Highlands Current Audio Stories

Dismisses Cold Spring, Philipstown claim A state judge issued rulings on Monday (Nov. 2) denying Cold Spring and Philipstown the right to challenge Dockside Park's use for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail and dismissing Putnam County from their lawsuit over the state's environmental review for the project. The decisions are the first issued by Judge Gina Capone in a lawsuit the town and village fi...

If approved, seniors and disabled vets could apply The Beacon City School District is considering expanding its property tax exemptions for seniors for the first time since 2007 and adding an exemption for disabled veterans. The district exempts up to 50 percent of a home's assessed value from taxation for property owners 65 or older if their annual household income is less than $32,400. If adopte...

Legislators ask sheriff for briefing Funding for a system of remotely operated drones that can be deployed to police, fire and medical emergencies in Putnam County has been temporarily grounded until Sheriff Brian Hess briefs the Legislature and the public on its details. Despite support among legislators for a Drone as First Responder program similar to one in Dutchess County, Putnam's legislator...

Plan would close gap with $32M from savings Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino shared her draft budget for 2027 with the Legislature on Oct. 30, citing many "tough choices" as she factored in a projected $90 million deficit, a precarious economy, rising inflation and federal cuts. Despite the challenges, Serino said during her presentation at the Legislative Chambers in Poughkeepsie, "we are del...

Asks city attorney to add requirement to proposal The Beacon City Council did not vote Monday (Nov. 2) on zoning amendments that would allow hotels in the district bordering Fishkill Creek. Instead, its members asked the city attorney to add language to the proposed law requiring a 50 percent residential component for new development in the zone. That means a hotel, if permitted, would have to be...

Participation dwindles among boys and girls For over 100 years, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have had the same motto: "Be prepared." Whether the organizations are prepared to thrive in the 21st century is unclear. Scouting membership locally and nationwide has dropped significantly over the past decade. The ranks of Beacon Scout Troop 3041, which meets near the Elks Lodge on Route 9D, have dwindled...

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for its newsletter here. The New York state legislature is about to be bluer than ever. Democrats flipped more than a dozen seats around the state, further cementing the party's hold on Albany. They included District 39, which includes Philipstown and Beacon, where Lisa Kaul defe...

Former Philipstown resident will host Chapel benefit Environmental journalist and singer-songwriter Andrew Revkin lived in Philipstown for nearly 30 years before moving to Maine in 2022. He returns on Saturday (Nov. 7) for a homecoming concert benefiting the Chapel Restoration in Cold Spring, where he married Mary Mechaley in 1996. He is billing the gig as an Evening of Songs and Storytelling. His...

Mischievous mentalist to 'read minds' Old soul Vincent DePonto calls himself a master charlatan who taps the back channels of people's innermost thoughts. During his performances, strangers ask, "How could you possibly know that?" Although he claims to be able to detect thoughts over the phone, he declined to do so with The Current during a remote interview. He is performing his latest show, Mind...

Legislature approves infrastructure aid Putnam County would distribute $10 million in surplus funds to its nine towns and villages over two years under an infrastructure program approved by the Legislature on Wednesday (Nov. 4). Legislators rejected an alternative $6.5 million proposal by County Executive Kevin Byrne in favor of a plan put forward by Legislator Toni Addonizio to award $5 million n...

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for its newsletter here. Buoyed by blue wave, the governor wins second full term Gov. Kathy Hochul easily won another term as governor of New York on Tuesday (Nov. 3), dispatching Republican Bruce Blakeman and affirming that New York may be returning to its blue-state roots. Othe...

Also: Kaul defeats Rolison in state Senate race Rep. Mike Lawler, seeking a third term representing the House district that includes Philipstown, conceded to challenger Cait Conley on Tuesday (Nov. 3) about 2½ hours after the polls closed, and before the race had been called by The Associated Press. With 57 percent of the votes reported, the Republican incumbent was trailing Conley, 52 to 47 perce...

Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican challenger Jackie Auringer for a third, 2-year term in Congress, winning 63 percent of the vote. Ryan's district includes Beacon. The Associated Press called the race 37 minutes after the polls closed. Jonathan Jacobson, whose district includes Beacon, ran unopposed for his fifth, 2-year term. The Democrat and former Newburgh City Council membe...

Democrats could take second seat on Legislature Kevin Byrne, running on the Republican and Libertarian lines for Putnam County executive, fought off a challenge from Brett Yarris on the left and Tatiana Brahimi on the right to win a second, 4-year term, according to unofficial results posted by the Board of Elections on Tuesday (Nov. 3). Byrne received the Conservative Party endorsement in 2022, w...

Some races not called in 2022 for eight days The stakes in Tuesday's election — which party will control Congress — are crystal clear. But when that will be known is impossible to say. The Associated Press will be calling races in all 435 House districts and the 35 Senate contests that are up for election. During the midterm elections in 2022, the AP called control of the Senate four days after El...

Six short plays will be read by actors on Nov. 14-15 Hudson Valley Shakespeare on Tuesday (Nov. 3) announced today that six short plays about revolution have been selected for its 11th annual Community Bake-Off. The plays will be read by actors under the direction of Catie Davis on Nov. 14 and 15 in the rehearsal studios at HVS, 2015 Route 9, in Philipstown. For free tickets, register at hvshakesp...

Could delay results in House District 17 race The Westchester County Board of Elections announced on Tuesday (Nov. 3) that its voting machines are having technical issues and polling sites have reverted to collecting paper ballots. "The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure and your vote will be counted," it said in a statem...

One of three Philipstown baseball squads The Cold Spring Generals 15U baseball team won the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League title on Saturday (Oct. 31) in Ardsley, defeating the Newburgh-based Hudson Valley Storm, 12-11. The victory in the D4 Championship Bracket is the club's second GHVBL title since its founding in 2021. It follows the 13U team's Gold D3 victory in 2024. The win came in wa...

State rejects Fair Street sidewalk grant Mayor Kathleen Foley, at the Wednesday (Oct. 28) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board, announced that the state Department of Transportation rejected a grant application to install sidewalks along Fair Street between Mayor's Park and Little Stony Point. She said the rejection was "sad" and "disappointing," especially because DOT encouraged the village t...

Members express concerns over access, density The Kearney Group on Oct. 22 previewed its plan to transform the former Marathon Battery site on Kemble Avenue into a mixed-use, walkable residential neighborhood during a presentation to the Cold Spring Planning Board. The 12-acre property is the village's largest undeveloped tract. Chair Jesse St. Charles stressed at the outset that no application ha...

Final discussion between House candidates before Tuesday vote On Oct. 24, the first day of early voting, a non-partisan voter education forum brought candidates together in a closely contested race that could help determine which party holds majority control in the U.S. House. Republican/Conservative incumbent Mike Lawler and his Democratic/Working Families challenger, Cait Conley, were at the Pee...

Grant nearly pays for village land purchase Cold Spring will receive $911,869 from New York State toward its purchase of 16 acres near the Cold Spring reservoir for repairs to the Upper Dam, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Friday (Oct. 30). The grant will cover most of the $1 million, five-year bond anticipation note the village issued to purchase two parcels adjacent to...

Latest Soon is Now exhibit celebrates water The wood-paneled walls at the River Center at Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park in Beacon offer malleable opportunities to hang and remove nails. For the past seven years, Eve Morgenstern and her collaborators have transformed the space into an art gallery and base for environmental-inspired performance art on the grounds. This year's Soon is Now exhibit, P...

Freedy Johnston, known for his songcraft, will play Beacon Dorothy wanted one thing: going home to Kansas. Growing up in Kinsley, a prairie town of 1,500 on the outskirts of Dodge City, Freedy Johnston wanted out. Signs at the edge of town, known as Midway U.S.A., pointed the way. "I used to work at the diner underneath the signs," says Johnston. "One reads: 'San Francisco 1,561 miles.' The other...

Candidates bring diverse backgrounds to race State Senate District 39, which includes Beacon and Philipstown, was expected to be highly competitive after its boundaries were redrawn in 2022. Sue Serino, a Republican who is now the Dutchess County executive, had represented what was then District 41 since 2015. But the redistricting opened the race for the district that includes the Highlands to tw...