Category Archives: News

A la Carte: It’s Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, so Think British With (Sheet Pan) Fish & Chips!

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Lee White

My friend, Lian Obrey, asked me if I would teach her a couple of dishes she could make if she invited friends for dinner.

Of course, I said I would.

“One of those days” might happen within a few days, but I am off to Dallas for the wedding of my grandniece. So, as I am writing this column this morning, I will give her the draft of this column, along with a half-sheet pan and a piece of Silpat. Even a person who cooks little will find this recipe very easy.

By the way, for those of us who don’t have Silpat (a non-disposable piece of plastic that fits into an oven pan), I have had mine for decades. I wash and dry them after I use them, and roll them in a circular blueprint holder.

As for inexpensive half-sheet pans, buy a couple but buy good ones; the cheap ones will wobble in the oven. You will use them forever, in every season, for everything from baking brownies or cookies, roasting vegetables or just using them under the rack to keep those apple or peach pies from gushing into the oven.

As for the Silpat, sure, use parchment instead and you will never have to clean up the sheet pan residue.

Sheet Pan Fish and Chips

Adapted from Real Simple, May, 2022
Yield: Serves 4

1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, cut into ½ inch wedges (I use the tiny potatoes, not cut up)
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons josher salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/3 cup panko
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon) divided, plus more for serving
4 6-ounce skinless cod fillets
2 cups frozen sweet peas
Malt vinegar for serving (optional)
Finely chopped parsley for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread in an even layer and roast for 25 minutes.

Combine panko, butter, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Season cod with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Push potatoes to side of baking sheet; add cod. Drizzle cod with 1 tablespoon oil and top with panko mixture. Roast until potatoes and fish are golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. 

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-heat. Add peas; cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add remaining lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve with cod, potatoes, lemon wedges and male vinegar, if using. Top with parsley.

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 and the Shore Publishing and the 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.

June 1 COVID 19 Update: 16 New Cases in Old Lyme Since May 27, Two in Lyme; Cumulative Totals Respectively 1282, 314

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday June 1, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) shows a total of 16 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and two in Lyme compared with May 27 numbers.

These cases raise Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1282 from 1266 on May 27, and similarly Lyme’s to 314 from 312 on the same date.

The daily cases reported were as follows:
Tuesday, May 31: OL-13, L-1
Wednesday, June 1: OL-3, L-1

The CT DPH does not issue reports over any weekend and, in addition this week, did not issue a report on Memorial Day, May 30.

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

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

Prior to April 5, 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.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

This map, updated May 26, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Red (highest) Zone. One hundred and fifty nine towns (representing a total of 94.1% 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, May 26, the (CT DPH) also released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 159 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. These towns in the Red Zone include both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This number has decreased by three over the 162 towns recorded in the Red Zone last week,  thus  decreasing  the number of towns in the Red Zone to 94.1% of the state.

This total of 159 Red Zone towns indicates the first slowdown in several weeks compared with the Jan. 27, 2022 number, when the total was 168 out of 169 towns.

As of May 26, 2022, all nine towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) remain in the Red 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, June 2 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones on the map above 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

CDC Reduces ‘Community Level’ to Medium for New London County, All Other CT Counties Remain ‘High’

May 26 Community Transmission levels. Map courtesy of CDC.

The map above shows that on May 26 all counties in Connecticut except New London are categorized as ‘High’ for COVID-19 Community Level. New London is now categorized as Medium. These levels are updated weekly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursdays.

Ledge Light Health District Deputy Director of Health Jennifer Muggeo sent out the following email Friday, May 27, “Last Friday we shared that the CDC Community Level for New London County had moved to “High.” CDC updates these data each Thursday and last night moved New London County to “Medium.””

She continued, “Community members are advised to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms, and wear a mask when they are around others if they have symptoms, are positive or have had an exposure.”

Muggeo added, “People with symptoms should be tested and people with a positive test should isolate per guidelines. Masking remains an effective method for reducing the spread of COVID-19 and people may choose to mask even though our region is not designated as “High.””

She concluded, “You can find the latest CDC Community Level, schedules of vaccination clinics and community testing events, and isolation/quarantine guidance on our website and, as always, we are here to answer any questions or provide support for community members.

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.

You can 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 its 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/.

An explanation of the CDC Community Levels tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate broke the 10% watershed on May 4 at 10.32%. It broke the 14% mark with the May 20 Rate of 14.19%, but encouragingly, the June 1 Positivity Rate fell to 10.73% from the May 27 rate of 11.83%. The daily Positivity Rates for the past week are as follows:

May 24: 12.13%
May 25: 12.05%
May 26: 11.77%
May 27: 11.83%
Memorial Day
May 31: 10.18%
June 1: 10.73%

On June 1, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations fell to 336 from the 363 recorded on May 27.

In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on June 1, the number not fully vaccinated was 98 (representing 29.17%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut rose to 10,973 on June 1, according to The New York Times.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Thursday, June 2, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 839 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 910 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 200 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

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.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

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 email dated April 1 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.”

He then stated, “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.”

Details published to date show the following number of positive cases in LOL Schools by week.
April 3-9: 0
April 10-16: 0
April 17-23: Spring Break
April 24-30: 7
May 2-7: 27
May 8-14: 41
May 15-21: 30
May 22-28: 23

The total number of cases recorded in Lyme and Old Lyme for the week May 22-28 was 25, indicating the vast majority of cases (23) had a connection to Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

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

Op-Ed: ‘Why Do They Believe They Need a Gun?’ Thoughts From Across ‘The Pond’ on America’s ‘Gun Culture’

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Editor’s Note: We received this opinion piece from a reader in England.

Photo by Bo Harvey on Unsplash.

I’m not sure how welcome a contribution from overseas will be. After all, criticism from outside can tend to overlook shortcoming closer to home. But the so-called “gun culture” of the USA (which I’m certain doesn’t affect the whole population) is one of the consistent puzzles that baffles us on this side of ‘the pond.’

Owning a gun for hunting, or for shooting at the range in a rifle club, seems perfectly normal – although, in reality, what proportion of gun owners actually do use their firearms for this purpose?

And how many just buy a gun because they “want one”? And is it really so that some members of the public actually own a gun for supposed self defense? At home? Or do they actually take it out with them? I suspect this idea astonishes non-Americans more than anything

The question we in the rest of the world always ask is “Why do they need a gun at all?”

Or “why do they believe they need a gun?” What it is about this owning a lethal weapon, or a whole arsenal of them?

We never seem to get any answers – not sane ones anyway.

Apart from in certain trouble spots or former trouble spots around the world, this “gun culture” is unknown.

In my entire life (I’m British incidentally and almost 72, having always lived in England), I’ve never met a single person who owned a firearm – and as far as I can see, that’s perfectly normal outside the US.

Presumably this would be unlikely in the US, with 400M guns in circulation? But that’s well over one each for every man, woman, child and baby! I read last week that 42% of American households own a gun. I thought it a misprint. No! 4.2% surely? Or 0.42%?

That is simply jaw-dropping. Impossible, surely?

Doubtless every possible reason is being thrown about in your country at the moment for the reason(s) behind America’s incomprehensible “gun culture.”

Are we really being asked to believe that a constitutional clause drawn up in the 1770s – intended to apply to 1770s life and conditions – is still trotted out as a reason for this madness?

Overall, I suspect it’s the general standard of education in the US that’s at fault in the long term. (Not with fine universities but with the ordinary education across the board). With any reasonably-educated person, the penny would soon drop.

Of course, it’s hardly the fault of the poorly-educated that they are so. But if educational standards were raised right across the board, the worst of the problem would disappear – in time.

Every gun shop would eventually go out of business. The very notion of an accessible gun shop in a main street or shopping center (sorry, mall) is utterly unknown in most of the civilized world. It needs a very, very long-term goal. And that’s got to be education I think.

Until then, the gun culture will ensure mass murder continues indefinitely in America. The terribly sad certainty is that there are little school children who play, laugh and learn at school today, who will shortly be riddled with bullets.

A certain fact.

The very idea of having to “protect” or “secure” a school is lunacy! Policemen actually allocated to a school? What??

There’s no point at all in trying to keep guns only in the hands of the sane and away from the mentally ill. In any other country in the world, the acquisition of guns by the public would simply be considered utterly insane anyway.

It’s your business, not ours, but your friends over here are long past scratching their heads. We tend to tap them knowingly now.

After four years as a rogue state, the rest of the world had looked forward to America catching up with civilization again, but every time absolutely nothing – nothing! – is done after these senseless tragedies, we begin to wonder. Unfortunately, the expression one hears about the US again and again these days is “backward” or “third world.”

Yet it needn’t be so, surely?

Written not in anger or even as criticism – just so sadly.

Old Lyme’s Parade Fills Air with Pride and Patriotism, Music and Merriment

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Mary Dangremond lit up the parade with her wonderful smile as she cheerfully portrayed Phoebe Griffin-Noyes. Dangremond was representing the Old Lyme Library, which bears the name of her character. Photo by Suzanne Thompson.

OLD LYME — UPDATED 6/2: The sun shone brightly as the traditional Old Lyme parade proceeded down Lyme Street and McCurdy Rd. to the Duck River Cemetery. Mirth and merriment along with pride and patriotism filled the air as the colorful parade made its way down to the route to resounding cheers from all the onlookers.

Old Lyme’s firemen marched proudly. Photo by Troy Christopher.

 

The marchers spanned the ages. These youngsters are all members of local baseball teams. Photo by Ellen Cole.

 

A  C-130 flyover by the Air National Guard preceded the parade. Photo by Troy Christopher.

 

The band played … Photo by Suzanne Thompson.

 

Dancers from the Lymes’ Senior Center gave an extremely enthusiastic and popular performance as they traveled down Lyme Street and McCurdy Rd. Photo by Michele Dickey.

 

The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen (BOS) marched in the parade accompanied at second from left by State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd.) The BOS are, from left to right, Matt Ward (R), First Selectman Tim Griswold (R) and Martha Shoemaker (D). Photo by Troy Christopher.

 

The Deep River Fife & Drum Corps played a lively tune as they marched. Photo by Michele Dickey.

 

The banner on the side of this firetruck says it all! Photo by Troy Christopher.

 

The Lyme-Old Lyme Lions proudly stated their mission as they marched down Lyme Street. Photo by Bridget Compagno.

 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1467 organized and marched in the parade. Photo by Troy Christopher.

 

A wreath was laid at the memorial in the Duck River Cemetery to honor all our fallen heroes. Photo by Cheryl Poirier.

Editor’s Note: Due to family commitments, we have not yet had time to review and edit all the photos we have received. We thank sincerely the numerous readers, who were kind enough to share their photos of the parade and cemetery ceremony with us. We will add many more photos and copy to this article shortly.

Death of Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Barbara Gonci Announced, 105; Mother of Don Gonci of Old Lyme

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Elizabeth “Betty” Barbara Gonci

WINDHAM, CT — UPDATED 5/31 WITH FULL OBITUARY: Elizabeth “Betty” Barbara Gonci of Windham and formerly of Coventry and Hebron, Ct., passed away on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at St. Joseph`s Living Center in Windham at the age of 105. She was born on May 11, 1917, in Bridgeport, Ct., daughter of the late Michael and Julia (Varga) Pollansky. She was the oldest of nine children and grew up on the family farm in rural Coventry.

In 1936, Betty married Alex Gonci sharing over 65 years of marriage together until his passing in 2002.

In 2012, Coventry celebrated its 300-year anniversary and Betty, at age 94, was highlighted as part of the parade and other festivities. As part of that celebration, she was asked to describe some of her childhood memories which were later published. Those memories included the start of her education in the one room little red Brick Schoolhouse on Merrow Road in Coventry. It still stands.

Betty learned to speak and write English on the front stone steps of that schoolhouse while classmates had recess. Eight grades were taught at the school. Later, as an upper classman, she shared teaching responsibilities or tasks. One frequent task, she enjoyed describing, was to organize the preparation of a communal lunch soup, cooked on a multi-purpose wood stove. Classmates would pool whatever ingredients they had to create a hearty winter lunch.

She also helped her younger siblings learn English at home. Hungarian was the spoken language at the homestead. Her parents, her husband, and her parent’s in-law were all born in Hungary. Consequently, her children were raised with a quite strong ethnic heritage, expressed in delicious cooking, festive music and large, boisterous family gatherings. As a matter of fact, her married name was originally spelled Gonczy before being `Americanized` at Ellis Island.

Betty took close interest in each of the dozens of nephews and nieces that resulted from the merging of two very large families as well as the grand- and great-grandchildren.

Betty enjoyed sharing her life experiences and challenges, from the very long walks to school (miles) in rural Coventry to taking a horse and buggy to meet a bus en route to Windham High School.

Until the final days of her life, she continued to absorb the news of the day and placed it in context of her whole life experience. During that lifetime, she lived through two pandemics, two world wars, and the Great Depression. In addition, she narrowly escaped, with her young family, from the 1944 Hartford circus fire.

She is survived by her children Robert and his wife, Mary-Ellen of Hebron; Donald and his wife Doina Lavoie-Gonci of Old Lyme; sister Helen Chaponis of South Windsor; grandchildren Robin, Russell, Rob, Brian, and Jeffrey (Gonci) and Mike Lavoie: great-grandchildren, Dallas, Teo, Jackson, Alysa, Declan and Dawson, and numerous extended family.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her siblings, John, Frank, Ernest, Andrew, Charles, and Emil Pollansky and Emma Saunders.

Betty had a private interment at the New Hebron Cemetery. Care of private services was entrusted to the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home of Colchester.

For online condolences, please visit www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, family and friends may consider a donation to the Coventry Historical Society at P.O. Box 534, Coventry, CT 06238 (please be sure to specify the Brick School in memory of Elizabeth Gonci or the Hebron Fire Dept., at 44 Main Street. Such donations, in her memory, would be appreciated.

“Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the rest of my lifetime. And I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.”