Geography stars now need to find CCSU

Two Region One School District middle school students have qualified for the state level of the National Geographic Bee, which will take place April 1 at Central Connecticut State University.Malcolm Scott, a seventh-grader, will represent Cornwall Consolidated School. Ashlee Baldwin, also a seventh-grader, will represent North Canaan Elementary School.Following their wins at their elementary schools, Malcolm and Ashlee were given a state-level, written qualifying test by teachers at their schools. Word was received earlier this month that they had made it to the next level.Unlike a spelling bee, which proceeds through eliminations at various levels, the geography bee is carefully orchestrated to work within a narrow time frame. Students competing across the nation get the same questions, so they compete at the same time.The top 100 test scorers qualify for the state bee. On April 1, students will first be split into 10 groups to compete in mini bees in individual classrooms, again, getting the same questions as everyone else. The winner of each of those will determine the top 10, who will go on to the final elimination round. Brad Drazen, WVIT-30 television news anchor, will moderate the final round. The state champion will receive $100, geography books and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national bee in late May, with a chance at winning a $25,000 college scholarship. The second- and third-place finishers will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Latest News

Customers queue up for Blue Gate Farm Bakery’s coveted confections
After nearly one year in business, pastry chef Bruce Young of Blue Gate Farm Bakery shows off a tray of baguettes that, when baked, will sell out fast to customers of this thriving French bakery in Sharon.
Leila Hawken

SHARON — Local French pastry buffs do not mind a bit that the lines are sometimes long at the Blue Gate Farm Bakery in Sharon. After a few years of offering baked goods at a variety of area farmers’ markets, the bakery settled down and opened for business nearly a year ago.

Located on the Sharon side of the Housatonic River where Routes 7 and 4 meet, the bake shop is the work of pastry chef Bruce Young, along with his wife, Yobana, both owners of Blue Gate Farm in Warren. They paused for an interview on Thursday, March 21, after a busy day of preparation for Friday’s sales.

Keep ReadingShow less
State reps take on herbicide issue

LAKEVILLE ­— At long last, there is progress to report on the subject of spraying herbicides along the Housatonic Railroad Company (HRRC) tracks.

State Representative Maria Horn (D-64) and State Senator Steve Harding (R-30), interviewed on Sunday, both said that language was added to proposed bill 5219 requiring railroads to use the same herbicide standards in Connecticut that they use in Massachusetts, in accordance with that state’s regulations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Conservation dreams become reality

Elyse Harney Morris and Bill Melnick on Cooper Hill in Sheffield, Mass. The real estate agents negotiated transactions totaling $12 million between seller Robert Boyett and various conservation organizations and Limited Liability Companies in Northwest Connecticut and Southern Berkshire County.

Photo contributed

SALISBURY — Robert Boyett’s long-time vision to conserve a large swath of more than 1,000 contiguous acres of scenic pastures, forests and farmland in Northwest Connecticut and Southern Berkshire County became reality earlier this month.

On March 13, Boyett, 82, a retired television producer and Salisbury resident, sold 75 acres off Cooper Hill in Sheffield, Mass., to the Trustees of Reservations for $1.3 million, which will be placed under conservation restriction.

Keep ReadingShow less
Canaan’s fashionable past on display at Hunt

Michele Majer provided a detailed exploration of Falls Village’s extensive fashion heritage at Hunt Library Saturday, March 23.

Patrick L. Sullivan

FALLS VILLAGE — Around the turn of the 20th century, Falls Village was a bustling hub of commercial activity.

Especially if you were in the market for new clothing.

Keep ReadingShow less