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Riley Alexander Simmons
Nathan Miller
Apr 01, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE — It is with extreme sadness that we announce that our dear son Riley Alexander Simmons, 27, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on March 18, 2026.
Riley was born in Sharon, on Memorial Day May 25, 1998, and grew up in Falls Village – a place he would always consider home. A curious and precocious child, he was reading and writing at age three and developed a lifelong love of books and learning. Some things he especially enjoyed as a boy were working outdoors with his dad and grandpa, cooking and gardening with his mom and grandma, playing with his younger brother, Legos, Star Wars, Transformers, Pokémon, Magic Cards, and Harry Potter. Riley later developed a passion for video games, where he could immerse himself in fantasy worlds; computers, which he often built himself, and chemistry. He treasured time spent with his grandparents and created many cherished memories at their homes.
Riley endured lifelong struggles:first with Asperger’s Syndrome, and later with mental illness and a sleep disorder. His accomplishments and perseverance in the face of these challenges were nothing short of heroic; aided by the loving support of his family, teachers, and our local community. He attended Lee H. Kellogg elementary school and graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, both in Falls Village. He participated in Cub Scouts, Little League, geography bees, science fairs, Lego club, robotics team, debate team, chess club, and German club. He earned many academic awards and honors over the years, including a near-perfect SAT score. Riley pursued his love of science and research, and in May of 2020 he graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York with Presidential Honors and a bachelor’s degree in Biomolecular Science, with a minor in Biology. While at Clarkson, Riley was a proud member of the Iota Kappa chapter of the fraternity Delta Tau Tau. He held summer jobs at the Interlaken Inn and the Triplex Cinema. His first and final job after college was as a Quality Control Method Transfer Chemist at Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing in Lee, Massachusetts.
Riley formed close friendships that were very important to him in each phase of his life, which he maintained through the years. He was known for his sense of humor, sharp wit, genuineness, kindness, and compulsion to help others and to right the injustices of the world. In his Pittsfield neighborhood he often helped elderly pedestrians and gave food and money to those in need, despite having very little to give. His uniqueness and authenticity are remembered fondly by those close to him.
As an adult Riley consumed online educational materials in his pursuit of knowledge. He possessed a truly brilliant mind and enjoyed sharing the facts he had learned. Many people affectionately referred to him as “The Walking Encyclopedia”.Riley loved to cook and experiment in the kitchen. He played the guitar and loved listening to and discovering new music, in which his taste was very eclectic. Riley had a large online presence in gaming, Discord, and Reddit; and he was beloved in these communities.
In the words of his brother Sam: “He was the smartest person I knew, and he was always trying to make you laugh. He was a very honest and simple person with a strong set of beliefs. He didn’t change himself for anyone.Didn’t matter if he was going on a date or spending time with family – he was the same Riley.There’s no one else like him in my life.The one-and-only, quirky Riley”.
Riley is survived by his mother Marilyn Zovickian Magill and stepfather David of Selkirk, New York, his father George Edward Simmons, Jr. and stepmother Marisa of Salisbury, Connecticut; his grandparents Margo and Charles Lewis of Falls Village, Connecticut, Dr. William H. Zovickian of Dacula, Georgia, and Beverly and James Snyder of Ashley Falls, Massachusetts; his brother Samuel Simmons, step-brother Cole Rosseter, and step-sister Madelyn Magill; his aunts and uncles Sara Zovickian (Roger), Nathanael Lewis (Chelsea), William A. Zovickian (Angela), Valerie Sugerak (Shane), Bonnie Peters (Jay), Cynthia Ullrich (David), Susan Bush, Kevin Bush (Jennifer); several great-aunts and uncles, and dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Calling hours will be held at Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, Canaan, CT on April 4, 2026 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a service immediately following at that location.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a mental health or autism spectrum disorder support organization of your choice.
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Millbrook School showcases student talent at Warner Gallery
Aly Morrissey
Apr 01, 2026
Student artwork on display at the Honors Art Show in the Warner Gallery at Millbrook School.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLBROOK — The Warner Gallery at the Millbrook School has opened its spring exhibition, the Honors Art Show, transforming a space that often features professional artists into a showcase of student work from around the world.
The annual exhibition highlights work by seniors enrolled in Millbrook School’s honors visual arts programs, offering a culmination of years of study across photography, ceramics, painting and drawing.
Senior Estee O’Brien, a boarding student from Bedford, NY, has studied photography at Millbrook for several years. She reflected on her artistic evolution in her final year.
“I don’t usually shoot black and white — I love color — but for this project I wanted to focus more on details, fabrics, and faces,” O’Brien said, adding that the loss of color initially made her feel disconnected from her work. To bring a bit of “shine” back to her portraits, she bedazzled certain parts of each black and white image with silver gems.
O’Brien – who earned several regional Scholastic Art Awards – said the exhibition feels like a culmination of everything she and her peers have been working toward.
“There are a lot of shared themes featured in this exhibition, especially around graduating – there’s excitement, but also fear and nostalgia,” said Sarah MacWright, who teaches honors photography and has students featured in the show.
Among them is Eason Wang, a senior boarding student from Beijing, China, whose work leans symbolic and experimental, often reflecting anticipation for life beyond Millbrook. One image depicts a diploma surrounded by snow.
“I am still here, in my final year, moving through a winter that feels longer than the other three seasons,” Wang wrote in his artist statement. “My mind has already moved forward even though my body is still stuck in my high school dorm room.”
In another medium, senior Islay MacGown of Sag Harbor, New York, presents a series of large-format oil and acrylic paintings created in her honors drawing and painting class.
“I think this year was my year,” MacGown said. “I feel like I really grew.”
Her work ranges from warm-toned portraits featuring female figures to cooler, more contemplative scenes, including one of two girls standing on rocks overlooking the ocean.
“Usually my paintings take a couple months, but this one took about a week – I didn’t expect that,” she added.
Senior Nga Ho, a boarding student from Vietnam, drew on memory and distance in her work.
“I was feeling a little homesick,” Ho said. “I kept going back to this idea of home in Vietnam, and building the piece from that.”
She described the painting as dreamlike – “when you think about a place and time, but you can’t fully see it.”
Kiernan Pazdar, who directs the gallery and teaches honors drawing and painting, said the program is designed to help students develop an independent studio practice.
“They learn how to sustain their work, find their voice and grow technically,” Pazdar said. Each student has their own studio space, which allows them to work independently and commit to their process.
Pazdar and MacWright said the exhibition often surprises visitors with the depth and sophistication of student work.
“Having students from all over the world brings a range of perspectives that really shapes the work and conversations,” Pazdar said.
The Warner Gallery is located at the Millbrook School at 131 Millbrook School Road and is open Monday through Friday during regular school hours. Appointments can be arranged through Millbrook School’s admission office.
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Washington D.C. under siege again
Nathan Miller
Apr 01, 2026
August 24, 1814, Red Coats invaded Washington D.C., ravaging and burning the Capitol in retaliation for Americans looting and burning York (today’s Toronto) – The War of 1812. At the White House, dinner for 40 had been prepared for a social gathering – the Redcoats sat, ate the meal, drank the wine, burned down the White House. Dolley Madison had famously departed just prior to the Red Coats’ arrival taking with her documents, some furnishings and the 8-foot, unfurled Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington, a replica, to assure its not being fouled or brandished by the British.At the conclusion of the war, Congress debated moving the Capitol to Cincinnati but Washington DC and its buildings were renovated, the White House reopened in 1817, with Washington’s Portrait proudly displayed.Washington DC – the people’s city once again flourished.
211 years later, after the Red Coats, came Trump.In October 2025 the East Wing of the White House was demolished without advance public notice or approval of the National Capital Planning Commission or Congress.With private funding and speed the East Wing was torn down in weeks to make room for an elaborate, unreviewed, unapproved, out-of-portion 90,000 square foot State Ballroom. The speed of the demolition, privately funded by billionaires seeking favor, precluded court intervention - moot to sue the gaping hole where once stood the East Wing.57% of the public disapproved of the demolition at their White House.
Two weeks after President Kennedy’s assassination, Congress passed into law legislation renaming the in-development National Cultural Center – spearheaded by Eisenhower in his administration - to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a “living memorial” to Kennedy tragically assassinated in Dallas. Then in February 2025, shortly after his inauguration, Trump replaced the Kennedy Center’s Board with Trump allies naming himself Board chairman. In December, 2025, the Center’s newly elected Board voted to rename the “living memorial” to Kennedy, as legislated by Congress, to the Trump-Kennedy Center. Chaos ensued. February 1, 2026, after months of failures to retain performers, retain audiences, retain donors, the Board, with an unprofitable mess, voted to close the Center for two years while stripping it down to its core metal structure.The “living memorial” to Kennedy, an architectural icon, was now voted by Trump’s Board to be demolished. Several Court cases are pending
Housing the Vice President’s Office among Treasury and Department of Defense offices, what is next on the Trump raze and redo list is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB).November 2025, on Laura Ingraham’s Fox TV show, Trump announced his intent to power wash, point and paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) opened in 1888 – a huge building of cut and polished Maine granite. Immediate court cases have been filed claiming any change to the EEOB’s exterior is subject to analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and must comply with the National Historical Preservation Act.Trump wants EEOB painted white….painting and power washing is assessed as detrimental to the granite building.
Additionally, Trump has proposed a 250-fifty-tall triumphal arch – Independence Arch- to be constructed directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.Officially the arch is said to mark the nation’s 250th celebration, though when asked who the monument would honor Trump replied “Me”.Of course, lawsuits have been filed as no congressional or agency approvals have been obtained.Concerns about the Arch and its location include that it sits along flight paths to Reagan Airport hindering low flying planes – an airport hazard - and that, so situated it, would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial as well as block the historic site line from Arlington Cemetery to the Memorial.Lawsuits are pending.
Although Trump touted a landslide electoral victory in 2024, he did not receive a majority but a plurality of the vote - he tallied the smallest win since 1900.Amid a war, a massive Epstein scandal of which he may be a party, the questions of what his son-in-law, Jared, is doing officially negotiating peace in Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran while he is openly seeking massive investments from the Middle East for his own financial company.
Trump is pulling apart the people’s places, DC once again is under siege. History, historic significance, character are not in Trump’s preview – nor seemingly is the law.
Kathy Herald-Marlowe lives in Sharon.
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Fishing, teachers, fed funding, awards
Millerton News
Apr 01, 2026
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
April 4, 1935
“Art” Terni announces prize fishing contest
A prize contest for the largest fish caught within twenty-five miles of Millerton has been announced by “Art” Terni. Rules of the contest provide that all fish must be caught with a rod and line and catches must be taken to Terni’s Store to be measured and weighed. The contest will close October 31.
The prizes offered: Speckled brook trout, Bill Vogt special fly rod No, 10; brown trout, English Stag Brand double tape fly line; rainbow trout, black bakelite trout reel; black bass, small mouth, Bill Vogt special bait casting rod No. 5; black bass, large mouth, Heddon bait casting reel; pickerel, 100 yards, blue ribbon bait casting line: lake trout, Bill Vogt trolling rod No. 5.
Millerton teachers returning next year
All faculty members of Millerton High School and the grades from the principal down have been re-engaged for another year, it was announced the first of the week by Elmer W. Simmons, president of the Board of Education. Mr. Simmons said that Principal Francis E. Wood and the entire staff of teachers have already signed their contracts.
Supervisors approve TERA road program
The Dutchess County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $240,000 TERA road program for the county at last Friday’s meeting. Democratic members of the Board who had previously opposed the program united with the Republican majority to pass the resolutions without a dissenting vote, appropriating $65,000 as the county’s share of the 1935 Temporary Emergency Relief program. The Democratic supervisors, acting without Minority Leader James A. Townsend who was away, held an informal conference before the voting took place.
Terni appointed Village Clerk
Stephen Terni was appointed Village Clerk at the organization meeting of the Village Board held Monday night. Mr. Terni succeeds John Shaughnasey who has held the office for the past eighteen years. No other changes were made in the personnel of the Board, Mayor Brewer and other incumbent officials whose terms expired this year having been reelected March 19.
April 1, 1976
Millerton still hot after Fed’s funds
The Village of Millerton continues to actively seek funds to help finance its water project, according to Mayor John Hermans.
The Village hopes to build a 30,000 gallon steel water tower to prevent pollution of its water system.
In mid-February, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) turned down the Village in its request for a $125,000 grant. The Village Board decided to reapply to HUD but “we were too late getting our reapplication in” said Hermans.
Hermans is soon to meet with David Edgerton of the Dutchess County Committee for Economic Opportunity and water project engineer Peter Andros to put together another application for HUD funds
DART-LOOP bus service discontinues Millerton route
Saturday, April 3, will be the last day that the regularly scheduled DART-LOOP bus service will be available to Millerton area residents. The route, which offered stops in Millerton and south along Routes 22 and 44 into Millbrook, will be discontinued due to insufficient patronage.
Although the regularly scheduled DART service will end, the DART dial-a-ride system will still provide transportation to and from the Millerton area for those people requiring such necessary services as medical visits, clinics, social services, unemployment services, educational facilities and work. This dial-a-ride bus service is available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but reservations are required and must be made 24 hours in advance. To make a reservation or obtain more information, call the DART office in Amenia at xxx-xxxx. DART (Dutchess Assisted Rural Transportation) began operation in 1973 as a service on-demand, door-to-door bus service operated by the Dutchess County Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc. for the people of the Harlem Valley.
April 5, 2001
Millerton News snags two NYPA Awards
ALBANY - The Millerton News walked away with two awards in the prestigious Better Newspaper Contest at the New York Press Association’s annual convention held March 30 and 31 in Albany.
Compass, the News’s guide to arts and entertainment, won first place in its circulation category for coverage of the arts.
“Writers must grow out of the soil around this newspaper,” the judges wrote of Compass, published at The Lakeville Journal Company, which owns The Millerton News “Other newspapers have more articles and columns. Others have longer pieces and more calendar entries. But no newspaper in this group matches the writing of Compass.
“Its essays and articles beautifully complement the arts under discussion. This is thoughtful writing for a rich mix of community arts.”
The News also won second place honors for editorial writing in Division 1.
Of the three editorials submitted, the judges had high praise for one about the proposed sale of Sharon Hospital to Essent Healthcare, a for-profit company based in Tennessee.
“You bring up valid questions about the sale of Sharon Hospital and do a good job of holding off from jumping to conclusions,” the judges wrote of the editorial entitled, “Progress, Yes, But What Kind?”
Local organizations sponsor egg hunt
MILLERTON — The Millerton Fire Department, American Legion Post#178, and the Millerton Gun Club will sponsor the eighth annual Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 14, at 11 a.m. at the Millerton Gun Club.
Denise Flint handles anything, everything
MILLERTON — A former principal at Millerton Elementary School (MES) once introduced Denise Flint as “the school’s Band-Aid.” When asked why, he replied, “A Band-Aid — because she covers all.”
An employee at MES for nearly 14 years, Ms. Flint said, “Basically, I do cover all.” Ms. Flint spends the first half of every day assisting teachers, often working one-on-one with students. In the afternoon, she does a variety of things, such as monitor recess, complete clerical tasks, of fill in for absent teachers.
“Parents often dismiss elementary school as ‘playtime’; they don’t know that the kids are busy as beavers the second they step through that door,” said Ms. Flint.
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Millerton sets April 18 bulk trash day for residents
Aly Morrissey
Apr 01, 2026
Bulk items set for disposal at the town’s old highway garage on South Center Street.
Photo provided
MILLERTON — Residents of the Town of North East and Village of Millerton will have the opportunity to dispose of bulk household items during a scheduled bulk trash day on Saturday, April 18.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the town’s old highway garage on South Center Street, at the corner of Fish Street.
Hosted by The Town of North East and the Millerton Climate Smart Task Force, the event allows residents to discard a range of bulky items, including furniture, carpeting, lawn equipment, tools, scrap metal and appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners.
Fees will vary depending on vehicle size and item type, with charges ranging from $15 to $60 for vehicles, $20 for items such as mattresses and couches, and $10 to $30 for most appliances. Units containing Freon will cost $30, and oversized items may be accepted at a fee of $50 at the discretion of staff. Tires will also be accepted for recycling at $15 each, with rims permitted.
Payments must be made by cash or check.
Electronics, paint cans, propane tanks, batteries and heavy construction debris will not be accepted. Box trucks are also prohibited.
Residents are encouraged to arrive early and review accepted materials in advance.
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