Carolyn G. McCarthy
Latest News
How students beat boredom in the cold winter months
Peter Austin
Mar 18, 2026
As the cold, dreary months of winter melt away, Housatonic students continue to participate in the activities that keep them from the grips of winter boredom. A survey sent to students asked about their favorite activities, and the results show a great diversity within the student population.
In the survey, participants were asked to check any box that applied, and were invited to offer their own specific response at the end of each question, which many chose to do.
The most popular activities were in ‘Entertainment’, where over 80% of respondents indicated that they watched movies, about 60% saying they use social media or YouTube, and about 50% saying that they play video games or read.
Many also said they worked at some job, with babysitting, service, and agriculture gaining the most responses. Specific student responses included healthcare, church volunteering, lifeguarding, and junior firefighting.
Despite the cold weather and unrelenting snow, students were not discouraged from spending time doing outdoor sports, with hiking, and skiing or snowboarding gaining about 25% of responses each. Other popular sports include swimming, basketball, weightlifting, or running, while about 30% indicated that they participated in no winter sports. Other specific responses include esports, gymnastics, wrestling, tennis, or horseback riding.
While about 40% of students indicated that they participated in no creative activities, the ones that did expressed a great diversity in their interests.
Drawing, painting, photography, writing and journaling, and writing, playing, or recording music all gained above 20% of student responses, showing that students often participate in a large number of creative activities. Film, theater, dance, and singing all received around 10% of responses, and specific responses include knitting and crocheting, crafts, sewing, and baking.
Throughout the cold winter months, it can often be difficult to stay busy and entertained when confined to the indoors. However, students at Housatonic often find unique ways to fill their time and represent a diverse array of hobbies and interests in the school.
Keep ReadingShow less
Soon-to-be homeowners tour new development as completion date nears
Alec Linden
Mar 18, 2026
Two “Ranch” style homes sit side by side below the slopes of Haystack Mountain.
Alec Linden
NORFOLK — The Northwest Corner is set to receive 10 new affordable homeownership opportunities before summertime as construction at the Haystack Woods development nears completion.
The Foundation for Norfolk Living hosted its third open house for the new development on March 14, seeking to draw applications for the remaining unclaimed properties.
Five of the houses have already received applications, though none of the sales will close until after construction finishes, anticipated for early May.
The development, which sits below the forested slopes of Haystack Mountain approximately half a mile from downtown Norfolk, broke ground last May with the promise of a homeownership model that is both sustainable and affordable. The homes will be powered entirely by solar panels set on the broad roofs of two carport structures, which will be equipped with a parking bay, storage unit and electric vehicle charging port for each house. The Foundation has described Haystack Woods as a “Net Zero” community as it will power its own energy needs.
Foundation Chair Kate Johnson, who was greeting prospective buyers as they drove up on Saturday afternoon, said that the energy model requires residents to pay a monthly hookup fee — “$10, plus or minus a few” — but nothing further. She estimated homeowners at Haystack Woods will save approximately $5,000 in energy each year.
“It’s going to enable people who live at Haystack Woods to manage their budgets,” said Foundation Vice Chair Avice Meehan, who also helped guide tours of the almost complete homes. “They won’t be seeing the spikes in heating like the rest of us do.”
Johnson gestured at the array of structures, emphasizing that the “shells” of the buildings were also designed to be energy efficient, meaning residents also won’t be using as much in the first place.
There are three home styles on offer at Haystack Woods, all single-family: a single story, two-bedroom “Ranch” design, a two story, three-bedroom “Cape” house and a broad two story, three-bedroom layout called the “Two Story.” Pricing, which ranges from $159,000 to $261,000, will be based on design and the homeowner’s income.
Applicants for any of the homes must earn below 80% of Litchfield County’s Area Median Income, known as the AMI, while some units are reserved for those who make under 60% of the AMI. Anyone in the household must also have not owned a home in the past three years, and the home must be a primary residence.
The Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, a region-wide affordable housing advocacy group, is supporting applicants as they navigate early homeownership, including with financial planning and considerations.
The complex, which is arranged across two cul-de-sac style lanes, is built on a 39-acre plot that once housed a gravel pit. Over half of the parcel has been dedicated as conserved land, and is currently under permanent protection by the Norfolk Land Trust.
Keep ReadingShow less
Chicken dispute prompts review of farm rules
Alec Linden
Mar 18, 2026
Sharon Town Hall is located on Main Street.
Leila Hawken
SHARON — New regulations are out for review after a neighborhood dispute surrounding chickens late last year highlighted a lack of clarity in the town’s zoning code regarding farms.
Sharon Valley Road residents Letitia and Brian Brazee brought a complaint to Town Hall in the fall of 2025 about nuisance chickens on a neighboring property. Central to the complaint were questions about what constitutes a “farm” in the town’s zoning regulations.
Following months of deliberation and rewrites, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted at its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 11, to forward its draft revisions of the farm regulations for review by the commission’s attorney Steven Byrne and the Northwest Hills Council of Governments.
In the current regulations, farms are allowed as of right in any zone for a parcel of three acres or greater, so long as manure or other “offensive material” is stored at least 100 feet from property lines and no commercial slaughter — except for animals raised on the property — may occur.
The draft amendment keeps the existing language but adds a series of conditions that primarily regulate the construction of buildings on farm properties. Under the proposed language, any construction on such properties will require a zoning permit that includes a “Farm Use Statement” detailing a site plan for the property and the intended usage of the land and/or any structures.
Also included in the changes is a stipulation that chickens, rabbits or ducks may be kept on properties under three acres in residential zones, with a number of conditions: the lot must be at least three-quarters of an acre; residents may keep no more than six chickens or rabbits and no more than four ducks; and free-range husbandry will not be allowed. Coops also must comply with established setbacks.
The current code does not address the issue of owners of small parcels keeping these types of animals, and the addition to the zoning regulations is meant to directly address that gap.
Other fowl, including roosters, guinea hens, peacocks, geese and pheasants are expressly prohibited in the rewrite.
Casey said the draft language is subject to change based on the reviews from Attorney Byrne and the NHCOG. P&Z will bring finalized drafts to a public hearing and an eventual town vote before the changes can be adopted.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Salisbury School pedestrian tunnel proposal under review
Alec Linden
Mar 18, 2026
The proposed tunnel would be installed just beyond the current crosswalk, providing a safer way for Salisbury School students and staff to cross the busy roadway.
Alec Linden
SALISBURY — Town officials are reviewing plans for a pedestrian tunnel beneath Route 44 at Salisbury School.
The underground walkway would provide a safe connection for students and staff between the school’s main campus south of the highway and the sports fields and boathouse between the road and Washinee Lake.
At the March 9 meeting of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, engineers representing the school outlined the proposal, which would place the tunnel just west of the pedestrian sidewalk currently in use. As the tunnel construction would displace 700-square feet of wetland soils, the project requires the Commission’s signoff to move forward.
The engineers clarified that the disturbed area, while technically containing wetland soils, is a grassy lawn that is mowed and maintained by Salisbury School staff.
Commissioners agreed that they need more information before they can render a decision, and asked the applicant to return for the IWWC’s next meeting on March 23.
In the interim, Vice Chair Larry Burcroff and commissioner Russ Conklin said they would perform an informal site visit, and the engineers representing the project promised to review the plans directly with the town engineer Tom Grimaldi for his signoff.
Keep ReadingShow less
‘Guys and Dolls’ premieres at Housy March 19
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 18, 2026
The cast of ‘Guys and Dolls’ rehearses March 12.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — The cast of “Guys and Dolls” ran through the entire show for the first time during rehearsal Thursday, March 12, ahead of the production’s March 19 opening.
The performers were not yet in costume — aside from a few hats.
Choreographer Amber Cameron, however, sent most of them back to retrieve their “show shoes.”
Cameron, Director Christiane Olson, Music Director Tom Krupa and Assistant Production Manager Micah Conway watched closely during the opening scenes, occasionally offering prompts or conferring over stage directions.
The Housatonic Musical Theatre Society production opens at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m., with additional performances Friday, March 20, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets will be available at the door.
Keep ReadingShow less
Bingo benefits Sharon school trip
Lakeville Journal
Mar 18, 2026
Provided
A Bingo fundraiser was held on Friday, March 13, in support of the Sharon Center School Class of 2027 trip to Washington D.C. The school’s gymnasium was filled with 88 attendees and a reporter $1,901.50 was raised.
Provided
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
