News

Warrant: Unlicensed Contractor Arrested After Botched $28,000 New Canaan Heating Job

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. New Canaan Police last week arrested a 27-year-old Waterbury man by warrant after he performed heating and cooling work without a license, following a monthslong investigation into a stalled home heating installation that a local woman said cost her tens of thousands of dollars. Police on July 6 charged the man with acting as and offering services to perform heating and cooling work unlicensed, according to the affidavit of Officer Austin Malizia that forms the basis of an arrest warrant application signed June 18 by a state Superior Court judge. The investigation began Dec. 11, 2025, when Malizia was dispatched to New Canaan Police headquarters on a report of fraud and met with the complainant, according to the warrant application.

News

Fencing at Irwin House Site Expected Down at Month’s End, Town Says

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The fencing surrounding the former house at Irwin Park is expected to come down this month, Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the Board of Selectmen during a regular meeting held last week at Town Hall. Mann said the town received revised disposal pricing for the remediation work on Tuesday morning, which starts the clock on a final three week process to complete the project. “Three weeks from now you should be taking down the fencing,” he said at the July 7 selectmen meeting. The Irwin House site has been fenced off for longer than originally anticipated, the result of a series of delays from the discovery of an unexpected underground storage tank on the property. 

The tank, the third found at the site, was undocumented and went unknown until demolition of Irwin House and its garage got underway last year.

Government

‘You Do the Best You Can’: Town Addresses Waveny Fireworks Decision

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The town’s highest elected official this week addressed the widely discussed decision to proceed with the July 4 fireworks at Waveny Park, saying the storm that cut the event short and sent thousands of attendees scrambling was not foreseeable when the go-ahead was given. First Selectman Dionna Carlson addressed the controversy at the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting at Town Hall, where she said she’s received significant feedback from residents upset about the call. 

“I’m hearing lots of Monday morning quarterbacking on the call,” Carlson said. “I think it’s important for people to understand the decision-making process.” The show, she explained, had to be approved before the town’s fireworks provider crossed the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey into New York on Friday evening.

Around Town

‘Matilda’ Opens July 10 at Summer Theatre of New Canaan: Q&A with Melody Libonati

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The Summer Theatre of New Canaan is putting on “Matilda” this summer, running July 10 through 26 at New Canaan High School. We sat down with the nonprofit organization’s founder and artistic director, Melody Libonati, to talk about the show, cast and what makes this production special. Here’s a transcription of our conversation. ***

New Canaanite: Tell us a little bit about the Summer Theatre of New Canaan. How long have you been putting on shows here and how did it get started?