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

Millerton hears call to limit cooperation with ICE officers

Millerton hears call to limit cooperation with ICE officers

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.

Latest News

Three rescuers suffer heat-related illness after rescuing injured hiker on Appalachian Trail

75 rescuers from 15 response teams across Litchfield and Dutchess Counties retrieved an injured and stranded hiker from the Appalachian Trail on Thursday afternoon, July 9. Hot and humid conditions complicated the effort, injuring three rescuers who have since recovered.

Courtesy of Kent Volunteer Fire Department

KENT – An injured hiker was rescued from a rugged section of the Appalachian Trail on Thursday, July 9, but the extreme heat took a toll on rescuers as well, leaving three first responders with heat-related illnesses. All four individuals were in stable condition Friday morning.

The hiker, who was hiking with at least one other person, was found to be dehydrated and suffering from heat-related illness on a section of the trail between the Schaghticoke campsite and Mount Algo campsite. The rescue drew about 75 emergency responders from Connecticut and New York. Responders were dispatched at 12:30 p.m. after a 911 call was placed, and crews wrapped up the scene around 7:30 p.m.

Keep ReadingShow less
Storm-damaged White Hart presses on with NASCAR Pit-Stop Party

The hauler of two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes, of ThorSport Racing, rolls past The White Hart on Thursday, July 9, as spectators cheer along the route.

Madi Long

SALISBURY — Days after the July 4 storm left the White Hart Inn and much of Salisbury without power, electricity was restored 24 hours before the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 9, giving staff just enough time to salvage the inn’s planned pit-stop party.

Staff, community members and clean-up crews worked around the clock to clear storm debris from the White Hart lawn, allowing the inn to deliver on its promise of prime parade viewing.

Keep ReadingShow less

Legal Notices - July 9, 2026

Legal Notices - July 9, 2026

Legal Notice

BOND RESOLUTION DATED JUNE 15, 2026 OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE WEBUTUCK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AUTHORIZING NOT TO EXCEED $429,327 AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND/OR INSTALLMENT PURCHASE CONTRACTS TO FINANCE THE ACQUISITION OF A SCHOOL BUSES AND VEHICLES AT AN AGGREGATE ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST OF$429,327, LEVY OF TAX IN ANNUAL INSTALLMENTS IN PAYMENT THEREOF TAKING INTO ACCOUNT STATE-AID, THE EXPENDITURE OF SUCH SUM FOR SUCH PURPOSE, AND DETERMINING OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THERE-WITH.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

Tenmile Distillery is making history the old-fashioned way

Cheers! The Revolutionary Whisky Series at Ten Mile Distillery, each named for a significant battle of the American Revolution, celebrates America at 250.

D.H. Callahan

In December 2024, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau officially established the Standard of Identity for American Single Malt Whisky. It was the first new classification in more than half a century, creating new possibilities for American distillers. One of the distilleries taking advantage of this new landscape is Wassaic’s Tenmile Distillery. It is well positioned to make history because Tenmile has always honored traditional whiskey-making practices.

Single malts are often associated with Scotch whisky. Perhaps that’s why, years before the new standard was adopted, Tenmile hired Shane Fraser, a Scottish master distiller with 30 years of experience at some of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries. Fraser began designing the distillery from the ground up. Alongside owner and general manager Joel LeVangia, he emphasized time-honored traditions, favoring hands-on craftsmanship over the increasingly automated methods used by larger producers. When it comes to making the best whisky possible, Tenmile believes in learning from the past. That philosophy extends beyond the distilling process.

Keep ReadingShow less

The magic of Belinda Sinclair

The magic of Belinda Sinclair

Belinda Sinclair

Dean Chamberlain
Sinclair’s show explores the ways women have been practicing forms of magic for centuries, and there is plenty of history to tell.

Belinda Sinclair is the kind of magician who impresses people who don’t like magic. Her tricks are mind-boggling. Her stories are captivating. And if she picks you to write your name on a card, get ready to be wowed. Repeat attendees of her shows, of which there are many, take almost as much delight in watching new jaws drop as they do in seeing an illusion reach its astonishing conclusion.

Since the summer of 2025, Sinclair has been baffling local audiences at the Hughes Memorial Library in West Cornwall, but her magical run comes to a close at the end of August.

Keep ReadingShow less

“Nixon in China” comes to Tanglewood

“Nixon in China” comes to Tanglewood

Renée Fleming, Andris Nelsons and Thomas Hampson.

Hilary Scott

On Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m. in the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood, two of the greatest American voices of their generation, soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Thomas Hampson, join Music Director Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of excerpts from John Adams’ groundbreaking opera “Nixon in China.” The piece, performed earlier this year in Boston and at Carnegie Hall in New York City, is a highlight of a program that also includes “Meditations on Grace” (2024) by BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon, and the melodic and technically demanding Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber.

Fleming is internationally celebrated for her vocal and dramatic artistry, as well as for her advocacy for the powerful impact of the creative arts in health. Hampson has long been recognized as one of the most innovative musicians of our time and has received countless international honors for his singular artistry and cultural leadership. Both performed in “Nixon in China” earlier this year at the Paris Opera under the baton of Kent Nagano.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

google preferred source

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