Monthly Archives: February 2021

Death of Mark Michael Gordon, 61, Announced; Spent All His Childhood Summers at Old Colony Beach, ‘Unforgettable Memories, Amazing Lifetime Friends’

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Mark Michael Gordon, of Fort Lauderdale, FL passed away unexpectedly on February 16, 2021 at the age of 61. Mark grew up in Bloomfield, CT and after attending Bloomfield High School, he continued his education and graduated from Adelphi University in New York …

…  we would be remiss if we did not mention Mark spent all of his childhood summers with his immediate and extended family at Old Colony Beach in Old Lyme CT making unforgettable memories and amazing lifetime friends …

Visit this link to read the full obituary published Feb. 22, in the Hartford Courant.

Legal News You Can Use: Construction Worker’s Death Illustrates Dangers Within Industry

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Almost 20 percent of deaths of US workers, who died on the job in 2019, occurred in the construction industry. Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash.

The January death of a Connecticut construction worker exemplifies the risks, hazards and dangers faced by people employed within this industry. Serious and fatal injuries are not uncommon among construction workers.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 5,333 U.S. workers who died on the job in 2019, nearly 20 percent of the deaths – 1,061 – occurred in the construction industry.

‘Focus Four Hazards’

In the recent case, the 63-year-old construction worker died at a hospital after sustaining serious injuries in an afternoon fall on Jan. 26. The man reportedly fell roughly 10 ft. into a foundation hole at a home construction site where a crew was working on a basement. (And, as an aside, workers 55 and older accounted for 38 percent of workplace deaths in 2019.)

Annually, construction’s “Focus Four Hazards” – as dubbed by the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) – comprised roughly 60 percent of the industry’s fatalities. They include:

  • Falls:
    Elevated falls from scaffolding, ladders, structures and falls into holes are among these hazards that can lead to death and debilitating injuries.
  • “Caught-in or in-between” accidents:
    These situations may include the collapses of trenches as well as equipment rollovers.
  • “Struck-by” accidents:
    These may include being struck by construction vehicles or equipment as well as falling objects from a construction site.
  • Electrocution hazards:
    Construction workers are nearly four times more likely to face electrocution than workers in all other industries combined. Powerlines often prove fatal.

Looking to the Future

The construction industry’s focus on safety must continue to take priority among employers. Construction companies must provide the proper training and protective gear to their employees.

Reduction of serious injuries and fatalities within the industry is critical. The lives of working people are in the balance.

This is a sponsored post by 

Editor’s Notes: i) Suisman Shapiro is located at 75 State Street, New London, CT 06320. Their mailing address is 2 Union Plaza, P.O. Box 1591 New London, CT 06320. Visit their website or call 800-499-0145 — lines are open 24 hours a day.

ii) If you are involved in a construction accident, the attorneys at Suisman Shapiro can assist you. Attorney James Berryman of Old Lyme specializes in Workers’ Compensation and can be reached at the number above or at this link.

 

Feb. 22 COVID-19 Update: Two New Cases in Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 86, Old Lyme Cases Hold at 277

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LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Monday, Feb. 22, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, shows that cumulative cases (confirmed and probable) since the pandemic began are up two in Lyme at 86 (from the numbers reported Friday, Feb. 19), but the same as those reported for Old Lyme at 277.

It should be noted that Monday’s data always includes numbers from Friday through Sunday since reports are not issued over the weekend.

Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up Two

Lyme now has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 78 confirmed cases and EIGHT probable cases, making a TOTAL of 86 cases.

This represents an INCREASE OF ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and an INCREASE OF ONE in the cumulative number of probable cases over those reported Friday, Feb. 19.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,243, an increase of 11 over Friday’s number.

Old Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Old Lyme now has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 271 confirmed COVID-19 cases and SIX probable cases, making a TOTAL of 277 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and a DECREASE of ONE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported Friday, Feb. 19.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 4,636, up 29 from the previous day’s number.

Old Lyme Moves Down into Orange (Second Highest) Zone for Two-Week New Case Rate, Lyme Moves Back into (Highest) Red

The weekly report issued Thursday, Feb. 18, by the CT DPH for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows that Old Lyme has finally moved into the (second highest) Orange Zone — down from the state-identified Red Zone, where it has been since early December 2020. Unfortunately, Lyme has moved back into the ‘Red Zone’ with the highest rate of new cases.

Overall, the report contains good news with 10 towns now in the Gray Zone, four in the Yellow Zone and 16 in the Orange Zone.  This is a far cry from the map we published back in November when every town in the state was in the Red Zone.

As of the Feb. 18 report, Old Lyme now joins 16 other towns — Essex, Deep River, Kent, Sherman, Goshen, Granby, Winchester, New Hartford, Canton, Farmington, Portland, Haddam, Hebron, Lebanon, Bethany and Southbury — in the Orange Zone.

Redding, Woodbury, Pomfret and Salisbury are in the Yellow Zone.

The Gray Zone includes Bridgewater, Canaan, Cornwall,  Norfolk, Scotland, Hartland, Barkamsted, Eastford, Franklin and Warren.

  • The gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates

On Thursday, Feb. 18, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) also issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District. Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are encouraged to see a moderate decrease in cases for the 4th consecutive reporting period, and are hopeful that this trend will continue.”

The latest two-week case rate announced Thursday, Feb. 18, for the period 1/31 to 2/13 per 100,000 population (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 1/24 to 2/06) has fallen in Old Lyme but increased in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 25.2 to 11.6
  • Lyme from 12.2 to 21.4

The same report shows that the number of cases in Week 1 and Week 2 recorded for the period 1/31 to 2/13 (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 1/24 to 2/06 shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 2 (2) cases in Week 1 and 5 (2) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 9 (17) cases in Week 1 and 3 (9) in Week 2

This data was updated Feb. 18, 2021.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we are adding a new report today showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

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Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the serious rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. The next CT DPH Daily Data Report for Connecticut will be issued in the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Kokomo’s in Old Lyme Launches Beach Club Membership with Resort-Style Service

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Remember this? Summer is just around the corner and Kokomo’s is launching a new Beach Club Membership program to celebrate.

OLD LYME – Kokomo’s, Old Lyme’s premier beachfront dining experience located in Sound View, today announced a new opportunity for beach lovers and vacationers to enjoy on-the-beach dining with personalized service without the need to travel. This new Beach Club membership has a limited capacity, and open houses to discuss the program are expected to begin this month.

“Kokomo’s has always prided itself on providing a tropical experience without the need to travel, and during the coronavirus pandemic that kind of opportunity has been more important than ever,” said Brian Cleary, owner of Kokomo’s.

Almost the Caribbean? Kokomo’s has a prime beachfront location on Sound View Beach in Old Lyme.

He added, “We wanted to do more. We want to provide more than a dining experience, but an opportunity for members to have guaranteed beach access along with in-the-sand dining and event opportunities.”

Memberships start at $80 and come with recreational learning opportunities like mixology classes, a priority spot on the Kokomo’s beach and, most importantly, a personalized Genie. Genies are the Kokomo’s membership experts and personal concierge for each Kokomo’s member.

The heated cabanas at Kokomo’s have proved extremely popular during the winter months.

During the winter, Kokomo’s has prided itself on its heated, private cabanas that allow for beachfront dining regardless of temperature or need for distancing.

Editor’s Note: i) For more information about the Kokomo’s Beach Club membership, call 860-390-6403 or visit this link. Follow Kokomo’s on Facebook @kokomosrestaurant or Instagram @kokomosrestaurant.

ii) This article is based on a press release issued by Kokomo’s Beach Club.

Basketball Update: Old Lyme Boys Pull Off Thrilling Win Over Saybrook in Final Minute, Girls Rout OS With 50-21 Victory

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LYME/OLD LYME — Both Old Lyme basketball teams scored major wins over perennial Shoreline rival Old Saybrook yesterday.  Kirk Kaczor’s boys, playing away, only secured their 44-39 victory in the last minute whereas the girls dominated from the start in their home game, which ended with a 50-21 win.

Leading scorers for the Old Lyme boys were Frank Sablone with 14 points and seven rebounds — including going 4-4 down the stretch of a tight game — and John Almy, who added 12 points.

Kaczor described the final thrilling minute of the game to LymeLine, saying, “Mav Swaney hit the go-ahead bucket with a minute to go, putting the Wildcats up for good at 40-39.”  Then he said, “Sablone hit two free-throws with less than a minute to go to take Old Lyme to 42-39.” The cherry on the top came when Colbe Andrews hit two more points with less than 20 seconds left for the final margin.

Leading scorers for Old Saybrook were Auggie Albert with 12 points and Ben Yost with 10.

Don Bugbee’s girls meanwhile had a much easier time of it cruising to a 50-21 victory over Old Saybrook (2-1) with seniors Emily DeRoehn and Sam Gray scoring respectively 20 and 17 points. DeRoehn also had six rebounds and two steals while Junior Megan Loflin notched seven points.

Bugbee was pleased with his girls’ performance saying, “[It was] a solid team effort and a nice win for the girls,” noting, “Our defense was pretty good overall.” He added in summary, “The girls minimized shots taken, forced turnovers, and rebounded well.”

Having won the last four games in succession, the Old Lyme girls are now 4-1.

The Old Lyme Junior Varsity (JV) girls also won their game decisively 45-15. Sophomore Alexis Fenton scored 16 points, freshman Ava Roth 10, and sophomore Hayley Cann nine.

The girls play at home against Haddam-Killingworth Thursday, Feb. 25, with the JV tip-off at 4 p.m. and Varsity at 5:30 p.m.