Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.
education

Webutuck students showcase projects at the STEAM Fair

Webutuck students showcase projects at the STEAM Fair

Seventh-grader Fiona Crow displays her project, “The PlaceBlue Effect” at Webutuck’s STEAM Fair on March 8. Fiona’s submission focused on perceptions of taste based on the color of food.

Photo provided

AMENIA — On Saturday, March 8, Webutuck’s 11th annual STEAM Fair was held at the Eugene Brooks Intermediate School gymnasium. Planned and presented by the Webutuck Teachers’ Association, the fair drew about 70 participants whose submissions were reviewed by both staff volunteers and a small number of student listeners, who provided feedback on projects to their peers.

Student projects covered a range of topics in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. Superintendent Ray Castellani said the STEAM Fair allows students to hone their academic skills in a supportive and beneficial environment by utilizing logic and creativity. “It truly is an authentic learning experience,” Castellani said. “Our students are the problem-solvers and innovators of our future … Based on the projects I saw at the STEAM Fair this year, our future is in great hands.”

The top-ranked participants and their projects in each category are listed below.

Special Awards

Grades K-4:

Visual Communications Awards: Fourth-grader Lilliana Nelson, “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t”

Innovation Awards: Second-graders Samuel Gonzalez and Sebastian Romualdo, “Robots”

Macgyver Awards: Third-grader Logan Clapper, “Volcano”

DaVinci Awards: Third-graders Edward Cruz and Ashley Dota Erreyes, “Taste Buds”

EBIS Winners

Grades 5-8:

Seventh-grader Fiona Crow, “The PlaceBlue Effect”

Webutuck High School Grades 9-12:

Seniors Gissel Oros and Olivia Wickwire, “Does Screen Time Increase Anxiety Levels?”

Krista A. Briggs
education

Latest News

State denies Shepherd's Run solar farm

State denies Shepherd's Run solar farm

New York State's Office of Renewable Energy Siting denied an application from Chicago-based Hecate Energy LLC that would have resulted in a 42-megawatt solar farm across 700 acres in Craryville, a hamlet in the Town of Copake.

Photo by Nathan Miller

COPAKE — New York State denied Hecate Energy LLC’s application for a more than 700-acre solar project, pointing to two factors: floodplain and community protection issues, and identification of and protection of wetland resources in this rural hamlet.

Jason Zehr, interim executive director of the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, issued the decision on Wednesday, Oct. 14, five days before the clock was to run out for the state to approve or deny the Chicago-based company’s application.

Keep ReadingShow less
renewable energy

Lelah M. Somers

Lelah M. Somers

DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.

She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.

Keep ReadingShow less

The Millerton News - October 15, 2026

The Millerton News - October 15, 2026

Download directly

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

Provided

As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

Keep ReadingShow less
open-studio
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.