"Free Palestine" Spray Painted Onto American Flag Mural In Wappingers Falls

On what appeared to be Tuesday evening, October 8, 2024, the American Flag mural in Wappingers Falls on the khaki building on East Main Street and Market Street had the message “Free Palestine” spray painted onto it in black, with splatters of red paint dripping down, a technique used in the past to symbolize blood of those slaughtered in Palestine during the Israeli assault on Gaza, the West Bank, other parts of Palestine, and now Lebanon, that has been intensified during the past year. Many international institutions call it a genocide, and popular opinion has been referring to it as a holocaust, with recent burning of people alive and rounding up of people to be executed or tortured.

Wappingers Department of Public Works covering a “Free Palestine” message spray painted onto a building.
Photo Credit: Possibly North Nelson in a Wappingers Falls Facebook group.

According to reporting at ESPN Radio 104.5FM, the “Free Palestine” message on the building was covered up and the flag repainted by noon on Wednesday by the Wappingers Department of Public Works and a local businessman Anthony Hardisty, who is a real estate agent with Sam’s Realty in Beacon, and a developer in Wappingers.

Reporting at ESPN Radio 104.5PM personified the building in the description of the application of the message, assigning emotions and actions to it: “The iconic American flag mural that greets visitors to the Village of Wappingers Falls has been vandalized with a political message.”

And “The flag has been a source of inspiration and pride for the village, standing tall during some of its darkest times, such as building collapses, fires and the devastating explosion on Market Street that occurred a year ago,” even though these events had nothing to do with the message written onto the building.

According to the article: “Wappingers Town Supervisor Joseph Cavaccini criticized the act, saying ‘Disrespecting the American Flag and acts of vandalism have no place in our community.’"

Not The First Time “Free Palestine” Tagged On A Building

In Fishkill near Home Depot, in December 2017, the Old Dutchess Mall was tagged with an enormous mural saying “Free Palestine.” While that part of the mall is trash, is surrounded by trash and is falling apart, someone or someones appeared within days to clean the message to make it disappear. They cleaned nothing else. The same trash lay in the puddles that had been there the day before the cleanup.

In Beacon in March 2024, a temporary “Free Palestine” was chalked onto a building in removable chalk. It was the back of the Sun River Health building. The first time it happened, someone threw white permanent paint over it. The person who threw the paint was never pursued, punished or discussed as a perpetrator. Only the artist who used temporary chalk was targeted with police action.

The ESPN Radio 104.5FM article pointed out that this is not the first time an American Flag was targeted with the “Free Palestine” message. An American Flag sculpture in New Paltz, as well as other objects, were painted with “Free Palestine,” as reported by the currently country radio station, The Wolf 97.7FM.

Fragility In The “Free Palestine” Message

Addressing the marking of a building without mentioning the message indicates the fragility of those who oppose its implication, which is a breakage of American imperialism, and thus, some may feel, a kink in their feelings of “safety” if they cannot be allowed to bomb Black and Brown and Arab and Muslim and Palestinian people with impunity.

“Free Palestine” means freedom to not be bombed and occupied, and it has also come to have more meanings for Americans, now that most of the country has become aware that billions of American tax dollars are and have been consistently sent to Israel to pay for the weaponry committing the mass murder in this genocide, as well as lifestyle amenities like free healthcare. Therefore, the “Free Palestine” message has patriotic meaning in America for Americans:

• Free Healthcare for all Americans.

• Free healthcare and mental health care and housing and groceries for all American Veterans.

• Free School Lunches for all students in America.

• Free politicians from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) bullies and money so that American politicians will listen to their constituents demanding an arms embargo.

• Free College tuition for all students in America.

• Free Senior Living communities for all Americans.

• Free care for people taken by Alzheimers so that they can be safer.

• Free _____(fill in the blank) for all Americans. For all of this money spent to murder Black and Brown children, men and women, you might as well stick out your hand and demand free amenities for living here.

Look Up! New Lamppost Streetside Art Exhibit In Wappingers Falls

Look up! A new streetside art exhibit has popped up in Wappingers Falls. The artwork of several artists from around the Hudson Valley has been printed onto banners, and mounted onto lampposts.

With a theme highlighting the artist themselves, individuals were asked to submit a piece that best reflects their work, style and aesthetic.

“The Hudson Valley is filled with an abundance of talent and the goal of the Community Streetside Artist Exhibit is to showcase the creative diversity of these artists throughout the Village of Wappingers Falls via lamp post banners” say the organizers, Courtney Kolb of Wappingers Rises, and the artist Sarah Davida of Nixie Sparrow.

On Thursday, April 13, 2023 Wappingers Rises will be holding a reception to highlight artists and their artwork at River Valley Arts Center from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (9 S Mesier Ave, Wappingers Falls). There will be a champagne toast sponsored by Coupe Champagne at 6:30 PM.

This event will be open to the public, free of charge with food and drink available for purchase by local restaurants.

Sponsors of this outdoor art include:

Graceland Tattoo, Keely Sheehan Design, Wappingers Falls Business and Professional Association, Inc., Coupe Champagne, Garay-Michaud Team, River Valley Arts Center, Sam’s Realty, Helen Piteo Interiors, Treybich Law, Orsi + Co, Wappingers Falls Hydroelectric, Center for Physical Therapy and The UPS Store of Wappingers Space, Place, Storage, UHAUL, Falls Woodsmith and Sarah Davida.

Artists In This Streetside Exhibit Include:

Adam Lauricella
Alexa Spaddy
Alex Grey
Allison Frost
Allison Lahikainen
Allyson Grey
Alyssa Follansbee
Andrew Cook
Anna West
Brad Parsons
Brian C. Zickafoose
C-MOR
Cerise Kacensky
Chris Ams
Christina Kokiasmenos Cindy LaColla Corrinne Sternberg CoSM
Destiny Arianna
Elizabeth Castagna
Erica Hauser
Gerardo Castro
Hilary Astrid
Jane Wu
Jessica Nash
John Breiner
Keely Sheehan
Kim Dei Dolori
Lala Montoya Heredia Laura Golben
Laura Holmes McCarthy Lindsay Loforte
Margot Kingon
Marieken Cochius
Mark Darnobid
Nicole Morris
Nigel Clair
Pamela Herbst
Paola Bari
Paul Caicedo
Sarah Davida
Sean McCarthy
Taylor McLeod

World Watches Tyler Adams Answer Tough But Honest Question In Qatar World Cup

In the months between Dutchess County sending out a simple press release featuring the leadership of Wappinger’s Fall’s own Tyler Adams as captain of the USA soccer team in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year (2022), the world was watching as he answered a tough question about discrimination against Black Americans by America, and a pronunciation correction of Iran from an Iranian reporter before the USA vs Iran match on November 29, 2022.

While many in Beacon were just hearing about this person named Tyler who is from Wappingers Falls and in the World Cup, suddenly he was on CNN and other media outlets regarding the tough question scenario.

The situation presented an opportunity for Tyler to talk about his own experience growing up with a mixed-race heritage, as well as his living in different countries because of soccer, and his awareness of how he navigated through living abroad and state-side (this might be known as codeswitching, but Tyler did not use that word).

Local articles here in Dutchess County have not typically addressed his mixed-race experience, but this global media situation presented a new opportunity to include it.

CNN, Yahoo Life and other American media outlets picked up on the press conference prior to the match, and in defense of and praise for Tyler, peppered it with negative light on the Iranian reporter. Tyler, however, graciously answered the statement and question with honesty and respect for the reporter.

The linguistic observation made by the reporter was cited so that a global audience could hear the correct pronunciation, followed by a discomfortable question.

Global events are platforms for dialogue to begin. This article explores this issue.

Who Is Tyler Adams?

Tyler Adams during the press conference before the USA vs Iran match.

Tyler Adams is currently 23 years old and plays professional soccer for the Premier League Club, Leeds United, and is the captain for the United States national team, who played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

At age 16, his first professional signing happened with the New York Red Bulls II, a United Soccer League Team owned and operated by Major League Soccer. Said Tyler to the Poughkeepsie Journal back in 2015 when he was signed: “They host these mini-camp type things," Adams said of the Red Bull’s Regional Development School. "They noticed me there. It's what started this all. I think it benefited me because it's a lot more competitive."

You can see the opportunity for summer soccer camp with the Red Bulls in ALBB’s Summer Camp Guide.

As reported by the Poughkeepsie Journal, Tyler was attending Roy C. Ketcham High School in the Wappingers Falls school district when he signed. According to USASoccer.com, Tyler was raised by his mother, Melissa Russo, where he “grew up in a single-parent household before she reconnected with old high school classmate and now step-dad, Darryl Sullivan.”

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, Tyler’s step-dad Darryl was at the time of Tyler’s 2015 signing “a Social Studies teacher at Roy C. Ketcham, who won two state titles coaching the John Jay girls team and is the director of soccer operations for the Marist College men's soccer team.”

Said his mother, Melissa Russo, to the newspaper upon his signing: "There was a point as a parent where you tell him it may not be realistic. But never did he say he wanted to do anything else. Maybe an architect, once or twice. As a parent, this is awesome. You just pray your kid ends up doing something they love."

To complete Tyler’s education while he advanced toward professional soccer, he ended up doing what most parents now know of as Remote Learning, by completing most of his homework and classwork online. He told the Poughkeepsie Journal: “I'm missing the social aspect, which is hard for any kid my age. But then again, I have the opportunity to play pro soccer. That doesn't come around every day."

Turns out, Tyler nurtured his social side while playing soccer, as explored in this ESPN article, where Tyler discussed, as a 23 year old, how he enjoys relating to other people no matter their relationship to him, which is part of why he has been such an effective captain during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

As observed in the ESPN article: “Some might call it charisma, others would term it leadership or emotional intelligence, but the sense is that ‘it’ goes deeper than any of that. There is an aura about Adams that conveys he'll not only do his job, but relieve you of some of the pressure to do yours. These days, that can mean covering for a teammate on the field or deftly handling some spicy news conference questions off it.”

What Happened At The News Conference Before The USA vs Iran Match?

An Iranian reporter corrected Tyler in his pronunciation of Iran, stating that if he was going to voice support for Iran, he might as well get the pronunciation right. This was followed by a question about discrimination toward Black people in America. As of this reporting, ALBB cannot find the name of the reporter, who may or may not have been affiliated with Iranian government sanctioned state media.

According to an article at CNN, Iranian state media was upset with the United States Soccer Federation. American media seems not to have reported the Iranian reporter’s name or media outlet, that ALBB can find so far. That would be helpful and relevant to the context and tone of the question.

To add more context, the 2022 World Cup as a global platform has been used to amplify many issues, including the current violent protests going on in Iran against the regime that came to power in 1979. These protests have been carried out in defense and protection of women in Iran after Mahsa Amini, age 22 and Kurdish, which is a minority in Iran, died in police custody. The protests are against oppression that many citizens of Iran feel under the current leadership, which has been abusing and misusing a religion - Islam - in the name of squeezing power.

View fullsize

In response, the United States Soccer Federation changed Iran’s flag on its social media platforms to show support for protesters in Iran, according to a report from CNN. "Iranian state media called for the US to be kicked out of the 2022 World Cup after the United States Soccer Federation changed Iran’s flag on its social media platforms to show support for protesters in Iran." According to the article which showed a screenshot of the temporary switch, the United States Soccer Federation started displaying Iran’s national flag on its official Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts without the emblem of the Islamic Republic in the middle of the flag. The flag version with the emblem is currently being displayed on the soccer federation’s website.

Reporter’s Statement:
In response to one of Tyler’s earlier answers to a question:

"First of all, you say you support the Iranian people, but you're pronouncing our country's name wrong. Our country is named Iran (ee-RAHN), not Iran (EYE-ran). Please once and for all, let's get this clear."

Reporter’s Question:

"Second of all, are you OK to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders? We saw the Black Lives Matter movement over the past few years. Are you OK to be representing the US while there is so much discrimination against Black people in America?"

Tyler’s Answer:

“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country. That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go.” Tyler stated.

“One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the US, we’re continuing to make progress every single day.

“Growing up for me, I grew up in a White family, and with obviously an African-American heritage and background as well,” he pointed out.

“So, I had a little bit of different cultures, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures. Not everyone has that ease and the ability to do that, and obviously, it takes longer to understand, and through education, I think it’s super important.” Tyler did not deny discrimination happening. Instead, he elected to describe a living experience for him.

“Like you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. So, yeah, it’s a process. I think as long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”

How Some American Media Twisted The Press Conference

As media coverage of any event or issue unfolds, it is important to be mindful of the headlines, descriptions, and adjectives used to describe a situation. Every single media outlet is biased because humans write, edit and ultimately publish the words. Scrubbing of opinion is nearly impossible, because simply choosing to cover a topic in an of itself reveals bias.

Coverage of Middle Eastern situations is especially important to be mindful of when reading or watching coverage.

Here is how American media negatively slanted the situation, negatively portraying the reporter, and positively portraying Tyler. Of course Tyler’s answer was impressive and refreshing, but the reporter need not be shamed into asking it, or correcting the pronunciation of Iran knowing his voice would be heard around the world, for everyone to hear and know how to correctly pronounce Iran.

• ”U.S. Soccer Team Captain Tyler Adams Is Poised When Shady Reporter Asks About Racism At Qatar World Cup” - Yahoo Life
  The adjective “shady” is unnecessary in a headline. Asking about racism is not shady. It’s discomfortable, and makes people defensive, but it’s honest. Was the question tit for tat, since the United States and the rest of the world is pressing on the Iranian regime to get rid of the morality police? Yes, the question was tit for tat. The question implied hypocrisy or sh*t not stinking. But that question opened dialogue.

• “USMNT's Tyler Adams Gracefully Hits Back at Iranian Reporter's Question About Racism in the U.S.” - People.com
  Tyler did not “hit back.” He answered the question. He apologized for the pronunciation, and acknowledged racism in America by safely stating that it happens everywhere. He furthered by saying if there is improvement, that is a good thing.

• Tyler Adams Blasts Iranian 'Reporter' For 'Black Discrimination ... - OutKick
  Never happened. There was no blasting. There was grace and acknowledgement.

Great reads and headlines:

• “What We Ask of Black American Athletes” - The Atlantic

• “USA's World Cup captain Tyler Adams showing the world his value on the pitch, inspirational leadership off it” - ESPN

• USMNT captain Tyler Adams graciously handled a question from an Iranian journalist about discrimination in the US - Insider

5/10/2020 Numbers: Beacon On This Day; Dutchess County Changes Reporting Data For Death Counts, Resulting In Increase

On May 7, 2020, Dutchess County announced that they are changing the way they report data for those who have died from COVID-19, as well as several other key data points that include total number of confirmed cases, and total number of tests completed, to be effective on May 8, 2020. They will be using New York State’s numbers. Results via Google’s search results consistently gave a higher count for Dutchess County.

Of the counties that A Little Beacon Blog tracks for these reports - Orange and Putnam - both matched Google results with the number of deceased. Dutchess County’s was always lower: say 36 in Dutchess County’s Tracker vs 70 in Google’s Tracker.

As explained by Dutchess County in their 5/7/2020 announcement of the change:

The New York State Department of Health has authority and oversight over many of the facilities reporting case data, including hospitals and nursing homes. These facilities are not required to report to local health departments, including the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH). While DBCH does communicate regularly with each of the individual facilities and has been getting some of the data from them, it is difficult to reconcile on a daily basis with the state data and creates confusion for the public. Additionally, State data can include presumed positive cases in fatality numbers, unlike the data reported by local health departments.

DBCH was recently provided access to the New York State Health Emergency Reporting Data System (HERDS), however, the data is reported in the aggregate and does not provide the necessary specificity for county reporting.

Active case data, which are the cases that DBCH are currently monitoring, will continue to be reported by DBCH as well as the breakdown by municipality and number of recoveries...Dutchess County’s COVID-19 Community Impact Data Dashboard will continue to be updated daily, following NYSDOH data updates.

Beacon’s number of Active COVID-19 cases was rising as of 5/10/2020. This last report on 5/10/2020 was at 146. The last time we recorded it in our spreadsheet was 5/4/2020 and the number of active cases was 137. Not a huge difference, but a consistent increase nonetheless.

One might argue: “Well, the number of people tested is going up, so that must be the reason.” And that may be. However, the daily percentage of those who test positive for COVID-19 for the day - of those tested - has remained consistent. We track that number also. The percentage of people who test positive from those tested per day has been at 8%-9% in the last few days. Additionally, the number of tests issued in Dutchess County, according to the tracker, has remained consistent, averaging in the 400s tests given per day.

While some “low-risk” business types can open state-wide in New York on Friday (drive-in movie theaters, landscaping/gardening, tennis) Dutchess County has 3 more criteria to hit before meeting the 7 state requirements to begin reopening, which are:

• 14-Day Decline in Hospital Deaths OR fewer than 5 deaths (3-day average).

• New Hospitalizations (under 2 per 100k residents - 3 day rolling average.

• At least 30 contact tracers per 100k residents.

County Executive Marcus Molinaro has announced, during his 5/11/2020 restarting video, that he will deliver live updates about the data in Dutchess County on Wednesdays and Fridays. This Wednesday, he will host a Town Hall at 5:30pm. Videos are at Facebook, or at at the Dutchess County channel at YouTube.

The last time we published reporting on these numbers was 5/1/2020. This gap of 11 days is for no other reason that Distance Learning started in our home, and while we get into that rhythm of that schooling, finishing articles got a little tricky. We have several unpublished drafts, though!

However, in that time, Dutchess County changed how they are reporting, and New York launched a new regional tracker for the re-opening. So, one must not delay!

Sources:
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2-3 days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker: Updated daily.
Google via Wikipedia
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 is not total, as many people are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 5/10/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
18,964 (last week 15,558 via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day:
3,359 (last week, 3,049, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested This Day:
471 (last week 473, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day:
47 (last week 48, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
56 (last week 69, via Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
101 (last week 38, via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 84 (previous 73)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day:
146 (last week 134, via Dutchess County Tracker)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day:
174 (last week 175, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day:
153 (last week 151, via Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day:
136 (last week 163, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day:
40 (last week 45, via Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 5/10/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
34,404 (last week 28,848, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total:
9,543 (last week 8,910, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested On This Day:
535 (last week 839, via New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day:
57 (last week 159, via New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day:
99 (last week 147) (via Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day:
367 (last week 329, via Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day:
645 (last week 587, via Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day:
1,314 (last week 1,165, via Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 5/10/2020

Did not grab data in time for this report.

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day:

Did not grab data in time for this report.

(4/28/2020) Numbers for Beacon, Fishkill, Wappingers, Newburgh, Philipstown

The number of people newly infected with COVID-19 continues to rise across counties reported on here. We have added Putnam County and Philipstown to this report. If a number has not been updated in a county, we check stats at Google, who is reporting county information, including number of deaths.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker, Putnam County Tracker, Google via Wikipedia
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every two to three days, according to their Source notes.
Putnam County Tracker: Updates regularly and posts PDF of additional breakdowns.
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 are not the total number of cases, as most people are not tested.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 14,215 (yesterday 13,649, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 2,881 (yesterday, 2,817, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
556 (previous day 223, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
64 (previous day 24, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
71 (yesterday 77) (Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
36 (no change reported in Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 68)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today:
114 (yesterday 114, Dutchess County Tracker, no change reported)

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today:
170 (yesterday 174, Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today:
152 (yesterday 155, Dutchess County Tracker)

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today:
152 (yesterday 155, Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today:
42 (yesterday 43, Dutchess County Tracker)

ORANGE COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County: 26,342 (yesterday 25,740, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 8,488 (yesterday 8,374, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
606 (previously 645, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
114 (previously 136, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
153 (yesterday 168, Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
311 (yesterday 310, Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today:
534 (no change reported, Orange County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today:
1,044 (no change reported, Orange County Tracker)

PUTNAM COUNTY 4/28/2020

How Many People Tested In Putnam County: 3,919 (yesterday 3,763, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 946 (yesterday 932, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
150 (previously 82, New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
14 (previously 7, New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
13 (yesterday 16, Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
43 (Putnam County Tracker)

PHILIPSTOWN
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Philipstown As Of This Day:
97 (Putnam County)

(4/27/2020) COVID-19 Numbers for Beacon, Newburgh, Fishkill, Wappingers

Numbers for Dutchess County have decreased since yesterday’s report. The number of tests decreased, and the number of people from the testing group testing positive decreased. So far, the number of deaths remains at 36, and the number of hospitalized decreased to 77 (previously 79).

In Orange County, the number of deaths increased from 299 to 310, and the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Orange County decreased by almost the same amount. The number of tests in Orange County increased yesterday.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker
Dutchess County Tracker: Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes.
Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2 to 3 days, according to their Source notes.
New York State Tracker: Updated daily.
Testing is limited.

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/27/2020

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County:
13,649 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far:
2,817 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
223 (previous day 389) (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
24 (previous day 64) (New York State Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
77 (yesterday 79) (Dutchess County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
36 (no change reported) (Dutchess County Tracker)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today:
114 (yesterday 117) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Beacon?
4.04%

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today:
174 (yesterday 181) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Fishkill?
6.18%
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today:
155 (yesterday 163) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In East Fishkill?
5.5%

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today:
155 (yesterday 157) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers?
5.5%
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today:
43 (yesterday 46) (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers Falls Village?
1.53%

ORANGE COUNTY 4/27/2020

How Many People Tested In Orange County:
25,740 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Positive So Far:
8,374 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today:
645 (previously 587) (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today:
136 (previously 132) (New York State Tracker
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now:
168 (yesterday 183) (Orange County Tracker)
How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far:
310 (yesterday 299) (Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today:
534 (no change reported) (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In Newburgh?
6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today:
1,044 (no change reported) (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In City of Newburgh?
12.67%

(4/26/2019) COVID-19 Numbers For Dutchess County (64 new positives today), Beacon (117 infected right now), Fishkill, Newburgh, Wappingers Falls

As Governor Cuomo talks about a gradual reopening of New York, he imagines a regional approach between counties in New York State, as well as with other states neighboring New York, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, since many people commute from state to state, and county to county to work and live. During several briefings, and succinctly by tweet, the governor has stated: “We are taking a regional approach to safely reopening NYS. Each region is facing its own set of facts. Protecting public health comes first and all decisions will be data-driven.”

New York State has its COVID-19 tracker that includes county data. Several counties have made their own daily trackers public, including Dutchess and Orange Counties, that do show some statistics for communities within the counties.

As the CDC’s guidelines have recommended a 14-day decline, with the White House’s recommendation here, realizing the numbers in this region is relevant. A Little Beacon Blog will present select numbers from the state and county trackers as a way to help you have a snapshot view of what is happening, and what happened yesterday and last week. Having context to these numbers going up and down is important.

Keep in mind, testing is limited. There is the base number of how many people are tested, but there is a limited number of tests, which limits the types of people who can get tested. Almost daily, the public and health officials are learning about the coronavirus that may impact how data is collected. Decisions won’t be based on simple numbers either. Communities will be aware of what is happening within their borders.

All numbers have been taken from the Dutchess County Tracker, and the New York State Tracker. Each have their own stipulations as to how they collect data. As of now, the number of deaths per municipality (i.e.town/city/village) is not included in Dutchess nor Orange County trackers. A Little Beacon Blog has confirmed on 4/27/2020 with Dutchess County by way of Colleen T. Pillus, the Communication Director for Dutchess County, that they do have the number of deceased for each municipality, but will not be releasing it at this time.

Sources: New York State COVID-19 Tracker, Dutchess County COVID-19 Tracker, Orange County COVID-19 Tracker

DUTCHESS COUNTY 4/26/2020

How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 2,793 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today: 389 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today: 64 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage of Today’s People Testing Positive: 16.45%

How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 13,464 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage Of People Testing Positive - Of Those Tested - In Dutchess County: 20.74%

How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far: 36 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now: 79 (Dutchess County Tracker)

BEACON
Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon As Of Today: 117 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Beacon? 4.19%

FISHKILL
Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill As Of Today: 181 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Fishkill? 6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill As Of Today: 163 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In East Fishkill? 5.84%

WAPPINGERS
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers As Of Today: 157 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers? 5.62%
Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village As Of Today: 46 (Dutchess County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Dutchess County, How Many In Wappingers Falls Village? 1.65%

ORANGE COUNTY 4/26/2020

How Many People Tested Positive So Far: 8,238 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested Today: 587 (New York State Tracker)
How Many People Tested POSITIVE Today: 132 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage of Today’s People Testing Positive: 22.49%

How Many People Tested In Orange County: 25,095 (New York State Tracker)
Percentage Of People Testing Positive - Of Those Tested - In Orange County: 32.83%

How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths So Far: 277 (Orange County Tracker)
Note: This number has already changed to 299 by 10 pm tonight 4/27/2020 as we were double-checking numbers before sharing. ALBB will update this once per day in the afternoon, knowing that numbers are updated at these trackers at different times of the day.
Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 Right Now: 183 (Orange County Tracker)

NEWBURGH
Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh As Of Today: 543 (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In Newburgh? 6.48%
Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh As Of Today: 1,044 (Orange County Tracker)
Of the Positive Cases In Orange County, How Many In City of Newburgh? 12.67%

A screenshot of the White House-supported guidelines of reopening America, as of 4/27/2020. Things change daily, and this text on the White House website could also change.
Photo Credit: The White House website

County Fare Auctions Off Coveted 'Quiet Man Pub' Sign For Victims Displaced By Fire in Wappingers Falls

When Dana Tompkins bought County Fare, he inherited the long-loved sign from the pub that the location previously housed: The Quiet Man Pub. “People my age seem to have a special connection with this place. As does the older crowd,” Dana told A Little Beacon Blog. Dana is 40 and has two young kids. The person who Dana bought County Fare from, who currently owns Graceland, told Dana that a lot of people wanted the sign. “Sure enough,” Dana said, “those same people walked into County Fare wanting the sign. But I held onto it, because you never know.”

Last week, on February 25, 2020, the building at 10 Market Street, in Wappingers Falls, caught fire, most likely a result of a welding accident on a fire escape, and ravaged the building, displacing 32 people from their homes in the apartments, and destroying four businesses. This is the second fire in a decade to happen in the Village of Wappingers Falls.

“Come in and leave a bid! It’s wide open.”

— Dana Tompkins, Owner, County Fare

Dana made the swift decision to auction off the Quiet Man Pub sign in a silent auction. Then he changed it to a “Not-So-Silent” auction: “I realized I had an opportunity to get these people going up against this thing. Let’s drive the bidding up! To raise money for those displaced! Right now, I have a few people who keep outbidding each other.” The highest bid is $2,100 as of Friday afternoon, and includes a bidder from Manhattan. People can place bids at the bar or by contacting Dana at County Fare. The auction will end on Saturday night after the Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebration in Wappingers Falls.

Auction & Raffle With 20 Prizes To Raise Funds At County Fare

The sign isn’t the only item being used to raise money for those impacted by the fire. County Fare has a raffle with 20 prizes. “There are gift certificates to every place you can think of,” explained Dana. Gold’s Gym is giving away a one-year family membership; there are Yankees tickets to Opening Weekend, and more prizes.

There is also a raffle at Stephano’s Ristorante beginning at 2:30 pm. Not to mention all of the other fun you will find on the day, which ALBB wrote about here.

Dana has been humbled by the response he has seen come forward for the community. “The Village and Town of Wappingers have come together like I've never really seen a community come together to help families and businesses. As someone trying to really create an amazing fundraiser, and [as] close personal friends with multiple people who were displaced, I am grateful from the bottom of [my] heart. It is very humbling to see how many people care.”

The community outreach platform Wappingers Rises has been promoting where people can donate and enjoy the Village of Wappingers Falls during the parade and daylong celebration. Online fundraising has been created by the Wappinger Town Supervisor, Richard L. Thurston at this GoFundMe page, which has raised over $15,000 to date, and remains open for more help. Other online fundraising sites include Mario’s Sandwich Shop (Mario’s GoFundMe page), TJ’s Barbershop (TJ’s GoFundMe page), a personal page organized by Irais Quezada (as forwarded by Wappingers Rising). Local churches are also accepting donations to be given to victims.

What’s On Tap?

What will be on tap at this local craft beer specialty restaurant and bar? “Super local ones,” confirmed Dana. Three varieties from Sloop Brewing, Cousins Ale (you’ve seen on them on Route 9… now is your chance to taste it if you haven’t yet!), Mill House, other craft beers, and of course, Guinness, because, well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day.

Here's Why Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade In Wappingers Falls Is Such A Big Deal

It’s the 25th anniversary of Dutchess County’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the historic district of Wappingers Falls! It will take place on Friday, March 7 at 1 pm - rain or shine. While commonly known as the Wappingers St. Patrick’s Day parade, it is in fact the countywide parade, open to all. “Few people realize this is the Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” Courtney Kolb of Wappingers Rises, told A Little Beacon Blog. Oftentimes you hear people say “Wappinger Parade,” but it’s actually the county parade.

First Big Event After The Devastating Fire At 10 Market Street In February

Photo Credit: Scott Marcella, supplied by Wappingers Rises

The community and local businesses have come together in support of those who have been displaced by the fire, including the 32 people who lost their homes to the fire, and the four businesses whose businesses were destroyed: Mario’s Sandwich Shop (Mario’s GoFundMe page), TJ’s Barbershop (TJ’s GoFundMe page), the studio for artist Andrew Woolbright and Your Green Spa. To date, the GoFundMe page set up by Wappingers Town Supervisor Richard L. Thurston has raised $15,695 (still open, new goal of $20K!). Funds have started being disbursed to those in need. Throughout the parade route, individuals with buckets will be collecting relief funds. County Fare restaurant is auctioning off the original and highly sought- after "Quiet Man Pub" sign and donating proceeds to the fire recovery efforts.

What Locals Are Saying

County Fare owner Dana Tompkins gave us the lay of the land of what to expect during the parade and the festivities that follow after. Afraid of parking? No problem, said Dana. “People park anywhere and everywhere. Plus, all of the cops will be at the parade.” County Fare will be selling Irish coffee and hot toddies. Kids with donation buckets will be in the area collecting for relief efforts for those displaced by the fire.

The Shamrock Run Before The Parade

The day begins with Mass at St. Mary’s being led by His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan at 9 am.

After Mass, check out Fleet Feet’s Wappinger’s Shamrock Run, which is a 1-mile run held right before the parade at 12:45 pm. You can sign up to participate in the run by clicking here. Local resident Christopher Regan is timing the event and made the medals that will be given to all who complete the run. The run will conclude next to Mesier Park in the village of Wappingers near the grandstand. Wear your most festive St. Patrick's gear, and let's kick off parade day with some fun! 

What To Expect At The Dutchess County St. Paddy’s Day Parade In Wappingers Falls

The parade kicks off at 1 pm and last about an hour. This is a downtown-wide event, so there will be things to do in several businesses. A parade after-party is at Stephano’s Ristorante beginning at 2:30 pm with raffles, live music, cash bar. County Fare is also having a big raffle, which includes a one-year membership to Gold’s Gym, and the final results of their Not So Silent auction for their famous Quiet Man Pub sign. Bids are still being taken. The last bid we heard about was $2,100, and competition is getting serious.

Local restaurants will have special items on their menu to celebrate the day like a “Coquito Go Bragh” from Café Con Leche (also located on Market Street), Irish coffee and hot toddies from County Fare, and sweet treats from Sweet Bakes Cafe. Mario’s Sandwich Company - whose storefront was lost by the fire (click here to donate to Mario’s GoFund me effort to rebuild) - will have a table set up at East Main Street to sell sandwiches and soda bread. Show owner Frank Camey some support, and stop by!

Find Even More Deals And To-Dos At Wappingers Rises

Wappingers Rises has dedicated an Instagram Highlight called “St. Patrick’s” to show rotating Stories of what different businesses are offering throughout the day. Go there and flip through to stay in the know. Says Courtney of Wappingers Rises: “You can expect fun, family, and sunshine!!! The weather looks great and the businesses have pulled out wonderful food and drink specials.If you’ve been considering a visit to The Village, make tomorrow the day.” Even if the weather gets chilly, bring your best winter accessories, because this could be the last time this season you get to use them.

Here’s a sneak peek, via a look back at past Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Day parades: