The time for lasting change is now

Juneteenth has just passed, the second since it became a national holiday in 2021. Connecticut has made it a state holiday as well, which will take effect next year. More than 150 years after emancipation of all the slaves in the United States happened, it’s about time there has finally been some national recognition of it.

For Black Americans, this is a time of acknowledgment of their long heritage in this country, which began in chains but evolved into their persevering in a continually racist environment to achieve so much against the odds. The strength and courage of their ancestors in fighting for their rights as citizens and humans should be inspiring to them, and to all. That fight continues, and all Americans should be part of it.

White Americans on Juneteenth should have paused their preconceived ideas of what their Black and brown neighbors contend with in society every day, and understand that they must encourage and take part in civic and social action to achieve a larger measure of change to lift all Americans up in a real way now.

All Americans need to think hard about how to change the way our systems are set up, and how they are stacked against Black and brown people. Because if change doesn’t take hold now, across waves of entrenched racism such as mass incarceration, abuse and violence by law enforcement and others, inequity in ability to borrow money, ability to own or rent homes, bias in employers’ hiring, equal access to higher education and on and on, it could be a last defining moment for our society.

While incremental change has made a difference in the lives of many Black and brown people and their families, such change is not enough. The future needs to be hopeful and hold promise for all Americans if this nation is to achieve lasting success in its third century of existence.

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Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

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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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