March Viewing
The Celestial Sphere by Matthew Johnson With temperatures hovering between zero and 15 degrees for most of our Norfolk winter days and nights, the warmer weather that springtime brings will be a welcome event. The transition from winter to spring begins on March 20 at 11:33 a.m. with the long-awaited vernal equinox. On the equinox […]
ZBA Approves Storage Garage on Route 44
Eye on Town Government by Susan MacEachron A proposed new storage garage across Route 44 from George’s Norfolk Garage was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting on Jan. 20. George Auclair owns four acres across from his existing garage, and the land is zoned for commercial development. However, the zoning setback requirements […]
Wetlands Considers Above-Ground Pipe at Spaulding Brook
Eye on Town Government by Susan MacEachron At its Jan. 3 meeting, the Inlands Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) continued its public hearing to discuss the application by First Selectman Matt Riiska to allow use of the town farm by third parties for processing material. The town farm is an area of approximately 180 acres owned by […]
Omicron Rates Starting to Come Down
The Body Scientific by Richard Kessin A few months ago, we were anticipating the reopening of public life. But events intervened. First, the protection of the two-dose vaccines started to subside. Second, unvaccinated patients, including children, were sickened by the furiously infectious Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. More patients survive the Omicron virus than Delta, many […]
Crêpes for Mardi Gras
Notes From a French Kitchen by Marie-Christine Perry The holidays are behind us, and after Epiphany and its traditional cake, galette des rois (cake of the kings), the next festive celebration on the French calendar is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. This is an important day for the French, who make crêpes and beignets that […]
Norfolk’s 2021 November and December Weather
A slow start for wintertime weather by Russell Russ The final two months of 2021 brought Norfolk closer to wintertime. There were glimpses of winter weather in November and December, but for the most part winter held off until after the ball dropped on the new year. What was very notable was the drop in […]
The Sky’s No Limit in 2022
The Celestial Sphere by Matthew Johnson With space missions planned for launch by Russia, Japan, South Korea, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, and the James Webb Space Telescope functioning properly after achieving its distant orbit away from the thermal interference of the earth, moon and sun, 2022 may prove to be a spectacular […]
EDC Looking Five Years Ahead
Eye on Town Government By Ruth Melville Economic Development Commission co-chair Libby Border started the Nov. 11 meeting by asking commission members to think about how they envisioned Norfolk in five years time, and what the EDC could do to facilitate that vision. The Norfolk Foundation has recently completed a similar exercise and has set […]
New Committee Considers ARPA Funds, Town Budget On-Target
Eye on Town Government by Susan MacEachron Presenting to the Board of Finance on Nov. 9, First Selectman Matt Riisksa reported that he has formed a committee to advise on how the town could utilize the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds it received. The committee consists of Susan Anderson, representing the Board of Finance, […]
Comet Leonard to Appear in the Norfolk Skies
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Johnson We begin the month of December and continue into January with long nights, reaching a maximum on the evening of the winter solstice on Dec. 21—with 14 hours and 56 minutes of darkness and only 9 hours and 4 minutes of daylight. After the 21st, each day grows a […]
