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Dutchess Chamber Honors '40 Under 40' Dutchess Chamber Honors '40 Under 40'
Dutchess Chamber Honors '40 Under 40' Forty of Dutchess' best and brightest under 40 were honored Tuesday at the ChangePoint Theatre in Poughkeepsie by the Dutchess  County Regional Chamber of Commerce at its annual gala. The chamber held its 12th annual Mover and Shaker awards, bestowed to 40 people under the age of 40 who have shown a strong commitment to the Hudson Valley. The event drew about 500 people. “The 40 young professionals who have been chosen by a committee of their peers, truly represent the best and brightest in the Hudson Valley,” said Frank Castella, Jr., President, and CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Cham…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Looking For A 'Shark': Hudson Valley Mom, Daughter Audition For TV Show Looking For A 'Shark': Hudson Valley Mom, Daughter Audition For TV Show
Looking For A 'Shark': Hudson Valley Mom, Daughter Audition For TV Show WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Two Westchester women are hoping to get their tote bags noticed on "Shark Tank." Laura Massari of Mount Kisco and her mom, Cindy Massari of Katonah, recently auditioned for the ABC show to raise capital for their line, The Flip Flop Bitch. Laura calls the bag, which was featured on "The Today Show," and "Rachael Ray," a hobo style tote that comes folded up in a matching wristlet. There are sparkly totes for parties and vegan leather totes for everyday use. One was even overnighted to an Oscar VIP attendee during awards season. "…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
What Your Neighbors Think: South Dutchess' Favorite Places For Good Eats What Your Neighbors Think: South Dutchess' Favorite Places For Good Eats
What Your Neighbors Think: South Dutchess' Favorite Places For Good Eats DUTCHESS COUNTY, N.Y. -- Looking for some good eats in Southern Dutchess? Look no further. Here are the three favorite places to grab some grub in the area, according to Yelp. Il Barilotto Where: 1113 Main St. Phone: (845) 897-4300 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. & 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. & 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Sun. Closed What People Are Saying:  ''It doesn't get much better than good food at a reasonable value, in an intimate building in the heart of a small historic downtown. Service was consistently efficient, friendly, and helpful. The food was pre…

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by Tea Zagorscak
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Trump's Original Apprentice, Beacon Property Owner To Wed At Citi Field Trump's Original Apprentice, Beacon Property Owner To Wed At Citi Field
Trump's Original Apprentice, Beacon Property Owner To Wed At Citi Field The head of Procida Funding & Advisors and Trump's original apprentice will be getting married at Citi Field in June, the New York Post reports. Piermont resident Billy Procida, who also owns property in Sleepy Hollow and Beacon, recently took over for the company which filed for bankruptcy, and is renovating neglected structures that have amounted "hundreds" of violations, the article says.  Last week Procida was in the basement of an apartment building when an arsonist set fire to it, the New York Post reports. To read the story, click here.

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by Cecilia Levine
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Community Rallies Around Family After 6-Year-Old Poughkeepsie Boy Dies Community Rallies Around Family After 6-Year-Old Poughkeepsie Boy Dies
Community Rallies Around Family After 6-Year-Old Poughkeepsie Boy Dies A family that recently immigrated to Poughkeepsie is raising money to help pay for the cost of burying their 6-year-old child back home in Guatemala. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of Walter Arias, who passed away last week after battling digestive issues. Almost $1,500 has been raised as of March 31. Tonya Pezzullo's in-laws own Milanese, an Italian restaurant in Poughkeepsie, and Walter's cousins live above the restaurant. After hearing what happened, Pezzullo said she wanted to do whatever we could to help out. Walter and his mother arrived in Poughkeepsie from Gutamela …

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by Sam Barron
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Community Rallies Around Family After Hudson Valley Woman's Sudden Death Community Rallies Around Family After Hudson Valley Woman's Sudden Death
Community Rallies Around Family After Hudson Valley Woman's Sudden Death WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – It is not surprising that more than 400 people came Tuesday to bid farewell to Deann Gromelski Cartwright, a lifelong resident of Hastings-on-Hudson, said one of her closest friends. The 43-year-old healer and mother of two always liked to pack them in, said Cori Gardner, who had known Cartwright since high school. Anyone who showed up at her door was welcomed with open arms and her house frequently swarmed with children and other guests. “People were always coming and going,” she said. Cartwright died in a tragic accident Saturday while visiting a friend in Con…

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by Carol Reif
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Wappingers Falls Hero Firefighter Honored Wappingers Falls Hero Firefighter Honored
Wappingers Falls Hero Firefighter Honored WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- New Hackensack Fire Chief Anthony Marquez was recently honored for saving another man's life. Marquez was presented with the 2017 Hometown Hero Award by The Exchange Club on March 16 in recognition of his rescue of a man from a burning building last summer. On  July 11, Marquez was the first to arrive at an apartment fire on Diddell Road in Wappinger. Police informed Marquez that a man was still inside an attic apartment, but the smoke and heat pushed them back when they tried to search. Marquez entered the building and climbed the stairs to the attic. He searched…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Owner Searching For Rico The Maltese, Missing From LaGrange Owner Searching For Rico The Maltese, Missing From LaGrange
Owner Searching For Rico The Maltese, Missing From LaGrange Rico, a five-pound male Maltese, has been reported as missing from Hill View Circle in LaGrange. Rico was last seen at noon Thursday on Smith Road in LaGrange, and was wearing a hot pink sweater. The blue-eyed Maltese is friendly, but will run if chased. Please contact JoAnn at 845-380-6314 with any info.

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by Skip Pearlman
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Marist Student Still In Shock After Ellen Surprise Marist Student Still In Shock After Ellen Surprise
Marist Student Still In Shock After Ellen Surprise POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Victoria Ruggiero is still recovering from the surprise of a lifetime. Ruggiero was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, the Marist College sorority surprised by Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday, winning a contest to see a taping of her talk show in April. The sorority sisters all Ellen superfans and in February, Ruggiero wrote to the show about how much DeGeneres has meant to her. "I wrote something at 1:30 a.m.," Ruggiero, a junior who majors in communications and is interning at Impact PR, said. "I never expected to get a callback. They offered to have us…

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by Sam Barron
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Millerton Rapper Keeps Dutchess Fresh Millerton Rapper Keeps Dutchess Fresh
Millerton Rapper Keeps Dutchess Fresh MILLERTON, N.Y. -- Buddha Da Great simply wants to help you have a good time. The Millerton rapper, whose real name is Ahmed McClennon, has been making a name for himself with his performances and songs throughout the region.  Buddha has family connections in the rap business and said he started taking it seriously several years ago. In 2011, he was crowd the top artist at a showcase in downtown Manhattan- just his second ever live performance. In 2012, he released his first mixtape "Conjure and Kush Blunts."  "Music has always been my first love," Buddha said. Buddha …

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by Sam Barron
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Poughkeepsie Shoppers Stock Up Before Nor'easter Hammers Hudson Valley Poughkeepsie Shoppers Stock Up Before Nor'easter Hammers Hudson Valley
Poughkeepsie Shoppers Stock Up Before Nor'easter Hammers Hudson Valley POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Stop & Shop on Route 44 was flooded with Poughkeepsie-area residents to load up on essentials before a massive Nor'easter hammers the region.  Bottled water, milk, cold cuts and packaged meat seemed to be flying off the shelves fastest. The Nor'easter is expected to move into the area on Monday night into Tuesday morning and could dump 20 inches or more in the area.  Click here to read the latest forecast.

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by Joe Jenkins
Neighbors
Poughkeepsie Man Starts $150K Fundraiser For Relative With Cancer Poughkeepsie Man Starts $150K Fundraiser For Relative With Cancer
Poughkeepsie Man Starts $150K Fundraiser For Relative With Cancer PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- A GoFundMe fundraising page is seeking to raise $150,000 to help Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Schmidt pay for his battle with cancer. The page was set up by Mike Clear of Poughkeepsie, who is a relative of Schmidt's. To visit the page, click here. Schmidt, who is nicknamed "Mo," was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma this past September, Clear writes. He added that Schmidt first developed symptoms around Thanksgiving 2015 but was misdiagnosed. Schmidt, 39, has served as a sheriff's deputy for 10 years, Clear writes, and before that was a civilian dis…

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by Tom Auchterlonie