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The Highlands Current is a nonprofit weekly newspaper and daily website that covers Beacon, Cold Spring, Garrison, Nelsonville and Philipstown, New York, in the Hudson Highlands. This podcast includes select stories read aloud.

  1. 5h ago

    Couple Appeals Order in Route 9 Case

    Judge rejected fraud claims in June A former Philipstown couple who claim they were victims of fraud is appealing a state judge's ruling upholding the foreclosure and sale of the Route 9 property where they lived and worked. An attorney for Sokhara Kim and Chakra Oeur last month filed a notice of their intent to appeal a June ruling by Putnam County Judge Gina Capone. Her decision denied the couple's attempt to regain 3154 Route 9, where they operated Nice & Neat Dry Cleaners and sold Cambodian food. The couple also rented a storefront in the building to the owner of a nail salon. Kim and Oeur, immigrants from Cambodia who also operated an art gallery at the property, were evicted on Dec. 9, 2025, ending a foreclosure process that began in August 2022 when Kim stopped making payments to MT&T Bank on a $570,000 mortgage. An MT&T subsidiary, Chesapeake Holding, paid $620,200 for the parcel at auction in May 2024. Capone rejected Kim and Oeur's main contention — that they were victims of Derek Keith Williams, who met the couple when his girlfriend, Mauny Bun, owned the nail salon. Williams, who is facing fraud and grand larceny charges, convinced Kim that he paid off the mortgage, according to court documents. Then, for the next few years, he hid the foreclosure by demanding that Kim "turn over any mail or paperwork relating to the property," said her attorney, Jacob Chen. In Capone's 31-page ruling, she said both Kim and Oeur were "wholly aware" of the foreclosure and the sale of the property well before they claimed to have learned of the eviction in November 2025. She cited appearances Kim made with Williams in Erie County Court when M&T filed a notice of default on the mortgage loan. She also said a handwritten complaint Kim filed in January 2025 against M&T with the Federal Reserve used the case number for the foreclosure. In addition, said Capone, the contention that Williams withheld mail about the foreclosure "is undermined by the fact that, according to Ms. Kim, Mr. Williams was not living at the subject premises, and present there on a day-to-day basis, until September 2023," a year after the bank initiated the proceeding. "Throughout these many proceedings, stretching across various jurisdictions and courts, one constant, according to the plaintiff, was that Ms. Kim and Mr. Williams acted in concert to prevent, hinder and interfere" with the bank's efforts to gain the property, said Capone. Williams, a self-described "sovereign citizen" who had been serving a six-month sentence in the Putnam County jail for driving an unregistered vehicle without a license, was charged in February with six felonies: four for grand larceny and two for filing a false instrument with the intent to defraud. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held in the Putnam County jail on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond. His next appearance in Putnam County Court is scheduled for Aug. 19 before Judge Anthony Mole.

  2. 1d ago

    Putnam Sheriff's Investigator Suspended

    Accused of payroll irregularities A police union president who alleges in a federal lawsuit that Putnam County has shortchanged Sheriff's Office deputies on overtime wages has been suspended without pay after being charged by the agency with payroll irregularities. Daniel Hunsberger, an investigator with the Sheriff's Office and president of the Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents deputies, was suspended following an internal probe into his "time-and-attendance and payroll records," according to a statement issued Monday (Aug. 10) by Undersheriff James Menton. A 20-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, Hunsberger faces disciplinary charges that could be referred to Putnam County prosecutors for a review into possible criminal charges, according to Menton. "The public's trust in this office depends on knowing that the time and the resources paid for by the taxpayers are honored," he said. "No member of this department, whatever their rank, assignment or position, is entitled to be paid for time they did not work or to misuse public funds." Hudson Valley Digger, a Substack published by former Journal News reporter David McKay Wilson, first reported on Hunsberger's removal from duty, which follows the suspension in February of Kevin Osika, a deputy and the union's vice president. Sheriff Brian Hess suspended Osika, who is married to Putnam Legislator Erin Crowley, after his Feb. 21 arrest by state troopers on misdemeanor assault and harassment charges following a domestic incident at his home. Menton said that any decision to prosecute Hunsberger would be up to Robert Tendy, the district attorney. According to Wilson, Tendy recused himself from the Osika case because of his office's dealings with the deputy and Crowley. Osika's case in Southeast Town Court is being handled by Dutchess County prosecutors. In May, Southeast Town Justice Louis Gasparini dismissed the harassment charge against Osika, according to Hudson Valley Digger. The deputy, who was on unpaid leave for 30 days and is now on paid leave, is still being prosecuted for third-degree assault. "We are committed to identifying and rooting out any form of misconduct or corruption within this department, and to doing so fairly, impartially and with full respect for the rights of every member," said Menton. "That is how the public's trust is earned and kept." The payroll-related charges against Hunsberger come six months after he joined with Osika and Sgt. Matthew Kraisky, the union treasurer, to sue Putnam in federal court over allegations that the county has for years miscalculated the overtime rate for more than 100 current and former other deputies. The officers accuse Putnam of dividing their annual salaries by the wrong number of working days — 261 instead of the 249 specified in their contract — to calculate their hourly rate. In one example, Hunsberger says his overtime rate for 2024, when he made $122,819 and accrued 138 overtime hours, should have been $92.11 per hour, not the $87.89 paid by the county. According to the complaint, county officials told Hunsberger in November 2024 that the extra 12 days represented holidays or training days. Hunsberger and the other deputies also allege that the county failed to pay them for 15-minute briefings at the beginning of shifts and has not compensated investigators for on-call duty, which requires them to report to headquarters or a dispatched location within 30 minutes. In addition to seeking back pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the deputies are demanding punitive damages equal to the amount of unpaid overtime and the reimbursement of legal fees. In its initial response to the lawsuit in May, Putnam County denied the allegations and said the deputies' claims are barred by the statute of limitations and contradicted by "documentary evidence." Even if a court finds that Putnam violated federal law, its actions were not "willful or reckless," and were done in good faith, according to...

  3. 1d ago

    Legislators Raise Pay for Special-Ed Providers

    Increase to bring Dutchess closer to neighbors There are 65 pre-K special-needs children in the Beacon City School District. But there are no physical therapists in Dutchess County who contract with the agencies that provide services for them. If a pre-K special education student in the district needs physical therapy, a parent or guardian must travel to Highland, across the river in Ulster County. "That is a barrier for many of our families," said Heather Chadwell Dennis, the assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services for the Beacon district. Dutchess County legislators voted unanimously on Monday (Aug. 10) to increase pay for preschool special education providers, a move meant to address the shortage. While public school districts in New York state coordinate services such as speech, occupational or physical therapy for special-needs students age 3 and up, the agencies or individuals who provide the services are contracted with and paid by the county where they work. The pay rate for providers in Dutchess — $60 for a typical half-hour session — has lagged for years behind neighboring counties (Ulster pays $80), leading providers to take better-paying opportunities elsewhere. The Legislature's vote increases the rate to $80 per half hour. "It's investing in our community and our kids," said Yvette Valdes Smith, the chair of the Legislature, whose district includes Ward 4 in Beacon. The increase will now go to County Executive Sue Serino for her signature. If she enacts the change, it will be retroactive to July 1. Sixty percent of the increased cost will be covered by the state. Another issue Chadwell Dennis has seen in Beacon is when a provider — who travels to the home, daycare facility or school to work with the child — only has time for one session when three children need services. In that case, the district will gather the children in a common space, such as a library, "because the provider can't get to three houses, but they can get to the library one time," she said. It's not an ideal scenario for the early-intervention services that educators say are critical for special-needs children to make gains in communication, thinking and social skills. The resolution was drafted by Emma Arnoff, who represents LaGrange, Pleasant Valley and Poughkeepsie and is the founder of The Sensory Space, a Poughkeepsie facility where children use sensory supports while participating in play therapy and psychotherapy. Superintendent Matt Landahl said during the Beacon school board's July 30 meeting that he is "elated" to see the increase on the table. Early intervention services for special-needs children provide "a life raft for families that are struggling with a really young child who is struggling," he said, calling it "a vitally important area" that has been overlooked.

  4. 5d ago

    Troubled Beacon Project Tries to Move Forward

    Condo development had been set for foreclosure sale A housing development twice halted by the city and ordered by a state judge to be sold to pay down debt is back on the Beacon Planning Board agenda. Eliza Street LLC, the owner of The Mews at Beacon, has hired a Newburgh architecture firm to see the project at 53 Eliza St. to completion, according to materials submitted for the board's Tuesday (Aug. 11) meeting. If that happens, it will be a remarkable turnaround for a project that appeared doomed. In February 2025, a lender, Insula Capital Group, filed a lawsuit in Dutchess County court demanding repayment of nearly $4.63 million from Qele "Charlie" Qelaj, whose project calls for nine loft-like condominiums two blocks from Main Street. The proposal received Planning Board approval in 2019, as well as variances to construct multi-family housing in a single-family zone and to construct nine units on a parcel where six were allowed. But by 2023, construction had stalled as Qelaj sought new financing. In its suit, Insula asked the court to force the sale of the property to pay the debt. There were additional money problems. In April 2025, the Building Department issued the first of two stop-work orders at the site when it said Qelaj could not renew a work permit because of unpaid property taxes. In the months that followed, Building Inspector Bryan Murphy said he allowed windows and doors to be installed to protect the property from the elements, but when further work commenced in April 2026, he issued a second order. Qelaj paid $175,000 in delinquent taxes earlier this year, city officials said. On the legal front, Judge Maria Rosa granted Insula's request for summary judgment in August 2025 and appointed an attorney who determined that Qelaj owed Insula $5.97 million plus costs and interest. The Mews were scheduled to be auctioned in March at the Dutchess County Courthouse in Poughkeepsie, but the sale did not take place. Instead, in an April 21 letter to Rosa, Insula attorneys said the sides had agreed to stay the sale. The agreement was not filed with the court, but the attorneys said the sale will be rescheduled if Qelaj defaults. Otherwise, upon compliance, Insula will drop the suit. In his letter to the Planning Board, Chris Berg of Fifth Street Architecture said he hopes to "see this project stabilized, completed and occupied by residents." But he acknowledged another setback. While authorizing a new work permit, Berg and Murphy — who was not the building inspector when the project was approved in 2019 — discovered that site drawings were never endorsed by the board after its approval. The project "should never have been issued a work permit, let alone subsequent renewals," Berg wrote. Qelaj, who is not the original applicant, is returning to the board seeking endorsement of the 2019 approval so he can proceed with construction, Berg said. He said that Qelaj will work with Murphy to "correct any deviations that have been noted from the original approval." Finally, Berg added that Fifth Street was not involved "in the initial planning or permitting of any portion of the project at 53 Eliza Street — we are simply assisting in getting this project back on track to completion."

  5. 5d ago

    Passing Through

    A few moments with Appalachian hikers Daniel Farris and his wife, Raychel Pepperman, began hiking the Appalachian Trail on Feb. 22 at Springer Mountain in Georgia, the starting point. By the time they reached Philipstown two weeks ago, they had trekked 1,400 miles and resolved a marital dispute: Farris was walking too fast. "I understand that you're frustrated, but I can't go any faster," Pepperman said she told her husband. Farris slowed down. "The trail has been helpful for our communication skills," said Pepperman, a therapist in Chattanooga. "If one of us gets upset with the other, you have time to think about it while you're hiking, instead of just reacting." The couple is among the many hikers who stop this time of year at the Appalachian Market at Route 9 and Route 403, where they often occupy the picnic tables. About 10 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail meanders through Putnam County, much of it inside Fahnestock State Park. About 3,000 people each year attempt to hike the entire 2,197.9-mile route through 14 states to Mount Katahdin in Maine, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and about a third succeed. Millions of others hike segments. When they stopped at the Appalachian Market in late July, Farris and Pepperman hoped to cover the final 800 miles by mid-September to attend a wedding in Nashville. To fellow hikers, Pepperman, 29, is known as "Chapstick" because of the lip balm she needed on the trail in February. Farris, 31, who sells outdoor gear, goes by "Mossman" because he likes to photograph moss. The market was also a refueling stop for Diver, 26, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He declined to give his legal name but said his trail name was bestowed after he was seen dumpster diving near a shelter in Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. He said he was retrieving his hiking cap, which had been thrown away, along with dozens of empty pizza boxes. Diver said he is hiking the trail because "I wanted to spend as much time outside as possible." He just completed five years in the U.S. Air Force sitting at a computer doing "logistics and stuff." He loves drinking from the springs he encounters. "It's the best water you'll ever get," he said. "It's so cold coming right out of the mountains." Also resting at the Appalachian Market was "Sidequest McMurphy," who said his "government name" is Seth Harper. He's a 23-year-old Eagle Scout who just graduated from the University of Tennessee. When he left Springer Mountain on March 9, Harper's trail name was McMurphy because, according to his former scoutmaster, he resembles the rebellious R.P. McMurphy in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Harper added Sidequest because "I tend to get sucked into lots of sidequests," such as several days in the reading room at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs, North Carolina. "Every room has a copy of Leaves of Grass and the Tao Te Ching," said Harper, who plans to attend graduate school and teach history. Harper said he is hiking for the same reason that Henry David Thoreau went to live by Walden Pond: "because I wanted to live deliberately." Hiking across Route 9 on his way to Fahnestock, he said he was listening to the audio version of Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow, which runs 36 hours. Resting at a picnic table, Amanda Edwards, 21, said the last time she did any real travel was in eighth grade, when her class visited Washington, D.C. "Since we passed Maryland, every step I take is the furthest north I've ever been," she said. After graduating in December from Georgia Southern University, Edwards said, "I wanted to do something hard, something I wasn't sure I could finish." Her trail name, "Jukebox," comes from her singing. Climbing Kuwohi Mountain in the Smokies, she sang songs from Sweeney Todd. Also known as Clingmans Dome, the 6,644-foot peak is the highest point on the trail. A few miles before reaching the Appalachian Market, Edwards crossed the lowest point, the Bear Mountain Br...

  6. 5d ago

    Democrats Target Rolison in State Senate Race

    National group to aid challenger Lisa Kaul A national Democratic Party organization seeking to restore the New York Senate's veto-proof majority has made it a priority to oust Rob Rolison, the incumbent Republican whose district includes Philipstown and Beacon. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which formed in 1992 to elect party members to state legislatures, this month named the District 39 campaign as one of six races it will support before the November election. The group is chaired by Andrea Stewart-Cousins, majority leader of the New York Senate. Lisa Kaul, who represents part of the Town of Poughkeepsie on the Dutchess County Legislature, won a three-candidate primary in June to face Rolison, a former Poughkeepsie mayor who is seeking a third, 2-year term. Democrats outnumber Republicans 41 to 22 in the Senate, but one more seat would restore a two-thirds supermajority that the party lost in the 2024 election. Combined with the supermajority in the Assembly, where Democrats hold 103 of the 150 seats, the party could override gubernatorial vetoes without Republican support. As of July 15, the Kaul campaign said it had $37,511 on hand, while the Rolison campaign reported $8,847. Funding from the DLCC will help "reach more voters across the Hudson Valley, have more conversations about the issues that matter to people and share my vision for finding solutions and delivering results in Albany," Kaul said on Tuesday (Aug. 4). Rolison defeated Julie Shiroishi, then chief of staff to Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson, with 53 percent of the vote in 2022. Two years later, his victory over Yvette Valdés Smith, a Dutchess legislator who represents parts of Beacon and Fishkill, was much closer, at 50.7 percent to 49.3 percent. The DLCC last contributed money to New York state candidates in 2020, when it spent a total of $53,100 on five Senate races, according to the state Board of Elections. The recipients included Stewart-Cousins and state Sen. Pete Harckham, whose district includes part of eastern Putnam County. Harckham is one of three Democratic incumbents named among the DLCC's six priority races in 2026. The two other candidates are, like Kaul, challenging incumbent Republicans. Heather Williams, the DLCC's president, said that supermajorities in both the Senate and Assembly "will help Democrats continue to go on offense on redistricting and keep delivering for families." The Rolison campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kaul is a native of India and Rhodes Scholar who moved to the U.S. in 2004. She spent five years as an administrator at Vassar College and served on the Arlington school board before defeating Republican Marc Pfeifer in 2023 to win a seat in the Legislature. She ran unopposed in 2025 for a second term and chairs the Environment Committee. In June, Kaul easily won the Democratic primary, garnering 62 percent of the vote to defeat Evan Menist, a member of the Poughkeepsie Common Council (30 percent) and Gay Lee, a former City of Newburgh council member (7 percent). "A strong Democratic majority means progress on affordability, healthcare, housing, reproductive freedom and climate resilience," said Kaul, adding that being a member of that majority means she could "bring state resources home to improve public transportation, build housing our families can afford, invest in infrastructure to keep our water clean and lower utility costs."

  7. 5d ago

    Putnam Approves Food Aid Public meetings Tax break Drone funding

    Legislators also pass 'transparency' law Cornell Cooperative Extension and Second Chance Foods will receive $150,000 set aside last year by the Putnam County Legislature to aid programs to alleviate food insecurity. In approving the allocation on Tuesday (Aug. 5) of $100,000 to Cornell Cooperative and $50,000 to Second Chance, the Legislature required that at least $50,000 go to the Bountiful Meals program. The two agencies partner on the initiative, which distributes prepared meals to food pantries, libraries and senior centers like the Philipstown Friendship Center in Cold Spring. The organizations can also spend the funds on freezers, packaging and transportation. "Our neighbors who are struggling with hunger cannot afford to wait," said Martha Elder, executive director of the Brewster-based Second Chance. "We stand ready to begin." The $150,000 has been sitting in a contingency account since it was approved in November at the request of Legislature Chair Dan Birmingham. Since then, federal cuts have forced the shutdown of Meals on Main, a mobile food pantry that stopped at the Chestnut Ridge Apartments, Philipstown Friendship Center and the Brookside Senior Citizen Co-op in Philipstown. In addition, work requirements contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed last year by President Donald Trump are expected to cut the number of people receiving aid from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. "More is coming down the pike," said Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley in the Legislature, of additional cuts. "We will see dire circumstances." At Montgomery's request, the Legislature removed from the resolution a "whereas" clause noting that the loss of the mobile food pantry in Philipstown "has created an additional gap in food access in the western portion of Putnam County." Legislator Erin Crowley said she was "hesitant" about the allocation because the clause "makes this sound inequitable." The funding should not focus on "specific parts of the county," said Crowley, but be "about making sure that we're covering everybody who is in need, whether it's age, race, religion, politics, color and creed." A law approved by the Legislature on Tuesday codifies the county's practice of livestreaming meetings while requiring that the public be notified when legislators of the same political party hold caucus meetings. Although Legislature meetings have for years been streamed on the county's YouTube channel, and their recordings archived, the Transparency Act enshrines the broadcasts in the county code. Its mandate covers monthly full-board and committee meetings, and public hearings by the county executive. The law also requires that legislators "be heard, seen and identified at all times" during meetings, except for closed-door executive sessions. In addition, it addresses closed-door political caucuses, which allow legislators from the same party to deliberate privately on proposed laws and resolutions. Public notice for "meetings of political committees, conferences and caucuses … at which deliberations of county legislative matters are to be discussed" will be required. A public record of the legislators attending the meeting, as well as a "synopsis of such items of county legislative matters discussed," is also mandated. The Legislature has eight Republicans and one Democrat (Montgomery). The surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty will be eligible for a 50 percent reduction in their county property taxes under another law approved on Tuesday. Legislator Jake D'Angelo proposed the exemption, which is authorized under a state law enacted by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December. Cities, towns, villages and school districts also can exempt spouses. D'Angelo said it "reflects Putnam County's continued commitment to honoring the service and sacrifice" of police officers and "providing meaningful, long-term support to their fa...

  8. 5d ago

    Dia Opens Three Long-Term Exhibits

    Works by Boetti, Riley and Chamberlain on display Magazzino Italian Art specializes in the country's post-World War II output, so it's no surprise that in April, it opened an extended exhibit featuring works by Alighiero Boetti, who is associated with the Arte Povera (Poverty Art) movement. Last month, by coincidence, Dia debuted its own long-term Boetti exhibition that includes three works drawn from its own collection, one of which contains 100 pieces. "We had no idea about their plans until we reached out to borrow an item," says Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, chair of Dia's curatorial department. A decade ago, she and Magazzino director Nicola Lucchi collaborated on a gallery show in New York City and the institutions, which arranged a hasty round of tours in July, plan to coordinate more events. Because Dia's curatorial reach casts a wider net than Magazzino's, its focus on Boetti illustrates his international impact. "Our approach highlights the artist, not the movement," says Guidelli-Guidi. "In light of geopolitical situations today, I started thinking about this two years ago." Arte Povera abhorred pretense, championed the use of everyday items and helped shape the conceptual art movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Boetti's fame grew after the group's loose collective spirit flamed out; he died in 1994 at age 53 of a brain tumor. Two rooms at Dia reflect the artist's playful side with child-friendly embroidered works; a political bent is represented by 16 copper engravings showing the boundaries of countries entrenched in turmoil between 1967 and 1971. This summer, Dia also opened long-term exhibits by Bridget Riley and John Chamberlain. Riley's proto-psychedelic paintings are must-see — and feel. All of the half-dozen works, rendered in black, white and something in between, mess with the senses by seeming to shape-shift and trigger visceral responses. Created in the early 1960s, they pulse like mobiles in motion, even when she uses near-parallel straight lines that somehow convey depth. "Climax" folds in on itself, then expands like an accordion. "Interrupted Circle" presents an optical illusion open to interpretation. One viewer suggested that the hiccup in the top left looked like a rising slice of cake and figured that the circle descended at the bottom like a waterfall; another observer's take conveyed the exact opposite viewpoint. The title "Straight Curve" is a coy play on how the patterns radiate as the eye dances across the canvas. Constructed from half-white, half-black triangles arrayed in various sizes and angles, the shapes sometimes look like squares with shadows. Grids melt into streaks as the work plays with the mind's eye. The Chamberlain show includes 10 large sculptures that weld or bolt together mangled automobile parts. In contrast, nine urethane foam creations from his Stuffed Dog series are placed on knee-high pedestals. One standout, "The Privet," named for a group of Asian shrubs and plants, resembles a narrow see-through hedgerow with serpentine strands resembling twisted reeds or bamboo shoots. About a foot wide, 15 feet tall and more than 50 feet long, the edifice's placement benefits from illumination provided by a massive western-facing window. Beyond the concurrent Boetti exhibits and the relationship between Lucchi and Guidelli-Guidi, the two institutions share another random, whimsical connection. Long before Dia opened its crushed automobile exhibit, an employee at Magazzino with Texas license plates has been driving around with a bumper sticker that reads, "My Other Car is a John Chamberlain." Dia Beacon, at 3 Beekman St. in Beacon, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Monday. Admission is $25 ($18 seniors, $12 students and visitors with disabilities, $5 children ages 5 to 11, free for members, Beacon and Newburgh residents, military families, veterans, SNAP participants and EBT cardholders). Admission is also free for Hudson Valley residents on the last Sunday of the month.

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About

The Highlands Current is a nonprofit weekly newspaper and daily website that covers Beacon, Cold Spring, Garrison, Nelsonville and Philipstown, New York, in the Hudson Highlands. This podcast includes select stories read aloud.

Information

  • Creator
    Highlands Current
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean