News

DUI Charge After Vehicle Strikes New Canaan Fire Truck

By |

Police on April 11 arrested a 40-year-old Stamford woman and charged her with driving under the influence. At about 9:49 p.m. that Friday, officers responded to the intersection of Jelliff Mill and Old Stamford Roads on a report of a vehicle that struck a New Canaan Fire Department truck and fled the scene, police said. Through an investigation, police found the vehicle parked with heavy front-end damage at Jelliff Mill and Shady Knoll Lane, according to a police report. The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle and, in speaking with her, the investigating officer smelled alcohol on her breath and found other signs of impairment, the report said. After administering field sobriety tests, police charged her with the misdemeanor offense, it said.

News

Ellen Blance, 93

By |

Ellen Blance, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at the age of 93. Ellen was the embodiment of positivity, and the center of her close-knit family. She was born on June 26, 1931 in Whitburn, a small coastal village in the Northeast of England. Like others of her generation in World War II England, as a young child she was evacuated to a family faraway in the countryside – an experience that helped shape her resilient and indomitable spirit. A passionate teacher, Ellen and Ian, her husband and soulmate of 73 years, and young sons Andrew and Carl, left London in the 1970s for New York City.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

By |

New Canaan Police at 7:14 p.m. Sunday received a complaint of a vehicle doing “donuts” at Kiwanis Park on Old Norwalk Road. The matter involved a juvenile and has been resolved, police said. ***

Staying Put in New Canaan’s “Summer Soiree” will be held 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5 at Waveny House. Tickets here. ***

Congratulations to Tom Throop, furniture designer maker and owner of Black Creek Designs on Grove Street, on being selected to exhibit his furniture at the Smithsonian Craft Show, the most prestigious juried craft exhibition in the nation.

Amy Murphy Carroll

Pedestrian Railing Coming to Front of Playhouse To Help with Tripping Issue

By |

Because visitors to The Playhouse have had problems tripping off of the small concrete platform right out front, the town is planning to install a railing at the platform’s edge. The hope is that the railing will serve as a visual demarcation between the concrete and brick sidewalk below, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. The railing itself also will be required by code with a new pedestrian ramp that’s going in on the right-hand side of the building, Mann said. “We’re still having issues with some residents not navigating from the platform down to the brick sidewalk,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference. “They’re not able to understand from the concrete to the brick.

News

Police: Motor Vehicle Stops Up 33% in 2025

By |

New Canaan Police stops for motor vehicle violations are up 33% through the first quarter of 2025, officials say. The rise, up from 667 through the first three months of 2024 to 989 this year, reflects the department’s focus on public safety and police presence as a deterrent, according to Chief John DiFederico. “We’re seeing a nice bump in some of our high visibility enforcement which is helpful to curb other crimes,” DiFederico told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting, held Wednesday night at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

He continued: “It’s good to see officers out there conducting some traffic enforcement to slow people down, make them a little bit more conscious of pedestrians and bicyclists that are gonna get out there in the warmer weathers. That’s good to see.”

The comments came during an update to the Commission on monthly statistics within the New Canaan Police Department. 

Officers appear to be using radar to conduct more stops, as well. According to the data shared by DiFederico, radar stops are up to 167 through the first three months of 2025, compared to 61 in the same period last year.