Latest News
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
Keep ReadingShow less
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.
Keep ReadingShow less
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.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Film shoot to close road in Dover
Lucia Iandolo
Jul 21, 2026
A farm house on Amanda and Henry Dykeman’s property made an appearance in earlier entries in the “A Quiet Place” franchise.
Photo By Lucia Iandolo
DOVER PLAINS — West Dover Road will be closed from July 23 to Aug 10 due to filming “A Quiet Place: Part III,” the fourth movie in the “A Quiet Place” franchise.
The road along the Starkdale Farms property will be closed to through traffic during production. Residents are being told to use Old Pawling Road and Pleasant Ridge Road to access Route 22 by the Pawling Lake Property Owners Association.
Film crews filmed scenes on the same road for “A Quiet Place,” which was directed by “The Office” star John Krasinski and released in 2018. “A Quiet Place: Part II” returned to film in the Hudson Valley and was released in 2021, with both films accumulating millions of dollars for the local economy in the region. “A Quiet Place: Part III,” directed by John Krasinski, is set to release July 30, 2027.
“A Quiet Place” is a movie franchise about a post-apocalyptic world in which monsters roam the Earth and hunt with the use of sound. Humans use American Sign Language to communicate with each other while living in silence to survive. The series is based around the Abbott family, which includes parents Lee, played by John Krasinski, and Evelyn, played by Emily Blunt, and children Regan, played by Millicent Simmonds, and Marcus, played by Noah Jupe.
Residents in the area have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the closure of West Dover Road. Many are apprehensive about the filming because of the upcoming detours and road closure, while others are excited about the opportunity the town has to be a part of this franchise.
Community members Tracy and Sean Fleischman say that as movie lovers themselves, they’re excited for the town to be involved in such a popular franchise. Sean Fleischman says that with the involvement the town has in the filming process, there should be more opportunities for people in the community to get involved.
“They have to get permits, and people on planning boards know about these things. They should leverage that and say, ‘Hey, you know, we want you to do something at the local school,’” Fleischman said. “You know, really get some kind of grassroots thing going where they encourage the youth to go into film.”
Amanda Dykeman and her husband, Henry Dykeman, are the fourth generation operating Dykeman Farm on the road where filming will take place. She said the collaboration between the crew and the farm has been positive since the first movie’s filming, as they’ve been mindful of supporting local businesses throughout the process.
“They’re very sensitive to make sure that we can still access any crops that were in need of harvesting or maintaining,” Dykeman said. “It’s pretty exciting to know that something like this comes to town — it doesn’t come to everybody’s town.”
The farm housed the corn used during scenes in the first movie, and both Amanda and Henry Dykeman received recognition in the film’s credits.
The West Dover Road closure will affect the usual access residents have to local businesses like the farm. Dykeman said the alternative routes will take a few extra minutes to drive, but they’ve created new signage that will clearly mark the detour and ensure people can easily understand how to approach the site.
“We’re going to remain hopeful that everybody will understand that it’s just a few days in our life,” Dykeman said. “A minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience for a pretty awesome experience, and some extra revenue to the area that can help us upgrade things without an increase in taxes.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Moviehouse sounds alarm over proposed film distributor merger
Jacquelyn Drain
Jul 21, 2026
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Moviehouse on Main Street, a long-standing fixture in Millerton’s business community, is continuing its revitalization as the film industry sees continued shifts toward centralization with recent mergers.
As a small independent theater, The Moviehouse provides not only a traditional movie experience but also highlights local artists outside of film. Despite the shifting landscape in the industry, as seen by the merger between Paramount Skydance Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the theater is devoted to sustaining arts in the community.
One challenge facing the industry at the moment is the attempted merger of large film distributors such as Paramount and Warner Bros. A dozen states, including New York, filed a lawsuit on July 13, seeking to block Paramount from purchasing Warner Bros. for $110 billion. The lawsuit cites concerns over costs for movie theaters and moviegoers, and a possible monopoly over the industry.
On July 20, the court approved a temporary restraining order blocking the merger until a ruling is decided in the lawsuit. The court’s injunction cited the deal’s likelihood to succeed, irreparable harm and public interest.
For movie theaters across the country, but particularly independent theaters, this causes concern over the future of the industry.
Movie theaters typically keep about 50% of ticket-sale revenue, with the other half going to the distributor. Critics argue that a merger could further reduce theaters’ negotiating power—particularly for independent cinemas—by leaving them with fewer distributors to negotiate with.
Moviehouse General Manager Jeremy Boviard voiced concern for movie theaters nationwide as the merger looms. He said distributors exercise a large amount of control over theaters.
“It is an uneasy relationship just because they already have so much more power,” Boviard said.
This raises issues over not only the financial aspect of a decrease in films, but the cultural impact as well.
“You don’t really want only a handful of gatekeepers deciding what type of artistic experiences people are both creating and then experiencing,” said Boviard. “It ties into freedom of speech and the feeling that there are spaces for lots of different voices to be heard.”
Despite these challenges, The Moviehouse is devoted to providing access to films and the arts.
“Human beings, at least in our society, are really looking for ways to connect with other people,” said Boviard.
The location has served as a theater since 1915 but was renovated and reopened as The Moviehouse in 1978. After shuttering in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater transitioned to a non-profit in February 2022 under the name Millerton Community Cinema Arts Inc. The organization runs the independent theater as well as local arts events such as filmmaker Q&A’s and screenings of indie films.
This switch to a nonprofit allowed the organization to receive grant funding. In June, it received a grant for $99,000 from the New York Council on the Arts in order to upgrade the theater.
“The transition has allowed us to just further our missions and our goals,” Boviard said. “We as a community discover and raise the profile of things that otherwise wouldn’t get this platform to be seen.”
Keep ReadingShow less
World Cup in Wassaic
Nathan Miller
Jul 21, 2026
Patrons and staff at The Lantern in Wassaic watch Spain play Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19. The bar has shown World Cup games throughout the worldwide soccer championship, drawing crowds throughout the competition to watch the games and enjoy a drink.
Photo by Nathan Miller
Patrons and staff at The Lantern in Wassaic watch Spain play Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19. The bar has shown World Cup games throughout the worldwide soccer championship, drawing crowds throughout the competition to watch the games and enjoy a drink.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
