Eye on Town Government
Board of Education Digs into Minutes, Goals School leadership praised for quick response By Avice Meehan The Botelle Board of Education quietly dropped the Pledge of Allegiance from the agenda of its Sept. 9 meeting but took up other housekeeping issues that generated a comparable amount of discussion. These included the amount of information that […]
Eye on Town Government
Change in System Stymies Town By Susan MacEachronThe town’s ongoing struggle to manage a new financial accounting system, the higher than estimated bids for construction of the new firehouse and interim financing for the reconstruction of three bridges were topics addressed by First Selectman Matt Riiska at the Sept. 9 Board of Finance (BoF) meeting. […]
Botelle Beat
Welcome from the School Superintendent By Kevin D. Case The 2025-2026 school year is off to a great start at Botelle School. We began on Aug. 27 with 55 students enrolled in Pre-K through Grade 6. Lauren Valentino, Botelle’s principal; Spark, the school mascot, and I were greeted with smiles as students stepped into their […]
Cook for Goodness Sake!
What Happened to the Trick? By Linda Garrettson October is a month when I rejoice about the fact that my weeds have finally stopped growing. Brilliant bursts of color, orange in particular, dominate the landscape. October also brings scary lawn decorations, shorter days and pumpkins on doorsteps. It culminates with the magic, wonderment, and excitement […]
The Celestial Sphere
Shine on, Harvest Moon By Matthew Johnson “October” comes from “octo,” the Latin word for eight. It was the eighth month in the first, 10-month Roman calendar, but the name stuck after the calendar expanded to 12 months. On Sept. 22, Earth reached the point in its orbit designated as the autumnal equinox. We transitioned […]
Norfolk’s August Weather
Top Notch Summer Weather By Russell Russ Last year’s title for August was, “Not the Best Summer Weather.” Two years ago, it was about the same. This year, it was the complete opposite. Many people have said the weather this August was the best they could remember. Numerous sunny days, not much humidity and only […]
Eye on Town Government
Fresh Starts at Board of Education By Avice Meehan Botelle Elementary School Superintendent Kevin Case presented his first agenda to the Board of Education at its Aug. 19 meeting and quickly learned to take nothing for granted. A suggestion to open the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance—which opens every school day—drew fire from board […]
Eye on Town Government
Selectman Outlines Key Fiscal Pressures for Finance Board By Avice Meehan The Board of Finance received an update from First Selectman Matt Riiska at a brief Aug. 12 meeting that highlighted some of the fiscal pressures facing Norfolk early in the new fiscal year. Kevin Case, the new school superintendent, joined the meeting and said […]
Eye on Town Government
P&Z Considers Family Camps, Vehicle Storage and Blight Ordinance By Avice Meehan Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) said they would review the definition of family camps—seasonal compounds that have long been part of Norfolk life—following an extended discussion at the Aug. 12 meeting about proposed improvements to one such camp on Mountain […]
Eye on Town Government
Board of Selectmen Discuss Fire District Proposal and Closing Old Colony Road By Ruth Melville With no items to be voted on this month, First Selectman Matt Riiska devoted the Aug. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen to a quick rundown of ongoing town projects. Riiska acknowledged that it was a concern that the […]
