Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday evening to have a March 13 standalone referendum for Ridgefield's voters to decide whether the town should contribute $5 million on top of a promised $15 million donation to go ahead with the Ridgefield Library Assoc
After several years of funding requests and a subsequently rigorous campaign to secure donations, a $20 million library renovation in Ridgefield is one step closer to breaking ground. The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday evening to have a March 13 standalone referendum for Ridgefield's voters to decide whether the town should contribute $5 million on top of a promised $15 million donation to go ahead with the Ridgefield Library Association's plans for renovating the existing building. First Selectman Rudy Marconi and Selectmen Andrew Bodner and Maureen Kozlark voted in favor of the early referendum, while Selectwoman Barbara Manners voted against having the vote in March. Selectwoman Di Masters abstained due to a possible conflict of …
Gov. Dannel Malloy keyed in on education during his 'state of the state' speech.
Asking for boldness and big ideas, Gov. Dannel Malloy, urged lawmakers and business owners to come together and commit to “nothing less than a full-scale economic revival.” One of the main elements of Malloy’s plan involves reforming schools to allow incentives for the best teachers, to restructure tenure so that it has to be continually earned and to provide more money to troubled schools “Today tenure is too easy to get and too hard to take away,” he said in prepared statements made available to the press. “I propose we do it a different way. I propose we hold every teacher to a standard of excellence.” Under his proposed $128 million education agenda, 80 percent would go to the worst districts. In order for the schools to get the money…
Your daily interactive digest for all Ridgefield scores and standings and a place to add information and images for all youth sports
Editor's Note: Send any write-ups on youth or recreational games in your town to michaeld+sports@patch.com The Ridgefield High School boys hockey team maintained possession of the Winter Garden Cup in convincing fashion Wednesday. Sean Wilkinson scored four goals as the Tigers rolled to a 7-0 victory over Wilton in the fourth annual game at the Winter Garden Arena. Wilkinson had a natural hat trick - three straight goals - for the second-ranked Tigers, who improved to 14-1 following their 14th consecutive victory. Ridgefield also improved to 4-0 against Wilton since the inaugural Winter Garden Cup game in 2009. Jack Tregurtha, Jack Christensen and Terry Guider also scored for the Tigers, who are battling Darien for the top seed in the …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The best of today's comments from Patch account-holders in your town and neighboring communities.
STAMFORD: "The elderly should not have to pay anything to use the beaches, they helped build this country and now they should be able to appreciate it and use it. In some cities they have Oxygen Yoga programs (see the book 'Oxygen Yoga: A Spa Universe') for seniors on the beach for free. It is easy and something they can all do. Please give them a break." This is one reader's response to the Board of Representatives' decision to not increase the beach parking permit fee by $10. TRUMBULL: "Is there documentation somewhere that validates this assumption that sewer usage is increased when one has a pool? First, homeowners with pools that have a sand filter are required to dig a dry well to accommodate backwashing. The rest of us have …
The proposal will be included in the governor's legislative package for the upcoming 2012 regular session of the General Assembly.
Gov. Dannel Malloy announced on Tuesday a proposal to eliminate 25 of Connecticut's Boards and Commissions in an effort to shrink the size of its government, according to a statement released by his office. “Over the years when these boards and commissions were first created by statute, most of them served a worthwhile purpose for their time, however many either no longer fit today’s needs, or their functions can be or already are served by another state body that already exists,” Malloy said in the statement. “It’s incumbent upon us from time-to-time to review and reconsider whether these state boards and commissions are still serving their original purpose, are duplicative, or have completed their tasks.” The Adult Literacy Leadership …
The project approved earlier by the Planning and Zoning Commission (with modifications) entered the spotlight once again Tuesday evening.
A 16-unit affordable housing project would have been too much, the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed. A 12-unit project would have been too little, the applicant said. Is a 14-unit project the answer for N. Salem Rd.? In what has become an extremely complex and detail-laden process for both the P&Z Commission and the Eppoliti Realty Co. applicant, the proposed affordable housing project for 7 and 9 N. Salem Rd. is still mired in layers of complications regarding wetlands, drainage, setbacks, traffic and a heap of red tape. The commission approved the project in November with the caveat that modifications be made to the application -- the originally proposed 16-unit project would need to be cut down to 12 units to account for issues …
Sports: Bigger than politics, war, world economics and even religion?
Boy, do I have quite a hangover! You know when you overindulge and forget your limits, and then go out with a big bang? The following day it sure is a rough road to recuperation, with the after-effects lingering for days. I feel like I’ve just been put through the ringer. Think I’m talking about alcohol? Think again. I’m talking about the headache I still have from the Super Bowl. Like many people, we celebrated with friends and the party boasted great food, great conversation and a lot of spirit. Even the kids got into it, filling out their ballots for game trivia and cheering just as loudly in their Giants jerseys. But the game wasn’t even the half of it. The buildup to Sunday seemed never ending. Supermarkets overflowed with football …
Your daily interactive digest for all Ridgefield scores and standings and a place to add information and images for all youth sports
Editor's Note: Send any write-ups on youth or recreational games in your town to michaeld+sports@patch.com Jack Heller scored a career-high 18 points Tuesday as the Ridgefield High School boys basketball team cruised to a 66-41 victory over Trumbull. The Tigers, who boast the FCIAC's second-best record, improved to 13-2 overall and 11-2 in conference play. Trumbull dropped to 7-8 and 6-7. Kurt Steidl also scored 18 points for Ridgefield while Seth von Kuhn added 14. The Tigers built a 20-12 lead after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 35-25 at the intermission. Ridgefield then out away the game by outscoring the Eagles 15-7 in the third quarter to take a 50-32 margin into the final period. Mike Yerina kept Trumbull in the …
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The best of today's comments from Patch account-holders in your town and neighboring communities.
FAIRFIELD: "Where are the OCCUPIERS??? We've identified Fairfield's ONE PERCENT!" This is one reader's response to an article listing the town's highest paid employees. NEW CANAAN: "How about 'Wuthering Heights?' That's too great a book to just be a girl thing." This is one reader's response to a "Local Voices" post by blogger Mike McAteer about his favorite literary characters. RIDGEFIELD: "There you go, Gals ... Science has put an end to that potential secret ..." This is one reader's response to the state Supreme Court's ruling that a Middletown man could proceed with a lawsuit seeking $190,000 in damages from a Ridgefield man in a rare paternity case. SHELTON: "Unfortunately in the economy right now, parents are having to make choices …
The fourth annual game will be played on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Winter Garden Arena
The fourth annual Winter Garden Cup, featuring the boys hockey teams from Ridgefield and Wilton, is set for Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Winter Garden Arena. Ridgefield has won the three previous games, including a 4-2 victory last season. Ranked second in the state, the Tigers (13-1) again will be the favorite in this year's clash as they have won 13 straight games since a season-opening 3-0 loss to top-ranked Fairfield Prep. However, Wilton has been on a tear since opening the season at 0-7, winning six of its last seven games to improve to 6-8. The Warriors, who are coming off a solid 3-0 victory over St. Joseph on Saturday, visit Stamford on Tuesday (4:30 p.m at the Terry Conners Rink) before the showdown against the Tigers. A win over …
