WINSTED — It’s been quite the rollercoaster ride for the fledgling Winsted Citizen, but Thanksgiving weekend brought news that fans of the independent community newspaper can be thankful for.
After its editor, Andy Thibault, had indicated that the monthly paper would cease publication, an announcement was quickly made that it had actually been bought out by a much larger media company.
Jedd Gould, a board member and spokesperson for Connecticut News Consortium Inc., which created the Winsted Citizen in January, announced Wednesday, Nov. 22, that the Citizen had been acquired by American Business Media (ABM) of Simsbury. The consortium said in a statement issued last Wednesday that it never intended to close the paper permanently, but was seeking to change the current business model.
“We’re delighted to turn this project over to someone who shares our vision, and has the media infrastructure to support and grow it,” Gould said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition was effective immediately.
ABM publishes seven magazines across the country as well as numerous email newsletters, and produces more than two dozen conferences at venues from Mohegan Sun to Los Angeles. Thibault referred inquiries to ABM.
ABM’s publisher and CEO, Vincent Valvo, himself a former business journalist, said in a statement that he believes “in the power and the mission of community journalism,” has been “cheering on the creation of the Winsted Citizen since the first of the year,” and is “delighted to be able to ensure that it will have a strong future.” He also expects the Citizen will sharpen its focus on Litchfield County, while “adding stronger online and social media offerings, community events, and articles that dig deeply into the fabric of the region and its people.”
In response to questions from The Lakeville Journal, Valvo said in an email that ABM “acquired all of the assets of the Citizen — name, trademarks, customer lists, etc. We did not acquire the liabilities of the publication, which remain with the Consortium.” Valvo added that there will be no layoffs and no changes to the Winsted Citizen’s editorial production. Founding publisher and editor Thibault will continue as a contributing editor, though Valvo said he has not yet decided how many other staff members will be retained.
The Citizen operated out of a very small Winsted office whose lease expired more than a month ago. Most employees and contributors worked remotely. Valvo said ABM does not intend to renew the lease but has ample space and resources at its Simsbury headquarters half an hour east of Winsted.
Valvo indicated that he would like to see the Citizen evolve into more of a multimedia platform “providing news and information via multiple channels” with “a new website, more robust social media outreach, email newsletters and print publications.”
“We are working with the people whose efforts made the Citizen real for the past few months, and adding the expertise of our national media company staff to broaden and refine what comes next in this project,” Valvo said.
The Citizen was initially backed by legendary lawyer, consumer advocate and Winsted native Ralph Nader, who has insisted Winsted has been a “news vacuum” since the closing of The Lakeville Journal-owned Winsted Journal in 2017. The rollout event for the Citizen was held in Nader’s National Museum of Tort Law, a shrine to lawsuits that Nader opened in a former Main Street bank building eight years ago.
After Nader’s initial funding expired in February, the paper was placed under the management of the nonprofit News Consortium. The paper has run deficits ever since. The deal to acquire the Citizen came together over the Thanksgiving holiday, Valvo said.
“We beat the Grim Reaper every month for most of the year,” Thibault said earlier in a staff memo leaked to the Hartford Business Journal. Thibault characterized the Citizen’s deficits at that time as “untenable.”
“We haven’t had a chance yet to hear everyone’s voices,” Valvo told The Journal. “But we are experienced, capable and thoughtful enough to move quickly and competently to the next stage of what a great community publication can be.”
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.
Photographer Sarah Blodgett displayed her prints on canvas at the Souterrain Gallery of The Wish House during the Open Studio Tour in Cornwall.
The weather was perfect on Saturday, Aug. 30, for the 19th annual Artists’ Studio Tour in Cornwall, held each Labor Day weekend.
Organizer David Colbert said, “It has become quite a tradition.”
Colbert’s studio was one of 10 on this year’s tour.His large geometric works line a sculpture walk near the studio, which those on the tour were welcome to enjoy.
Another stop was at Tim Prentice’s barn and studio. Prentice is famous for his kinetic sculptures, which were on display in the barn and surrounding fields.Now in his 90s, Prentice held court in his nearby studio.With his eyesight failing due to macular degeneration, he has turned to drawing.
Prentice recently completed “a series of trees before the leaves come out and obscure the structure.I do them from memory.” Drawings on display in his barn were being snapped up by tourgoers, with profits going to help fight macular degeneration.
At the Souterrain Gallery of the Wish House, first-time tour participant and basket maker Tina Puckett sat outside demonstrating her art. Inside the gallery, her unique baskets were on display. “I think the studio tour is great for the public and for us,” she said.
Also, at Souterrain, another first-timer, photographer Sarah Blodgett, showed her work. Photographs printed on canvas were vibrant with colors.She said she works on these in the winter when she can’t be outside doing wildlife photography which, is “near and dear to my heart.”There were samples of that as well.
Other artists on the tour included shoemaker Lauren Brinker, photographer Stephan Sagmiller, potter Sanah Peterson, painters Magaly Ohika, Emily Waters, and Debby Jones, photographer Nick Jacobs, and poet/artist Sally Van Doren.
The tour is a unique opportunity to chat with artists, view and purchase their work, and see their studios.
For more information go to: https://cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2025/
