Monthly Archives: January 2018

Women’s Vigil to be Held Saturday in East Haddam

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A sister vigil will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Two Wrasslin’ Cats (374 Town Street, East Haddam, CT). For those interested in attending, RSVP’s are requested at this link.

One year after the historic Women’s March on Washington, when millions marched across the world and 500 showed up in East Haddam, this event will be focused on bringing our communities together and moving onto the next stage of the movement. In 2018, the intent is to channel energy and activism into tangible strategies and concrete wins to create transformative social and political change.

There will be a standing vigil (with limited seats available for those who are not able to stand for the duration of an hour) not a march (in order to increase accessibility for people with disabilities and/or small children).

The vigil will be near a sign that says, “Dear Muslims, Immigrants, Women, Disabled, LGBTQ+ folks and People of Color. We love you – boldly & proudly. We will endure. -Shaun King”. Attendees are welcome to bring your own signs and banners.

Theresa Govert, founder and chair of Together We Rise CT (TWRCT), will be facilitating and speaking at the event. She is a recently returned United States Peace Corps Volunteer. She served for three years in Botswana, where she worked with her community to organize thousands for a national campaign to end gender-based violence, started a small business as an alternative economic employment opportunity for female sex workers and presented to participants of the White House Mapathon on the importance of free, accessible data.

In 2016, she was selected to receive the prestigious John F. Kennedy Service Award, awarded every five years to six individuals.

In 2017, she was one of six women under the age of 40 who received Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) and Young Women Rising‘s The Future is Now Award.

All participants should park at the Rotary Skating Pond or the Upper Parking lot of Town Tavern & Restaurant and walk (approx 30 seconds to the site of the vigil). For those with limited mobility, there will be parking reserved in the parking lot of Two Wrasslin’ Cats (the site of the vigil). Car-pooling is strongly recommended.

The vigil will be held in the parking lot of the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Coffee shop, so people with children, senior citizens, etc will be able to go inside and warm up during the event.

If you have any questions/concerns/suggestions, email togetherwerisect@gmail.com

‘How The Other Half Loves,’ Presented by Saybrook Stage, Continues Tonight at The Kate; Runs Through Sunday

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OLD SAYBROOK — Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical tale of matrimonial mishaps, “How The Other Half Loves” will have audiences in stitches. Aykbourn enthralls with his clever use of space and time as he intertwines the lives of two very different couples – a perfectly posh upper-class older one and a messy middle class younger one – on the same stage!

As Bob Phillips and Fiona Foster clumsily try to cover up their affair, their spouses’ intervention only adds to the confusion. William and Mary Detweiler – the third couple – find themselves in the middle of the mayhem when they are falsely accused of adultery – with no idea as to how they’ve become involved.

The fact that all three of the men work at the same company – in the same department adds to the fun. The plot culminates in two disastrous dinner parties on successive nights, shown at the same time – on the same stage – after which the future of all three couples is definitely in question.

The fast pace and physical humor of this piece makes this one of Ayckbourn’s funniest and most exciting plays to experience. The play is set in 1969 which allows for plenty of comic routines around landline telephones, distinct class structures and changing sexual mores.

The play originally opened in London in 1970 to rave reviews and ran for over 850 performances – it also opened on Broadway in 1971.

Ayckbourn has spent over 55 years as a theatre director and a playwright. To date he has written 80 plays – the latest of which opened at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough in 2016 – and his work has been translated into over 35 languages, is performed on stage and television throughout the world and has won countless awards.

The Saybrook Stage Company returns once again to The Kate in “How The Other Half Loves” directed by Michael Langlois, who previously directed Saybrook Stage’s “A Piece of my Heart” in January 2013. Their more recent plays include The Farnsworth Invention, Noises Off, Deathtrap, The Wayside Motor Inn, Moon Over Buffalo and this past July, Barefoot in the Park.

Visit www.thekate.org or call 877.503.1286 to reserve your tickets. The play will be performed Jan. 18 , 19 and 20 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m.

Also, visit www.SaybrookStage.org for more information about The Saybrook Stage Company.

The Saybrook Stage Company was founded as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality local theater on the Connecticut Shoreline at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. Saybrook Stage welcomes actors of all levels and abilities – and anyone who genuinely loves the arts – to come together and share in the experience that only live theater can provide. The actors that have been part of The Saybrook Stage Company to date have varied backgrounds and “day jobs” from teachers, artists and homemakers to lawyers, business people and judges.

Carney Hosts Office Hours This Evening in Lyme

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State Rep. Devin Carney (R- 23rd)

State Senator Paul Formica (R-20th)

State Rep. Devin Carney will hold office hours in a number of locations in the 23rd District between Thursday, Jan. 11 and Thursday, Jan. 18. This evening, he will be at the Lyme Public Library, Community Room, located at 482 Hamburg Road from 6 to 7 p.m.

These sessions will provide constituents with an opportunity to ask questions or share their ideas and concerns about state government.

State Senator Paul Formica  joined State Rep. Carney at the Old Lyme and Old Saybrook Office Hours.

Details of the times and locations are as follows:

Old Lyme: Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, located at 2 Library Lane from 7 to 8 p.m.

Old Saybrook: Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Acton Public Library, Grady Thomas Room, located at 60 Old Boston Post Road from 6 to 7 p.m.

Lyme: Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Lyme Public Library, Community Room, located at 482 Hamburg Road from 6 to 7 p.m.

Anyone with questions about these events can contact Carney’s office at 860-240-870 or devin.carney@housegop.ct.gov, or Formica at Paul.Formica@cga.ct.gov. You can also sign up for their respective e-news by visiting www.senatorformica.com or www.cthousegop.com/carney.

State Rep. Carney represents the 23rd General Assembly District that covers Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and part of Westbrook.

State Senator Formica represents the 20th State Senate District that includes Old Lyme along with Bozrah, East Lyme, Montville (part), New London, Old Saybrook (part), Salem, and Waterford.

‘So a Bunch of Us Sat Down to Write …’ Listen to a Local Author Panel This Evening at Old Lyme PGN Library

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The Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library hosts a local author panel Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. at the library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme. All are welcome and admission is free.

Join this event to hear members of the Haddam Writers Group read excerpts from their new book, “So a Bunch of Us Sat Down to Write …” an anthology of 42 short works by the nine members. It is a book that reflects on their many voices in fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry. Its memoirs, essays, stories and poetry provide laughter, sadness, reflection and joy.

Copies of this book will be available for signing and purchase  at $14.99.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Legal News You Can Use: Divorce and Splitting Retirement Accounts

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Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

Suisman Shapiro Sponsored Post — When Connecticut couples divorce, one piece of property they may need to divide is a retirement account. This might be what is known as a qualified plan, including a 401(k), or it might be an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or another non-qualified plan. There are different regulations for dividing these types of accounts.

With a qualified plan, if a person withdraws a portion of the money and gives it to a spouse, that money will be taxed and may be considered an early withdrawal. This can lead to a significant reduction in the final amount. However, if the couple gets a document known as a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO), the tax and early withdrawal penalty will be waived.

A couple can have a QDRO for an IRA, though it is not necessary to avoid tax. Furthermore, there will still be a penalty for early withdrawal for people under a certain age. Other specific regulations may differ across company plans or pensions, and a couple may want to look into these regulations. It is important not to assume that the process will be straightforward nor that it will not incur penalties or fees. Furthermore, the QDRO must be prepared accurately as it can be a costly document that becomes even more expensive if there are errors.

One option for couples who do not want to go through the trouble or expense of splitting a retirement account is for one person to keep the retirement account and the other person to take another valuable asset. This might be the home or an investment account. However, it is important that the values of these assets be assessed accurately. This means taking both taxes and penalties into account as well as the liquidity of the asset. For example, a bank account could be more liquid than a retirement account while maintenance and insurance are among the costs of a home that should be considered.

The Law Firm of Suisman Shapiro focuses on this area of the law. If you are seeking experienced legal guidance for a divorce in Connecticut, contact Attorney Robert Tukey to arrange an initial consultation with an experienced eastern Connecticut divorce lawyer.