Lucy Michelucci, 93, died on July 23, 2025, at her home in Red Hook. Born in the Bronx on February 6, 1932, Lucy married Albert J. Michelucci on December 28, 1957, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.  Lucy began her career in Manhattan at age 16 as an administrative assistant. She worked in finance for many years. After moving from Bedford Hills to North Salem, NY, she opened Peach Lake Wines & Spirits, a specialty wine shop. Lucy loved music, painting, and participating in her local garden club after she and Albert moved to Red Hook in 1992. She...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/lucy-michelucci-wine-shop-owner-and-gardener-dies-at-93/

At first glance, the picnic tables outside the Mobil station on East Market Street look like just another place to pause for coffee. But linger on an early morning, and it quickly becomes apparent that they are home to one of Rhinebeck’s most consistent traditions: a daily gathering of local men who show up every single morning of the year, without fail, to talk trucks, potholes, politics, and life. There are no schedules or invitations, and certainly no name for the group. But under the red umbrellas, an unofficial council of Rhinebeck locals has formed and maintained an enduring ritual...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/mornings-at-the-mobil-the-men-of-rhinebeck-who-keep-an-everyday-ritual-and-an-extraordinary-bond-alive/

The Catch-Up welcomes our Rhinebeck beat reporter, Elena Gastaldo, who walks listeners through the Six Senses conference center project planned for Clinton on the Rhinebeck border. What exactly is the proposal? Why all the controversy? What are the next steps? Daily Catch Publisher Walter Mullin and Editor-in-Chief Emily Sachar also offer quick updates on the next Red Hook Democratic Caucus and the opening of a new pinball arcade in Rhinebeck. The transcript is here. 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-12-an-inside-look-at-the-six-sense-project-updates-on-dems-caucus-and-a-new-pinball-arcade/

The owner of Le Petit Bistro has been charged with brandishing and racking a handgun during a private verbal dispute over the use of a chainsaw, State Police said Monday. During the July 3 incident, which police said occurred on Long Dock Road at 7:13 p.m., Joseph Ziad Dalu, 55, allegedly threatened an individual, who then contacted police. They did not identify the age or gender of the complainant. One hour later, according to police, Dalu was arrested and charged with Menacing in the 2nd Degree (with a weapon), a Class A Misdemeanor, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/rhinebeck-man-55-charged-with-two-misdemeanors-for-brandishing-a-handgun-during-a-dispute/

State Police scuba divers and investigators fanned out across the northern area of Spring Lake in Upper Red Hook Monday, vetting new information in a murder case that went cold three-plus decades ago. Senior Investigator Matthew Radewitz said that the State Police expect to have important new information to share in the case of Brian Charles Burton on Tuesday. Speaking from a grassy field beside the western side of Spring Lake Monday, Radewitz declined to detail what objects or information police are looking for.  “It’s sensitive information we are still trying to vet,” Radewitz told The Daily Catch. “We don’t...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/state-police-focusing-on-new-information-in-31-year-old-murder-case-dive-north-spring-lake-and-scour-area-monday/

The Josh Turner country tune, “Your Man,” plays softly on a wireless speaker as octogenarian Marion Coon rocks in a portable chair. Nearby, her son, Glen, has fired up a propane grill and is preparing burgers, hot dogs, and chicken legs for a group of 12. Two preteen boys arrive and set up their fishing gear. Two older kids toss around a football. They’re old and young, skilled tradespeople and professionals, Republicans and Democrats, new to the scene in some cases, and carrying on a multi-generation tradition in others. One-quarter own boats. All are bound by their love of the...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-boat-club-members-explain-and-defend-a-lifestyle-theyve-forged-across-generations/

In 2016, a mentor from the New York Botanical Garden offered budding florist Nancy Lee an exciting opportunity: How about flying to California and helping out at the iconic Rose Parade? Lee had no idea what lay ahead. But why not, she mused. In the days leading up to the famous New Year’s Day event, Lee was then tasked with inspecting every single flower delivered for the 42 floats featured in the parade that year, some 18 million flowers in all. She had to know the float to which each flower was assigned and assess its condition before approving its...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/petals-persistence-how-nancy-lee-centered-floral-and-personal-growth-inside-her-red-hook-floral-shop/

Barbara A. Rifenburg, 77, a lifelong Red Hook resident, died on July 2, 2025. She was born on April 7, 1948, at Northern Dutchess Hospital to the late Edward and Catherine Guski. She attended St. Sylvia’s Catholic School in Tivoli and graduated from Red Hook High School. She went on to attend Krissler Business Institute in Poughkeepsie. A devout Catholic, Barbara was a longtime communicant of St. Sylvia’s Church in Tivoli and, more recently, St. Christopher’s Church in Red Hook. She was particularly inspired by the Carmelite Sisters. Barbara worked as a nurse’s aide at Ferncliff Nursing Home, did administrative...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/barbara-a-rifenburg-health-care-worker-and-red-hook-raiders-1-fan-dies-at-77/

Gale B. Scheltmeyer, 83, a resident of Rockledge, Florida, and formerly of Red Hook, died on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at VITAS Hospice in Rockledge. Born on May 13, 1942, in Yonkers, she graduated from Yorktown Heights High School in 1960. She and William J. “Bill” Scheltmeyer were married in Salisbury, NC, in 1962. Gale worked for many years at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck. She was a devoted parishioner and served as a Eucharistic Minister, Warden, Reader, Chalice Bearer, and Vestry Person at Christ Church in Red Hook, and was a member of the Vestry at Christ Episcopal Church...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/gale-b-scheltmeyer-longtime-northern-dutchess-hospital-employee-dies-at-83/

The proposed Six Senses development in Clinton has become a flashpoint for controversy, spawning a rare inter-municipal lawsuit, dueling petitions, allegations of misconduct, and passionate debate at public hearings.  The developer asserts the project will be a net positive for the surrounding community, bringing jobs and economic development. Detractors have seized on procedural avenues to derail the project or slow it down.  The controversy, the developer says, has obscured what the proposed wellness retreat will actually look like. Also lost in the maneuvering are the reasons opponents feel so passionately about the project.  To better understand the project, The Daily...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/eco-friendly-resort-or-environmental-threat-an-insider-look-at-the-debate-over-the-six-senses-development-in-clinton/