Latest News
Noble Horizons art show features bucolic work inspired by the region
Ruth Epstein
Apr 14, 2026
Noreen Driscoll views the works done by the late Herbert Kates at Saturday’s ‘Barns Abound’ event hosted by the Noble Horizons Auxiliary.
Ruth Epstein
SALISBURY – The barns that dot the tri-state corner landscape are so much more than structures. They often bring back memories of times past, help to serve useful purposes and are the focus of many artists’ eyes, as witnessed at Saturday’s “Barns Abound” event at Noble Horizons, a senior living community in Salisbury.
Hosted by the Noble Horizons Auxiliary, the walls of the community room were filled with artists’ renditions of barns from a variety of perspectives.
“I love barns,” said Jean Saliter, who came up with the theme for the past two shows. “I want to adopt them all.”
Saliter said the silo she passes every day to and from work served as the inspiration for the art show. In her own painting, Saliter captured a white barn structure among the foliage.
One of the contributing artists was Marilyn Nichols of Millerton, whose bright red barn was pictured surrounded by grass.
“This is a remembrance of a barn owned by my aunt and uncle, Earl and Hazel Peck of Craryville,” she said. “I loved going there.”
Nina Mathus, a resident of Noble Horizons known for her whimsical artwork, didn’t disappoint. In one entry, titled “Dream of Old MacDonald’s Barn,” she depicted tiny animals floating on clouds.
“I had some climbing, some struggling and some just lying on the clouds,” Mathus said.
Another of her pieces was a three-dimensional barn birdhouse.
Pat Henley looks at the red barn birdhouse created by Nina Mathus.Ruth Epstein
Two sketches that drew a great deal of attention were created by American painter, illustrator and writer Herbert Spencer Kates (1894 to 1947). Submitted by Anne Longley, she accompanied the pieces with an explanation.
Longley believes they were made in the 1920s or 1930s. When Kates died at the age of 54, his brother Jerome put the works in storage where they remained for 40 years. Not until the mid-2000s, long after Jerome Kates died, were they discovered in his attic.
Longley purchased pieces from the collection a few years ago and when she thought about entering the sketches into the show at Noble Horizons, she realized they were in poor condition. Completed on gossamer-thin tracing paper, the sketches sustained numerous tears and had some missing tissue. Longley carefully cut away what damage she could and repaired a few tears and added color to minimize the deterioration.
“I believe the converted barn/house was done in Westchester County where Kates grew up,” Longley wrote. “The beautiful barn and outbuildings were likely sketched in upper New York state or possibly Connecticut — Kates spent time in Kent and nearby.”
The evening also featured a raffle and extensive array of hors d’oeuvres.
The Noble Horizons Auxiliary is made up of volunteers who fundraise to pay for special items for residents. President Teri Aitken, in her message in the latest newsletter, listed the many ways the organization is able to enhance the lives of residents because of strong community support. This includes flowers on dining room tables, new books and periodicals in the library, Netflix access, special excursions and the annual lobster luncheon.
Keep ReadingShow less
Kent 80-unit housing development granted first of several town approvals
Alec Linden
Apr 14, 2026
Kent Town Hall
Leila Hawken
KENT – A proposal for an 80-unit housing development on a 12.5-acre parcel in downtown Kent cleared its first permitting hurdle on Thursday, April 9, as the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a zoning change allowing the project to move forward.
The approval, granted after the close of a two-session public hearing, allows for the creation of a Planned Development District, or PDD, on the parcel between Town Hall and Maple Street Extension. The PDD restricts use of the land to the project proposed by Kent Housing Development Associates, a group established by South Kent’s Jim Millstein for its development.
The plans call for a mixed-income neighborhood-style development with 14 townhouses and larger apartment buildings. Sixteen of the units would be designated as affordable, and five acres at the southern end of the property would be publicly-accessible open space.
During the initial hearing in late March, Millstein described the development as “a village-scale residential neighborhood that fits naturally in Kent while addressing the town’s documented housing needs.”
As Millstein clarified during Thursday night’s proceedings, the PDD approval is the first of several approvals his team must secure before construction can begin. “This is just an interim step,” Millstein said.
The project still requires approval from the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and the Architectural Review Board, and must return before P&Z with a fully engineered site plan for final zoning approval, which Millstein said he hopes will be ready in four or five months. The Sewer Commission has already signed off on the project, indicating the town can handle the proposed increase in wastewater.
As there is no public hearing for a site plan, Thursday night marked the final chance for input from residents in the format of a zoning hearing.
The first round of the hearing on March 30 saw the public react with cautious optimism to the proposal, with many advocating for a more diversified housing landscape in Kent, while others expressed hesitation about its size.
Those concerns were echoed on Thursday night, which featured far less public testimony than the previous session of the public hearing. Bonnie Bevans, a realtor who lives near the southern end of the PDD parcel, said she felt the proposal is “too big for the location.” Later in the meeting, she spoke up again, saying, “We don’t need clump housing where it turns Kent into a Boston.”
Denise Morocco questioned why the proposal does not specify the installation of renewable energy. “It’s 2026,” she said, arguing that any development of this size should account for clean and, she argued, cheaper energy sources.
Steve Pener, a realtor who was raised in Kent and now has a family in town, countered the position that the development will be too big. “80 units isn’t enough,” he said, saying the housing crunch has “impacted the fabric of our community.” He also pushed back against claims that the development will significantly impact traffic in town. “If anything,” he said, “putting housing in the center of our village means more people walking to the grocery store, not more cars on Route 7.”
Jim Millstein offered his perspective on the necessity of the project after the public had spoken. “The people who work here cannot afford to live here,” he said, “and that is because we’ve restricted the supply of housing.”
“Towns need population,” he added. “Population drives economic activity… we need people to live in town,” stressing the word “live.”
Responding to Morocco’s concerns, he said he has to plan the project with affordability in mind in order to maintain the affordable housing thresholds. “If solar is cheaper – definitely going that way,” he said.
P&Z responded favorably to the proposal. “This application isn’t landing before us by chance,” commissioner Darrell Cherniske said, referring to the 2017 establishment of the Village Incentive Overlay District, a zone intended to promote affordable housing opportunities. “I think we’re very fortunate to have a local developer who has genuine concern in the outcome here being the best for the town.”
Commissioner Donna Hayes agreed, saying during her time working in the Land Use office, she had seen three other proposals with even more units than this proposal, none of which “were able to do what Mr. Millstein has done so far.”
“I think that it would be a wonderful addition to the town, it would be a wonderful addition to the schools,” she said. “It would be a wonderful addition to all the vendors and property owners in the center of town.”
“This is probably the best use of that piece of property.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Pain at the Pump: Surging gas prices stretch local budgets
Aly Morrissey
Apr 14, 2026
Gas was priced at $4.09 per gallon at the 17 Gay St. Shell station in Sharon, Conn., April 13, just below the national average of $4.12, according to AAA.
Aly Morrissey
Connecticut drivers are paying sharply more at the pump than they were a year ago, with gas prices up more than $1 per gallon — a surge that is hitting wallets across the Northwest Corner even as prices steadied briefly last week.
The spike comes as global tensions continue to cause oil prices to rise. Prices briefly stabilized following news of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, but uncertainty returned after talks ended without an agreement, leaving drivers bracing for continued volatility.
Residents of the Northwest Corner and Eastern Dutchess County continue to pay hefty prices at the pump, according to data collected by AAA. Despite high prices, demand for fuel continues to climb.
Just a month ago, Sharon resident and local blacksmith William Trowbridge said a fill-up typically cost around $75. Now, for the first time, he paid more than $100 to fill his truck — a jump that left him concerned when the total climbed into triple digits.
“It makes me angry,” Trowbridge said at the Shell station located at 17 Gay St. in Sharon. “Now, I’m starting to think about combining errands when I go out.”
Trowbridge, like many others, attributes the spike in gas prices to “a war that shouldn’t even be happening.”
At the Gay Street station, employee Jacob Enquest said customer reactions have shifted in recent weeks.
“Whether it was about politics and the war or the prices themselves, everyone had something to say,” Enquest said. “Now people just want to know if prices are going to come down, and I have to tell them their guess is as good as mine.”
Local and National Prices
According to data compiled by AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Connecticut held steady last week at $4.08, unchanged from the prior week but significantly higher than earlier this year.
In neighboring New York, prices are slightly higher, averaging $4.12 per gallon as of April 13, according to AAA.
Prices in both states have climbed sharply in recent weeks. In Connecticut, gas is up 56 cents from a month ago and more than $1 higher than this time last year. Nationally, the average price rose to $4.12 per gallon, up 49 cents from a month ago.
Connecticut currently ranks 16th in the nation for highest gas prices, while New York prices are largely in line with the national average. The lowest prices are found in Oklahoma and Kansas, where drivers are paying around $3.44 to $3.49 per gallon, while California and Hawaii are paying nearly $6 per gallon.
Legislation
Rising gas prices are impacting more than just individual drivers, with local businesses, schools and municipalities also feeling the strain as they adjust budgets and daily operations to absorb higher costs.
Local legislators in Connecticut and New York have called for relief for individuals at the pump, receiving mixed results. While Gov. Ned Lamont recently dropped hopes of a gas tax holiday in Connecticut, Dutchess County, New York, legislators advanced a resolution to cap the county’s sales tax on gasoline and diesel at $3 per gallon beginning June 1.
“It will be a modest saving, but any amount helps,” said Dutchess County Legislator Chris Drago D-19, who supported the resolution initiated by the Democratic Caucus.
Drago described the price increase as “one of many unfortunate results from this needless war in the Middle East,” adding that Dutchess County should not get a “windfall of taxes” from the war.
“As we know, it’s more and more expensive to live where we live, and it’s hitting families hard,” Drago said. “Anything we can do to alleviate any financial strain at this time is important.”
In Connecticut, lawmakers have explored similar relief measures, though no gas tax holiday has been approved.
Though there is precedent for a gas holiday in Connecticut, like when the Ukraine war first broke out, it has yet to happen since the Iran conflict began.
State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), who is an advocate for the tax holiday, said that the concept could be revisited if prices remain high.“I’m still hopeful,” Harding said. “If prices remain high, I think there’s a chance it could still happen. People in this state need this type of relief right now.”
The state levies a 25-cent-per-gallon tax on regular gasoline.
For some families, pump prices reflect tipping point
For some local residents, rising gas prices are compounding an already difficult cost of living — forcing tough decisions about where to live and how to get to work.
Guy Gnerre and his wife, Kim, are now facing exactly that reality. The couple, both longtime educators, have lived in the Salisbury area for about 25 years. Gnerre has worked as a special education teacher at Salisbury Central School for the past seven years, while his wife has spent 25 years at Hotchkiss. Now, they are preparing to make a significant change to adapt to the rising cost of living in the region.
Gnerre said home ownership in the area has been a dream for his family, but it has remained just out of reach. The couple has rented locally for more than two decades and is now being forced to move nearly 30 miles away to Torrington after receiving notice that their landlord plans to return and renovate the property.
With a daughter in college and the cost of living at an all-time high, the couple worry about what’s ahead, including fears of dipping into retirement savings to purchase a home that Gnerre said needs lots of work and is in an unfamiliar city.
“Yes, we are going to get obliterated in terms of gas,” Gnerre said, noting that he and his wife plan to carpool after their move. But it’s not just fuel prices that are affecting his family. “Gas is part of the checklist,” he said, adding, “I wish it was just the fuel.”
Schools that rely on diesel say ‘Business as usual – for now’
With diesel prices outpacing regular fuel prices, schools throughout the region are keeping a close eye on costs for buses, but say they’re not ready to make significant changes.
In districts that outsource bus contracts to independent companies, schools typically agree on a diesel rate per gallon at the start of the year. Salisbury Central School, for example, has a contract with All-Star Transportation and prepays for gallons of diesel based on a negotiated price.
“We’re set for the year,” said Sue Bucceri, administrative assistant to the principal. “We’re locked into the price we agreed upon last summer,” before diesel prices surged.
The average price for a gallon of diesel currently costs $5.92 a gallon in Connecticut, up from $3.79 a year ago, according to AAA.
Bucceri works on the budgeting process in partnership with Region One’s business office, and said SCS is not making significant changes for the 2026-2027 budget based on gas prices.
“We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Bucceri said. “We made a nominal increase on price-per-gallon,” she added. At this time, she said the school is fortunate that it’s not being significantly impacted from a budget perspective.
Just across the border in New York, the Webutuck Central School District owns its own fleet of buses and isn’t benefiting from a locked-in price model.
“Gas prices do impact us,” said Robert Farrier, business administrator for the Webutuck Central School District. However, Farrier said he and his colleagues are not worried about the budget at this time, though they plan to keep an eye on prices.
Farrier said the business office padded the transportation section of their budget during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, to date, they are prepared for unexpected events such as rising fuel costs.
“We’re not canceling field trips or anything like that,” he said.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Sharon Hospital performing in key areas since merger, report finds
Ruth Epstein
Apr 14, 2026
Sharon Hospital
File photo
SHARON – Sharon Hospital is meeting most of the requirements tied to the 2025 merger between Nuvance Health and Northwell Health, but still faces challenges in patient access services and workforce stability, according to an independent review.
The findings were presented April 8 during a community forum at the hospital, and were also streamed online.
The review, conducted by consulting firm PYA and required by the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, examined whether the hospital is complying with conditions set when Nuvance Health merged with Northwell in May 2025. Funded by the transitional entities, the assessment is required to be conducted semi-annually. Sharon Hospital was one of three Connecticut sites required to host community forums following the merger, along with Danbury/New Milford and Norwalk, both formerly part of the Nuvance network.
David McMillan, president of PYA, said data was collected and occasional on-site visits were made to each of the Northwell-Nuvance hospitals.
McMillan reported that, of five sets of evaluation criteria, Sharon Hospital was found to be in full compliance with three: oversight, governance and public accountability; community engagement and local representation; and financial sustainability, investment and quality.
The hospital received partial compliance marks in patient access services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, and in workforce stability, or its ability to retain qualified employees.
Additionally, the hospital was found to have inconsistent wait periods for some Medicaid patients across different departments.
For example, McMillan noted, “a difference was seen in neurology between how quickly Medicaid patients received access as compared to others.” He added, “Northwell will work on remedying that.”
While each of these two areas will require a follow-up, McMillan said they “do not represent substantial non-compliance.”
Michelle Robertson, market president of Nuvance, spoke about the hospital’s strategic plan, highlighting five key pillars: patient experience, people, quality, financial performance and efficiency.
McMillan said the state concluded that some points of the strategic plan were missing from Sharon Hospital.
However, hospital officials throughout the state have pushed back, saying some of that information – such as business plans – should be considered confidential.
During his presentation, David Seligman, executive vice president, chief integration officer and market president of Northwell, said the aim is to keep the Northwell hospitals local.
“Our intent is to strengthen services,” Seligman said. “We always start by focusing on quality.”
In addition to matters relating to patient and fiscal operations, a significant rebranding project will kick off on May 1 and will serve as a visual representation of hospital changes. It is estimated to take around two years to complete, and will include placing Northwell’s name on hospital signage, ambulances and workwear.
“This will keep people apprised of what Northwell is all about,” Seligman said.
Sharon Hospital President and Chief Nursing Executive Christina McCulloch spoke of the investment Northwell is making in programs, services and technology. She touched on several new initiatives, such as the Center for Transfers and Acute Coordinated Care (CTACC), which will provide more efficient methods of patient transport; the installation of a hospital paramedic service, which will join the local emergency responders in providing care; the increase of personnel with the hiring of 30 new employees in the last few months; welcoming family medical residents to team up with doctors for clinical experiences; the installation of a new CT scanner and renovations in the emergency department.
She also listed several of the awards Sharon Hospital has received, including 5-Star recognition and honors for the maternity department and stroke care.
“I wanted to share these awards with you so you can have confidence in the care you receive,” she told the audience of about 20.
During a question and answer period, McCulloch said there are 12 members serving on the local community board, hailing from Connecticut and New York state towns with a wide range of experience in various professions.
An audience member asked whether efforts are being made to bring more family medicine practitioners to the area. McCulloch said recruitment is being done. She also responded to a question about whether the labor and delivery unit is being marketed.
“Yes,” she replied. “We are sharing that we are open and here to deliver.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Sharon Board of Ed. ordered to revise budget for 0% increase
Alec Linden
Apr 14, 2026
Sharon Center School faces budget cuts next year.
Alec Linden
SHARON – The Board of Education voted to cut nearly $70,000 from the staff salaries section of its 2026-2027 budget proposal during a special meeting held Wednesday, April 8.
The decision came after a March 31 directive from the Sharon Board of Finance to reduce the BOE budget by $69,477, bringing it to a 0% increase over the current year. With the reduction, the new draft – which is the ninth version of the document the BOE has reviewed this budget cycle –now totals $4,123,996.
The BOE is not permitted to go below this number due to the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement, or the MBR, which prohibits municipalities from spending less on education than the previous year.
During Wednesday’s last-minute meeting, Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley and Sharon Center School Principal Carol Tomkalski presented the BOE with four reduction options that would achieve the cut the BOF requested. Ultimately, the Board opted to remove the amount from the salaries line of the budget, which, Brady-Shanley explained, does not necessarily mean the money will be drawn from employee wages.
“None of these options are fabulous,” she said, but she noted that reducing the salary line allows the BOE some flexibility even after the budget is voted on by the town.
“It gives us the gift of time,” Brady-Shanley said, describing the reduction as a “placeholder” solution.
She explained that even after the town approves budget bottom lines, the BOE has until June 30 to reallocate funds internally. Further, the $2,461,304 salaries line is one of the few areas large enough to absorb a $70,000 cut, she said.
Other options on the table were the elimination of the math interventionist position, or the removal of the building substitute and library paraeducator roles. Tomkalski, who presented these options to the Board, said that both choices would directly impact student learning and school operations.
“Our building sub is involved every day,” she said, and the library paraeducator plays a big role in the student experience both in the library and in the cafeteria, she added. That employee also supports the Early Kindergarten program, she continued.
An additional option to eliminate the school’s cafeteria was also considered. The plan would cut all in-house food services and staff, instead feeding students via meals prepared at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School and delivered daily to the school. Cornwall Central School and the Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village currently have similar systems in place.
Several BOE members asked about the logistics of the plan, and Brady-Shanley affirmed that it has been successful at both schools. She noted that sacrificing the cafeteria experience may have impacts on the sense of community at the school, but that “we will get food” to the students.
Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick, speaking via Zoom, said EdAdvance, northwest Connecticut’s Regional Education Service Center and Region One’s food service provider, has indicated the off-site option would work for Sharon Center School.
“The only thing unaccounted for in this scenario is the mileage,” he said, but noted that since the option would reduce the budget by over $71,000, the BOE would have to put approximately $1,700 back into the budget, which could at least partially account for the estimated $3,500-$4,000 driving costs.
BOE Chair Philip O’Reilly pointed out that choosing to reduce the salaries section would leave the cafeteria option open since internal budget transfers are allowed. The final motion, made by member Konrad Kruger, opted to trim the salary lines with the stipulation that the reduction could be transferred to eliminate on-site cafeteria services.
Some members of the BOE were disturbed by the mandatory last-minute reduction. “I’m very troubled by this process,” said Terry Vance, who helmed the BOE’s budget subcommittee. “I don’t feel comfortable at all.”
Peter Birnbaum said that “messing around with [the budget] at this time is very, very unproductive,” noting that being forced to cut services over a proposed 1.67%increase could jeopardize forward momentum for the school.
“All we do is risk progress,” he said.
Sharon Center School is currently enrolled with 94 students, eight of whom pay out-of-district tuition. Those numbers are expected to rise next year to 106 total students from early kindergarten to eighth grade, with 14 tuition students.
The BOE and municipal budgets will both go before a public hearing on April 24 before they are sent to a town vote on May 8.
Keep ReadingShow less
Lakeville Journal reporter talks shop with young students
Ruth Epstein
Apr 14, 2026
Lakeville Journal Senior Reporter Patrick Sullivan delivers presentation at Salisbury Central School’s Career Day.
Madi Long
SALISBURY – Lakeville Journal senior reporter Patrick Sullivan gave Salisbury Central School students a close look at local journalism during Friday’s Career Day.
In his well-known jocular manner, Sullivan, whose byline has appeared in the weekly newspaper for the past 22 years, followed a list of questions prepared for presenters by school counselor Donna Begley.
Sullivan described work at a newspaper as a place where there is no such thing as a typical day. Over the years, he has learned to expect the unexpected – usually right before deadline.
While explaining the production timeline, Sullivan painted a frenetic scene with moving parts and remote and in-person staff.
“Out of all the chaos comes two papers, The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, and an arts section called Compass,” he said.
Sullivan said the papers have a reputation for being fair and accurate purveyors of news, noting “accuracy is critical. It’s important to get it right; double-checking is part of the job. Also important is the ability to take notes in a hurry. That’s a great skill. I cannot emphasize that enough. Also, journalists need to keep an open mind and write concisely.”
Sullivan has been asked why he doesn’t record meetings on his phone rather than take notes. “Why would I want to have to listen to a meeting twice?” he asked rhetorically, along with a grimace.
Not all the work of reporters is exciting, such as sitting through hours-long meetings of local boards and commissions, but it needs to be done to keep community members informed. He’s gotten to know many interesting people over the years.
Sullivan said he enjoys covering sports and watching kids he knows compete.
“But being both a reporter and photographer can be challenging,” he said.
Sullivan is the author of a column about fly fishing titled “Tangled Lines” that allows him to combine his two top talents.
Reflecting on how he got started, Sullivan said his path into journalism was unconventional.
Sullivan, who has been in alcohol recovery for 26 years, said he was working at a rehab center at the time but was ready for a change. With a degree in English and aware he was good at two things — writing and fly fishing — he called the Lakeville Journal to inquire about a job.
The timing was right. Someone had left and there was an opening.
Now, after all those years, he finds himself being a public figure, recognized wherever he goes.
During the presentation, he distributed press notebooks to everyone, pointing out their small size allows them to fit into pockets. Sullivan said he goes through about 300 in a year. He also presented students with pens, compliments of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News.
There are jobs other than reporting at the papers, he said, listing such opportunities as photography and layout. He also spoke of the award-winning student newspaper, HVRHS Today, which students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School are producing with assistance from The Lakeville Journal.
“They do a great job,” he said.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
