• Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse

    Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]

  • Richard Byrne Retires as Active Firefighter

    After 58 years, veteran status By Joseph Kelly He was a young Navy veteran, about to be married and ready to start a family in his hometown when, in February 1968, his older brother convinced him to join the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). For Richard Byrne it was the start of an association that […]

  • Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus Will Benefit Local Food Banks

    Three Grammy nominees to perform at Infinity Hall By Colleen Gundlach On April 11, Infinity Hall will be the setting for Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus, a concert that will benefit Stock the Shelves, an outreach of United Way of Northwestern Connecticut. The Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus will feature three Grammy nominees […]

  • Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics

    To get the ice just right, filmmakers tapped Norfolk expertise By Joseph Kelly The underdogs who battle the odds—the washed-up boxer, the outclassed football team, the aging baseball slugger with one last homerun in him—are all Hollywood standbys. Ronald Reagan may be remembered as much for “win one for the Gipper” as he is for […]

  • How Botelle (Carefully) Uses AI for Learning

    By Avice Meehan For more than three decades, children visited the fictional town of Frog Creek, Penn., home to two children named Jack and Annie. With the help of a magic tree house, the pair are whisked away to distant places where they have adventures, solve problems and, perhaps, learn a thing or two. Like […]

  • Choral Singing Meets Bluegrass

    LCCU welcomes all ages to sing new styles By Andra Moss The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is entering its 127th concert year with decidedly youthful energy. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Gabriel Löfvall, the LCCU will convene a youth choral festival in Norfolk in late spring; offer a series of choral seminars […]

  • Winter Weekend In Norfolk

    It was a cold and blustery weekend, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out on Feb. 21 and 22 for Winter WIN, the weekend for enjoying all things Norfolk in the winter season. The photos below show a story of a town that came together to strut its stuff for the world to […]

  • From Freeze to Flow: Extreme Temps and the Maple Syrup Season

    Reaching that ideal mix of natural conditions By Jude Mead The extreme cold and heavy snowfall this season has raised some concern among maple syrup producers. Reports of loud, cracking noises in wooded areas have set the stage for a phenomenon called “frost cracking.” During these periods of intense cold, the water and sap inside […]

  • Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale

    With Jude Mead at the guitar and with great enthusiasm, members of the Isabella Eldridge Club defied a threatened winter storm and entered Battell Chapel on Feb. 10 for a memorable performance of an episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” a daft 1960s television comedy. Despite the best efforts of the Professor (played by Marinell Crippen, left) […]

  • Cook For Goodness Sake

    America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]

  • Be Careful, Very Careful

    An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]

  • The Week that Was

    First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others […]

Articles

Norfolk Weather

January 2026: Deep Freeze By Russell Russ In recent years, winter did not get going weather-wise until January or even February. Although, that was not the case last year and it was certainly not the case this year. This winter it has been cold and snowy since early December. January was about average—for a normal […]

Norfolk Then

By Ann Havemeyer It was a busy afternoon at the General Electric plant in 1953. On the banks of the Blackberry River in a building that had been a 19th century stone mill, General Electric opened a branch in 1946 to make starters for fluorescent lights. Twelve Norfolk women were employed at first, but the […]

Remembering Jerry and DeVere Oakes

Jerry Oakes and his wife of nearly 72 years, Ellen DeVere Bechtold Oakes, passed away 10 days apart in August 2025, both at the age of 94. Born in Indiana and Hoosiers to the core, Jerry and DeVere lived in Norfolk for 21 years before moving to assisted living in Farmington in 2023. Jerry was […]

Norfolk Centenarian Was a Strong Advocate for Peace

Norfolk will remember Joanne Davis Hohmeister as a quiet but strong woman who was known for her kindness and compassion for family, friends and strangers alike. Joanne died Dec. 27, 2025, in Stamford, just a month after she enjoyed a celebration of her 100th birthday with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Born on Nov. 16, […]

Remembering John Barry: Veteran and Volunteer

John Michael Barry, 83, of The Villages, Fla., died peacefully on Jan. 1, at the Moffitt Cancer Center, after a brief period of illness, in the presence of his loving family. John was born on June 4, 1942, in Winsted and raised in Norfolk, where he developed the values of faith, service, hard work, and […]

Generations of Service in Norfolkart

By Avice Meehan Something that was equal parts mundane and remarkable occurred on a Sunday afternoon in November in the large, second-floor meeting room in Norfolk Town Hall. A majority of those elected to town office came together to take the oath of office administered by Town Clerk Debbie Nelson. Cider and doughnuts followed, with […]

Connecticut State Northwestern Celebrates 60 Years

Norfolk connections continue to grow By Virginia Coleman-Prisco This year, Connecticut State Community College Northwestern marks a significant milestone: 60 years of serving as the primary institution of higher education for the state’s Northwest Corner. Many know it as Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NWCC), but as of 2023 it has been the Northwestern Campus of […]

Why Do Electricity Rates Go Up?

Study cites range of factors, no easy solutions By Joe Kelly The normally staid, quiescent, if not completely somnolescent subject of electricity rates and their regulation has lately become a hot topic. It figured in this fall’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, including active discussion over the role that AI data centers play […]

Botelle Beat

Botelle Young Authors Take a Magic Tree House Adventure By Lauren Valentino This fall, Botelle’s third- and fourth-grade students completed an extraordinary writing project that brought the magic of literature to life. As part of their first English Language Arts unit, students studied Mary Pope Osborne’s beloved “Magic Tree House” series—with close attention to the […]

Swap Shop Success

By Andra Moss A year and a half has sped by since volunteers Susan Sloan and Kathy Connolly opened the Norfolk Swap Shop in a shipping container on the grounds of the Norfolk Transfer Station. Their constant thoughtful attention has made it a pleasant stop for dropping off gently used items and browsing for lucky […]

Heard Around Town

Personal Connections to an Icon, an Iconic EventWhen John X. Fernandez steps to the microphone to introduce the documentary film “Dolores” at 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the Norfolk Library, his words will carry special power. That’s because the iconic labor leader and activist, Dolores Fernandez Huerta, is also the 95-year-old matriarch of his […]

Food Pantry Shifts Focus

Demand brings a limit to hours, communities served By Elizabeth Bailey The Norfolk Food Pantry began as just that – a room stocked with cans of vegetables and jars of peanut butter donated by residents for anyone in need of help. Canned goods were there for the taking and no one tallied up the cost […]