Poughkeepsie: Dutchess Opens New Jail
Dutchess County moved prisoners from the jail on March 13 to its newly opened Justice & Transition Center.
“This new facility enhances the safety and dignity of both those who are incarcerated and our correctional team who work here,” Sheriff Kirk Imperati said Tuesday (March 19) in a statement.
The 161,987-square-foot facility includes an infirmary, classrooms and industrial kitchen and laundry. The design allows for more natural light than the former jail, Imperati said, and has better climate control.
The county downsized the project in 2019 from 569 to 328 beds, partly in response to bail-reform laws that changed the projections for how many low-level offenders would be incarcerated before their court dates. The size also dropped from 300,000 to 162,000 square feet.
Imperati told Spectrum News 1 that the jail typically has about 230 inmates; the capacity of the former jail was 250. The construction budget was $128 million but came in under that, he said.
Stewart Airport: JetBlue Will Not Return
JetBlue told CBS News this week that it has no plans to return to New York Stewart International Airport. The airline suspended service in 2020, saying it was not profitable.
At the same time, JetBlue is leaving Kansas City, Missouri, and cutting nine routes out of Los Angeles and five routes linked to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is also leaving Bogotá, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru, and cutting routes from Puerto Rico to Tampa, JFK to Detroit and Orlando to Salt Lake City.
Woodstock: Town Raises STR Fees by 350%
Woodstock raised the annual fee it charges the owners of short-term rental properties, such as those booked through Airbnb, by 350 percent, prompting an angry response from residents at the Tuesday (March 19) meeting of the Town Board.
According to The Daily Freeman, Woodstock charged an annual permit fee of $100 for the first bedroom and $25 for each additional before the Town Board voted on Jan. 9 to raise the fee to $450 for the first bedroom and $50 for each additional.
On Tuesday, the board voted 3-2 to reject a proposal to rescind the increase and set a flat fee of $75 annually. Supervisor Bill McKenna said the town needs the money for STR enforcement and visitor-related costs, such as trash collection and police.
