Habitat for Humanity forges ahead with North East home construction
The walls and roof of the affordable home on Rudd Pond Road in North East went up on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Photo By Christine Bates
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Roberta Katherine Stevens
Millerton News
Feb 18, 2026
CANAAN — Roberta Katherine (Briggs) Stevens, 86, of 99 South Canaan Rd. died Feb. 11, 2026, at Sharon Hospital. Roberta was born on March 7, 1939, in Sharon, daughter of the late Frederick and Catherine (Penny) Briggs.
Roberta has been a life-long area resident. She studied pediatric nursing at St. Margaret’s in Albany, New York and worked as a pediatric nurse. After leaving nursing Roberta was a cook at the Maplebrook School in Amenia. Her love for children extended to Roberta establishing a daycare out of her own home for many years. She loved collecting and displaying her dolls for the community. She would take her dog on walks to listen to the church bell ringing. Roberta’s greatest joy came as she helped take care of her grandchildren. That opportunity provided Roberta with some of her fondest and most precious memories. Roberta is remembered as a person who always had a story to tell...and a helping hand to lend. Always one to stay active, Roberta became the President of the Resident’s Council of The Geer Health and Rehabilitation Center in Canaan.
Roberta is survived by her two children; Robert D. “Bob” Stevens of Millerton, and Donna M. Archer of Rockledge, Pennsylvania; her brother Frederick G. Briggs, and her sister Annette Shaffer. Roberta was predeceased by her sister June Briggs. Roberta is also survived by her two grandsons; Robert Stevens Jr. and his partner Elizabeth Gillett of Austin, Texas, and Josh Archer and his wife Ashley Archer Monteiro of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.
There will be a small private service and celebration of Roberta’s life in the future. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
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Tilden W. Southack
Millerton News
Feb 18, 2026
SHARON — Tilden W. Southack Jr. a longtime resident of Sharon passed Feb. 13, 2026, peacefully, hand in hand with the person he cared about most, Karlee McGhee and a couple of his employees and friends.
He was born May 25, 1950, the son of Jean (Bunny) Southack and Tilden Southack, and brother to Barbara (Bobby) Southack and Sally Southack.
Tilden graduated high school from Wooster School of Danbury and earned a college degree in business and economics from Colorado State University. Tilden told stories of being the manager of a varsity football team and hockey team during his time at Wooster.
After his immediate family had passed or moved on, Tilden continued to run his family farm, Whitetail Farm in Sharon. He poured his blood, sweat and tears into every last inch of soil there and cared for his Angus cattle and Percheron horses and a handful of cats with the help of Karlee McGhee, Wayne McGhee, Scott Garay, Charles Parmalee, and Prestyn Handlowich as well as some high school boys as Tilden called them.
Tilden also enjoyed anything that could go fast, whether that was a motorcycle or a corvette that he had fixed up to make 10x more horsepower than it did before. Just as much he loved to tell stories about it to the people he held close. He was like a muscle car, he might yell and scream at you, but he would’ve given you all he had. He wasn’t an easy person to read/understand, and he kept to himself about most things but if he allowed you to grow close to him and he said “Thank you” you were a lucky person.
He is survived by his chosen family; Karlee McGhee and Wayne McGhee and three nephews, Eric Muller, Bogart Muller, and James DiGanzi.
There will be calling hours on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Burial will be held in the spring at Sharon East Side Cemetery.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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Robert Sommer Kennedy
Millerton News
Feb 18, 2026
KENT — Robert “Rob” Kennedy (71), of Kent, devoted son of Dr. John E. Kennedy and Olga Sommer Kennedy, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at the home of his brother and sister-in-law in Kent. Rob was a long-time, well-loved member of the Kent community.
Born in Guam, Rob’s early years were spent traveling the globe with his family for his dad’s work as an MD in Micronesia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, and Zaire. In 1962 the family of 9 settled in Kent, Rob attended the Devereux School and graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Rob worked at South Kent School, where he was known for his good humor, and kindness toward students and staff. For most of his working life he could be found at Davis IGA in Kent, greeting customers with the warmth and familiarity that made him a recognizable and welcoming face in town.
Known to many in town as “Coach Rob,” he spent countless hours volunteering with Kent Park & Recreation and at Kent School. His patience, enthusiasm, and genuine care for young people made him a beloved friend to generations of local kids.
Rob was also deeply connected to the community through his involvement with the Kent Volunteer Fire Department and St. Andrew’s Church, both of which were important parts of his life. Rob loved caring for animals. For many years he kept sheep and a donkey at the family homestead in North Kent. Neighborhood pets got daily walks while Rob lived in-town at Templeton Farms.
Rob is predeceased by his parents and infant brother, Michael. He is survived by 6 siblings; Kathleen Kennedy Enger (Filmore), John Kennedy (Kathleen), Karen Kennedy Wilson (Robert), Gretchen Kennedy, Clytie Kennedy, Jeffery Kennedy (Apple), 17 nieces and nephews, Uncle Donald Sommer, Nancy Sommer, and many friends who will miss him dearly.
A service is planned for May 9 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Kent followed by a celebration of life at the Kent Fire House. In lieu of flowers, donations in Rob’s memory may be sent to the Kent Volunteer Fire Department or St. Andrew’s Church.
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Carolyn G. McCarthy
Millerton News
Feb 18, 2026
LAKEVILLE — Carolyn G. McCarthy, 88, a long time resident of Indian Mountain Road, passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 7, 2026.
She was born on Sept. 8, 1937, in Hollis, New York. She was the youngest daughter of the late William James and Ruth Anderson Gedge of Indian Mountain Road.
Carolyn’s first job out of high school was at the Time and Life building in Manhattan, New York. In 1956, she went on to work for Capital Airlines until they disbanded. She began banking in White Plains, New York, where she met her husband Edward James McCarthy. They started their family and relocated to Pleasant Valley, New York. She then returned to banking in Poughkeepsie, New York and later pursued real estate.
Carolyn was very creative and enjoyed home making, gardening, sewing, knitting, cooking and baking. Her Christmas cookies were always remarkable. She had a pioneer spirit and embraced the toil of yard chores. She was very independent and at 87 she still shoveled the driveway in the winter, mowed the grass, trimmed the bushes, raked the leaves and dragged the brush. She took pride in the manicure of the grounds where she resided.
Carolyn was a wonderful mother who had an enormous heart. She loved all animals, wild or tame. She will be dearly missed by her family and the people that knew her.
She is predeceased by her husband, Edward McCarthy Sr., her brother Dr. Stafford Gedge of Minnesota, nephews, William, James and Robert and niece Christine.
She is survived by her son, Edward (Anne) McCarthy of Greenfield, Massachusetts and grandsons James and Theodore, son Sean McCarthy of Oak Hill, New York, sister Nancy Dougherty of South Carolina, nieces Lynn Warner and Debra Phillips.
A private service will be held at a later date. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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Letter to the Editor — Thursday, Feb. 18
Millerton News
Feb 18, 2026
Thanks from Fire Co.
On Sunday, February 15, the Amenia Fire Company sponsored our monthly Pancake Breakfast. We were pleased to have a nice crowd of 180 people in attendance for our monthly meal. We rely on the breakfasts to raise needed money for general operations and we always appreciate the support of the community. We thank everyone who attends our events and hope you will join us at our next breakfast on March 15 at the firehouse.
Andy Murphy,
on behalf of the Breakfast Committee, Amenia Fire Co. & Auxiliary
Amenia
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Ozempic, GLP-1 the money shifter
Peter Riva
Feb 18, 2026
The current best guess is that about one in ten Americans are now using Ozempic or a competitor weight-loss drug. It costs money and the injections are a pain (literally). So soon there’s a pill… and it still costs money, meaning usually only those with the means and not necessarily the medical reason are in that ten percent.
Some facts: The GLP-1 hormone derived from Anglerfish and the Gila monster venom (I am not kidding), this drug masks your ability to feel hungry. It stops craving. It does not stop your body’s need for protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. If you eat less you lose weight like any starvation diet. If you eat less you get less of the necessary protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals to remain healthy. To deal with this, your body consumes stored goodness in your fat cells and, eventually, digesting that extra skin you no longer need. Of course, if the stored fat was crap from genetically modified corn (liposuction is often yellow corn sugar stored as fat ), that’s what your body will consume and process once again to stay viable. Toxicity is an issue here. What is also an issue is muscle tone and the body’s difficulty in dealing with sudden drastic weight change. Doctor’s advice is always, currently, needed along with a prescription and weight training to rebuild muscles.
But already generic GLP-1 hormone versions are on the market, available without prescription globally. It is likely that the 10% under treatment may quickly become more like 90% of the population desperate to look what the media says is “good” (this parallels Viagra’s track record of resetting sexual norms even for teens). And GLP-1’s effectiveness to reshape norms will upend the entire medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries.
Think I’m kidding? Weightwatchers is already doomed (and they are selling GLP-1 now too). Two CEOs have quit, taking their funding out (Oprah is one of them). Restaurants are already offering menus with “exotic bites,” “mindful experience meals,” and “GLP-Wonderful Menus.” The fast food industry has, for decades, claimed that snack food is nutritious based on a per-ounce calorie calculation. A bag of potato chips is 150 calories. But if you only eat two or three chips the small bag they sold you is salt and very few calories, hardly “healthy” anymore.
As GLP-1 goes global and generic, there is huge money to be made keeping the prices as high as possible. That money has to come from somewhere… that’s why the investors are switching from the traditional food industry to the drug companies. To keep profit share, companies like Coke are planning ½ sized cans, MacDonalds is planning tasters maybe called “McBites.” Will those reduced sized products cost the buyer less? A bit, but the profit margins built-in will have to be the same as before to keep the food industry viable, to keep the cattle association thriving, to keep dairy and produce farmers in business.
So, what started out as a medicinally beneficial drug for diabetes and grossly overweight patients, has quickly become the drug of choice for personal beauty and physical perfection ideals. And in that vanity-unleashed world, industries will change, adapt, and create a new norm of visual perfection, dealing with dietary imperfections, malnutrition, as well as increased medical (physical and mental) treatments. Look for money sprinting from the dietary programs, leveraging profit margins within food industries, growing the entire medical and pharmacy industries and, in the end, reshaping the ideals of beauty, so-called health, and cultural visuals of what humans are naturally supposed to look like.
GLP-1 is the harbinger of a whole new world driven first by real medical need, taken over by perhaps false ideals of beauty and health. Once set, it becomes impossible to undo such cultural norms. Like plastic surgery fads, we may never again enjoy the diversity and origin of the species as nature intended.
Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, New York, now lives in Gila, New Mexico.
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