Where do clothes go from Elm Street charity drop?

Written by Matt Dalen, Assistant Editor
Friday, 10 February 2012 00:00

It's been there for years: a large metal box in the Food Emporium parking lot, claiming that clothing placed in it will go to benefit "God's Property Inc.," "Helping recovering addicts & Christian rehab. center." But what actually happens to the clothing placed in it, and who does it benefit?

Many clothing donation bins are not exactly what they seem. Some, such as those which are labeled with the Red Cross logo, are often run by for-profit companies, which give a portion of their profits to the indicated charity.

Woman robbed on Millport Avenue Wednesday night

Written by Matt Dalen, Assistant Editor
Friday, 10 February 2012 10:14

A woman was robbed on Millport Avenue Wednesday night, police announced this morning.

According to police, the woman said that she had been leaving her vehicle at around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, Feb. 8, when a man approached her and demanded money. The man was holding a baseball bat and said he would hit her if she didn't give him the money, police said. When the woman told him that she didn't have any money, he grabbed a bag containing about $25 worth of candles from her vehicle and ran towards Lakeview Avenue, police said.

Bridgeport Diocese reacts to Egan: Abuse apology still stands

Written by Susan Shultz, Hersam Acorn Newspapers
Thursday, 09 February 2012 12:27

The Diocese of Bridgeport, which includes New Canaan’s St. Aloysius Roman Catholic, is distancing itself from comments made by its former leader, Cardinal Edward Egan, to Connecticut Magazine.

In the magazine’s February issue, Cardinal Egan, who left the Diocese of Bridgeport in 2002 to become Archbishop of New York, said he retracted his apology for sexual abuse that reportedly occurred in the diocese.

“I never should have said that. I did say if we did anything wrong, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we did anything wrong,” Egan said.

Brian Wallace, spokesman for the Diocese of Bridgeport and its current leader, Bishop William E. Lori, told the Advertiser’s sister paper, The Darien Times, that “our apology stands. There’s no denial it happened, and it was a tragedy.”

Platz brings case for third building inspector to finance board

Written by Matt Dalen, Assistant Editor
Thursday, 09 February 2012 00:00

One of the biggest questions in this year's town budget is one of staffing: Given that the number of building projects is nearly back to where it was before the recession, should the town reinstate the third full-time building inspector position which was eliminated when the economy tanked? While Chief Building Officer Brian Platz has strongly championed the reinstated position, he was unable to convince a majority on the Board of Selectmen that the position was necessary — they chose to instead fund more part-time work — and is now attempting to convince the Board of Finance.

"[Looking at] when we were at our busiest, about five years ago, we are not far from those numbers," Platz told selectmen. "A third full-time inspector would put us at the level of service where we need to be, even without Grace Church."

Hundreds take part in superintendent search process

Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick, Editor
Thursday, 09 February 2012 00:00

An educator with classroom experience, one with integrity, one who can support and challenge teachers and can prepare students for the global economy — these are among the qualities the New Canaan community would like to see in a successful superintendent candidate, according to the results of the online survey and information obtained through focus groups held in early January.

As the Superintendent Search Committee zeroes in on a candidate pool to replace Dr. David Abbey, who is retiring after nine years at the end of this school year, it will use these survey results to form interview questions. The results have been compiled into a report issued last week by the district's superintendent search firm, which is available here.

Stories and features in this week's New Canaan Advertiser

Thursday, 09 February 2012 05:00

Here are some of the stories and features in this week’s New Canaan Advertiser, out today:

Governor Malloy outlines state budget agenda

Wednesday, 08 February 2012 13:34

Governor Dannel Malloy today outlined his vision for Connecticut, maintaining his recent efforts to stabilize the state's finances and continueing to pursue his job-creation policies. The Governor also announced the final part of his education reform agenda – an overhaul of the state's tenure system that the governor said is designed to reward quality teachers, not just those who have been in the profession the longest.

Download a copy of his full budget address.

Download information on Malloy's proposed tenure reform package.

"Throughout [our] history, when we were at our best, we were leaders," Malloy said during today's State of the State address. "We led the way for a young nation as it constructed the principles that would eventually become the Constitution of the United States, a set of principles that has long been the envy of other nations, and that still guides us today.

New Canaan police union votes to accept contract offer

Written by Matt Dalen, Assistant Editor
Tuesday, 07 February 2012 12:31

Two years of negotiations may be over. Five months after rejecting a proposed contract, the New Canaan police union Monday night voted 30 to seven to approve a revised union contract proposal. The contract, which would be retroactive to July 2010, must now be approved by the Town Council, which is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 22.

"The good news is that, after a long, long effort, the police and the town of New Canaan right now are in agreement on a contract moving forward," said First Selectman Rob Mallozzi III.

Extra trains running for Giants victory parade

Monday, 06 February 2012 13:54

Metro-North is adding extra trains Tuesday, Feb. 7, to accommodate New York Giants fans traveling to New York City for the team’s victory parade.
The Super Bowl champions will be honored with a ticker tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Meet cats of 'all colors and ages' at Strays & Others adoption day

Monday, 06 February 2012 00:00

Strays & Others of Fairfield County will sponsor a feline-only adoption day on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Best Friends Pet Care, located at 526 Main Avenue (Route 7) in Norwalk (directly next to the Department of Motor Vehicles) and all of Willie's friends will be there. (Willie is a widely popular, orange kitten who was recently rescued from a kill shelter and adopted into a loving home.)

"Come share a catnip kiss with Willie's friends and make this Valentine's Day an especially loving one for a kitten or cat without a home," said Strays & Others Founder and President Claudia Webber of New Canaan.