To our readers

This year, I had the honor of stepping in as CEO/Publisher of two of the oldest surviving community weekly newspapers. After more than 20 years with The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, I’ve witnessed the highs and lows – including the pivotal conversion to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2021. I am glad to report that because of your support, this has been a strong year for our local community publications.

News

Our mission is to deliver trusted local news to our communities. On that front, we have expanded the newsrooms of both The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News which has added breadth and depth to our coverage and set us on a path to a more sustainable news operation.

This year’s reporting highlights include the invasive hydrilla threat to our waterways; the EMS cost crisis in Millerton and beyond; policy changes in our schools and challenges around a proposed merger at Sharon Hospital. We continue to cover key projects like the proposed redevelopment of the Wake Robin Inn and efforts to rebuild the pool at Eddie Collins Park.

We welcomed several new members to our newsroom, including Colleen Flynn, a Marist College journalism graduate and former intern, as a reporter for The Millerton News; Alec Linden, a recent Dartmouth College graduate, to The Lakeville Journal; and Nathan Miller, a University of Missouri journalism graduate, as Editorial & Digital Content Coordinator. Krista Briggs, with a background in journalism and education, joined us this fall as Managing Editor of The Millerton News (see story, here).

In the Spring, Natalia Zukerman was promoted to Engagement Editor and worked to launch a new email newsletter titled “What To Do”, with great success. I’m excited to share that she will be expanding her editorial role to a new position of Arts, Lifestyle & Engagement Editor and will be responsible for guiding and further developing all of our arts and lifestyle coverage.

Sustainability

The sustainability of local news has been in the headlines recently and we are working very hard to ensure we continue serving our communities for the long term.

To that end, we’re building our business staff both through internal promotions, including Caitlin Hanlon’s new role as head of our Production department, and through new staff including Sally Andre as our Development Associate, and Tom Carley, a former New York Times executive, as Chief Operating Officer.

And, we have identified additional Board members rooted in our communities. This year, we were fortunate to add Henry Blodget of West Cornwall, Rob Fish of Salisbury, Meg Downey of Millerton, Scott Siegler of Sharon, and Dick Hermans of Pine Plains.

Generous grants are helping to stabilize our infrastructure, including multi-year support from the Foundation for Community Health, along with contributions from the Cowles Charitable Trust, and The Miami Foundation. The Google News Initiative is supporting website improvements, and LION Publishers is funding upgrades to our financial systems.

Community Engagement

This summer, we met with community members in Norfolk and Millerton to hear directly about what you would like to see in your local news source. And, we again convened a festive gathering of local nonprofits at the Street Fair in Salisbury.

And, in October, we presented the inaugural Estabrook Community Leadership award to the Harney family at a Jubilee Country Luncheon. In addition to honoring the Harneys for their community leadership and spirit, we welcomed a broad swath of community members.

The Next Generation of Journalists

We continue to nurture the next generation of journalists thanks to the generous support of The William and Mary Greve Foundation, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the 21st Century Fund — along with individual donors. This year, we hosted nine interns from across the region and beyond. We are encouraged by the strong interest in our program and each “intern season” is an opportunity not just to share what we know, but to learn from these talented people.

As always, our top priority remains delivering the news and information essential to life in our communities.

Thank you to our readers, subscribers, advertisers, and donors. Your trust, partnership, and support enable us to look ahead to a strong 2025. With gratitude.

James H. Clark

CEO/Publisher


Reach out to us

Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly with questions, comments, concerns at 860-435-9873 x401 or jamesc@lakevillejournal.com.

News: reach Editor-in-Chief John Coston at johnc@lakevillejournal.com, Lakeville Journal Managing Editor Riley Klein at rileyk@lakevillejournal.com and Millerton News Managing Editor Krista Briggs at kristab@millertonnews.com.

Letters to the Editor may be emailed to publisher@lakevillejournal.com or submitted via our websites.

Obituaries may be submitted to editor@lakevillejournal.com or via our websites.

Advertising questions can be directed to Roxanne Lee, roxannel@lakevillejournal.com, or Mary Wilbur, maryw@lakevillejournal.com. And for classified line ads, Lyndee Stalter at lyndees@lakevillejournal.com.

Legal Notices can be sent to Michelle Eisenman at legals@lakevillejournal.com.

Subscription questions including new subscriptions, renewals and address changes can be sent to circulation@lakevillejournal.com.

Latest News

Frederick Wright Hosterman

KENT — Frederick Wright Hosterman passed away peacefully in his home in Kent on April 16, 2025. Born in 1929 in Auburn, Nebraska, he was the son of farmers. He attended a one-room schoolhouse just outside of Brownville, Nebraska, adjacent to his family’s farm. The little brick schoolhouse is still standing! After graduating from high school, Fred attended the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), eventually earning a master’s degree in agronomy. He took a job with Monsanto in Buffalo, New York, where the company was a pioneer in applying biotechnology to agricultural sciences. In Buffalo, Fred met his future wife, Dorothy. Fred and Dorothy moved to New York City for several years in the early 1960s, before settling down in Norwalk. In Norwalk, Fred and Dorothy had three children. The family later moved to Kent. In 1980, Fred and Dorothy divorced, and Fred bought a large tract of land on Carter Road in Kent. He built a house there, largely by himself, which he maintained until his death at age 95. After taking early retirement, he spent the following decades working on his property, adding various buildings, woodcrafting, landscaping, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy (Case) Brenner

CANAAN — Nancy (Case) Brenner, 81, of Canaan, passed away peacefully in her sleep at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, following a long illness on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.

Nancy was born on April 10, 1944, to the late Ray Sargeant Case Sr. and Beatrice Southey Case. She was the second youngest of five children, predeceased by her three brothers, Ray S. Case Jr., David E. Case and Douglas C. Case, and her sister Linda (Case) Olson. She grew up in New Hartford and Winsted, where she graduated from Northwestern Regional 7 High School.

Keep ReadingShow less
Adam Rand

SHEFFIELD — Adam Rand, 59, of Sheffield, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully in his home on April 22, 2025, after a long battle with ALS.

Adam was born on April 6, 1966, to Lee and Charles Rand II of Boston, Massachusetts. Adam spent his early childhood in Nantucket, where his love of fishing and water was born before moving to Sharon. It was here where he made many lifelong friends and later graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 1984. He attended Hiram College in Ohio before settling in Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less