Episodios

  • Countdown to Zero: Backup Power

    Countdown to Zero: Backup Power
    Apr 3 2026
    New York is falling behind on its climate goals. Is there any way to catch up?
    Sean Dague would like to use his refrigerator to lower your energy bills.
    A few years ago, after buying a fridge, the Dutchess County resident did something few people do: He read the manual. (He's a software engineer at IBM, so he does that.) In it, he learned that, when the grid was under strain, the local utility could send a signal telling it to temporarily use less power. He found similar language in the manual for his hot-water heater.
    This feature could save Dague money and make it less likely that utilities would need to rely on fossil-fuel-reliant "peaker" plants, such as Danskammer, north of Newburgh. If every "smart" appliance were connected this way, it could save money for everyone and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
    Alas, there was a major obstacle. Central Hudson doesn't participate.
    "When you talk about what it costs to get electricity to people, you also have to talk about demand flexibility," says Dague, who lives in LaGrange. "We have the technology to do it."
    This flexible grid technology is also known as virtual power plants (VPP). Across the river, Orange & Rockland Utilities recently ran a pilot program in which customers who installed solar panels received a free or heavily discounted battery. In exchange, they agreed to allow the utility to draw power from the battery when the grid is strained, such as during last summer's "heat dome."
    Dague is a volunteer organizer with the Citizens Climate Lobby, which recently worked with Assembly Member Anna Kelles, a Democrat whose district includes Ithaca, on a bill that would create VPPs throughout the state.
    This past week, MIT unveiled an online tool developed with Heatmap News and CleanEcon called The Electricity Price Hub, which tracks electricity prices by ZIP code. Things don't look so bad in New York: The state is mostly a soothing green. But click on utility bills, and a dark orange blob appears: the service area for Central Hudson, indicating that its customers are, by far, paying the highest utility bills in the state.

    VPPs are among many tools that can lower bills and help transition New York away from fossil fuels, the primary goal of the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (aka the Climate Law), enacted in 2019. The law sets ambitious targets, including getting 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emissions energy by 2040.
    As we reported last week, the state is behind in its targets. Enforcement regulations that would have penalized industries for high emissions — with fines that would pay for renewable energy projects and rebate checks to consumers — were scrapped just before they were scheduled to take effect.
    Arguing that New York was breaking its own law, a group of environmental organizations sued the state in 2025 — and won. Now, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to roll back some targets to make them easier to meet and change how the state calculates emissions. This methodology, which many states use, would put New York much closer to reaching its goals.
    The governor is working with the Legislature to amend the law as part of the 2026-27 budget, which is due this coming week. Hochul cites a series of unforeseen setbacks: a pandemic, wars, inflation, tariffs and President Donald Trump's disapproval of renewable energy projects. As a result, she says, the law has become too expensive to implement by the 2019 deadlines.

    Not every state is backing away: 50 gigawatts of renewable energy were added in the U.S. last year. Wind, solar and battery storage continue to grow. "It's good business, right? These are profitable," said Erin Baker, faculty director of the Energy Transition Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "They suppress prices for ratepayers. The example I always give is Texas: It has the most wind energy production and the second-most solar in the country. Its batteries...
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    12 m
  • Gas Tax Holiday

    Gas Tax Holiday
    Apr 3 2026
    Dutchess, Putnam move to lower prices at pump
    Legislators in Dutchess and Putnam counties this week advanced measures that would temporarily lower taxes on gas purchases.
    The average price per gallon in the area has risen to more than $4 per gallon, up from $3 a month ago, largely due to U.S. and Israeli attacks that prompted Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for tankers.
    A resolution to limit Putnam's 4 percent sales tax to the first $3 per gallon passed the Legislature's Budget and Finance Committee, which includes all nine legislators, on Monday (March 30). The proposal, which will be considered by the full Legislature again at its monthly meeting on Tuesday (April 7), would be in effect from June 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027. It would not reduce state taxes, which are 24.18 cents per gallon, or the federal tax, which is 18.4 cents.
    "We are doing what we can do to help the families of Putnam County," said Legislator William Gouldman of Putnam Valley, who introduced the measure. "Government should not benefit from higher prices."
    The Dutchess Legislature is preparing a similar exemption from the county's 3.75 percent sales tax, said its chair, Yvette Valdés Smith, whose district includes part of Beacon. Like Putnam, the proposal would suspend taxes over $3 per gallon, beginning on June 1 and continuing for at least six months. It will be introduced at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Thursday (April 9), she said.

    Putnam approved a similar temporary exemption in April 2022, when the average price in New York was $4.21 per gallon. The tax break began at $2 per gallon and lasted until Dec. 1 of the same year. The current proposal originally ended June 1, 2027, but the Legislature's chair, Dan Birmingham, won passage of an amendment to extend it through next year.
    "Whether it's an international crisis now with the Iranian conflict, or whether it's something else that drives it up to $5 or $6 next year, I'd still rather not have this county government profit off of whatever calamity" might come, he said.
    Rockland County last month put a cap on taxes over $3 per gallon from June 1, 2026, to March 1, 2027.
    Consumer prices and the cost of living have become early flashpoints for the national midterm elections in November. A poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 45 percent of 1,150 U.S. adults surveyed were "extremely" or "very" concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30 percent shortly after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. The most recent poll had a 4 percent margin of error.
    Beyond visits to the pump, analysts say higher fuel costs will trickle into groceries, which must be restocked frequently and could also see price hikes as transportation and packaging costs pile up. The U.S. Postal Service is seeking an 8 percent temporary surcharge on some of its popular products, including Priority Mail. U.S. diesel, used for many freight and delivery trucks, costs an average of $5.45 per gallon, up from $3.76 a gallon before the war began, according to AAA.

    Only two states have suspended all or part of their gas taxes. Georgia removed its 33-cent-per-gallon tax on March 20 for 60 days (followed by a warning to retailers from the state attorney general to pass along the savings), and Utah reduced its 38-cent-per-gallon tax by 6 cents for six months beginning July 1.
    California charges a nationally high tax of 61 cents per gallon; a gallon of gas averaged $5.89 per gallon on Thursday, according to AAA. In Maryland, Republicans pushed for a 30-day gas tax holiday, but Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said it would cost the state $100 million. In Connecticut, Democratic leaders want Gov. Ned Lamont to tap an emergency fund to cover a 30-day suspension of the state's 25-cent tax.
    Roughly half the price at the pump pays for the crude oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administra...
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    6 m
  • Howland Library Ponders Its Next Move

    Howland Library Ponders Its Next Move
    Apr 3 2026
    Community, staff weigh options as building shows its age
    The Howland Public Library in Beacon is asking residents to weigh in on the future of its building, a beloved but aging former department store at 313 Main St.
    The library moved to Main Street in 1976, after outgrowing its original 1872 building, which became the Howland Cultural Center. But the library's director, Gillian Murphy, said at a charrette on March 25 that the 15,000-square-foot structure, built in 1949 as Fishman's department store, is badly in need of repair.
    The roof has been patched nearly a dozen times since Murphy was hired in 2023. The building lacks insulation, with haphazard heating and cooling systems struggling to keep patrons and staff comfortable. The brick exterior is crumbling, and the Main Street entrance is the only one that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
    Inside, there are no fire sprinklers and almost no natural lighting. The children's room is too small, Murphy said, and a nook by the entrance that functions as a teen space is hardly spacious.
    Upgrades have been made from time to time, including last year, when interior walls were painted to brighten the place and the circulation desk was moved. But there's never been a comprehensive capital project.
    "People have sought me out since the day I came here," said Murphy, who was director of the Butterfield Library in Cold Spring for 21 years, until 2021. "It was obvious that they didn't find this space friendly." She said the staff and nine-member library board agreed and decided to ask the community: "This is what we have — where do we go from here?"

    Several options are on the table, but as architect Paul Mays told the audience of about 75 people on March 25, "pencil has not been put to paper on anything." Mays, who worked on additions and major renovations to libraries in Kingston and Saugerties, walked the audience through the possibilities.
    The first option, repairs and maintenance, would be the least expensive and disruptive, although a new roof will cost at least $1 million, Murphy said. More involved renovations would add cost but provide more opportunities for energy efficiency.
    Even more costly would be demolition and new construction, which would require the library to move to a temporary location; renovations of a building at another site; or new construction at another site.
    Funding for a capital project would come from outside sources (e.g., state grants) and/or a public referendum. Voters in the Beacon City School District, which includes parts of Fishkill and the Town of Wappinger, vote on the library budget each year, but the annual spending plan only covers operating expenses.
    Voters rejected a capital proposal in 2005, then voted down the operating budget for the next three years, but Murphy believes the support will be there this time. "It's a totally different community than it was 20 years ago," she said, noting that the library last year hired two new staff members to manage increased usership.
    The March 25 charrette was the first in a series. Many people have already said the library should stay on Main Street, Murphy said. But other considerations — ample parking and green space — are virtually impossible in the current location.
    There's no timeline for a decision, Mays said. The community-led process "isn't the fastest, but it's a deliberate and, I think, thorough one."

    If the library were renovated, its footprint is deceptively large. It also owns 311 Main St., where its board meetings are held; 309 Main, where the Friends of the Howland Public Library operate Beacon Reads, a secondhand bookstore; and 307 Main, which needs work and is used for storage. Another back-of-building storage area could also be converted.
    "I don't think people realize what a big space we have," Murphy said. "There are so many possibilities."
    Mays asked community members to consider a few questions: What features and programs offered by the library are most important to ...
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    5 m
  • Food Program Ends Philipstown Stops

    Food Program Ends Philipstown Stops
    Apr 3 2026
    Provider says federal government cut funding
    A program that provides free produce and other groceries to residents in Putnam and Westchester counties has stopped deliveries to three Philipstown locations, citing federal funding cuts.
    Until last month, Meals on Main Street stopped weekly at the Chestnut Ridge Apartments in Cold Spring, the Philipstown Friendship Center in Cold Spring and the Brookside Senior Citizen Co-op in Philipstown to distribute free food. Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County launched the program in May 2024 as part of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    CCE paid Meals on Main Street, based in Port Chester, $250,000 annually to deliver the food and expand services in Westchester and Putnam. The balance went to regional farmers for the meat and produce and to CCE for administration costs. On a day in April 2025, the mobile pantry served about 110 people at its three Philipstown stops, offering milk, onions, potatoes, beets, carrots, kale, radishes, apples, baked goods and frozen salmon.
    Jon Haseltine, executive director of Meals on Main Street, said the federal funding for the program ended in August and was not renewed. "We tried to absorb the cuts and not pull the plug, and did for some time, but the cuts have been a challenge," he said. "In March, with discretionary funds exhausted, we made the business decision to pull back some of the mobile pantry truck routes," including in Philipstown, which is about 50 miles from Port Chester.
    "We're not happy about it," he said. "We pulled back to ensure our viability and to make ends meet."
    The program continues to serve Putnam County residents in Patterson, Carmel, Putnam Valley, Kent and Mahopac, as well as in Westchester County, the Bronx and Fairfield, Connecticut. Philipstown residents have visited other Putnam stops, according to Haseltine.
    Kiko Lattu, coordinator of the Philipstown Food Pantry, said that for many local seniors, especially those with mobility or transportation barriers, the mobile pantry "filled a critical gap by providing food 'shopping' near their homes. Its suspension is a meaningful loss in a community where food resources for older adults are already limited." In March, Lattu noted, the Philipstown Food Pantry, which is open on Saturday mornings, provided groceries for 679 people, including 181 seniors.
    A United Way report in May 2025 concluded that 38 percent of Cold Spring and Philipstown (10516) households and 35 percent of Garrison (10524) households struggle to afford even a "survival budget," including food. In Beacon, it calculated that 42 percent of households are living on the edge.
    Haseltine said the office of Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican whose district includes Philipstown, has been responsive to finding federal funds for the mobile pantry. Haseltine estimates it would require $75,000 to $100,000 annually to restore the Philipstown stops.
    "We've encouraged people to reach out to their local, state and federal representatives to voice their concerns and the need for the program," he said. "Every time a mobile pantry truck goes out, it carries up to 1,300 pounds of food, or the equivalent of about 1,000 meals. That's about 50,000 meals a year on just one route."
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    4 m
  • Together for the First Time

    Together for the First Time
    Apr 3 2026
    Tom Messina Band to make debut
    It's not quite Bob Dylan plugging in at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, but the musical direction of Beacon resident Tom Messina, who will introduce his newly formed band at Industrial Arts Brewing Co. on Saturday (April 4), represents a more radical and rollicking turnabout.
    Messina will headline Selwyn's Day, three acts assembled by Selwyn Camper, director of operations at The Selwyn Sound Co., based in Newburgh. Camper started off selling vinyl records and DJing, but is branching into other ventures, including a record label and publishing company.
    He is also booking acts and foresees Saturday's gig as the first in an annual gathering "to create community around a mutual love for music and beer." Camper also hosts Monday vinyl nights at Industrial Arts, encouraging people to bring in their own discs for a spin.
    Messina moved to Beacon five years ago and is shedding his sonic skin. Past recordings leaned on acoustic guitar, understated bass and limited percussion. The song "Greyfox" exudes a breezy Brazilian groove, and after whistling a few bars, he follows with a chill nylon-string guitar solo.
    "Hallmark" is another laid-back track with an unplugged sound and folksy vocals, which is why the screaming electric-guitar riff and power chord that opens his latest single, "Nothing Left to Lose," hits like a gut punch.
    "I was a hired gun for years doing cover tunes," he says. "Now it's time to dial up the energy and explore my own sound."

    The new track channels punky '90s power pop. On the surface, it's a hook-filled rocker, but a peek under the hood reveals a complex structure and roller-coaster dynamics. The last 30 seconds morph into a metal-style breakdown, ending with an unexpected melodic guitar riff.
    "I'm getting back to my roots with the guitar-driven emo stuff that I first fell in love with," Messina says. "I like experimenting with forms of songs and adding harmonic complexity. I studied jazz, listened to the jam bands and played in a Frank Zappa cover band in college, so my influences are all over the place."
    "Nothing Left to Lose" began as an acoustic sketch 10 years ago and blossomed into an angst-ridden track with a big sound, achieved in part by recording the guitars multiple times and layering the takes.
    Stuttering stops and starts keep the listener interested and suggest that the band — with John Haring (drums), Joe Mulhaupt (bass) and Cold Spring native Dan Ruiz (guitar) — is developing a tight bond.
    When Messina began tossing out what he calls "throwaway lyrics" for new material, he called collaborator Justin Babbino and said, "I'm phoning in these lines, please help me."
    He sings about boiling blood, reaching a breaking point and the difficulties of growing old, which "ain't easy," given he's 28. Juxtaposing the edgy and energetic new single with the Dylanesque acoustic guitar and vocal sketch, "This Place Ain't What It Used to Be," signals how far his sound has veered over the years.
    The "place" in the older song is metaphoric, he says. "It might apply to my musical direction — or it could be about Beacon."
    Industrial Arts Brewing is located at 511 Fishkill Ave. in Beacon. The music begins at 7 p.m.; Waylen Roche and Justin Cole will also perform. Tickets are $15 at dub.sh/selwyn-day or at the door.
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    4 m
  • Cold Spring Eyes 3.7 Percent Tax Increase

    Cold Spring Eyes 3.7 Percent Tax Increase
    Apr 3 2026
    Tentative budget matches state cap
    Cold Spring residents will see the village tax levy rise by 3.72 percent in the new fiscal year, an increase that matches the cap imposed by New York State.
    Mayor Kathleen Foley and village accountant Michelle Ascolillo outlined key areas of the tentative 2026-27 budget in an April 2 email.
    The mayor commented that in meeting the state tax cap, "We're mindful that everyone is stretched in this economy, and we have to be conservative in our expense and revenue predictions."
    While commonly portrayed as 2 percent, the tax cap is often greater due to other factors determined by the state, including an "allowable growth factor" calculated for each municipality.
    The village budget includes three major areas. The general fund is supported by the tax levy and pays for nearly all village services, from garbage, recycling and road maintenance to police and fire protection. The water and sewer systems are funded separately by flat rate and usage fees.
    The tentative 2026-27 budget proposes a tax levy of $2,057,465, an increase of $73,696 over the current fiscal year.
    It is estimated that the tax rate, which determines what individual owners pay in village property taxes, will be $12.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of 3.02 percent. The final rate will be set by Putnam County. The cost of water will go up by 6 percent for both usage and the flat rate. That amounts to increases of 21 cents per 1,000 gallons used and a $6 flat rate increase per quarter per unit.
    The sewer rate will rise 5 percent for both usage and flat fees, resulting in increases of 11 cents per 1,000 gallons of usage and $4.50 per quarter per unit, respectively.
    Foley said while the village optimizes state dollars for roadway and sidewalk repairs and upgrades, it is "an area where I wish we could make progress faster" adding, "We have a very small roadways and facilities crew and have to prioritize according to urgency and capacity."
    She said including plans for village-branded wayfinding signs and improved parking signage in the budget should help with visitor management, but that the $50,000 Cold Spring receives in Putnam County sales tax sharing can only be used for infrastructure needs and "doesn't really touch" visitor-related costs.
    "The costs of tourism get pushed down to the local level and that means we don't have as much [funding] available for use in other areas of village life," Foley said. "It's very challenging to balance tourism with quality of life and a locally relevant economy."
    A public hearing on the tentative budget is scheduled for Wednesday (April 8). The proposed spending plan is available at coldspringny.gov and is subject to change until the end of April, when the final budget will be adopted. The new fiscal year begins June 1.
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    3 m
  • Can I Get a Witness?

    Can I Get a Witness?
    Apr 3 2026
    The Soul Jam brings the party to Beacon
    One couple boogied in front of an $80,000 painting. Young people sang along to old songs. And last month, after bandleader Jake Vogel shouted, "This is not standing-room-only, this is dancing-room-only!" just before The Soul Jam's final song, 50 people began the Electric Slide inside the art gallery at Savage Wonder in Beacon.
    These folks know how to party — the tune lasted for 10 minutes. Along with the band, about 80 people ranging from teens to seniors showed up on a rainy, blustery Thursday evening.
    "All of the musicians and many of our followers are Jehovah's Witnesses," says Vogel, maestro and guitarist. "We're allowed to drink in moderation, dance and have fun, but we're discouraged from dating outside the faith."
    Based in Newburgh, The Soul Jam plays hits from yesteryear, along with some Vogel originals. He also leads the group Awkward Silence, which will play at Savage Wonder later this month.

    The latter iteration of musicians leans into original compositions and a wider array of cover material, from jazz to punk rock, he says. Members and instrumentation are subject to change. Lots of musicians rotate in and out, but the constants are Vogel and Rodney Williams on trumpet.
    At one point during The Soul Jam show, as Vogel kneeled, Williams and sax player Edwich Pierrelouis pummeled his head with sound. For the duration of the busy bass line in Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," Lovaughn Bryant watched his left hand closely while cycling through the fun, funky part.
    Keyboard player Raj Lachtman's vamps beefed up the tone and Don Placentia's drums accentuated the Latin feel of "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" by adding more syncopation and slurping his hi-hat cymbals with gusto.
    The group that evening included two vocalists, and when they launched into "Chain of Fools," Jenae Petty owned the tune. When he's not singing, Anthony Lombard served as the hype man, shaking a percussive egg.
    At one point, as the horns soloed off each other, Vogel leaned against a pillar and smiled like a baseball manager enjoying a 1-2-3 inning.
    When he exhorted the crowd and launched into the final song of the night, "Get Up Off of That Thing," by James Brown, people let the rhythm hit 'em.
    As Vogel knelt to play his guitar, which he had placed flat on the floor, he appeared to be praying. It evoked the moment at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival when Jimi Hendrix leaned over, drenched a six-string with lighter fluid and played with matches.
    Onstage, Vogel's style is frenetic. One solo screamed like heavy metal, and for 90 minutes, he jumped around a warm room wearing a suit and scarf.
    "I've always been energetic playing music," he says. "One of my favorite bands is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they really bring it live. I tried holding back a little, but I play so much better when I let it loose."
    Savage Wonder is located at 141 Main St. in Beacon. Soul Jam will perform at 8:30 p.m. on April 10 and Awkward Silence at 9 p.m. on April 18. Tickets are free at dub.sh/savage-wonder.
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    3 m
  • Garrison School Sues Over Heating System

    Garrison School Sues Over Heating System
    Apr 1 2026
    District accuses architect of 'malpractice'
    The Garrison school district has sued the firm it hired to design a nearly $3 million heating system that officials describe as so underperforming that children sometimes wear their coats in classrooms.
    In 2020, Garrison contracted with Tetra Tech Architects & Engineers to provide design services for $10 million in voter-approved upgrades, the most expensive of which was a new $2.7 million heat-pump system to warm and cool the whole building. That system, according to a lawsuit filed March 25 in state court, fails to meet state standards requiring a minimum indoor temperature of 65 degrees from Sept. 15 to May 31 and the provision of outdoor air at all times.
    Tetra Tech has not yet responded to the lawsuit in court. The firm did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
    The Garrison district said staff have had to "dedicate substantial administrative time" to monitoring and manually adjusting settings since the system became operational. On cold days, they have "to choose between maintaining adequate heat for students and staff or introducing the outdoor air necessary to satisfy ventilation requirements," according to the legal filing.
    Garrison officials said the pumps also blow cold air during the system's defrost cycle, when heat is temporarily redirected to melt frost from the coils of the outdoor units.
    They accuse Tetra Tech, whose long list of school-district clients includes Beacon, of architectural malpractice and professional negligence, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract. Their lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages, "including costs to investigate, monitor, redesign, repair, replace, remediate and correct" the system.
    Tetra Tech's "defective HVAC design did not merely create a technical problem," according to Garrison officials. "It left children wearing coats in class and forced the district to divert administrative time and public resources to constant troubleshooting of a system that should have worked properly in the first place."
    Garrison officials chose the heat pumps over an alternative: a system in which water heated by the building's boilers would be distributed to the elementary school and middle-school classrooms, while the remainder of the middle school, such as the gym and bathrooms, would continue to be heated using oil.
    When the board voted on July 1, 2019, for the heat pumps, then-President James Hoch said they offered a "unified" system. Before the vote, Garrett Hamlin, a Tetra Tech vice president, told the board that "we've had a lot of conversations about heating systems, but there are other areas of this project that are really critical," such as bathrooms, the phone system and security upgrades.
    "All of those things are really important parts of this project, and I don't want us to lose sight of that," said Hamlin.
    Seven years later, the focus is on the heating system. Garrison's lawsuit alleges several problems with its design and installation, beginning with the weather data used in Tetra Tech's calculations. The district says the company relied on reports from LaGuardia Airport "rather than more representative local data," according to court documents.
    Tetra Tech is also accused of failing to adequately consider how heat would transfer through the outer shell of its building, which is more than 100 years old, and "eliminated or omitted" Dedicated Outdoor Air System units, which condition outdoor air for indoor ventilation. It also designed a system that is not "adequately sized to temper required volumes of cold outdoor air while maintaining required indoor temperatures," according to the district.
    Notified of the problems, Tetra Tech "failed to provide an adequate cure that restored reliable, code-compliant heating and ventilation," according to court documents.
    The system is part of a menu of upgrades approved by district voters in September 2019, including refurbished ceilings, floors, doors and cabinets, bathr...
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    5 m