Beacon's Farmers Market Opens For Pre-Ordering Online And Sunday Pickup

The vendors have come up with a pre-order pickup system. Order from your favorite vendor (like Eggbert’s Eggs) by Friday afternoon and then pick up on Sunday.

The website to pre-order is here.

Details about pickup guidelines will be posted to Beacon Farmers Market’s Instagram, and when they are, we will update this article. We will also update this information in A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide as a COVID-19 status, as we have with all of the other eateries in Beacon.

But don’t wait until Friday. Do it on earlier days during the week. Here’s what an order can look like. You can see all of the options carried by that vendor. This is really neat, because in the Time After The Coronavirus, this may be a great way of pre-ordering your grocery list if you are not able to get to market early enough in the morning.

Key might be remembering what you bought from which vendor by the time Sunday rolls around! Print it out or make a pretty cheat-sheet at home and bring it with you to pickup.

The Happened Yesterday Digest - 3/25/2020

Well, hello there! A lot happened yesterday (and the yesterday before that) in the world and in the news. As a local blogger, a new thing that we're factoring into our writing and delivery of articles to you is the national news. Now that we are all watching the same thing (pretty much) on the TV, we are all hearing the different opinions about every single subject fly across different channels. This could cause anxiety at night, or during the day if you have the news on all day in order to catch live press conferences. (Pro tip: Keep the volume down until the president finally enters the room.) And yes, I did not just capitalize his job title. Not only do I not say his name, but I am no longer capitalizing his job title. Before we get to the recap of what hit the blog the past few yesterdays, I want to address what happened two nights ago in the news: the 70-year-old Texas Lieutenant Governor who stated that he was fine with dying as long as the economy continued, the president suggesting we all go back to work and simply avoid touching metal subway railings, while his Surgeon General presented that this would be a very difficult week, while Governor Cuomo introduced the concept of going back to work after (not before) the tsunami hits the hospitals in New York. Part of why we are all staying home is to make that tsunami a little smaller. Two nights ago, the national news media, and the president, were panicking about the economy. Valid. We all have been. This panic comes in waves. It is why so much legislation passed last week so quickly, that we will all be working to figure out this week and in future weeks. As a mother of three young children, I want to tell you how I get through panic, anxiety and hopelessness. The feeling of something never ending. The feeling that life as you know it is over. That your business will stop forever. That what you do is not relevant anymore. That you must resign yourself to a new life of being in your PJs, hardly showering, being stuck in your house. Walking from end to end of your house on different errands for your children, sometimes being able to go to the basement for a moment of quiet while you switch out the laundry. What I have just described is the life of a new mother. Fresh out of the hospital, her body recovering, her emotions hitting highs and lows. It's not the pretty pictures you see on the box of diapers of happy mothers feeding their babies. Sometimes it's that, but mostly it's a rollercoaster. When you are a new mother with a tiny baby, you are feeding that baby all of the time. If you are nursing that baby, you are the main source of food. Literally. Your body. When that baby is hungry, you have to stop what you are doing and feed the baby. And your body may not produce enough food. And as you sit there, staring at your baby, who is wiggling and uncomfortable in your arms, you are wondering what you can do to fix this. Are you drinking enough water? Have you eaten today? How will you get to the grocery store? It would be nice to peel an orange or eat some chicken, but both of your hands are holding a baby. Your brain cycles into this place of worry. And your reserves of nutrients aren't helping you. So your brain thinks that this will never end. But. THIS WILL END... THIS IS NOT FOREVER... TAKE THINGS DAY BY DAY But here's the epiphany. It will end! This is not forever. Every day is different. Every bite of food brings new energy to you, and you get new ideas of how to survive. And not just how to survive, but how to be in a good mood about it. I have had to tell myself, "This Is Not Forever. It Is Only For Right Now," many, many times during the baby phases of each of my three babies (now 9, 7 [almost 8, next week!] and 2). Alright. Let's get to what happened the last few yesterdays so that we can get to today! CONNECTING GOING TO THE CHURCH OF CUOMO DAILY AROUND 11 AM Listening to Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily press briefings has been instrumental to staying grounded in what is happening. He includes facts, numbers, what he needs, what he's getting, what he's not getting, and a soothing sermon. It's slightly incredible. We have tricks and shortcuts on how you can listen, and why it's so important to your mental health to connect to him daily. Read This > MAYOR KYRIACOU ISSUES REGULAR COVID-19 UPDATES Now you can get a regular phone call from Beacon's mayor with the latest updates on the pandemic. This article includes links to the archives, and the new Resources page on the City of Beacon's website. Read This > DUTCHESS COUNTY LIVE UPDATE TODAY Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro is hosting a Town Hall at 2 pm today (Wednesday, 3/25/2020) on Facebook. Details Here > REDUCED BUS SERVICE There is no G Line (the Free Loop Bus) running, and other lines have reduced service. Details Here > FOOD BARB'S BUTCHERY - LAST CALL Barb's Butchery put out a Last Call for meat orders, and is temporarily closing their doors. Go give her some love on her Instagram announcement. ALBB updated our Restaurant Guide with this status, and you can use the Restaurant Guide to find COVID-19 Updates for ALL eateries in Beacon. Get Details > BEACON FARMERS MARKET OPENS FOR PICKUP & PRE-ORDER The vendors have come up with a pre-order pickup system. Order from your vendor (like Eggbert's Eggs) by Thursday and then pick up on Sunday. Order Online Here > This link may change for future weeks. We'll keep an eye on it. BEACON SCHOOL DISTRICT BREAKFAST/LUNCH TIMES CHANGE - DELIVERY AVAILABLE Always evolving and improving to meet the needs of the changing situation, the Beacon City School District meal pickup days have changed to Mondays and Wednesdays. Delivery is also available. Details in the article. Details Here > Childcare for First Responders and Health Care Providers is also being offered. FREE GROCERIES AVAILABLE TODAY On Wednesday, 3/25/2020, groceries are available from a group of organizations. Should you be in need - or if you know of people in need - let them know about this. Delivery and pickup options are available. Details Here > FAMILY LIFE HOMELESS SHELTER IS SET UP AT PREVIOUSLY EMPTY DUTCHESS COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER & JAIL To help with social distancing for homeless people in crowded shelters, County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued an emergency order allowing the previously vacant temporary housing units (PODs) at the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to be repurposed as emergency shelters for those in need. The usage started last Saturday night. Read This > DOMESTIC ABUSE IN THE TIME OF ISOLATION While Governor Cuomo talks about the benefits of increased family time when looking for the silver lining in this, there are many who are experiencing increased or new situations of emotional or physical abuse. This article offers a list of resources to contact for help. Read This > CONSIDER FOSTERING A DOG OR CAT Some people may feel too sick to care for their pet. The DSPCA has started a form to collect names of those who want to foster. ARF, located in Beacon, lost the ability to have their major fundraiser this year. See details in this article on how you can donate instead. Read This > DIARIES OF HOME LIFE WITH KIDS Because maybe you need pictures of babies right now. ALBB wants your stories of how you are holding up. Email us a diary entry of how your Learn From Home Life is going. Got a schedule? How's it going? We want to read your true stories, because we are all in the same boat, and can learn from each other and feel not alone. COVID-19 HOPE VENTILATORS - NY NEEDS 30,000 VENTILATORS Governor Cuomo has been asking for ventilators for a while. Now he is begging, and demanding that the federal government send their stockpile of 20,000 now. NY needs 30,000 ventilators, and has 7,000. The federal government said that they would send 400. Cuomo flipped out. Here's Why > Update: The federal government later responded by saying they would send 4,000. 2 NEW COVID-19 TEST COLLECTION CENTERS For pre-screened people only, with a doctor's written order, a specimen collection center has been set up at Dutchess Stadium. Testing is not done on site, but is sent away with a six-day waiting period. Testing is a rapidly evolving situation, so expect more updates on this. To qualify for testing (per Dutchess County): - You called your doctor’s office and had a consultation. - Based on your symptoms and other information you provided, your doctor determined you meet criteria for COVID-19 testing and ordered a test for you. - You have a scheduled appointment at the collection site. Your doctor will give you the phone number to call to schedule an appointment at the collection site. HUNTING FOR ANTIBODIES Governor Cuomo is pursuing testing for people who have had the coronavirus, and have self-resolved. This includes people who may have had no symptoms, or mild symptoms. When the virus is in your body, fighter antibodies get made. Cuomo and scientists want those antibodies, to learn from them, and to possibly put them into other people's plasma. Two big goals from this: - Possibly save lives of critically ill COVID-19 patients. - Possibly send people back to work who have already had coronavirus. This was explained during Governor Cuomo's press conference on Monday (3/23/2020), but a good summation is here at Forbes. This is a developing story. LIST OF LINKS ALBB USES FOR ARTICLES ALBB made this List of Links to easily reference major websites, as we follow health changes and legislative updates. We update it as new resources become available. Get The List > A Little Beacon Blog has triaged our long-loved Restaurant and Shopping Guides to reflect the COVID-19 updates of ALL shops and retail on Main Street. Use these guides to figure out who is doing takeout, and which stores are shipping out orders you place online. FREE: Got a COVID-19 status you want to add to these Guides, and your store is on Main Street? Email it to us. We may have already stalked you on social. SPONSOR: Want to get your message into this newsletter? People are checking the Guides on repeat, but if you do want to elevate your message here, and help A Little Beacon Blog keep producing, you could activate a monthly advertising campaign. Restaurant Guide details here. Shopping Guide details here. OTHER BUSINESSES: Are you still in business, but people are finding you in different ways? List your business in A Little Beacon Blog's Business Directory. Details Here. We got a suggestion in from a reader, who wanted to know how to send A Little Beacon Blog some financial support to help us continue to produce. Even just $5. First of all: THANK YOU to that reader for wanting to do this! If you are feeling like you want to send ALBB anything as a reader (different from business advertising programs, we do have those!) then visit the new link in the ABOUT tab, called: “I Want To Support ALBB!” Different amounts are available, starting at $5. Click here or the on graphic above to learn more about how you can help! Support Here > People Who Have Given We made an option for people to list their names with comments if they wanted to. It's at the bottom of the Giving page. See Who Supported >

SUSTAINING SPONSORS These logos are of our sponsors at the top level. Their monthly sponsorship helps us do what we do. We value all businesses we work with in partnership to make this happen. BeaconArts and the Beacon Chamber are not financial supporters, but are important community partners. To add your logo here for sponsorship, please email us for pricing details. SIGN UP FOR THIS NEWSLETTER JOIN THESE ADVERTISERS: We create ad packages that work for different types of businesses. Click here for ways to advertise on A Little Beacon Blog and accomplish your goals. We look forward to highlighting your business and show your support!

Thank You Readers! We Will Keep Going Because Of YOU!

Beyond thankful for our readers and their support. We appreciate all of you more than you know. YOU are the reason we keep going!

Your support helps us continue to produce the articles, social media & newsletters you have come to enjoy and rely on. We love YOU for your support! Thank you so much.

Readers reached out and wanted to know how to show their support. If you want to, you can too by selecting the amount you want HERE.

HEALTH: The Ventilators. Why The Need For Ventilators, And Why Cuomo Was So Mad

Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog

From today’s daily Pandemic Briefing from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo: He wants the federal government to release ventilators from the federal stockpile, and send New York the ventilators now to get set up in hospitals now as they prepare for the wave of COVID-19 cases. Federal government said they would send 400 ventilators, but New York needs 30,000. New York has 7,000 (an acquisition was made to get to that number). Said Gov. Cuomo: “Federal government has 20,000 ventilators, or thereabouts, in the federal stockpile. Secretary Alex Azar runs an agency called HHS - Health and Human Services. I asked the secretary: ‘Look at the first word in the title of the agency you run. It is ‘health.’ Your first priority is health. You have 20,000 ventilators in the stockpile. Release the ventilators to New York.”

Cuomo has been asking. He has been telling daily how many ventilators he needs. Every single day. Every. Single. Day. Math is math. Math did not change today. Cuomo went hard today because he was not getting what he needed in a common-sense, "Let's save people and not let a lot of people die at once" way.

UPDATE: Hours later, the federal government announced yesterday (Tuesday, 3/24/2020) that they would send 4,000 ventilators to New York, since New York is about to spike in usage.

Other states will and do need the ventilators. More ventilators need to be made, and existing ventilators need to get shipped now in order to be set up now as hospitals prepare for the wave to hit. Ohio, California, other states, all very important; of course ventilators need to move around to different states. But for now, New York has done by far the most testing, and has the most official cases.

According to Cuomo's press conference on March 24, 2020, New York state has 25,665 positive cases. New Jersey has 2,844 cases, California has 2,240 cases, and Washington state has 2,101 cases. For deaths: New York has the highest, at 210, and Washington state has the next highest: 109. For New York, 3,234 people are currently hospitalized, and 756 of those are ICU patients (who need the ventilators). ICU right now is 23% of the hospitalizations. The projected curve for New York's wave to hit is in 14-21 days, which was announced Monday in the press conference.

So to prepare, as different states are doing, ventilators should move to the need as different waves hit, and be strategically deployed, Cuomo said. New York is strategizing how to use one ventilator for multiple people, which is experimental, Cuomo said. More ventilators should be produced, starting yesterday, or two or three weeks ago, or January or December. Hopefully some help is on the way now.

FOOD: Free Groceries Available At High School + South Avenue Today (3/25/2020)

Free groceries have been made available for anyone who needs them. This is available to all people, not just people registered in the City of Beacon School District, confirms Helanna Bratman. "Yes! For all people! No age or location restrictions," she said. This is a collaborative effort between Cornell Cooperative Extension, Fareground, Mutual Aid Beacon, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, Beacon City School District, and Common Ground.

DETAILS:

WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 2020
LOCATION #1: Beacon High School 10 to 10:30 am
LOCATION #2: South Avenue from 10:30 to 11:30 am
Please only use one location.

Groceries will be pre-bagged and ready for pick up together with BCSD meals. However, for these groceries, you do not need to be registered with the school district.

DELIVERY OPTIONS

Need the groceries delivered? This can be coordinated with you.

Email: mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com or

Call/Text: (845) 288-2559

CONNECTING: How To Listen To Gov. Cuomo For His Daily Briefings - And Why They Are So Awesome

When my “woke” state on this pandemic really started, I was getting updates from Deadline.com, as all of the film and TV jobs and movie premieres and movie theaters shut down in China. Then texts from my Mom in Ohio started coming in as Ohio prepared for the coronavirus. Their Governor, Mike DeWine, was giving daily briefings, and the numbers were startling. While Ohio’s test cases remain lower than New York’s (New York’s are as of today at 25,665 positive cases. N.J. has 2,844 cases, California has 2,240 cases, Washington state has 2,101 cases, and Ohio has 564 cases; they are at 60% hospital bed occupancy as of today, and are retrofitting their hospitals.

Then blips of Gov. Cuomo began coming across my radar. Not being a political publication, following politicians closely is not our beat or of particular interest, unless it manifests into something where action needs to be taken. We don’t accept political advertising on this blog, and don’t include political fundraisers in our Event Guide. Even if they are at really fun places. (OK, if it’s an over-the-top amazing event, we’ll consider it.)

Point is, we’ve been blogging a lot about Gov. Cuomo lately, and I wanted to set the record straight that it isn’t because of any feeling about him - I really know nothing about him. I’m from Ohio. Lived in New York for 18 years (seven in NYC and 11 in Beacon), and since moving to Beacon, have felt like a Beaconite. But now with this pandemic, and Cuomo’s insistence that this is a state issue, and not an upstate/downstate issue, I am rallying as a New Yorker.

How To Catch Governor Cuomo’s Daily Press Conferences

In Work From Home With Kids Life, one needs to plan around these daily press conferences. Drinking BBQ sauce from the bottle is deemed acceptable.

We here at A Little Beacon Blog listen to the governor’s press conferences every day. They start at about 10:45 am or 11 am. We take notes and decide how to slice and dice them into smaller articles for you. But, there are shortcuts to knowing what happened in them: Twitter.

Twitter will tell you when the governor is starting, when you follow his twitter: @NYGovCuomo. Just have that open on your phone and refresh the screen to see when the live stream is starting. He has a “pinned tweet” at the top - usually about something he needs right now. Like medical supplies, or retired medical professionals.

You can stream it on Twitter. However, his press conferences have become so game-changing for the rest of the day and what the president decides to talk about that afternoon, that the national news stations have begun broadcasting Cuomo. That, and the national news stations are also located in New York City, so they are really eager to learn how Gov. Cuomo is going to fight this war against the pandemic virus. Step 1: Getting all of us to practice social distancing.

Also on Twitter are the play-by-play tweets. So if you need a quote, stat, or to just catch up quick, most likely it has been sliced and diced on Cuomo’s Twitter.

The Church Of Cuomo

Listening to his press conferences is very necessary. Not only for the facts - he loves telling you about the numbers, what current needs are, why he needs it, and when he’s not getting it. But he leads you through the scary part, and then presents the Life After The Pandemic part, helping you (all of us) through the mental difficulty of this. He usually ends each briefing with basically a sermon.

Today’s briefing was pretty impactful. He was mad. A mad dad. He was protecting all of the people after the president indicated that he wanted to open the economy, have everyone not touch the subway railings, and to not kill the economy for some deaths. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas was on Tucker Carlson on Fox, who literally said: “And those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country.”

That left grandparents everywhere that night really confused. My mom was flipping channels, trying to figure out what was going on. She heard the president allude to wanting to open things back up soon, and it caused mild panic. She lives with bronchitis always at bay.

Enter Cuomo today. Fighting for all Americans, saying that Americans are not expendable. That he named New York’s stay-at-home status (he refuses to call it a shelter-in-place) “Matilda’s Law,” after his mother. To protect her. While the New York State On PAUSE executive order is designed to protect all of us in New York, this is where this governor is coming from.

So. Touch base with Cuomo’s press conferences. You will know the facts much sooner, and will be able to make it through any news you read or listen to during the day. You will be able to separate fact from fiction during the president’s press conferences. And you will have the sermons at the end, to bring you back to center.

Governor Cuomo’s Outfits

Also fun to do: Guess what kind of day it’s going to be by Governor Cuomo’s shirt. I know this is looked down upon when talking about women, and to be honest, I don’t know why this is. Women tend to wear different outfits, color and style their hair so differently, wear very different makeup, and love shoes and accessories. Men - in politics - tend to wear suits and have short hair. There’s not much to work with.

When there is a change, observations can start. Regardless if the person is he/she/them. Normally during the briefings, the governor wears a suit. Very sharp. On Saturday, he wore a khaki polo shirt. It had a different feel for the day, which frankly, was welcome. He was going out scouting that day to look at the Javits Center and other locations for the hospitals. He also went to see for himself the New Yorkers not social distancing in the parks. You don’t want the Mean Dad version of Gov. Cuomo coming after you!

Today, he was in a windbreaker, zipped up all the way. With a giant seal on it. And he was mad.

Noted.

CONNECTING: Beacon's Mayor Kyriacou Issues Regular Coronavirus/COVID-19 Updates Via Email And Phone

Photo Credit: Screencap from City Of Beacon’s website.

Beacon’s Mayor Kyriacou has begun calling and emailing the community regularly via the city’s robo-call service (sign up here). Archives of each message can be found at the City’s website here.

Should you wish to receive the email-only version of it, you can. But hearing someone’s voice can make all the difference in a message.

A new COVID-19 link has been added to the top navigation of the website, that contains updates on the pandemic. Those resources can be found directly here. You’ll be able to refresh the page as city officials update it.

SHELTER: Homeless Shelter Is Set Up At Previously Empty Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail

Announced on Saturday, March 20, Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued an emergency order allowing the previously vacant temporary housing units (PODs) at the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to be repurposed as emergency shelters for those in need. The usage started Saturday night.

This decision is in line with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s search for more buildings to retrofit into hospitals, which currently include Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Westbury, and Westchester Convention Center.

According to the press release issued by Dutchess County on 3/20/2020:

County Executive Molinaro said, “We are repurposing the vacant PODs at the Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to be used as shelters for the homeless. We are utilizing every resource at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively to this rapidly evolving health situation. Since social distancing is almost impossible at most homeless shelters, we can use the dormitory-style PODs to help create necessary space to help prevent the further spread of this illness and increase our ability to respond to cases within the homeless population as needed. We are grateful to Andrew O’Grady at Mental Health America, Christa Hines at Hudson River Housing, and Brian Riddell at Dutchess Outreach for making this need come to fruition and to Sheriff Butch Anderson for his swift action to open the PODs to the community during this emergency.”

Dutchess County has partnered with Hudson River Housing (HRH) and Mental Health America (MHA) to operate one of the two modular, dormitory-style buildings, which will be divided into male and female sections, allowing for more social distancing among the shelter clients. The facility has a capacity for up to 100 individuals, including 48 female beds and 52 male beds. The County has also partnered with Dutchess Outreach to provide food service.

There is a separate entrance to the property for shelter clients and staff, with physical barriers between the shelter and the jail for additional security. If needed, an additional POD will be opened as an alternate care facility should any homeless individual need treatment or care.

This executive order follows the County Executive’s recent State of Emergency declaration, which allows for the designation of emergency shelters, medical shelters, and community-based care centers.

Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson said, “We believe in treating others the way we would like to be treated. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is proud to help support our community, especially during this difficult time.”

The PODs were opened in 2015 to temporarily house inmates previously boarded in other counties as a cost-saving measure. The PODs have been vacant since early January following the County’s significant work to reduce the population at the jail through restorative justice programs and the implementation of the State’s bail reform legislation.

PETS: Consider Fostering A Dog Or Cat If Someone Gets Too Sick To Care For Them

Photo Credit: DSPCA. Pictured here is Horace: He is 2 years old, and available for adoption.

Looking around us today, we do not personally see a lot of people out super sick. But do you? Do you know if someone is inside their home, too sick to care for their pet? Animal enthusiasts are trying to spread the word to encourage people to foster a cat or dog, in the unlikely or unplanned event that their human owner cannot take care of them while they are healing.

Animal shelters are deemed as necessary businesses under New York State’s PAUSE Plan, and not closing, but they have put emergency plans into place. DSPCA is closed to the public for adoptions, yet are taking adoptions by appointment). DSPCA is only accepting emergency intakes only, according to their website. They are highly encouraging fostering if many people at once cannot care for their animal while they are infected and healing.

Form From DSPCA If You Want To Foster: Apply Here

Recommendations from the ASPCA On How To Prepare Your Pet Life: Get Ideas Here

Adopting Through ARF of Beacon (the place near the cat sanctuary … yes, they have dogs): Learn how to adopt here

NEED YOUR HELP NOTE: ARF, a no-kill shelter here in Beacon, was in the midst of promoting their annual fundraiser for this year when this shutdown happened. Consider donating to ARF now, as this was supposed to be a time of fundraising for them.

PUBLIC HEALTH: Domestic Abuse In The Time Of Isolation. Awareness For Local Sources To Call

I am sharing this from the Beacon Mom’s Group. The person who posted it put it pretty directly, so the words can speak for themselves. If you are a person in your home and feel stuck, or if you know of a person in their home who may be feeling or is stuck, reach out. Reach out to them. Help them make a call to get help.

As stated by the Beacon Mom: “Cannot be shared enough. Isolation is not an excuse for abuse or violence. Please know you will find support. No questions. No one here is alone. Please [hear] me. I also recommend writing this number down or adding [to] your phone if possible. If you or someone you know needs help:”

National Domestic Violence hotline (text or call): 1-800-799-7233

To read context of this situation, see this article at Time.com: “As Cities Around the World Go on Lockdown, Victims of Domestic Violence Look for a Way Out”

Family Services - Center For Victim Safety and Support
familyservicesny.org

Safe Homes of Orange County (Newburgh)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 562-5340
fearlesshv.org

Hudson Valley House of Hope (Wappingers Falls)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 765-0294
hudsonvalleyhouseofhope.org

Grace Smith House (Poughkeepsie)
Their 24/7 hotline: (845) 471-3033
gracesmithhouse.org

Domestic Violence Services of Dutchess County (Poughkeepsie, part of Family Services)
Contact Us page
familyservicesny.org

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Beacon Announces Reduced Public Transit Bus Service Schedule

PUBLISHED: 3/23/2020

In a recent announcement from Dutchess County Transit and the City of Beacon: effective Tuesday, March 24, Public Transit will reduce service.

ONLY the following routes will operate: E, J, K and L From 7 am to 4 pm.

That list does not include the G line, which is the free bus line that runs from the Metro-North train station up and around the Main Street area of Beacon. The G line has paused for now, as we are in the PAUSE Plan as issued for the whole state by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

ALBB IS Beyond Grateful For Reader Support.

Beyond thankful for our readers and their support. YOU are the reason we keep going!

Your support helps us continue to produce the articles, social media & newsletters you have come to enjoy and rely on. We love YOU for your support! Thank you so much.

Readers reached out and wanted to know how to show their support. If you want to, you can too by selecting the amount you want HERE.

FOOD: Easy Breakfast/Lunch For All Kids (Toddlers to Teens) From Beacon Schools: New Pickup + Delivery Details

Photo Credit: Top Left and Bottom Right Photos are from Sargent Elementary PTO.

PUBLISHED: 3/23/2020
UPDATED: 4/27/2020

School children registered in the City of Beacon School District are eligible to pick up food packages from two locations: The Beacon High School and South Avenue Elementary. All are welcome to come pick up this food. Social distancing is being practiced. Safe systems are in place to get the food to your hands. Drive your car or walk to pickup. Delivery options are also available and being further developed.

All Kids and Families Are Encouraged To Use The Food - Even You (Yes, You!)

All are encouraged to use the food. Even you if you have a stocked pantry. The food has been rationed for you, and there is plenty of it. In fact, not everyone has been using it. Possibly with the mentality of: “I don’t want to take from someone else - let someone else in need have it.” If that is your mentality, that is a beautiful thought, but go forward with participating in the plan.

If it means you have a little extra, then you’re able to give that to someone in need that you come across directly in your hyper-hyper local neighborhood. Your kids also may be excited to see their old snacks. Even the “alternate lunch” bread of the PB+J. Seems to be that the brown bread of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a particular favorite with my little ones. As are the sugar cereal boxes and apple bags. They are next looking for the pizza. Not sure if that will happen, but so far, the cafeteria staff and the superintendent have been pretty surprising about what food options they are slinging out of there. My cat even likes the turkey and cheese cubes.

New Times and Food Package Pickup

The cafeteria staff is modifying this food distribution plan based on usage and feedback. As of today, it is moving to a two-day pickup schedule. The idea is that you pick up enough meal slots to last between the pickup times. Delivery options exist, and those details are blow.

Pickup Times

MONDAY: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches

WEDNESDAY: 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches

Pickup Locations

10-10:45 am: Beacon High School or South Avenue Elementary

Please pick up from one location only.

Drive or Walk: Says Superintendent Matt Landahl: “A convenient drive-up option is available at both locations, and walk-ups are welcome too. The meals will require some heating up as some items are frozen.”

Frozen meals! Maybe the pizza is coming!

Delivery Options and Sign Up

If you need meal delivery to start on Wednesday (or any day after reading this), you can email the superintendent himself: landahl.m@beaconk12.org or text at 845-372-2286. Please give your address and kids' names. But keep it to this delivery request only. Please do not call. Use his email for other types of correspondence as you normally would.

Says Matt (because honestly, he insists you call him Matt… he has kids in the district too): “You don't need to give a reason, just ask and we will do our best to help. We will confirm before delivery. We are working to increase our delivery and neighborhood drop-offs as well and will notify everyone as we expand.”

First COVID-19 Related Death Confirmed By Dutchess County

On Sunday morning, Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) sent out a notification via its list-serve that Dutchess County has experienced its first known death relating to COVID-19. The person was a 69-year-old male, and details about his condition are below in the complete press release. Said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro: “We have lost a neighbor and extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. We are grateful to the compassionate healthcare professionals on the front line today caring for patients across our community. This is a stark reminder of the challenge and toll we all face as we come together to respond to this emergency.”

“There are currently more than 60 positive cases of COVID-19 and the numbers are expected to increase as more testing becomes available this week. Staying home is critical to stop the spread of COVID-19 to flatten the curve.”

— Dutchess County Press Release, 3/22/2020

Perspective: COVID-19 Cases & Testing

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been consistently saying during his daily press conferences, cases of COVID-19 will increase as testing increases. Gov. Cuomo has been successful in aggressively fighting for and getting more testing for the state of New York. See here for an example on March 18, 2020, where Gov. Cuomo said: “Last night we tested over 7,500 New Yorkers and found 1,769 new positive cases.” It is key that people remain 6 feet apart from one another, even when socially distancing together in a park, field, track, hiking, etc. Group sports like soccer and basketball where there is physical contact are discouraged.

Preparation For COVID-19 Care

Currently Gov. Cuomo is scouting locations in New York to retrofit as hospitals. Yesterday (Saturday) he was looking at locations for additional hospital beds. The governor said via tweet: “Today we are traveling the state looking at locations for the Army Corps of Engineers to build new beds.” Locations he listed in the tweet were Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Westbury, and Westchester Convention Center.

From Dutchess County’s press release:

Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has confirmed the first death relating to COVID-19 in Dutchess County. While specific information cannot be provided for privacy reasons, it was confirmed the individual was a 69-year-old male who developed respiratory distress and went directly to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital where he was treated, but died on Friday, March 20, 2020. The individual had not been screened or monitored by DBCH prior to hospitalization.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “We have lost a neighbor and extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. We are grateful to the compassionate healthcare professionals on the front line today caring for patients across our community. This is a stark reminder of the challenge and toll we all face as we come together to respond to this emergency.”

Behavioral & Community Health Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian said, “We offer our deepest condolences to the family. We have been in touch with the family for necessary screening as well as support during this very difficult time. Our entire team continues to work aggressively to fight this battle against COVID-19 and we implore every individual to do their part in the fight by staying home and helping to stop the spread.”

There are currently more than 60 positive cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess and the numbers are expected to increase as more testing becomes available this week. Staying home is critical to stop the spread of COVID-19 to flatten the curve.

Most Current Coronavirus Information Locally

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information and guidance on the following channels:

• Its website: http://www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus

• Its Coronavirus Hotline: (845) 486-3555,

• Its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Beacon Trivia: Did You Hear That Siren Too? Totally Normal... Here's What It Is (hint: it's a normal fire alarm from across the river)

PUBLISHED: Sunday, March 22, 2020

Living in Beacon means you get used to certain sounds. Like you would get used to sounds anywhere you live. In Beacon, that means sounds from the train whooshing by on the tracks, and its long whistle blow. It also means, for some people, the evening patio crowd enjoying themselves to music on the waterfront over in Newburgh, across the Hudson River. Depending on where you live, and on weather, sounds carry, especially from the river.

If you have lived in Beacon for a while, but you commute to New York City or elsewhere, you may not be here during the day. Or, you may be here all day every day, but work from inside your home or your office, and you normally don’t go outside as much as you’ve been going outside lately.

So you may be hearing new sounds. One of those sounds is a long siren that sounds like those long sirens in the movies during war time when something is signaled. If you hear this siren for the first time, and if it is during a moment where, let’s say, there is a lot of news coming out about a lot of different coronavirus-related things at once, for instance:

• California announces for the first time that their residents must shelter in place last Thursday night.

• Italy has its worst day in deaths (there have been new worse days since)

• All non-essential business in New York must temporarily close.

…the siren sound might sound a lot different during that part of the morning when you hear it. It might sound like an actual siren from the movies, announcing that you need to act quickly to do … something.

Good News: It’s An Old-Fashioned Fire Alarm!

Good news: It’s a totally normal siren! It is the fire alarm siren from the Middle Hope Fire Department across the river. Says Beacon’s Fire Chief Gary VanVoorhis: “During a particularly humid day, as we had on Friday, sound travels across the water of the Hudson River more.”

The fire chief says that Beacon does not have an old-fashioned siren like that because the city uses modern technological methods to mobilize their volunteer and professional firefighters. For those who like adding to their Beacon Trivia, there is another siren that is used by a private dam, says Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero.

PS: Auto Accidents “Drastically Down” In Beacon At Moment

By the way, the fire chief added that there has been a drop in auto accidents, since people are staying home. “Auto accidents are drastically down,” he told A Little Beacon Blog last week. Calls for an ambulance are also down. People who are feeling coronavirus symptoms are strongly encouraged to call their health care professional or urgent care first before coming in. This is to protect the workers and other patients in these medical centers.

The City of Beacon has been so responsive to all of our questions here at A Little Beacon Blog as we pursue articles, even while we know that all government officials are in meetings constantly regarding local responses to managing coronavirus. As we work on different articles here, we reach out to verify procedures and ask how things work. We appreciate their responses so much. Very comforting.