Almost two week after the Board of Selectmen declared a local state of emergency, Old Lyme has yet to see a confirmed case of the coronavirus, but First Selectman Timothy Griswold said town staff, emergency personnel and volunteers need to move quickly to help residents who could be vulnerable amid state orders for people to… Keep Reading
With a 10-person maximum set for gatherings and all non-essential travel and business put to a stop, in a matter of weeks the COVID-19 outbreak ground southeastern Connecticut’s wedding industry to a halt. “When you work in this type of world, if you don’t work you don’t get paid,” said Denita Phillips, a makeup artist… Keep Reading
Some local governments in southeastern Connecticut are asking their seasonal residents who returned early this year to self-quarantine for 14 days if they’re coming from areas that have had high numbers of COVID19 cases — especially New York City. This follows a Tuesday recommendation from President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force that anyone leaving the… Keep Reading
For those in need during the Coronavirus pandemic there are still services available and open. You can obtain groceries and prepared food in southeastern Connecticut from Clinton to Stonington every day of the week. Where: The Chester Food Pantry at Chester Town HallWhen: 9am to 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and ThursdayWhat: Pre-bagged GroceriesWho: Chester Residents How:… Keep Reading
The Lyme-Old Lyme Coronavirus Relief Fund was established yesterday by both towns and Lymes’ Youth Services Bureau in an effort to help those in need during this unprecedented state of emergency. “We’ve already helped homebound people with groceries, a family with diapers and one resident pay a portion of her rent,” said Mary Seidner, the… Keep Reading
One of two remaining swing bridges across the Connecticut River, from East Haddam to Haddam, is in desperate need of repair. The National-Register-eligible structure, located near to the Victorian-era Goodspeed Opera House, is an iconic sight for the Lower Connecticut River Valley. “It will be a significant, substantial overhaul with rehabilitation of mechanical and electrical… Keep Reading
ESSEX — As they presented the Board of Selectmen’s $24.6 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2020-21 to the Board of Finance in a Thursday night teleconference, First Selectman Norm Needleman and Finance Director Kelly Sterner said that the town has not yet seen the financial impact of the coronavirus, but that Essex should take extra… Keep Reading
Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day. It was also the first full day of a state-ordered shutdown of eat-in dining and bars for the foreseeable future in an effort to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. The phone started to ring at 11:20 a.m. with takeout orders, but business was down compared to a normal day, said Deb… Keep Reading
NEW LONDON — Several boxes of blue disposable latex gloves and a bottle of hand sanitizer were placed prominently on a table that sat midway between the City Council and a few members of the public who attended the council meeting Monday night in the Congregate Room at the Senior Center. That afternoon, Mayor Mike… Keep Reading
EAST LYME — All town buildings are closed to the public until further notice effective Monday night, after the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to uphold First Selectman Mark Nickerson’s declaration of a local state of emergency in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. Nickerson told the selectmen at a Monday night emergency meeting that… Keep Reading
OLD LYME — The Board of Selectmen on Monday authorized First Selectman Timothy Griswold to declare a local state of emergency and said they plan soon to restrict most public access to Town Hall in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. “The idea is to restrict as much as possible public interaction because that’s how… Keep Reading
Many of southeastern Connecticut’s local governments are restricting public access to town halls and asking residents to call or email rather than show up in person in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. As of Monday, Waterford, Stonington, and Lyme have closed their town halls to the public, although staff continues to… Keep Reading
Foreign-trade zones are an underused economic tool in Connecticut, but that could change as more companies begin to understand how they work and become aware of their potential benefits. The zones operate under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and allow companies to manage the tariff or duty that is charged on imported… Keep Reading
The Siting Council has canceled the March 31 public hearing for a solar project on Oil Mill Road in Waterford due to statewide measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. In a March 12 memo to parties and intervenors, Melanie Bachman, executive director of the council, said a new public hearing date for petition… Keep Reading
As efforts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus get underway across southeast Connecticut, all Meals on Wheels programs are continuing for now, said Stephanie Gould, the director at the Lyme-Old Lyme Senior Center. Many pharmacies, such as CVS, are offering medication delivery for free to anyone who is concerned about going out in public. “And… Keep Reading
The proposed Deep River Elementary School budget jumps by 5.08 percent this year compared with just 3.28 percent for Essex and 2.01 percent for Chester. The increase for all three towns is driven primarily by the 5.5 to 8.5 percent increase in employee benefits, in particular the long-underfunded health insurance reserve. Re-negotiated union salaries and… Keep Reading
Almost two week after the Board of Selectmen declared a local state of emergency, Old Lyme has yet to see a confirmed case of the coronavirus, but First Selectman Timothy Griswold said town staff, emergency personnel and volunteers need to move quickly to help residents who could be vulnerable amid state orders for people to… Keep Reading
With a 10-person maximum set for gatherings and all non-essential travel and business put to a stop, in a matter of weeks the COVID-19 outbreak ground southeastern Connecticut’s wedding industry to a halt. “When you work in this type of world, if you don’t work you don’t get paid,” said Denita Phillips, a makeup artist… Keep Reading
Some local governments in southeastern Connecticut are asking their seasonal residents who returned early this year to self-quarantine for 14 days if they’re coming from areas that have had high numbers of COVID19 cases — especially New York City. This follows a Tuesday recommendation from President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force that anyone leaving the… Keep Reading
For those in need during the Coronavirus pandemic there are still services available and open. You can obtain groceries and prepared food in southeastern Connecticut from Clinton to Stonington every day of the week. Where: The Chester Food Pantry at Chester Town HallWhen: 9am to 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and ThursdayWhat: Pre-bagged GroceriesWho: Chester Residents How:… Keep Reading
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering economic injury disaster loans in affected states to provide working capital to small businesses for Coronavirus-related economic disruptions. The loans are available to “small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofit organizations,” in declared-disaster areas, which includes all of New England, according to a… Keep Reading
A week ago, I was about to leave for my cardiology appointment when I received a call. It was the receptionist, and the appointment was canceled. “Do you know if I can reschedule?” I asked her. She wasn’t sure. After a couple unexplained fainting episodes, a possible arrhythmia and a month of appointments it was… Keep Reading
As the coronavirus spreads and the state sets stricter guidelines for social distancing, food pantries and other nonprofits around southeastern Connecticut have to find new ways of serving their populations while also meeting a sudden rise in needs. Many of the area’s senior centers, nonprofit childcare centers, and other face-to-face services have been suspended amid… Keep Reading
The coronavirus is not the only threat we face. As I wrote in The Hill on last Thursday and The Wall Street Journal editorialized last Friday, we may face a far greater threat from a collapsed economy, which would devastate everyone’s financial and medical condition. This should be of special concern in Connecticut which entered… Keep Reading
Every gig got cancelled. Then, a short pause. Then, online live shows began bubbling up and over the lid of the internet. Now a veritable phenomenon, examples of coordinated and impromptu performance are everywhere on social media: story book hours, dance-a-days, video projects of apartment-bound academics on sabbatical in Spain. Musicians are finding new ways… Keep Reading
There are human tendencies in times of a epidemic that drive people to fear, bogus medical advice, and casting blame on society’s most vulnerable, said University of Connecticut Professor of English Thomas Long, who studies social reactions to epidemics in culture and literature. “Epidemics have often, not always, but often been described as having a… Keep Reading
Mina and I stepped into a prime bit of trout-holding water, offering catch and release fishing all winter, on a small stream we call “The Dirty.” Running through an industrial town in the Naugatuck Valley, filled with abandoned factories, its banks dotted with homeless encampments, the river is for many the most unlikely place to… Keep Reading
Irish-American singer-songwriter Aiofe O’Donovan summons all the whirring, humming, soaring, straining sounds of the cosmos in her latest solo project, Bull Frogs Croon (And Other Songs). The swoop and plumb of the strings, the poetry in the lyrics, left palpable vibrations in the air in her live performance at The Kate in Old Saybrook on… Keep Reading
The coronavirus is not the only threat we face. As I wrote in The Hill on last Thursday and The Wall Street Journal editorialized last Friday, we may face a far greater threat from a collapsed economy, which would devastate everyone’s financial and medical condition. This should be of special concern in Connecticut which entered… Keep Reading
There is an esprit de corps that has developed surrounding our collective attempts to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media is awash with posts suggesting ways to connect, ways to nourish each other, ways to survive the isolation. There has been an outpouring of support for those on the frontlines — the medical… Keep Reading
