Episódios
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Many, but not all, in city favor proposal
Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou was the first elected official to speak when the state Department of Environmental Conservation held two virtual hearings last month on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail.
The hearings came after the state parks department's release in December of its 709-page review of Scenic Hudson's plans to construct a 7.5-mile linear park connecting Beacon and Cold Spring. Ninety people spoke during the hearings; written comments are being accepted until March 4.
Offering "enthusiastic, unqualified" support, Kyriacou's comments stood in contrast to the reception the project has received from some elected officials and residents in Cold Spring and Philipstown.
"There will be greater access, not only to the Hudson Highlands, but for the first time to large sections of the Hudson River that previously were inaccessible due to the railroad tracks," he said during the Jan. 14 hearing. "Along the Hudson will be flat trail sections, broadening access to those who cannot easily do mountain hikes - including seniors, persons with disabilities, cyclists, runners and those simply wanting less strenuous options."
In addition, he said, the north end of the trail, which would begin at Beacon's Long Dock Park - a former junkyard transformed over 15 years by Scenic Hudson - will link many open spaces: Dennings Point State Park, Madam Brett Park, Seeger Riverfront Park, the Klara Sauer Trail and the city's Fishkill Creek Greenway & Heritage Trail, which is being created in segments around Beacon's perimeter.
Then there's the biggest connection of all: If Dutchess County commits to constructing a trail along 13 miles of dormant railroad from Beacon to Hopewell Junction, the Fjord Trail would connect to the Dutchess Rail Trail, Walkway Over the Hudson and the 750-mile Empire State Trail.
Turn Lane Weighed for Dutchess Manor
Would serve cars at Fjord Trail center
A lane for vehicles turning left from northbound Route 9D into the former Dutchess Manor site is being analyzed as part of the proposal to remake the property as a visitors center for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail.
In a memorandum submitted to the Fishkill Planning Board for its meeting on Feb. 13, planning consultant AKRF said anticipated traffic volumes during Saturday and Sunday midday and late-afternoon peak hours exceeded the threshold for a left-turn lane for drivers turning into the property.
Aaron Werner, AKRF's senior technical director, said during the meeting that HHFT has "started conversations" with the state Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Route 9D, while engineers for the project examine the feasibility of adding a lane.
Exceeding the threshold "does not automatically mean that turn lanes are required, as other factors, such as impacts to drainage or right-of-way constraints, should be considered," said AKRF.
HHFT's plans for the property include demolishing three additions to the original structure built between 1947 and 2007, restoring a slate roof and adding a parking area with 181 spaces, upstairs offices, bathrooms and an area where shuttles and buses can drop off and load visitors to the Fjord Trail.
While Fjord Trail opponents in Cold Spring have bristled at the number of tourists they say the project will bring to the village, Kyriacou said he welcomes more visitors to Beacon's mile-long Main Street. "The Fjord Trail helps Beacon far more than any ancillary problems that it may create, and that we will manage," he said.
The mayor has worn his support for HHFT for months, donning gear with the organization's logo during City Council meetings. Given the mixed reception the proposal has received elsewhere, he has suggested many times that construction in Beacon begin sooner rather than later.
Kyriacou isn't alone. In 2023, Dan Aymar-Blair and Justice McCray, both members at the time of Beacon's City Council, host... -
State agencies work to combat spread
A month ago, avian influenza, or bird flu, was found in a commercial duck farm on Long Island, leading to the deaths of over 100,000 birds. The discovery, coming shortly after the disease was found in birds in Putnam County, led to fears of widespread outbreaks.
While the disease has continued to kill wild birds, the outbreak at the Crescent Duck Farm has so far been the only case of the disease at a large bird farm in New York. And in the weeks since the Putnam and Long Island cases were discovered, there's only been two others confirmed in smaller backyard flocks: one with 50 birds in Ulster County, and a flock of 15 ducks and geese near Syracuse.
H5N1 - the avian influenza strain being found in the U.S. - was also discovered during testing at live bird markets in New York City's outer boroughs earlier this month. Those markets were temporarily shut down by the state.
Elizabeth Wolters, a deputy commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, noted that farms routinely test for diseases such as avian influenza. In New York City, "we were able to get in, quarantine the market, shut it down, get it cleaned up."
It's not unexpected that bird flu has ramped up across the nation over the past few months, said Kevin Hynes, the wildlife health program leader for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Colder weather favors the transmission of the virus, much like it does for human influenza.
This is also the time of year when migratory waterfowl are moving through New York. With the country having lost half of its wetlands over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, migrating birds have less secluded places to land and end up resting closer to poultry farms and commercial flocks.
Waterfowl can be infected but not get sick, Hynes said. "They're flying around infected; they're shedding the virus through their saliva and their feces, and it goes into the water," he said. "Other birds are exposed to it that way, either other wild birds or domestic poultry that might be in your backyard or at a free-range poultry operation."
The disease's relatively low impact on local commercial poultry can be credited to the departments of Environmental Conservation, Agriculture and Health working together, said Wolters. There has been concern at the national level after the Trump administration fired officials who were working on bird flu and accusations that research about the disease has been withheld by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but Wolters said her contact with federal agencies has been smooth.
"We haven't seen any changes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's response," she said. "To date, all the information on the detections continues to be posted on its website. It's the same with the genetic sequencing" the agency has been sharing with researchers.
As of Feb. 20, there have been no confirmed human cases of bird flu in New York, nor have any dairy cows been affected. There has been only one confirmed death, in Louisiana, and many people infected have responded well to antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu. The symptoms of avian influenza are similar to those of seasonal influenza, although many people infected with avian influenza also get pink eye.
Another reason for cautious optimism: Although H5N1 has been detected in New York state in mammals such as bobcats, racoons, foxes and possums, it hasn't been detected in pigs. That's significant because pigs are genetically similar to humans, said Hynes. "Pigs can be infected with human seasonal influenza viruses," he said. "If they're already infected with that, and they get a new infection at the same time of avian influenza, that could change the viruses' genetic material, and you could end up with a new strain that could potentially be very virulent to people and spread to people in an airborne fashion."
As of now, avian influenza has not spread person-to-person. But every time ... -
Eliza Street condominiums incomplete
A lender filed a lawsuit in Dutchess County court this month demanding repayment of nearly $4.63 million from the developer of an incomplete Beacon housing project.
The suit, filed Feb. 4 by Insula Capital Group, alleges that Qele "Charlie" Qelaj, who is listed in a state database as the registered agent of Eliza Street LLC, failed to repay loans of $747,000 and $3,881,950 to construct The Mews at Beacon, a nine-unit condominium development at 53 Eliza St.
The project, which was approved by the Beacon Planning Board in 2019, would have loft-like condos in three buildings around a landscaped courtyard. A representative for the developer said in 2023 that construction was 70 percent complete and Qelaj was getting new financing. Last year the representative said Qelaj had approached a new lender.
Insula said in its complaint that Qelaj requested three extensions on the $747,000 loan, which was taken out in 2021. According to the legal filing, in 2022 Qelaj consolidated two other loans totaling $3.9 million.
In January 2023, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted the project a one-year extension of a variance to construct multi-family units in an area zoned for single-family homes. It also provided an extension on a variance to construct nine units on a parcel that was allowed only six. At that time, the project's attorney wrote in materials submitted to the ZBA that the three buildings had been constructed and would be "completely finished" within 10 months, notwithstanding complications presented by the pandemic.
Insula asked the court to force the sale of the development to pay the debts, plus interest and fees.
416-420 Main St.
The City Council on Tuesday (Feb. 18) approved a second six-month extension of the special-use permit approved in 2021 for the four-story building at 416-420 Main St.
The project merged two lots and will include retail on the ground floor, office space on the second and third and a single apartment on a recessed fourth floor, as well as an outdoor plaza open to the public. Construction had been delayed by "long lead times required to finish interior spaces," according to a memo from the city attorney, but is expected to be complete within six months. -
When internet scammers targeted Priscilla Goldfarb last month, she was horribly jet-lagged after traveling 22 hours to meet her son. The 81-year-old Cold Spring resident was in a hotel room in Singapore, getting ready for bed when she checked her phone.
"I had a message from my bank asking me to verify a transaction that I had made on PayPal," she said. "There was an intimation that there could be fraud. They wanted to make sure it was a valid transaction. I absolutely considered clicking on the link. I was halfway around the world. Who knew what could happen?"
But Goldfarb hesitated. "I know that I am more likely to be subjected to scam attempts because of my age," she said.
Rather than click on the email link, she called the customer service number listed on the back of her credit card. "They told me they had not sent me any fraud alerts," said Goldfarb.
Goldfarb was one of about 20 seniors who attended a presentation held Feb. 13 at the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison on avoiding scams and identity theft. The program was organized by Philipstown Aging at Home and led by Ryan Biracree, the digital services librarian.
I attended at the insistence of my wife, who tells our children that I'm vulnerable to scams because I once responded to a robocall claiming to alert me to a problem with my Amazon account. I spoke with a lovely woman with a foreign accent for 10 minutes before my wife said, "Who are you talking to?" and made me hang up. For the record, I did not share any personal information.
"You may think that you're too smart to fall for something," Goldfarb told me. "But anybody can fall for something. It's that sense of urgency [the scammer creates], that you could be in jeopardy."
Protect Yourself
• Scammers often pretend to be from an organization you know, like the IRS, Amazon, Medicare or your local utility. They create a sense of urgency and demand payment. If you get this kind of call, hang up and call the organization directly.
• Scammers claim there is an urgent problem, such as a family member with an emergency. Don't act immediately. Tell them that you'll call them back. Or ask them a question that only the family member would know.
• Scammers claim you have a computer virus. Hang up on anyone you don't know. If you get a popup warning on your screen, don't call the number.
• Scammers say you won a prize but you have to pay a fee to collect.
• Scammers will pressure you to act immediately. Resist.
• Scammers tell you to pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, a payment app or gift cards.
• Block unwanted calls and text messages.
• Don't use customer-service numbers you found through a Google search. Start by visiting the merchant's website.
• Don't give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn't expect.
• If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it's real, it's still prudent not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy.
• Before acting, talk to someone you trust.
Source: Federal Trade Commission
Online scams are a growing business. In 2023, they cost U.S. residents an estimated $12.5 billion, almost four times the losses in 2019, according to FBI data. That's a conservative estimate because only 20 percent of cybercrime is reported. New York ranks fourth in losses, with over $700 million. Californians lost three times that.
The scams vary. There are phishing emails or robocalls that claim to be from your bank, Amazon, your health insurer, the IRS or the Social Security Administration, where scammers ask for personal information to help clear up a "problem with your account." There are also phony job offers, phony investment opportunities, romance scams where suitors seek your money and phony medical cures for everything from erectile dysfunction to poor eyesight.
There are computer security scams: You get an email or call allegedly from Apple or Google telling you that you ne... -
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. -
Democrats endorse newcomers for seats
Four of the seven members of the Beacon City Council will not seek re-election in November, and the Beacon Democratic Committee has endorsed four newcomers to fill the seats.
Jeff Domanski (Ward 2) and Pam Wetherbee (Ward 3) will not seek re-election; Molly Rhodes (Ward 1) is leaving to run for the Dutchess County Legislature; and George Mansfield (Ward 4), appointed in January to fill a vacancy, is not running to keep the seat.
The Democrats have endorsed Lastar Gorton (Ward 1), Zach Smith (Ward 2), Sergei Krasikov (Ward 3) and Carolyn Glauda (Ward 4), as well as incumbents Amber Grant and Paloma Wake for the two at-large seats.
The Democrats also endorsed Yvette Valdés Smith for District 16 on the Legislature, which includes Ward 4 in Beacon and parts of Fishkill, and Rhodes for District 18, which includes Wards 1 to 3. The latter is held by Nick Page, who will not seek a fifth term.
For the past two elections, Democratic candidates for the City Council have run unopposed.
Gorton is a life coach and author who was grand marshal of the 2024 Spirit of Beacon Day parade; Smith is a data scientist who serves on the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Visitation Data Committee; Krasikov chairs the city Conservation Advisory Committee and co-chairs the Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance; and Glauda is programs and outreach manager for the Southeastern New York Library Resources Council and a member of the city's Traffic Safety Committee.
In an email, Mansfield, who previously served seven terms before returning to the council this year, said Thursday that "there were so many good, qualified people stepping up to run that I decided these new voices and perspectives would serve the city well."
The Democrats also endorsed Dan Aymar-Blair, a former council member who was elected in November as Dutchess County comptroller. He is serving the final year of a four-year term held by Robin Lois, who resigned to take a state job, and will run in November for a full term. He may face Will Truitt, the Republican chair of the Legislature, who filed to run for the position. -
The news has been overwhelming this past month. Much of it you've already forgotten. But I bet most of you will not be able to forget about the plastic spoon in your brain.
Earlier this month, a team of researchers led by scientists at the University of New Mexico published a paper about the apparently increasing amount of microplastics being found in the human body, particularly in the brain. The researchers found that brains from people who died in 2024 contained about 50 percent more microplastics than brains from 2016. The age of the deceased didn't matter.
How much plastic? The 2024 brains averaged around 7 grams, or about the same weight as a plastic spoon. Some caveats: The researchers only studied 52 brains, and while that might seem like a lot of brains, it's relatively few for a scientific study. Also, all 52 brains came from New Mexico. Perhaps New York brains have fewer microplastics, although it seems more likely we have more.
The situation in New York was already pretty bad when I wrote about it for The Current in 2019. But as Shannon Roback of Riverkeeper pointed out, it's hard to say if it's getting worse without more data. Microplastics in the Hudson River have been measured over the years, but never consistently and never in the same places.
That could soon change. Later this year, Riverkeeper will roll out a more robust version of its public monitoring program at more than 200 locations in the river and its tributaries. The organization already tests regularly at over 100 locations for fecal bacteria, temperature, salinity and chlorophyll. The new system will allow it to sample phosphorus and nitrate, as well, and although Riverkeeper itself doesn't have the capacity to test for microplastics, Roback is hoping that the system can be used by state and federal agencies that do.
California is in the process of setting limits on how much microplastics are allowed in drinking water. To calculate those limits, scientists are trying to determine what microplastics do to us. It's known that plastics act as endocrine disruptors, which affect the body's hormonal and reproductive systems. Low sperm count has been linked to microplastics because - I'm so sorry to tell you this so soon after telling you about the plastic spoon - they're in testicles, as well.
Until we have more data on which plastics in our daily lives are making their way to our brains and nether regions, it's hard to know what actions could be most beneficial. Roback said that while municipal water systems filter out most microplastics, using a charcoal-activated filter at home, such as a Brita pitcher, might add an additional layer of defense.
In the meantime, the surest way to reduce the plastics getting into us is to reduce the plastics being made. One bill floating around Albany, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, would require companies to lower the amount of single-use plastic packaging by 50 percent over the next 12 years, ban the use of 15 so-called "forever chemicals" used to create them and make companies responsible for the costs of disposing of what can't be recycled.
When I spoke to state Sen. Pete Harckham about the bill last year, he was optimistic that it had been revised enough in previous sessions to make it to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. Although the bill did pass in the Senate, 37-24 (Sen. Rob Rolison, whose district includes the Highlands, voted no), it got lost in the chaotic shuffle of the session's final days when Hochul announced a last-minute pause on congestion pricing.
But momentum appears to be growing. New Jersey has announced its own version of the bill. If both New Jersey and New York pass plastic-reduction legislation in 2025, it could spur national changes. According to Jeremy Cherson of Riverkeeper, the fact that the bill has been kicking around the New York Legislature for years has given global companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi more time to water it down through lobbying and political dona... -
Beacon artist depicts Earth under siege
Zac Skinner walks the talk. Concerned about environmental degradation, he takes his young sons to remove trash along the banks of the Hudson River and donates a portion of his art sales to the nonprofit Earthjustice.
No surprise then, that his symbolic paintings are saturated with stark reminders that the Earth is under siege. In two of them, oil pipelines guide the eye. In "Pop-up Farm with Vortex," a maelstrom threatens a ziggurat.
"I'm going for post-industrial landscape," Skinner says. "They can be dark, but I intend them to be a hopeful dark."
Skinner, 43, is one of three artists featured in a group show, Home is Where the Heart Is, on display at the Garrison Art Center through March 9. He will also participate in an artist talk with Amy Cheng, Erik Schoonebeck and Greg Slick at the art center at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 22).
A practicing Buddhist whose work reflects his travels in Asia, Skinner enjoys camping and many of his pictures depict structures in the wilderness, like a pyramid, temple, monastery or wooden meditation hut.
"For the smaller ones, I like to feature a prominent entryway to make them more inviting and inhabitable," he says. "They provide a sense of hope and a safe space as shelter from the storm."
Hailing from the Syracuse area, Skinner earned an MFA from The School at the Art Institute of Chicago. Since moving to Beacon in 2014, he's used the area as a launch pad to show works in Texas, California and Korea.
In addition to exhibiting in group shows at Kube Art Center and the former Theo Ganz Studio, he has mounted solo shows at the BAU Gallery and the now-closed Matteawan Gallery, all in Beacon, as well as the Garrison Art Center.
A solo show at No. 3 Reading Room in Beacon led to a limited-edition book, Atlas Trap, published by Traffic Street Press. Owner Paulette Myers-Rich paired Skinner's relief prints of endangered species with poetry by Greg Delanty in a 40-copy print run.
As a painter, Skinner works with many media, including tempera, egg-based paints used widely until the Renaissance. Some of the bleaker works are created with special charcoal, like "Cliff Shelter No. 1 with Storm Clouds," on view at Garrison Art Center.
"Abandoned Hut by Dried Steam Bed"
"Atmosphere Bubble and Ruins in a Dead Landscape"
"Cliff Dwellers with Aloe Vera Garden"
"Cliff Shelter No. 1 with Storm Clouds"
"Pop-up Farm with Vortex"
"Survival Camp with Water Collector, Kale and Oil Pipeline"
His approach also hops around. "The alchemist in me likes to experiment with materials and depictions," he says. "I don't have a style, really, I just keep inventing my way through the images."
Some pieces feature charred landscapes, barren trees and lots of stumps. Clouds are often ominous. The ones gathering in "Abandoned Hut by Dried Stream Edge" (on view in Garrison) and "Survival Camp with Water Collectors, Kale and Oil Pipeline," evoke Van Gogh's swirling brush style.
The large dabs that make up the majestic purple mountains in "Atmosphere Bubble and Ruins in a Dead Landscape," which hangs in his studio at Kube, also channel the Dutch master. The painting's pillars could represent Stonehenge or the detritus of an abandoned highway overpass.
"The goal with the overt message is to prevent indifference over time," he says. "I am compelled to represent myself, and my convictions, to inspire inner strength."
The Garrison Art Center, at 23 Garrison's Landing, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Monday. -
He just wants to work on the drums all day
To commemorate four centuries in business, the Zildjian cymbal company commissioned Aaron Latos to build 400 snare drums from the same alloy that goes into their rides, crashes and high hats - staple elements of a jazz or rock drum set.
Recipients include Sheila E., drummer's drummer Steve Gadd (Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover") and tatted celebrity Travis Barker of Blink 182 (who survived a plane crash and dated Kim Kardashian).
The anniversary passed in 2023 and Latos, who moved last year to Beacon with his wife and two young children, is 10 units shy of fulfilling the order. In the meantime, he's trying to perfect the manufacturing process for his own line of snares, tom-toms and bass drums crafted from nickel silver, which he assembles nearly from scratch in his Newburgh shop. Only the washers and tension rods clamping down the hoops that tune and tighten the drumheads are machined off-premises.
By year's end, he plans to move the lathes, drills and rollers to a space in Beacon double the size of his current spot.
Latos, 36, hails from West Virginia and made a living drumming in recording sessions and touring with country singer Margo Price. He performs around town with the Stephen Clair Band and takes on select students and studio projects.
Drummers are notoriously picky about their gear and setup. Drum and cymbal angles must hit every time. Some prefer wood over metal snares. Others argue over tuning techniques. Every cymbal sounds different and comes in myriad shapes and sizes.
Latos is so detail-oriented that he patented a snare drum throw-off system, the mechanism that lifts and holds down the coiled snare wires that add snap to the two and four beat of nearly every pop and rock song. His patent for the butt plate, which anchors the snares, is pending.
"I'd have more patents, but they're expensive," he says.
As far as he knows, Latos is the first to make nickel steel drums. He digs the sound, but the manufacturing process is like wrestling an alligator and presents "the most annoying and frustrating fabrication characteristics" that are "difficult to cut and work."
The raw material arrives in long, flat sheets, like the plies of wood used in most drums. Labor consists of rolling, shearing and brazing them together. His loud, hefty snare drums pay homage to models used by big band jazz drummers in the 1920s and '30s designed to cut through 17-piece outfits in the days before specialized microphones.
Weighty shells for his floor and rack toms are capped by silvery stainless steel and solid brass copper-colored hoops. Bass drums come with brown wood hoops. The end results are so striking that each piece looks like a sculpture.
A basic snare costs $2,000 and a full drum kit starts at $10,000. Customers range from doctors and lawyers to pros, including Bob Meyer, a jazz cat and early adopter, Jeremiah Green of Modest Mouse (who died in 2023) and Harvey Sorgen, who has played with Hot Tuna, Derek Trucks and Paul Simon.
Latos' workshop is relatively tidy, although gold and silver shavings litter the floor, including the rug in the cozy corner with a couch, turntable and pile of vinyl records capped by Mel Torme, Chuck Mangione and Haitian group Bossa Combo discs.
"Every 22 minutes or so, I come over and flip the record," he says. "It helps me focus on what I am doing and what I should be doing."
Latos Drums is located at 11 Spring St. in Newburgh and at latosdrums.com. -
Prentice, Maasik announce campaigns
Nat Prentice and John Maasik announced last week that they plan to campaign for two open seats on the Philipstown Town Board.
The Philipstown Democratic Committee last month endorsed two other candidates, Ben Cheah and Ned Rauch. The seats are held by Jason Angell and Megan Cotter, who are not running for second terms.
Prentice and Maasik are both Democrats. If at least three candidates gather the signatures needed to appear on the ballot, a primary will be held in June.
Following a career as an investment manager in New York City, Baltimore and Philadelphia, Prentice in 1999 purchased the Garrison home where he grew up. He is a commissioner for the Garrison Fire District, president of the Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce and the Putnam County Business Council and a board member for Stonecrop Gardens and Paramount Hudson Valley Arts. In 2018, he served as chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee.
Maasik, a marketing executive, has served on the Philipstown Recreation Commission since 2012 and as a board member for Friends of Philipstown Recreation since 2014. A 20-year resident, he also volunteered for Scouting America and the Philipstown Soccer Club. -
Zoning amendments could nix Beacon drive-thru
The Healey family, which for 40 years operated auto dealerships along Fishkill Avenue in Beacon, says the City Council is unfairly targeting its effort to redevelop one of its lots, according to a letter addressed to Mayor Lee Kyriacou and council members.
The letter, sent Monday (Feb. 10) on behalf of Dwight Healey and his sons, Jay and Dylan, accuses the mayor and council of expediting "incomplete recommendations" made by the Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee, a citizen workgroup assembled by Kyriacou to study the corridor. (Jay Healey is a member of the committee.) The recommendations contradict Beacon's comprehensive plan and lack analysis by traffic consultants and other experts contracted by the city, wrote Taylor Palmer, the Healeys' attorney.
Kyriacou said Wednesday that he had been away because of a family matter and had not had time to read the letter in full.
After purchasing a Ford dealership on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie and constructing a Hyundai facility on Route 52 in Fishkill, the Healey family placed four substantial Fishkill Avenue parcels on the market in 2023. The Planning Board last year approved applications from Carvana, the used-car retailer, and Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist organization, to occupy two of the parcels.
In November, the family brought a proposal to the board to convert a building at 420 Fishkill Ave., its former Ford dealership, to a Dunkin' coffeehouse with a drive-thru, three apartments and additional commercial space.
At the same time, the council in November asked the Fishkill Avenue committee to develop interim zoning recommendations for the corridor while continuing its work, which includes studying streetscapes and pedestrian accessibility. J.C. Calderon, the committee chair, delivered the recommendations during the council's Jan. 27 workshop:
Prohibit self-storage facilities.
Prohibit drive-thrus.
Reduce the minimum front-yard setback for new development and require parking behind, underneath or to the side of a building.
Prohibit gas stations, car washes, auto lots and repair shops, but allow existing auto-related uses to remain as non-conformities.
Calderon noted that committee members had not unanimously agreed but said the proposals align with input received during three public "pop-ups" last summer and an online survey. Another public information session is scheduled for March 9 at Industrial Arts Brewing Co.
Planning Board members also questioned the committee's recommendations, Calderon said. During a work session before its Dec. 10 meeting, John Gunn, the board chair, said that auto-related uses and drive-thrus "could be considered appropriate" in the Fishkill Avenue corridor while emphasizing traffic-calming and the pedestrian experience "in context of some of these types of uses."
The City Council on Monday agreed to send a draft law prohibiting self-storage facilities and drive-thrus to the city and county planning boards for review. Council members said they requested the "quick-fix" measures to preserve the city's vision for a walkable corridor that would complement recreational uses such as biking and hiking before incompatible development is approved.
The Planning Board held a public hearing the next night on the Dunkin' proposal. Three residents, one of them the husband of Council Member Pam Wetherbee, opposed the plans. One person favored the project. Thirteen more (eight for, five against) submitted written comments.
In the letter from Palmer, the Healeys asked the council members, if they decide to prohibit self-storage and drive-thrus, to exempt their project because it had been proposed beforehand.
Rose Hill Manor
The owner of Rose Hill Manor Day School, a preschool located for 40 years at 1064 Wolcott Ave., has proposed redeveloping the site as a three-story, 41-room hotel with a gym, spa and 56-seat restaurant.
The hotel would be open year-round with the spa open Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant ... -
Survey highlights mental health challenges
Beacon firefighter David Brewer has performed CPR on five people he knew, including a friend who collapsed on Labor Day weekend in 2023 and died despite his efforts.
Then there are the other stressors: being away from his family for 24-hour shifts, the rush of adrenaline when an alarm sounds and the anxious efforts to extinguish a fire. A panic attack hospitalized him on Christmas Eve a few years ago, said Brewer.
"Your bucket just gets filled up and filled up and filled up until, eventually, it overflows," said Brewer.
That is the situation for many first responders, according to an inaugural statewide survey of 6,000 emergency personnel, including 900 from the Mid-Hudson region, that asked about their mental health. Released on Feb. 5, the report is a collaboration between the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Benjamin Center for Public Policy Initiatives at SUNY New Paltz.
Of the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency dispatchers and emergency managers surveyed, 94 percent cited stress as a challenge and nine out of 10 mentioned burnout and anxiety. A majority also reported stress from traumatic events such as shootings and accidents (56 percent) and suffering symptoms of depression (53 percent). Another 40 percent experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and 16 percent thought of suicide.
Being exposed to constant trauma "can destroy relationships, it can destroy families, it can destroy that person," said Aaron Leonard, a lieutenant with the Cold Spring Fire Co. and the newly appointed CEO of Guardian Revival, a Beacon organization that provides services for veterans and first responders, including peer counseling.
"I have had my own experiences of sitting at my house having dinner, and then five minutes later, I'm doing CPR, the person passes away and you just go back home," he said. "Where do you unpack that experience?"
The list of barriers that prevent first responders from getting help is long, with about 80 percent citing the stigmas surrounding mental health and concerns that colleagues will deem them unreliable. Others worried that seeking help would impact their career or cause supervisors to treat them differently (74 percent), or lead to losing their firearms license (68 percent).
"It used to be, push that stuff down," said Brewer, whose 43-year firefighting career includes 25 years as a volunteer. "You were a lesser firefighter if you talked about that."
Brewer was "circling the drain" before a 45-minute phone call with a peer counselor at Guardian Revival helped him understand that he did everything possible to save his friend.
He has also attended a Guardian Revival workshop where veterans and first responders congregate around a campfire to talk about stressors. "Sometimes you go, 'Wow, I'm not alone,'" said Brewer. "Sometimes you go, 'I'm not that messed up.' "
In addition to peer counseling, survey respondents expressed interest in training on topics such as managing stress and coping with anxiety or depression. Their wish list of solutions includes access to gym memberships or in-house equipment, like the weight room at Beacon's new firehouse, and paid time for mental health care.
Guardian Revival has memorandums of understanding to assist 25 fire departments in Dutchess and Putnam counties with wellness programs, said Leonard. The Cold Spring Fire Co. launched its program on Monday (Feb. 10) with a yoga class for firefighters and their families.
Shari Alexander, a Cold Spring firefighter, coordinates the program with Leonard's wife, Leslie, who teaches the yoga class. Alexander said two personal trainers have volunteered to lead strength training, she will lead a class on breathing techniques and there will be a pushup challenge and sessions on topics such as healthy eating.
"Calls can be difficult and emotional and taxing," she said. "Part of it is preven... -
Cost, range, garage space present huge challenges
Is the transition to electric school buses too expensive and too complicated?
That's the question being asked by legislators and educators in the Highlands as New York's mandated, seven-year transition to a zero-emission fleet begins in 2027.
Electric school buses can cost $400,000 or more, three times the cost of a diesel bus. And there are concerns about range, electrical capacity and the need for larger garages to accommodate the buses and chargers.
So far, the Beacon, Haldane and Garrison districts do not have any electric buses, although Garrison has two hybrid vans. Haldane is seeking grants to buy four electric buses and Beacon voters have approved the purchase of two.
Statewide, only about 100 of 45,000 buses are electric, although about 1,000 have been approved or ordered, according to Adam Ruder, director of clean transportation for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). At the same time, residents in a handful of districts, including Hyde Park, have voted against electric bus purchases, even with state grants cutting the cost.
State Sen. Rob Rolison, a Republican whose district includes the Highlands, said he supports the transition to zero-emission buses. But he said the state needs to "listen to the school superintendents, school boards and taxpayers who are saying, 'Can we just slow down? Let's get it done. But the time frame is unrealistic.'"
The New York State Educational Conference Board, a coalition of groups that represent superintendents, PTAs, school boards, teachers, business officials and administrators, has raised concerns. Last month, the board published a paper stating that the mandate "will force districts to reduce educational opportunities for students, increase taxes and spend exorbitant sums, and cause voter unrest."
It proposed changes that include giving districts more money toward the estimated $15 billion in costs; allowing hybrid and low-emission buses; certifying range estimates from manufacturers; better access to funding by third-party transportation providers; and special utility rate structures for districts.
Assembly Member Dana Levenberg, a Democrat whose district includes Philipstown, said it's too soon to start "kicking the can down the road" by pushing back the zero-emission bus mandate. "We need to continue to work toward the goal. If we can't reach the goal, we can extend the deadline." She said she is not aware of any plans to add funding for electric buses to the 2025 state budget.
Jonathan Jacobson, a Democratic member of the Assembly whose district includes Beacon, said the conversion to electric buses "has presented more challenges than anticipated" including rising fleet costs, a lack of charging stations and electrical capacity and that "the buses would be too heavy for many of the small bridges in suburban and rural districts." But he said he was optimistic legislators and state agencies could find "affordable solutions."
At NYSERDA, Ruder said districts should get started, regardless. "We've been encouraging districts to buy one or two, kick the tires and get a sense of how they perform," he said, adding that 75 percent of districts have the electrical capacity to charge at least 10 buses.
Haldane, with a fleet of 15 buses and six vans, is trying to piece together financing to buy four electric buses, at a cost of $375,000 each, said Carl Albano, the interim superintendent. Albano said grants would cover all but about $50,000 of the cost if the district is approved for funding for each bus from the state ($147,000) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency ($170,000). Whether the EPA grant will be allowed to go forward under the Trump administration is unclear.
"Being patient and measured is the way to go," Albano said. "Teaching and learning should be the priorities, along with safe buildings. Protecting the environment is a high priority, but I don't think it should come at the... -
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). -
As many critics and moviegoers gush over the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, Greg Linksman shrugs. He has already dived deep into the music and background of one of his heroes but saw the film on a lark.
"I've read all the books and watched the concert footage and documentaries, so there's no real need to see a re-creation of a scene that I've already seen in its original form," he says.
Due to thirsty ears and a curious mind, he has accumulated at least a degree's worth of facts and knowledge about popular music, especially from the 1950s to the 1970s.
"I get excited listening to Motown when you know 30 seconds in that you're getting a hooky chorus in a perfectly crafted song, or knowing that Paul Simon will have amazing arrangements," he says. "But I also appreciate Buddy Holly and that punk rock thing with two chords."
Linksman, 36, hails from Westchester County. He knew Beacon because an aunt lived in the city. He started coming up more often in the 2010s to take breaks from Brooklyn and fell in with the Dogwood music crew. Then he met Kyra Auffermann, got engaged and relocated last year.
Over the years, he's performed semi-monthly pop-up shows at local bars and joined DIY events like a five-band event at the VFW Hall in December.
On Friday (Feb. 21), his group, Mickey Green's Off-Track, will play at Industrial Arts Brewing Co. For New Yorkers of a certain age, a word is missing from the name and indeed, his grandfather, Mickey Green, frequented the Off-Track Betting parlors that once dotted neighborhoods across New York City and showed horse races via closed-circuit analog television feeds.
Onstage, Linksman wears a shamrock-green cap knitted by his great-grandmother. "It's always been my color," he says.
Linksman is still perfecting his sound and says he has yet to record anything serious, so he works out arrangements and approaches during his laidback solo gigs. On guitar, he delivers a full sound with hybrid picking, where his thumb and forefinger squeeze a triangular flat pick to play the low end and the other three fingers pluck out higher notes.
The technique is associated with country guitarists (who call it "chicken picking") and helps fatten up Linksman's feel-good pop tunes. In general, verses are simple and well-placed minor chords color the mood, taking songs in different directions.
During "What Cha Gonna Do About It?", the opening number at an informal Tuesday gig on Feb. 4 at Draught Industries on Main Street, he launched into a lush solo based on the tune's main riff and ended the song by holding a bell-like falsetto note for what seemed like a minute.
In the second set, he reeled off the iconic opening riff of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" as a finger exercise. "I do it just to warm up my hands; it's a parlor trick that's more flashy than difficult."
Tuesday nights are typically slow in Beacon, especially in the winter. "It's a relaxed atmosphere; I can try out some new things," he says. "If you're doing what you love and you have to do it, you can feel the support in this town even if only nine people show up."
Industrial Arts Brewing Co. is located at 511 Fishkill Ave. in Beacon. The Feb. 21 show, which begins at 8 p.m., also will include performances by Barnaby! and the Vibeke Saugestad Band. -
Rik Mercaldi acquired his main electric guitar at age 15 and has been mastering its intricacies ever since. Give him a country song, a three-chord vamp or a funky bass line and he will execute an impressive solo with impeccable tone.
Playing with Last Minute Soulmates at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon on Feb. 7, he balanced feeling with technique and made his wah wah effect pedal cry like a baby as he sang along.
"People tell me that I sing, but it's not conscious and I guess I can't help it," he says. "I wasn't trying to draw undue attention, but sometimes the adrenaline kicks in when you're playing live, and you lose yourself."
Though he can rip out ferocious licks up and down the neck, Mercaldi only unleashes the beast at the proper time.
"That's the goal of a sideman, to make everything sound better," he says. "It's not about showboating."
Delivering tasteful lead guitar parts in an original pop/rock band is one skill, but over the years he has performed a wide range of styles, including the Cosmokaze project, which performs at 8 p.m. on Feb. 20 and every third Thursday at Quinn's.
The sound is as far out as the name because, unlike the more pat blues and rock that first forged Mercaldi's sound and style, this instrumental trio improvises for 45 minutes to an hour at a time, like one long jazz solo.
Drummer Todd Guidice produced and engineered the group's two albums at Roots Cellar Studio in Philipstown.
Regarding the band's name, which sounds like an exotic cocktail, "we were kicking stuff around with the general feeling of trippy, spacey, astral and the word cosmic came up and Josh [Enslen on bass] blurted it out," he says. "It's a cosmic kamikaze if that makes any sense."
Instead of crashing and burning, the music soars like a Grateful Dead space jam, sometimes gelling into a steady chord pattern and then fading into an ambient wash of sound or a low frequency rumble. Solos can break out at any time.
"It's not a jam band, we're doing spontaneous composition," he says. "We're like a jazz group with rock instruments."
No two performances are alike, but they can incorporate "a riff or chordal thing we've used before, which works well as a springboard."
There is plenty of musicality for listeners to latch onto a groove, or pocket, as segments lurch along then morph into a pattern with a strong backbeat.
Exotic sounds augment the mix, including two twangy lap steel guitars, a digital sitar effect and found backgrounds, like snippets from old films and answering machines. An electromagnetic EBow device transforms the guitar's timbre into an otherworldly, high-pitched buzz with sustain for forever.
Mercaldi moved to Beacon in 2016 from Hastings-on-Hudson, his first suburban stop. Visiting Dogwood (now Cooper's) sealed the deal.
Cosmokaze is a 180-degree departure from Last Minute Soulmates and The Subterraneans, which gigged all over the city and New Jersey during the 1990s. They're still around, putting together a concept album.
The Jersey native also spent five years playing mandolin and other acoustic instruments with Yonkers-based Spuyten Duyvil, which made a name in folk music circles touring the country and performing at big festivals before disbanding in 2018.
"I need to scratch every musical itch," he says. "I love [Cosmokaze's] creative freedom and relaxed pace; I don't need to be out there wanking a solo all the time. At home, this is something I would be noodling with, so now I'm just doing that in front of an audience."
Quinn's is located at 330 Main St. in Beacon. Mercaldi also will play a solo set at the Towne Crier Café on Feb. 22. See cosmokaze.bandcamp.com. -
Beacon committee's plan would prohibit self-storage, drive-thrus
The Beacon City Council is expected on Monday (Feb. 10) to begin its review of a draft law that, if approved, would ban new self-storage facilities and businesses with drive-thrus on Fishkill Avenue (Route 52).
The proposal is part of a first batch of recommendations for the busy thoroughfare generated by the Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee, a citizen workgroup assembled by Mayor Lee Kyriacou a year ago. The council in November asked the group to present "quick fixes" while the committee works on more detailed recommendations for the mile-long stretch from Blackburn Avenue to the Town of Fishkill line near the Industrial Arts Brewing Co.
The City Council will likely fine-tune the draft on Monday before scheduling a public hearing and sending the proposal to the Dutchess County and Beacon planning boards for review.
Existing businesses in the corridor would be exempted. There are no drive-thrus on Fishkill Avenue, but the Planning Board will hold a public hearing the following night (Feb. 11) on a proposal to convert 420-430 Fishkill Ave., the former site of the Healey Brothers Ford dealership, to a Dunkin' coffeehouse with a drive-thru. The building also would have other commercial space and three apartments.
If the Planning Board approves the Dunkin' proposal, it would be regulated by whatever zoning is in place when a foundation is poured and "something substantial has come out of the ground," City Attorney Nick Ward-Willis told the council during its workshop on Jan. 27.
During that meeting, J.C. Calderon, who chairs the Fishkill Avenue committee, introduced four recommendations, although the law being discussed Feb. 10 will only include the first two:
1. Prohibit self-storage facilities, which provide minimal employment and do not contribute to "vibrant corridors."
2. Prohibit drive-thrus, which are inconsistent with the committee's "pedestrian-scale vision."
3. Reduce the minimum front-yard setback for new development in the corridor from 15 feet to 10 feet, and require parking spaces to be located behind, underneath or to the side of a building. If to the side, parking should be screened by a low wall or landscaping.
4. Prohibit gas stations, car washes, vehicle sales or rental lots and auto-repair shops, while allowing existing auto-related uses in the corridor to remain as non-conformities.
The committee is expected to make other recommendations that could include the creation of a Fishkill Avenue zoning district. Calderon noted that the interim suggestions, particularly No. 4, were not unanimous among the nine committee members, although he suggested some of that could be attributed to a misunderstanding about existing businesses being exempt.
Natalie Quinn, the city's planning consultant, told the council: "There's a thought that these [gas stations, car washes, car dealers and auto-repair shops] are viable business options that provide services to members of the community, and they have to be located somewhere, and this may be one of the last corridors in the city that allows some of these uses." She said, in some cases, the opposition could be boiled down to: "Many people own a car that needs repair at some point."
Beacon Planning Board members have also expressed concern with the fourth recommendation, Quinn said, because auto-related ventures are "what the market is currently providing" for available lots on Fishkill Avenue.
Pam Wetherbee, who represents Ward 3, which includes the corridor, said she favors banning drive-thrus because of the emissions and traffic they create. "We're going to have a rail trail," she said, referring to Dutchess County's study of a dormant line along Fishkill Creek, "and to have emissions happening right where people are walking in nature seems to go against itself."
But she and Kyriacou each said they would move deliberately on No. 4 because much of the corridor is autocentric. "I don't want to be in the situati... -
Community kitchen closes, but free meals continue
After the Beacon Community Kitchen closed last month, volunteers launched two free meal programs to feed residents who might go without.
A week ago, on Jan. 31, more than 100 people were fed at the inaugural weekly dinner at the First Presbyterian Church provided by volunteers from Fareground, an anti-hunger nonprofit founded in 2012. Two weeks ago, a newly created nonprofit, Beacon's Backyard, began serving breakfasts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at The Yard.
Both projects were in the early planning stages before the closing of the Beacon Community Kitchen, which had been serving weekday lunches at Tabernacle of Christ Church since 2015 under the direction of Candi Rivera and other volunteers.
About the same time Beacon Community Kitchen closed, a meal program at First Presbyterian Church also stopped. In both cases, longtime coordinators retired or relocated.
"This wasn't the original plan," said Justice McCray, a former Beacon City Council member who helped organize Beacon's Backyard in December with plans for spring programming. "We pivoted."
Jamie Levato, the executive director at Fareground, said the sudden change feels like "a generational shift."
Fareground's Welcome Table and Beacon's Backyard Kitchen are carrying on a local tradition of feeding the hungry at a moment's notice. It took Beacon Community Kitchen less than a week to go from conception to opening in 2015 when the Salvation Army's kitchen closed unexpectedly. In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Beacon Mutual Aid was operating within 24 hours. Volunteers were never in short supply.
"We have a lot of people who are ready and willing to step up," said McCray. "They're just waiting for the Bat-Signal."
Special Reports
Hunger in the Highlands (2021)
Hunger in the Highlands Update (2024)
The Fareground dinner began after a volunteer who also helped at First Presbyterian noted the church has a commercial kitchen. "It was perfect timing because that's what we needed to make it happen," said Levato. (Fareground moved into a space just outside Beacon last year that has a commercial kitchen, but it needs major upgrades.)
The First Presbyterian kitchen needed a few minor fixes to pass inspection by the county health department, so Meyer's Olde Dutch Beacon donated pasta, meatballs, salad and bread for the Jan. 31 meal. Diners lingered and caught up with friends while music played and children colored.
The welcoming atmosphere is as integral to the program as the food, Levato said. "We want people to have access to fresh, healthy food because food is a human right," she said. "We also want people to engage with each other. There's a lot of issues that arise from people feeling lonely and a lack of connection.
"If you see somebody once a week, you can notice that something might be wrong. Maybe they need a ride to the doctor, or maybe they have some amazing news that they want to share with someone. If you can have those connections, you can build a network of support and community care."
"It's mutual aid," said Jason Hughes, a volunteer with Beacon's Backyard Kitchen, on Tuesday (Feb. 4) before breakfast was served at The Yard. "We're not feeding them - we're feeding us."
Altrude Lewis Thorpe
Beatrice Clay
Brian Arnoff
Chef Zeke
Jeff Silverstein
Rhys Bethke
The Yard has a commercial kitchen inside a trailer. Professional chefs and enthusiastic amateurs spent the early morning preparing shakshuka, potato hash, bacon, toast and fruit salad, while volunteers laid out muffins and cereal. As the dining room filled, the kitchen staff made and packaged a dozen sandwiches to hand out for lunch.
McCray said Beacon's Backyard Kitchen decided to serve breakfast because many working people couldn't attend the Beacon Community Kitchen lunches. "With a dine-in and takeout option, people don't have to go to work hungry," McCray said. "We know there's been a lot of success with the Beacon schools' ... -
Dutchess County has slowest growth
A New York report released last month found that the number of people without long-term housing nearly doubled between 2022 and 2024, although Dutchess County had the lowest growth rate in the state, at 11 percent.
The report, compiled by the state Comptroller's Office, found that, from January 2022 to January 2024, New York's homeless population grew by 50 percent, compared to 20 percent in the rest of the country.
It relied on a census conducted annually by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that estimated about 770,000 people in the U.S. were homeless in 2024, including 140,000 in New York City and 18,000 in the rest of the state. Only Hawaii and Washington, D.C., had higher rates per capita.
The homeless population in Dutchess County grew to an estimated 705 residents. Putnam County was not broken out, but Westchester County had a 19 percent increase, to 1,611. The statewide increase was 113 percent, although nearly all of that growth was in New York City, the report said, citing an influx of asylum seekers, the end of a pandemic freeze on evictions, a lack of affordable housing and rising rents.
In a news release on Jan. 30, Dutchess County cited its "proactive approach to addressing homelessness" for its state-low growth, including street outreach, case management and two licensed social workers hired in December.
How to Get Help
Dutchess County residents who need housing or a warming center can call the Department of Community & Family Services at 845-486-3300 during business hours or call 211 or law enforcement.
Putnam County residents who need emergency housing can call the Department of Social Services & Mental Health at 845-808-1500, ext. 45233, during business hours.
The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at 800-342-3009 or dub.sh/NY-help can provide guidance for emergency benefits.
Last summer, the county Department of Community & Family Services took over operations of a Poughkeepsie shelter, known as PODS, where an eight-person team works with each resident to develop "individualized independent living plans" and provide mental health support and crisis intervention. The shelter population dropped by 33 percent from 2023 to 2024, the county said.
According to the federal data, the number of families without long-term housing in New York state tripled between 2022 and 2024, to 96,000, accounting for about 60 percent of the population. More than half of state residents without long-term housing are Black or Hispanic, and an estimated 10 percent suffer from severe mental illness or chronic substance abuse.
To its credit, New York state has the lowest rate of unsheltered homeless in the country (3.6 percent of all homeless, versus 44 percent nationally), the lowest rate of homeless seniors (2.5 percent) and the lowest rate of chronically homeless (3.6 percent).
The state has 128,000 emergency beds (compared to 76,000 in California), 95 percent of which are in shelters, according to the report. The remaining 5 percent consists of "rapid re-housing" for moving people to permanent homes, "safe havens" for people with severe mental illness and "transitional housing" with support for up to 24 months. -
Show features paintings by 'archaeo-nerd'
Greg Slick's studio in Newburgh is an interesting place. With a treetop view of brick apartments and Victorian-era homes, the former carriage repair shop dates to the 1870s.
A pulley system with a 4-foot-diameter gear, a larger flywheel and steel rope wound around a cylinder peeks over a wall in the modest space. "I am inspired by that," says Slick, a New Jersey native who has lived in Beacon since 2003.
Two umbrella lights, typically used for photo shoots, flank his desk. Slick is "partially sighted," he says. "With a little help, the brain is remarkably good at adapting to challenging conditions."
Slick crafts what he calls "weird little" sculptures, but his current approach is painting with acrylic on wood, a technique informed by an obsession with the late Neolithic era about 5,500 years ago, when humans settled into farming.
Evidence of his armchair archaeological studies is reflected in Depth Perception, a solo show at the Garrison Art Center that opens Saturday (Feb. 8). In the adjoining gallery, a group exhibit, Home is Where the Heart Is, features work by Amy Cheng, Erik Schoonebeck and Zac Skinner, who lives in Beacon.
Though Stonehenge is the most famous monument, Neolithic societies arranged rocks and created elaborate structures with significant care and skill at thousands of sites across Europe and elsewhere.
Slick considers himself an "archaeo-nerd." In his studio, he flips through The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland, a thick, illustrated listing of more than 1,000 places. Two copies of The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, an academic journal published by Cambridge University Press, sit on another table.
"I joined the society so I could get the journal," says Slick, who has visited several ancient architectural constructs and is the chief docent at the Magazzino Italian Art museum in Philipstown.
The new show's title is apt because Slick's striated series has evolved to feature what resembles layers of rocks beneath the Earth's surface. Early iterations consist of piles of abstract stones (or scoops of ice cream).
"Bocan"
"Guadalperal"
"Sueño Oscuro"
"Vertical Time 2"
"Shadow Field"
"Sueño Oscuro"
The work developed into what he calls "stratigraphic, research-based" pictures with three layers separated by a stone-like wash created by dragging and dabbing a brush roller across the surface with his hands.
Up close and from the side, the works look like collages, with textured surfaces. Covering a stone with grids or a chevron breaks up the colors and evokes shamanistic and hallucinogenic rituals from prehistoric times, he says.
Some of the featured shapes are textured and scratched, while others are rendered with flat surfaces and brighter colors, like red and blue. At the bottom, a layer of what seems like dark yellow goo suggests magma.
"If you dig down far enough in the Earth, you'll find a wall, a pot, a skull," Slick says. "All this materiality connects us to the past. It's the history underneath our feet and a bridge to 5,000 years ago."
The Garrison Art Center is located at 23 Garrison's Landing. The exhibits open with a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 8 and continue through March 9. An artist's talk is scheduled for March 1. For more of Slick's artwork, see gregslick.com. - Mostrar mais
