This Weekend :: Things To Do 4/4/2025
/|
|
|
|
"Reimagined" With Joel McHale Films In Beacon At The Old Beacon High School (Ethan Cohen's KUBE)
/
Film trucks, including the Haddad equipment trucks, were parked in the parking lot of the Old Beacon High School, which has long been owned by Ethan Cohen and is called KUBE (different Ethan Cohen than the movie star), located at Verplanck and Fishkill Avenue. A source confirmed it was for the production called “Reimagined” with the American actor and comedian Joel McHale attached.
Additionally, people who live in a neighborhood on Rombout Avenue (very long street) confirmed that “Reimagined” was also being filmed over there.
According to IMDB, “Reimagined” has the following story-line: “When a cherished Christmas pageant faces disaster, 13-year-old Felix must find a way to save the show his late mother once directed. With friends by his side and music in his heart, he brings fresh magic to a holiday tradition.”
Anyone with more information about additional locations or trivia about this filming can send it to A Little Beacon Blog.
Car Crashes Into 2 Houses On Washington Ave. Around Lunchtime, Thursday, April 3rd
/
Photo Credit: Beacon Professional Firefighters IAFF L-3490
As first reported by the Daily Voice, with information and photos promptly provided by Beacon Professional Firefighters IAFF L-3490's, a white Audi was driving along Washington Ave. at approximately 12:52pm on Thursday, April 3rd, where it veered off the road and into a house, striking the house’s fence, and coming to a stop after it smashed into the stone steps, coming to rest just before a single white hyacinth.
According to the Beacon Professional Firefighters IAFF L-3490, the Beacon Fire Department, Beacon Volunteer Ambulance, and Ambulnz (the private ambulance company contracted by the City of Beacon), were dispatched for and arrived to assist the car who struck 2 houses on Washington Avenue.
“Units arrived on scene to find a vehicle had left the roadway, struck a section of fence, proceeded through a front yard patio, and finally came to rest after striking a front stoop. The driver was the sole occupant and transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The City of Beacon Building Department was notified for minor structural damage. City of Beacon Police and Beacon PBA assisted on scene.”
Ferry Dock Remains Unrepaired, Halting Beacon/Newburgh Ferry Service - A Look Back At Other Cuts
/
The Beacon/Newburgh Ferry has stopped running due to “extensive damage to the landing in Beacon,” the NY Waterway announced on March 10, 2025. According to people familiar with the area at the dock, the landing was removed from the water. People familiar with the area told A Little Beacon Blog that aside from an ongoing small leak, damage to the landing had not been noticed above water, and no one could speak for conditions under the water. Some say it was ice damage.
NY Waterway and MTA have not responded to questions about the details of the damage.
The Newburgh/Beacon Ferry was cut during the initial COVID shutdown in April 2020, and then was restored when a flush of federal funding was made available during the passage of the CARES Act, which then Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney voted for, as reported by ALBB at the time.
In 2011, the Newburgh/Beacon Ferry was suspended for 10 weeks “after one of the worst ice seasons in 6 years,” Times Herold-Record reported. This year in 2025, the landing was removed and cited for damage after the ice season, not before or during. State and federal funding covered $1.3 million of the operational funding in 2011, according to that report.
It was reported this year in March 2025 by LoHud that the Trump administration threatened to withdraw federal funds from the MTA for the subway in NYC unless they improve safety, the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Trump also rescinded federal approval for NYC’s congestion pricing program.
Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White is the Harbor Master of the dock and has not made an announcement about the ferry closure that ALBB knows of. Please write in a correction if you know different.
The ferry used by Bannerman Castle Trust is not impacted by this, nor is Clearwater. All events scheduled for Bannerman are proceeding and will be on ALBB’s Calendar, and classes and events for Clearwater are continuing and will be in ALBB’s Classes Guide.
Commuting across the river is delayed 20 minutes, as the substitute bus service takes 20 minutes longer, not accounting for unexpected traffic delays on the Newburgh/Beacon bridge, according to the Times Herold-Record in 2011. Also in 2011, ridership would drop from 150 people per day to 100, when the ferry stopped running and went to bus.
On the substitute bus schedule, it is stated that the bus can leave up to 4 or 5 minutes early if all passengers from the train are on board the bus. For people walking or transporting down to the station from Beacon or Newburgh to take the bus (not the train), they would possibly miss the bus if it left early and they did not read the small print on this substitute bus schedule.
Beacon High School Theatre Students, The Beacon Players, Build Sets And Costumes For April's Performance
/
The sewing machines are spinning again back stage of the Pete and Toshi Seeger Theater as the students of the Beacon High School Theater Group, the Beacon Players, build sets and costumes for their production of Guys and Dolls, which will open on the stage from April 25-27th. Tickets are on sale now.
Known for their elaborate sets and costumes, this production looks to be on mark. With dozens of costumes on the sewing tables, the stitchers are busy. Crew can include both actors, builders and stitchers, with ample opportunity to try new things.
Anthony Scarrone, Director of the Beacon Players, told A Little Beacon Blog: “The current officers that are in charge of our organization have proven that the heart of our young people today can be in the right place. The legacy that these students will be leaving behind is one of beauty, tenderness, and above all else, caring about the future. Goodbyes will be hard - a bittersweet - farewell - but I know that the future will bring them much happiness, and they will leave an amazing legacy.”
Donations of costumes or set pieces can be made any time to the Beacon Players by contacting Beacon Players. Monetary donations can be made online here,
PROTEST in BEACON: Saturday, April 5th: "Hands Off! Beacon Fights Back"
/
⚾️⚾️⚾️🏟️ Corey Booker has you all excited!! You’re writing in to ALBB asking where are the protests for April 5. Finally the answer came in! This has been updated in ALBB’s Calendar, and republished below.
PS: some of you might want to organize one at the local Poughkeepsie and/or Newburgh Targets for DEI rollbacks! 🤷🏼♀️🙅🏼♀️ Like they did in Mount Vernon, NY.
🇵🇸 Free Palestine. It’s all connected. 🖤
PROTEST: Hands Off! Beacon Fights Back
Day: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Time: 3pm-5pm
Location: Pohill Park
As part of the Hands OFF! protests being organized around the country, Beacon's will be at Pohill Park (near Bank Square Coffeehouse) from 3pm-5pm.
This protest is inspired by protecting:
Medicaid + Medicare + Social Security + Our Jobs + Our Wallets + Our Bodies + Fair Elections + Personal Data + Public Lands + Beteran Services + Cancer Research + NATO + Consumer Protections + Clean Air + Clean Energy + Schools + Libraries + Free Speech + LGBTQ+ Rights + Immigrants + Courts + More
About this event:
From the Organizers: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. We are fighting back!”
“They're taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.”
🚨 On Saturday, April 5th, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! 🚨
“This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”
“A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
Check out handsoff2025.com for more information.
Person Falls From Bike Near Main Street and Verplanck; Possibly Hit By Vehicle
/
A reader wrote into A Little Beacon Blog to alert us to a lot of emergency first responder vehicles on the east end of Main Street near Verplanck Avenue. A person allegedly fell from their bike and was possibly struck by a vehicle. Injuries are unknown at this time. People or a person who saw the incident called the police and stayed on the scene until they felt the person was taken care of. Beacon Police and other first responders attended.
Kayak Storage Locker Lottery Application For Long Dock Open Now - 32 Slots Available
/
The kayak storage lockers at Long Dock Park, managed by Scenic Hudson.
Photo Credit: John Halpern
Scenic Hudson has re-opened the kayak storage pavilion at Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park in Beacon, and with that, launched the signup process which is selected upon a lottery. Those interested who are 18+ can complete the online application form here by April 20th.
The lucky winners will be chosen and emailed the news shortly thereafter on Wednesday, April 23rd.
The fee to store one boat is $225 which covers the entire season of May 2 to October 31. There are storage slips for 32 boats. This is storage for on kayak, canoe, or stand up paddle board.
Scenic Hudson says: “We can't guarantee you'll be selected from the lottery, but we're rooting for you!”
Questions are directed to Jessica Estores at jestores@scenichudson.org.
Applications are going on now.
Good luck!
The $250 Fine Has Been Issued To Residents Who Didn't Upgrade Their Water Meter Transistors
/
Water bills for the past 3 months (January, February, March) have been sent out. Tacked onto some of them is the $250 fine for not upgrading the water meter transistors, as became required since last year to begin tracking water usage in real time, the City of Beacon's Administrator Chris White announced during last night's City Council Meeting.
"People who didn't sign up to have their water meter transistors replaced are getting an automatic fine of $250," he said.
He reported that 85% of residents did have their water meter transistors upgraded, leaving 15%, or "several hundred people" who have not responded and are subject to this fine. He did leave room for "amnesty," as he called it, where residents who did not upgrade have 3 weeks in which to do so. After April 21, that charge will stay, he said.
To reverse the fine, people need to make an appointment by calling Vepo, the company making the switch, at 877-860-8376
"Make an appointment, for late in May or in June, and then the $250 charge fined will be reversed...Set up an appointment, no questions asked," he stressed.
Mayor Kyriacou touted benefits of the new water meter transistors, stating that they track water usage in real time, which people can see by logging in. Additionally, the system will send an alert to people if there is a water leak and usage spikes.
The Mayor explained that water bills are sent every 3 months, so advance warnings of leaks is useful to catch within this new mechanism.
CALENDAR UPDATE: April Showering In New Events; ALBB's Calendar Update
/
A Little Beacon Blog’s Calendar of events has been update with new events, and some events that happen each week. This includes the first Beacon Art Bookfair at the Veterans Memorial Building; the first Cirque Due Creep Alternative Night Market of the year; a screening of Lines of Demarcation: Memories From Beacon’s Black Communities of the 20th Century; which Game Night is where; an opportunity to learn Scottish Heritage from Bannerman Castle Trust, and more.
How This Works
FREE LISTINGS
People can submit events for consideration online here. Events that are free or fundraisers for community events are given top consideration for gratis listing. If the event is a fundraiser for your business, this falls into our paid category.
BUSINESS MEMBERS OF ALBB
Businesses who are subscribing sponsors of ALBB enjoy their events featured for free as part of their membership. Subscription ranges from $250-$850/month depending on the nature of the events and how much interactive promotion they need from ALBB. We do like to play with your readers when promoting!
PAID LISTINGS
To guarantee your a placement of your event, if you need a one-time placement, this starts at $185/listing and depends on how much action you want your listing to experience.
Thank you as always for reading and for investing in ALBB!
Readers who don’t need advertising but would like to contribute financially can do so here.
White People Boycott Target In Mount Vernon, NY Over Its DEI Rollback
/
News12 reported that people boycotted a Target in Mount Vernon, NY over the weekend, calling for it to reinstate its DEI programs.
Since Target announced their rollback of DEI, a $2 billion investment they made from 2016-2020, multiple Black-owned brands have stated that they have been dropped by Target, as reported by Black Information Network.
Early this March, LikeU Cards owner Kiara Imani announced over TikTok that Target dropped its contract with her business, which is a conversation-starting card game for parents, kids, and friends.
Kiara said in her announcement: "People keep asking my opinion about Target as a Black vendor who used to sell at Target. Don't go there. They dropped us along with a bunch of other Black vendors without a lot of notice."
LikeU is struggling to now sell 20,000 sets of cards through their website, likeucards.com. "There are tons of other creators of colors that had contracts that were dropped," Kiara said.
White people and Black people attended the protest outside of the Target in Mount Vernon, NY, according to News12 footage. Nation-wide, there are
Said Ronnie Lichtman of Neighbors Who Care: "We don't want Target to go out of business. We want them to reinstate their DEI policies. We hope that boycotts speak to them." According to Diversity.com, Target’s stock has gone down at least 12% since the boycotts started.
From as early as 2023, Target faced lawsuits from people challenging its DEI policy, calling it “reverse racism.” On January 21, 2025, the president signed an Executive Order to try to roll back DEI policies.
Target is among many corporate brands who have dropped their DEI policies at the pleasure of the president T, as Forbes reports.
Federal Workers Unions Organize Emergency Call Sunday 5pm In Response To Executive Order Ending Collective Bargaining
/
Federal Unionist Network has scheduled a call to organize around the executive order signed by President Trump to end collective bargaining at agencies involved with national security. The order impacts employees across many federal agencies, including the departments of State, Defense, Justice, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Communications Commission, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Justice and Commerce and the part of Homeland Security responsible for border security, according to the Associated Press (AP) and CNN.
Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain. the AP reports.
The AP reported: “The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said late Thursday that it is “‘preparing immediate legal action and will fight relentlessly to protect our rights, our members, and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks.’”
Said the AFGE: “President Trump’s latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants — nearly one-third of whom are veterans — simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
The AP reported that “the Justice Department filed a lawsuit late Thursday in the Western District of Texas on behalf of eight agencies against AFGE affiliates.” Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “By affirmatively suing in Texas, we are aggressively protecting President Trump’s efforts to ensure unions no longer interfere in the national security functions of the government.”
Call-In Details:
The Federal Unionist Network’s call is on March 30th, at 5pm and is co-sponsored by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), United Auto Workers (UAW), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Communications Workers of America (CWA). Click here for call-in details.
As published in their call to action:
”Trump has declared war on federal workers with an executive order which moves to end collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of civil servants, in order to cut the vital services on which all Americans depend.
“The good news is that this attack can be defeated. But that will require all of us — federal workers and community members hurt by these cuts — stepping up to organize our neighbors, co-workers, and friends to take to the streets.
“Sign up here for our Emergency Organizing Call Sunday March 30th at 5pm Eastern time.”
The agenda for the call includes:
Share information about what this executive order means.
Provide tips and tools to talk to (and involve) your neighbors, co-workers, and community.
Explain our campaign’s plan to win — and how you can get involved in building for the next big action on April 5.
“The time is now. To save our services, our unions, our democracy, we need each of us to step up and make history.”
New Things To Do :: 3/29/2025
/|
|
|
|
ALBB Readers Are Asking For Updates To The Shooting In Groveville Community
/
Readers of A Little Beacon Blog have been writing in, asking for an update to the shooting that took place in the Groveville community of townhouses across the street from Trax on Rte. 52 days before Halloween on October 24, 2024 at 6:45pm, as ALBB first reported here.
Multiple sources have since told ALBB that the victim, who was confirmed by the Beacon Police to be a male 23-year old Beacon resident, was essentially paralyzed by the 5 or 7 gunshot wounds he received that night on Mill Street, which is the first street in the townhouse community. According to people familiar with the victim, his arm was also shot and is no longer usable.
According to people who know the victim, he is currently living with his mother who is his sole caregiver. Community members also say that his mother was evicted from her apartment, and they are living where they can find arrangements.
On the night of the shooting, Beacon Police confirmed via press release that all parties involved were still at the scene, and that there was no threat to the general public. Having been reporting on the scene, ALBB saw no search for an active shooter, or felt a sense of alarm.
As first reported by ALBB then: “According to neighbors, shots were fired, possibly 5 at close range, and a body was taken from the ground into an ambulance to St. Lukes in Newburgh. It was believed by neighbors that the person who was shot was a young man in his 20s who has a child around the age of 1, and was visiting someone in the Groveville community, and that he did not live there. Neighbors heard that he was in surgery in the hospital as of 7:15pm.
“At first, neighbors did not know who the victim was, or the shooter. They were quite surprised that the shooting happened at all. But then texts started coming in as to who the victim was, and what his condition was at the hospital. Neighbors did not see anyone taken away in handcuffs, or a shooter identified. That does not mean that a shooter wasn’t taken into custody, or that other information is known about them. So far, there is no confirmed information about the shooter.”
Since that time, the Beacon Police have not released further information about the shooter or the motive, saying it was an open investigation. They declined to release names of the shooter or victim at that time.
A Fourth Suspect, Jarell Brown, Arrested For "Contract Murder" In Killing Of Lionell Pittman In 2022; Past Employment Of Jarell Was As Security Detail For Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
/
The City of Beacon Police, with the assistance of the Dutchess County Drug Task Force, and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office UAV (Drone) Unit, have arrested a fourth suspect, Jarrell Brown (age 32) of Beacon, in the killing of Lionell Pittman (age 32 when he died), according to a press release issued by Beacon Police Chief Figlia, which the Chief described as a “drive-by” shooting on May 14th, 2022 at 6:50pm.
Three other suspects have been arrested in June, September and November of 2024 who were “present for, and participated in this crime,” Chief Figlia reminded the community. “Through continuing investigation into the motive behind it,” the Chief stated, Jarell was placed into custody on an arrest warrant and arraigned in Dutchess County Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail.
Jarell's charges are:
Murder in the 1st Degree (Contract Murder), a Class A-1 Felony as well as
Murder in the 2nd Degree (Intentional Murder), also a Class A-1 Felony and
Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B Felony.
The trial date was not stated in the press release.
Chief Figlia added: "This arrest stands as further proof that the Beacon Police Department will do what is necessary to fully investigate violence in our community and bring the perpetrators of all aspects of these crimes to justice.”
Jarell’s Previous Employment Included Being Security Detail to Rep. Sean Patric Maloney
Jarell was hired as security detail between 2021-2022 for Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (Democrat), who represented the 18th District from 2013-2023 which included Beacon. Maloney was the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He was replaced by GOP state lawmaker Mike Lawler in a surprising loss in November 2022. Maloney then moved to Paris, France as the U.S. Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as he was appointed to that position in France by President Joe Biden on May 12, 2023.
Recap Of The Shooting Of Lionell Pittman
During the early evening of Saturday, May 14th, 2022, as people were returning home to Forestall Heights and were gathered in the parking lot outside, shots were fired around the time of 6:50pm, which is when Beacon Police were called.
As ALBB reported at the time, according to people who heard the shots, commotion could be heard from the second parking lot around the corner from the first parking lot on West Center Street. The parking lot and the apartment units are located next door to the Beacon Recreation Center and across the street and next door to houses.
According to those who heard the shots, they said there was a motorcycle driving around which popped off its exhaust, sounding like gunshots. Moments or seconds later, a second series of shots were heard within one or two seconds. One person said they heard 18 shots fired in 1 or 2 seconds, another person said they heard 7 shots in 1 second. Three of these shots allegedly hit Lionell, one reportedly to his head and two in his chest. CPR was preformed on Lionell en route to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
