Editor: New Canaanite Monthly Coffee Canceled for January

Because it’s the type of gathering that doesn’t work with masking, NewCanaanite.com is canceling its monthly community coffee at New Canaan Library. Scheduled for the first Thursday of each month, the coffee will resume in February. After taking 20 months off following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coffee re-launched in November and was held again in December. We had fun. Free and open to all, the coffee is held in the art gallery at the library.

Top-10 Most-Read Articles of 2021

The 10 most-read articles of 2021 cover a wide range of local news. The first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw traffic on New Canaanite exceed 2.2 million views, up more than 5.5% from 2020. 

Here they are, headlines and ledes:

10. Health Director: New Canaan Woman’s COVID-19 Complaint About Local Restaurant Unfounded (Jan. 3) “Municipal health officials said a New Canaan woman’s complaint last month that a restaurant downtown had been violating COVID-19-related rules was determined to be unfounded. According to a complaint that Tucker Murphy lodged with New Canaan’s highest elected official, the White Buffalo bar and restaurant  was ‘not following the Sector Rules’ on the night of Friday, Dec.

New Construction Planned for Hillcrest Road 

A 5,010-square-foot home is planned for 25 Hillcrest Road in New Canaan. The five bedroom home will include five full bathrooms, one half-bath and a finished 900-square-foot basement for a mudroom and playroom. It will cost about $755,000 to build. The one-acre property, located in the one-acre zone, had been purchased for $1 million in October, tax records show. The new ownership company applied for a demolition permit for the 1954-built ranch-style house on the property.

Did You Hear … ?

New Canaan Police at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday received a report of multiple items stolen from a shop at 8 Elm St., including jewelry, over the past two weeks. The street number is the address of Taylors Luggage. ***

A company called Ventana has spent $6.1 million to purchase a contiguous cluster of four properties on Burtis Avenue near Cherry Street, according to property transfers recorded Dec. 13 in the Town Clerk’s office. ***

The Board of Education following an executive session during its regular meeting Monday night voted unanimously in favor a motion to authorize Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi to sign an agreement regarding the town’s planned purchase and subsequent occupancy of 220 Elm St.

Song Sheet: Christmas Eve Caroling on God’s Acre

Below please find the song sheet for Christmas Eve caroling on God’s Acre (6:30 p.m. on Dec. 24). Rand Insurance also has graciously donated caroling sheets that will be handed out. The local tradition is returning this year after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Here’s a history of Christmas Eve caroling in New Canaan. ***

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark!