Monthly Archives: April 2021

Lyme Board of Finance Hosts Virtual Public Hearing Tonight on Proposed 2021-22 Budget, Concerns Raised About Open Space Fund Goal

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LYME — The Lyme Board of Finance hosts a virtual Public Hearing this evening at 6:30 p.m. on their proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Requests for the Zoom link to access the meeting must be made before 4 p.m. this afternoon.

The proposed budget can be viewed at this link.

Concerns have been raised both directly with LymeLine.com and on social media regarding the reduction in the Town’s Open Space Fund goal by 50 percent.

Visit this link to see how to access the meeting and submit comments in advance of the meeting. Public comment will also be accepted during the meeting.

This link also includes the agenda for the meeting.

 

 

 

 

April 26 Daily COVID-19 Update: Three New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 335, Lyme Holds at 105

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LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Monday, April 26, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25, shows that Old Lyme increased by three new cases since the previous day to 335 while Lyme’s held steady at 105.

These Daily Reports are not issued by CT DPH on Saturdays or Sundays and therefore Monday’s data includes new cases from both weekend days. The next new report will be issued in the afternoon of Tuesday, April 27.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up Three

The April 26 Daily Data Report for Connecticut for data as at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25, shows that Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 324 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 335 cases.

This represents an INCREASE OF ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and an INCREASE OF TWO in the cumulative number of probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 5,138, an increase of 24 over Thursday’s number of 5,114.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases 

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 97 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 105 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or probable cases compared with those reported the previous day.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,385, a increase of six over Thursday’s number of 1,379.

Two-Week Case-Rate Zones

The report issued Monday, April 26, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks shows a significant improvement for the state as whole state, but with individual results going in the wrong direction.

The number of towns in the state in the Red (highest) Zone for two-week new case rates has fallen from 132 last week to 112 this week. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Zones in which they were last week.

Old Lyme is now one of the 28 towns in the Orange (second highest) Zone remaining in that Zone for the third week in a row. Last week, there were 15 towns in this Zone so this is good news as more towns fall out of the Red (highest) Zone.

Lyme is in the Gray Zone for two-week case rates, recording a sixth straight week in the lowest zone. Twenty-one towns were in this zone last week but unfortunately, that number has fallen to 19 this week. (Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below.)

Overall, the number of towns in each zone is shown below with the previous week’s number in parentheses:

  • 19 (21) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 10 (1) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 27 (15) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining 113 towns are in the Red Zone — last week’s number was 142.

Lyme joins 18 other towns in the Gray (lowest rate) Zone: Bozrah, Bridgwater, Canaan,  Colebrook, Cornwall, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Norfolk, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown, and Warren. Twenty-one towns in the Gray Zone reflects a significant and encouraging increase in the number of towns in that category over last week’s number of 13.

The Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone now has 10 towns: East Lyme, Durham, Hebron, Ledyard, Lisbon, North Stonington, Simsbury, Somers, Stafford, and Stonington.

Old Lyme joins 26 other towns in the Orange (second highest rate) Zone : Ashford, Brooklyn, Burlington, Chester, Colchester, Enfield, Essex, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Hebron, Lebanon, Middlefield, Montville, Newington, Old Saybrook, Pomfret, Portland, Salem, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, Waterford, Willington and Winchester.

  • 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.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, April 15; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 22.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates: Lyme Down, OL Constant

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, April 22, 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, “Although the number of new cases remains stable, our contact tracers continue to report clusters associated with daycares, schools, and workplaces, and transmissions linked to social gatherings and sporting events.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest two-week case rates announced Thursday, April 22, (from 4/4 to 4/17) have decreased in Old Lyme and held constant in Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 12.6 to 10.7
  • Lyme from 6.1 to 6.1

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 4/4 to 4/17  (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 3/28 to 4/10 shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 1 (1) cases in Week 1 and 1 (1) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 8 (5) cases in Week 1 and 3 (8) in Week 2

This data was updated April 22, 2021. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, April 29.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a new section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The data is taken from the COVID-19 Vaccinations by Town report published by CT-DPH, which is published roughly weekly.

Lyme is ahead of Old Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 75.09 percent vaccinated compared with 65.78 percent in Old Lyme.

The percentages for both towns for the age segments 65-74 and 75+ are very encouraging with Lyme now having 108.76 percent of seniors 75 and above having received their first dose and 97.61 percent of the same age segment having received it in Old Lyme.

The detailed data below is the most recent and was updated April 15. As at April 26, this data has not been updated since April 15.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

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Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

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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.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report 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).

The most recent report is dated Feb. 19 and covers the two-week period from 2/12 to 2/18. No subsequent updates have been issued.

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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 ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

SECWAC Presents ‘US-Europe Relations in the Context of Brexit,’ Tonight

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Thomas Wright

LYME/OLD LYME — On Tuesday, April 27, at 6 p.m., the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) hosts Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institute, who will discuss, US-Europe Relations in the Context of Brexit, in a Zoom presentation.

Registration required. The link to join the program will be emailed with your registration confirmation.

The United States is very clear on what it wants from Europe– more cooperation on China, technology, the Middle East, and more sharing of the burden of defense– but it is much less clear about what it wants in Europe.

With Europe in flux following the departure of the UK from the EU and the rise of populist nationalism, the Biden administration needs an affirmative vision of what it wants to see in Europe over the next four years.

In this talk, Wright will show how such a vision might take shape.

Wright is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. He is also a contributing writer for The Atlantic and a nonresident fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

He is the author of “All Measures Short of War: The Contest For the 21st Century and the Future of American Power” which was published by Yale University Press in May 2017.

His second book, “Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order,” will be published by St Martin’s Press in 2021. Wright also works on U.S. foreign policy, great power competition, the European Union, Brexit, and economic interdependence.

Wright has a doctorate from Georgetown University, a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge University, and a bachelor’s and master’s from University College Dublin. He has also held a pre-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University.

He was previously executive director of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School for Public Policy.

Cost: Free for members, guests $20.

SECWAC is a membership organization. A guest of a member may attend once as a complimentary guest. Thereafter, there is a $20 walk-in fee.

Annual membership is $85 per person, or $25 for Young Professionals under 35. Membership is always free for students and educators. Corporate memberships are available for $1,000 (unlimited memberships for employees of member organization – contact us for more details).

Learn more and download the application here.

SECWAC will be using Zoom meetings for this presentation. https://scwac.wildapricot.org/event-4232317

If you are new to Zoom virtual meetings and would like to learn more about how to join SECWAC, visit zoom.us for more information. Also, feel free to call 860-912-5718 for technical advice prior to the event. SECWAC will not be able to resolve issues during the meeting. A link to the recording will be shared via email following the meeting.

Death of Florence Wendover ‘Wendy’ Kerop Announced; Owned ‘The Turning Page’ Bookstore in Old Lyme, Former Director of Christian Ed. at FCCOL,

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CHESTER — Florence Wendover “Wendy” Kerop, 77, of Hickory Hill Drive, passed away Monday, April 19, 2021, at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

Wendy was born Feb. 7, 1944, in New London, the daughter of the late John and Alys Griswold Haman. She lived in Old Lyme, until she married …

… She married Harry Kerop Oct. 3, 1969, in Framingham, Mass. …

… They raised their family in Deep River, and later moved to Old Lyme.

Wendy was a member of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, and after moving back to Old Lyme, became the junior choir director and the director of Christian education for many years. Her family and friends lovingly referred to her as “the Church Lady” from Saturday Night Live …

… She volunteered at the Old Lyme schools playing the piano for the chorus or helping with school plays. She was one to always stop and lend a hand to anyone that needed assistance …

… She co-owned the Turning Page Bookstore in Old Lyme, with her daughter for six years. Wendy loved her family and friends, especially her grandchildren. She loved seeing them grow and all their great accomplishments. She was very proud of them.

She is predeceased by her husband Harry. She is survived by her daughter Julie Kerop of Chester; her son Adam and his wife Dana (Concascia) Kerop of Deep River; and her three beloved grandchildren, Gabriella, Adam and Celia Kerop …

… A private burial will be held at Duck River Cemetery in Old Lyme. A celebration of Wendy’s life will take place later this year. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the ASPCA or the American Heart Association.

Visit this link to view the full obituary published April 25, in The Day.

 

Legal News You Can Use: What To Do After a Car Accident

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The steps you take after a car accident are critical. Photo by Matthew T. Rader on Unsplash.

Even though someone else’s reckless or negligent behavior may have caused you to suffer a car accident, there is no guarantee that you will receive the compensation you need to cover the costs of your injuries.

A car accident involving medical injuries can cost thousands of dollars, so how can you be sure you are doing what is necessary to secure the best possible outcome?

The steps you take after your car accident can help improve your chances of maximizing your compensation, making the process of recuperating from the accident easier for you and your family. Here are three steps everyone should take after a severe accident:

Contact the police

After a major accident, the police can help in many different ways. Their efforts can contain the accident and begin the process of cleaning up any wreckage that is on the road. The resulting police report can act as a major piece of evidence to support your injury claim.

They can also help provide you with any necessary medical assistance you need at the site of the accident.

Gather information

If you or a passenger are physically able to, collect as much evidence at the scene of the accident as possible. Take thorough photographs and videos of the accident, gather recorded witness testimony, and collect the contact information, license information, and insurance information of the other drivers involved in the accident.

Call an attorney

A personal injury attorney can help you pursue the compensation you need after an accident. They can handle the legal challenges of filing paperwork, accessing injury costs, and negotiating fair compensation while you focus on your health.

Your lawyer can also keep you from making mistakes that may reduce or eliminate your compensation, like accepting a low-ball settlement offer.

The action you take after your accident can define how well you recover from your injuries.  Make sure you do everything in your power to put yourself in the best possible position after your accident.

This is a sponsored post by 

Editor’s Notes: 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.