letters

Letter to the editor: Thursday, June 12, 2025

Criticizing Kent Hollow Mine coverage

I was disappointed by the newspaper’s superficial and one-sided account of the public comment on the Amenia Town Board’s settlement of their ten-year litigation with Kent Hollow Mine on May 15, 2025. The reporter, the editor and the publisher are all at fault. The reporter failed on three counts. She provided no details of the settlement itself; she relied almost entirely on the defense of the Town Board (delivered via their attorney and published verbatim for readers) at the expense of the comments of the public; she neglected completely the history of the dispute that led to the litigation. The editor failed by permitting this slanted version of the issue to reach publication. At the least, the editor should have required the reporter to indicate why there had been ten years of official and principled opposition to mining operations by this company at the South Amenia Road location. The “record” cited by the Town Attorney and the judge in the case was contested from the outset. The publishers LJMN Media, Inc. failed to honor their promise to supporters of this non-profit paper. They vowed that they would “dig deeper into local issues and take a closer look at the local controversies” involving town government. This article was an Amenia Town Board press release.
As a reader and supporter, I request considerably more spade work.

Laurie Nussdorfer

Amenia

letters
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

North East’s commercial rezoning puts focus on housing

North East’s commercial rezoning puts focus on housing

The North East Town Hall building, where town officials will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m., on proposed zoning code amendments

By Nathan Miller

MILLERTON — The zoning code changes that will be the focus of a public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 8, represent a major overhaul of the code since it was adopted in the 1970s, placing a strong focus on promoting housing options in the town’s commercial district.

The hearing is scheduled for Jan.8 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall and the draft of the amendments can be found online at townofnortheastny.gov/zoning-review-committee/ or in person at Town Hall or at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.

Keep ReadingShow less
zoning

Sharon Hospital drops NDP as ambulance provider

Sharon Hospital drops NDP as ambulance provider

Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut.

Archive photo

SHARON — Northern Dutchess Paramedics will cease operating in northwest Connecticut at the start of the new year, a move that emergency responders and first selectmen say would replace decades of advanced ambulance coverage with a more limited service arrangement.

Emergency officials say the change would shift the region from a staffed, on-call advanced life support service to a plan centered on a single paramedic covering multiple rural towns, raising concerns about delayed response times and gaps in care during simultaneous emergencies.

Keep ReadingShow less
health

Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo receives $5M for new animal hospital

Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo receives $5M for new animal hospital

Max Amsterdam reaches out to pet a red panda at the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo on Millbrook School’s campus on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Amsterdam is a senior at Millbrook School and serves as the zoo’s head student curator.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLBROOK — The Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo announced this month that it has received a $5 million donation — the largest in the organization’s history and made anonymously — that will primarily fund a state-of-the-art animal hospital, a key feature of the zoo’s current master plan for expansion. The zoo, which is located at the Millbrook School, currently houses 180 exotic animals from all over the world.

“It’s very exciting,” said Nancy Stahl, who oversees fundraising for the zoo. “This gift is going to enhance everything we already do and enable us to increase opportunities for science, our community and support the well-being of our animals.”

Keep ReadingShow less
animals

New program offers home pickup for textile recycling

New program offers home pickup for textile recycling

AMENIA — Residents can now take advantage of a local recycling program that offers convenient home pickup for textiles and other household items. The program, approved by Dutchess County, was outlined by Town Board member and Town Supervisor-elect Rosanna Hamm.

The service, operated by Helpsy, accepts unwanted clothing, footwear, textiles, accessories and linens, along with items such as luggage and stuffed animals. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 17% of recyclable textiles are currently reclaimed, with the rest ending up in landfills or municipal incinerators.

Keep ReadingShow less
conservation