Did You Hear … ?

New Canaan Police are investigating a complaint lodged at 3:43 p.m. Sunday by a resident who tried to purchase a cat over Facebook Marketplace—the victim placed a deposit but the suspect never showed up with the cat. 

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The New Canaan 11U Red Team won the 2023 Cal Ripken Major/70 State Championship held in New Canaan last week. New Canaan defeated Norwalk 5-4 in the championship game on a walk-off single by Brian Gallagher, scoring Austin Niedermeier in the bottom of the ninth inning. New Canaan will play in the New England Regionals, held in Milford, starting Saturday at 3 p.m. against the New Hampshire state champions. This is the third state title for New Canaan in four years. They did not participate in last year’s state tournament with a spot in the 10U World Series secured the season before after winning the 9U Regionals.

Norwalk trailed 4-1 going into the top of the sixth and tied the game, sending it to extra innings. New Canaan was unbeaten in the tournament, going 4-0. New Canaan was led in the tournament by JD Hiraman who hit .700 with a 1.469 OPS, six RBIs and four runs; Sam Ericson who batted .600 with a 1.433 OPS, three RBIs, six runs and nine stolen bases while pitching 5.1 innings, allowing one earned run and Gallagher who won two games on the mound, striking out 10 batters in 13 innings pitched. Members of the team are Austin Niedermeier, Sam Ericson, Brian Gallagher, Jackson Stainer, JD Hiraman, Adam Tomsky, Luke Bennett, Nick Frisch, Luke Lehman, Brad Laska, Austin Franklin and Max Barad. The team is coached by Mike Tomsky, Mike Niedermeier and Scott Ericson.

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The New Canaan Housing Authority on June 29 filed papers in state Superior Court to evict a tenant in a Millport Avenue apartment, saying the individual failed to pay rent starting May 1, toward the end of a yearlong lease.

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New Canaanites are spreading the word about an upcoming fundraising event inspired by the life of Hayden Thorsen, the 16-year-old Darien student who tragically took his life last year. In honor of their son, parents Sarah Thompson and Rob Thorsen founded the HT40 Foundation to bring people together through kindness and compassion, just as he did throughout his life. The Shoulder Check Showcase—scheduled for 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 3, at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford—is designed to encourage the commitment to reach out, check in and make contact with those around you, a simple “Hey, how’s it going?” to ensure the person next to you feels appreciated, supported and loved. Trevor Zegras has invited friends like Spencer Knight, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Matt Barzal and Kevin Shattenkirk to take the ice alongside a full roster of their NHL teammates. Follow Shoulder Check on IG or shouldercheck.org to see the roster fill. Tickets available here.

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After exceeding its legal budget of $300,000 by 32% one year ago, the town exceeded the same figure by 58% in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to documents obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. Items include $8,178 spent in legal fees in a town-initiated dispute with the Congregational Church of New Canaan regarding ownership of God’s Acre.

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The New Canaan Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale is coming:

• Friday, July 21: local stores on the sidewalk 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday, July 22: Elm, Main and Forest Streets 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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An uplifting FB post from Walter Stewart’s Market:

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Police are investigating a complaint filed at 5:22 p.m. on July 6 of alcohol stolen from a store at 1 Morse Court. It’s the address of Craftbottlz.

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See Joe Bush & Friends live in concert from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on July 28 at the Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny. Details here.

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Congratulations to The Sneddon Team of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, based in the firm’s local brokerage, on earning the No. 1 by sales volume in New Canaan and No. 3 Small Team in Connecticut by sales volume, the company announced this week. “The Sneddon Team of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, consisting of team members Jaime and Kendall Sneddon, Ashley Howell Petraska and Haley Bise, generated an impressive $112,807,494 in dollar volume and netted 78 sides in 2022,” the company said in a press release. “The team is consistently ranked each year by REAL Trends as one of the top-producing teams in the state of Connecticut based on closed sales volume.”

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First Selectman Kevin Moynihan told the Board of Finance during a general update Tuesday night that the new bathrooms at Waveny House are near completion and that the elevator there is being installed and is on track for completion in December.

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Police are investigating a smash-and-grab of items from a vehicle parked at New Canaan High School, reported at 5:58 p.m. on July 3.

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Get your tickets now: Summer Theatre of New Canaan’s “Beauty & the Beast” runs July 15 to 30 (Fri/Sat 7pm & Sat/Sun 2pm) at New Canaan High School Theatre. Tickets here.

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Heads up: The New Canaan Nature Center is currently searching for a part-time Director of Annual Giving. For more information about the position, please visit their website here. 

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Police at 6:25 p.m. on July 6 received a report of an iPhone stolen from a locker room at the Steve Benko Pool in Waveny.

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Here’s a quick spotlight on local nonprofit LiveGirl’s “SHE WORKS” career readiness and internship program. It provides training, professional mentorship, community-based learning and networking opportunities for college-aged women that have been historically underrepresented, including first-generation college students, as well as paid internships through the LiveGirl employer network. Bankwell is a proud partner and SHE WORKS employer. LiveGirl Founder and CEO Sheri West said in a press release, “We are tremendously grateful for corporate partners like Bankwell—who do so much to champion women and girls—and make our programming possible. We had a high energy site visit at Bankwell yesterday—where eight SHE WORKS interns are working across credit, risk management, IT, cybersecurity, finance, and audit. This is the power in the Boardroom we like to see. Thank you, Bankwell.”

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Register while you can for the 24th Annual New Canaan Football Golf Outing & Touchdown Dinner, to be held July 17 at Woodway Country Club. Bidding opened this week on auction items, including VIP golf and sporting event access, curated packages for New Canaan Football lovers, local shopping and dining experiences. Info here.

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Police are investigating a report lodged at 10:41 a.m. on July 3, of items taken from an unlocked vehicle parked at a condominium complex on New Norwalk Road. 

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The Town Players of New Canaan has announced its upcoming season, and it includes “The Toxic Avenger: The Musical.” Auditions will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 23 and Tuesday, July 25. The show will run Oct. 13 to 28 at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny.

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Waveny LifeCare Network has expanded its secure, state-of-the-art Telemedicine Services Program to the Care Center, its in-patient short-term Rehabilitation facility. Patients will be enrolled in the program upon admission, with real-time monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen levels and body weight, automatically transmitted to Waveny’s dedicated telemedicine nursing staff. The Bluetooth-enabled platform allows patients to videoconference with their current personal physician(s), empowering those health professionals to deliver dynamic, remote patient-centered care. “There is no other in-patient skilled rehabilitation facility in our area offering this service,” Waveny President and CEO Russ Barksdale said in a press release.

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Finally, congratulations to two rising 8th graders at Saxe Middle School—Cole Candee and Wyatt Rotchford, both New Canaan town lacrosse players—who play for Express North on winning the lacrosse World Series Championship two weekends ago in Charlotte, N.C. Express North was the first Connecticut-based team ever to win the World Series. They went 7-0 and along the way beat the top three teams as the 11th seed (including 2-Way in the finals).