Students welcome Korean president at White House

SOUTH KENT — Three Korean students from South Kent School welcomed President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea to the White House on Oct. 13.Students Tae Hoon Kim, Yun Suk Park and Jung Hyuk Lee were accompanied by Owen Finberg, the school’s director of athletics, and his wife, Choil “Lena” Chun. They were all part of the official arrival ceremony arranged by President Barack Obama for Myung-bak and his wife, Kim Yoon-ok. The group from South Kent School stood on the South Lawn of the White House along with ranks of military, an elementary school group and approximately 250-300 other visitors participating in the event. Both presidents spoke about the strong relationship between the two nations, reaffirmed their strong partnership and praised the newly passed trade agreement between the two countries.“It was interesting to be in one of the most influential places in the world with two very powerful presidents,” Kim said. “Watching their mannerisms and the way they interacted with each other was fascinating. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.”

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OHS denies Sharon Hospital’s most recent appeal to close L&D
Sharon Hospital
Bridget Starr Taylor

SHARON — Connecticut’s Office of Health Services (OHS) has denied Sharon Hospital’s appeal of its final decision mandating that the hospital maintain its Labor and Delivery Unit.

OHS released a Final Decision on the question of Sharon Hospital’s application for a Certificate of Need (CON) to terminate labor and delivery services at the hospital.

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The Creators: Sitting down with Garet Wierdsma

Garet&Co dancers

Jennifer Almquist

On Saturday, March 9, the people of Norfolk, Connecticut, enjoyed a dance performance by northern Connecticut-based Garet&Co, in Battell Chapel, titled INTERIOR, consisting of four pieces: “Forgive Her, Hera,” “Something We Share,” “bodieshatewomen,” and “I kinda wish the apocalypse would just happen already.”

At the sold-out show in the round, the dancers, whose strength, grace and athleticism filled the hall with startling passion, wove their movements within the intimate space to the rhythms of contemporary music. Wierdsma choreographed each piece and curated the music. The track she created for “Something We Share” eerily contained vintage soundtracks from life guidance recordings for the perfect woman of the ‘50s. The effect, with three dancers in satin slips posing before imaginary mirrors, was feminist in its message and left the viewer full of vicarious angst.

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Kevin McEneaney, voice of The Millbrook Independent

Kevin McEneaney

Judith O’Hara Balfe

On meeting Kevin McEneaney, one is almost immediately aware of three things; he’s reserved, he’s highly intelligent and he has a good sense of humor.

McEneaney is the wit and wisdom behind The Millbrook Independent, a blog that evolved from the print version of that publication. It's a wealth of information about music venues in this part of Dutchess County interspersed with poetry, art reviews, articles on holidays and other items, and a smattering of science.

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Dealing with invasive species

Sam Schultz, terrestrial invasive species coordinator with PRISM, is holding a tool she calls a “best friend” in the battle against invasives: the hand grubber. She was one of the presenters at the Copake Grange for a talk about invasive species Saturday, March 2.

L. Tomaino

According to Sam Schultz, terrestrial invasive species coordinator with the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), one of the best ways to battle invasive species is with a hand tool called the hand grubber.

In her work in managing invasive species, she refers to it as a “best friend.” Schultz and Colleen Lutz, assistant biologist with the New York Natural Heritage Program, delivered a lecture on invasive species at the Copake Grange Saturday, March 2.

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