With North East’s EMS contract ending, looming issue is cost

MILLERTON — The Town of North East discussed the five-year contract EMS provider NDP Emergency Medical Services which ends in January, at a Town Board meeting on Thursday, July 11.

The EMS service has a three-town contract with the towns of North East, Amenia and Dover. The community is searching for providers willing to station ambulances for fewer than one emergency call per day as the contract is coming to an end.

“I met with the supervisors of Amenia and Dover and we all met with the representative of Empress,” said Chris Kennan, the Town of North East’s supervisor. “Empress is another ambulance provider. They operate in the southern and southwestern part of the county, basically Poughkeepsie on down.”

Kennan said Empress is larger than NPD, contracting with East Fishkill, Fishkill, Wappingers, Lagrange and more communities in the Hudson Valley. Empress is a union shop. The town will not know the specific costs of services until it is out to bid.

“We are bracing ourselves for a significant increase,” Kennan said.

“It’s important that we anticipate this as far ahead as possible, which is what we are doing and I will report back in August. I anticipate knowing a lot more … Any and all thoughts are welcomed because this is a huge item on our budget. It is more than ten percent of the town’s budget.”

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Village will not pursue local ICE law; police say they will cooperate with federal agencies

Village of Millerton and Town of North East residents crowded into the NorthEast-Millerton Library annex to have their voices heard on police policies regarding immigration enforcement for the Tuesday, July 29, Village Trustees meeting.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — After a packed public meeting brought immigration enforcement to the forefront of village politics on Tuesday, July 29, trustees signaled they will not pursue a proposed local law aimed at limiting police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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East Twin Lake
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Debra A. Aleksinas

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All but three remaining small patches, one near the shoreline at O’Hara’s Landing Marina and two others in deeper water as boats exit the marina and head out, have been destroyed by this summer’s treatment with the aquatic herbicide fluridone, which began on May 20. None of the remaining plants are thriving.

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Oblong Books to celebrate 50 years with block party bash

Dick Hermans in the Oblong Bookstore on Millerton's Main Street in 1985.

Photo provided

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While the festivities mark 50 years since the founding of Oblong Books, co-owner Suzanna Hermans sees the party as something more. “We want to celebrate our friends, neighbors and generations of customers who have kept us here for 50 years,” she said. “It’s a thank-you to the people of Millerton, in particular, without whom we’d never be here.”

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Inside the Hitchcock estate after one year on the market

Opulent furnishings and decoration ranging from Asian statues and paintings to Gulf Oil gas station signs adorn the mansion at the Hitchcock Estate.

Photo by Charlie Greenberg

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After a notorious few years in the 1960s, little has been heard about the estate recently — a stealthy departure from its past. The appearance of last year’s listing provided the first glimpse inside the property in nearly a decade.

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