The 10 most-read articles of 2021 cover a wide range of local news. The first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw traffic on New Canaanite exceed 2.2 million views, up more than 5.5% from 2020.
Here they are, headlines and ledes:
Town Hall in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
10. Health Director: New Canaan Woman’s COVID-19 Complaint About Local Restaurant Unfounded (Jan. 3) “Municipal health officials said a New Canaan woman’s complaint last month that a restaurant downtown had been violating COVID-19-related rules was determined to be unfounded. According to a complaint that Tucker Murphy lodged with New Canaan’s highest elected official, the White Buffalo bar and restaurant was ‘not following the Sector Rules’ on the night of Friday, Dec. 11.”
The Agency real estate brokerage in New Canaan at South Avenue and Morse Court. Credit: Michael Dinan
9. Reality TV Stars Coming to New Canaan for Ribbon-Cutting at ‘The Agency’ (Aug. 2) “The former “Pop-Up Park” downtown will reappear for a few hours at the end of this month to celebrate the launch of a new real estate brokerage in New Canaan. The Aug. 31 ribbon-cutting at The Agency will feature appearances by its founder, Mauricio Umanski, and his wife, Kyle Richards, of “Million Dollar Listing” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” respectively, among other reality TV shows, officials say.”
She fell somewhere around here, Cherry Street and East Avenue. Streetview
8. Florida Woman Trips on Sidewalk in New Canaan, Falls Down, Hurts Hip, Sues Town (May 24) “An out-of-state woman who tripped and fell on a sidewalk in New Canaan last year is suing the town. According to a complaint received May 19 by the Town Clerk’s office, Holly Jackson of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. injured her left hip after falling at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2020 (a Friday). She ‘was walking from Cherry Street East across East Avenue to reach the parking lot for the strip mall that contains several businesses at roughly 44-45 East Avenue, New Canaan,’ according to the complaint, filed in state Superior Court by attorney Stuart Casper of Stamford-based Casper & de Toledo LLC.”
The new pickleball courts are going in at Mead Park. Photo taken July 25, 2021. Credit: Michael Dinan
7. Five ‘Pickleball’ Courts To Replace Hard-Surface Tennis Area at Mead Park (March 16) “Town officials say they’re converting a standalone hard-surface public tennis court at Mead Park into a series of ‘pickleball’ courts for use by New Canaan residents. Located up behind the collonade on the western edge of Mead, a tennis practice wall area also will be converted into a a pickle ball court so there will be five in total, under a plan that’s expected to go before the Board of Selectmen later this month, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.”
Nina Larson. Photo courtesy of her family
6. ‘A Beautiful Caring Person’: Nina Larson, 24, Remembered by Mother (Nov. 17) “Nina Larson was a beautiful, talented, kind and generous person, according to her mother, Matilde Larson. A lifelong singer who loved music and the theater, Nina ‘spent four years at New Canaan High School dedicated to the musical theater program’ prior to graduating in 2015, Larson said. ‘She was in all their shows, either onstage or backstage,’ she told NewCanaanite.com. ‘She was so talented, not only as a singer. She painted. She tried to support herself during COVID by painting and selling her paintings on Etsy. She fostered cats. She worked with a group called Pets Bring Joy Rescue and she worked with cats. And they always gave her the most difficult cases, babies who needed to be bottle-fed or older cats in their final days.’ ”
5. Police: New Canaan Woman, 54, Spits On and Kicks Officers During Arrest (June 21) “Police late Sunday charged a 54-year-old New Canaan woman with assault and other offenses after she spat on and kicked officers during her arrest. At about 11:31 p.m. on June 20, officers were dispatched to the Thayer Pond Road house on a report of a domestic dispute involving her and another occupant of the home, police said.”
Albert Kokoth. New Canaan Police Department booking photo
4. 77-Year-Old Man Charged in Wife’s Fatal Shooting [UPDATED] (May 6) “Police on Thursday charged a 77-year-old New Canaan man in the fatal shooting of his wife at home, officials say. Albert Kokoth of 19 Down River Road has been charged with second-degree assault, second-degree assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm, according to a press release issued by New Canaan Police Lt. Jason Ferarro, the department’s public information officer. More charges are expected in the active investigation, he said. At about 12:02 p.m. Albert Kokoth made a 911 call describing an accidental shooting at the home, the press release said. His wife, Margaret Kokoth, died as a result of a gunshot wound, it said.”
Republican Board of Education candidates Julie Toal and Hugo Alves outside the polling place at New Canaan High School on Nov. 2, 2021. Credit: Michael Dinan
3. Election 2021: GOP Retains Control of Board of Ed; Dems May Launch Challenge [UPDATED] (Nov. 2) “New Canaan Republicans maintained their 6-3 majority on the Board of Education in Tuesday’s election, following a hotly contested race that saw very strong voter turnout. Republicans Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan and Julie Toal won election to four-year terms, while GOPer Hugo Alves won a head-to-head race for a two-year term, according to results released after midnight Wednesday by municipal election officials. Democratic incumbent Penny Rashin won re-election, and will be joined by fellow Democrat Erica Schwedel on the school board, according to the results.”
Photo of a paw print said to be a mountain lion’s by one New Canaan woman claiming to have spotted a cougar passing through her neighbor’s backyard in April 2016. Photo published with permission from its owner
2. Mountain Lion Sighting Reported on White Oak Shade Lane (Aug. 9) “Just a few weeks after a reported mountain lion sighting on Hoyt Farms Road, a couple about two miles south on Sunday morning told authorities that one of the big cats walked through their back yard, officials say. The White Oak Shade Lane couple ‘saw what they described as a large brown feline with a long tail’ and confirmed that it was a mountain lion and not a bobcat when asked to compare photos of the separate species, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. ‘I believe this was a credible sighting,’ she said. The couple did not capture a photo of the animal.”
Crash scene on Old Stamford Road on Sept. 5, 2021. Photo courtesy of NCPD
1. New Canaan Teens Transported to Hospital After Crash on Old Stamford Road [PHOTOS] (Sept. 6) “Police, fire and EMTs responded late Sunday to two car crashes that occurred within minutes of each other in the same area of Old Stamford Road, both involving New Canaan males under 17 years old. The front-seat passenger of a BMW with three teens inside that crashed around 8:35 p.m. suffered a significant leg injury and had to be extricated from the vehicle, according to police. The BMW had been traveling southbound in the area of 93 Old Stamford Road when it traveled off of the roadway and struck two trees, police said. Two passengers from that car were transported to the Norwalk Hospital Emergency Room by New Canaan Emergency Medical Services, police said.”