Officer Michael Veeder earns Top Cop award, again

MILLERTON — Among the awards presented at the 22nd Annual STOP-DWI Law Enforcement Awards Luncheon, Police Officer Michael Veeder of the Millerton Police Department was honored with his second Top Cop award in as many years.

Since September of 2014, Veeder has been an active member of the Millerton Police Department. Along with the education he received at Zone 14 Law Enforcement Academy at Columbia–Greene Community College, he completed advanced training in roadside impaired driving. Moreover, Veeder is a certified New York State training officer and currently works to evaluate and train new officers. 

When asked about the most egregious offenses that he has encountered in his line of duty, Veeder said drunk driving. Citing the unsettling statistic that individuals will drive while intoxicated 80 times before they are caught, he outlined the procedure used in identifying offenders.

After interviewing the driver, a standardized field sobriety test is done with the driver’s consent. If the driver fails, he or she is taken to the police station for a blood test.

Veeder takes pride in his  contributions to both the Special Traffic Option Program for Driving While Intoxicated (STOP-DWI) and the Millerton Police Department.

“The most rewarding aspect is definitely making a difference in someone’s life,” said Veeder.

The 22nd annual Law Enforcement Awards Luncheon took place at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel on Nov. 17, 2016. Coupled with the recognition of individual officers, the ceremony featured keynote speaker Mike Geraci, regional administrator of the National Traffic Administration.

The awards presented at the service honored officers in three categories: state police, county officers and municipal part time and full time.

“Mike was nominated and awarded last year based on his commitment in making DWI arrests,” said STOP-DWI Coordinator William Johnson. “He made over 12 DWI arrests in the past year, and he’s a leader  in identifying and processing offenders.”

According to Johnson, the STOP-DWI program was created by the New York State Legislature in 1981 and represents the nation’s only self-sustaining comprehensive statewide impaired driving program. As written on the program’s website, its mission is to “promote DWI prevention as a public priority” in order to reduce the number of fatalities by coordinating local efforts in “law enforcement, prosecution, probation, rehabilitation, public information, education and administration.”

Additionally, the program never requires the use of tax revenue, but is entirely funded by the fines of those who have been arrested and convicted of impaired driving. 

In honoring officers with the Top Cop award, Johnson explained that the program receives nominations from supervisors and administrators. The nominations are then evaluated in terms of arrest numbers, advanced training completion, leadership and commitment.

This year’s ceremony recognized eight officers with the Top Cop honor.

“The Millerton P.D. has done an exceptional job this year,” said Johnson. “I acknowledge Michael and the department for their commitment.”

Latest News

State Rep. Horn injured in running accident

State Rep. Horn injured in running accident

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) was treated for her injuries at Sharon Hospital.

Photo by John Coston

The day after concluding what has been described as a grueling legislative session, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) had a running accident, leaving her with a broken pelvis and collarbone among other more minor bruises and abrasions. Despite the injuries, she is in good spirits and recuperating at home, eager to get back on her feet.

Horn said after spending weeks in the assembly hall, she was eager to get some outdoor exercise in, but perhaps pushed a little too hard too soon. She said she was excited to get a run in on the morning of Friday, June 6, but was still exhausted from her time in Hartford and in the final stretch of recovering from a meniscus repair surgery in December.

Keep ReadingShow less
people

Walk-off win sends Pirates to championship

Walk-off win sends Pirates to championship

Milo Ellison sends a fly ball to left field, bringing home Brody Ohler and Sam Hahn in a walk-off win for the Canaan Pirates June 11.

Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — The Canaan Pirates advanced to the league championship after a comeback victory over the Tri-Town Red Sox Wednesday, June 11.

Down 3-2 with two outs and two on in the bottom of the 6th inning, "Mighty" Milo Ellison stepped up to the plate and launched a fly ball deep to left field. The single brought home Brody Ohler and Sam Hahn for a walk-off Pirates win.

Keep ReadingShow less
little league

Kevin Kelly’s After Hours

Kevin Kelly’s After Hours

Kevin Kelly

Photo by Christopher Delarosa
“I was exposed to that cutthroat, ‘Yes, chef’ culture. It’s not for me. I don’t want anyone apologizing for who they are or what they love.”— Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly doesn’t call himself a chef; he prefers “cook.” His business, After Hours, based in Great Barrington, operates as what Kelly calls “a restaurant without a home,” a pop-up dining concept that prioritizes collaboration over competition, flexibility over permanence, and accessibility over exclusivity.

Kelly grew up in Great Barrington and has roots in the Southern Berkshires that go back ten generations. He began working in restaurants at age 14. “I started at Allium and was hooked right off the bat,” he said. He worked across the region from Cantina 229 in New Marlborough to The Old Inn on the Green at Jacob’s Pillow before heading to Babson College in Boston to study business. After a few years in Boston kitchens, he returned home to open a restaurant. But the math didn’t work. “The traditional model just didn’t feel financially sustainable,” he said. “So, I took a step back and asked, ‘If that doesn’t work, then what does?’”

Keep ReadingShow less
restaurants

Books & Blooms’ tenth anniversary

Books & Blooms’ tenth anniversary

Dee Salomon on what makes a garden a garden.

hoto by Ngoc Minh Ngo for Architectural Digest

On June 20 and 21, the Cornwall Library will celebrate its 10th anniversary of Books & Blooms, the two-day celebration of gardens, art, and the rural beauty of Cornwall. This beloved annual benefit features a talk, reception, art exhibit, and self-guided tours of four extraordinary local gardens.

The first Library sponsored garden tour was in June 2010 and featured a talk by Page Dickey, an avid gardener and author. This year’s Books & Blooms will coincide with Ellen Moon’s exhibit “Thinking About Gardens,” a collection of watercolors capturing the quiet spirit of Cornwall’s private gardens. Moon, a weekly storyteller to the first grade at Cornwall Consolidated School and art curator for The Cornwall Library, paints en plein air. Her work investigates what constitutes a garden. In the description of the show, she writes: “there are many sorts...formal, botanical, cottage, vegetable, herb...even a path through the woods is a kind of garden. My current working definition of a garden is a human intervention in the landscape to enhance human appreciation of the landscape.” Also on display are two of her hand-embroidered jackets. One depicts spring’s flowering trees and pollinators. The other, a kimono, was inspired by Yeats’s “The Song of the Wandering Aengus.”

Keep ReadingShow less
cornwall library