The Day
Developers eye farmland for new kind of community
Mystic — With a 223- unit residential development, “The Grange,” proposed for about 80 acres of farmland on Sandy Hollow and Noank Ledyard roads in Mystic, neighbors are concerned about the loss of one of the last remaining parcels of farmland in...
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Recent NL graduate shot, killed
New London — Police say an 18-yearold man who graduated from New London High School in June was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon on Garfield Avenue. Police said Richard Rowell Jr. was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a car in the...
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Courtney joins housing discussion in New London
New London — Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, met with housing advocates, builders and Realtors on Tuesday for a comprehensive discussion on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, Congress’ bipartisan solution to the national housing...
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COLUMBUS DAY IN WESTERLY-PAWCATUCK
The public watches the 75th annual Westerly-Pawcatuck Columbus Day Parade in Westerly on Monday. One of the largest parades in Rhode Island each year, it featured marching bands, firetrucks, floats and various organizations and businesses after a...
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Former Norwich Hospital workers share memories
Mashantucket — One memory that will always stick out from Jerri Catillo’s 25-year career as a nurse at Norwich Hospital was when she and a group of 12 fellow nursing students visited the most violent wards of the hospital. “The first thing we saw was...
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State’s largest accessible playground opens at Camp Harkness
Waterford — A group of state and local officials including Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz announced Tuesday that the State Bond Commission has approved $ 2.5 million to fund improvements at Harkness Memorial State Park. That works starts with maintenance...
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New NPU wastewater treatment plant 80% complete
Norwich — Nearly three years into a $200 million project to build a new wastewater treatment plant, Norwich Public Utilities says the project is about 80% complete. Construction began in November 2023, and is expected to complete in 2028. Both plants...
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Women-owned businesses make their mark
East Lyme — Surrounded by walls covered in colorful balls of yarn, eight women sait together on a couch in the corner of Knitty Gritty Yarn Girl Yarn Shop. Their conversations about knitting patterns, new projects and life filled the shop in Midway...
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The Garde turns back the clock to mark 100th anniversary with Gatsby-style gala
New London — The Garde Arts Center on Saturday was transformed into a scene straight out of “The Great Gatsby," with the theater’s 100th anniversary celebration embracing the glamour and spectacle of the Roaring ‘20s. Guests arriving for “A Night to...
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NFA’s new esports room inspired by ‘Tron’
Norwich — Norwich Free Academy’s esports team this week held its third practice ever in the academy’s new Esports room, called “the Grid." Academy staff have worked more than a year to paint and decorate the former classroom, tucked in the back of the...
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Honored for wartime service
Plainfield — Sen. Heather Somers, R-18th District, hosted a veterans’ medal ceremony at Plainfield High School Thursday evening that honored 125 local veterans that served during a period of war. The atmosphere in the room was one of camaraderie,...
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Federal highway chief visits Gold Star project
New London — Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster visited the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on Wednesday and said he hopes other states follow Connecticut’s lead in rehabilitating and enhancing infrastructure critical to the local and national...
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Hundreds attend Celebrate Cultural Diversity Festival in Norwich
Norwich — Hundreds of people flocked to Chelsea Parade on Tuesday evening to enjoy cultural dances and ethnic food offerings at the Norwich rotary clubs’ 13th annual Celebrate Cultural Diversity Festival. Ana Resto, of Florida, said she enjoyed how...
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A BIG WELCOME FOR THE USS IDAHO
After four months at sea on its first deployment, the USS Idaho (SSN-799) returned to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton on Monday. Dozens of friends and family members welcomed personnel off the submarine with signs and hugs. The Virginia-class,...
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SURF’S UP IN MISQUAMICUT
Pete Serra of Westerly rides the waves off the coast of Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly on Sunday. About two dozen people were on the sand and in the water despite a nor’easter rocking the coast over the weekend. Families with children played in...
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THE GARDE TURNS 100 A place built on community, arts center has hosted it all
The Garde in New London has lasted a century — an eternity for an arts venue. As it marks its 100th anniversary this year, its survival can be traced, in part, to how it has evolved over those decades to adapt to outside forces. What began as a...
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Reflecting on the craft that became her career
New London — In 1983, Sara Munro walked into a small downtown gallery and framing shop and began a job for which she’d unknowingly been preparing nearly her whole life. “I’ve cut glass, done crafting and embroidery and furniture refurbishing,” Munro...
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Fans offer a fond farewell
Mohegan — Maria Bedard has been using a cast and knee scooter as she recovers from a recent leg surgery, but that wasn’t enough to keep her away from the Connecticut Sun’s final time playing at the Mohegan Sun Arena as its home team. Bedard, of...
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Norwich show exposes students to manufacturing careers
Norwich — Using what looked like a PlayStation controller, Norwich Free Academy senior Christian Blondin moved a robotic arm to pick up a piece of foam and drop it into a plastic cup. “It’s kind of difficult,” he said. “The controls are kind of, like,...
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New London selects finance director as city’s first CFOO
New London — David McBride, the city’s longtime finance director, will soon have a new title — chief financial operating officer — that comes with a nearly $25,000 annual raise. After an hourlong executive session Monday night, the City Council...
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SMALL WILD CAT IS IDENTIFIED AS A NEW SPECIES IN BOLIVIA
Coroico, Bolivia — A tiny wild cat hidden away in the cloud forests of Bolivia has become an unlikely tourist attraction, drawing a stream of visitors hoping for a glimpse of the animal that scientists have identified as a brand new species. There is...
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In Montville, a few dogs have their day
Montville — Robin Stolzenberg laughed and cooed as a 1-year-old, tiny, grey pug-shih tzu mix nicknamed Squirrelly wriggled around in her arms and licked her face Sunday at the K9 Barrett Memorial Animal Control Facility. “He’s all over you. He’s not...
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Nonprofit is putting culverts on the map
The Nature Conservancy wants you to start thinking about culverts. The tubes and tunnels that channel water under roads and rail lines are everywhere — and as the climate changes, their ability to function is more critical than ever, for both the...
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Pastry chef from Waterford competes on TV
Waterford — Kyle Caulkins found his passion for baking as a student at Clark Lane Middle School. And it wasn’t in a baking class. His teacher, language arts instructor Beth Sheridan, ran a class project called “genius hour,” letting students study any...
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Speed cameras? Not so fast
East Lyme — The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday to postpone voting on allowing speed cameras in town after residents expressed differing opinions on their use. Police Chief Kevin Glenn started the meeting explaining how the speed cameras, also...
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Florida man walks through the region during his cross-country journey for mental health
Old Lyme — As Florida native Kyndal Ray Edwards walked the streets here Wednesday dressed in American flag shorts and a neon cap, cars beeped, people leaned out of their cars to wave and say hello and many pulled to the side of the road to talk to...
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SERVING UP A HELPING OF GRATITUDE
North Stonington — With the sun setting over a 103-acre cattle farm and dinner about to be served Monday, Cowboy Kent Rollins, with his wife and co-star Shannon Rollins, of “Cast Iron Cowboy” told local veterans “You’re family to us." “Food brings...
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New London looks to put best foot forward for museum
New London — Local officials for years have hailed the opening of the National Coast Guard Museum as a seismic event for the city, one they hope will have the power to transform New London into a powerhouse tourist destination that will attract...
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THE GOVERNOR AND THE TRAITOR
Gov. Ned Lamont lights an effigy of Benedict Arnold on fire at the burning of Benedict Arnold at Waterfront Park in New London on Saturday during the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival. Sunday's festival events were rained out.
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Meet Harvey, the opossum without a tail
It sounds like something out of a storybook, but Harvey the tailless opossum is the real deal, and he’s the newest — and cutest — employee at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic. Harvey made his public debut in August as the nature...
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Region marks 25 years since attacks
Across the region Friday, first responders, military personnel and residents came together in small groups or as part of larger gatherings to memorialize the Sept. 11 attacks that shook the nation 25 years ago. At Stonington Point, community remembers...
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MEMORIES UNDIMMED AFTER 25 YEARS
Top , Juliana and Ruth McCourt. Above left , James Greenleaf. Above right , Josh Piver.
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‘EVERYBODY LOOKS FORWARD TO IT’
East Lyme — As the Black Hawk Sport Fishing party boat took off out of Niantic Bay on Wednesday afternoon, the dozens of veterans aboard began to prepare their lines for a day of fishing on Long Island Sound. Veteran Daryl Cousin, who served in the...
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Motorcyclists escort Vietnam wall replica to Putnam
Putnam — Thousands of community members, volunteers and students gathered along Keech Street on Tuesday afternoon waving American flags to watch nearly 200 motorcycles escort the Wall That Heals, a Vietnam War Memorial replica to Murphy Park. The...
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SNAPPING A SOUVENIR
A participant takes a selfie as she waits to walk in the West Indian Day Parade on Monday in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Ghost
Stonington — Dressed in flowing red and white dresses, Melissa Lestinsky, Lindsey Houle and Morgan Humphrey marched through the streets of Stonington borough carrying a silver crown that has been in their family for generations. “A lot of families...
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Voices from a Coast Guard disaster
Capt. Charles Satterlee, commander of the Coast Guard cutter Tampa, hoped to buy a small place in Florida after World War I to escape New England winters. Lt. John McGourty, one of his officers, thought about farming or the Merchant Marine, but mostly...
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Mystic River park to open at last
Mystic — Kate Ruenzel, co-captain of the Stonington High School girls’ crew team, said her teammates can now look out at the Mystic River while training upstairs in the new boathouse and think: This is what we worked for. “It’s very exciting,” she...
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New Stanton elementary school in Norwich welcomes students
Norwich — The new John B. Stanton Elementary School — the first of the four new elementary schools to complete construction under the city’s $386 million school building project — opened its doors to students for the first time Thursday. The...
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FILLING A CANVAS OF BRICK
Resident and muralist Faith Satterfield is in the process of painting a mural outside the Chestnut Street Playhouse in Norwich. The mural depicts the Rose of New England, the city's nickname, and she said its message is to give flowers of...
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WELCOME TO YOUR NEW PRESCHOOL
The Groton school system hosted an open house Tuesday for pre-K students and parents ahead of its first day of school. The new free pre-K program will serve about 176 4-year-old students in 11 classrooms at the former Mary Morrisson Elementary School....
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Phone call finally comes for man awaiting liver
New London — At 8:45 a.m. last Thursday, Jason Barnwell got the call he’d been waiting months to receive: A deceased-donor liver was ready to be transplanted into his immunocompromised body. The call came from the NYU Langone Transplant Institute...
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Bening receives Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award
Old Saybrook — Actress Annette Bening reminisced about some of her most memorable projects, from “Dutton Ranch” to “Nyad,” as well as about working with Katharine Hepburn when she received the Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award on Saturday. The...
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FAR MORE THAN JUST A GAME
Before the glitz and glamour of Foxwoods Resort Casino, there was a bingo hall in the woods. Mashantucket Pequot High Stakes Bingo opened 40 years ago this summer, launching a gaming economy that would not only power one of the nation’s largest...
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‘This, for me, is stability’
New London — As Giselle Santos walked through her new Center Street home Friday, her footfalls were quickly drowned out by the excited yelps of her two youngest children as they raced down halls and peeked around corners. As Kayley, 4, and Azaley, 6,...
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It’s her time to be golden
Groton — When Thrive55+ Active Living Center Supervisor Mary Jo Riley started working at the then-named Groton Senior Center 31 years ago, her goal was to make it a place she wanted to retire to. And she has done just that. Riley, who will retire...
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Future NL park gives goats something to chew on
New London — Seconds after trotting off a trailer ramp on Wednesday morning, dozens of goats began nosing through a thickly overgrown patch of future park land that served as their buffet for the day. The goats, a mix of LaManchas, Nubians, Kikos and...
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Nothing gets by Preston town employee
Preston — Whether it be “out-oftowners” trying to dump their trash, or residents trying to avoid paying fees to get rid of their old washing machine, not much gets past transfer station employee Ron Rivera. In fact, his reputation for enforcing the...
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L+M unions picket amid stalled contract talks
New London — Dozens of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital union healthcare workers took to the sidewalks on Monday as part of an effort to restart contract negotiations they said have stalled out for nearly a year over pay, staffing and other disagreements...
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Dickie Beers bids adieu to a long career of No. 2
East Lyme — “Every day is a busy day” for Dickie Beers, owner of Spencer Beers Inc. Whether its traveling around southeastern Connecticut pumping out septic tanks, making four to five trips a day to the New London treatment plant or installing a new...
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‘Where memories were made’
Margaret Ryone doesn’t want to talk about it. For 30 years, Buford’s Family Restaurant in Groton has been her life, and next Sunday it will all be over. Ryone, the longtime owner, is retiring. And a more than half-century tradition on Poquonnock Road,...
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EB breaks ground in Waterford
Waterford — Electric Boat officially broke ground Friday on its new campus at the former Crystal Mall, as state and local leaders celebrated the shuttered shopping center’s rebirth as a hub of economic opportunity. EB said renovations are underway to...
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Focusing on the signs
A Danielson Superior Court judge has scheduled a Sept. 3 hearing to announce his decision in the criminal case of SeanPaul Reyes, the YouTube personality arrested after a confrontation with a state police sergeant in Groton last summer. Reyes, a...
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A sticky situation for the Mystic drawbridge
Mystic — The Mystic River Bridge returned to service early Wednesday night after being stuck in the closed position for two days. The closure had prevented boats from accessing and leaving Mystic Seaport Museum and the northern section of the Mystic...
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East Lyme Republican registrar of voters utters racial slur to Democratic counterpart
East Lyme — The town’s Republican registrar of voters has admitted to using a racial slur while preparing for primary voting on Aug. 9. Wendi Sims, the Democratic registrar said Monday that while preparing for early voting, she heard Mary Smith refer...
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More time sought for repair plan for the Old Killingly Pond dam
Killingly — Inspectors contracted by owners of Old Killingly Pond Dam have asked for more time to submit their plan to remove the dam’s lowlevel outlet gate from October to early next year. In an Aug. 10 memorandum to the state Department of Energy...
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‘WE’RE STILL HERE’
Mohegan — Althnageebah Myles, a Navajo, quickly unwrapped the pink ribbon from her daughter’s hair and helped her out of her regalia after her performance. She then turned her attention to her other daughter, fixing her braids before rushing back...
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He’s not at a loss for words
Connecticut’s new poet laureate is José B. González of Waterford. He is the first Latino to be selected for that role — “and I think I can hear ancestors celebrating in their native tongues,” said González, who moved from El Salvador to New London when...
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Firm chosen to study hospital land uses
Norwich — The city and the Norwich Community Development Corp. have chosen a national engineering and design firm to conduct a planning study of 49.65 acres of the former Norwich State Hospital property to determine the best uses for the land. The...
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EAGLE HOME AFTER A BIG SUMMER
New London — The sounds of bagpipes and cheers greeted the U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle as it arrived at its home port of Fort Trumbull on Thursday. The Eagle returned from a historic summer tour, sailing alongside U.S. and international vessels in...
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New London says goodbye to a young Whaler
New London — The Whalers’ familiar green and gold colors, so often associated with jubilation and victory, took on a more somber meaning on Wednesday afternoon as friends and family members of Zaeem Tyus donned the football team’s hues to honor a life...
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CHATTING AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET
Patt Weimer, 81, who lives in Groton and hand-stitches quilts and throws for the Washington Park Farmers Market, chats while selling to customers in Groton on Tuesday. The market, in its 11th year, is held every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. from July...
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First it found a Sandy; now Goodspeed has an Annie
East Haddam — Goodspeed Musicals has its new Annie. Laiken Jules, 10, of Temecula, Calif., was announced Monday as the actress chosen to play the title character in “Annie” when the show celebrates its 50th anniversary with a production at Goodspeed...
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‘I’m getting chills talking about it’
Renee Coleman held up a scuffed and faded boot from her workspace at the U.S. Coast Guard Curatorial Services Center in Forestville, Md. Written in white, washed-out ink, a 20-year-old message endured on the boot’s upper shaft: “Downed F16. 1 Life...
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Niantic tenants: Boycott hurting landlord’s condo conversion
Members of the Bay Point Tenants Union at Bay Point apartments on Main Street say their boycott against their landlord, Alpha Capital CEO Tyler Smith, is succeeding. Evidence of that success, union members said at a Wednesday rally outside the...
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