World War II Veterans Embark On Trip to Pearl Harbor
World War II Veterans Embark On Trip to Pearl Harbor
Congratulations to New Canaan High School graduate and ABC House of New Canaan alumnus Elijah Westbrook on making great inroads with his budding broadcasting career.
Since doing a summer internship with CBS News program “48 Hours,” the Quinnipiac University grad has taken a position with the CBS affiliate WROC in Rochester, N.Y. The video above is a feature story from Westbrook regarding veterans’ marking Pearl Harbor Day.
L-R: Rob Perkin, NCPD Sgt. Aaron LaTourette and Chief Leon Krolikowski at the Dec. 14, 2016 Police Commission meeting. Credit: Michael Dinan
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For the second straight year, New Canaan Police Sgt. Aaron LaTourette won the annual Commissioner’s Shoot Award, sponsored by the Perkin family. This year, LaTourette also took home the Perkin Shoot Trophy, and his name will be engraved on a bowl marking his achievements. Rob Perkin, representing his family, said during the Police Commission meeting Wednesday while presenting the award: “It’s always a great honor to be here for this very special occasion. My father would certainly be very proud of what you are doing here at headquarters for the town of New Canaan. On behalf of my family, I would like to extend a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. My very best wishes.”
Construction of New Canaan Firehouse. WPA retaining wall adjoining present-day Vine Cottage in foreground. 1936 Robert Corry photo, courtesy of the New Canaan Historical Society
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Dec. 8 marked the 135th anniversary of the New Canaan Fire Company. At left is a 1936 photo from the New Canaan Historical Society that depicts the present-day firehouse when it was under construction. Meet some of New Canaan’s volunteer firefighters here.
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Darienite.com is reporting that our neighbors to the south are seeing an uptick in coyote attacks on pets, including one small dog that appears to have been killed by the animals. The attacks happened near the New Canaan line.
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Interesting story here from CBS New York about another neighbor: Residents of North Stamford around Thanksgiving saw a large plastic pipeline pop up along a 2.5-mile stretch that spanned part of the Merritt Parkway as well as residential neighborhoods (up as far as Talmadge Hill). The state-ordered pipeline funnels water from Aquarion reservoirs in Stamford down to Greenwich, where more heavily depleted reservoirs are taking it in.
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We’re hearing that Janet Bacco, former manager of New Canaan Lawn Equipment, is back for two weeks from her paradise place in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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Here’s a look at the 10 increased parking fines that the Board of Selectmen approved at its most recent meeting, following a recommendation from the Parking Commission. The commission also carved out a new $40 fine for third parking violations:
Parking Fine Increases, New Canaan
| Violation | Current fine | New fine |
|---|---|---|
| Expired meter | $20 | $25 |
| Overtime parking | $20 | $25 |
| More than 12" from the curb | $20 | $25 |
| Unpaid space | $20 | $25 |
| Meter repeater | $20 | $25 |
| Parking on curb | $20 | $25 |
| 25' from corner | $20 | $25 |
| Overnight parking | $20 | $25 |
| Boot removal | $50 | $100 |
| Handicapped zone | $100 | $150 |
New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation Committee members from left front row, Jennifer Essigs, Kristen O’Connor, Renee Fill, Joni Schafer, Allison Mennitt, Stephanie Kushner, Sue Holland, Sheri West, Mary Cody, and Dionna Carlson. From left back row, William Egan, Principal, NCHS and Chairman, NCHS Scholarship Foundation, Steffi Loomis, and Elissa Mellinger.
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The New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation has announced that donors now can create “Named Scholarships” that honor a person, group, business or organization in categories that range from $500 per year for four years to a one-time award of $10,000. The group’s annual fundraiser, the first-ever NC Color Run, is to be held April 29.
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Here’s a photo gallery spotlighting more news items from around New Canaan:
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Angela Baldanza, owner Baldanza Café in New Canaan, Connecticut recently cooked her way to victory on Food Network’s Cooks vs Cons. The culinary competition, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, sees talented home-cooks go up against kitchen professionals. Culminating in a blind taste test, to prove who has the best dish. Angela remained focused and calm and won the prize with her rack of lamb dish, followed by a French toast and caramelized apple dish. Angela, who lives in Pound Ridge, New York has run Baldanza with her family for the past 3.5 years. She is a self-taught, instinctive cook who excels at creating organic soups and dishes, fresh salads and baked goods. Angela believes she inherited her skills from her grandfather and brother, who were both chefs. With family from Genoa in Northern Italy and down South to Calabria, she was locked in to family traditions, such as the dried mushrooms arriving from Italy in a cheese cloth sack, allowing her Grandmother to make yellow rice (risotto flavored with saffron). Angela says: “Cooks vs Cons was one of my best experiences to date. I was not particularly nervous, but I was conscious how I was going to be perceived. I genuinely liked my competitors and we have stayed in touch. It was a long, hard day but such a thrill to win. For me it is always about family and I knew they would be proud.” Before getting into hospitality, Angela was in the fashion industry, with a career spanning 25 years. Her mantra is “food is the new fashion”, as she believes there is an affinity between the two. Angela says: “I started at Bloomingdales when the customer was interested in high end fashion, quality and source of materials. The focus was to make the best garment and food was emerging as “fast food” on the run. Nowadays there has been a switch, because there is more education and awareness about food. Consumers are more conscious of what they are putting into their bodies, rather than on them, hence the emergence of “fast fashion”. We only use high quality ingredients in our food, and people can tell.” Her synergy for fashion and food is further displayed by her careful balance of colors and textures on the plate. Angela has done numerous local TV cooking spots and is very comfortable in front of the camera. She credits that to her experience in fashion – at the top of her career she was an Executive VP Merchandising for the Jones Apparel Group. Angela concludes: “My mentor has always been Ina Garten. I idolize her and respect how she has built up her brand. This win is so exciting giving our brand more exposure. My goals going forward are to complete our cook book, build baldanza soup kitchen and continue to produce simple recipes using good clean food from sustainable resources.” ‘Tis the Seasoning episode was judged by Ted Allen and Daphne Oz, to view upcoming airings visit: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/cooks-vs-cons/300-series/tis-the-seasoning.html The Baldanza's share a passion for creating all-natural, delicious meals for the discerning diner. All ingredients are natural, organic and local when available.
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Bankwell unveiled the new Bankwell mascot and Bankwell mobile on Saturday, December 10th on Elm Street when the bank sponsored a performance by the New England Academy of Dance Candy Cane dancers from the Nutcracker Ballet. Shown with the dancers (in the back) are Chris Gruseke, CEO of Bankwell on the left of the mascot and Ted Thomas, Artistic Director for New England Academy of Dance to the right of the mascot.
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Here's the Bankwell mobile.
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Santa had a busy weekend, riding in a New Canaan fire truck up Frogtown Road to join more than fifty young skaters at the New Canaan Winter Club. Santa strapped on his skates and helped spread Christmas cheer to the Mite Development Program (MDP) on Saturday morning. The young skaters were proud to show Santa all they have learned as well as ask for his elves to craft more hockey gifts. Contributed
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Holiday cheer was delivered recently to the New Canaan Inn, Waveny Care Center and the New Canaan Library by the New Canaan Firefighters. New Canaan Firefighters donated poinsettia for the holiday season. Pictured from left to right is Lieutenant Tony Ryan, resident of the New Canaan Inn Joni Abberley and Firefighter Paul Wilson. Contributed
