Hmmmm ... is that fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, flushed skin, red and watery eyes, dry cough, sore throat, watery mucus and general weakness the dreaded influenza — or is it something else?It might be the flu. Even medical experts have a hard time knowing for sure. The one thing everyone knows about the flu, though, is that no one wants to get it. At its best, it’s miserable. At its worst, it kills.Flu season has officially begun, and millions of Americans are heading for their doctor’s office, clinics, flu shot “events” and drug stores for vaccinations. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyone over the age of 6 months get vaccinated, except for those allergic to chicken eggs, anyone who has had a reaction to the shot in the past or anyone running a fever.The national health organization has a mission of preventing widespread outbreaks of any contagious illnesses. But not even the experts agree that mass immunizations are the answer to stopping the spread of a virus that changes constantly — potentially as often as with each body that hosts it. This year’s vaccine is the same as last year’s, which is unusual. The annual vaccine (effectiveness is estimated at as little as six months) is formulated based on past data and predictions for what might come. The current formula is aimed at H1N1, or the “swine flu” that caused the 2009 pandemic; Influenza A (H3N2); and Influenza B.It seems that everyone has a story about why they do or do not get vaccinated. One local 54-year-old woman gets a shot at the private school where she works. As an allergy and asthma sufferer, she feels it helps protect her. She still seems to get the flu every year but she believes the vaccine reduces the length and severity.A woman in her 20s, with some medical training, said she does not get an annual shot because she is not in a high-risk category, and because of the risk inherent in the vaccine.She says the virus can activate in your system after you get the shot, so you end up getting the flu anyway. Also, she said, the vaccine given each year only protects against limited strains of virus. It’s still possible, even with the shot, to catch a different version of the flu.Dr. James Steckleberg, on the staff at the Mayo Clinic, writes on the center’s website that many strains mutate in their host. But mutations that begin with a strain formulated into the vaccine may remain similar enough so that an inoculated immune system will attack it.Can you get sick from the vaccine? The CDC says it’s possible, since it’s made from a “killed” virus that is not dormant. That means it can activate in the body.However, the Mayo Clinic says what actually happens is an immune system response that produces flu-like symptoms, most often in young adults. Some would ask, does it matter? Symptoms are symptoms, and sick is sick.One of the biggest current factors in weighing the options is cost. Some Medicare and health insurance plans cover some or all of it.But some don’t, and many families have lost benefits to unemployment or cost-saving measures by employers.Shots average around $30. It can quickly add up to more than a family can afford. Children younger than 9 should get two doses if it’s the first time they have been vaccinated for influenza. There is also the potential need for a second shot during the flu season, if a particularly virulent new strain prompts the development of a new vaccine. The flu season can also last into May — beyond the estimated optimum protection duration for the vaccine.If you do get the flu, chances are you will be advised to tough it out, and most importantly, stay home and try to avoid spreading it to others. It is impossible for medical professionals to know for sure if a patient has the flu based on symptoms alone. Laboratory tests are now available, but doctors typically use them only on high-risk patients. Antiviral drugs can be given, and are most effective when taken soon after symptoms begin.Antibiotics are effective against bacteria, not the flu, which is a virus. They may be prescribed for those at risk, or who develop conditions such as bacterial pneumonia while fighting the flu.For others, taking antibiotics with a virus can do more harm than good, according to the CDC, as they can trigger an antibiotic resistance when needed most.Getting a flu shotMILLBROOK — The Dutchess County Department of Health (DCDH) will hold a flu shot clinic on Friday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Millbrook Cornell Cooperative Extension, 2715 Route 44.Interested individuals may register and find more information about flu immunization online at www.dutchessny.gov and clicking the “What to Do About Flu” button, or visit bit.ly/DCFlushots. For those without Internet access, call the Department of Health’s Flu information line at 845-486-3435 or call to register at 845-486-3419.The fee for inactivated flu vaccine will be $32; FluMist will be $40. The fee for the pneumonia vaccine is $75. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are covered by Medicare Part B; individuals must bring their card to the clinic. Adults enrolled in Medicare HMOs may be required to pay the fee.The adult flu clinics will offer vaccine to anyone 18 and older wishing to protect themselves against influenza. Individuals under 19 years of age may attend one of the department’s children’s immunization clinics to receive flu vaccination and other important immunizations at low-cost or no cost. Individuals younger than 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Go online to www.findaflushot.com to find other locations where the clinics will be held.
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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