Town meeting reviews Salisbury’s annual report

SALISBURY — The town report is out, and as usual, it is chock full of interesting material.

The report is for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, and was presented at town meeting Wednesday, Feb. 21.

The report is dedicated to Leo and Judy Gafney. The dedication was written by former Lakeville Journal executive editor Cynthia Hochswender, and covers the wide range of the Gafneys’ activities and contributions to the town and to the area.

If you’re wondering who does what at Town Hall, there is a handy directory.

Town historian Jean McMillen reported fielding an unusual request from a German professor in search of a distant relative. Between McMillen and the Lakeville Post Office, the connection was made.

McMillen also discussed the saga of sculptor Jeremy Warner, who, with McMillen’s help, tracked down the portrait of his illustrious ancestor Andrew Warner at the Scoville Memorial Library last August.

Resident Trooper Will Veras contributed statistics on “matters attended to by the Salisbury Resident Troopers office and Troopers assigned to Troop B North Canaan.”

There were 234 alarms, 10 larcenies, 100 suspicious incidents, 185 enhanced security checks, 13 active disturbances, 36 medical assists, three burglaries, 166 motor vehicle stops, three domestic violence calls, 101 “varying assists to the public,” 50 traffic accidents, two untimely deaths, one sexual assault, and five police K-9 calls.

Vital statistics from the town clerk:

— Births: 25 (12 females, 13 males).

— Deaths: 46 (38 residents, eight nonresidents).

— Marriages: 53 (nine residents, 44 non-esidents).

— Land records: A total of 746 documents were recorded.

— Dog licenses: 401.

John Harney contributed the cover photograph, and Emily Egan served as editor of the report.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less