Did You Hear … ?

The TV news with characteristic speed and attribution on Thursday aired a segment regarding the Parks & Recreation Commission’s discussion from last week about installing motion-activated trail cameras at Irwin Park to catch irresponsible dog owners. In the version that aired during NBC New York’s 5:30 p.m. broadcast, the reporter actually said: “Authorities say they will be watching. Good dog owners say they will too, to make sure their park stays number one despite the problem with number two.”

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The Roger Sherman Inn on Wednesday applied for a building permit to remodel about 1,600 square feet of its interior space. Here’s how the Oenoke Ridge Road restaurant described the work in its application: “Wall removals to provide open seating. Three dining rooms will be converted to possible one space for banquet usage.

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Police are urging residents to beware fraudsters posing as IRS agents by phoning local numbers and leaving computer-generated or live voice messages. On Thursday, residents reported receiving unsolicited phone calls from people claiming to represent the IRS. When asked whether the call was a “scam,” the caller disconnected, according to New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. The actual IRS generally contacts citizens through snail mail, authorities say—never give personal information to unknown parties via telephone or computer. ***

New Canaan Library’s renowned “Conversations with Business Leaders” lecture series this year will feature Jamie Forese, president of Citigroup.

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Studio Elan, an established business on Burtis Avenue, is moving into the former Candy Scoop space on Elm Street, up the alley by Chef Luis and next to New Canaan Music. ***

New Canaan Public Schools cafeterias recently earned the No. 1 “Best Food Ranking” from Niche.com. Here’s a peek at the top-10 (Darien is No. 23—nanny nanny boo boo):

New Canaan
Middlefield
Weston
Westport
Wilton
Chester
Killingly
Waterford
Simsbury
Glastonbury

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Police responded to a call at 1:28 p.m. last Saturday that a dog near Forest Street and Locust Avenue was “going crazy in a car.” The dog’s owner, who was inside the nearby New Canaan Diner, paid her bill and left the restaurant to take care of the barking animal.

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An interesting side note to the New Canaan Housing Authority’s plan to build with greater density the public housing at Mill Pond (a project that will trigger relief from a developer loophole in the state statutes): According to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the total number of housing units in New Canaan has decreased over the last several reportable years:

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Troopers from Connecticut State Police Troop G last Thursday rescued two Hawks Hill Road golden retrievers who had wandered onto the Merritt Parkway. The fortunate animals were secured safely just after 1 p.m. on March 3, according to the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. It wasn’t immediately clear how they got out. ***

Congratulations to New Canaanite Ann Cotoia on her retirement from Bankwell after nearly 14 years. She joined the bank the month it opened (April 2002) and is a third generation New Canaanite. March 4 marked her last day, following 48 total years in the banking industry. “She was a tremendously valued employee at Bankwell as a Personal Banker, and often heralded for her outstanding service to customers,” officials say.

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Egan exudes excellence in all facets of life at Loyola
Loyola senior swimmer and education major Cara Egan reflects on all of her accomplishments as a Greyhound. Congratulations to 2012 New Canaan grad Cara Egan, a record-breaking swimmer at Loyola University Maryland whose educational, athletic and civic accomplishments are celebrated in the Patriot League Network YouTube channel video above. They include what officials are calling the highest student-leader honor that can be bestowed at Loyola, the Diane Geppi-Aikens Service Award. We heard about the video from NCHS teacher and swim coach David Fine, whose Y Nationals-qualifying 1,650-yard freestyle swim in 1991 in the Payne-Whitney Gymnasium at Yale University remains an essential part of New Canaan Y swimming lore. ***

Officials never did find a raccoon that was behaving erratically, perhaps because it was sick, on Feb.