Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInTERRYVILLE, CT (WFSB) - Police are on the lookout for an art thief in Terryville. Earlier this week, a man was seen entering the library with his face covered shortly before three portraits went missing. Each piece of art was valued at approximately $1,200. Library officials posted on social media and called this a “violating and disheartening act”. Steve Parlato painted these pieces as part of a traveling showcase highlighting 16 black men and women who were victims of racial violence. “I got a call and it was just like instantaneous, sort of free fall of feeling, you know? Just that pit of my stomach reaction,” said Steve Parlato, artist of “They Are Not Disposable”. Parlato began working on the series after the death of George Floyd and fears whoever took the art may have been racially motivated. “The most troubling and possibly the most likely, [is that] someone disagrees with the declaration Black Lives Matter [and] wants to silence this message,” Parlato said. Just before 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, security cameras captured a man wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with his face covered while walking into the library. The art disappeared some time later that day. Police called this man a person of interest. Security cameras did not capture that person or the theft itself because the portraits were hung in a stairwell where no cameras were pointed. However, police said the public is helping the investigation. “Officers have identified a person of interest. We made a Facebook post that received a lot of attention and we’d love to thank the community for all the phone calls that we’ve been getting that have been assisting with the case,” said Officer Matthew Gualtieri with the Plymouth Police Dept. Authorities have not released the identity of that person. “It feels like this has become a new part of the story. The theft of the pieces, and the rallying of so many people to try and get the word out about the work, to get it returned, but also, in support of the message,” added Parlato. On Tuesday, Parlato will lead a talk at the Terryville Public Library about his display and then bring the remaining 13 portraits to their next stop in Litchfield. Police are still asking for the public’s help in finding the missing artwork and the person who stole them. Officials asked anyone who spots the art, or who spots someone in possession of it, to call the Plymouth Police Department at their non-emergency tip line: 860-589-7779. Wes Allyn slides safely into second base, April 16. FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball won big at home Wednesday with a 15-3 win against Terryville High School Housatonic performed well on both sides of the ball HVRHS batters combined for 12 RBIs and seven stolen bases the Mountaineers played a bullpen game and swapped pitchers at the top of each inning Anthony Foley and Dan Moran threw seven strikeouts to win by mercy rule after five innings Anthony Foley logged 2 RBIs against Terryville April 16.Photo by Riley Klein resulting in limited rosters for both teams Several HVRHS players went on the school trip to Europe and were touring Siena Conditions back home in Falls Village were chilly The sun peaked through for a moment or two but otherwise it was overcast and 46 degrees with high winds Allyn pitched the first inning and held Terryville scoreless Foley singled and Race got walked before Hunter Conklin brought them both home on a 2 RBI double Carson Riva threw two strikeouts when he pitched the second inning against Terryville.Photo by Riley Klein Riva pitched the second inning and let up one run HVRHS loaded the bases early in the bottom of the second and scored four runs before the inning was out Race brought the heat in the third inning and put the Terryville batters out in order HVRHS did not score in the bottom of the third and score remained 6-1 Foley pitched the fourth inning and threw two strikeouts A series of errors in the infield loaded the bases but Foley got out of the inning letting up just one run HVRHS added to the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning with nine more runs Moran stepped to the mound for the fifth inning but a strikeout and two putouts ended the game by mercy rule —up by 10 or more after five innings Anthony Foley and Dan Moran each pitched one inning in the 15-3 win April 16.Photo by Riley Klein Logan Labshere and Anthony Foley each had 2 RBIs Aiden Legassey led the team on offense with 1 RBI Jack Rioux batted 2-for-2 and Ethan Bilodeau hit 2-for-3 Housatonic’s season record improved to 2-3 and Terryville moved to 1-3 The Mountaineers play the next four games on the road before returning home May 1 at 4 p.m for a non-league game against O’Brien Technical High School Hunter Conklin celebrates on second after hitting a 2 RBI double in the first inning.Photo by Riley Klein A detail of a whorl of hydrilla pulled from the shallow waters at O’Hara’s Landing Marina in fall of 2024 SALISBURY — The Twin Lakes Association is taking an earlier and more aggressive approach to fighting the spread of invasive hydrilla in East Twin Lake by dosing the whole northeast bay with low-level herbicide treatments instead of spot treatments the TLA’s vice president of lake management is to sustain herbicide concentration over the 2025 growing season That plan of attack will continue over a period of 60 to 90 days beginning May 21 Conklin explained during the association’s April 30 membership meeting via Zoom which drew 60 attendees TLA officials were encouraged by the chance to stop the spread and hopefully destroy the thick mats of the unyielding invasive plant hydrilla verticillata referred to as the Connecticut River variant after two years of chasing new growth around the lake’s north bay Dense patches were first discovered in the summer of 2023 in shallow waters around O’Hara’s Landing Marina and the nearby state boat launch and the plant has since migrated further into East Twin Past treatment efforts were hampered by delayed permits from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to treat the hydrilla with herbicides in an area where a rare plant had been identified as any protected plant species in the path of hydrilla would likely not survive anyway but it is going to be if we don’t do something about the hydrilla.” so we spot treated it … and were always chasing it.” is to treat the entire northeast bay with the herbicide Sonar in both liquid and crystal form at a very low levels so that the herbicide’s contact time with hydrilla will be extended for a longer period over 60 to 90 days “We know from past experience that it is much easier to kill the plant when it’s small,” Conklin explained green weed before August when it crowns and splits into numerous growing points that are capable of growing at the rate of an inch a day discussion also focused on a pilot program for enhanced cyanobacteria monitoring at Twin Lakes to be headed by TLA director Jessica Swartz a resident of West Twin Lake and biotech executive with Pfizer “It’s very visibly challenging to identify cyanobacteria blooms,” Swartz explained as it can easily be confused with pollen on the surface of the water dead vegetation or different types of algae important phytoplankton in lake ecosystems occur when there is an abundance of sunlight elevated phosphorus levels and warm temperatures Given the current escalation in overly-nutrient rich waterbodies and rising temperatures due to global climate change the frequency of cyanobacteria blooms is increasing and Twin Lakes has occasionally experienced localized blooms the association will be implementing a pilot testing program with greater frequency and at more locations than currently conducted by the TLA’s limnologist The goal of the pilot program is to work out the process of collecting reliable data over time that helps inform whether cyanobacteria blooms are occurring Sample test kits have been ordered for five or six testing sites across East and West Twin TLA president Grant Bogle invited Swartz to give an update at the association’s upcoming June 14 membership meeting at Camp Isola Bella Despite rising lake management costs projected at $500,000 this year Bogle reported that the TLA is in strong shape financially heading into the 2025 season as it received another $75,000 grant from DEEP and $25,000 from the Bates Foundation to support the Watershed Study the town of Salisbury has earmarked $75,000 for Twin Lakes this season and the TLA membership has “responded generously” contributing more than $300,000 since August 2024 when the group started its 2025 fundraising campaign Bogle also encouraged members to attend the May 12 public meeting of the Salisbury Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission which is expected to address proposed changes to the Upland Review Area encompassing the town’s lakes Download directly KENT — Frederick Wright Hosterman passed away peacefully in his home in Kent on April 16 He attended a one-room schoolhouse just outside of Brownville The little brick schoolhouse is still standing Fred attended the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) eventually earning a master’s degree in agronomy where the company was a pioneer in applying biotechnology to agricultural sciences Fred and Dorothy moved to New York City for several years in the early 1960s and Fred bought a large tract of land on Carter Road in Kent which he maintained until his death at age 95 he spent the following decades working on his property and spending time with his children and grandchildren Fred had a jovial and close relationship with many of his neighbors all willing to share a cup of coffee or receive various bits of wisdom from Fred on any number of projects Fred was predeceased by his parents; Helen and Arch Hosterman He is survived by his three children and their spouses; John and his husband Eric of Northfield He is also survived by his five grandchildren; Nicky doing a little “dance” for almost anyone he met Another of Fred’s favorite hobbies was chopping down trees on his land this started out as a necessity for fueling his wood stoves tree-clearing projects were aimed at enhancing the magnificent view from his house high atop Carter Road Fred was frequently on his excavator moving boulders or building a retaining wall passed away peacefully in her sleep at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington She was the second youngest of five children where she graduated from Northwestern Regional 7 High School Nancy is predeceased by her husband and the love of her life Often nicknamed “the love birds,” they were true soulmates and shared many wonderful years together filled with love Nancy is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly — Lori She was a special aunt leaving behind so many happy and joyful memories She never missed attending her nieces’ and nephews’ special events Nancy worked for over 20 years at Raynard and Pierce in Canaan There she made many friendships and brightened the day of everyone who went through the door greeted by her smile and jovial spirit aunt and friend and will be missed by all who’s lives she touched A graveside service will be held at Collinsville Cemetery on Huckleberry Hill Road in Canton on Saturday followed by a reception at 5 Cherry Brook Road Memorial donations may be made in Nancy’s name to the Berkshire Humane Society where Nancy adopted her loving cat and faithful companion CT — A thief stole three art pieces which were on display at the Terryville Public Library on Wednesday Police said a man entered the library around 11:25 a.m Wednesday with his face covered and his hood up Shortly afterward, library staff noticed three original pieces of artwork had been taken from a stairwell display, police said in an announcement on Facebook Connecticut artist Steven Parlato created the artworks which are part of a traveling statewide exhibit and were on temporary loan to the library Each piece is valued at about $1,200, police said. The artwork was framed, and measured about 18 by 24 inches. If the thief removed the art from the frames, the paper is about 10.5 inches by 13 inches. Police posted images of all of the artworks on Facebook Police also released images of a male wearing a hood who is wanted for questioning The individual pictured is wearing different outfits they believe it is the same person in both pictures whose image was captured on different dates Police released the images hoping someone will recognize the person and contact them police announced the individual has been identified Parlato told Patch Thursday afternoon he began a collage series called “THEY ARE NOT DISPOSABLE” in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 murder The art pieces are created from household discards such as pizza and cereal boxes and junk mail Each depicts an individual “whose life was stolen due to racism,” he said The stolen portraits are of the late Tatiana Hall Parlato said he felt a deep sense of loss when he learned their portraits had been stolen “Knowing these images—of people whose lives were tragically stolen—were also stolen feels like a double erasure of their humanity,” Parlato said “Whether someone took them out of admiration I remain committed to continuing this work,” he said Read More: IDs Of 4 Killed, Including 3 Brothers, Released After Car Crashes Into Business Parlato said he is optimistic the portraits will be recovered undamaged He will be presenting a program called “ART FOR CHANGE,” at the library on Tuesday and he hopes the portraits will be returned in time for that presentation Anyone who has information about the theft is asked to contact police via the department’s Tip Line: 860-589-7779 Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. NY — One person was hurt in a fire that broke out at a Terryville home on Monday night drawing dozens of firefighters from four fire departments The fire broke out in a kitchen on the second floor of the Bicycle Path home at about 6:45 p.m. and "presented significant challenges due to the presence of multiple apartments and hoarder conditions throughout the structure," according to a Facebook post by the Terryville Fire Department The person was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Town of Brookhaven Fire Marshal's office as well as Port Jefferson Emergency Medical Services responded to the fire Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.