Beacon Dispatch

The Dispatch Moves On...

After more than 3 years blogging on this site, we've decided to upgrade the Beacon Dispatch blog to a more flexible, scalable site. Sometime in the next day or so, when you type in beacondispatch.com, you'll end up on the new site.

I started writing the Beacon Dispatch blog in 2003, and it quickly found a regular audience of about 7 readers (including my mom & dad.) All that changed when Nell Timmer, Jeff Battersby, Audrey Molsky, Deb Adamson, and I decided to publish a print version, and keep the Dispatch name, in June 2004. We had no idea how much Beacon needed a paper to call its own.

I'll also be signing off from here and start work on a new site, the "Hughsonville Dispatch", that will reflect life in our new home about 8 minutes north of Beacon (depending on the traffic on 9D.) Yes, we moved out of Beacon in November. My wife and I were looking for a bit more space for us and the kids, and we're very happy with the house we found, which came complete with a barn and 5 egg-laying hens. There's plenty to write about here, such as how to care for chickens in sub-zero temperatures (think vaseline on waddles) and how to use a "farm tough" chain saw to fell dead trees without losing any digits. If you're interested in hearing more about it, shoot me an email and I'll send the URL when it's ready to go. Thanks for a great 3+ years...

~ mike

June issue of Dispatch now available

This is our second anniversary issue, having published every month since June 2004 with the exception of January, when we take a month off. We're exceptionally proud of this one, as it features information on summer camps in Beacon, a story on the oral history of Hudson River fishermen, a photo spread for the 2006 Hat Parade, and much more. Thanks for reading and supporting the Dispatch! You'll find the articles online shortly...

May Issue of Dispatch on the Streets

The first Saturday of the month came late in May, but the latest issue is finally available at finer locations around town. This month we feature opera singer and Beacon resident Irina Mozyleva, provide copies of the documents at the heart of recent BPD lawsuits, and welcome a new writer to the Dispatch: Bruce Beaty, Executive Chef of Le Madeleine in Manhattan, will be sharing his expertise every month in the recipe column. Bon appetit!

March issue of Dispatch now available

This month we feature a photo essay on the Tallix Art Foundary by photographer John Fasulo; updates on the University Settlement, Rivers & Estuaries construction, and the third anniversary of the Dia:Beacon. We're also running a police blotter for the first time and much more. We'll be distributing the papers around town tomorrow...

Taking a break for a few weeks

I'm going to be out of town on vacation for the next 2 weeks, so there probably won't be a lot of action here on the Dispatch site for the time being. You can expect to find more updates here after Christmas. Have great holiday!!

~ mike

Hot off the presses! The December/January issue of the Dispatch!

This is our annual end of year double issue, with some advice to help you cope with high home heating costs and tips on how to plant a live Christmas tree. We also have a report on the new city water meters, which seem to have a nasty habit of overcharging, and an interview with Mr. Albert Bell, proprieter of the Main Street Beauty Salon. Mr. Bell, his son Michael Sr., and his grandson, Michael Jr. have been cutting hair on Main Street for 16 years. So pour yourself a nice hot cup of cocoa and treat yourself to the latest issue of the Dispatch. Happy holidays!!

October issue now available

This month we dig into some of the issues that people are talking about around town: local vandalism, low water pressure in our fire hydrants, the federal investigation into the Beacon Police Department, and the historic Tioronda Bridge. We look forward to hearing what you think here on the Dispatch site.

September issue of Dispatch out today

Look for it in the usual locations around town...

August issue now available

Sorry for the late update, but we distributed the August issue of the Dispatch around Beacon yesterday. As you may know, we're publishing the paper on the first Saturday of each month. This month's issue has a feature on efforts to restore Bannerman Island, an update on the new Howland Library, and an interview with the founders of Kid's Place, Mark and Pam Seegler.

Unfortunately, this issue went to press with a number of errors. We apologize for the lack of professionalism, and hope you'll let us make it up to you in future issues. Below are the errors and corrections:

- on the cover, the subtitle should read "Howland Library: A New Building Nears An End"
- the Howland Library piece was written by Jack Sine, not Jeff Battersby
- the Bannerman Island article should end after Neil Caplan's quote, "There's nothing like it in the world." The text following this quote is from an article in the July issue, and should be ignored.
- Mark and Pam Seegler's kids, Mark and Kayla, are 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old respectively
- the letter to the editor written by John Steele, should have been given a title, rather than the "??????????????????" that ended up in the issue.

We apologize to anyone who may have been offended or confused by these mistakes.

Community calendar needs your help!

Getting the word out about art openings, concerts, book readings, and other local events is a key function of any local paper. But as you can see, our community calendar has fallen behind. We need someone to help us solicit entries for the Beacon Dispatch calendar and help publish the info online and in the paper.

We really want to continue offering our community calendar -- it's been on the most popular features of the Dispatch. But we can't do it alone. If you're interested in lending a hand, email me here or call me at 831-9789.

First anniversary issue of Dispatch hits the street

Happy birthday to us! The July issue of the Dispatch is now available at shops and public spaces arond Beacon. Enjoy!

June issue of Dispatch hits the street tomorrow

This month we're featuring local writers and poets, along with our standard recipes, crossword, and more. Look for the online content by Monday...

Volunteers get May issue of Dispatch out on time

We're now getting the Dispatch out on the first Saturday each month, in case you were wondering why it was taking us so long with this issue. With Nell having her first baby, Jeff trying to finish work on his new home, and me commuting and out of town on business here and there, it's a bit of a miracle the paper is still on track. But we have a crack team of volunteers helping us with journalism, photgraphy, artwork, ad creative, and ad management. Without these folks, the Dispatch would be nowhere. So, before we get into this month's articles, here's a hearty 'thanks' to our courageous volunteers:

- Anouk Zijlma, ad manager
- Andy Brown, ad creative
- Jenn Timmer, design

- Jack Sine, contributing writer
- Jennifer Sipple, contributing writer
- GIna Masullo, contributing writer
- Kristine Nessler, contributing writer
- Andrew Genna, poetry
- Beacon Historical Society, photography
- Bill Irwin, photography
- Yancy Hughes, photography
- Rick Price, artwork
- Jessica Reisman & Jill Reynolds, crossword

May issue to come later this week

We've been publishing the Dispatch by the first Saturday of each month. Just so happens this Saturday is a bit further into the month than normal. Stay tuned...

It's a Boy!

Good friend and Dispatch co-founder Nell Timmer gave birth to a strapping baby boy in her home this
morning at 6:30. Nell (and her husband Ted) are doing fine -- though they're exhausted from 12 hours of labor and natural (yikes!) delivery. They have yet to decide on a name for their son, but Truman, Henry, and Gabriel are all on the short list. Congratulations you guys! We're looking forward to seeing [insert name here] in person soon!

April issue hits the street today!

You can always find a copy at the chThonic Clash coffee house, and over the next few days at most shops in and around Beacon. We'll also have the articles posted here so you can add your comments...

April issue coming on Monday

This month we're focusing on the annual re-birth of the Hudson River, with features on the restoration of the sloop Woody Guthrie, history of the Hudson Rivermen and Denning's Point, and a river almanac. We were fortunate to have the input of Guest Editor John Cronin for this issue (John is Managing Director of the Rivers & Estuaries Center), so we all learned quite a bit about the heritage, history, and importance of the Hudson River over the past month. We hope you have as much fun reading this issue as we had putting it together...

Update: March issue now available!

Early this morning we dropped off the latest Dispatch at almost every business on Main St. and beyond. So get out on this glorious late-winter day and grab your copy before they run out! This month we feature the new designs of the proposed Howland Library, a report on BPD overtime, an interview with local activist Dennis Pavelock, and our usual assortment of tasty recipes and challenging crossword puzzles.

February issue around the corner...

We're putting the final touches on the February issue of the Dispatch, which is focused on education. We're very happy with how it turned out -- you should see it in shops and newsstands by the end of the week.

Ring in the new year with the Dispatch!

To celebrate the new(ish) year and thank you, our readers and advertisers, for your support of the Dispatch, we're throwing a party on Saturday night @ 8pm at the chThonic Clash coffee house (418 Main St.) Your $5 cover charge will get you free beverages and the sonic stylings of Hector on Stilts. Our last party was a blast, so come on down and get your groove on! 

A brief note on Dispatch 'netiquette'

The Beacon Dispatch blog is a place where Dispatch writers and readers can discuss events  of interest to people living in, or visiting, the Beacon area. The opinions expressed in the comments are those of the writers, and do not represent an endorsement by the Beacon Dispatch. That said, this site is designed to be a "big tent" that welcomes a broad range of opinions and responses to the original posts. 

Because there are viewpoints from all sides -- eventually you will probably disagree strongly with someone's comments. As writers of the Dispatch, it is also our responsibility to moderate the response to our posts. We're here to keep the peace and make sure everyone's opinions are represented without getting personal. Any violations to the rules of participation will be edited.

The rules, in short (with thanks to About.com's Kathy Gill):

1. Treat other contributors with respect. Don't be rude, vulgar, hateful or bigoted. Discuss the message, not the messenger. Vulgarity, profanity, mean-spirited, hate-filled adjectives and posts are prohibited. If you wouldn't say it to your mother sitting around the dinner table or to your boss, it's probably not appropriate here.
2. Respect copyright. Don't post entire articles or images. Instead, post short excerpts (two-three paragraphs) with links.
3. Use of Spam, Vulgarity, Privacy, Libel, On-Topic, Netiquette.
   • Spam is prohibited.Spam is defined as posting identical or similar material repeatedly in one, or more, posts. Even if the posted material in question is on topic, do not repetitively post it en-masse. Contributors in violation of this rule will have their spam deleted on all posts where it is encountered.
   • Vulgarity is prohibited.Any offensively graphic and rude word or image that is commonly understood and perceived to be vulgar will be edited. The context in which a word is used will be taken into consideration.
   • Respect contributors' right to privacy.Participants may not post information that violates the privacy rights of another contributor.
   • Libel is prohibited. Participants may not post information that is defamatory.
   • Please be on topic.Chain e-mail, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are inappropriate in this site and will be removed by the Moderators.
   • General Netiquette.Please follow netiquette. For example, do not post subjects or messages in all caps; all caps = shouting.

2005 Dispatch Ad Rates

After six months of publishing the Dispatch, we now have a better handle on what our costs are going to be each month. While the publishers/editors/writers of the Dispatch donate our time out of a deep felt sense of civic responsibility ;-) , we still need to pay our designer (who works for a fraction of his standard rate) and Southern Dutchess News for printing 7000 copies of the Dispatch each month. That said, we barely break even.

So, to help give us a bit more breathing room, and perhaps even hire a copy editor and/or fact checker (sorry Randall), we've increased our rates for 2005. We're still a heck of a lot more reasonable than any of the other free papers out there, and judging by the response to our latest issue, as an advertiser you'll have a captive audience. Deadline for the February issue is January 15. You can download our new rate sheet here (you'll need a PDF viewer to see the file) or drop Nell Timmer an email at ads@beacondispatch.com.

As always, thank you for your support.

Dispatch Editors offer apology for use of obscenity

Last night we attended the City Council meeting to respond to criticism from Councilman Fred Antalek regarding the use of an obscenity in the latest issue of the Dispatch in our post-election photo montage. The photos were taken by local artist Charles Smith Jr., after he asked his subjects what word they'd use to describe how they felt the day after the election. We liked his work, so we asked him if we could print the results in our year-end issue. As we thumbed through the prints, each of us made a mental note to exclude the picture using the word "f***ed" (her son's picture appears to her right using the word "spaghetti.")  Unfortunately, as we scrambled to get to press, our mental note did not get translated into the final layout.  In response to Councilman Antalek, we are not trying to push the envelope on the use of vulgarities in the Beacon Dispatch, nor are we testing the waters for more radical subject matter in future issues. It was a mistake we all regret, and will not make again. Below is a copy of the letter I read into the minutes at last might's meeting:

Dear Council Members:

Since the release of our December/January issue we have been made aware of concerns with regard to language used in a photo montage appearing on pages 22 and 23 of the paper. While we believe strongly in freedom of speech, we are also aware that our paper is read by a wide variety of individuals, some of whom were offended by the word used in the photo.

In the past we have chosen not to print pieces of literature or poetry simply because they used this or similar expletives, and that has been and will continue to be our policy. The fact that this appears in our current issue is an editorial oversight, which we take full responsibility for.

To that end we wish to express our sincerest apologies.

Thank you,

The Beacon Dispatch Editorial Staff

Jeffery Battersby
Michael Daecher
Audrey Molsky
Ellen Timmer

December/January issue of Dispatch now available

Featuring our picks for the "Best of Beacon" 2004, the year-end December/January issue of the Dispatch is now available, free of charge, at finer Beacon merchants.

There were plenty of changes since last year, a sign that things continue to get more interesting in our town. We hope you find at least one place on this list where you haven't been, whether it's to the firetower on top of Mt. Beacon or buying a gift for your nephew at Echo.

Meeting all the different people that are part of this issue made putting together this month's issue even more fun. Beacon is a special place to live. At least once a year, it's good to remember what we have, and not take all the good things around us for granted. Merry Christmas!

Best of Beacon: Thanks for your input!

What's your favorite retaurant in town? Favorite hike? Best place to play with the kids? The Beacon Dispatch wants to hear from you! Send us an email with your choices in the categories below, or make up one of your own. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 19. Vote early (but only once please ;-) and let us know what you love about Beacon! The results will be published in our year-end issue out on December 1.

November issue of Dispatch out tomorrow

Just in time for tomorrow's election, the November issue of the Dispatch will hit newsstands tomorrow.

This month we're focusing on Beacon history, and hope everyone learns a thing or two from the reporting and interviews we've done. As always, thanks to our advertisers for keeping the Dispatch a free publication!

Looking back...

Much to celebrate on this overcast, chilly day... Today is my tenth wedding anniversary, as well as (roughly) the first anniversary of my first Beacon Dispatch post. Working on this blog, and the paper that started in July, has been an incredible experience. Almost as good as meeting my wife, Anouk, and sharing everything over the past decade. Like John Kerry said in the last debate, I certainly married up, and got luckier than most. Cheers, everyone...

October issue coming out on Monday

Focused on the great outdoors, the latest issue of the Dispatch features a guide to local apple picking, four hikes you can do from Main Street, a report on some new deluxe camping facilities going up outside town, an interview with "The Mountain Man", Butch Van Vlack, and much more. We always try and get the paper out by the 1st of the month, but fate often has other plans. (If anyone is looking for a new idea for a reality tv series, starting a local paper would be a great topic.)

Mentioned in the Times

Scratch that... QUOTED in the Times

The Beacon Dispatch is pleased to note that we've been quoted in the New York Times on page 13 in Sunday's Real Estate section. More importantly, the Times went to great lengths to discuss all the changes that are taking place in this fair City. They also featured Beacon in an article about artists fleeing the city for more affordable work space. Both articles are well worth the read.

If you don't get the Times delivered to your home, pick up a copy of the paper tomorrow.

Buy Me A River Pool

Swim me a mile...

About sixty people braved the tides and swam the Hudson this afternoon, swimming from Newburgh to Beacon to benefit the River Pool. Despite the overcast weather all the swimmers stated that the water was fine.

The first man out of the water was Ed Stoner who travelled the width of the river in a mere 23 minutes and 30 seconds. The first woman across was Tara Waclawski who finished the crossing in 36 minutes.

The Dispatch sends out a loud HUZZAH to all the participants and keep your eye out for the next print issue when Nate Binzen will provide a first hand report of his trip across the Hudson.

Correction

Calendar Error

The Beacon Dispatch would like to correct the following error in the calendar in the print edition:

The artist Lorenzo Porcelli is presenting a show titled: Storyboard Constructed Paintings on Wood which is appearing at THE ART GALLERY AT FINDERS KEEPERS. The Beacon Dispatch incorrectly listed the show as appearing at Collaborative Concepts. We regret the error.

September Issue of Dispatch Available on Friday

(Editor's Note: this post originally said the paper would come out on Thursday, but last minute delays have pushed the printing job to Friday, September 3rd.)

The latest print edition of the Beacon Dispatch will be available on Friday. This month we're focusing on development issues in Beacon, and what you can do to have your say in the process. The paper will feature a report on the East Main Mills development and the revitalization of Main Street, an interview with local developer Ron Sauers, an update on the property tax reassessment, and a copy of the New York state voter registration form, which you need to mail in by October 8 to be eliglble to vote on November 2.

Yes, you can register to vote by mail. All you need to do is fill out the voter registration form, and mail it to the below address along with a copy of your driver's license, valid photo ID, utility bill, or other government documentation that shows your home address.

Dutchess County Board of Elections
47 Cannon St
Poughkeepsie, NY
12601

If you have any questions, call (845) 486-2473 and you can talk to someone to be sure you're getting all the details right.

Beacon Dispatch Ad Rates

Updated: 1.31.06

If you're interested in advertising in the Beacon Dispatch, you can find our most recent prices here. Unchanged since 2005, ads start at $30 for a business card size ad and go up to $360 for a full-page ad. We also offer long-term rates for advertisers who want to make a multi-month commitment. Any questions, email us at ads@beacondispatch.com .