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.