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Schools close for multiple days amid winter storms
Aly Morrissey
Mar 04, 2026
Schools had three consecutive snow days in the last week of February.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
Winter has made its mark this year in the northeast, with local schools enduring record-long closures as crews have worked to manage cleanup efforts.
In Webutuck Central School District, seven snow days have already been used this academic year as of Tuesday, March 3, including a recent three-day stretch triggered by heavy snowfall, ice and wind. Superintendent Raymond Castellani said this season has been one of the more challenging in recent memory.
“Winter is winter in the northeast,” Castellani said. After consulting the Farmer’s Almanac and preparing for the unpredictable nature of the season in this region, he said he and his team had a feeling this winter could be “a tough one.”
While he said snowfall totals fluctuate year-to-year, the combination of heavy snow, icy conditions and unfortunate timing has made this winter particularly disruptive. Several storms hit just as buses were scheduled to be on the roads, forcing the district to err on the side of caution.
“For us, it’s about safety first,” Castellani said. “When buses are running and students are driving, that will always be my top priority.”
Early-morning decisions
Snow days are rarely simple decisions, Castellani said. In the Webutuck Central School District, the process often begins the night before a storm, followed by a 4 a.m. check-in between town and county highway departments, school transportation staff and neighboring school districts. By 4:30 or 4:45 a.m., a final decision is typically made, and a mass notification is sent via text, email, phone and social media.
Throughout his 18 years serving as a school superintendent, Castellani said he has often been asked about the hardest part of his job. Spoiler alert: snow days are among his top challenges.
“It’s one of the most difficult parts of the job,” Castellani said. In a rural district like Webutuck, road conditions can vary dramatically across the region, he said, adding to the complexity of the decision. “You’re balancing safety, missed instructional time and the impact of families who may have to miss work.”
With Webutuck’s most recent closure — three days and two hours, to be exact — elementary school parent Jennifer Tiso-Garvey said she and her family felt the pressure.
“I understand the emphasis on safety,” Tiso-Garvey said. “But it’s not just the snow days. The pressure parents felt last week is indicative of a broader issue within the United States that forces working parents to make judgment calls when it comes to expensive childcare and crucial income.”
Tiso-Garvey, who is an English teacher and registrar at The Millbrook School, said she considers herself one of the luckier parents. “I’m thankful that I have a job where my kids can be with me at work, but the burden really falls on working parents.”
Asked how he manages the criticism, Castellani said he is guided by safety. “I learned a long time ago there’s no winning — so you err on the side of safety.”
Despite criticism, Castellani credited the district’s small but dedicated maintenance team for keeping school grounds accessible.
“The staff is amazing,” he said. “They’re in on Sundays and in early mornings moving snow and ice.”
Head of Buildings and Grounds Walter Kilmer leads a team that includes Bob Eastman, Jason Watson and Jim Schmeldelini. Castellani also offered special thanks to head driver Kathy Green, who is often out on the roads before dawn to check accessibility and safety for parents and teen drivers.
“She’s my eyes and ears in the morning,” he said.
Webutuck still within “snow day budget”
At this time, he does not anticipate extending the school year into the spring break or into late June.
“We’re in good standing,” Castellani said.
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Darrel Scott Miller
Millerton News
Mar 04, 2026
SHARON — Darrel Scott Miller, 48, of Sharon, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at his home on Feb. 17, 2026.
Darrel was born in Sharon, on Oct. 28, 1977, the son of Delores (Williams) Drobilics and the late Donnie Miller.
A graduate of Housatonic Valley High School in Falls Village, Darrel was employed as a painter.
He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling. Darrel’s greatest happiness was found in the company of his family and friends, and in extending kindness and help to those in need.
In addition to his mother of North Haven, Darrel is survived by his two sons, Evan Miller and Aiden Miller, both of Salisbury; his brother, Christopher Miller (Regina Miller) of North Haven; and his sister, Brianna Howard of Fruitland, Maryland. He is also survived by his nieces, Olivia Miller and Khloe Howard; and his three nephews, Christopher T. Miller, Nathaneal Miller, and Bryson Howard.
Funeral arrangements will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are under the care of Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, Canaan, CT 06018.
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Erica Child Prud’homme
Millerton News
Mar 04, 2026
WEST CORNWALL — Erica Child Prud’homme died peacefully in her sleep on Jan. 9, 2026, at home in West Cornwall, Connecticut, at 93.
Erica was born on April 27, 1932, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the eldest of three children of Charles and Fredericka Child. With her siblings Rachel and Jonathan, Erica was raised in Lumberville, a town in the creative enclave of Bucks County where she began to sketch and paint as a child.
The Child family spent summers on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Starting in 1939, they lived there in tents and hand-built a log cabin on a rugged point of land overlooking Blue Hill Bay. Her father Charlie was a painter and writer who wrote and illustrated “Roots in the Rock”, a memoir of building the cabin. Her mother, Freddy, was a founder and costume designer at the Bucks County Playhouse, and a gifted cook, gardener, and book binder.
Erica had a successful career as an artist. Whether painting a rhubarb stalk or carving faces out of wood, creating art was her passion. She was exceptionally skilled in watercolor, oils, pastels, ink, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. “My work has always been driven by a love of the natural world, its forms, colors and light,” she said.
“The order and grace of natural forms, both living and dying, are captivating.” Much of her inspiration came from Cornwall, Maine, and travel. She studied at the Art Students League in NYC, was a member of Blue Mountain Gallery, and had many shows in both New York and Cornwall. A sample of her work can be found here: https://www.ericaprudhomme.com/cgi-local/content.cgi.
In 1954, Erica graduated from Middlebury College with a BA in American Literature. She spent a year in New Mexico working with archeologists and was inspired by the dramatic desert landscape. After this she worked as a draftsperson and secretary at an architectural firm in Philadelphia.
In May of 1958, Erica and Hector Prud’homme, a banker at Brown Brothers & Harriman, were married at the Child house in Lumberville. They honeymooned in Italy, the beginning of a lifetime of travel together. Settling on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Erica and Hector raised their children, Alex, Merida, and Olivia within a few blocks of a tight circle of friends. This group founded the West Side Montessori School, which their children attended and where Erica taught art. For the kids, it was like being raised in a small village in a big city.
Erica worked as a graphic artist at the American Museum of Natural History, where she helped create numerous exhibits – including one of her own, “Shrimps, Crabs and Lobsters.” She was the voice of the Glass Woman (a glass mannequin revealing organs and bones), illustrated invitations, and helped organize parties and auctions. Erica was a supporter and/or board member of Goddard Riverside Community Center, the Town School, and the Wooster School.
Erica and Hector loved to travel — visiting cousins in Italy, Ireland and India, touring the USSR in 1968 and China in 1980, trekking in Nepal, sightseeing in Cuba and Central America, dude ranching in Wyoming, marching for women’s rights and against wars in Washington, and sailing with friends.
In 1971, Erica and Hector bought an old farmhouse in West Cornwall, Connecticut, which they renovated over decades. Erica was an inspired cook, and she and Hector took pride in their remarkable vegetable and flower gardens. Welcoming a stream of guests, they hosted parties large and small, weddings, and legendary square dances in their barn. They were actively engaged in town affairs, put much of their property under conservation easement, and donated a sizable portion to the Cornwall Land Trust. They moved to Cornwall permanently in 2014.
Hector died in 2021. Erica is survived by her brother Jon and sister-in-law Julie Winter; her three children, six grandchildren — Rosetta, Asa, Hector, River, Jules and Didi and one great grandson, Silvester.
A private memorial will be held in the spring. In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family invites donations in Erica’s memory to the Cornwall Public Library, the Cornwall Chronicle, and the Cornwall Conservation Trust.
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Arthur Joseph Tanner, Jr.
Millerton News
Mar 04, 2026
MILLERTON — Arthur Joseph “Junior” Tanner, Jr., 87, a lifelong area resident died peacefully on Feb. 26, 2026, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut with his family at his bedside. Mr. Tanner worked as a truck driver and warehouse manager for Arnoff Moving and Storage in Lakeville for 35 years before starting his own business, Tanners Home Services, LLC in Millerton, which is still in operation today.
Born June 13, 1938, in Sharon, he was the son of the late Arthur Joseph and Bertha (McCauley) Tanner, Sr. Mr. Tanner was educated in Millerton schools. On Sept. 24, he married Roberta Gladys Twing. Mrs. Tanner survives at home in Millerton. Mr. Tanner was an avid hunter and fisherman and he enjoyed logging and spending time at his cabin. Mr. Tanner was a life member of the Millerton Gun Club and the North American Hunt Club as well.
In addition to his wife, Roberta, he is also survived by four children; Arthur Tanner III and his wife Dorothy, Sheila Stickles and her husband Thomas, Joanne Sweeney and her husband Donald all of Millerton and Rita Ezersky and her husband Pat of Lakeville; three sisters, Gloria Stickles of Pine Plains, New York, Diane Baker of Dryden, New York, and Virginia Whitbeck of Lakeville; his brother, Charles Tanner of Cambridge, New York, his daughter-in-law Molly of Norfolk, Connecticut, twelve grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews and many friends. In addition to his parents, he was also predeceased by his son, James A. Tanner, Sr., on July 13, 2020; six sisters, Alice Tweed, Lena Francis, Ceil Ralph, Carol Call, Bev Stickles and Shirley Rivard and one stepbrother, Robert Mayhew.
Calling hours will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. A funeral service will take place at 12 p.m. at the funeral home. Pastor Jan Brooks will officiate.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Millerton Gun Club, Inc., P.O. Box 720, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Mr. Tanner’s honor, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
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Public hearing on Silo Ridge recreational facility extended amid lighting debate
Leila Hawken
AMENIA — A public hearing on proposed changes to the Siland Recreational Facility — the private tennis and skating complex associated with the Silo Ridge residential development — will continue Wednesday, March 11, after Planning Board members raised concerns about a potential outdoor lighting proposal.
The board extended the public hearing following low public attendance at the Feb. 25 session and the introduction of a proposal to add exterior lighting for the platform tennis courts to allow evening play.
The Siland Recreational Facility sits south of the Silo Ridge neighborhood along Route 22 near the Metro-North Wassaic train station. The acreage includes tennis and platform tennis facilities and a seasonal ice rink. It functions primarily as a private amenity for Silo Ridge members, though portions have periodically been opened to the broader community through coordination with the Recreation Commission.
Consultant Patrick O’Leary, representing the facility, outlined revisions to the site plan that include reconfiguring the parking area, upgrading drainage and adding landscaping at the site. He said those revisions have been described to the board multiple times at prior meetings.
The discussion centered largely on the possibility of outdoor lighting for the platform tennis courts.
O’Leary presented two options. The first would include no exterior lighting, resulting in no nighttime visual impact.
The second would permit seasonal lighting from November through March, with lights used three evenings per week. Under that scenario, the courts would be open to Silo Ridge members on Fridays and Saturdays, while Tuesday evenings would be made available to the broader community in coordination with the Recreation Commission. O’Leary said a similar arrangement is currently in place for use of the ice rink.
He emphasized that seasonal lighting is not the present intent of facility officials but described it as a potential opportunity to expand community access.
In recent weeks, the facility rewired the site and temporarily turned on the lights to allow the public to observe their effect, O’Leary said. Several board members suggested conducting a site visit.
Board member Nina Peek noted that zoning regulations do not permit exterior lighting for private facilities, a view supported by board member Ken Topolsky, who said the proposal would be contrary to current code. Topolsky asked whether shielding or “boxing” the lighting might reduce its impact.
“I did not intend this to be controversial, just a thought to get something for the community,” O’Leary said.
Board member Foz Bullock said she observed the lighting while driving north on Route 22 near the Wassaic station and found it to be quite bright. She said she would like to hear additional public input.
Topolsky also supported continuing the hearing to March 11 to allow for a site visit and further public comment.
If the site plan moves forward without the proposed lighting, the board could take up a resolution for discussion and possible action at its March 11 meeting. If Siland elects to pursue the lighting proposal, the hearing would likely be continued to March 25.
“We’ll be back on March 11,” O’Leary said.