The Day
Landmark Flatiron building in Norwich has a new owner
Norwich — The iconic Flatiron Building has been sold for the second time in the last five years. According to Signature Properties of New England, which had listed the building at 9-15 Main St. for sale, the deal was closed on Jan. 30 by Anna Starr...
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Putnam’s first poet laureate wants to show poetry is for all
Putnam — For Aubrey Waz-Grant, poetry is more than an art form — it’s a tool that builds community. On Monday, Waz-Grant was sworn in as the town’s first-ever poet laureate following a three-month-long search by the Poet Laureate Selection...
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At Mitchell, students make their voices heard
New London — Behind the maroon curtain at Mitchell College’s Clarke Auditorium on Sunday afternoon was 24-year-old Azzure Brown as she prepared to step on stage for her first spoken word performance. Brown, an artist who has kept her work unpublished...
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Caring for the littlest ones
On Wednesday morning in Lawrence + Memorial Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in New London, registered nurse Chrissy Abbate checked the vital signs of 4-pound Olivia and prepared her milk. Meanwhile, Olivia’s father, Matt Jodoin, changed...
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Students walk to protest ICE
Groton — A group of Robert E. Fitch High School students walked out of school Friday morning in protest of U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and took their message to the sidewalks and Town Hall. Meanwhile, across the Thames River at the New...
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Ice skating returns to the Waterford duck pond
Waterford — Outdoor ice skating has returned to Waterford’s “duck pond” for the first time in about two decades, as a deep freeze finally produced thick enough ice, and town staff moved quickly to clear, test and open the surface for residents. Town...
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Waterford group urges anonymous notes of encouragement
Waterford — In the middle of winter, when days are short and stress can feel loud, the town’s Youth and Family Services has created a place for people to leave each other something they may need right now. Hope. The department’s February Random Acts...
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Plainfield bingo game has meaty prizes
Plainfield — With $480 on the line, the caller kicked off the final game of “meat bingo” Sunday as a packed room tracked a jumbo deck of playing cards and waited for someone to hit the winning pattern. The event was hosted by the AMVETS Post 47 Ladies...
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This room has a stellar view
With time, elbow grease and considerable resources from the NFA Foundation, a Norwich Free Academy student and the school’s technology director have restored the observatory atop the Cranston Building. The Norwich observatory was originally opened in...
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Dozens attend ‘ICE Out’ rally in New London
New London — A crowd at the steps of City Hall cursed, raised fists, lit candles and, at the very end of Friday’s “ICE Out” protest, sang in the bitter cold. “We keep the little flame alive,” the approximately 75 protesters sang, accompanied by a...
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Massive Norwich dock project nears completion
Norwich — Anyone who’s driven by Howard T. Brown Memorial Park within the past month has likely noticed the large, red crane shuffling pieces of dock through the air. The crane, towering high above the waterfront, has been used by Long Island- based...
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Church collapse no longer feared
New London — A Broad Street church that has undergone weeks of emergency repairs is now stable enough that the city has reopened some of the roads near the structure. “A collapse is no longer a concern,” Mayor Michael Passero said Tuesday, referring...
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Jury deliberating fate of man charged in Norwich murder
If Atlantik Balidemaj did not shoot and kill 30-year-old Jashira Pagan, Assistant State’s Attorney Marissa Goldberg asked jurors on Tuesday why Balidemaj initially lied to police about where he was when the shooting occurred and why his version of...
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After the storm, the Big Dig
A winter storm warning will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Monday, with town and city governments, schools and businesses shutting down to recover from Sunday’s nor’easter, the largest in more than a decade. New London Public Works Director Brian Sear...
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STORM SHUTS DOWN THE REGION
As a major winter storm barreled through Connecticut on Sunday, state and local officials urged residents to stay off the roads and prepare for dangerously low temperatures, freezing rain, and rapidly accumulating snow expected to last through this...
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THRIVING IN NEW LONDON
It has been suggested that preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom. Perhaps this is why Mark Ranasinghe, his wife, Chanmany Noi, and their daughter, Mariah, are among the most successful businesspeople in the city. They were not born...
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East Lyme plans $6M rebuilding of bridge
East Lyme — Voters will decide in the coming weeks whether the town should spend $6 million to rebuild the Colony Road Bridge over Latimer Brook and, eventually, millions of dollars more on two other deteriorated bridges. Deputy Public Works Director...
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Expanding despite federal cuts
New London — State, local and community health leaders on Thursday celebrated the imminent opening of a relocated and expanded Planned Parenthood of Southern New England clinic that attendees said will serve as an antidote to federal cuts to sexual and...
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Fed up tenants push for boycotts
East Lyme — As she raised a sign calling for a boycott of her landlord’s company on Wednesday, New London renter Brandi Walker said she will tell prospective tenants touring her building the property’s owner is “no good." Walker spoke at a rally on...
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New London holds Free America Walkout protest
New London — Protesters held signs reading “Make Lying Wrong Again," “Not a Paid Protester, I hate Trump for Free!!!" and “We Stand for Good," during a gathering Tuesday afternoon at Parade Plaza as part of a nationwide protest campaign dubbed “Free...
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KING’S MESSAGE STILL RESONATES
Residents of New London, Norwich and Groton gathered Monday to honor the late Rev. Martin Luther King on what would have been been the civil rights leader’s 97th birthday. Overnight snow and sleet canceled planned marches in New London and...
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Murder suspect heard on video talking about killing
Murder suspect Atlantik Balidemaj was alone and in handcuffs, detained in the back seat of a police cruiser just hours after a fatal Nov. 5, 2022, Norwich shooting when state prosecutors contend he uttered the words, “I killed the b****.” A 12-member...
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History may have been revealed
Killingly — A long-submerged Native American burial ground has surfaced on the shore of Old Killingly Pond as water levels continue to drop in the widely opposed drawdown of the pond dam. After spending decades at the bottom of the pond, the burial...
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Pemberton wins in 139th District
According to unofficial results, it appears voters in the 139th District on Tuesday chose Democrat Larry Pemberton as their state representative in a special election. Pemberton, 52, of Montville, who was also endorsed by the Working Families Party,...
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HUNDREDS PROTEST AGAINST ICE IN NEW LONDON
Minneapolis (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota’s Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland...
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Liège waffles arrive in New London via Texas
New London — The smell of caramelized sugar and roasted coffee filled the dining area of Water Street Waffle Co. on Friday as local officials and residents celebrated the recent opening of downtown’s latest restaurant. The restaurant has a winding...
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HEADED OUT TO SEA
An outgoing Virginia-class submarine is escorted by U.S. Navy boats past Fishers Island on Tuesday after leaving the Naval Submarine Base in Groton as seen from Pequot Avenue in New London.
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New camera-equipped emergency call boxes being installed in city
New London — The shells of bright blue emergency call kiosks have begun appearing throughout the city, two years after funding for the new safety devices were approved. The six “blue light” phone towers, which are not yet functional — one was still...
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THREE KINGS ARRIVE A LITTLE EARLY
New London — From the start of the Association of Dominicans of New London’s Three Kings Day celebration, a line poured out of the group’s building on State Street and around the corner, as families filed past long tables stacked with toys sorted by...
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He’s retired, but far from gone
Their table sits at the front of the dining room at Tony D’s, the popular New London city eatery and home office for “Tuesdays With Castaldi,” the bi-monthly lunch gathering. Their energy runs like a current through the place — other patrons often ask...
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WATCHING FOR ALCIDS
Sean Williams, of East Lyme, looks for rare birds Friday at New London’s Ocean Beach Park. Williams said it’s a good time to spot birds in the Alcidae family — which includes auks, guillemots, murres and puffins — coming through the area from northern...
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Taking a stroll to start the year
Old Lyme — Wayne Gallagher, a local man and retiree, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2025. He beat it. “I was lucky, we caught it early," Gallagher said over searingly cold wind blowing from the frigid waters of Long Island Sound. He was one of...
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Plainfield’s tanks a reminder of service members’ spirit, sacrfiice
Plainfield — Hulking and stoic, the sight of just one military tank is impressive. Plainfield has two. A World War II-era M5A1 Stuart Light Tank guards Town Hall, while a M60A3 TTS version stands sentry over the monuments at American Legion Post 91...
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Massive metal panels protect Pawcatuck from flooding
Editor’s Note: Have you ever walked past a strange art display or a highway divider covered with birdhouses and wondered, “What’s that about?"? The Day’s curious reporters set out to find the answers and will bring them to you in a weeklong series...
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Love blooms at the Lobster Trap Tree
Stonington — A glowing tunnel of painted buoys known as the Stonington Lobster Trap Tree has become a popular winter attraction for visitors in recent years, and increasingly, a place where couples pause for more than a photo. On one recent night,...
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Industrial ruin in New London tells a tale from the age of coal
Allison McGuire likes to poke around New London’s Fort Trumbull neighborhood with her dog so she can learn about its past. One day a few years ago, they were out for a stroll not far from her Willetts Avenue home when something caught her eye. “I...
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KWANZAA CELEBRATION BEGINS
The first of the candles is lit in the kinara at Parade Plaza in New London on Friday, a candleholder used to mark the seven days of Kwanzaa. The black candle represents the first of the holiday's seven founding principles, unity. Each day of Kwanzaa...
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Annual holiday dinner is served
Mystic — A piano player tapped out Christmas carols as steaming plates of turkey and fixings made their way from the kitchen to the fellowship hall at Union Baptist Church. The turnout for the Christmas dinner was so large that volunteers had to bring...
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Major milestone for USS Groton Sail Monument
Groton — The sun had not yet risen as members of the USS Groton Sail Foundation stood on the sidewalks outside the Electric Boat contractor’s gate on Eastern Point Road Tuesday morning. Holding a sign that read “Welcome Home USS Groton," they kept an...
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Trump halts Revolution Wind again
The Trump administration on Monday ordered a halt to construction of five permitted East Coast offshore wind farms, including two projects whose components are being marshaled at State Pier in New London. The move — the latest in a series of attempts...
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Traditions, new and old, at Seaport carol sing
Mystic — A sea of Santa hats and jingle bells crowded the green of the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle for the annual Mystic Seaport Museum Community Carol Sing on Sunday. Ariya Caird, 6, wore a Christmas lights necklace and headband along with a Santa...
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On the hunt for a lost submarine
On Oct. 6, 1943, a newly commissioned submarine left Groton, heading down the Thames River and out to sea. USS Dorado (SS-248) was bound for the Panama Canal. It was never seen again. The fate of this vessel has been one of the enduring unknowns of...
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Coast Guard cleared to fund museum
New London — The lingering question of how the National Coast Guard Museum will fund nearly $50 million in remaining construction costs was answered Thursday with the swipe of President Donald Trump’s pen. In addition to authorizing $901 billion for...
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20-unit apartment building planned for Groton City
Groton — A 20- unit apartment building is planned for Sacred Heart Drive in the City of Groton near Electric Boat. City Planner Leslie Creane said the applicant recognized the great need for housing in the area, particularly with regard to the...
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Emergency buttressing of church spire continues
New London — The sounds of hammers filled the unplowed intersection of Broad and Hempstead streets Tuesday morning as work continues on the Second Congregational Church. Two employees of Loring & Son Masonry Restoration worked from a large green lift...
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Lack of a ‘wet’ signature disqualifies candidate
Norwich — The lack of a proper signature has torpedoed former Republican nominee Mark Adams’ Independent Party nomination for an upcoming special election to fill the late state Rep. Kevin Ryan’s seat, the state Office of the Secretary of the State...
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A message of light in the shadow of violence
New London — Families gathered in the cold and snow-covered Parade Plaza on Sunday to watch a 15-foot menorah be lit up on the first night of Hanukkah, an annual tradition that organizers said carried added weight after this year amid rising...
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Cooking up skills for work and life
Students at Waterford High School are lining up to take culinary classes that blend career-ready kitchen skills with a welcoming, learnthrough-mistakes environment. Freshman Neve Bullock, 14, said one of the reasons she enjoys the class is the...
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Group helps family own a home
New London — Roger Caballero stood inside his family’s new home at 57 Belden St. on Friday and gazed out a second- floor window that offered a glimpse of an American flag fluttering over Fort Trumbull State Park. “Look at that vista,” the 36-yearold...
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Norwich firefighter charged with sexual assault is placed on leave
Norwich — Jason Crute, a 35-yearold volunteer firefighter with the Laurel Hill Volunteer Fire Co., has been placed on leave after Norwich police arrested him last month and charged him with sexually assaulting a girl known to him, on multiple...
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Sub base celebrates expanded USO facility
Groton — Sometimes Navy sailors and their families just need a place to recharge. The nonprofit United Service Organizations (USO) has an answer for that. USO New England on Tuesday unveiled an expanded USO center at the Naval Submarine Base that...
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Ex-Rep. de la Cruz announces run for 18th District state Senate seat
Groton — Former state Rep. Joe de la Cruz has announced his campaign to seek the Democratic nomination for the 18th District state Senate seat. The district covers Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington and...
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NUTCRACKER TRAIL WINDS THROUGH LOCAL BUSINESSES IN STONINGTON, WESTERLY
Stonington — On a recent night at C.C. O’Brien’s Sports Cafe a couple walked in the door. They asked to see the nutcracker. It’s a request Carolyn O’Brien, owner of the business on Mechanic Street in Pawcatuck has been getting a lot recently. “That...
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Call it ‘kismet’
With a quarter of a million twinkling lights, Amarante’s Winter Wonderland in Killingly makes Clark Griswold’s home in “Christmas Vacation” look like a lesson in minimalism. For the last 15 years, Daniel Amarante and his four siblings have transformed...
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WHITE HOUSE SETS UP A HALL OF SHAME FOR NEWS OUTLETS
New York — President Donald Trump’s White House is taking on the role of media critic and asking for help from “everyday Americans.” The White House launched a web portal it says will spotlight bias on the part of news outlets, targeting the Boston...
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Making spirits bright: Stars to light up Stonington’s Wadawanuck Square
Stonington — Wadawanuck Square in the borough will light up with stars today with an art installation that is also something of a homecoming for artist Christopher Owens. The Christopher Owens Borough Star Field, sponsored by the Greater Mystic...
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Juliette Parker is Groton Town’s new mayor
Groton — Town Councilor Juliette Parker was chosen and sworn in Tuesday as the town’s new mayor. She also has the distinction of being the town’s first Black mayor. Parker, a Democrat and a lifelong resident, has been serving as a councilor since...
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Singh sworn in as Norwich mayor
Norwich — A crowd gathered in the Council Chambers, hallways and an auxiliary room at City Hall on Tuesday as newly elected Mayor Swarnjit Singh, City Councilors, Board of Education members, and the incumbent city treasurer were sworn into...
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UConn faculty protest for academic freedom, speech
Storrs — University of Connecticut faculty and graduate students gathered in goofy costumes and inflatable animal suits — but their protest in front of Homer Babbidge Library on Monday was no laughing matter. At the “Freedom Frolic,” members of the...
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’TIS ALREADY THE SEASON
Waterford — Despite a steady drizzle on Sunday, families continued to arrive at Ukleja’s Tree Farm as part of the post-Thanksgiving rush that kicks off the local Christmas tree season. Near the entrance of the farm, owner Vincent Ukleja stood by a...
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Sons of Mystic get long-overdue honor
After its 1883 dedication, Mystic’s Civil War monument was described in The Day as “a handsome granite pedestal and shaft surmounted by the figure of a soldier … at parade rest.” The sides bore the names of four battles and an inscription: “Dedicated...
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Black Friday has changed, shoppers say
Waterford — As Eric Bedard, of East Lyme, scanned aisles of electronic gadgets at Best Buy late Friday morning, he reminisced about what the biggest shopping day of the year used to be. “It’s funny, I was talking to somebody about that today,” Bedard...
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NL could use $500K for emergency church repairs
New London — The city is prepared to use $500,000 in fund balance money to finance emergency repairs to a deteriorating steeple towering above a recently condemned 45 Broad St. church. The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to discuss Mayor Michael...
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OLD RIVALRY, NEW CHAPTER
The sun was just starting to rise Tuesday morning as members of the Varsity N Club at Norwich Free Academy gathered in the third-story windows of the Tirrell Building of the school's campus in Norwich. They shouted down to teachers and staff on the...
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Groton Middle School students learn debate skills
Groton — Groton Middle School students on Monday afternoon debated a topic inspired by a real discussion in the state legislature: whether to use taxpayer dollars to feed people who are food-insecure. Sitting at tables, students from the middle...
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On the trail one last time before winter
Groton — Hooves thudded softly on the muddy and rocky parking lot of Bluff Point State Park as riders steered their horses at the start of the Connecticut Morgan Horse Association’s 15th annual Turkey Trot & Trail Ride, a yearly gathering that blends...
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New London church condemned
New London — The city condemned the Second Congregational Church on Wednesday afternoon, nearly six months after ordering its owner to address potentially “catastrophic” issues with the 45 Broad St. structure’s bell tower. The order, issued by...
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NFA has big projects in the works
Norwich — Norwich Free Academy is negotiating with Park Congregational Church, directly across Broadway from its campus, about acquiring part of the building to house students, school officials say. Head of Schools Nate Quesnel said last week the...
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CG Museum reaches a milestone
New London — Construction of the National Coast Guard Museum reached another milestone this week with completion of the sixstory building’s steel frame. Stakeholders in the $150 million project gathered at the perimeter of the museum’s construction...
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Christmas comes early at Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun’s Earth Expo Center hosted hundreds of small business owners from across New England over the weekend, and they spent the time sharing their creations, selling, and celebrating handmade craftsmanship. The 39th annual New England Christmas...
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Stepping up to fill the void
As local and state lawmakers continue pushing for a full restoration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, community members across eastern Connecticut are stepping up their efforts — with free breakfasts, gratis hot dogs and...
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Salem sees more Democrats elected than in past years
Salem — Over the past decade, this town has been a Republican stronghold. This year’s election changed that as Democrats took control of the First Selectman’s office and the Board of Selectmen. Democrat Sue Spang unofficially won the first selectman...
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