Wetlands Weighs New Fees
By Susan MacEachron An in-depth discussion of the appropriate fees to charge for a wetlands permit consumed most of the Inland Wetlands Agency meeting on March 2. Wetlands Enforcement Officer Stacy Sefcik reported that a site meeting had been held to discuss tree removal on Mountain Road related to the upcoming bridge replacement and that […]
Baffling Budget Move Needed
By Avice Meehan Norfolk voters will likely see an unusual item on the agenda for this year’s annual town meeting in May: A request to appropriate $58,366 for Botelle Elementary School for the current fiscal year. The action will ensure that Norfolk remains in compliance with a nearly 40-year-old state statute that sets out minimum […]
Regional Budget Vote Is May 4
The referendum on the Northwestern Regional School District No. 7 budget has been set for May 4 in Norfolk, Colebrook, Barkhamsted and New Hartford. If approved, the district budget would be $25.25 million for the 2026-27 school year, an increase of 1.74 percent over the current year. Norfolk’s assessment, based on the town’s anticipated enrollment, […]
Envisioning Botelle’s Future
The Board of Education and Superintendent Kevin Case will hold a series of community conversations beginning April 1 to help inform the future of elementary education in Norfolk. Additional conversations will be held on April 22 and May 20. All are from 7 to 9 p.m. at Botelle School. The project grew out of discussion […]
Norfolk’s Sweetest Season on Tap
Upwards of 85 people braved cold, misty weather on Sunday, March 22, for the pleasure of being wrapped in woodsmoke and maple-scented steam steam—an annual ritual at the Great Mountain Forest and other Norfolk sugar houses. Based on decidedly anecdotal observations, many were first timers. Property manager Russell Russ and forester Kate Regan-Loomis provided useful […]
NORFOLK WEATHER
February 2026: Cold and Snowy By Russell Russ The strong winter of 2025-26 continued through February. Deep freeze conditions are defined by periods when the daily high temperature does not exceed 32 degrees for 10 consecutive days. Norfolk was under those conditions for 18 consecutive days between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9. A high of […]
Linda Anne Soltis Perkins
Linda Anne Soltis Perkins, devoted educator, public servant and deeply-rooted member of the Norfolk community, passed away on Feb. 28, 2026, at the age of 79. Born on Dec. 17, 1946, in Philadelphia, Linda’s bond with Norfolk began in her earliest years. As a young child she spent treasured summers here visiting her aunt and […]
William Stewart Patrick
William Stewart Patrick, 83, of Norfolk, peacefully left this earth on Sunday, March 15. The only “wonderful” child of Hugh Stewart Patrick and Caroline Edith Walke Patrick, “Bill” was born in Salem, Mass., on Oct. 6, 1942. He grew up in nearby Lynnfield and moved to Connecticut as a teenager. Bill graduated from North Haven […]
Greening of Norfolk
Spicebush: A Four-Season Gem By Jill Chase As a gardener, bee keeper and amateur naturalist, I am always looking for those magical plants that check all the boxes. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is just such a plant. This undervalued shrub has much to offer. Spicebush starts the show early with a subtle display of bright green-yellow […]
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
Asteroid Comes to Earth, Artemis Takes to the Sky By Matthew Johnson The last two weeks of March witnessed exceptional astronomical events. At 9 a.m. on March 17, a meteor sped across the Cleveland, Ohio, sky at 45,000 miles per hour before splitting apart in a thunderous boom that shocked and frightened residents. NASA stated […]
