Saugerties

A 15-year-old Saugerties student pleaded not guilty Monday, July 13, to a charge of second-degree murder in the death of 88-year-old Elena Bonjolo. Mark J. Wanchik II entered the plea during his arraignment on an indictment returned by an Ulster County grand jury, according to the court clerk’s office. The proceeding was held in Ulster […]

The possibility of combining Saugerties’ town and village governments drew cautious interest at a packed forum on Monday, July 13, as local officials and residents raised questions about taxes, services, and whether village residents would lose political influence. ShoutOut Saugerties, a volunteer-run community group, hosted the discussion at the Orpheum Theatre. The event focused on […]

The Community Foundation of Saugerties was awarded a $605,000 state grant for an environmentally friendly, accessible splash pad at Cantine Field, advancing a long-running effort to expand free recreation in town. The grant, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, will help pay for a splash pad planned next to the kiddie pool at Cantine Field. […]

St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Saugerties is under contract to be sold for slightly less than its $1.6 million asking price, according to the Rev. Chris Berean, pastor of St. Mary of the Snow-St. Joseph’s-St. John the Evangelist. The 24-acre property in Centerville, which includes the former church, classroom space, and rectory, […]

A 15-year-old boy charged with murder in Saugerties has been identified by police as Mark J. Wanchik II. Wanchik is accused of causing the death of Elena Bonjolo, 88, of West Camp Road, who was found dead outside an abandoned residence in West Camp on Sunday, June 7, Saugerties police said. Bonjolo died sometime between […]

A 93-year-old Catskill man died Thursday, June 4, after a two-vehicle crash on Route 32 in Saugerties, according to the Saugerties Police Department. The crash occurred around 1 p.m. Robert Goldberg died from injuries he suffered when the 2022 Volkswagen he was driving south on Route 32 collided with a 1988 Freightliner dump truck, police […]

A 48-year-old woman and five dogs died Thursday in a fire at a multi-occupancy residence in Veteran, a hamlet of Saugerties, officials said. Li-Anne M. Gableman, who lived in the building and was formerly of Wallkill, was found on the second floor after firefighters entered the building, according to a press release issued by Centerville […]

The Saugerties Public Library will host a range of events celebrating libraries, local history and America’s 250th anniversary thanks to a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the same group that paid $12,500 in 1914 to build the town’s library. Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune in steel, benefited […]

Plans are underway for the second annual Saugerties Earth Day Week, set for April 20-26, featuring a lineup of nature tours, expert talks, award-winning films, and hands-on activities aimed at informing and inspiring individual and collective action on sustainability.  The spirit of this year’s theme is reflected in the Jane Street Gallery event, “The Joy […]

Like many people during the pandemic, Conchi Perez of Saugerties picked up a hobby. For Perez, a native of Mexico, that hobby was backyard gardening. She started with vegetables. Then she discovered dahlias. “I fell in love with dahlias,” she said. The hobby also gave Perez something else: confidence. She set up a flower stand […]

A bridge carrying about 2,000 vehicles a day over the New York State Thruway in Saugerties has closed for replacement and is expected to remain shut until fall 2026. The Malden Turnpike bridge closed to all traffic last week, as construction began on an $8.2 million project to replace the 78-year-old structure with a new […]

A community refrigerator outside a Main Street shop in Saugerties softly launched this week, offering a simple premise: take food if you need it, leave food if you can. The 24/7 fridge sits outside Enoki at 190 Main St., where owners Shirley Lim, 29, and Tommy Lam, 30, hope it will become a community-run resource […]

Saugerties aims to use a $115,750 state grant to determine who’s being shut out of the housing market as costs surge throughout the Hudson Valley. The town, one of three so-called “Pro-Housing certified” municipalities in Ulster County that received a share of $5 million in grants last month, will probably hire its planning consultant, Nelson […]

Developers behind a proposal to transform the historic 840-acre Winston Farm property in Saugerties say they’re preparing to respond to more than 500 public comments that Town Supervisor Fred Costello said include questions about water quality and usage, protecting wildlife and preserving open space. “Winston Farm is carefully reviewing each question and crafting responses, both […]

Residents in the Barclay Heights area of Saugerties are calling on town officials to help hit the brakes on what they call an epidemic of speeding in their tiny neighborhood. Barclay Heights, also known as Saugerties South, is a square-mile swatch of closely built homes connected by about two dozen narrow suburban-style roads tucked between […]

Maryanne Kalin-Miller moved to Saugerties after 42 years in Chicago to be closer to her granddaughter. It was a love for animals, even backyard pests, that inspired her to write a book – and donate some of the proceeds to the local animal shelter. For each copy sold of “Like Magic: Science Saves Small Town […]

Local representation was on full display this week at the famed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show—from the agility course to the breed ring. Many of the handlers and dogs competing shared a common link: Dream Dogs Training Center, a Saugerties-based facility that helps bring canine talent to the fore.  The 2026 Westminster event was especially […]

From epic Woodstock Film Festival parties that drew the likes of Woody Harrelson and Adrian Grenier to countless first dates and plenty of live music, New World Home Cooking was more than a restaurant. It was a scene.  Now the former eatery run by local chef Ric Orlando and his wife, Ulster County Public Defender […]

Nearly three months after the Town of Hurley issued a moratorium on lithium-ion battery storage facilities, Albany-based energy company Key Capture Energy is in the early stages of a proposed storage plant in nearby Saugerties. Supervisor Fred Costello told The Overlook that the Albany-based energy company is expected to bring an application before the town […]

Saugerties School District Superintendent Daniel Erceg, who was placed on administrative leave in September amid fallout from sex abuse claims that have rocked the district, abruptly resigned this week. In a letter posted to the district’s website on Wednesday, Erceg said his resignation was effective Dec. 9. “This has not been an easy decision, but […]

The Local in Saugerties, a nonprofit music venue whose performers have included Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group and Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel’s band, raised more than half of its $40,000 target since it began a funding campaign last month.  The $22,400 raised so far includes $15,000 from the New York State Council […]

After two and a half years filling a historic chapel on John Street with live music from across the globe and around the corner, The Local in Saugerties has officially become a nonprofit. Isabel Soffer and Danny Melnick, who run the venue, said recognition as a charitable organization by the IRS will make it easier […]

Local advocates, already grappling with a recent spike in domestic violence incidents, are bracing for even higher demand on their services as the federal government shutdown threatens to worsen conditions for at-risk families through the loss of vital assistance programs. According to Karen Storch, program director for domestic violence services at Family of Woodstock, the […]

The saga of Winston Farm, the 840-acre property best known for hosting Woodstock ’94, entered a new phase this week as the Town Board heard dueling studies on whether a proposed $274 million to $539 million mixed-use development would imperil local water supplies. The proposal, originally submitted in 2021, calls for rezoning the site as […]

Just weeks after Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji assured Saugerties officials his office would not allow child sex abuse cases to be “shuffled under the rug or papered over,” a registered sex offender has been arrested and released from custody without explanation. James M. Benson, 42, of Saugerties, was accused of forcible sexual contact […]

Saugerties Central School District Superintendent Daniel Erceg was placed on paid leave by the Board of Education on Tuesday amid fallout from two recent sex misconduct cases involving students and former town employees and accusations of a “coverup” culture. Ex-Saugerties police officer Sydney Mills was indicted in July on charges he sexually abused a girl […]

Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji promised “accountability” at Wednesday’s town board meeting as he addressed residents’ and officials’ concerns over two recent child sex abuse cases that have shaken the Saugerties community. “We want to make sure future cases and complaints are not shuffled under the rug or papered over,” Nneji said. “The children […]

On any given day, the Saugerties Animal Shelter is a happy, somewhat chaotic cacophony of barks and yaps and the occasional meow, bustling with staffers and volunteers who ensure every dog gets a walk and each cat—even permanent resident Frankie Knuckles—gets attention. Yet a closer look inside the converted garage adjacent to the municipal dump, […]

Saugerties residents again raised concerns about safety and aesthetics stemming from a proposed 80-foot Verizon cell tower at the Cantine Field sports complex. “The tower is close to school and children,” resident Misha Jolly said Tuesday at the planning board’s second public hearing on the issue, citing research on radio frequency radiation. Yet the tower, […]

A former Saugerties Central School District employee and wrestling coach has been indicted on 18 counts of felony rape, following allegations that he engaged in sexual conduct with two underage students while working in the district. Reid Kappler, 32, who now resides in Connecticut, pleaded not guilty in Ulster County Court on Thursday. Prosecutors say […]

More than 100 people gathered at the Greco Senior Center in Saugerties on Wednesday for a public hearing on a proposed zoning change that would allow large-scale development at the 840-acre, underdeveloped Winston Farm property. The proposal would rezone the site as a planned development district, enabling a mix of residential, commercial and light-industrial uses. […]

The town of Saugerties failed to properly audit $2.1 million of credit card payments, didn’t adequately authorize or document most of its card purchases and violated its own purchasing policies, according to a state review of calendar years 2021 and 2022.  The town’s board didn’t perform “a thorough and deliberate audit” of any of the […]

After years of revisions by local planners, a proposal to amend Saugerties’ zoning law on events and lodging is now up for public review. At its meeting Tuesday, the Town Board scheduled two public hearings—June 18 and July 16—to gather input on the proposed changes. The amendment updates a 1989 law and outlines specific requirements […]

A proposed 167-unit housing development in the Village of Saugerties has sparked opposition from residents who say it could disrupt the character of their neighborhood and worsen traffic, noise, and environmental conditions. The developer, Canoe Hill Road LLC, is seeking to construct a multifamily complex known as Country Meadows on a 22-acre site adjacent to […]

Town officials weigh whether to commit $600,000 in upfront costs for a bridge replacement largely funded by the federal government.

Second straight year of increases reflects continued efforts to stabilize village finances.

Financial disputes and management issues leave vulnerable residents uncertain about their future.

A shooting led to the arrest of a local man, but social media misinformation fueled panic and confusion.