Heavy snow blanketed Dutchess County on Sunday, Jan. 25, triggering a county-wide travel ban and a state of emergency.
Parts of the northeast corner of the county saw as many as 18 inches of snow. Temperatures are projected to remain below freezing well into next week.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency leading up to the storm, as did Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino.
Snowfall totals exceeded forecasts across northeast Dutchess County, with heavy, persistent bands producing more than a foot and a half of accumulation. Schools, municipal offices, churches and numerous community events were canceled or postponed through Monday as plowing operations continued and temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight.
Shawn Milton, an employee of the Stanford highway crew, assesses a plow truck on Friday, Jan. 23, in anticipation of the weekend's winter storm. He and his colleague Zach Zampko said Stanford's equipment was in good working order ahead of the storm.Photo by Nathan Miller
Road crews across the region said they felt prepared heading into the storm. While storms of this magnitude are relatively rare, crews expressed confidence that the cold temperatures would keep the snow lighter and easier to manage.
Visits to North East, Amenia, Washington, Stanford and Pine Plains found salt supplies well stocked and equipment in good working order ahead of the snowfall.
In Stanford, Highway Superintendent Jim Myers and his crew were strapping plows to trucks in the town garage on Friday morning, Jan. 23. Myers said the town was as ready as it could be — a sentiment echoed by highway departments throughout the region.
"You just got to stay on top of it," Myers said. "Keep going."
Labor shortages remain a concern during major storms, crew members said, noting that county and state resources can be stretched thin in more remote areas. In many towns, local road crews are only responsible for town-owned roads, with county and state crews often responsible for the numbered highways and routes.
Roads were covered with snow much of the day on Sunday, Jan. 25, as highway crews worked to keep up with snowfall rates of up to 3 inches per hour during the most intense parts of the storm. Photo by Nathan Miller
Some weather models are predicting that another winter storm may hit the Northeast on Sunday, Feb. 1, and Monday, Feb. 2. Predictions are still early, but they suggest more snow is coming.
Dutchess County operates a warming center assistance program through its Department of Child and Family Services. Residents in need of a safe, warm place to stay may call 845-486-3300 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or 211 after 5 p.m. for assistance in finding shelter.
Additional reporting by Christian Murray
Lamb-Cason was named 2024 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the first Indigenous person to receive the honor, and is now the Assistant Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown University. She will speak about the importance of oral tradition for Indigenous communities and of her efforts to write down the stories.
Provided
Lamb-Cason shared her story with the publication:
“The Northwest Corner is not just where my grandmother lived; it is our ancestral homelands. Our reservation was established near Kent in 1736. My grandmother grew up in Newtown and spent her childhood returning to Schaghticoke, visiting family and learning from her grandparents. In the early 1980s, she built her home on the reservation with my grandfather, and that is where I spent so much of my own childhood—learning with and from the land and waters that have sustained our people since time immemorial.
“As a historian, storyteller and educator, every moment with her was a teachable moment … and as her eldest grandchild, she felt a strong responsibility to impart as much as she could to me …
“A brief trek in the snow became ‘Wunneanatsu, what animal print do you think that is? Yes, you’re right, that’s Rabbit. That reminds me of a story about how rabbit got such long ears.’ …
“‘Wunneanatsu, do you hear the birds singing? That one sounds like blue jay. Let me tell you a story about how the birds got their songs.’
“My grandmother and those teachings guide everything I do; as an author, a storyteller, a relative and teacher; they inform my pedagogy and instructional style but also how I view and navigate the world. Grandmother Moon became an opportunity to honor her and her legacy of centering Indigenous ways of knowing in western academia and educational landscape. It was a way to carry her teachings forward for my children and future generations. It is, at its heart, a love letter to the woman who gave me so much. Essentially, my grandmother is and always will be everything I want to be when I grow up.”
Copies of “Grandmother Moon” will be available and the author will sign books. Native baskets from the collection of the Torrington Historical Society will be on display during the event.
Please register to reserve a spot: torringtonhistoricalsociety.org
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Ella Emberlin, an eighth grader at Salisbury Central School, meets alum Colby Hickey, owner of Colby’s Tree Service, on Career Day.
In one classroom, students listened intently as two Connecticut State Police troopers provided an overview of their duties. Josh Wedge and Miranda Coretto of Troop B in North Canaan discussed the types of incidents they respond to, including car crashes, crimes and emergency calls. The troopers said they are also asked to cover large events, such as fairs and games. They told students police are dispatched through two radios – one in their vehicles and the other a portable radio they carry.
Wedge talked about specialty units within the State Police department, such as K-9, marine, bomb squad, tactical and traffic units.
Students particularly enjoyed hearing about the K-9 unit, which is composed of German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, bloodhounds and comfort dogs. One youngster shared that he had a bloodhound. Wedge told them Connecticut had the first currency dog, which is used to sniff out large amounts of concealed money in the fight against money laundering, illegal gambling and smuggling.
Troopers, the students learned, are allowed to take their patrol cars home. “Our jurisdiction is the whole state, so we might be needed anywhere,” Wedge said. In addition to the SUVs they drive, there are also motorcycle units and an armored car division. Of interest to the students was the cadet program, open to those 14 to 20 years old. Members get certified in CPR, receive physical training and take part in educational offerings.
State troopers Josh Wedge and Miranda Coretto visit with Sharon Center School students on Career Day April 10. From left: Giuseppe Socci, Galo Suby, Eivin Peterson, Emma Mariano, Kora Begley and Spencer Whitesel.Ruth Epstein
Attorney Veronica Relea of Sharon and New York City works for a large firm in the city, where she specializes in contract energy law.
A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, she said, “I help people agree on things. I help with big projects, like being able to power your house. A lawyer is always putting things together. We try to come up with solutions for clients.”
Relea said she did not enjoy law school. “What I learned most was at my job,” she said.
Outside the school, crews from both the local ambulance service and volunteer fire department gave students a close-up look at their vehicles and explained their duties.
Beth Klippel and Brian Moore, volunteer firefighters in Sharon, pointed out the various equipment that is carried on their trucks.
Anthony Ferrara and Phil Burke of Northeast Fire Rescue supplement the local ambulance squad. As the children sat in the back of the ambulance, Ferrara said the job of emergency medical responders is to transport patients to a higher level of care, stabilizing them as they go. He said this can include checking blood pressure, blood sugar levels and oxygen levels.
Ferrara added, “My aim, when people are obviously having a bad day, is to make them smile.”
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