The Coleman Bros. Carnival will be making its return to Canal Street next week.

The carnival will run May 15 to 19 — open 6 to 11 p.m. weekdays, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday — at Veteran’s Park, 38 Canal St. The event will feature classic rides like the merry-go-round and Ferris wheel as well as newer attractions such as the slide, swings, the Sizzler, Tilt-A-Whirl, and a Mardi Gras-themed funhouse. There will also be food, such as fried dough, pizza, and cotton candy.

The cost is $1 per ticket, $45 for 50 tickets. Wristbands $25, sold Thursday night from 6 to 9 p.m., valid until closing sold Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m, valid until 7 p.m. A portion of the proceeds go to support our Boys & Girls Clubs in Shelton, Ansonia and Seymour.

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High Honors

Ninth Grade

Jeremy Aprea, Kayla Bailey, Jennifer Borucki, Megan Breunig, Dylan Brown, Megan Bucherati, Taiya Busch, Anthony Cardoso, Emily Carlin, Maura Carr, Mia Chen, Joseph Ciambriello, Joseph Ciccone, Jase Aden Co, Jason Cordone, Natalya Correia, Ria Dalvi, Alexandra D’Amico, Dominick Davis, Katherine Daxner, Alexandra de Andrade, Rhianna de Andrade, Abigail De Los Santos Marissa Dias, Wendell Eiderique, John Esteves, Mia Ferreira, Nathan Foss, Adriana Franzese, Sofia Gasbarro, Joseph Giovannini, Valentina Gjeloshi, Jai Goel, Aniya Greene, Arvin Islam, Ashley Jacob, Jaclyn Jenco, Rachel Kiman, Aleksandra Kozak, Kaushal Kulkarni, Joshua Mallette, Elsa Marino, Karolina Martins, Rachel Morrow, Sanya Oak, Sasha Oak, Diya Patel, Chase Reed, John Sabovik, Annelyse Sherman, Isabela Silva, Isabella Silvis, Sami Sobh, Emily Vasser, Grace Wong, Bianca Youd, Michael Yurman and Charlotte Zilinek.

10th Grade

Brandon Acervida, Juan Miguel Barranco, Narmer Bazile, Bianca Belade, Emma Buglione, Jack Gangi, Carly Hajducky, Amber Haray, Florian Hurlbert, Jessica Jayakar, Andrew Lam, Carolyn Maher, Caitlin McNeil, Sada Mussa, Keira O’Connor, Trista Oddo, Erieana Pappano, Alexandra Pereira, Elizabeth Porto, Gage Posick, Robert Quevedo, Samantha Rago, Melaina Roberto, Emily Sandin, Maria Clara Santos Veloso, Majd Saymeh, Kyle St. Pierre, Anthony Steele, Ethan Stutheit, Walker Toth, Faith Tremblay, Benjamin Van Tine Leah Verrilli, Timothy Weinmayr, Devan Wildman and Zoe Yoon.

11th Grade

Reem Abdel-Hack, Joseph Agreda, Antonio Baerga, Christopher Belden, Elise Blakeslee, Jordan Brannen, Shannon Brennan, Shannon Brickett, Michael Brown, Rachel Brown, Christie Brumaire, Mia Camerino, Elizabeth Casinelli, Aaron Chandir, Tori Charbonneau, Robert Ciccone, Owen Corbett, Matthew Cristiano, Brian Dahdal, Katelyn Davis, Erick Espinosa, Haley Foothorap, Karina Friend, Ava Genova, Benjamin Gilmore, Michael Giovannini, Julia Glenn, Destiny Haray, Maxwell Henning, Gabriel Herrera, Kyla Holman, Siddharth Jain, Anoushka Jayasuriya, Dustin Keller, Mehreen Khan, TeaWon Kim, Bridgette Kline, Nicole Kopec, Joseph LaRue, Vanessa Lewis, JinXia Lin, Jesse Lisi, Madison Mackniak, Robert Marcinauskis, Magdalena Martins, Jada McCloggan, Jenna Melanson, Brian Modica, Joseph Morgan, Ryan Nettle, David Niski, Alexandra O’Donnell, Haley Oko, Kevin Platt, Deepthi Prakash, Elizabeth Richmond, William Riordan, Phoebe Rodia, Megan Rodko, Juliana Rolfe, Sean Sampaio, Ian Sevillano, Sidney Shanahan, Philip Sissick, Margaret Smalick, Gladiola Teodori, Victoria Villalobos, Leya Vohra, Tori Weed, Cora Welsh, Iris White, Nathan Wieler, Riley Woodyard and Jessica Wurms, Anaya Yadav and Kyle Young.

12th Grade

Christina Alberici, Amanda Bean, Gregory Beaudoin, Kade Bendici, Abigail Brand, Emily Broad, Colin Brown, Molly Callahan, Laurie Cavallaro, Cristina Chirsky, Christopher Conrad, Damaris Cristofano, Maria Curran, Taylor Darcangelo, Olivia Delgado, Adrianna D’Eramo, Jonathan Dias, Mairy Dib, Gio Fernandez, Christopher Frost, Sarah Gloria, Nicholas Henckel, Grace Horwedel, Dylan Johnson, Jason Juncker, Erin Keary, Michael Kichar, Colman Kim, Louise Kim, Natalie Klimaszewski, Samuel Kocurek, Martin Kovachev, Adam Krzywosz, Amanda LoMonte, Beyonce Lopez, Mariah Mandulak, Emily Marcinauskis, Colin Mengold, Robert Morgan, Samantha Norris, Luke Notaro-Roberts, Emma Parkes, Dhir Patel, Daniel Persico, Kasidy Quiles, Sean Rago, Matthew Richard, Giulia Salvio, Nardin Sayoufi, Stephanie Schofield, Gianna Sia, Jacquelyn Simington, Kaylin Sorensen, Colin St. Pierre, Gianna Stanske, Kathy Tran, Noah Vargoshe, Anna Weissenberg and Sydney Youd.

Honor Roll

Ninth Grade

Jackelyne Abranches, Brandon Albaladejo, Steven Andrejczyk, Alisha Araujo, Christopher Bartlett, Marissa Berg, Isha Bidja, Ryan Blakeslee, Kayla Bretan, Sarah Broad, Logan Brown, Sara Brown, Olivia Bunn, Olivia Bush, Emily Cacchillo, Kayla Calabrese, Antonio Capomolla, Gianluca Ciocca, Caileigh Cisero, Daniel Connolly, Kaitlyn Corby, Jeloni Cruz, Aidan Cukale, Sophia Curran, Shayaan Dabiran, Jubei D’Amato, Emma D’Amico, Connor Dapp, Damien Davies, Vincent DeFeo, Alisa D’Eramo, Alyssa Dymerski, Destiny Ferreira, Melinda Frost, Greta Gelumbickas, Edward Granados, Devin Gray, Hayley James, Alyssa Jardim, Elizabeth Kennedy, Amanda Kiman, Rachel Kish, Samuel Klein, Nicholas Kozey, Julia Krijgsman, Anna Leone, Tyler Lupkas, Mizna Malik, Katie Mandolfo, Troy Mandulak, Avalina Maurati, Grace McPadden, Michael Morrison, Matthew Moura-Sanchez, Tina Ni, Sean Nunes-Enxuto, Jeremy Oko, Courtney Onidi, Ihunna Onyekachiuzoamaka, Ellie O’Rourke, Gilberto Oyola, Greta Parkes, Olivia Pereira, Isiah Perez, Deepak Prakash, Brendan Reilly, Alexis Resto, Caroline Richmond, William Rodrigues, Porshae Rose, Matthew Ryder, Olivia Salluhi, Xiomara Santos-Colon, Joseph Savino, Marisa Savino, Joseph Schiappa, Sabina Schrynemakers, Jacob Sciamanna, Nicholas Scrivani, Veronica Shuby, Taylor Silva, Edwin Smith, Summer Spinelli, Aja-nei Stinson, Emily Taylor, Avary Tornow, Danielle Turcotte, Nathan Vargas, Isabella Vasser, Lia Ventresca, Jacob Villalobos, Daniel Wakeman, Evan Wieler, Carmella Willets, Maggie Zhang, and Graham Ziperstein.

10th Grade

Casey An, Ryan Bailey, James Baklik, Korey Barber, Kelsey Beas, Archit Bhargava, Reilly Brennan, Patrick Burden, Alexandra Capalbo, Hailey Cardenales, Jules Cayer, Thalia Charkalis, Jay Cimmino, Alejandro Corona, Olivia D’Addio, Shivani Darapureddy, Keyanah DePina, Max Dymerski, Claire Foley, Anthony Gabino, Jeffrey Gould, Kaylee Gura, Maya Gzyms, Kyle Heiden, Andalysha Herbert, Anna Hynes, Emma Jacob, Neha Jayanna, Connor Jensen, Josiah Kellogg, Carlin Kestenbaum, Ashley Kichar, Kaitlin Killian, Adeline Kim, Michael Kiwak, Nell Komorowski, Ryan Kudej, Hailey Lane, Jillian LaPrise, Andrew Libby, Maximilian LoMonte, Caitlin MacDonald, Nico Marini, Megan McCarthy, Matthew Mojica, Jeremie Moretti, Michael Mourtadh, Suhaas Nadella, Pranav Nair, Ericka Neves, Erika Olson, Sarah Panek, Deven Papadimitriou, Alexandra Pena, Akeem Perry, Clarissa Pierre, Lawrence Pirone, Gavin Powe, Maliya Reid, Aliye Reinhardt, Alexa Reis, Carson Rhodes, Paula Ribeiro, Catherine Santa, Victoria Schildknecht, Virginia Sebas, Hannah Silva, Mason Stanko, Sean Stusalitus, Julia Tomcho, Joseph Viglione, Brooke Weiss, Zachary Wirth, Ryan Woods, and Alex Zaborek.

11th Grade

James Anderson, Shaeleigh Andrews, Periklis Basimakopoulos, Jenna Bennett, Jacob Bialek, Tej Bidja, Trevor Boczer, Samantha Boudreau, Mackenzie Boyce, Christopher Bravo, William Bronson, Sydney Byron, Samantha Chase, Jacquelen Citalan, Kate Clomiro, Michael Craft, Govanna Cuevas, Joseph Davis, Jacob Daxner, Sophie Dewitt, Mia Dioguardi, Hanna Farag, Jessica Foss, Brandon Fulton, Nathaniel Gencarelli, Mark Gergely, Ahsanullah Ghafoor, Justin Gidwani, Anthony Gonzalez, Taylor Green, Kyla Hackett, Spencer Hatfield, Julie Hoff, Eun Sok Hong, Joshua Hunter, Melissa Hunyadi, Trinase Johnson, Taaseen Khan, Thomas Killian, Aislynn Kostandini, Kade Krasowski, Dimitrios Kydes, Keenan Lever, Jeff Lim, Maya Littlefield, Michael Lockavitch, Ainsley Lougal, Emanuel Louime, Pauline Dianne Makinano, Arianna Malick, Maeve Marks, Dajanise Martinez, Gianna Maurati, John McFadden, Matthew McGee, Nathan Moniz, Holly Mosher, Anni Motsikulashvili, Kevin Mulreed, Kindja Mweze, Jack Neary, Jake Oddo, Alec Oko, Christian Olavarria, Sarah Ovesny, Martina Pastore, Audrey Patrick, Julia Peebles, Ian Pleasant, Kelsey Radzion, Cristina Rivera, Michael Rodia, Marco Rossi, Arooj Saadat, Thomas Sadick, Elizabeth Sahagun, Michael Ray Sawan, Trinity Soto, Kelly Stanley, Kylie Swatt, Katherine Tapia, Christopher Thompson, Nicholas Turco, Jacqueline Turiano, Natalia Wilson, Victor Manuel Zelaya Barrio, Emily Zerella, Alyssa Ziniak, and Garrett Ziperstein.

12th Grade

Haley Adcox, Kayla Argraves, Alyssa Barry, Megan Bisson, Grace Boles, Lily Boles, Megan Boretsky, Casey Brennan, Alyssa Bretan, Tavanie Brown, Nicholas Bruno, Brianna Capela, Margherita Carlucci, William Charney, Andrew Connolly, Amanda Corona, Michaela Cortigiano, Yasmeen Dabiran, Gianna D’Angelo, Ana Clara De Oliveira, Lisa DeJesus, Megan DeNigris, Kevin DeRosa, Jacob Falanga, Deanna Fava, David Ferrara, Reyna Ferrarese, Sydney French, Anthony Gambardella, Gianna Gamboian, Tianna Greco, Rachel Hanson, Arlind Hima, Veronica Horvath, Maggie Howard, Julia Jacob, Stephanie Johnson, Mackenzie Joyce, Osman Kazaferi, Alexandra Kenealy, Eunice Kim, Skyler Kim, Maximilien Klein, Zachary Kozlowski, Michael Kucky, Victoria Lawrence, Kayla Leslie, Chuanlong Liu, Kaitlyn Lupia, Codi Lynders, Delainey Maybeck, Camryn Mazerolle, Zachary McEwen, Arianna Merigliano, Julia Meyer, Sophie Molitoris, Madisyn Monteiro, Sarah Morandi, Cassidy Morrow, Stylianos Mysirlidis, Dmitri Nichio, Clayton O’Brien, Nichole Oliver, Julia O’Neill, Sarah Oxner, Nicholas Pavone, Alexa Pena, Brianna Pereira, Nicolina Perelli, Andres Perez, Jessica Perley, Jaclyn Perna, Kaylee Persson, Benjamin Peters, Vinu Pillai, Meghan Pineau, Emilie Potje, MingHui Qiu, Kristina Rizzardi, Zoe Rogers, Esabel Rosa, Briana Rowe, Brian Sanfilippo, Claire Santa, Brenna Sastram, Bailey Schif, Neha Seenarine, Tamir Shashoua, Joshua Sibley-Prusak, Matthew Sullivan, Alexis Thompson, Alexander Tiberio, Joseph Tiberio, Maranyeliz Torres, Hayley Tranner, John Trujillo, Sarah Ullyett, Silvia Wahl and Nicole Whalley.

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The following programs and activities are taking place at Plumb Memorial and Huntington Branch libraries. Plumb is located at 65 Wooster Street. Call 203-924-1580 or 203-924-9461. Huntington Branch is located in the Community Center, 41 Church Street, and can be reached at 203-926-0111. Visit sheltonlibrarysystem.org and click “Events Calendar & Registration” (Blue button on homepage) to register online.

Huntington Branch Library

Spanish with Sandra — Tuesdays, May 14 and 21, 4:30 p.m. Children ages 4 to 8 and their caregivers learn Spanish through songs, games, stories, and other fun activities. Register for the entire month.

Talking in Spanish — Tuesdays, May 14 and 21, 5 p.m. Tweens and teens engage in Spanish conversation and interactive activities with Miss Sandra. Register for the entire month.

First Spanish with Sandra — Wednesdays, May 15 and 22, 10:30 a.m. Children, babies to age 4, and their caregivers learn Spanish through songs, games, stories, and other fun activities. Note new day and time. Register.

Danielle’s All Ages Storytime — Thursdays, May 9 and 16, 11:30 a.m. Join Danielle as she engages children of all ages (on dry land) with this drop-in storybook session.

Cozy Thyme with Bloomin’ Books — Friday, May 10, 1 p.m. Spring is in the air! What cozy mysteries will appear in Mabel’s ever-popular book group? Grow your reading list, pick some new favorites, or share your bouquet of books with others. It’s no mystery that there will be treats to dig into and a fun time for all. Adults may register beginning April 29.

Plumb Memorial Library

Tai Chi: Thursday Sessions — Thursdays, May 9 and 16, 9:05 a.m. Plumb Memorial Library offers another set of Thursday Tai Chi workshops for adults. The classes, free and open to the public, will begin and end with a series of warm-up and cool-down exercises. There is no prerequisite to participate, no equipment is necessary and participants may do this seated if they feel more comfortable. Call 203-924-1580 or visit sheltonlibrarysystem.org to sign up. Program meets in the newly renovated meeting room.

Tai Chi: Friday Sessions — Fridays, May 10 and 17, 9:05 a.m. Plumb Memorial Library has added more dates for Friday Tai Chi workshops for adults. Each class will begin and end with a series of warm-up and cool-down exercises. There is no prerequisite to participate, no equipment is necessary and participants may do this seated if they feel more comfortable. Program meets in the meeting room. No program on April 19.

Life Is Art — Thursday, May 9 and 23, 6 p.m. Ages 10 and older. Miss Ronda offers fun and different creative projects each week. Attendees learn new techniques and express their inner artist.

Knit! — Tuesday, May 14 and 21, 6:30 p.m. Adult fiber fans meet to knit, crochet and chat, lots of support and fellowship in this drop in group, stop in and bring a friend. Group meets in the Reading Room.

Connect: ELL — Friday, May 10 and 17, at 10 a.m. Attention English language learners: in the Conversation Café, there are coffee, tea and light refreshments while you meet people and practice your skills. Community members 18 and older with all levels of English are welcome to attend. No sign-up, so just show up.

Alphabits — Thursdays, May 9, 10:30 a.m., A drop-in story time geared toward kids up to 5 years old and their caregivers. Miss Maura offers a skill-based program story plus hands-on centers, baby space and music fun.

Babies & Books — Fridays, May 10, 10:30 a.m. Bouncing beautiful tots ages 12 to 24 months and their parents and caregivers are invited to join Mrs. Fritsch to a new lap-sit program with stories, finger plays, songs and musical activities. This series lasts for six weeks. Registration is required; sign up once to register for all sessions.

MS Support Group — Monday, May 13, noon. New time. Regional self-led group discusses topics of interest and shares information, new members welcome; meets in ground floor handicapped accessible meeting room off parking lot.

Repeat Reads — Monday, May 13, 6 p.m. Adults re-read (or read for the first time) classic favorites from youth. Come debate the merits and values, share tea and snacks, drop in for a reader’s Happy Hour. This month’s selection is the classic novel, Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. Book club will be meeting in the Connecticut Room.

W.I.C. (Women, Infant, Children) — Friday, May 17, 9 a.m. Benefits distribution; appointments through Naugatuck Valley Health District. To make an appointment, or to qualify for the program, call 203-888-1271. Note: W.I.C. this month will be meeting in the CT Room located on the main floor of Plumb. Parents/caregivers with strollers may use the ramp located behind the library.

SWCAPA — Monday, May 13, 7 p.m. South West chapter of CT Authors and Publishers Association offers speakers and support, new members welcome.

Commodore Hull Writers Group — Saturday, May 18, 11 a.m. New group. Are you an aspiring writer, or already one? This new group is dedicated to critique, inspire, share, and solicit input from perspective and fellow writers. Group will be meeting twice a month, and is open to all ages. No registration is required. Next meeting is on Saturday, May 18.

Home delivery

Shelton residents who cannot get to the library due to temporary or permanent disability are welcome to apply for home delivery of library materials. Contact Huntington Branch Library, 203-926-0111. This project is underwritten with support from the Friends of the Library and the Valley Community Foundation.

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People pulling into Shelton High School will see work underway on the tennis courts and parking lot.

That is the result of the city of Shelton winning its appeal to the state, which had initially denied the city’s plan to use funds received from the state’s Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP)”. Board of Aldermen President John Anglace had stated that the city appealed, and he acknowledged this week that that appeal was granted.

The Board of Aldermen, at its March 14 meeting, had approved $150,000 for work on the high school tennis courts and $100,000 for work on the school’s parking lot — all of which would come from LoCIP funds. Mayor Mark Lauretti said that, while final costs remain unknown, this LoCIP money and $150,000 in city funds have moved this work forward.

Anglace said that the tennis court project work included digging around the courts and taking the black top millings to use in the parking lot project.

The state’s Local Capital Improvement Program distributes formula-based entitlement funds to municipalities to reimburse the cost of eligible local capital improvement projects, such as road, bridge or public building construction work.

A municipality must request and be granted project authorization by the state’s Office of Police and Management (OPM)” in order to be eligible for reimbursement for allowable project costs.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com

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Each year the Connecticut State Council of the Knights of Columbus sponsors the Catholic School Spelling Bee. This year, Konnor Braden of Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in Shelton earned second place in the Knights of Columbus State Spelling Bee Championship.

The post Student second in spelling bee battle appeared first on Shelton Herald.

The following property transfers were recorded in the Shelton City Clerk’s office between April 15 and 19.

• 10 Acorn Hollow, Unit #10, Tamarac Ridge Condominium, Viola Sallaku and Fation Sako to Stacey Lariccia, $239,000.

• 23 Wake Robin Lane (Lot #21 Saw Mill Farms), Stephen C. Guarrera and Christine A. Guarrera to Jennifer R. Cutrali, $465,000.

• 96 Prospect Avenue, Christine S. Trani to Chandano Meas and Channlyda Meas. $245,000.

• Unit #104, Crescent Village, Kurt Maurer to David Nash and Karen Nash, $362,500.

• 14 Wallace Street (Lots #20 and 21 Highland Terrace), Jodi A. Depalma to Seth William Freedman and Danielle Freedman, $200,000.

• 52 Broc Terrace (Lot #15 Broc Estates), Kevin Corda to Shawn Andrews, $349,900.

• 42 Lucille Drive (Lot #23 Section Two Means Brook Heights), Cacilda Vince to Gold Star Real Estate LLC, $220,000.

• Unit #22 L’Hermitage Condominiums, Diane Solomon to Danielle Palmieri, $267,500.

• 14-16 Geissler Drive, Nichole Mandanici to Kevin M. Corda, $330,000.

• 558 Asbury Ridge (Unit #558, Views of Long Hill Condominium), Linda L. Doherty to Kimberly Rose, $155,000.

• 59 Hilltop Drive, Kevin J. Chavez and Nancy T. Chavez to Kimberly A. Evans and Stephen V. Evans III, $325,000.

The post Shelton Property Transfers — April 15-19 appeared first on Shelton Herald.

These homes recently sold in Shelton:

173 Myrtle St.
Price: $275,000
Seller/buyer: J Conklin to Pamela Dean

31 Bunker Hill Circle #31
Price: $436,000
Seller/buyer: N Dodge to Francesca and Stephen Addison

145 Canal St. #8
Price: $178,000
Seller/buyer: Robert Bobrowski to Patricia and Jose Valentin

59 Heather Ridge #59
Price: $165,000
Seller/buyer: Christine Zeiser to Cecelia and Robert Tartaglia

124 Hillside Ave.
Price: $155,000
Seller/buyer: Bruce Saltzman to Gail and Ralph Strocchia

936 Howe Ave.
Price: $255,000
Seller/buyer: John Tokarczyk to Sandra and Natalie Dejesus

175 Remy Court #175
Price: $370,000
Seller/buyer: Francis Gallo to Azfar Noor

11 Rocky Rest Road
Price: $181,000
Seller/buyer: Verlie Brown to Rekha Bojja

The post Shelton home sells for $275K appeared first on Shelton Herald.

A judge has overturned the Shelton Planning & Zoning Commission’s rejection of a self-described “speakeasy” off Bridgeport Avenue.

The planned business had been the subject of fervent online speculation since becoming public in October 2017. An initial description including references to “burlesque” performances riled residents who worried that it would be a gentlemen’s club by another name.

An application from the business’ owner, Randi-Lee England, said the bar, to be called “Hush,” would operate as a speakeasy — a trend in the bar business hearkening back to the days of Prohibition in the Roaring ’20s — complete with waitresses dressed as “flapper girls.”

In court documents, the commission cited the “secretive” nature of the business to support its unanimous December 2017 rejection of a certificate of zoning compliance for it to open on the first floor of 303 Old Bridgeport Ave., under the former location of Hunan Pan restaurant.

But in a 12-page decision issued Wednesday, Judge Trial Referee Arthur Hiller said the commission’s decision wasn’t rooted in its own regulations.

“The commission has failed to identify any specific requirements contained in the regulations that directly and/or indirectly apply to the plaintiff’s proposed use of the property,” Hiller wrote.

“The commission, therefore, erred in finding that a speakeasy theme café was not a permitted use because there was not substantial evidence in the record to reach this conclusion,” the judge went on. “Accordingly, the commission’s denial of the plaintiff’s application for a certificate of zoning compliance was in error and is hereby reversed.”

The commission had based its ruling in part on a letter from the city’s fire marshal saying the business didn’t have adequate parking. But the judge said the zoners didn’t provide a formula for determining how much parking the business would need and ordered the commission to do so.

“The court is not persuaded by the commission’s argument that the fire marshal’s decision was guided by the regulations,” Hiller wrote.

It’s unclear whether the commission will seek to appeal the judge’s decision.

The commission’s lawyer, Francis Teodosio, declined to comment on the ruling Thursday, saying he needed to consult with the commission first.

Virginia Harger, chairwoman of the commission, said she was disappointed with the decision, but that the next steps remain to be seen.

“I expect the entire PZC will meet with corporation counsel to review the judge’s findings and to determine a future course of action,” she said.

Jonathan Klein, a lawyer representing England, said he was pleased with the judge’s decision.

“I’m hoping that at this point the city will be willing to work out the parking requirements and give us the certificate of zoning compliance so we can move ahead,” Klein said.

During a hearing in the case in March, England said she was paying $2,500 a month rent for the space. In court documents, she said she had sunk more than $100,000 into the business.

City officials initially signed off on the business — which allowed it to obtain a liquor license — before the public outcry.

The PZC’s 2017 rejection was applauded by a standing room only crowd, many of whom had signed a petition of more than 240 names opposing the business.

England appealed the decision in January 2018, saying the commission’s decision was arbitrary, and that the public outcry had led the commission’s members to make up their minds before hearing the evidence.

“It is transparently evident that the outcome of the hearing was predetermined,” Klein wrote. “The ‘fix was in.’ ”

The post Judge overturns Shelton ‘speakeasy’ decision appeared first on Shelton Herald.

Perry Hill School fifth grader Alexandra Calandro was top chef at the sixth annual Valley Initiative to Advance Health and Learning in Schools (VITAHLS) Healthy Cooking Competition.

Calandro’s “Fiesta Mango Pork and Salsa with Authentic Mexican Grilled Corn” was named best by a panel of judges that included local government officials and experts in cooking and health at Griffin Hospital in Derby on Tuesday, May 7.

The recipe beat out Cinco de Mayo-inspired entries by sixth grader Brooke Johnson from Prendergast School in Ansonia and sixth grader Rashiya McNeil from Derby Middle School.

“We look forward to this contest every year because it provides a fun and exciting way for local students to showcase their talents for cooking, and it encourages healthy eating and cooking at home and in the local community,” said Kim Doughty, MPH, PhD, VITAHLS coordinator at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (PRC).

The three contestants advanced to the finals by winning local competitions in their school district. All finalists received a personalized apron, cooking supplies and a Platinum Pass to Urban Air Adventure Park.

Calandro received all of th prizes plus a round of mini-golf for eight people at Sports Center of Connecticut and six movie passes to Seymour Cinemas.

VITAHLS is a childhood obesity prevention initiative collaboration between Griffin Hospital, Yale Griffin PRC, and the Ansonia, Derby, Seymour and Shelton school districts. Since 2011, VITAHLS has integrated a variety of nutrition and physical activity programs into the existing school structure to help reduce childhood obesity.

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Grade 5 High Honors

Valeryia Adamenia, Soham Agrawal, Paris Alba, Faiz Ali, Ilyas Ali, Sophia Allegro, Cristiano Alves, Isabella Anastasia, Abigail Angier, Aliyah Araujo, Jacob Arnaldo, Maximilian Aulet, Nathan Baena, Derek Blakeslee, Michael Blomberg, Isabel Boone, Maya Boruch, Emily Bourque, Amber Brzoska, Alexandra Calandro, Anthony Chagas, Ethan Cintron, Tessa Coffin, Gabriel Czaplinski, Lucas Da Silva, Adrianna DaCruz, Emery Dagostine, Saina Dalvi, Folasade Danmola, Riley Dean, Caera Doyle, Ryad Drissi-Bouanani, Makenna Egan, Elias Elias, Joseph Elias, Veronica Esteves, Mathew Fortin, Anissa Franzese, Illia Gavrysh, Aidan Gencarelli, Sienna Giampaolo, Shea Goode, Jackson Guerra, Amaya Gutierrez, Connor Hackett, Olivia Hanish, Lucy Hare, Chelsea Hartsburg, Colin Hartsburg, Charlotte Hayslip, Matthew Hluska, Kyra Hojnowski, Olivia Hopkins, Maren Huppunen, Martin Irigoyen, Nathaniel Jacob, Anmol JiJu, David Kavasansky, Julia Kieley, Samuel Kim, Leah Kovacs, Jayson LaPrise, Milani Leite, Meredith Lenti, Aarav Makadia, Marco Mallozzi, Shane Marks, Gavin Martin, Nimsaily Martinez, Sebastian Matei, Allison Melgara, Kailey Michaud, Julia Miressi, Mia Mladsi, Lia Monteiro, Ryan Morrison, Madelyn Mosher, Joseph Moura, Alexander Mozdzer, Matthew Naylor, Saidy Nelson, Maria Nguyen, Damion Nieves, Nicolas Okwaning, Alfonso Palmieri, Eleni Paradiso-Cappiello, Luke Park, Krishiv Patel, Bianca Pelletier, Isabelle Persson, Mya Plonski, Michael Prancuk, Matthew Quevedo, Ava Quigley, Matthew Randall, Riya Rao, Raphael Reinheimer, Jace Ribas, Giancarlo Rubio, Jonathan Ryder, George Santoli, Logan Sepkaski, Justin Sevillano, Emmeline Shampnois, Zhixuan Shao, Thomas Sims, Seunghyun Sohn, Michael Strazza, Leah Sutcliffe, Ava Tadduni, Cali Taylor, Abigail Teixeira, Joao Terrenas, Gianna Testi, Abigail Troesser, Emma Troesser, Zachary Vargas, Reese Vartelas, Benjamin Wirth, Jeremy Wojtowicz, William Yearsley, James Zaccagnini, Ashlie Zdru, Ava Ziniak, Aidan Zitnay, Milana Zukowski.

Grade 5 Honors

Arlena Almezel, Basil Alymani, Juanita Arenas, Kylie Barton, Alexys Batista, Addison Burke, Gabrielle Caccam, Emily Campbell, Luis Cardoso, Mia Carey, Emma Carrasco, Gabriel Carrasquillo, Charles Casey, Andres Catano, Tyler Cayer, Audrey Chrisman, Ella Clarke, Dana Collings, Hunter Collins, Avant Cook, Kenneth Corby, John Cusmano, Ryan Decatur, Kolton Dlugas, Colin Edwards, Mounir Elias, Lucas Esteves, Joseph Fedele, Madison Fernandes, Vienne Fletcher, Gabriel Flores, William Galke, Gabia Gelumbickas, Jake Gildea, Lily Grabarz, Colin Gzyms, Katherine Hynes, Kaylee Jimenez, Wiley Jones, Olivia Judge, Robert Kammerman, Gabriella Karpenko, Ceyda Kilincoglu, Margaret Killian, Patrick Kmiec, Andrew Kochiss, John Konecny, Scarlett Kovarczi, Daniel Leone, Jesse Lesko, Deborah Lesnick, Jack Miloscio, Sadie Morris, Olivia Petrocelli, Ava Proto, Kalyn Richards, Nicholas Roczynski, Marcelo Rosa, Nathalie Rzeczycka, Nathaniel Sosa, Jacob Thelen, Laila Torres, Alyssa Tuell, Justin Tuell, Brianna Vega, Kassidy Ventrella, Anthony Vournazos, Robert Wall, Mya Watton, Abigail Weaver, Hannah Wells, Abigail Ziegler.

Grade 6 High Honors

Jessica Almezel, Hayden Anderson, Juliana Assis, Anna Baltsevych, Alexander Baneat, Ryan Bergers, Daniella Berry, Emma Bookbinder, Ava Bottone, Kristina Bratz, Cory Bruce-Tagoe, Joshua Bryan, Isabella Buchetto, Emily Carrano, Maximus Cartolano, Kelly Caruso, Madeline Cebrik, Noah Cintron, Salina Clemente, Imani Cort, Jacqueline Davidson, Ryan Delgado, Lauren Dreyer, Cameron Drotos, Jake Duda, Audrey Dunn, Elena Gasbarro, Mark Gebuza, Eleni Gonzalez, Saffron Hallett, Jordan Hanyecz, Michael Holman, Emma Hurlburt, Natalie Jackson, Olivia Jansen, Madison Jensen, Malaikah Johnson, Olivia Jurgiewicz, Arba Kacorri, David Kay, Lucas Kellogg, Samuel Kim, Andrew Kopchick, Sophia Kostour, Sofia Koury, Tessa Kovarczi, Melanie Kozlowski, Isabel LaBaw, Victoria Lee, Gwendolyn Leonard, Magdalena Lupa, Victoria Lysik, Madison Mainiero, Arshia Mamidanna, Alec Marini, Shanoyia Marsh, Marieann Martinez, Reese McKinnon, Christina McPadden, Connor McTigue, Kady Middeker, Lillian Miller, Caden Mitchell, Rithwik Mohanty, Gizel Moonrose, Andrew Moore, Matthew Morrison, Dimitri Mysirlidis, Sathwika Nadella, Katie Nam, Mika’il Naqvi, Diara Navarro, Brooklyn Neff, Olivia Niedzwiecki, Sandra Nip, Rebecca Norkus, Angelina O’Leary, Cole Ostrosky, Eric Pacheco, Alina Palmieri, Natalia Pankrat, Abigail Park, Julia Parkosewich, Rhea Patel, Stephanie Pinard, Mary Porto, Samantha Post, Rylee Potts, Samantha Prodan, Adriana Pulley, Mateus Puttock, Ivana Radanovic, Ralston Ravi, Devin Reid, Megan Renda, Finnegan Riddle, Sophie Rivera, Avery Robertine, Gracie Roberts, Colin Roden, Niko Romano, Danielle Russo, Frank Salvio, Iham Saymeh, Brady Sciamanna, Aiden Shampnois, Nathan Smith, Oluwatise Soremekun, Gia Staffy, Mara Stanko, Brianna Stewart, Irsa Tariq, Matthew Tomcho, Camryn Tomey, Jordan Tou, David Tsytko, Harshita Upadhyay, Sebastian Vasquez, Zaid Vohra, Veronika Vorontsova, Emma Warner, Ella Welsh, Naomi Wolfe, Shreya Yadav.

Grade 6 Honors

Jerod Abraham, Caitlin Agostino, Sadie Balocca, Dominic Bray, Cole Breunig, Zachary Brzoska, Joao Cardoso, Chiara Chacur Gagliardi, Ismael Citalan, Shane Colligan, Teniola Danmola, Samantha DeVito, John Dias, Elijah DiIulio, Ava Dube, Aaliyah Durango, Dominic Durante, Emma Esparza, Cordelia Farren, Jake Ferreira, Ryan Gibbs, Raniyah Hamilton, Juan Hernandez, William Hugya, Preston Hyner, Zain Irfan, Gabriella Jones, Mariah Kellogg, Mohammed Khan, Liam Kieley, Alexander Kiely, Ryan Kinik, Sebastian Kraszewski, Mariano Mallozzi, Anthony Maria Miranda, Hannah Moccaie, Christopher Moise, Abigail Montero, Connor Murphy, Lucas Narvaez, Logan Oestreich, Sofia Onofrio, Olivia Paradiso-Cappiello, Stephen Paul, Alexsis Pedreira, Charles Pereira, Henry Pierpont, Matthew Robinson, Emma Santana, Christian Santos, Desmond Shelburn, Edyn Sherman, Kaiden Shiggs, Victoria Silva, Giancarlo Sorrentino, Benjamin Souza, Jessica Tedesco, Alexander Thelen, Ryan Thielen, Zahria Thompson, Michael Ulbrick, Jade Vega, Kegan Wills, Sophia Zilinek.

The post Perry Hill Schools’ third quarter honor roll appeared first on Shelton Herald.

BRIDGEPORT — A Hearst Connecticut Media reporter was briefly taken into custody Thursday night as police cracked down on a demonstration on the second anniversary of an officer-involved shooting that killed a 15-year-old city youth.

Reporter Tara O’Neill was observing from the sidewalk on Fairfield Avenue as a line of police officers ordered everyone off the street. O’Neill, who identified herself as a journalist, was handcuffed and taken in the back of a police cruiser to headquarters. After being detained for about 30 minutes, she was released without being charged.

Tara O’Neill@Tara_ONeill_

Footage of me getting arrested in #Bridgeport while covering a #JusticeforJayson protest on the two-year anniversary of his death.

90

10:16 PM – May 9, 2019

“The fact that a local journalist was arrested for doing her job and reporting on the actions of police and protesters is extremely troubling, and the public deserves a full explanation of how it happened and what steps will be taken to make sure that the freedom of the press and the public’s right to know is not infringed upon like this in the future,” Matt DeRienzo, vice president of news and digital content for Hearst Connecticut Media, said after O’Neill’s arrest.

Mayor Joe Ganim called the protest a “very difficult situation.” Ganim told DeRienzo he didn’t want to interfere or tell Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez what to do, but he said he urged the chief to consider that O’Neill was not part of the protest and would be “violating her job” if she was doing anything other than covering the story.

O’Neill had filed a story just before 9 p.m. on the protest, which had proceeded peacefully.

Two years ago, 15-year-old Jayson Negron was shot and killed by Bridgeport Police Officer James Boulay. While in the newsroom, she heard a police report of a 10-32 (officer needs help), calling all available officers to the scene of a disturbance on Fairfield Avenue where the protest was being held. She went back to the scene, where many of the same people had remained.

“There were a ton of cops in the Walgreens parking lot,” near the spot where Negron had been shot, and about 35 protesters in the middle of the street, “singing and chanting, and everything was fine,” O’Neill said.

After that time elapsed, “in a line formation they started walking down the street and telling people to get off the street …. they just started arresting people who weren’t complying, which apparently included me, because I was on the sidewalk.”

O’Neill said she told an officer who approached her, “This is a public sidewalk and I’m the press. He said ‘OK,’ and cuffed me.”

Many of the protesters were arrested; the exact number could not be determined Thursday night.

“We were out there tonight in Bridgeport demanding justice and answers (for) Jayson,” the Justice for Jayson organization said in a statement late Thursday night. “Police acted without provocation and aggressively moved in on our memorial and arrested a lot of friends and family of Jayson.”

Negron was shot while driving a stolen Subaru Forester on May 9, 2017. He died and a passenger in the car was wounded. Police said Boulay, who was hanging onto the door of the vehicle, opened fire when Negron backed up, endangering the officer.

A state police investigation culminated in a report by Waterbury State Attorney Maureen Platt that cleared Boulay of any criminal wrongdoing and said he was justified in firing his weapon. Members of Negron’s family and others have not accepted the investigation’s findings, and have contended that his death was not justified.

The post Hearst reporter detained by Bridgeport cops while covering protest appeared first on Shelton Herald.

Girls ages 5-17 may join Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s extended-year membership option and register for a 17-month, prorated membership.

The Girl Scouts also offer their Daisies program for girls in kindergarten.

For membership information or to volunteer, visit gsofct.org/join or call 800-922-2770.

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In recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Day, BIC spent Tuesday, May 7, donating 54 boxes of school supplies to support Roosevelt School students in Bridgeport.

As part of BIC’s recent Bring Your Child to Work Day celebration, 80 children visited the Shelton headquarters and worked with team members to assemble boxes that were filled with a variety of BIC stationery products, including BIC® Xtra-Fun #2 Pencils, BIC® Xtra-Strong Mechanical Pencils, Coloring Collection by Conte® Coloring Pencils and BIC Brite Liner® Erasable Highlighters.

“At BIC, we understand the importance of supporting our local communities and one of our core values is a commitment to education,” said BIC General Manager Mary Fox. “The opportunity to give back to the Roosevelt School and our support of programs like these are directly linked to the success we have achieved over the past 60 years.”

National Teacher Appreciation Day has been celebrated on the first Tuesday in May for nearly 40 years and represents a day to honor teachers for the resources they provide and the lasting impression they make on students.

“People often overlook the importance of having access to everyday classroom items. From math to writing and art to science, there are a variety of subjects to teach, which means many resources are needed,” said Jacqueline Simmons, Roosevelt School principal. “We are so thankful for the generosity that BIC has shown our school today. These supplies will better prepare our students to learn and allow teachers to help their classes succeed.”

In addition to the product donation to the Roosevelt School, BIC celebrated National Teacher Awareness Day by having approximately 280 team members who are located at its Shelton office write apple-shaped thank you notes to teachers who have had a positive impact on their lives.

In exchange for the handwritten note, team members received a gift bag filled with BIC product to give to a teacher, whether it is a friend, family member or their child’s teacher as a “thank you.”

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Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County will host its annual benefit Toast to Success! on Thursday, May 23, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at The Patterson Club, 1118 Cross Highway, Fairfield. Presenting sponsor is Bank of America.

The event features a fashion show with designs from Lord & Taylor and special guest Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro receiving the Denise “Denny” Taft Davidoff Empowerment Award.

Toast to Success! celebrates Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County’s years of service to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The organization has helped more than 10,000 women since opening its doors in 1998. Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County offers all services to clients at no-cost and relies on donations and fundraising for support.

All proceeds from the evening will support programs of Dress for Success including Simply Suited and the Professional Women’s Group.

Toast to Success! is made possible by the support of several local businesses including M&T Bank, Synchrony Financial, Aquarian Water Company, Connecticut Community Bank, Epsilon Agency, Lord & Taylor, Moffly Media, Landmark Print and MPI.

For tickets, visit bit.ly/ToastSuccess19 or call 203-610-8512.

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Edgewell Personal Care Co. which owns Schick and Wilkinson Sword razor brands is adding Harry’s Inc. to its list of subsidiaries.

The Missouri-based company, which also has headquarters in Shelton, announced Thursday that it is preparing to buy the New York-based startup in a $1.37 billion cash-and-stock deal.

“With everything, the timing has to be right, and in this case, the timing is right for this combination,” said Edgewell president and CEO Rod Little, during a Thursday earnings call.

The company will pay roughly 79 percent of the total value of the transaction in cash, while the remaining financing will be paid in common stocks.

Harry’s shareholders will own approximately 11 percent of Edgewell once the transaction is complete.

Goldman Sachs and Perella Weinberg Partners are financial advisers to Edgewell, while Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz served as the company’s legal adviser.

Centerview Partners was the financial adviser to Harry’s and Latham and Watkins and O’Melveny and Myers served as its legal advisers

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020.

During a Thursday morning conference call, Little acknowledged that a disconnect with consumers over the years has slowed sales.

“Consumer needs, habits, ways of shopping have changed dramatically over the last decade,” he said. “Brands need to be consumer-centric, connect with consumers and satisfy their changing needs and habits and also provide a great experience wherever and whenever the consumer is ready to engage.”

Edgewell wants to fix that, in part, with acquisitions of companies like Harry’s, the company said.

The New York startup focused on a direct-to-consumer online platform that sold razors and shaving creams through a monthly subscription service.

“When we launched Harry’s six years ago, our vision was to create a grooming brand that better met our needs as consumers, and over time, a (consumer packaged product) platform that creates brands people love across more categories,” said Harry’s Co-founders and CEOs Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider in a statement.

Since its 2013 launch, Harry’s has branched into different personal care product lines and expanded. It owns and operates its own razor factory in Eisfeld, Germany, and employs more than 900 people across the globe.

Edgewell operates in more than 50 markets globally and employs roughly 6,000 people.

While it was not made clear how the acquisition would affect Harry’s employees, the Shelton company said it plans to leverage the startup’s background in direct-to-consumer sales and brand marketing to improve Edgewell’s performance with customers.

Katz-Mayfield and Raider are expected to join Edgewell’s executive team when the deal closes next year, serving as co-presidents of U.S. operations. Little will lead the combined company.

“The combination of Edgewell and Harry’s is a pivotal step forward in further transforming our organization and strengthening our competitive position and ability to drive sustained growth and value creation,” Little said in a press release.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com

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No Shelton High School staffers will face criminal charges after a six-week investigation, according to local law enforcement.

“There will be no criminal arrests in this case,” said Shelton Police Lt. Robert Kozlowsky Friday. “The case is now closed.”

The Shelton police department began investigating Principal Beth Smith and Assistant Principal John Skerritt in late March after police were called to the high school on an incident involving two students.

Shelton Police Chief Shawn Sequeira said the department was attempting to determine if school personnel were following the proper protocols and procedures, in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes, when dealing with potentially criminal situations.

In response, school Superintendent Dr. Chris Clouet placed Smith on paid administrative leave. Skerritt assumed the interim principal role until he was also placed on paid administrative leave in early April by Clouet after it was learned that Skerritt was also under investigation in the case.

“We are delighted that no charges have been filed,” said Clouet.

Clouet said the Board of Education and administration have already begun looking into the status of Smith and Skerritt internally but offered no further comment, saying this remains a “personnel matter.”

Kozlowsky would not comment on the alleged incident involving the two students which sparked this investigation, saying only that the police department found no criminal wrongdoing and expected that the school system and law enforcement would continue to have a “good working relationship.”

“The police department and the school system have had a long, positive relationship, and the department looks forward to continuing to work together in a positive way,” said Kozlowsky.

When asked about the length of the investigation, Kozlowsky said the department never puts a time frame on such cases, instead taking as long as necessary to complete a thorough review of the situation.

“We believe in doing a complete investigation,” said Kozlowsky, “and that can take time.”

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The Shelton Volunteer Fire Department responded to the following incidents between April 29 and May 5, as submitted by the fire marshal’s office:

Monday, April 29

At 3:24 p.m., the Huntington Co. #3 responded to the Mohegan School at 47 Mohegan Road to assist EMS with a patient. A rescue truck responded.

At 7:24 p.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to 21 Union Street for an electrical hazard; wires down in the road. An engine responded.

At 9:57 p.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to 16 Providence Avenue for a carbon monoxide detector activation. An engine and a rescue truck responded.

Tuesday, April 30

At 6:28 a.m., the Huntington Co. #3 and the White Hills Co. #5 responded to 22 Oak Glen Drive for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire. An engine and a ladder truck responded.

At 9:13 a.m., the Huntington Co. #3, Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Pine Rock Co. #4 responded to the Brightview Assisted Living Complex, 30 Beard Saw Mill Road. There was no fire. An engine and a ladder truck responded.

At 11:54 a.m., the Pine Rock Co. #4, Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Huntington Co. #3 responded to 19 Kanungum Trail for a fire in a clothes dryer. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire which was confined to the dryer and its contents. Two engines, a rescue truck and a ladder truck responded.

Wednesday, May 1

At 2:57 p.m., the Pine Rock Co. #4 and the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to the Shelton Sports Center, 784 River Road, for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire. An engine and the tower truck responded.

At 8:45 p.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 and the White Hills Co. #5 responded to Amici’s Restaurant, 500 Howe Avenue, for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire; an engine responded.

Thursday, May 2

At 3:28 a.m., the Huntington Co. #3, Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Pine Rock Co. #4 responded to the Marriott Residence Inn, 1001 Bridgeport Avenue, for a fire alarm activation. An engine and a ladder truck responded.

Friday, May 3

At 11:11 a.m., the Huntington Co. #3, Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Pine Rock Co. #4 responded to 100 Beard Saw Mill Road for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire. An engine, a ladder truck and the tower truck responded.

At 6:11 a.m., the Huntington Co. #3 and the White Hills Co. #5 responded to 66 Longmeadow Road for a carbon monoxide alarm activation. An engine responded.

At 7:41 a.m., the Pine Rock Co. #4 and the Echo Hose Co.#1 responded to Anco Engineering Co., 217 Long Hill Cross Road, for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire. A ladder truck responded.

At 1:32 p.m., the Huntington Co. #3 and the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to route 8 northbound near exit 12 for a motor vehicle accident. An engine and a rescue truck responded.

At 2:17 p.m., Huntington Co. #3 and the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to Route 8 northbound near exit 12 for a motor vehicle accident. An engine and a rescue truck responded.

Saturday, May 4

At 12:15 a.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 and the White Hills Co. #5 responded to 159 Center Street for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire. The tower truck and a ladder truck responded.

Sunday, May 5

At 12:29 a.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 responded to Edgewood Avenue for an illegal open burn. An engine responded.

At 9:30 a.m., the Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Huntington Co. #3 responded to Route 8 northbound near exit 13 for a motor vehicle accident. An engine and a rescue truck responded.

At 2:17 p.m., the White Hills Co. #5 responded to 12 Big Horn Road for a carbon monoxide alarm activation. An engine responded.

At 9:28 p.m., the Pine Rock Co. #4 and the Echo Hose Co.#1 responded to 129 Kyles Way for an odor of natural gas in the home. An engine and a rescue truck responded.

The post Shelton Fire Log: April 29-May 5 appeared first on Shelton Herald.

For teens and tweens, the Internet is more than just a place to play games, download music or chat with friends. Research shows that social media has become these young people’s main source of news.

While uncovering news on the Internet may be easy, discerning what is truly news versus commentary or just plain tall tales can be difficult for adults — never mind young people that in most cases are novices when it comes to searching out news.

That is where Shelton Intermediate School’s Ron Gydus comes in. The longtime library media specialist is spearheading the school’s news and media literacy program — with hopes of providing students with the tools to make informed choices during their hunt for accurate news.

“Media specialists, as school’s digital experts, have a responsibility to teach these strategies and to collaborate with colleagues to develop their students’ news and media literacy as part of their 21st century skills,” said Gydus, during last month’s Board of Education meeting at which he was named the district’s Innovator of the Month.

“This is a great gift what we’re giving to our students here,” said school Superintendent Dr. Chris Clouet.

Gydus said that research due by commonsense.org shows that, in 2018, children ages 10 to 18 preferred online media more than any other news sources for the first time in the firm’s research history. And this data, according to Gydus, shows that teens get their news from social media more than any other news source.

A recent Stanford University study involving 7,800 students from middle school through college found that the overwhelming majority could not tell the difference between credible content online and “fake news,” said Gydus.

“Students are relying on digital content as their news source more than ever, yet they do not have the ability to discern reliable, accurate news from biased or fake news,” said Gydus. “There is a need for media literacy in our schools.”

According to Gydus, media literacy is “essential skill in the digital age” to assist young people to think critically; become a smart consumer of products and information; recognize different points of view; create media responsibility; identify the role of media in today’s culture; and understand the author’s goal.

“When kids understand what type of influence something has,” said Gydus, “they can make informed choices.”

Teens are spending an average of nine hours per day interacting with various forms of media, and Gydus said that the “information overload” and access and abundance of information is “blurring the lines between fact and opinion, reality and fantasy, and unbiased reporting and fake news.

Gydus said that the media specialists teach students that when finding an online news source or story to remember that “someone created it, and it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is the basis of media literacy.”

The SIS library media center teaches students to think critically; become a smart consumer of products and information; recognize the news source’s point of view; create media responsibly; identify the role of media in culture; and understand the author’s goal. Students are taught to ask themselves such questions as “Who created the online news piece and why? Who is the message for? What techniques are being used to make this message credible or believable? What details were left out, and why? How did the message make you feel?”

“We’ve made great strides,” said Gydus. “We have a strong department and have made great progress in our schools.

Lessons calls on students to identify bias in news as well as various propaganda techniques used in media. Though “lateral reading,” Gydus said students evaluate a news source by researching the source itself. Students also tackle “fake news” by examining videos to determine if they are real or altered and websites for accuracy, while also fact checking stories. Students also simulate creating fake news to gain followers in this activity to determine how and why fake news is constructed.

Students then create digital portfolios, which collect all the students’ work in digital form with the goal being to get them to use new technology, ultimately leading to reflection during which students see their progression of learning from start to finish.

“Students need the tools to become responsible consumers of information,” said Gydus. “In doing so, they will be able to utilize these skills to navigate their way through the information and disinformation that is their digital world today.”

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com

The post Innovator of Month: Gydus leads student media literacy effort appeared first on Shelton Herald.

State Reps. Jason Perillo and Ben McGorty said on Thursday, May 9, that the passage of the increase in the minimum wage to $15 will have a negative impact on Connecticut’s economy, will reduce jobs and hurt nonprofits and local communities.

“Legislative Democrats continue to ignore businesses and municipalities who are being asked to pay more and to take on more expenses,” said Perillo. “This drastic increase in the minimum wage will have devastating ripple effects to our economy. We need to start listening to businesses and local leaders and stop punishing them with more mandates and taxes.”

“Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour will cost municipalities millions to implement, which could result in higher local taxes,” said McGorty. “Everything from groceries to summer camp fees will increase because of the sharp increase to $15 an hour. We will all feel the negative impact of this legislation.”

The minimum wage debate lasted for nearly 15 hours, with Republicans offering eight amendments to fix issues with legislation brought up by businesses, nonprofits, and business leaders.

One amendment offered by Republicans would have exempted municipalities from having to pay $15 dollars an hour. The amendment was rejected by all Democrats in the House.

The final version of the bill will increase the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour over a four and a half year period, the fastest pace to $15 dollars an hour in the country. Among its more controversial components is a provision allowing the minimum wage increase beyond $15 with legislative approval as it relates to the employment cost index.

House Bill 5004 now awaits action in the state Senate.

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Girl Scouts of Connecticut elected new members to its Board of Directors and renewed terms of returning members at its annual meeting held on April 28. The current Girl Scouts of Connecticut Board of Directors now includes (new members and positions in bold):

Officers:

• President: Sheryl Sleeva, head of New Ventures, Digital Network Services
• 1st Vice President: Nicole Sandford, partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• 2nd Vice President: Liz McGovern, benefits advisor at Aflac Insurance
• 3rd Vice President: Virginia Giuffré, retired, former senior vice president, Wealth Management Advisor
• Treasurer: Susan Brosseau, CPA, chief financial officer, Ädelbrook Behavioral and Developmental Services
• Secretary: Diana Mahoney, director Planning, Scheduling & Contract Services, Eversource

Members-at-large:

• Richard Abrams, financial advisor and managing director, UBS Wealth Management.
• Sarah Broderick, former chief operating officer and CFO of Vice Media
• Michele Etzel, CFO and executive vice president of National Graphics, Inc.
• Erica Evans Gioffre, head of client engagement at Hirtle Callaghan
• Jonna Gerken, deputy global transitions manager, Pratt and Whitney
• Elizabeth Haynes, financial advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
• Bill James, financial advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
• Leslie Jenkins, director of retail and healing arts at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
• Lisette Martinez, chief diversity officer, Yale-New Haven Health
• Adrienne Parkmond, Esq., chief operating officer of The Workplace
• Pamela Scagliarini, chief operating officer of Bridgeport Hospital and senior vice president for Yale New Haven Health System
• Carol Quinn Toomey, client account lead for State of Connecticut, Accenture
• Zulma Toro, president, Central Connecticut State University
• Desiree Wolfe, senior vice president and director of marketing at Webster Bank, N.A.

Girl members at large:

• Jessica Browne of New Fairfield
• Juliana Fabrizi of Westbrook
• Megan Rodriguez-Hawkins of West Hartford
• Eliza Stanley, Armonk, NY/Greenwich
• Emeritus Board Member, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz

The new board consists of lifelong Girl Scouts, community leaders, nonprofit and corporative executives, and many board veterans. The board members will use their experiences in Girl Scouting, finance, communications, government, education, technology, marketing, and more to lead the state’s largest girl-focused organization.

“It’s wonderful to have a group of diverse, skilled community leaders, executives, and dedicated Girl Scouts on our Board of Directors,” said CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Mary Barneby. “I am confident that this incoming board will also combine their skills and expertise to enhance and expand the lives of girls throughout Connecticut.”

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