When immigration agents grabbed Gerson Turcios outside his Rhinebeck home earlier this month, the 23-year-old Honduran immigrant was at last seeing the benefits of years of hard work.  His landscaping client base was growing. He had recently invested money in new equipment and hired his first employee. It had been a long journey, but he was steadily achieving his dreams. “The second he was stable and on his feet—ready to prosper—this happens,” said Brendan Dougherty, a close friend. Turcios had arrived in Rhinebeck just before he turned 18—a quiet teenager from Honduras with no money and limited English. His biggest...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/dreaming-big-in-a-new-land-how-gerson-turcios-built-a-landscapers-life-in-rhinebeck-from-scratch/

It was supposed to be an easy train trip south to Manhattan from Rhinecliff for Linda Hemphill, a 71-year-old retiree who had just visited her sister in Elizaville and her 97-year-old mother at Brookmeade. With a broken toe and three bags in tow, Hemphill opted Tuesday afternoon for the elevator at the Amtrak Rhinecliff station rather than face the 41 steps to the platform. What followed was 45 sweltering minutes trapped alone in a filthy, malfunctioning elevator — with no alarm intercom, no cameras, and no air circulation on a 97-degree afternoon. “It was something,” Hemphill said Wednesday, safe in...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/sweating-and-stuck-amtrak-passenger-keeps-her-wits-for-nearly-an-hour-in-a-broken-rhinecliff-elevator/

On Friday, July 18, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Gerson Turcio, a beloved Rhinebeck landscaper and Rhinebeck High School graduate. The Daily Catch explains it for you and takes you inside the courtroom where Turcio's case was first heard last week. The transcript is here. Listeners can find the podcast here and on all major podcasting platforms. The Catch-Up is produced in partnership with Radio Free Rhinecliff. Apple Spotify You Tube 

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/the-catch-up-episode-16-ice-makes-an-arrest-in-rhinebeck-and-a-community-reacts/

The Town of Red Hook is seeking a 0,000 state grant to help build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Saw Kill tributary, a long-planned project that would connect the Cookingham Farm trails to Recreation Park East and complete a vital link in the town’s off-road trail network. The Town Board voted Tuesday to authorize submission of the grant application to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. If awarded, the funds would support construction of the bridge and accompanying boardwalk as part of the “Saw Kill trail link,” an effort to connect the town’s...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-applies-for-30000-grant-to-connect-new-cookingham-trails-via-pedestrian-bridge-to-the-rec-park/

The Town of Red Hook is taking a major step toward extending sewer infrastructure along Route 9 south of the Village, submitting a [post_excerpt].25-million grant application to help finance a new wastewater system for its Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) district. But even if the grant comes through, the Town will need to float a bond, to be repaid over a 30-year term by the users of the new Sewer District No. 1. Unless other grants are found, the bond would fund just under million of the .6 million project. Town Supervisor Robert McKeon said the Town may tap the...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-town-applies-for-1-25-million-grant-to-launch-long-awaited-sewer-expansion-along-south-broadway/

The Village of Red Hook is moving forward with the next phase of its long-term effort to replace backyard septic systems, improve water quality, and expand its sewer, applying for million in state funding to add sewer service to 170 additional properties, including the planned RUPCO affordable housing project due north at Cookingham East. The proposed project, considered Phase 2 of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and sewer system upgrade, is part of a multi-year plan to protect drinking water supplies and support future housing and business growth in the village, Mayor Karen Smythe told The Daily Catch. It...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/despite-objections-by-environmental-advocates-red-hook-seeks-10-million-grant-for-sewer-and-wastewater-plant-expansion/

The Red Hook Public Library this week unveiled its new five-year strategic plan that aims to reimagine the role of the library as a hub for connection, literacy, and sustainability.  The plan, developed through community surveys and focus groups, outlines new programs and services designed to meet the evolving needs of residents. It focuses on four priorities: culture, community, early literacy, and sustainability. Library Board Chair Anna Greig, an attorney trained at Columbia Law School, said the library has already begun work on some of the action steps in the plan, like hosting a staff training in "Spanish for Librarians,"...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-library-lays-down-new-five-year-plan-with-more-outreach-to-vulnerable-communities/

After five months of debate, the Rhinebeck Town Board indicated Monday they will move ahead with a proposed parking plan for Rhinecliff that will allow parking regulations in the hamlet, add more than three dozen parking spaces in the Town lot and on public streets, and bar parking on several streets. The proposed parking plan, on which the Board has not yet taken a formal vote, would carve out 22 parking spaces on public streets and 16 spaces in the Town lot at Shatzell and Charles streets. Three-hour parking limits would apply on Shatzell Avenue and two sections of Kelly...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/rhinebeck-town-board-cites-safety-liability-risks-as-it-advances-new-rhinecliff-parking-regulations/

Another motorist, this time in an off-road utility terrain vehicle, escaped from Red Hook Police at a high rate of speed Wednesday that culminated in an arrest the next day. The incident occurred last Wednesday, July 23 at about 5:15 p.m. when a patrol observed the UTV on West Market Street in the village, police reported. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the illegally operated UTV, but the driver failed to comply, instead fleeing onto State Route 9G southbound at high rates of speed. The UTV then fled into the Forest Park development and then into wooded...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/police-apprehend-utv-driver-the-next-day-after-he-speeds-away-down-route-9g/

The Red Hook Boat Club has proposed that the Town of Red Hook own and operate a Coast Guard-certified vessel to give scenic and historic tours of the Hudson River from its Barrytown pier. The idea is the latest pitch to try to get a public-private partnership off the ground. The boat would be launched, docked, and moored at the Club’s facilities under terms of a lease or license, the Club proposed in a letter dated July 25. “This would allow the Town to ensure meaningful public access to the river while avoiding the very real safety and security concerns...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-boat-club-suggests-town-operate-river-tours-from-clubs-barrytown-pier-as-it-advances-public-private-partnership/