36 degrees below zero: dairymen get less; students use computers
From the Archives: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
From the Archives: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
‘Committee For Local CWA Nursery School Project Is Announced; Group to Meet With Board of Education; Plans Progressing’; Mrs. Worthy J. Pulver, Mrs. C.M.B. Williams, Mrs. Wellington Parks, Mrs. Yorke S. Blanchard, Mrs. Chas. Kicks, and a representative of the Board of Education will comprise the local committee sponsoring the Emergency Nursery School for Millerton. They are to meet with the Board of Education this week to consider latest developments.
Mrs. E.H. Dickinson has been taking the training source at the Vassar Nursery School to prepare for the special requirements of the proposed nursery schools. She will supervise the Millerton project. The local staff will include, besides the supervisor, a teacher for every ten children, a cook and a janitor. As far as possible these positions will be filled by local people.
‘Mercury at 34 Below Zero Here Friday; Millerton Again Reported as Coldest Spot in County;’ Millerton again was the coldest spot in Dutchess County Friday when the mercury dropped to 34 degrees below zero here in the wake of a frigid cold wave which affected the whole country.
‘Millerton Library Floor Space Studied’; Recently the Millerton Library was visited by Leon Karpel of the Mid-Hudson Library System, the public library system which serves Dutchess County.
Mr. Karpel made a study on how Millerton Library can add much needed shelf space. He recommended that floor space be increased to a minimum of 2,500 square feet from the present 2,000 and the number of books increased to 10,000. This is a minimum requirement for the present population.
‘Methodists Give Prizes For Top Attendance’; Millerton United Methodist Sunday School is in the middle of an attendance contest directed by Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig Hellwig. Points are earned by attendance and by bringing new students to class
Prizes will be awarded at a spaghetti supper to be held at the contest’s end. Poster contest prizes have been awarded to Rachel Dingle and Heather Babbitt
On Feb. 23 the Sunday School pupils and their parents will attend worship services at 9:30 a.m. and there will be no Sunday School classes.
‘Dairymen Get 8% Less Than Year Ago’; Area dairymen will receive about 8 per cent less per quart for their milk this month than they got a year ago.
Dairy farmers, who supplied the federally regulated Connecticut market during January will be paid a uniform price of $8.95 a hundredweight (about 19.25 cents per quart).
‘Students Solve Math Problems With Computer’; Students at Pine Plains Central School are using a computer terminal for mathematics and science problems. The terminal has been in use since October in the Mathematics Resource Room.
The computer terminal is connected by phone to a central computer located at Westchester BOCES. It not only gives students a chance to learn to write computer programs to solve problems but also offers computer assisted instruction in various subjects.
‘Gaping 30’ Hole Marks Millerton Field’; A bottomless pit? Not quite, although a gaping hole in a field at the old Mary C. Miller farm on Rudd Pond Road may well get bigger according to Mrs. Earl Coons the current owner.
Mrs. Coons estimates the hole to be 12 to 15 feet across and 30 feet deep.
‘DC Clerk Saga Is Over’; NORTH EAST — Putting an end to a saga that has dragged on for months, County Clerk Richard Anderson was sworn in Tuesday after the state Court of Appeals refused to hear the appeal of his Republican opponent, William Paroli Jr.
The two men had been at loggerheads since the November election in which Mr. Anderson won by 54 votes out of more than 47,000 cast countywide.
‘One Webutuck Math Class Excels’; WEBUTUCK — Amid the disappointment some parents felt at Webutuck’s performance on the Regents exams countywide, there is a silver lining.
Math teacher Roger Price’s Course 2 Regents class had an astounding 95 percent passing rate, with all but one of his 22 students making the grade.
‘Local Business Notes’; The Candle Store has moved from Railroad Plaza to Northeast Antiques, north of the Route 22 light. The Candle Store is located downstairs in the antiques shop and is open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beginning Saturday, March 4, Millerton Deli will change its Saturday hours to 7 to 10:45 a.m. The change is effective through April. Monday to Friday hours will remain the same, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Millerton Deli is located on Main Street in the Village.
Amenia
Lynne Schenk has moved her Barns & Farms Realty office to Amenia, joining forces with A.J. Hayes Real Estate.
‘Care Car Helps Meet Medical Appointments’; MILLERTON — The North East Care Car is a volunteer transport system jointly sponsored by the North East Community Council and Dutchess County Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Care Car and drivers assist residents who otherwise are unable to get to medical or professional appointments due to lack of transportation.
This is a developing story. Updates will be made as more information becomes available.
MILLERTON — Northern Dutchess Paramedics, the private emergency medical service provider contracted by North East, Amenia and Dover, is set to be acquired by Empress EMS, Town Supervisor Chris Kennan said at a special workshop meeting of the town board on Tuesday evening, Aug. 26.
Kennan shared what he called “breaking news” shortly after calling the meeting to order.
“We just learned that Northern Dutchess Paramedics has entered into a sales agreement with Empress, which serves most of Dutchess County,” he announced at the start of the meeting, which was originally scheduled to fine-tune zoning language for the town's commercial district.
Empress EMS is part of PatientCare EMS Solutions, a provider of emergency medical services that operates throughout the country under several brands, including Sunstar Paramedics, Med Fleet Ambulance, FleetPlus and School of EMS. PatientCare is owned by A+M Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, which provides the company with financial backing and corporate oversight.
Kennan said he received a call from NDP owner Ed Murray with the news on Friday.
In a phone call with The News on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, NDP Chief Operating Officer Mark Browne confirmed that while the acquisition “is on-schedule to happen,” the paperwork is not yet final.
While a potential shift in ownership could bring a variety of changes to North East and Millerton, including EMS response time, cost and the health and safety of the community, Supervisor Kennan said he received a verbal indication that Empress would honor the town’s existing contract with NDP, which was renewed for three years in December.
In 2025, the town is paying $511,558 for contracted services with NDP and the cost is expected to increase to $746,345 by 2027.
“In the short term, we should not be impacted by this change,” Kennan said. He added that the current contract with NDP has a stipulation that any new owner must honor the existing contract.
The news comes after Kennan and other towns have criticized the high costs of emergency medical services, which makes up a sizable chunk of the town’s budget and burdens taxpayers. Along with the Association of Towns, Kennan has urged New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that has passed in the Senate and the Assembly and would exempt EMS services from the state’s property tax cap, giving local governments more flexibility to manage costs and sustain their EMS programs.
The bill would allow municipalities to better respond to EMS price hikes in their budgets, but it otherwise does not address those rising costs or poorer-than-typical service in rural communities like North East, Amenia and Dover.
Based in Yonkers, Empress EMS has a hub in Poughkeepsie and operates in Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland, Ulster, Putnam, Sullivan and Orange counties, as well as the Bronx. The company’s acquisition of NDP marks its continued expansion north – in 2021 Empress purchased EMStar and Mobile Life, pushing its way deeper into the Hudson Valley.
In January, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced that Empress won the bid to become the primary provider of supplemental EMS services, a move made by the county in an effort to address long wait times for 911 calls. While successful in more densely populated areas, rural areas like North East, Amenia and Dover saw no visits from the supplemental services in quarter two of 2025.
According to the 2025 second quarter EMS report published by Dutchess County, all but one town in the county is serviced by either NDP or Empress. The merger would make Empress the sole EMS provider in the county except for the City of Beacon.
While there is no confirmed timeframe for the transition of ownership, Kennan said NDP owner Ed Murray indicated it was “moving quickly.”
While playing outside in the early post-pandemic days, Berkshire Busk! founder Eugene Carr had an epiphany: why not expand the idea of performing on the street (aka busking)into a full-fledged festival in Great Barrington?
As an entrepreneur and cellist, Carr envisioned a well-organized jamboree featuring regional talent, including musicians, acrobats, storytellers, fire-eaters, and more. He formed a team, connected with local businesses and the town of Great Barrington, and launched Berkshire Busk! in 2021. Since then, Berkshire Busk! has grown into a summer staple for Great Barrington.
In the summer of 2024, over 25,000 people experienced Berkshire Busk!. The festival is free to the public, provides a big boost to local businesses, and spectators can tip performers.
Busking takes place all over the world, either organized by individual performers or via busking festivals. Artists like The Roots, Tracy Chapman, Phoebe Bridgers, and Old Crow Medicine Show have all cut their teeth performing on the street.
General Manager Carli Scolforo is a Berkshire native with a love of music and writing. She can often be seen roaming the streets of Great Barrington, making sure everything’s in order, and serves as the festival’s face on social media.
“This year is the fifth anniversary of Berkshire Busk!, and it’s been an amazing summer,” said Scolforo. “We were able to welcome back a lot of our favorite performers, and bring in some new experiences as well. After getting rained out last year, we were able to host our first outdoor movie night in partnership with The Triplex Cinema and the Boondocks Film Society.”
Scolforo added, “This summer, we also introduced our first Open Mic Night, hosted by local recording artist and music producer Jackson Whalan. We were really pleased with the turnout of talent. The sheer amount of talent that’s hidden within an hour or so drive of Great Barrington always astounds us.”
Local businesses sponsor various busking spots, like the Berkshire Money Management Stage in the parking lot between the Triplex Cinema and Mama Lo’s BBQ. Typically, buskers bring their own amplification, while there are few spots — such as Berkshire Mountain Distillery in Sheffield — provide power.
Berkshire Busk! will end its season with a fireworks display on its last night on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Berkshire Busk! is endorsed by the Select Board of the Town of Great Barrington and is entirely supported by sponsorship fees from companies and organizations, as well as philanthropic donations from granting organizations, individuals and the Town of Great Barrington.
It operates under a fiscal sponsorship agreement with the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and participates in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program — in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations — by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.
For more information, visit: berkshirebusk.com
What if the dog onstage was played by a person? That’s the delightful twist in A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia,” opening at the Sharon Playhouse on Aug. 29. In this clever and heartfelt comedy, the title character — a stray pup who disrupts the lives of a married couple — is portrayed not in costume but by an actor who brings insight, charm, and chaos to the role.
Stepping into Sylvia’s paws is Jen Cody, who is returning to the Sharon Playhouse in a starring role for her third year in a row, ready to bring this spirited dog to life. She’s joined by Jonathan Walker as Greg, the middle-aged man smitten with his new four-legged friend, and Jennifer Van Dyck as Kate, his wife, whose patience and identity are tested by Sylvia’s sudden presence in their home.
Directed by Colin Hanlon, this production balances elements of comedy and emotional depth. Gurney’s script may be filled with laughs but at its core, “Sylvia” explores loyalty, companionship, and how love sometimes arrives in unexpected forms. The play premiered Off-Broadway in 1995 and has since become an audience favorite for its wit, warmth, and originality.
Rounding out the cast is Sienna Brann, taking on a trio of roles that highlight the play’s comic versatility. The design team includes Christopher and Justin Swader (scenic), Kathleen DeAngelis (costumes), Bobbie Zlotnik (wigs), Wheeler Moon (lighting), and Graham Stone (sound), ensuring the story is grounded in a fully realized world, albeit one occasionally seen from a dog’s point of view.
Performances run through Sept. 7 at the Sharon Playhouse. For tickets and more information, visit sharonplayhouse.org.