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Letters to the Editor — Thursday, April 30
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
Omissions in ‘surging gas prices’ article
Last week’s front-page article, “Surging gas prices stretch local budgets,” was timely and certainly of interest to everyone. However, I noted two obvious omissions. One, there was no mention of local governments adjusting their budgets by reducing spending as most families must do when confronted by rising prices in the face of fixed incomes. When costs rise for essential commodities such as gasoline, the logical response is to temporarily cut back on spending for non-essential things like entertainment and eating out, or postponing major purchases. The economy is cyclical and the cost of gasoline fluctuates. It will not remain high forever. Budgets can always be readjusted when things return to what passes for normal — for families and local governments, alike.
Speaking of which, the present cost of gasoline has risen from approximately $3.00 a gallon a year ago to about $4.00 presently. This is due to our current conflict with Iran, something which began 47 years ago. The Iranian mullahs declared war on us but we never responded. Every president just kicked the can down the road, expecting a successor to deal with it. “It,” of course, was the threat of a nuclear attack as soon as they completed a weapon to use. They got closer and closer until President Trump moved preemptively to eliminate the threat. Geopolitics are complicated and things do not get resolved overnight. The rest of us need to practice patience.
I noted one more thing in the article. While the cost of a gallon of gasoline rose from $3.00 to its current $4.00 in the past year, nowhere in was it mentioned that the average weekly retail gasoline price hit an all-time high of $5.07 a gallon in 2022 when Joseph Biden was President. Most people seem to have selective amnesia.
Richard Kopec
Sharon
Medicaid critical for dementia testing
I think that almost everyone knows someone or some family that has been affected by — or is currently affected by — Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. There is some good news: medical science now knows of diet and other lifestyle changes that can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
There is FDA-approved biomarker testing that can inform people of dementia risks with a simple blood test. Biomarker testing is available for cancer risks as well. Early warnings of cancer can, of course, also help patients to fight this disease more effectively. As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power.”
Disappointingly, Governor Hochul has scaled back Medicaid coverage for these blood tests from her 2027 budget. I think that it is cruel and ultimately bad for our society as a whole not to provide Medicaid coverage for biomarker testing for those who are among the most vulnerable in our State.
I am hopeful that our representatives in the State Senate and State Assembly — Senator Hinchey and Assemblywoman Barrett — will use their influence to get Medicaid coverage for biomarker testing back in the 2027 budget.
Amy Rothstein
Pine Plains
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A ballroom, really?
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
Saturday’s shooting targeted an event designed to defend the First Amendment freedoms Donald Trump has spent years undermining — labeling the press as “the enemy of the people”. His takeaway? Washington needs a new ballroom. Sen. Lindsey Graham agreed, “It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure.”
This from a president who, within hours of his inauguration, shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has since ordered the rollback of background checks, defunded community safety programs, and made it easier to put weapons in dangerous hands.
So far this year, 69 children under 12 and 262 teenagers have been killed by gun violence — a number that grew since this was written. Firearms have been the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 19 every year since 2020.
One man with a gun disrupted a dinner. Hundreds of children are dead.
The president’s solution? Build himself a ballroom. Call it a bunker if it helps.
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License plates, Sharon Hospital, Christmas in April
John Coston
Apr 29, 2026
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
April 25, 1935
New License Plates Would Cost Millions To Motorists
The Senate, in the closing hours of the session just ended, passed a bill providing for the adoption of new type of automobile license plates which, if Governor Lehman signs the measure, will result in a cost of millions of dollars to the motorists of New York State. After passing the Assembly by a close margin, the bill went through the upper house with every Republican member present and two Democrats voting against it.
Fire Company Sponsors Entertainment; Proceeds To Benefit Pumper Fund
The Millerton Volunteer Fire Department is sponsoring a vaudeville and moving picture entertainment to be presented at the Millerton Theatre, Tuesday night for the benefit of the pumper fund. Members of the department are hopeful that proceeds of the entertainment will substantially increase this fund which is to be used to purchase a new fire truck, replacing the antiquated apparatus now in use.
Stanford Woman Saved From Fire
STANFORDVILLE - Caught in the path of a raging brush and grass fire that burned over an area of more than 100 acres in the Town of Stanford here Sunday afternoon, Mrs. Clinton Field was saved from almost certain death by Charles Osterhout, a neighbor, who rushed into the flames and carried her to safety. Unconscious from shock, the woman was not revived until late Sunday night. She suffered slight burns.
Starting from a rubbish blaze on Mrs. Field’s property, the fire was finally subdued by the Stanford and Clinton Fire Departments with the assistance of rangers and neighbors after a long battle.
April 22, 1976
Vandals Desecrate Millerton Church
Vandals smeared human excrement over the walls and curtains of the Sunday School room of the Millerton Methodist Church on Main Street on Wednesday night, April 14. They caused $600 worth of damage.
Gas Station Burglarized
New York State Police Investigators are looking into the possible connection between an April 13 burglary at Conklin’s Texaco in Millerton and recent burglaries in the Lakeville area.
On April 13, thieves broke into the Route 44 service station in Millerton and stole 1 radio. Connecticut State Police recently apprehended 26-year- old Roy Duntz of Salisbury and Raymond Sprague, 20, of Millerton, on charges that include burglary and attempted burglary in Lakeville.
A spokesman for the N.Y. State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation said his office is investigating the possible connection between the New York and Connecticut crimes. Duntz and Sprague are being held in Litchfield County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail each.
April 26, 2001
Sharon Hospital Resubmits Application a Third Time
SHARON - What seemed like a collective sigh of relief, similar to one heaved upon completion of a major term paper, emanated from Sharon Hospital this week.
On Tuesday, all the information requested by the attorney general’s (AG) office to complete the application needed to proceed with the sale of the hospital to Essent Healthcare, was sent. Two previous submissions were deemed incomplete, but officials feel confident the third time is the charm.
“We’re patient and confident,” hospital CFO Rob Wright said during an interview Wednesday morning.
“We’ve gone through an exhaustive search to get all the information.”
The search involved tracking down documentation about gifts that had been given to the hospital since its opening in 1909. That information, along with material about conflicts of interest and Sharon’s proposed affiliation with St. Francis Hospital and Health Center in Hartford, were lacking in the last application.
If the application is approved, Sharon Hospital would become the first in Connecticut to convert from non-profit to for-profit.
In a cover letter from Reid & Riege, the law firm hired for the application process, attorneys John Horak and John Newman stated, “The Hospital and its advisors have worked long and hard to provide you with detailed information about the proposed transaction and the Hospital. We believe that the Notice satisfies all the established requirements for ‘completeness’ ...and that the 120 day review period should commence.”
In a return piece of correspondence issued from AG Richard Blumenthal’s office Wednesday, he said, “These additional documents are a welcome step toward completing the application. They seem to address many of our concerns that made previous filings incomplete or inadequate. We have done only a preliminary review since the documents were received just hours ago, but our hope is to move forward as promptly as possible to public hearings that will give citizens and others an opportunity to comment.”
Christmas in April: Volunteer Group Will Paint Village Firehouse
WEBUTUCK — Webutuck students, parents and staff will be busily at work Saturday, April 28, as part of “Christmas in April.” This not-for-profit agency raises funds and organizes volunteers to provide home repairs for individuals who are unable to do so for themselves.
Instead of assisting an individual homeowner this year, the Webutuck volunteers have an unusual project, painting the interior of the Millerton firehouse. Millerton Mayor Mariley Najdek suggested this undertaking to technology teacher John Roccanova. Fire Chief Al Andrews said it was time for the chore to be done and was all for the idea of having the Webutuck group tackle the job.
At present, there are 12 students and seven parent and staff volunteers signed up. They will work in shifts of 7:30 a.m. to noon and noon to 4:30 p.m. Students can use their hours towards earning a school and community service credit.
Ed Herrington Inc. and Westchester Modular Homes have contributed paint and supplies for the day’s activities. Volunteers are also asked to bring roller handles, brushes and drop cloths.
So far, the Millerton Deli, Broadway Pizza and Christina’s Garden Restaurant and Gourmet Greek Deli have offered to provide food for the volunteers.
Additional contributions of supplies and snacks would be greatly appreciated. Call Mr. Roccanova at xxx-xxxx.
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Millerton’s Fire Company exemplifies long history of community volunteerism
Nathan Miller
Apr 29, 2026
An historic photograph from the Millerton News shows a blaze consuming the former Brown Cup Diner on Route 22 south of Millerton in the early 1970s. The Brown Cup Diner fire was one of a series of fires in the 1970s that received major coverage in local news outlets. The building was fully engulfed in flames, forcing fire crews to simply watch and wait until an appropriate time came to begin smothering the blaze.
Photo Courtesy North East Historical Society
MILLERTON — Millerton’s volunteer fire department has been battling blazes in the area for more than 130 years, charting a history of heroism in the village that began with a failed attempt to save a prominent hotel in 1891.
North East Fire District Commissioner Dave Vandebogart, who serves as the fire company’s historian, is himself a third-generation member of the Millerton Fire Company. He said Millerton’s rapid growth after the arrival of the railroad spurred the need for an organized fire department.
At the time, building codes didn’t exist and materials were much more flammable. Densely populated communities like the newly-formed Millerton could face devastation if a fire broke out and spread through the community.
That fear materialized in January 1891, Vandebogart said, when the Millerton Hotel near the intersection of John Street and Center Street caught fire. Village residents banded together with buckets to try to douse the flames, but the effort wasn’t enough to save the building. The incident highlighted a need for an organized fire company with proper firefighting equipment.
Calls for a fire department grew over the course of 1891, strengthening support for a common water works system for the village that would be necessary for a proper municipal firefighting force.
The fire company officially formed in January 1892, after village trustees met at the Millerton National Bank and voted to create a local fire company. Trustees later elected to name the company the E.H. Thompson Hose Company in honor of the bank’s president, who provided the venue for the trustees’ early meetings.
The newly-formed hose company soon purchased a horse-drawn hose cart, complete with a 500-foot hose, wrenches and 28 pails for carrying water. An additional horse driven cart carried nine ladders.
In the 1890s, only Fire Chief Mintline Morgan and his Assistant Chief wore helmets or uniforms. Regular company members wouldn’t get their own hats and uniforms until 1901.
The fire company’s first official home was a building that still stands at the corner of Dutchess Avenue and Century Boulevard in Millerton, neighboring the building that houses EcoBuilders and Moore & Moore Printing. That building was built in 1902 and named the E.H. Thompson Fire House to further honor the Millerton National Bank’s president.
Firefighters would continue to battle blazes with the horse-drawn hose cart for another 20 years until the company purchased the Brockway fire engine in 1922. The truck, described as a “chemical apparatus” in a 2017 recounting of the fire company’s history written by Vandebogart, was used for 25 years and then sold in 1948 for $100.
The 1920s were a time of change for the fire company. Company leaders and village officials voted to drop E.H. Thompson’s name in favor of the modern “Millerton Fire Company” moniker in 1924, to reflect the company’s presence in Millerton and recent access to modern firefighting technology like motorized trucks and pumps.
Millerton’s fire department slowly grew, expanding its equipment collection until a new firehouse was necessary and constructed in 1962. That building on Century Boulevard still serves as the company’s main firehouse today and is currently undergoing renovations to its exterior.
Firefighters have had to man the firehouse 24/7 on multiple occasions during the village’s history — including in 1969 when a massive snowstorm shut down Route 22 for two days and two nights.
People crowded local churches and the firehouse for a warm place to stay as the snowstorm stranded travelers and forced some locals out of their homes. Everyone was stuck until large snow blowers arrived from Poughkeepsie to clear Route 22.
That snowstorm is just one of the many catastrophes that Millerton firefighters have responded to. Vandebogart described a fire at Suburban Propane in 1965 that set a record for the largest response to a fire in Dutchess County History.
“That was three days and three nights,” Vandebogart said. He said the fire started when a propane tanker truck’s brakes failed, causing it to roll into a storage tank at the Millerton propane facility and explode.
Firefighters responded to the explosion quickly, dousing nearby propane tanks with water to keep temperatures down and prevent further explosions while simultaneously dousing active flames.
“I was five years old at the time,” Vandebogart said. “I remember looking out the back door at one of the explosions that had just taken place.”
That record stood until Jan. 1, 1996, when a fire at Polytech Corporation in Dover, New York, triggered a larger response.
Over the past 34 years, the fire company has expanded to a brand new garage across Century Boulevard from the current firehouse.
But Vandebogart said the fire company faces more profound challenges than just fighting fires. Changing demographics in the area and increased training standards have created challenges for the volunteer organization.
“Everything is modeled for career,” Vandebogart said, highlighting a shift over recent decades toward professional emergency medical services and firefighters nationwide. As that shift has occurred, safety standards and training requirements have risen across the board, placing a larger burden on volunteers.
“When I started in 1986 we had the ‘Essentials of Firemanship,’” Vandebogart said. “It was 39 hours and you learned a lot.” Today, firefighters are required to complete more than 100 hours of training and education to qualify for service.
Another challenge is attracting new members. In 2017, the Millerton Fire Company ran a program known as “Explorers,” which allowed teenagers from 14 and up to participate in volunteer work at the firehouse.
But that program folded due to staffing issues, and the North East Fire District Board of Commissioners has proposed a policy limiting volunteer participation to those no younger than 16 at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21.
Vandebogart said rising cost of living in the region further exacerbates recruitment challenges. As costs increase, younger generations of Millertonians have become less likely to stay in the community to build a life.
“Membership kind of ebbs and flows,” Vandebogart said. “It is hard to keep young people around here.”
Looking toward the future, Vandebogart said the fire company hopes to avoid having to transition to professional firefighting for as long as possible.
“We’re just trying to keep it volunteer,” Vandebogart said.
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Millerton’s fixers
Nathan Miller
Apr 29, 2026
Nathan Miller
Local volunteers provide repair assistance at a Repair Café in the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Saturday, April 25. The initiative, sponsored by the Millerton/North East Climate Smart Task Force, provided repairs to small electronics and appliances, furniture and textiles for up to two items per person for free.
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