Latest News
Moviehouse sounds alarm over proposed film distributor merger
Jacquelyn Drain
Jul 21, 2026
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Moviehouse on Main Street, a long-standing fixture in Millerton’s business community, is continuing its revitalization as the film industry sees continued shifts toward centralization with recent mergers.
As a small independent theater, The Moviehouse provides not only a traditional movie experience but also highlights local artists outside of film. Despite the shifting landscape in the industry, as seen by the merger between Paramount Skydance Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the theater is devoted to sustaining arts in the community.
One challenge facing the industry at the moment is the attempted merger of large film distributors such as Paramount and Warner Bros. A dozen states, including New York, filed a lawsuit on July 13, seeking to block Paramount from purchasing Warner Bros. for $110 billion. The lawsuit cites concerns over costs for movie theaters and moviegoers, and a possible monopoly over the industry.
On July 20, the court approved a temporary restraining order blocking the merger until a ruling is decided in the lawsuit. The court’s injunction cited the deal’s likelihood to succeed, irreparable harm and public interest.
For movie theaters across the country, but particularly independent theaters, this causes concern over the future of the industry.
Movie theaters typically keep about 50% of ticket-sale revenue, with the other half going to the distributor. Critics argue that a merger could further reduce theaters’ negotiating power—particularly for independent cinemas—by leaving them with fewer distributors to negotiate with.
Moviehouse General Manager Jeremy Boviard voiced concern for movie theaters nationwide as the merger looms. He said distributors exercise a large amount of control over theaters.
“It is an uneasy relationship just because they already have so much more power,” Boviard said.
This raises issues over not only the financial aspect of a decrease in films, but the cultural impact as well.
“You don’t really want only a handful of gatekeepers deciding what type of artistic experiences people are both creating and then experiencing,” said Boviard. “It ties into freedom of speech and the feeling that there are spaces for lots of different voices to be heard.”
Despite these challenges, The Moviehouse is devoted to providing access to films and the arts.
“Human beings, at least in our society, are really looking for ways to connect with other people,” said Boviard.
The location has served as a theater since 1915 but was renovated and reopened as The Moviehouse in 1978. After shuttering in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater transitioned to a non-profit in February 2022 under the name Millerton Community Cinema Arts Inc. The organization runs the independent theater as well as local arts events such as filmmaker Q&A’s and screenings of indie films.
This switch to a nonprofit allowed the organization to receive grant funding. In June, it received a grant for $99,000 from the New York Council on the Arts in order to upgrade the theater.
“The transition has allowed us to just further our missions and our goals,” Boviard said. “We as a community discover and raise the profile of things that otherwise wouldn’t get this platform to be seen.”
Keep ReadingShow less
World Cup in Wassaic
Nathan Miller
Jul 21, 2026
Patrons and staff at The Lantern in Wassaic watch Spain play Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19. The bar has shown World Cup games throughout the worldwide soccer championship, drawing crowds throughout the competition to watch the games and enjoy a drink.
Photo by Nathan Miller
Patrons and staff at The Lantern in Wassaic watch Spain play Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19. The bar has shown World Cup games throughout the worldwide soccer championship, drawing crowds throughout the competition to watch the games and enjoy a drink.
Copake summer block party brings first-ever bed race
Millerton News
Jul 21, 2026
COPAKE — A summer block party is set to take over Copake’s central hamlet on Saturday, July 25, promising music, dancing, food and a first-ever “bed race” in the community.
The Rock Around the Clock block party is set for Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. near the Copake Memorial Clock on Main Street and stretching up to Taconic Street to the north.
Aloha Tacos and Hudson Valley Falafel food trucks will be there. The Methodist Church and Our Lady of Hope Church will be grilling burgers and dogs and the Clock Tower Pub & Grill will supply samosas.
Copake Wine Works, Clock Tower Pub & Grill and Corona d’Oro are set to serve drinks at the party. Nearby businesses including Copake General Store, Church Street Deli, and Dad’s Diner will be open.
DJ Prestige will be supplying music for the block party, with speakers set up on the front steps of the Copake General Store. A warm-up band named “Capr!” is set to get the party started before DJ Prestige starts his dance music set.
The first-ever Copake bed race will draw competitors to build and decorate a “bed” on wheels that teams then push down the racetrack in cutthroat competition.
The event is free to attend. Copake’s Main Street will be closed from Farm Road to the clocktower between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Outdoor classroom set to openalong Millerton’s Rail Trail
Graham Corrigan
Jul 21, 2026
Workers in Millerton prepare to lay asphalt on the new outdoor classroom's path on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Millerton.
Photo by Graham Corrigan
MILLERTON — Visitors to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail will soon be able to learn about everything from Taconic geology to black bears without ever leaving the path, thanks to a new outdoor classroom taking shape just north of Main Street.
Built along a quarter-mile interpretive path branching off the Rail Trail, the classroom combines native landscaping with educational exhibits highlighting the natural and geological history of the Hudson Valley. The quarter mile is dotted with educational panels, some stretching six feet high.
The panels act as the classroom’s instructor. Each one provides a piece of environmental context specific to the Hudson Valley. The placard on tectonic plates, for instance, details how the Taconic Mountains were formed about 460 million years ago; they’re the result of a very slow collision between what is now North America and a series of volcanic isles.
By the end of the path, readers will have been educated on water ecology, plate tectonics, bears, pollinators, songbirds, beavers, skunks — and ticks. Four species of ticks call New York home—the iconic black-legged tick is joined by the American Dog Tick, the Lone Star Tick, and the Woodchuck Tick.
The classroom still needs some finishing touches. Fresh asphalt that surrounds the panels was laid this week, and large stones for sitting will be installed to provide a place to rest.
The impetus behind the project dates back more than a decade. North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan and Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association chair Dick Hermans were on site at a soft opening on Tuesday, July 14 to welcome new visitors.
“I thought it would be really nice to have a world-class information area here,” Hermans said. “Not long ago, I found a piece of paper from the village, memorializing their support for this project in 2015.”
The opening coincided with Millerton’s 175th celebrations. It’s one of a number of planned upgrades for the trail, which runs from Wassaic to Copake in Columbia County, with plans to continue up to Chatham, just south of Albany. A bridge crossing Route 22 to connect Copake to Hillsdale is next up on the Rail Trail’s list of short-term projects.
Keep ReadingShow less
Pine Plains home prices continue sharp rise
Christine Bates
Jul 21, 2026
Renovation work is underway at the historic 1790 house at 88-96 Hammertown Road which sold for $950,000 in March 2026. The 7.8 acre property also included a 1955 ranch, a garage with an apartment and a 1900 barn.
Photo By Christine Bates
PINE PLAINS — Median sales prices for a single-family home in the Town of Pine Plains reached $520,000 for the year ending June 30.
The figure represents a 47% increase from last year’s median price calculated using sales between June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
Prices are also 39% higher than the $375,000 median for the year between June 2023 and June 2024.
The number of annual sales on a 12-month rolling basis remained within its three-year range of 10 to 18 transactions. A total of 17 single-family homes sold during the 12 months ending June 30, 2026.
The previous year saw 12 sales during the period ending June 30, 2025, and there were 11 sales during the 12 months ending June 30, 2024.
The busiest 12-month period on record ended June 30, 2021, when 40 single-family homes sold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic-era housing boom.
There are currently 19 single-family homes on the market. Six are listed for more than $1 million, while eight are priced below the current median sale price of $520,000.
Six parcels of land are listed for sale on the MLS, along with five commercial properties, including an event venue, a former car dealership and a converted church.
March 2026 Recorded Transfers
540 Hicks Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 5.58 acres transferred to Michael Peci for $559,000.
3807 Route 199 — 3 bedroom/1 bath home transferred to Rick Rothvoss for $374,000.
88-96 Hammerton Road — 2 bedroom/2.5 bath home built in 1790 and a 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 7.75 acres transferred to Nicolas Arauz for $950,000.
2436 Route 83 — 16,800 square foot lumber yard on 10.84 acres transferred to Fifth Generation Partners LLC for $748,523.
May Recorded Transfers
22-28 Ryan Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath ranch transferred to Tana Pocock for $165,000.
June Recorded Transfers
30 Myrtle Ave. – 3 bedroom/2 bath home on .43 acres transferred to Zenda Snyder for $440,000.
23-25 Myrtle Ave. — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home on .91 acres transferred to Aaron Louis Sperling for $835,000.
Mount Ross Road — 2.5 acres of vacant land transferred to 1485- 16E Fifth Avenue LLC for $120,000.
*Town of Pine Plains real estate transfers recorded between March 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026, provided by Dutchess County Office of Real Property. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market listings from First Key MLS and market statistics from InfoSparks. Note that recorded transfers frequently lag sales by a number of days and include properties sold privately. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Keep ReadingShow less
Fire destroys Stanford farm equipment shed, propane tanks explode
Graham Corrigan & Nathan Miller
Jul 17, 2026
Fire crews douse the smoldering remains of an equipment shed at 357 Hunns Lake Road in Stanford after a fire and propane tank explosions destoryed the structure and farm machinery housed inside on Friday, July 17.
Photo by Nathan Miller
STANFORDVILLE — A fire destroyed a farm equipment shed in Stanford Friday, July 17.
Richie Ahlf, who lives at 357 Hunns Lake Road, was alerted to the blaze on his property when a landscaper working nearby noticed smoke and flames and ran into Ahlf's yard.
Ahlf reported the fire just before 1 p.m. The structure, an equipment shed that housed a tractor, a lawnmower and other farm machinery, was about 50 years old. The fire completely destroyed the shed and equipment stored inside, but caused no injuries.
"Nothing important, compared to a life," Ahlf said of the destruction. "Now I get to see how good my insurance is."
The fire had been brought under control by about 1:30 p.m. Fire crews continued to tamp out latent hot spots into the afternoon.
The mutual aid response drew fire crews from Stanford, Pine Plains, Ancram and North East.
A fire company official with the Stanford Fire Department said propane tanks exploded in the blaze, but was unsure if that was the cause of the fire or a secondary effect.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
