Emergency burn ban in place

As of Oct. 26, an emergency burn ban is in effect for all Connecticut state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas, as announced by Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katherine Dykes.

The ban prohibits the use of any outdoor fire, including grills, campfires, and firepits. Governor Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, urging “all Connecticut residents to avoid any type of outdoor burning as the current conditions pose a high risk of fire danger.”

Litchfield County remains at an “extreme” fire danger level, alongside Hartford, Tolland and Fairfield counties. All other counties in the state are classified as having “very high” fire danger.

In a statement on Oct. 24, Kent Fire Marshall Timothy Limbos requested that residents refrain from having campfires during Halloween festivities. “In this extremely dry climate a simple spark can easily ignite a fire,” it read. The statement also notified residents that leaf burning is not allowed, even with a valid open burn permit.

The National Weather Service has raised a red flag warning for all of Connecticut and much of the Northeast. Red flag warnings are issued to alert fire officials that conditions are highly favorable for wildfire ignition and rapid growth, combining dry fuels, such as parched vegetation, low humidity, and high winds.

Unusually low rainfall and warm temperatures during the autumn season have dried out much of the state, with the U.S. Drought Monitor classifying a small region in the Northwest Corner as experiencing moderate drought conditions, and an additional 2/3 of the state as “abnormally dry”, according to DEEP.

Fires have already sprung up across Connecticut, with the Hawthorne Fire in Berlin spreading to between 100 and 110 acres as of Oct. 25. Veteran Firefighter Robert E. Sharkevich Sr. was killed fighting the Hawthorne fire when his UTV rolled on steep terrain, injuring the other three firefighters inside. Two other firefighters have been injured in slip and fall incidents fighting smaller fires elsewhere in the state.

The coming week’s weather brings little hope for moisture, with temperatures climbing to potentially record setting heights later in the week alongside breezy conditions and low humidity.

The National Weather Service called for a 20% chance of showers Oct. 29, with a slightly better chance for a shower on Oct. 31.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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