Bikeway Bicycle Closing Beacon store - A History of Leases - And Closer Look At 426 Main Street’s Landlord And Manager

Bikeway Bicycles & Mobility at 430 Main Street is closing its Beacon location, but remaining open in their 4 other busy and established locations in Wappingers Falls, Middletown, Montgomery, and Mahopac.

While this is a simple story of a bike shop not being able to carry the weight of what Beacon’s market claims to be able to bear, it is a larger story of the end of an era for a location that has been a bike shop for over 10 years. It is also the story of a property of which is part of neighboring storefronts and apartments that are suffering under a landlord and manager in order to keep their leases without experiencing threats of eviction, indecencies, and at least one family of raccoons that have also taken up occupancy. Under this rock, there are a lot of potato bugs.

Several residential tenants are connected to 426 Main Street who live in SRO apartments above, as well as commercial tenants on the ground floor, and a hotel room and rental business in some renovated apartments above that goes by The Beacon Hotel, which rents short and long term. One of it’s taglines is: “Not the usual hotel...Because its not really a hotel. Find out for yourself.”

The building owner, Beacon Main Real Estate Group LLC of Greg Trautman is currently being sued by at least one of the tenants living in an SRO apartment for not providing heat for a number of years, and has complaints from other tenants who also have not had heat.

There are reportedly raccoons nesting in one of the commercial spaces, ALBB has been told by multiple sources. It is unknown at this time if more raccoons or other animals are nesting in the residential apartments above 426 Main Street.

The 2017 Building Renovation Of The Beacon Hotel

Developers came in to renovate the left half of the building with the two towers, which opened in January 2017, and A Little Beacon Blog covered here. They kept the SRO units on the right side in the white part of the building. One of the original owners of that renovation was Greg Trautman, who had moved to Beacon from Brooklyn during this renovation process.

They opened a restaurant at the time, where famed and remembered Matt Hutchins, who has since passed, was touted as head chef. Since the shifting of property owners in the original investment group, the restaurant that is there now, Carter’s owned by chef Jon Lombardi, is different and not associated in any way with the building owner or property manager, aside from paying them rent of $9,400/month, as confirmed to ALBB by Carter’s owner, and goes up at least 4% in February, as it does every year as per their lease.

Of the original group of investors, Greg remains one of the original owners, and has since moved out of Beacon but remains hands on. The property is managed John Yarborough, who may also go by John Williams, who is a registered sexual offender on New York’s Sex Offender Registry under the name John Yarborough, and is listed as also living at 426 Main Street. Former female residents have told ALBB that Manager John Yarborough (Williams) has allegedly gone into their apartment rooms uninvited, and have alerted the Beacon Police to some instances, but police action is not taken, the former residents say.

Screenshot of the removed listing of 426 Main Street, The Beacon Hotel. The property includes the towers on the left, and the white apartments on the right.

The building was listed for sale this year in 2025 for around $4 million, but was removed according to LoopNet. According to the realtor Daniel Aubry who was aligned during the 2017 renovation, owner Greg is open to a sale, which Daniel thinks can go for $5 million because Manager John has been successfully collecting a high rent from the hotel rentals above.

Starting With The First Bike Shop In This Spot:
People’s Bicycle

Before that renovation, the original bike shop in this spot was set up by Jonathan Miles. There are several Johns on this block, so we will try to identify them as best we can so as not mix them up.

According to Realtor Daniel, Jonathan Miles built out the bike shop space from nothing to make People’s Bicycle in exchange for a $1/month rent with the owner at that time (prior to Greg). For people who like Beacon Trivia, Jonathan Miles was with a wave of people who were renovating old or empty shops on Main Street, and was involved in climate issues in the community.

This put him in the time of School of Jellyfish (of the sustainable architect Lily Zand, which had a hot chocolate studio in the building now owned by Luxe Optique), Zero2Go by Sara Womer (the original food composting company in Beacon which changed hands and was absorbed into Community Compost, which currently services the City of Beacon’s free compost program) Bikeable Beacon by Mark Roland (one of the early prolific bloggers in Beacon), and others. On the other end of town, another bike shop was open, run by Tom Cerchiara, who also owned the land surveying company, TEC.

Jonathan Miles then sold People’s Bicycle to Tim, who paid Jonathan rent for the space, while Jonathan held onto the original lease.

When Bikeway Took Over People’s Bicycle

While People’s Bicycle had a loyal following, Tim had a hard time earning enough income to survive on it. Winters were deadly dead. It could not survive on bike rentals alone, despite offering bike repairs with a selection of high end bikes to purchase. Jonathan wanted to keep it a bike shop, so they approached Doug at Bikeway to take it over, which he did. Tim went on to work for Doug in another Bikeway location. Doug continued paying Jonathan Miles the rent of $3,000/month until the end of their lease.

Once their lease finished, the building owner Greg approached Doug to propose that Doug pre-pay him a one year lump sum for a discounted rate. Doug agreed, he told ALBB, and paid Greg less than $3,000/month for the past year.

This Year, Bikeway Moves Out - Another Tenant May Move In

In the lease negotiation for a potential renewal, Manager John Yarborough of the current owner Greg Trautman approached Bikeway’s Doug to ask what rent amount Doug would like to pay Greg’s company Beacon Main Real Estate Group LLC. As a bike shop approaching winter, Doug could not go much higher than what he had just paid, so Manager John Yarborough moved on and did not renew the lease.

The Bike Market In Beacon

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Doug and Tracy would like to find another location in Beacon. They have two thriving locations 15 minutes away from Beacon, where they employ multiple mechanics to service at least 4 bikes at a time, and have more bike inventory on the floor for people to buy that day.

ALBB asked Doug why he thought the bike shop on Main Street didn’t thrive in Beacon. He responded: “Beacon has a good bike culture, but it is still small. Tourism is not good for bike shops. People have their bikes already and get them serviced where they live. For locals, people in Beacon tend to keep their bikes and have older bikes. For new bike purchases, if someone came into our shop in Beacon, we would have to call one of our other stores for the color bike they wanted to buy.”

The shop in Beacon is small, did not require much upkeep from the building owners that Doug could not fix himself. This enabled Doug and Tracy to keep to themselves within the family of commercial spaces within the property. “We have our own entrance, our own key, our own security. No one can come in but Tracy and myself.”

Doug can see how another business would see the space, find it charming, and give their business a go. “We wish whoever comes in next the best.”

While their farewell letter states that their last day will be the end of the year, the building management has informed them that this Friday will be their last day. Says Bikeway’s Beacon farewell letter: “We love this town and the community, and the cycling culture that continues to flourish. Thanks to all of you who are making that happen - it’s awesome!”

In addition to their 4 other stores, Bikeway offers a Mobile Option. “The Big Yellow Van will be in Beacon 3 times a week for pickup and drop-off, saving you a trip and getting your bike back in 2-3 days. Call Wappingers at 845-463-7433 or email info@bikeway.com to schedule.”

Nothing could beat biking down to Bikeway for a quick and professional air re-fill of the tires when a home bike pump or air compressor just couldn’t do it. There is Beacon Bikes on Fishkill Avenue/Rte 52, but with the City of Beacon’s current reluctance to have a Bike Study to improve bike safety city-wide, biking down to Beacon’s other bike shop is a little further down on a busy road.

Cute Little Wood Paneled Storefront Eatery - 305 Main Street - Zips Through Tenants - Masa y Mezcal Is Newest

The cute little wood paneled storefront eatery at 305 Main Street was a luncheonette* from 1950-1965, then something(s) else, then Mud Club (wood fired bagels) moved in, which then turned over to Ember & Grain (flaky pastries, famous croissants and bread loaves), and will now be Masa y Mezcal (Mexican cooking and agave mezcal spirit). While high rents are a reality in Beacon, rent was not directly stated as the reason Mud Club or Ember & Grain left. According to Loopnet, the tiny but charming spot has reached $4,000/month for 980 square feet. \

*See ALBB reader Janice Sullivan’s comment down below for her family’s history of ownership of the luncheonette from 1950-1965.

Mud Club’s Tenure On Main Street

Mud Club was low key fancy, and reviews say the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel was pricey. According to Boris at 101.5 WPDH, when reporting that the next bakery was closing, he said about Mud Club: “I last visited in June 2024 and ordered a bacon, egg and cheese with a coffee on the side and it was pretty pricey.”

While that article states that 2 more locations of Mud Club are open, their website has expired, and the Choronogram reported in March 2025 that Mud Club’s Woodstock location was closing and a new tandem restaurant pair was moving in up there. Their NYC Broom Street location’s Toast is not accepting orders.

About Ember & Grain

Meanwhile, Ember & Grain, who opened next, garnered quite a local following during the almost year that they were open. According to 101.5 WPDH, Ember & Grain opened that Fall of 2024, but by the following August 2025, they announced their store closure, citing "...other employment realities to consider now." They spoke of their "impending departure" while balancing baking deliveries of Sesame Polenta loaves. "The whole pastry program is being reconsidered as the new iteration of this project takes shape."

Said one fan, The Jersey City Realtor on their IG: "Gang I wish you all the best but that maple walnut croissant…it’s one of the best pastries I’ve had in my life and my favorite croissant of all time. 😢"

In a note to Ember & Grain’s loyal customers on Instagram, the owners wrote:

"Dear Friends and Our Beloved Community:

After several earnest months of building and running this space, we've made the incredibly tough decision to close our doors in their current form. While the exact date of our last day is still to be determined, we wanted to share this news openly as we begin to wind things down.

This experience has been equal parts challenging and fulfilling. While the retail chapter of our journey is coming to an end, this is not a goodbye to the spirit of what we've created. We're taking time to re-imagine what this project can look like outside of a physical storefront - with the same values, energy and care.

"We're so grateful to each of you who walked through our doors, shared your stories, supported us with your presence, and welcomed us into your lives and dining tables.

"Stay tuned - we're not done yet.

"With love and endless gratitude, Gabriela and Sean

Newest! Enter Masa y Mezcal For Mexican Cooking & Mezcal Spirits

Enter Masa y Mezcal! Also first reported by101.5 WPDH, the new Mexican eatery is bringing energy into the space. And en español un poco! Some of the Comments are already in Spanish. The craft mezcal, a smokey spirit made from agave in the tequila family. The alcohol specialty may help tip the scale of success rate for this new spot. Hopefully they are open by the Superbowl for the Bad Bunny performance. Remember, you can learn Spanish for free through the Beacon Public Library’s website via Transparent.

Said their opening announcement:

🎉Exciting News!🎉

Get ready to experience a modern twist on traditional artisan Mexican cooking. Masa y Mezcal is coming to the heart of Beacon, New York.

Specializing in craft mezcal.

Follow us for updates and sneak peeks!

Hasta pronto!

Video Recaps Of Gold Nuggets From City Council Meeting 10/14/2025: Budget 2026, Commnity Fridge Removal, Etc.

Tuesday Night’s City Council Workshop Meeting for 10/14/2025 covered:

• Budget Presentations from Police and Fire Chiefs, and Parks and Rec Director Mark Price. Overview of South Avenue Park improvement to Loopers Basketball Court in time for Beacon Hoops kids community basketball program. The price reduction of the summer pool from $100/household to $20. The Skate Park upgrade. More.

• Finance Director Susan Tucker’s note about the 3 largest areas of the budget that are fixed.

• Housing discussed. Intricacies brought up as to why it’s so hard to afford Beacon, like FICO scores. Mayor open to face making Short Terms illegal to increase housing stock for long term rentals.

• Community Refrigerator discussion led by Heidi Harrison and Mark Price, illustrating their 5 years of being involved with the one at the Parks and Rec building that is not owned by the City, even though people accessing the fridge often think it is. Heidi maintained that people who use the fridge are like family to them, but that the current management system is not working. Well intentioned, but something else is needed with management. She stressed how quickly the fridge can degrade in quality and dignity even within a few hours of a drop off of donated food. City Administrator Chris White stressed how the food labels and health regulations that restaurants follow were not applied to the fridge. He proposed buying people WIC and suggested the organizations should fundraise (they fundraise a lot as it is). This is an ongoing discussion.

Special Portion Dedicated To The City of Beacon’s Abrupt, Unannounced Removal Of The Community Refrigerator At The Park and Recreation Building

This is a clip of the video recap of Tuesday’s City Council Workshop Meeting that recaps the discussion the City Council had with Parks and Recs Director Mark Price and Assistant Recreation Director Heidi Harrison.

They delivered a presentation with photos of the refrigerator at the Park’s and Recreation Department Building over the past 5 years, at the request of City Administrator Chris White, who ordered the removal of the refrigerator, citing zoning code violations and liability issues for the City of Beacon.

The full presentation is available in the City’s YouTube or Vimeo, so one should watch that for all points covered. Assistant Director Heidi stressed that this was not a criticism of organizations involved with filling and managing the fridges, but that the 24/7 access was too difficult to monitor.

City Administrator Chris had other choice words like that the food was not preferred, that his own mother would have rejected it, and that the food spoils. Both were concerned about marking the food with ingredients for allergens, and Heidi and Mark provided examples of half eaten pizza slices or sandwiches that well-intentioned people placed into the fridge thinking someone might eat. Mark mentioned a pie that someone took a bite of, that might be delivered nicely wrapped, but was a scoop-n-go for someone else.

City Administrator Chris said that a refrigerator on private property would need to be in an enclosed shed. He pointed out that there were many distribution sites available, and that maybe they should be consolidated.

As a person who has both used and contributed to these locations, ALBB can say:

• Each location is its own community and vibe. Which is a pleasant thing to mix community feeling. Consolidating locations would be a loss to nurturing corners of the community.

• Hours of operation are limited. Picking up from Wednesday Distribution requires that a person be available with a car in the morning on select days. Some people are at work. Or on a bus to work. ALBB worked remotely from her car with laptop while waiting in that line.

Everyone agreed that more communication and coordination was needed.

Vimeo.com Restored ALBB's Account After 2 Appeals and Social Media Bumps

After 2 appeals and several Instagram mentions calling out Vimeo's reliance on AI to terminate years of content without any human review, Vimeo responded positively to ALBB's appeal requests. Vimeo not only restored our account, but restored the video with the message from Pastor Howard-John Wesley. As a refresh, Vimeo is a video-sharing platform that ALBB uses as an alternative to YouTube in order to bring you videos that can be embedded in articles, but in a less invasive way than YouTube does.

Vimeo’s appeal email said:

Hello,

We're writing to inform you that after receiving your appeal, our team conducted a second review of Pastor Howard-John Wesley's Response To Federal Order of Flags Half Staff For Charlie Kirk and have determined it did not violate our Acceptable Use Policy. Therefore, the content has been restored.

We appreciate your patience throughout this process, and will use this decision to improve this experience for others.

ALBB’s initial response to the restoration was published on Instagram: “Thank you Vimeo . There is light and hope in this world. Thank you for taking the time to have a human review the content that got my entire account banned within 2 minutes by AI. Thank you for your second look. Appreciated. 🎥📸”

Beacon Litfest Presents: “Queer from There to Here” at Savage Wonder

he Beacon Litfest and Live Writing are thrilled to bring you two outstanding works in their intimate event "Queer from There to Here," on Oct 9 at Savage Wonder Salon room. Featuring Ned Asta of The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions and Dawn Lundy of Instructions for The Lovers.

Audiences will hear from the 40th anniversary edition of the classic 1970's "fable manifesto," The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell and illustrated by Ned Asta, featuring additional new essays and archival material.

Also featured will be the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, Instructions for The Lovers, by poet and activist Dawn Lundy Martin. Implementing "... vulnerability and virtuosity, Martin constructs moments of pleasure, humor, and sexiness woven with grief..."

Asta and Lundy Martin will read and join in conversation with Nightboat's Publisher and Director, Stephen Motika. Supported in part by Poets & Writers, and the assistance of Live Writing.

Beacon Litfest Presents: “Queer from There to Here”
Day: Thurs Oct 9,
Time: 7-8:30pm
Price: $10
Location: Savage Wonder, 139 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508
More Info >

Anti-Muslim Alleged Harasser Of Zohran Mamdani, Beacon Bread Company And Other Arab Businesses Charged With 22 Counts Of Making "Terroristic Threats"

Days after New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the man who had allegedly been repeatedly threatening Zohran with violent anti-Muslim and anti-Ugandan death threats in June and July 2025, which included calling him names, has been charged with making terroristic threats against Zohran. Jeremy Fistel, age 44 and from Texas, “pleaded not-guilty to a 22-count indictment charging him with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime and other counts,” ABC News reported, the sentence of which is up to 15 years if convicted. Jeremy was released on bail and ordered to appear back in Queens County Criminal Court in November 19th, 2025.

Beacon Bread Company is a Palestinian owned restaurant who was Also harassed by the alleged harasser of NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani, who faces 22 counts of “Terroristic Threats”
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

Jeremy also harassed the Palestinian-owned eatery, Beacon Bread Company, located at 193-195 Main Street in Beacon, NY, in 2024, the beginning of the genocide, with repeated phone calls to the restaurant, which the employees fielded. “He looked at business owners with our names and assumed every Arab is a terrorist,” Khitam Jamal Nakhleh told A Little Beacon Blog. Khitam is the sister of Beacon Bread Company’s owner Kamel Jamal, and spoke directly with Jeremy after learning of Jeremy’s harassing phone calls.

“I walked in to Beacon Bread one morning to get my coffee, and the waitress that was working was shook up,” Khitam told ALBB. “I asked her what’s up and she told me some guy has been repeatedly calling over and over, calling them ‘terrorists’ and then asked them if they were Arabs. When they said ‘no’ he asked her: ‘How could you work for a terrorist?’ I then looked at the caller ID and called him back and ripped him a new asshole. I then saved his number and called him every hour on the hour until I believe he either blocked me or changed his number.”

Accused Jeremy Fistel exiting Queens County Criminal Court surrounded by officers after appearing for his 22 counts of “terroristic Threats” made to NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran in June/July 2025. He also is the person identified by Beacon Bread Company as harassing them for being Arab/Muslim in early Genocide 2024.
Photo Credit: Olga Fedorova/AP screenshot from ABC News.

Jeremy’s calls allegedly didn’t stop in Beacon. They allegedly included Yonkers and Yorktown. “He called my nephew Ang his grandfather and harassed them. My nephew reported it to the Yorktown Police and is taking his grandfather to the Yonkers Police.”

When Jeremy allegedly reached NYC for the front-running Mayoral candidate, his terroristic threats made Zohran so uncomfortable, he received approval for a security detail from current Mayor Adams and a flailing Mayoral competitor of Zohran, who said: "There is almost a level of irony to this. Here you have a person who has spent his life bashing the NYPD," Adams told ABC News. "He has a full detail that is moving with him because they were concerned about his life."

According to ABC News, the recorded threats made by Jeremy that are mentioned in the indictment against him include:

June 11, 2025, 11:27 a.m.: Jeremy allegedly left a message on Zohran’s office voicemail that included: "Hey Zohran, you should go back to f------ Uganda before someone shoots you in the f------ head and gets rid of your whole f------ family, too. You piece of s--- Muslims don't belong here."

June 18, 2025, 9:45 a.m., Jeremy allegedly left a message saying: "Go on and start your car. See what happens…yeah, keep an eye on your house and your family. Watch your f------ back every f------ second til you get the f--- out of America.”

July 8, 2025: Jeremy submitted a message through Zohran’s website, that said: "I hope you get terminal cancer and die a painful death very soon. I'd love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull. Would be even better if you had to watch your wife and kids murdered in front you before they end your pathetic miserable life…I hope you all die painful sudden deaths. Do us all a favor and kill yourself."

When asked about Jeremy’s current charges, Beacon Bread Company owner Kamel Jamal told ALBB: “When justice is served, I feel safe at home. When I feel safe, my team feels safe and they trust that I will protect them. We are all thrilled that justice has proven to be more powerful than we trust it to be. Humanity wins.”

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In Beacon, Flags Flown At Half-Staff For 9/11 And CK Assassination School Confirms; City Unconfirmed

After A Little Beacon Blog published the clip of the reaction from Pastor Howard-John Wesley who is Black, in which the Pastor decried the federal order to lower the American flag to half-staff, several readers of A Little Beacon Blog wrote in asking if Beacon status of the flags really recognized the assassination of CK, or if they were soley for 9/11. Therefore, ALBB reached out to both the Beacon City School District, and to the City of Beacon for their official reasons for lowering the flag to half-staff.

Beacon Superintendent Landahl responded: “The BCSD had flags at half-staff from Thursday-Sunday for 9/11 and the President's order. District/board policy is that flags are flown at half-staff when ordered by President, Governor, or local official.” The BCSD is known to be an inclusive and supportive school of many groups of people, including the LGBTQ community, African American, Hispanic and Asian communities, children who learn differently, emotional learning, etc.

The City of Beacon’s Administrator Chris White did not respond to ALBB’s inquiry. Nor was it posted on their website, Facebook, or sent via robo-call.

On September 10th (Wednesday), The 47th president made a proclamation ordering flags to half-staff for all public buildings until September 14th (Saturday).

Last Friday, after publishing Pastor Wesley’s video to Vimeo, a video platform that lets ALBB embed videos in these articles for you to view right here, Vimeo terminated ALBB’s entire account (not just the video) two minutes after uploading it for guidelines violations. Vimeo has not stated which spoken word violated their guidelines, and have not yet reversed their decision, though ALBB is appealing.

What Did The Pastor and ALBB Say?

This writer commented how it felt uncomfortable driving and walking around Beacon with flags lowered for a man who was so offensive and harmful to several groups of people (African Americans, LGBTQ community, women, etc.) As part of his Sunday sermon after the tragedy, Pastor Wesley preached this, in part, to his congregation:

“CK did not deserve to be assassinated. But I'm overwhelmed. Seeing the flags of the United States of America and Half Staff calling this nation to honor and venerate a man who was an unapologetic racist and spending all of his life sewing seeds of division and hate into this land.

“And hearing people with selective rage who are mad about CK but didn't give a damn about Melissa Hortman and her husband when they were shot down in their home, tell me I ought to have compassion of the death of a man who had no respect for my own life!

“I am sorry, but there is nowhere in Bible where we are taught to honor evil. And how you die does not redeem how you lived. You do not become a hero in your death, when you were a weapon of the enemy in your life.

“I can abhor the violence that took your life. But I don't have to celebrate how you chose to live.

“I. Am. Overwhelmed.”

-Pastor Howard-John Wesley of the Alfred Street Baptist Church
Video originally posted by Etan Thomas. Watch the video here.

Did anyone Ignore the Order?

Yes. The state of New York ignored the order, as well New Jersey, as reported in the New York Post. The New York Post reported: “State officials said New York plans to direct flags to be lowered on the day of Kirk’s funeral, consistent with past practice for other high-profile deaths like Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Corey Comperatore, the Pennsylvania firefighter slain in last year’s Trump rally.”

An official in Iowa refused to follow his governor’s order. As reported in The Guardian, Jon Green, the chair of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors “I condemn Kirk’s killing, regardless of who pulled the trigger or why,” Green, who is a Democrat, wrote. “But I will not grant Johnson County honors to a man who made it his life’s mission to denigrate so many of the constituents I have sworn an oath to protect – and who did so much to harm not only the marginalized – but also to degrade the fabric of our body politic.” Jon told the Gazette that Iowa did not lower the flag for Melissa Hortman.

Rolling Stone reported that the NFL left the decision to honor up to the teams. Five NFL teams did not have a moment of silence, which included The Vikings, Steelers, Colts, Bengals, Lions, and Ravens. “The Steelers did hold their American flags at half-staff,” Rolling Stone reported, “observing a Trump order about flags on public grounds (which some state and local officials meanwhile ignored). On Monday night, the Houston Texans marked a moment of silence for victims of violence without naming Kirk by name, while the Las Vegas Raiders made no reference, veiled or otherwise, to the assassination.”

Was There A School Shooting At The Time Of CK’s Shooting?

Yes. As reported in The Guardian: “Exactly one minute later, at 12.24pm, about 450 miles (725km) to the east in Colorado, a 911 call came in to first responders in the mountain town of Evergreen. A 16-year-old student had opened fire with a revolver on high school grounds, critically injuring two fellow students before turning the handgun on himself.”

Yet there was no federal order for the flags to be lowered to half-staff for the children. Nor is it regular practice to lower the flags at schools across the country when other students, faculty of staff are murdered in mass school shootings, the defense for which, is practiced regularly at schools.

While the murder of CK happened on a school campus, and another school shooting happened 450 miles away, there has been no debate, proposed new legislation, or call for reduction of accessibility to guns in the United States.

MidHudson News first reported that a Westchester County School Resource Officer (SRO), Tanisha Blanche, was reassigned, as instigated by Somers Superintendent of Schools Adam Bronstein after she allegedly made more than one post on Facebook about the shooting of CK. Police1 reported: “The officer allegedly made several posts, including: ‘Why yall don’t have that same energy for the school shooting that took place yesterday, but yall crying over the man that was ok with gun violence.’” Her second comment can be read at MidHudson News.

Police1 reported that Superintendent Bronstein “said the posts glorified violence and were unacceptable for someone responsible for student safety. He contacted the Westchester County SRO unit, which reassigned the officer.”

Frequently Quoted Quotes By Charlie Kirk:

Hindustan Times gathered quotes that have been referred to after his murder. The Guardian also rounded up quotes.

At a Turning Point USA event, Kirk said, “We must also be real. We must be honest with the population. Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty... But I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment.”

CK dismissed empathy on his podcast. “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that does a lot of damage.”

This quote illustrates how he characterizes a group of people: “They [Black people] were actually better in the 1940s. It was bad. It was evil. But what happened? Something changed. They committed less crimes… Black America is worse than it has been in the last 80 years.”

On rape and child pregnancy, CK said that this is how he would advise his daughter, should it happen to her: “The answer is yes. The baby would be delivered.”

At a TPUSA event, he compared trans identity to blackface. “A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear Black face trying to be a Black person. It’s assuming an identity that isn’t yours.”

On his radio show, he claimed Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson were “affirmative action picks.” He said: “Black women do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.”

After Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s announced engagement, he suggested that Taylor be submissive: “Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.”

Charlie and his changing position on Israel

In the weeks before his life ended, CK was questioning his position on Israel regarding the ethnic cleansing it is conducting in Palestine. CK had been a solid supporter of Israel and its genocide. But in the past few weeks, had been vocalizing questions and frustration. Newsweek wrote about it here. Yahoo News reported that Megyn Kelly and Candace Owens acknowledge and agree with Charlie’s changing discourse about Israel as he became more critical of Israel’s killing.

Charlie and Megyn discuss Israel here on YouTube, where Charlie vocalizes his frustrations with his freedom to speak out critically about Israel. Megyn then agrees and identifies with his experience.

Vimeo.com Deleted ALBB's Entire Account After Publishing This Video In Response Flags At Half Staff

I did not know who CK was. As I learned about who he was - from his own quotes and spoken word - I was left with several dirty tastes in my mouth. I did not want to step into this issue, as I select very tightly which issues to get involved in - outside of local shopping and coffee choices for Beacon. And murders in town and City of Beacon local government issues. That in and of itself is a lot.

Sunday was a day of sermons. Sunday is a day that I sometimes post a message of someone else’s at the beginning of the day that is of heavier meaning, and then we proceed skipping through the day at the Beacon Farmer’s Market, Beacon Flea Market, and the rest of the mile long Main Street and back road side streets.

I published a brief clip of the sermon delivered by Pastor Howard-John Wesley of the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He opens by saying he is “overwhelmed” at the federal order of having the flags lowered to half staff. He stated that CK should not have been assassinated. And declared CK a racist. He asked how he could be asked to respect a man who did not respect him.

Here’s the transcript:

---

CK did not deserve to be assassinated. But I'm overwhelmed. Seeing the flags of the United States of America and Half Staff calling this nation to honor and venerate a man who was an unapologetic racist and spending all of his life sewing seeds of division and hate into this land.

And hearing people with selective rage who are mad about CK but didn't give a damn about Melissa Hortman and her husband when they were shot down in their home, tell me I ought to have compassion of the death of a man who had no respect for my own life!

I am sorry, but there is nowhere in Bible where we are taught to honor evil. And how you die does not redeem how you lived. You do not become a hero in your death, when you were a weapon of the enemy in your life.

I can abhor the violence that took your life. But I don't have to celebrate how you chose to live.

I. Am. Overwhelmed.

-Pastor Howard-John Wesley of the Alfred Street Baptist Church
Video originally posted by Etan Thomas.

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After posting that, I was thanked by a few people, including the pastor from the Salvation Army, who shared the direction of what she delivered in her sermon that Sunday to her congregation in Beacon.

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I was also called a foul name by extended Beacon community member Tracy Eraka Pavlovic. She likes to call me names when I call out ICE or write about race or an injustice. This time, it was “Nice job jackass!!!!!!” with two dark angry emoji faces.

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A few readers asked about the flags being lowered to half staff. They assumed they were lowered for 9-11 and not for CK. A few readers gently reached out to ask. I edited my original Instagram post to imply nothing about the flags locally, and deleted the duplicated Facebook post because I could not edit it (technically, if you duplicate Instagram to Facebook, you can edit IG but not FB). While I researched the half mast issue locally and federally, I wanted the wording neutral. Even though I later learned that I was initially correct and did need to have edited. But.

On Monday, after my research, I sat down to write the article. Step 1 is to embed a video I published at Instagram into articles here at this website. I use Vimeo to do this. It’s cozier and less invasive that YouTube, so I have felt comfortable there.

Two minutes - literally 2 minutes - after I published the video to Vimeo, the video platform terminated my entire account. They didn’t just flag the video, or take the individual video down. The entire account disappeared. I emailed them requesting to reinstate it, believing their choice to be extreme and in disagreement even with their flagging on the content.

You see, the Pastor called white man CK “racist.” it is for that reason I believe Vimeo deleted the account.

I have since recorded a response video to this, which you can watch here. To embed the video here to this website, I would need to upgrade on this platform and pay a higher fee. I’ll think about it. I have other bills to pay first, but we’ll see. I could go to YouTube, but I don’t like feeding Google’s Alphabet anymore. But. Maybe.

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In the meantime, watch Pastor Howard-John Wesley’s message here. Then watch my response to Vimeo’s action.

SATURDAY: I Am Beacon's Back 2 School Block Party :: Free Food, Music, Facepainting!

This Saturday, August 23rd, 2025, the community organization I Am Beacon & local grocery store Key Food present the 10th Annual Back 2 School Block Party at South Avenue Park (Loopers), Beacon, NY from 12pm-3pm. (Rain Date: Sunday, August 24, 2025).

South Avenue Park overlooks Loopers Plaza, where Beacon Dental and Sal’s Pizza are located. Thanks to grant funding allocated to the City of Beacon, South Avenue Park received a new bathroom that has been painted with an elaborate mural. The basketball courts have been improved, and up the hill is a kids park with equipment to climb.

This long-standing community tradition brings together families, neighbors, and local organizations for a day of Free fun, connection, and school-year readiness.

This year’s event will feature

• Free Food, Music, Face Painting, and Basketball. A Little Beacon Blog will be Face Painting!

• School Supply Starter Kits: The first 150 children in attendance will receive a free bag (child must be present).

• Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive: Donations are being collected now through August 23rd at:

  • Howland Public Library (regular hours)

  • Key Food Marketplace (regular hours)

  • On-site at the Block Party

The Block Party kicks off with Beacon Hoops All-Star Games starting at 10:30 AM, featuring:

• 10:30 AM – Girls Game

• 11:30 AM – Rookie Division vs. Albany

• 12:30 PM – Junior Division vs. Newburgh

• 1:30 PM – Girls Game: Beacon vs. Newburgh

In addition, I Am Beacon has joined forces with Fareground Food + Community for a School Supply Giveaway on Thursday, August 28th from 11:00AM – 12:00PM at 50 Liberty Street, Beacon, NY. Registration required; child must be present.

This event continues to highlight the power of community collaboration to support children and families as they prepare for the school year ahead.

I Am Beacon gives a special thanks to their partners and sponsors

Beacon City School District • Beacon Recreation • Beacon Hoops • Stewart’s Shops • Beacon Teachers Association • Mountainview Dental • Fidelis • State Farm (Catlin McVicker) • Salem Tabernacle Church • Joker Inc • Yanarella School of Dance

Edison "Eddie" Irizarry's First Court Appearance At Dutchess County Court - Arraigned On Second-Degree Murder Charge - No Bail

Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog

Edison “Eddie” Irizarry (age 52) appeared in Dutchess County Court today for his arraignment hearing before Judge Jessica Z. Segal. Eddie is accused of murdering his new roommate Casey Cuddy (age 58) last Monday night. That evening, Eddie called 911 saying that he had shot his roommate 3 times, saying that his roommate threatened him with a shotgun. When Beacon Police arrived, they found Casey Cuddy dead inside, detained Eddie, and handed the investigation over to New York State Police, since Eddie is a retired Beacon Police Officer of 17 years, retiring in 2021. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that investigators determined that Casey was shot with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic Glock pistol. For a background on the night of the shooting, read here.

For his arraignment hearing on this Tuesday morning, Eddie was escorted in and met by Court Officers. He wore the orange jumpsuit with brown leather belt around his waist. He looked smaller, and his short hair disheveled. Representing Eddie is Public Defender Susan Mraz Mungavin.

The indictment of Murder in the Second Degree was handed over, and the plea of Not Guilty entered. Discovery material was discussed as coming from both sides, and that Discovery would be ongoing.

The Prosecutor recommended no bail be set, citing that Eddie is a flight risk and has family in Puerto Rico. Public Defender reserved application, and Judge Segal responded: “Mr Irizarry, given the nature of the charge and the potential for over 20 years in prison, I have concerns about flight risk. Remand without bail.”

Next, the Prosecutor stated that they had additional documents regarding Alibi, a demand for reciprocal Discovery and Witness List. They briefly wanted to be heard for the facts of the case.

The Judge questioned the purpose, since bail had been denied, and then set the date for the next Conference to be September 24th.

After the hearing, both newspapers reported the statement from Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi: "The allegations are both troubling and disappointing, particularly given the fact that the defendant is a former member of law enforcement."

He continued: "My thoughts are with the victim's family as they endure an incredibly painful time. While the defendant is presumed innocent under the law, we will pursue this case with the utmost diligence, fairness and integrity. Our responsibility is to the truth, to due process, and to securing justice for the victim and the community."

Flags Flown At Half-Staff For The Week In Honor Of Amalio Lombardi, Excavation Worker

At Mayor of Beacon Lee Kyriacou’s order, flags will be flown at half-staff for Amalio Lombardi, age 61 of Goshen, who was fatally killed in an accident during excavation of Rte. 52 in Beacon in between Lanks Auto and Hedgewood Home For Adults as part of the Fishkill/Teller Avenues infrastructure projects, as reported by ALBB earlier today. ALBB has learned that Amalio worked for 12 years alongside his co-workers, and was union, according to a source who spoke to ALBB.

In a press release written and published by Beacon Police Chief Tom Figila to the Beacon PD’s Facebook page, and shared on the City of Beacon’s Facebook page, Chief Figlia said as part of his update: “the City's administration extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Lombardi. Mayor Kyriacou ordered that the flags be lowered to half staff for the remainder of the week in honor and memory of Mr. Lombardi.”

When the robo-alert went out to the people of Beacon, the announcement only contained information about the road being opened back up again, and thanked everyone for their patience. In neither robo-call was the fact that someone had succumbed to their injuries in a tragic work-related accident.

After the first robo-call, people of Beacon immediately wondered if an employee of any of Beacon’s departments was injured, and what kind of injury it was (ie: hit by a car on that busy road, fell off the cliff, etc.). Confirmation as to the detail of the accident needed to be reported on.

When Mid-Hudson News announced the fatality, ALBB followed with the detail, and the Beacon Police Department'’s Press Release came after that.

“I was on the other side of the road closure, and had to drive back several miles to get to where I was picking up my child,” one reader told ALBB. “I only learned the gravity of the situation from your article.”

Patrick Moore told ALBB readers: “I drove by maybe 30 seconds after it happened. The worst thing I have ever, ever seen. I worked for 9 years as a firefighter outside of Austin, TX. I have never seen anything like this. So sad and thoughts for family and the workers there yesterday.”

“I was there when they were turning cars around,” another reader told ALBB. “I asked what happened and they told me there had been a death. This must have been what happened.”

This has been an emotionally charged topic for co-workers of the deceased, friends and family. Some in the Beacon community expressed surprise that the work continued after the accidental incident. Said Andrè S Omally at ALBB’s Facebook: “Drove by saw these guys out there working 20mins later; Beacon PD/FD and EMS rushing towards there. smh very sad RIP.”

After Mid-Hudson’s News’ article published, ALBB headed down to get photos of what would be a very basic article documenting the incident. “I was surprised to see an active job site, where the crew was back to work as if nothing happened,” said Katie Hellmuth, writer of the article. “When a neighbor and I saw employees walking by, we were all stunned."

Comments at Facebook about this incident have been wild and unexpected. It seems unimaginable that the driver of the excavator was still driving after this accident, as he must have been very upset and scared. ALBB has not confirmed if it was him, or if someone replaced him. Hopefully he was allowed to stop driving so that he and other employees could seek emotional support about what had just happened.

UPDATE 7/29/2025: A comment has been left below on this article based on the above statement. That comment is republished here for confirmation:

As the spouse of someone on that crew, I'd like to set several records straight!

1) They did NOT continue working "as if nothing happened" - they were absolutely devastated and to make the road usable for the general public again took EVERYTHING in them to do.

2) No....the driver of the machine was NOT expected to keep driving. Someone did, in fact, come from a different job to take his place. The person who took his place was ALSO very upset by this news, and took everything in himself to do what needed to be done.

By the end of the day, the road was filled back in. The excavator had been digging a long hole in the middle of the road. The Beacon community mourns for all of the employees there as well as the deceased. Condolences to their families and friends.

After this article published, the City of Beacon’s Facebook account commented, without confirming the writer’s identity: “The reason the crews stayed and worked after the incident was due to the fact that there was a large hole in the middle of the road that couldn't be left open. Rather than raise questions about the crews working after the incident, you could have interviewed one of them and highlighted the absolute resolve and courage it took them to get back in their machines and close the road responsibly when all of them were traumatized by this.”

The City of Beacon should know that this writer was not about to step into an active construction site with an excavator moving. “One employee spoke and gave their statement,” said Katie. “I was not about to chase him for more.” The name of the excavation company has not been released, so we cannot call to follow up.

Said Jessica Hansen, Traffic Control Supervisor at Local 234 on Facebook: “Don’t you know the public thinks all the work done magically fixes itself and doesn't need crews to fix anything. We are just in their way and an inconvenience.”

So far, ALBB is leaving comments on, and advises people to restrain themselves to sending condolences and prayers. Over the years, our readers have asked that comments be left on so that they can see the true nature of people.

The Unexpected Closing Of Tito Santana Taqueria By The Landlord

Tito Santana Taqueria, days after a Dutchess County Board of Health inspection triggered a Beacon Building Department inspection, resulting in findings of structural damage deemed as “Unsafe Conditions” to floor joists in the basement due to wood-boring insects. The restaurant was ordered to cease by the Beacon Building Department until this violation was remedied by the property owner, Joseph Donovan and his wife, both of Lindley Todd, LLC,. After Tito’s fixed 5 violations that were there responsibility, and before the work to the floor joists started, the landlord Terminated Tito Santana’s lease with a 7 day order to vacate. a “For Lease” sign was up soon after asking for almost double the rent and showed the space to prospective new tenants.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

When news first came in to A Little Beacon Blog about the unexpected closing of Tito Santana Taqueria, it began as a percolation. Multiple readers wrote in to ask if the rumors were true.

Readers had many questions: if Tito’s had closed; was it because of a health department violation that the landlord wouldn’t fix; were the employees getting paid; was it an issue with the flooring; did they spend time in court; were they evicted; was it closed forever.

ALBB requested and was granted an interview with Tito Santana’s owner, Milan, outside on a hot day in June over ice cold cans of ginger key lime soda. The meeting included reviewing photos of the property before this situation, the email sent by the landlord’s property manager, Sean Noble, to Tito Santana, terminating the lease, and other documents for a pending lawsuit that Tito Santana’s was serving the landlord Lindley Todd, LLC the following week.

What Happened? In A Nutshell

Damage to the floor joists under 142 Main Street, formerly Tito Santana, from the wood-boring insects. Owned by Lindley Todd, LLC.
Photo Credit: Tito Santana

A routine surprise inspection by a Dutchess County Health Inspector of Tito Santana occurred on May 6, 2025, where the inspector found the fire panel to be not working properly. This finding triggered the City of Beacon Building Department to inspect the property, who cited 7 violations, which included significant structural damage to joists under the kitchen floor, due to wood-boring insects, according to the “Order To Remedy - Cease Operations” document obtained by ALBB via FOIA.

Specifically: “The floor joist, seen from the basement area, show evidence of severe deterioration due to wood-boring insects.” Additionally, the Order stated that a permit would be required to fix it: “An engineer evaluation of the flooring system is required prior to repair. Permit required for this work.”

The City of Beacon’s Building Department, under Beacon’s current Deputy Building Inspector Cory Wirthmann, thereby ordered the Cease Of Operations of the restaurant until the violations were fixed, but did not mandate that the lease be terminated, as the Beacon Building Department does not have the authority to dictate or interfere with the relationship between landlord and tenant. Tito Santana had 1 year remaining on their current lease, and for the past three years, had been in discussions for signing a new 9 year lease at a higher rate of $2,250 (current lease was less than that amount, Milan told ALBB).

Tito Santana had been asking the landlord for the past 3.5 years to fix the issues like flooding in the basement while working to secure the new lease. With promises of a future extended lease and repairs made to the building, Lindley Todd, LLC told Tito's to pay the higher rent amount of $2,250 than the current lease, which Tito’s did.

Flooding in the basement cellar of 142 Main Street, where Tito Santana’s was. The restaurant owner told ALBB that flooding was a regular occurrence, and not fixed by the property owner, Lindley Todd, LLC. The new rent listing boasts of: “significant basement storage.”
Photo Credit: Tito Santana

Flooding at 142 Main Street, formerly Tito Santana, that would include sewage. The restaurant owner told ALBB that his requests of the property owner, Lindley Todd, LLC to fix it were repeatedly not completed.
Photo Credit: Tito Santana

“Tito's had been paying the higher rent amount for the past 3 years with no signed new contract. Just the original contract we are in now that I inherited when I bought the business that has the lower rate written in,” Milan said. “This was advantageous to Lindley Todd, LLC because we were safe in that we had an active lease, but as he tempted me with the new 9 year lease and promises to fix major problems, wanted me to pay the higher rent amount that would be on our future 9 year lease,” Milan confirmed. “But that day never came. He terminated my lease by email one afternoon after the Beacon Building Department and Dutchess County Health Department cited him on violations, 5 of which I remedied, the 6th of which was dependent upon his structural fix. My lease ended swiftly in termination.”

The picture above shows water overflowing in the bucket from a leak. The basement flooding was reoccurring. The video shows water coming out of the wall. Backflows from pipes result in all the buildings sewage coming into the basement, Milan explained.

Suddenly, Tito Santana’s was “Closed For Repairs”

Tito Santana fixed 5 violations that were their responsibility, with the 6th needing to wait until the floor was repaired. That violation - the 7th and largest violation of the floor joists - resided with Lindley Todd, LLC, Milan told ALBB. "Structural repair is the landlord's responsibility in 99% of the commercial leases and so it was in our lease,” he said. “Everything else is tenant's responsibility for the most part."

Regarding the violations: “Six were my violations. He made me fix and spend the money on his property. Telling me that he's going to fix the structural issues, like the constant flooding in the basement, and then I would have a new lease. The 6 violations fall under my responsibility. I fixed 5 of them (for the 6th, I was waiting on the floor to be repaired by him). And then he sent me the termination. He made me spend the money to fix his place, and then took the place away from me. What is the point of the lease anyway?”

The lease termination email was sent on May 21, 2025 by Property Manager Sean Noble, which mentions New York State’s Good Cause Eviction Law. Sean’s email explaining the termination reads as follows:

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Milan,

Thanks for your patience as you've been waiting for a time to meet with Joe and me to discuss the repairs needed to clear the violations issued by the City of Beacon. While we had intended to meet to go over next steps, Joe has made the decision to move forward with terminating the lease. This decision was based on the terms outlined in the "Fire/Damage" clause of your lease, which gives the landlord the sole right to determine whether the premises are usable due to fire or other damage. In this case, Joe has determined that the premises are not usable in their current condition and has chosen to exercise his option to terminate the lease rather than proceed with repairs.

Attached to this email, you will find the official Notice of Termination. I know this is disappointing news, especially given your willingness to move forward with resolving the violations.

However, it was the City of Beacon Building Department who ordered that the restaurant cease operations until the structural violation was fixed and reviewed by an engineer, in “Violation 305.1.1 - Unsafe conditions. Code Reference: 2020 Property Maintenance Code of New York State November 2019.” The City of Beacon Building Department had no authority to terminate the lease, and did not order such. All violations are listed below in this article.

Lindley Todd’s representative and family member Nick Page, was seen showing the property days later to potential new tenants in the restaurant industry.

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After the termination, the property was listed on the market on LoopNet for $4,000/month, which is 43% higher than what Tito Santana was paying, and without the 7th violation of the wood-boring insect damaged floor joists fixed, or the reason for the constant flooding.

The new property listing boasts of “significant basement storage,” but the basement was still prone to flooding.

“He wanted me out, so I moved out,” Milan said. “He only gave me 7 days to move out. On a restaurant that has been there 15 years. Fast forward a couple weeks, he is trying to lease the space for at least $4,000. Almost twice my rent. I find this baffling.”

The “For Lease” sign up at 142 Main Street, former home of Tito Santana days after Tito Santana was served a termination email on their lease, citing that repairs needed to be made.

After the restaurant closed and people started asking questions, on May 31st 2025, ALBB reached out to the landlord, Joseph Donovan of Lindley Todd, LLC with a list of questions about the types of repairs needed. By June 4th he responded: “Yes, my wife and I are the principals of Lindley Todd, LLC, the property owner. A collection of events led to a detailed inspection of the store and cellar (by the health dept, and bldg. inspector, and ourselves) and the realization that extensive repairs were needed … the scope not feasible with continued occupancy of the retail/restaurant space.”

Tito Santana was started 14 years ago by Kamel Jamal, a restaurateur who has started and owns and co-owns several eateries on Main Street in Beacon. He sold Tito Santana’s to the current owner, Milan, 3.5 years ago in January 2022.

What Were The Violations?

Of the 7 violations, Tito Santana fixed 5 of them that were their responsibility, Milan said. They had already moved necessary items out so that Lindley Todd, LLC could do work on the 7th violation involving the basement and kitchen floor damage from the wood-boring insects, as well as a plumbing issue.

“I moved everything for the kitchen floor. I already took stuff from the kitchen to storage. I would have moved more to storage to fix whatever he needed. We were preparing ourselves for the busy summer season, so had purchased food and drinks. I had to throw away $30,000 worth of food and drinks (cost with receipts, not retail value) when he terminated the lease with 7 days notice and mandated that the space be left in ‘broom clean condition’.”

According to the “Order to Remedy - Cease Operations,” the violations were as follows.

1. 2020 Fire Code of New York State November 2019: "The commercial kitchen exhaust hood and fire suppression system was overdue for the 6 month inspection and cleaning. Expired May 1, 2025"

2. Power supply: "Behind the front counter there were several multi-plug adapters plugged into each other and not plugged directly into a wall receptacle."

3. Unapproved conditions: "In the kitchen area there was a 2 gang floor receptacle that was not properly secured to the wall and the cover plate was not secure to the box, exposing the wires on the inside."

4. Plumbing system hazards: "The DWV vent, an Air Admittance Valve, was located within the umbrella of the kitchen hood at a close proximity to the range top. Physical damage to the pipe has occurred due to radiant heat exposure."

5. Clearance from ignition sources: "The commercial range located under the Type 1 hood is mounted above a wood dolly cart. The wood dolly is a combustible material that is located too close to an ignition source."

6. Extension cords: "An extension cord is being used to power a large walk-in cooler outdoors. Extension cord is (1) not protected from physical damage (2) affixed permanently to the building (3) is routed through a door to the outside (4) is plugged into several multi-plug adapters."

7. This was the largest structural violation that the Beacon Building Department required the property owner, Lindley Todd, LLC to fix:
   This violation was identified as "Unsafe Conditions": "The floor joist, seen from the basement area, show evidence of severe deterioration due to wood-boring insects. An engineer evaluation of the flooring system is required prior to repair. Permit required for this work."
   Violation: 305.1.1 - Unsafe conditions.

   Code Reference: 2020 Property Maintenance Code of New York State November 2019

   Description: The following conditions shall be determined as unsafe and shall be repaired or replaced to comply with the Building Code of New York State or the Existing Building Code of New York State as required for existing buildings as required for existing buildings, or the Residential Code of New York State as applicable:
   1. The nominal strength of any structural member is exceeded by nominal loads, the load effects or the required strength.
   2. The anchorage of the floor or roof to walls or columns, and of walls and columns to foundations is not capable of resisting all nominal loads or load effects.
   3. Structures or components thereof that have reached their limit state.
   4. Structural members are incapable of supporting nominal loads and load effects. 5. Stairs, landings, balconies and all similar walking surfaces, including guards and handrails, are not structurally sound, not properly anchored or are anchored with connections not capable of supporting all nominal loads and resisting all load effects.
   6. Foundation systems that are not firmly supported by footings are not plumb and free from open cracks and breaks, are not properly anchored or are not capable of supporting all nominal loads and resisting all load effects.
   Exceptions: 1. Where substantiated otherwise by an approved method. 2. Demolition of unsafe conditions shall be permitted where approved by the building official.

Reason For The Lease Termination

The reason Lindley Todd, LLC stated in an email terminating the lease, which was emailed by the property manager Sean Noble to Milan, invoked the “Fire/Damage Clause.” But there was no fire or damage from a fire.

There a faulty fire panel, which triggered this cascade of intervention. But this wasn’t the first time the fire panel didn’t work, Tito Santana told ALBB. Multiple issues had been wrong and gone unrepaired for some time, despite numerous requests to fix, and spoken promises to deliver, Tito Santana told ALBB. Several of those exchanges are in emails between the two.

"It's brutal to do something like this to anybody," Milan told ALBB. He had 6-7 employees who worked in the kitchen and in the front serving customers. “I was willing to move out for him to fix the place. He just handed me a termination.”

A boiler inspection log at 142 Main Street, with the last inspection date being 5/12/2015.
Photo Credit: Tito Santana

Milan hired an attorney who began correspondence with Lindley Todd, LLC to discuss how to move forward without ending the business. “They never responded to us on anything. Just to have a conversation,” Milan said. “Probably this week we will end up in court. We have to file a lawsuit. They are not responding. I can't do anything if they don't say anything to me.”

While these violations existed prior to this situation, and business ran as usual, the fire panel worked during other surprise inspections. This time however: “They got caught,” Tito Santana told ALBB. “The City of Beacon Building Department report says what the Dutchess County Health Department saw. Lindley Todd, LLC was made aware of the fire panel issues and other issues in the building for 3 years and never fixed them. They never fix the property.”

There was one fix, however. A Beacon Police Officer Affdecrin Oscar Vargas fell on the stairs that zig-zag up the side of the building when responding to a call. Officer Vargas brought a lawsuit against Lindley Todd, LLC in November 2020 that ended in a settlement on March 22, 2022.

After the lawsuit settlement, on May 19th, 2022, Michael Schreiber, Chief Financial Officer of Hudson River Housing, the company who manages the affordable housing of the properties, emailed Milan to let him know of planned work to the stairs that Officer Vargas fell on. “Regarding the staircase,” Michael wrote, “I just want to let you know, that we will be doing something to patch the top, that is getting worse. We are afraid that it is deteriorating much quicker now, so will be doing something after the weekend to address it.”

Milan went to look for any permit on that exterior work done. “I did a FOIA request for any permits received for the property since 2016. No permits were produced in that FOIA request, indicating they never got permits.”

Background On Property On This West End Of Town

Joseph Donovan owns multiple properties on that west end of town under different business names, including the buildings that contain Bank Square Coffeehouse, Mountain Tops, Colorant, and Beacon Creamery. Under one of their other business names, Hudson Todd, LLC, they are currently building the large commercial/residential building at 2 Cross Street where the sidewalk on Main Street has been extended with the jersey barriers to accommodate the construction.

Most of the properties are not newly renovated. With the exception of Colorant, which was renovated years ago after Joe Donovan required then tenant Miss Vickie’s Music to vacate her Main Street studio while they renovated that property so that a new storefront could move in. Colorant is there now.

Miss Vickie’s Music studio had been the tenant for years, all the way back to when the Piccone family owned most of that property. The Donovan family then purchased most of that property. The companies of Joe Donovan completed in one of the largest property deals in Beacon around April 2017.

When Donovan’s company wanted Miss Vickie out, they moved her down Main Street a few blocks in the then worn down apartments behind Mr. Bell’s Salon, until Mr. Bell’s salon completely burned down near the time that one of Joe Donovan’s companies was selling that property to the current owners, 201-211 Main Street, LLC in July 2023. The fire happened in between the time of their transaction.

The new owners then evicted Mr. Bell and the shoe cobbler John’s Shoe Repair with a 3 days to vacate, citing the Fire Damage clause in their lease. Those new owners posted a notice on the plywood boards titled “Three Day Notice To Cancel Lease,” signed by Lendita Mavraj, Manager of 201-211 Main Street, LLC. After those new owners renovated those storefronts, other beauty salons moved in. B Hair Studio is there now.

Miss Vickie was again evicted, as the new owners cited smoke damage to those apartments in the back. All of Miss Vickie’s neighbors, who included an elderly Veteran, were evicted. That entire property has since been renovated and rent increased. Joe Donovan absorbed his old cobbler tenant into the apartment complex behind Colorant, who remains there to this day.

If you don’t know Miss Vickie, she can be seen outside of the Towne Crier sweeping the sidewalk, shoveling the sidewalk, working the sound board inside, and other duties.

Donovan’s Sales Tax and Mortgage Tax Exemptions For 2 Cross Street

THe Piccone Family sold the Joe Donovan family several properties in 2017. Ronald “Jamie” Piccone is on the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency board who awarded Donovan’s company Hudson ToDD $249,745 in a Sales Tax and Mortgage Tax Exemption for 2 Cross Street new construction. During this application review, no Conflicts of Interest were stated when asked.

Back at the new construction for the large building at 2 Cross Street, another one of Joe Donovan’s companies, Hudson Todd, LLC, applied for and was awarded $249,745 in Sales and Use Tax Exemption and Mortgage Tax Exemption for an approximately $10,384,302 project for the construction of a 24,000 square foot mixed-use commercial facility with affordable residential housing from Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency (DCIDA).

On that board is a Piccone family member, Rondald “Jamie” Piccone II. The Piccone family is who sold Donovan the property where Tito Santana’s and Miss Vickie’s were located.

During the Conflict of Interest portion of the DCIDA application review meeting that ALBB reviewed the document of, no Conflict of Interests were stated: “Chairman Dean asked board members if they had any potential conflicts with any items on the agenda. No potential conflict was noted,” the notes stated.

2 Cross Street has vacillated between the number of affordable units it is offering, as state funding shifted (March 2023), (May 2024), and (June 2024).

Next Steps For Tito Santana

As of 3:35pm on July 7, 2025, Joe Donovan’s property manager, Sean Noble of Lindley Todd, LLC was served with a lawsuit from Tito Santana alleging a Breach of Lease Agreement, Negligence, and Unjust Enrichment.

City of Beacon Permit for 142 Main Street dated 6/20/2025 - 6/20/2027 after the May 2nd violation notice from the City of Beacon Building Department.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

On July 10, 2025, ALBB reached out to Joe Donovan of Lindley Todd, LLC for comment on the lawsuit, and his thoughts on why his decision to “exercise his option to terminate the lease rather than proceed with repairs” made sense, when his company was showing the property to interested new tenants in the restaurant industry just days later at a 43% rent increase.

A new permit is up in the window now, and ALBB asked what the repairs were for, if the landlord’s termination email stated that he would “rather terminate than proceed with repairs.”

Editorial Update 4:45pm 7/11/2025: After this article published, Joe responded: “We looked for ways to perform all of the required work without displacing the tenant, but it just wasn’t feasible. A lot of complexities. Happy to discuss in person if you’d like. There is paper up on the windows but none on the door. If you take a look at what’s going on inside you’ll understand why the space could not be occupied during the required ‘repairs’.”

ALBB responded: “Thank you. Ceasing operation of the restaurant tenant was required by the Order to Remedy. What question remains unanswered is the need for the termination of the lease during the required "repairs.” And the following swift search for a new tenant during "repairs." Any comment as to that?”

How far will this lawsuit go? “Justice costs money,” Milan told ALBB. “But I'm not going to go bankrupt.”

Tito Santana has started a GoFundMe, and is selling their equipment. “If anyone is looking to open a new restaurant - we would be happy to support them. Or if anyone wants to buy for their current operations.”

Milan concluded: “I just want it out there. Anyone who rents will know. That is my mission. To let everyone know that this is what this person does. I don't tell anyone what to do. These are the facts. You make the decision.”

ICE Alert: Newburgh, Tuesday 8am 7/8/2025: Bankard + South Lander; Liberty + Washington

ICE Sighting in Newburgh at the intersection of Bankard + South Lander, which is a residential area. Ice reported to be moving “very fast” and was later seen on Washington + Liberty.

Sources have verified that ICE is active this Tuesday morning (7/8/2025) in Newburgh and are moving “very fast.” This photo of two men with traditional tan ICE vests on and ball caps, who are standing next to a white passenger van, is at the intersection of Bankard and South Lander.

This area is primarily residential apartments and townhouses. The blue building in the background is the Continental, an old hotel that is no longer in business, a source tells ALBB. One block over is Big Mouth Coffee Roasters, where the coffee roaster has a second location (they also have a retail location on Main Street in Beacon). They are unrelated to this ICE Alert, but mentioned for proximity.

ICE was also seen this morning at the intersection of Liberty and Washington which is a mix of retail shops and restaurants and apartments.

On July 1st, there was verification of a person taken from a residential urban street in Middletown. If you know of other verified locations and dates of people taken that you want to amplify, you may submit information to ALBB via our Contact Us page.

Characteristics of ICE Behavior

ICE Activity tends to happen in the morning between 5-8am and again at the end of the work day from 5-8pm. On Sundays, they are known to target churches at 12pm noon time. In Beacon, they struck on Soccer Saturday morning. Video was acquired of an ICE agent identifying himself. Both adult players of pickup soccer were wary, and parents of toddler soccer were on high alert.

Community members are encouraged to keep their eyes out for ICE, and report to their trusted sources. When possible and safe, take photos of ICE agents, their vehicles and license plates. Some ICE agents may be very proud of their work, and may proudly identify themselves to you if you nicely approach them to ask who they are, like this mom did. New York State has a “one-party consent law.” If you are the one consenting, you can record.

Some members of the Beacon community have formed a Signal chat, where photos of possible sightings are submitted and dismissed if they are regular people doing regular things.

Reports of vehicles have included white passenger vans, and dark vehicles with all tinted windows. License plates usually look like normal license plates. ICE agents have usually been white men, but white females have been appearing in ICE raid videos across the country as well.

ICE agents (or people who say they are ICE agents) are usually not affiliated with local police. If you feel threatened or harassed by a person identifying themselves as ICE, you can call your local Beacon Police, and tell them that a person won’t leave you alone, is harassing and stalking you.

If someone comes to your door, looking for you, you are strongly advised not to open the door. Do not run from your home. Stay inside and call your local trusted community member friends. They may be able to mobilize and come to your home to be a loud witness presence outside near the ICE people.

Possibly local police, depending on what municipality you live in. Consider calling the Beacon Police via 911 so that it gets on the public scanner. If you call the Beacon Police directly, your call will not be on the scanner.

Demand to see a judicial warrant. If they have one, tell them to slip it under the door. From there, the judicial warrant must be signed by a judge. If it is signed by a person saying their are an ICE agent, this does not count. If you flee out of your home, the person saying they are ICE may physically grab you without presenting a warrant.

Keep your camera near you and on video at all times. While it is very scary to have someone pounding on your door asking you questions on repeat, stay calm and make your safety phone calls.

Related Links:

How To Verify A Person Circling A Neighborhood Who May Be ICE (How-To Video)

ICE Spotted Again In Beacon On Soccer Saturday - "Community Is Watching," Neighbor States (With Video)

ICE Has Been Questioning Brown People In Beacon At Least 1.5 Months; At Least One Other Person Taken

Details From The Friday, June 20th ICE Raid In Beacon & The Taking Of The Neighbor

Stay safe everyone.

ICE Has Been Questioning Brown People In Beacon At Least 1.5 Months; At Least One Other Person Taken

According to neighbors in Beacon who are residents and employees in Beacon, ICE has been circling the backroads of Beacon and Main Street for at least 1.5 months, questioning people. At least one other person was taken in that time, ALBB was told by people familiar with the situation.

Men Seeming Like ICE In The BACKROADS Questioning Residents

A resident who is Brown in the Spanish community who lives in the backroads of Beacon told ALBB that a white men dressed in the tan vest with yellow POLICE patch on it, wearing a ball cap and large sunglasses, approached them at their home, asking if a woman with a Spanish name (they identified the name) lived in their home. The white man pursued questioning the Beacon resident, asking more than once if the woman lived there, and did the resident know where she was. The resident declined each time saying they did not know her. The white man with the POLICE vest, cap and sunglasses left.

When the resident stepped out of their home to continue on with their day of errands, a car of 4 white men in similar costume of cap, sunglasses, tan vest and yellow POLICE approached the Beacon resident again, asking them more questions. The resident grew a little impatient, as the questioning was making them late to an appointment, and asked if they were free to leave. Eventually the car of white men drove away.

This resident confirmed to ALBB that a man from the Spanish community in Beacon was taken from a different street before the man was taken from North Elm Street. No one can verify where the person was taken.

MAN Questioning Employees On Main Street

Employees who are Brown who were out on the sidewalk on Main Street in the past weeks told ALBB that they were separately spoken to by a white man they did not recognize. The first employee said that the man, who was dressed in non-identifiable clothing, spoke to them in Spanish. However, the employee did not speak Spanish and did not understand him. They asked him to repeat in English, which he did. He told the employee that he wanted to let them know that ICE was in the area, and to be careful. He went on with his thoughts.

The second Brown employee at a different establishment said that they were approached by the same white man, who asked where they were from, how long they were in the country, and how long they were working at the establishment.

Both employees told ALBB that they felt that the questioning was not comforting, and both have decided to refrain from answering questions or warnings about ICE from men they do not recognize who linger around the place of business.

Last Saturday, when ICE was identified as being on North Elm and Wilkes Street in this video, a person on Main Street down by the Dummy Light said they saw a white man in a vest with an FBI patch on it. While this may been a poser, or imposter who ordered an FBI jacket off the Internet and felt like walking around, he was seen, and did not look like a backpacker. The Beacon resident told ALBB: “I saw him wearing beige cargo pants and the dark blue jacket with the 3 FBI letters on the back. He walked down Main Street and turned onto East Main Street, walking extremely fast away, almost in a rushing manner.”

When ALBB asked if they were positive they saw the three letters on the back, the resident said: “FBI jacket for sure.”

While it may not always be possible to verify if a person wearing a FBI jacket or tan POLICE vest is ICE, one can always approach them nicely and ask them. As in this video where the ICE person identified themselves, ICE can identify themselves. Bonus points if they present a badge or some sort of identification. Since they are searching for people with names, they can also state their name when asked.

ICE Spotted Again In Beacon On Soccer Saturday - "Community Is Watching," Neighbor States (With Video)

Saturday morning in Beacon marked the last Soccer Saturday of the season as parents rose early to get ready for Championship Day. Dark vehicles with tinted windows suspected of being U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were parked in a line up North Elm and Wilkes Streets, with possible sightings at Orchard Place, the loop that is the base of East and West Willow Streets known as “The Willows.”

After the first Beacon resident was taken by ICE early Friday morning from their home on North Elm Street, residents in Beacon convened in an emergency meeting Friday night to share resources and connect phones to begin a Neighborhood Watch for ICE spottings in an attempt to distract and delay.

A Little Beacon Blog had just published the first article describing what was known so far about the previous ICE sting operation on North Elm, when a reader commented in ALBB’s Instagram that ICE was possibly at intersection of North Elm and Wilkes again for another hit.

Alex Berke, a local mom and employment lawyer who provides counsel on sexual harassment and discrimination cases, had been alerted via the Neighborhood Watch group, and biked over to seek verification by cautiously approaching one of the vehicles to inquire as to their purpose. “It doesn’t feel as hard for me to do this because I’m white and very comfortable speaking to authority figures,” Alex told ALBB.

When she approached the car, she gave a friendly greeting. “Hi…” she said. When she got no response, she tipped her bike helmet in head-nod to get his attention, and motioned for him to roll down his window.

“We all need to be sand in the gears right now. If you’re comfortable approaching, it’s time to do so. Those who have privilege can use it in these moments.”

— Alex Berke, local Beacon resident and attorney.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the driver asked. Another Beacon resident rolled up as well to join Alex in the interview. The driver was a white male, bald, wore a dark short-sleeved shirt and had a thick beige vest on with a yellow POLICE patch on the front, similar to what has been the costume in other ICE abduction videos. His New York license plate read LDY-3445.

“Yeah,” she continued. “I’m just a Beacon local, and we are trying to understand where you are from and what’s going on.”

“Um, we have something going on in the area,” he answered. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, if you’re wondering that. We have police activity going on in the area, so I’m letting you know that we are here.”

The second Beacon resident asked for clarification on which police were in the area. She asked: “Are you saying that local police are involved?”

“No,” he answered immediately. “Local police are not involved. We work independently. Ok?”

Suddenly his phone rang and chatter picked up on his walkie-talkie. “Is that good?” he asked. “That answers your questions?”

“That answers our questions for now,” Alex answered. “The community is out and we’re going to be watching.”

He told her to stay safe as he rolled his window back up, and she wished him the same. “You got it, thank you,” he said as he began driving away toward Verplanck. Soon after, all the cars were gone.

“We all need to be sand in the gears right now,” Alex told ALBB. “If you’re comfortable approaching, it’s time to do so. Those who have privilege can use it in these moments.”

FAQ: “Is This New? Has ICE Been In The Area?”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spotted in Newburgh on Sunday, June 22, 2025 on Broadway standing outside of a Hispanic restaurant with possible intent of wanting to get to apartments above.
Photo Credit: Neighborhood Watch Groups in Newburgh

ICE has been targeting people throughout Dutchess and Orange Counties for months, but Friday’s abduction from North Elm Street was the first for Beacon. Video footage and photos of ICE standing outside bodegas and restaurants in the Hudson Valley have flown around group chats in the immigrant community, but verifying them for reporting has been difficult.

For example, this photo of ICE was in Newburgh on Sunday, June 22, 2025 on Broadway standing outside of a Hispanic restaurant. The photo was circulated to share location and also visual identification, as ICE can be wearing different outfits or driving different cars on different days. In this case, these men had possible intent of wanting to get to apartments above.

Beacon’s back-to-back sing operation marked the fist opportunity to cross-confirm developments for verifications and reporting. Prior to the driver identifying himself as ICE in the video above, a Beacon resident who had witnessed Friday’s raid confirmed that it was the same car and license plate returning on Saturday. The Neighborhood watch in Beacon was active again on Sunday, but no sightings that could be verified came in.

“I’m going to park my car in the driveway,” laughed one neighbor who has a similar car to one found in videos of ICE spotted parked on Main Street early Saturday morning. Some residents were ruffled about their parked cars being considered as ICE vehicles, but one resident who noticed activity around her vehicle said she appreciated the watch efforts and was horrified that ICE was in Beacon.

FAQ: “Why Now? Is This Because Of the No Kings Protest 2 Weeks Ago?”

No. In fact, it may have been because most in the Beacon community protest so hard that ICE has not been here, and instead started with low hanging, unprotected fruit in Newburgh, Cornwall and other areas. The Walmart in Fishkill, for instance, was targeted months ago, with flash checkpoints set up outside in the parking lot to question people as they walked in, according to one resident of Beacon whose mother was questioned for papers in such checkpoint.

The list that Dutchess County and Beacon were added to that Mayor Kyriacou and the National Sheriffs Association responded to on June 2nd maybe have been a warning shot to the beginning of raids or attempted raids in Beacon.

Patterns For Identifying ICE

Area experts have said that ICE tends to come in the mornings between 5-8am for the commute to work, and again from 5-8pm for the departure from work. But ICE can wait late at night as well, as shifts get out at different times. This has been known to happen in parts of Newburgh and other municipalities. On Sunday’s, ICE is known to camp out for the church service release at 12pm noon. ICE’s “work” knows no bounds.

There are different levels of involvement and engagement for identifying ICE. If one is to approach a vehicle to seek verification of an ICE agent, it is encouraged that the person inquiring is polite when seeking more information.

Should a raid be about to happen, it has been encouraged to bring a bucket in order to bang on it to make noise. New York is a one-party consent state, in that a conversation can be recorded if one party consents, and that person can be the person recording the conversation.