, Nelsonville and the Haldane and Garrison school districts have enacted similar legislation.

Today he's releasing her music online. Rochelle Gambino, who lived in Cold Spring for nearly a decade and owned a dog grooming business on Main Street, died suddenly, apparently of heart failure, in 2007 at age 44. A singer and guitarist, she left behind a trove of analog recordings and ephemera. Today (Feb. 14), after working with a sound studio in the city, her son A.J. Vitiello is releasing 20 songs recorded by his mother in a compilation called For Romantics Only. "She lived in the pre-streaming era, so I had to get this project done before the tapes break," says Vitiello, 25, a travel writer. "Deciding what to release took a long time, and I had to kill some darlings. A good song could be ruined by a scratchy recording or be so '80s that it sounds stale." The process of sifting through hundreds of songs and transcribing lyrics brought him closer to a woman who died when he was 7. Gambino also left behind diaries, letters and photos. "This project is almost an attempt to reconstruct her persona," he says. "It's as if she's using me as a vessel to get her music out there." He adds: "People used to ask, 'When are you going to pick up the guitar?' That's not my thing - the talent didn't transfer. But I do long for a time when rock 'n' roll was the only thing that mattered." After Vitiello's parents separated, he lived with his mother in Nelsonville before moving to Connecticut with his father. Sometimes, he travels from Brooklyn to spruce up her gravesite at Cold Spring Cemetery. One vivid memory is a visit she made to his kindergarten class at Haldane Elementary. "She wrote a song for every student using their names," he says. "She was known for sheer kindness and being bubbly. My mom had a lot of devoted fans in the Hudson Valley and played shows all the time." Gambino, who grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She dropped out and moved to Nashville but returned to New York, where she told a newspaper reporter: "I'm not some piece of plastic to be molded and make somebody else rich." Gambino met Vitiello's father at one of her Black Jacket Band shows and the couple settled in Cold Spring. At their Dockside Park wedding, she strapped a black electric guitar over her white dress and wailed away. Her music ranges from acoustic ballads to hard rock and includes a few religious songs. Toward the end of her life, she spent more time at Our Lady of Loretto on Fair Street, says Vitiello. "She could shred on guitar and also compose on piano," he says. "She had vocal chords of steel. I still remember her fingernails being cracked and mutilated, as if she'd been to war. I still find [guitar] picks in her stuff." Gambino chafed at comparisons to Janis Joplin. After she died, a close friend held tributes in Croton that raised money for music students. The melancholy breakup song "Cold Spring" tells of "too much fighting / too many angry lies." The chorus refrains: "I didn't know what you meant to me / That night in Cold Spring / Where we fought to save our dreams / It was a dream we had when young / As the Hudson River runs / That night in Cold Spring." For Romantics Only is available at Spotify (dub.sh/gambino-spotify) and YouTube (dub.sh/for-romantic).

Storm warning begins at 1 p.m. on Jan. 19 A winter storm that is expected to arrive Sunday afternoon (Jan. 19) could bring frigid temperatures and as much as 8 inches of snow to the lower Hudson Valley, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a winter storm warning. The warning for begins at 1 p.m. Sunday and is scheduled to remain in effect through 4 a.m. Monday. The temperatures will be in the single digits on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with wind chills taking it below zero. Street parking will be limited in Cold Spring and Nelsonville. For updates, see our Storm Resources page.

State money will help secure drinking water supply New York State announced on Monday (Dec. 23) that it will send $2.5 million to the Village of Cold Spring for repairs to one of the two dams at its reservoirs. The money is part of $225 million from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for 165 projects across New York to update aging infrastructure, improve water quality and protect drinking water. The village submitted its application, written by Trustee Laura Bozzi, in July. "While this grant is only a portion of the nearly $8 million needed to complete the Upper Dam repairs, it is a significant boost for the village," said Mayor Kathleen Foley in a statement. "It will enable us to bond [borrow] less and keep water rates a bit more stable during the construction. "The condition of the dam is a critical public safety issue, and it is a relief that we finally have resources and momentum to see necessary repairs through," she said. Foley praised Bozzi, "a public health research professional [who] has brought her grant-writing prowess to bear for village projects time and again," she said. Located off Lake Surprise Road on Foundry Brook in the North Highlands, the two reservoirs provide water to Cold Spring, Nelsonville and some parts of Philipstown. The 270-foot Upper Dam was constructed in 1934 and the 328-foot Lower Dam in 1942; each is about 25 feet high. The Department of Environmental Conservation rates both as "high-hazard" - a measure of the damage, including loss of life, that would result from their failure - and "unsound," which is worse than "deficiently maintained" but not as bad as the lowest rating, "unsafe." The reconstruction will raise the Upper Dam by 2 feet to improve spillway capacity, install a waterproof membrane on its face and improve the outlet and abutments. In 2017, an engineer told the Village Board that the repairs would cost between $3.8 million (a single spillway requiring the reservoir to be lowered by 1.2 feet) and $4.2 million (multiple spillways). The latter estimate has nearly doubled over the past eight years. In January 2023, Foley said an engineering firm told her that, once the design was complete, it would take eight to 12 months for the dam to be repaired. A 2016 assessment of the dam conditions is valid until 2026. During the repairs, Cold Spring will likely need to tap into the Catskill Aqueduct; in 2023, after 15 years of negotiations, the village reached an agreement with New York City to create the connection. If Cold Spring taps into the system, it must pay $2,450 per 1 million gallons, Foley said last month when the reservoirs dipped because of drought. The system requires about 300,000 gallons per day.

Haldane student continues recovery from horrific crash Theresa Timmons celebrated a day that nearly wasn't. On Sept. 23, a procession of family and friends followed as her mother pushed the teenager's wheelchair across the lobby of Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla. Just through the glassed entrance stood members of the Continental Village Fire Department and Cortlandt-Peekskill Regional Paramedics. Firefighters and paramedics rarely reunite with the people they save or closely follow their recoveries. But over the last year, the Haldane High School student has become part of the department's family, so much so that its members pray for her before meetings, said Joseph Maffettone, the department's chief. The answer to their prayers smiled as the uniformed first responders presented her with a bouquet of flowers and took photos. Inside, everyone crowded into a second-floor room to celebrate Theresa's upcoming 17th birthday on Sept. 25. "This is a great journey that we get to follow," said Maffettone. The journey began with a crash on Route 9. On Dec. 15, 2023, Vlad Saban, a 17-year-old Haldane High School senior, lost control of his Toyota Prius, which left the road and hit a tree. Vlad was killed. His passenger, Theresa, was left in critical condition with a traumatic brain injury. A year later, she has been transformed. Doctors brought her out of a medically induced coma in January, and the piece of skull they removed to relieve pressure on her brain has been replaced. In July, Theresa began speaking and is now writing, texting and laughing. On Dec. 10, using a wheelchair, Theresa returned to Haldane High School for a visit that brought the student body into the halls. The teenager, whose family owns Homestyle Desserts Bakery, and who was familiar to anyone who bought ice cream at its Nelsonville location, is undergoing an arduous regime of occupational and physical therapy designed to restore the damaged partnership between brain and body. She is also taking remote classes at Haldane, with the goal of attending graduation with her class in June. "That's what I'm hoping for," Theresa said. Saved by a 'cocoon' During a visit, hope decorated Theresa's room at Blythedale. The shelves bulged with stuffed animals. An array of photos sent by Haldane friends filled some wall space, while well-wishes written on heart-shaped pieces of paper by students from P.S. 194, a Bronx K-8 school where one of her mother's friends teaches, were hanging on the window. "You are amazing." "You can do it." A guitar Theresa's father, Jimmy, plays for her stood in a corner. Haldane faculty, staff and classmates visit regularly, as does Vlad's mother, Liliya Shylivska. Theresa's mother, Laura, sleeps overnight on a cot, as do Jimmy, Liliya and Laura's boyfriend, Mike. "I feel loved," said Theresa. First, she had to be saved. Maffettone said Continental Village firefighters responding to the accident found "complete wreckage." Attacking the doors and bottom of the wreck with cutting tools, they found Theresa in the back seat, unconscious and laying on her left side, protected in a "cocoon," according to Maffettone. "There was a complete tunnel around her," said Maffettone, whose family has been buying baked goods from Homestyle for years and knew the Timmons family. "How she was positioned, it was amazing." Jennifer Hunt, a paramedic with Cortlandt-Peekskill Regional Paramedics, described Theresa's physical condition as "multi-system" trauma. "She had anything and everything that could possibly be wrong with a patient going on," said Hunt. "We had a lot of decisions to make in a very short timeframe." Hunt said that she and a colleague sedated Theresa and inserted an endotracheal tube, which is used when patients cannot breathe unaided. With her breathing stabilized, they decided to drive her to Westchester Medical Center rather than wait for a helicopter. "Getting her definitive care was the priority at that point," said Hunt. "I didn't know...

Comment period opens on environmental review After several years of work, the state parks department on Dec. 4 released a draft of its environmental review of the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail. The 709-page Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement considers the effects the proposed trail could have on the Highlands in 14 areas, including land use, emergency services, traffic and transportation, biological resources and community character. It also lists suggested mitigation efforts for HHFT to receive permits for the project, such as limiting construction in certain areas to specific times of year to avoid disturbing threatened and endangered wildlife, and replacing invasive species with native plants. The Fjord Trail is a 7.5-mile trail for pedestrians and cyclists that would function as a linear park connecting Beacon to Cold Spring. It would also include 5 miles of narrower, pedestrian-only meanders, spurs and loops branching off from the main trail. When the trail was conceived in 2006, it was imagined as a simple walking path. But after Breakneck Ridge became one of the most popular hiking trails in the country, the project underwent a significant expansion and redesign that was unveiled in 2020. The goal was to address the throngs of hikers and cars along Route 9D; the lack of safe access to the Hudson River; Main Street in Cold Spring becoming overrun with visitors on weekends; the need for public restrooms; a dearth of accessible recreational activities; and the threat to riverside attractions from projected sea-level rise because of climate change. Last year, HHFT announced that it was pausing some of the "destination" amenities included in the 2020 plan, such as an outdoor classroom, a play area, a swimming area at Little Stony Point with a floating dock, and a meander that would have led to a secluded wooded area with hammocks. Those amenities do not appear in the environmental impact report. If HHFT adds them later, they would be subject to a new environmental review. The report is online at dub.sh/hhft-report, along with information about how to register for two virtual public hearings scheduled for Jan. 14, and how to submit comments. Physical copies are also available at local libraries, the Cold Spring and Nelsonville village halls, Philipstown Town Hall, Beacon City Hall and the HHFT office at 14 Coris Lane in Beacon. Comments will be accepted through Feb. 2, although some elected officials have called on the state to extend the deadline. Public comments will be addressed in the final environmental report, scheduled for release over the summer. Amy Kacala, the HHFT executive director, said none of the mitigation measures were "a huge surprise" to the nonprofit. "We've been going back and forth with state parks for several years, so we've already had a chance to think through how we would avoid certain areas or shrink the footprint in other areas," she said. The report splits the trail into two sections: The 5.5-mile Fjord Trail North begins in Beacon's Long Dock Park and heads south, and the 2-mile Fjord Trail South begins at the state-owned Dockside Park in Cold Spring and heads north. The Breakneck Connector and Bridge that connects the two, which is under construction, had a separate environmental review released in 2022. The former Dutchess Manor on Route 9D, which the HHFT plans to convert into its headquarters by 2027, is also not part of the current environmental review because the site is under the jurisdiction of the Town of Fishkill rather than the state. The report does include a proposed 90-space lot across from Dutchess Manor, as well as an 80-space lot on Route 9D just north of Melzingah Reservoir Road and the expansion of the lot across from the entrance to Little Stony Point from 49 to 96 spaces. The report discusses alternate routes for the trail, concluding that none balance the environmental impact as well as the chosen route, although the report says further study is needed o...

150 Years Ago (November 1874) The editor of The Cold Spring Recorder observed "an unusual amount of dram drinking and personal coercion" around the vote, which he attributed to the "large amount of money received in this town 'for election purposes.' " He noted "the 100 voters who belong to no party but are found this year on one side and the next year on the other." The editor praised the saloons located near the polls for closing before 11 p.m., which helped maintain order during the count. Myron Clark, the Prohibition Party candidate for governor, received one vote in Philipstown. Twenty years earlier, Clark had won the 1855 race for governor by 309 votes, after which he quickly enacted a law banning the sale of alcohol. Eight months later, it was overturned by a judge as unconstitutional. A wildfire burned several hundred acres at the Cro' Nest across the river from Cold Spring and spread to the depression known as Cronk's Hollow and across the western edge to Buttel Hill (Storm King). It was stopped to the south by West Point cadets. The Recorder said baker John Lane had dropped several handfuls of naturally roasted chestnuts at the newspaper office. T.C. Baxter showed off a cypress shingle from the Beverley Robinson House near Garrison that had, at one time, sheltered George Washington. [The home, which also sheltered Benedict Arnold, burned down in 1892.] George Edwards, foreman of The Recorder office, left for Massachusetts to become publisher of the Northampton Journal. Its editor, A.M. Powell, was formerly with The Anti-Slavery Standard. The Recorder published the names, grades and attendance records of every student in District No. 3. Nellie Lloyd Knox, an instructor at the Teacher's Institute, lectured at Town Hall on the territory of Colorado. Officer Travis traveled to Albany to arrest Charles Annin on charges of deserting his family. John Halliday's horse dumped him from his wagon near Sandy Landing and ran down Northern Avenue, Church Street, Main Street and West Street. After the horse and wagon disappeared around a corner by The Recorder office, Halliday was seen limping along the route with the whip, blanket and cushion he had picked up by the roadside. Charlie Nelson published a notice denying rumors he had refused an old man a ride on Election Day, saying no one had asked him for a ride. The Special Express, due at Cold Spring at 8:12 p.m., unloaded a stranger who had been struck by the engine while walking on the track above the Breakneck Tunnel. He died inside the depot 90 minutes later. He was identified as John Daley, a brickyard laborer. The engineer said he threw up his hands before being struck. The horse of Milton Wise, secured at the corner of Main and Graden, pulled up the hitching post and took off "as did Sampson with the gate of Gaza," according to The Recorder. 125 Years Ago (November 1899) A meeting was held at Town Hall to organize a military company. Republicans won every part of Putnam County on Election Day except for District 2 in Philipstown. Members of the Cold Spring Hose Co. practiced with their new extension ladders on two Main Street buildings, running hoses to the roofs. William Curry was lighting a lamp in the show window at E.L. Post's dry goods store when he dropped the match and ignited a pile of blankets. He smothered the fire with an armful of comforters. John Donohue, of Garrison, resigned as Putnam County sheriff after being appointed deputy collector of U.S. Internal Revenue for Westchester County. James Smith left for Cripple Creek, Colorado, to look after his mining investments. George Cable of Nelsonville was arrested for not sending his son to school. Capt. Henry Metcalfe was appointed by the Army to oversee the Cadet Corps at Haldane. The Army provided $1,650 [about $63,000 today] for 40 stands of arms and accoutrements and Metcalfe donated $140 [$5,300] for gymnasium apparatus. Titus Truesdell, who owned the pickle factory, agreed to liquidate his assets to pay ...

Also, tentative 2025 budget lowers tax rates The Philipstown Town Board on Wednesday (Oct. 23) approved paving sections of Indian Brook and Lane Gate roads and began revising a draft 2025 budget that would stay within the state-mandated tax cap while lowering tax rates. Supervisor John Van Tassel and Board Members Megan Cotter and Robert Flaherty approved an environmental impact review and resolution to pave a section of Indian Brook Road at the Route 9D underpass and Lane Gate Road between Eden Park and 115 Lane Gate. Van Tassel said the Indian Brook section spans less than 1,000 feet and gets "completely washed out" from storms. He also said Lane Gate will remain untouched for now because it needs substantial drainage work before paving. The labor and materials costs for maintaining dirt roads are "astronomical," said Van Tassel. On Avery Road, which has sections that are paved and unpaved, the town pays 15 cents per foot for the covered sections and $10.78 per foot for the dirt portions, he said. Indian Brook Road between Routes 9D and Route 9 costs $2.24 per foot. The town average is 68 cents for paved versus $6.95 for unpaved, said Van Tassel. Board Members Jason Angell and Judy Farrell did not arrive until after the vote, but Angell submitted a statement to be read in his absence. He noted that the environmental assessment concluded that the projects were consistent with the town's 2023 master plan and would not create stormwater discharge. The master plan calls for efforts to preserve dirt roads, stone walls and other elements that "contribute to Philipstown's rural and historic character," said Angell. He also questioned the answer to the stormwater question. "Is this possible for a paved road or any road project?" he asked. 2025 budget Philipstown's 2025 budget will have a softer impact under a plan proposed by Van Tassel. Unlike last year, when the town approved a budget for 2024 that raised the tax levy by 8.3 percent and the tax rate by 13 percent, the Town Board began revising a tentative spending plan for 2025 that would be under the 2 percent cap and lower tax rates. As submitted by Van Tassel, who said he asked departments to limit their requests for spending increases to 2 percent, the draft budget has $12.9 million in spending with an overall levy of $9.6 million. The tax rate on properties townwide fell by 0.24 percent and for properties outside the villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville by 1.27 percent. Several revisions were approved, including raising spending for the Philipstown Volunteer Ambulance Corps by 5 percent instead of 2 percent and increasing the hourly rate for its two paid staffers to $22 from $18. Taxes on the revised budget, totaling $13.1 million, will be recalculated and the town will have to schedule a public hearing before voting. Ambulance Corps Van Tassel said the Philipstown Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been responding to calls from Kent since Oct. 1, when an ambulance provided by the Kent Volunteer Fire Department went out of service. Kent is attempting to create a municipal ambulance service, but one call from the town required the Philipstown ambulance to make a 31-minute drive, said Van Tassel. "If our ambulance that we're paying for is in Kent and then going to Putnam Hospital or Danbury, it's not available for the residents here," he said. A vehicle stationed in Kent by the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services provides basic life-support service but is not available after 7 p.m., according to Van Tassel. An official from the state Department of Health inspected Kent's ambulances on Tuesday and deemed them fit for service but the town is still without staff, he said. "If I were a resident of Kent, I would be up in arms," said Van Tassel.

Projects visitation starting in 2033 After 14 months of work, the Visitation Data Committee, an independent group representing Philipstown, Beacon and Fishkill, has approved a report for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail. The committee, created by HHFT to review its traffic and pedestrian data and projections for the proposed 7.5-mile linear park between Long Dock Park in Beacon and Dockside Park in Cold Spring, met for the first time in August 2023 at Little Stony Point. The 11-member committee selected and worked with BFJ Planning to examine trends in visitation throughout Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve - which includes Breakneck Ridge, Mount Beacon, Denning's Point, Little Stony Point and Bull Hill - to project how the Fjord Trail might affect visitation. It includes representatives from Cold Spring, Nelsonville, Philipstown, Beacon and the Town of Fishkill. The Fjord Trail is projected to be completed by 2031, but the report's projections begin in 2033. The committee considered the first two years the trail will be open as "surge years," with higher visitation than usual because of the park's novelty. The report also differentiates between "visitors" and "visitation." The former refers to individuals who will use the trail at any time over a year, including locals. The latter refers to the number of visits. As an example, a resident of Cold Spring who walks on the Fjord Trail five days a week, 52 weeks a year, would count as one visitor but 260 visits. Based on data collected last year, the committee estimated that 55,550 people made 440,400 visits to the trails and parks that make up the Fjord Trail corridor. Notably, visitation at Breakneck Ridge has fallen drastically over the past three years, with nearly 37,000 fewer hikers in 2023 than 2019. The report projects that the Fjord Trail will add 268,700 visits a year by people who would not normally come to the connected parks and trails. That's an increase over the HHFT's projections of 204,900 visits a year. The visits would not all occur at any one point along the trail, such as Cold Spring, it noted. With the Fjord Trail, the committee calculated the visitation in 2033 in the corridor at 637,000 (including residents, cruise ship passengers and hikers at Breakneck Ridge and connecting trails and parks). Data Committee Members Henry Feldman, James Labate (Cold Spring); Phil Cotennec, Jeff Robins (Philipstown); Mayor Chris Winward (Nelsonville); Council Member Amber Grant, Sarah Mencher, Zack Smith (Beacon); Council Member Greg Totino, Planning Board Chair Jon Kanter, Supervisor Ozzy Albra (Fishkill) To project future visitation, the committee looked at numbers over the past several years from similar linear parks, including Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie and Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Walk and Buffalo Valley Trail. It also looked at the increase of visitors recently to the Hudson Highlands, Palisades and Taconic state parks and weighed the Hudson Highlands State Park's easy access via mass transit. This led to the projection that, over the next 10 years, visitation at Hudson Highlands State Park will increase by an average of 3.2 percent per year, regardless of Fjord Trail development. The report also projects that 225,900 of the 637,000 visits will be hikers using the Fjord Trail to reach nearby destinations such as Breakneck or Bull Hill and not spending a significant amount of time on the Fjord Trail itself - a situation called "captured visitation." There's also "shifted visitation," which is visits to the Fjord Trail instead of adjacent parks and trails. The report estimates this will be 31,900 annually, a relatively low number because it expects the Fjord Trail will be a different experience than hiking Breakneck Ridge or Mount Beacon. Reviewing past visitation numbers, the committee determined that the busiest month of the year for the Fjord Trail corridor is October, followed by September and May. The busiest time for hikers to arrive is b...

150 Years Ago (October 1874) The Husted Base Ball Club of Peekskill accepted a challenge from the Kellogg Base Ball Club of Cold Spring to compete for 10 gold badges that would be presented to the winner by Assembly Member Hamilton Fish Jr. When the Peekskill team arrived, Kellogg reported its local catcher was out of town and had been substituted with a Newburgh player. The Husted club protested; Kellogg offered to scratch him from the lineup if Peekskill removed a player who lived in Haverstraw. The visitors refused and left. Alexander Purdy of Breakneck, who had been walking his dog on a string, insisted he didn't hear any of the whistles blown by the northbound freight train whose cowcatcher tossed him over the south track and nearly into the river at Sandy Landing. Purdy suffered only bruises, but his dog was killed. The Cold Spring Recorder noted that District No. 3 spent $11 [$304] annually per pupil but District 13 spent $16.08 [$444], which the editor took as evidence that the schools should be merged. Officer McAndrew drove to the post office with a 3-year-old boy he had discovered playing near the tracks. The boy said his name was Charlie Hemway and that he lived in Matteawan [Beacon]. But suddenly he shouted "Mama!" and pointed to a woman on the sidewalk: Mrs. Daniel Henry of Nelsonville, who identified the boy as her son. He had been missing since breakfast. The schooner yacht Restless ran aground at Sandy Landing and had to be hauled off by the steamer Boardman two days later at high water. The wharf was covered with flagstones from Ulster County for Caleb Mekeel of Nelsonville to add to residences around the village. According to The Recorder, an express train cut off a portion of Mrs. McGwinny's dress when she was slow crossing the track. But Mrs. McGwinny insisted it wasn't true, and that "she is able to look out for herself." The annual hunting match took place on a rainy Saturday. A team captained by C.H. Ferris won with 922 beasts and birds. The day ended with a feast at Town Hall. J.Y. Dykeman was the individual champion with 302 kills. A dog was sent flying by the 8:12 p.m. express but got up and hobbled home. The Lone Star Club, a Black baseball team that the Poughkeepsie Press said was from Cold Spring, traveled to Poughkeepsie to play the Butterflies. The Lone Stars were actually from Newburgh, with The Recorder noting there had not been enough Black men in the village for a baseball team since the 18th century. Among the unusual items displayed at the Putnam County Fair in Carmel were a 200-year-old German trunk, 120-year-old shears and 143-year-old shoes worn in succession by Barnabas, Orpha, Ruth, Chloa, Heity, Polly, Daniel, Timothy, Samuel, Bizar, Jonathan and William Pierce. Four train cars left for the waterworks in Providence, Rhode Island, with iron piping from the Cold Spring Foundry that weighed 17 tons, 20 tons, 30 tons and 50 tons. A fifth pipe being cast weighed 62 tons. At a trustee vote for the Nelsonville school district, incumbent Stephen Mekeel received 19 votes and Isaac Riggs 17. But "owing to some informality," The Recorder said, "the chairman did not declare the result." In a second ballot, Riggs won, 22-17. Alex Skeene showed off a banana he had grown in a greenhouse. The little daughter of John Dillon was pulled off the track near the depot a moment before the southbound 1:51 p.m. train would have struck her. Mrs. Morris Englebride and her daughter were on their way to church when they passed a man walking unsteadily, with his hands in his pockets, across the Foundry Cove bridge. Soon after, they thought they heard a splash, but there was no cry for help. They told their story at church and several men investigated and found a body with "H.M." on the arm and a stamped rail ticket issued at Fishkill Landing [Beacon] for Sing Sing the day before. The coroner concluded that the man had fallen from the train, but it was unclear where he spent the night. Jennie Bailey, the widow ...

Residents lobby officials for accessible parks Having a physical disability is a challenge. Having a physical disability, owning a dog and finding an accessible park presents an even greater challenge. Cali Gorevic, 80, who lives in Philipstown, has difficulty walking. She has two "country dogs" - a golden retriever and a German shepherd - that would benefit from running free and meeting other canines at the town's North Highlands Park on Route 9 at Glassbury Court. The problem, she said, is that the dog park is located more than 100 yards from the parking area. Fabiola Gomez, 62, a New Hamburg resident who suffers from post-polio syndrome, would also like to exercise her giant schnauzer at North Highlands Park. In addition to the distance from parking, she said the gravel and grass path leading to the park is unsuitable for the devices she uses to improve her mobility, such as forearm crutches or a wheelchair. Gomez and Gorevic each complained to the Town of Philipstown but said they were not satisfied by the response. Gorevic wrote Supervisor John Van Tassel in August to suggest two handicapped spaces adjacent to the dog park. Van Tassel responded that a lot isn't possible at that location because Glassbury Court's septic field lies beneath it. Van Tassel expanded on his response in an email to The Current on Wednesday (Oct. 2), writing that "due to terrain and other physical boundaries we cannot make the dog park fully accessible" and that the town had problems in the past when visitors were able to drive closer to the park and added a gate to prevent it. "I'm sympathetic to her wishes to be able to utilize the dog park; it's just not feasible for that area of the park to be handicap-accessible," Van Tassel wrote. Gomez said she contacted the town in June and also reached out to Disability Rights New York, a nonprofit that provides free legal and advocacy services to people with disabilities. In response, DRNY wrote to the Philipstown Recreation Department stating that the federal Americans with Disabilities Act "requires that services and programs provided by local governments be readily accessible to individuals with disabilities," although the ADA qualifies that requirement, saying that when full compliance is impractical because of terrain, "the service must be made accessible to the greatest extent that is structurally feasible." DRNY also noted that the ADA requires public facilities, including dog parks, to provide accessible parking and a "stable, firm, level and slip-resistant" path that is the shortest accessible route to the dog park. Van Tassel said he would ask the town attorney for a legal opinion. Marilynn Glasser, the president of Dog Park Concept and Consulting in Patterson and author of Dog Park Design, Development and Operation, has worked with dozens of communities across the U.S. She said the ADA "absolutely" applies to municipal dog parks but municipalities, especially in the Northeast, often create parks with little or no thought to making them accessible. She noted that while "a disabled person needs to be able to get inside a dog park," they don't necessarily need access to the entire area where dogs are free to run. She said a path to a park should be wheelchair-friendly and that long paths are also more difficult for people on crutches. Shorter, easier paths also benefit people with heart conditions and other health issues, she said. The lack of accessibility at North Highlands Park is not unusual. A survey of local municipalities found no ADA-compliant dog parks in Peekskill, Kent, Fishkill, Putnam Valley or Nelsonville. County parks in Westchester and Dutchess also lack facilities. In Putnam County, Chris Ruthven, the director of parks and recreation, said a dog park being developed with Guardian Revival at Veterans Memorial Park in Carmel will be ADA-compliant. In Beacon, Friends of Beacon Dog Park operates its facility at Memorial Park. While parking is nearby, the site is not fully ADA-com...

Homestyle faced criticism over Trump treats There was nothing sweet about the phone calls Homestyle Desserts Bakery began receiving last week about its butter cookies featuring images of presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, according to co-owner Laura Timmons. The quadrennial tradition, dating back more than two decades, had never drawn controversy until this month, when a Philipstown resident on Facebook denounced Homestyle for putting "the face of a 34-time convicted felon … who incited an attack on our nation's Capitol" on cookies and vowed to stop patronizing the bakery. Then the angry calls began, said Timmons on Monday (Sept. 23). "Why would you do that?" "You guys are disgusting." "We're not going to buy from you anymore." "We're going to tell all our friends." Standing behind the counter inside the Peekskill location (Homestyle also sells the cookies at its location on Route 301 in Nelsonville), Timmons pointed to a stack of white shipping boxes sitting on a table. The bakery is being inundated with a different type of call: Trump fans placing orders for shipments to Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and other states. A story posted by The Journal News on Sept. 20 about the controversy reached Dan Scavino Jr., a Westchester County native who was deputy chief of staff in the Trump White House and is an adviser to the former president's campaign. He reposted it on social media, and Homestyle has been swamped with orders, mostly for Trump treats. On Monday, Timmons said she expected to send out 2,000 Trump cookies and 200 with Harris' image. "We were selling even until that post [from Scavino] went out, and then it shifted," she said. Homestyle has been putting edible images on cookies and cakes for decades, said Timmons, with clients that have included the Yankees and their players. The visages of the Democratic and Republican candidates for president were introduced on cookies about 25 years ago and meant to be a bipartisan diversion, said Timmons. Unfortunately, the hardening divide between Democrats and Republicans has been characterized by increasing hostility. A Pew Research Center poll in 2022 found that growing numbers of partisans view each other as "more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent." Passions have led to attacks on businesses, but typically only if they promote one candidate over another. The owner of a Manhattan clothing store, for example, said a man wearing a Trump T-shirt attacked her last month, apparently angered by a pro-Harris poster in her window. In a Facebook post in response to the phone calls, Homestyle said that its employees and their family members and friends "hold different beliefs and choices" without threatening each other. "Everybody should be free to choose, and fighting over it is not the answer," said Timmons. State Sen. Pete Harckham, a Democrat whose district includes Peekskill, visited the bakery on Sunday (Sept. 22) after hearing about the calls. The senator, who in April 2022 presented Homestyle with a certificate recognizing it as a New York State Historic Business, recorded a video before leaving. "I know that we're divided and I know we're polarized, but cookies? Really?" he said, holding a microphone in one hand and a bipartisan order of six cookies for each candidate in the other. "Threatening a bakery is not a productive way to help your candidate."

Mayor cites 'troubling departures' from agreements When speaking about the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, "the size of my trust deficit only grows," Mayor Kathleen Foley said at the Wednesday (Sept. 18) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board. The comment was part of a lengthy statement in which Foley outlined her concerns surrounding the 7.5-mile-long linear park from Cold Spring to Beacon following recent meetings with HHFT officials. Foley, Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel and Nelsonville Mayor Chris Winward wrote the state parks department in April to outline their objections to having the trail start at Dockside Park, a move they said would create a tourist destination "in and of itself" and draw vehicular traffic to the village. Foley said on Wednesday that they have not yet received a reply. She said that an Aug. 16 letter from HHFT Chair Chris Davis and Executive Director Amy Kacala did not accurately reflect the outcome of meetings she, Van Tassel and Winward had with HHFT officials on April 20 and May 11, saying it included "troubling departures" from what had been informally agreed upon. She said while one of HHFT's original and primary missions was to help manage and mitigate existing conditions in Cold Spring, the Aug. 16 letter states HHFT has "no responsibility for the mitigation of the impacts on the village of existing visitation." Foley said Kacala has said that the trail is expected to become, "the epicenter of tourism in the Hudson Valley." Many Cold Spring residents believe the village already suffers from overtourism. A discussion about having Little Stony Point serve as a terminus for the trail and a "pause point" for review of the trail's development was replaced in the letter by "general references to the opening of the Breakneck Connector, Breakneck train station, and visitor center and parking at Dutchess Manor," Foley said, with a trail south from Little Stony Point to Cold Spring still identified as HHFT's preferred route. She quoted Kacala as having said at a meeting in September that Chris Davis had misunderstood the schedule and that there would be no pause in construction. The mayor also commented that the letter changes a 2030 timeline for construction at Breakneck and Dutchess Manor to a "nebulous and surprising 2026-27." In addition, she said a role for local boards in decision-making "has been watered down to the worrisome and undefined inclusion of 'local voices and interests'" in the letter. Former Philipstown Supervisor Bill Mazzuca, who had been invited to attend the May 11 meeting, wrote to Davis stating that the Aug. 16 letter included "discrepancies from what I understood to have been verbally agreed to." In early September, state Sen. Rob Rolison expressed concern about HHFT's plans, as did Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, who wrote to the governor, state parks and HHFT advocating the inclusion of local leaders in the trail's planning process, citing the "profound effect" a trail entrance at Dockside Park would have on local municipalities and calling for a pause so that "a more expansive review of the local impacts can be considered before proceeding." Foley said: "We've got one chance to get this development right; let's get it right the first time. A great visitor experience for someone from Buffalo or Watertown should not come at the detriment of the quality of life in Philipstown, Nelsonville and Cold Spring." Trustee Aaron Freimark said he was troubled that he had not been informed of the May 11 meeting and said there is a need for greater transparency and trust in the mayor's negotiations with HHFT. "It's a bit disingenuous to represent that you are unaware of what it is I'm doing," Foley responded. "You are copied or forwarded most communications, but you have to read the emails." She pointed out that she negotiates on behalf of the village on other issues including with Seastreak and federal agencies. "You have trust for me there, but where we have a difference...

Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville will be filled with toe-tapping tunes Friday night, as musicians gather to compete in the Ohio State Old Time Fiddlers Contest.

Airplane Hollow in Wayne National Forest in the Hocking Hills Region of southeastern Ohio is home to a legend of a ghostly plane and its passengers. May 16, 1941 - A legend comes from the area just outside Nelsonville and Carbon Hill, Ohio, about a military plane wreck during a horrible storm on May 16,1941 and the strange things that followed. I want to share this story with you on this stormy eve before the mysterious and haunting event, which was told to me by some folks whose families have lived in the Carbon Hill/Nelsonville mining communities of southeastern Ohio for well over a hundred and twenty years. The story happened to them, leaving an indelible mark on their lives. This is the legend of Airplane Hollow- You can buy my book series on Amazon and in bookstores, including this bit of lore from my Ohio Ghost Guide Haunted Hocking Hills. Watch the video on YouTube and find your adventure where the natural and supernatural collide: Find out more about the Hocking Hills and/or its hauntings: The Hocking Hills Haunted Hocking --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betweenduskanddawn/support

This week, Bishop Cas preached at Greater Works Outreach Worship Center in Nelsonville, OH and gave a powerful message entitled "Dangerous Desperation." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truevisionlancaster/support

Several years back, I discovered I had two sisters and a brother on my birth Mother's side. I discovered this years back after researching and meeting up with my birth Mother while in my 20s and 30s. See, I was adopted at a couple of months old, coming from what Peggy, my birth Mother, led me to think were her many children all given up for adoption. I am the only known sibling to meet Peggy over the course of many years. During that time, I had no idea about my sisters until 2014, when a new Ohio law opened up birth records. This paved the way for two of my siblings to be located. A couple of years later, Andrew's daughter found me and Katie, my one sibling, through a DNA match online. Join me Thursday as I chat with my brother Andrew, who has had an amazing life serving his country as a member of the National Guard and his community as a firefighter. We'll discuss what service means to him, how we found one another as adults so many years later, and what it feels like to be reunited with siblings you never knew existed. Andrew Scott Monnin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1978, two years after I then raised in Toledo and Columbus. He ran Cross Country in High School, then received a two-year associate degree from Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, Military Emergency Medical Services. From that point, he worked as a firefighter and EMT for Harrison Township Fire Department in Dayton, Ohio, Oct/1999 through 2007. In 2007, he moved to Colorado and joined the Wyoming Army National Guard in March 2008. In 2011, he deployed one year to Afghanistan with Wyoming Cowboy DUSTOFF, and served with 10MTN and 82Airborne CAB. Andrew was awarded two Air Medals while deployed and later hired by the Thornton Fire Department in February 2012 as a Firefighter Paramedic. In Jan 2019, he returned to Afghanistan with Wyoming Cowboy DUSTOFF as Platoon SGT, and served with 1ST Armored Division CAB. While there, he was awarded one Air Medal.In 2021, he transitioned from FF/Paramedic to an Engineer/Driver at Thornton Fire Department. In January 2022, he was promoted to 1SG at the Wyoming Army Guard Unit.He is married to a wonderful wife who continues to moonlight as ER nurse. He has three children, Jordyn 24, Asher 12, Brayden, who is 10. They enjoy running, bike riding, snowboarding and the Colorado Sunshine.Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTERRead my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.comWatch episodes of my podcast:https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Nelsonville-York vs West Jefferson, 11-03-23.

Nelsonville-York @ Athens, 10-20-23.

Vinton County @ Nelsonville-York, 10-13-23.

Wellston @ Nelsonville-York, 9/29/23.

Nelsonville-York vs Meigs, 9-22-23.

Nelsonville vs River Valley 9-08-2023.

Nelsonville-York vs. Newark Catholic Friday, August 25, 2023

Katy Szapa, Production Roaster at Ruby Colorful Coffees, joins us from Nelsonville, WI for this Coffee People podcast. Katy shares her coffee journey with host Ryan Woldt, and her vision for the future of the industry. Find online: https://rubycoffeeroasters.com/ •  @rubyroasters on Instagram •  Coffee People is presented by Roastar, the premier digital printing company focused on coffee packaging. Roastar can help your small coffee business tell a big story. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.roastar.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@roastar on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Support this show by SUBSCRIBING to the newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://roastwestcoast.substack.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or buy us a cup of coffee at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/roastwestcoast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.roastwestcoast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for show recaps, coffee education, guest list and coffee news. Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RoastWestCoast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RoastWestCoast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Coffee People is one of the premier coffee and entrepreneurship podcasts. featuring interviews with professionals in the coffee industry and coffee education. Host Ryan Woldt interviews roastery founders, head roasters, coffee shop owners, scientists, artists, baristas, farmers, green coffee brokers, and more about their coffee origin stories, how they've dealt with the impacts of Covid-19, why they love coffee, and how coffee and their work makes an impact on their community. If you love coffee, the stories of how things are made and how businesses are built, shopping local, and being inspired, you will love Roast! West Coast, This show is supported by R!WC Industry Partners including: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Roastar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Franciscan Roaster Co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠., ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ascend Roasters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ignite Coffee Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steady State Roasting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zumbar Coffee & Tea⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Marea Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mostra Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠First Light Whiskey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Camp Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cape Horn Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crossings Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Acento Coffee Roasters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Sivitz Roasting Machines⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hacea Coffee Source.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Register to become an organ donor at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://registerme.org/⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/roastwestcoast/support

PJ Reilly talks with Elite Archery pro Darrin Christenberry after his first pro win in over 10 years last weekend at the IBO in Nelsonville. In talking about his journey switching from right-handed shooting to left, Darrin describes the ups and downs and all arounds. He keeps it real and speaks from the heart, and we're pretty sure you'll finish this podcast with an uplifted spirit.

Are you ready for the Starbrick Music Festival, the party event of the summer!? If you don't know a lot about it you can learn all you need to know right here on Main Street TV! The Starbrick Music Festival will be held on July 28th to July 29th at Hocking College in Nelsonville. It will be to help the Chris Roell TBI Foundation supporting mental health, all of the proceeds of this event will go to that foundation. Some of the music you can see includes: Classic Arena Rock, Hairball, Floyd Live, Bronson Arroyo Band, Skinny Molly, and Sabbath! This event will feature camping, vendors, kayaking, tubing and more! Make sure to check out the party event of the summer! Order your tickets now! Link: https://starbrickmusicfestival.com/

Are you ready for the Starbrick Music Festival, the party event of the summer!? If you don't know a lot about it you can learn all you need to know right here on Main Street TV! The Starbrick Music Festival will be held on July 28th to July 29th at Hocking College in Nelsonville. It will be to help the Chris Roell TBI Foundation supporting mental health, all of the proceeds of this event will go to that foundation. Some of the music you can see includes: Classic Arena Rock, Hairball, Floyd Live, Bronson Arroyo Band, Skinny Molly, and Sabbath! This event will feature camping, vendors, kayaking, tubing and more! Make sure to check out the party event of the summer!

Former Hocking College program manager Whitney Goller speaks about Dr. Young's double dynamic leadership style.

Hocking College president talks about women in leadership and how she's always tried to promote other women throughout her lifetime.

Retired Hocking College professor Ed Singer talks about what traits he thinks it takes to be a good leader.