Bear Mountain
Bridge Reconstruction Begins
The Bear Mountain Bridge will be safer and more durable once the New York State Bridge Authority completes a $93.8 million deck replacement, its executive director told the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 1, according to The Peekskill Herald.
Minosca Alcantara said that the NYSBA has hired a Queens contractor to install shielding to prevent construction debris from falling into the water. Phase I will begin in March on the bridge’s south side.
The second stage will cover the north side, and the third stage will be at the center. When completed, the bridge will have new barriers, mesh fences to discourage jumpers, wider sidewalks, a bike lane, a reinforced deck and observation overlooks on the towers.
The steel-reinforced barriers will be taller to keep trucks, heavier SUVs and pickup trucks from going over the edge by preventing their tires from climbing the wall during a crash, she said.
Pawling
Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Protestors
A woman who admitted to assaulting three people protesting the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was sentenced to six months in jail, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday (Oct. 19).
Annette Strehle, 53, pleaded guilty to attempted assault and two counts of criminal mischief following a confrontation with protesters. The assaults took place at about 1 p.m. on Jan. 10, the D.A.’s Office said in a news release. Strehle shoved a senior to the ground and removed and broke the eyeglasses of two other protesters.
Albany
Governor Declares Measles Emergency
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state emergency on Oct. 5 in response to the growing number of measles cases in rural areas.
“No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” she said in a statement. Her order expanded the health professionals who can vaccinate and test for measles to include paramedics, advanced EMS providers, pharmacists, midwives and nurses.
As of Oct. 17, there have been seven measles cases in New York City and 162 elsewhere, according to the state’s Measles Dashboard (dub.sh/measles-dashboard). Four cases have been confirmed in the Hudson Valley, all in Rockland County. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease with complications that can include pneumonia, miscarriage, preterm birth, brain swelling, immune amnesia and death.
Rhinebeck
Man Charged with Burning Flock Camera
Police arrested a 26-year-old man after he allegedly set fire to a Flock license-plate camera, causing a brush fire.
Just before midnight on Oct. 10, state troopers and Dutchess County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a brush fire near 6052 Route 9. The Sheriff’s Office said an investigation led to John K. Coleman’s arrest the following morning.
Coleman was charged with felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor arson and released until his next court date on Nov. 5.
Mahopac
School Bus Monitor Charged with Assault
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said on Oct. 15 that a 65-year-old school bus monitor has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old student.
The incident occurred on Oct. 2, and the district was informed on Oct. 6, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. School officials provided video from the bus.
The police said Magalie Speranza of Yorktown assaulted the student while the bus was moving, causing minor injuries. Three other students were present. She was charged with two misdemeanors (assault and endangering the welfare of a child) and a violation (harassment). The Southeast Town Court issued a protection order for the student.
Troy
Mayor Vetoes Flock Regulations
The City Council on Oct. 1 became the first in the state to regulate automatic license plate reader technology, but Mayor Carmella Mantello vetoed the law two weeks later, according to the Troy Record.
Mantello, a Republican, wrote that the law is “biased in favor of criminal defendants” and “infringes on the mayor’s and the chief’s ability to manage the police force. And it mandates that constitutionally collected proof of criminal activity be purged and destroyed after 72 hours (unless defense counsel requests preservation). This purge will occur in many cases before leads have been fully developed, and in some cases, before the crime has even been reported.”
She also wrote: “There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public-facing license plate or the exterior characteristics of an automobile being driven on the public ways. The information collected by the Flock cameras is simply not private information.”
The all-Democratic council voted on Thursday (Oct. 22) to override the veto.
White Plains
Former Clerk Admits Taking Bribes
A former clerk with the Westchester County Department of Social Services pleaded guilty on Oct. 14 to taking bribes from day care providers who wanted faster reimbursements, according to The Journal News.
Cheryl Spencer pleaded guilty to accepting bribes (a felony) and official misconduct (a misdemeanor) as part of a plea bargain that kept her out of jail. The D.A. said that, if Spencer pays $8,485 in restitution within two years, the felony charge will be dismissed.
Spencer was a senior audit clerk. She told at least four daycare providers they could get faster payments if they sent her $200 by Zelle each month. She was fired two weeks after her August 2025 arrest.
