Cherie T. Zietz, 62, a longtime resident of Rhinebeck, died at home on March 25, 2025. She was born in Passaic, NJ, on Sept. 9, 1962.  Cherie is remembered as a rambunctious rock and roller with a knack for mischief in her youth and a kind and giving heart. She frequented the Rhinebeck Tavern, where she met her husband, Terry. She felt that their two children were her greatest accomplishment. Cherie was the receptionist at the Astor home in Rhinebeck for twenty years. She was known there for her love of pranks, sweet tooth, and ever-present bag of Twizzlers. Cherie...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/cherie-zietz-astor-home-receptionist-dies-at-62/

Alan H. Friedman, 86, died on Friday, March 21, 2025, after a brief stay at the Eleanor Nursing Home in Hyde Park. Born on June 25, 1938, in Brooklyn, Alan graduated from Dartmouth College and received a law degree from NYU School of Law. He first practiced law privately with his father in Manhattan and subsequently was General Counsel for Robert Hall and Senior Attorney for JCP Realty. When JCP moved to Texas, Alan and his wife Joan stayed in New York and owned and operated A Choice Nanny placement service for 25 years. They were married for 43 years, lived...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/alan-friedman-lawyer-and-business-owner-dies-at-86/

On the heels of an angry letter from a coalition of local citizens demanding answers to years of foul odors and recent reports of contamination of a tributary of the Saw Kill creek near their homes, the Red Hook Village Board has ended its contract with C3ND Environmental Consulting, the firm that has managed Red Hook’s wastewater treatment plant since the sewer project was finished in late 2022.  The board will instead use Albany-based Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. as the new operator starting on Monday. Mayor Karen Smythe said she has directed Delaware to conduct a full review of the operations...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-hook-village-dismisses-sewer-contractor-hires-new-firm-to-fix-failing-wastewater-plant/

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/