Hoboken International Film Festival Hosted by Middletown

The Hoboken International Film Festival at the Historic Paramount Theater in Middletown NY, May 31, 2013 through June 6, 2013.

Academy Award nominee ERIC ROBERTS will personally accept the 2013 HIFF Lifetime Achievement Award at the HIFF Gala Awards Ceremeony on June 6, 2013...Hoboken International Film Festival showcases the world's most cutting edge movies and filmmakers.

Information to purchase tickets and the shedule at:
www.hobokeninternationalfilmfestival.com

CURRENT STATUS OF CHANNEL 20

Today, Dr. Eastwood of the Middletown School District claimed the City "pulled the plug" on the District's use of Channel 20. His claim is patently false. The City on March 19th used Channel 20 for just over one hour to broadcast Mayor DeStefano's State of the City address and then turned it back to the District for its use. THE DISTRICT REFUSED TO CONTINUE ITS BROADCASTING AND ISSUED A FALSE STATEMENT ON ITS WEBSITE. Channel 20 has been and continues to be available to the District to broadcast its events. For more information, please see the full statement below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR. EASTWOOD'S CLAIM ABOUT TIME WARNER CABLE GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 20 IS FALSE

Superintendent Ken Eastwood of the Middletown School District today claimed that the City of Middletown "pulled the plug" on the School District's access to Time Warner Cable's Channel 20, commonly known as the government access channel. Dr. Eastwood's statement is false.

Here are the facts about Channel 20:

Time Warner Cable, as part of its agreement to provide cable television service to the Middletown area and as required by law, has set aside Channel 20 as the "government access channel." That channel is meant to allow local government to broadcast information to residents of the City and other cable subscribers from the City of Middletown and other governmental bodies. Under the agreement, the City of Middletown has had the primary right to use the channel to broadcast meetings and other City-related information but has not had the technology available to do so. The City has allowed the School District to use Channel 20 to broadcast School Board meetings and other school-related information, but the School District's use has always been subject to the City's right to use the channel as well.

City officials like Alderman Masi have urged the City for years to use Channel 20 to broadcast Common Council meetings. For months, the City has been working with Time Warner Cable to install the technology necessary to allow the City to broadcast Common Council meetings and for emergency notifications to the public. That technology is now installed, and the City used Channel 20 for the first time Tuesday night, March 19th, to broadcast Mayor DeStefano's State of the City address. The City has told the School District for more than a year that the City will use Channel 20 from time to time but had no intention to stop the School District from using it as well. The Mayor advised Dr. Eastwood for over a year that the City, from time to time, would be using Channel 20 for public notifications and meetings without conflicting with the School District's schedule or programming, except in emergencies. On Monday, March 18th, the Mayor advised the District's clerk in an e-mail that the City would broadcast the Mayor's State of the City address live on Tuesday, March 19th from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

In response to the City's use of Channel 20 on March 19th, it was the School District that "pulled the plug" and issued a false statement claiming the City and Time Warner Cable "pulled the plug." Shortly after the Mayor's State of the City address, the School District stopped its programming and caused the screen to go "blank," leaving residents, government officials and even representatives of Time Warner Cable wondering if there were technical problems with the channel. There were none. The School District, in essence, took its ball and went home.

The City is and always has been willing to let the School District use Channel 20. If the School District, through Dr. Eastwood, refuses to do so, the City is ready, willing and able to provide continuous programming on Channel 20 for the benefit of all the residents of the City.

For the betterment of students, parents and our community, the Mayor calls on the School Board to direct Dr. Eastwood immediately to restore District broadcasting on Channel 20.

Link below for Article from Middletown Record onThursday, March 21, 2013

 Middletowns Channel 20 goes dark after dispute between school district, mayor

Mayor DeStefano State of the City Address 2013

Mayor Destefano gave his State of the City Address Tuesday, March 19, 2013 night to the Common Council which was televised on Channel 20.  Members of the public and the press were there and gave the Mayor a standing ovation after the speech. 

The full speech and supporting documentation is in the link below: 

 Mayor DeStefano State of the City Address 2013

Help Keep Our Environment & Streams Clean

Please report any Illicit Discharge and unlawful releases of contaminants including waste water in our catch basins, storm sewers and streams to the Department of Public Works office at 845-343-3169.  Thank you for your assistance.