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Elizabeth Halpin named salutatorian

MILLBROOK — Senior Elizabeth “Liz” Halpin has been named salutatorian for the 2016 graduating class at Millbrook High School. A student with an outstanding academic record, 

Halpin was also a star player on the girl varsity lacrosse team in 2016. She was the first in Millbrook lacrosse history to be named U.S. All-American and U.S. Lacrosse All-Academic. Halpin was also the only player out of the 19 teams in class C to be awarded the Jackie Pitts Award, which honors a graduating senior who truly honors the game of lacrosse.  This past season, Halpin was joined on the lacrosse team by her twin sisters, Catherine and Caroline. She also played varsity volleyball for Millbrook. 

Academically, Halpin has shown excellent work in advanced placement (AP) and college courses. She will be attending Dutchess Community College in the fall, and eventually wants to go into bio-engineering. Her favorite subjects included math and biology. Math she took with teacher Ken McPherson; she also took calculus with him, which she says was hard, but fun. Biology classes were with Patricia Tomasecki. A course, War in Writing, ignited the idea of using bio-engineering to help veterans by making better prosthetics, an inspiration also fed by an uncle who is in the field of building prosthetics.

Halpin was active throughout her high school years, being a member of Connection Crew, which pairs a senior with a freshman to help them get through the transition from middle school to high school. She also works part time at the Washington Town Hall. 

Before starting college in the fall, Halpin will travel to North Carolina, where she hopes to spend quality time with her family. In August, she will be flying to California with a friend. This will be her first trip to the Golden State, and having seen the sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean many times, she’s hoping to see the sun set on the Pacific Ocean.

Halpin praises the Millbrook Central School District.

“I’m thankful for everything they’ve done for me,” she said. “We’re a small community that works to help someone. They gave us a lot of opportunities to start something, take charge and act out on our ideas.”

Lakeville Journal

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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.

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Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

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L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
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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.”

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David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

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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.

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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

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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.

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Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

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