The Greenwoods Puppet Festival
LImagine you are on the wing of a great owl swooping over the southern Berkshires. You swing down neara tiny hamlet nestled in the rollinghills. You flypastthe Great Mountain Forest, gliding above Toby Pond. You spot the steeples of the churches and the vivid green of Infinity Hall. You see the Norfolk Library with its regal turret. Sweeping down,you sense energy and movement. […]
Department of Education Raps Norfolk’s Knuckles
The Town of Norfolk skimped on its education budget this year, according to the state’s Department of Education (DOE). In fact, the state has ruled that when Norfolk’s Board of Finance reduced Botelle School’s budget by $40,000 in the current year, it put the town in violation of the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement, a measure […]
Norfolk Aims at a Low-Salt Diet
By mid-February, the town had used almost all of its $125,000 salt budget. It wasn’t that there was all that much snow, said Matt Riiska, but the freeze-and-thaw cycles put a lot of ice on the roads. “I’d be happy if we only have to buy another 300 tons,” said Riiska. The town budgeted for […]
Truck Travel on Mountain Road Restricted
Bridge to be narrowed to one lane By Wiley Wood New signs have appeared on Mountain Road, and no trucks are allowed on the snake fence section between Route 272 and West Side Road. The reason, says First Selectman Matt Riiska, is that the stone bridge over Norfolk Brook needs work. The Connecticut Department of […]
Cannabis: Coming of Age in 2019
By David Beers In early January, a store that sells recreational cannabis (marijuana) opened its doors in Great Barrington. The Theory Wellness dispensary is the first of its kind in our area, which makes it a much talked about destination. The recreational sale of cannabis is now legal in Canada and the states of Massachusetts, […]
Norfolk Land Trust Seeks Reaccreditation
Norfolk Land Trust, Inc. (NLT), is in the process of applying for renewal of its national accreditation. The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. NLT is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. A public comment […]
Agricultural Education Program Provides Classroom Learning and Hands-On Skills
By Charlotte McDevitt There are many different activities that students can participate in when entering Northwestern Regional 7, and some programs will benefit them throughout their lives. One example is the Agricultural Education Program, or Ag. There are three different parts of the Ag program: Class and Lab, FFA (Future Farmers of America) and SAEP […]
Norfolk Downs Easement
The Norfolk Land Trust recently preserved more than 38 acres of prime forestland that abuts Tobey Pond. The Norfolk Downs easement was finalized late last year, the culmination of several months of work by land trust members, Great Mountain Forest and the landowner, Betsy Gill. The easement is boarded on two sides by Great Mountain Forest, […]
Early Budget Talks: Grand List Is Down, Capital Expenditures Are Up
By Wiley Wood As the Board of Finance assembled for its first budget workshop on the night of Feb. 13, Chairman Michael Sconyers asked about the grand list, the total value of real property in Norfolk against which town taxes are levied. Properties were revalued this year, and notices recently went out to property owners […]
Gold on Ice
It isn’t every day that an Olympic gold-medal winner comes to town. But on Jan. 31, Tyler George (at left, above), a member of the U.S. men’s gold-medal winning curling team at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, stopped by the Norfolk Curling Club as part of his post-Olympics goodwill tour. In beating number one-ranked Sweden, […]
