A Celebration of Life for Marilyn Kay will be held on Saturday September 26, at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Copake Falls, NY. There will be a coffee hour following the service. All are welcome.
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Turning Back the Pages - September 17, 2026
Norma Bosworth
Sep 16, 2026
125 years ago — September 1901
LIME ROCK — Matthew Patterson recently received a silver medal from the Canadian government as a token of his services during the Fenian raid in ‘71. The medal is suitably inscribed and is considerably heavier than a silver dollar. It depends from a silk tri-color and pin, and altogether makes a very neat souvenir.
Brook Pit Mining Company have closed down for a few days to make repairs.
W.P. Bradley while standing in his yard last Thursday was astonished to see a large bald head eagle fly over in a westerly direction. Mr. Bradley says the bird was the largest he ever saw.
100 years ago — September 1926
Good bye to the straw hat till next summer, but how about those eye shades. Isn’t it time for them also to join the straw lid and the bathing suit on the closet shelf.
Mr. Robert Fowlkes has been putting a new roof on his house.
50 years ago — September 1976
Six daily and 10 weekend bus trips through the Housatonic Valley and Berkshire Mountains by Bonanza Bus Lines began Sunday. Five northbound trips originate in New York City and serve the Northwest Corner towns of Kent, Cornwall Bridge, West Cornwall, Falls Village and Canaan. Continuing through Massachusetts, the line also serves Sheffield and Great Barrington.
SALISBURY — The selectmen appointed James Rutledge Tuesday night to succeed Frank Markey as manager of the Town Grove. Mr. Markey is retiring on Oct. 15 and Mr. Rutledge will begin his duties Oct. 8.
A new roof is being installed on the Farnum Apartments in Lakeville. Formerly the Farnum Tavern, originally erected in 1795, it is owned by Sidney Terhune.
Archbishop John F. Whealon will be in Sharon on Saturday, Sept. 25, to honor Mrs. Maurice McCann with an Archdiocesan Medal for Outstanding Service. The archbishop, who will celebrate Mass at St. Bernard’s at 5:30 p.m., usually bestows this medal at his office but wishes to present it in person to Mrs. McCann. The Archdiocesan Medal expressed gratitude to Mrs. McCann for her outstanding service to the Archdiocese of Hartford. Mrs. McCann, who is well-known in the community for her many years of work as coordinator for special education in Regional District No. 1, has been playing the organ and contributing to the musical life of the parish for 40 years.
Kimberly Fincke returned to her home in Lakeville Tuesday afternoon after spending several days in Sharon Hospital following an accident on the Salisbury Central School playground. Kim, a third-grader, suffered a fractured skull Friday when she fell from a slide. She was taken to the hospital by the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance and was treated in the intensive care unit, then in the pediatric unit before being released. Her mother said Tuesday she “is doing just fine,” but will not be able to return to school immediately.
Undefeated East Canaan Package trounced Brazzale’s Bulldozers 12-5 last Wednesday in an exciting finale to the area’s slow-pitch softball tourney. Some 400 people looked on as a five-run outburst in the seventh inning clinched the victory for East Canaan.
Sheffield selectmen skirted an international incident Monday night when they received a letter from Paris protesting the proposed establishment of a pig farm on Boardman Street in Sheffield. “Paris, France?” said one selectman, looking at the letter in amazement. The French Connection is Madame Bonnie H. Durrance, who owns 67 acres of land on Boardman Street near the land where Sheffielder Bernard Fryc plans to establish a pig farm. Announcement of Fryc’s intentions started a donnybrook in Sheffield a month ago when approximately 15 Boardman Street residents descended on a Board of Selectmen’s meeting, and later on a Planning Board meeting, to cry foul. They were armed with a protest petition signed by some 20 other residents. Madame Durrance wrote that she plans to retire to her Sheffield property someday and beseeched the selectmen to block “all efforts to establish a pig farm or anything similarly disagreeable on or near Boardman Street.” “Bernie’s pigs again?” said selectman Dana Bartholomew. “She is beating a dead horse!” Richard Kirchner, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the board will tell Madame Durrance what they told the other Boardman Street protestors: they can do nothing to prevent the pig farm unless a health violation develops. “That has been agricultural land,” said Kirchner, “and that’s the way Fryc plans to keep it, as far as we know.”
CORNWALL — Acting on a request from the Dark Entry Forest Association, the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday night recommended that the town abandon its right-of-way on a section of Dudleytown Road in Dark Entry Forest. The section in question begins at the end of the improved part of Dudleytown Road, coming in from its junction with Route 45. The portion is about 1 ½ miles long and runs through Dark Entry Forest, ending at the Lay property.
25 years ago — September 2001
People all around the Northwest Corner and the world Tuesday were stunned to learn that two commercial airplanes loaded with passengers had crashed, 20 minutes apart, into the twin towers complex at the southern end of New York City. While still reeling from that blow, they learned that another airliner had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and a fourth plane, supposedly aimed for the nation’s capital or Camp David, had crashed in a field in southwestern Pennsylvania.
SHARON — The Robert Frueh Memorial Woods was dedicated Saturday in a ceremony on Tichnor Road and attended by generations of the Frueh family, members of the Sharon Land Trust and those who dwell near the 17 acres presented to the land trust by the family.
Adventurous Rollie Holst-Grubbe, 2, set off alone Monday to explore a creek near his mom’s office at Laidlaw Transportation on Farnum Road. Darlene Holst-Grubbe called local emergency medical services workers to help track him down but a neighbor recognized the traveling tyke and brought him back where he belonged.
CANAAN — The smell of smoke sent Yvonne Clarke investigating her Sodom Road home Friday afternoon. As soon as she spied the smoke coming from the louvered dressing room doors off her bedroom, she called 911. Two hours later, volunteer firefighters from Canaan and Norfolk had doused the second-floor blaze, preventing the fire from spreading beyond the bedroom. Mrs. Clarke lost all her clothes and many of the dolls she had stored upstairs, part of the inventory in her home-based business, “The Country Doll House.”
These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.
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Voices from our community about the housing we need for a healthy, vibrant future
Mary Close Oppenheimer
Sep 16, 2026
Jordan Seibert and Riley Bossi
Shelly Dinelle
There’s a reason people say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” To thrive, a child needs a safe, stable place to call home. That’s the bedrock for health, dignity, and the chance to build a bright future. What kind of “village” does it take to create these homes?
Motivated by compassion and a drive to make housing more accessible, it took the Foundation for Norfolk Living years of hard work to create ten affordable homes at Haystack Woods. The “village” turned out to be a patchwork of support that included financial help from the DOH, a construction mortgage through Northwest Community Bank, and a Community Development Block Grant to purchase the property and pay for the road and infrastructure. The result? Two- and three-bedroom homes reserved for first-time homebuyers earning 60-80% of Litchfield County’s median income, and selling for $159,000 to $261,000. The condominium homes are deed-restricted and net-zero thanks to energy-efficient construction, solar panels, and battery storage, meaning the homebuyers will have no energy costs! Curious? Just Google “Haystack Woods” to learn more. It’s a remarkable accomplishment.
More hard work has produced another remarkable accomplishment. Right after Jordan Seibert (22) graduated from college, she and her fiancé Riley Bossi (21) purchased one of the homes this summer. Neither had parental help, so both juggled commuting to classes, online courses, and multiple jobs to save up. Jordan graduated from Charter Oak State College, majoring in criminal justice, which she says “Is great for nonprofit work”. Riley will graduate next May from Central Connecticut University with a degree in computer science.
Jordan says, “There’s a good group here. I believe we’re the youngest owners by about 10 years. The other folks seem to be in their 30s. They have young kids, which is exciting. It’s a real community... This house will definitely allow us to put down roots and start growing... Lindsay, Kate and Lou Barbagallo at the Foundation, and even David Jones, the builder, were all super helpful...”
She also says, “The mortgage process was very simple, considering it seemed to be such a new project and idea... We really knew nothing and went in completely blind. We learned a lot through Webster Bank, who encouraged us and taught us what we needed to do to buy a house... We took an online homebuyer education course through the Housing Development Fund (HDF), and we also met with one of their counselors who advised us and made sure we were prepared for the home-buying process. The course was required for us to receive CHFA (The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority) assistance. Completing the required education allowed us to qualify for a reduced, fixed-rate mortgage of 5.875%... The Foundation also encouraged us to take a class for financial benefits to see, through the State, what we could be approved for - any help or benefits. And then, just on our own, we decided to take extra Zoom classes to get a better understanding of everything.”
Jordan emphasizes, “I really want to highlight the Foundation and how forward-thinking they were, and I want to thank them and everyone who was involved. Just the affordability, sustainability, and quality, all being hand in hand. It’s just a great idea, and they executed it perfectly. I can’t thank them enough. It’s so great. The home is beautiful. It’s in a perfect location. There are no issues, no problems. Everything is perfect!”
Mary Close Oppenheimer is a member of the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission.
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Selectmen back $113,000 request for new ambulance
Patrick L. Sullivan
Sep 16, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen approved a request from the Fire Commission for $113,000 toward a new ambulance scheduled for delivery in November.
The selectmen acted during their regular monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 14.
The money would come from a town account designated for emergency services vehicles and equipment. The request now goes to the Board of Finance, which would refer it to a town meeting for final approval.
The ambulance will cost about $202,000, with the remaining $89,000 coming from Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department funds.
Andrea Downs, a member of the town’s volunteer ambulance squad, said new ambulances can cost as much as $450,000. The department instead chose a smaller, simpler and more maneuverable vehicle.
The squad’s last ambulance was added in 2000, she said.
The selectmen also approved a request from Nikki Blass, librarian at Lee H. Kellogg School, for $201.33 for new bookshelves.
First Selectman Dave Barger read a letter from 20 Pine Grove residents requesting signs or flashing lights where Pine Grove enters Belden Street, also known as Route 126. The residents said limited sight lines make it difficult to see oncoming traffic when turning onto Belden Street.
Barger expressed sympathy with the residents’ concerns but noted that Belden Street is a state road and the town has no authority over traffic-control measures there.
However, Barger said he is meeting with a state Department of Transportation official this week and will add the Pine Grove request to his list.
Hazel McGuire, who attended the meeting, asked whether the state official could also consider signs near Grassy Hill Cemetery on Route 126. Barger said he would add the request to his list.
Barger also reported that Cardinal Engineering is evaluating the Cobble Road culvert.
“By the time this is done, it will be the Seventh Wonder of the World,” he said.
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Former Miss Hall’s teacher from Norfolk pleads not guilty to sexual assault charges
Christian Murray
Sep 16, 2026
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former Miss Hall’s School science teacher from Norfolk pleaded not guilty Thursday, Sept. 10, to three charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a student more than three decades ago, according to authorities.
Matthew Johnson, 70, was arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on one count of assault with intent to rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over age 14, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s office. A grand jury indicted him Aug. 20.
Johnson was released on personal recognizance. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Berkshire Superior Court.
Johnson taught science at Miss Hall’s School, a private boarding school in Pittsfield, from 1993 to 1994.
The alleged victim was a Miss Hall’s student at the time, prosecutors said.
Johnson is the third former Miss Hall’s staff member to be indicted in connection with investigations into alleged abuse at the school.
Former history teacher Matthew Rutledge, who worked at the school from 1991 until his resignation in 2024, was indicted in April and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape involving two former students.
Meanwhile, Jeannie Norris, former head of school from 1996 to 2012, was arraigned on one count of reckless endangerment of a child in August. She has also pleaded not guilty.
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Cornwall celebrates its agricultural heritage
Lakeville Journal
Sep 16, 2026
Tom Brown
Scenes from the 34th annual Cornwall Agricultural Fair, held Saturday, Sept. 12, on the town green.
Tom Brown
Tom Brown
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Children celebrate creativity at Scoville’s Dot Day
Patrick L. Sullivan
Sep 16, 2026
Julia Hobart, right, helped children sign up for a raffle at International Dot Day Sunday, Sept. 13.
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — Children escaped the rain Sunday, Sept. 13, for an afternoon of ice cream, balloons, raffles, art projects and other activities at Scoville Memorial Library.
The library and Project SAGE hosted the event in celebration of International Dot Day, inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ children’s book “The Dot.” Project SAGE is a Lakeville-based nonprofit domestic violence agency serving communities in Northwest Connecticut and nearby areas of New York and Massachusetts.
Angela Hall, marketing coordinator at Project SAGE, said, “The Dot” is about “creativity and courage.”
Participants were encouraged to decorate colored dot stickers however they wished. The collected dots will be assembled into a larger work of collaborative art.
Similar events are taking place across the United States and in 190 countries, Hall said.
Linda Ciano of Project SAGE said last year’s project, which used popsicle sticks as its basic unit, was so successful that the organization created seven artworks and presented them to the Region One schools.
Grassland Desserts in Lakeville made a special batch of “Dot”-themed ice cream sandwiches and donated both the treats and the use of a freezer to keep them cold.
Asked whether the ice cream freezer would become a permanent fixture, Scoville Director Karin Goodell laughed and said, “It probably should be.”
Goodell’s 3-year-old grandson, Arlo Schlaudt, worked intently on his own dots. He was concentrating so hard that his grandmother had to ask him a couple of times to look up for a photo.
Addison Southwick of Canine Link Therapy Dogs in Hillsdale, New York, brought two dogs to the event. One, Wrexy, a 4-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, was particularly eager to greet everyone who came within sniffing distance.
As if ice cream, face painting and an international art project were not enough, youngsters were also entertained by Balloon Ben of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who made balloon animals to order.
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