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Police & Fire
Fire Knocks Out Power, Gas Service To Thousands Of Customers In Hopewell Junction Fire Knocks Out Power, Gas Service To Thousands Of Customers In Hopewell Junction
Fire Knocks Out Power, Gas Service To Thousands Of Customers In Hopewell Junction A gas fire knocked out power to thousands of customers in the region, and interrupted gas service for hundreds. Emergency crews in Dutchess County were called about a fire along Route 82 in Hopewell Junction shortly before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. Photos shared on Facebook showed flames shooting nearly 100 feet into the air from an electrical substation. The fire was extinguished by 3:30 p.m., and service for electric customers was expected to be restored by early Tuesday evening, Central Hudson Gas & Electric said. Gas outages were expected to last through Wednesday, Sept. 4. “C…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
This Hudson Valley School District Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones: Here's Where This Hudson Valley School District Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones: Here's Where
This Hudson Valley School District Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones: Here's Where Students in another Hudson Valley school district will be forced to look up from their phone screens, as officials will be requiring them to lock up their devices for the entire day.  In its end-of-summer newsletter, the Garrison Union Free School District in Putnam County announced that it will no longer allow cell phone use during the instructional day between 8:25 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.  During this time, students will have to store their devices in lockers and keep them powered down or in silent mode. More information about the policy will be contained in the district's updated&nb…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Students' Cell Phones Will Be Locked Up At This Dutchess County Middle School Students' Cell Phones Will Be Locked Up At This Dutchess County Middle School
Students' Cell Phones Will Be Locked Up At This Dutchess County Middle School A funny thing happened at a Hudson Valley high school last year when students were required to lock up their cell phones during the day—it worked, and now the middle school is joining the club.  Poughkeepsie Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser said the Yondr pouch program was launched in Dutchess County at Poughkeepsie High School in April.  Rosser wrote in his school newsletter that the program has changed its culture and improved attendance and engagement since its inception. This fall, district officials are expanding the program to Poughkeepsie Middle School. “The su…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
61-Year-Old Dutchess Man Accused Of Stealing Boy's Bicycle At Park 61-Year-Old Dutchess Man Accused Of Stealing Boy's Bicycle At Park
61-Year-Old Dutchess Man Accused Of Stealing Boy's Bicycle At Park A man was slapped with a grand larceny charge after allegedly stealing a bicycle worth thousands of dollars from a boy at a Hudson Valley park, authorities announced.  Dutchess County resident Roy Bishop, age 61, was arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 20 in connection with the bicycle theft, which allegedly happened in Philipstown on Monday, Aug. 19, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday, Aug. 23.  According to authorities, on the day of the theft, the young victim rode his YT Jeffsy mountain bike to the North Highlands Town Park to go fishing. At some point while he was a…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Dutchess County Drug Task Force Nabs Fentanyl Dealer Dutchess County Drug Task Force Nabs Fentanyl Dealer
Dutchess County Drug Task Force Nabs Fentanyl Dealer A drug task force nabbed an alleged fentanyl dealer following an ongoing investigation in the region. The arrest occurred in Dutchess County in Poughkeepsie on Thursday, Aug. 22. According to Det. Sgt. Adam Harris of the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force, the unit has been investigating the transportation and sale of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs being brought into Dutchess County from Orange County in Newburgh.  During the ongoing investigation, the drug dealer was identified as Antwan J. Wakely Jr, age 31, of Newburgh, who sold fentanyl and ot…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Dutchess County Park 27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Dutchess County Park
27-Year-Old Accused Of Having Sex With Teen He Met At Dutchess County Park A 27-year-old Connecticut man is accused of carrying on a consensual sexual relationship with a 15-year-old in a neighboring county in New York, authorities announced.  Litchfield County resident Kevin Brathwaite, of Sharon, was arrested on Monday, Aug. 19, and charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, Connecticut State Police said.  The teen told police she met Brathwaite in Dutchess County at Thomas J. Boyce Park in Wingdale, where she was watching her friends play basketball. He offered to drive her home, but she declined. She was 13 years ol…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Police Searching For Shooters After Home, Man Hit In Dutchess County Police Searching For Shooters After Home, Man Hit In Dutchess County
Police Searching For Shooters After Home, Man Hit In Dutchess County Police in the Hudson Valley are searching for the person or people who fired multiple shots in a neighborhood, striking a man and an occupied home. The incident occurred in Dutchess County at around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 19, on N. Clinton St., in the city of Poughkeepsie. According to the Poughkeepsie Police, the department received multiple reports of shots fired and responded to the area.  On scene, officers located an occupied residence that had been struck by gunfire. A short time later, a 24-year-old man was located who had sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh, the departm…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
16-Year-Old Dutchess County Girl Stabbed By Boyfriend, Police Say 16-Year-Old Dutchess County Girl Stabbed By Boyfriend, Police Say
16-Year-Old Dutchess County Girl Stabbed By Boyfriend, Police Say A 16-year-old girl is recovering after allegedly being stabbed by her boyfriend during a fight. The incident occurred in Dutchess County on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 31 Eliza St., in Beacon. According to Beacon Police Chief Thomas Figlia, officers found the teen bleeding when they responded to a call for a woman who had been stabbed. The girl was bleeding from what appeared to be a stab wound to her leg, Figlia said. She was transported to a hospital for treatment, police said. Officers attempted to detain the suspect, a 16-year-old Hudson Valley teen, who immediately resisted arrest and stru…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says
Hudson Valley Caregiver Steals $164K From Elderly Victim, DA Says A Hudson Valley woman was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for stealing thousands from a man she was supposed to be a caregiver for. Dutchess County resident Sabrina Aboshanab, age 33, of Wappingers Falls, was sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 14, and ordered to pay $164,332.26 in restitution, said Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi. Aboshanab became acquainted with the victim around 2017 and eventually moved into his home, where she lived rent-free in exchange for agreeing to act as a caregiver for the 81-year-old, who had no relatives to assist him, court docum…

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by Kathy Reakes
Real Estate
2,078-Acre Dutchess County Estate Assembled From 5 Farms Hits Market For $65M 2,078-Acre Dutchess County Estate Assembled From 5 Farms Hits Market For $65M
2,078-Acre Dutchess County Estate Assembled From 5 Farms Hits Market For $65M A vast Hudson Valley estate combined from five farms owned by the same person for 60 years has hit the market for $65 million. According to Zillow, the Hitchcock Estate, located in Dutchess County in the village of Millbrook near the heart of Washington, has had 2078 acres intact since its first owner assembled it in 1889.  Zillow said that most of the estate, which features two main houses, began as a summer escape for the original owners and quickly became a favorite place to visit and entertain. Zillow says the property includes 10 bedrooms and eight bathrooms and has been maintain…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Employee Nabbed In Abuse Case At Facility In Hudson Valley Employee Nabbed In Abuse Case At Facility In Hudson Valley
Employee Nabbed In Abuse Case At Facility In Hudson Valley A man from the region has been charged with two counts of allegedly endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and forcible touching. Following an investigation, Dutchess County resident Garnet G. Collins, age 50, of Poughkeepsie, was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 11. According to Trooper Aaron Hicks of the New York State Police, Collins was an employee at the Anderson Center for Autism in Staatsburg, a hamlet of Hyde Park. Hicks said the incidents involved two different residents at the center. Both victims were issued orders of protection from the court.…

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by Kathy Reakes
Traffic
Traffic Alert: Lane Reductions Expected Along I-84 In Hudson Valley Traffic Alert: Lane Reductions Expected Along I-84 In Hudson Valley
Traffic Alert: Lane Reductions Expected Along I-84 In Hudson Valley Commuters should note that a section of I-84 will be reduced to one lane in each direction for bridge painting. The New York State Department of Transportation is advising Dutchess County motorists that I-84 between Exit 44 (Route 52) in the Town of Fishkill and Exit 46 (Route 9) in the Town of East Fishkill, Mondays through Saturdays, beginning Monday, Aug. 12, through Monday, Sept. 30, between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. For up-to-date travel information, call 511, or visit www.511NY.org.

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by Kathy Reakes