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Highlands Current Audio Stories
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The Highlands Current is a nonprofit weekly newspaper and daily website that covers Beacon, Cold Spring, Garrison, Nelsonville and Philipstown, New York, in the Hudson Highlands. This podcast includes select stories read aloud.
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Black Church Defeats Local Proud Boys
Apr 1500:05:19Tap to summarizeWins ban on use of name, logo it owns after lawsuit A historic Black church in Washington, D.C., awarded rights to the name and logo of an extremist group after its property was vandalized, won a trademark case against the Hudson Valley chapter and its president, a former Beacon resident. In a federal lawsuit filed in August 2025, the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church accused the Hudson Valley Proud Boys and Will Pepe of "unlawful and ongoing infringement" of its right to control use of the group's name. Pepe is one of over 1,000 people found guilty of invading the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and pardoned in January 2025 by President Donald Trump. After he failed to submit a timely answer to Metropolitan's lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla issued an order on April 8 permanently barring the chapter from using the name and logo. She also awarded $75,000 to the church, which hosted the funeral of Frederick Douglass and a speech by Eleanor Roosevelt; $183,603.50 in fees to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and $15,849.50 to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The judgment is the church's first against a chapter and similar lawsuits could follow. "This is an important judgment for the church and for the residents of the Hudson Valley," said Dan Kramer, the Paul, Weiss attorney who represented the church. "It means that there cannot be a chapter of the Proud Boys in their community." A D.C. Superior Court judge awarded Metropolitan AME the trademark rights in February 2025 as the Proud Boys largely ignored an earlier $2.8 million judgment against it over a December 2020 incident during a rally in support of Trump. Some of the group's members, during a roving "night march," leaped the church's fence to tear down its Black Lives Matter sign. They then "stomped on it and cut it into pieces, and loudly and publicly celebrated its destruction" on social media, according to Metropolitan AME, which installed cameras and hired security guards after the attack. Despite the Superior Court order, which prohibits the Proud Boys from "selling, transferring, disposing of or licensing" the name without the church's permission, the Hudson Valley chapter continued to employ the Proud Boys name on multiple websites it and other New York chapters use, and on clothing, hats and other merchandise sold online, according to court documents. Metropolitan also said Pepe had not responded to a cease-and-desist letter sent to him at a Long Island address in June 2025, as well as requests that he provide information on the chapter's use of the name and the amount of revenues from members' dues and merchandise sales. The church said it wants to "evolve" the Proud Boys name to become "associated with the church's mission of love and humanity, rather than white supremacy, hatred and violence." Last year, it introduced two limited-edition T-shirts replicating the Proud Boys logo and etched with slogans: "Stay Proud, Black Lives Matter" and "Stay Black, Black Lives Matter. Metropolitan was one of two Black churches in D.C. whose Black Lives Matter signs were destroyed by Proud Boys who rallied in the city on Dec. 12, 2020, in support of Trump's challenge to the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. Weeks later, on Jan. 6, 2021, protesters broke into and ransacked the Capitol building as lawmakers met to certify Biden's win. Police arrested Pepe six days later, accusing him, as president of the Hudson Valley chapter of the Proud Boys, of coordinating with other members by radio and moving a police barricade. A federal judge found Pepe, who was fired from his job with Metro-North in Brewster, guilty in a bench trial on Oct. 23, 2024, of a felony (obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder) and four misdemeanors. His sentencing was canceled when he was pardoned. Metropolitan AME is targeting the Proud Boys' money. The church initially sued Proud Boys International for destructi...
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Beacon Resident Wins Guggenheim
Apr 1400:01:32Tap to summarizeThird straight year for local recognitions For the third year in a row, a local resident has won a Guggenheim Fellowship. Reid Davenport, who lives in Beacon, was among 223 recipients of the annual award, which provides scholars, artists, writers, historians and scientists with grants ranging from about $30,000 to $45,000 to provide "blocks of time in which fellows can work with as much creative freedom as possible," according to the Guggenheim Foundation. The honors were announced on Tuesday (April 14). Davenport is a documentary filmmaker who premiered Life After (2025) and I Didn't See You There (2022) at the Sundance Film Festival. Davenport, who has cerebral palsy, describes himself online as a "disabled filmmaker telling disabled stories through a political lens." Jessica Pisano, a Philipstown resident who is a professor of politics at The New School for Social Research in New York City, was named a fellow in 2024, and Gwen Laster, a violinist who lives in Beacon, was among the honorees in 2025. Adam James Smith, a documentary filmmaker who has a home in Lake Peekskill in Putnam County, was also honored this year. His upcoming films include Nighthawk, set in Shenzhen's vast art factory, and In the Valley of Solace, about a woman living alone and off the land in a remote Yunnan valley.
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Looking Back in Philipstown
Apr 1100:11:54Tap to summarize250 Years Ago (April 1776) On April 2, George Washington wrote from his headquarters near Boston to Brig. Benedict Arnold: "The chief part of the troops are marched from hence towards New York. I will set off tomorrow." The general was concerned that the British, who had evacuated Boston, were headed to New York City. On April 13, after traveling nine days by horseback, Washington and three aides arrived in New York. He made his headquarters at Richmond Hill, a 26-acre estate located in what is now Greenwich Village. It was during his stay that the New York governor and the New York City mayor, both loyalists, plotted to capture and/or kill Washington with assistance from his bodyguards. The plotters had loose lips, however, and the alleged ringleader, Thomas Hickey, was hanged. "The discovery of this plot, and the effort to investigate it, led colonial authorities to devise new systems" that today would be called counterintelligence, wrote Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch in The First Conspiracy. On April 19, Washington wrote to Congress reporting that four regiments ordered to march from Boston to defend New York had not left because their colonels had not arranged for them to be paid. He lamented the lack of trained officers. On April 22, Washington left for Philadelphia to consult with Congress about the defense of New York. On April 29, the Iroquois complained that there were not enough traders to meet their needs for blankets, clothing and ammunition and called for a meeting with the Americans at Albany. Most sachems remained neutral about the war, but this lack of trade goods would push some to side with the British. 150 Years Ago (April 1876) William Jaycox reported that, after a 9-inch snowfall on April 5, sleighing was good on the old post road. In the village, the snow melted by evening. Stephen Davenport, "among the few of our old men who retained a good memory of the past half century," according to The Cold Spring Recorder, died at age 76 after complaining of a headache at breakfast. After a hoghead of molasses being unloaded at J.Y. Dykeman's store in Nelsonville broke open, "most of the sweet stuff was wasted on the ungrateful soil," according to The Recorder. A prisoner escaped from the county jail in Carmel by taking the place of the boy who usually delivered the coal to heat the jail overnight. The jailer discovered the escape when he woke up in the cold. John Brady broke his leg when he was thrown from his wagon near Garden Street. His horse was spooked by a boy rolling a barrel. The Recorder noted that "a fine goat which has grown fat and kept itself in fine condition by stealing all about the village was shot, somewhere downtown, on Tuesday afternoon. … We could not avoid sorrow at the creature's dying moans, but could not say that its death was unjust." A one-armed traveling cornet player performed on Main Street for tips. After a Saturday night stop at Fishkill Landing, the Van Amburgh & Co. circus paraded into Cold Spring with an elephant, camel and a lion in a cage on Monday morning for a performance later in the day. Standing a few rods from the West Point Foundry, a group of 12 men, including Robert Parrott, Capt. Ottinger and Colin Tolmie Jr., a clerk, observed test firings of projectiles designed for the Coast Life Saving service. After a successful first shot, Tolmie was instructed to add 4 more ounces of gunpowder. During its flight, the second projectile exploded, sending a 60-pound fragment into the men, who were standing 40 feet away. Tolmie, 46, was struck in the head and killed instantly. Tolmie had worked at the foundry for nearly 30 years; he came to Cold Spring at age 9 when his father was hired to supervise the forging department, and he was apprenticed at age 17. Peter Louis, a Frenchman who lived on Bank Street and had fought as a sharpshooter in the Civil War, worked at the foundry pattern shop until a leg disease forced him to become a peddler. He and Charles Hines were returning ...
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Dems Eye End to Dry Spell
Apr 1000:03:42Tap to summarizeParty bullish on Putnam executive race When David Bruen defeated three other candidates in 1978 to become Putnam's first-ever county executive, he also became the only Democrat to ever occupy the office. In nearly five decades, a succession of Democratic candidates failed to surmount the Republican advantage in party registration and their candidates' traditional support from the Conservative Party. But Democrats are hoping the dry spell will end this year as Brett Yarris challenges incumbent Republican Kevin Byrne. Their hopes are bolstered by Democrats performance in last year's election, when the party gained control of legislatures in Dutchess and Orange counties and defeated Republicans in other state and local races in New York and nationally amid flagging support for President Donald Trump and his policies. Opposition to Trump and fervor over winning the congressional seat held by Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district includes Philipstown, are expected to drive high local turnout for Democratic voters. Byrne could also be harmed by the Putnam Conservative Party's endorsement of its chair, attorney William Spain, for county executive. If Spain, a former county attorney and the brother of county attorney Compton Spain, stays in the race, it could deprive Byrne of Conservative votes that have usually aided Republicans. As of February, Republicans still held an advantage over Democrats in active-voter registration: 24,723 versus 22,080. Another 21,235 active voters are unaffiliated; 2,777 are designated as "other"; 1,689 are Conservative Party members; and 292 belong to the left-leaning Working Families Party. "Democrats are rightfully ticked off; frankly, a lot of independents are also rightfully ticked off, and even some Republicans," said Jennifer Colamonico, chair of the Putnam Democratic Committee. "Of all the years to bank on a Democratic overperformance, it's this one." "We've seen this kind of talk before, but elections in Putnam County aren't decided by press releases or predictions," said Joe Nickischer, Byrne's campaign spokesperson. "Others can talk about confidence. We'll keep focusing on results." Asked about Spain's endorsement as the Conservative candidate, Nickischer said Byrne has "a broad coalition of support from Republicans, Conservatives, independents and common-sense Democrats" and has amassed endorsements from "organizations representing families, taxpayers, first responders and labor." Byrne "has outperformed every candidate on the ballot in every election he has run," said Nickischer. "The Conservative Party has time to finalize its own internal process and figure out what it needs to do to accurately represent Conservative voters. Those voters already know and support Kevin Byrne." Yarris, a former special education teacher who now provides services to people with special needs, said he also has a base of support that goes beyond his party. He said that, while he lost by 5 percentage points to Republican Jake D'Angelo in last year's contest for the District 5 seat on the Legislature, he drew votes from Republicans and Conservatives. "What I've learned over the last year is that nobody is satisfied with where Putnam County is right now — not Republicans, not Democrats, not independents, not Conservatives," said Yarris. "Don't vote for me because I'm a Democrat; vote for me because I have the vision and I have the plan and the leadership to bring people together to move us forward."
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Have You Met Daddy Long Legs?
Apr 1000:06:16Tap to summarizeOff-Broadway musical, based on 1912 novel, adapted for Beacon The plot of Daddy-Long-Legs, a 1912 novel by Jean Webster, presents a literary playground, especially when the female protagonist turns annual farm visits into a writer's retreat. Daddy Long Legs In Concert, based on the book and a 2015 off-Broadway musical, will be performed on April 18 and 19 at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon by special permission of the musical's authors. Beacon resident Will Reynolds, who directs and provides piano accompaniment, premiered the 90-minute production at Beacon Bonfire in November. The cultural center, a former library built in 1872, is such an apt setting that Howland board member Craig Wolf requested an encore. Reynolds, cellist Aaron Stier and guitarist Andy Stack are happy to oblige, along with the actors, married couple Erin Mendez Stapleton and Andrew Oppman. "It's rare for a wife and husband to be in a show together, even more so to take over a two-person musical," says Reynolds, who, as the standby during the off-Broadway run, played the male lead for about a month. The story echoes Pygmalion (the 1913 play) and My Fair Lady, although the characters in Daddy Long Legs communicate from afar, meet under contrived circumstances and resolve their secrets together. Q&A: Will Reynolds By Joey Asher How did you start in show business? I always loved singing and theater. I stuttered growing up, and theater helped me break free. Anytime I did something pretend or memorized, the stutter disappeared. In the fourth grade, I went to see the musical Five Guys Named Moe in Chicago. I met the actors afterward, and one said, "They're doing Oliver! this summer. You should audition." I was like, "Wait, I can do that?" I was Oliver's understudy. I also did commercials, including for Cap'n Crunch bars. My line was "Chewy!" When did you learn to play piano? Singing came first. I took voice lessons. My two older sisters took piano lessons and hated it. But I became obsessed. Pippin has a song I loved called "Corner of the Sky." It was too advanced for me, but I figured it out. I was mostly self-taught. You accompany singers at the open mic, Broadway in Beacon. Do you ever get stumped? I'm classically trained with a BFA in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon, and I have done so much work off and on Broadway that I'm familiar with about 70 percent of the material. But because there's no rehearsal, at times I'm sightreading to save my life, praying my fingers know where to go. How do you help singers who are nervous? I know what's going through a singer's mind at every moment. I'm listening to their breathing and phrasing. I adjust the tempo. It's about micro-adjustments that are not noticeable to the audience. Less-experienced singers have usually practiced, but they haven't performed for a large group. Broadway in Beacon is a communal trust fall. We're there to help. Mistakes are part of the art. What's next? I'm working with Eric Price on a musical version of Richard Greenberg's Broadway play The Violet Hour, about what happens when a publisher can see the future. It's set in Jazz Age New York City. I loved getting to play in that vocabulary. These characters have such big wants and dreams and unique points of view. We recorded a studio album that has over 2 million streams on Spotify. For years, benefactor Jervis Pendleton (Oppman) has sent promising but needy young men to college. Due to such "exceptional talent in her original and amusing essays," Jerusha Abbott (Mendez Stapleton) will be the first woman he sponsors. He expects she will become an "author of world renown." The 18-year-old, who spent most of her childhood in an orphanage, becomes a fish out of water on campus. Strings attached ratchet up the tension: She must write a letter each month to her anonymous benefactor, although he will never reply. Jerusha catches a glimpse of his silhouette, noticing spindly legs, and believes him to be far older than he is. "How can I be ...
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Cold Spring to Sue Fjord Trail
Apr 900:04:45Tap to summarizeSays environmental concerns not addressed The Cold Spring Village Board on Wednesday (April 8) unanimously voted to sue Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. and state parks, saying the environmental review of the 7.5-mile trail to Beacon was inadequate. Philipstown's Town Board followed suit on Thursday (April ), with Judy Farrell the only person on the five-member board rejecting a resolution authorizing the town to partner with the village on a lawsuit. Cold Spring alleges that the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement, released in January, failed to comply with the requirements of the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. It states that the FGEIS didn't address significant concerns identified by the Village Board, including "analysis of environmental impacts, infrastructure demands, traffic, parking, public safety and consistency with local land use controls." HHFT is the sponsor of the project and state parks is the lead agency. The resolution, which passed 5-0, authorizes village attorney John Furst to begin legal action. Mayor Kathleen Foley said the board has until May 7 to contest the FGEIS. "If we don't do this, we are remiss in our fiduciary responsibilities to the village, given the long-term costs," she said. "We are up against a very well-funded organization and a state agency, but we need to have sovereignty and to have say over our own waterfront." Dockside Park in Cold Spring, which is owned by the state but managed by the village, is HHFT's preferred southern gateway for the trail. The village's resolution said that if Philipstown initiates a similar legal challenge, the municipalities will file a joint lawsuit, with Philipstown taking the lead. Although the Town Board's agenda for the Thursday (April 9) only mentioned a "discussion regarding a response from the town to the Fjord Trail FEIS," and did not include a draft resolution regarding the Article 78, the board voted to authorize a lawsuit. When Farrell questioned spending taxpayer money on a lawsuit the town and village could lose, Supervisor John Van Tassel said, "I don't think we can afford it either, but I don't think we can afford not to do it" because the municipalities will be unable to challenge the FGEIS if they wait. "If we lose the court case, we lose the court case," said Van Tassel. "I'm going to be able to sleep at night knowing that we've exhausted every legal option we can and every negotiation that we can." The lawsuit will be filed in state court in Carmel under Article 78 of New York Civil Practice Law and Rules, which enables municipalities and others to challenge the actions or inactions of the state, local government agencies and public bodies. In a statement on Thursday, HHFT said, "Article 78 proceedings challenging environmental reviews carry a high burden of proof for the plaintiffs, which is very rarely met when an EIS has been prepared. Taxpayers of Cold Spring — and Philipstown, if the Town Board moves to make a similar resolution — are being asked to fund a frivolous and expensive lawsuit." "I'm deeply disappointed with this approach," said Peter Mullan, the Fjord Trail's president and CEO. "HHFT has made every effort to nurture a collaborative partnership with Philipstown and Cold Spring. … We are collaborating with Putnam County, Philipstown and Cold Spring on the pending [state transportation] grant to complete sidewalks on Fair Street by committing $450,000 in matching funds required for the project to be eligible. Why is this type of divisive, incendiary action necessary at tremendous local taxpayer expense, especially as local governments deal with stretched budgets and cut services? The supervisor [John Van Tassel] and mayor seem intent on continuing to foster a climate of conflict." In its statement, HHFT also cited "troubling public accountability issues" because, it said, two village trustees "are active members of the local opposition group, Protect the Highlands, but were not recused from voting....
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Lawsuit Against Putnam Deputies Dismissed
Apr 900:04:38Tap to summarizeFamily said they caused Brewster man's death After a Putnam County sheriff's deputy tackled George Taranto and his colleagues helped handcuff the Brewster resident outside his home on July 8, 2019, Sgt. William Quick and Investigator Daniel Hunsberger spoke to his wife, Karen. While paramedics treated George Taranto, 75, Quick said, "Do you know that I almost killed your husband tonight?" according to Karen Taranto. Karen Taranto and her son and daughter believe head trauma caused by George Taranto being driven to the ground led to his death two years later. But a federal judge disagreed on March 31, dismissing their $75 million wrongful-death lawsuit over an incident that began with a report of a transformer fire and ended in a standoff with George Taranto, who suffered from early dementia and had gone outside with a loaded handgun to investigate noises. Judge Victoria Reznik of the U.S. District Court in White Plains dismissed all claims filed by Taranto's family against Hunsberger, Quick and three other deputies: Vincent Dalo, Ryan Diskin and Ronald Yeager. Claims against Putnam County and then-Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. were also dismissed. Reznik found that Dalo did not use excessive force in tackling Taranto after deputies said they saw the gun in his right hand and mistook a holster in his left hand for a second weapon. Without a case for excessive force, the family's other claims, including for assault and battery and wrongful death, also had to be dismissed, said Reznik. An investigation completed by the Sheriff's Office in July 2020 found that the officers "acted within the scope of their duties" and had not violated any state laws or agency regulations. "No reasonable jury could find that Deputy Sheriff Dalo's split-second decision to subdue Taranto by tackling him to the ground" was unreasonable, Reznik concluded. The confrontation began shortly after Diskin responded to a report of a transformer explosion. He called for backup after spotting a vehicle with two males inside that was acting "suspiciously." Both males jumped from the car when Diskin followed it; one obeyed his order to drop to the ground and the other ran into the woods. Yeager, who responded with Dalo, Hunsberger and Quick, testified that during the search for the second male, he saw Taranto standing at his back patio door and told him to stay inside. Hunsberger said he then saw Taranto standing behind a garage and also told him to return indoors. Hunsberger said he began walking away but turned when he heard Taranto ask, "Who the fuck is out there?" Seeing a loaded Colt Mustang .380 pistol in Taranto's right hand, Hunsberger said he drew his weapon and alerted the other deputies. They took cover while Taranto shielded himself behind a parked car, according to court documents. The family, whose lawyer did not respond to a request for comment, said Taranto's gun was pointed at the ground. They say he complied when deputies, with their weapons drawn, began screaming at him to drop the gun, raise his hands and walk toward them. But the officers said Taranto, who they initially thought was drunk, initially did not obey their commands and continued to hide. When he put down his gun and walked toward the officers, Dalo feared that a holster in Taranto's left hand could be another weapon, according to court documents. He tackled the Brewster man from behind, causing his head to hit the ground. At Putnam Hospital, Taranto suffered cardiac arrest and respiratory failure, as well as a pulmonary edema, according to his family, and was moved to Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. Deputies issued tickets for second-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and second-degree obstructing governmental administration, all misdemeanors. Taranto was released but hospitalized again on Sept. 2, according to the lawsuit. A scan revealed bleeding in his brain, requiring surgery. His injuries led the family to sue for $50 million in ...
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It's Down to Five in House Race
Apr 800:03:20Tap to summarizeDemocrats prepare for June 23 primaries Six Democratic candidates filed nominating petitions with the state Board of Elections by the April 6 deadline to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler for his U.S. House seat representing Philipstown, although one — Peter Chatzky — dropped out on Thursday (April 9). Lawler, who filed petitions to appear on the Republican and Conservative lines on the November ballot, is seeking his third 2-year term. A Democratic primary is scheduled for June 23. The candidates who filed are John Cappello, a Rockland native and former defense attaché at the U.S. embassies in Israel and Serbia; Chatzky, a tech company founder and village trustee in Briarcliff Manor; Cait Conley, a West Point graduate from Orange County and former director of counterterrorism for the National Security Council; Beth Davidson, a Rockland County legislator; Effie Phillips-Staley, a Tarrytown trustee who is a nonprofit executive; and Mike Sacks, a lawyer and former TV journalist from Westchester. Each candidate had to collect at least 1,250 signatures from voters in District 17. Typically, a candidate files far more than required because the Board of Elections can invalidate signatures if opponents file challenges. On Thursday, Alyssa Verrilli, Chatzky's campaign manager, confirmed reports that he had ended his campaign. A debate hosted on Thursday at Manhattanville University in Purchase by the Westchester County Democratic Committee with four candidates selected based on polling, money raised and endorsements — Chatzky, Conley, Davidson and Phillips-Staley — proceeded with three. A recording is posted below and at dub.sh/district-17-debate. In District 18, which includes Beacon, incumbent Rep. Pat Ryan filed petitions for the Democratic and Working Families lines, and Sharanjit Thind filed for the Republican and Conservative lines. The Dutchess County Democratic Committee has endorsed Conley and Ryan. The Putnam County Democratic Committee is expected to make endorsements after its April 20 meeting. In state legislative contests, retired teacher Laurie Ryan filed for the Republican and Conservative lines to oppose Dana Levenberg, the incumbent Democrat whose 95th Assembly district includes Philipstown. In District 104, which includes Beacon, Ali Muhammad, a former Beacon City Council member who now lives in Newburgh, will challenge incumbent Jonathan Jacobson in a Democratic primary. Robert F. Johnson filed to run as a Republican. Three Democrats will face off in the June 23 primary to challenge the Republican incumbent, Rob Rolison, for the state Senate seat that represents the Highlands: Lisa Kaul, a Dutchess County legislator who represents part of the Town of Poughkeepsie; Gay Lee, a social worker and former Newburgh City Council member who ran for the seat in 2014; and Evan Menist, a member of the Poughkeepsie Common Council. The Dutchess County Democratic Committee has endorsed Kaul for the state Senate and Jacobson for the Assembly. The Putnam County Democratic Committee has endorsed Levenberg.
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Countdown to Zero: Backup Power
Apr 300:11:53Tap to summarizeNew York is falling behind on its climate goals. Is there any way to catch up? Sean Dague would like to use his refrigerator to lower your energy bills. A few years ago, after buying a fridge, the Dutchess County resident did something few people do: He read the manual. (He's a software engineer at IBM, so he does that.) In it, he learned that, when the grid was under strain, the local utility could send a signal telling it to temporarily use less power. He found similar language in the manual for his hot-water heater. This feature could save Dague money and make it less likely that utilities would need to rely on fossil-fuel-reliant "peaker" plants, such as Danskammer, north of Newburgh. If every "smart" appliance were connected this way, it could save money for everyone and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Alas, there was a major obstacle. Central Hudson doesn't participate. "When you talk about what it costs to get electricity to people, you also have to talk about demand flexibility," says Dague, who lives in LaGrange. "We have the technology to do it." This flexible grid technology is also known as virtual power plants (VPP). Across the river, Orange & Rockland Utilities recently ran a pilot program in which customers who installed solar panels received a free or heavily discounted battery. In exchange, they agreed to allow the utility to draw power from the battery when the grid is strained, such as during last summer's "heat dome." Dague is a volunteer organizer with the Citizens Climate Lobby, which recently worked with Assembly Member Anna Kelles, a Democrat whose district includes Ithaca, on a bill that would create VPPs throughout the state. This past week, MIT unveiled an online tool developed with Heatmap News and CleanEcon called The Electricity Price Hub, which tracks electricity prices by ZIP code. Things don't look so bad in New York: The state is mostly a soothing green. But click on utility bills, and a dark orange blob appears: the service area for Central Hudson, indicating that its customers are, by far, paying the highest utility bills in the state. VPPs are among many tools that can lower bills and help transition New York away from fossil fuels, the primary goal of the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (aka the Climate Law), enacted in 2019. The law sets ambitious targets, including getting 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emissions energy by 2040. As we reported last week, the state is behind in its targets. Enforcement regulations that would have penalized industries for high emissions — with fines that would pay for renewable energy projects and rebate checks to consumers — were scrapped just before they were scheduled to take effect. Arguing that New York was breaking its own law, a group of environmental organizations sued the state in 2025 — and won. Now, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to roll back some targets to make them easier to meet and change how the state calculates emissions. This methodology, which many states use, would put New York much closer to reaching its goals. The governor is working with the Legislature to amend the law as part of the 2026-27 budget, which is due this coming week. Hochul cites a series of unforeseen setbacks: a pandemic, wars, inflation, tariffs and President Donald Trump's disapproval of renewable energy projects. As a result, she says, the law has become too expensive to implement by the 2019 deadlines. Not every state is backing away: 50 gigawatts of renewable energy were added in the U.S. last year. Wind, solar and battery storage continue to grow. "It's good business, right? These are profitable," said Erin Baker, faculty director of the Energy Transition Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "They suppress prices for ratepayers. The example I always give is Texas: It has the most wind energy production and the second-most solar in the country. Its batteries...
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Gas Tax Holiday
Apr 300:05:49Tap to summarizeDutchess, Putnam move to lower prices at pump Legislators in Dutchess and Putnam counties this week advanced measures that would temporarily lower taxes on gas purchases. The average price per gallon in the area has risen to more than $4 per gallon, up from $3 a month ago, largely due to U.S. and Israeli attacks that prompted Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for tankers. A resolution to limit Putnam's 4 percent sales tax to the first $3 per gallon passed the Legislature's Budget and Finance Committee, which includes all nine legislators, on Monday (March 30). The proposal, which will be considered by the full Legislature again at its monthly meeting on Tuesday (April 7), would be in effect from June 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027. It would not reduce state taxes, which are 24.18 cents per gallon, or the federal tax, which is 18.4 cents. "We are doing what we can do to help the families of Putnam County," said Legislator William Gouldman of Putnam Valley, who introduced the measure. "Government should not benefit from higher prices." The Dutchess Legislature is preparing a similar exemption from the county's 3.75 percent sales tax, said its chair, Yvette Valdés Smith, whose district includes part of Beacon. Like Putnam, the proposal would suspend taxes over $3 per gallon, beginning on June 1 and continuing for at least six months. It will be introduced at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Thursday (April 9), she said. Putnam approved a similar temporary exemption in April 2022, when the average price in New York was $4.21 per gallon. The tax break began at $2 per gallon and lasted until Dec. 1 of the same year. The current proposal originally ended June 1, 2027, but the Legislature's chair, Dan Birmingham, won passage of an amendment to extend it through next year. "Whether it's an international crisis now with the Iranian conflict, or whether it's something else that drives it up to $5 or $6 next year, I'd still rather not have this county government profit off of whatever calamity" might come, he said. Rockland County last month put a cap on taxes over $3 per gallon from June 1, 2026, to March 1, 2027. Consumer prices and the cost of living have become early flashpoints for the national midterm elections in November. A poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 45 percent of 1,150 U.S. adults surveyed were "extremely" or "very" concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30 percent shortly after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. The most recent poll had a 4 percent margin of error. Beyond visits to the pump, analysts say higher fuel costs will trickle into groceries, which must be restocked frequently and could also see price hikes as transportation and packaging costs pile up. The U.S. Postal Service is seeking an 8 percent temporary surcharge on some of its popular products, including Priority Mail. U.S. diesel, used for many freight and delivery trucks, costs an average of $5.45 per gallon, up from $3.76 a gallon before the war began, according to AAA. Only two states have suspended all or part of their gas taxes. Georgia removed its 33-cent-per-gallon tax on March 20 for 60 days (followed by a warning to retailers from the state attorney general to pass along the savings), and Utah reduced its 38-cent-per-gallon tax by 6 cents for six months beginning July 1. California charges a nationally high tax of 61 cents per gallon; a gallon of gas averaged $5.89 per gallon on Thursday, according to AAA. In Maryland, Republicans pushed for a 30-day gas tax holiday, but Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said it would cost the state $100 million. In Connecticut, Democratic leaders want Gov. Ned Lamont to tap an emergency fund to cover a 30-day suspension of the state's 25-cent tax. Roughly half the price at the pump pays for the crude oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administra...
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