Monthly Archives: April 2022

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Sports Roundup

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April 4: Girls’ Tennis

Old Lyme defeats Valley 6-1.

1st Singles:
Abigail Sicuranza Vs Olivia Baldwin 6-1, 6-2

2nd Singles:
Sam Tan vs Joanna Petrone 6-1, 6-1

3rd Singles:
Callie Bass vs Natalie Novak 4-6, 6-7 (4)

4th Singles:
Elaina Morosky vs Hannah Schwartzman 6-0, 6-0

1st Doubles:
Livie Bass / Alexis Fenton vs. Ashley Cap / Clara Shea 6-1, 6-0

2nd Doubles:
Aggie Hunt/ Beatrice Hunt vs. Regan Grow / Alessia Pisanzio 6-2, 6-1

3rd Doubles:
Fiona Hufford/ Izzy Reynolds vs. Fallyn Belisle / Sophia Bonanno 6-0  6-0

April 4: Baseball

Old Saybrook defeated Lyme-Old Lyme 9-3

Old Saybrook scored on a single by Butler (2-3)  in the first inning and a home run by Rothman (1-4 and 3 RBI) in the second inning.

Lyme- Old Lyme Varsity evened things up at one in the bottom of the first inning when Jimmy Creagan grounded out, scoring one run.

Old Saybrook pulled away for good with three runs in the second inning.  In the second Rothman homered on a 1-0 count, scoring three runs.

Old Saybrook scored three runs in the seventh inning.  Hester (3-4 1 RBI) , Lane (0-2 1 RBI), and Scalzo (1-3 2 RBI) each drove in runs during the inning.

Butler took the win for Old Saybrook. He lasted five innings, allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out three and walking one.  Lane threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.  Lane recorded the last six outs to earn the save for Old Saybrook.

Grady Lacourciere took the loss for Lyme-Old Lyme. He righty went three innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and striking out two.

Lyme- Old Lyme totaled nine hits.  Jaden Reyes (3-4) and Casey Hurtgen (2-3) managed multiple hits for the Wildcats.

Old Saybrook tallied ten hits in the game.  Hester, Butler, and Brown (2-3)  all collected multiple hits for Old Saybrook.

April 2: Boys’ Lacrosse

St. Joe’s defeated Old Lyme 17-5

Liam Celic and Macklin Cushman had one goal apiece while Nick Cox scored two.

Dan Stack made eight saves for Old Lyme while Joseph Montazella made five.

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Grad Rows in Winning Oxford Boat at Famed UK ‘Boat Race’

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Liam Corrigan (right) rowed for Oxford University in Sunday’s ‘Boat Race.’ This photo was taken during practice the day before. Oxford defeated Cambridge in the actual race, which was first rowed in 1829. Photo by B. Corrigan.

LONDON, ENGLAND/LYME/OLD LYME — The UK’s most prestigious rowing event known as ‘The Boat Race,’ was held on the River Thames this past Sunday, April 3.

The race, which features two teams, respectively from Cambridge and Oxford Universities, dates back to 1829 for the men’s event and 1927 for the women’s.

This year, Liam Corrigan, who graduated from Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) in 2014 and rowed for the US in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, was in the bow of the winning Oxford eight boat.

The Oxford boat approaches Hammersmith Bridge on the River Thames while competing in Sunday’s Boat Race. The Cambridge boat in the foreground remained in second (last) place throughout the race.

View the race at this link beginning at 1 hour 50 minutes on the video.

His parents, Brian Corrigan and Joan Rivington of Lyme, were there on the banks of the Thames to witness their son’s success.

The men’s Boat Race on the Thames has been held annually since 1856, except during the First and Second World Wars (although unofficial races were held during that time.)

It was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2021 was held on the River Ely to reduce the crowds.

Liam rowed for both LOLHS and the Blood Street Sculls before going to Harvard University, where he was captain of the men’s team. He went on to be selected for the US Men’s Eight, which rowed in the Tokyo Olympics last year, taking fourth place.

It is noteworthy that Austin Hack of Old Lyme, a fellow LOLHS graduate — but from 2010 — was also selected for the same US Eight boat as Liam Corrigan at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Congratulations, Liam!

April 4 COVID-19 Update: No New Cases in Lyme, Old Lyme Keep Cumulative Case Totals at 260, 1059; CT Positivity Rate Reaches Mid-Feb. Level Again

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued Monday, April 4, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) shows no new confirmed COVID-19 cases in either Lyme or Old Lyme on March 31, leaving their respective cumulative case totals at 260 and 1059.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported on March 25.

Prior to April 4, the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was March 24. There were also no new cases on March 9 and 4, and Feb. 24. The previous date prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Tuesday, April 5, around 4 p.m.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate increased to 4.26% on April 4, from 3.68% on April 1.

This rate of 4.26% is the highest recorded CT Daily Positivity Rate since Feb. 17, 2022 when the Rate stood at 4.71%.

The March 10 rate of 1.79% was the most recent time the positivity rate had fallen below 2.0 since Oct. 7, 2021 according to our records, when it was 1.70%.

On April 4, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations increased to 93 from 81 on April 1. In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on April 4, 37 (representing 39.8%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut now stands at 10,779, according to the New York Times.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

This map, updated March 31, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Old Lyme has moved back into the Orange (second highest) Zone while Lyme remains in the Gray (lowest) Zone. Twenty towns (representing a total of 11.3% of the state) are now found in the Red Zone. Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities. Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper.

On Thursday, March 31, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 20 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates.

In a worrying trend, this number has increased by 12 from eight since last week.

Although this total of Red Zone towns reflects an increase over last week’s number, it still shows a reduction in the number of Red Zone towns since late January. On Jan. 27, the total was 168 out of 169 towns and by Feb. 17, the total was 153. By Feb. 24, it had fallen to 87; on March 3, the total was 23, and and last week on March 12, it was 12.

The March 31 total of 20 is equivalent to 11.3% of towns in the state, which remain in the Red Zone.

By way of contrast, the map below shows the COVID-19 Case Rate Map from one year ago.

This map, updated March 25, 2021 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. The Town of Old Lyme had moved up into the (highest) Red Zone, while Lyme remained in the (lowest) Gray Zone. (Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.)

As of March 31, 2022 there are no towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) remaining in the Red Zone. Three, including Old Lyme, are in the Orange (second highest) Zone:- the other two are East Lyme and Waterford. Last week, Old Lyme was in the Yellow Zone and so this represents another trend of concern.

Four are in the Yellow (second lowest) Zone, namely Groton, New London, Ledyard and Stonington, while Lyme and North Stonington remain in the Gray (lowest) Zone.

The LLHD is no longer issuing reports with updated Case Rates and other metrics.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, April 7 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 616 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 687 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 146 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

There are no towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), of which both Lyme and Old Lyme are members, in the Red (highest case rate) Zone.

The LLHD has announced that there will be no further weekly LLHD reports unless there are “any significant change in case rates, hospitalizations, etc.” The following details are therefore from the final LLHD update on March 24.

In an email sent Thursday, March 24, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield states, “Based on surveillance data available in a new tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called COVID-19 Community Levels, the municipalities within Ledge Light Health District (and all of New London County) are currently classified as low, the “best” classification available based on these new metrics.”

He continues, “Community Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in a specific geographical area. CDC recommends taking precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID based on Community Levels in your area.”

He adds, “In New London County, residents are advised to:

  • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
  • Get tested if you have symptoms

View the new tool by following this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html.

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/.”

An explanation of the new tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

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/

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

Four COVID-related fatalities have now 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 and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

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.

LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained the latest developments in LOL Schools COVID protocols in an April 1 email to the school community, saying, “As noted in my email of February 17, 2022, beginning April 1, 2022 we will no longer report daily COVID-19 cases in the schools.  For the remainder of this school year, that information will be complied on a weekly basis and will be available on our website at the following link: https://www.region18.org/parents/covid-data.”

He added, “In light of the significant reduction in cases since our return from February vacation, we have slowly discontinued most COVID-19 mitigation strategies excluding required quarantine/isolation for those that test positive and enhanced building ventilation.  We are in the process of removing all remaining plastic shields from schools, students and staff no longer need to practice physical distancing, and large group gatherings are not limited in number.  Mask use still remains optional and handwashing will continue to be encouraged.”

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

View the full listing of cases between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.

The listing below 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.

The following abbreviations are used in the lists below: LOLHS: Lyme-Old Lyme High School, LOLMS: Lyme-Old Lyme
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, MC: Mile Creek School, and CS: Center School Pre-Kindergarten

MARCH 2022
Wednesday, March 30 Total: LOLHS: 2, Lyme: 1
Monday, March 28Total: LOLHS: 2
Thursday, March 24Total: LOLMS: 1
Wednesday, March 23Total: LOLHS: 1, CS: 1
Tuesday, March 22 Total: Lyme: 1
Sunday, March 20Total: LOLHS: 1
Wednesday, March 16Total: LOLHS: 1
Monday, March 14 Total: CS: 1
Sunday, March 13Total: LOLHS: 1
Thursday, March 3 Total: LOLHS: 1
Wednesday, March 2Total: LOLHS: 1

FEBRUARY 2022
Friday, Feb. 18: Total: LOLMS: 1, MC: 1
Thursday, Feb. 17: Total: 1,  MC: 1
Wednesday, Feb. 16: Total: 6, LOLMS: 3
Monday, Feb. 14: Total: 6, LOLMS: 2, MC: 3, Lyme: 1
Sunday, Feb. 13: Total: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 1
Friday, Feb. 11: Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, CS: 1
Thursday, Feb. 10: Total: 2, Lyme: 1, CS: 1
Wednesday, Feb. 9: Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, MC: 1
Tuesday, Feb. 8: Total: 0
Monday, Feb. 7: Total: 3, Lyme: 1, MC: 1, CS: 1
Sunday, Feb. 6:Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1
Friday, Feb. 4: Total: 5, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 2
Thursday, Feb. 3: Total: 1, Lyme: 1
Wednesday, Feb. 2: Total: 3, MC: 3
Tuesday, Feb. 1: Total: 1, MC: 1

JANUARY 2022
Monday, 1/31: Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1
Sunday, 1/30: Total: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/28: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1
Thursday, 1/27: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, Lyme: 2
Wednesday, 1/26: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, MC: 2
Tuesday, 1/25: Total: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/24:Total: 9, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1, MC: 4, CS: 1
Sunday, 1/23:Total: 3, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 2
Friday, 1/21:Total: 8, LOLHS: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Thursday, 1/20: Total: 5, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1, Lyme: 3
Wednesday, 1/19: Total: 7, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 4, CS: 1
Tuesday, 1/18: Total: 7, LOLHS: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/17: Total: 6, Lyme: 4, MC: 2
Friday, 1/14: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLHS: 1
Wednesday, 1/12: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLMS: 1
Monday, 1/10: Total: 3, CS: 1, Lyme: 2
Sunday, 1/9: Total: 2, MC: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/7: Total: 1, MC: 1:
Thursday, 1/6: Total: 7, LOLHS: 5, Lyme: 1, CS: 1
Wednesday, 1/5: Total: 14, LOLHS: 6, MC: 1, Lyme: 3, CS: 4
Tuesday, 1/4: Total: 5, LOLHS: 4, CS: 1

Death Announced of John William Hajosy, Father of John of South Lyme

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NIANTIC — John William Hajosy, 84, of Niantic, died peacefully Monday, March 28, 2022 at Bayview Healthcare in Waterford. John was born in New London, Feb. 1, 1938, the son of Albert and Catherine Callan Hajosy. His wife, Adeline Gutowski Hajosy, predeceased him in 2018. He is survived by two sons, Stephen of Greenville, S.C., and John of South Lyme; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by his oldest son Michael, U.S. Navy (Ret.); and his brother Robert …

In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor can be made to the Nature Conservancy (https://www.nature.org/en-us/membership-and-giving/donate-to-our-mission/) …

Visit this link to read the full obituary published April 3, 2022 by The Day.

A la Carte: Spring is Here … Celebrate with Spring Minestrone

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Lee White

I have spent the past few weeks with friends, first with the Oscars (yes, we all saw the slap and, with all the brilliant actors and crew from the amazing movie, CODA, they knew what Will Smith was saying. I myself don’t read lips, but I knew what he was saying.)

The following Friday, we watched UConn ladies in the Final Four.

On Sunday, I watched them alone.  Sigh.

I had also made two cakes, the one called Emergency Chocolate Cake because it is dairy-free and can usually be made easily with pantry and refrigerator staples. During the Friday game, we all made make-your-own ice cream sundaes with slices of the cake.

During half-times, we talked politics and food. Libby is cleaning up her gorgeous flower and vegetable gardens, while the rest of us talked about how lucky we are to get incredibly superb frozen vegetables.

And now that I don’t have a garden, I do have a big freezer and buy pounds of Whole Food and Trader Joe’s frozen sweet peas, corn, beans and broccoli (I am also buying the broccoli, plus cauliflower, from the produce aisles). 

Ingredients for the following recipe can all be found without driving almost an hour. And feel free to add other vegetables and change the ones you can’t find. I have been using fresh asparagus for some weeks. Is it fresh and local? Probably not, but they are lovely, the tips tight and the green stalks wonderful upright.

Spring is here and summer is right around the corner.

Spring Minestrone
From Real Simple, April, 2022

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only sliced into thin rounds
3 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
6 cups lower-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup ditalini pasta
4 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
4 ounces cups green Swish chard
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil plus small leaves for serving
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add leeks, celery, crushed red pepper (9if using), and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks soften, about 4 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil.

Add pasta to pan. Return to a boil. Cook over medium high, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in beans during final 3 minutes of cook time. Remove from heat.

Stir in chard, basil, lemon juice and remaining 1 ¼ teaspoon salt. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Top with parmesan (if using) and small basil leaves.

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes ‘Nibbles’ and a cooking column called ‘A La Carte’ for LymeLine.com along with the Shore Publishing and Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years but now lives in Groton, Conn. Contact Lee at leeawhite@aol.com.