Profiles on Dutchess County District Attorney Candidates
William Grady is retiring after 40 years as the Dutchess County District Attorney. The Red Hook Daily Catch has profiled the two candidates who worked under Grady and hope to succeed him. Here are links to their stories: Anthony Parisi (D) and Matthew Weishaupt (R).
Boo Thru Bash
At 4 p.m. on Oct. 21, the Pine Plains PTA will celebrate Halloween with a Boo Thru Bash at the Stissing Mountain High School. A Boo Thru is an outdoor walk-through event where families are able to stop by decorated displays and collect Halloween treats from vehicle trunks.
Besides the treats, there will be two food trucks, an ice cream truck, pumpkins, games and a DJ dance party. The ghost of Seymour Smith is expected to make an appearance. There will also be a costume contest and a costume donation/swap table.
Families, businesses and social groups are encouraged to participate in both the Halloween displays and the trunk-or-treat part of the event. If you are interested or would like more information, contact Ted Howley (845) 705-8020 or Elizabeth Coletti (845) 416-2537. In case of rain, the event will be held on Oct. 28.
Attention Low-Income Senior Citizens
New York state recently passed legislation allowing municipalities to increase the income limits for the Low-Income Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Exemption. On Sept. 21, the Pine Plains Town Board voted to increase the limits for Pine Plains seniors on a sliding scale ranging from a 50% exemption for incomes of $35,000 or less to a 5% exemption for seniors with incomes from 42,500 to $43,399.
Pine Plains Assessor Lynda Wisdo notes that for 2024, the assessor’s office will be looking at sources of income from 2022 federal tax returns. If you do not file a tax return, she will need income statements for 2022—items such the income from Social Security and pensions, interest income (including tax-exempt), dividends, capital gains, etc. If you feel you might qualify for this exemption or have questions, you can email (assessors@pineplains-ny.gov), call (518-398-7193 ext. 215) or stop by the office behind the Town Hall. Your application for this exemption along with supporting documentation must be submitted by March 1, 2024.
Football and Cross-Country Highlight Weekend Sports
The Pine Plains/Rhinebeck combined football squad will host Onteora at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, in a Section 9 league game. The team is 2–2 after falling to undefeated Pawling 48–6 on Oct. 6.
High Schoolers Runners Going to Meet in Saratoga
Stissing Mountain High School runners are headed north on Saturday, Oct. 14, to run in the 41st Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational meet. The Bombers’ team, only two years old, is fielding 14 runners from both its boys’ and girls’ varsities and the boys ‘junior varsity in a meet with racers from more than a hundred teams from across New York state.
The meet will be held at Saratoga Spa State Park, in Saratoga Springs, on one of the more historically relevant cross-country courses in New York, coach Ryan Carney told the Herald. Carney noted the boys’ varsity is currently ranked ninth in the state and first in its own division. “We hope to continue to surprise people this weekend and put Pine Plains on the map as a true contender in cross-country on the state level,” he said.
Typically, Carney said, the Burnt Hills invitational divides its races by school size, but because the Pine Plains team is so strong he asked that the varsity boys run in the large-school category, and meet officials agreed. Weather could be a factor. Forecasts call for rain, which could lead to a muddy course, and the varsity boys’ race is the final one of the day.
Clarification
In a story on Pine Plains Highway Superintendent Carl Baden, the Herald said that he and Ibis Guzman have managed Town Decoration Day activities in Pine Plains for the past 17 years. The person who launched the annual event was the late Bill Boyles, who also ran it for the first two decades.