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 […]

BOOK TALK

Agility for the Win By Avice Meehan As Liz Tran worked on her first book, a conversation with a good friend made her realize that she needed to start over. If that wasn’t challenging enough, Tran found herself working inside a canvas camping tent during a hot Norfolk summer—just so that she could have decent […]

WORD TO THE WISE

Take Care to Avoid a Fall By Jude Mead After a long, icy winter that saw a spike in falls across town, residents are urged to look beyond seasonal hazards. While snow and ice can make conditions more dangerous, many serious falls occur daily during routine activities indoors, outdoors, or at work. The National Safety […]

Book Signing at the Library

Harriet Newman Cohen signs a copy of her newly-published book for Maura May after a riveting talk on March 21 at the Norfolk Library along with her coauthor David Feinberg. Their book, “Passion and Power: A Life in Three Worlds,” traces her ground-breaking career as a leading divorce attorney, from entering a male-dominated legal world […]

BOTELLE BEAT

Building Our School Budget By Kevin D. Case, Superintendent of Schools Each year, Norfolk trusts us with two of its most valuable resources: its children and its tax dollars. Developing the annual school budget is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a school district. I would like to let you know how […]

Community News

Send submissions for Community News to next month’s issue editor at editor@nornow.org. Deadline is the 15th of the month. Battell Arts Scholarships The Battell Arts Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications to support local students’ interest in the arts. Applicants must be residents of Norfolk or Colebrook, in grades 4-12, and studying an artistic endeavor such as dance, […]