Saving Winsted’s paper

Last week brought the news that the Winsted Citizen, a monthly newspaper with a goal to become a weekly and started by Winsted’s own Ralph Nader, was throwing in the towel. It had produced nine issues starting in February. That was Monday. By Wednesday, it became a rescue story. American Business Media LLC, a Simsbury-based national media company, would acquire the Citizen newspaper.

The new owner publishes seven magazines across the country, largely focused on the banking and mortgage fields, numerous email newsletters and manages an events business as well as providing other services in the communications domain. 

We celebrate the news that the Winsted community will continue to be served. (See story on here.) 

The Lakeville Journal knows about the challenges facing local journalism. A little more than six years ago, in August 2017,  The Journal announced that it was folding its own Winsted newspaper — The Winsted Journal — into The Lakeville Journal. The decision came after more than 20 years of separate publication that began in 1996. 

At the time, The Lakeville Journal reported: “Change is never easy…however, there has not been enough support from the Winsted area to sustain continued publication.”

That news report from 2017 is another reminder of the chill across today’s newspaper landscape. Veteran journalist Andy Thibault, who launched the Citizen with Nader, echoed that reality again last week when he noted that the operation never recovered from a shortfall in funding from almost its start as a nonprofit, called the Connecticut News Consortium.

We have reported several times about the death knell sounding for newspapers across the United States. We have described the so-called news deserts, where  residents in more than half of America’s counties now have little or no news coverage. And some say it’s different coverage when a town has its own newspaper, compared to having a daily come in to cover an event.

According to a recent study by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, the rate of newspaper closures has increased to an average of 2.5 per week from a rate of two last year.

Thanks to our own readers and supporters, The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News survive today to serve the Northwest Corner and Dutchess County.

 Most newspapers that lose a paper don’t get a replacement. Winsted won’t be one of them! 

CEO, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Vincent Valvo of American Business Media has a strong journalistic track record. He has served on the board of directors of the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and was president of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information. In making the announcement, Valvo said that he has been cheering on the creation of the Winsted Citizen from the beginning. 

Waterbury’s family-owned Republican-American covers Winsted, and so does the Hearst-owned  Register-Citizen in Torrington. 

Now, once again, we can look forward to Winsted’s future with a newspaper.

Latest News

Swift House committee learns of potential buyer at first meeting

Swift House in Kent.

By Ruth Epstein

KENT — The fate of the Swift House is once again front and center after the newly formed Swift House Investigation Committee held its first meeting Tuesday, Feb. 24 — and learned that a local attorney is interested in buying the historic property.

At the meeting’s outset, committee member Marge Smith said local attorney Anthony Palumbo has expressed interest in purchasing the building. “He loves it and said he’d be honored to buy it and maybe lease part of it back to the town. He would be OK with a conservation easement.” She said he supports several previously proposed uses, including a welcome center and exhibition space.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sharon median home price rises to $710,000 as inventory tightens

119 Amenia Union Road — A four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home built in 1872 on 4.42 acres recently sold for $522,500.

Photo by Christine Bates

SHARON — The 12-month trailing median price for a single-family home in Sharon increased to $710,000 for the period ending Jan. 31, 2026 — its highest point since September 2024 as home values across much of Connecticut continued to edge higher.

The figure marks an increase from the $560,000 median recorded for the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2025, and from $645,000 for the comparable period ending Jan. 31, 2024. While January and February are typically slow months, the 12-month rolling figure reflects a broader reset.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kent's towering snowman honors Robbie Kennedy

Jeff Kennedy visits the 20-foot-high snowman located in the Golden Falcon lot in Kent that was created in honor of his late brother Robbie Kennedy.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

KENT – Snowman Robbie stands prominently in the center of town, just as its namesake — longtime Kent resident Robbie Kennedy — did for so many years.

The 20-foot-high frozen sculpture pays tribute to Kennedy, who died Feb. 9, at the age of 71. A beloved member of the community, he was a familiar sight riding his bicycle along town roads waving to all he passed. Many people knew him from his days working at Davis IGA, the local supermarket. He was embraced by the Kent Fire Department, where he was named an active emergency member and whose members chipped in to buy him a new bike, and by the Kent School football team where coach Ben Martin made him his assistant. At Templeton Farms senior apartments, he was the helpful tenant, always eager to assist his neighbors.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.