$100K matching grant for your local news

Thanks to the generous support of our readers, subscribers, donors and advertisers, The Lake­ville Journal and The Millerton News remain very much alive and thriving as a nonprofit news organization. Our papers – and websites – are bucking the trend of disappearing or shrinking community news sources.

Each day, our editors and reporters bring you in-depth, nuanced coverage of your local community so that you can make informed and inspired decisions about the issues that matter most to you.

In recent weeks alone, our reporters have provided coverage on environmental issues impacting our lakes, roadways and forests; school and town budgets; youth sports from Little League to high school; education, including the retirement of several long-time educators and administrators, youth enrichment and student achievement; new businesses; healthcare, including changes at Sharon Hospital and the much anticipated opening of Community Health and Wellness Center in North Canaan (see story,here); affordable housing; real estate; community events; fishing; recreation; movies; art; gardening; food – the list goes on.

We’ve invested in more reporters, a new newsletter, and – in keeping with our mission, news on our newly-launched websites (lakevillejournal.com and millertonnews.com) is now available to all without a paywall.

But, to keep serving you the news you depend on, whether online, on your phone, by email or, yes, in print, we continue to depend on your donations.

In other words, local news needs local financial support to survive.

On that note, I have some very good news. Our board members have pledged $100,000 to match donations made over the next two months. Every donation up to this match amount — whether large or small – will be doubled until June 30.

We are one of the oldest independent local newspapers in the country, and our ambition, with your help, is to remain one of the best.

Please give generously at millertonnews.com/donate.

Thank you.

— James H. Clark, CEO/Publisher

Latest News

Out of the mouths of Ukrainian babes

To escape the cruelties of war, Katya finds solace in her imagination in “Sunflower Field”.

Krista A. Briggs

‘I can sum up the last year in three words: fear, love, hope,” said Oleksandr Hranyk, a Ukrainian school director in Kharkiv, in a February 2023 interview with the Associated Press. Fast forward to 2025, and not much has changed in his homeland. Even young children in Ukraine are echoing these same sentiments, as illustrated in two short films screened at The Moviehouse in Millerton on April 5, “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine” and “Sunflower Field.”

“Sunflower Field,” an animated short from Ukrainian filmmaker Polina Buchak, begins with a young girl, Katya, who embroiders as her world becomes unstitched with the progression of the war. To cope, Katya retreats into a vivid fantasy world, shielding herself from the brutal realities surrounding her life, all while desperately wanting her family to remain intact as she awaits a phone call from her father, one that may never come.

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William F. Buckley Jr.: a legacy rooted in Sharon
Provided

Sam Tanenhaus, when speaking about William F. Buckley, Jr., said he was drawn to the man by the size of his personality, generosity and great temperament. That observation was among the reasons that led Tanenhaus to spend nearly 20 years working on his book, “Buckley: The Life and Revolution That Changed America,” which is due out in June. Buckley and his family had deep roots in Sharon, living in the house called Great Elm on South Main Street, which was built in 1812 and bought by Buckley’s father in 1923.

The author will give a talk on “The Buckleys of Sharon” at the Sharon Historical Society on Saturday, April 12, at 11 a.m. following the group’s annual meeting. The book has details on the family’s life in Sharon, which will, no doubt, be of interest to local residents.

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Janet Marlow’s pet sounds

Janet Marlow recording Pet Acoustics.

Alan Brennan

Does your pet suffer from anxiety and stress? Musician, pet owner, and animal lover Janet Marlow may have sound solutions. With a background in classical music and a profound interest in the auditory world of animals, Marlow has dedicated her career to understanding how sound impacts emotional and physiological states in pets.

“I’ve always been deeply connected to music. It’s in my DNA as a fifth-generation musician. But it wasn’t until 1994, after moving from New York City to Connecticut, that I discovered how music could impact animals.” Marlow said, “I decided to live in Litchfield County because of the extraordinary beauty of nature that inspired so many compositions.” It was when Marlow adopted a black-and-white cat named Osborn that something remarkable happened. “Every time I played the guitar, Osborn would come to my side and relax. It was clear that the music was affecting him, and this sparked my curiosity,” she said. This sparked Marlow to start investigating how animals perceive sound and whether music could be used to improve their well-being.

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