Danbury Mayor Dean Espositio has presided over his City Council meeting.  Usually 30 minutes are set aside for members of the public to address items on the agenda.  One man started speaking about the Public Works Department report and the flooding issue at West Street, but Esposito stopped him noting that speaking is only allowed on specific items and not the reports. 

The resident called that a vast departure from prior administrations. 

Another resident then tried to talk about the Public Health Department report and homelessness, but again was cut off. 

No one else stood up to talk. 

Councilman Joe Cavo was presented with a plaque last night in recognition of his service as Mayor.  He stepped up into the position when former Mayor Mark Boughton left for a state job.  Cavo was elected as City Councilman at large last month. 

The Council also appointed a new chief of staff in the Mayor's office, a position previously held by Mayor Dean Esposito.  Roger Palanzo was confirmed to the role.  He was serving as Economic Development Director for the City.

Danbury has held a Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day ceremony.  State Department of Veteran Affairs Commissioner Tom Saadi delivered the keynote address at the ceremony, organized by the Marine Corps League Hat City Detachment. Two Danbury World War II Veterans, Julius Demo and John Emond, attended the service marking 80 years since the Japanese attack on U.S. Forces at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.  The names of the fallen from Connecticut were read aloud during yesterday's ceremony at the Danbury War Memorial.

The Kent Board of Selectmen will now hold bimonthly meetings.  This was proposed by First Selectman Jean Speck during the campaign.  She was elected to another term in a 4-way race last month.  Starting in 2022 the Kent Board of Selectmen will meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. The first meeting of the month will be at 4pm and the second meeting will be at 6:30pm. Speck says the goal is to make it convenient for the public to attend the meetings.

The current Henry Abbott Technical High School School Resource Officer and the two previous SROs have presented a couple students with a gift from The Reach Foundation for the annual Shop with A Cop event.  State Police say the two students exemplify the values of Abbott Tech and the Reach Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 to help children in need - physically, socially, and financially. 

State Police did not hold their traditional Shop with a Cop event due to the pandemic, but say they were pleased to still be able to make the kids' holidays special.  The REACH Foundation was originally established to financially aid educational scholarships, continued education and training for educators, unique and beneficial educational programs, and programs that encourage social and responsibility in and out of the classroom.

Members of the Danbury Fire Department Union Local 801 have delivered their annual “Angel tree” presents to the Danbury Salvation Army. Every year Local 801 members sponsor area children to ensure they receive Christmas presents. This year Local 801 members sponsored 95 children. Included with the toys are warm jackets and clothing to keep them warm.

The Carmel High School Rams have won the New York state football championship.  The team was undefeated all season and beat their semifinal rivals, Buffalo’s Bennett Tigers, in Syracuse on Saturday to cap the Class AA Championship title. It is the first time the Carmel Rams, or any team from Putnam County, has won the state championship.  A parade is being held this Saturday to celebrate the team.  The Putnam County Championship Parade Committee, made up of Carmel High School graduates and community leaders, is organizing the event. Saturday’s parade will start at 11am at Reed Memorial Library and continue to the Historic Putnam County Courthouse. 

New Milford Community Ambulance recently discovered a break-in of the storage shed at their Headquarters located on Scovill Street. Four Mercedes Ambulance rims with snow tires were stolen.  New Milford Police say the exact date of the theft is unknown, but it is believed to have happened sometime near the end of October.  New Milford Community Ambulance is a volunteer ambulance organization, formed in 1929.  Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Officer Descoteaux at 860-355-3133 ext. 2486.

Human skeletal remains have been found in Southbury.  State Police Western District Major Crime Squad says the discovery  in a wooded area near Berkshire Road came during a search for a 63-year-old man, who has been missing since April.  Police planned to search after the leaves fell. 

The remains have not yet been identified. 

State Police say the investigation into Mark Gasso’s disappearance is ongoing.  He failed to show up to work on April 19th and a coworker called Police to conduct a well being check at his Berkshire Road home.  The man's truck was in the driveway, the door was unlocked, the shower was on and his cell phone and wallet were found in the home.  Police say there were no apparent signs of a struggle inside the dwelling. 

Yesterday's search involved State Police Emergency Services Search & Rescue K9 Unit and Dive Team, FBI Task Force officers, Southbury police and detectives for the Naugatuck Police Department.

A tip called in on Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something Anonymous Reporting System flagged a teenager’s threat against a northern Indiana school this week.  Police confirmed that a youth who was separated from school is under investigation by both law enforcement and school officials. The Portland Indiana Superintendent says there's no evidence that there was either was a plan in motion or the means to carry that out, but Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something system was highly useful.  The Say Something System allows anyone to submit secure, anonymous safety concerns to help someone who may hurt themselves or others via a Website, 24/7 Crisis Hotline or Mobile App.

Ridgefield officials say between Friday and Sunday 15 new positive COVID-19 cases were entered into the Connecticut Department of Public Health system.  First Selectman Rudy Marconi says all of the positive cases were of people who were unvaccinated, but vaccine eligible.  Only 4 of the 15 cases were school age, the rest were adults.  Meanwhile in New Milford, another 8 COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday.  Mayor Pete Bass is again urging people to get vaccinated or a booster if eligible, and to get tested if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

In a report to the Danbury City Council, Health Director Kara Prunty reported that there are currently 13 COVID-19 related hospitalizations at Greater Danbury area hospitals. The City has a COVID-19 infection rate, as of November 29th, of 2.8 percent and the 14-day running average is 7.5 cases per 100,000 population.  About 66.2 percent of the Danbury population is fully vaccinated and 74.6 percent have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine. 

The Danbury Health Department is hosting COVID-19 Vaccine clinics for children aged 5 to 11 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm at 132 Main Street in Danbury. The Danbury Health Department is also collaborating with Griffin Health and Community Health Center to host a winter-themed COVID-19 Vaccine clinic on December 11th from 10am to 1pm at the War Memorial for children ages 5 to 18.

Appointments are not necessary.

New signs are going up at Bethel school playgrounds.  Some of them will say that dogs are not permitted and that police will take notice.  Superintendent Christine Carver says this is being done for a couple of reasons.  While the district doesn't mind people walking dogs around the school campus, she notes that it is not a dog park.  The new playground at the recently renovated Rockwell School is  fenced in and Carver says some people have let their dogs off-leash, and haven't cleaned up after their pets.  Carver says all of the playgrounds are now under video surveillance.  The playgrounds and basketball courts will now be closing at sunset.  She says they want the community to enjoy the resources, but some people aren't being respectful of the new equipment.  Carver notes that they will have police monitor the school campus to protect the district's assets for the long term.

The Danbury City Council held an organizational meeting last night.  Members elected a Council President and on a partly line vote elected incumbent Republican Council President Vinny DiGilio.  He thanked his colleagues and acknowledged Democrat Farley Santos for throwing his hat in the ring.  The Council also set dates for their meetings for the next two years.  At their planning meeting last night, Councilman Ben Chianese questioned why the November 2022 meeting wasn't going to be held on its typical Tuesday night.  It was noted that the change to Wednesday the 2nd would be to prevent people form travelling to City Hall for caucus meetings when Deer Hill Avenue is closed for Halloween.  Councilman Emile Buzaid, a Deer Hill Avenue resident, noted that between 4:30pm to 9pm last Halloween there were 4,500 people on Deer Hill.

There was an early morning fire at a townhouse in Danbury.  Firefighters responded to South Street between Town Hill Avenue and Triangle Street around 5:30am and quickly extinguished the flames.  No injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Danbury Fire Marshal's Office and is undetermined at this time.

The Carmel High School Rams have won the New York state football championship.  The team was undefeated all season and beat their semifinal rivals, Buffalo’s Bennett Tigers, on Saturday to cap the Class AA Championship title. It is the first time the Carmel Rams, or any team from Putnam County, has won the state championship.

An Eversource contractor is making repair at the Rail Trail in Ridgefield.  They are using heavy equipment at specific sections of the Rail Trail for the work, which started yesterday.  The portions of the trail blocked off from recreational users during the work include West of the Ivy Hill Road intersection adjacent to monopole 3305, East of Ivy Hill Road between monopoles 3300 and 3299, further east of Ivy Hill Road near monopole 3299 and further east of Ivy Hill Road between 72 Nutmeg Ridge and 72 Florida Hill Road near monopole 3298.

93 percent of Danbury school district employees are fully vaccinated.  133 staff members are in the mandatory testing pool.  The state mandate for vaccination or testing went into effect 7 weeks ago.  The Newstimes reports that staff have been placed on unpaid leave 118 times for failing to turn in their COVID-19 test results on time, with a vast majority for only one day.  The Director of Human Resources said in the published report that the failure was because the results didn't come back or they tested too close to the deadline.  No Danbury school district employees have been terminated due to the state mandate and none are going through the termination process. Hearst Connecticut Media reports that extended learning and early childhood staff were placed on leave 57 times while lunch staff had 28 leaves.

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz performed the official swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Bethel officials last night. The oath of office was also administered to First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker by Bysiewicz.  His running mate, Selectman Rich Straiton, and Republican Brian Terzian make up the 3-member Board of Selectmen.

Following his election last month, Terzian resigned from the Board of Finance creating a vacancy.  The Bethel Republican Town Committee recommended former state Representative Dan Carter fill the role.  Another resident, Nick Hoffman, approached the Board of Selectmen to be appointed to the role.  The former Board of Education member was unaffiliated until last month, but registered as a Republican with the Town Clerk on November 9th. 

Knickerbocker recommended that Hoffman be appointed to fill the vacancy, which prompted a strong negative reaction from outgoing GOP Selectman Paul Szatkowski, the newly elected Town Treasurer. 

Knickerbocker says Carter is highly qualified, is highly respected and served admirably.  But he says Hoffman has more experience with town government having also served on two Charter Revision Commissions, including once as chairman.  Hoffman holds a Masters degree in public administration and has extensive experience in public sector budgeting. 

The Board of Selectmen voted 2 to 1 to appoint Hoffman to the vacancy on the Board of Finance.

A discarded piece of paper was found at Newtown High School with what district officials described as a concerning reference to the shooting at Sandy Hook School.  But the principal says police and the administration conducted a thorough investigation and deemed that no credible threat to staff or students existed. 

Police will have an increased presence at Newtown High School out of an abundance of caution.  This comes amid threats made to multiple school districts in recent days across the state, and increased concerns following a recent shooting at a Michigan high school that left several students dead. Prior to the paper being found, Newtown Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue said they would have support staff and administrative teams available for those who might be struggling with recent events or the approaching Sandy Hook anniversary.

Bethel Superintendent Christine Carver sent a letter to parents noting that teachers will be attending a training today called ‘Lessons Learned from Parkland.’  They'll discuss warning signs, profiles of potential aggressors, and proactive strategies to provide students with interventions.  Bethel is also developing school-wide climate and security plans.

Nuvance Health is hosting a Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital Community Forum tonight.  Those attending the virtual event will learn about the latest developments at the hospital and hear an update on the affiliation that created Nuvance Health.  The independent monitor engaged by Nuvance Health will be present to report on its review of compliance with the affiliation agreement issued by Connecticut's Office of Health Strategy.  Hospital leadership will present a virtual community report that includes information on services.  The Zoom webinar is from 5:30 to 7pm. 

Two men have been arrested for attempting to use a fake Rhode Island license and a fake credit card to defraud someone.  State Police were dispatched to a Chase Bank on Main Street South in Southbury last Monday on a report of a possible fraud in progress. Southbury Emergency Dispatch reported that two black males were in the lobby and that the staff of other branches of Chase Bank had flagged the men as acting suspicious.  44-year old Conrad Carvey of Oakville was attempting to use the fake credentials to link the victim's account to that of 28-year old Victor Ventura's.  Once the accounts were linked, the money could have been funneled from the victim's account into the Waterbury man's.  Both men said they were being paid by a third party and had no intention of stealing from the victim.  The victim was contacted and made aware of the incident so that he could take the necessary precautions moving forward. Carvey was charged and released on bond to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on December 14th. Ventura was charged and released for a December 10th court appearance.