WINSTED — Northwestern Regional High School hosted its crosstown nemesis, The Gilbert School, in back-to-back basketball games on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Northwestern’s ladies opened the evening by hammering the Jackets 55-19, but Gilbert’s boys had the last word, taking home a hard-fought 79-69 victory.GirlsGilbert’s woes were obvious from the tip-off as they struggled to ignite their offense and get beyond Northwestern’s defensive barricade. The Highlanders, on the other hand, set up quick, efficient plays and finished neatly. Northwestern’s Shanley McClave was remarkable throughout the first quarter, scoring 10 of the Highlanders 17 points while keeping Gilbert’s scoring limited to one field goal and a couple of foul shots.The Jackets seemed a little better after the first break, but Northwestern continued to win all the little battles beneath the boards and in both zones. The Highlander defense shined as brightly as the offense, managing to pacify Jacket offensive leader Nicole Nash throughout the first half to give way for a strong 26-12 lead heading into the halftime break.Out of the break, the Jackets seemed to find the edge to their defense, keeping Northwestern scoreless through the first three minutes of the quarter. Unfortunately for the Jackets, they, too, were scoreless throughout those grueling three minutes, when neither side seemed capable of reactivating their offense. The Highlanders began snagging long lob passes and used those turnovers to resuscitate their scoring game, taking a commanding 45-19 lead into the final quarter.Northwestern kept the Jackets scoreless through the fourth while building upon their own lead to seize a 55-19 win over Gilbert.McClave led the Highlanders with 17 points, Rasa Hamel scored 12 and Sarah Raftery finished out the night with seven. Yellowjacket Kara Mochak led her team with seven points, while Nicole Nash and Rachel Wendell scored five apiece.The Highlanders took a moment after the game to give head coach Fred Williams a belated celebration for winning 500 games in his coaching career. Williams claimed number 500 in January of last year and was honored by his team as well as a group of Highlander alumni who made their way to the court to show their appreciation for Williams’ selflessness in his coaching career.BoysShortly after the girls claimed the win at home, the Highlander boys were looking for a similar outcome as they prepared to face the Gilbert boys basketball squad. The Gentlemen Jackets were hoping for a strong start against rival Northwestern after taking a very emotional and difficult loss to Nonnewaug in their previous outing. The Jackets did generate the kind of start that was necessary to reclaim their earlier season momentum, taking a solid lead early with clean, sharp passes and offensive awareness beneath Northwestern’s net. Jackets Elide Romero and Austin Brochu led the way on both ends of the court, denying most of the Highlanders’ secondary scoring opportunities with hard work beneath their own net while showing incredible finish in Northwestern’s end. The Jackets led the Highlanders 25-13 in the first quarter.Gilbert maintained their first-quarter momentum, putting together smart offensive plays and active defensive work in their own end. The Jackets began to pull away early, stripping balls away and forcing turnovers that they converted into scoring chances. By the end of the second, Gilbert had a 40-24 lead.Bobby Lippincott, who scored his 1,000th point this season, seemed to have some difficulty generating his usual offensive numbers for the Highlanders and continued to struggle through the third as Yellowjacket Romero offered a strong defensive performance against one of the Highlanders’ best. Northwestern sparked late in the quarter, but Gilbert managed to pick up their play in the final minutes to hold onto a 56-44 lead after three.The Jackets seemed to have absolute command of the game through the majority of the fourth, maintaining the high level of performance they have demonstrated all season. Northwestern, however, refused to allow their crosstown foe the opportunity of an easy win and began closing the gap in the final three minutes of the quarter.Lippincott found his offensive touch late. His back-to-back turnovers put the game within reach. The Jackets led 74-69 with just a minute to go. The sudden eruption of offense invigorated the crowd, but late fouls trampled the Highlanders’ hopes of a last-minute rally. The Jackets held on to take the road win, 79-69.Yellowjacket Brochu led the scoring with 22 points, Elide Romero scored 21 and Robert Skinner finished with 19 points. Highlander Connor Guiheen scored 20, John Stevens tallied 18 and Lippincott scored 12.Gilbert head coach Mark Douglass commented on his team’s ability to recover from an emotional loss to play in an equally emotional game.“We allowed Nonnewaug to get into our heads,” said Douglass. “I showed them the tape of that game and what Nonnewaug did to us, and then showed them the tape of our first game against Northwestern this year. I just had to show them that we are still the team that went 9-1 earlier this year.”
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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