Police Blotter: Troop B
Police Blotter: Troop B
John Coston
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Salisbury ski jumping team competes in Lake Placid
C.E. Tripler
Mar 18, 2026
SWSA 2026 Ski Jumping Team in Lake Placid for the Lion’s Club Ski Jump Competition.
C.E. Tripler
The Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s ski jumping team travelled to Lake Placid,NY, the weekend of Saturday, March 8, in a multi-club jump competition.
Ten athletes from SWSA joined a field of 20 other ski jumpers from across New York, New England and Canada.
Competitors jumped in one of two heights, the 10-meter and 20-meter jumps. Additionally, athletes competed in a cross-country ski racing event, in which competitors skied a half-kilometer course at the bottom of the ski jumps.
Athletes completed two to six laps covering a distance from one to three kilometers in distance depending on their specific competition group.
Ski jumpers competed in their age classes with the youngest jumpers in the 10 years and younger group jumping first.
SWSA’s Bodhi Thomas of Falls Village jumped to a gold medal in the U10 boys with a distance of 26 feet.
In the U12 division, Charlotte Milner of Lakeville jumped to a silver medal with a distance of 44 feet for the girls.
Wyeth Taylor of Somersville, Massachusetts and Salisbury took the gold medal jumping 48 feet and Henry Sheil of Lakeville took the bronze medal with a distance of 44 feet.
In the open category, Augustus Tripler won gold with a jump of 51 feet on the large hill.
Aerin Sheil of Lakeville skied to a bronze medal finish in the U10 girls Nordic combined with a time of 6:15 in the 1K. Mather Eckert of Lakeville took second place for U10 boys with a time of 7:07.
In the longer distance categories Wyeth Taylor grabbed silver with a time of 9:56 and Henry Sheil earned bronze with a time of 12:41 for the 2K distance U12 boys category.
In the open category, Augustus Tripler finished in second earning his second medal of the day.
While conditions were less than ideal with the warm air and strong sun, all the jumpers seemed to be having fun. One of the younger jumpers, Oona Mascavage, 7, from Lakeville said “It was great! I had a lot of distance on my jump” and Francesca McLoughlin was happy with the overall event saying “I had a lot of fun!”
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3-on-3 basketball benefits Housy’s junior class
Riley Klein
Mar 18, 2026
The winners of the 3-on-3 championship game were, from left, Georgie Clayton, Anthony Foley and Peyton Bushnell.
Riley Klein
FALLS VILLAGE — A miniature version of March Madness was held at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, March 10.
Seven teams entered the double-elimination basketball tournament to benefit the Class of 2027. The teams of three were co-ed and had to include at least one non-varsity player.
Each squad was given a name of a prominent college basketball program. The team names were UConn, Florida, UNLV, ‘Bama, UCLA, Duke and Syracuse.
Teacher Deron Bayer got things started. “Ready, set, basketball!”
The teams were afforded two losses before being eliminated. The half-court games required rebounds to be taken behind the arc before beginning a new offensive possession.
UNLV, including Anthony Labbadia, Olivia Brooks and Jaxon Visockis, entered the championship game undefeated. The trio knocked out UCLA, including Anthony Foley, Peyton Bushnell and Madeline Mechare, in the semifinal.
UCLA battled back through the losers bracket for a rematch against UNLV in the final.
Mechare had to leave early, so UCLA subbed in Georgie Clayton. The team proceeded to beat UNLV twice in a row and claim the title.
The event raised more than $100 for the junior class.
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Hotchkiss boys win NEPSAC tournament
Riley Klein
Mar 18, 2026
LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School’s boys varsity basketball team claimed the 2026 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class A title last week.
The Bearcats defeated Phillips Academy Andover 66-54 in the championship game Sunday, March 8. The tournament final was played in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Hotchkiss entered the playoffs as the 5th seed in Class A. The boys defeated Milton Academy 57-54 in the first round Wednesday, March 4, and went on to defeat Phillips Exeter Academy 69-52 in the semifinals Saturday, March 7.
The last time Hotchkiss won the boys Class A tournament was in 2022.
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Kent selectmen present annual spending plan
Alec Linden
Mar 18, 2026
Kent Town Hall
Leila Hawken
KENT — Municipal operating costs were anticipated to increase by nearly 6% after the Board of Selectmen’s first presentation of its budget to the Board of Finance.
The BOS presented its budget draft, which is subject to change as budget season progresses towards the town hearing and vote in May, to the BOF at its regular meeting on March 11. The bottom line total for the next fiscal year was $5,309,163, marking a 5.7% increase from the amount budgeted for this year.
The two town boards discussed the expenditure draft, noting where the most marked increases lay.
As in other towns in the Northwest Corner, insurance costs for hiked, increasing for Town Hall employees under a state plan by close to 13% per person. Treasurer Barbara Herbst noted that the state had announced that premiums would not be hiked as much as anticipated, so that number could end up lower.
The Selectmen’s own budget line is marked at a 22% increase from 2025-2026. First Selectman Eric Epstein explained that the difference is largely due to a proposed new social media specialist position for Town Hall. The new part-time role, if filled, would add $23,400 to the BOS’s expenditures.
Much of the meeting was dedicated to discussing Lake Waramaug, primarily due to a plan to combat the invasive waterweed hydrilla that was recently formulated between the lake’s three governing towns of Washington, Warren and Kent.
Kent is currently set to contribute 20% of the total staffing costs of $100,000 for a new decontamination station at the New Preston firehouse.
BOF member Jason Wright voiced his support for acting quickly against the aggressive plant, but advised that the various commissions and municipal groups in charge of the lake should figure out how to diffuse the costs away from Kent taxpayers, most of whom aren’t putting boats into Lake Waramaug.
During public comment at the meeting’s end, resident Donna Hayes felt that Kent residents were being treated unfairly by being forced to contribute such a sum to a lake many aren’t even able to use due to access restrictions and costs. She voiced her desire to “get something for our money” in future deliberations surrounding expenses for the lake.
The next stage in Kent’s budget proceedings will occur on March 25, when the Board of Education presents its drafted contribution to the yearly municipal budget
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Mountainside proposes new yoga room
Riley Klein
Mar 18, 2026
Aerial shot of Mountainside Canaan.
Provided
NORTH CANAAN — Mountainside Treatment Center has applied to the Planning and Zoning Commission for approval to add a yoga room to its activities center.
Dean Smith of Mountainside presented the proposal at the commission’s regular meeting in Town Hall on Monday, March 9.
The planned addition would measure 24 by 40 feet and would be set back 231 feet from the road, Smith said. He added that the structure would not be located in wetlands. Mountainside is located on Route 7.
Zoning Enforcement Officer George Martin said the proposal has already been reviewed by Torrington Area Health and the fire marshal.
Since Mountainside operates under a special permit, an amendment to that permit is required before construction can proceed. The commission scheduled a public hearing on the application for Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
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Salisbury reviews spending plans for 2026-27
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 18, 2026
Salisbury Town Hall
Aled Linden
SALISBURY — The Board of Finance received preliminary budget proposals for 2026-27 from the Board of Selectmen, Salisbury Central School and Region One during an online meeting Thursday, March 12.
The current draft budget for town spending totals $9,618,325, an increase of $413,223, or 4.4%. First Selectman Curtis Rand said there will be a third draft and possibly a fourth before the finance board’s next meeting Thursday, March 26.
Rand said salaries for unionized employees at Town Hall and the town garage are up 4%. Some employees are getting additional pay for extra work, such as reviewing the town’s ordinances, many of which are outdated, and providing additional tech support.
Rand added that the lines for the registrar’s office are up in anticipation of primary elections this year, as well as the cost of early voting.
The legal line is up “because we never know where that ends up,” Rand said.
Health insurance for town employees is down $195,200 (18%) because the town switched to a state insurance plan.
Salisbury Central School (SCS) Principal Stephanie Magyar presented the town’s education budget proposal.
The spending plan calls for a total of $7,236,676, an increase of $339,528, or 4.92%.
Magyar said 81% of the increase is from existing contracts with teachers and staff. She said there are “no new things” in the spending plan.
Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick also presented the current Region One budget proposal. He said the plan is very much a work in progress, with the regional school board’s budget committee scheduled to meet two more times before the public hearing Thursday, April 9.
The current Region One budget draft is up 6.2%, or $1,146,478, for a total of $19,631,686. Herrick said this is the biggest increase he has seen in his 26 years at Region One.
The Region One budget has three components: Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS), Pupil Services (which includes special education), and the Regional Schools Services Center (aka the Central Office).
The six Region One towns pay a percentage of the total based on how many students they send to HVRHS, except for the superintendent’s salary, which is shared equally by the towns.
Herrick said the biggest increase is in Pupil Services. Specifically, out of district placements for qualifying students and the transportation costs associated with them are up significantly. The Pupil Services line is currently at $8,205,920, an increase of $683,364, or 9.08%.
Herrick’s numbers show Salisbury’s share of Region One at $4,825,659, an increase of $44,566, or 1.07%. The SCS budget draft has that figure slightly lower, at $4,813,638 (plus $32,545, or 0.68%).
The Board of Finance will meet again Thursday, March 26 to receive final budget proposals and vote on sending them to a public hearing.
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