News

Stalking Charge for New Canaan Man, 23

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Police last week arrested a 23-year-old New Canaan man by warrant and charged him with first-degree stalking, criminal violation of a protective order and second-degree breach of peace. At about 4:14 p.m. on April 15, officers went to the Stamford Police Department to take the man into custody on the warrant, which had been issued following investigation of an incident reported to New Canaan Police in December 2022, officials said. While in custody of New Canaan Police, authorities brought additional paperless rearrest warrants for charges on which the man had failed to appear. He was charged with four counts of second-degree failure to appear. According to Connecticut Judicial Branch records, New Canaan Police have arrested the man five times since 2021 and charged him with interfering with an officer, first-degree criminal trespass, second-degree breach of peace and numerous motor vehicle-related offenses.

Business

Dolce Owners To Open ‘Lombardi’s’ Restaurant on Elm Street

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The owners of a popular Italian café in downtown New Canaan are planning to open a new restaurant down the street. Andrea Lombardi, owner of Dolce on Elm Street, is planning to open “Lombardi’s” restaurant one block away at 32 Elm St., according to plans filed with the New Canaan Building Department. 

“Andrea’s vision for space is sleek, acoustically tuned with imaginative lighting plans,” according to a letter of intent that forms part of the filing. The space recently had been occupied by an art gallery that moved within downtown New Canaan. According to floor plans, Lombardi’s will have a bar with 12 stools and 14 two-top tables on the first floor, with six four-top tables and a service bar on the second floor. Norwalk-based Mark Demmerle Architecture & Building Services is the contractor on the fitout, according to the filings.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan Police at 5:44 p.m. on April 11 received a report of a smash-and-grab from a vehicle parked at Waveny. A purse and other items were stolen. The investigation is ongoing. ***

The New Canaan Farmers Market opens for the season on Saturday morning. It will run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through Dec.

Around Town

‘Hands for Life New Canaan’ To Be Held April 28 at the YMCA [Q&A]

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The New Canaan YMCA’s “Hands for Life” training—a free event presented in partnership with New Canaan EMS and CERT—will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 28 at the Y.

Open to all and with no advance registration required, the life-saving skills of hands-only CPR and AED use takes just 20 minutes. It was last offered in 2013, where more than 900 people were trained. We put some questions about the event to Margaret Riley, executive director at the New Canaan YMCA, and Amy Kennedy, chief of New Canaan EMS.

Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: What is Hands for Life New Canaan? Margaret Riley: Hands for Life New Canaan 2024 is being held on Sunday, April 28, and is an opportunity for every member of our community to become confident in their ability to administer Hands-Only CPR and use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

Government

‘Our Flagpole Should Not Be a Speech Mechanism’: Selectmen Pass New ‘Flag Policy’ for Town Buildings

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New Canaan’s highest elected official this week instituted a new “flag policy” for town buildings. 

First Selectman Dionna Carlson in introducing a draft policy Tuesday for the full Board of Selectmen to review noted that it wouldn’t apply to school buildings. Carlson said that during her first week in office she “had an individual come up to me and asked to fly another country’s liberation flag.”

“And I guess my predecessor allowed a week of flying that flag,” Carlson said at a regular Board meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“And I feel very strongly that the only flags that should be flown in municipal buildings are the American flag, the state of Connecticut flag and any town flag,” she continued. “I was thinking about school flags, and I really do believe that those should be reserved for the schools. The other thing that I’m trying to avoid is who gets to fly what flag when?…  If we did the school flags at the municipality, do we fly it for a football win? Then do we fly it for every debate [team] win?