Double-digit health insurance premium increases and a desire to raise the cost of living for municipal employees will lead to a 3% increase in the Town of Rhinebeck’s budget for 2026. The Rhinebeck Town Board on Monday passed a final budget for 2026 totaling .26 million, up from .07 million the year prior. (Adobe stock photo) But property taxes are expected to be flat for most residents because the size of the Town’s tax base has increased, spreading out the tax burden, Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia told The Daily Catch Tuesday. “It’s likely that most property owners won’t see their...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/amid-double-digit-insurance-hikes-for-employees-town-of-rhinebeck-raises-budget-but-property-taxes-should-be-flat/

Note, some comments have been edited for brevity and clarity. Follow the link to each article for the full text of the comments.  Bard Student, an Afghan Refugee, Is Detained by ICE After Routine Immigration InterviewFrom Facebook:Jenny Smith: Ohhh no, it’s like it’s the consequences of your actions. June Largo: …and? Matthew Briggs: Good, it proves our system is working for the protection of US citizens. If he has the correct paperwork, he will be set free. Thank you, ICE, for doing your job.  Deborah Hudock: Ty, DC Kate Williams: (in response to other comments) You literally have to have...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/comments-to-the-catch-rhinebeck-write-in-campaign-suggested-jail-time-for-parking-violations-red-hook-tax-increases-oct-20-to-nov-3-2025/

Thomas Francis Nuhn, 63, died unexpectedly on Oct. 26, 2025, at his home in Rhinebeck. Tim was born in 1962 in Poughkeepsie, the fourth of five children. Tim, raised Catholic, attended Holy Trinity Grade School and Our Lady of Lourdes High School. He received his BFA in Design with a special focus in glassblowing from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). During college, one of his summer jobs was at Adams Fairacre Farms in Poughkeepsie. After college, Tim moved to Yonkers and worked at Art Ad House in Manhattan, where he met the love of his life, Audrey Francis. They lived...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/thomas-f-tim-nuhn-adams-fences-foreman-and-rhinebeck-repair-cafe-head-dies-at-63/

Every Halloween, the quiet southwest corner of the Village of Red Hook bursts to life. The streets of Fraleigh, Prince, Garden, Church, Philips, and Benner fill with costumed families, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, graveyards, ghosts, and smiles that carry into the night. From 5:30 to 9 p.m., neighbors transform their homes into haunted wonderlands, drawing visitors from across Northern Dutchess to join in the fun. Here’s a look at this year’s impromptu Red Hook Halloween celebration, an evening of creativity, community, and plenty of candy. Watch our photo gallery below.

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/a-red-hook-halloween-in-vibrant-photos/

Rhinebeck Town Board candidate Democrat Debbie Hecht and four other members of the Rhinebeck Democratic Committee have asked Dutchess County Democratic leadership to remove Village Mayor Gary Bassett from their ranks for disloyalty over his alleged involvement in a write-in campaign to unseat Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia. Rhinebeck Town Board candidate Debbie Hecht has asked that Village Mayor Gary Bassett be removed from the local Democratic Committee for disloyalty. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Hecht) Bassett, whose name has been suggested as a last-minute candidate, told The Daily Catch earlier this week that he is not involved in the write-in effort....

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/rhinebeck-town-board-candidate-and-others-seek-removal-of-village-mayor-from-democratic-committee-for-disloyalty/

Shopaholics and lovers of designer clothes, rejoice. A new upscale second-hand store, the Ultimate Thrift Shop, from longtime fashion business consultant Lisa Metcalfe, will open its doors in mid-November on Route 9 in Rhinebeck. Longtime fashion business consultant Lisa Metcalfe is opening a second-hand clothing store that will feature a curated and upscale retail experience. (Photo by Erin Albrecht) While some shoppers might think of “literally digging” through clothing bins when they hear the word “consignment,” the Ultimate Thrift Shop will feature a more curated and high-end retail experience, Metcalfe said. “We’re selling designers that are focused on quality, and...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/high-end-thrift-designer-resale-shop-to-open-in-rhinebeck/

Ralph "Pooch" VanWagner died on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Rhinebeck. Born in the Hudson Valley on April 19, 1956, Ralph joined the United States Navy in 1973 and served on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt until 1979. After serving his country, he traveled the United States, living in Louisiana and Texas. After returning to the Hudson Valley, Ralph worked for many years as an independent carpenter. He spent the remainder of his working life utilizing his CDL and Hazardous Material Vehicle license, working for Bottini and eventually retiring with Gasland.Ralph loved the freedom of the open road on his...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/ralph-pooch-vanwagner-navy-veteran-carpenter-and-fuel-driver-dies-at-69/

Food banks and school cafeterias serving Red Hook and Rhinebeck are bracing for a surge in demand ahead of the possible cut next week of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in the wake of the government shutdown. Local food pantries are bracing for a surge in demand after the federal government cuts off SNAP benefits on Saturday. (Adobe stock photo) Despite their best preparations and a last-minute infusion of million in state funds, regional food bank leaders say they will not be able to meet the surge in demand that is expected as thousands who rely on SNAP, sometimes...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/snap-cuts-could-leave-thousands-hungry-in-dutchess-county-local-food-pantries-brace-for-surge/

Attorney Kenneth Stenger is one of the lawyers who is challenging the standing of the Town of Rhinebeck and other plaintiffs in a lawsuit focused on a local law passed by Hyde Park. (Courtesy of Stenger, Glass, Hagstrom, Lindars & Iuele LLP) The landowner behind the controversial resort project, Six Senses Hudson Valley, and the two Dutchess County towns where the project is located, have asked the Dutchess County Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Town of Rhinebeck and others that seeks to block the project.  In separate filings, these Six Senses supporters argue that Rhinebeck and...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/six-senses-landowner-supporters-challenge-rhinebecks-authority-to-sue-to-block-major-hotel-development/

While notarizing nominating petitions at the GOP’s request last year, Tonya Pulver noticed something odd: no Republican was stepping up to challenge Democratic incumbent Chris Drago in the Dutchess County Legislature for District 19. Pulver started calling around. “[I] tried to get some really good people interested, and nobody was. Everybody’s got a lot on their plate,” she told The Daily Catch. “After beating the bushes, I finally said to my husband, ‘What about me?’ ” Incumbent Democrat Chris Drago (left) and Republican challenger Tonya Pulver (right) share the stage at an October “Meet the Candidates” Town Hall in Pine...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/district-19-showdown-shapes-up-for-county-legislature-as-another-pulver-takes-aim-at-drago/