Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to local Korean War hero
Charles R. Johnson, a Korean war veteran who died in combat in 1953, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Friday, Jan. 3.
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Latest News
Paul Chester Rooney Jr.
Millerton News
Jul 21, 2026
SHARON — Paul Chester Rooney Jr. of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Sharon, Connecticut died peacefully in Ft. Lauderdale on June 13 with family by his side. Born to Mary Katherine Brennan and Paul Rooney on Oct. 23, 1943, in Evanston, Illinois, he grew up in the US and London.
Paul graduated from The Oratory School, Reading, England, and Harvard College and Law School. After four years in the Navy, he was honorably discharged as full lieutenant in 1973. He built a 25-year career at global law firm White and Case in Manhattan, becoming a partner and corporate tax department head; he was known internationally for his legal acumen and creativity. He led an active social life in Manhattan, making life-long friends who enjoyed his sharp wit and repartee. Out of the office, he enjoyed playing squash at the Union League and University Clubs, and the city’s cultural offerings. A true patriot, Paul was honored to serve, until his death, on the Advisory Board of the Atlantic Legal Foundation, whose advocacy for individual liberty, free enterprise, property rights, sound science, and effective education aligned with his values. Upon retiring in 1998, the firm’s managing partner described his essence: “Spending time with Paul is like an Outward Bound adventure--physically and mentally demanding, and ultimately very gratifying.”
Paul eventually moved to his weekend Sharon home. He savored its small-town values, the opportunity to make friends from all walks of life and participate in local organizations. A perpetual student, he developed new interests, including gardening, reading all he could find about plants and trees, memorizing their Botanical Latin names, and hunting for specimens. After much studying and practicing, he became an avid bridge player and amateur chef. An outdoorsman, he played tennis at the Sharon Country Club; shot at nearby Mashomack Preserve; and skied and fly fished locally. He developed and owned golf courses in New York and Maryland in partnership with a friend. He devoured modern books on Greek and Roman history and re-read classics in ancient Latin and Greek. He also learned modern foreign languages and listened to classical music, discovering the varied interpretations and arrangements of different musicians and composers. In 2014 Paul became a Florida resident, spending over half the year there.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Maria Elena; daughter, Isabel Rooney; brother Peter Rooney; sisters, Margaret Rooney and Briahna Kelly; and sister-in-law Isabel La Vaute and her children and grandchildren. He will be remembered as a kindhearted optimistic gentleman. A celebration of his life will be announced later.
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Wildfire smoke may not be gone for good
Alec Linden
Jul 21, 2026
The worst of last week’s wildfire smoke cleared by the late weekend, though meteorologists say residents shouldn’t assume it’s gone for good as shifting weather patterns could carry smoke back into the region as powerful wildfires continue to burn in Canada and the northern Great Lakes region.
Air Quality Index readings across much of Connecticut consistently reached unhealthy to very unhealthy levels between Tuesday and Saturday, with the worst conditions affecting southern parts of the state.
According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, air quality across the state on Sunday returned to “Good to Moderate” levels, meaning prolonged outdoor exertion was safe for all but especially sensitive individuals.
Residents should enjoy the break from the haze, Bethel-based meteorologist Jack Drake said, but he cautioned that smoke could return if shifting winds carry it back into the region while the wildfires continue to burn.
“The position of these fires is a little unfortunate,” he said, “since a prevailing wind direction [for the region] is west-northwest.”
Because of the jet stream, a high-altitude ribbon of wind that steers weather systems across North America, smoke from summer fires in the Upper Midwest and western Ontario can be carried into the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
“It’s kind of right upstream,” he said.
Conditions were similar across New York State, with the Department of Environmental Conservation issuing warnings on Wednesday and Thursday about unhealthy atmospheric conditions.
DEC issued statewide health advisories on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, saying conditions in the Lower Hudson Valley, which includes Dutchess County, were unhealthy for sensitive groups.
A smoky haze dominated the sky in Millerton on Wednesday, but visibility returned to mostly normal by the weekend.
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Let's hear it — July 23, 2026
Millerton News
Jul 21, 2026
This Week
We want our reporting to reflect the questions people in our communities are asking — including the ones that may not be getting enough attention.
What is one local issue or topic you wish you knew more about?
Send your responses to social@lakevillejournal.com by Monday, July 27 at 10 a.m. or comment on Facebook or Instagram.
We’ll publish a selection in next week’s paper.
Last Week
Which Millerton 175th festivities have you most enjoyed?
“My favorite event at Millerton’s 175th is definitely Hope Rising Farm. The bunnies are so big and they’re so beautiful and the ducks and the horses.”
— Caroline Decker
“My favorite part of this weekend would probably be seeing what everyone has, all the different varieties of people’s skills and vendors and honestly I’m just looking to see something new.”
— Leah Hall
“One of the things I’m really enjoying about this 175th anniversary is all the new people that I’ve met and all the people that are coming to see us this weekend. ”
— Linda Pruneau Bishop
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Discovery solved, ‘Rent-A-Kid’, cats, housing
Millerton News
Jul 21, 2026
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
July 18, 1935
Solve Mystery Of Bones Found At Millbrook
Owner Of Farm Says Skeleton Had Been Unearthed Before
MILLBROOK - The mystery of the box of human bones unearthed by a steam shovel on the Doyle farm near here recently was solved last week by Miles Kennedy of New York, owner of the property. The farm was formerly owned by Kate Doyle who died March 26, 1934, at the age of eighty years.
According to the story told by Kennedy, members of the Town of Washington highway department were permitted to dig gravel on the property several years ago by Miss Doyle, then owner of the farm. At that time the bones of a man, long dead, were unearthed. Investigation revealed that many years before a man who was a member of a destitute family living in a tenant house on the farm had been buried on the premises to save funeral and burial expenses.
Mr. Kennedy said that Miss Doyle was told the bones would be interred in a cemetery. He believes, however, that because of Miss Doyle’s advanced age the workmen took advantage of her and again buried the bones on the premises.
New Cooling System In Millerton Theatre
The Millerton Theatre has installed a North air cooling system which keeps the theatre at a comfortable temperature even though the heat may be extremely oppressive outside. The modern, new equipment circulates the air capacity of the theatre every three minutes.
Borden’s Milk Plant Closes Department
WASSAIC, July 17 - The Borden’s Farm Products Company discontinued its bottling operation at the Wassaic plant on Monday. In the future, the company will employ only two men here besides Superintendent Whitford.
July 15, 1976
Rent-A-Kid Jobs Open
The Rent-A-Kid coordinator for the Millerton area said this week he has jobs lined up for willing young workers but no one to fill them.
John Dorfman, 20, said, “I have 4 jobs at pretty good paying wages and no one to fill them. It’s getting kind of embarassing.” Dorman said the 4 jobs are working in yards and he added he is going to try to solicit kids for the program.
Most Webutuck Grads Going On To College
Fifty-one of the 93 Webutuck seniors who graduated the Central School last month will be going on to further education in one form or another.
July 19, 2001
Water Meters Studied
MILLERTON — The village of Millerton received a grant of roughly $4,955 from the county to purchase water meters. The water meters will need to be installed in homes which have no meters, or meters that are old. The grant will cover the cost of the meters, but not their installation.
According to Mr. Jurkowski, installing a water meter costs between $50 to $75.
Hamilton Inn Update
Mr. Jurkowski also addressed the continuing issue of the Hamilton Inn, which continues to be renovated despite a stop-work order issued by the Department of Health (DOH).
Cat Problem Addressed
Reports of a cat nuisance, mainly by Gayle Hendrikson, whose cat was attacked by a stray, prompted the board to look into several solutions.
Mayor Najdek said that, since she’s been in office, she has received many complaints about the problem, which involves around 40 felines, some partly domestic and others feral.
Members of the board saw the issue as a potential health risk.
North East Studying Affordable Housing
NORTHEAST — The North East Housing Committee will conduct a survey of housing data. With this information, the committee will be able to determine what direction they will need to go in order to promote affordable housing.
Pat Sassaman, a consultant from the Rural Preservation Co. of Dutchess County (RPC) explained that, ideally, the maximum percentage of a household’s income going towards housing should be 30 percent. For instance, the maximum rent for a household with an income of $44,000 would be $1,100 per month. The purchase price for a new house would be $110,000.
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Stormy weather — for now
Mac Gordon
Jul 21, 2026
I have lived in the Northwest Corner since 1986 and during that time have come to realize how relatively benign our local climate is. For the most part we have been spared the hurricanes that bedevil the eastern coastline, the droughts common in the middle of the country and the floods that imperil so many areas. In my 40 years here there have been only two tornados, one in Cornwall, the other in Great Barrington; most states in the middle of the country have at least two every year. The storm that hit our area this Fourth of July fell just short of being a tornado but did considerable damage especially to our landscape. We should consider this recent storm a harbinger of more frequent and intense severe weather made much worse by climate change greatly exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels.
For the past 150 years the world has industrialized through the burning of fossil fuels: wood, coal, oil, and gas. Just a small portion of our energy came from clean sources such as moving water, windmills, animals. It wasn’t until we realized that global warming was beginning to threaten life on the planet that we understood that we needed to start shifting to cleaner energy to survive.
The current administration is in no rush to shift to cleaner fuels. President Trump himself refers to climate change as a “hoax” and calls coal, our dirtiest burning fuel, “clean coal”. He has frequently tried to debunk the science of climate change and perhaps he actually believes some of what he has been claiming.
Several months ago the Interior department issued stop work orders on five large wind farms well under construction off the Atlantic coast, citing unexplained “national security” reasons. This June 15th, after several months of delay (with the government losing the case and subsequently appealing), a Massachusetts court threw out the appeal. Work has finally restarted on each of these multi-billion dollar projects including Revolution Wind off New London, Connecticut.
However, in an unprecedented recent case in federal court, the Trump administration agreed to pay several companies a total of $1.8 billion to abandon their leases for not yet developed offshore wind farms. Like many other Trump executive orders this one is being challenged by several groups in a federal lawsuit.
One of the first moves a prospective wind farm developer makes is to apply for clearances from the Federal Aviation Agency who refers the application to the Pentagon to see if the project interferes with any existing radar or nearby military bases, with any needed mitigation usually being minor and routine. But starting last fall reviews of all prospective wind farms slowed and a few months ago came to a halt, again for unspecified ‘“national security” reasons. Now more than 100 planned wind farms in 21 states are indefinitely stalled by the Pentagon’s unjustified delay; this represents at least $47 billion in potential wind power investment. A lawsuit by several environmental organizations awaits judgment.
Nearly half of the projects affected by the freeze are in Texas which now produces more wind power than any other state. Currently, wind power provides just over 10% of the nation’s electricity.
After natural gas and nuclear power, solar power is now the third largest source of electricity in the United States. This May, for the first time, solar supplied more of the nation’s electricity than coal, or 12.8%.
Solar is currently the fastest growing power source in the country, accounting for more than half the new power added to the grid this year; and throughout the world solar is the largest new electricity source by far. According to the environmental non-profit Climate Central, U.S. solar power will more than double by 2030. Generally speaking, it is also the least expensive power source.
The unusually violent, destructive storm over the July 4th holiday was made much more severe because of global warming. We need to get our politicians to take climate change seriously. Now.
Architect G. Mackenzie Gordon, AIA lives in Lakeville, Conn.
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