What used to be a sleepy suburban transit route through Cheshire has become a high-tech node in a nationwide surveillance grid. At the center of a growing local uproar is the deployment of Flock Safety Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)—solar-powered, pole-mounted cameras that do far more than snapshot a license plate.

The debate is not unique to Cheshire. Across Connecticut and the country, some towns have canceled or allowed Flock contracts to expire amid privacy concerns. Critics worry about data sharing, long-term retention, and the potential for mission creep—from solving crimes to broader monitoring. Supporters point to concrete results: recovered stolen vehicles, located missing persons, and faster identification of suspects in hit-and-runs or vandalism cases like the one at Cheshire

At a recent Cheshire Personnel Committee meeting, there was finally movement on an issue that has quietly been building for decades: the condition of the town’s fire hydrant system. The committee unanimously approved forwarding a new Fire Hydrant Maintainer position to the Town Council for final approval. The position represents an important acknowledgment that Cheshire’s hydrant maintenance program needs dedicated attention—not occasional repairs when problems arise. The q

Public infrastructure projects are rarely celebrated for their restraint. In the grand theater of municipal development, the script almost always calls for ballooning budgets, missed deadlines, and a chorus of local frustration. Yet, as the Next Generation School Building Committee nears the finish line on Cheshire’s massive elementary school modernization project, our town is witnessing a rare anomaly: a project that is not only moving at a breakneck sprint toward its August

Technology should always be used thoughtfully and responsibly. It raises important questions about authorship, employment, privacy, and ethics. Those conversations matter. But we shouldn't dismiss the genuine opportunities it creates for learning, creativity, and expression simply because it is new. Recently I found myself standing along a shoreline, looking out across the water. The waves kept rolling in just as they have for thousands of years. It made me think about how i

Despite the aesthetic complaints, a vocal segment of the community insists that Jack’s Farm is exactly what Cheshire needs. Proponents argue that the "small-town charm" shouldn't come at the expense of the people who keep the community running. "Affordable housing is absolutely needed in Cheshire," argued a resident whose family has lived in town since the 1950s. "There are many people who work in our town but cannot afford to live here. It looks like it's going to be a beau

Every generation has an opportunity to preserve its history—or lose it. The citizens who organized Cheshire's 1935 Tercentenary understood that preserving the past required more than speeches and celebrations. They documented names, places, traditions, photographs, and stories that otherwise might have vanished forever. As Cheshire approaches future anniversaries, this remarkable volume reminds us that the history we preserve today will become the foundation for tomorrow's h

The committee's recent session revealed a project that is not only pacing toward a summer conclusion but is executing its fiscal and environmental duties with an almost unprecedented level of transparency and resourcefulness. At a time when neighboring municipalities are grappling with severe budget overruns, Cheshire has managed to lock in over 87% of the Barnum budget and 94% of the Norton budget while holding a staggeringly healthy $19 million in consolidated contingencies

As the New Cheshire Elementary Schools Building Committee moves closer to project completion, its role will continue to focus on fine-tuning details and managing final tasks. The committee’s disciplined approach to financial oversight and schedule management sets a positive example for municipal projects. The committee’s experience also offers lessons for other communities undertaking large public projects: clear communication, early financial review, and flexibility.

how policing strategies have changed since 2007 and is not intended to criticize the actions of individual officers who responded under the policies and training that existed at the time. For many residents of Cheshire, 2007 remains one of the darkest chapters in the town's history. The home invasion on Sorghum Mill Drive rightly occupies a permanent place in Connecticut's collective memory, but longtime residents also remember another tragedy that occurred just months earli