Erik Lichack on fife and Sean Kmiotek on drum of the Hearts of Oak reenactors lead participants in a march. Provided photos. Early American music and musket fire enlivened a unique experience for Desmond-Fish Public Library patrons May 9 in Garrison. A visit from the Hearts of Oak reenactors and storyteller Jonathan Kruk complemented the library’s exhibit “Choosing Liberty,” featuring Col. Nicholas Fish. (He and friend Alexander Hamilton, students at King’s College, were memb

By Holly Crocco The County Legislature in October voted to put aside more than $6 million to create a property tax relief program for homeowners in Putnam County, but several months later, the funds are still sitting in purgatory. Former Legislator Paul Jonke, who retired from the governing body in December, returned before the board during its May 12 Rules Committee meeting to get a status update. He explained that in October, the county voted to return $200 to the 30,000 ow

By Holly Crocco With the Putnam County Legislature failing to approve the addition of a “taxpayer transparency” chapter to the county code during a committee meeting in April, one last attempt was made at the Legislature’s May 5 meeting to move the matter forward. Proposed by Legislator Laura Russo, R-Patterson, earlier this year, the Taxpayer Transparency Act would formalize many actions that are already taking place. It would require the commissioner of finance to maintain

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature is considering changing the way volunteers are appointed to the county’s Board of Ethics. Currently, the board is comprised of five individuals who are appointed by the county executive and approved by the Legislature. During the May 12 Rules Committee meeting, Legislator Tommy Regan, R-Southeast, proposed amending the county code to state that two members be appointed by the county executive, two by the Legislature chairperson, a

Family of John McArdle, a former NYPD lieutenant from Carmel who oversaw rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero, in front of the sign that honors him. McArdle died in 2023. By Holly Crocco Members of the law enforcement community, as well as friends and family of John McArle, joined lawmakers, elected officials, and other advocates May 2 along Route 301 in Carmel/Kent for the unveiling of a sign designating a portion of the roadway between Belden Road and Gipsy Trail R

By Holly Crocco A simple request to use $12,895 from the sheriff’s department contingency funds to pay off the remainder of a lease for a vehicle dedicated to the Co-Response Team prior to the grant’s conclusion recently sparked a greater conversation about the future of the program. “This is a very complex fund transfer,” said Legislator Nancy Montgomer, D-Philipstown, at the County Legislature’s May 5 meeting. The county received a $400,000 Community Oriented Policing Servi

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature voted 8-1 last week to send a memorialization up to Albany supporting State Sen. Rob Rolison’s proposed “utility tax holiday.” Rolison, R-Poughkeepsie, has proposed a one-year suspension of utility bill and tax surcharges and a two-year suspension of green energy gas taxes, with the hopes of providing relief to residents facing high utility costs. “All of us in this room have received calls from residents that their utility bills

It was a team effort between the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office, Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center, the Department of Social Services, and local law enforcement agencies, but after months of advocacy, Putnam was selected as one of five counties across the state to partner with the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to join the Coordinated Community Response Pilot and develop the county’s first Domestic Violence High-Risk

From left are The Station Co-Owner Kamel Jamal, General Manager Peter Colavecchio, and Inventory Manager Adam Dee in the Beacon store. By Holly Crocco We’ve come a long way since buying nickel and dime bags of weed on the street corner while looking over your shoulder as to not gain the attention of law enforcement. Today, residents and visitors in New York State can walk into a cannabis dispensary and make their selection among a variety of products of different consumption

Ahmed Dwicar after winning the state title in 2022. COLD SPRING – A state-championship-winning coach is out. Ahmed Dwidar, the longtime boys’ soccer coach at Haldane High School, will no longer coach. Privacy concerns prevented a specific reason from being stated, but the coach said he resigned to spend more time with his family. He has two children, ages 5 and 1. Athletic Director Tom Cunningham did not return a call for comment. Under Dwidar, the Blue Devils won the state C

It’s a long way from Brewster, N.Y., to Nashville, Tenn… But not for Patrick Ford. The Brewster High School graduate – one of the most decorated runners in Bears history – keeps cementing his legacy. Even from almost 1,000 miles away. But he had to cover 26.2 miles, and he did so in fashion by winning the Nashville Marathon on April 25. Not bad for somebody who was cut from the cross country team.

The Sybil Ludington statue was recently removed from its home for the past 65 years, to undergo restoration work. She is expected to be back in several weeks. By Holly Crocco You may notice something amiss when driving along Gleneida Avenue in the hamlet of Carmel these next several weeks. Sybil Ludington is no longer watching over the lake. But her removal is only temporary, as the statue was lifted April 27 to undergo restoration work. “Over a year ago, during my State of t

By Holly Crocco With more than one community voting down a crisis stabilization center within its borders, Putnam County is left with $2.1 million in federal funding that was attached to the project and which will need to be returned if a compatible project isn’t selected soon. The county original planned to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funding to contract with People USA to create and operate a 24/7 crisis stabilization center, which has repeatedly been shot down by comm

By Holly Crocco Assemblyman Matt Slater is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to grant a pardon to former New York Police Department Sgt. Erik Duran of Putnam following his recent conviction and sentencing. In a letter sent to the Democratic governor, Slater, R-Yorktown, urges clemency for Duran, citing concerns that the case represents a miscarriage of justice and emphasizes the circumstances surrounding the incident. Duran, 38, of Mahopac, was found guilty in February of second-d

By Jamie Brown & Michael Gold Land is a precious commodity in the Hudson Valley. As such, the Putnam County Land Trust works with willing landowners to protect their land. Property owners who work with the PLCT ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy these special places. They may also be able to take advantage of tax benefits as part of the effort to protect their land. A powerful tool that PCLT and other land trusts use to protect land is a conservation easemen

From left are Putnam Valley Town Councilwoman Sherry Howard, Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur, and Councilmen C. J. Brooks and Christian Russo, with Lt. George Hyatt’s sword and scabbard. Contributed photo. Contributed Article A special presentation at a recent Putnam Valley Town Board meeting marked the closing of a historic mystery – one left unsolved for the last 162 years. During public comment at the end of an otherwise typical meeting, Putnam Valley resident Michael Bennett

By Holly Crocco The Carmel School Board on April 21 unanimously approved the first tax cut in the history of the district. The $152.8 million budget for 2026-27 reflects a 3.7 percent spending increase but a 0.1 percent tax rate reduction, thanks to the use of $3.9 million from reserves. That coverts to a 1/10th of 1 percent tax levy reduction. “For too long, the so-called experts said it could not be done – that the only solution was to keep raising taxes,” said School Board

The Lake Carmel Community Center, located at 10 Huguenot Road. Photo by Holly Crocco. By Holly Crocco The Town of Kent is going to have to spend money before it decides if it wants to spend more money to either demolish, renovate, or rebuild the Lake Carmel Community Center, located at 10 Huguenot Road. Discussion on the matter has occurred over a number of years, and continued during the April 21 Kent Town Board meeting. The center first started to fall into disrepair back i

By Holly Crocco The Mahopac School Board on April 21 adopted a $148.3 million budget for 2026-27, which represents a 2.23 percent spending increase over the current year. The proposed tax levy of $94 million comes in at about $2.1 million less than what is allowed under the state-mandated property tax cap, which equals a 0 percent tax levy increase. Under the cap, the district could have opted to raise the tax levy by 2.32 percent. For a home valued at $500,000, the budget wi

Beth Davidson and Cait Conley both recently visited Cold Spring to make their case to voters as to why they believe they are the best candidate to defeat Republican Mike Lawler in the November election for U.S. Congress in New York’s 17th District. Davidson, a Rockland County legislator and former Nyack school board member, drew the larger crowd and was questioned most closely on policy issues. She called attention to her ability to get elected and to work across the aisle, a