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"All the President's Men" (1976) with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford will screen at the Triplex Oct. 24.
Warner Bros Studios
The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington is rolling out a special election season series entitled, “Dying in Darkness: Journalism, Politics & Truth in Film.” Curated by The Triplex’s creative director, Ben Elliott, the carefully selected series of films confront the fraught relationship between media, politics, and democracy with an evocative lineup that includes “The Parallax View,” “All the President’s Men,” “A Face in the Crowd,” “Medium Cool,” and “Wag the Dog.”
Elliott remarked that the series title was a play on the Washington Post’s motto, “Democracy dies in darkness.” He noted that this was “the first motto that The Washington Post adopted in their entire history,” and added, “It speaks to the ways that democracy can be endangered if truth and journalism are not part of the political process.”
The selection spans eras, providing Elliott with an opportunity to present movies that are eerily prescient today. In one such film, “A Face in the Crowd,” from 1957, Andy Griffith plays a drifter-turned-political manipulator. “It lines up exactly with the last ten years,” Elliott commented. In his view, films like “A Face in the Crowd” and “Medium Cool,” which blends fiction and documentary, offer uncanny echoes of modern populism and media manipulation.
By drawing on a wide array of films, Elliott intended to not just screen thought-provoking cinema, but to foster dialogue among the politically engaged community that frequents The Triplex. He said, “I think bringing people together to talk about all the different ways that we’re going through this time as a community is important, to make people not feel alone in it, and to hopefully still feel up for the fight of staying engaged.”
Elliott also emphasized the educational potential of the series, expressing hopes of partnering with local schools to draw in younger viewers. “I think there’s a real educational aspect to this,” he noted, suggesting that a dive into the narratives of the past could reveal much about contemporary political dynamics. “These aren’t stories that exist in a vacuum,” said Elliott. “These are stories that were inspired by real things and that still speak to our current landscape.”
“Dying in Darkness” opens Oc. 17 and runs through Nov. 3. Each screening will be accompanied by introductions from guest speakers, each providing additional context on how these films resonate with the current political landscape.
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Deborah Barlow Merwin
Oct 16, 2024
MILLERTION — Deborah Barlow Merwin, 72, a thirty-seven-year resident of Millerton, and formerly a ten-year resident of Amenia, died peacefully on Monday, October 14, 2024 at her home in Millerton, surrounded by her loving family. Debbie had a decades long career as a Medical Secretary for the Sharon Hospital in Sharon, and former Hudson River Community Health Center in Amenia, as well as others.
Born Aug. 19, 1952, in Brockport, New York, she was the daughter of Duane Barlow of Brockport and the late Patricia (Rayburn) Barlow. Following high school she attended Central City Business Institute in Syracuse. On Aug. 25, 1973, in Brockport, she married John M. Merwin, together sharing over 51 years of marriage. Mr. Merwin survives at their home in Millerton. The Merwin’s were longtime members of the Congregational Church of Salisbury in Salisbury. Debbie’s greatest joy was spending time with her beloved family and her adoring grandchildren.
In addition to her husband John, Debbie is survived by two daughters, Melissa A. Merwin of Meriden, Conn., and Sarah M. Thomen and her husband Corey of Falls Village; two grandchildren, Ian and Gabriel Thomen of Falls Village; her brother, David Barlow and his wife Debra of Holley, New York; two sisters, Rebecca Conrow and her husband Thomas of Brockport and Cynthia Wilson and her husband Robert of Albion, New York; her nieces and nephews, Spencer, Matthew, Joy, Jill, Andrew, Peter, Nicholas and Avery and several additional family members and close friends.
Calling hours will be held on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the Congregation Church of Salisbury, 30 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068. A reception is Debbie’s honor will follow in the fellowship hall at the Congregation Church of Salisbury. Burial will be private at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Red Cross. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Debbie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com.
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Northern Dutchess Paramedics Station Two is a few miles south of Millerton on Route 22. The ambulance averages less than one call per day in the town of North East.
Photo by Nathan Miller
MILLERTON — Northern Dutchess Paramedics’ (NDP) five-year contract with the Town of North East, Dover and Amenia is coming to an end in December.
The new proposed contract between the Town of North East and NDP increased by 71.5%. Over the past five years NDP increased its payments by two percent annually, making the new proposal a significant increase.
“With its population of around 3,000 people, the Town of North East has less than one call per day for ambulance service,” Chris Kennan, the town supervisor, said, “Which makes it very expensive for us and a big piece of the Town’s annual budget.”
NDP shared its contract with the Towns of North East, Amenia and Dover. Under the contract, an ALS (Advanced Life Support) ambulance must be stationed in each of the three towns.
A possible 70% increase in service pricing would impose expenses on residents, Kennan said, increasing property taxes at an “unacceptable” rate. According to Kennan, every municipality in Dutchess County is dealing with similar EMS problems. This calendar year the Town is spending $376,858 on EMS services, which is about 10.5% of the Town’s budget. NDP has requested $646,300 for their services next year.
“I’ve been in the rescue service for 37 years now as a fireman. We need that and it is the cost of doing business,” Richard Yeno, the Town of Dover’s Supervisor, said. “The problem is it’s a substantial hit, a 70 plus percent increase is a major hit to the budget. And it will make taxes go up but my people will have an ambulance service in place Jan. 1, 2025.”
Both Kennan and Yeno have expressed the importance of a future meeting with NDP to discuss logistics and as an attempt to lower their previous approach.
“We’re going to do our due diligence, shop it where we can shop it, negotiate where we can negotiate, such as NDP,” Yeno said. “We do have a future meeting planned with them. We are back on the table and both parties agreed that this needs to come to another serious discussion. So hopefully it’ll get better.”
According to Kennan, the emergency medical services (EMS) crisis is not unique to North East, Amenia and Dover. “It is a problem for smaller, less-populated towns across New York State and around the country,” Kennan said. “Put very simply, the larger the population, the more customers the EMS providers have to spread the costs around. We have to remember that we are paying for a fully-staffed ambulance sitting in our town around the clock.”
Last year, the Town of North East had 256 calls for EMS services, which is less than one call a day, leaving the ambulance sitting without callsfor long stretches. The town of Dover has roughly 8,400 residents and is dealing with a similar, over 70%, increase in its EMS service budget.
“The problem is in five years, the prices of everything has gone up. The cost of wages has gone up to be competitive. They need to increase their worker’s wages,” Yeno said. “I understand that, and that’s where we’re at.
“My people deserve this service. They need this service,” Yeno said. “And I will find a way to provide this service. I won’t go backward. I will maintain what we were receiving in service, and nothing but up.”
As of Sunday, Oct. 13, NDP has not responded to requests for comment from the Millerton News.
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