Chamber seeks resident input

Monday, 22 March 2010 00:00

The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce is looking to hear from business professionals as to what services can be offered to assist businesses in achieving their goals.

For 2010, the chamber has a goal of revitalizing downtown New Canaan, according to a release.

Special ed talk tackles tough economic times

Sunday, 21 March 2010 12:00

On Tuesday, March 23, the community is invited to hear a talk on “Getting and Keeping an Appropriate Educational Program in Challenging Economic Times.” The presentation is from 10 a.m. to noon at Waveny House. This free event is sponsored by SPED*NET, Special Education Network of New Canaan, Ltd.

In memory: Local kicks off foundation fund-raising with marathon

Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick, Assistant Editor
Sunday, 21 March 2010 00:00

One of the last legs of the Boston Marathon is known for being the most grueling — Heartbreak Hill in Newton, Mass. It’s a half-mile incline about 20 miles into the total 26-mile course.

Nineteen-year-old Kenny Slattery of New Canaan knows this area well as an avid runner and student of nearby Boston College. But on Marathon Monday, April 19, this stretch will hold a special significance.

As a participant, Slattery will be running a few blocks away from the home of Edward and Deirdre Heilbron, formerly of New Canaan, who on January 2 lost their son, Joseph Kelly, to an undetected heart defect that has yet to be determined.

At area hospitals: Domestic violence services improving with team

Written by Carrie Schmelkin, Reporter
Saturday, 20 March 2010 00:00

In one 24-hour period in the United States, more than 65,000 victims of domestic violence and their children receive life-saving services from local domestic violence programs, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

In that same period, more than 9,200 requests for services go unmet due to lack of funding.

“We all know what this is about,” Dede Bartlett, co-chair of the New Canaan Domestic Violence Partnership said at Thursday’s group meeting. “Needs are going up but funding, because of the economy, is going down. It’s a bad situation.”

St. Baldrick’s: Community members get clipped for fund-raiser

Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick, Assistant Editor
Friday, 19 March 2010 16:00

There will be a lot of hair lost, but a lot of money gained for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation at New Canaan Fire Company No. 1 headquarters this Saturday, March 20.

Starting at 5 p.m., in the lower bay at the corner of Locust Avenue and Main Street, familiar faces in the community will go “under the clippers” as part of a fund-raising effort to benefit the foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer research.

Survey on town Web site to help determine storm costs

Friday, 19 March 2010 14:45

Town officials are looking for some resident help and information this afternoon, as they look to calculate the cost of damage related to this past weekend's storm.

The information collected from residents will be submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if New Canaan qualifies for federal and state reimbursement.

Residents are asked to visit newcanaan.info and click on the survey under the "News and Events" tab.

For questions, call 203-594-4100.

After the storm: Video shows life at library

Written by Sara Poirier
Friday, 19 March 2010 12:31

Susan LaPerla, development director at New Canaan Library, captured life after the storm Monday, March 15. The library was full of townspeople looking for warmth, entertainment and a place to plug in their electronics. Employees volunteered to stay past the library's normal 8 p.m. closing until 11 so that movies could be shown and people without power could stay late.

Rell urges public, businesses to report storm damage; deadline is Monday, March 22

Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick
Friday, 19 March 2010 13:29

In order to seek possible federal reimbursement of expenses and losses associated with last weekend’s severe storms, Gov. M. Jodi Rell is urging residents and businesses to quickly report storm-related damage to their local town or city hall.

Cities and towns need to complete the “Preliminary Damage Assessment” forms that were sent out earlier this week by the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The forms collect data on state and municipal damages and expenses, information that is then part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision whether Connecticut meets the criteria for federal disaster assistance.

Rell calls CL&P officials to express frustration with pace of storm recovery

Friday, 19 March 2010 13:09

Gov. M. Jodi Rell today called top managers of the Connecticut Light & Power Co. (CL&P) to express her continued frustration with the pace of the recovery from last weekend’s severe storm, which caused nearly 100,000 customers to lose power.

By early evening Thursday, March 18 — five days after the storm — more than 7,700 CL&P customers remained without power. To speed the recovery, Rell is once again sending state Department of Transportation (DOT) crews to the area to help with debris clearance. At the governor’s request, the state Department of Public Utility Control has also asked United Illuminating Co. (UI) to loan some of its crews to CL&P to assist in restoring power to the remaining customers.

College graduates try to buck unemployment trend as economy reels

Written by Carrie Schmelkin, Reporter
Friday, 19 March 2010 11:32

For seven weeks last year, New Canaan’s Jenn McKenzie woke up every Tuesday to catch the 3:30 a.m. regional train going from Stamford to Boston. After a five-hour ride, the 2005 New Canaan High School (NCHS) graduate would walk 15 minutes to O’Neil and Associates, a public relations firm located in the heart of Boston, and work a full day as an unpaid intern before checking into a hotel at night.

Working a full day on Wednesday, McKenzie would then rush to catch the Amtrak Acela train back to New Canaan. To help fund weekly travels, the unemployed 2009 college grad waitressed on the side.