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Jeremiah Joseph Larsen
Millerton News
Jun 23, 2026
HARWINTON — Jeremiah Joseph Larsen, 44, of 274 Litchfield Rd. died Sunday June 14, 2026 at the Yale New Haven Health Center in New Haven. Jeremiah was born May 9, 1982 in Bristol, CT. He was the son of Jeffrey L. and Ruth M. (Wilkinson) Larsen of Harwinton, CT
Jeremiah graduated from Lewis Mills High School in Burlington. He worked for several local landscapers in the Northwest Corner including Leno’s Lawn Service, Green Acres Landscaping and most recently Paul Kaminski Landscape Management in Harwinton. Jeremiah was an avid hunter and fisherman. He loved spending time with his two sons, Hayden and Finn Larsen, of East Canaan, CT and extended family. He and his ex-wife Jessica Strattman continued to work closely to provide the best for Hayden and Finn. Jeremiah also was known for his love of cutting grass.
In addition to his parents and sons Jeremiah is survived by his brother Zachariah W. Larsen and his fiancée, Marcie Perswald both of Bristol, CT and Zachariah’s daughter Skyla Larsen of Norfolk, CT along with numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday June 25, 2026 from 11:00 am until 12:30 pm in the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. North Canaan, CT 06018. We will then process to Hillside Cemetery in East Canaan, CT for a graveside service 1:00 PM. Memorial donation may be sent to Hayden and Finn Fund 274 Litchfield Rd. Harwinton, CT 06791.
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Donald Harry Duncan
Millerton News
Jun 23, 2026
MILLERTON — Donald Harry Duncan, 78, a lifelong area resident died peacefully on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at his home in Millerton, NY, surrounded by his loving family. Beloved husband of Sharon E. (Drake) Duncan and loving father of Bruce, Alex and Steven Duncan, adored grandfather of Sydney, Chelsea, Bailey, Gabriel, Ariana, Braeden and Tony and caring brother of Patricia Flood and James Duncan.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday July 1, 2026 from 11am to 12pm at South Amenia Presbyterian Church, 229 South Amenia Road, Wassaic, NY 12592. A funeral service will begin at 12pm at South Amenia Presbyterian Church. Reverend Zora Cheatham will officiate. A communal reception in Don’s honor will be held immediately following the service in the fellowship hall next door to the church. Burial at Irondale Cemetery will take place in the future. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Don’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com Arrangements have been entrusted to Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
Patchin’s Mill renovations move forward with foundation restoration
Graham Corrigan
Jun 23, 2026
Machinery still sits inside the grist mill.
Photo by Graham Corrigan
PINE PLAINS — Patchin’s Mill, a historic grist mill that played an important role in the region’s agricultural history, is undergoing its first major round of restoration work in years as preservationists work to stabilize the deteriorating structure and eventually return it to operation.
Restorative work to the foundation began last week under the supervision of Keith Sisco, Bill Hedges, and other members of the historic preservation association Friends of Stissing Landmarks.
“We would love to be able to restart the mill,” said Sisco, a FOSL board member, who said it stopped operating decades ago but still has what’s needed to get it up and running again. “The belts are still on the pulleys.”
The mill, however, still needs repairs from the ground up. FOSL took the first big step in 2023 by clearing out the debris and overgrown plant life that had surrounded Patchin’s Mill just north of downtown Pine Plains at the intersection of North Main Street and Silvernail Road.
The next phase started this month. The mill has twice been hit by vehicles, and one side of the foundation is badly damaged as a result. FOSL spent the first week stabilizing the structure and hauling out the collapsed foundation wall.
The project has been made possible by fundraising, and the non-profit FOSL raised the capital to hire a mason, Robert Koch. Koch has been overseeing the restoration and is building a bi-level foundation of stone and brick. After the mortar sets, a team from Syracuse will come to Pine Plains to replace the interior timber beams that have decayed over time.
FOSL is hoping to raise $150,000 for this first phase of the project, which will include the adjacent and over-stuffed mill house across the street. The previous owner used the space for storage, according to Bill Hedges, one of the FOSL members leading the restoration. “We want to return the mill to its former glory,” he said.
Patchin’s Mill’s origins date back to the 1740s, when surveyor Charles Clinton made a note in his field book about the Shekomeko Creek waterfall a half-mile north of Pine Plains. But it took 60 years for a mill to actually go up, and back then it was called Hoffman’s Mill. The Hoffmans bought the land from the Grahams (of Graham-Brush House fame), and built a grist mill. In turn, Mark Patchin bought the land — and the mill — from Hoffman’s grandson in 1873.
The grist mill is a simple yet ingenious device. Using the weight and force behind the water’s fall, two stones rise and fall to crush raw grain into usable flour. Wheat, rye, cornmeal, and buckwheat were some of the grains processed at the mill during the 19th century. The current structure was built in 1917 and known as Shekomeko Stream Mill. At one point, a second mill on the opposite bank — a sawmill — was also in operation.
But grain production moved elsewhere, and the mill ceased operating in 1945. Many of their relics and belongings are still onsite, and Sisco says they’ve hired a historian to catalogue the documents and photographs unearthed during renovations.
“We hope to have it resemble how it was when it was a working mill,” said Sisco.
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Dutchess County Sheriff’s Report - Thursday, June 25
Olivia Montoya
Jun 23, 2026
Dutchess County Sheriff's Report — Thursday, June 25
Archive photo
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity report June 12 to June 18
June 12 — Deputies responded to Baxter Road in Pawling for a neighbor dispute. Both parties were served with trespass notices advising them to stay off of each other’s property.
June 12 — Deputies responded to the Wassaic Train station in the Town of Amenia and took custody of Tai Chopping, age 54, who was wanted by the Columbia County, New York, Sheriff’s Office on an active Bench Warrant for failing to appear in court in that jurisdiction. Chopping turned over to Deputies of Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for further.
June 12 — Deputies arrested William Ball, age 35, for driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree as a result of traffic enforcement on Winchell Mountain Road in the Town of North East. Ball to appear in the Town of North East Court at a later date.
June 15 — Deputies responded to High Meadows Trailer Park in the Town of Dover to investigate a domestic dispute at that location. Matter resolved without further police intervention.
PLEASE NOTE: All subjects arrested and charged are alleged to have committed the crime and are presumed innocent until proven guilty and are to appear in local courts later.
If you have any information relative to the aforementioned criminal cases, or any other suspected criminal activity please contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845 605 CLUE (2583) or email dcsotips@gmail.com. All information will be kept confidential.
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Highland gardener advocates for ‘wild’ approach
Nathan Miller
Jun 23, 2026
Jessica Williams leads a talk on “re-wilding” garden beds at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, June 20.
Photo by Nathan Miller
MILLBROOK — A crowd of about a dozen gardening enthusiasts from across Dutchess County took a free lesson in wild gardening on Saturday, June 20.
Jessica Williams of Odd Duck Farm in Highland, New York, led a talk on “re-wilding” garden spaces in the Millbrook Library’s basement as part of an ongoing series of talks organized by the Millbrook Garden Club.
Williams, an avid gardener and florist, has been focusing on native, pollinator-friendly plants in her gardening efforts to promote biodiversity on her property and ecological health in general. She said she’s driven by an appreciation for bugs and allowing nature to take its course — even if that means letting plants die when a typical gardener might fight harder for life.
“I believe in survival of the fittest in the garden,” Williams said.
Williams advocates for gardeners to change their perspective and stop seeking to eradicate bugs and critters from gardens. She described the food chain as a delicate balance, where insects and the plants they eat form a base that all other life sits on top of.
“They can live without us, but we need them,” Williams said.
As an example, Williams produced an oak twig she grabbed from a tree in her yard the morning of the talk. Leaves were tattered and chewed on, evidence of an insect feast that Williams said should be seen as a beautiful sign of an active ecosystem.
Part of building an appealing ecosystem for local bugs is planting local plants. Williams told the crowd that 70-80% of biomass should be native plants. She suggested planting an oak tree to meet that quota, saying one tree would then allow gardeners to plant whatever other flowers they wanted without worrying about exceeding their foreign plant ratio.
Maintaining a 70-80% ratio of native plant biomass helps to ensure that local bugs have plenty of food to eat. And well-fed bugs make for well-fed birds, Williams said.
Williams also encourages variety in a garden. She said that a mix of flowers, shrubs and trees both improve aesthetic value and provide a variety of good food and habitat for bugs and birds.
“It’s important to keep the neighbors happy, too,” Williams said.
Another unorthodox tip was to embrace decay. Williams explained that soil is composed of broken down biological matter and letting plant trimmings and leaves return to that soil will only improve garden health.
“It just disappears,” Williams said.
One technique she supports is the “chop and drop” method. It’s intended for gardeners that may not have room for a dedicated compost pile, and advocates for dropping plant trimmings directly into the garden bed and leaving it there to rot and decay into the soil.
That strategy actually serves multiple purposes. Decaying plant matter will return useful nutrients for plant health to the soil and the sticks and leaves provide habitat for bugs.
Williams specifically called out fallen leaves during the fall as especially beneficial. She supports letting leaves lay where they fall whenever possible, but said that collecting leaves and spreading them in places like garden beds and compost piles can also be a good use.
But, with all things gardening, Williams said nature should be a guide in the proper way of doing things. A layer of leaves that’s too thick can essentially strangle a plant. Instead, gardeners using the material as makeshift mulch in their garden beds should apply the leaves in a thin layer that mimics a naturally windswept covering.
Williams maintains that 100% native gardening is not necessary as long as gardeners make an effort to plant as many native plants as possible. Many annuals and bulbs are beneficial to pollinators and bugs despite being foreign. She recommended alliums, cosmos, salvia, sunflowers and herbs such as basil, thyme and lavender.
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Shaping the future of Amenia’s recreation planning
Leila Hawken
Jun 17, 2026
Tiffany Zezula, deputy director of the Pace Land Use Law Center of White Plains, presents early results of a survey of Amenia residents on their desires for local parks and recreation during a forum at Webutuck High School on Saturday, June 13. Residents were invited to hear a preliminary report on the ongoing study sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Commission to assist with charting the future of recreation and parks in Amenia.
Photo By Leila Hawken
AMENIA — Residents would like to see more amenities, programming and access at Amenia’s parks and recreational sites, according to preliminary results from a town recreation survey presented Saturday, June 13.
A status report was presented at the Webutuck High School auditorium on Saturday, June 13, by Engaging Amenia planning consultants from Pace Land Use Law Center of White Plains.
Reviewing highlights from the survey, Tiffany Zezula, deputy director of the Pace program, said 116 residents — about 3% of Amenia’s population — have completed the questionnaire to date. Full-time residents accounted for 88% of respondents, while 32% were age 65 or older.
Among respondents, 77% reported traveling to one of the town’s 12 recreational sites by car.
The most frequently visited destination was the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, prompting discussion about the need for additional parking. Residents also said that they would like to see the addition of benches along the rail trail.
Respondents also said they would also favor community gardens, more picnic areas, and provision for waterway access and even swimming throughout the area.
There are low-cost programs that might be easily implemented, such as birdwatching groups, historic walking tours, or walking/hiking clubs, Zezula said.
“This is going to facilitate the conversation,” said town councilmember Nicole Ahearn about the survey’s outcomes.
Zezula said the survey is intended to complement work already underway by the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee as it evaluates the future of parks and recreation in Amenia.
Residents can still participate in the survey through June 30. Judy Moran, chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, has arranged a display at the Amenia Library where residents can review planning materials and submit comments.
A final report is expected in July, Zezula said.
Preliminary results of the study can be viewed at www.engagingamenia.com.
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