Did You Hear … ?

Longtime Utilities Commission member and chairman Tom Tesluk resigned Nov. 8 from the volunteer group.

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Two Old Norwalk Road dogs are under home quarantine through Nov. 21—one after biting, the other after scratching a home heating oil man during a service visit at the residence on Election Day. An Eskimo dog bit the man in the left calf, and a boxer mix scratched him. No tickets were issued, according to the Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department.

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A bank that in August took ownership of a Hoyt Farm Road house following foreclosure on Monday started eviction proceedings against its former owners. The six people who occupy the home were to vacate it by Oct. 28, according to a filing in state Superior Court in Norwalk.

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Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said during the Police Commission’s meeting Wednesday night that school bus violations are “up substantially” at 65 so far in 2017 compared to 42 at the same time last year, due mainly to school bus drivers reporting the incidents. The chief said NCPD has reached an agreement with a local newspaper whereby the names of those fined for passing school buses (or those who own the vehicles caught doing so, on bus-equipped cameras) are supplied to the newspaper in exchange for publishing them. “The [New Canaan] Advertiser has agreed to print the names of the people that we are giving these $460 infractions to, because it’s a serious offense, risk to children,” the chief said. “That is part of the strategy to bring attention to the problem.”

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Congratulations to longtime New Canaan resident Laszlo Papp, who on the recommendation of Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán Viktor received one of the highest-ranking decorations by the central European nation’s government. The “Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order” recently was presented to Papp in New York City by Consul General Kumin Ferenc in the presence of Áder János, president of Hungary. Known to scores of locals as a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission, Papp was a founding president of the North American Hungarian College Students’ Federation and member of the Western Hungarian Scientific Council’s advisory board, according to an award citation. “As an officer of the American Institute of Architects, over the years he organized the visit of scores of Hungarian architectural students and professionals to the United States to study and/or work. For his exemplary services to his adoptive country, he received the esteemed Americanism Medal, awarded by the U.S. president. Laszlo is an Extern Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Vice President of the American-Hungarian Foundation. As president of the Memorial Committee, Papp’s latest achievement was the completion of the Memorial to the ’56 Revolution in New York City’s Riverside Park, at the foot of the Kossuth monument, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. For his leadership of this project, he received the Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order.”

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Animal Control midday Thursday fined the owner of a Benedict Hill Road dog $92 for allowing a dog to roam after the English setter was found on Silvermine Road. The dog is a repeat-offender roamer, officials said.

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Thirty tickets remain for the Waveny Park Conservancy’s winter-themed Golden Gala on Dec. 2 at Waveny House. Not only will actor Christopher Lloyd, son of Ruth Lapham Lloyd and former resident of Waveny, and his wife Lisa Lloyd serve as Honorary Chairmen, but Lloyd’s friend and Taxi co-star Tony Danza also will put on a special musical cabaret performance with his four-piece band, organizers say. The gala will commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of Waveny being entrusted by Ruth Lapham Lloyd to the town of New Canaan and will raise the funding necessary to restore Waveny Park’s pond and its surrounding landscape to its former glory. See ticket availability here. Lead sponsors include Francos Wine Merchants, Karl Chevrolet, Manfredi Jewels, Moffly Media, and This Old House.

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At 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20 the entire community is invited to the front of New Canaan High School for the unveiling of a memorial garden dedicated to Walt DeTour, a longtime resident who died in February while skiing. Remembered in the local lacrosse community for his many years as a devoted coach and team leader, DeTour has had a New Canaan Lacrosse Scholarship Fund award established in his honor. Members of past and present NCHS Varsity Ski Teams will be on hand for the garden dedication.

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The NCHS class of 2007 will hold its 10-year reunion at Sign of the Whale in Stamford from 9 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased here.

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Spotlight on a local business: New Canaan Music‘s window display soon will feature Santa where our photo at right now shows owner Phil Williams. Some of the items around him include: Martin OM18 authentic 1933 guitar with hand-rubbed finish, Adirondack spruce top ($5,999), Fender Squire guitar (starting at $149), Crush acoustic drums (less than $500 fully assembled), ukuleles (ranging from $49 to $1,800), Ampeg bass head ($2,200) and cabinet ($1,000), Vox AC15VR amp ($375) and PGA 58 vocal microphone (less than $100 with cable).

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Finally, here are photos of other newsworthy events from around New Canaan, starting with a gallery of pics from the Wednesday night Town Council meeting where Town Clerk Claudia Weber swore in six recently elected (and re-elected) members of the legislative body: Tom Butterworth, Liz Donovan, John Engel, Sven Englund, Rich Townsend and Penny Young: