libraries

Kick up your heels

Kick up your heels

A workshop presentation, “The Secret Language of Flamenco,” by the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival drew a rapt audience to The Millbrook Library on Saturday, April 5, to learn more about the improvisational percussive dance form. Demonstrating the unchoreographed communication between dance performer and musician were Anna Librada, creative director of Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival, and guitarist/vocalist Ricardo Sanchez. The state-funded program, administered by Arts Mid-Hudson, will return to Millbrook in October for another performance event.

Photo by Leila Hawken
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The life of Mary Leitch; 103 years of service, spirit and joy

The life of Mary Leitch; 103 years of service, spirit and joy

Mary Leitch, who passed away Dec. 24, is pictured at a 2024 observance marking 10 years since the Irondale Schoolhouse was relocated and restored as a visitor center for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail on Main Street in Millerton. The last living student to attend the one-room schoolhouse before it closed in 1930, Leitch was welcomed by North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan.

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AMENIA — Mary Leitch, of Amenia, whose life was filled with energy, generosity, and kindness, passed away peacefully at the age of 103 on Christmas Eve morning. For decades, she touched the lives of many and left a lasting mark on the communities of Millerton, Millbrook and Amenia.

Leitch was born in Millerton in 1922 and grew up on Winchell Mountain in the hamlet of Irondale. Her early schooling was at Irondale’s 1858 one-room schoolhouse until it closed in 1930. She was proud of having been the last living person to attend that District No. 7 school, one of 14 one-room schoolhouses serving the town. From the third grade onward, she attended school in the Millerton school district.

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people

North East organizational meeting sets tone for new year

North East organizational meeting sets tone for new year

North East Supervisor Chris Kennan, center left, presents outgoing Town Board member Ralph Fedele with a commemorative gift in recognition of his 12 years of service. Fedele, who retired in December 2025, received the gift during the Jan. 2 annual organizational meeting.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The North East Town Board convened for its annual organizational meeting on Friday, Jan. 2, where trustees affirmed priorities and set the tone for the year ahead.

“I’m really proud of the town hall that we have,” said Supervisor Chris Kennan. “I think we have a great group of people who work together well, and it’s a collegial place to be.”

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government

Another year of solar struggles, new hearings

Another year of solar struggles, new hearings

Farmland vista where one of the proposed solar arrays for Hecate Energy's proposed Shepherd's Run solar energy array on Route 23 in Craryville, New York.

Photo by Nathan Miller

COPAKE – The past year marked another herky-jerky dance on the community solar front for this otherwise quiet hamlet.

As 2025 rolled along, the battle between Hecate Energy LLC and residents opposed to its proposed 42-megawatt Shepherd’s Run solar farm entered its eighth year.

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solar energy

Year in review: A year of contrasts for Millerton

Year in review: A year of contrasts for Millerton

The Millerton Square plaza is still empty on Friday, Jan. 2, a little over eight months since the Town of North East Planning Board approved a site plan for major renovations to the grocery store in April.

Photo by Nathan Miller

MILLERTON – At a glance, Millerton’s year was marked by striking contrasts. Moments of division were set against moments of community building. Major municipal milestones were followed by delays and missed deadlines. And years-long efforts to prepare for the future unfolded alongside planning efforts to celebrate the past.

Fire ignites year of rebuilding

A Feb. 3 fire shaped what would become a year of rebuilding and resilience for the Village of Millerton. The early-morning blaze destroyed the highway and water department building, incinerating the village’s police vehicles, snow-removal equipment and everything inside the building.

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