Putnam County Press and the Putnam County Times

New Playground Opens at JFK Elem.

Brewster students help cut the ribbon, and then give the new playground at JFK Elementary School a whirl. Brewster, teachers, staff, and students gathered Sept. 14 to officially open the new playground at JFK Elementary School. The site includes arching spider webs, tall slides, a climbing wall, steps and bridges, bouncy chairs, a merry-go-round, and a specially designated area for pre-kindergarten students. “The design and vision of the playground was a team effort,” said As

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New Playground Opens at JFK Elem.

Latest News

3 hours ago

Carmel Schools Discuss Parent Access to Bus GPS

By Holly Crocco The Carmel School Board is considering options to equip every school bus with GPS technology, and whether parents should be able to access that information. Superintendent of Schools Michael Plotkin told the Carmel School Board during its Sept. 22 meeting that the discussion has been ongoing since the spring, with district transportation leaders saying such technology could help improve the efficiency of the more than 80 routes driven by more than 100 buses ea

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3 hours ago

Tune In for County Executive Debate

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Press/Times will host a debate featuring the three candidates running for Putnam County executive Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m., at a local library. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/putnampress and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/putnampresstimes. You do not need a social media account to watch. Simply open any web browser and go directly to either profile (we recommend the Facebook link for the smoothest exper

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3 hours ago

Lawsuit Filed Against Campaign

Disclosure: The Putnam County Press/Times is published under The Putnam County Press & Times LLC, which is a subsidiary of the Whipple Foundation for the Preservation of Putnam County, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. By Holly Crocco Five Putnam County voters have filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court alleging that County Executive Kevin Byrne has accepted $19,468 above the maximum permitted by New York State Election Law, in his bid for reelection. Election law pro

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3 hours ago

Should Put Valley Adopt its Natural Resources Inventory?

By Holly Crocco The Town of Putnam Valley has a Natural Resource Inventory that is eight years old but was never officially adopted. During the Sept. 16 Putnam Valley Town Board meeting, Ted Warren, public policy manager for the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, explained that the organization helped the town draft its NRI in 2018. “A Natural Resource Inventory compiles and describes important, naturally occurring resources in a municipality, such as forest, streams, wildlife habi

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3 hours ago

‘Tax Levy Pause’ Unlikely in 2027

By Holly Crocco Discussion regarding what to do with the county’s $191 million fund balance continued last week, with lawmakers debating whether a “tax levy pause” would be doable in 2027, or if it would hurt the county’s financial standing. “I’d like to reframe it is a tax levy ‘timeout’ for 2027,” said Legislator Dan Birmingham, R-Southeast, during the county’s Sept. 22 Budget Committee meeting. “We had a $1 million tax decrease this year. And $1 million out of $163 million

Government

3 hours ago

Daniel Nimham Statue Dedicated in Kent

From left are Sculptor Mike Keropian, Jo Ann Schedler and Rainer Shooter of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation, and Kent Historical Society President Tom Breslin. Photo provided by KHS. Members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians were joined by community members at a dedication ceremony for a new 4-foot-tall bronzes statue of Daniel Nimham – the last Sachem, or chief, of the Wappinger Native American tribe and a Revolutionary War patriot – on Sept

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4 days ago

Putnam May Offer Tax Break for ‘In-Law Apartments’

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature is expected to approve a property tax exemption for those who create accessory dwelling units on their properties for long-term rentals. New York State has given counties the option to provide a temporary exemption on the increase in value created when a homeowner creates a legal accessory dwelling unit, and Legislator Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown, has put forth a resolution asking the county to utilize that tool to increase th

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4 days ago

Cold Spring ‘Hammered’ By Tourism

By Holly Crocco The first weekend of September was a couple of sunny, warm days – ideal for the throngs of visitors who descended on Cold Spring to enjoy a late summer (or early fall) hike and enjoy views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Highlands. It was not ideal for those who live and work in the village. “I mean, let’s just be honest, we got slammed this weekend,” said Mayor Kathleen Foley during the Sept. 9 Cold Spring Village Board meeting. “We were overwhelmed with v

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4 days ago

Overnight Traffic on Pugsley Lane Moving Forward

The Southeast Planning Board recently voted to amend the statement of findings from the 2021 environmental impact statement for the Lincoln Logistics development on Pugsley Hill Road, to support removal of the condition that trucks cannot operate overnight, citing that review of traffic and noise show there will not be an adverse impact. “If the board approves the amended finding statement tonight, then they will also vote on referring this to the town board for an amendment

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4 days ago

Strauss Announces Run for Coroner

Michael Strauss Practicing physician Dr. Michael Strauss has announced his candidacy for Putnam County coroner in the Nov. 3 election. In the last two elections for this office, incumbents ran unopposed. Strauss completed his medical education in Belgium in 1980, then practiced internal medicine at the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai where he served as director of the Department of Medicine and as chief medical officer. Later, Strauss began a practice of intern

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4 days ago

25 Years Later, Putnam Remembers 9/11

The Putnam County Youth Bureau hosted its annual youth-led 9/11 memorial service Sept. 11 at the Bureau of Emergency Services in Carmel. It was a somber morning as those gathered remembered and paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and those who have died from related illnesses since. Additional remembrances took place throughout the day, and complete coverage will appear in next week’s issue. Photos by Chloe Wareham-Gordon.

Latest News

Sep 13

NYS Moving Toward One H.S. Diploma

By Holly Crocco New York State is moving toward one standard diploma for all students. While this new vision does not eliminate the Regents diploma, it does eliminate the requirement. Changes coming to school districts across the state were outlined by Mahopac School Board member Lisa Caraway during the board’s Sept. 3 meeting, when she updated colleagues on information learned during a recent conference hosted by the NYS Education Department. “It’s really all part of this ev

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Sep 13

Patterson Eyes 4% Budget Increase

By Holly Crocco Patterson Town Supervisor Richard Williams has presented a preliminary budget for next year that surpasses the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap by more than $134,700. “The 2027 budget proposes an overall 4.09 percent increase in spending,” he said at the Sept. 9 Patterson Town Board meeting. “Unfortunately, due to rising costs and other factors, it exceeds the amount allowed to stay under the tax cap.” Williams said there are a number of issues drivin

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Sep 13

County Addresses Retiree Health Insurance Costs

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature is poised to revise its policy on retiree health insurance benefits, offering a targeted retirement incentive program to encourage long-term and higher-compensated employees to retire earlier than planned, in exchange for a modified schedule of retiree health insurance benefits. During the county’s Sept. 8 Personnel Committee meeting, Acting Personnel Commissioner Adriene Iasoni explained that 87 percent of the county’s retirees a

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Sep 13

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