Latest News
Barbara Graham, right, speaks to Village trustees, Mayor Jenn Najdek and Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, left, during a May 21 special meeting.
Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Village of Millerton board of trustees held a special meeting on Wednesday, May 21 that drew an unusually large crowd. Nearly 20 residents and supporters showed up to urge officials to adopt a local law aimed at protecting immigrants, including undocumented community members.
The law, as proposed by meeting attendees, would limit cooperation between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While no resolution was reached, Mayor Jenn Najdek agreed to schedule a follow-up special meeting where the public can speak with Village legal counsel and explore the proposal in a more practical, informed setting. The yet-to-be scheduled meeting is expected to take place sometime in June, according to Najdek.
The meeting addressed ongoing ICE activity in the Hudson Valley and throughout the country, primarily reports of arrests made without judicial warrants and alleged misidentifications. Millerton’s police department, which operates on a limited, part-time basis, is not typically involved in immigration enforcement, but residents said clear local guidelines are necessary before an event or arrest occurs.
“Our village has a moral imperative to do everything in its power to protect the rights and dignity of immigrants who live and work in our community,” said Barbara Graham, a Millerton resident of 14 years.
Graham spearheaded an email to Mayor Jenn Najdek and the village board that secured immigration’s place on the agenda. Co-signed by six Millerton residents and 11 supporters, the letter urged the board to “affirm its commitment to justice, constitutional rights, and community trust.”
Wearing a homemade lapel pin that read, “Well-being for all beings,” Graham read aloud from the group’s letter. Najdek then opened the floor for public comment.
“I don’t think anybody here is asking the Village to tell the police how to do their job,” said Bill Kish of the Town of NorthEast. “What we’re asking is that the Village provide clear guidance in the form of local law ... that unless a judicial warrant is provided, the police will not use any of their resources to help.”
Eliot Ramos, a village resident, added, “Newcomer or lifelong local, adopting a law that bars our police from collaborating with ICE is an act of partnership and moral leadership that honors due process.”
Trustees and community members alike noted the limited effect a law of this nature might have at the local level. Still, the response from meeting attendees was unanimous. Andres Vialpando, who said he was born and raised in Millerton, noted a law would carry weight even as a symbolic gesture.
“I’d be proud to say that my village is standing up for what I would call good and healthy laws,” Vialpando said. “I support this initiative, even if it seems like, at some level, it could be unnecessary.”
Though the discussion was scheduled for 15 minutes, it continued for nearly an hour. Following public comment, Najdek, the four village trustees and Police Chief Joseph Olenik addressed the concerns.
They noted the cost of legal consultation — estimated at $5,000 according to Najdek — could strain an already tight budget. Officials also noted the potential repercussions of adopting such a law, including the loss of federal funding for infrastructure projects like sidewalks and sewer upgrades.
“We’re doing our work, applying for grants, applying for funding, getting projects completed,” said Najdek. “My concern is that we’re putting a spotlight on us that could impact funding over the next five years. It’s a real concern for a village of our size.”
Throughout the meeting, questions arose about the legal interplay between local, state and federal jurisdictions. Residents pressed for specifics about what would happen if ICE entered the village. Chief Olenik offered a limited response.
“At this point in time, I would be assisting them,” he said. “I wouldn’t be making the arrests, but I would be assisting them with whatever they would need us to do as Village PD.”
He added that he would not hinder an investigation or withhold information from the State Police, the Sheriff’s Office or ICE.
Weighing the risks and rewards of pursuing such a law, Najdek responded emotionally: “I want to do my job. I want to keep my head down. I want to do the right thing for the village the best I can.”
Other items addressed during the special meeting included the approval of $99,498.99 in vouchers from April and May; the delivery and acceptance of department reports; approval of previous meeting minutes; and a discussion of Express Bill Pay, a new software system that will allow residents to pay utility bills online by credit card or e-check.
Keep ReadingShow less
Warren Stevens fires his musket on Memorial Day.
Tom Brown
CORNWALL — Several ceremonies were held around Cornwall in recognition of Memorial Day.
On Monday morning, beneath vibrant blue skies, services began with a 9 a.m. ceremony at the North Cornwall Cemetery. At 10 a.m., the Seamans Memorial was held in West Cornwall at the covered bridge.
At 11 a.m., the parade marched through Cornwall Village. Stopping at the green, David Cadwell was the master of ceremony as well as the guest speaker.
Cadwell served in the Vietnam War as a medic.
He spoke of the day tragedy struck his unit in the jungle. During a firefight, he said, his squad was struck by artillery. His captain and three others died. He later returned to his platoon where his fellow troops had heard a medic died and expected it to be Cadwell.
“I relive that reunion with my band of brothers every Memorial Day,” Cadwell said. “I stand in front of you all this Memorial Day as someone who has returned from the dead, speaking for those we memorialize today to remind you what is so obvious: It is good to be alive, and even better that we take the time to remind each other.”
He dedicated his speech to his captain, Johnny Ward Jr.
Cadwell said moving to Cornwall 38 years ago helped him take the worst day of his life “and replace it with today, one of the best. Where I got to ride in the parade with the old geezers — I’m sorry, the beloved veterans,” Cadwell said as the crowd laughed. “I got to share my story with my fellow friends and neighbors. And now I’ll make one final request: For you to ask a veteran in your life to tell you their story.”
Cadwell’s full speech and more of Cornwall’s ceremony was uploaded to YouTube by Richard Griggs.
The VFW Citizenship Award was given to Town Clerk Vera Dineen for her years of service to Cornwall.
Keep ReadingShow less
Salisbury salutes on Memorial Day
May 28, 2025
The Memorial Day parade turns onto Route 41 toward the cemetery.
Alec Linden
SALISBURY — Throngs of Salisbury residents turned out in the long-awaited late May sunshine to honor fallen soldiers at the 2025 Memorial Day parade for a moment of solemn reflection before heading off to holiday cookouts to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.
The procession began shortly after 10 a.m. at Scoville Memorial Library with only one errant motorist pulling out ahead of the entourage before zooming eastward and out of sight. A soundtrack of applause and barking dogs mingled with the steady rhythm of Salisbury Central School’s marching band as the uniformed Williams-Parsons American Legion Post 70 members led the parade down Main Street.
Several town groups sent members to march in the parade, including the Redhawks hockey team, Salisbury Association, Salisbury Visiting Nurses Association, Volunteer Ambulance Service, Hotchkiss Veterans Club, and Housatonic Child Care Center.
The Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s miniature ski jump float made a reappearance, this year accompanied by an inflatable yeti.
As the march hung a left onto Route 41, spectators uprooted themselves from their viewing positions to follow and gather around the cemetery flagpole for a solemn ceremony helmed by legion member and selectman Christian Williams. The Rev. Heidi Truax offered the invocation, followed by local 7th grader Madeleine Carr’s recital of the Gettysburg Address, whose friends rushed up gushing with congratulations after she finished.
Jerry Baldwin read the Roll of Honored Dead, remembering Salisbury servicemen killed in the First and Second World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam, after which the legion members performed a rifle salute. Lloyd Wallingford’s performance of “God Bless America” and the Salisbury Band’s rendition of the national anthem both sparked audience accompaniment, and Tom Key read the 23rd Psalm.
The Rev. John A. Nelson orated a benediction that impelled the audience to dwell on a more peaceful future with a quote from the prophet Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Williams concluded the ceremony by inviting the crowd back to town, where families enjoyed the weather on the White Hart lawn with ice cream sandwiches provided by the Salisbury Association.
Keep ReadingShow less
Kent’s citizens express appreciation
May 28, 2025
Kent Center School student Ella Barrett recites the Gettysburg Address at the Civil War monument in Kent during the Memorial Day parade Monday.
Ruth Epstein
KENT — Following tradition, the village streets were lined with spectators as the annual Memorial Day parade came through town Monday morning.
Flags held high, they cheered as veterans, firefighters and school children strutted proudly to honor those who gave their lives for their country.
Several stops were made along the route, at which three rounds of shotgun volleys were made at each, along with the playing of taps by members of the Kent Center School band.
The first stop was at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church cemetery, where the pastor, the Rev. Richard Clark, gave a prayer. Next a group marched to the Veterans’ Memorial. Back to Main Street, many gathered to hear KCS student Ella Barrett read the Gettysburg Address at the Civil War monument A wreath was laid at several sites.
At the Kent Memorial Library, a prayer was recited by First Congregational Church pastor, the Rev. John Heeckt.
In a short presentation, First Selectman Martin Lindenmayer said, “We are here to honor and memorialize those who defended our country.”
He then listed all those from Kent who had lost their lives fighting in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
He urged those who were going to the annual Kent Land Trust picnic following the parade to talk about those who gave their last full measure, as well as those who are currently serving around the country.
Bethany Keck sang the National Anthem, receiving loud applause.
The parade then proceeded to the First Congregational Church and ended at the Community House, where the Kent Lions Club passed out ice cream to the young participants.
Keep ReadingShow less
loading
