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$1.5M To Go Toward New Outdoor Amphitheater In Hudson Valley For Popular Festival $1.5M To Go Toward New Outdoor Amphitheater In Hudson Valley For Popular Festival
$1.5M To Go Toward New Outdoor Amphitheater In Hudson Valley For Popular Festival Elected officials have announced $1.5 million in federal funding that will help pay for a permanent home for a Hudson Valley theater festival that attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.  US Senator Chuck Schumer just revealed that the funds were secured in pending legislation to go toward the expansion of an open-air Shakespeare-style amphitheater overlooking the Hudson River in Putnam County.  The amphitheater, which the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival will use, will be built on a 98-acre former golf course property in Philipstown that was gifted to the fe…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
3 Arrests Made For Dogs Left In Hot Cars, Animal Abandonment In Hudson Valley 3 Arrests Made For Dogs Left In Hot Cars, Animal Abandonment In Hudson Valley
3 Arrests Made For Dogs Left In Hot Cars, Animal Abandonment In Hudson Valley Authorities in the Hudson Valley were kept busy over several days with holding suspects accountable for leaving their pets in hot cars and animal abandonment, officials announced. The incidents all happened in Putnam County between Thursday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 10, the Putnam County SPCA announced on Sunday, Aug. 11. The first arrest was made on Thursday, Aug. 1 when SPCA detectives found a dog inside a vehicle with cracked windows while patrolling the Kobacker's Market parking lot in Brewster.  The inside of the car was reaching extreme temperatures amid 94-degree weather, off…

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by Ben Crnic
News
These NY Counties Named Among Safest In America: U.S. News & World Report These NY Counties Named Among Safest In America: U.S. News & World Report
These NY Counties Named Among Safest In America: U.S. News & World Report If you're looking for a safe place to settle down and not worry about violence or how far you are from emergency care, plenty of counties in New York may fit the bill, including one now ranked as the safest in America.  A total of eight counties in New York appeared on the 2024 Safest Communities in America list by U.S. News & World Report, released on Tuesday, Aug. 6.  The New York counties to appear on the list include:  Nassau County, which ranked No. 1; Rockland County, which ranked No. 2; Westchester County, which ranked No. 6; Putnam County, which ranked…

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by Ben Crnic
Business
All-New Eatery Holds Grand Opening In Hudson Valley All-New Eatery Holds Grand Opening In Hudson Valley
All-New Eatery Holds Grand Opening In Hudson Valley Lovers of sweet treats and tea should pay a visit to a new eatery in the Hudson Valley celebrating its grand opening.  Rowseelee, a boba tea shop, celebrated the grand opening of its second location in Putnam County at 81 Main St. in Cold Spring on Friday, Aug. 9.  The shop serves a variety of boba, milk, and cold brew teas, as well as matcha and coffee. Those with a sweet tooth can also order desserts like beignets, flavored croissants, ice cream, and lemon bars.  According to its owners, the business only uses organic teas and ingredients and packages them in sus…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Large Tree Falls On Wires, Sparks Blaze In Hudson Valley Large Tree Falls On Wires, Sparks Blaze In Hudson Valley
Large Tree Falls On Wires, Sparks Blaze In Hudson Valley Part of a busy Hudson Valley road is closed after a large tree fell across it, striking power lines in the process.  The stretch of Bucks Hollow Road between Astor Drive and Route 6 in the Putnam County town of Carmel is currently impassable thanks to a fallen tree, the Carmel Highway Department announced on Friday, Aug. 9 just before 4:30 p.m.  The tree sparked a fire after it fell on power lines, as shown in photos of the incident released by the department.  NYSEG has since been notified. For now, motorists in the area should use alternate routes.  This is a de…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War
School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War Elected officials and community members are calling for a Hudson Valley school board member to step down following alleged antisemitic remarks made at a board meeting.  The outrage was prompted following a school board meeting in Putnam County on Tuesday, July 9, when Carmel Central School District Trustee Jim Wise allegedly controversy within the town over a comment on the Israel-Hamas war. The statement in question, "From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free," was defended by Wise in a post on social media on Wednesday, Aug. 7.  "I also reject absolutely the idea that …

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Vigil To Be Held For Fallen 26-Year-Old Firefighter From Hudson Valley Vigil To Be Held For Fallen 26-Year-Old Firefighter From Hudson Valley
Vigil To Be Held For Fallen 26-Year-Old Firefighter From Hudson Valley A candlelit vigil will soon be held to honor the memory of a 26-year-old firefighter from the Hudson Valley following his untimely death in Connecticut.  A vigil for Putnam County resident William "Billy" May of Brewster, who died on Friday, March 29, in Danbury at the age of 26, will be held on Monday, Aug. 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the field at Grace Life Community Church at 520 Route 312 in Brewster.  The memorial will be public and will be a way for community members to remember him during the week of what would have been his 27th birthday, according to hi…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Van Plunges Into Lake In Hudson Valley Van Plunges Into Lake In Hudson Valley
Van Plunges Into Lake In Hudson Valley Firefighters had to ensure no hazardous fluids entered a Hudson Valley lake after a van plunged into it. The crash happened in Putnam County on Tuesday, July 30, when a van drove into Lake Mahopac on South Lake Boulevard, according to the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department. After the incident, crews used hazardous material absorbent booms around the van to absorb any potential vehicle fluid leaks as it was removed from the water. The cause of the crash was not released. 

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold At Hudson Valley Gas Station Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold At Hudson Valley Gas Station
Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold At Hudson Valley Gas Station A lucky visitor to a Hudson Valley gas station walked away with a winning lottery ticket worth tens of thousands of dollars.  The third-prize-winning Powerball ticket, worth $50,000, was sold in Putnam County at a gas station in Carmel for the drawing on Wednesday, July 31, New York Lottery officials announced.  The ticket was bought at the T & J Food Mart at 2 Dykeman Rd., officials added. The drawing's winning numbers were 23 34 37 50 58 with a Powerball number of 07.  If you want to try your luck next time, Powerball drawings are televised every Monday, Wednesday, an…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Residents Evaluated After Bathroom Blaze Fills Hudson Valley Home With Smoke Residents Evaluated After Bathroom Blaze Fills Hudson Valley Home With Smoke
Residents Evaluated After Bathroom Blaze Fills Hudson Valley Home With Smoke Residents were evaluated for smoke exposure following a bathroom fire in their Hudson Valley home.  The blaze happened in Putnam County on Wednesday, July 31 just before 6 a.m., when an oil burner malfunction was reported at a Mahopac home on Mountain View Drive.  According to the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, arriving crews found smoke filling the residence and soon determined an oil burner did not cause the blaze but began in a bathroom wastebasket.  The blaze had already gone out by the time crews arrived and damaged the bathroom tile wall, the department added. The…

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by Ben Crnic
Traffic
Months-Long Lane Closure To Snag Traffic On Busy Hudson Valley Roadway Months-Long Lane Closure To Snag Traffic On Busy Hudson Valley Roadway
Months-Long Lane Closure To Snag Traffic On Busy Hudson Valley Roadway A tunnel on a busy road in the Hudson Valley will be reduced to one lane with alternating traffic for several months, officials announced. Beginning on Monday, July 29, Route 9D will be reduced to a single lane at the Breakneck Tunnel between the Dutchess County town of Fishkill and the Putnam County town of Philipstown, the New York State Department of Transportation announced.  The closure will continue through Thursday, Nov. 14, officials added.  The roadway will have alternating traffic controlled by temporary signals during the closure, which will allow crews to perform cons…

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by Ben Crnic
Traffic
Railroad Crossing On Busy Hudson Valley Road To Close For Several Days: Here's Where Railroad Crossing On Busy Hudson Valley Road To Close For Several Days: Here's Where
Railroad Crossing On Busy Hudson Valley Road To Close For Several Days: Here's Where Part of a well-traveled roadway in the Hudson Valley will close to traffic for several days as a railroad crossing is replaced.  Beginning on Friday, Aug. 9 at 11:59 p.m., Route 312 in the Putnam County village of Brewster will close at the Dykeman Railroad Crossing next to the intersection with Ice Pond Road, the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services announced on Friday, July 26.  The closure will continue until Monday, Aug. 12 at 4 p.m., officials added, adding that it will allow crews to replace the railroad crossing.  Motorists in the area can use Intersta…

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by Ben Crnic