Special Olympics Connecticut is hold its annual Summer Games June 5, 6 and 7 at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, and some local law enforcement officers will carry the torch through Ridgefield on Friday, June 5.

The torch run begins in Ridgefield Friday, June 5, at 9 a.m. with a meet-up at Dimitri’s Diner, 22 Prospect Street. The group takes a right on Prospect Street, then a right onto Prospect Ridge at 9:03 a.m., with a right on Governor Street and at 9:09 a.m., a left into the East Ridge Middle School property.

The group will turn right onto East Ridge at 9:11 a.m., the a left on market for a 9:14 of the VP School property. The group will exit VP at 9:16 a.m. and take a left on Governor, then a right onto Main Street and at 9:8 a.m., a left on Catoonah.

From there it is a right at 9:21 a.m. onto High Ridge and through the St. Mary’s lot, continuing to High Ridge to Gilbert and Main Street. At 9:26 a.m. the group turns right on Main Street.

There is a left on Bailey Avenue at 9:28 a.m. and a return to Dimitri’s diner at 9:32 a.m.

The total mileage of the course is three miles.

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Alice-in-Wonderland, Swan Lake and Jazz: Pure Imagination — an eclectic mix of dance repertory is in store at the Ridgefield School of Dance Spring event, being presented June 6 and 7 at East Ridge Middle School.

The show features original choreography by Artistic Director Jessica Boelts and instructors Larissa Akinicheva, Nancy Andrews, and Willie Tre Smith.

“Alice in Wonderland is clever and fun,” said Executive Director Alison Brown.

Julia Garrett of Ridgefield will dance the title role of Alice, with members of the ballet company performing the well-known Wonderland characters.

Nicola Campos, Delaney Conlan, Claire Cordano, Nina Moss, Madison Rucolas, Anneke Schole and Mackenzie Whitelaw, all from Ridgefield are Hedgehog, Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat, Duchess, Mad Hatter, March Hare and Cook respectively. Rachel Castaldi of Wilton is Dormouse and Krya Winslow of Weston is the White Rabbit.

Selections from Act II of Swan Lake will also be presented featuring Claire Cordano as Odette and Karrell Williams from New York City as Siegfried. “These are Claire’s last performances with us prior to her starting with Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College,” said Boelts. “She has danced with us since she was three and this is the piece she most wanted to present. It is the classic Petipa choreography danced to the music of Tchaikovsky. Everyone will know the music, and the selections we are dancing are very notable.”

Under the direction of Angela Harriell, the Jazz Department presentation Pure Imagination will feature choreography from Harriell and instructors Willie Tre Smith and Stevi Van Meter.

Tickets for both performances may be bought at the door or through the school office 203-894-5957. For more information go to theridgefieldschoolofdance.com

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A federal judge in New York City on May  15 sentenced Ridgefield businessman and philanthropist George Landegger to two months in prison in connection with a Swiss Bank case.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan also required Landegger to pay $71,824 in restitution to the government and a fine of $30,000 in connection with the Swiss Bank case.

The judge imposed a civil penalty of $4.2 million on Landegger.

Landegger, 78 on Jan. 16, pleaded guilty to willfully failing to file Reports of Foreign Bank Accounts, effectively hiding more than $8.4 million in secret Swiss bank accounts, thus avoiding paying taxes.

Landegger had faced a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison. Prosecutors in New York believed his jail time is insufficient for the crime, according to a published report.

He expressed contrition for his actions in a letter to The Press earlier this year.

“I am deeply remorseful for my conduct and hope to continue to lead a meaningful life in the Ridgefield community and elsewhere, and to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” Landegger wrote in a statement to The Press in January. He was expected to release a new statement following the sentencing, as well.

Landegger is known for his good deeds in the community. In March he provided a $200,000 challenge grant for the Ballard Park’s playground, which he founded with donations more than two decades ago.

Landegger’s company, Parsons & Whittemore, had business in at least two countries, according to a published report in AL.com. It said he employed hundreds of people at a pair of pulp paper mills in Monroe County, Al.,  that he sold in 2010 to Georgia-Pacific, a subisidary of Koch Industries.

Landegger’s attorney, Edward M. Spiro of Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C., said his client did try to come foward when other Swiss bank account holders were granted amnesty, but he was not given the same protection.

In 2013, Landegger applied to voluntarily disclose to the U.S. government his account, which had been closed some three or four years earlier, Spiro said. This was under a formal amnesty program through which tens of thousands of U.S. taxpayers have been amnestied after paying any taxes due and paying between 20 and 27-1/2% of the highest amount in their accounts over a six-year period.

The government did not permit Landegger to enter the program, saying that they had received his name directly from another source, the attorney said. Nationwide less than 100 individuals with Swiss accounts were being prosecuted.

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Dorothy Marconi

Dorothy E. (Fossi) Marconi, 89, of Wallingford, formerly of Avon and Ridgefield, died peacefully on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at home surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late Paul G. Marconi.

She was born in Danbury, July 14, 1925, a daughter of the late Domenic and Ida (Montanari) Fossi. She enjoyed cooking, puzzles and painting at Easel Works. She also liked watching her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren play sports and attending the GHO, but most of all she loved her family.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: Paula and Bob Scholz, Susan and Nick Economopoulos, John and Sarah Marconi, David and Ann Marconi, Donald and Linda Marconi, Joe and Linda Marconi, Peter and Ellen Marconi, Stephen and Marisa Marconi, and Patti and John Hawkins; her sisters Norma Contessa and Elsie Craig; her brother Tom Fossi and his wife Jinny; her sisters-in-law Ann Fossi, Jean Fossi and Pat Fossi; 17 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers Louis Fossi, Bob Fossi and John Fossi.

Mrs. Marconi’s family would like to thank Sarah and Sandy from Hartford Hospital Hospice Care for the excellent care and compassion that they provided, and the Sisters’ Project for their kindness and generosity.

Her family will receive relatives and friends in The Wallingford Funeral Home, 809 N. Main St. Ext., Monday, June 8, 2015, from 4 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 65 N. Main St., Wallingford. Interment will be in In Memoriam Cemetery in Wallingford. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be sent to The Sisters’ Project, P.O. Box 1643, Wallingford, CT 06492. www.wallingfordfh.com

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Angeline Chakalos, 89, passed away on May 27, 2015 at her home in Tampa, FL with her family by her side.

She was born on February 21, 1926 in Lorain, Ohio to Demetri and Constance Barbaresso. Angeline married her soul mate and love of her life, Sam Chakalos, in November 1949. They raised their three children in Greenwich and Ridgefield, CT and later retired to Florida in 1989.

She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Sam Chakalos; parents; brother, Tony Barbaresso; sisters, Georgia Antonopoulos and Cula Kamoutsis.

Angeline is survived by her three children: Teena Connaughton and her husband Jay, and their child Callie; Dean Chakalos and his wife Pam, and their children, Abbey and Erin; Demi Elliott and her husband, Jamie, and their child Samantha; sister Mary Camarinos, brother Nick Barbaresso and wife Honey and many nieces and nephews.

She loved traveling to visit her family, reading, and baking. She especially loved the holidays and was known for baking her family’s traditional cookies and famous apple pie. Angeline was a member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater, FL.

She was loved by many and will be missed. Calling hours will be held on June 11 from 6 PM to 8 PM at Blount Curry Funeral Home 605 S. MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33609. Funeral services will be held on June 12 at 11:00 AM, St. John Greek Orthodox Church 2418 W. Swann Ave. Tampa FL 33609 followed by interment at the Florida National Cemetery. Donations may be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 409 Old Coachman Rd, Clearwater, FL 33765 or LifePath Hospice, 12470 Telecom Dr. #300W, Temple Terrace, FL 33637.

—by the family

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A toxic gas released by combining the wrong household chemicals caused a house on Lewis Drive to be evacuated and a hazmat team to be called in Friday.

The fire department responded to 42 Lewis Drive after a report around 4:30 p.m. of a strong odor of chlorine.

“Evidently as part of the homeowner’s water treatment system there’s a tank that uses liquid chlorine,” Fire Chief Kevin Tappe, who was the incident commander, said. ” … Similar to like you’d use in a pool.”

There were three jugs that a worker at the house thought were all filled with the chlorine, but one was filled with muriatic acid. He poured the contents of the jugs into the system, located in the basement.

When the two chemicals combine, “it gives off chlorine gas,” Tappe said. “… It was dangerous in the beginning.”

The gas hit the handyman right away and it started to cause a burning sensation in his lungs, but Tappe said the man was fine. The homeowner opened doors and windows and called the department.

“We evacuated the area,” Tappe said. Firefighters talked to the state DEEP and Chem Trec, a hotline for chemical emergencies, and determined a hazardous material team needed to be called in.

By the time the hazmat team arrived from Danbury, at around 8 p.m., the reaction had ceased. They tested with Ph paper. “You probably know it as litmus paper,” Tappe said.

“One thing I know from experience, hazardous material incidents are never over quickly,” Tappe said at around 10:30 p.m., some six hours after the initial call.

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The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation will be hosting its second annual “Butterfly Party,” a family-oriented community event honoring one of the first-graders killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, Saturday, June 6 in Newtown.

This free event will include live music, a birds of prey demonstration, butterfly garden, face painting, balloon animals, food trucks, and a $50,000 grant check presentation for the development of the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary.

The Butterfly Party is from noon to 4 on June 6 at the Fairfield Hills Campus, 4 Primrose Street, Newtown.

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Hurricane season preparations are underway at Ridgefield’s Emergency Operations Center. Health Director Ed Briggs and Community Emergency Response Team members Dee Aarons and Sander Pool are inventorying shelter supplies this week at the Emergency Operations Center. Briggs is the town’s mass care/shelter director, Aarons is the leader of the EOC logistics group, and Pool is leader of the EOC communications group. Preparedness checklists may be found on ridgefieldct.org and ready.gov. Residents are encouraged to sign up to receive emergency notifications through the Connecticut Alert System.
—Dick Aarons photo

Ridgefield stands ready for hurricane season, with an emergency shelter suitable for 250 people prepared at the Ridgefield Recreation Center on Danbury Road, and more than 100 volunteers trained to do their part.

The emergency operations center itself is set up at the Yanity gym off Prospect Street.

“The shelter sets up as we need it. We do a quick conversion at the community center for the shelter,” said Dick Aarons, deputy director of emergency management, and manager of the emergency operations center. “We have people signed up to work at the shelter in the event of an emergency. We have got about 100 people on a call list.”

The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season began Monday, June 1. It continues through Nov. 30, with the main threat period for Connecticut coming mid-August to mid-October.

Gov. Dannel Malloy urged the public to prepare for the hurricane season by making a kit of tools they need, such as having bottled drinking water available, and a plan for how to cope if power goes out for extended periods.

In Ridgefield, power was out a week at a time in the last several serious storms.

“Now is the time to become familiar with the potential risks your community and neighborhood may face, such as storm surge, flooding, road or bridge closures,” said Dora B. Schriro, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commission, in a statement. “If a storm is approaching your area, carefully monitor weather reports and follow all of the instructions provided by public safety officials.”

Radio broadcasts inform when a storm is near and when it is advisable to get to a shelter. In Ridgefield, the capacity for sheltering people has not been reached in any recent storm. Typically 35 people have spent the night when weather is at its worst, Aarons said.

However, the number who stop by the shelter during the morning hours is much greater. “We have 1,200 coming through for showers, coffee, or to charge their cell phones and get online,” Aarons said.

People could better prepare by buying a car charger for their cell phone, he said.

The state provided a checklist of necessities to prepare for a hurricane:

• One gallon of drinking water per person, per day, for at least three days. Add one gallon per each large animal at home.

• A three-day supply of non-perishable food, and have a manual can opener ready.

• A battery-powered or hand cranked radio and a weather band radio with extra batteries for both.

• A first aid kit.

• A whistle to signal for help.

• Wrench and pliers handy to turn off utilities.

• Local maps.

• Solar charger, inverter or car charger for cell phones.

To this list, Aarons adds you should stockpile at least a week’s supply of medications, in the event stores or roads are closed.

Aarons also adds that portable generators shouldn’t be in the garage or too close to a house because deadly carbon monoxide gas will build up.

Aarons also adds that you should assume downed lines are live.

Have generators connected to home electrical systems by a licensed electrician, he added.

Try texting if cell phone calls cannot get through. Texting can often work with a less reliable signal.

Choose an out-of-town emergency contact to leave important information with in the event communications are lost in your local area. Share this contact with family members and check in at the hub for important messages.

Have cash on hand, said First Selectman Rudy Marconi. If power is out and banks are closed, ATM machines will also be down and nobody will be able to get cash.

That’s something at least a few people forgot in the last several severe storms, Hurricane Irene in August 2011, Snowtober of October 2011 and Hurricane Sandy of October 2012.

Sandy did the most damage, Marconi said. Trees and power lines took a beating.

All three resulted in power outages of a week or more for many residents. People in poor health who were dependent on electrically powered health and nursing equipment were most at risk.

The shelter provided for them.

“You need to pay attention because it’s upon us,” Marconi said of the hurricane season. “I always ask people to be prepared, to set aside canned food and drinking water, and to have medical supplies and some cash available.”

One of the good things about hurricanes, if such a thing is possible, is that they are predictable. The town usually knows in advance whether emergency shelter will be needed, Aarons said.

“Four days before the storm is scheduled to reach us, Rudy Marconi and Fire Chief Kevin Tappe, Police Chief John Roche and I participate in briefings with the National Weather Service,” Aarons said.

They make a judgment on whether the storm will hit the community. Then they meet with what is now Frontier, the telephone and Internet company, and coordinate on the location of crews and trucks.

Volunteers are then put to work. They are trained in areas of specialty including emergency communications, sheltering, and food supplies. They meet on short notice.

“Should we need to activate the center depends on the damage we have,” Aarons said.

There is a core group of 15 volunteers. The Community Emergency Response Team assists at the emergency management center, in communications, damage assessment, and sheltering of humans and animals.

For more information on hurricane preparedness go to the web at ct.gov/hurricane

You may subscribe to alert services on the web at ct.gov/ctalert.

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Claire Cordano as Cinderella in 2013 Ridgefield School of Dance production.

The curtain will rise and Claire Cordano will step out on stage to dance Odette in the classic ballet Swan Lake. It will mark the culmination of 15 years of dedication and a new chapter for the dancer. Cordano will pursue her dream of dance at the prestigious SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance.

Cordano tried on her first tiny ballet slippers on the floor of The Ridgefield School of Dance 16 years ago, and she’ll dance her final performances as a distinguished member of the school’s ballet company.

“I just remember that all I ever wanted was to be was a ballerina, and the dance studio has become my second home,” she said . “I love being at the studio with my friends and I love the sense of grace and flight and joy that dance gives me. There was never a time that I didn’t want to dance … I owe so much to my teachers. They pushed me to excel and gave me the opportunities to prove myself.”

On June 6 and 7 at the East Ridge Middle School, Cordano will be dancing as the Cheshire Cat in an original ballet version of Alice in Wonderland and perform the role of Odette in Swan Lake, Act II. (See Happenings)

Throughout her dancing career, she has already performed in 15 Nutcracker Ballets, as well as The Cinderella Ballet, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Paquita, among other classics. Of all the principal roles she has danced, she says that Cinderella was her favorite.

“Part of it was that it was a perfect role, and part was that I incorporated acting into my performance and it was emotionally very exciting,” she said.

While Cordano spends most of her time on ballet, she also adds an additional six hours a week taking Jazz and Lyrical classes. Every summer since age 10, shee has danced with the prestigious Bolshoi summer programs.

She’s no slouch in school, either. She graduates this June from Ridgefield High School, with an unbroken record as a member of the honor roll, and as a member of the National Honor Society.

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Sharon Greene

Sharon Greene has earned Top Listing and Top Seller Award for the Ridgefield office of  Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties for the month of April.

“This award signifies the extensive market knowledge she provides her clients, as well as the impeccable customer service she delivers to each and every client,” a spokesperson for the firm said.

“We are honored to have someone with her commitment and dedication on our team” said Candace Adams, CEO/President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties.

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The Fresh Air Fund is seeking families to take in children from low-income New York City who wouldn’t otherwise have any way of enjoying rural and suburban summer life.

For more information, call Lisa Braden-Harder at 203-241-1289 or visit the Fresh Air Fund at freshair.org

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The following students were named to the Ridgefield High School honor roll in the third quarter.

High Honors

Grade 9

Alexander Abbruzzese, Olivia Acquadro, Makyla Addison, Riya Ahuja, Nicole Alindogan, Vivian Altopp, Kennison Amill, Sarah Armstrong, James Ball, Scarlett Ball, Jason Bangser, Nicholas Baughman, Samantha Bertolino, Samantha Blackwell, John Blood, Eugene Boehringer, Andrew Bornstein, Katherine Bracken, Taylor Brand, Reaghan Briggs, Lindsey Brown, Emma Bruce, Robert Buckley, Caroline Bunt, Zoe Butchen, Catalina Carmona, Amanda Castelluccio, Kunal Chauhan, Rylan Cherico, Maia Clarkin, William Coffin, Benjamin Cohen, Annabelle Colao, Maeve Colarusso, Nicole Colletto, Saralyn Collins, Madison Cone, Payton Creamer, Tanner Daubenspeck, Nicholas David, Ian Davies-Welsh, Adrianna Davis, Chloe De Palo, Christian DeVivo, Angele DellaCorte, Grace Dinkel, Michael Dobson, Julia Driscoll, Lily Earle-Hecht, Oliver Edson, Joseph Fazio, Abigail Fennell, Blythe Filaski, Thomas Formus, Jenna Gaglione, Max Gagnon, Liam Galloway, Joshua Gardos, Gregory Gatto, Luke Gaydos, Gabriella Gillman, Connor Goff, Matthew Gonley, Jennifer Gordon, Michael Grevers, Kelley Griffin, Brandon Grizzaffi, Dillon Hammer, Erin Hanlon, Nicholas Hanna, Peter Haynos, Morgan Held, Michael Heller, Julia Hergenrother, Jane Herlihy, Caroline Hinkle, William Hunter, Kelly Ingram, Delmont Irving, Noah Isaacson, Jacob Issokson, Emma Jacobson, Eastlyn Jensen, Nicholas Jerome, Aurora Joblon, Rachel Johnston, Olivia Jones, Phoebe Jones, Reid Kagan, Meredith Karle, Peter Kirchner, Andrew Knachel, Christina Kudera, Gabrielle LaCoille, Anna Landler, Kathryn Lang, Erika Linke, Charles Luft, Robin MacDonald, Daniel Madeson, Nora Maerean, William Maue, Brandy Mauro, Claire McLoughlin, Kate McNicholas, Caledonia McQuilkin, Julia McSpedon, Julia Meenan, Lauren Melagrano, Annette Meyers, Courtney Miles, Nicole Miller, Benjamin Mines, Rachel Moussavi, Dawson Muller, Nicole Napoli, Emma Nelson, Meah Nizan, Elizabeth Norwood, Inbar Ofer, Ian Ostrosky, Krista Panageas, Ria Paranjape, Alexa Pass, Carolyn Pell, Nathaniel Pereyra, Samantha Petruzzelli, Katherine Pieterse, Alexander Price, Lily Reale, Julia Restivo, William Romoser, Daniel Rothwell, Kristen Savino, Katherine Schoenherr, Elizabeth Schroppe, Mallory Shofi, Natalie Silver, Dhruv Singh, Lindsay Spallone, Benjamin Spiegelman, Matthew Stamatis, Peter Stokes, Benjamin Sulzinsky, Raymond Sun, Caroline Suozzi, Omika Suryawanshi, Paige Tarpey, Alana Taylor, Rebecca Taylor, Ava Thompson, Lauren Thrasher, Connor Tobin, Lindsay Toia, Francisco Turdera, Sage Tzamouranis, Thomas Vilinskis, Alexis Vucci, Halle Wilkes, Aidan Williams, Brian Williams, Eyga Williamson, John Wisdom, Alycia Wong, Julie de Lange, Mitchell van der Noll

Grade 10

Lauren Ahern, Matan Alon, Kristen Anderson, Patrick Andrews, Christopher Auslander, Laura Barlow, Jake Barrett, Julia Batti, Johanna Benson, Maxwell Berger, Jacob Bodner, Alyssa Bonanno, Kelsey Bordash, Anthony Borrello, Caroline Boyle, Natalie Brassinga, Garrett Breslin, Lucy Briody, Aneeka Britto, Danielle Brown, John Buczek, Alexander Burns, Daniel Buthorn, Dylan Carey, William Carpenter, Madeline Cartwright, Jackson Cashman, Lauren Chakraborty, Andrew Chang, Devlin Chang, Harrison Chuma, Matthew Cocchi, Matthew Colin, Rachel Cooper, Christopher Costello, Catherine Costigan, Sloan Coughlin, Emma Cowles, Leanna Crafford, Tobias Dalton, Alexandra Damron, Elena Dapkus, Courtney Davis, Kenneth Day, Bradford DeMassa, Erin Desimone, Miriam Ehrlinspiel, Elana Everett, Anna Fernandez, Cayla Fisher, Michael Foscaldi, Grace Franklin, Ricco Froehlich, Julie Gaisser, Jordan Gilbert, Gillian Giordano, Michaela Gleeson, Lauren Gonet, Allison Gonley, Grace Goodwin, Kendra Gordillo, Gabriel Gordon, Lindsey Gordon, Ariana Gravinese, Haley Greene, Nicole Greene, Katherine Hackett, Amelia Hadar, Daniel Halmos, Nicole Hamilton, Devon Hammer, Samuel Holzhauer, Matthias Howley, James Jaffee, Katherine Jasminski, Grace Jeffries, Robert Jewell, Megan Julier, Colleen Keenan, Ava Kelley, Margaux Kelley, Ella Kemp, Nicole Kiernan, Joshua Kim, Caleb Knapp, Ethan Knapp, Kaitlyn Kynast, Alexandra LaPorta, Karena Landler, Karen Lang, Patrick Lang, Nicholas Laudati, Emma Lee, Alec Leonard, Clara Lerchi, Henrik Liapunov, Jack Lincoln, Dylan Livingstone, Briana LoCicero, Christopher Longo, Connor Looney, Cara MacKenzie, Marcella Maguire, Ashlyn Marr, Rachel Maue, Brianne McGill, Kaitlyn McMullan, Hannah McNeece, Elizabeth Middlebrook, Keely Missinne, Matthew Mortinger, Nina Moss, Eva Murphy, Owen Murray, Hazel Neil, Jared Nussbaum, Meaghan O’Hara, Justyna Orlowski, Petros Papadopoulos, Cassandra Pavain, Lucie Picard, Claire Pisanelli, Nia Pollard, Charles Pratt, Daniela Puchall, Joseph Rampolla, Taylor Ranney, Helen Redmond, Kendall Rogoff, Jenifer Rojas, Alison Ryan, Patrick Ryan, Elizabeth Sacchi, Carmen Sanz, Anneke Schole, Margaret Scott, Jane Searfoss, Jessica Seel, Margaret Senesac, Isabelle Seward, Steven Signorelli, Josephine Simon, Byron Sleight, Fair Smith, Owen Smith, Hayley Snyder, Lazaro Sotolongo, Luke St. Pierre, Amy Stoogenke, William Taranto, Francis Thomas, John Thompson, Sarah Thorn, Julia Tierney, Andrew Tregurtha, Giuliana Tripuzzi, Nathaniel Trozzi, Nicholas Van den Nieuwenhuizen, Ruby Verbitsky, Joshua Verdejo, Nathan Walker, Abbey Walter, Julie Wang, Muge Wang, Drew Warren, Hailey Williams, David Yang, Nicholas Young, Julia Yu, Marissa Yulo

Grade 11

Talia Abrahams, Jake Acquadro, Brendan Agliardo, Taylor Arnold, Olivia Basile, Adam Bigelow, Jennifer Brian, Patrick Budicini, Madeline Burns, Gwenyth Byrne, Julie Cahill, Courtney Carbone, Austin Carfi, Kendell Carlson, Anne-Marie Carruthers, Thomas Carvo, Robert Castle, Caroline Chapman, Ryan Chester, Stephen Clouse, Dante Cobelli, Matthew Colville, Margaret Comer, Mackenzie Cone, Michelle Cope, Brandon Cowen, William Crowley, Bridgitte Curnan, Alexandra DiGiacomo, Maria Dillon, John Diorio, Gabriella Dodd, Imogen Dodd, Allison Donnelly, Brendan Donnelly, Caroline Dranow, Kabir Dugal, Taran Dugal, Sarah Engelberg-Nolan, Nicholas Falkenberg, Emily Fitzgerald, Patrick Francis, Elizabeth Garlick, Amanda Gervais, Jordan Ghidossi, Carla Giannattasio, Olivia Gorski, Sonia Goswami, Leo Grizzaffi, Katherine Groves, Kathleen Gruendel, Peter Halmos, Andrew Harper, Emma Hergenrother, Julia Hinkle, Casey Ho, Seth Hochberg, John Hornig, Kyle Horsa, Alexandra Howell, Emma Hubler, Max Issokson, Ryan Johnson, Elisa Jonas, Harrison Jumper, Dolores Kane, Lina Kane, Nell Kane, Alana Keisling, Austin Kenyon, Emily Kerr, Hannah Kim, Lorenzo Kinnicutt, Rachel Kisken, Kristofer Klemm, Edward Lavelle, Harrison Levesque, Ally Livingston, Addison Llanos, Elizabeth Lordi, Mia Lott, Casey MacDonald, Alexander Marshall, Colleen McCarthy, Mary McCue, Meaghan McGowan, Daniel Mines, Brielle Moro, Andrew Morrison, Siqiao Mu, Drew Mullin, Melissa Murphy, Allyson Myers, Brian Nelson, Michael O’Brien, Natalie Parker, Omar Pasha, William Peters, Robert Philbin, John Pieterse, Harrison Porter, Margot Racy, Hannah Rapaglia, Emily Robertson, Brendan Ruberry, Miles Russo, Liv Schoenbeck, Danielle Schwartz, Jacquelyn Schwartz, Skylar Shafer, Kathryn Shea, Michael Shofi, Rebekah Silver, Gunnar Smith, Harry Smolin, Jenny Stevens, Colin Storm, Jeffrey Storm, Angela Sun, Luke Tannenbaum, Owen Tortora, Jackson Turek, Matthew Wilson, Sarah Wilson, Georgianna Wood, Kimberly Wroblewski, Athena Zacharakos, Emma Zachary

Grade 12

Elizabeth Angi, Hanna Arfine, Gretchen Ball, William Baughman, Andrea Bedard, Georganna Benedetto, Sarah Blumrich, Emily Borrello, Sarah Bracken, Christopher Brown, Elizabeth Browne, Craig Burke, Julia Carboni, Melissa Carpenter, Alyssa Cataldo, Matthew Chittenden, Christopher Cocchi, Stephanie Colao, Michael Colin, Jenna Columbia, Andrew Cooper, Claire Cordano, Joseph Coyle, Jaclyn D’Ambrosio, Beatrix Dalton, Adam Davidovich, Sophia Davis, Vasyl Davydov, Maxwell Day, Randy Deng, Cathryn Depuy, Kyle Duke, Allyson Ehrlickman, Zachary Fogg, Benjamin Freed, Julia Garbow, Paul Garlick, Emma Gengo, Brett Getz, Travis Gordon, Juliana Guzy, Margaret Harris, Grace Heller, Liane Keegans, Ryan Kendrick, Samantha Kiernan, Avesh Krishna, William Kutler, Austin Langer, Kristen Li, Margaret Lindenburg, Shane Luery, Claire MacMillan, Grace Maglieri, Grace Marra, Jack Maydan, Lakin McEvoy, Kaitlin McMahon, Hannah Mercorella, Ian Meyers, Olivia Miloro, Erin Molyneaux, Skylar Morley, Shayla Morris, Brooke Murad, David Nica, Julian Pagliuco, Nicolette Pavain, Madison Perrott, Alessandra Petrazzini, Samantha Petrazzini, Allison Petty, William Poundstone, Bridget Redmond, Sarah Searfoss, Kathleen Seavy, Jordan Segalman, Douglas Shea, Emma Shickell, Grace Shyer, Alison Sicinski, Kiran Singh-Smith, Jordan Smith, Samuel Smith, John Stamatis, Nicole Syrotiak, Jacinta Utubor, Madeleine Van Meter, Rebecca Vandervoorn, Kristin Von Ohlsen, Abigail von Recklinghausen, Timothy Walsh, Marlee Wasserman, Samantha Watts, Eliza Wendel, William Winders, Lisa Xiao, Nancy Zhou,

Honors

Grade 9

Michael Aaron, Kevin Andros, Kevin Arnold, Elizabeth Barton, Stephanie Bittick, Annie Boscia, Shane Bowler, Oliver Bradburn, Nicholas Bradley, Carrie Broder, Alexandra Brown, Brendan Burke, Alden Burns, Emily Carr, Destiny Chang, John Christman, Colin Cobb, Domenika Coku, Alexander Colon, Peter Columbia, Samantha Comis, Amanda Condron, Aubrey Conklin, Fiona Cooper, Lien Corley, Maxwell Cumming, Catherine D’Jay, Gehrig Daly, Sophia DeAngelis, James DeMatteo, Noah Decaminada, Jason Donovan, Marlee Dubin, Jaime Dunn, George Edwards, Iman Farah, Brendan Ferguson, Carolyn Feurman, Daniel Feygin, Noah Fitzgerald, Mackenzie Fitzpatrick, Eleanor Forbis, Kylie Formisano, Angela Franciosa, Ty Fujitani, Taryn Gibson, Sarah Gillis, Alexander Glass, Jakob Goodwin, Sebastian Guccione, Georgina Hardiman, Daniel Harrington, Alaina Harris, Noah Havasi, Emily Hawker, Paige Hearon, Jack Hicks, Kathleen Hoban, Natasha Hoffner, Valentina Janerico, Kevin Johnson, Elizabeth Kaiser, Hannah Kaufman, Amanda Kelly, Derek Kendall, Paul Kim, Fiona Klotz, Louisa Knapp, Chloe Kubrin, Garrett Levine, John Liguori, Mukyu Lim, Matthew Lombardo, Thomas Lombardozzi, Alexander Lust, Matthew MacGregor, Ryan Malley, William Malwitz, Benjamin Mardis, Paul McCarthy, Quinn McDonald, Delia McInerney, Pierce McKinley, Jeremy Meyers, Camila Morgan, Patrick Moroney, Nicole Nielsen, Carter Ogden, Patrick Ogden, Kaitlyn Palumbo, Oona Pecson, Margaret Peters, Natalia Piwko, Nicole Potel, Lauren Prisco, Molly Reiss, Mckenzie Rinke, Callista Ruddy, Nicholas Salazar, Alyse Santella, Benjamin Sasse, Stephen Scribner, Caleigh Shields, Trinity Shinsky, James Siano, Madeleine Siegel, Kieran Smith, Julian Spagnolo, Tracey Stafford, Connor Stevenson, Mathew Szpakowski, Lily Tango, Alice Townsend, Michael Turner, Niels van Beek, Schuyler Van den Nieuwenhuizen, Margaret Vanni, Sophia Viola, Eric von Recklinghausen, Jesse Walker, Dylan Weaver, Julia West, Megan Williams, Andrew Wilson, Julia Wilson

Grade 10

Christina Anderson, Caroline Andrews, Zachery Azzara, Daniel Behnke, Camryn Bell, Kayla Bell, Robert Bello, Madison Bloechle, Mathew Bornstein, Jessica Boxer, Evan Brenner, Connor Bryant, Lindsley Burke, Haakon Burns, Jonas Chang, William Christensen, Michele Ciaccia, Robert Cohen, Grace Collins, Grace Courtney, Liam Courtney, Brenna Creamer, Lauren Cushman, Maxwell Davis, Sydnie DeMarco, Burke Depuy, Katie Dimm, Georgia Dodd, Henry Droher, Caroline Dyson, Lauren Dyson, Catherine Edwards Van Muijen, Zachary Esemplare, Sarah Ford, Andrew Fowler, Abigail Freeman, William Frossell, Ryen Fujitani, Sarah Furfaro, Lucas Furneri, Julia Gerber, Benjamin Giangrasso, Peter Guasti, Hailey Guerra, Daryn Harris, Katelyn Hellrigel, Evan Hogan, Colin Hughes, Carina Hung, Ethan Hynes, Daniel Ignatowich, Rianna Iorillo, Joshua Isaac, Ruby Isley, Desmond Kager, Jordan Kegler, Calvin Keller, Megan Keough, Anna Kesten, Eleanor Keyes, Mikaela Kiernan, Griffin King, Robert Kinsman, Emma Kirchner, Caitlin Kissell, Sarah Klotz, Nile Korobkov, Benjamin Kotlov, Jennifer Kramer, Neel Kumar, Madeline Kutler, Corinne LaManna, Caroline Lanzarone, Emily Laramie, Hannah Latorre, Charles Leckie, Catherine Li, Collin Lowe, Abigayle Lunsford, John Lynch, Thomas MacMannis, John Maguire, Isabella Maisonet, Jacqueline Mandel, Mikaela Markham, Giselle Mateos, Andrew Mathes, Jack McGeary, Thomas McKee, Kevin McSpedon, Aidan Meachem, Daniel Mellinger, Andrew Mercorella, Julia Middlebrook, Stacey Misaray, Courtney Mitten, Kristina Mitten, Riley Morrison, Colin Motill, Eve Nastasi, Molly Nethercott, Joseph Newborn, Julia O’Malley, Shane Palmer, Nicholas Patterson, Danielle Pfleger, Laura Piazza, Brogan Quick, Liam Riebling, Kevin Riley, Victoria Rusinko, Caroline Rychlik, Peter Rychlik, Sara Santisi, Kevin Santoro, Matthew Sigworth, Jacob Skare, Rose Staudt, Erik Sullivan, Caeleigh Tannian, John Thrasher, Andrew Tran, MacKenzie Tunnard, Matteo van Wees, Sara Vivian, McKinley Walsh, Philip Wax, Brian Weaton, Carly Wein, Natalie Whitton, Brandon Wong, Jack Zangre

Grade 11

Oluwadamisi Adetona, Gabriel Altopp, Christina Alvarez, Garrett Amill, Steven Arditti, Isabella Arms, Sarah Atterbury, Matteo Avellini, John Balsamo, William Barth, Matthew Bartolucci, Sarah Battipaglia, Tierney Beauregard, Spencer Benedetto, Elizabeth Berta, Liam Birmingham, Rachel Black, Morgan Bohrer, Charles Bonaparte, Paul Bova, William Brady, Emily Brand, Caitlyn Brandon, Emily Browne, Grace Burns, Christina Buzzeo, Nicola Campos, Nicholas Carey, Avary Carlson, Natalie Carnazza, Toni Chadwell, Dylan Chelednik, Micah Collins, Delaney Conlan, James Conley, Emily Connett, Courtney Connors, Catherine Crespo, Sean Culhane, James Cutolo, Kennedy Cutter, Matthew David, Colin Donnelly, Kaitlyn Donovan, Richard Donovan, Alexa Dragon, Ameesha Dugal, Denzel Dy, Carolina Echeverri, Chloe Edwards, Gwendolyn Ellis, Steven Everett, Armand Fabbri, Hannah Finn, Morgan Fischer, Kenneth Fitzpatrick, Megan Fowler, Siera Fregosi, Mark Galione, Carly Gillman, Gregory Girolamo, Richard Gordon, Brian Grevers, Olivia Grossman, Alexandra Guarino, Emma Hackett, Toby Hardiman, Alexander Harmon, Anna Healy, Matthew Hemley, Jackson Hinds, Megan Hoban, Chelsea Hopper, Jennifer Houser, Meghan Hyatt, Joseph Irwin, Ryan Johanson, Ryan Johnston, Kathryn Jordan, Justin Joyce, Bret Kaser, Ryan Kelly, Alec Knupp, Bailey Lachemann, Rebecca Lawrence, Timothy Lenz, Chase Levesque, Kate Lindenburg, Ian Locascio, Sarah Loughran, Taylor Lust, Edward Lynch, Richard MacGregor, Brian Maher, Navin Mani, Erika Marr, Anna-Sophie Massek, Kyle McCormick, Lindsay Melagrano, Maximilian Meyer, Mikhaela Miller, Shannon Mohr, Rebecca Moroknek, Jeffrey Mosia, Alec Mullin, Victoria Nazworth, Charlotte Nelson, Tal Nizan, Andrew Northcutt, Hannah Nossan, John O’Connor, Nicholas Palazzo, Brendan Pallant, Justin Pan, Adrianna Pappas, Jonathan Passman, Sarah Patafio, Austin Pavone, Claire Phelan, Leah Phelan, Tatiana Pisoni, Isabella Rendon, Emily Riina, Andrew Rizzo, Emma Rosenblatt, Kira Rosencrans, Jordan Roth, Justin Russo, Michelle Salzbrunn, Noah Sasse, Gursimar Sawhney, Jennifer Schwartz, Aspen Shafer, Matthew Shirvell, Taren Siano, Casey Snow, Sofie Sogaard, Paul Standish, John Steer, Leanne Steinowitz, Samantha Stockel, Amanda Stucki, Claire Taben, Michael Taben, Nina Taubes, Henry Thomas, Lindsay Valente, Emma van Beek, Lucas Vergara, Lindsay Voves, Alexander Walker, Sterling Walkup, Claire Watsik, Kimberly Weinstock, Jack Weston, Caleb Wilfinger, Brandon Ye, Jacqueline Yeranossian, Ryan Young, William Zieman

Grade 12

John Ahern, Daniel Albano, Michele Ascenzi, Timothy Barton, Kevin Batti, Alexandra Bellusci, Siena Boccuzzi, Sage Bornstein, Allegra Boylan, Danielle Brewi, Cavan Briody, Matthew Bruehlman, Nicholas Bryant, Catherine Buczek, Cole Butchen, Allison Callanan, Clarissa Campos, Ryan Carey, Madison Carroll, Emily Cartwright, Jackson Cherner, Amanda Cohen, Caitriona Collins, Michael Collins, Rachel Corry, Clint Corso, Michaela Coughlin, Elizabeth D’Aiuto, Jenna Denis, Zachary Devine, Matthew DiNucci, Sara Donnelly, Carina Doyle, Qiyuan Fan, Steven Favorite, Haele Ferguson, Hannah Fleming, Alex Gabriele, Samuel Gallo, Austin Gilbert, Meredith Gillis, Laura Goodman, Janie Grossman, Amanda Guarino, Lauren Gunthner, Laura Gustafson, Julia Hall, Rhys Hall, Ryan Hallahan, Lilia Harrington, Marina Harris, Cameron Heap, James Hesemeyer, William Holzhauer, Deanna Houston, Grace Howley, Julia Isaac, Jonathan Jaffee, Eve Jeffries, Oliver Jones, Sophie Jones, Ciaran Kager, Sarah Kaiser, Matthew Keegans, Adam Kelemen, Dean Kisciras, Brittany Kouroupas, Caroline Kramer, Lauren Kudera, James Kuveke, Thomas Kwalwasser, Megan Kynast, Jacob Lantner, Megan Laslo, Gemma Lein-McDonough, Karl Liapunov, Stephanie Liem, Mark Liguori, Wright Lindgren, Zoe Lindwall, Amy Lucisano, Alexandra Magliulo, Brian Maguire, Kiana Maisonet, David Mason, Simon Mathias, Robert McCarthy, Ryan McSpedon, David Medina, Carly Mercede, Lily Meyers, Kathryn Middlebrook, Amanda Milot, Chelsea Morrison, Benjamin Muller, Heather Nichols, Mariana O’Brien, Claire O’Connor, Andrew Oakes, Christina Paccadolmi, Elizabeth Pagano, Alyssa Pagliuco, Julianne Papadopoulos, Nikhil Paranjape, Akshay Parikh, Nicole Parson, Jared Pass, Madison Pesce, Jacques Petrazzini, Lindsay Polo, Christopher Potter, Cailla Prisco, Ashlie Pysa, Alex Redmond, Connor Riley, Bailey Rivera, Nicholas Rogoff, Jyles Rupprecht, Annika Sabella, Alexandria Sabido, Nicole Sabovik, Paige Santiago, Allison Savino, Gurumeher Sawhney, Alec Schneider, Ryan Schwasnick, Emma Scott, William Senesac, James Sheridan, Olivia Simon, Clare Skillman, Liam Smith, Robert Smith, Kristian Sogaard, Laura Spearman, Jonathan Spicci, Isabel Stoddart, Brian Sulli, Stephen Thaxter, Katelyn Thuss, Caroline Treschitta, James Turner, Andrew Ventrella, Paul Volante, Kayleen Walter, Philippa Walton, Adrienne Watts, Rebecca Welter, Sophia Weston, Lillian Whitmore, Brendan Winne, Jade Woods, Rebecca Young

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Ian Porter, RHS ninth grader, and Megan McCaughey work on ‘compression’ in CPR training at the fire station on Catoonah Street Saturday, May 30. —Scott Mullin photo

Professional firefighters provided training to 15 leaders and young adults of Troop 431.

Students in the class learned how to help a victim of sudden cardiac arrest and practiced CPR techniques as well as how to use an automatic external defibrillator — an AED. The class was paid for by a donation from the Larry Reilly Law Firm as well as Ridgefield Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1739.

The Ridgefield Fire Department is a designated American Heart Association training site for CPR and advanced resuscitation for paramedics, doctors and nurses.

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Anna Stevens, left, with book editor Randie Creamer, high school intern Dan Albano and high school intern Sarah Wallace.

Ridgefield High School 2013 graduate Anna Stevens did not have to look beyond Ridgefield when she wanted to take up a summer internship in marketing to prepare for her junior year as a marketing major at Miami University in Ohio.

She was working at her part-time job at Deborah Ann’s Sweet Shoppe on Main Street downtown, when in through the door walked Randie Creamer, a local book editor, with a special marketing project.

The two connected and now Stevens’ intern project for the summer is to help promote an art competition among middle and high school students, to land the artwork assignments in a young adult action fantasy book series Creamer is editing.

Called the Stones of Saldea, by author Colin M. Vaughan, the book needs art for each chapter beginning and for the cover as well.

“The book is for a young adult audience, middle  to high school range, so I’m trying to get kids from that age group to get more involved in the book,” 19-year-old Stevens said.

The art work does not have to be Norman Rockwell level quality.

“It’s not perfect, it’s not amazing professional art, but it gets more kids involved in the book,” Stevens said.

The idea to get young people making the artwork for the book came when the daughter of the editor’s friend drew a picture of the kingdom depicted in the book, said Creamer, who lives in Ridgefield.

She showed the picture to the author and they decided right then that they had to have kids participating.

“Colin said, ‘oh my God, we have to put that in the book.’ That’s how it got started,” Creamer said.

“What a great way to showcase how talented kids can really be,” she said.

For information on the contest, see the website at stonesofsaldea.com. Digital art representations may be emailed to stonesofaldea@gmail.com.

There has already been one book in the series published, The Rebirth of Galadrin. Natalie Gaisser, a recent Ridgefield High School graduate, created the art for a chapter heading in the first book. Tina Kinsbourne, who attends East Ridge Middle School, also had art featured in the book.

The new book is a marketing assignment that has Stevens busy mostly with social media, reaching out to young people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other websites.

“I wanted an internship that was closer to home, because I didn’t want to pay for the train ride into New York for an internship that doesn’t pay,” said Stevens, who grew up in Ridgefield but recently moved with her family to Redding.

Marketing runs in the family, you could say. Her dad, Northern Ireland native Kieran Stevens, works in marketing, which Stevens defines as making products and services known, and performing research on their sales and market presence. Her mom, Jilly Stevens, is a teacher at Ridgefield Academy.

The family is originally from Northern Ireland, but Stevens lost her accent years ago. “I learned to talk a new way,” she said.

Marketing and advertising are all interconnected, but advertising is more like the commercials,” Stevens said.

“Sales is more direct, like getting into stores and reaching the consumer directly instead of making them aware of the product,” she said.

Stevens is fascinated by the prospects of a marketing career.

“You can do a lot of things in marketing. I could do whatever I wanted with it,” Stevens said.

She can change with the times.

“I can change my mind, it’s not set in stone,” she said.

On her summer marketing internship, she will tell young artists that they won’t be paid for their work, but they’ll receive professional credits in the book.

“It will be great for their résumés,” Stevens said.

“It is a great reference to have, to be published in a book.”

She knows Ridgefield is the right place to be for the book project.

“I love how we have a town center and everything is so close. It’s definitely an involved community. The library was willing to help, the Boys & Girls Club was willing to get more kids involved.”

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Casey Energy has recently gotten approvals to renovate its fuel depot facility on Bailey Avenue to bring it up to fire and safety codes, federal requirements, and environmental regulations for the containment of oil spills.

According to documents provided by the town Planning and Zoning Commission, the renovations will include the construction of concrete containment tubs around the property’s oil storage tank and the parking pad for Casey Energy’s fuel trucks. These tubs will help contain potential oil leaks. Additionally, Casey is installing a new underground oil and water separator at the property and making improvements to the drainage channel of the Bailey Avenue storm water system, which drains into the brook that runs in front of the Boys and Girls Club on Governor Street.

The renovations are projected for completion by late summer or early fall. “They’re working in the summer because the summer is their offseason,” said Director of Planning Betty Brosius. “Obviously, their most busy season is in the colder months, so they’re trying to get it done before then.”

Representatives for Casey Energy were not available to comment.

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Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys perform at the next CHIRP concert Tuesday, June 9, in Ballard Park. As always, the show starts at 7.

The recipients of many Grammy nominations over the last 25 years, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have a much deserved reputation for excellence. From their beginning they have gone from strength to strength and brought Cajun French music to the public’s attention worldwide. The band makes its first appearance at CHIRP on Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m., hopefully in Ballard Park but if the weather is inclement, The Ridgefield Playhouse. This concert has been made possible in part through the donation of the law firm of Cohen & Wolf  P.C.

Riley himself is the master of the Cajun accordion, which has a singularly powerful sound. His playing has become the standard by which timing, phrasing and ingenuity are measured on the button accordion. But that’s not all the skill he has. His searing emotional vocals, his songwriting and his soulful fiddling have made him a household name wherever Cajun music is played.

Riley and The Playboys, who include Kevin Wimmer on fiddle, Sam Broussard on guitar, Kevin Dugas on drums and Brazos Huval on bass, have just released an album called Voyageurs, which was reviewed this past week in Off Beat magazine. The reviewer wrote “Analysis aside, most listeners will simply marvel at how well the Mamou Playboys play together, and the resultant grooves and aesthetics created. It’s a deep listen with highlights too numerous to mention.” So put on your dancin’ shoes and get ready to two-step to one of the greatest masters of that great Louisiana Cajun sound. For more info on the band see mamouplayboys.com. For the latest information on CHIRP, “like” us at CHIRPCT on Facebook.

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It’s not a figment of anyone’s imagination that it’s harder to escape a parking ticket downtown than it was a couple of years ago.

A report from the Ridgefield Parking Authority shows that parking ticket violations have increased since the 2011-2012 year, when a total of 3,118 $15 tickets raised $33,936 for the town compared with 3,497 tickets raising $49,997 in 2013-2014.

The change is most noticeable in the back-to-school month of September, when there were 42 tickets totaling $775 in 2011-2012 and a dramatic increase of 307 tickets totaling $4,002 in 2013-2014.

The reason for the uptick in tickets is not so much that people are overstaying in the one-, two- and three-hour parking spaces more often, at the municipal parking lots on Bailey Avenue and Governor’s Lane. What’s actually happened is that the number of parking enforcement workers has increased, said Laurie Fernandez, the town’s human resources director, who manages the Parking Authority accounts.

The parking ticket totals include both the downtown and Branchville parking lots, she said.

“It looks like it’s a little higher this year, but that’s because we’ve had two consistent employees,” Fernandez said.

There are currently two part-time parking enforcement workers, providing full coverage Monday through Friday. There is no enforcement on weekends.

In 2011-2012, there was mostly just one part-time worker assigned to enforce the regulations.

There was no particular reason why the department was short one worker. “It was just regular turnover,” Fernandez said.

There’s free, all-day parking in the Governor Street lot between the Boys and Girls Club and the new RVNA construction site. —Jake Kara photo

One factoid not shown in the data is that the busiest day of the week, downtown parking-wise, is Tuesday, Fernandez said. That’s when municipal parking lots are most crowded with shoppers and people doing business at the banks downtown.

Why that is, she doesn’t know.

“Obviously on a snow day it’s slow but Tuesday year-round is consistent,” Fernandez said.

That is a mystery to longtime downtown business owner Deborah Ann  Backes, owner of Deborah Ann’s Sweet Shoppe on Main Street.

“I have not noticed that. It does surprise me,” Backes said.

She said parking has always been an issue for her customers downtown, even years ago when she was located in the CVS shopping center, also on Main Street, with a large parking lot.

“I’m sure people drive by without stopping when they can’t find a parking space,” Backes said.

In the long term, though, the downtown parking hasn’t hurt her business. She’s been open 17 years.

That says a lot because the slowest months for downtown parking are July and August, the peak of summer, according to Fernandez.

“It slows down in the summer because everyone is away,” Fernandez said.

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Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection reports that during the 2014 boating season, pumpout facilities removed a record level of 995,000 gallons of recreational marine sewage from vessels in Long Island Sound and Candlewood Lake.

“With this impressive record on the books, our sights in 2015 are set on the next milestone — one million gallons,” said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee.

For the 2015 boating season, 44 Connecticut marine facilities will receive $1,034,598.47 in funding under the DEEP’s annual Federal Clean Vessel Act program to provide boat sewage disposal facilities, more commonly known as pumpouts.

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The intense fire that resulted in the death of 78-year-old Sandra Reyes was isolated to one condo unit at Casagmo. —Macklin Reid photo

An energized halogen light next to bedding and cloth upholstery was the cause of the fire in April at 15 Cook Close, the Casagmo building, that resulted in the death of 78-year-old Sandra Reyes, according to fire officials.

Ridgefield Fire Marshal David Lathrop and the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit ruled that the fire was accidental.

It was “the result of an energized electrical appliance,” Lathrop said in a statement, describing a halogen light with a clip-on attachment that was clipped to a wooden table near an upholstered sofa and a full-size bed, on the first floor of the condominium.

Both the sofa and bed had bedding material and clothing on them, Lathrop said.

Reyes died at the Bridgeport Hospital Burn Unit of smoke inhalation and other injuries. Reyes’ son, Joseph Reyes, was also injured in the fire and treated at the Bridgeport burn unit.

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The Ballard Green Entertainment group will be presenting The Early Music Ensemble Group with singers whose range of voices span from soprano, alto, tenor and bass on Friday, June 12, at 4:30 at 25 Gilbert Street.

The Early Music Ensemble Group will be accompanied by harpsichord, piano and flute performing music from Handel, Purcell, Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Schultz, and Bach as well as those of the French, Spanish and English Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The Ensemble will be singing a number of French and Spanish songs of the Baroque era. The Ensemble has been formed from within The Schubert Club of Fairfield.

Early Music Ensemble includes Katherine Humphrey, soprano; Robert Puleo, tenor and artistic director; Jacqueline Steiner, alto; Michael Hull, baritone; Deborah Kahan, harpsichord; Susan Leigh Babcock, alto and tenor; Sylvia Corrigan, soprano; and Julie Statius Muller, soprano.

Puleo began his career as a boy soprano at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Spoleto Festival. He sang the role of Amahl with Menotti directing. A graduate of SUNY-Purchase, Puleo has also studied at the Britten-Pears Advanced School for Music and has performed with a number of small chamber and opera groups. He is the composer of the dramatic cantata Outcasts, and a musical for children based upon C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He has completed an opera based upon the life of St. Francis of Assisi, which received its world premiere in October 2001 with Crystal Opera in Norwalk. In 2002, he composed Cry of the Children, based upon poetry written by students at the UN International School in NYC.  He served as the artistic director of the chamber ensemble, Musica Plenti, for 24 years, and also as stage and musical director of Crystal Opera. He recently retired from teaching music for a number of years at P.S. 21 in the Bronx, N.Y.

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