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Northwest Corner towns receive opioid settlements, Sharon debates use of funds
Alec Linden
Jul 29, 2026
SHARON — Northwest Corner towns have received payments from major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors after a landmark lawsuit in 2022 required them to dole out $50 billion nationwide for contributing to the opioid epidemic. While most towns in the region have already received and allocated funds, residents in Sharon disagree on how their money should be spent.
Kent, Norfolk and Falls Village have directed all of their settlement funds to the Regional Opioid Response Fund, a Northwest Hills Council of Governments program that pools opioid settlement money from participating towns to support regional addiction prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. Cornwall and North Canaan split their allocations between the regional fund and local initiatives. Sharon is one of the few towns that has yet to decide how to spend its share.
The opioid crisis, declared a public health emergency by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2017, has fueled rising addiction and overdose deaths across the country, including in the Northwest Corner. According to the state Department of Public Health, opioids accounted for approximately 86% of accidental overdoses in Connecticut in 2024, a similar percentage to previous years.
Connecticut is expected to receive approximately $600 million through 2040 as a result of the settlements, with payouts coming from companies including Walmart, CVS, Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family.
To date, Sharon has received approximately $24,000 in opioid settlement payments. The Board of Finance has proposed splitting the money, allocating $14,000 to Sharon Ambulance and $10,000 to the Regional Opioid Response Fund.
Voters, however, rejected the proposal, 27-11, at a June 18 town meeting after several residents questioned why the town should send a portion of the money to an outside organization rather than direct it entirely to Sharon’s own emergency response services.
The Board of Finance is now bringing the same proposal back to voters, this time with additional information about the opioid settlement and the specific use of the funds.
Speaking at the board’s July 21 meeting, Chair Thomas Bartram said he continued to support the proposal, arguing that the regional fund addresses addiction before emergency responders are needed.
“If you can prevent a drug problem, you don’t need to get EMS involved,” he said.
Several board members agreed, saying the town should provide residents with a more detailed explanation of the proposal and how the funds would be used before the next town meeting. BOF member Michele Pastre said it is better to intervene before an ambulance needs to be called and that substance use and addiction in the Northwest Corner are better addressed on a regional rather than town-by-town basis. “We’re so interconnected,” she said.
MaryAnne Toppan, an alternate member of the BOF, said there are no wrong choices as long as the money is used to address the opioid crisis as intended.“I just wish there was a lot more money,” she said, “because they’re all very good causes.”
Leonardo Ghio, director of the NHCOG’s Community Health Network and overseer of the regional fund, which is generally referred to as RORF, said that the fund is built to make small payments go further. He said while a direct contribution of a small sum to local resources for substance use disorder is a meaningful gesture, “it doesn’t have the same impact that it could have if all the small towns pooled their settlement money together.”
Settlement payments are also distributed unevenly and unpredictably among towns, local officials said. In fiscal year 2025, for example, Kent received $10,460 while Goshen received just $92.
Ghio said the fund also eases administrative burdens on local governments while allowing participating towns to take a more coordinated approach to substance use issues across Northwest Connecticut.
He stated that the RORF has received approximately $175,000 from 13 participating towns in the region since its launch in July 2023, and that approximately $115,000 has been spent so far.
“All of that money has been spent directly on activities that are meant to serve the participating towns,” he said.
In a letter to the Sharon BOF dated May 14 this year, Ghio explained that approximately 40% of the money had been dedicated to purchasing harm reduction supplies for the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force, supporting efforts such as the distribution “Leave Behind Kits,” which are emergency kits left in households or locales where someone is deemed to be at risk of an overdose. These kits were distributed to local EMS providers.
The fund has also supported Northwest Corner mental healthcare providers, including Greenwoods Referrals and Counseling and McCall Behavioral Health Network, as well as community-based initiatives such as screenings of the locally produced film Uprooting Addiction. Other funding has supported a partnership with the Torrington Youth Service Bureau and New Hartford-based nonprofit Outdoor Perspectives, which takes disconnected youth on outdoor excursions designed to build confidence and trust.
The fund also helps sustain a paid position for an outreach and addiction specialist at Greenwoods.
Ghio said early intervention for young people to reduce risk factors associated with future substance use is central to the RORF’s approach to addressing addiction in rural communities.
He also said that while he firmly supports municipal EMS departments as vital in responding to overdoses, the RORF is able to provide resources that focus on prevention.
In a May 19 letter to Sharon’s Board of Finance, Sharon Ambulance captain Thalia MacMillan requested that the funds be invested in the town’s EMS services to purchase and maintain life-saving equipment for overdose patients, including the replacement of a number of automated external defibrillators.
“The opioid settlement funds present an opportunity to strengthen our community’s emergency response capacity in a way that directly aligns with the intent of the settlement,” MacMillan wrote in closing.
Kent, Norfolk and Falls Village have directed all of their settlement funds into RORF, totaling $20,247, $10,319 and $8,001 respectively as of April 26 of this year. Cornwall and North Canaan have channeled a portion of their allocations into the fund, totaling $5,000 and $1,522 respectively.
North Canaan also opted in April to send $4,941 of its funds to the town’s social worker, and $2,000 directly to Greenwoods. Cornwall sent its remaining $10,000 to Greenwoods as well.
Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said his board is exploring alternative approaches to using its own allocation, which he said sits in the ballpark of $40,000, with none of it having been spent to date.
He said the BOS is seeking implementations that “make sure that money goes directly to someone who needs it” rather than be filtered through administration.
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North Canaan to host Night Market during Railroad Days festival
Annie Prinz
Jul 29, 2026
File photo
NORTH CANAAN — Local vendors, live music, and the arrival of special trains will bring Canaan Union Station to life Friday, Aug.7, when the Railroad Days Night Market returns for its third year.
The open-air marketplace will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the station. Vendors will set up illuminated booths throughout the lot, creating what North Canaan Events Committee Chair Jennifer Crane described as a festive atmosphere where visitors can shop for locally made goods, pick up dinner from nearby restaurants, and watch the trains arrive.
Organizers said 19 vendors are expected with a wide range of offerings, including handmade tumblers, crocheted animals, assorted self-care products, jewelry, 3D-printed items and more. Community organizations will also operate informational booths.
The Night Market is the only one the Events Committee plans to hold this year. Crane said the committee chose to schedule it during Railroad Days because of the celebration’s importance to North Canaan and its connection to the town’s railroad history.
Rather than bringing in additional food vendors, visitors are encouraged to support surrounding restaurants and food businesses located within walking distance of the station, such as Roma Pizzeria, Teo Tacos, Industry Kitchen & Bar, Blackberry River Bistro and more. Picnic tables will be available for those who would like to bring food back to the market, listen to live music, and enjoy the evening atmosphere.
Both the New England Accordion Museum and the Historic Train Museum will be open during the event, outside their regular operating hours. Visitors will also have an opportunity to view and tour trains that will be arriving while the Night Market is underway.
Admission to the market is free. Parking will be available in the municipal lot and in nearby lots at businesses that are closed for the evening. While vendors will offer a variety of payment options, an ATM is also available nearby at NBT Bank.
The market will serve as a continuation of the 2026 Railroad Days festival, which will take place Aug. 6 through 9. The festival celebrates North Canaan’s railroad heritage and honors local businesses and organizations that keep the tradition moving forward. Other events include a community picnic, train tours and museum visits and a free movie.
The North Canaan Events Committee says it could not pull this off without the “incredible organization and support” of its friends at The Housatonic Railroad Company.
Additional event information can be found at northcanaaneventscommittee.org/event.
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Dance party raises money for housing at White Hart
Annie Prinz
Jul 29, 2026
Dancers bring their best moves to the party benefitting the Salisbury Housing Trust July 23 at the White Hart.
Annie Prinz
SALISBURY — Friends and supporters of the Salisbury Housing Trust filled the dance floor and bid on silent-auction items Thursday evening, July 23, during the organization’s third annual “Let’s Dance For Housing” fundraiser at the White Hart Inn. Proceeds will support the nonprofit’s efforts to expand affordable housing in the Northwest Corner.
DJ Dave Leonard, founder of WKZE, an independent radio station serving the area, kept the dance floor busy with classic hits from the 1960s through the 1990s. More than 60 people attended the fundraiser.
Silent-auction ranging from gift cards to Broadway, baseball and Bronx Zoo tickets. Guests also bid on overnight stays and restaurant credits at The White Hart Inn and Prospect Berkshires, along with a day at Lime Rock Park Drivers Club.
The Housing Trust is preparing to purchase and renovate a house at 51 Bostwick St. before selling it to a local family. The project follows the more recent completion of four affordable homes – two on Perry Street and two on Undermountain Road– that were built with the help of state and federal funding. Families have moved into all four houses, according to Housing Trust president John Harney.
Harney said that affordable housing has become increasingly important in Salisbury due to the changes in the town’s economic makeup. During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, he said, there was a broader mix of working-, middle- and upper-income residents. Housing prices, however, increased during the 1980s and 1990s, he added, with many families priced out of the community.
As a result, some people who grew up in the community can no longer afford to return. The Salisbury Housing Trust aims to restore some of the economic diversity the town has lost.
“Salisbury has turned into a financially gated community, and our job is to open the gate,” Harney said.
The Housing Trust was formed after a series of community meetings in 2000 identified affordable housing as one of Salisbury’s greatest needs. It now acquires, builds, and renovates homes for qualifying low- and moderate- income residents.
Harney said affordable homeownership can make “a world of difference” for families that might otherwise be unable to buy, or even rent, in Salisbury. The growth of short-term rentals and Airbnbs has further reduced the town’s available housing, he said, making it difficult for younger families to establish themselves and benefit from Salisbury’s schools and other resources.
To help fund that work, Judy Gafney, the organization’s former fundraising chair and a current member of the fundraising committee, proposed “Let’s Dance for Housing” three years ago as a way to support the mission while bringing the community together.
After years of community involvement, Gafney said the Housing Trust’s work remains deeply meaningful to her, particularly when she meets the families moving into its homes.
“Personally, it is such a joy, and it is so meaningful to me to see and to meet these families moving in,” Gafney said. “I get such happiness out of this job. It’s giving to people and seeing their growth, strength, and contentment. It’s just marvelous. This community is so generous in their support of what we’re doing. Wonderful, wonderful supporters and individuals.”
Throughout the evening, as music continued and guests moved between the dance floor and silent auction tables, the celebratory atmosphere reflected the community support Gafney described.
Salisbury resident and novelist Helen Klein Ross said she enjoyed spending the evening supporting the Housing Trust. “I loved the event, being able to amble through those beautiful rooms, meeting and greeting and bidding on such fun things. And the food was fantastic!” Ross said.
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Jane Lloyd Clambake draws hundreds to Satre Hill
Phoebe Tobin
Jul 29, 2026
Organizers load up the clams during the annual fundraiser.
Phoebe Tobin
SALISBURY — Volunteers and community members hauled mountains of seaweed, corn husks, and crates of lobster onto the glowing rocks of a fire pit during the 19th annual Jane Lloyd Clambake, which drew hundreds of guests to Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s (SWSA) Satre Hill on Saturday, July 25. The event raises money for The Jane Lloyd Fund, which has provided $1.3 million in assistance to cancer patients throughout Region One.

Created after the death of Lakeville and Salisbury native Jane Lloyd in 2005, The Jane Lloyd Fund helps local residents facing financial hardship after a cancer diagnosis with day-to-day expenses. In nearly two decades, the fund, supported by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, has assisted hundreds of families.
This year, attendance throughout the day appeared to reach the 400 to 500 range organizers have come to expect across the years. The event begins before anyone starts eating. From the parking lot, visitors walk down a “Walk of Remembrance” path lined with signs bearing names, words of encouragement, and phrases like, “What would you say to Jane?” or “Jam to the spirit of Jane.”

By 3 p.m., volunteers began assembling the signature fire pit, layering heated rocks with seaweed, corn husks, clams, lobsters and corn before covering the pile with a tarp to trap the heat and steam the food underneath.
Apart from the fire, the rest of the crowd spread out under two long tents and umbrella-topped high-tops scattered across the grounds. Burgers, hot dogs, a beer truck and ice cream were donated by Grassland Farm, all for those who the Fund calls “more land dwelling lovers.”

Joanne Tuncy, a fifth-year volunteer at the ice cream tent, first connected with the Fund through Donna Stoetzner, Co-Chair of the Fund and sister of Jane Lloyd. Tuncy and Stoetzner worked together at Indian Mountain School for years. But the cause became personal to Tuncy when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and became a recipient of the Fund’s support.
“It’s important for me to be able to give back to the community what they’ve given to you,” she said, adding that people and the ice cream keep her coming back each year.

Suzanne Warner, a volunteer at another food tent, was with a group of friends recruited by her boyfriend, whose mother, Tanya Tedder, Co-Chairs the Fund. Warner, also in her fifth year, said watching the fire go up is the highlight, but the most meaningful part for her is hearing Tedder share stories of families the fund has helped. “It brings people together and helps provide funds for people in need in the area,” she said.
Under the music tent, Elliot Osborne and a rotating cast of friends kept the “loosey goosey” jam session going late into the afternoon, one more reminder that the Jane Lloyd Clambake invites anyone and everyone to join.
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Classifieds - July 30, 2026
Lakeville Journal
Jul 29, 2026
HELP WANTED
Garden Help. Looking for an experienced person to weed my acre garden and cut back some plants. In Salisbury. For July and August. Could continue into Fall. naylor99@gmail.com
Home Help Needed. Part Time. Sharon. 407-620-7777.
NOW HIRING - Chef and Kitchen Help. The Millerton Inn is looking for a talented and passionate Chef and line cooks to join our team! If you thrive in a fast-paced kitchen, take pride in creating exceptional food and work well with a team, we’d love to hear from you. Competitive pay. Great team. Growth opportunities. Apply in person at The Millerton Inn or send your resume at themillertoninn@gmail.com
NOW HIRING — Bartenders and Servers. Join the Team at The Boathouse in Lakeville. We’re looking for friendly, reliable, and energetic Bartenders and Servers to join our team! If you enjoy working in a fast-paced, welcoming environment and take pride in providing outstanding customer service, we’d love to meet you. Apply in person at The Boathouse in Lakeville, or contact us at boathouseatlakeville@gmail.com
SERVICES OFFERED
Hector Pacay Landscaping, LLC. Residential & Commercial. Tree service, Painting, Masonry, Stone Walls, Lawn Mowing, Gardens, Construction. 845-636-3212. CT and NY.
TAG SALES
SHARON
SHARON Huge Tag Sale on Saturday August 1 from 9 to 4 p.m. and on Sunday August 2 from 11 to 4 p.m. at Sharon Methodist Church, 112 Upper Main Street. Our basement is over-flowing. Too much to list. Something for everyone. Also on Saturday is the annual arts and crafts show On the Green. Customers can enjoy shopping at both events.
REAL ESTATE
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or:rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
1Bd/1b apartment in Amenia. $900 a month. 860-309-4482.
HOUSE FOR RENT
MT RIGA LAKEFRONT CABIN. Private beach, canoe, kayaks, fishing. $1,275/week. 585-355-5245.
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Legal Notices - July 30, 2026
Lakeville Journal
Jul 29, 2026
Notice of Decision Town of Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following actions were taken by the Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on July 20, 2026:
Approved - Site Plan Application #2026-0325 by owner 280 BTLR LLC, for an apartment in a single family residence including modifications of approved site plan # 2025-0305 (for development activities in the Lake Protection Overlay District associated with an addition to a single family residence) such as elimination of a portion of the proposed driveway, construction of new stone walls, and other associated site work in accordance with Section 208 of the regulations. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s Map 67 as Lot 07 and is located at 300 Between the Lakes Road, Salisbury.
Approved - Site Plan Application #2026-0326 by Ben Marhefk, to modify site plan associated with special permit #2024-0244 multifamily housing in the multifamily housing over-lay district in accordance with section 803.5 of the regulations. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s Map 56 as Lot 06 and is located at 26 Undermountain Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Salisbury Housing Trust. Approved - Site Plan Application #2026-0327 by owner Salisbury Housing Trust to modify site plan associated with special permit #2023-0226 (multifamily housing in the multifamily housing overlay district) to add two car port structures with roof solar panels in accordance with section 803.5 of the regulations.
The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s Map 47 as Lot 37E and is located at 17 & 19 Perry Street, Lakeville. Conditionally authorized the Zoning Enforcement Officer to issue temporary Zoning Permit ZP-26-55 by Doug Cohn for a fundraising event, in accordance with Section 906 of the regulations. Provided the event not exceed 100 attendees, and the event’s music ends by 8:00pm.
Any aggrieved person may appeal these decisions to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §8-8.
Town of Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Robert Riva, Secretary
07-30-26
SHARON ZONING
BOARD OF APPEALS
LEGAL NOTICE
To Whom It May Concern, notice is hereby given that on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 6: 00PM, at the Sharon Town Hall, 63 Main Street, Sharon, CT, the Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on the following Appeal: Appeal #195 of Leslie M. Murray for a variance to place a shed with a front line setback of 30 feet where the Regulations require 50 feet, Article IV. The property location is —Assessor Map 12 Parcel 48, 1 Jackson Hill Road, in the Rural Residence Zone. At this hearing interested persons may be heard and written communication received. The application is on file at the Selectmen’s Office, Sharon, CT. Dated at Sharon, CT this 24th day of July 2026.
William Trowbridge, Chairman
Sharon Zoning Board of Appeals
07-30-26
08-06-26
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