Letters to the editor — Thursday, October 22, 2026

Value teachers in early childhood education

I am the Director of Youth Programs at NECC. I just wanted to share my thoughts on the early learning center closure at Cold Spring and the movement of students to Seymour Smith.

Early Childhood is a complex issue. Our country and region wants the care and Universal Pre-K. However, do they want to do what it takes to actually fund it and have top level professionals work in these arenas? Teachers need to be paid much, much more. We need to value educators more. The pedagogy of early childhood education also needs to be considered as learning is play, not rote memorization. The reality is the top 1% in Dutchess County need to be willing to pay their fair share of taxes along with those owning second or third homes. We can criticize this closure all we want but until these systemic issues are addressed it will keep happening.

Brandon Wolfe, M.Ed.

Millerton

Thanks from Fire Co.

On Sunday, October 18, the Amenia Fire Company sponsored our monthly Pancake Breakfast. We were pleased to have a nice crowd of 187 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 November 15 at the firehouse.

Andy Murphy,

on behalf of the Breakfast Committee, Amenia Fire Co. & Auxiliary

Riley fights for 19th

I am writing to encourage voters to get out and vote in November and return Josh Riley to his job as our congressman for the 19th Congressional District.

Josh has been our House member for two years and in that short time he has made a big difference and fought for and advocated for our part of upstate New York.

When I met and talked to Josh Riley, I was impressed by his energy, willingness to listen, his sincerity and his commitment to the people of our upstate district. He is a do-er and relentless in his pursuit of a better and more affordable life for his 19th district constituents.

Josh comes from a working-class family in Endicott, so he knows how bills for housing, health care, electricity and groceries can erode a family’s finances.

Please know that one of Josh’s big efforts in Congress has been to push back on the steep electric rate hikes we have faced in the past year.

For myself, the NYSEG bills have been crippling for me and in the winter, I am reduced to keeping the heat to a low number, wearing two sweaters and a blanket wrapped around me.

Josh introduced legislation to prohibit utility executives from receiving bonuses when they raise rates faster than inflation.

Another of his bills would bar utility companies from passing along to customers such expenses as lobbying, political donations, private jet travel, entertainment, investor relations and regulatory fines.

Josh appeared before a state regulatory board to cross-examine NYSEG executives about their proposed rate hike.

Josh fights for affordability and affordable housing. He helped pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in July, a bipartisan law that promotes home construction by lowering costs, cutting red tape in housing programs, protecting housing in rural communities and restricting large institutional investors from buying affordable single-family homes.

Josh has fought for better and more equitable healthcare; co-sponsoring legislation called the Rural Hospital Stabilization Act. It would deliver up to $5 million in funding per hospital to help struggling ones keep their doors open. And he demanded that the CEOs of UnitedHealth Group, Humana and CVS Health justify their decision to drop Medicare Advantage plans in rural areas upstate.

Marianna Houston

Hillsdale