EAST HADDAM — It was announced at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Tuesday night that the owners of the Banner Country Club Estates withdrew an application for a special zoning exception that would have allowed them to convert an empty 28,000-square-foot banquet hall into about 20 residential units. Co-owner Anthony Longhitano formally withdrew the… Keep Reading
EAST LYME — The Board of Education approved a fiscal year 2020-21 budget of $51,699,974 — a 4.98 percent increase over 2019-20 — after a Monday night public forum where residents aired their thoughts on class sizes, technology in classrooms, costs to taxpayers, and special education support. Board of Education members acknowledged that the increase… Keep Reading
OLD SAYBROOK — The Art Emporium of Old Saybrook has moved and Esty’s Lamps has closed its doors after the purchase of 288-292 Main Street in January of 2020. “The building needs a lot of repair and it needs restoration, the new owners are going to repurpose it and we didn’t fit their vision,” said… Keep Reading
LYME —“It started with eight people around a dining table and grew to thirty-five volunteers that pulled 5,000 to 6,000 invasive plants out of a cove last summer,” said Diana Fiske, a member of Friends of Whalebone Cove, a nonprofit formed to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the cove, which has been threatened… Keep Reading
GROTON — At a Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut breakfast in Groton on Thursday, invited leaders from Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and nonprofit AdvanceCT, spoke about government partnerships with the private sector. “South Carolina and other states down south have been calling our companies. Why can’t we do the same?” said Peter… Keep Reading
NEW BEDFORD — With about 20 years of experience on the seas, Crista Bank has worked in academia as a fisheries biologist, conducted research with commercial fishermen, earned her 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license, journeyed across the globe aboard traditional sailing vessels and taught marine science in New England, Southern California and the Florida… Keep Reading
OLD SAYBROOK — Illuminated playing fields are no longer prohibited in Old Saybrook after February 18. If granted a special exception, lights up to 80 feet high could be erected on any property greater than 11 acres, owned by the town or Fire Company #1 and located in a Residence A or Industrial I district.… Keep Reading
ESSEX — By a unanimous vote, the Board of Selectmen repealed the ordinance establishing the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority, transferring its responsibilities to the selectmen. The move is part of an effort by town elected officials to professionalize municipal services, and follows measures by the town that have satisfied a state order to address… Keep Reading
The proposed Region 4 Board of Education budget includes a 2.47 percent increase compared with last year’s budget, but after Wednesday night’s meeting, that number is likely to increase to 3 percent. That would bring the total budget for 2020-2021 to between $21.1 and $21.2 million. “The process this year was making up for the… Keep Reading
NEW LONDON — Despite being identified as a priority district in 2001, funding for the Open Choice program in New London was eliminated. Open Choice is credited with helping to integrate suburban schools, and for providing educational opportunities to urban students unavailable in their home districts. New London schools are instead provided with Interdistrict Cooperative… Keep Reading
