HARLEM VALLEY — Supermarkets across the Harlem Valley are working overtime, trying to keep their staff and customers safe, their stores sanitized and their shelves stocked during the coronavirus pandemic. Likewise, local pharmacies are making sure residents can access their medicine and other vital supplies, even as they struggle with shortages of sanitizers and other products.
The Millerton Mercantile, located on Main Street in Millerton, offers fresh groceries from local suppliers, particularly eggs, bread and milk. At this time, the store’s hours of operation run from noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays; call 518-796-3694 for details.
At this time, CVS Pharmacy — there’s one in Millerton and one in Dover Plains — declined to comment about how it’s faring during the pandemic.
In an informational video entitled, “Preparedness for Coronavirus at PSK Supermarkets — Foodtown — Freshtown — Pathmark” that was posted on YouTube by PSK Foods, Daniel and Noah Katz, co-presidents and CEOs of PSK Supermarkets, shared the precautions they’ve taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 at their stores, like Freshtown of Amenia.
Located on Route 22, Freshtown has about 40 associates and “is always” hiring, even now. Hours of operation run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. The store can be reached at 845-373-9155.
Recently, a number of hand sanitizing stations were installed around the store for customers and staff to use. Washing hands and using the hand sanitizing stations “continuously and frequently throughout the day,” Noah Katz said the entire staff passed a New York State food safety course for cleaning, sanitizing and keeping stores safe.
“We never stop training staff on all these proper cleaning procedures,” he said.
As far as inventory is concerned, Katz said the store is fully stocked and has ordered extra hand sanitizers and other sanitizing products including hand gloves for staff and lots of soap, delivered regularly.
For customers looking to shop from home, PSK Foods has partnered with the retail company Instacart to provide deliveries. Customers can go online to www.Foodtown.Instacart.com to shop and have their food delivered within an hour.
With regards to their plans to remodel the Amenia store, Daniel Katz said they’ve already started working on the remodel and that the work will continue at night so it doesn’t interfere with customers’ shopping.
“We are fully committed to the Amenia and Millerton community and greatly value the business and support that we receive,” he said.
Also in the Freshtown Plaza, Benzer Pharmacy does its best to cater to the needs of its customers. With five employees, the pharmacy’s current hours of operation run from Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pharmacy is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Meanwhile, the retail portion of the Benzer store is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Along with observing an influx of customers from New York City, Kelly Rowe, Benzer Pharmacy store manager, said its toy section has been doing very well, given the number of children now at home due to the pandemic. Likewise, condoms and the morning after pill (known as Plan B and other generic versions of the pill) are selling well.
Though Rowe confirmed that the pharmacy has enough medicine and antibiotics to treat those who are sick — including inhalers, nebulizers and insulin for individuals with diabetes — she said many over-the-counter items are hard to come by since people have been stocking up. Items such as Tylenol, face masks, gloves and thermometers as well as aloe vera gel and rubbing alcohol, which can be mixed together to make a homemade hand sanitizer, are a rarity. Though supplies are delivered daily, Rowe said there are not enough supplies to keep up with the demand.
She added employees are wearing gloves and disinfecting the store regularly. The store’s surfaces, such as the credit card machines, are cleaned and sanitized as well.
It’s been so busy, Rowe said, that the store needs to hire a pharmacy technician, a customer service representative and a driver.
In Pine Plains, Peck’s Food Market, located on Church Street (Route 199), has also been swamped with customers stocking up on fresh groceries. Hours of operation run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays; and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.
Given the rush of customers shopping, no one at Peck’s was able to comment for this article.
Located up the street, also on Route 199, the Pine Plains Pharmacy is providing the community its prescriptions and more.
“We are doing our best and dealing with a lot of shortages in keeping the community safe,” Nasir Mahmood, pharmacy owner and supervising pharmacist, said, “and I think so far we have been successful in doing that.”
As the pharmacy tries to manage a shortage of hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol and toilet paper on a day-to-day basis, Mahmood said it receives such supplies “once in a while” and tries to limit customer purchases of such items to avoid running out so quickly. While it’s doing well with its current supply of medication and hasn’t experienced any shortages, he noted, “You never know what tomorrow brings.”
Mahmood said he’s asking customers to respect the recommended distance of 6 feet between people in order to keep employees safe. Additionally, the pharmacy sanitizes all surfaces and equipment every hour, from the door knobs and counters to the telephones and signature pads. Employees are wearing masks and gloves and have been asking customers to keep their distance while waiting for medication.
Along with offering curbside pick-up, the Pine Plains Pharmacy delivers medication to local customers.
With a total of eight employees, the pharmacy is fully staffed. Hours of operation run from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and closed on Sundays.
In the village of Millbrook, Marona’s Market has been doing fairly well during the pandemic, according to store manager Pam Smith.
“I have been in business in this area for over 20 years,” Smith said, “and I have connections to help us keep well-stocked with produce and meat. The only thing we’re lacking is cleaning supplies, sanitizers and paper towels.”
Running from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day on Front Street, Marona’s Market has roughly 20 employees. To keep the store protected during the pandemic, Smith said it has hired a cleaning crew to come in five mornings a week to sanitize the store. The store also buys hand sanitizer from the local company, Smells Good. All of its employees now wear gloves that they change frequently and have masks to wear over their faces. Social distancing recommendation are also enforced, especially at the register when people are checking out their groceries.
Located on Franklin Avenue, the Millbrook Pharmacy has kept its regular hours intact and is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays; it’s closed on Sundays. The pharmacy has three employees at this time and doesn’t see a need for more. All of the employees now wear masks and gloves and practice social distancing.
Though it has enough medicine in its inventory, pharmacy manager Sonny Shah said the store is low on hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, Vitamin C and Airborne. The pharmacy has also shifted to curbside service, so customers will need to call 845-677-3131 for prescription refills. Customers may also order their medications at www.themillbrookpharmacy.com.
On Sunday, March 29, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced all pharmacies in New York will now offer free home delivery of medications, and local pharmacies are working to comply. After speaking with the state’s major pharmacy chains, pharmacies have agreed to do so to help reduce long lines at their facilities.
The Millerton 175th anniversary committee's tent during the village's trunk-or-treat event on Oct. 31, 2025.
MILLERTON — As Millerton officially enters its 175th year, the volunteer committee tasked with planning its milestone celebration is advancing plans and firming up its week-long schedule of events, which will include a large community fair at Eddie Collins Memorial Park and a drone light show. The events will take place this July 11 through 19.
Millerton’s 175th committee chair Lisa Hermann said she is excited for this next phase of planning.
“As we enter our anniversary year, there is a clear sense of excitement throughout the village and surrounding communities,” Hermann said. “Local businesses and organizations have been eager to get involved and help make this a truly special event for our community.”
Throughout 2025, committee members attended local events and gatherings to promote the celebration and hear ideas from businesses and residents.
Hermann said momentum continues to build as the committee works to finalize details and ensure the celebration honors Millerton’s rich history while remaining fun and engaging for all ages.
“It has been especially meaningful to hear longtime community members share stories from past celebrations and reflect on their cherished village memories,” she added.
In the months ahead, organizers plan to finalize vendors, secure additional sponsors, and continue spreading the word. Submissions are now open for musical acts, food truck vendors and sponsors wanting to promote their business while offsetting the cost of hosting such an event. Several sponsorship opportunities are available, including support for fair elements such as a stage, tent, activation and more.
The committee is also working with local businesses, including The T-Shirt Farm, to stock branded anniversary merchandise. Marketing efforts have increased, and members plan to attend more community events and seek opportunities to spread the word on TV, radio and printed materials.
Locals and visitors can follow updates on the committee’s Facebook page, which is beginning to reveal a schedule of events packed with family-friendly fun. Organizers hope people will share the page widely as a one-stop-shop for event information.
“This week-long celebration is shaping up to be another unforgettable chapter for our community,” Hermann said. “We hope the event itself will become one of the many memories that make Millerton such a wonderful place to call home.”
As I noted here in an article last spring entitled “Hands off Greenland”, the world’s largest island was at the center of a developing controversy. President Trump was telling all who would listen that, for national security reasons, the United States needed to take over Greenland, amicably if possible or by force if necessary. While many were shocked by Trump’s imperialistic statements, most people, at least in this country, took his words as ill-considered bluster. But he kept telling questioners that he had to have Greenland (oftenechoing the former King of France, Louis XIV who famously said, “L’État c’est moi!”.
Since 1951, the U.S. has had a security agreement with Denmark giving it near total freedom to install and operate whatever military facilities it wanted on Greenland. At one point there were sixteen small bases across the island, now there’s only one. Denmark’s Prime Minister has told President Trump that the U.S. should feel free to expand its installations if needed. As climate change is starting to allow a future passage from thePacific Ocean to the Arctic, many countries are showing interest in Greenland including Russia and China but this hardly indicates an international crisis as Trump and his subordinates insist.
Researchers believe that, buried beneath the mammoth glaciers covering most of the land are rich deposits of various rare earth minerals including those needed for modern batteries and other hi-tech devices. Trump has already made a deal with Ukraine to supply them more arms in return for rights to its underground “rare earth” deposits. Some have called this extortion but to Trump it was business as usual. Greenland’s buried treasures could be a much bigger deal.
But perhaps Trump’s lifelong obsession with size is the dominant reason he feels he must have the world’s largest island; like his planned White House ballroom, for him this is essentially an ego trip.
Greenlanders and Danes have made it clear from the beginning that they do not wish to become American and are not for sale, Trump’s subordinates have tried to advance a scheme whereby Elon Musk might buy a majority of the individual Greenlanders’ votes to sell their country to the U.S.; however Denmark has the last word and is not about to agree to selling Greenland to anyone.
Although Greenlanders have largely been in favorof eventual independence, since Trump’s intemperate demands they have locked arms with Denmark. Recently, large demonstrations in both places have expressed anger, but even more, sadness that their staunch ally would turn against them.
Other than Trump’s appointees those who support the President’s claim to Greenland are hard to find in the U.S. or elsewhere. While most Republican political leaders have avoided speaking out on the matter, a few have including Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and former Majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both condemning the possible “taking” in no uncertain terms . Seasoned diplomat, Michael McFaul has called Trump’s insistence on “owning” Greenland as “the worst idea in American history.”
After speaking to the assembled crowd of political leaders and industrialists at Davos, Trump began discussions with Mark Rutte, secretary General of NATO and others after which, in a striking turnaround,he announced that they had put together the basis of a “deal” regarding Greenland.
But neither Greenland nor Denmark had been involved in those discussions; both rejected the agreement’s proposal that the United States would have sovereignty over the military bases both new and existing. Another facet of the proposal giving the U.S. control of underground mineral rights may proveexcessive to both Greenland and Denmark.
Although everyone seems relieved that the crisis appears to be largely over, the rupture between Europe and the U.S. remains. Considering President Trump’s erratic state of mind (in his speech at Davos he referred to Greenland as Iceland at least 3 times), who knows what he may demand tomorrow?
Architect and landscape designer Mac Gordon lives in Lakeville.
It is hard not to equate military spending and purchasing with diplomatic or strategic plans being made, for reasons otherwise unknown. Keeping an eye out for the physical stuff can often begin to shine a light on what’s coming – good and possibly very bad.
Without Congressional specific approval, the Pentagon has awarded a contract to Boeing for $8,600,000,000 (US taxpayer dollars) for another 25 F-15A attack fighters to be given to Israel. Oh, and there’s another 25 more of the F-15EX variant on option, free to Israel as well.
Meanwhile, many European countries have switched their purchases of the F-35 fighters to the French Rafale or the Joint European Fighter as well as Saab’s advanced concept fighter Gripen.Turkey and Airbus, meanwhile, have sold the Hurjet trainer to Spain and other countries over the US trainer. And France is about to begin laying the keel for a new aircraft carrier (though that will take almost a decade). Meanwhile, Airbus is now, since 2024, the primary supplier to all EU countries for military helicopters… Saab is making GlobalEye airborne aircraft for France, Italy and Germany… France’s Rafale Company is making and delivering Iron Beam high-energy laser weapons… Airbus has ramped up delivery to all its new EU customers of 18 new C295 tactical transports.
Some may wonder why EU leaders as well as the UK, have been so soft tongued when it comes to this Administration’s recent diplomatic transgressions over Greenland (oops, Iceland?). The reason is simple: For decades the US has been the cheapest and best supplier of the finest military hardware – planes, tanks, weapon systems, and defense capability. What every nation understood was that the US held the controls of the safe operation of those aircraft. For example, the electronics of every F-35 can be controlled remotely from the US. Go against us? We can pull the plug. That was never an issue before, where we had trust and mutual goals. The current rush to re-prioritize local EU manufacture and longer term self reliance in the EU is a direct consequence of this Administration’s changing of priorities and allied trust.
It is true that DJT can take credit for EU and UK increased military budgeting and preparedness, his actions have forced them to that reality. It is also true that his long term damage to American jobs and industry are just now becoming evident as less of our hardware is attractive to foreign buyers and our military oversight will be slowly eroded to a position where nations no longer feel the need for diplomatic or industrial reliance on America.
Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, New York, now lives in Gila, New Mexico.
A small group of protesters voice opposition to President Trump's administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Amenia's Fountain Square at the intersection of Route 44 and Route 22 on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, and before him Renée Good, by federal agents in Minnesota is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. In the aftermath, Trump administration officials released an account of events that directly contradicted citizen video recorded at the scene. Those recordings, made by ordinary people exercising their rights, showed circumstances sharply at odds with the official narrative. Once again, the public is asked to choose between the administration’s version of events and the evidence of its own eyes.
This moment underscores an essential truth: the right to record law enforcement is not a nuisance or a provocation; it is a safeguard. As New York Times columnist David French put it, “Citizen video has decisively rebutted the administration’s lies. The evidence of our eyes contradicts the dishonesty of the administration’s words.”
Separately, law enforcement agencies across the country are expanding their capacity to watch the public. Here at home, as we’ve reported, Dutchess County’s Real Time Crime Center brings together feeds from automated license-plate readers, including systems provided by Flock Safety, allowing police to track vehicles across jurisdictions in real time. These tools collect detailed movement data on vast numbers of people who are not suspected of any crime, often with limited public discussion of safeguards or oversight.
When citizens document state power, they are told to step back or trust official explanations. When the state documents the public, continuously and at scale, it is framed as efficiency. One form of observation is treated as suspect; the other as routine.
What magnifies the alarm in the Minnesota shootings isn’t just the loss of life, but the response that followed. Federal force was used against members of the U.S. public, and officials responded not with clarity or accountability, but with statements that collapsed under visual evidence. That willingness to lie, and to do so reflexively, signals a deeper problem: an administration increasingly willing to treat truth as an obstacle rather than an obligation.
A democratic society depends on shared facts. The right of citizens and journalists to observe, record, and document matters because it anchors truth in evidence, not authority. That right is not a threat to public safety. It is among the few remaining tools the public has to insist that power remains answerable to the truth.
