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Nathan Miller and Aly Morrissey
Photos by Thomas K. Carley and Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Millerton News is pleased to announce that it has named two local journalists to posts at the paper.
Nathan Miller, who lives in Amenia, has been named managing editor. Miller joined LJMN Media, Inc., publisher of The News and The Lakeville Journal, last summer upon graduation from The University of Missouri, Columbia, with a Bachelor’s in journalism.
Miller has worked for both The News and The Journal as Editorial and Digital Content Coordinator.
Aly Morrissey, who lives in Millbrook, has joined The News as a staff reporter. Morrissey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Quinnipiac University. Morrrisey will focus on the Village of Millerton and the Town of North East.
Out of college, Morrissey was a reporter and editorial assistant at The Boston Herald. After moving from Greater Boston to the Hudson Valley in 2017, Morrissey held communications and administrator roles at Indian Mountain School and Millbrook School. She is the photographer for the Sharon Playhouse and has worked as a professional photographer for the last eight years.
“Miller and Morrissey will bring new energy to the paper’s focus on local coverage,” said John Coston, editor-at-large, who will continue in his role.
James H. Clark, chief executive officer and publisher of LJMN Media said, “Nathan and Aly bring a shared commitment to ensuring that our communities are well served and we’re excited that they’ve agreed to take on this challenge.”
On Saturday, June 28, The News is sponsoring the Millerton Street Fair, bringing together local nonprofits and businesses with families and neighbors, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the village center.
The Millerton News, which last year reopened its office at 16 Century Blvd. in Millerton, is available by mail, at newsstands and online at millertonnews.com.
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Salisbury real estate sales in May
Jun 11, 2025
245-251 Belgo Road, built in 1845, sold in 2014 for $525,000, renovated and sold in 2019 for $2,500,000, and resold on May 12 for $4,100,000.
Christine Bates
SALISBURY — Five of Salisbury’s eight home sales in May closed over $2 million. Three of the five were located in Lakeville.
The median price of a single-family home on a rolling 12-month basis in Salisbury reached $1,370,000, 62.7% higher than May of 2024. At the same time there were 29 homes listed for sale at the beginning of June. No slowdown is in sight as the selling season begins.
Transactions
30 Selleck Hill Road — 2.06 acres of vacant land sold by Salisbury Housing Trust to Bridget Clarke Sayler and Dominic M. Sayler for $195,000.
29 Morgan Lane — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath lake front home on 2.05 acres sold by Kevin J. McCaffrey and Cara C. McCaffrey to Anne Fredericks for $5,250,000.
62 Rocky Lane — 2 bedroom/1 bath home on 4 acres sold by Julia Cathleen Ott to Jeffrey and Naomi A. Bravin, Linda Williams and Wesley Miller for $700,000.
Selleck Hill Road —121.02 acres of forested land sold by SP Consolidated Land and Cattle LLC to Christopher Hewat for $1,000,000.
172 Selleck Hill Road — 5 bedroom/4.5 bath home on 15.4 acres sold by Elizabeth Varet to Christopher Hewat for $2,150,000.
15 Red Mountain Road — 4 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 42.49 acres sold by Cory and Meredith G. Murphy to Leslie Kane Bazos and Nicholas Bazos for $3,850,000.
33 Walton Street — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 0.35 acres sold by Pallone Karcheski LLC to Lakeville Lodge LLC for $400,000.
245-251 Belgo Road — 4 bedroom/6 bath historic main house on 10.68 acres sold by Hang with the Turkeys LLC to Marie T. Spears for $4,100,000.
128 Millerton Road — 2 bedroom/1.5 bath home on 2.47 acres sold by David Borino to Michael T. Peschel for $2,500,000.
56 Interlaken Estates — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home sold by Hillary and Paul Kavanagh to Randy and Nicole Watkins for $760,000.
*Town of Salisbury real estate transfers recorded as sold between May 1 and May 31, 2025, provided by the Salisbury Town Clerk. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market data courtesy of Smart MLS and Info Sparks. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Jun 11, 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.
Arrest on DUI warrant
On June 2, troopers took Osvaldo Emilio Paulino, 30, of Torrington into custody on an arrest warrant pertaining to an incident on Litchfield Road in Norfolk in December 2024. Paulino was transferred to Winsted Police Department and was processed for operating a motor vehicle under the influence and failure to maintain proper lane. He was released on a $500 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on June 16.
Car flees parking lot crash
A Chevrolet Malibu LT was parked in the Tinker Lot, a private parking lot on The Hotchkiss School grounds, on June 3 when it was struck by a vehicle at some time between 11:30 a.m. and 12:52 p.m. The operator said it was a work car and it had been parked at that location at 11:30 a.m. with no damage. When returning to the vehicle, the operator found damage to the rear, left bumper panel and left taillight. The vehicle that caused the accident had fled the scene.
Car runs off Route 4
Late in the evening on June 4, McKenna Carolan, 19, of Warren was driving east on Route 4 in Sharon near the intersection with Jackson Hill Road when the vehicle, a GMC Sierra 1500, crossed to the opposite lane before driving off the roadway. The vehicle collided with approximately 50 feet of wire-rope guardrail before coming to rest in an embankment. Carolan was uninjured in the accident, though the vehicle was disabled and had to be towed from the scene. Carolan was issued a written warning for failing to drive on the right side.
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 line, to editor@lakevillejournal.com
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Canaan Child Care Center’s Education Consultant Mary Cecchinato (standing left) and CECA’s Exucutive Director Merrill Gay (standing right), along with two students, Riley and Winnie, thanked State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) for her commitment to early education when presenting the Children’s Champion certificate in North Canaan Aug. 29, 2024.
Riley Klein
Early childcare professionals in the Northwest Corner applaud the announcement of the passing of a new childcare affordability bill in the state, even if some details remain unclear.
On May 31, Connecticut state legislation passed a first-of-its kind bill that offers free early childcare to families with a total annual income of less than $100,000, and limits childcare costs to just 7% of annual income for families who make more.
“We’ve been on the back burner for a long time,” said Salisbury’s Housatonic Child Care Center Director Tonya Roussis, explaining that the moment feels like a reckoning of sorts for early childhood caregivers. “It’s nice to see that this is coming to the forefront, and we are being recognized.”
The bill, known as Senate Bill 1, has been a top priority for Senate democrats in the 2025 legislative session, which adjourned on June 4.The proposal was strongly backed by Governor Ned Lamont (D), who described it as “an investment in our future by expanding access to affordable pre-school” in a Feb. 2025 press release, explaining that early socialization and education prepares young children to succeed while their parents are able to earn more income.
The bill passed by a large margin, 32-4, in the state Senate on May 30, followed by a House vote the next day that was split on party lines, 101-45.
The core of the bill establishes an endowment fund from annual budget surplus amounting to up to $300 million per year that would subsidize families’ costs beginning in 2028. In a news release celebrating the May 30 Senate vote, State Sen. Doug McCrory (D-2) described the endowment as a “first-in-the-nation” strategy to address mounting early childcare and preschool costs.
The bill met opposition from Republicans who considered using surplus budget funds for off-budget spending irresponsible. A spokesperson for state Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding (R-30), who voted against the bill, stated that the senator was in favor of much of the bill but could not support what he felt was a violation of the state’s fiscal guardrails. He attempted to pass an amendment that would use capital from the state general fund rather than budget surplus for the endowment, but it was voted down.
Speaking at the session, Harding said the bill was “playing budget gimmicks with early childhood.”
Childcare, like in many places, is costly in the Northwest Corner. Roussis said in a region where annual preschool costs average between $14,000 and $17,000, the new legislation is welcome. “For those families making less than $100,000… they need to work, they need to live, they need to survive. And having this one piece off their financial plate is probably going to do so much for them.”
The bill also promises higher pay and better health care benefits to childcare professionals, which Roussis hopes will address underpay for highly qualified educators in the field. She said 90% of HCCC teachers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in early childhood care and deserve fair compensation.
While Roussis is celebrating the bill’s passing as “amazing progress for the field of early childhood,” she’s aware that funding may be a long way away from a program like HCCC. “Private centers are down the road,” she said, explaining that the funds will primarily be allocated through state programs at first, like the Office of Early Childhood’s “Early Start CT” program. As the endowment grows, she is hopeful that organizations like HCCC will receive their share.
Other local childcare centers are cautious about the uncertainties surrounding how the funds will be directed and dispersed. Fran Chapell, who directs the Canaan Child Care Center, said that the Early Start program will subsume the OEC’s “School Readiness” program that has funded CCCC’s families, and that the details of how the shift will play out are yet unclear.
“It’s hard to know what the future is going to bring until we have more information,” she said.
Until then, Chapell is focusing on community partnerships as means to alleviate some of the cost burdens on young families.
The CCCC recently took over North Canaan’s community garden, Chapell said, and in the first week of June local families came out to help plant tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables donated by East Canaan’s Freund’s Farm. When ready for harvest, the produce will be brought to the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry, which will help reduce costs on food expenditures for families trying to make ends meet.
Chapell said a number of other partnerships, like a grant from the Salisbury Chapter of the Rotary Club which helps pay for school supplies or another grant from the Northwest Community Foundation that subsidizes winter clothing expenditures, also help to ease financial pressures on families facing such a variety of essential costs.
Partnerships, and looking to neighbors, she said, are the way to access the wealth or resources that the community offers. “We don’t have everything in the Northwest Corner, but we do have a lot that offers support for our families.”
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