• 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

Botelle School Grapples With Common Core Standards

New requirements mandate familiarity with technology By Robert Carter In July 2010, Connecticut joined over 40 states in adopting the new national standards for English and math education known as Common Core. The Botelle School administration is in the process of implementing the new standards and is working with faculty to develop curriculums and teaching […]

Emerald Ash Borer Reaches Litchfield County

Insect Likely to be Present in Norfolk Already Loss of All Local Ash Trees Expected By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station issued a press release last month that the emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle population is rapidly expanding throughout the state. The original Connecticut infestation of the invasive Chinese beetle began in […]

HamletHub Comes to Norfolk and Canaan

A new resource for sharing local stories By Ruth Melville HamletHub is a network of “hyperlocal” websites whose driving mission is to help local people share local stories with their communities. The project is the brainchild of Kerry Anne Ducey. About two and a half years ago, Ducey was working as a writer for a […]

Local Input Requested on Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan

The Northwest Hills Council of Governments is preparing an update to the “Litchfield Hills Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan” prepared in 2006. A draft of the updated section prepared for our town is available for review by clicking here. The NHCOG is accepting public comments on the draft report through the end of July. The purpose […]

Gift of Rental Properties Extends Family’s Legacy

By Wiley Wood The Foundation for Norfolk Living (FNL), a housing nonprofit, has announced the pending gift to the foundation of a sizable property belonging to Ralph Burr. The parcel, on Greenwoods Road East, numbers 29-32, has three houses on it, divided into six rental units and has been in the Burr family since 1913. […]

Lloyd Garrison, Founding Editor of Norfolk Now, Dies at 83

By Wiley Wood Lloyd Garrison, a journalist, editor and Norfolk presence for the past 18 years, who covered Europe and Africa for The New York Times in the 1960’s and in retirement founded this newspaper, died at his home in Norfolk on June 21. He was 83 years old. The cause was complications of prostate […]

Local Man Triggers AIRCON RED Alert Over D.C.

By Susannah Wood Around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7th, a small plane entered restricted airspace over Washington, D.C. leading to an AIRCON RED alert and the evacuation of the U.S. Capitol building, the Supreme Court building, the Library of Congress and other office buildings in the vicinity, according to the Associated Press and CNN. […]

Solar Generation On The Rise

Area Residents Find Solar Affordable By Bob Bumcrot Driving along Route 44 through East Canaan, it’s hard not to notice the large set of solar panels across the road from Freund’s farm: eight big arrays totaling 576 panels on the site of the old Couch farmhouse and barn. The 130-kilowatt installation by PurePoint Energy of […]

Question: What Makes Tuesdays at the Wood Creek Bar & Grill Consequential?

Local Event Gains Regional Following By Barbara Perkins What is a female rabbit called? St. Patrick is said to have cast what out of Ireland? What is the name of the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean? Krusty the Clown is featured on what TV show? Brotherhood, Revelations, Black Flag […]

New Botelle Superintendent Named

Dr. Mary Beth Iacobelli has been appointed to replace Superintendent of School George Counter, who retired at the end of June, according to an announcement by the Norfolk Board of Education. Dr. Iacobelli, who was superintendent of the East Haddam Public Schools from 2012 to 2014, has also served as an elementary school principal in […]

New Regulations Approved For Industrial Wind Turbines

In New England, opposition is getting serious By Veronica Burns After prolonged negotiations, Connecticut finally has regulations in place governing industrial wind turbines. Senator Kevin Witkos applauds the effort. “Colebrook has been identified as an area where wind power can prosper,” he stated in an e-mail. “The passage of these regulations will allow the installation […]

Minister Plans Sabbatical

Erick Olsen to visit Kenya in July By Sally Quale After nearly 11 years of service at The Church of Christ Congregational, the Reverend Erick Olsen will be taking his first sabbatical this July, August and September. He returns to the pulpit October 1. “This will not be a vacation,” he emphasizes, but an opportunity […]