What’s happening

This week’s newspaper is filled with information that is vital for anyone who calls eastern Dutchess County home. Our reporters have been out on the scene writing up accounts of meetings, reporting on projects that are planned in coming days and those that are farther out. They also have been attending events that the residents have enjoyed in these last few weeks of summer, and writing about them. Our reporters tell the stories in words and pictures that fill our pages every week. It is the living history of our villages and towns.

We also realize, too, that we live in a world in which the average person checks their phone every 12 minutes. The result of all of our personalized searches can be that we become interested in a certain set of things. Getting a reader’s attention has to be worth their time. We strive to make the newspaper worth your time and we’re committed to the belief that it’s vital for residents of the village, the town of North East and the surrounding towns to know about the happenings in their backyards.

Last Thursday, the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee presented plans for phase two of Millerton’s community park. (See story here.) Phase one was completed in 2022. The next phase, which includes plans for a swimming pool that was favored by residents in a 2016 survey, has a scheduled completion date of 2025. The timing of the project depends on the work on a planned sewer system that will extend to the park.

Both these projects — phase two of the park and the village wastewater project — are on the front burner of civic interest. They will determine much about the quality of life in the community. This summer the Webutuck Little League returned to play on the field at the park. At last Thursday’s meeting, the attendees listened as the speakers discussed the pool plans, and the air was filled with the attending sounds of basketball players on the new Eddie Collins courts and children in the refurbished playground.

Plans are afoot to bring a Dollar General store to Millerton that would include a produce section and parking for 40 cars. It would be located just east of the Talk of the Town Deli on Route 44. That would be big news for a town without a grocery store.

News can come in small bites, too. A stretch of sidewalk on Maple Avenue is slated for construction. A summer concert series wraps up in Amenia.  Pine Plains volunteers build a new trail on Stissing Mountain from Thompson Pond to the fire tower.  These are just a few of the stories in this week’s edition. Our reporters are on the lookout for what’s happening, what’s coming and writing about it for our readers.

Latest News

Pine Plains Bombers take home Section IX title

Michelle Blackburn, no. 12 of Pine Plains, helped lead the Bombers to victory over S.S. Seward Institute as point guard for most of the Section IX Class C tournament finals at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., on Wednesday, March 5. The Bombers took home the title after winning the hard-fought game 55-42.

Photo by Nathan Miller

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — The Pine Plains girls varsity Bombers won the Section IX Class C girls tournament Wednesday, March 5, at Mount Saint Mary College.

The Bombers took an early lead against S.S. Seward's Spartans and didn't let off the throttle for the rest of the night, wining the game 55-42.

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Sign-ups encouraged for 2025 Webutuck Little League

Ben Coon, 10, on the “mound,” practiced his pitching on Tuesday, March 4, in the Webutuck Elementary School gym, with Coach Colby Dunlop, left, giving pointers.

Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — The 2025 Webutuck Little League season is around the corner and the League said players are still needed to fill out teams for games to be played in Millerton and Amenia.

Registration remains open for T-ball, majors, minors, seniors and girls’ softball teams. Some scholarships are available to cover costs.

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Lent: Time to consider social gospel movement

We are entering the annual Christian season of Lent this week.With its 40 days of contemplation and “little Easter” Sundays, it is a time to remember the healing ministry and the sacrifice of Jesus.During this season, we are invited to think deeply about our role as agents of grace and love in our hurting world.

There is a long history of making sacrifices and commitments for Lent, modeling our discipleship and hopes for a more heavenly world. It is through this lens that I invite you to join us in considering what gifts and services the community needs that we can commit to bringing forth in the weeks leading up to Easter.While many lean into solitary introspection during Lent, it may be particularly advantageous to use our meditations and sacrifices for the greater good this year.

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Citywide Automotive is up and running on all cylinders
Citywide Automotive North has opened its wide doors in Amenia, ready to serve the community’s service needs. Owner Toby Kiernan, foreground, is ably assisted by his uncle, Peter Kiernan, in the full-service enterprise situated on Route 343.
Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — A well-appointed automotive service establishment with accommodating staff is ready to serve the area’s automotive repair needs. Citywide Automotive North, located at 3387 Route 343, has been open for business since Feb. 1, following a few months of building renovation.

“I grew up around the automotive industry,” said owner and chief mechanic Toby Kiernan during a conversation on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

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