The New York State Office Of Emergency Management offers a free opt-in service to sign up for emergency alerts for your county. Text 333111 with your county name in the message field to be subscribed. For Beacon, type “Dutchess County” and you should be subscribed.
Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog
A fallen tree at Hammond Plaza in Beacon, NY
Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog
The shifting weather from extreme heat of this week to heavy rainfall beginning Wednesday night is extending to Thursday and into Friday, said NY Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday in a press release. Trees began falling over in Beacon and Newburgh by early Wednesday evening.
Governor Hochul has directed State agencies to prepare for heavy rain and the potential for localized flooding as parts of the state are forecast to be impacted by periods of heavy rain, which includes the Mid-Hudson region (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.)
These regions could see over 3 inches of rain again beginning Thursday and is expected to be a "slow moving weather event with the most severe impacts occurring where the storm ultimately sets up,” the release said. Cooler temperatures and lower levels of humidity are expected, however.
A tree down that landed in a building in Newburgh. Avoid all exposed power lines.
Photo Credit: Councilmember Giselle Martinez
Branches down in Newburgh, hitting houses and landing in the street.
Photo Credit: Councilmember Giselle Martinez
“State agencies are on standby for heavy downpours and localized flooding and will be monitoring the situation in real-time to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers in the path of the storm," said Governor Hochul.
Residents are encouraged to get weather alerts for their county by texting 333111 and typing in their county name. Weather alerts can be found at alerts.weather.gov.
Stay charged out there. Your devices. Not your sewer line. Wishing you clear passage in your sewer line and adjacent storm lines. For Plumbing insight, see here.
For Home Repair services, see ALBB’s Business Directory.
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.
Condolences to the family, co-workers and friends.
A construction worker who was part of the crew digging up the road on Rte 52 in Beacon at Conklin Street near Lanks Auto was fatally injured late this morning. According to someone familiar with the situation, the construction worker may have passed out, fallen, and then was crushed by the machine. “We lost a co-worker of 12 years today,” said one person.
The City of Beacon sent out an alert at 12:02 saying: “Fishkill Avenue will be closed from approximately Dallis Place (near Hedgewood Home For Adults And Assisted Living) to Conklin Street due to a workplace accident. Please avoid travel until further notice.”
Mid-Hudson News was the first to report the confirmed fatality at 2:12pm, and said that the accident happened “just after 11am,” and that Beacon Police were investigating. It is unknown at this time if OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was called to or came to the scene to investigate.
According to a neighbor who spoke with ALBB, crime scene tape was wrapped around the street. Residents were blocked from driving into their driveways. Some had to park around the corner and walk to their homes.
As of 3:59pm, the crime scene tape was gone, and the machine was actively digging out the street again, with several workers surrounding it. At least one City of Beacon Police vehicle was blocking and re-routing each end of traffic. The City of Beacon’s Highway Superintendent Michael Manzi was at the scene.
At 5:26pm, the City of Beacon issued an alert saying: “The section of Fishkill Avenue from Dallis Place to Conklin Street has been reopened from the earlier closure. Thank you for your patience.” There was no mention of the death of the construction worker.
Also at 5:25pm, the Chief Figlia of Beacon Police Department issued the following press release published on the Beacon Police Facebook page:
“Fatal Construction Accident on Fishkill Ave”
“On July 28, 2025 the Beacon Police Department, as well as EMS and Beacon Fire Department, responded to a report of an accident at a construction site on Fishkill Ave. between Conlin St. and Dallas Pl. Upon arrival, it was determined that Amalio Lombardi, 61 of Goshen, had been stuck by an excavator and passed away at the scene. An investigation of the incident is ongoing. The work being done was part of an infrastructure improvement project for Beacon, and 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.”
Related Article: “Flags Flown At Half-Staff For The Week In Honor Of Amalio Lombardi, Excavation Worker”
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. As details emerge, they are updated here in the sequence of how they were released.
On Monday evening at approximately 9pm at the home of 86 Rombout Avenue, a 911 caller believed to be Edison “Eddie” Irizarry, who is a 52 year-old a retired City of Beacon Police Officer who was a new roommate to Casey Cuddy, age 58 (aka Wilbur Cuddy), “had threatened him with a shotgun, and Irizarry claimed to have fired three rounds at Cuddy,” according to reporting from MidHudson News. Casey Cuddy did not survive.
According to the City of Beacon Police Department’s Press Release the following Tuesday morning, “the City of Beacon Police Department received a call from an individual reporting that he had shot his roommate on Rombout Ave. Upon arrival it was determined that one of the individuals involved was a retired Beacon Police Officer. That individual was immediately detained and, in order to maintain the highest integrity, the entire investigation was turned over to the New York State Police.” The Press Release was published to Facebook, and Comments turned off.
From the Beacon Police Press Release, it was not clear where Eddie was initially detained to. A witness of the detainment confirmed to ALBB that Eddie was handcuffed and “gently put into” a Beacon Police vehicle without incident on Monday night. New York State Police arrived to the scene shortly after, ALBB was told by a witness of the detainment.
MidHudson News reported that Eddie was arrested the following Tuesday morning. “He was arraigned before Beacon City Court Judge Rebecca Mensch and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail,” MidHudson News reported. Times Union reported that Eddie was booked on Tuesday, as confirmed by booking records, and held without bail.
Beacon Police Chief Tom Figlia continued: “In order to maintain the highest integrity, the entire investigation was turned over to the New York State Police. The City of Beacon Police Department is cooperating and will continue to cooperate, fully and completely with the State Police Investigation. Since it is a State Police Investigation, the City of Beacon Police Department cannot release any further details and all additional requests for information should be made to New York State Police.”
As of Tuesday evening, New York State Police confirmed that the caller was Eddie: “On July 21, 2025, at approximately 9:02 p.m., the City of Beacon Police Department responded to a private residence on Rombout Avenue following a 911 call placed by Edison Irizarry, 52, of Beacon, NY, who stated he had shot his roommate. Upon arrival, officers located 58-year-old Casey Cuddy also of Beacon, NY, deceased inside the residence from an apparent gunshot wound.”
According to community members, Casey and Eddie were roommates in the house beginning April 2025. ALBB has received confirmation from multiple local sources that this house was divided into 2 apartments, where Casey lived in one unit, and another group of people lived in the other unit. It was only recently that Eddie moved in as roommate to Casey, who also goes by “Cuddy” to neighbors.
By Tuesday evening, Casey’s white passenger van, which has a poster perched in the passenger seat that reads “Boycott,” remained parked in the driveway with yellow caution tape around the perimeter of the house. Parked next to the van that Tuesday evening was a New York State trooper car with an officer inside.
An investigator looks at the sign in the van of Casey Cuddy, who was killed by his roommate, Eddie Irizarry. The poster read: “Boycott Everything.”
Sean Breault, who witnessed the arrest of Eddie, told ALBB: “The poster in Cuddy’s van read ‘Boycott Everything.’ He was active in protests. I watched the detective go through his van and I have an image of the sign. Cuddy was into boating and biking here in Beacon and was never anything but kind. Deescalation did not seem to be a tactic this retired officer was willing to use.”
That Tuesday evening at dusk, people in the community drove and walked slowly past the house, which is located in a residential area around the corner from South Avenue Elementary School. Community members say that Casey could often be seen outside in his yard and was a communicative person with his neighbors.
By Tuesday evening, the Beacon Police issued another statement when sharing an update made by New York State Police. The Beacon Police Department wrote: “We share this as part of our obligation to keep the public informed but we also take seriously our obligation not to release any information which may hinder their [New York State Police’s] investigation. As such, we will continue to direct all requests for information to the State Police. We also thank them for their hard work in this investigation and would like the thank the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance last night as well. Importantly, we extend our deepest condolences to those impacted by this incident.”
New York State Police confirmed on Tuesday evening the charges against Eddie:
Murder in the Second Degree (Class A -1 Felony)
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class C felony)
Criminal Possession of a Firearm (Class E Felony)
New York State Police confirmed that a preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
The Highlands Current reported that Eddie retired from the Beacon Police Force in July 2021, and was recognized in a photo by the Beacon Police Benevolent Association (PBA) union. The PBA said at that time: “The PBA would like to congratulate Officer Edison Irizarry on his recent retirement from the Beacon Police Department. Officer Irizarry served the City of Beacon for 17 years, and prior to that served his country as a United States Marine. Officer Irizarry held many roles during his time with the Beacon Police, including a Field Training Officer and Detective. Best of luck in retirement and your future endeavors.”
After 6 hours, 911 service for Dutchess County has been restored. A Verizon fiber optic transmission line is cited as being the cause of disruption. Dutchess County made the announcement of the failure of service via an emergency break-through alert on phones, but made the restoration announcement via social media and email channels. Alternative land lines were provided for people to use in the meantime.
“Dutchess County’s announcement said: “Dutchess County Emergency Response has announced full 9-1-1 service has been restored. Dutchess County’s 9-1-1 services were interrupted today from approximately 3:00pm until 9:00pm due to an issue with a Verizon fiber optic transmission line. Verizon crews from Poughkeepsie and Kingston worked to restore the lines, with full restoration completed by 9:00 pm.
“Incoming emergency calls were re-routed to 7-digit landline numbers without incident during the outage. “
After last night’s flash flooding in areas of New York, the 911 Emergency service has gone down in Dutchess County, which was broadcast via alert on some cell phones.
Two alternate phone numbers were given: 845-486-6547 and 845-486-6546.
If Dutchess County sends out an alert that 911 service is restored, then this article will be updated.
After reading ALBB’s article: “Open The Mail: There May Be A $50 Settlement Check In It From Columbia Utilities Power,” multiple readers are writing in to ALBB saying that they did not realize this was settlement money, and lost or ripped up the check.
One reader, Owen, said that the phone number provided by the settlement to get a new check issued is not working. ALBB tried the phone number, and indeed, it does not work. Owen said when they tried: “The card has a phone number but there is no menu option to request replacement check. They are making difficult to actually pay out the settlement which means the money gets returned to them.”
According to multiple readers, cards were sent to those who did not cash the check. One reader submitted the content for the card, which contains the phone number that does not work.
-- Text from card--
NOTICE OF OUTSTANDING SETTLEMENT CHECK
Town of Sangerties, et al., y Columbia Utilities Power, LLC, et al.
Last Name: xxxxxxxxxx
Claim ID: xxxxx
Dear Class Member,
We mailed you a settlement award payment on April 1 2025, and our records indicate that your check has not been cashed. The settlement award check has a 90-day void term, meaning you will not be able to cash it after July 17, 2025. If you still have the check, please deposit it into your bank as soon as possible. If you have not yet received the check or need a new check sent to you, please contact our office so we may re-issue it. You must contact us no later than July 17, 2025, or your funds will no longer be available.
Missing check? Contact the Settlement Administrator toll-free at (844) 804-4105
A website also exists for the settlement, which lists the same number.
Applications are open for the Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley program which grants qualifying people free critical home repairs necessary to maintain a safe and healthy living environment, including, but not limited to: major accessibility modifications; plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical system repairs; stair, roof, porch and other critical structural repairs. Mobile homes are only eligible for accessibility ramps through this service.
Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficiency improvements for neighbors in need, including but not limited to seniors, persons living with disability, families with school-aged children, and active or retired armed services members. These services are provided at no cost to the homeowner.
One qualifying requirement is that the assessed full market value of the home must fall below a designated amount. Qualifying houses in Beacon may be difficult, as the market has increased assessed home values even for homes owned by elderly people. A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Rebuilding Together to see if there is talk of increasing or lifting that assessed value limit.
The application can be found online here. The application period is from June - September 2025 to find qualifying people for the 2026 repair season.
The application period for Veterans is year-round and can be found here.
The application period for the Handyman Service is year-round and can be found here.
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.
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 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.
Since ALBB posted the verification video of the ICE person on North Elm and Wilkes in Beacon last Saturday, “ICE Spotted Again In Beacon On Soccer Saturday - "Community Is Watching," Neighbor States (With Video)” people have asked a few questions:
“How do I verify ICE?”
“Can I film them?”
“Can I go up to a car to ask them who they are?”
Yes you can. To all of these questions. Katie made this video for you, walking you through how to gently approach a vehicle or person who you think is stalking a neighborhood, house or street. Your goal would be to see if they identify themselves as being with ICE, and what kind of work they are doing here.
If you see a vehicle - or a person walking - who you think is ICE - you could nicely approach them to ask: “Hi…What’s going on here? Can you tell me what you’re doing?”
In Beacon, they have been spotted wearing:
Tan vests on that say POLICE or a blue jacket that says FBI.
All black (black shirt, black pants) and a black cap with sunglasses. May have something hanging in a covered holster from their waist.
Their cars won’t always say ICE on them, but ALBB is currently pursuing a lead where such a vehicle was seen near North Walnut Street (if you have any tips, please send them in). Usually these vehicles have been unmarked with all tinted windows.
This video gives suggestions on how to get verification of an ICE person. Once you get that verification - with video if you can - think about who you will share that video with. A trusted journalist source, your local ICE watch group, the City of Beacon Police, or a trusted source of yours who will know what to do with it.
The Mayor of Beacon, Lee Kyriacou, reaffirmed the City’s commitment to being a safe and inclusive city, with this statement after the person taken on June 20th from a neighbor’s backyard was made public: “I want to make clear that at no time leading up to this incident did City staff, including our Police Department, have any notice of or involvement in ICE operations. As a City, we remain committed to our safe, inclusive community policy, to preserving rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and to avoiding any policies which engender fear among law-abiding families.” Click here for his full statement.
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.
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.
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.
As yard-work picks up this spring season, some people have been putting tall grasses (ahem), tree branches, and other brush from the yard into their trash cans. Royal Carting has confirmed that they will not pick up such leafy yard waste if placed into the can, as it can become uncontained when going into the truck.
If your garbage can was skipped for this reason, Royal Carting advises to remove the yard waste, and then call them for a pickup or wait until the following week. The number to call is on the trash can, and is 845-896-6000.
If lawn bags are not in your budget at this time, you can use brown paper grocery bags from Key Food or whoever is using brown paper bags. Put those out on the sidewalk like you normally do for the City of Beacon to pick up. If you have lots of tree branches, or even small bags of yard waste, you can call the Beacon Highway Department to be added for their list of pickups. Despite the trucks driving all over, they might be on a mission for something else and cannot stop to pickup yard-work bags unscheduled.
The City's Annual Memorial Day Remembrance and Ceremony is on Monday, May 26th as posted on the City of Beacon’s Facebook. It is outdoors, and is open to the public. The day usually includes a Remembrance at the East Main Street Bridge, followed by a Ceremony at the Memorial Building with the Veterans.
If you have not been inside of the Memorial Building yet, ALBB went on a guided tour in November 2024 after major renovations were completed by the Veterans, including their new kitchen, bathroom, and new offices with Guardian Revival, who also built out and operates a podcasting studio inside. Click here to read the article and see pictures. Programming at the Memorial Building is quite busy.
9:15am: East Main Street Bridge
The Memorial Day Remembrance
11am-11:45am: Memorial Building
The Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Memorial Building.
12pm: Unveiling of New Historic Marker
The Ceremony will be followed by the unveiling of the new historic marker alongside the Memorial Building.
Photo Credits: Katie Hellmuth
The Newburgh/Beacon Ferry remains out of commission due to “extensive damage to the landing in Beacon,” the NY Waterway announced on March 10, 2025. Viewers of the above ground portion of the landing cannot see damage. ALBB has not viewed the landing under water. The docks to either side of it for the Bannerman Ferry and Sloop Clearwater are fully operational and not damaged.
ALBB is told that City Administrator Chris White is the Harbour Master for the landing for the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry. The service is managed by the MTA. When City Administrator Chris gives infrastructure updates during City Council Meetings, there has been no update regarding the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry as of yet.
The ferry is the fastest, cheapest and most climate-friendly way to get to Newburgh and back. It is not clear why the repair is taking so long, when Beacon is known for investing heavily in infrastructure upgrades, especially climate-friendly ones.
Tht MTA has confirmed its status: “The Newburgh/Beacon Ferry is not in operation. This service is managed by the MTA, and when it resumes, updates will be posted on both our website and the MTA’s platform. In the interim, a shuttle service is currently in place. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our service alerts here.”
If City Administrator Chris is indeed the Harbour Master for the ferry landing, what are the responsibilities? According to Wikipedia: “A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities. Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing local safety information sometimes known as notice to mariners. They may also oversee the maintenance and provision of navigational aids within the port, co-ordinate responses to emergencies, inspect vessels and oversee pilotage services.” The International Harbour Masters Association also has information.
The Newburgh/Beacon Ferry used to be privately owned, according to the Hudson River Maritime Museum. “From 1804 until 1835, the Newburgh Ferry changed hands many times. In May, 1835, Thomas Powell bought the system for $80,000 and remained the sole owner until 1850. At that time he deeded the property to his daughter, Mrs Frances E.L. Ramsdell. It remained in the Ramsdell family for 100 years. In 1956 the State of New York purchased the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry from Homer Ramsdell and his sister, Mrs. Herbert R. Odell, and the New York Bridge Authority has been operating it until the completion of the bridge which now spans the river.”
Since the ferry landing is so neglected, perhaps it should be petitioned to be privately owned again.
Sponsored by Antalek and Moore Insurance Agency.
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A podcast from A Little Beacon Blog.
Your hosts: Katie Hellmuth martin & Brandon Lillard.
Beacon and the Hudson Valley are filled with really talented people. Reach them now by posting a Job Listing with A Little Beacon Blog.
ALBB IS A MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:
The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.
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