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Police Blotter: Troop B
Lakeville Journal
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Stop sign accident
Just before 7 a.m. on April 20, Douglas Mitchell, 64, of Winsted was driving west on Route 44 in North Canaan passing the intersection with Deely Road when another vehicle, a BMW X3 driven by Kelley Sue Babbin, 58, of North Canaan collided with his Ford F150 on the rear driver’s side. There were no injuries, but Mitchell’s vehicle was disabled in the incident. Babbin was found at fault and was issued an infraction for failure to obey a stop sign.
Parking lot pillar hit and run
At an unknown date and time, a vehicle struck a concrete pillar in the Cornwall Post Office parking lot. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Troop B at 860-626-1821.
Single vehicle accident on Route 44
At about 1 a.m. on April 22, Josephine Trinchillo, 24, of New Fairfield got into a vehicular accident on Route 44 in Salisbury near the intersection with Twin Lakes Road. The driver stated she had attempted to turn around in the roadway and in doing so struck an unknown object, however the trooper on scene determined that she had lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a turn and collided with a tree. The Volkswagen Jetta she was driving was disabled in the incident, and she was transported to Sharon Hospital for possible injuries. Trinchillo was issued a written infraction for failure to maintain lane.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Send mail to P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or email editor@lakevillejournal.com.
Kent Center School students place in regional billboard design contest
Ruth Epstein
From left in rear: Averi Spencer, Abigail Choi, Maya Gennings, Ashton Fodor and Logan Miles; Front: Nami Kahn, Piper Polley and Jacob Zylstra
Several Kent Center School students received honorable mentions in the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority’s 19th annual billboard design contest.
This year’s theme was “Don’t Trash Textiles,” and students were tasked with creating billboard ads to teach residents that textiles don’t belong in the trash. Local students created art that educated the public that clothing can be reused, repurposed, repaired or recycled separately at a designated collection site.
Third grader Jacob Zylstra, seventh grader Abigail Choi and eighth grader Averi Spencer received honorable mention awards for their designs.
The school also held its own contest, and a group of first-place winners received ribbons and gift certificates to 45 on Main.
Cool weather extends syrup season in Falls Village for Maple Fest
Patrick L. Sullivan
Jody Bronson (standing) and Denny Jacobs discuss all things maple syrup at Maple Fest on Satuday, April 25.
FALLS VILLAGE — Maple syrupwas the primary focus on a chilly morning, Saturday, April 25, as sweet steam could be seen – and smelled – over the town green during the village’s annual Maple Fest.
Three of the town’s maple syrup operations were represented – Wangum Valley, run by Jody and Jean Bronson; Whiting Brook Farm, operated by the Jacobs family; and Acer Creek Farm, owned by the Gallagher family.
The prime spot to be was near the repurposed oil drum that Denny Jacobs converted into a propane-fueled maple syrup boiler. Using frozen syrup that was about half-finished and left over from the spring’s production, Jacobs had a small saucepan filled with sap handy in case the mixture needed topping up.
As he chatted with fellow syrup maker Jody Bronson – and whoever else wandered by – Jacobs kept a watchful eye on the thermometer in the boiling syrup.
This year, Whiting Brook Farm collected 1,700 gallons of sap and produced 35 gallons of syrup.
Conversation turned to how best to store the finished product before bottling. Bronson said plastic jugs can darken the syrup over time, while glass containers sometimes result in a lighter color. The best containers are made of tin, he said, which have the least impact, though they are no longer common in retail and must be sourced from wholesalers.
Northwest Passage played at Maple Fest in Falls Village Saturday, April 25. From left, Ed Thorney, Greg Reiss, Rachel Gall and Scott Cameron.Patrick L. Sullivan
At the Center on Main, Susan Scherf from the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut, gave a presentation on how Native Americans used maple sap.
Rather than boiling it into syrup, Scherf said, they produced maple sugar, sometimes mixing it with dried corn for a low-bulk, high-energy snack. Maple sugar could also be used to make alcohol and vinegar.
She added that Native Americans often used containers made of fire-resistant birch bark to boil their sap, and there is archaeological evidence of using a moose hide for the same purpose.
Back on the Green, local band Northwest Passage began playing around 11 a.m., as visitors, many of whom had filled up on pancakes and waffles with real maple syrup at the Falls Village Cafe, lingered in the cool air.
The band consists of Ed Thorney (harmonica, vocals), Rachell Gall aka “The Falls Village Fiddler” on violin and vocals, Greg Reiss on guitar and lead vocals, and Scott Cameron on guitar.
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HVRHS alum Caleb Shpur signs with Detroit Tigers
Christian Murray
Caleb Shpur, a former Housatonic Valley Regional High School standout from East Canaan, has signed with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
Shpur, an outfielder who played at Endicott College before finishing his college career at the University of Connecticut, said the opportunity came unexpectedly earlier this month.
“Out of nowhere, honestly,” Shpur, 24, said. “I was up in New Hampshire and my advisor called me and said the Tigers still had interest. The next day, they said they wanted to get me down for a physical.”
Within days, Shpur was in Florida at the Tigers’ training complex in Lakeland. After completing his physical, he was assigned to the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the organization’s Single-A affiliate.
His signing didn’t surprise his former coach.
“You could tell right away he had a feel for baseball,” said longtime Housatonic coach Darryl Morhardt, who coached Shpur for four years. “He wasn’t big as a freshman, but he just understood the game.”
Shpur didn’t start on varsity as a freshman, but by his sophomore year, he had earned a key role on a strong Housatonic varsity team that made a run in the state tournament.
“Caleb was ready,” Morhardt said. “He was hitting cleanup for us as a sophomore on a team that went to the semifinals.”
That season proved pivotal.
“My sophomore year, we made the semifinals for states, and that really pushed me to want to play in college,” Shpur said. “It lit a fire under me. I wanted to get back to that feeling of high-pressure baseball.”
By his senior year, Shpur had developed into a strong player. He hit over .400, stole 34 bases and committed just two errors all season, according to his coach.
“He just got better every year,” Morhardt said. “Every part of his game improved — hitting, defense, baserunning.”
After graduating, Shpur attended Endicott College in Massachusetts, where he emerged as one of the top players at the Division III level before transferring to the University of Connecticut.
At UConn, he elevated his game against Division I competition, hitting .358 with a .426 on-base percentage in his final year in 2025.
Despite that performance, Shpur went undrafted. As the months passed after college ended, he wasn’t sure another opportunity would come.
“I talked to the Tigers a lot during the draft process, but nothing really worked out,” he said.
Still, he stayed ready. He was working at a baseball training facility in New Hampshire, which made it easier for him to stay in shape. Now in Lakeland, Shpur is beginning to adjust to professional baseball.
“I’ve only played a couple games so far. Got my first hit, which was nice,” he said. “There’s a long way to go — still adjusting to high-level pitching.”
Shpur credits his time at Housatonic for shaping both his development and his love of the game.
“Having Coach Morhardt and that whole experience was awesome and really continued my love of baseball,” he said.
Now, he said his focus is simple.
“Just keep grinding,” Shpur said. “Take it day by day and hopefully do enough for them to see the potential and keep moving up.”
His family played a key role along the way.
“We put a lot of miles on the car, but it was worth it,” said his mother, Alicia Simonetti-Shpur, a teacher at Cornwall Consolidated School, where Caleb attended.
She recalled his early dedication to the sport, often playing on multiple teams at once — including Cornwall Consolidated, North Canaan Little League and a club team in Thomaston — and spending hours practicing at home.
“He would constantly throw the wiffle ball against the house with his brother; he would do it again and again,” she said.
Students spotlight local Black, Indigenous history at Troutbeck Symposium
Ruth Epstein
Housatonic Valley Regional High School students participate in the Troutbeck Symposium, April 23.
AMENIA – History came alive during the fifth annual Troutbeck Symposium on Thursday, April 23, as local middle and high school students showcased original projects, many highlighting Indigenous and Black history rooted in their communities. The event drew a large audience and participants from the Northwest Corner and neighboring New York.
Robin Starr, a Black Revolutionary War veteran with roots in the Northwest Corner, was the focus of several projects. Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) presented a video about Starr titled “The Cost of Liberty,” while seventh graders from Cornwall Consolidated School (CCS) presented findings from their study, “Who We Choose to Remember.”
Yarosh Semenov, a student from CCS, said, “We choose to remember Robin Starr and his family because their contributions were essential to securing the freedom we hold so dear.”
CCS students believe Starr is buried in Cornwall’s Calhoun Cemetery in an unmarked grave alongside his son Abel and grandson Josiah, both of whom have aging gravestones. Starr’s wife and son Jack are also buried there, but without stone markers, students said. Students have been working with several adults to make three additional stones a reality.
Students also approached Cornwall town officials about designating Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day to commemorate the day of his death and legacy. They will share their story at the Memorial Day celebration , and a board depicting their work will be displayed at the Cornwall Historical Society.
While Starr’s legacy anchored several presentations, students also examined a wider range of topics linking local history to broader themes of race, identity and education.
Among several entries from Hotchkiss School students was one exploring the connection between the private preparatory school and Hampton University, one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities in Virginia. Hotchkiss students have donated money to the college to support its work examining Black education.
A Berkshire School student spoke about a controversial issue in her hometown of Great Barrington, Mass., where residents held differing views about a street named Squaw Peak Road. In 2022, the town voted to rename it Woodland Hill Road after concerns that the original name was a racist and sexist slur against Indigenous people.
A long-held belief was challenged in a video produced by HVRHS students titled “Searching for Chief Waramaug,” which examines local Native American legends, including that of Princess Lillinonah.
The story recounts the legend of Princess Lillinonah, who in the 1700s fell in love with a white man. He stayed with her in New Milford until winter, then left, promising to return. When he did not, her father arranged for her to marry within the tribe. Before the wedding, Lillinonah set out in a canoe toward the Great Falls to take her own life. At the last moment, her lover returned and leapt into the water so they would perish together.
“It never happened,” declared Darlene Kascak, education director at the American Institute of American Indian Studies. “It was fabricated. It was a Romeo and Juliet story; a way white colonizers depicted Native Americans. They romanticized Indigenous people who endured racism in order to impose Western standards.”
HVRHS students also shared a video about the two summers Martin Luther King Jr. spent in Simsbury working on a tobacco farm. He was there in 1944 and 1947 and later credited that time with planting the seed for a career in divinity. He was invited to sing in a church choir and was amazed that he, as a Black person, was welcomed into a white congregation.
Salisbury School students submitted a video on midwifery and one about Austin Reed, a Black indentured servant who spent most of his life in prison. Reed wrote a memoir in the 1850s that is considered to be the earliest known prison memoir by an African-American writer.
An expert panel of educators – including Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University and brother of Hakeem Jeffries; Christina Proenza-Cole, lecturer for American Studies at the University of Virginia; and Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, assistant director of Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University – discussed the highlights of each presentation.
Troutbeck is historic in its own right – a 45-acre estate and hotel built in 1765. Originally a private home, it became a retreat for literary figures such as Emerson and Thoreau. Under Col. Joel Spingarn, it evolved into a gathering space for civil rights activists including W. E.B. Du Bois, Sinclair Lewis and Langston Hughes.
Sharon Playhouse issues ticket scam warning ahead of season debut
Aly Morrissey
The Sharon Playhouse is alerting theatergoers to purchase tickets directly through its website or box office, as the venue responds to a rise in third-party scams.
SHARON — The Sharon Playhouse is warning theatergoers ahead of its 2026 season to avoid third-party ticket sellers after scams surfaced during last year’s record-breaking run.
Officials said tickets for MainStage and YouthStage shows are only available through the Sharon Playhouse website or box office and will not cost more than $55.
The issue extends beyond Sharon. Regional venues, including the Warner Theater in Torrington and Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, report similar problems with third-party sellers inflating prices or distributing fraudulent tickets.
Scams have typically taken two forms, Playhouse officials said, including legitimate tickets resold at inflated prices – sometimes up to five times the face value – and entirely fake tickets.
“We’re on the radar now,” joked Artistic Director Carl Andress, pointing to the theater’s surge in attendance in recent years. The Playhouse saw the highest overall attendance in its history last year, a factor leaders believe is contributing to scam activity.
Michael Baldwin, the Playhouse’s Education and Community Director, said the consequences fall hardest on customers.
“We’re thrilled that we are selling more tickets – and even selling out,” Baldwin said. “But if someone purchased a fraudulent ticket last year, there were times when we didn’t have another ticket to offer them.”
To combat the issue, the Playhouse will begin scanning tickets for the first time in its history. Previously, ushers looked at tickets and directed people to their seats.
The problem is exacerbated by third-party ticket sellers with larger marketing budgets, often dominating online search results through paid ads.
“It’s a constant challenge we’re working on from a marketing standpoint,” said Lynette Shy of Confluence Arts Solutions, the Playhouse’s marketing partner. She noted that patrons frequently believe they are purchasing directly from a venue when they are not.
Despite efforts to counter misleading listings, the Playhouse said its budget simply can’t keep up.
“These people have a lot more resources than nonprofit performing arts groups,” Shy said.
Some resellers purchase tickets in bulk and relist them at higher prices, she said, adding that efforts to monitor suspicious sales are ongoing but scammers are “getting smarter and smarter.”
At Bushnell, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Marketing Stephanie Fried said the impact can deter audiences entirely.
When theatergoers see prices inflated far beyond what they should be, Fried said, many simply walk away without realizing affordable tickets are available directly from the venue. In some cases, she said, seasoned scammers use tactics like countdown clocks or misleading inventory lists to create a sense of urgency.
“In every one of these scenarios, the patron trusted a process, acted in good faith, and was harmed,” Fried said. “Every Connecticut consumer deserves honest, transparent access to tickets for the events they want to attend.”
Early signs suggest the problem is continuing into the upcoming Sharon Playhouse season, prompting staff to get ahead of the problem. Warnings are being posted on the Sharon Playhouse website, e-mail communications and social media.
“We want to keep selling out,” Andress said. “But we want our customers to have the best experience and pay the prices that we actually charge.”
Tickets for the 2026 season can be purchased at sharonplayhouse.org or in person at the box office.
Sharon Playhouse 2026 Season
The Playhouse has aligned its 2026 MainStage programming to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary.
“The 2026 season reflects the heart of America,” Andress said. “Stories of hope in hard times, generosity in moments of crisis, and joy created through music, laughter, and community.”
The season kicks off with the high-energy star-spangled musical hit, Swingtime Canteen on June 19, followed by the ultimate Broadway fairytale, 42nd Street, and continues with the Tony Award–winning musical Come From Away through September 27.
The theater’s YouthStage lineup is not to be missed, with dozens of local children and familiar faces taking the stage in Pooh’s Parade, Matilda, Jr., Big Bad, Shrek Kids, and Zombie Prom, the second annual pre-professional Launchpad Company production featuring local teens.
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