Monthly Archives: January 2022

Keeping Kids Safe Through the Wonders of Winter Ball

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LYME-OLD LYME — The Winter Ball and all milestone celebrations are amazing events where memories are made for our teenagers.  They also offer unique opportunities for open conversation with teens about alcohol/other drugs and the risks they pose for individual and group safety.  

The best thing parents and other adults can do in an adolescent’s life is to talk often and early with an open mind and clear rules and expectations.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is reaching out to students, parents, and other adults to reinforce the legal and safety consequences of underage drinking and marijuana use. Too often, communities across the US have seen this time of celebration turn into a time of tragedy.  

Criminal charges related to underage drinking can change a person’s life. Even worse, serious injury or death can turn what should be a wonderful memory into a tragic end. 

We want our kids to have a great time but also to celebrate drug- and alcohol-free.  We would like them to have fun safely and not see them (or you!) get into legal trouble that could have a long-term effect.

Alcohol/Marijuana—Teens should know that buying or possessing alcohol or marijuana under the age of 21 can result in multiple, serious criminal charges. It may prevent them from being able to have a driver’s license

DUI—A DUI conviction could mean the loss of a driver’s license, and a fine.

Parents—Parents and other adults can play a role to help ensure teens’ safety. Do not provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21, even in your own home. It is ILLEGAL in Connecticut.  Charges carry a heavy fine and violators must appear in court. Do not take the chance.

Police Patrols—Police officers will be patrolling during the evening of the Winter Ball and are hoping not to find drivers exhibiting signs of impairment. Parents are urged to remind your kids not to ruin the night by getting a DUI, or much worse. If possible, arrange for rides both ways with a parent and have a safety plan in place.

We have one goal in mind: keeping our young people safe. There is no desire to diminish the fun of the evening nor make it harder to celebrate. Our universal wish is that your kids come home.

Please, be our partners in this effort and talk openly and honestly with them about the dangers of substance use and misuse.

For more information and resources, contact Alli Behnke, Prevention Coordinator at LYSB, abehnke@lysb.org   www.lysb.org/prevention

Alli Behnke

About the Author: Alli Behnke, MSW, MA is the Prevention Coordinator at Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. She has been a Social Worker for 20 years working in the fields of prevention, therapy, youth leadership, and health coaching. Alli believes strongly in providing accurate information, education, and tools for success when empowering the Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition and REACH Youth Coalition to work together on strengths-based campaigns. The Coalitions address substance abuse and other risky behaviors challenging our youth and families. Contact her at abehnke@lysb.org or visit  www.lysb.org to become involved in this important community work.

Jan. 17 COVID-19 Update: 29 New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 861, Six in Lyme Increase Total There to 215

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows 29 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme taking the town’s total of cumulative cases from 832 to 861.

Six new cases were reported in Lyme, taking that town’s cumulative total from 209 to 215. 

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Tuesday, Jan. 18, around 4 p.m.

Despite those increases locally, the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate was down again from 19.35% in the Jan. 14 report to 17.09% and COVID-related hospitalizations also decreased by 38 to 1,857..

Of those hospitalized, 1,857 (representing 67.25%) are not fully vaccinated.

As we reported in our Thursday, Jan. 13 weekly COVID-19 Update, the weekly COVID-19 Average Daily Case Rate Report issued by the state on that day showed that the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for COVID -19 Case Rates remained constant at 168, leaving only one town in the state — Canaan — not in the Red Zone. This number of 168 is equivalent to 99.4 percent of towns in the state.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, Jan. 20 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

Extracts from the Jan. 13, 2022 CT DPH report

As of Jan. 12, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Jan. 25, 2022)

  • Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 115,021 (83,147)
  • Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 2,540,829 (2,526,891)
  • Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 4.53% (3.29%)

For the week beginning Jan. 02, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Dec. 26, 2021)

  • Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 3.4x greater (3.3x greater)
  • Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 18.6x greater (17.2x greater)

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 418 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 489 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 101 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), of which both Lyme and Old Lyme are members, are in the Red Zone.

In an email sent Thursday, Jan. 13, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield stated, “ We continue to see a significant increase in the number of new COVID cases within our jurisdiction.”

He continues, “Ledge Light Health District advises all businesses and residents take direct steps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in your business, home, and place of work. We encourage all businesses within our communities to adopt masking policies for employees and customers, regardless of vaccination status.”

Mansfield concluded, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously.

Information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Update

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing , but LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser said in a Jan. 4 email to the school community that he, “… will continue to notify the school community of any positive cases of COVID-19 that impact the schools.”

On Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of [three] individuals who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms where those individuals were present are identified by the teacher’s last name.  Mile Creek- 2 (Mulligan, Hotchkiss) LOLHS- 1.”

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools closed Dec. 23, 2021 and reopened Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 after the winter break meaning no new cases were reported by the schools during that period. We are no longer including positive cases impacting LOL schools between Aug 26, 2021 (the first day of the 2021-22 academic school year) and Dec. 23, 2021 (the last day of school before winter break began), in this report. During that period contact tracing was still required.

View the full listing of cases during that period (8/26/21 – 12/23/21) at this link.

A full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases during 2022 is given below.

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

See above for Jan. 14 update.

On Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of [three] individuals who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms where those individuals were present are identified by the teacher’s last name: Mile Creek – 2 (Hotchkiss, Oliver), Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) – 1.”

On Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of [three] individuals who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms where those individuals were present are identified by the teacher’s last name: Center School – 1 (Newman), Lyme School – 2 (Tartisel, Sestrom.)”

On Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Over the weekend we became aware of the following [two] individuals who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms are identified by the teacher’s last name: Mile Creek- 1 (Velikaneye), Lyme- 1 (McNamara.)”

On Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of the following [one] individual, who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms are identified by the teacher’s last name: Mile Creek- 1 (Wilson.)”

On Thursday, Jan. 6, Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of the following [seven] individuals, who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms are identified by the teacher’s last name: LOLHS [Lyme-Old Lyme High School] – 5, Lyme [School] – 1 (Tartisel), and Center [School]-1 (Lucier.)”

On Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, Neviaser reported in an email to the school community, “Today we became aware of the following [14] individuals who tested positive after being present at school.  At the elementary level, where students are in cohorts, the classrooms are identified by the teacher’s last name: LOLHS- 6, Mile Creek- 1 (Herel), Lyme- 3 (Tartisel, Sobus, McDermott) and Center-4 (Mullaney’s PM class, Miles.)”

On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, Neviaser informed the school community that the administration had been made aware of “four individuals at Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) and one individual in the Center School 3-year old PK classroom, who tested positive after being present at school.”

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Three COVID-related fatalities have been reported in Old Lyme. 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.

Inaugural PARJE Mural Promoting Racial Justice Through Public Art Unveiled in Norwich, Time-lapse Video Shows How it was Created

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An opening frame from the just-released time-lapse video by Emida Roller shows the finished Norwich Sister Mural at the Market St. Garage.

NORWICH, CT/OLD LYME: 1/18 UPDATE: Despite freezing temperatures, the mural discussed below was duly “unveiled” yesterday. Visit this link to read a report of the event by Claire Bessette and published Jan. 18 in ‘The Day.’

On Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 17, at 12:30 p.m., Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE) will unveil its first mural, which has been created on the Market Street Garage in Norwich. In honor of this upcoming event, the group has released a remarkable time-lapse video showing how the mural came together.

All are welcome to attend the unveiling ceremony for the Norwich Sister Mural, the title of which echoes the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “We Are Not Makers of History.  We Are Made By History.”

Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE) was formed by Rev. David Good, the former Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme and now its Minister Emeritus, in March last year with help from Rev. Jack Madry of the Madry Temple in New London.

Rev. David W. Good, Minister Emeritus of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

Good explains that the catalyst for creating PARJE was the tragic killing of George Floyd in May, 2020. Good came to believe passionately that public art could be used to spark conversation and stimulate education on what it means to be engaged in antiracism. He started discussing the subject with Madry and together they looked for ways to bring communities together to address racial injustice.

Those discussions led to the birth of PARJE, which has developed into a broad-based, interracial, non-partisan, non-sectarian group consisting of volunteers from various communities around the shoreline region. These communities now include Old Lyme and Lyme, as well as Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Essex, Deep River, Norwich and New  London.

From the displacement of indigenous communities to the use of slave labor in the whaling industry, PARJE leaders point out that the the local region, along with many others across the nation, has been actively complicit in – and not passively just home to – various racial injustices.

PARJE aims to provide opportunities to examine or reexamine some of these events through the use of public art in many different ways. As the US struggles to confront systemic racism, PARJE will focus on engaging artists from all disciplines to create public art aimed at addressing not only contemporary issues, but also their origins.

Building partnerships with surrounding communities is an additional focus of the group’s stated mission.

A series of murals is planned throughout the region and the first mural to be completed is the one in Norwich.

Asked how the Norwich mural came about, Good told LymeLine via email, “Shiela Hayes is our point person for the Norwich Mural. She’s a member of our Steering Committee and as the head of NAACP-Norwich, Shiela was able to bring onboard a number of folks in Norwich.”

Good commented enthusiastically, “Sheila did amazing work in getting input and support from a number of individuals, organizations and government representatives!”

Hayes explained the background and timing of the mural to LymeLine in an email, noting, “The concept, theme and research started in March [2021.] They were completed in October when the title, “Freedom, Civil Rights and Human Rights,” was finalized.

Hayes noted that work on the mural began in October of 2021, with the 1st phase. The mural was designed by Samson Tonton based on input by the Norwich Sister Mural Committee.

On Nov. 15, the second phase began, which involved the Norwich Mayor and Council voting to approve the design of the Norwich Sister Mural on the Market Street Garage.

Lead artist Emida Roller of Wall Designs by Emida LLC paints a section of the mural in situ. Photo by Jac Lahav.

Power washing of the Market Street Garage by Norwich Public Utilities followed during the week of Nov. 15 and then priming and background painting by lead artist Emida Roller and artist Samson Tonton began  during the week of Nov. 22.

The third phase started the week of Nov. 22 when both artists painted on polytab pieces indoors and then affixed the images on the wall. They painted additional images directly on the wall and were able to complete the work by Dec. 20.

Artist Samson Tonton works on his painting on a piece of polytab prior to it being placed on the wall. Photo by Jac Lahav.

Community Engagement and Paint Days were held Dec. 8 and 11 at the Sikh Art Gallery with over 40 people assisting with the painting. The Gallery was founded by Norwich City Councilman Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, whom Good noted was “very important” in bringing the project to fruition.

Good added that he and another PARJE member from Old Lyme, Celine Sullivan, “visited on one of those [Community Paint] days, and it was great to see the diversity of those at work on the mural.”

Now that the design is complete, the next step is the official unveiling ceremony on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 17.

PARJE has a number of other murals currently in various stages of development at Old Lyme, New London, East Lyme, and Old Saybrook.

Good explained how things are moving forward positively in Old Lyme, saying, “Thelma Halloran, a Black art teacher in [Lyme-] Old Lyme’s Middle School and Alden Murphy* co-chair our Artist Selection Team consisting of Becky Crosby*, Kimberly Monson*, Alex Pinkowish, [and] Nancy Gladwell* (ex officio) in addition to Thelma and Alden.” (* indicates a Lyme or Old Lyme resident.)

He continued, “They’ve had some great applicants [to design the mural],” interviews have been held, and their plan is to select the artist [for the Old Lyme mural] around January 15th. Good noted that Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser, “… has been very supportive. He [Neviaser] hopes to engage as much of the school community as possible and also provide opportunities for community painting days to welcome those from other communities.”

One of the core beliefs of PARJE rests in the ability of public art to educate about the history of Black,  Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Consequently, there will be a high priority on selecting BIPOC artists while also working side-by-side with others, trained and untrained, and those of all generations, races and ethnicities.

Other events currently scheduled for PARJE include a panel discussion at Long Wharf Theatre’s production of “Fires in the Mirror” on Jan. 30. Good plans to moderate the discussion with panel members Pastor Jack Madry, Attorney Lonnie Braxton II, Rabbi Aaron Rosenberg and Ghoufran Allababidi.

An event had previously been scheduled for Jan. 23 at Lyme Art Association but this has now been postponed to Feb. 20 due to the COVID situation. We will publish more information on this event as soon as it is available.

This image shows Nancy Gladwell’s side of the PARJE diptych, which pictures the events of March 7, 1965, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. The day became known as ‘Bloody Sunday.’ Photo courtesy of PARJE.

A further project is the creation of a diptych (a two-panel painting intended to function as a traveling exhibition) by two local artists, Nancy Gladwell, who was Chair of Painting at the former Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and Jas Oyola-Blumenthal, an alumna of the same institution. Gladwell is also the Co-Chair of PARJE.

The diptych will be used in schools, or any public space, to tell the controversial story of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.

The diptych project also intends to illustrate the possible future of the bridge supporting efforts currently underway to rename it after civil rights activist, John Lewis, who would have been 81 this February. 

Looking back at the breadth of work accomplished and all the projects completed, in progress, or in the early planning stages after only 10 months of PARJE ‘s existence — and especially considering all those 10 months have been under pandemic conditions — Good concludes positively, but pragmatically, “Public art will not solve systemic racial injustice, but it would be a public affirmation that, on the one hand, this is the country we are, and, on the other, this is the country we are endeavoring to become.”

Editor’s Note: (i) For more information about Public Art for Racial Justice Education, visit their website follow PARJE on Facebook at Facebook.com/Public Art for Racial Justice Education and Instagram @racialjusticeart. To donate to support the work of PARJE or inquire about joining PARJE, email racialjusticeart@gmail.com.

(ii) The following is a list of key people and organizations involved in the Norwich Mural project — (there are too many names to list them all): Matt Conway – Executive Director, The RiseUp Group, Inc., Swaranjit Singh Khalsa – Norwich City Councilman, Derell Q. Wilson – Norwich City Councilman, Leo Butler – Director of Diversity, Norwich Free Academy, Alysha Carmody – HOD, Visual and Performing Arts, NFA, Dayne Rugh – Director, Slater Memorial Museum, Beryl Fishbone – Rotary Community Corps of Norwich, Shiela Hayes – President, NAACP Norwich Branch, Tracey L. Holland – NAACP Norwich Branch, Brenda McDonald – Secretary, NAACP Norwich Branch, Sharlyne Naubert – President, NAACP Robertsine Duncan YC, Celia Siefert – NAACP Norwich Branch, Zechariah Stover – NAACP Norwich Branch, City of Norwich – Elected and Appointed Officials and Norwich Public Utilities.

Old Lyme Open Space Commission Announces Efforts to Acquire Two Parcels of ‘Ames Property’ Have Ended, Obstacles “Impossible to Overcome”

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The acquisition of the two new ‘Ames Property’ parcels, which cannot now be completed, would have directly expanded the existing 195-acre Ames Family Open Space, which can be accessed from Evergreen Trail (via Boggy Hole Road). Photo credit: OL Open Space Commission. 

OLD LYME —  This afternoon, the Old Lyme Open Space Commission released the following statement on the proposed Ames Property purchase:

“The Old Lyme Open Space Commission deeply regrets that, despite its diligent work over the past 18 months, and the work and support of other Town boards and commissions including the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance and the Planning Commission, its efforts to acquire two parcels of the “Ames Property” for addition to the Town’s open space lands have not been successful and have concluded. 

In the end, it proved impossible to overcome obstacles posed by the recorded documents that created the five-parcel subdivision of which the two open-space parcels were a part. 

This outcome is especially unfortunate because acquisition of the open space parcels would have been of great benefit to the Town. The acquisition would have directly expanded the existing Ames Open Space, further protected the Black Hall River watershed, provided additional refuge for endangered species, preserved forest land and its carbon sequestration potential, and moved Old Lyme closer to a town-wide hiking trail.

The possibility of new access to Ames Open Space via a well-constructed and maintained driveway with safe, off-road parking, and potential new trail access by persons with disabilities, including to the existing open space ancient Native-American caves/shelters, would have been another key benefit.

The Open Space Commission thanks the property owner, Steven Ames, for his patient consideration while the Commission pursued the acquisition.”

Registration for Cappella Cantorum Spring Concert Continues Online

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LYME/OLD LYME/AREAWIDE — Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus continues its 2021-2022 season with rehearsals for the Spring Concert starting Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Centerbrook, CT. 

After Jan.17, it will still be possible to register online or call 860-941-8243 for assistance.

Singers from across the area, including the Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme, are welcome. Auditions are not required.

The selected works to be performed are Parts 2 and 3 from Messiah by G.F. Handel. The concert date is tentatively set for May 15; check the Capella Cantorum website for updates. 

Registration will begin at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17, with the first rehearsal following immediately after at 7:30 p.m. The Chorus typically rehearses on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church.  

Proof of full Covid-19 vaccination is required for registration and participation, and masks must be worn while in the building.

Registration is $50 (music is extra), and all participants are encouraged to register in advance on the website at www.cappellacantorum.org .