Category Archives: Old Lyme

West Nile Virus Positive Mosquitoes Identified in 34 CT Towns, Including Old Lyme

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A mosquito prepares to bite. Image courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for Unsplash.

NEW HAVEN, CT – The State Mosquito Management Program is warning Connecticut residents about the risk of infection by West Nile virus (WNV) this season.

On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) issued a press release stating that it has detected WNV-infected mosquitoes in 34 towns this season including Old Lyme.

The other 33 towns where WNV-infected mosquitoes have been found are Bethel, Bridgeport, Cheshire, Danbury, Darien, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Hamden, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Meriden, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, Newington, North Branford, North Stonington, Norwalk, Southington, Stafford, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, West Hartford, West Haven, Westport, and Wethersfield.

The CAES notes that no human cases of WNV have been reported so far this season but now is often the time of year when the first cases are reported to public health.

“We continue to detect West Nile virus in mosquitoes throughout Connecticut, with the highest levels of activity in Fairfield and New Haven counties and in the metropolitan Hartford area,” said John Shepard, Medical Entomologist at CAES. “This includes infection of mammalian-biting mosquitoes, which increases risk of human infection.”

“West Nile virus transmission is expected to continue until mosquito activity ceases in October,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, Chief Scientist at CAES. “We encourage everyone to take simple measures to prevent mosquito bites.

This includes applying insect repellent and covering bare skin, especially in wooded areas and during dusk and dawn when biting mosquitoes are most active.”

To reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, residents should:

Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

When it is necessary to be outdoors, use mosquito repellents containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, including DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA registration of skin-applied repellent products indicates that they have been evaluated and approved for human safety and effectiveness when applied according to instructions on the label.

Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are more active. Clothing should be light-colored and loose-fitting and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.

Wear clothing and gear treated with permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes and ticks.

Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.

When sleeping outdoors, use tents or mosquito netting in an unscreened structure. Treat camping gear with permethrin when possible.

Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito nets when outside.

West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the United States and occurs every summer in Connecticut. Most people infected with WNV do not experience any symptoms. However, about one in five develop West Nile fever, which includes symptoms such as fever, body aches, joint pain, headache, and rash. In rare cases—approximately one in 150—WNV can cause a severe illness that affects the central nervous system.

Of those severe cases, about one in 10 are fatal.

Adults over the age of 60 are at the highest risk of serious illness.

The response to mosquito-transmitted diseases in Connecticut is a collaborative inter-agency effort involving the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Agriculture, and the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). These agencies are responsible for monitoring mosquito populations and the potential public health threat of mosquito-borne diseases.

The CAES maintains a network of 108 mosquito-trapping stations in 88 municipalities throughout the state. Mosquito traps are set Monday – Thursday nights at each site every 10 days on a rotating basis and then at least once a week after detection of virus. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date.

Positive findings are reported to local health departments and on the CAES website at
https://portal.ct.gov/CAES/Mosquito-Testing/Introductory/State-of-Connecticut-Mosquito-Trapping-andArbovirus-Testing-Program.

For information on WNV and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus, how to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, and the latest mosquito test results, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website at https://portal.ct.gov/mosquito.

For more information on human infections and prevention, visit https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/about/index.html

Death Announced of Sarah Cooley Martin, Sister of Jeff Cooley of Old Lyme

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ESSEX – Sarah Cooley Martin, born May 18, 1940, died Aug. 1, 2025, with her family at her side in Essex. Born in Hartford, she was the daughter of Paul Whitman Cooley and Jane Crary Allen.

Sarah attended the Renbrook School, graduated from The Wheeler School in Rhode Island, and then attended Hollins University, Virginia. During her college career, Sarah spent a year abroad at the coveted Villa Marchetti Art Academy.

She is survived by her sister Clare Edwards and her husband Jared of Essex; and by her brother Jefferey Cooley and his wife Betsy of Old Lyme. She is also survived by her three sons, Whitman Seymour and wife Lisa of Niantic, David Seymour and wife Anna and Christopher Seymour of West Hartford; as well as by her nephew Johnathan Edwards and wife Allison of West Hartford. Sarah is also the beloved grandmother to eight grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Her husband, Robert S. Martin, predeceased her in 2023. Sarah enjoyed traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband Bob. She was a skilled racket player and a feared opponent on the croquet court.

After her education, she resided in West Hartford and was a volunteer at Hartford Hospital for numerous years. Her fondness and constant involvement in all five ARTs of Hartford made her a keen ally to them where she served on the Board of Trustees of the Mark Twain Home and Museum and of the Connecticut Opera.

A gourmet cook, all welcomed an invite from Sarah for a friend-filled, exciting meal at the dining room table, particularly at 219. Utilizing these cooking skills, Sarah served on the editorial committee and was chair of recipe testing of the award-winning Connecticut à La Carte Cookbook, published in 1982, which benefitted the five ARTs of Hartford, and subsequently went on to multiple publishings.

Dedicated to community, Sarah was a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity through Asylum Hill Church and a member of the Connecticut Valley Garden Club where she served as its president. She played bridge at the Old Lyme Country Club and was a regular attendee at Florence Griswold Museum events and programs. Sarah was also a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America.

Sarah’s greatest passion was spending time at her Shore home visiting with family and friends, sharing a laugh or memory with everyone in Old Black Point (OBP). She spent her summers at OBP since the year of her birth, and she always looked forward to the summer weekends of mayhem and shenanigans with a full house of family and grandchildren.

A woman of utmost grace, character, enthusiasm and unpretentiousness, Sarah never missed an outing, sports game, performance, or ceremony for those she loved. She fostered irreplaceable relationships throughout her life which will sustain her legacy for those of us that remain behind.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at Asylum Hill Church in Hartford, with a gathering to follow for Family and Friends.

Donations may be made in her memory to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, 79 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, and the Essex Meadows Scholarship Fund, 30 Bokum Road, Essex CT 06426.

Old Lyme Property Transactions, 8/26/25

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8/12: 10 Mill Pond Road, Susanne M. Stutts of Monroe to Kaitlyn Czap and Justin Czap, $1,000,000.

8/13: 146 Four Mile River Road, Lawrence R. Huck and Sally A. Huck to Michael McDermott, $505,000.

8/14: Buttonball Road, Lot 5, Reagan Homes LLC of Mystic to Kenneth Donovan of Stonington, $250,000.

8/15: 15-1 Tisbury Road, Victoria C. Haskins of Beaufort, SC, to Jonathan Starbranch, $615,000.

8/15: 5 Clarks Lane, Thomas S. Childs Revocable Trust of Vero Beach, FL, to Savannah Jane Veth, $1,050,000.

8/20: 7 Champion Road, William F. Griffin Jr., Trustee, of Boca Raton, FL, to Judith Muirhead, Trustee, of Avon, $850,000.

Death Announced of Linda (McElroy) Savago of Old Lyme, Celebration of Life to be Held in Omaha, Neb.

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OLD LYME – Linda Joyce (McElroy) Savago (Lola), formerly of Mystic and Old Lyme, passed away at home with her family in Omaha, NE, on August 23, 2025, at 82. She had shown remarkable strength throughout her year-long fight with cancer, and she maintained her sense of humor, kindness, and compassion right to the end.

Born in New London, CT, to Dorothy Mae Partelow of Hope Valley, RI, and Irving “Patrick” McElroy of Exeter, RI, Linda spent her childhood on Groton’s “town farm,” an almshouse that cared for the town’s poor until it closed in 1952 …

Linda was preceded in death by three husbands-Ronnie Lagrua, Gerald T. Lawlor, and Samuel Savago; two sons-Gerald T. Lawlor III and Brian Patrick Lawlor; and her brothers Wayne and Patrick.

She is survived by her son Andrew Lawlor of Omaha, Nebraska; two nieces … five grandchildren … and four great grandchildren …

A private Celebration of Life will be held later in Omaha.

Editor’s Note: Visit this link to read the full obituary published Aug. 26, 2025 on Legacy Remembers.

The Movie Man: ‘Freakier Friday’ is a Sequel Worth the (22-Year!) Wait

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Kevin Ganey is ‘The Movie Man’

Freakier Friday is a sequel worth the 22-year delay. Everyone is back and the comedy of errors is as unpredictable as the original.

I planned this review with low expectations. I’ve always said sequels are generally not well-received (especially when they’re released decades after the original). No mass marketing campaign can atone for the desperation to catch lightning in a bottle.

I only saw the original Freaky Friday once when it was released in 2003. I knew if I wanted to give this a proper review, I should refresh my memory by watching it again.

To my surprise, I enjoyed it. This gave me hope because I watched it as an adult with critical thinking skills, not nostalgia goggles. I even read that Mary Rodgers, the author of the original 1972 novel, hailed it as the best adaptation because of its authenticity.

The storyline is not original, it’s a body-swap movie.

But this sequel turns it up a notch. Anna (Lindsay Lohan) prepares to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto), but her teenage daughter, Harper, and her soon-to-be worldly stepsister, Lily, struggle to accept each other. Not only has this tension caused Anna and Tess to experience a second body-swap, but it now includes Harper and Lily.

A double-body-swap with double the chaos. They’ll all find that just because it’s the second time around doesn’t mean it can be solved any easier.

It’s the 2003 movie on steroids.

Like any sequel (especially ones that are long delayed) there are Easter Eggs that not only pay tribute to the first movie but go beyond the original material. The wedding is scheduled for October 3rd (a nod to another Lohan movie, Mean Girls.)

And we can also appreciate all the generational jokes in between both movies.

Disney clearly meant business with Freakier Friday, bringing back most characters for the sequel. This includes those who seldom act nowadays, such as Ryan Malgarini (Anna’s little brother, Harry). There are Anna’s friends, Maddie and Peg from their band Pink Slip; and even Anna’s love interest, Jake (still rocking the same hair 20 years later).

My favorite reprisal was the spiteful Mr. Bates (played by legendary character actor Stephen Tobolowsky), still working since the school district’s retirement was sunk in crypto.

All the performances are superb. We loved Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance as a teenager back in 2003, but she takes it even further in her second round as a wannabe social media influencer.

I particularly loved Manny Jacinto’s performance as the thoughtful and well-spoken Eric, contrasting with his role as Jason, the idiotic Florida-Man on The Good Place. 

But above all, I was happiest with Lindsay Lohan’s return as Anna. She stepped away from the spotlight for her well-being, and it appears to have worked. Watching this movie, you would think she never stopped acting. This was clearly made for her comeback. Disney knew that she still has a lot to offer. Why else would they go to great lengths to bring back almost every cast member of the original?

Maybe this is a new starting point for Lohan to get back to her craft without the scrutiny of the paparazzi? If the original Freaky Friday is a family classic, then Freakier Friday belongs there, too.

It continues the spirit of authenticity and lessons about family and love. With a theatrical-only release, it’s a perfect family outing that reminds us of one of the best ways to connect with youth is to share the stories that shaped us.

This warm, heartfelt, and funny sequel is worth checking out.

About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)