The Police Commission voted 3-0 during a special meeting Wednesday to extend through September the partial street closures and sidewalk reconfigurations that went into place in May to create more outdoor dining spaces amid the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Voting members included Chair Paul Foley, Secretary Jim McLaughlin and Commissioner Shekaiba Bennett.
Jane Carroll O’Donnell Janis
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The family of Jane Carroll O’Donnell Janis, who died last month at age 80, is holding two virtual memorial services on Saturday, Aug. 29: A Catholic Mass at 1 p.m. EST at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Denver that will be live-streamed on their Facebook page, and a one-hour Zoom call to watch a video together. The Zoom information is as follows:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81833303517
Meeting ID: 818 3330 3517
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L-R: Matthew Bloom, Whitney LeGard Williams and Elizabeth Townsend DeMuth. Contributed
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Three town residents have joined the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society’s Board of Governors: Matthew Bloom, Elizabeth Townsend DeMuth and Whitney LeGard Williams. Bloom grew up in New Canaan and graduated from Yale University and Yale Law School. He’s chief compliance officer and associate general counsel at Viking Global Investors LP. Townsend DeMuth graduated from New Canaan High School and then the College of William and Mary in 1999 with degrees in history, english and economics. She is employed by Rangeley Capital in downtown New Canaan and has been involved in numerous New Canaan nonprofits, including the Saint Mark’s Preschool, West School, Young Women’s League and Newcomers Club. A travel advisor at New Canaan TravelWorld, LeGard Williams served on the Board of Woodway Country Club from 2012 to 2018, currently serves on the Benefactors Society Board for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, and has been actively involved in fundraising efforts for the New Canaan High School PTC.
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New Canaan Police at about 9:13 a.m. Tuesday responded to reports of a dispute at a Heritage Hill Road residence. The case involves a juvenile and neighbor, police said when asked about the matter.
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A reminder of some upcoming events to put in the calendar:
- Kick-off for the Bristow Pollinator Pathway—4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1 by the pond off the Old Stamford Road entrance (Wildlife in Crisis will release several rehabilitated birds, including a cardinal, catbird and cedar waxwing);
- Shred Day—Bankwell’s 208 Elm St. branch from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5
- 4th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil—7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2;
- Live Webinar from Jeanine Cummins, Author of Bestseller “American Dirt”—7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10;
- Household Hazardous Waste Day—on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the New Canaan Water Pollution Control Facility;
- Exchange Club of New Canaan’s 19th annual golf outing—Sept. 29 at the Country Club of New Canaan.
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Here’s the latest day (Aug. 26) from the Connecticut Department of Health on COVID-19 virus cases:
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
| Rate | No. Cases | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Easton | 0.47% | 35 | 7517 |
| 2. Redding | 0.81% | 74 | 9125 |
| 3. Weston | 0.82% | 83 | 10179 |
| 4. Ridgefield | 0.96% | 237 | 24638 |
| 5. New Canaan | 0.99% | 201 | 20213 |
| 6. Fairfield | 1.10% | 685 | 62105 |
| 7. Darien | 1.11% | 242 | 21753 |
| 8. Westport | 1.19% | 335 | 28115 |
| 9. Wilton | 1.21% | 222 | 18397 |
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The Police Commission at its special meeting Wednesday voted 3-0 to extend for 30 days the closure of Park Street in front of the Congregational Church for outdoor services, and also approved the road closure from 5 to 6:30 p.m. this coming Sunday for a church picnic.
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New Canaan-based nonprofit First Candle, an organization committed to ending Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths, has received a $100,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to address racial disparity in infant mortality rates. First Candle will collect input from communities of color to share with the American Academy of Pediatrics as it updates the Safe Sleep Guidelines, for release in 2021.
New Canaan’s Cathy Kangas (at right). Contributed
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New Canaan resident Cathy Kangas, CEO of PRAI Beauty and a longtime financial supporter of Adopt-A-Dog in Armonk, N.Y., is to serve on the Adopt-A-Dog Board of Directors. Kangas has adopted four dogs from Adopt-A-Dog. She created The Cathy Kangas Foundation for Animals, which advocates for animals, particularly those in shelters facing euthanasia.
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Finally, below is a short time-lapse video showing New Canaan Land Trust Executive Director Aaron Lefland making use of an oak tree that fell on the organization’s Watson-Symington Preserve a few weeks after Hurricane Isaias. As he describes in this blog post, Lefland applied “forestry forensics” to determine the age the tree and concluded that it began life as an acorn that fell during the American Civil War.