Minister Plans Sabbatical
Erick Olsen to visit Kenya in July By Sally Quale After nearly 11 years of service at The Church of Christ Congregational, the Reverend Erick Olsen will be taking his first sabbatical this July, August and September. He returns to the pulpit October 1. “This will not be a vacation,” he emphasizes, but an opportunity […]
The Drama of The Missing Man
Copters and canines used in hunt for retired teacher By Lloyd Garrison For two days in April, Norfolk witnessed numerous police cruisers on the prowl and two helicopters searching for Joseph Pappalardo, a 60-year old East Hartford man who had abandoned his parked Toyota Avalon at Station Place. Police said he was thought to be […]
Town Taxes and Spending Climb Slightly
Mill Rate to Rise 10 Percent By Wiley Wood The Board of Finance met twice in April to set Norfolk’s budget for 2014-2015, in advance of the annual budget hearing and town meeting. The town expects to raise $6,634,114 in taxes, an increase of $350,141 over last year, or 6 percent. “The mill rate’s going […]
Out and About
Not your Average Run Of the Mill By Rosanna Trestman Every piece of lumber begins as a log. Typically, the log goes from forest to sawmill, and comes out a plank cut to a uniform width, length and height. But at Berkshire Products, a sawmill tucked on Ashley Falls Road in Sheffield, Mass., the log’s […]
Veteran Editor to Join Norfolk Now
Ruth Melville has spent 40 years helping bringing books to life By Lloyd Garrison Last year, when Ruth Melville began showing up at Norfolk Now story conferences and volunteered to write for the paper, the editors were unaware of a true pro in their midst. Not only could she write, but she was a seasoned […]
The Colebrook Store Goes Out of Business
A Revolving Door By Bob Bumcrot After only nine months of operation, the Colebrook Store closed its doors at the end of March due to significant management differences between the owners of the building, the Colebrook Preservation Society (CPS), and the store operator, Miriam Briggs. Briggs, who lives above the store with her sons Quentin, […]
Touring Musician Posts Norfolk Video Online
While in Norfolk on February 27 to play a concert at Infinity Hall, folk musician Brett Dennen wandered the downtown area and made a short video, which has recently been posted to YouTube. In it he comments drolly on the nonexistent rush-hour traffic, the overly solicitous signs and the friendliness of the locals—who remained […]
Rosemary Gill Reads Dorothy Parker
As the audience drifted into the Norfolk Library on Saturday, April 5, they were directed to the reference room, where a gleaming tray of martinis greeted them. The story on offer that evening, “Here We Are,” was written by the Algonquin Round Table stalwart Dorothy Parker in 1931, a time when it was not unusual […]
Eye on Town Government
By Wiley Wood At the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting on April 1, 2014, a letter from a Norfolk resident prompted a discussion of crime prevention. First Selectman Sue Dyer had investigated the possibility of hiring a constable to help the resident trooper with his duties. Her research revealed that the town would have to […]
