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George Laurence McGowan
Millerton News
Mar 18, 2026
NEWTOWN — George Laurence “Larry” McGowan, 82, died on Feb. 28, 2026. A man of integrity and long-standing friendships, Larry leaves behind a legacy of professional achievement and a family who loved him dearly.
Born on Nov. 27, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York to George Laurence and Grace Harding McGowan, Larry grew up with a foundation of faith and education.
He attended St. John’s Preparatory School (Brooklyn, New York) and Garden City (New York) High School before graduating from Niagara University.
After graduation, Larry completed his ROTC training and became a first lieutenant in the United States Army.
Following additional specialized training, he was stationed in Vilseck, Germany, on the Czech border, where he led a missile unit for most of his military service. He was immensely proud of his time spent in the military and spoke of it often.
Upon returning to civilian life, Larry dedicated his professional career to Real Estate Development and Construction. His work left a tangible mark across the Northeast, and he remained committed to it, actively engaging in projects until his courageous battle with pulmonary disease led him to retire two years ago. He was known by colleagues for his expertise and his commitment to the projects that shaped the local landscape.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Larry was a husband, loyal friend, and cherished family member. He is survived by his wife, Brigid Mary Hutchinson McGowan; his sister, Kathleen McGowan Metz of Longboat Key, Florida and Sharon, Connecticut; his nephews, James Thornton Metz (Victoria) and Robert Harding Metz (Robin); and his nieces, Alicia Harding Metz, Lauren Harding Simons, Kathryn Metz Helm (Lloyd), and Margaret Thornton Metz.
Larry was a proud great-uncle to nine grand-nieces and nephews, all of whom held a special place in his heart.
Larry also shared a close and affectionate bond with Aldina Vazão Kennedy and Ana Monica Vazão. He valued lifelong friendships, particularly those formed during his years at Garden City High School and found immense joy in nurturing those connections, especially through their annual golf outings he so enjoyed organizing and attending.
A Mass of Christian Burial with military honors will be celebrated at 11 a.m. June 6, 2026, at Immaculate Conception Church in Amenia. The interment at Calvary Cemetery will be at a later date.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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Ralph Henry Stanton Jr.
Millerton News
Mar 18, 2026
CANAAN — Ralph Henry Stanton Jr. of Canaan, passed away on March 7, 2026, after a prolonged battle with his heart. He leaves behind his wife Patricia, twin sons Thomas and Wyatt and grandson Gunner Stanton.
Visiting hours are 5 to 8p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, Canaan, CT. Ample parking is available in the town parking lot behind the library. Burial will be private at Mountainview Cemetery in Canaan when weather permits.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming. A celebration of life is being planned for June. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ralph’s memory to the North Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corp, Inc., 15 Main Street, P.O. Box 178, Canaan, CT 06018 and/or the Canaan Fire Company, 4 East Main Street, P.O. Box 642, Canaan, CT 06018.
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Mary “Molly” Hinchman
Millerton News
Mar 18, 2026
WEST CORNWALL — Dr. Mary “Molly” Hinchman, 78, passed away on March 12, 2026, at Noble Horizons following a brief illness. She was the beloved wife of Russell E. Guerin for 33 years.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 4, 1947, she was the daughter of the late John and Catharine (Sellew) Hinchman.
Molly was a devoted and compassionate psychologist for over 40 years. She received her MSW and her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She went on to complete her postdoctoral internship in Family Therapy and received her license for independent practice in 1981.
Throughout the years, Dr. Hinchman was dedicated to and worked with many people including children and families in residential treatment and partial hospital programs, adults and couples through her private practice and specialized in the treatment of substance abuse and addiction.
Molly enjoyed teaching at St. Joseph College and Northwestern Connecticut Community College where the focus was centered on families and their cultures. For the last 30 years, Molly has been a student and presenter at the Jean Baker Miller Advanced Training Institute where she worked with her colleagues to incorporate Cultural/Relational Theory into her clinical work.
In addition to her husband, Russell, Molly is survived by her siblings, Betsey Polglase and Joan Hinchman; two nieces and three stepchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the United Church of Christ in Cornwall, 8 Bolton Hill Road, Cornwall, CT06753. Burial will be private. Calling hours will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, at Thurston Rowe Funeral Home, 283 Torrington Road, Litchfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to United Church of Christ in Cornwall, 8 Bolton Hill Road, Cornwall, CT 06753 or to Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Litchfield County, 32 Union Street, Winsted, CT06098
To send the family an online expression of sympathy kindly visit www.thurstonrowefuneralhome.com
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Letters to the Editor — Thursday, March 19
Millerton News
Mar 18, 2026
Thanks from Fire Co.
On Sunday, March 15, the Amenia Fire Company sponsored our monthly Pancake Breakfast. We were pleased to have a nice crowd of 202 people in attendance for our monthly meal. We rely on the breakfasts to raise needed money for general operations and we always appreciate the support of the community. We thank everyone who attends our events and hope you will join us at our final breakfast of the year on April 19 at the firehouse.
Andy Murphy,
on behalf of the Breakfast Committee, Amenia Fire Co. & Auxiliary
Don’t weaken climate law in budget talks
At a time when we see more clearly than ever the global dangers of our dependency on fossil fuels for reasons even beyond the existential damages of climate change, we should not support a movement in Albany to weaken Climate Law as part of the budget negotiation.
CLCPA is not causing the energy cost crisis. It is clearer than ever that costs are out of control due to the cost of oil and tariffs, not the Climate Law. Since the start of the Iran war we can see them rise every day. Contrary to the actions of the Trump administration, we should have continued to invest in the research and manufacturing of wind and solar energy and worked to free the U.S. from our dependency on foreign oil and all carbon burning fuels. Our high prices are the result of the high price of oil, having nothing to do with CLCPA. We should all work to protect the Climate Law and the slow but steady progress we have made over many years.
Louise Meryman
Pine Plains
Harlem Valley Rail Trail accident is horrifying
I was horrified to read about the bicycle accident on the Rail Trail, resulting in a fractured vertebra and a long healing process for someone who was enjoying a ride on a path specifically built for that purpose.
I am an active cyclist who rides 150+ miles per week in warm weather. I occasionally ride parts of the Rail Trail, almost always during the week when there is little activity, and only to connect to a road.
The Rail Trail is NOT for serious cyclists. Whenever I approach walkers I call out well in advance and coast my bike past them at a slow speed. If they don’t turn around, I stop. I would never pass another cyclist, especially a casual rider, on any of the elevated wooden walkways. It is infuriating that an accident like this is completely foreseeable, yet happened anyway.
I don’t walk the Rail Trail but if I did I would be very vocal (but friendly) in telling cyclists to slow down and, if on a walkway, to dismount. It is for their safety as well. The woman who was injured could have just as easily turned into the cyclist, which could have put them both in the hospital.
I was strongly tempted to suggest litigation here, but I am sure friends long ago offered that advice. As warm weather approaches you might consider an article about local bike safety, perhaps focused on the Rail Trail. The tiny silver lining here is that the article is not about a small child being hit by cyclist,
Terry Vance
Sharon
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A wedding, school bus flips, Najdek wins
Millerton News
Mar 18, 2026
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
March 21, 1934
Ethel S. Kimball To Become Bride
Mr. and Mrs. S. E. Kimball of Millerton have announced the engagement of their daughter, Ethel S. Kimball, to H. Scott Lind, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Lind, also of Millerton. Miss Kimball was graduated from Millerton High School with the class of 1930 and attended Albany Business College. She is employed at the Millerton National Bank. Mr. Lind, also a graduate of Millerton High School, is employed at the local Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company store. No date has been set for the wedding.
About Millerton
Joseph Lee is seriously ill at his home on Simmons Street. A nurse from Pittsfield is in attendance.
Charles Barton of Ancramdale was a business caller in town on Saturday.
June Ganung is ill at her home with measles.
Mr. and Mrs. Ward McArthur and daughter, Bess, spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Townsend in Beacon.
Mrs. Helen Liner is quite ill at her home.
Tom McCullough, Jr., recently became ill with measles.
March 18,1976
IGA Market To Open In Vacant A&P
The vacant A&P building on Main Street in Millerton is scheduled to become the site of a Millerton IGA Supermarket.
Arthur Fried of Staatsburg, co-owner of the building, said this week a lease has been signed with Herbert Hey Associates of Fishkill, N.Y., to open a food market in the building. Fried, however, declined to offer further information on the business deal.
Herbert W. Hey verified the fact that a lease has been arranged with Fried but also declined to offer further information about the proposed operations.
School Bus Flips Over On Icy Road
Twenty-seven children and a bus driver escaped serious injury Tuesday afternoon, March 16, when a Webutuck School bus skidded off Silver Mountain Road in North East, careened into a wooden shed and came to rest on its side in the snow of Storm Matt.
Six children were rushed to Sharon Hospital by the Millerton Rescue Squad and a hospital spokesman said the kids were treated for minor injuries and released the same afternoon. They were: Caroline Vosburgh, 11, treated for a bruised face; Betsy Vosburgh, 12, strained neck muscles; Derrick Reimer, 10, bruised left eyebrow; Tammy McCauley, 8, neck contusion; Nancy Lawrence, 11, rib cage contusion; and Paul Mahoney, 10, small bruise on the forehead.
Once the initial shock of the accident had subsided, school officials spoke of how the kids on the bus had reacted. Rindsberg said Kreiling told him the kids “had a bus safety drill 2 days ago and were remarkable.”
March 22, 2001
Cawley Write-In Bid Fails, Najdek Wins Mayoral Race
MILLERTON — It’s official. The village will have a new mayor and trustee, and a proposal for a pension plan for village firefighters has been killed.
Though incumbent Mayor Michael Cawley was not actually running for re-election, he still received more than one-third of the mayoral votes cast March 20.
No write-in campaign was actively run by the mayor, and yet 52 out of 145 village voters made the effort to pen “Michael Cawley” rather than pull the lever for Deputy Mayor (now mayor-elect) Mariley Najdek. She received 93 votes and was the only mayoral candidate on the ballot.
Town of North East Councilwoman and village Planning Board Chairwoman Cathy Fenn, who publicly backed the Cawley write-in effort before the election, said the large number of write-ins “made a statement.”
Ms. Fenn, a village resident, concluded, “The voters have spoken,” referring not only to the mayoral race, but also to the fire pension plan proposal, which was defeated in the booth.
The referendum went down by a margin of 71-41.
Speaking to Guy DeMarco, a registered Republican who ran on the Peace Party line for a trustee position, Mr. Carter said, “As much as I would have liked [the race] to be uncontested, [having more people run] makes you talk about the issues.”
Wanted: For Bank Robbery
AMENIA - State police and other law enforcement agencies are still looking for a man who robbed the M&T bank in Amenia last Wednesday, March 14.
A heavily built, white male who is about 40 years old and 5 foot, 9 inches, is wanted in connection with a robbery of the bank at about 9:15 a.m.
Police are also looking into the possibility the suspect was also involved in the Feb. 14 robbery of the NewMil Bank in Sharon. Surveillance cameras show a striking resemblance between the two suspects.
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We were once ugly Americans
Peter Riva
Mar 18, 2026
In the '60s and '70s all across Europe, American largesse and bravado, borne of the success of WWII, coupled with a deserved prosperity but sometimes paraded ostentatiously, gave us a derisive nickname; Ugly American. What many saw as showing off with our ability to have jet travel to tour Europe, camera dangling from neck straps, dollars and travelers’ checks aplenty, incapability to speak foreign languages yet raising our voices while issuing loud requests to bemused foreigners… it was perhaps a time of innocence and, yes definitely, a cultural mistake. It is, however, a time Europe now misses. Gone are trustworthy but awkward Americans, replaced by untrustworthy partners, out-of-control ultra-right-wing politics, and frightening prospects for world peace.
All across Europe and NATO as well as much of Asia and Africa, our previous staunch allies and friends are looking at a future where America and Americans may no longer be relied on, where American capability and morality that once supported values in common have vanished. Under this Administration such commonality has been destroyed. Not dented, not frayed, as many in the media would desperately wish to think, but destroyed. Ursula von der Leyen, EU Chief, has urgently claimed that Europe must now hold fast to a “rules-based order” to countermine America’s new deviation from international law, “…for a world that has gone and will not return.”
Headlines in American professional industrial publications also lament the changes; “Switzerland eyes European Air Defenses, Settles for Fewer F-35s.” The new American political elite have made decisions that work to quickly destroy any concept of a rules-based-order partnership in defense. And American industry defense giants are quietly expressing grave concern over their future foreign order books’ thin prospects. Raytheon was dismayed when they learned that they are no longer allowed to sell or ship support for Patriot surface-to-air defense systems to most existing European or Asian ally. Most of Raytheon’s overseas clients need to begin switching purchasing power to local or friendly industries. These are multi-decade commitments for billions of dollars for American industry, wiped out in an instant by the current US policy and have caused multi-decade industrial strengthening of European and Chinese industries. Yes, Chinese and, in the case of some African and Asian countries, perhaps Russian as well.
Capricious DC decisions and sayings may seem comical until they manifest as part of a plan of discord, distractions, and a re-ordering of global power based on false premises of permanent superiority. There is no such thing as permanent superiority. 350,000,000 Americans, even if all of them agreed (which we do not!), cannot overwhelm 7,880,000,000 people without a resultant conflict. All the offensive weapons and know-how in America cannot overwhelm the same capabilities and will of the rest of the world. Initially it may look like toppling or killing a few leaders of adversarial countries is winning a war, but that is childish thinking. Success can only be measured over time and, as proving with Iran, 92,000,000 Iranians may not simply roll over when brutally attacked. Britain’s population of only 41,000,000 wasn’t in 1939/40 — perhaps that’s a lesson better re-learned.
The danger here is that where we were once “ugly Americans,” but we have now become un-friendly, untrustworthy Americans – and that may take decades to remedy.
Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, New York, now lives in Gila, New Mexico.
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