Joyce Pauline Pike, age 84 of Milan, died on April 24, 2025. She was born on August 13, 1940, in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Joyce graduated from Broad Ripple High School, attended the University of Colorado and Ball State Teachers College, and received a master’s degree in education from the University of Northern Colorado. Joyce taught secondary and middle school in Colorado and Minnesota; worked with adults to pass their GED requirements; and taught English as a Second Language to immigrants and trained adult tutors of ESL. Joyce wrote “Experiencing Mathematics to Work,” a curriculum for mentally handicapped adults, and attended the...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/joyce-pauline-pike-educator-and-beloved-aunt-dies-at-84/

“What do you need that for?” Rhinebeck Fire Chief Bryant Knapp recalls his wife asking. He had a ready answer as he contemplated a most unconventional purchase last November: a turquoise 1951 Chevy Pickup 3100. “We can go to the ice cream parlor,” he told her, barely popping a grin. Indeed, Knapp has enjoyed showing up at Holy Cow in Red Hook and chatting up a storm with all manner of people in the parking lot. “I love talking to people, and this sure gets people talking,” he said of his oversized toy, which is almost as tall as he...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/from-hose-to-horsepower-rhinebeck-fire-chief-picks-up-a-new-hobby-in-his-1951-chevy-truck/

The fourth episode of The Catch Up has dropped! Publisher Walter Mullin interviews Editor-in-Chief Emily Sachar about the Town of Red Hook's plan to take the Red Hook Boat Club by eminent domain and the lawsuit by the Town of Rhinebeck to try to stop the Six Senses Conference Center project in Clinton. The podcast also includes Walter and Emily’s three fun tips of the week.  Listeners can find the podcast here and on all major podcasting platforms. It is produced in partnership with Radio Free Rhinecliff. Apple Spotify You Tube 

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/the-catch-up-episode-4-drops-boat-club-eminent-domain-seizure-six-senses-lawsuit/

Town of Rhinebeck Residents Can Join Village Compost Program In a collaborative effort to expand local sustainability initiatives, the Town of Rhinebeck has officially joined the Village of Rhinebeck’s compost program through an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) approved las week at a Town Board meeting. The Village, which has been operating a food scrap composting program with Ellerslie Stables for a few months, currently has excess capacity in its municipal drop-off system. With support from a Department of Environmental Conversation (DEC) grant, the program is free of cost to participants and is designed to divert food waste into nutrient-rich compost. Spearheaded...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/the-short-catch-compost-program-opens-to-rhinebeck-town-new-childcare-center-at-ferncliff-scholarships-and-bard-summerscape/

Village of Red Hook Mayor Karen Smythe committed this week to exploring the feasibility of conducting an environmental impact assessment of the area downstream from the wastewater treatment plant to appraise damage to homes, property, and wetlands that may have been caused by the facility. The decision, announced Thursday evening at a community forum on the plant, is a response to concerns from residents over the ecological damage and lingering health risks from years of improper sewage discharge.  “My primary focus right now is ensuring that our current plants return to proper operation and full compliance,” Smythe told The Daily...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-mayor-commits-to-environmental-impact-study-as-residents-demand-accountability-for-damage-from-wastewater-plant/

Mimi Joh-Carnella has worked to address the climate crisis locally in the Village of Rhinebeck as part of the Climate Smart Task Force. But at home, she felt stuck on how to reduce her own reliance on heating oil and propane. She wanted to move away from fossil fuels and shrink her carbon footprint but didn’t know where to begin. Through her Climate Smart Task Force work, Joh-Carnella learned about Tom Konrad, an energy coach. Konrad helps homeowners understand how their energy systems work and identifies practical, cost-effective retrofits. Intrigued, Joh-Carnella decided to book a session. “There were just so...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/coaching-for-the-climate-how-one-expert-is-helping-local-homeowners-shrink-their-fossil-fuel-footprints/

Sandra Burgess, a longtime resident of the town and city of Poughkeepsie, died on April 28 in Rhinebeck. She was born on April 6, 1938, in Brattleboro, VT. She graduated from the University of Vermont and had a long career in human resources management at Poughkeepsie Savings Bank and later TD Bank. She served on the board of Georgetown Square Condominiums, where she lived for 25 years and enjoyed walking from her condo to the public path along McCann Golf Course. Sandra spent many happy summers at her cottage in Burlington, VT.  Her Catholic faith was important to her, and...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/sandra-b-burgess-bank-hr-manager-dies-at-87/

In a tail-wagging team-up, the towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook have joined forces to launch a new joint dog control department. Staffed by two local officers, the new Paw Patrol will provide round-the-clock service to residents searching for runaway pets and strays.  The move became necessary after the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) announced in June 2024 that it would be terminating all animal control contracts. The Hyde Park organization, which had provided animal control services to many municipalities throughout the county, will now focus solely on sheltering animals and preparing them for...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/paw-and-order-new-joint-red-hook-rhinebeck-dog-control-team-to-keep-pet-owners-in-line/

After three years of planning and environmental reviews, the Town of Rhinebeck is moving forward with a new local law to rezone the Locust Hill property, which will allow the Planning Board to begin site plan review of the long-anticipated workforce housing development.  Without the rezoning, affordable rental apartments could not be built on the site. The Town Board voted on Monday to start the process of adopting Local Law A of 2025. A public hearing on the proposed law is scheduled for May 12 at Town Hall. “We are thrilled to finally be beginning the Local Law process to...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/rhinebeck-town-board-launches-rezoning-process-to-clear-the-way-for-construction-launch-at-locust-hill/

Red Hook Town Board Announces Plan to Take Boat Club by Eminent Domain, Setting Up Tense Battle Letter to the Editor: As a former Mayor of Tivoli and Red Hook County Legislator, I read with interest your recent article regarding the Town’s proposal to take the Red Hook boat club property through eminent domain. One line in particular gave me pause—that Red Hook could only attain Hudson River access through such action. This ignores, as has been a long Town practice, the Tivoli waterfront, which embodies the town’s shared history and enormous opportunity. Tivoli is not a distant outpost adjacent...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/comments-to-the-catch-red-hook-boat-club-and-eminent-domain-april-26-29-2025/