Things To Do In Beacon, NY 📅 04/10/2026
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ALBB Brings Back 5K Races and Marathons Guide! Send In Your Faves; Sponsorship On This Guide Is Open
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By popular demand, A Little Beacon Blog is bringing back our 5K Races and Marathon Guide 🌸! Beginning with the Guardian Revival Marathon in May, registration going on now. Details and links in ALBB’s Calendar and 5K Guide.
🏃🏿🏃🏽♀️🏃🏼♀️ Got a marathon you want to see included here? Emil it to us.
📢 💸 ALBB is opening this guide to sponsorships! Book a Banner Ad on this guide to feature your business, event, or other message you want to reach our readers with. Email for details.
Recap Of 4/6/2026 City Council Meeting: Chris White's Retirement Addressed; Successor Named; Termination Of Highway Department Reflected On In This Broadcast
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This recap of the 4/6/2026 City Council Meeting first published on A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram, but is 23 minutes, so was cut off, could not include sub titles because of the great length, and was split into two videos. After receiving interest in this video, it is being published here for you to listen to while ALBB works on the articles that coincide with it. The most important thing is for you to have this information.
During this meeting, the successor to City Administrator Chris White was voted on. We don’t know why Chris White retired after 5 years on the job. He said during this meeting that he wanted to “hike the Appalachian Trail,” and that he hoped to make a “cameo appearance” as the person who gets to cut off people speaking Public Comment when they have 15 seconds left.
Employees of the City of Beacon usually try to stay as long as they can. This recap includes analysis of an issue going on in the Highway Department right now that ALBB will publish on.
Topics covered here:
The Highway Department employee, James Cottrell (aka Jim or Jimmy) who was terminated on January 7, 2026, one day after he filed a complaint for targeted harassment on January 6, 2026. ALBB has the paperwork of this employee’s multiple complaints and experiences, and is working on publishing those. This is a long story, so this video will give you a brief overview.
The Highway Department employee Reuben Simmons, (aka Coach Yogi) and his job title as Highway Superintendent dissolving, causing his resulting demotion, and the promotion of current Superintendent of Streets Mickey Manzi into that position of being the department head. After Mickey admitted to writing at least one anonymous letter to the City Council during Mickey’s alleged campaign to discredit Reuben to push him out of the City Service job and eventually replace him. Reuben has been relegated to the Street Sweeper ever since. According to several employees of the Highway Department, including James Cottrell, they were instructed by their boss, Mickey, not to speak to Reuben. However, two employees tell ALBB, once they did speak to Reuben, they found him to be a nice person, and then began to feel retaliation from their boss.
The resignation of Eddie McNair, who identifies as African American and alleged complaints of racist behavior condoned around him in his Letter of Resignation. James Cottrell was hired to replace him.
The gun that was allegedly brought to work by a co-worker and friend of Mickey, Steve Bechtold, during the campaign to get Reuben out of the position of department head.
Alleged video recording via Meta-type glasses of Highway Department employees by another employee.
The complete (yet polite) shredding of an affordable housing survey by the City Council, namely Lastar Gorton, Paloma Wake, Zach Smith and some questions by Carolyn Bennett Glauda.
Am on deadline for client projects, so will circle back with more articles in this series. Meanwhile, please do listen to this broadcast in full for context as this story gets told. It is a difficult one to tell because of disrespect for people, pettiness, and Civil Service rules that can be used to either side’s advantage.
One Last Thing…
Listening to the City Council Members and Mayor Kyriacou and City Administrator Chris White (with the expectation of new Councilmember Lastar Gorton who sharply questioned process which has been lax on this appointment) explain why the newly created position of Deputy City Administrator for Ben Swanson, who is now being appointed to be City Administrator without a public search for that position.
While ALBB also agrees Deputy City Administrator Ben Swanson is very qualified for the position with a lot of hands-in, boots on the ground experience, from a Civil Service point of view, watching this uncontested, non-public appointment is extremely frustrating in terms of a fairness perspective to how others in other departments have been treated under this City Administrator Chris White (see above).
More to come once meeting is done. As Mayor Kyriacou continues to “beg” for other board appointments without making board appointments very public, if at all public. Hence the last Board of Assessment Review Board non-published appointment (hint: an Epstein Files resignation).
Discriminatory and Dangerous Conditions Reported At Bedford Hills Correctional Facility; TGNCNBI People Suffering
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The Legal Aid Society has issued a press release which has been published in full below, with the addition of quotes from an earlier report from two NY State lawmakers.
30 Legal Organizations, Advocates Demand DOCCS Immediately Address Discriminatory and Dangerous Conditions Impacting Safety, Well-Being of TGNCNBI Individuals at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
In the Past Two Months,
Three People Have Died at
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
More than 30 legal organizations, advocacy groups, attorneys with Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Intersex (TGNCNBI) clients, and others sent a letter to New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III demanding he take immediate action to address the deplorable conditions currently threatening the safety, health, and well-being of TGNCNBI people housed at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in upstate New York.
According to the letter, these policies and practices include increases in unjustified uses of force, extended lock-ins, restrictions on out-of-cell recreation, lack of access to safe, private showers, as well as barriers to accessing gender-affirming clothing and care.
“We echo the demand for DOCCS to remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff, on the basis that his appointment has overseen a period of intensified violence in the facility. Such an action would be one step towards much needed changes at Bedford, including the restoration of indoor recreation and safe access to showers for all incarcerated people.”
These conditions, the letter asserts, were primarily implemented following the installation of Deputy Superintendent of Security (DSS) Michael Blot in the summer of 2025. Despite advocates and lawmakers raising alarms about DSS Blot’s policies, no corrective actions have been taken, and TGNCNBI people have continued to suffer under his draconian leadership. Earlier this year in March 2026, three people died in the facility – two by suicide — in a period of just four weeks.
During that time, New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick responded by sending a letter to DOCC calling for an investigation into recent suicides at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
According to the legislators, individuals are now required to sign up in advance for all out-of-cell services, including showers, kitchen access, phone calls, and laundry. These changes have resulted in incarcerated individuals spending significantly more time confined to their cells.
In their letter, the lawmakers stated: “The well-being of individuals within correctional facilities is the responsibility of the state government, and we must ensure that people in our custody are treated fairly and humanely,” said Harckham. “Reports that individuals are being denied access to basic services and are confined to their cells for excessive periods are deeply troubling. I hope DOCCS will investigate these matters thoroughly so that we can identify solutions and prevent further tragedies.”
April 2026's Letter From The 30 Legal Organizations
The letter sent in April 2026 from the 30 legal organizations outlines several actions DOCCS can immediately take to mitigate this crisis, including:
an immediate, independent investigation into reports that DSS Blot is ordering staff to engage in unjustified uses of force against incarcerated people;
a reversal of any official or discretionary policies that have led to extended lock-ins and lack of sufficient and safe access to showers, including but not limited to rescinding Facility Operations Manual 311;
restore indoor recreation in all housing units;
end the practice of requiring trans masculine and nonbinary individuals to wear bras upon intake;
ensure timely and regular access to medical and mental health treatment, including gender-affirming care;
ensure staff, including National Guard staff, are trained on and compliant with policies to ensure the respectful treatment of TGNCNBI people in custody, and discipline staff for any misconduct; and
remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff.
Moreover, the letter requests that Commissioner Martuscello promptly meet with a group of representatives and advocates for TGNCNBI individuals — and particularly those with lived experiences by — to discuss the concerns, as well as proposed solutions to improve the safety and well-being of TGNCNBI people housed at the facility.
“Despite numerous attempts from advocates and lawmakers to bring attention to the deplorable conditions at Bedford Hills, DOCCS has failed to address the dangerous conditions and practices ushered in by DSS Blot, which incarcerated people have reported has led to unjustified uses of force, denied medical and mental health care, and tragic losses of life,” said Erin Beth Harrist, Director of the LGBTQ+ Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “We demand immediate action be taken to mitigate these harms and protect TGNCNBI people at Bedford Hills, including an independent investigation into the unjustified uses of force.”
“People who are incarcerated deserve dignity. Yet, at Bedford Hills, DOCCS continues to subject transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex people to abhorrent conditions,” said M. Porter, staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “Every day of inaction is a direct threat to the safety, health and well-being of our incarcerated community members. With the Trump administration escalating its attacks against trans people behind bars, DOCCS must act immediately to ensure this facility provides the fundamental care and respect every human being is entitled to.”
“DOCCS and Commissioner Martuscello have been placed on notice by our community. We demand that conditions at Bedford Hills be restored to how they existed prior to Deputy Superintendent Michael Blot’s appointment. We are also calling for the removal of DSS Michael Blot from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. ”
Diana Colavita, an organizer with Survived & Punished New York, said, “The latest crisis of violence, neglect, and repression inside Bedford Hills Correctional demonstrates once again that there’s no such thing as a safe cage. We echo the demand for DOCCS to remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff, on the basis that his appointment has overseen a period of intensified violence in the facility. Such an action would be one step towards much needed changes at Bedford, including the restoration of indoor recreation and safe access to showers for all incarcerated people. Ultimately, we believe that the best cage is an empty one and in the meantime, stand with the TGNC community in ensuring that conditions inside Bedford shift rapidly.”
“The crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is a blatant failure of accountability. Women and TGNCNBI people inside have long raised alarms about dangerous and degrading conditions, yet New York still fails to act. Multiple deaths later and DSS Michael Blot, who oversees this women’s facility despite serious allegations of misconduct, remains in a position of power. Blot must be removed immediately, and swift action taken to protect the health, safety, and dignity of everyone in custody,” said Serena Martin, Executive Director of New Hour for Women and Children.
“We do not believe in the carceral prison system. We understand it functions as one that harms and terrorizes communities. We will continue to stand in solidarity with our loved ones inside to resist any new DOCCS administrative practices that increase violence and harm. We will not wait for further injury, death, or abuse to occur at the hands of this system — whether through correctional officers, National Guard involvement, administrative policies, or alleged cover-ups and misinformation.
"DOCCS and Commissioner Martuscello have been placed on notice by our community. We demand that conditions at Bedford Hills be restored to how they existed prior to Deputy Superintendent Michael Blot’s appointment. We are also calling for the removal of DSS Michael Blot from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
"To ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their intentional disregard for the lives and well-being of all affected by these recent illegal changes in policy, we demand a thorough and comprehensive independent investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths of Shamdai Arjun, Tracy Morales, and Manuela ‘Mannie’ Morgan, as well as any incidents involving correctional officers or members of the National Guard who have resorted to violence, causing injury or harm to individuals held at this facility. These claims and details are based on allegations provided and have not been independently verified,” said Bayna-Lehkiem El-Amin, Community Organizer with F2L.
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The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit law firm that exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For 150 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of the people we serve and helps improve our communities.
Prepping The Weekend "Things To Do" Newsletter: Get Your Events Submitted
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Prepping ALBB’s “Things To Do” weekend newsletter. Digging through the inbox to find previously submitted events.
How ALBB’s Things To Do In Weekend Newsletter Works:
🗓️Free Events for the Community get a consideration for gratis. This does not apply if you’re having a free screening and people can buy drinks from your bar.
🗓️ Pricing Levels: start at $60/listing/week; $285 for Instagram inclusion; $895 for listing with video, and $3,250 for a Full Spread Article Branded Content option for a dedicated newsletter.
🗓️ Free for A Little Beacon Business Blog Squad Members: To a point. Event Venues and others who have more than 4 events a month can get a membership level that fits all their events with banner ad in side column of website.
Details and purchase here:
www.alittlebeaconblog.com/event-promotion-1
Membership for Retail Things To Do In Beacon Guides Only
Restaurants/Shopping/Beauty/Classes
$150/month for every other week feature
$250/month for weekly feature
$550/month for event venues with more than 4 events to Spotlight
Features can include events, or spotlights on menu items or shopping products or hairstyles.
Loading in now is the Palestine Bake Sale from @angryasianwomxn @butihatepepperoni ; and the final episode of the Peekskill Riots (!!) from @jonscottbennett at @beaconlibrary
All Member Advertisers of ALBB: please email us your upcoming events you want to be sure is in our Calendar for Restaurant, Shopping, Beauty or Classes.
Thank you!!
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CLASS: Boat America: Learn From The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: Part Of Requirements Of Certificate
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The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla from Verplanck, NY will host a "Boat America" Responsible Boating Course on Saturday, April,18, 2026, from 9am - 5:30pm in the Community Room in the Fishkill Police Department offices at 801 NY-52, Fishkill, NY 12524
This is the course that is necessary to obtain your State of New York Boating Safety Certificate. Starting in 2025, this Certificate is necessary for anybody to operate on the waterways of New York.
Coast Guard Auxiliarists teach the course. The session will cover the rules of navigating, equipment use, boating emergency management, environmentally friendly boating and water safety for all ages.
Registration costs $45 per person. Children under 17 can attend for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Seasonal Kayak Lottery Open For Docking At Long Dock Park, Via Scenic Hudson
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Photo Credit: Robert Rodriguez Jr.
Scenic Hudson has announced their annual lottery for keeping kayak’s at Long Dock Park has opened. They say via press release:
“The Hudson River paddling season is beginning soon, and Scenic Hudson is pleased to reopen the kayak storage pavilion at Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park in Beacon. Storage slips for 32 boats will be available from May 9 to October 31. The 2026 seasonal fee is $225.
“If you are age 18 or older and are interested in storing your kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddle board, please complete this online application form by April 19.
“NOTE: Due to the limited number of available storage slots, filling out the form will enter your information into our lottery system. We can't guarantee you'll be selected from the lottery, but we're rooting for you!”
If your name is selected from the lottery, you will receive an email notice from Scenic Hudson with additional instructions by Wednesday, April 22.
Please direction questions to Scenic Hudson Parks Team at parks@scenichudson.org.
Backyard Tree Discount Sale Extended Through Weekend Via City Of Beacon
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The City of Beacon has announced that they have a few trees left and are extended the Discount Sale through the weekend. “We would love for them to find a backyard here in Beacon.”
Tree Species Still Available:
Sweet Gum
A sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a tall tree, typically reaching 60–100 feet at maturity, known for its star-shaped leaves that turn vibrant red, orange, yellow, and purple in fall. It has ridged bark and produces spiky, round seed pods. It is native to the eastern and southeastern United States, extending into parts of Mexico and Central America, and is especially valued for its striking autumn color.
Eastern Red Maple
An eastern red maple (Acer rubrum) is a medium to tall tree, typically reaching 40–70 feet at maturity, known for its three- to five-lobed leaves that turn brilliant red (and sometimes orange or yellow) in the fall. It has smooth gray bark when young that becomes darker and slightly furrowed with age, and produces small red flowers and winged seeds in early spring. It is native to the eastern United States and parts of Canada, and is especially valued for its striking autumn color.
White Oak
A white oak (Quercus alba) is a large, long-lived tree, typically reaching 60–100 feet at maturity, known for its rounded-lobed leaves that turn shades of red to burgundy in the fall. It has light gray, scaly bark and produces acorns that are an important food source for wildlife. It is native to the eastern and central United States, and is especially valued for its strength, durability, and classic form, as well as its attractive autumn color.
Fire In Container Truck Of Rejected Recycling Material At Hudson Baylor Recycling Off Rte. 52
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Firefighter putting out the fire in the container truck at Hudson Baylor Recycling Thursday.
Photo Credit: Beacon Professional Firefighters Facebook Page, possibly Robert Reynolds.
Late rainy morning Thursday, a fire started inside of a container truck holding rejected recycling materials at Hudson Baylor Recycling at 508 Fishkill Avenue (Rte. 52), which is past the car wash, Groveville apartment community and Beacon Lofts.
According to a person familiar with the situation, a person saw the fire and called to alert the fire department. According to the Beacon Professional Firefighters who posted on their Facebook page: “Beacon Fire units are operating at a tractor trailer full of trash on fire at Hudson Baylor Recycling. Castle Point Professional Firefighters requested to the scene with an engine. A 10-35 has been transmitted calling back all off duty personnel. Fishkill Fire Department requested to standby in the City with an engine.”
The sign for Hudson Baylor Recycling on FIshkill Ave. / Rte 52
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
The person familiar with the situation said that it is not common for a truck full of trash to catch fire, and that a cause has not been released yet. However, the cause could have come from inside of the truck, such as discarded batteries that combusted, or some other reason. The person familiar with today’s fire said that the incident was minor and uncommon for them.
Is A Truck Full Of Trash Normal At The Recycling Center?
The rejected recycling material is a normal process of the recycling center, which does sort through items placed into the recycling cans of homes and businesses that are picked up by Royal Carting (now owned by Casela) and taken to this recycling center.
If something is not “clean” enough to be put through the recycling center, such as soggy cardboard, or plastic containers covered in peanut butter, it is removed from the recycling collection and discarded into the regular trash. That trash is put into a container truck, like this one that caught on fire, and driven up to the burn plant.
Items that don’t qualify as recycling, which can be referred to as “dirty” can “contaminate” an entire collection of recycling. During a recycling presentation to City Council on August 27, 2018, Steve Hastings of Republic Services explained the economics of recycling during a crash in that market, and stressed, “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Read ALBB’s Deep Dive on local recycling in this article, “The Recycling Market That Crashed - How The Crash Impacted Beacon”
The economics of recycling is fascinating.
David Ross Makes Front Page New York Times For Epstein Apology Piece - With New Drone Footage
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Beacon local, but contemporary art work notable, David Ross made the front page of the New York Times on Saturday, March 28th, 2026, after first appearing in their digital story about the article in the newspaper’s Instagram on March 24th. In that article, A Little Beacon Blog was alluded to, but not named, as a source that penetrated him possibly more than the fallout from art world he may be experiencing, after resigning from his position from School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan.
A Little Beacon Blog had emailed him about his board positions on the local golf course, the 9-hole Southern Dutchess Country Club, as well as his board position on Beacon’s Board of Assessment Review, a property tax board that property owners can appeal to if they feel their properties have been assessed to high, and they want it lowered and them paid a refund.
While David never did respond to those questions, his wife, the former Beacon City Councilmember, Peggy Ross, asked out loud, presumably at their kitchen table or maybe on the phone between them, “What does the golf course have to do with anything?” Her question was printed in the New York Times after David decided to respond to ALBB’s questions in that national newspaper.
Notable in that digital article was the video of David baking muffins in his kitchen, from the POV of the New York Times photographer who was standing outside in the dark filming the video, as he tried to portray himself as a person impacted by the Epstein Files, which had made it all the way to his home. Read more about his response here.
But in Saturday’s edition, there was a different photo. A photo that took up an entire interior Page A11, the coveted “National” section of the paper - of David walking in the sun on some pavement, presumably on his nature walk, reflecting on this unfortunate turn of events. The photo was an aerial shot from a drone flying above his head. Cementing the local public’s suspicion that this entire piece was a publicity stunt that he collaborated with the New York Times on.
Arvind Dilawar, an independent journalist who has written for ALBB and the New York Times, Vice, Dropsite, and other publications, wrote in to ALBB: “Just read about the NYT snubbing ALBB in their Epstein apologia. NYT bends over backwards for pieces of shit. Always have. They did something similar for Hitler, believe it or not.”
You could read about the New York Times’ coverage that Arvind is referring to in their Archives here and here. Arvind wrote about his own questionable experience writing for the New York Times here.
ALBB’s first response was: “Good God, man. Front page of the New York Times? With additional drone footage of his favorite nature walk? After the scathing reviews by the readers of the New York Times who Commented that his sympathy story was rejected? Please somebody take the Internet away from this man and his wife.”
The Internet in Beacon responded via Comments at ALBB’s Instagram:
@restless_gif: "What does the golf course have to do with anything?" is very Epstein Class.
@amberinthesky187: "The New York Times is actually disgusting"
@beatrice.vandijk: "They should have corrected "community blogger" to "local independent journalist"
@decaffeinatedpapi: "Far, far too soft of a piece. My god. The man hung out with monsters. He should be stripped of everything he has “earned”."
@laurenruyle: "Yet no mention of the sickening email thread where he called JE’s idea for an art show called “Statutory” featuring minors and showing how easy it would be for them to tempt adults a brilliant idea. Horrible"
bryanne_af: "This piece is insane. We saw what he wrote. He indulged Epstein’s pedophilic fantasies very specifically in the emails in an effort to get money. The ends do not always justify the means. We don’t want someone with that type of poor judgement and weak morality in any position of leadership or authority."
City of Beacon Water Filtration Plant Leaked Aluminum Sulfate Into The Fishkill Creek
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Photo Credit: City of Beacon
On Monday, March 30th at 3:21pm, the City of Beacon announced via Facebook with a photo that the City of Beacon Water Filtration Plant on Liberty Street had “experienced a leak into the Fishkill Creek of Aluminum Sulfate (or ‘Alum’), which is a coagulant used in the water filtration process.” The photo that they shared showed the water just downstream of the Groveville Hydroelectric Dam, where there are several residential apartments. While Comments were open at first, the City of Beacon shut Comments down shortly after posting the announcement.
The City of Beacon did not robo-call residents to alert them of this leak, which did cause the water in the Fishkill Creek to “appear milky,” their announcement described. The City did not mention the drinking water status, but did state that “there is no threat to human health and safety, and a full review will be done to understand better how the chemical made its way into the Creek.”
In their announcement, the City of Beacon also stated that “the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has been working with our staff to confirm that the leak has stopped and monitor the Fishkill Creek for fish impacts.”
Trout season officially opens Wednesday, April 1st. Two sets of yearling trout were stocked into the Fishkill Creek the 3rd week of March: 360 Brown Trout (9"-10") and 40 Brown Trout (12"-15"), according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The librarian of South Avenue Elementary School, Mr. Aaron Burke, usually releases his hatchery of trout in May. He raises his trout as a group educational project with the 5th graders of South Avenue.
Update 4/3/2026: Dylan Hetrick told ALBB readers via Facebook:
Brown Trout fished and caught after the spill.
Photo Credit: Dylan Hetrick
1. Brown Trout were stocked above Jean Van Pelt Park in Glenham.
2. The Texaco Dam and The Groveville Dam are above the spill and the trout stocking site, it's highly unlikely the trout were affected.
3. What about the other wildlife impacted, like Smallmouth Bass, Panfish, Invertebrates, herring, and aquatic plants?
4. Having fished Fishkill Creek for years, I've seen no change in the Brown Trout's behavior this year.
Last Day To Order Trees Through City of Beacon Discount - Delivered To Your House
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The City of Beacon repeated their tree purchasing program based upon the success of last year. The program offers six varieties of trees at close to 50% off retail and will be delivered directly to your home. Tree varieties include Dogwood, Red Maple, Serviceberry, Sweetgum, Tulip, and White Oak. Some are already sold out.
How It Works
From the City’s website: “All trees listed would be delivered to the homeowner in 15-gallon pots (unless indicated below). Average tree height would be 5’ to 10’ with a trunk caliper of 1.25”-1.75”. All trees will be delivered to your home in April 2026 before Arbor Day. Please note that the homeowner will be responsible for planting and caring for the trees delivered. Please consider purchasing a TreeGator® with each tree. Treegator® Slow Release Watering Bags are the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way to effectively water a newly planted tree or shrub.”
Deadline: Order Trees Until April 1, 2026
Click here to order directly from the Parks and Recreation page.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Why The Struggles for Peace, Dignity, And Freedom In The U.S. And Palestine Are Inextricably Linked
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We thank Jonathan Rochkind, a fellow member of Jewish Voice for Peace in Baltimore, for inspiring this statement about why the struggle for Palestinian freedom is inextricably linked to freedom and justice in the United States. JVP is a nationwide grassroots Jewish organization working for Palestinian freedom — and a world where all people everywhere live in freedom, equality, and dignity.
“When crimes against human rights and dignity are normalized, it doesn’t stay localized to one place. Instead, it enables it against anyone and everywhere.”
The reported death toll in Gaza is now over 75,000, including approximately 17,000 children. The health care system has been decimated. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians, violence, and forced civilian mass evacuations continue in the West Bank, and now in Lebanon. There is complete destruction of human habitation in Gaza. People are starving. These are war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This continues despite the declaration of a ceasefire.
And all of this has been done with the support, cover, complicity, and encouragement of the United States.
There is a direct line from normalizing war crimes in Palestine to Trump’s extrajudicial execution of people on boats in the Caribbean. From getting used to dehumanization of Palestinians — to the kidnapping and detention in camps of immigrants here.
When crimes against human rights and dignity are normalized, it doesn’t stay localized to one place. Instead, it enables it against anyone and everywhere.
Within the anti-authoritarian organizing eUorts, there is the claim that including Palestinian freedom in our movements was too divisive, too dangerous. Nothing could be further from the truth. Excluding opposition to U.S.-enabled genocide and violence and land theft in the West Bank has been used as a wedge to defeat, confuse, and divide us.
Now the same narrow exceptionalism is being used to undermine the struggle for the rights of our queer and trans neighbors and loved ones.
The only way we can defeat authoritarianism is to build movements that benefit everybody.
That includes our queer and trans siblings. That includes all our immigrant neighbors. That includes solidarity with the Iranian people’s movements against repression at home and bombs from abroad. That includes Jews and Palestinians in solidarity. When they come for one of us, they’re going to have to face ALL of us. This is the only way we keep each other safe. This is how we win.
The onslaught we face has given rise to massive opposition, but it is divided. Solidarity will not always be welcome. However, we must not be put off. While supporting one another, we must continue to assert our solidarity. Solidarity is survival! Solidarity is a verb. It requires action.
No Kings, No War, No Camps!
Abolish ICE! Free Palestine!
Tina Bernstein
Arthur Camins
Throwback To The Memorial Park Bathroom Mural
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As the daffodils rise up out of the leaves, we are doing a throwback of this colorful mural on the public bathroom at Memorial Park, which is closed during the winter and will reopen in the warmer weather.
This bathroom was closed for a long time, due to repeat vandalism and reluctance to keep it open. The Highway Department was tasked to clean it, and it was one that nobody wanted to deal with. There was a special key to access it that only a few people had access to.
Under the administration of then Mayor Randy Casale and former City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero in August 2019, this bathroom was painted on, but remained closed. The artist Joe Pimentel painted it with the sourcing of community children organized by the Wee Play volunteer group that conducted most of fundraising for the Tot Park there at Memorial Park.
Later, under the new City Administrator Chris White in 2021, this bathroom was put under the cleaning maintenance of the cleaning crew from Chris’ condo association, which was a minority-owned cleaning service company.
Back then, a longtime Beacon resident, Danielle Soto-Eckert told ALBB: “The bathroom at Memorial Park has been closed literally my whole life. I’m 30 years old and can think of less than 5 times that it’s been open while I was there as a child, and now an adult with kids. I take my kids to Bowdoin Park (in Wappingers Falls) because their bathroom is always open.”
Perhaps one day, the bathroom will be open year round.
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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.