Monique Montaigne


AMENIA — Monique Montaigne, 84, a resident of Amenia, died on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at the Hudson Valley Hospice House in Hyde Park, New York.
Born on April 9, 1939, in Berlin, Germany, she was the daughter of the late Heinz and Anita “Gutermann” Sauest. Monique’s biological father was an officer who died in a bomb attack in Berlin in 1943.
Her mother, “Anna Marie” Anita Gutermann, heiress of the Nahse Company, Gutermann remarried the conductor Herbert Von Karajan from 1942-1958.
After the war, Monique worked as a mannequin for fur fashion and took acting lessons in Salzburg. Monique took the last name Ahrens and made two notable films, “A Dog in Flanders” and “The Singing Nun.” In 1960 she worked as a television announcer and her photo was released on the cover of the magazine “Stern.”
In 1962 she also tried her hand at becoming a singer and released the singles “And My” and “The Sun Moon and Stars.” During the 1980’s, she lived in New York City working for the pianist, Yefim Bronfman and Sherril Milnes, the opera singer, as personal secretary, and in Mr. Bronfmans case, project and design manager on his apartment remodel. After 20 years she moved to the small town of Amenia where she worked as a typist and secretary to former town supervisor Victoria Perotti.
Monique felt very grateful to have found good friends in a community that embraced her. She especially loved to cook and gift food to her friends and she loved the Amenia Library.
She is survived by her daughter, Jessica Montaigne of Venice, California, and her granddaughter Lilianna.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Amenia Library, PO Box 27, Amenia, New York, 12501.
To send the family condolence, please visit www.hufcutfuneralhome.com
Lans Christensen
Animal Control Officer Lee Sohl and her puppy, Gavin, read to a visitor at the Kent Library, May 2.
KENT – Animal Control Officer Lee Sohl read puppy stories with her dog, Gavin, during a children’s program at the Kent Memorial Library, Saturday, May 2. The ongoing popular event gives kids a chance to hear stories and interact with a live puppy. Gavin was delighted to be there for stories and petting, Sohl said.
Patrick L. Sullivan
The former Lakeville Train Station on Ethan Allen Street will be moved back about 16 feet.
SALISBURY — Longawaited plans to move the former train station building in Lakeville are advancing, First Selectman Curtis Rand told the Salisbury Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting Monday, May 4.
With the project out to bid, contractors are now reviewing materials, Rand said.
The plan is to move the entire building back about 16 feet from its current location on Ethan Allen Street in Lakeville. The unmarked pavement narrows by the station, which has caused problems like panel trucks clipping the roof. Rand also said the building’s brick foundation has been covered up by years of repaving the street.
The street, which is home to three restaurants and a laundromat, continues to the Grove and also intersects with Holley Street toward Route 44.
Just west of the train station is Salisbury’s newest electric vehicle charger, installed last week on town property. The rate is 43 cents per kilowatt hour.

Rand also reported that Duke Besozzi of New England Naval Timbers in Cornwall delivered 10 six-inch white oak trees to the Grove on Monday, May 4 for planting. Besozzi’s company supplies timber for use in restorations and replicas of wooden sailing ships. White oak is highly water-resistant and sought after for such uses.
Katie Begley is Salisbury’s new resident trooper, and was scheduled to be introduced at the meeting. Something came up, however, and she wasn’t able to attend.
Rand said he was hopeful that the trooper would stick around. “We’ve had three in one year,” he said.
The discussion redirected to speeding. Kiefer said she often receives comments from residents about the issue, and joked that she considered standing out on Route 44 holding a hair dryer like a radar gun to try to slow drivers down.
Rand said he recently noticed a 20 mile per hour speed limit on a state road in Cornwall. He said when he suggested the same speed limit to the state Department of Transportation, he was told it couldn’t be done.
The selectmen agreed to keep the pressure on the DOT, with an emphasis on median islands on Route 44 heading west out of Lakeville.
Alec Linden
A pair of turkeys walk across a private driveway in South Kent.
KENT – It may be months from Thanksgiving, but Connecticut’s spring turkey hunting season is now underway, running from April 29 through May 30.
Hunters are permitted up to five male turkeys during the season, known as “toms” for adults or “jakes” for juveniles, which are marked by their distinctive “beards” – protrusions of hair-like feathers that extend from their necks. Shotguns and bows are the only weapons allowed for turkey hunting in the state.
A new law passed last year allows hunting on Sundays on private land with the proper permitting. Previously, hunting wasn’t allowed on Sundays in Connecticut.
Local hunter and electrical contractor Chris Harrington, who lives in Kent, said rural residents shouldn’t be alarmed if they hear gunfire over the next month. “Most of the time in Northwestern Connecticut, when you hear a gunshot, it’s somebody hunting or recreational shooting,” he said.
He also urged outdoor recreators to dress to stand out when in the woods during any active hunting season.
“You should always be wearing bright colors when you’re hiking,” he said.
Harrington said he’s been hunting turkeys since it became legal in the 1980s. While once plentiful in the state, colonists hunted the birds to near elimination in New England before reintroduction efforts began to restore a stable population.
“When I was a kid, there were no turkeys in the state,” said Harrington, who grew up in Kent.
Today, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) estimates the turkey population at over 30,000.
“Wild turkeys are a conservation success story, with populations rebounding over the past few decades,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes in a statement announcing the start of the season.
Harrington said he hunts for food, and to carry on a family tradition, having been taught by his grandfather.
“Deer hunting and turkey hunting and rabbits and small game and fishing was a big part of their food,” he said of his grandparents.
Now, occasionally bringing his own sons along, he said he won’t kill anything he won’t eat.
After the spring season ends, turkey hunters have other opportunities later in the year. A short firearm season runs Oct. 3 through Oct. 31 and allows hunters up to three birds of either sex, and a fall bow season allows hunting on state-owned designated bowhunting areas and private property from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31, with a cap of two birds of either sex.

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Alec Linden
Firing up the 1916 Case Steam Traction Engine, built by the J J Case Threshing Machine Co. It was primarily used for farming operations.
KENT – The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association’s museum chugged, clacked and whirred to life over the weekend during its annual Spring Powerup Show May 2 and 3. Alongside its neighbor, the Eric Sloane Museum, the sights and sounds of early America and the industrial age came alive in Kent as both institutions gear up for the season.
Alec Linden
Rick Liegl, who specializes in 17th century New England woodworking, works on a ladle during the nearby Eric Sloane Museum’s opening day on May 2.


Aly Morrissey
TORRINGTON – The body of a 65-year-old man was recovered from Stillwater Pond in Torrington, Friday, May 1. Officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Conservation Police (EnCon) identified the man as Stewart Rushlow of Torrington.
The body was reported to the Torrington Police Department and recovered by the Torrington Fire Department around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, officials said in a statement. DEEP’s EnCon police are still investigating what led to the death.
At this time, officials said there is “no apparent criminal aspect.”
The State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
Stillwater Pond is located in Stillwater Pond State Park, known for its quiet, wooded landscape and recreational opportunities like fishing, boating and hiking. A scenic trail that loops around the pond is one of several hiking opportunities, offering views of the water and surrounding forest. Swimming is not permitted at the park.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE – The Region One Board of Education met for its regular meeting on Monday, May 4.
The Board opened with a “spotlight on student learning,” recognizing students who participated in the recently held Troutbeck Symposium, Thursday, April 23.
The Board heard out-of-state tuition student recommendations – a process for when students in neighboring states wish to attend the Housatonic Valley Agricultural Education Program.
Policies pertaining to tuition fees, purchasing procedures, bidding requirements and paying for goods and services were also reviewed.
Before adjourning, the board went into executive session to discuss the evaluation of the superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley, a report that is expected to be published next week.
The Board also approved a number of new hires, most of which will begin later this summer:
Julia Tracy, school psychologist for Region One, $67,052, start date Aug. 18.
Luke Vermilyea, technology education teacher at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, $71,806, start date Aug. 18.
Donald Crossman, technology education teacher at HVRHS, $111,018, start date Aug. 18.
Liam O’Reilly, summer school principal at HVRHS, $7,000 stipend paid biweekly, start date June 23 for 19 days.
Mary O’Reilly, long-term substitute Spanish teacher at HVRHS, $541.09 per day, start date May 11.
Kerry Rooney, executive secretary to the principal at HVRHS, $33.03 per hour, start date June 1.
Nicholas Hall, special education teacher for Region One, $106,000, start date Aug. 18.

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