Monthly Archives: September 2021

Sept. 13 COVID-19 Update: Two New Cases Apiece Take Old Lyme’s Cumulative Total to 403, Lyme’s Total to 129

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Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Monday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health shows further increases in COVID-19 case numbers in both Lyme and Old Lyme over the weekend. Reports are not issued on Public Holidays, Saturdays or Sundays.

Old Lyme’s cumulative total of confirmed cases rose by two over the previous reporting day, Sept. 10, from 401 to 403. Sept. 10 totals were up one to 401 for Old Lyme and steady at 127 for Lyme from the Sept. 9 numbers.

Lyme also recorded an increase of two in its cumulative case total from 127 to 129.

Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 369 on Aug. 20, meaning there have been 34 new cases since that date just over two weeks ago.

The next Connecticut Daily Data Report will be issued Tuesday, Sept. 14, around 4 p.m.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates of which we are unaware.

On Monday, Sept. 13, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, which had been reported the previous day, was announced.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1,  a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School was announced.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Monday, Aug. 30, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that late on Friday, Aug. 27, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme School had been reported.

In all cases, contact tracing was completed and those individuals who needed to quarantine were notified. They will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. All other students and staff will continue to attend school as scheduled.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There is no change in the number of fatalities reported in either Lyme (0) or Old Lyme (3).

The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male. Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

Visit this link for our Sept. 9 update, which includes statewide data.

SECWAC Hosts Presentation on ‘Haiti and Democracy’ Tonight; Registration for Zoom Option Still Open

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Professor Laurent Dubois will speak Tuesday on ‘Haiti and Democracy.’

OLD LYME — On Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m., Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council hosts Professor Laurent Dubois, Co-Director for Academic Affairs of the Democracy Initiative at the University of Virginia, speaking on,“Haiti & Democracy.“

This event is presented in collaboration with the local organization Sister Cities Essex Haiti (SCEH) and is a hybrid online/in-person presentation.

The SECWAC Annual Meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. and Professor Dubois will be introduced at 6 p.m.

With comfort and safety in mind, this program and many following will be offered as a hybrid event – both in-person and available by Zoom.

Limited in-person attendance at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme is offered but registration for it is now closed. Masks will be required during the in-person event, and there will be no pre-meeting hors d’oeuvres.

Zoom registration is still open. If you plan to attend via Zoom, click here to register as a virtual attendee.

The topic of “Haiti & Democracy” is based on his 2013 book Haiti: The Aftershocks of History and current events in Haiti. Dubois’ book will be available from Bank Square Books at the meeting or is sold online (free shipping).

How can an understanding of the broader history of Haiti help us understand the current political impasse in the country?

In this talk, Dubois will offer some guideposts for understanding the long-term history of the country, focusing on the complex political and cultural dynamics that have shaped the present. He will discuss how and why the relationship between Haiti and the U.S. has developed as it has, the impact that relationship has had on the way North Americans often see Haiti, and how to move beyond certain kinds of limited and damaging interpretations towards a fuller, more capacious understanding.

The goal of the presentation, and the discussion to follow, will be to map out productive ways of engaging with Haiti’s history and culture, and thinking collectively about the future of the U.S.-Haiti relationship.

REGISTER TO ATTEND VIA ZOOM

Laurent Dubois’ compelling book, Haiti the Aftershocks of History, traces the history of Haiti from pre-slavery days through the revolution, and the following eras up to this century. He is a specialist in the history and culture of France and the Caribbean, focusing mainly on Haiti.

He has received  The Frederick Douglas prize as well as Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships for his writing.

At Duke University for the past decade, he was professor of history and also co-chair for the Franklin Humanities Center’s Haiti Laboratory for three years.

He is now at the University of Virginia as a co-director of the Democracy Institute. Learn more about his recent appointment as co-director here.

 

Alberio, Andromeda, Milky Way & More: Super Sights on Most Recent ‘Dark Skies’ Night in Lyme

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The Milky Way rising like steam from the teapot of Sagittarius. Photo by Roger Charbonneau Jr.

LYME — As the setting sun dipped below the horizon on the evening of Sept. 3, the quick cooling gave a hint of the damp night to come. Indeed, our equipment was already showing bits of moisture as the wet air let go of its precious cargo.

Unlike previous sessions, the moisture-laden air belied the towns and cities nearby as their unshielded light fixtures reflected against the water vapor in the atmosphere. With this unmistakable glow, we all became aware first-hand of the insidious effects of light pollution.

Despite that, we were ready to observe whatever this evening’s skies were ready to reveal.

Early in the evening, we had reviewed what a Dobsonian telescope is all about, and how it differs in form and function from the other telescopes on hand, namely, Schmidt Cassegrain reflectors.

We also did a quick review of how to locate the Summer Triangle, Polaris, the Little Dipper, and the handle of the Big Dipper. The bowl of the Big Dipper was below the tree line all night, as it will be for several months to come. 

Most striking of the early ‘stars’ to shine in the night sky was the great planet Jupiter and its four brightest moons. Throughout the night we checked back in on Jupiter, and by night’s end it was readily apparent that those little dots of light had actually moved in their orbits around Jupiter.

Up and to the right of Jupiter, we also trained our telescopes on Saturn and its glorious rings. The next few months will afford ongoing opportunities to see both of these gas giants all night long.

With the sky darkening more slowly than usual because of the high humidity and resultant glare of city lights, we challenged ourselves to observe the Milky Way. Lyme skies are pretty dark, and it became easier and easier to discern the Milky Way as the dusk turned to night. Even in the poor seeing conditions that night, everyone was able to see the obvious ‘steam rising from the teapot’ of Sagittarius. At the zenith, the Great Rift of the Milky Way was visible to all. 

From there, we checked in on the globular cluster M13 in Hercules and the open cluster M25 in Sagittarius. Later in the night, we brought M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, into view in Scott Mallory’s 12” Dobsonian.

Despite being almost 3 million light-years away, Andromeda is our home galaxy’s nearest neighbor. It can be observed in binoculars, and on a dark night, it can even be discerned with the naked eye.

To learn how to spot Andromeda, we traced out the Great Square of Pegasus, and then learned how the right-hand triangle of the “W” of Cassiopeia points to Andromeda, and how to star-hop along the lower left corner of Pegasus’ Great Square to the precise location of that great galaxy.

The binary star Alberio. Photo by Alan Sheiness.

At the end of the evening, we observed Alberio, the nose of Cygnus the Swan, and we could all see that it is actually a beautiful binary pair of stars of contrasting colors.

The Lyme Land Trust will continue to hold monthly dark sky observing sessions, usually on the Friday night closest to new moon. As always, first-timers without any equipment are welcome to share the evening with us.

We also highly encourage those with telescopes to bring them out, even if it has been a while since they were taken through their paces. This way, our debutantes will be able to spread out and share the views from more telescopes. Scott and I will be happy to help with setup if your skills have become rusty.

Our observing site is likely just what you have been hoping for. We have acres of open field, with the east and south tree lines well off in the distance, and Polaris visible above the tree line to the north. And we have two other prepped sites in the same large field to allow a setup that better favors the west or the north, if need be.

Learn more about our upcoming astronomy sessions at lymelandtrust.org.

And most of all, come on out!

About the author: Alan Sheiness is a 10-year resident of Lyme, CT, and treasurer of the Lyme Land Trust (LLT). A life-long astronomy enthusiast and astrophotographer, Sheiness is a promoter of dark skies and along with Lyme resident Scott Mallory has established a new astronomy program as part of LLT’s public offerings. Contact them at alan.sheiness@icloud.com and scott.mallory@gmail.com .

Old Lyme to Hold Special Town Meeting Tonight; New Location, In-Person Only Attendance to be Permitted

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OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen will hold a Special Town Meeting this evening — Monday, Sept. 13 — at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. This meeting was originally scheduled to be held in the Meeting Hall at Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall but has had to be moved due to a conflict with the Zoning Commission

This Special Town Meeting will be conducted in-person only. There will be no online option for attendance.

The Meeting will consider and act upon the following business item:

1.         Whether to appropriate forty-two thousand dollars ($42,000) in connection with the Police overtime and Ranger time incurred during the fiscal year 2020-21, some of which was incurred in connection with the Town’s response to the COVID-19 virus and which the Town reasonably expects will be partially reimbursed to the Town by the U.S. Federal Government.

The business item related to calling the meeting was approved by the board of selectmen at its meeting on Aug. 31.

Editor’s Note: Visit this link to read a related Letter to the Editor from Kathleen Tracy.

Op-Ed: Lampos Makes His Case, ‘I’m Not Running “Against” Anyone, But Rather “For” Old Lyme’

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Jim Lampos

Editor’s Note: This op-ed was submitted by Jim Lampos, who is the Democratic-endorsed candidate for Old Lyme Selectman and also for one of the two seats on the Old Lyme Planning Commission.

I am honored to be on the ballot for Old Lyme’s Board of Selectmen this November 2nd.  The Board of Selectmen has been meeting since our town’s founding over three hundred years ago, and our democratic institutions predate the founding of our nation by over a century.   Indeed, Old Lyme has one of the oldest continuous forms of democratic government in the world.  As a historian, when I read meeting records in our town hall archives I am struck by the degree to which decisions made long ago continue to resonate and influence our daily lives. From mundane tasks such as building roads and bridges to the pressing issues of the day, addressed in the Lyme Resolves of 1766 which outlined principles that still guide us, one thing is clear: Things we do and say in our civic life matter. And sometimes, it’s the things we don’t do or say that matter even more.  

Our times call for a broad perspective, and a willingness to listen, learn, and adapt.  As a small businessman who has successfully navigated the challenges of the Great Recession, the early days of the pandemic, and now the disruptions of the re-opening—I know that each day will present a new set of challenges that will call upon all of my skills and life experience. 

The education and training that has served me well as a businessman is even more applicable to the job of selectman. I received my B.A. in political sociology from Brandeis University, graduating Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. I was awarded a Kaplan Fellowship to attend the New School where I received my M.A. in policy analysis and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for public affairs and administration. I worked on various urban renewal and planning projects in New York City, such as the successful redesign of Union Square Park, and served as Director of Development for Community Access, a nonprofit agency building housing for the homeless and mentally disabled. I am currently serving as an alternate on Old Lyme’s Planning Commission, and along with running for selectman I am also running for a full term on the Planning Commission.

I was born and raised here in Southeastern Connecticut, and have been living in Old Lyme for over 40 years—first as a summer resident, and since 2005 as a full-time resident with my wife Michaelle and our children Phoebe and Van. We chose to live in Old Lyme for the same reason so many others do: the transcendent beauty of our natural environment, our excellent school system, great institutions such as the Florence Griswold Museum and cultural events such as the Musical Masterworks concerts, and most of all, the proud tradition of our civic life. I’m not embarrassed to say that I love our town, and I’m not speaking rhetorically when I say that I’m not running “against” anyone, but rather “for” Old Lyme. In that spirit, I am reaching out to all residents regardless of party affiliation and asking for your vote.  

In the coming years, we will be facing challenges that we’ve never faced before. The “disruptive” technologies that have upended so much of our economy and daily lives will soon be transforming real estate and development. Climate change will be placing much of our low-lying coast in peril and testing our infrastructure. These challenges will require creative, forward-thinking solutions, backed by the support of informed and unified residents if we are to maintain our treasured small-town ambience and sense of place. We must look to the future, respect the past, and work to preserve our natural environment and natural resources. We must support our arts community and all of our businesses, including the farms which were so invaluable to us during the pandemic. We must continue to invest in our schools and find ways to develop new housing opportunities in neighborhood-appropriate ways so that our young families can stay here and our older residents can retire here in comfort and security, and we must do all of these things while being mindful of social equity and justice, because that is who we are as a community. I believe that my running mate, first selectwoman candidate Martha Shoemaker, and myself, along with the entire Democratic ticket, are uniquely qualified to guide us through the coming decade and make our town an even greater place to live. 

I look forward to seeing everyone on the campaign trail, and to serving our town on the Board of Selectmen and Planning Commission.