Group art show opens at Hunt
Admirers take in the new art show at Hunt Library.
Patrick L. Sullivan
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Students give glimpse into Troutbeck Symposium projects
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 04, 2026
From left: Connor Wambach, Rocco Famularo, Ben Van Wormer, Liam Gregory, Luke Feller, Charlie Merk, Oliver Ayer, teacher Rhonan Mokriski and Karen Vrotsos from the Scoville Memorial Library.
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — A group of Salisbury School students provided a preview of their history projects at the Scoville Memorial Library Thursday, Feb. 26.
The students will present the final versions April 22–24 at the Troutbeck Symposium, a student-led historical education forum held each spring at Troutbeck in Amenia, New York.
Teacher Rhonan Mokriski reminded the audience of about 20 people that the projects are still works in progress and emphasized that the students are seeking feedback ahead of the symposium.
The students and topics covered were:
Connor Wambach and Liam Gregory on the Salisbury iron industry and the environment.
Rocco Famularo on Alexander Hamilton in Salisbury.
Ben Van Wormer and Luke Feller on Sherm Chase’s horizontal windmill at the South Kent School.
Charlie Merk on indigenous whaling.
Oliver Ayer on midwifery.
Wambach and Gregory showed a clip from a video interview with Star Childs of Great Mountain Forest. Audience members noted that the audio was very faint, offering that as feedback.
Van Wormer and Feller had a video interview with historian Marge Smith, who has childhood memories of the horizontal windmill, placed on the hillside overlooking Hatch Pond.
Famularo recounted how, with help from Salisbury historian Jean McMillen, he has been able to place Alexander Hamilton in Salisbury in 1797, possibly working as a surveyor or on a real estate transaction.
The audience offered constructive criticism, everyone posed for a group photo, and then turned their attention to the pizza that had materialized during the presentation.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Lakeville Journal
Mar 04, 2026
Police Blotter: Troop B
John Coston
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.
Collision at intersection
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, at approximately 9:15 a.m. James Dorizzi, 70, of Falls Village was traveling westbound on Route 44 in North Canaan in a 2009 Jeep Liberty Sport and proceeding through the intersection with Route 7 when his vehicle was struck by a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban. The driver of the Suburban, Trinity Fields, 21, of Torrington, was negotiating a left-hand turn northbound onto Route 7. The Suburban was found to be unregistered and uninsured. Fields received a citation for violating traffic signals, operating an unregistered vehicle and failure to have minimum insurance. There were no injuries reported.
Hits DOT barrels
Kyle Hurlburt, 32, of West Cornwall, was westbound on Route 44 near Ashpohtag Road in Norfolk on Thursday, Feb. 26 at approximately 7:30 a.m. in a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. The vehicle exited the roadway on the right and struck a rock wall, rolling over into Department of Transportation barrels. Hurlburt reported no injuries but was transported to the hospital as a precaution. He was issued a citation 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 send to editor@lakevillejournal.com
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Sharon Hospital installs new CT scanner
Lakeville Journal
Mar 04, 2026
Provided
The radiology team at Sharon Hospital added a new Aquilion Serve SP CT scanner in February. The redesigned CT scanner offers a large, flared gantry bore of 80 cm that improves comfort, accessibility and may help reduce claustrophobia for patients. Pictured above is Ken DiVestea, Director Imaging Services at the hospital, with the new scanner.
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Gov. Lamont proposes ‘CT option’ for affordable health care
Katy Golvala, Ct Mirror
Mar 04, 2026
Gov. Ned Lamont delivers an opening address on the first day of the legislative session on Feb. 4, 2026.
Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror
Gov. Ned Lamont has made health care affordability a cornerstone of his policy agenda. In his reelection campaign launch and during his State of the State address, he touted a long-term goal to develop what he’s calling the “Connecticut option” — a health plan that would bring universal, affordable health care to the state.
What would the Connecticut option offer and when could residents enroll? Here’s everything you need to know about what’s been proposed so far.
How would it work?
This session, Lamont proposed legislation that would direct the state Office of Policy and Management to study the feasibility of a “Connecticut option.” The bill states that the plan would be designed by the state, but run by private insurers.
Small businesses, nonprofits and individuals would be able to purchase the coverage. Lamont said the state will aim to make insurance more affordable by creating a “preferred network” of providers that offer high-quality, low-cost care, and then incentivizing plan participants to go see them for care.
That network would probably start with the state’s own University of Connecticut Health Center, as well as Waterbury Hospital — its newest acquisition, Lamont said. But, eventually, the state would negotiate a cap on the cost of care with any hospitals willing to come to the table, he added.
“A big piece of what the Connecticut option is about is paying for high-quality, low-cost care, and drawing people towards those networks,” Sean Scanlon said. As state comptroller, Scanlon runs the state employee health plan. He’s also playing a leading role in the development of the Connecticut option.
Scanlon said the broad structure currently conceived for the Connecticut option is a “cousin” of the Colorado option program, which launched in 2023. A study published in January 2026 found that the program has, in many cases, offered residents lower premiums for similar coverage when compared with non-Colorado option plans and 15% lower out-of-pocket costs on average.
Is Connecticut’s plan to create a public option?
Even though the state is still figuring out what the Connecticut option will be, Lamont is clear on one thing: It will not be a traditional “public option,” where the government administers the plan and bears the financial risk.
In 2019 and 2021, Scanlon, who served as co-chair of the Insurance Committee at the time, was part of an effort to propose legislation to launch a more traditional “public option” that would allow small businesses and nonprofits to buy into the state employee health plan. (Similar legislation was proposed in 2020, but COVID cut the legislative session short). In 2021, Lamont effectively killed the effort when he threatened to veto the bill if it passed the General Assembly.
In the case of the Connecticut option, the state would design the plan, but a private company — or companies — would run it, meaning the state wouldn’t bear the risk if people end up getting more frequent or higher-cost care.
“This is privately managed. They take the risk, not the taxpayers,” Lamont said.
When would this new option take effect?
Not for a few years, at least.
If Lamont’s bill to look into a Connecticut option passes this session, Scanlon said the state would spend the rest of the year studying the details of what the Connecticut option should look like, including researching what other states have done.
The aim would be to propose legislation in 2027 with a “fully baked and studied plan” for the Connecticut option.
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Local lawmakers target early voting changes, tax relief plans
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 04, 2026
State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30) and State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) attend the annual breakfast of the League of Women Voters held in Goshen Saturday, Feb. 28.
Ruth Epstein
As the 2026 legislative session moves forward, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) and State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30) are advancing distinct priorities they say will shape the direction of the state.
The regular session, which convened in Hartford on Feb. 4 and is set to adjourn May 6, comes amid uncertainty over federal funding, debate over housing policy and continued scrutiny of state spending.
Horn said one of her top priorities this session is to maintain “fiscal and program stability” in Connecticut in the face of rapidly changing federal policies.
“We are in a position to mitigate the chaos,” she said in a phone interview Friday, Feb. 27.
Horn is the chair of the legislature’s Finance Committee.
One item she is keeping an eye on is elections. Horn said that small-town first selectmen and registrars have complained that the 14 days of early voting requires too much effort and money for what amounts to a handful of voters taking advantage of the policy.
There is also a move in Connecticut to create “no-excuse” absentee voting, which would allow any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a specific reason — aligning the state with most others and potentially achieving the same access as extended early voting at a fraction of the cost.
Horn is also working on changes to Connecticut’s “bottle bill,” which raised the deposit on bottles and cans from five cents to 10 cents in 2024. However, because neighboring states such as New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island did not follow through on similar increases, some people have been bringing containers purchased out of state into Connecticut to redeem them at the higher rate. That practice has prompted lawmakers to pursue stricter enforcement and penalties to curb cross-border fraud, which has left beverage distributors absorbing the costs.
Horn said the state needs more redemption centers and better enforcement and accountability.
In a phone interview Feb. 27, Harding, who is the state Senate Minority Leader, said his top priority is to take advantage of a General Fund balance of some $4 billion to provide tax relief for residents.
Tax relief could come in the form of eliminating the car tax and reducing state income taxes for some taxpayers.
Harding said he and fellow members of his caucus are pushing back against what they describe as “statewide zoning” proposals. He argued that efforts to expand affordable housing — including measures that allow developers in certain cases to override local zoning — pose a threat to the open space that residents of the Northwest Corner value.
“Open spaces get eaten up by developers under the current rules,” he said.
While acknowledging the state faces an affordable housing shortage, Harding said solutions should not come at the expense of local control.
“I understand there’s a problem with affordable housing in the state, but we shouldn’t bypass local zoning,” he said, adding that housing policy is best addressed at the local rather than state level.
Harding said there is a problem with easements granted by the state Department of Agriculture in the past. The easements were written years — and sometimes decades — ago, and developers have learned how to exploit ambiguities in the legal language.
“Some of these easements are 30 or 40 years old, and they are not worded properly.”
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Lawmakers reject federal election interference, discuss tax cuts
Ruth Epstein
Mar 04, 2026
Connecticut lawmakers attend the League of Women Voters’ annual breakfast in Goshen on Saturday, Feb. 28. From left: Sen. Paul Honig, Rep. Karen Redington Hughes, Sen. Stephen Harding, Rep. Maria Horn, Rep. John Piscopo and Rep. Jay Case.
Ruth Epstein
GOSHEN — Local state lawmakers delivered a unified message at Saturday’s League of Women Voters breakfast: keep the federal government out of Connecticut elections.
The six representatives in attendance were Sen. Paul Honig (D-8); Rep. Karen Redington Hughes (R-66); Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30); Rep. Maria Horn (D-64); Rep. John Piscopo (R-76); and Rep. Jay Case (R-63).
The league holds the forum annually to provide constituents with an opportunity to hear from lawmakers about current issues and to raise questions and concerns.
The discussion opened with a question from Sharon resident Jill Drew, who asked whether there was any possibility November’s election in Connecticut could be canceled and what steps were being taken to ensure it would proceed as scheduled later this year.
The question was prompted, in part, by recent concerns among state officials about possible federal interference in election administration, including efforts to safeguard voter data.
Honig said he sees no emergency and called the notion of canceling an election “insane.” While acknowledging isolated issues such as the absentee ballot incident in Bridgeport, he said Connecticut’s system works well and lawmakers are pursuing legislation to streamline it.
“President Trump saying our elections are corrupt is nonsense,” Honig said. “It’s more that he doesn’t like Connecticut because he didn’t win here.”
Meanwhile, Redington Hughes said she is confident the elections will go ahead as planned, “but we need to respect the process.”
Harding said having the federal government oversee the Connecticut voting process would make no sense. “I’m 100% against canceling the election. No elected official should support that.”
Horn said she worries about federal intimidation when it comes to voting. She favors the implementation of early voting, but realizes the 14-day early voting system can be costly and difficult to administer in a lot of ways.
“I would oppose Washington interfering with elections and any Hartford influence,” said Piscopo. “We’re good at running our own elections.”
He would like to see early voting reduced to four days, pointing out it cost Thomaston $1,600 per vote in the last election. “There’s no need for same-day registration. That should be phased out,” he added.
Case agreed with his colleagues that there should be no fear about what will be seen in the November election.
When asked whether the U.S. Department of Justice should sue states for access to voter rolls, all six lawmakers responded no.
One attendee defended early voting, arguing it should be viewed as an investment in democracy rather than an expense, particularly in light of low voter turnout.
The conversation later shifted to taxes and social services.
Harding said he fully supports eliminating state taxes on Social Security and pension income. “The state can take its hand off these taxes.”
Horn noted that individuals earning $75,000 or less and couples earning $100,000 or less already pay no state tax on those benefits. However, she said taxpayers exceeding those thresholds “fall off the cliff,” an issue lawmakers are discussing.
A man who operates several group homes said low reimbursement rates have made it difficult to retain staff, leading to chronic shortages and increasing financial strain.
Case responded that supporting the state’s most vulnerable residents — including those in nursing homes, group homes and experiencing homelessness — is a top priority for him.
Honig raised concerns about private equity firms acquiring care facilities primarily for profit. “That can cause serious problems and something needs to be done,” he said.
Concerns about Medicaid, SNAP and other federal programs also surfaced.
Case noted those programs are federally funded, but Drew responded that federal cuts inevitably shift financial pressure onto states. Case said Connecticut is examining what options it may have.
Piscopo said he supports certain federal spending cuts.
“Some cuts by the federal government I agree with,” Piscopo said. “If someone is able-bodied, they should go to work.”
Horn countered that approximately 80% of Connecticut Medicaid recipients are employed but often struggle with added bureaucratic requirements. “The cuts are hurting education, finances, housing and family planning,” she said.
Honig added, “People are struggling to make ends meet. Federal cuts on top of that make it harder.”
Education funding drew attention as well.
Flora Lazar, a member of the Region One Board of Education, said school districts are seeing health insurance costs ballooning. “Ultimately, that will result in cutting out programs for kids.”
Honig noted that Educational Cost Sharing funds have not increased in 12 years, shifting the burden to local taxpayers.
Piscopo said he supports increasing ECS funding for municipalities.
Horn also stated that Connecticut sends more money to the federal government than it receives in return. “We are net losers. We give more than we get back.”
Childcare affordability emerged as another major concern.
A young mother said she and her husband are struggling with daycare costs. Horn said a childcare trust fund is set to begin in July 2027, which would make care free for families earning $100,000 or less, or capped at 7% for those earning more.
Immigration enforcement and housing instability rounded out the discussion.
An audience member asked the legislators to be sure the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t put large detention centers in the state. Honig said there is a bill proposed to prevent such a move.
A man who runs a shelter program at Trinity Church in Torrington said funding shortfalls will force 13 women — several elderly or disabled — out of housing in April, putting them at risk of returning to homelessness. “Give me a break,” he said. “We need to help these people once they get into houses or they’ll be back out on the street.”
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