Photography exhibit reaches back to 1800s
Photographs from Thomas K. Levine will be on display at the Berkshire School.
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One injured in motorcycle crash on Delavergne Hill
Nathan Miller
Jul 07, 2026
First responders on the scene of a motorcycle crash block the eastbound lane of Route 44 on top of Delavergne Hill in Amenia as deputies investigate the incident. One person was injured, according to a Millerton News reporter on the scene, but authorities would not confirm any details citing an ongoing investigation.
Photo by Nathan Miller
AMENIA — At least one person was injured and taken to Sharon Hospital on Saturday after a crash involving two motorcyclists on Route 44.
The crash occurred at the hairpin turn on Route 44 at the peak of Delavergne Hill, near the scenic overlook around 1:15 p.m. The road was closed to traffic between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Captain John Watterson said in a statement a single rider lost control when traveling through the hairpin turn at the peak of Delavergne Hill. The rider struck a guardrail, causing non-life threatening injuries.
He said no charges have been filed at this time.
Authorities partially reopened the road to traffic after about an hour, although drivers are still facing delays as authorities investigate the scene. Full access to the road was restored as of 5 p.m.
A Millerton News reporter at the scene observed what appeared to be a female motorcyclist involved in the crash. The female rider appeared to have been ejected from the bike and came to rest on the road just past the guard rail adjacent to the eastbound lane. She was responsive but appeared to have suffered serious injuries, according to the reporter. At the time, just after 1:15 p.m., another motorcyclist and a motorist had stopped to assist the injured rider and call first responders.
Deputies on scene would not confirm details provided by the Millerton News reporter.
Amenia Fire Chief Chris Howard said the injured rider was taken to Sharon Hospital. He could not confirm the rider’s identity or status, citing an active police investigation.
Additional reporting provided by Aly Morrissey.
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Millbrook sidewalk improvement’s final phase awaits additional funding
Millerton News
Jul 07, 2026
A traffic cone draws attention to a sidewalk hazard along Franklin Avenue in Millbrook on July 4, 2026. The final phase of a sidewalk-improvement project for the north sidewalk on Franklin Avenue is expected to begin by the end of the summer.
Photo by Eloise Pickering
MILLBROOK — The final phase of a three year long sidewalk-improvement project on Franklin Avenue is slated to begin later this summer with funding almost in place.
The fourth and final stage covers the north side of Franklin Avenue from Friendly Lane to Front Street. According to Millbrook Mayor Peter Doro, the focal point of the project is to improve safety and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. As of Tuesday morning, July 7, a detailed funding plan for the construction has yet to be announced.
“The focus of the project, and of the grant itself, is ADA accessibility, improving accessibility for the villages, handicapped, senior and other populations that need help,” Doro said.
Dutchess County awarded a grant to partially cover the construction, with local taxpayers likely to cover the rest. The bid was set for discussion at a July 8 Board of Trustees meeting, and officials expect to set the financing structure for outstanding costs shortly after.
“We’re still figuring out how we’re going to structure the rest of the financing that is needed,” Doro said.
As of press time, a clear estimate of outstanding costs was not available as village trustees had not yet approved any bids. The grant award total also had not been announced.
Doro said additional information and questions regarding finances and payment will be discussed at the July 8 meeting.
The sidewalk-improvement project is expected to be complete by the start of winter, although an exact timeline is unclear.
Not every concrete slab of the north sidewalk needs restoration, but cracks and irregular steps will be smoothed out and bricks will be replaced with concrete. Additionally, the project includes the removal of one tree along the avenue and updated, safer crosswalks, including repainting.
Residents on Franklin Avenue on Saturday, July 4, said improving the sidewalks is necessary, although they worry how much taxpayer money will be going toward the project. Some didn’t know the construction was going to be taking place.
Doro refers to Franklin Avenue and the business district as the “lifeblood of the village.” He said businesses along the north sidewalk will remain open and accessible throughout construction.
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Libraries, Town Halls open as cooling centers during heat wave
Graham Corrigan
Jul 07, 2026
Community cooling centers opened across Dutchess County last week as temperatures climbed into the upper 90s, prompting officials to warn residents about dangerous heat just days before the powerful July 4 storm swept through the region.
Many libraries, town halls and community facilities offer cooling center services during heatwaves, offering air-conditioned spaces, drinking water and restrooms. Temperatures reached into the triple digits in some areas of the county on Thursday, July 2, and Friday, July 3.
Northeast-Millerton Library, located at 28 Century Blvd., is open and air-conditioned during its normal business hours during heatwaves, offering an air conditioned space and drinking water. The North East Town Hall, at 19 N. Maple Ave., is also available during normal business hours.
The Pine Plains Community Center, located at 7775 S. Main St. above the Pine Plains Free Library, was open 24 hours a day during the last heat wave. The Free Library downstairs is open noon to 6 p.m Friday, and Town Hall, at 3284 Route 199, is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Stanford Free Library, located at 6035 Route 82, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Stanford’s Town Hall at 26 Town Hall Rd is available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
Extreme heat can cause dehydration and heat stroke. The heat wave last week is being blamed for at least 26 deaths across the United States. A recent report found that about 500 New York City residents die each year from heat-related illness. Residents are encouraged to remain in air-conditioned spaces or under shade whenever possible and drink plenty of water.
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Patchin’s Mill restoration continues
Graham Corrigan
Jul 07, 2026
The foundation at historic Patchin’s Mill has been restored. After weeks of work clearing out the old rubble, contractors working with local preservation society Friends of Stissing Landmarks have completed a bi-leveled foundation. Stone, brick, and new timbers now secure the landmark, which dates back to the 18th century. The next step involves replacing the siding — then they’ll move on to the interiors.
Photo By Graham Corrigan
The foundation at historic Patchin’s Mill has been restored. After weeks of work clearing out the old rubble, contractors working with local preservation society Friends of Stissing Landmarks have completed a bi-leveled foundation. Stone, brick, and new timbers now secure the landmark, which dates back to the 18th century. The next step involves replacing the siding — then they’ll move on to the interiors.
Sharon Audubon Center eyes major redesign
Alec Linden
Jul 07, 2026
Renderings from Wisconsin-based firm The Kubala Washatko Architects show an entirely redesigned Sharon Audubon Center, built with environmental consciousness and community engagement in mind.
Photo provided
SHARON, Conn. – After operating for 65 years from a converted 1920s home, the Sharon Audubon Center is closer than ever to a long-planned major renovation of its facilities on Cornwall Bridge Road.
The project, which has been in the works for well over a decade, will completely replace the 80 year old residence that has housed Northwest Connecticut’s chapter of the national bird conservation organization since 1961 with a modern, energy-efficient design that features a designated exhibit hall, classrooms for school programs and flexible meeting spaces.
The redesign will also move around some key facilities such as the wildlife rehabilitation clinic, which provides critical care for injured, sick and orphaned birds as well as its own resident birds.
A statement from the Audubon communications team said the project represents a necessary update: “Our aging, century-old buildings can no longer meet the needs of our growing programs or the birds we are called to protect.”
The revitalization effort, as the organization is referring to the project, was a key feature of Eileen Fielding’s eight-year tenure as executive director of the Center before she retired last Thursday, July 2.
“I’ve known this building for decades,” Fielding said a few days before she left the Center, “and it’s hard to think of it going away, but it’s time. It is really time.”
The idea began percolating in 2011 under the leadership of former director Scott Heth, to whom Fielding credits essential early momentum for the project. Now, with new renderings from Wisconsin-based firm The Kubala Washatko Architects and a healthy amount of the planning phase out of the way, Fielding said she is confidently passing the reins of the project to her team at Sharon Audubon Center to finish what she spent nearly a decade preparing for.
“If I’m not going to stay all the way to ribbon cutting,” Fielding said, “this would be a good time to go.”
Fielding said the motivation behind the rebuild was to prioritize environmentally sound design and a collaborative work environment in parallel with both Audubon’s central mission and the Center’s expanding programming and activities.
“It’ll certainly be a better space for the staff to work with young people,” Fielding said, explaining that the new Center will be able to host educational programs while keeping the exhibits open to the public, which the current space doesn’t allow for.
“It will also enable the volunteers to work in closer proximity to the staff,” she said. Workplace connectivity will be key to the open floorplan, which is intended to be easy to navigate for both staff and visitors alike.
“The building is so big and rambling,” she said of the current early 20th century design, “and our offices are at literally opposite ends of the building… it makes interaction and collaboration just a little more cumbersome.”
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E. Jean Carroll backs out of book-signing event at Hotchkiss Library for safety reasons
Aly Morrissey
Jul 07, 2026
The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will host its annual Sharon Summer Book Signing event July 31 to Aug. 2.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
SHARON, Conn. – Facing threats of violence amid a public dispute with President Donald J. Trump, famed author and journalist E. Jean Carroll is no longer expected to attend a highly anticipated book-signing at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, though library officials said they have not received formal notice that she has canceled.
The meet and greet was originally scheduled for Aug. 1 as part of the library’s Sharon Summer Book Signing event – which will take place as planned – but Library Director Gretchen Hachmeister said July 2 that Carroll’s attendance is no longer expected. She said the writer is allegedly in an undisclosed location under police protection after receiving death threats related to a recent Supreme Court decision and the president’s subsequent posts on social media.
There is no known local threat at the library or in the surrounding communities at the time of the event, Troop B of Connecticut State Police confirmed.
Hachmeister said library officials are operating under the assumption that she will not join.
“We are disappointed, of course, but her safety is our number one concern,” Hachmeister said.
Ticket sales for Carroll’s signing and cocktail party have been paused on the Hotchkiss Library website until further notice.
Carroll was planning to promote her New York Times bestselling memoir, “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President,” which was published in June 2025 and details her highly publicized legal battles with President Trump.
The ongoing dispute has received widespread attention over the past seven years after Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a luxury department store in the mid-1990s. She filed two separate civil suits: a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation suit, and a second $83.3 million defamation suit in 2023 and 2024, respectively. She won both cases.
Trump has made claims that he never met Carroll, calling the lawsuit a “fake case.”
On Monday, June 29, Trump took to Truth Social — a social media platform he owns — after the Supreme Court declined to review his final appeal attempt of the 2023 decision.
In the post, Trump said the New York Adult Survivors Act — which temporarily allowed survivors to come forward and file civil suits against abusers despite expired statutes of limitation — was “tailormade” to “nab” him.
“I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,” he wrote.
Carroll was one guest in an extensive lineup of authors scheduled to attend The Hotchkiss Library’s 28th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing, which draws authors from across the region to the Northwest Corner.
The event is scheduled to take place July 31 through Aug. 2 and will once again feature book signings, author dinners, a summer reading kids carnival and brunch with New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark. The event will also continue its second annual Page to Plate event, which brings cookbooks to life in an immersive culinary-literary experience.
Tickets are available at hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org.
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