LJMN board adds members, elects officers

FALLS VILLAGE — LJMN Media, which publishes The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, has announced the addition of two new members to its board of directors. Dick Hermans and Scott Siegler join Meg Downey, Henry Blodget and Rob Fish, each added early in 2024, as its newest members.

Hermans, of Pine Plains, co-founded Oblong Books & Records with locations in Millerton and Rhinebeck. He has also served on the Pine Plains School Board and is a current member of the Pine Plains Planning Board. Most recently, he co-founded The New Pine Plains Herald, a digital newspaper covering Pine Plains, and serves as Vice-President of its board.

Siegler, a resident of Sharon, participated in the startup of TriStar Television Studio, Netscape Communications, Pandora Media and Granada America. He has served on the board of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School and The Center for Public Integrity.

Downey, of Millerton, began her career in journalism as editor of The Millerton News, executive editor of The Poughkeepsie Journal and managing editor of the Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee. Downey is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and has won more than 40 national journalism awards. In her career, she has also taught journalism and ethics at Vassar College.

Blodget, of Cornwall, is co-founder, Executive Chair of the Board and occasional columnist of Business Insider Inc., a global journalism organization with offices and affiliates in more than 17 countries. A former Wall Street analyst, he is often a guest on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and other networks.

Fish, of Salisbury, founded the design firm Robert V. Fish & Associates, which specialized in residential architecture in Hartford, Fairfield and Litchfield Counties and won dozens of design awards. He has served multiple terms on the boards of Sharon Land Trust and Sharon Playhouse.

CEO and Publisher James H. Clark said, “The addition of these members reinforces our commitment to strong local journalism in our communities in the Northwest corner of Connecticut and Eastern Dutchess County in New York. As we continue to look at new ways of delivering the news, each of their skill sets and expertise will be invaluable.”

Board membership now stands at 14 representing diverse professional backgrounds and expertise.

Additionally, the Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers at its annual meeting in December. Dan Dwyer, of Salisbury, has been elected Chair; Brian Ross, of Sharon, Vice Chair; Devereux Chatillon, of Sharon, Secretary and Karen Byers, of North Canaan, Treasurer. The Board recognized Noreen Doyle, who served as founding Chair and who will continue on as a member of the board.

On assuming the chairmanship, Dwyer noted that “the challenges we face are more complex than simply ‘saving the paper.’ Our Board’s duty is to provide financial stability and resourcesthat enable management and editorial staff to continue the improvements they are making. We are also responsible to develop a plan for the future, so we are finding ways of getting information to our communities — when and how they accessit — so we remain the trusted source of local news, information and opinion. I’m confident our Board is up to the challenge.“

To learn more about The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, go to lakevillejournal.com and click on “About us.”

Latest News

Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker

WINSTED — Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker, of Monroe, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at the age of 77. Born on Jan. 18, 1948, in Winsted, Connecticut to Gilbert and Alta (Bierce) Schoonmaker, Gil spent four decades enjoying life on Highland Lake before settling in Monroe.

He is lovingly survived by his wife of 56 years, Sally (Gustafson) Schoonmaker, and his two daughters, Lynn Sindland and her husband Lee of Lead Hill, Arkansas, and Deb Pikiell and her husband Tim of Bristol, Connecticut. Gil was a proud grandfather to Ozzie, Tommy, Betsy, Katie, George, Lucy, Maddie, Joey, and Julia, and he cherished his time with his eight great-grandchildren. Gilbert leaves behind his siblings Ann, Gary, Gail, Jan, and Tim.

Keep ReadingShow less
Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less