CHESTER — Phyllis Murray McDowell, mental health visionary, mother, grandmother, great- grandmother, athlete, ballroom dancer, active listener and deep conversationalist, died on September 12, 2025 at her home in Chester, Connecticut. She was 99 years old.
Phyllis was born on July 1, 1926, in New York City to Arthur and Kathryn Murray, founders of the Arthur Murray dance studios …
She is survived by her four daughters, Kathryn P. Magown, Martha M. McDowell, Meg A. Smith, and Patience P. (Duby) McDowell, her sons-in-law Bruce F. Magown, O. Whitman Smith, and Joshua I. Wall, [seven] grandchildren … and five great-grandchildren …
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her honor to Fellowship Place in New Haven, Connecticut. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 10th, at 11am at First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Connecticut.
Data from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut show Old Lyme received $3,715.00 for the 74,300 nip bottles sold there between Oct. 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
OLD LYME–The town’s Waste and Recycling Committee has announced the hiring of Raechel Peterson as Old Lyme’s Waste and Recycling Coordinator using funds from the state’s nip bottle surcharge.
Committee member Fred Behringer in a press release said the two-day-a-week position is funded by nip bottle deposits collected in Old Lyme and returned to the town through the state’s redemption program. The funding allows the new position to be supported outside the town’s general fund.
Nip bottles are the 50 milliliter beverage containers often found on the side of the road that spurred a 2021 state law instituting a 5-cent surcharge on the miniature bottles. The surcharge on bottles sold in Old Lyme comes back every six months to fund environmental cleanup and litter reduction efforts.
Data from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut show Old Lyme received $3,715.00 for the 74,300 nip bottles sold there between Oct. 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
Behringer said Peterson will explore ways to reduce the environmental impact of its waste stream and manage disposal costs.
Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from South Carolina’s Coastal Carolina University in 2023. She went on to work as an environmental specialist at the University of North Carolina Asheville before becoming an Environmental Conservation Corps member with the Sustainability Institute in Charleston, SC. Peterson recently completed a seasonal position with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division.
Standing with the New London Currach Rowers’ hand-built seagoing currach are (from left to right) Pauline Wyatt, Nancy Harney, Karissa Williams and Maureen Plumleigh.
Old Lyme–Four New London Currach Rowers recently took out the team currach for a trip from Old Lyme’s Black Hall Outfitters to Great Island to celebrate and support breast cancer survivors.
New London Currach Rowers in a press release identified the “lady rowers” as Old Lyme resident Maureen Plumleigh; her daughter, Karissa Williams, of Westport; Nancy Harney of Westbrook and Pauline Wyatt of Waterford.
Plumleigh and Williams are breast cancer survivors.
The Sept. 6 event was presented by Black Hall Outfitters and the Middlesex Health Cancer Center. The health center on social media said the event drew nearly 60 cancer survivors, family members, friends and staff members for the opportunity to connect, enjoy nature and exercise. The event was free to each survivor and a guest thanks to sponsorship from the Connecticut-based After the Storm organization, whichassists in the aftermath of breast cancer diagnosis and treatments.
While the event was billed as a kayaking excursion, Plumleigh said her group rowed a currach to bring attention to Irish rowing as well as breast cancer survivors.
The currach is a hand-built craft of Ireland, originally designed 2,000 years ago for the rough waters of the Irish Seas. The team competes against other member teams of the North American Currach Association.
As if our roads weren’t dangerous enough already, there’s a new generation of “personal mobility vehicles” (PMV) silently swishing around our streets for us to worry about — electric scooters and skateboards.
The scooters (about $1400) can go 30 mph. The skateboards (about $700) top out at 32 mph. But following simple instructions on the web, the speed governor can be disabled allowing even faster speeds … up to 60 mph. That modification is illegal in Connecticut.
Many adults and kids use this new gear responsibly. Parents love them as it gives their kids mobility (meaning less chauffeuring.) But even at slower speeds these vehicles are dangerous, their riders unprotected in the event of a fall or collision.
In July, a 15-year-old in Trumbull was killed on his e-bike when he was hit by a car.
That’s why new laws are coming in Connecticut October 1 regulating these devices.
If your e-scooter has no pedals (so it’s not a moped) and a motor over 750 watts (allowing speeds over 30 mph), you’ll need a driver’s license.
E-bikes with motors over 3,500 watts (meaning speeds over 50 mph) must be registered and insured like a motorcycle, and a motorcycle endorsement is required on your license to ride them.
Unless the scooter is built for two seats, passengers are not allowed. And e-bikes of all types are not allowed on sidewalks.
It is illegal to operate any motorized vehicle with a seat lower than 26 inches on public roads. That includes many of the smaller scooters and mini-motorbikes that are often marketed toward children.
Everyone on an e-bike or skateboard under the age of 18 must wear a helmet.
E-skateboards are not allowed to drive faster than 20 mph. Riders must be at least 15 years old but the vehicles do not need to be registered if under that speed limit. Local laws may be stricter for safety. Best to ask your Police Department.
If all of these new regulations seem confusing or overly restrictive, read the recent Op-Ed by State Rep Tracy Marra which started with the eye-catching headline… “I saw your kid almost die today”.
Increased mobility is great. But safety must always come first.
If you’re a driver you already know how disconcerting it can be when these e-devices come hurtling along, almost silently and without notice. But you’re the one driving a ton of steel, so give them their space.
Can law enforcement keep up with all this? Should they be responsible?
As one First Selectman said the other day: “It’s not a good thing to have police chasing after ten, eleven and 12 year olds on bikes and ticketing them. I’m not anxious to take a police officer away from other enforcement operations.”
What’s the answer, if not enforcement? Education and parental responsibility.
There’s no way teens can afford these e-bikes on their allowance money. They’re obviously being purchased by parents, happy to get out of squiring them around from school to dance class to the Y. Those parents should be responsible for making sure their kids are safe … and legal.
We all love our kids, right?
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.
OLD LYME—On Friday, Sept. 12, the Old Lyme boys faced Westbrook and came away with a 3-0 victory.
Wildcat goals were scored by Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Rowan McCormick, and Evan Coffee with assists coming from John Morosky and Charlie McEwan.
Sam Edmed made two saves and Liam McCormick one in goal for the ‘Cats
Jameson McCarthy notched 11 saves for Westbrook.
Old Lyme are now 3-2-0 overall and 2-1-0 in the Shoreline Conference.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Old Lyme girls played Waterford in a non-conference game. The game was played at Old Lyme and resulted in a 1-1 draw. Vivian Boller scored for the ‘Cats off an assist from Anna Bussman.
