Over Half a Century of Spaceflight

The Celestial Sphere by Matthew Johnson Sixty years ago, in 1961, the Russian Yuri Gagarin and the American Alan Shepard rocketed into space, beginning a competition between their two nations and an adventure in space that continues today. Gagarin was born in 1934 in the Russian village of Klushino, a peasant village that suffered severely […]

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, a Perfect Holiday Dessert

Notes from a French Kitchen by Marie-Christine Perry Summer has ended and with it the garden’s abundance. The dehydrator has been working full-time, drying the last of the summer bounty: thyme, marjoram, basil, sage and tarragon take turns scenting the air, and I have filled countless recycled Bonne Maman jam jars with their fragrant leaves. […]

P&Z Requires Special Permit Application for Town Farm Project

Eye on Town Government by Susan MacEachron The Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) agenda on Sept. 14 included two new public hearings and a continuation of the public hearing for the proposed Haystack Woods development.  First on the docket was an application for ground-mounted solar panels at Ginger Creek Nursery.  A neighbor had sent a […]

Board of Finance Explores Potential Sources of Funding for Fire Truck

Eye on Town Government By Susan MacEachron The purchase of a new tanker truck for the Norfolk Fire Department was the primary topic discussed during the Sept. 14 Board of Finance meeting. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the existing 1999 Freightliner truck has been leaking for two years and attempts to have it repaired have […]

Wetlands Permit Approved for Proposed Haystack Woods Development

Eye on Town Government By Susan MacEachron The Inlands Wetlands Agency (Wetlands), in a continuing public hearing held on Sept. 13, gave its approval for proposed work for Haystack Woods, a planned affordable-housing project on Old Colony Road. Previously, at its Aug. 30 special meeting, questions raised by Wetlands members about potential wetlands disturbance at […]

New Space Telescope Made in America

The Celestial Sphere by Matthew Johnson The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in December. The concept for the telescope was conceived in 1995, and construction started a decade later. Many of the components have been built using multiple technologies, with the work done by hundreds of engineering corporations in America, Canada and […]

New Year, New Protocols at Botelle

The Botelle Beat by Virgina Coleman-Prisco A year ago, the Botelle community was preparing to return to in-person learning for the first time since Covid-19 forced the school into remote instruction in March 2020. Two primary factors, the smaller population and the amount of available space for instruction and mask breaks, allowed Botelle to have […]

EDC Working on Revitalizing Town Website

By Ruth Melville Co-chair Libby Borden opened the Aug. 12 meeting of the Economic Development Commission with a quick review of the current state of the EDC’s budget. So far, the EDC has spent $3,100 out of its budget of $8,400: $500 on publicity for the “Fridays on the Green” events and $2,600 on the […]

Haystack Woods Road Planning Continues

by Susan MacEachron The Inlands Wetlands Agency meeting on August 2 was primarily devoted to a continuation of the public hearing regarding the proposed Haystack Woods development. The matters under discussion all related to the standards required to provide access to the development via a town road.   Ken Hrica, an engineer and licensed land surveyor […]

At P&Z, Residents Show Support for Affordable Housing

by Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents turned out in numbers to fill the Town Hall meeting room for the Aug. 10 Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting. The commission quickly dispensed with the first two matters on the agenda: applications for a special permit to install solar panels and for a home enterprise to sell baked […]