Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

By |

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that there’s a 15-year-old football phenom in New Canaan who’s been offered a college football scholarship at Florida State University. Quarterback Drew Pyne is 15 years old and six-foot-one and 170 pounds, according to the Sentinel’s Chris Hays. He plans to start playing at New Canaan High School in Lou Marinelli’s program starting next year, Shays reported in a blog post. The teen (see video above) is from an established football family and his father, a prominent figure in the sports business world, confirmed the flattering offer from FSU in the article though he did not wish to speak on-record about it, according to Hays. ***

Frank Maltese, popular conductor of the 7:56 a.m. “gentlemen’s train” out of New Canaan, had this to say following publication on NewCanaanite.com of an article about his retirement at the end of next month: “To the people that took an interest in me and who gave me the gratification of putting me into the New Canaanite paper, I would like to thank you.”

***

Police have been called twice in the pre-dawn hours during the past two weeks on reports of barking dogs on Bridle Path Lane, at 3:28 a.m. on March 27 and then 4:32 a.m. on March 30.

Around Town

‘He Just Loves His Job, And It Shows’: Frank the New Canaan Train Conductor To Retire

By |

Frank Maltese and his wife of 32 years were traveling in western Massachusetts for the Big E fair two years ago, when the pair experienced a familiar encounter. Though out-of-state at a large, anonymous event, “we ran into people I knew from Connecticut,” Maltese recalled with a smile on a recent afternoon. “We always bump into people I know and it drives my wife nuts. She says, ‘Can’t we go anywhere that you don’t know somebody?’ ”

No, not really. For nearly 30 years, Maltese has worked as a conductor for Metro-North Railroad, including the last dozen on the New Canaan branch.