During the past three years, the City of Middletown under Mayor Joseph DeStefano enacted several codes to ramp up local prosecutions of low-level offenses. Among them, an amended fireworks law and a new quality-of-life code took offenses traditionally in the domain of the county district attorney’s office into the hands of city prosecutors. Swift fines are…

New York State Sen. James Skoufis announced a $2.5 million state grant on July 12 to build a new parking garage in downtown Middletown.   The money will fund the first-phase construction, adding 90 new parking spots just across the historic Paramount Theatre on Washington Street.  “It is probably fair to say that a project…

The Middletown City Council passed a resolution on June 6 to support the construction of a new state forensic psychiatric hospital to replace the old facility on the New Hampton campus. The new hospital will tap Middletown’s water and sewer systems through lines to be constructed along Route 17M, a win-win for both the state…

A group of field experts, nonprofit leaders, and government officials discussed the health and economic benefits of trails at an annual conference by Vision Hudson Valley on June 2. Garnet Health Foundation President Bill Dauster, an avid outdoorsman, opened the health panel discussion by citing his personal observation. “I wonder all the time when I…

At a State of the City address on April 4, Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano reflected on the past year’s work while recounting challenges brought by state laws and expressing hope for future growth. The city’s crime went up in 2022 following years of decline, a trend in part brought by the bail reform and met head-on…

Since Yi Shan moved to the Middletown, N.Y., area about five years ago, she dreamed of sharing her traditional Korean culture and home cooking with the community.  Once married to a descendant of King Gyeongsun of Silla, she was trained by her former mother-in-law in some of the most traditional Korean rituals and cuisines.   Her dream…

Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano grew up two blocks away from the now vacant O&W train station, a symbol of the railroad industry where his Italian grandparents once earned a living. As the railroad and manufacturing industry waned in the second half of the twentieth century, his city soon suffered another blow from the development of…

Alexis Dunning works at a Family Dollar store, but her back pain and anxiety make it hard for her to do long hours. She struggles to make ends meet. As winter inches closer, she finds herself homeless again. She was among 17 homeless people who took shelter at the only overnight warming station in Middletown…