June, Ticks Suck!!!

By Leslie Watkins Ticks really, really suck. They are reported to suck on more than 300,000 Americans each year, and actual numbers are believed to be far higher. Migratory birds carry the ticks around the world and it’s becoming a pandemic. And can you guess where tick headquarters is located? New England has the greatest […]

Exploring a World Where Technology Trumps Instinct

Courtney Maum’s new novel launched May 30   By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo When asked how she feels now that her new novel, “Touch,” is completed, Courtney Maum says with some hesitation, “I feel good.” Launching a book in early summer is usually optimal, as it is the high season for reading. Putnam, Maum’s new publisher, […]

Honeybees on the Rise in Norfolk

  By Jude Mead Why would anyone raise honeybees? Honeybees give us honey, with its rich sweet taste. And beeswax, used in candles and cosmetics. There’s also the fact that honeybee pollination may account, either directly or indirectly, for one-third of our food. Whatever the reason, beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Norfolk. My […]

Renowned Musicians Will Reunite in Norfolk in June

Nick Halley, Jon Suters, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudemus will all be back in town   By Colleen Gundlach When Paul Halley founded Chorus Angelicus, his son Nick was just eight years old. Nick Halley sang in the very first group of children who formed the original chorus and has since become a musician in his […]

Second Annual Weekend in Norfolk Festival Gears Up

Dozens of events to occur simultaneously   By Wiley Wood If Norfolk is generally a quiet town, there is one weekend in the year when it bangs its own drum, and that is during the town-wide celebration of arts, culture and outdoor activities known as Weekend in Norfolk, or WIN, when every organized group in […]

Town Offers Free Training in Mental Health First Aid

  By Ruth Melville We are all familiar with the idea of offering first aid for physical injuries, from Band-Aids to the Heimlich maneuver to CPR. But what about first aid for mental distress? What would you do if confronted by a person having a panic attack? What aid or advice would you feel competent […]

Without a Car in Norfolk? Call a Chauffeur!

By David Beers On a sunny Saturday morning, two friends and I met at the Berkshire Country Store to make a trip to Winsted. I pulled out my phone and used my Uber app to call up a ride. (I also have a Lyft app, but Lyft does not have a presence yet in northwest […]

Board of Finance Struggles to Keep Spending Down

Increases outnumber cuts   By Wiley Wood On Monday, April 24, the Board of Finance held its annual budget hearing and presented a provisional budget for the next fiscal year. Despite a general effort to keep costs down, spending will go up slightly in the coming year and the mill rate will increase from 22.09 […]

City Meadow Finally Ready for Its Makeover

Construction to start in late June   By Wiley Wood The City Meadow project cleared its final regulatory hurdle at a public hearing on April 25 when the Planning and Zoning Commission approved an application for an earth excavation permit, as required by town statutes for projects of more than 250 cubic yards. The construction […]

Our Native Wildlife Needs Native Plants

  By Shelley Harms Ah, spring in Norfolk! Frog choruses, birdsong, green leaves and . . . burgeoning invasive plants. It’s time to pull up the garlic mustard and chop out those invasive shrubs like honeysuckle, barberry and burning bush. Alien invasive plants are spreading all over town—they are probably growing in your own backyard. […]