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Details surrounding WWII plane crash remain mystery
Patrick L. Sullivan
Wreckage from the 1943 plane crash is kept at Great Mountain Forest.
NORFOLK – More than half a century after a 25-year-old WWII pilot fatally crashed his plane into a ridge on Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk, the circumstances remain a mystery – but artifacts preserve the soldier’s legacy.
On March 31, 1943, First Lieutenant Daniel Henry Thorson of the United States Army Air Force took off from Mitchell Field on Long Island at 3:34 p.m. His destination was what was then known as Bradley Field at Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
Thorson was flying a P-40E-1 fighter plane with three and a half hours of fuel, and what should have been a routine, 30-minute flight somehow went disastrously wrong.
According to records, the plane crashed at 4:10 p.m. in a remote area on Great Mountain Forest (GMF), killing Thorson. The Connecticut Western News edition of April 29, 1943 reported the details weeks later.
“The mysterious and unsolved death three weeks ago of Aviation Lieut. Daniel H. Thorson, age 25, of South Worth, Pas., in the deep jungle recesses of Canaan Mountain while on a routine flight from Mitchell Field, New York to Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, is one that is puzzling the brains of our military forces,” the article noted.
It went on to share that Thorson’s body and his plane were found high up on the mountainside one Saturday morning by two students of the Yale School of Forestry, William Holmes and F.J. Turner. The duo was running a surveyors’ line through the 4,000 acre estate of S.W. Childs, a founder of GMF.
“Had these men not been surveying in the mountainous territory,” the article said, “there is no telling when the body of the intrepid flier might have been discovered.”
Present-day GMF property manager Russell M. Russ made artifacts of the crash available, including a large chunk of the aircraft itself and a .50 caliber machine gun round.
Russ said when the Army came to the crash site, the salvage team recovered everything they could find, including thousands of .50 caliber rounds.
Thorson was honored, and a marker installed near the scene of the accident on June 25, 2003.
The memorial service included a presentation of awards and decorations to Thorson’s relatives, a proclamation from Governor John Rowland, the reading of memorial letters from military officers – including Capt. Howard Tuman, Thorson’s squadron leader – and a flyover with A-Warthogs from the Connecticut Air National Guard.
Salisbury budget vote set for May 13; mill rate likely to stay flat
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — Voters will consider Salisbury’s proposed 2026–27 municipal and education budgets at the annual town meeting May 13, with officials indicating the mill rate is likely to remain unchanged at 11.0, meaning no increase in property taxes if the budgets are approved.
The Board of Finance reached that preliminary conclusion following a public hearing April 27, after which it voted to send both budget proposals to the town meeting.
The Board of Selectmen’s budget totals $9,617,825, an increase of $412,723, or 4.40%.
The Board of Education’s proposed budget for Salisbury Central School (SCS) is $7,213,515, up $316,367, or 4.59%.
The town’s Region One assessment is $4,798,927, an increase of $17,834, or 0.37%. The Region One budget will go to referendum May 5.
Assuming the regional budget is approved, total education spending for 2026–27 would be $12,012,442, an increase of $334,201, or 2.86%.
If the municipal and SCS budgets are approved May 13, total town spending would reach $21,630,267, an increase of $746,924, or 3.58%.
The hearing was attended by members of the Board of Finance, Board of Education and Board of Selectmen, along with Town Hall and SCS staff and one reporter.
No questions were raised for SCS Principal Stephanie Magyar or First Selectman Curtis Rand following their presentations.
Board of Finance Chair Pari Forood said the preliminary scenario assumes the mill rate would remain unchanged.
Vote Details
May 13, 7:30 p.m.
Salisbury Town Hall
27 Main St.
North Canaan sets May 13 town meeting amid rising regional costs
Christian Murray
NORTH CANAAN — North Canaan will hold its town meeting on May 13 to act on its proposed municipal and education budgets for the 2026–27 fiscal year, contingent on approval of the Region One school budget on May 5.
Unlike the Region One budget, which is decided by referendum across six towns, residents must attend the town hall meeting in person to weigh in and vote on the local budgets.
While the proposed budgets do not list a mill rate, First Selectman Jesse Bunce said the property tax rate — currently 24.75 mills — is expected to remain roughly unchanged. For a homeowner, that means a property assessed at $350,000 would result in about $8,663 in annual property taxes. In Connecticut, property is typically assessed at 70% of market value.
The proposed budgets total about $14.6 million, including a $3,351,583 municipal budget and an $11,238,600 education budget, the latter reflecting a 7.92% increase over the current year.
Of the education total, about $5,098,488 is allocated to North Canaan Elementary School, a 6.73% increase, driven in large part by rising medical insurance premiums. Those same healthcare costs are also a factor on the municipal side of the budget.
Meanwhile, $6,140,112 represents the town’s share of the Region One budget, which covers high school tuition and shared services.
Regional costs are driving the bulk of the increase. North Canaan’s share of the Region One budget is projected to rise by about $503,679, or 8.94%. The jump marks a notable shift from last year, when North Canaan’s Region One assessment rose by just over 1%. The town is budgeting for 106 students to attend Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
The proposed municipal budget is up 3.45% from last year.
A public hearing on the budgets was held on April 20 and lasted only three minutes. It drew no questions on the education budget and a single question on municipal healthcare costs.
The Board of Finance is reviewing the budget proposal and will set the final tax rate before it goes to the town meeting.
Bunce said after the meeting he was surprised by the lack of public comment, attributing it to a stable mill rate and multiple prior budget discussions.
If approved, the budgets will take effect July 1.
Vote Details
Wed., May 13, 7:00 pm
North Canaan Town Hall
100 Pease St.
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Sharon sets May 8 vote on budget after school funding debate
Alec Linden
SHARON — Sharon will hold a town meeting on May 8 at Town Hall to act on its proposed municipal and education budgets for fiscal year 2027, following a late Board of Finance review prompted by resident pushback on school spending cuts.
Residents must attend the May 8 meeting in person to vote. The meeting will follow the Region One school budget vote on May 5.
Sharon’s budget plan was revisited this week after a two-hour public hearing on April 24 where residents urged officials to restore funding to Sharon Center School. The current proposal reflects a Board of Finance directive to cut $70,000 from the elementary school budget, bringing it to $4,165,513, flat from the current year and marking a fifth straight year with no increase.
Sharon’s contribution to the Region One high school totals $1,890,487, a 1.73% decrease. Combined education spending stands at $6,026,012, down 0.64% overall.
Following the hearing, the Board of Education discussed using savings from the regional side to offset cuts to the elementary school budget, an idea supported by residents.
The proposed municipal budget totals $5,446,187, a 5.78% increase, and has drawn little pushback.
If approved, the Board of Finance will set the mill rate. The current rate is 11.15, with no projection yet for the coming year.
Town Meeting
Friday, May 8, 6 p.m.
Sharon Town Hall
63 Main St.
Falls Village seeks budget cuts ahead of May 22 vote
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — Falls Village officials are seeking spending cuts to avoid a potential double-digit property tax increase as budget planning for fiscal year 2027 continues, with a public hearing set for May 8 and a town meeting vote scheduled for May 22.
At a special meeting April 27, the Board of Finance voted to ask the Board of Education to reduce its proposed budget by $50,000 and the Board of Selectmen to cut $100,000.
Board of Finance Chair Ginger Betti said that, based on current proposals for municipal spending, the Lee H. Kellogg School and the town’s Region One assessment, Falls Village would face a $656,000 shortfall. That gap would translate to an estimated 2.68-mill increase, pushing the current mill rate of 22.44 higher and resulting in an approximate 11.27% increase in property taxes.
Finance board member Amy Wynn said the path forward could include revenue from the sale of the former firehouse at 35 Railroad St., use of the town’s general fund, and reductions to proposed spending.
The Board of Education’s proposed budget for Lee H. Kellogg School totals $2.49 million, an increase of $100,451, or 4.2%.
Falls Village’s assessment for Region One is $1,752,589, an increase of $208,904, or 13.54%. Combined education spending would total $4,243,305, up $309,355, or 7.86%.
First Selectman Dave Barger presented the proposed municipal budget of $2,600,436, an increase of $177,610, or 7.33%, at a March 30 meeting.
The plan does not include a pay increase for the selectmen. Most town employees would receive a 2.5% increase, while highway department employees, who are on a step-based pay scale, would see an average increase of 3.73%.
Combined municipal and education spending, including the Region One assessment, totals $6,843,741, an increase of $486,965, or 7.66%. With the proposed $150,000 in cuts, that total would drop to $6,693,741, an increase of $336,965, or 5.3%.
Public Hearing
May 8, 7 p.m.
EMS Center
188 Route 7 S
Town Meeting
May 22, 7 p.m.
EMS Center
188 Route 7 S
Kent budget plan calls for tax increase; vote set for May 29
Alec Linden
KENT —Voters will decide Kent’s proposed municipal and education budgets for fiscal year 2027 at a town hall meeting on May 29. Residents must attend in person to weigh in and cast their votes on the spending plans.
The vote will follow a May 15 public hearing, when the Board of Finance will consider public input before advancing the budgets to the May 29 meeting.
The proposed budgets carry an anticipated mill rate of 17.45, an increase of 0.58, or 3.44%, from the current year. For homeowners, that would mean a modest increase in property taxes if approved. A home assessed at $350,000, for example, would carry an annual tax bill of $6,107, an increase of about $203.
The Board of Selectmen’s municipal operating budget totals $5,277,965, up just over 5% from this year.
Total education spending is projected at $8,090,829, a 3.61% increase, combining the local elementary school budget and the town’s required contribution to the Region One school district.
The Kent Center School budget stands at $5,307,470, a 2.12% increase, after the Board of Finance directed a $30,000 reduction ahead of the public hearing. Rising costs, including employee benefits, continue to drive the local school budget.
Kent’s share of the Region One budget is projected at $2,783,359, an increase of about $170,000, or 6.57%, driven largely by high school tuition and shared services. Regional costs account for a significant portion of the overall increase, outpacing growth on the local school side.
To help balance the budget, the Board of Finance voted April 14 to allocate $250,000 from the town’s unassigned fund balance.
The Region One budget process is handled separately. The proposed $19.5 million regional budget, a 5.67% increase, will go to referendum in all six district towns on May 5.
Budget documents are available for public review on the town’s website.
Town Hall meeting
Friday, May 29, 6 p.m.
Kent Town Hall
41 Kent Green Blvd.
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