Author Archives: Admin

State Rep. Carney Appointed House Ranking Member of New Government Oversight Committee

Posted on by
Reply

HARTFORD/LYME/OLD LYME – State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd), whose Distrcit includes both Lyme and Old Lyme, was recently appointed Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s newly-created Government Oversight Committee by House Republican Leader State Representative Vincent Candelora (R-86th).

State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd)

It is expected that the committee will focus on matters related to transparency in government, seek to eliminate waste and other inefficiencies, and highlight the monthly reports of state agencies released by the Connecticut State Auditors.

“I am looking forward to serving as the lead House Republican on the new Government Oversight Committee,” Rep. Carney said. “Serving on this committee will give me the opportunity to do a deep dive into government operations and finances.”

He continued, “It is essential that Connecticut’s government is efficient and doesn’t waste taxpayer dollars.  I want to thank House Minority Leader, Vin Candelora, for entrusting me with this important position and I am eager to get working for the residents of the 23rd District and the State of Connecticut.”

“Representative Devin Carney’s appointment as the House Ranking Member of this new committee underscores his dedication to good governance and accountability,” Candelora said, adding, “Devin has consistently demonstrated a commitment to transparency and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively. His experience and thoughtful leadership will be invaluable as this committee tackles the critical task of improving oversight and building trust in government operations for the people of Connecticut.”

A Ranking Member is the designated leader from the minority party on a committee. Each committee has a House and Senate ranking member. Individuals who serve in this role are responsible for bringing forward legislation and communicating to their caucuses details about bills voted out of committees.

Rep. Carney’s new assignment will take effect Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the start of the new legislative term.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Dec. 17, by State Rep. Carney’s Press Secretary.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Announce Q1 Honor Rolls

Posted on by
Reply

Lyme-Old Lyme High School
2024-25 Quarter 1 Honor Roll

HIGH HONORS

Grade 12
Micah Bass, Gavin Biega, Molly Boardman, Nathaniel Bradley, Mark Burnham, Chase Calderon, Dominic Clark, Andrew Clougherty, Tabitha Colwell, Gloria Conley, Chloe Datum, Andrea DeBernardo, Caeli Edmed, Anna Eichholz, Grace Ferman, Benedict Frazier, Salvatore Gencarella, Manu Geronimo, Christopher Gibbons, Janna Graves, Nicolas Hatch, Kaela Hoss, Rowan Hovey, Shyla Jones, Thomas Kabel, Simon Karpinski, Olivia Kelly, Ella Kiem, Skylar Kobelia, Peter Kuhn, Ada LaConti, Brenden Landry, Elise Leonardo, Andrew Liu, Lana Lopes, Colette Marchant, Nathan Morgan, Abigail O’Brien, Sophie Pennie, Ysabel Rodriguez, Ryan Shapiro, Drea Simler, Josephine Small, Andrew Sprankle, Charlotte Tinniswood, Nicholas Turtoro, Kathleen Walsh, Giovanni Winters, Wenyao Zhang, Gabriella Ziegler

Grade 11
Zoe Brunza, Trevor Buydos, Tyler Cann, Julia Clark, Maya Cook, Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Christopher Dagher, James Dahlke, Rose Dimmock, Chase Gilbert, Alexander Glaras, Anna Goldfarb, Benjamin Goulding, Elizaveta Gregoire, Anne-Marie Hinckley, Christopher Kachur, Thomas Kelly, Jayden Livesey, Emily Looney, Poveda, Lucas, Serena Mazzi, Carter McGlinchey, Rowen Meisner, Ryan Miller, Madeline Murphy, Sybil Neary, Ryan Olsen, Ryan Ortoleva, Jacob Prokopets, Lance Sanford, Sophia Shaposhnikova, Addison Spooner,  Sydney St. Pierre, Andrew Taylor, Meredith Thompson, Connor Vautrain, Stella Young, Carl Zapatka

Grade 10
Collin Anderson, Ceciley Buckley, Morgan Buerger, Brooke Burgess, William Burgess, Anna Bussmann, Lillian Calabrese, Isaac Chartier, Johanna Coker, Brady Donovan, Elliot Dunn-Sims, Edward Fiske, Lauren Fulara, Antonio Gencarella, Gavin Goulis, Harrison Goulis, Skylar Graybill, Tessa Grethel, Owen Holth, Josephine Kiem, Paul Kuhn, Callahan Lacourciere, Kaylee McCarthy, Autumn Newbury, Sean Olsen, Mia Palmer, Ainsley Rinoski, Cameron Russell, Owen Shapiro, Kevork Shegirian, Madeline Stiles, Milo Stiles, Carli Teixeira, Magdalena Tooker, Ethan Trepanier, Kaylyn Vernon, Caterina Wilson

Grade 9
Lillian Acosta, Lauren Belval, Scarlett Blatter, Vivian Boller, Noah Brant, Lana Brunza, Payton Burr, Trevor Camarra, Naomi Cameron, Gabrielle Clark, John Comstock, Nathaniel Condon, Colin Discordia, Jonah Filardi, Cortland Forbes, Avery Goiangos, Frederick Goss, Gavin Gray, Sawyer Graybill, Kinsley Grenier, Aiden Guidi, Maia Guisti, Colleen Harrington, Morgan Harris, Reese Holland, Sophia Huang, Henrik Hummervoll, Fiona Judge, Jillian Kleefeld, Kaedyn Koproski, Holden Leonardo, Alice Li, Graham Macadam, Menzi Mbele, David McAdams, Rowan McCormick, Charles McEwen, William McKeever, Clarissa Mock, Addyson Morosky, Grace Morrissette, Marielle Munster, Theodore Neary, Gwenevere Osborne, Mila Pacelli, Mattea Parnoff, Remi Patz, Caiden Pelletier, Nicholas Porto, Jonah Scheckwitz, Marguerite Sevigny, Audrey Sheehan, Avery Spooner, Hailey Suisman, Charlotte Thuma, Renee Viera, Avery Zbierski, Ella Ziolkovski

HONORS

Grade 12
Christopher Anderson, Oliver Avelange, Hannah Bonilla, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Abigail Edwards, Davis Fallon, Samantha Fiske, Hoshena Gemme, Marcella Gencarella, Elias Goldberg, Abigail Griffith, Yucheng Hou, Hannah Johnston, Gage Kaulfuss, Bronwyn Kyle, Straub, Lahot, Evan LeQuire, Amahle Mdluli, Tirill Mundal, Kayla Navarro, Max Novak, Kanon Oharu, Kelly Sheehan, Nola Slubowski, Erika Teixeira, Ava Wood-Muller

Grade 11
Sienna Bari, Max Bartlett, Makayla Calderon, Caden Camarra, Annabelle Coppola, Michael DeFiore, Quinn Hadarik, Oliver Hatchel, Maya LeQuire, Yanza, Marin, Yanza, Marin, Samuel McKenzie, Finch Nichols, Quenten Patz, Marleigh Piacenza, Isabella Presti, Daniel Shaposhnikov, Luca Signora, Tanner Snurkowski, Charlotte Spiegel, Carson St Louis, Margaret Thuma, Madeleine Trepanier, John Turick, Elisabeth Viera, Gabriel Waldo, Oliver Wyman, Katherine Zhang

Grade 10
Zachary Belval, Mia Bonatti, Aidan Carpentino, Evan Coffee, Amirah D’Lizarraga, Samson Edmed, Angeline Gencarella, Curtiss Johnson, Elsa Jungkeit, Olivia Lovendale, Matilda Miller, John Morosky, Grace Osborne, Vincenzo Pietrowicz, Alexandria Sanford, Allegra Schaedler, Ivy Wilson, Brody Ziolkovski

Grade 9
Ashlynn Edwards, Katharine Ferman, Ryan Hill, Mason Jones, Henry Kyle, Treyton LaConti, Sadie Lukasiewski, Benjamin Mattox, Liam McCormick, Caitlyn McHugh, Logan Patana, Chloe Ryan, Niamh Slubowski, Delilah Tooker, Ashlynn Ward, Charles Zapatka

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School
2024-25 Quarter 1 Honor Roll

HIGH HONORS

Grade 8
Anna Block, Emily Bonatti, Cassidy Buckley, Ewan Cabell, Emily Campbell, Finnegan Choisnet, Reagan Christopher, Eliana Cicchiello, Emerson Coker, Benjamin Conrad, Miles Coppola, Nadia Daily, Maya Desai, Parker Fedorich, Jackson Fiske, Parker Forbes, Samantha Fulara, Ava Fuller, Victoria Glaras, Cole Haslam, Charles Holth, Quinn Hoss, Griffin Karpinski, Collin Langley, Zoey Langley, Ellison Lodge, Isabel Martel, Harland McKenna, Maxwell Mooney, Oliver Newbury, Sofia Noti, Kanato Oharu, Jack Ouellette, Jack Parker, Nikolas Reid, Benson Reis, Tristan Reyes, Lillian Reynolds, Beatrix Rubino, Addison Sapia, Adrianna Squarciafico, Mia Stokes, Natalie Suisman, Cooper Thomas, Olive Vautrain, Benson Wang, Reagan Weinstein, Anna William, Samuel Zelek, Lily Zerkowski

Grade 7
Annalisa Archbald, Miella Bard, Sawyer Barreto, Cole Barris, Jackson Basham, Zakary Benedetto, Conor Buckeridge, Thomas Calabrese, Rowan Cantner, Mason Catalano, Jackson Chapps, Ainsley Conroy, Oliver Constantine, Brennon Coyle, Roger Crampton, Sophia Crampton, Daniel Crisp, Ella Davis, Amy Diaz, Daphne Eisensmith, Kate Ewers, Camryn Fedorich, Estelle Filardi, Maureen Geronimo, Jaxson Glantz, Beckett Goss, Delana Green-Oldfield, Ekaterina Gregoire, Willow Griffis, Julia Haslam, Sean Hunter, August Jungkeit, Devon Kiem, Rowan Kilfoil, Alina Kosecki, Eva Levonick, Jamie Maloney, Mary McAdams, Ariana McEwen, Finn McLaughlin, Henry Miller, Tristan Montanaro, Ryann Montesanto, Broderick Morris, Isla Morrissette, Maya Munster, Maura Murphy, Avery Olson, Juul Parrott, Quin Parrott, Quinn Quarto, Caliana Rand, Emily Randak, Charlotte Reynolds, Olivia Rozanski-Rose, Linden Sarnoski, Ari Shegirian, Maya Smith, Molly Supersano, Weston Taylor, Jack Walter, Liam Ward, John Young, Kingsley Zheng

Grade 6
Mylo Awwa, Ella Boudo, Cecelia Bradley, Brody Burr, Ryan Campbell, Liang Chang, Aiden Coffee, Maizie Curtiss-Reardon, Croix Demars, Lucia D’Onofrio, Catherine Fisher, Maxwell Garvin, Natalie Gibbons, Gabriella Gonzalez, Gerald Holland, John Hornyak, Emma Hoxha, Callie Kelo, Aiden Lapinski, Parker Lee, Siena Maguire, Linnea McLachlan, Emma Morales, Gabriella Norris, Nico Orlando, Alexander Reid, Jack Reiter, Connor Rice, Taylor Rooney, Magnolia Sahl, Reid Sapia, Kate Scheckwitz, Colton Schroder, Madison Seckla, Piper Spiegel, Audrey Thuma, Carina Vakili, Henry Whalen

HONORS

Grade 8
Josie Arndt, Trent Cameron, Samuel Dunn-Sims, Joshua Evans, Colin Farrell, Jared Fulara, Olivia Gerardo, Cayden Graybill, Olivia Griffith, Curran Livesey, Grant Maxwell, Thomas O’Connor, Giovanni Orlando, Juliette Small

Grade 7
Haneen Al-Rahyyl, Braydon Boisseau, Liam Carpentino, Hunter Emma, Aibhlinn Hall, Lauren Kelly, Jameson McKeever, Camden Novak, Roman Schlachter, Jackson Staab, Lucius Stebbins-Wallen, Kolbein Vigen

Grade 6
Finn Cabell, Luz Cajamarca, Finn Celic, Niall Hallahan, Roosevelt Lowry, Leif Sullivan, Charlotte Zeng

Death Announced of Judith “Judy” W. Simmons, 93; Active, Longtime Member of First Congregational Church of Old Lyme; Celebration of Life to be Held Jan. 11, 2025

Posted on by
Reply

ESSEX—Judith “Judy” W. Simmons, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to many passed away at the age of 93 years, Sept. 15, 2024, after a short illness. She was born in Brockton, Mass., April 12, 1931, to Raymond and Morna Gertrude White, where she resided throughout her entire childhood.

Judy graduated from Brockton High School and Boston Children’s School of Nursing, and then without hesitation, married the love of her life, Philip N. Simmons … Judy and Phil settled in East Lyme in 1956, where they transformed an old farmhouse into a beautiful and welcoming home and raised their family for the next 52 years …

Judy was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme where she served on many of its boards and committees, for which she was honored as a Deacon Emeriti. She and Phil, with their friend Nathalie Fogg, ran a cultural tour, “New England Experience,” under the umbrella of the church which welcomed people from Great Britain to enjoy our region …

Judy and Phil moved to Essex Meadows in 2008 …

Judy was predeceased by her parents; her beloved husband of 62 years; and two grandchildren, Brian David Simmons and Morna Paige Marolda. She is survived by her five children: Dana (Julie) of Summerfield, N.C., Jane of Salem, David (Kathy) of Jamestown, R.I., Jonathan (Lisa) of Niantic, and Jeffrey (Tara) of Tisbury, Mass. She is also survived by 13 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and Daniel Jones of Texas, and Susan Heske of Colorado …

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025, at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Judy’s memory be sent to the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme and be earmarked for the David W. Good Memorial Fund …

Visit this link to read the full obituary published by The Day on Dec. 14, 2024.

‘A Labor of Love’ Reopens on Lyme St.; Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center Celebrates Successful Completion of Renovations

Posted on by
1
Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center Board Chairman Marie Ryan cuts the ribbon to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated Center. From left to right are Wendy Russell* , Mona Colwell *, Cheryl Poirier* , Jeff Hartmann (to rear, in hat)*, State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd), Old Lyme (OL) Selectwoman Jude Read, Joe Camean*, OL Selectman Jim Lampos, OLCLC Board Member Marie Ryan, OLCLC Board President Kristen St. Germain, OL First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, Jean Wilczynski*. Members of OL Economic Development Commission indicated with *. All photos by Rayna Dakin except where indicated.

OLD LYME—It was a brisk and sunny afternoon on Saturday when state and local officials, Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center (OLCLC) Board Members and members of the public gathered at the OLCLC building at 57 Lyme St.for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the reopening of the Center after a major renovation. The ribbon-cutting was followed by an Open House with children’s crafts for little ones.

The OLCLC had to complete an extensive renovation (including partial gutting) after it was discovered a structural beam was rotted in its 1850 building.

Old Lyme Economic Development Commission Chairman Cheryl Poirier (fifth from left at front) welcomes everyone to the ribbon-cutting.

The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Old Lyme Economic Development Commission (OLEDC) Chairman Cheryl Poirier, then Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker spoke, noting, “We’re just so glad this renovation went so well, it’s another new bright spot on Lyme Street, and we’re glad to have you back and up and running.”

State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd), whose District includes Old Lyme, spoke next reading an Official Citation from the State of Connecticut, which had been introduced by Carney and State Senator Martha Marx (D-20th).

State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd) reads the Citation from the state celebrating the reopening of the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center.

Carney said, “Be it hereby known to all that the Connecticut General Assembly hereby offers its sincerest congratulations to Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center in recognition of your years serving Lyme and Old Lyme children and families. Your programs have helped develop the skills of so many children and enhanced their self esteem. Your welcoming environment has benefitted our community, and we congratulate you on your beautiful renovation.”

He noted, “The entire membership extends its very best wishes on this memorable occasion and expresses the hope for continued success.”

Then Kristen St. Germain, President of the OLCLC Board of Directors, spoke at some length about the importance of the Center and the renovation project, while expressing appreciation to many people. She first thanked the Old Lyme Economic Development Commission for organizing the event and all those in attendance for, “Joining us to celebrate this incredible milestone for the Center.”

Kristen St. Germain, former chair of the OLCLC Board of Directors, addresses the ribbon-cutting attendees. Photo by John Stratton.

She noted that the journey to reach the point at which they now stood had truly been “A labor of love,” adding, “For me, it’s personal—over the past 26 years, all three of my children have been part of the OLCLC programs making my own return to work that much easier. Like many parents on this board, I deeply understand the importance of quality childcare, and entrusting our children to a place that we can feel good about and I also know that this has been something that has become increasingly difficult for working families to experience these last few years.”

St. Germain went on to explain that following the pandemic, the Office of Early Childhood reported “a staggering shortage of 50,000 infant and toddler slots across the state.” She noted, “Our Center, too, faced significant challenges, having to close its doors for over a year. During that time, we reimagined our programming to help meet the growing demand for infant and toddler care in our community.”

But she noted the challenges did not stop there, referring to the discovery of a structural beam that was rotted in the OLCLC’s 1850 building. That “major setback” sparked the whole renovation project, which took some 18 months of intensive work to rectify. St. Germain then stated ebuliently, “But thanks to the unwavering dedication of so many, we persevered and reopened, ready once more to serve families seeking exceptional care for their children.”

She noted “an incredible team of people” had made the renovation happen, citing current Board Chair Marie Ryan and all of the Board of Directors, noting, “Your tireless volunteer efforts have been invaluable.” She mentioned the staff, who kept the OLCLC going in a limited capacity throughout the renovation and, “[worked] under some unbelievable obstacles to keep our toddler and school age programming running so successfully during the rebuild.”

Photo by John Stratton.

St. Germain added thanks to David Noe and HP Broom, “For transforming this space into a repurposed facility that will serve families for the next 40 years,” and to Charter Oak, “For helping us secure the funding to make this vision a reality.”

Thanking the Old Lyme Historic District Commission, St. Germain said, “We appreciate your partnership as we navigated the challenges of rebuilding within the historic district,” and then she mentioned First Selectwoman Shoemaker and the numerous town officials who had ensured, “Every requirement to get this project across the finish line,” was met.

State Representative Carney was also thanked for supporting the project at the state level.

The Old Lyme Historical Society also received a shout-out “For the use of your building during our renovation.” St. Germain elaborated on that act of kindness, saying, “This was so helpful in allowing us to conduct administrative work and operations while also being able to be close to the construction site.”

Celebrating the receipt of a congratulatory certificate from the OLEDC are, from left to right, OLEDC Chair Cheryl Poirier, OLCLC Board President Kristen St Germain, and OLCLC Board Member Marie Ryan.

St. Germain concluded by addressing the OLCLC patrons, whom she described as, “The most important people,” thanking them for their “patience and understanding during our temporary closure.,” noting how challenging it must have been and saying, “We appreciate your loyalty in returning to us.  We promise to continue to take great care of your babies moving forward.”

Her final firm statement was, “As we stand here today, I can confidently say this was a labor of love. We are profoundly grateful to everyone who contributed to making this happen.”

Bill Bartlett of HP Broom addresses those gathered for the ribbon-cutting, noting the fun he and his team had enjoyed working with the OLCLC.

Bill Bartlett, project manager for HP Broom, the builder of the project, followed, saying, “We enjoyed working with the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, … when we met Marie and the gang in the early stages, you could walk in the door and see all the way down to the basement floor and then up into the roof rafters…. it was fun bringing it back…. it was great, it was a lot of fun.”

Poirier wrapped up the proceedings noting ” I think everyone knows childcare is an economic issue. Parents sometimes can’t have a caregiver go back to work because there isn’t quality childcare available. … We’re just very lucky to have the Center here on Lyme Street that our local employers can depend on to be part of the solution to employment.”

Death Announced of Armand Romeo of Old Lyme, Father of Alex Romeo of OL

Posted on by
1

OLD LYME — On Dec. 7, 2024, Armand Romeo died at his home in Old Lyme. A mass will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 14, at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme …

Armand Anthony Romeo was born in New Britain to Armando and Maria Romeo Nov. 11, 1934. When he moved to Old Lyme in seventh grade he met the love of his life, Barbara Mather. They were married in 1952 and lived in Old Lyme for over 55 years …

Armand was predeceased by his three brothers, Fred, Sam, and Vincent; his wife Barbara; and his eldest son Christopher Romeo. He leaves behind three children, Alex (Patrice) Romeo, Susan (Robert) Malestein, and Leslie Romeo; as well as daughter-in-law Deborah Romeo. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Anthony, Samantha, Lauren, Sophia, Carly, Quinn, Maia and Rowan …

Editor’s Note: Visit this link to read the full obituary published Dec. 11, 2024 by The Day.