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Gas Leak at Restaurant Halts Business Downtown on Friday Evening

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A building in the center of downtown New Canaan was evacuated Friday evening following reports of a gas leak, officials say. At about 6 p.m. on May 9, the New Canaan Fire Department responded to a reported odor of gas in a restaurant on Main Street, according to a press release issued by NCFD. Arriving and with help from an off-duty firefighter from a neighboring town, officials “quickly determined a 100 gallon propane tank was leaking behind 15 Elm St.,” the press release said. The address is the same as SE Uncorked. 

Occupants of the buildings at Main and Elm Streets left the premises while the Fire Department “deployed hose lines to disperse the accumulating propane gas vapors,” the release said. “Firefighters also found gas had accumulated in the basement of 15 Elm St.

News

Warrant Details New Canaan Man’s Domestic Violence

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New Canaan Police on April 28 arrested a 34-year-old Forest Street man by warrant after his ex-girlfriend detailed months of violent abuse, providing text message screenshots as proof. The victim came to police headquarters on the afternoon of March 24, saying she’d been in a dating relationship with the man that ended in November. 

She “reported that since January of 2024, there have been multiple incidents in which [her ex-boyfriend] assaulted and threatened her in New Canaan,” according to an arrest warrant application obtained by NewCanaanite.com. According to NCPD Officer Michael Schnell’s affidavit, which forms the basis of the application, signed April 23 by state Superior Court Judge Alex Hernandez, those incidents include: 

Man struck victim five to six times with the back of his hand, causing a black eye and swollen lip;
Man punched victim in the back and repeatedly pulled her hair, causing back bruises;
Man held a pocket knife to victim and struck her in the chest with a metal container used for holding mairjuana;
Man bit victim and slapped her across the face; 
Man punched victim in the arm and back; 
Man smashed victim’s phone; 
Man threatened victim with a belt and struck her on the arm; 
Man pulled victim’s hair and struck her multiple times;
Man pulled victim’s hair, punched her in the arm and dragged her to his bed. The victim “screened ‘High-Danger’ on the Lethality Assessment Program,” police said in the arrest warrant application. Schnell referred to a protocol established by state law.

News

Firefighters Put Out Lukes Wood Road Fire Sunday Night

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New Canaan firefighters put out a blaze at a Lukes Wood Road home Sunday night, officials say. At 6:45 p.m. on May 11, the New Canaan Fire Department responded to a residential fire alarm at 124 Lukes Wood Road, according to a press release issued by NCFD. “Upon arrival New Canaan firefighters found a fire in a three-car garage under the structure,” the release said. While NCFD was on scene, an occupant of the home arrived and said that there were pets inside though no people, it said. New Canaan firefighters put out the garage fire with a hose line and “assisted the occupants with removing the pets,” it said.

Eric Thunem

Editorial: My First May Fair ‘Date’ [PHOTOS]

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It was Eric Rehnberg who crossed over most successfully in third grade, our first year at East School. They’d closed Center School after the 1982-83 academic year, and our friend group got separated in the redistricting, never to fully re-form. Eric and I ended up at East, along with Alex Carles, Kristen Gannalo, David Palmer, Linda Pierson, Christina Mullin and Jenny Rubinfeld. Somehow that first year at East, Eric found the courage to ask the cutest girl in our class, a new face to us Center Schoolers—Joanna Avgerinos—to May Fair, and she said yes. I was in awe.

Business

‘Doppio’ Italian Restaurant To Open on Main Street

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A New Canaan resident with a successful restaurant in Greenwich is planning to open a second location on Main Street this summer. Joseph Barresi, owner of Doppio, said he’s wanted to open in New Canaan since moving here three years ago and finally found a great spot in the “alley” next to Ching’s Table, in the commercial space long occupied by Vicolo (and most recently by Best Pizza Shop). “It reminds me a lot of Italy, those little villages and alleyways, it could be charming and do a lot of work to create that ambiance,” Barresi told NewCanaanite.com. 

Asked how he describes the restaurant to those who haven’t been to the Greenwich location, which opened in 2011, Barresi said, “Doppio is a chic yet approachable all-day dining destination where elevated Italian classics meet effortless style—perfect for a casual lunch, afternoon aperitivo or a relaxed evening out.”

Fan favorites include rigatoni vodka and “there’s a big emphasis on our pizza,” Barresi said. 

Other popular dishes include chicken Milanese, Carpaccio and octopus, he said. The name “Doppio,” or “double” in Italian, refers to Barresi and his brother, Louis, who is executive chef. The pair are owners-on-site, Barresi said.