Pirates go back-to-back as league champs
The Canaan Pirates pose as champions after defending the Northwest Connecticut District 6 Majors Little League title.
Photo by Riley Klein
Milo Ellison played second base before relieving pitcher Brody Ohler.Photo by Riley Klein
The Pirates rejoice around Ben Young after he secured the final out.Photo by Riley Klein 
J.T. Farr and Brody Ohler are back-to-back District 6 champions.Photo by Riley Klein
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Sharon Hospital addresses ambulance services
Recent public discussion regarding paramedic services in the Sharon community has understandably raised concerns. As such, we welcome the opportunity to clarify the facts and, more importantly, to reassure residents that emergency medical services in Sharon are not only continuing but strengthening.
Sharon Hospital is now part of Northwell Health, the largest health system in the Northeast, with extensive emergency transport and EMS capabilities across western Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. As part of this system, Sharon Hospital is supported by a licensed and experienced paramedic program already operating in the Danbury and New Milford region, with the ability to extend those services to appropriately support the Sharon community.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Sharon Hospital will ensure 24/7 emergency medical coverage for the community. This includes support for emergency response, interfacility transport and critical care needs, backed by the depth, redundancy, and clinical oversight of a larger health system. These capabilities are not theoretical — they are already in place and functioning successfully across our region.
Some commentary has focused on the hospital’s decision not to continue sponsoring Northern Dutchess Paramedics (NDP). It is important to note that NDP was acquired in October by Empress Ambulance Service, a private, for-profit, out-of-state organization. We recognize that the change in sponsorship may disrupt NDP’s business interests in the Sharon community, yet it does not represent a loss of emergency medical services for residents who rely on us for care.
We want to be clear: no EMS services are being eliminated, and no gaps in coverage are anticipated. Our responsibility is to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant emergency care for our patients and our community, and our current plan does exactly that.
Change can bring uncertainty, and we recognize the importance of open communication. Sharon Hospital remains committed to transparency, collaboration with local EMS partners, and continued engagement with community leaders and residents. We invite you to a Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8 from 5 to 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Sharon Hospital to answer any questions you may have. Please RSVP to Griffin.Cooper@nuvancehealth.org.
Our focus remains where it belongs: on delivering high-quality, dependable emergency medical care to the people of Sharon and surrounding towns, today and into the future.
Christina McCulloch
President, Sharon Hospital
Sharon
Reality contrasts with the spirit of the season
This time of year is nostalgic and beautiful with the Christmas lights and decorations. The cold reality of what is going on in our country brings all those feelings to an abrupt halt.
Now King Trump is publicly stating that Somalians are ruining our country and have been for years. There are not enough Somalian people in the United States to ruin anything. I wonder if he was thinking about that during his “Great Gatsby” party? Or if he thought about how many people would go hungry without their SNAP benefits? His answer is to any criticism is to post a picture of himself with a crown on his head, in a plane, dropping fecal bombs on the American people That says exactly what Teflon Don thinks of our country.
Donnie is making millions building his hotels all over the world and defending (lying for) the Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Salman, who approved the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. What does he get in return? An arms deal, building Trump hotels, maybe oil, all of the above and probably things we don’t know about.
Why is everyone surprised about Trump’s reluctance to release the Epstein files? Or that Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a better facility — a child predator, as evil as her partner Jeffrey Epstein. I don’t think there is any person who doesn’t know about Trump’s friendship with the lovely couple. Trump’s infamous reputation with women speaks for itself.
King Trump’s policies, or lack thereof, are dangerous, debilitating, self-promoting, and corrupt. His sycophants, also known as his cabinet are as incompetent, mercenary and narcissistic as he is.
We still have a long way to go before King Trump is out of office so to all I say “Merry Christmas” and God help us!
Gretchen Gordon
Sharon
Dems look to 2026 election cycle
The Northwest Corner which usually remains quiet and out of the mind of the rest of Connecticut is shaping up to host some of the most intense political races in the state.
Democrats are poised to take the state senate seat that has been held by Stephen Harding who is the leader of the minority party in the state legislature. Jahana Hayes who has been our Representative in congress faces heavy winds in a district which doesn’t always go to Democrats and one of the areas Republicans have made gains within the state.
In 2024 we saw Representative Jahana Hayes win 53.4% to George Logan’s 46.6%. Yes that is a 6.8% margin but at the end of the day that is still a tight race for a state that trends heavily blue and hasn’t had a Republican in the Governor’s mansion since 2011.
Litchfield county is one of two counties in the state of Connecticut that has gone to a Republican president for the last three presidential cycles and is a very possible pickup for Republicans in 2026 when Democrats are focused on battle ground states.
Jahana Hayes may not be in her seat with several Republicans announcing their bid for the Republican nomination and one independent candidate which lays a hard race with narrow margins. Salisbury and other towns in the Northwest Corner who have strong Democratic Town Committees have gone off to the races to mitigate and help Democrats gain instead of lose seats with Salisbury holding delegate elections the week of the 17th of January for the Democratic state convention of 2026 and 2028. Salisbury is shaping to be a leader in a race that would otherwise be quiet but not in 2026 with a lot of political decisions being decided by Litchfield county.
Kip Carter
Salisbury
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125 years ago — January 1901
CHAPINVILLE — Mr. Charles Kilmer and family are moving this week to East Canaan in Mrs. Brinton’s house. He will work for Mr. Canfield.
The new directories of the Sharon Telephone Company have been issued.
The Holley M’f’g factory started up work Wednesday morning after a week’s shut down for inventory and vacation.
100 years ago — January 1926
A telephone has been installed at the home of George Doty on the Factory Street road.
It is understood that the New York Central railroad has made an offer to the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad for some of its lines and among those included is the Central New England division with its branches.
The cold snap of this morning has rendered the ice excellent for skating and the new rink of the skating club will be illuminated by electric lights for the first time tonight.
50 years ago — January 1976
Several hundred mallard ducks died on or near Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville Saturday or Sunday as the result of eating moldy grain or bread.
Northwest Corner towns are doing the right thing in banding together to share solid waste disposal facilities and possibly to seek a temporary regional landfill, Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority President Richard Chase asserted this week.
Lake Wononscopomuc in Lakeville officially froze over Monday morning, according to George Milmine, who has kept records of the “ice-in” on the lake for many years.
25 years ago — January 2001
The first baby to be born at Sharon Hospital in 2001 is Avery Harshberger, who made her appearance at 8:21 a.m. Jan. 2. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. she is the daughter of Emily and Jonah Harshberger of Great Barrington, Mass.
It’s all water under the bridge at Housatonic Valley Regional High School where problems with a well kept the school closed for two days prior to the winter vacation.
These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.
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Wake Robin saga continues into new year
Jan 07, 2026
Wake Robin Inn
Alec Linden
LAKEVILLE — The defining land-use story in Salisbury in 2025 centered on Aradev LLC’s renewed effort to expand the Wake Robin Inn, a proposal that ultimately won approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission in October but continues to face legal challenges and sustained neighborhood opposition.
After withdrawing its initial proposal in December 2024 — following a contentious hearing process that drew criticism over the project’s size — Aradev returned at the beginning of 2025 with a modified plan.
In January, the developer appeared before the P&Z for a pre-application meeting, signaling the company’s intent to rework and resubmit the project.
Anticipating that move, Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger filed a lawsuit in March challenging a zoning regulation amendment adopted by the commission in 2024 after discussions with Aradev.
The suit alleges that the change, which permits hotel development in the Rural Residential 1 zone where the Wake Robin Inn is located, was enacted illegally and constituted spot zoning.
The commission opposed a restraining order, maintaining that the amendment was intended to address broader zoning nonconformities in town and was not designed to benefit a single property.
As the legal challenge moved forward, Aradev resumed the regulatory process.
In late April, the developer presented its revised plans publicly for the first time, seeking a modification to a wetlands permit previously issued by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission. The commission approved the request, and a week later Aradev returned to P&Z with a 644-page application it said reflected significant reductions made in response to public criticism.
The revised proposal eliminated a controversial detached event barn, reduced the number of external cottages, lowered total guest capacity from 158 to 130, and imposed tighter restrictions on events, operating hours and noise. Architectural plans were also revised with the aim of better aligning the Inn with the surrounding rural New England setting.
In June, the Salisbury Water Pollution Control Authority approved the project’s sewer specifications, eliminating a major municipal roadblock for the proposal.
Opposition, however, intensified over the summer. In July, residents gathered at the Congregational Church of Salisbury to promote a petition opposing both the Wake Robin expansion and the 2024 zoning amendment, ultimately collecting more than 500 signatures.
The public hearing process, which spanned seven sessions between August and September, largely resembled the first contentious hearing rounds in 2024, with residents still staunchly opposed to the project, despite the developer’s modifications.
“Lakeville is not Ibiza,” said Wells Hill Road resident Aimee Bell, echoing neighbors’ concerns about noise and what they described as a shift toward a destination venue.
The comparison to the Spanish party island captured the sentiments of many residents, who said the project would intrude on the peace and quiet of their neighborhood.
After the hearing closed, commissioners spent several meetings deliberating over traffic, noise, auxiliary cottages, and the overall intensity of development.
On Oct. 20, following more than a year and a half of hearings and discussions, the commission voted 4–1 to approve the special permit, adopting a nine-page resolution with 40 conditions.
Cathy Shyer, the P&Z vice chair at the time, cast the lone dissenting vote, maintaining that the revised proposal remained too large. “The bottom line is this is a big development… It’s as big as the last one,” she said during deliberations.
The controversy’s impact extended beyond the project itself.
P&Z Chair Michael Klemens, who had served for 15 years, resigned two years before the end of his term. In an Oct. 27 resignation letter, Klemens cited the “vitriol and bigotry” he said he experienced from members of the public during the Wake Robin hearings as a factor in his decision.
As Salisbury enters the new year, the issue remains unresolved. The Crugers’ challenge to the 2024 zoning amendment is still awaiting a court decision, and an appeal of the commission’s October approval is also pending.
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