New Canaan High School’s former assistant food director, Marie Wilson, appeared Wednesday in state Superior Court in Stamford before Judge Richard Comerford in connection with the felony larceny charges in what has become known as the “lunch ladies” case. An attorney representing Wilton said she’s still in the discovery phase of the case, and the matter was continued to Nov. 27. No formal plea has been entered on Wilson’s behalf. Her sister, Joanne Pascarelli, who had overseen the food services program at Saxe Middle School, has pleaded not guilty.
New Canaan Youth Wrestling
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Registration is now open for New Canaan Youth Wrestling. The “Mighty Mite” winter session starts Dec. 3 and it’s open to kindergartners through 4th-graders. Practices are 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at NCHS.
There is also a Middle School (5th-8th grade) and a Travel program. Register prior to November 16th to avoid a $50 late fee and to guarantee that you get the club gear included with your registration fee. New wrestlers are always welcome! Click here for more details and to register, and here to donate to the program.
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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted 3-0 to appoint Dr. Harrison Pierce as a regular member of the Health and Human Services Commission, replacing Sarah Kahn, who resigned, for a term to expire Dec. 1, 2020.
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Town officials on Oct. 19 received a subpoena in a divorce case that’s been proceeding in state Superior Court for 10 years. Specifically, the custodian of records in the Town Clerk’s office is being summoned to produce voter registration records for the wife involved in the divorce case as well as a man listed at the same New Canaan address.
The day after: The tree, split and fallen, at Irwin Park on Oct. 25, 2018. Steph Radman photo
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A beloved climbing tree at Irwin Park split and collapsed shortly after midday Wednesday. Thankfully, no one was standing under or near it at the time. New Canaan Police Department Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm was at the park and saw it come down.
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A gas oven in New Canaan that had belonged to Martha Stewart has been installed in the kitchen of a former reporter in town. Read Michael Catarevas’s “Connecticut Magazine” story here.
L-R: Tom Reynolds, Eads Johnson, Susan Bergen, Dave Hunt and Land Trust President Art Berry
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The New Canaan Land Trust Board of Directors has nominated a slate of new directors to join the organization’s Board—Tom Reynold, Eads Johnson, Susan Bergen and Dave Hunt. They’lll replace four current directors—John Engel, Haik Kavookjian, Carter Norton and Secretary Julie Portale—who are stepping down at the completion of four-year terms. The Land Trust’s annual membership meeting will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s Morrill Hall, and all are welcome. The guest speaker is Kevin Case, Northeast Region Director for the Land Trust Alliance.
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Saturday’s New Canaan Flag Football games scheduled for the Water Tower turf fields are all canceled due to an expected storm.
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The Board of Finance voted 8-0 at a special meeting Tuesday to set budget guidance for fiscal year 2020 for municipal departments and the Board of Education by focusing as a baseline primarily on wage increases tied to contractual obligations. Those voting included Chairman Todd Lavieri, Vice Chairman Bob Spangler, Secretary Judy Neville, Amy Murphy Carroll, George Blauvelt, Buzz Kanter, Tom Schulte and Mike Chen.
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New Canaan-based brand marketing company nurenu helps put out a weekly business podcast—check them out here. In the most recent installment, nurenu’s BJ Flagg and Rich Gee of Rich Gee Group interview Mark Halpert, author of “You, Us, Them—LinkedIn Marketing Concepts for Nonprofits.”
L-R: Painters and inkers who created the 2018 New Canaan Ornaments include Tracey Karl, Tucker Murphy, Rosa Palladino, Faith Kerchoff, Anna Krolikowski, Margery Gardner, Chris Pinney and Susanne Landis.
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The kickoff sale for the 2018 New Canaan ornaments begins 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Baskin-Robbins, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in New Canaan, and is one of this year’s featured ornaments. On Friday night, music and refreshments will be provided on the patio out front of the Main Street shop. Along with the Baskin-Robbins ornament, the following ornaments are new for 2018: New Canaan Land Trust, 50 years, Silvermine Fowler Preserve; Silvermine Tavern, 1859-2009 c.1799; Town Hall renovation, 2016; and the Wayside Cross, God’s Acre c.1923.They sell for $15 a piece, and all proceeds go to the New Canaan Historical Society.
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The New Canaan Firefighters have been wearing pink all month in support of breast cancer awareness. Speaking of NCFD, volunteer firefighter and former First Selectman Rob Mallozzi during Tuesday night’s run to a Lakeview Avenue basement fire made his first call on Ladder 3 since 2010, prior to his first term in the town’s highest elected office.
L-R: coach Art Brown, Kacy Haydu, captain Emily Dowdle, captain Caroline Cioffi, captain Elaina Tiller, Heather Doherty, Chloe Reidy, Isabella Orlando, Jane Charlton.
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In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the New Canaan High School girls’ cross country team put on a fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research. The girls set up a booth in front of the movie theater and walked around town to ask for donations. The team raise a total of $1,500, which will all be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
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Finally, longtime New Canaan resident Diane Knetzger has joined Future 5 as a consultant to their Advancement Team.
L-R: Diane Knetzger, Eliel Duguene, Athalie Fills, Future 5 Executive Director Rachel H. Dewey, Aliyah Carson, Mya Hudson, Chair Emeritus and Future 5 Founding Partner Polly Perkins Johnson
Knetzger was most recently Director of Marketing at Bankwell, and previously served as a board member of A Better Chance of New Canaan. Future 5 is a membership-based organization founded by New Canaan resident Clif McFeely that helps connect motivated low-income high school students in Stamford to their full potential. The organization welcomes young people into a caring community and holistic environment where they are able to maximize their opportunities—through a comprehensive skill development program at Future 5’s newly expanded headquarters at 135 Atlantic St. and at Future 5 support offices at Norwalk Community College and the University of Connecticut at Stamford.