Monthly Archives: September 2025

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Resident State Trooper to Leave Post After Five Years

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Resident State Trooper Matt Weber and comfort dog, Viera, will be transferring to Connecticut State Police headquarters to support the agency’s peer support program. File photo.

OLD LYME–The resident state trooper in charge of the Old Lyme Police Department for the past five years will be leaving early next month to lead the Connecticut State Police peer support program. 

Connecticut State Police Resident State Trooper Matt Weber on Friday said word came through the day before that he’ll be transferring Oct. 3 to the Middletown headquarters as the coordinator of the State Troopers Offering Peer Support (STOPS) program. 

He said the state police will assign a temporary resident trooper to cover the town while the agency goes through the process of finding a permanent replacement. 

Webe currently oversees five Old Lyme constables with full police powers. The resident trooper program provides leadership in more than 50 towns across the state without independent police departments. 

Weber, who lives in town, described the move as bittersweet. 

“Definitely, it’s a town I love, so hopefully I left it a little bit better than I found it,” he said. 

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker on Friday said Weber’s presence has led to a stronger summer ranger program, which places seasonal staff under the police department’s direction to patrol public beaches. She said the resident trooper has also helped curb fights and illegal activity at Sound View Beach. 

Resident State Trooper Matt Weber. File photo contributed by Connecticut State Police.

Shoemaker credited Weber with focusing on hiring new officers rather than exclusively making lateral hires from other departments. 

“His unique approach to build our staff by training officers at the Connecticut Police Academy has allowed us to hire individuals who have always wanted to be police officers and are now serving our town to the best of their ability,” she said. 

Among them are Officer Ethan Kula, a former summer ranger in Old Lyme who was hired in 2022 at the age of 24. Most recently, Patrolman George Sirigos graduated the academy in January as a 31 year old. 

Before Kula, Corporal Dominic Solari was the last Old Lyme officer to go through the academy in 2006. 

Shoemaker said she has not been given a timetable for securing Weber’s permanent replacment. She also has not been told what the town’s role will be in the selection process, though she hopes to sit in on hiring interviews.

She said staff members at the police department and town hall will miss Weber greatly in his professional capacity. But she acknowledged the town resident isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re still going to see him in Big Y,” she said.

Weber will bring 17 years of experience as a state trooper when he takes over the peer support program from state police Sgt. Rodney Valdes. 

Weber said he looks forward to the opportunity to help other troopers, “just for the mental well-being of them.”

He declined to further discuss his time in Old Lyme or his new role, citing the advice of the state police public information officer. 

The state police STOPS program provides peer counseling for troopers and other first responders in personal or professional crises, according to state police. The specially-trained network of troopers also helps during non-crisis situations amid the daily stresses of working for the state police.

TOP STORY: ‘Connection Is Prevention’—New Signs on Baldwin Bridge Provide Lifeline to Those in Crisis

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OLD LYME–Two state troopers recognized for helping a distressed woman off the side of the Baldwin Bridge in 2023 joined a group of suicide awareness advocates on Friday to commemorate the installation of new signs reminding everyone that help is out there. 

The four plain blue signs, installed on Old Lyme and Old Saybrook ends of the sidewalk along the bridge’s southbound span, direct those who have lost hope to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Director Mary Seidner during a ceremony on the Baldwin Bridge trail credited Sergeants Ashley Harkins and Matthew Belz with inspiring her to get the signs installed. A group of local, regional and state leaders made it happen. 

Belz and Harkins on Friday morning recalled for reporters the day over a year and a half ago when they found the woman perched atop a 5-inch ledge on the river side of a tall metal fence. Several  911 calls had alerted police to the despondent woman. 

“I made the connection with her,” Belz said, describing his position on the sidewalk as Harkins navigated the grooves of metal mesh in uniform boots to get herself up and over the fence to the woman’s side. 

Harkins remembered having difficulty at first scaling the fence in her uniform and thick boots. 

“Then I kind of took a quick second and reevaluated it, and I was like, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing. I’m doing this,’” she said. “And then I just did it.” 

For Harkins and Belz, helping people at risk of suicide is first and foremost about connection. 

“Showing that you care is a big step,” Belz said. 

State police shared the emotional and harrowing body camera footage shortly after the incident to call attention to the troopers’ quick, decisive actions. Harkins could be seen on the narrow shelf, one or two hands gripping the fence at all times, while she kept the woman close to the fence with her body. 

The sergeants coaxed the woman onto Harkins’ bent legs so troopers on the other side could pull her to safety. She was taken by ambulance for treatment, according to state police. 

Friday’s ceremony included a presentation by State Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme, of a citation from the state legislature to the troopers for “heroic actions saving a life in crisis.” The recognition was introduced in Hartford by Carney and State Sens. Martha Marx, D-New London, and Norm Needleman, D-Essex. 

“You saved a life. You saved a family’s heartache,” he said. “You gave someone an opportunity for the future.”

Sergeants Ashley Harkins and Matthew Belz were honored Friday for helping a distressed woman off the side of the Baldwin Bridge in 2023, an action credited with inspiring the placement of suicide prevention signs on the span.

Seidner told the audience of roughly 50 people that she started researching signs after she heard about the rescue. That’s when she engaged Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Director Heather McNeil in the process. 

“I know some [bridges] have signs, but ours did not,” she said. 

Southeast Regional Action Council (SERAC) Director Mark Irons said the effort in technical terms comes down to “lethal means prevention.” 

“What can we do when someone’s choice leads them to potentially making a lethal decision? In the case of high places and bridges, we have the opportunity to use signage,” he said. 

The signs were funded with SERAC dollars through the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and manufactured by incarcerated individuals in the state correction system. 

“There’s a notion that a crisis can be momentary, and we’re looking for some small breaks or opportunities to intervene,” Irons said. “In the case of seeing a sign, the message of hope and support can really make a difference.”

He said the signs can, and have, made a difference for people who stop to call or text the hotline number to find someone on the other side. 

“Connection is prevention,” he said. “And that’s what’s happening here.” 

Danielle Amaral, a facilitator with Eastern Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, pointed to statistics showing 49,000 people die by suicide every year, or one every 11 minutes. 

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 356 people in Connecticut died by suicide in 2023, marking one of the lowest suicide rates in the country. 

“In Connecticut, we’re talking about it more,” Amaral said. “And that’s what it takes … talking about it.” 

Ann Dagle addresses a crowd of roughly 50 people at a ceremony to commemorate new suicide prevention awareness signs on the Baldwin Bridge. Looking on are Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Director Heather McNeil (left) and Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Director Mary Seidner.

Ann Dagle, a grief counselor and founder of the Brian’s Healing Hearts center in East Lyme, said September is a difficult and immersive time for many prevention advocates. Her work during Suicide Awareness Month is consumed with presentations, training sessions and outreach for 30 days straight. 

Dagle’s son, Brian, died by suicide in 2011 while in his sophomore year of college. 

“It’s challenging to work in this space all the time, but days like this give us hope,” she said. “They give us hope that we can make a difference. They give us hope that we can save lives.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or text “HELLO” to 741741 for free, confidential support at any time.

Talking Transportation: Travel Now, Talk or Text Later

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Jim Cameron

How many of you remember “Car Talk”, the wildly popular NPR show with Tom and Ray Magliozzi, also known as “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers”? Not only were they brothers, but both graduated from MIT. They were walking encyclopedias of automotive wisdom. And common sense.

To them, car safety meant more than just mechanics. It meant drivers should be smart about their motoring. Their popular bumper sticker read “Drive Now, Talk Later”.

They meant talking on cellphones, of course. But to update their mantra you could add “Text Later.”

That’s actually the law in Connecticut: All drivers must use hands-free devices for phone calls, and it is illegal to text or use any hand-held mobile device while operating a motor vehicle. If you’re under age 18 you’re not allowed to use any cell phone, hands-free or otherwise, while driving.

Last year’s “Put the phone away or pay” campaign in East Hartford and Manchester saw 365 tickets issued in a single month while State Police tallied almost 600 citations in the same period. And we’re talking a $200 to $625 fine.

But I see it every day … people can’t put down their phones. I’m behind a guy at a red light. It changes to green and he doesn’t move, obviously checking his phone. A slight tap on the horn (after a very patient 10 seconds) and he finally takes off.

Are we all so addicted? I honestly wonder what parents with an SUV full of kids are thinking when they drive down busy streets juggling a latte in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

Once, when stuck in crawling traffic on I-95, I actually saw a guy reading a book. I’ve seen other drivers shaving or putting on make-up. Give me a break!

But I’d carry that message of attentive commuting to other travel environments as well, especially on the train.

Several years ago, while serving on the CT Rail Commuter Council, I tried to persuade Metro-North to establish “Quiet Cars” on their trains … cellphone free environments where riders seeking peace wouldn’t need to hear some self-centered hedge-fund dealer yelling at his trading desk in a voice that carries through the entire car.

“Hey. It’s me.” Who cares? “I’m on the train”. Yeah, I know. “Just thought I’d check in on that last trade.” I wish I could check out.

Years after Amtrak and other commuter rail systems adopted “Quiet Cars,” Metro-North finally agreed to give it a try in 2011. But they never enforced the rules and dropped the plan, using COVID as the excuse.

If we used to have smoking and non-smoking cars, why can’t we have “Quiet Cars” as well? The problems of annoying chatter persist. A ticket on the train buys you transportation, not the right to annoy your fellow passengers with a recitation of your woes.

A friend on Metro-North says she was seated next to a woman on the phone complaining to a friend about her day and a splitting headache. When she hung up my friend asked if she needed a Tylenol. Cell-lady gave her a “Hrumph” and accused her of eavesdropping.

What’s the proper etiquette for cellphone use on the train?

Try to make the call short and at a low speaking volume, and cup your hand around the mouthpiece. If a longer call is necessary, get out of your seat and talk in the vestibule. And to make sure that incoming calls don’t bother anyone, leave your phone on vibrate.

It’s just a matter of consideration of your fellow riders.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Death Announced of Stephen Auguste Theodore Basil, 92, of Lyme; Known to SE CT Fishing Fleet as ‘Captain Bob’

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LYME — Stephen Auguste Theodore Basil, known to the Southeast Connecticut fishing fleet as Captain Bob, died peacefully Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 at his home in Lyme. He was 92 years old …

… he worked in sales for many years before moving to Connecticut to start his commercial charter fishing business. He built his wooden hull fishing boat, the Capt. Bob II, with Seth Persson in Old Saybrook …

The Captain is survived by his wife, Susan Roberts Basil; and his two daughters and son-in-law, Laurie Beth Roberts of Branford, and Kathi Roberts Constantinou and Anthony Constantinou of Lakewood Ranch, Fla.; and three grandchildren, Briana Constantinou and her fiance Adham Makki of Tampa, Fla.; Brooke Constantinou Lieberman and her husband Peter Lieberman Jr., of Tampa, Fla.; and Christopher Constantinou and his wife Teresa Tripodi Constantinou, of Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

Services will be private. The family asks that if so inclined, please make donations in memory of Mr. Stephen Basil to the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, P.O.Box 804, Essex, CT 06426.

Editor’s Note: Visit this link to read the full obituary published by ‘The Day’ on Sep. 21, 2025.

Soccer Roundup: Lyme-Old Lyme Girls Notch Impressive Win

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School girls soccer finished the week with a 9-1 win over North Branford.

On Thursday, Brooke Burgess, Hailey Suisman , and Reagan Christopher each scored two goals. Olivia Lovendale, Adrian Raby, and Emily Bonatti contributed a goal each. Avery Spooner notched an assist.

Goalkeeper Grace Osborne delivered four saves.

North Branford’s lone goal came from Kaydence Caporale. Goalkeeper Sofia Ludington finished with four saves.

The girls are now 3-3-2 overall and 3-3-0 in the Shoreline Conference. They next play Haddam-Killingworth High School at 4 p.m. on Friday in Old Lyme.

On Sept. 16, Old Saybrook High School bested Old Lyme 4-2.

On the Old Lyme side, the team’s two goals came from Anna Bussmann and Addy Morosky. Vivian Boller provided an assist. Grace Osborne made 12 saves.

For Old Saybrook, Nadia Roslonek delivered three goals and Jameli Jara scored one. One assist each came from Annalise Sarette and Carmen Vercillo. Emerson Cooke made a pair of saves.