• Norfolk’s Newest Neighborhood Puts Down Roots

    Haystack Woods lauded as a “model for the state” By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s newest neighborhood, the Haystack Woods affordable housing development, has officially come to life. A year ago, the 39-acre location—a former gravel pit off Old Colony Road—was little more than a muddy building site. Now construction of the 10, two- and three-bedroom homes […]

  • Winsted Church Auctions Tiffany Window for $1.25 Million

    Sale highlights women’s role in Tiffany designs By Joe Kelly When medieval architects found ways to build taller cathedrals, the techniques they developed also made possible the enormous stained-glass windows that we so enjoy today, such as at Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle in France and Canterbury Cathedral in England. American-made stained glass is more recent, dating […]

  • A Revolutionary Year

    1776 Norfolk explored in summer exhibition By Andra Moss Communities across the country are looking back with wonder at 1776, the year that 13 British colonies initiated a revolution that, against astonishing odds, led to the birth of an independent republic. In Norfolk, two curators have combed the Norfolk Historical Society’s (NHS) collection for colonial-era […]

  • SUMMER MUSIC: Familiar Quartets, New Composers at Yale Chamber Festival

    By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 3 until Aug. 22, will present an exciting season of classical, innovative and international music. This summer, the Brentano Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Ying Quartet and the Horszowski Trio are among those who will perform during weekend concerts and serve as artist-in-residence mentors to the […]

  • Botelle Students Move Up

    By Avice Meehan Four sixth graders bid farewell to Botelle Elementary School at a laughter-filled, but occasionally serious, ceremony on June 16 that was attended by family, friends and town officials. First Selectmen Henry Tirrell, a Botelle graduate whose mother and aunt taught at the school for many years, reminded the students that they would […]

  • Norfolk Rail-Trail Project Pedals Forward

    By Jude Mead After more than a decade of planning, permiting and redesign work, Norfolk’s long-await-ed Rails-to-Trails initiative has reached a major milestone, bringing the community closer to the creation of a new multi-use recreational trail along a historic railroad corridor. The project is the North Brook Trail, a planned three-quarter-mile ADA-accessi-ble pathway that will […]

  • LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Budgets, Beetles, Nips and More

    By Avice Meehan State Rep. Maria Horn came prepared to share details about the Connecticut budget (she is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee) and the progress that has been made toward paying down the state’s unfunded pension liability, increasing the rainy day fund (now up to $18 billion) and allocating more state funds […]

  • Noteworthy Natives: Coral Honeysuckle

    By Jill Chase Do you go to other people’s gardens and envy all the hummingbirds they have? I did. But then I realized I had completely overlooked one of their favorite plants: The native coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens. It was practically designed for humming-birds. Their long beaks and extra-long tongues are a perfect fit for […]

  • CELESTIAL SPHERE: Honoring an Astronomer and Patriot

    By Matthew Johnson As America celebrates its semi-quincentennial and the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this writer also celebrates the life of David Rittenhouse, an astronomer and political thinker who helped build the nation’s scientific infrastructure and informed its founding documents. The customary astronomical notes will follow at the end […]

  • Norfolk Then

    As we prepare for the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence on July 4, let’s look back 50 years to June 12, 1976, and the American Revolution Bicentennial parade in Norfolk. The parade was the largest parade ever held in Norfolk with almost everyone participating, many dressed in colonial garb. The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department […]

  • GoodWorks Shares Plans for Infinity Hall

    Restaurant, more concerts coming to historic venue By Avice Meehan When Dave Rosenfeld walked onto the starlit stage at Infinity Hall, many of the more than 200 people gathered to hear what he had to say, were unsure about what to expect. The co-founder of GoodWorks Entertainment, which acquired the green Victorian gem of a […]

  • A New Tradition Begins for Litchfield County Choral Union

    Generations come together to refresh a century-long legacy By Jude Mead Music from singers young and old filled Battell Chapel on May 22 as the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) joined the Torrington High School choir for a collaborative concert aimed at connecting generations of choral musicians. Organizers hope the successful event will become an […]

Articles

The Celestial Sphere

March Skies and the Vernal Equinox By Matthew Johnson It has been an unusually cold winter, even by Norfolk standards. The constellations of Orion, and Canis Major, the great hunter and his dog, must have struggled during those frigid nights to rise in the east and traverse the southern meridian to set in the west […]

It’s Only Natural

Planting with Bare Root Stock is a Win-Win-Win By Susannah Wood While March can be cold and forbidding, the month officially kicks off spring and rouses us out of dormancy. Many of us start thinking about our yards and gardens in earnest. The Norfolk Nature Alliance is organizing a year-long effort to promote planting for […]

Norfolk Children’s Foundation is a Living Legacy of Dorothy Satherlie

Dorothy “Dottie” Jane Satherlie, a woman whose life spanned over a century of profound change and even more profound service, passed away peacefully at her home on Jan. 29, 2026. At 102 years old, Dottie leaves behind a legacy defined by her unwavering commitment to education, her deep-rooted faith, and a family that stretches across […]

Mike Case Lived Life to the Fullest

Edward “Mike” Case, Jr. passed away peacefully on Jan. 31, 2026, at the age of 75. Mike was the loving son of the late Edward Case, Sr. and Virginia (Jasmin) Case. Mike was born and raised in Colebrook. From a very young age Mike worked in the woods, logging with his father and at times […]

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 […]