Amenia hears revisions to Keane Stud subdivision plan
Amenia Town Hall on Route 22.
Photo by John Coston
Latest News
Music salon
Leila Hawken
Jun 03, 2026
Photo by Leila Hawken
Area music lovers turned out for a free concert at the Lyall Community Church on Friday, May 29, presented by the Millbrook Music Salon. The concert featured the award-winning Balourdet Quartet joined by acclaimed clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson. Titled “Compass: Musical Distance,” the varied program included works by Mozart, Milhaud, Viet Cuong and Brahms. Left to right are Justin DeFilippis, violin; Angela Bae, violin; Johnson, clarinet; Russell Houston, cello; and Benjamin Zannoni, viola.
Pine Plains school board cuts three staff positions to trim budget
Graham Corrigan
Jun 03, 2026
Stissing Mountain High School in Pine Plains.
Photo by Graham Corrigan
PINE PLAINS — Pine Plains Central School District administrators detailed $291,000 in budget cuts Tuesday, May 26, after voters rejected a proposed budget last week.
The original 2026-2027 budget, which totalled $40,500,000, failed to pass on May 19, despite winning a 52% approval from voters. The proposed budget needed 60% of voters backing it, a supermajority necessary due to a school tax levy that exceeded the state’s allowed cap.
New York generally limits municipalities and school districts to a tax levy increase of 2%, but the allowable cap can be higher in some cases. Pine Plains administrators said the district was limited to a tax levy increase of just under 3.4% this year. The initial proposed budget raised taxes by 4.43%.
To fall within the tax cap — which could then pass with a simple 50% majority at the ballot box — administrators had to find about $291,000 in cuts. Residents will re-vote on the amended budget on June 16.
Following the initial budget failure, district officials deliberated and decided to propose three staffing cuts. The new budget would eliminate a head bus driver position, a typist position and one nurse. Those three reductions would save about $290,569, bringing the year-over-year school tax increase to 3.39% and the total budget down to $40,488,222.
A public hearing on the new proposed budget will take place on June 9. If the budget is defeated a second time, the district will be forced to adopt a contingency budget.
That means the tax levy would stay at 2025-2026 levels, requiring a further $945,000 in reductions. Deep cuts to athletics, Pre-K programs, and extra curricular activities would become likely — as well as staffing cuts to custodial, counselor, librarian, and social services, administrators said.
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Mid-Hudson Valley communities gear up for a month of pride events
Graham Corrigan
Jun 03, 2026
Former Stanford Town Supervisor Wendy Burton dragged a few Stanford Pride crew members onto the "Pink Pony Club" dance floor, being careful not to slip in the rain at Stanford Pride 2025 last June.
Photo by Nathan Miller
It’s officially Pride Month, and Dutchess County is showing up to the party with a panoply of exciting events to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
On June 6, Stanford Pride is hosting their annual event from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be food, music, and community at coworking space Bangallworks at 57 Hunns Lake Road. It’s the group’s fifth annual celebration, and they’re back at the site of the first Stanford Pride.
June 10 is Pride Night at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, where the High-A Yankees affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades will host the Jersey Shore BlueClaws
On June 13, the Dutchess County Pride Center heads to Poughkeepsie for the eighth annual Poughkeepsie Pride March & Festival. They’ll gather in Waryas Park from noon to 4 p.m., where local artists, food vendors, and community resources will coalesce.
The Beacon is honoring Pride with a month-long programming slate of LGBTQ+ films: “But I’m A Cheerleader,” “The Crying Game,” “Wedding Banquet,” and “Brokeback Mountain” will run in consecutive weeks during June.
The festivities end with a 5K Fun Run Fundraiser in Poughkeepsie — Dutchess Pride has partnered with Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie for the race, which will kick off June 28 at 9 A.M. All ages and running abilities are welcome.
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Longtime boarding school seeks formal permits
Nathan Miller
Jun 03, 2026
North East Town Hall on Maple Avenue in Millerton.
Photo by John Coston
MILLERTON — Representatives of a historic boarding school are seeking formal permits from the North East Planning Board in an effort to comply with state requirements.
Ray Nelson — a Millerton-based engineer who spoke on behalf of boarding school Olivet Academy — described the school’s need for an official special use permit at a rescheduled regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, May 27.
Nelson said the property’s change of ownership six years ago triggered a New York State Department of Education requirement that all paperwork, including certificates of occupancy and permits, be held under Olivet’s name.
Olivet Academy is a Christian boarding school that primarily serves students from South Korea. The academy is part of a larger family of boarding schools with locations in Missouri, California and South Korea.
The school currently operates out of a campus in the Town of North East near the intersection of Morse Hill Road, Perrys Corners Road and Haight Road. Boarding schools have operated on the campus since the 1940s, Nelson said. The campus’s long history predates building and zoning codes, meaning many of the structures did not require formal permits in the past because they haven’t been altered since their construction.
It’s unclear why the school is now required to receive this documentation.
A special use permit is required for schools located in a residential agricultural district in the Town of North East. No special use permit has been issued for the property in the past because many of the facilities predate zoning.
Deliberation on the special use permit had to be delayed as the school had yet to receive proper approvals from the town’s building inspector. Planning Board chair Dale Culver explained the board cannot grant permits before the building inspector has issued certificates of occupancy.
The property will also have to receive approval from the Dutchess County Department of Health for septic systems that lack formal documentation.
Given those missing details, board members declined to move forward with the application, opting to wait until their next meeting to see if the necessary documents are complete before scheduling a public hearing.
Culver said he wants this application to serve as a precedent under the town’s new zoning code. North East adopted changes to its zoning codes in March after a years-long process of revisions and updates aimed at modernizing language, improving information organization and encouraging further commercial and mixed-use development along Route 44 east of the Village of Millerton.
Olivet’s plans don’t include any changes to the property, just a formal documentation of the site’s structures and uses in an effort to comply with state regulations. Because there are no proposed changes, Culver said he thought it would be inappropriate to require the school to update things like outdoor lighting as that would impose work at the school that the applicants were not already planning to do.
“We could point out that in the future — if you’re going to make changes — these may be some of the areas of concern,” Culver said. “I don’t think we should attach onerous costs to something as simple as ‘we need to document what already is there.’”By Nathan Miller
nathanm@millertonnews.com
MILLERTON — Representatives of a historic boarding school are seeking formal permits from the North East Planning Board in an effort to comply with state requirements.
Ray Nelson — a Millerton-based engineer who spoke on behalf of boarding school Olivet Academy — described the school’s need for an official special use permit at a rescheduled regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, May 27.
Nelson said the property’s change of ownership six years ago triggered a New York State Department of Education requirement that all paperwork, including certificates of occupancy and permits, be held under Olivet’s name.
Olivet Academy is a Christian boarding school that primarily serves students from South Korea. The academy is part of a larger family of boarding schools with locations in Missouri, California and South Korea.
The school currently operates out of a campus in the Town of North East near the intersection of Morse Hill Road, Perrys Corners Road and Haight Road. Boarding schools have operated on the campus since the 1940s, Nelson said. The campus’s long history predates building and zoning codes, meaning many of the structures did not require formal permits in the past because they haven’t been altered since their construction.
It’s unclear why the school is now required to receive this documentation.
A special use permit is required for schools located in a residential agricultural district in the Town of North East. No special use permit has been issued for the property in the past because many of the facilities predate zoning.
Deliberation on the special use permit had to be delayed as the school had yet to receive proper approvals from the town’s building inspector. Planning Board chair Dale Culver explained the board cannot grant permits before the building inspector has issued certificates of occupancy.
The property will also have to receive approval from the Dutchess County Department of Health for septic systems that lack formal documentation.
Given those missing details, board members declined to move forward with the application, opting to wait until their next meeting to see if the necessary documents are complete before scheduling a public hearing.
Culver said he wants this application to serve as a precedent under the town’s new zoning code. North East adopted changes to its zoning codes in March after a years-long process of revisions and updates aimed at modernizing language, improving information organization and encouraging further commercial and mixed-use development along Route 44 east of the Village of Millerton.
Olivet’s plans don’t include any changes to the property, just a formal documentation of the site’s structures and uses in an effort to comply with state regulations. Because there are no proposed changes, Culver said he thought it would be inappropriate to require the school to update things like outdoor lighting as that would impose work at the school that the applicants were not already planning to do.
“We could point out that in the future — if you’re going to make changes — these may be some of the areas of concern,” Culver said. “I don’t think we should attach onerous costs to something as simple as ‘we need to document what already is there.’”
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Salisbury residents bring boutique shopping to Millerton
Aly Morrissey
Jun 03, 2026
Shoppers crowd Jones & Daughters new space on Millerton’s Main Street for the boutique’s grand opening on Friday, May 29.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — A new boutique owned by two Salisbury residents opened its doors on Main Street Friday, May 29, drawing a steady stream of shoppers and supporters eager to welcome the business to the village.
Jones & Daughters, a boutique offering apparel, jewelry, home goods, and gifts, has opened at 34 Main Street in the former Geary Gallery space.
Co-founders Constance Edwards of Lakeville and Sabina Breece of Salisbury said they saw an opportunity to bring a curated shopping experience to the region.
“We wanted people to have somewhere to find a great pair of jeans, a beautiful dress, comfortable and stylish shoes or a thoughtful gift,” Edwards said.
Both women and their families were part-time weekenders before settling in the area full time during the pandemic. Edwards previously lived in Stanfordville, while Breece spent weekends in Kent.
The Millerton store builds on a business Edwards built with her sister and co-founder, Amanda Eckmann, established years ago in Louisville, Kentucky. The Hudson Valley location celebrated its grand opening Friday with friends, neighbors and first-time visitors.
“We wanted to create a place to shop that felt as thoughtful as this community,” Edwards said. “The perfect outfit, something beautiful for your home, a gift that actually means something.”
The shop carries women’s and men’s apparel, jewelry, shoes, and home goods and gifts, including candles, pillows, puzzles, and more.
Jones & Daughters is open Thursday through Monday at 34 Main Street, Millerton.
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Washington’s median home price drops to $700K
Christine Bates
Jun 03, 2026
In Washington, home to the Village of Millbrook, many luxury properties are hidden from view. Only a stone entrance marks the property at 644-672 Tower Hill Road, where a six-bedroom home sold for $2.3 million in April.
Photo by Christine Bates
WASHINGTON — The median price of a single-family home in the Town of Washington and Village of Millbrook fell to $700,000 on a 12-month trailing basis at the end of April.
The $700,000 median was 21% lower than the $890,000 median recorded for the 12 months ending April 30, 2025, but 42% higher than the $492,500 median recorded for the comparable period ending April 30, 2024. Washington’s 12-month trailing median reached an historic high of $900,000 for the period ending February 2025.
Sales activity remained subdued. Since early 2022, annual single-family home sales in Washington have remained at relatively low levels. A total of 35 homes sold during the 12 months ending April 30, 2026; 37 sales during the previous 12-month period; and 24 sales during the 12 months ending April 30, 2024.
The market’s most active period came during the pandemic-era housing boom, when 64 single-family homes sold during the 12 months ending October 2021.
Inventory increased as the spring selling season gained momentum. By the end of May, 32 residential properties were listed for sale, up from 25 in mid-April. The inventory included single-family homes, condominiums and multifamily properties.
The market was divided into four distinct price tiers. Four properties were listed above $5 million, 11 were priced between $1 million and $5 million, and 14 were offered between $500,000 and $1 million. Two newly listed properties were priced below $500,000.
Eight homes on the market were listed below the current trailing median price of $700,000, providing relatively few options for buyers seeking properties at or below the market’s midpoint price.
Five parcels of land are listed for sale on the MLS, with four of them priced near or above $1 million. The commercial market also remains active, with four properties and two businesses for sale and three offices for rent.
April sales
644-672 Tower Hill Road — 6 bedroom/5 bath/3-half bath 6,100 square foot home sold on April 7, 2026, for $2.3 million.
121 Valley Farm Road — 4 bedroom/2 bath/2 half bath home on 7 acres sold on April 7, 2026 for $2.3 million.
20 Orchard Hill Drive — 7 bedroom/6.5 bath on 12.62 acres sold on April 24, 2026, for $2.65 million.
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