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Among those attending Sunday’s Meet and Greet sponsored by the Salisbury Democratic Town Committee at the Town Grove are: from left, former State Rep. Roberta Willis, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, First Selectman Curtis G. Rand, State Rep. Maria Horn, Gov. Ned Lamont and Selectman candidate Barrett Prinz.
Ruth Epstein
SALISBURY — Speaking at a Meet and Greet event sponsored by the Democratic Town Committee Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Town Grove, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz agreed they are pleased to be living in this state.
“There’s a lot being thrown at us from the federal government,” said the lieutenant governor. “I say all the time how lucky we are to be in Connecticut. The president loves to cause chaos, confusion and throw out cruel policies. Leadership under our governor is passionate and consistent.”
She touched on what President Donald Trump refers to as a big, beautiful bill, which she said is putting the country in debt in order to give tax breaks to billionaires. In comparison, Connecticut has passed seven balanced budgets, she said, tax cuts are being given to those who need it the most and the state has invested $300 million from the surplus in the Early Childhood Endowment Fund.
Bysiewicz said, “We stand up for people’s rights We take care of our people. We are not taking away rights in Connecticut; we’re expanding them, as well as expanding access to voting rights.”
Taking the microphone, after being introduced by State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), Lamont lamented about all the people who sat out the last presidential election.
“That’s the biggest mistake we ever made,” he said. “We can never let that happen again.”
He gave high praise to the town’s leadership under First Selectman Curtis G. Rand, vowing to be partners for advancing affordable housing “to get you over the finish line.” Education is another important topic championed by the Democrats, with free tuition at the state’s community colleges. He also wants to see the cost of electricity brought down, but noted the federal government’s stop-work order against Revolution Win, an offshore wind power project.
He ended by saying he knows it’s a tough time out there. “We want Connecticut to be a place that loves its people and looks out for its people. Don’t get discouraged. Susan and I are fighting for you every day.”
Al Ginouves, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, spoke about how pleased he is that people move to Salisbury and step right up to get involved in a variety of ways. “I’ve heard the Northwest Corner is the power center of the state,” he quipped.
Rand, who first ran in 2005, spoke briefly and listed four residents who gave much to the town and have recently died: Linda Dodge, Peggy Heck, David Bayersdorfer and Jim Dresser.
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North Canaan real estate sales
Oct 01, 2025
In the center of North Canaan, 7 Railroad Street is a commercial building with retail on the ground floor and living above. Its sale for $425,000 was the highest priced transfer in town recorded in June and July.
Christine Bates
NORTH CANAAN — The Town of North Canaan remains a great place to find an affordable home in the Northwest Corner..
The median price of a single-family home at the end of July was $279,900 which was well above last year’s July median of $245,000. The average price of a home in July was $294,207 indicating that North Canaan real estate is not skewed toward the high end, and that many properties are available for less than $300,000.
The high sales in June and July were a retail building with apartments on Railroad Street which sold for $425,000 and the office building owned by longtime North Canaan attorney Mark Capecelatro for $405,000.
In late September there were five single family residences for sale – all above the median price of $279,900 and six commercial rentals in the heart of North Canaan ranging from $600 to $2,500.
Transactions
88 Lower Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath ranch built in 1964 sold by Jason Allen and Kerry Becker to Sonya Flemming for $279,000 recorded on June 2.
201 East Canaan Road — 3 bedroom/1.5 bath home built in 1777 sold by Estate of Thomas Edward Paviol to 201 E. Canaan Owner LLC for $150,000 recorded on June 4.
117 Main Street — 3,549 square foot commercial building built in 1888 sold by Mark J. Capecelatro Trustee to 117 Main Street LLC for $405,000 recorded on June 12.
18 Patty Lane — 2 bedroom/1 bath 696 square foot home sold by Hedgerow Properties LLC to Andrew Jalbert for $233,300 recorded on June 23.
Greene Ave. — 1.06 acre lot with 15 foot road frontage sold by Matthias R. and Amy E. Davis to the Great Falls Land Trust for $40,000 recorded on June 23.
14 East Main Street — 2,275 square foot commercial building with 0.5 bath sold by Joseph Ficca to Property D 14 East Main Street LLC for $150,000 recorded on June 30.
180 Lower Road — 2 bedroom/2.5 bath home sold by Lynn 2016 Trust to Jeffrey and Emily Bunch for $310,000 recorded on July 10.
14 and 16 Deely Road — Two 3 bedroom/1 bath homes and a vacant lot sold by Mark E. Ustico to Edward J. Ustico Jr.for $100,000.
7 Railroad Street — Commercial building with ground floor retail and apartments above sold by PAC Realty Corporation to 32 Railroad LLC for $425,000 recorded on July 23.
* Town of North Canaan real estate transfers recorded as sold between June 1 and July 31, 2025, provided by North Canaan Assistant Town Clerk. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market listings from Smart MLS. Note that recorded transfers frequently lag sales by a number of days. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
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Great Elm, the childhood home of William F. Buckley, Jr., is on the market for $3.9 million. The atrium is the highlight and heart of the home, having hosted many elegant dinners and weddings.
William Raveis Lifestyles Realty
SHARON — For more than a century, the Buckley family’s sprawling estate, known as “Great Elm,” has stood at the heart of Sharon life, a gathering place for neighbors, world leaders and artists alike. Now, the circa 1812 Georgian Colonial with its rare glass atrium is on the market for $3,999,000, drawing both serious buyers and viral attention on Zillow Gone Wild.
The sale, led by Cameron Smith, grandson of family patriarch and oil spectator William F. Buckley, Sr., and nephew to conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr., marks the end of the family’s stewardship of one of northwest Connecticut’s most storied homes.
“It’s such a unique property,” said listing agent Pels Matthews, broker/owner of William Raveis Lifestyles Realty in Washington Depot. “There is nothing like it in Litchfield County. It reminds me of New Orleans, Charleston or Savannah.”
The listing has already reached a national and international audience thanks to Zillow Gone Wild, a popular online feed that highlights unusual and distinctive homes.
Great Elm’s soaring glass atrium and Buckley legacy has attracted thousands of comments and shares, with readers marveling at both its historic pedigree and its dramatic architectural centerpiece.
The Zillow feed notes: “The only thing better than a house with an atrium is a house with an atrium with bedrooms that all have access to it so everyone can ‘retire to their quarters’ at the end of the night and guess what? This Sharon home has just that. Are we moving to Sharon now?? Hello??? Will Sharon be there??”
“That has taken it to a whole different level,” Matthews said of the viral Zillow exposure.“I’ve got people calling me from Europe, and all over the country.”
Matthews noted that the estate is not just dramatic but is also incredibly livable. “The home can easily support multi-generational living or be shared by two families if desired, with the common atrium.”
The viral attention reflects how the estate, once known primarily within Litchfield County and political circles, now resonates with a wider public fascinated by unique homes with deep stories to tell.
Buckley family’s summer retreat
Built in 1812, purchased by William F. Buckley Sr. in 1923 and expanded in 1929, the house became the Buckley family’s summer retreat. It later shaped the early life of Buckley Jr., who founded the National Review and emerged as a leading conservative voice. To accommodate the growing Buckley family, the home was converted to five condominiums in the 1980s, three of which were occupied by Buckley siblings until their death.
Buckley Sr. died in 1958, Patricia Buckley in 2007, Buckley Jr. in 2008 and James Buckley in 2023.
According to the listing by Willaim Raveis Lifestyles Realty, the home encompasses the majority of the original mansion and was renovated in 2013.
The house, on 8.072 acres, offers eight bedrooms, seven full and two half baths, period pine paneling, historic wallpaper, Art Deco details, multiple fireplaces and private terraces surrounded by specimen trees.
The atrium is the highlight and heart of the home, having hosted many elegant dinners and weddings over the decades. The mature plants can be included in the sale.
The home sits within a larger association that maintains shared amenities including a 70-foot heated pool and tennis and paddle/pickleball courts.
The estate is being sold by Smith, as his family’s presence in Sharon has gradually passed into history, he told Mansion Global in May 2024, when the house originally hit the market for $5.5 million under another brokerage.
“Our generation, except for me, is no longer in Sharon,” Smith said at the time. “The home no longer provides the congregating place it used to. It’s no longer needed for it.”
William Raveis Lifestyles Realty
Where world leaders, neighbors congregated
Though a national figure, William F. Buckley Jr. was deeply tied to local life. He supported the Hotchkiss Library, appeared at the Sharon Green fair, hosted organ recitals and opened Great Elm for musical evenings and fundraisers.
His wife, Patricia, was celebrated as one of New York’s great hostesses, famed for her flittering parties that drew leaders in politics, the arts and business. At Great Elm, she carried that same spirit north, entertaining both Manhattan guests and Sharon neighbors under the soaring glass atrium.
Over the years the estate welcomed figures such as Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Margaret Thatcher, Tom Wolfe and Malcolm Muggeridge, as well as musicians and artists including harpsichordist Albert Fuller and pianist Samuel Barber, who performed in the house and nearby venues.
The mix of statesmen, writers, performers and townspeople gave Great Elm a unique social rhythm, where international debates might follow a neighborhood concert.
Together the Buckleys gave the estate a dual role, a setting for cosmopolitan society and a lively hub of small-town life, until Paricia’s death in 2007 and William’s in 2008.
Gretchen Hachmeister, executive director of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, said the Buckleys’ generosity to the library extends to the grandchildren of William F. Buckley, Sr.
“Several of them, organized by Cameron Smith, made generous gifts to our recent capital campaign and named our new conference room in William F. Buckley, Jr.’s, memory,” she explained. “His son, Christopher, recently gifted us a complete set of his humorous political novels, which have joined the collection of works of both Williams, Christopher and Priscilla.”
Hachmeister noted that several years before she joined Hotchkiss, the library held a fundraiser called “A Bevy of Buckleys” and supporters dined under a tent at Great Elm. She also recalled that “Senator James Buckley was a frequent library patron.”
The Sharon Statement
Matthews noted that Great Elm is more than just a piece of real estate. “It is part of the local fabric of Sharon along with national political history.”
A document known as the Sharon Statement was adopted on Sept. 11, 1960 by a group of 100 young conservatives who convened at the Buckley home for the purpose of creating Young Americans for Freedom, which has been widely regarded by historians as one of the most important declarations in the history of American conservatism.
“The Sharon Statement,” said Matthews, “is an important credo in the conservative movement, and there is a large stone with a plaque on the property with the full statement.”
For Sharon, the listing closes one chapter of local history and opens another. For buyers, said Matthews, it offers a chance to own one of the region’s most distinctive homes, anchored by its glass atrium and its place in American and cultural life.
Whoever buys Great Elm, said Matthews, “will be inheriting that legacy.”
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Oct 01, 2025
Police Blotter: Troop B
Police Blotter: Troop B
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Double-yellow passing fender bender
On the afternoon of Sept. 19, Demetri Ouellette, 19, of Falls Village was traveling north on Route 126 in Falls Village, approximately 50 feet north of the intersection with Dublin Road, when a BMW M340 attempted to pass in a no passing zone. Ouellette’s Toyota Celica GT subsequently collided with the BMW, which was driven by Patrick Riley, 39, of Falls Village. Ouellette stated that the BMW tried to overtake him and then slammed on the brakes, causing the collision. Riley claimed that he was driving north on Route 126 when a vehicle struck him from behind. Riley was ultimately issued a written warning for overtaking and passing in a no passing zone. Both vehicles sustained minor damage, but neither driver was injured.
5-charge arrest
On the afternoon of Sept. 20, troopers were dispatched to an address on Doolittle Drive in Norfolk for a non-active disturbance. After investigation, troopers arrested Regina Lane, 62, of Norfolk on five charges: interfering with an officer/resisting, disorderly conduct, violation of a protective order, third degree assault, and second-degree reckless endangerment. Lane was released on a $10,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on Sept. 22.
Possession/DWI arrest
Troopers were dispatched at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sept 21 to 172 Route 7 in Falls Village on the report of a male passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle. After investigating, police arrested Mark Gannon, 35, of Waterbury for two counts of possession of a controlled substance, failure to keep narcotics in original container, and operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Gannon was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond.
Speeding crash
On the afternoon of Sept. 25, Clifford Chase, 67, of Cornwall was traveling west on Route 44, approximately 50 feet north of the intersection with Wildcat Hollow Road in Salisbury when he veered off the road, striking his Mazda 3 sedan into a tree. The vehicle was disabled by the accident, but Chase was uninjured. He was issued an infraction for traveling too fast for conditions.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Contact us by mail at P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send an email, with “police blotter” in the subject, to editor@lakevillejournal.com
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