POUGHKEEPSIE – Three State Department of Transportation (DOT) workers were on a routine patrol at about 4 a.m. on Thursday on Route 9 near Marist University when they found a garbage bag on the side of the road.

These finds are often the result of someone dumping unwanted trash or recyclables. However, when Luman Doxey, Tim Houck, and Phil Smith opened the bag, they found wrapped Christmas presents labeled “Family No. 25.”

In what could be described as somewhat of a Christmas miracle, those gifts were returned to their rightful owner, Marist’s Department of Spiritual Life and Service (SLS), by noon on Thursday, with the help of some DOT legwork.

“We always know that our workers go above and beyond to do the right thing, and this is just one more example of our DOT team going the extra m

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