The Celestial Sphere
Strong Solar Activity Predicted This Month By Matthew Johnson Auroras were viewed over Norfolk on April 16. That night, a uniform layer of thin clouds embraced much of Norfolk, causing the aurora to glow a brilliant yellow, gold and white. This strong solar activity is predicted to continue into May as the sun’s activity approaches […]
Norfolk’s March 2025 Weather
Warm and Nearly Snowless By Russel Russ March’s temperatures were considerably above average and the total snowfall for the entire month was less than one inch. The month of March in Norfolk can have wild swings in weather conditions. There were no wild swings in conditions this year, it was just above average for warmth […]
Cook for Goodness Sake!
“Back To The Womb” Lentil Loaf By Linda Garrettson I don’t know about anybody else, but going back to the womb—or childhood, at the very least—sounds like a good idea. Day dreams aside, memories of my post-war childhood in America are the next best thing. Back then, my biggest problem was the fact that our […]
Finance Board Gets First Budget Look
By Avice Meehan The Board of Finance (BoF) held two meetings on March 11: the first to hear a formal presentation of the budget for Botelle Elementary School and the second for a discussion with First Selectman Matt Riiska focused on the town’s preliminary budget. Chairman Michael Sconyers indicated that no final decisions on the […]
Norfolk Starts Superintendent Search
By Avice Meehan The Board of Education took three major actions at the March 11 meeting held at Botelle Elementary School: opened the search for a new school superintendent, approved the 2025-26 school budget and adopted a policy for managing unspent funds. Virginia Coleman-Prisco, board chair, opened the discussion about searching for a successor School […]
Appeals Board Grants Relief
By Susan MacEachron The Board of Assessment Appeals held three sessions in March for Norfolk residents seeking to dispute the assessed value of their personal property or real estate. The three-member board lowered assessed values for 23 homeowners for a total reduction in the Grand List of approximately $750,000. Chair Walter Godlewski said 33 people […]
Selectmen Consider Motor Vehicle Valuations, Draft Budget
By Avice Meehan A new method for valuing motor vehicles for tax purposes, a first look at the budget for fiscal 2025-26 and the challenges of dealing with multiple bridge projects were all on the agenda for the March 5 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. See related stories in this issue about meetings of […]
Norfolk’s Regional School Assessment to Drop
By Avice Meehan Norfolk’s Board of Finance and other residents had a first-hand opportunity to dive into the details of the proposed Northwestern Regional 7 budget for 2025-26 during March 26 workshop presentation held in the Botelle Elementary School cafeteria. The proposed budget for the regional middle and high school is $22,629,264, an overall increase […]
Norfolk’s February Weather
Winter-like, but Lacking Snowfall By Russell Russ February is one of Norfolk’s solid-bet winter months and this February was mostly true to form. Temperatures and total precipitation were near normal. What was lacking was snowfall. While there was wintry precipitation during numerous days and snow on the ground every day of the month, it just […]
The Celestial Sphere
April Brings a Micro Moon, Return of the Morning Star By Matthew Johnson The derivation of the name April is uncertain. It may stem from the Latin Aprilis which possibly is related to the verb aperire, meaning to open, reflecting on the blossoming of nature. In Norfolk, April begins with the sun rising at 6:26 […]
