News

Frances Rende Zaccagnino, 93

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Frances Rende Zaccagnino, 93, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, after a long-fought battle with Alzheimer’s. Frances was born in San Fili, Calabria, Italy on November 9, 1932, the daughter of Josephine Cesario Rende and Carmine Rende. After arriving in the US at a young age, the family settled in New Rochelle, NY where she was raised. Frances graduated from New Rochelle High School and went to work for NBC and later for the Paulist Fathers Missionary. 

Frances met her late husband Nicholas Joseph Zaccagnino whom she married on February 13, 1955.  They celebrated 64 years of marriage before his passing in 2019. 

Frances had a life rich in love, laughter and culinary delights. Her kitchen was the heart of the home, and she thoroughly enjoyed feeding family and friends.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. ***

To the Editor,

As a daily 5:30 a.m. lap swimmer at the New Canaan YMCA for the past 10 years, I would like to express the concerns of many members regarding the proposed demolition of the Valles Pool. Hundreds of swimmers rely on access to both pools. Many of us swim before heading to work, and some members even join the New Canaan YMCA from neighboring towns such as Stamford and Norwalk because of its convenient location and early-morning pool access.

Around Town

NCCF Awards More Than $1.25 Million in Grants

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The New Canaan Community Foundation on Monday announced that it’s awarding more than $1.25 million in grants this year—a total that the nonprofit organization believes is a record high. Each year, the NCCF convenes “grant review teams” composed of community members and leaders to assess requests for funding among local and area nonprofits. On Monday, the NCCF held its Grant Awards Coffee at New Canaan Library. There, the organization shared that it is awarding grants ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 to nonprofits that cover a wide range of human services and other needs, including ABC New Canaan, The Glass House, New Canaan CARES and Waveny Park Conservancy. The NCCF is “grateful to all of the donors that supported our work this year,” NCCF President and CEO Lauren Patterson told NewCanaanite.com during the coffee.

Around Town

New Canaan Man Trips on Brick on Elm Street, Sues Town

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A New Canaan man who tripped on a jutting brick on Elm Street two  years ago and fell on the sidewalk is suing the town. Harvey Melzer, the plaintiff, had been “lawfully walking” near 73 Elm St.—the address of Elm Restaurant—at about 11:24 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2024 (a Tuesday) “when he suddenly, and without warning, was caused to trip and fall as a result of [a] defective, unsafe, dangerous and/or hazardous protruding brick piece of the sidewalk,” according to a complaint filed April 15 by attorney Jason Gladstone of New Canaan-based Lampert, Williams & Toohey, LLC. The fall caused headaches, dizziness, nausea, disorientation and a number of injuries to Melzer (left hand, left knee, left hip, neck, back) as well as “loss of sleep” and a “general feeling of malaise,” according to the complaint. As a result, Melzer has “incurred expenses for ambulance transportation, emergency care, surgical care, orthopedic care, visiting care nursing, x-rays, physical therapy care, medications, medical care and attention for matters incidental thereto,” Gladstone said in the complaint.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. ***

The post below is the contents of a letter Friends of Valles, a 93-member group of New Canaan Y members in support of keeping the Valles Pool, sent to the New Canaan YMCA Board of Directors on Friday evening, June 5. It had multiple authors as the group contributed to it. I am submitting it.