Red Hook school district leaders closed the high school's Field 1 on Wednesday after receiving a report that the ball field does not meet national safety guidelines. The abrupt decision leaves student-athletes without a home field for the spring season. Officials say repairs to the field will not begin until voters decide in May if a proposed -million capital project moves forward. “My kids have been playing on this field for years. They have seen the deterioration of the field, and they know that it's dangerous to play on,” said Patricia O’Connor, a parent of three children in the school...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/field-of-broken-dreams-red-hook-athletes-forced-to-relocate-after-field-1-deemed-unplayable/

Village of Rhinebeck residents will have the chance on Tuesday to offer their thoughts on a proposal to impose a new tax on their utility bills, with the goal of raising extra money for village coffers.  The tax, which amounts to 1% of the gross income of utility companies operating in the Village of Rhinebeck, would increase the bills of all Central Hudson consumers living in the village, according to a spokesperson for the New York State Public Service Commission. It is not clear yet how much money would be raised.  The proposal would apply to companies providing electricity, gas,...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/bill-shock-1-utility-tax-proposal-for-rhinebeck-village-residents-heads-to-public-hearing-tuesday/

Reacting to the unprecedented competition for seats in Red Hook’s Village Board election next week, Mayor Karen Smythe took the unusual step of issuing an endorsement in the race Monday – embracing her deputy mayor, Melkorka Kjarval.  Mayors historically have remained neutral in Village Board elections. "I have not endorsed in a Village election before," Smythe stated in her announcement. "This race is unique, and I feel strongly that Melkorka deserves our support." It is not clear when there last was competition for Village Board, but local government experts, including Smythe, said they could not remember a time. Smythe said...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-mayor-breaks-tradition-endorses-deputy-mayor-in-unusually-competitive-village-board-race/

Frank J Ackley, 79, of Rhinebeck, died on Feb. 26, 2025, at Maplewood at Stony Hill in Bethel, CT. Frank was born in Kingston on Feb. 4, 1946, and graduated from Kingston High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War era. Frank was briefly employed with IBM before beginning his career with the NYS Police, attaining the position of Zone Sergeant in Troop K – Zone 1, retiring in 2001 after 31 years of service. Frank was proud to serve as a member of the original “Mobile Response Team” that was created for the 1980 Winter Olympics,...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/frank-ackley-nys-police-sergeant-dies-at-79/

On March 18, voters in the Village of Rhinebeck will be asked to reelect incumbent Democratic Mayor Gary Bassett, who is running unopposed. But they will have to make a choice for Village Trustee, as two incumbent Democratic board members, Ric Lewit and Lydia Slaby, defend their seats against Republican Derrick Sinon. Voters may cast ballots from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Courtroom at Village Hall, 76 E. Market Street. The Daily Catch invited all candidates to answer the same questions. We also asked voters to share photos. We present the responses from Democrats to you here. Due...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/meet-the-democratic-candidates-rhinebeck-mayor-runs-unopposed-while-two-incumbents-face-lone-republican-in-a-best-of-three-battle/

On a November afternoon at Northern Dutchess Hospital, Red Hook High School juniors Bailey Scheider and Colton Roszco pulled their hair back into scrub caps, tied masks behind their ears, and squeezed their hands into latex gloves. Then, standing inside an operating room, they observed their first gastric surgery. Elsewhere in the hospital, high school senior Briseida Ortega-Gutierrez pored over brain scans, learning from a radiologist how to identify the signs of a stroke. Meanwhile, another student, Jade Zhang, shadowed doctors in the emergency room, witnessing how they comforted patients in times of crisis. For a month last fall, 12...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/heartbeats-hospital-rounds-red-hook-teens-get-a-crash-course-in-medicine-at-northern-dutchess-hospital/

They asked. They listened. They mused. And they complained – all in the spirit of getting unscripted, low-key face time with Town of Rhinebeck leaders as the nascent Communications Committee organized its first Wine and Whine event for residents Tuesday evening. Some 30 people convened at the Morton Library in Rhinecliff as Town Board members sat informally, legs dangling off the stage, to break from the formality of Town Board meetings at Town Hall, which restrict public comment to 3 minutes per person. On Tuesday, for just over an hour, open conversation ruled. Attendees took turns asking questions and making...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/raise-a-glass-and-a-concern-rhinebeck-whine-and-wine-event-opens-doors-to-honest-talk/

On a November afternoon at Northern Dutchess Hospital, Red Hook High School juniors Bailey Scheider and Colton Roszco pulled their hair back into scrub caps, tied masks behind their ears, and squeezed their hands into latex gloves. Then, standing inside an operating room, they observed their first gastric surgery. Elsewhere in the hospital, high school senior Briseida Ortega-Gutierrez pored over brain scans, learning from a radiologist how to identify the signs of a stroke. Meanwhile, another student, Jade Zhang, shadowed doctors in the emergency room, witnessing how they comforted patients in times of crisis. For a month last fall, 12...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/heartbeats-hospital-rounds-red-hook-teens-get-a-crash-course-in-medicine-at-northern-dutchess-hospital/

Drones patrolling the skies, tracking fleeing suspects and assisting search and rescue operations. Cameras on every school campus in the county uploading footage to a centralized computer system. Artificial intelligence checking the license plates of each vehicle that enters or leaves the region. This isn’t science fiction - it’s what policing in Dutchess County could look like as soon as this spring.  Spearheaded by District Attorney Anthony Parisi and County Sheriff Kirk Imperati, this innovative approach to law enforcement has the unwieldy name of The Dutchess County Advanced Real-Time Crime and Intelligence Center, although most refer to it by its...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/eyes-everywhere-new-crime-center-brings-high-tech-surveillance-to-policing-in-dutchess-county/

Jack Costello had seen too many students slip through the cracks. As Director of Pupil Services at Red Hook Central School District, he watched teenagers cycle in and out of crisis care, often missing weeks of school and falling behind. Parents, teachers, and counselors were all stretched thin, struggling to support the growing number of students trying to manage anxiety and depression. In Northern Dutchess County, where resources are particularly scarce, the care they needed simply wasn’t there. “Schools have been caught in the position of having to make up where there aren’t other resources,” Costello told The Daily Catch....

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/can-school-based-therapy-help-at-risk-students-red-hook-is-finding-out/