GNH wins Turkey Bowl

QB Owen Stimpson ran in one touchdown and threw for two more against St. Paul Nov. 28.
Photo by Riley Klein

QB Owen Stimpson ran in one touchdown and threw for two more against St. Paul Nov. 28.
WINSTED — Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football ended the season with a 44-8 win against St. Paul Catholic High School Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28.
Cold, rainy conditions made for a ground and pound game with GNH scoring five rushing touchdowns. QB Owen Stimpson completed three passes, two of which were caught for long-distance touchdowns.
St. Paul's lone score came in the fourth quarter on an 80-yard scramble by RB Jack Dennehy.

The Turkey Bowl marked the end of the season for both teams. St. Paul finished with a record of 2-8 and GNH ended at 3-7.
GNH Coach Scott Salius earned his 101st win with the team and wrapped up his 17th season.
It was about 39 degrees during the game with unrelenting precipitation Nov. 28.
Both teams struggled to hold on to the hard, wet ball, resulting in a combined five lost fumbles and two interceptions. About a dozen more botched snaps and hand offs were recovered by offense.

Wes Allyn, tight end for GNH, reported the field was "actually not that bad. There are spots that are slippery but for the most part it's not awful." The stadium announcer reported 400 in attendance, most of whom sought shelter beneath raincoats, umbrellas and tents.
To start the game, GNH's defense forced two consecutive turnovers in St. Paul's territory in the first quarter. Both resulted in rushing touchdowns: the first was a five-yard run from Owen Adams and the next was one-yard sneak by Owen Stimpson. GNH took a 12-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, GNH's Owen Riemer rushed down the middle and powered through contact, dragging several St. Paul defenders with him to the one-yard line. Everett Rigby finished the job with a one-yard touchdown. Riemer scored later in the quarter on a 19-yard run to give GNH a 24-0 lead at half time.

Rigby added to GNH's total with another touchdown in the third quarter. He faked out the St. Paul defense with a reverse play for a nine-yard rush to the end zone.
GNH scored again in the fourth with a 28-yard passing touchdown to Esten Ryan, extending the lead to 36-0.
St. Paul responded on the next drive with an east-west scramble by RB Jack Dennehy that eventually found daylight and went the distance for an 80-yard touchdown. St. Paul connected on the two-point conversion and brought the score to 36-8.
GNH got the ball back with enough time for a drive. Owen Stimpson threw a screen to Owen Riemer, who sprinted 60 yards past the St. Paul defenders down the sideline and into the end zone. GNH scored the two-point conversion and ended the game 44-8.

The season finale marked the end of high school football for seven GNH seniors: Jeremiah Robles, Everett Rigby, Jackson Campbell, Leif Johnson, Owen Adams, Owens Stimpson and Nick Mambrino.
GNH's 22 juniors played considerable minutes this year and many were present for postseason runs in 2022 and 2023. The experienced roster will have its work cut out in the 2025 season as they look to return to tournament play in the Naugatuck Valley League.

A judge recently dismissed one lawsuit tied to the proposed redevelopment, but a separate court appeal of the project’s approval is still pending.
LAKEVILLE — A Connecticut Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Salisbury’s Planning and Zoning Commission challenging a zoning amendment tied to the controversial expansion of the Wake Robin Inn.
The case focused on a 2024 zoning regulation adopted by the P&Z that allows hotel development in the Rural Residential 1 zone, where the historic Wake Robin Inn is located. That amendment provided the legal basis for the commission’s approval of the project in October 2025; had the lawsuit succeeded, the redevelopment would have been halted.
The decision, issued Jan. 29 by the Superior Court in Torrington, rejected a claim brought by Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger seeking to nullify the amendment. The Crugers filed the lawsuit in March 2025, arguing the regulation was improperly adopted and amounted to illegal spot zoning intended to benefit the project’s developer, Aradev LLC.
The zoning amendment drew scrutiny when it was adopted, with opponents asserting it was crafted specifically to enable the Wake Robin Inn project. Town officials and land use staff, however, repeatedly said the change was years in the making and intended to address zoning nonconformities affecting historic inns throughout Salisbury.
In a memorandum of decision, the court found the plaintiffs failed to meet their burden of proof that proper notification was lacking. The judge wrote that “a close examination of the record” showed the Crugers did not demonstrate that public notice of the zoning change was procedurally deficient, unduly vague or untimely filed.
The dismissed case is the first of two legal challenges filed by the Crugers related to the Wake Robin Inn redevelopment. A second lawsuit — an appeal of the P&Z’s approval of Aradev’s application to redevelop and expand the inn — remains pending before the court.
Former Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Michael Klemens said that Thursday's ruling brought vindication. In a Jan. 30 email to the P&Z and commission attorney Charles Andres, Klemens said the lawsuit was largely based on claims that he and Land Use Director Conroy had misled the public and the commission during the regulatory process.
“So not only are the regulations recognized by the Superior Court as legally adopted,” Klemens wrote, “but the aspersions cast upon the integrity of staff and your immediate past chair are hopefully finally put to rest.”
Andres informed the Land Use Office and current P&Z Chair Cathy Shyer that the Crugers have 20 days to challenge the court’s ruling.
Under the approved plan, Aradev would redevelop the Wake Robin Inn to include a new detached 2,000-square-foot cabin, event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, as well as a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If built, the project would increase the number of guest rooms from 38 to 54.
Olana State Historic Site, the hilltop home created by 19th-century Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church, rises above the Hudson River on a clear winter afternoon.
On a recent mid-January afternoon, with the clouds parted and the snow momentarily cleared, I pointed my car northwest toward Hudson with a simple goal: to get out of the house and see something beautiful.
My destination was the Olana State Historic Site, the hilltop home of 19th-century landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church. What I found there was not just a welcome winter outing, but a reminder that beauty — expansive, restorative beauty — does not hibernate.
2026 marks the 200th anniversary of Church’s birth, making this a particularly timely moment to take in what he created during his lifetime. Church — one of the most notable artists of the Hudson River School movement — was an accomplished landscape painter who gained a reputation as an artist-traveler.
From South America and Western Europe to the Middle East and the Caribbean, Church sought out dramatic, epic scenes that he could capture on canvas and bring back to the U.S. to sell. The profits from those works, in turn, allowed him to create a breathtaking masterwork of his own: Olana.
Olana rises above the Hudson River like a mirage, its Persian-inspired facade an unexpected sight amid the barren winter landscape. With miles of trails, visitors can take in the natural splendor of rolling hills and the river from every angle. From the house itself, the view stretches across the Catskills, a layered panorama of soft blues and silvers that appears all the more dazzling in winter.

Inside the home, the sense of awe deepens. Olana’s interior is rich with color, pattern and texture — warm reds, stenciled walls, intricate woodwork — a striking counterpoint to the monochrome world outside. Light pours through tall windows, framing the Hudson Valley like living paintings.
Every corner of the house pays tribute to the far-flung places Church visited throughout his career. From architectural details to the objects he collected and displayed, visitors are transported to another world. Walking from room to room feels less like touring a house museum and more like stepping into the mind of an artist transfixed by the staggering beauty of the world around him.
As I made my way back down the hill, the winter light fading fast, I felt refreshed in a way that only comes from seeing something anew. Olana is not just a monument to one artist, but a testament to a way of viewing the world — one that values observation, patience and reverence for the natural environment. For those looking to venture out during the colder months and to be reminded why this region has inspired generations of artists and dreamers, there may be no better place to start than Olana.
Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 State Route 9G, Hudson, New York. For more information and to purchase tours, visit: olana.org

Berkshire Hills Ski League includes Washington Montessori School, Indian Mountain School, Rumsey Hall and Marvelwood School.
CORNWALL — Mohawk Mountain hosted a meet of the Berkshire Hills Ski League Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Housatonic Valley Regional High School earned its first team victory of the season. Individually for the Mountaineers, Meadow Moerschell placed 2nd, Winter Cheney placed 3rd, Elden Grace placed 6th and Ian Thomen placed 12th.
The league includes a mix of private and public schools. HVRHS competed against Washington Montessori School, Indian Mountain School, Rumsey Hall and Marvelwood School.

Conditions were ideal for slalom skiing at Mohawk, albeit cold for spectators with the temperature in the teens. Approximately 20-inches of snow fell earlier in the week.
Mohawk will continue to host weekly meets of the BHSL each Wednesday through the end of the season. The league championship will take place Feb. 25.

State Sen. Stephen Harding
NEW MILFORD — State Sen. and Minority Leader Stephen Harding announced Jan. 20 the launch of his re-election campaign for the state’s 30th Senate District.
Harding was first elected to the State Senate in November 2022. He previously served in the House beginning in 2015. He is an attorney from New Milford.
In his campaign announcement, he said, “There is still important work to do to make Connecticut more affordable, government more accountable, and create economic opportunity. I’m running for reelection to continue standing up for our communities, listening to residents, and delivering real results.”
As of late January, no publicly listed challenger has filed to run against him.
The 30th District includes Bethlehem, Brookfield, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Fairfield, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Warren, Washington, Winchester and part of Torrington.