Roosevelt’s Secret Service visit; $2 gas prices; and a Sandy Berger profile, Millerton native son

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn, Vivian Sukenik, Nancy Vialpando and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

Aug. 24, 1933

The Borden Milk Company, which has a plant located in Millerton, is now operating under the N.R.A. [National Recovery Administration], officials of the company have announced.

Russell Hosier, a member of the White House police force in Washington, D.C., Mrs. Hosier and their children, Richard and Warren, are visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hosier, of Elm Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Hosier visited Wednesday with members of the Secret Service and State Police who are stationed at President Roosevelt’s estate at Hyde Park.

‘New Law on Absentee Ballot Vote’; Persons who will be absent from home on election day and plan to vote by absentee ballot should take note of a new law now in effect. It requires that if one wishes to vote by absentee ballot he must make personal [sic] application for such ballot before the board in his own election distinct on one of the registration days…

Aug. 29, 1974

‘Gasoline Prices Vary Widely; Difference Can Mean $2/Tank’; Gasoline costs plenty any place you buy it these days. But an informal survey now shows a wide range -nearly 10 cents per gallon- in the prices charged by area gas stations. Posted price for “regular” gas ranged from 52.9 cents per gallon at one Amenia station to 60.9 cents at another New York dealership… A few things to remember in connection with the “high” and “low” prices - All are subject to change from day to day. - Individual dealers generally have little control over the price per gallon they charge…- Think twice before driving 20 miles only to save money on gasoline. You will burn up most or all of your potential savings enroute…

‘Volunteer Squad Orders Ambulance’; The Millerton Rescue Squad and the Millerton Fire Department this week formally began their campaign to raise funds to pay for a new, modular ambulance for Millerton.
In fact, the new ambulance, an emergency room on wheels, has already been ordered and delivery is expected in three months…The ambulance, valued at $24,000, is the latest and the best in emergency vehicles, and the vehicle and equipment ordered meets and exceeds all medical standards and requirements.

‘I Still Feel Young In My Heart’; Not long ago, a little lady who has long endeared herself to the community, reached another milestone.
“Gramma” Assunta Terni, Celebrated her 89th birthday, Aug. 15…For more than half a century, Mrs. Terni has been serving customers over the same counter at Terni’s paper stand on Main Street in the heart of Millerton, probably for five generations now. … When asked how it felt to be 89, Gramma Terni said, “a little bit slower, a little bit grayer, a few more aches, I guess, but I still feel young in my heart.”

Aug. 26, 1999

‘Millerton’s Berger Profile in NY Times’; Native son Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger, chief national security aide to President Bill Clinton, was featured in an extensive front-page profile in yesterday’s New York Times…the article focused on Mr. Berger’s career and the role he plays in the Clinton Administration. But it did include a section on his youth in Millerton.
Describing Millerton as “an isolated rural community of 900 people in the diary country of Dutchess County, … Where I grew up is very important to who I am,” Mr. Berger told The Times. “My perspectives are still more Millerton 1960 than Washington 2000. The small-town sense of community and social responsibility - that’s the lasting imprint of Millerton on me.”

‘NE Landfill Closure Costs Below Projections’; The old town landfill has been capped and an environmental risk has been contained. And fortunately for local residents, the costs of the project have also been contained through careful monitoring … [board] members applauded Town Supervisor David Sherman for keeping the landfill closure costs within budgeted parameters.