By Holly Crocco A local law to limit and restrain the ability of local government to increase salaries for county legislators and the county executive has been proposed by Legislator Dan Birmingham, R-Southeast. Currently, each of the nine legislators make about $48,000 a year for what is considered a part-time position. “We have almost 50 employees who, whether they pave our streets or answer the phones or deal with public on a full-time basis, we have almost 50 of them maki

Putnam Valley was hit hard by the July 28 and 29 storm. Provided photo. By Holly Crocco Cleanup from not only one, but several summer storms that brought torrential rain to the area – hitting Putnam Valley especially hard – is continuing, with debris removal from blocked drains, and other efforts, proving to be a challenge. The Putnam Valley Town Board passed a resolution Aug. 12 approving the highway department to remove storm debris from various drains, waterways, and other

By Holly Crocco With a town moratorium on battery storage systems and large-scale wind energy conversion systems having expired in October, the Putnam Valley Town Board is looking to act quickly to pass another moratorium that will protect the town from not only these types of developments, but also data centers. The state recently passed a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers using 50 megawatts or more of power to assess environmental, energy, and community imp

By Holly Crocco Money is on the way to local nonprofits that are helping to keep food on the table for area families in need. The Putnam County Legislature voted unanimously during its Aug. 4 meeting to release $150,000 from the county’s subcontingency budget and transfer it to Cornell Cooperative Extension-Putnam and Second Chance Foods, to fight food insecurity. In 2025, the Legislature voted to dedicate the funds to support agencies that help feed the hungry, moving the mo

By Rob Sample The Putnam County Coroner’s Office recently provided legislators with a mid-year snapshot of their work – in addition to clarifying the sad circumstances that call for their involvement and how such deaths get classified. The briefing by John Bourges, one of the county’s three elected coroners, took place July 22 during the County Legislature’s Protective Services Committee meeting. Dr. Michael Nesheiwat and Wendy Erickson, RN, are the other two coroners. Suicid

By Holly Crocco With state benefits being sliced last year and the current state of the economy, Putnam lawmakers are discussing ways to fill the gap and make sure those who are food-insecure don’t go hungry. Legislator Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown, recently proposed a resolution that would allow the Legislature to move $150,000 from subcontingency into the budget, to be allocated to agencies that can get the funds to local food pantries throughout the county. “There have

By Holly Crocco The Brewster Village Board has approved a local law that changes the zoning code in the district where the former Garden Street School resides, allowing for the development of affordable housing. A concept for the property has been proposed by Covington Development LLC and WBP Development LLC, which owns the property. It was brought forward around February, and the zone change was necessary to entertain the concept further. The motion passed 3-0 during the vil

By Holly Crocco Putnam County is poised to approve a tax exemption for surviving spouses of police officers who are killed in the line of duty. During its July 14 meeting, the county’s Rules Committee unanimously approved a 50 percent tax reduction on the assessed property value of the qualifying primary residence for a homeowner in Putnam County whose spouse has been killed in the line of duty as a police officer. The exemption is provided under Real Property Tax Law Section

Were political messages scrawled on the replica Declaration of Independence hanging at the Historical Courthouse in Carmel an act of vandalism, or an exercise of one’s First Amendment right? Photo provided by the Putnam County Executive’s Office. By Holly Crocco As part of continuing countywide celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne is notifying residents that another larger-than-life

By Holly Crocco The approval to grant Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements for two Putnam businesses that seek to relocate within the county led to a discussion on PILOTs in general during the County Legislature’s June 29 Economic Development Committee meeting. APAP Land Management LLC plans to move from its current location in Patterson to a much larger site on Route 22 in Southeast, and the Kinsley Group is planning to relocate to 20 Fields Lane in Brewster. According to Bil

Winner of the Democratic primary for Congressional District 17 Cait Conley on election night. Provided photo. By Holly Crocco Cait Conley won the Democratic primary for Congress in the 17th district, with CBS News reporting that she took 50 percent of the vote. Challenger Beth Davidson earned 32 percent and Effie Phillips-Staley received 15 percent. Conley will take on Mike Lawler in November. In Putnam County, Conley received 57 percent of the vote (2,825 votes), while Davi

A drawing of what proposed affordable housing could look like at Garden Street. By Holly Crocco The beloved Garden Street School in Brewster is again the topic of discussion in the village, with a proposal to make zoning changes that would allow the property to be developed into affordable housing under review. According to Mayor James Schoenig, the plan – which is only a concept at this point, with no formal application – is being proposed by Covington Development LLC and WB

By Rob Sample While cell phones have become ubiquitous in American life, where the transmission towers get built can become controversial. In Kent, a proposal to build a 130-foot tower has angered residents of mostly rural Hortontown Hill Road. Heading up the opposition is Chelsea Mulroy, who lives across the street from the tower site, along with her husband and two young daughters. Mulroy has found plenty of support in her opposition among her neighbors, other town resident

By Rob Sample Will Carmel knock one out of the proverbial park and give town residents a revamped – and baseball-centric – Jimmy McDonough Park? That was one of the key topics discussed by the Carmel Town Board at its June 10 work session meeting. The proposed redesign would be both ambitious and expensive and would likely require approval via a public referendum. Should it proceed, construction would begin late next year. Because the project is still in the early stages, no

Putnam County Clerk Michael Bartolotti, Veterans Service Agency Deputy Director Tanya Pennella, County Historian Jennifer Cassidy, Assemblyman Matt Slater, County Executive Kevin Byrne, veterans, and advocates at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Putnam County Veterans Museum – a permanent tribute to the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces – officially opened last week, marking a major milestone in the county’s ongoing commitment to honoring and preserving t

Drew Kinash Drew Kinash has been appointed deputy commissioner of the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services, effective June 8, contingent upon the County Legislature’s approval. Kinash previously served as manager of the bureau’s fire training center, overseeing operations at the county’s newly rebuilt, state-of-the-art facility. He has also served as a Putnam fire instructor since 1999, helping train generations of firefighters across the county. A longtime public serva

By Holly Crocco With reassessment notices having recently been mailed out to Kent residents, Town Assessor Seth Plawsky was asked to speak at the May 19 Kent Town Board meeting to address concerns and answer questions. “Most people seem to think if your assessment is going up, it means your taxes are going up, and that’s not the truth,” he said. Plawsky explained that last year the town underwent a reappraisal because there were properties that were grossly over- or under-ass

A public hearing regarding proposed zoning changes that are presumably related to development of the old Garden Street school property in the Village of Brewster is scheduled June 10 at 7 p.m., at Village Hall. Proposed Local Law No. 5 of 2026 pertains to updating Chapter 263 of the village zoning code, and is available for viewing at www.brewstervillage-ny.gov and at Village Hall. The local law seeks to amend the section regarding “mixed-use districts” to say that no buildin

By Holly Crocco A public hearing is scheduled June 8 before the Southeast Planning Board regarding an application by Brewster Industrial LLC to allow overnight truck deliveries for Lincoln Logistics on Pugsley Road. Dan Richmond of the law firm Zarin & Steinmetz explained during the April 27 planning board meeting that currently, no deliveries are allowed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekends, and 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekdays. On Sundays and federal holidays, deliveries may not s

By Rob Sample Putnam County regularly ends up on lists of the most wealthy counties in both the U.S. and in the state. Yet, studies have shown that one in nine Putnam residents are affected by food insecurity. During a recent meeting of the County Legislature’s Health Committee, lawmakers discussed ways to resolve the resource shortages that keep food insecurity a nagging public concern. Committee Chairwoman Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown, noted that taking action was made c