Latest News
Elihu Carlson
Millerton News
Jul 14, 2026
NORTH CANAAN — Elihu Carlson, 95, of North Canaan, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2026. Born in Winsted, he was predeceased by his beloved wife and the absolute love of his life for 60 years, Doreen Carlson.
A proud Korean War veteran, Elihu was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, members of the Canaan VFW post. He was a man of immense work ethic, working alongside his brother David on the family dairy farm, owning and operating D&E Carlson Excavating & Trucking for over 40 years, and proudly wrenching on countless cars at “Carlson’s Garage.”
Elihu’s greatest legacy is his family. He is survived by his children; Bryon (Cindy) Carlson of North Canaan, Larry Carlson of North Canaan, Mark (Stephanie) Carlson of Southfield, Massachusetts, and Sharon (Don) Oldenburg of Noblesville, Indiana. He also leaves behind his cherished grandchildren; Shane, Lance, Catherine, Bryon Jr., Michael, Tanya, Justin, Kyle, Jordan, and Zachary, as well as several great-grandchildren.
Together, Elihu and Doreen were pillars of the community. They spent many years volunteering at the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry and dancing with the Mountain Laurel Square Dance Club. When he wasn’t with family, Elihu was in his workshop crafting Christmas ornaments, birdhouses, and game pieces. He passed his love of games down through generations, famously teaching anyone willing to learn how to play Setback, Chicken Foot, and Pay Me.
He will be fondly remembered for cruising Canaan Valley in his beloved blue van, always carrying dog treats in his pocket, and offering his signature “pointer-finger wave” to everyone he passed. The family extends their sincerest gratitude to the staff at Fairview Commons for their exceptional care of “Pop.”
Family and friends are invited to gather for a Graveside Service on Sunday, July 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Carlson Cemetery, Moses Meade Rd, North Canaan, CT. Afterwards, all are welcome to join us at 20 Carlson Road, North Canaan.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Elihu’s legacy of giving by donating to: Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry, PO Box 30, North Canaan, CT 06018 and VFW Post 06851.
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John Francis Homan
Millerton News
Jul 14, 2026
CORNWALL — John Francis Homan IV has passed away. He was a professional, dapper gentleman personified with indescribable kindness. He told me a story once of being in a terrible place and finding the one positive thing to focus on, the one piece of beauty to hold onto. That is what we have to do in this moment of such a tragic loss.
In 1970, the coldest day recorded on Earth, John was born in Dearborn, Michigan, uphill in the snow, barefoot… ‘course he slips and slides all over the ice, and a couple of perfectly cadenced and coordinated notes later discovers his city, New York City. Luckily, he thaws out in time to find the love of his life, Gregg Hubbard. Together they made a pact to visit every state; they were committed to it, and were one state shy of completing that pact.
John’s dad, aptly called “Big John”, and his brother, Joe Homan, were his anchors – They, along with mom, Marilynn, managed to stoke a gracious nature within John that was beyond measure.
John’s heart also pointed North to Connecticut. I have a history degree now from listening to him tell me of Mohawk Mountain’s importance, George Washington on Bull’s Bridge, and the founding six along with all they accomplished…. down to their heirs sitting on the Supreme Court or herding cattle today. He took enormous pride in this region – he exemplified it and cherished it. For him, finding a house here, with Gregg, was everything, along with the foundation they fostered, community they grew within, and obviously… a pool to forever fix.
I am glossing over quite a few important facts, but I can tell you outlines of John’s whole picture: like his incredible adoration for his family and friends, all the relationships he built up, and the immense joy he encompassed – from belting out Broadway tunes like a pro, to the job he revered, to the way his nieces lit him up with rainbows and sunshine every day.
He often spoke through Rumi, Jung, Aurelius – even Jalen Brunson was in the mix – always a similar theme: confidence within yourself, spiritual resilience, and empathetic compassion when facing the worst life can throw at you. That’s John; he supported and nurtured those around him without judgment or fear, and did so with unwavering respect – unless you were a slow driver, that’s a whole other story.
He loved work, and a tailored suit, as much as the rodeo and a thirst trap tank. He was complicated, deep, and one of the most adventurous, out-of-this-world people I’ve ever encountered.
The world won’t be the same without him, and it wasn’t nearly enough time.
The one piece of beauty I can hold onto is that he is, and always shall be, my friend.
The Memorial Service will be held at UCC of Cornwall, 8 Bolton Hill Road on Aug. 8 at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers we ask that people donate to the Church UCC of Cornwall; they do fabulous outreach in the community, and my friend John was quite involved in that.
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Millerton apartments expected to move forward despite parking noncompliance
Nathan Miller
Jul 14, 2026
MILLERTON — A proposed apartment renovation on South Center Street must now undergo a zoning board approval process over a lack of available parking space on the property.
Owner Alex Magalhaes appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday, July 7, after board chair Kelly Killmer said she requested the application come before the board, citing a Millerton News report on the proposal’s introduction to the Planning Board in June. Magalhaes plans to renovate an empty basement apartment to rehabilitate a currently-defunct fifth housing unit at 26-32 S. Center St., which sits across the street from the Dutchess County-owned parking lot used for access to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
“After I heard about the planning board meeting and read the article in the paper, I came here and requested that they come in front of us,” Killmer said. “Because the planning board doesn’t have the control of parking, the zoning board does.”
Board members voted to set a public hearing for the proposal on Tuesday, July 21.
Killmer opened the meeting by providing board members with a brief summary of the project and the approval process leading up to the Tuesday meeting. She explained the ZBA had to review the application because the property does not include enough space for parking at its current density, and could not support a fifth unit.
Under the Village of Millerton’s zoning laws, residential properties must provide at least 1.5 off-street parking spaces per housing unit. A five-unit property requires space for at least 7.5 cars, Killmer said. The property currently only has space for between three and four cars.
That means Magalhaes must seek a variance from the board, or at the least a determination that the property’s existing non-conforming status should be allowed to continue and expand despite its noncompliance with the village’s parking laws.
Board chair Killmer indicated the board is expected to deny the variance, citing village codes that stipulate variances cannot be granted if no off-street parking can be provided for an applicant. Instead, Killmer said the board’s refusal will likely acknowledge that Maghalaes’s proposal to rehabilitate the defunct fifth unit does not technically expand the existing nonconforming use, and therefore may move forward without a variance from the board because of its historic status.
In support of this idea, Magalhaes recounted the history of the property and his plans to renovate the empty apartment. He said a basement studio apartment was originally utilized and occupied but had been empty since he bought the apartment building in 2022. The apartment still has its original fixtures and cabinetry, he said.
“We’re not turning an old basement into an apartment,” Magalheas said. “It has a bathroom, it has a kitchen. The old cabinets are still in place, but it’s from the ‘50s and ‘60s.”
Killmer explained that the board has the authority to issue an opinion that acknowledges a site’s pre-existing conditions, allowing historic nonconforming properties that existed before the adoption of Millerton’s zoning code in the ‘70s to continue without issue. She and other board members acknowledged that Magalhaes’s property has historically hosted five housing units, and that the village has an express interest in promoting more housing development.
Board members said they didn’t believe the lack of parking onsite for the additional unit would place a significant burden on the village, citing the availability of street parking adjacent to the property and an understanding that many tenants in downtown Millerton do not own cars at all, including at least one of Magalhaes’s current tenants.
Amid the discussion over Magalhaes’s apartment building, board members recalled the effort at the end of 2025 and early 2026 to amend Millerton’s parking rules for properties in the general business district. In January 2026, the Village Board of Trustees adopted a local law that exempted properties along Main Street from having to find more parking if undergoing a change of use.
Magalhaes’s property is in the R10,000 residential district, which was not covered under the January 2026 local law. ZBA members indicated they would like to pursue similar legislation for the high-density residential district, to further ease approval processes that are often marred by debates over available off-street parking that sometimes stall proposals indefinitely.
Parking rules in the village have been hotly contested in recent years, with a growing number of people advocating for relaxing the rules to encourage more housing and business development in the village’s downtown. Killmer said on Tuesday that nearly 90% of the properties within the village are in violation of zoning regulations in some capacity, with most properties failing to provide adequate off-street parking.
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Touring Amenia’s gardens
Millerton News
Jul 14, 2026
The Amenia Garden Club’s 2026 Real Gardens of Amenia Tour attracted a steady stream of gardening enthusiasts to five local gardens on Saturday, July 11. Owner Maxine Paetro welcomed visitors to Broccoli Hall. Close examination of the photo shows local gardener Liz Faulkner about to pass through the same garden entrance.
Photo By Leila Hawken
The Amenia Garden Club’s 2026 Real Gardens of Amenia Tour attracted a steady stream of gardening enthusiasts to five local gardens on Saturday, July 11. Owner Maxine Paetro welcomed visitors to Broccoli Hall. Close examination of the photo shows local gardener Liz Faulkner about to pass through the same garden entrance.
Classifieds - July 16, 2026
Millerton News
Jul 14, 2026
HELP WANTED
Home Help Needed. Part Time. Sharon. 407-620-7777.
REAL ESTATE
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or:rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
1Bd/1b apartment in Amenia. $900 a month. 860-309-4482.
HOUSE FOR RENT
2 Bedroom House. Millerton, NY. Quiet. 4 miles from town. $2500 monthly, plus utilities. 518-567-8277.
MT RIGA LAKEFRONT CABIN. Private beach, canoe, kayaks, fishing. $1,275/week. 585-355-5245
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Let's hear it — July 16, 2026
Millerton News
Jul 14, 2026
This Week
Millerton’s 175th anniversary celebration is officially underway—and this weekend was just the beginning. Throughout the week, the village is hosting parades, concerts, fairs, tournaments, and even a drone show to mark the milestone.
Which Millerton 175th festivities have you most enjoyed?
Send your responses to social@lakevillejournal.com by Monday, July 20 at 10 a.m. or comment on Facebook or Instagram.
We’ll publish a selection in next week’s paper.
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