Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 28

The U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Administration- has Announced Plans for its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

 

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

 

Saturday April 28, 2018

10 am to 2 pm

 

Locations close to Derby are:

Shelton Police Department – 85 Wheeler Street

Orange CVS – 279 Boston Post Road

Milford Senior Center – 9 Jepson Drive

 

Here is a link for more information and locations:

 

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

Orange's BHcare announces 3rd annual meeting

A RSVP is requested by Friday, Oct. 22. You can register online here. For more information, contact Arlene Greco at 203-736-2601 x1856.  

 

5:30 pm - Social Hour

6:30 pm - Dinner & Program

Dinner Choices:

* Baked Cod Provencal with Lemon

* Chicken Florentine with White Wine, Lemon-Butter Sauce & Spinach  

* Flat Iron Steak with Red Wine Béarnaise

 

Orange woman dies from injuries in Sept. 7 motorcycle crash in Shelton

SHELTON >> An Orange woman has died from her injuries sustained in the Sept. 7 accident on River Road, police said.

Ramona Seeley, 54, was a passenger on a motorcycle that collided with a Dodge minivan.
The driver of the motorcycle, Samuel Seeley, 55, of Orange, was taken to the hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the minivan, Megan Kalanick, 22, of Shelton, did not report being injured.

The accident is still under investigation and no enforcement action has been taken at this time, police said.

Golf tourney in Orange to benefit Derby school

ORANGE - The 3rd Annual Saints Open Golf Tournament to benefit St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby will be held Oct. 7 at Race Brook Country Club.

 
Co-chairs are Nick DeFelice and Al Altieri, two graduates of the school.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. followed by a BBQ lunch at 11 a.m. and Shotgun Start Scramble Format at 12:30 p.m.  

Open bar and dinner will follow the tournament.

To register to golf or to become a golf sponsor, call the school, 203-745-6471.  

St. Mary-St. Michael School is the oldest Catholic school in the Valley and has been educating children for more than 125 years.

2 area men win prizes at health event in Derby

Maynard Marquis of Orange, right, and Ken Roberts of Griffin Hospital in Derby show off the grill Marquis won last month at the Men’s Health Day event.

DERBY - Maynard Marquis of Orange and Mark Lionetti of Ansonia were the big winners at the June 29 Men’s Health Day event sponsored by Griffin Hospital’s Health Initiative for Men (HiM) campaign.

Marquis won the raffle for a new grill while Lionetti and his daughters Alyssa and Lindsay, who attend Assumption School in Ansonia, were the winners of a $200 Family Fun Day gift card for the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton.

Lionetti was awarded the card by Frank Michaud, who along with wife Judy established the HiM Fund at the Valley Community Foundation. The fund helps pay for these and other men’s health screening and awareness activities.

In an effort to help inspire men to have an annual physical and to raise awareness about men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, Griffin Hospital launched the Health Initiative for Men (HiM), a community-wide preventive healthcare effort.
The goal of the HiM is to influence men to see their physician annually, and to be screened for various diseases that respond better to treatment if detected early.
For information about HiM, visit griffinhealth.org/him.

This information is from a press release from Griffin Hospital.

3 Eagle Scouts recognized at Derby church

BSA Troop 3 Derby’s newest Eagle Scouts, from left: Alex Main, Evan Altamirano and Jake Grasso.


DERBY - Elected officials, a gospel choir and more than 200 friends, family members and Scouts were on hand at Second Congregational Church recently to recognize Housatonic Council BSA Troop 3 Derby Eagle Scouts. They are Alexander Main, John “Jake” Grasso, and Evan Altamirano. 
The Eagle rank is Scouting’s highest honor.

The court of honor was under the direction of Troop 3 Assistant Scoutmaster James Frovarp.

Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri, Orange First Selectman James Zeoli and Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti presented proclamations and gifts on behalf of their communities. 

The Bridgeport based Pivot Ministries Choir performed two gospel songs in celebration of the good works completed for the organization by Alex Main.
A slide presentation of the Scouts in action was presented by Troop 3 Scoutmaster Randy Ritter.

Alex Main, 15, a Shelton resident, is the son of Graham and Rosemarie Main. He is the older brother of Troop 3 Scout Matthew Main.

Alex earned the Arrow of Light Award with Pack 3 in Derby before joining Troop 3, where he earned 34 merit badges. He attended the 100^th Anniversary Boy Scout National Jamboree in Virginia in 2010. 

Alex is a freshman at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull where he is involved in the school’s drama club, debate club and ukulele club. 
He is a member of and clarinetist in The Milford Concert Band and in 2012, he placed third in the Western Regionals Competition.
He plays the soprano saxophone and he also plays fife for the Derby Historical Society’s David Humphreys House, where he volunteers as a Junior Docent. His future plans are to become an English teacher.

For his Eagle project, Alex collected men’s clothing, toiletries and food items for Pivot Ministries in Bridgeport.
Along with other Scouts, he collected more than $14,000 worth of merchandise for Pivot Ministries, a Christian based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men. Alex and his family are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Shelton.

Restored vegetable garden

Evan Altamirano, 18, is the son of Cesar and Janine Altamirano and older brother to Noah and Katherine. Prior to living in Middlebury, Evan was born in Derby and resided in the Valley and Florida. 
Evan is a 2012 graduate of Pomperaug High School and is currently a freshman at Central Connecticut State University, majoring in business. Evan and his family belong to St. John of the Cross Church and he has participated in several mission trips with the youth group.

Evan first began his scouting adventure with Pack 902 in Woodbridge and then Pack 306 Boca Raton, Florida before joining Pack 3 Derby, where he earned the Arrow of Light Award. 

Upon joining Boy Scout Troop 3, he participated in Troop 3 trips to Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England, the BSA Florida Sea Base and a Grand Canyon camping adventure. In addition, Evan enjoyed camping each summer at the Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation in Goshen.

For his Eagle Scout Community Service Project, Evan worked closely with staff and members of the St. John of the Cross Parish to restore and cultivate a vegetable garden area for the youth members of the church to maintain and harvest the produce for donation to local soup kitchens.  

This sustainable garden not only provides food to the needy but offers an opportunity for community members to come together and become invested in a long term mission of stewardship and commitment.  

Attended National Jamboree

John “Jake” Grasso III, is a lifelong Orange resident and the older brother of Troop 3 Scout Ben Grasso and the stepbrother of Troop 3 scout Michael Getlein. Jake’s father and step-mother are John and Shanon Grasso. His mother and step-father are Lynn and Elijah Dreher.

Jake is a parishioner of Holy Infant Church in Orange. He started scouting with Pack 923 in Orange and then joined Pack 3 Derby, where he earned his Arrow of Light Award.

Upon joining Troop 3, Jake served as Den Chief, Patrol Leader and Troop Historian. He is a Brotherhood member of the Order of The Arrow Paugassett Lodge 553. Jake has participated in Troop 3 trips to the Grand Canyon, National Parks of the Western US and as a member of the Housatonic Council contingent he attended the 100^th anniversary of Scouting National Jamboree in Virginia.

Jake is a junior at Notre Dame High School in West Haven where he is a member of the St. Brother Andre Bessete National Honor Society and the Concert Chamber Choir. He plans to attend Quinnipiac University where he will study to become an elementary school teacher.

For his Eagle project Jake led a group of Scouts who improved the area around the Racebrook School Pond in Orange, built and installed two picnic tables for use by teachers, students and staff.

Altamirano, Main and Grasso are the 282^nd, 283^rd and 284^th scouts to achieve Eagle Scout Rank since Troop 3 was founded in 1914. 
The troop meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Derby 2^nd Congregational Church and welcomes new members.

This information was taken from a press release from Randy Ritter.  

Congratulations go out to these three Eagle Scouts on their achievements. 

Klarides to collect money for Salvation Army

DERBY - State Rep. Themis Klarides will again team up with The Salvation Army and Walmart to collect money for local families in need.

On Dec. 17 she will ring the bell at a Salvation Army kettle at the Walmart store, 656 New Haven Ave. Walmart has agreed to match dollar-for-dollar what Klarides collects between 5-6 p.m.

Salvation Army provides year-round service to people in need, offering food, shelter, and clothing or funding to local organizations with similar goals.

Klarides has worked with The Salvation Army and Walmart on holiday season fund-raising drives for three straight years, and over that period Republican legislators in the state House of Representatives have raised thousands of dollars, all generously matched by Walmart.

Klarides serves as Deputy Republican Leader and represents the 114th General Assembly District covering Woodbridge, Orange, and Derby.
This information was taken from a press release from her office.

FRIDAY FIVE: A recap of Valley stories

These are five of the stories that made headlines in the Valley this week.
They are written by Register Reporter Patricia Villers and Register Correspondent Jean Falbo-Sosnovich and are listed in no particular order.



State approves Seymour traffic project.

Derby elementary school wins arts grant.

Griffin Hospital now 'Baby-Friendly.'

Church celebrates new chapel filled with icons from Ansonia church.

Valley food banks get much-needed funding.

FRIDAY FIVE: A recap of Valley stories this week

These are some of the stories that made headlines in the Valley during the past week.

They were written by Register reporters Phyllis Swebilius and Patricia Villers, and Register Correspondent Jean Falbo-Sosnovich and are listed in no particular order.


Suspect in Shelton assault gets 5 years

Seymour police commissioners overstepped duties

Archbishop to bless new chapel in Orange

Ansonia eyes tax incentive for businesses


Seymour hires part-time anti-blight officer

Golf tournament to benefit Derby school

ORANGE - The 2012 Saints Open Golf Tournament to benefit St. Mary–St. Michael School in Derby will be held Oct. 1 at Race Brook Country Club.

Registration for a single golfer is $225 and includes 18 holes of golf, a BBQ lunch, a one-hour open bar, as well as a raw bar and a carving station dinner. 
Foursomes are available for $800.

Sponsor opportunities include shirts, refreshments, beverage carts, and tee signs.

Registration forms, sponsor forms, and the Saints Open brochure can be downloaded at http://stmarystmichaelct.eduk12.net/ under forms and documents.

This event has been rated fun. All are invited. 
For information contact Art Gerckens, agerckens@stmarystmichael.org.

Dip-Top's treats get thumbs up

Ice Cream 101: The series continues

Life can get crazy and complicated, and that pretty much is why I started this series.

I simply wanted to have some fun: finding ice cream spots; consuming frozen treats; spending some time with my two grown children; and writing about my experiences.  

But I've not posted about ice cream in almost two weeks, and thought it was about time to do just that.
So Monday afternoon son Cameron and I headed to Dip-Top at 263 Boston Post Road, at the corner of Old Tavern Road in Orange. That corner at the five-way intersection has been home to delicious ice cream and other frozen treats since 1956.

If I said I remember when the location was once the home of Tastee Freez, I'd be dating myself.

Well I guess I just did.

I wonder when it became Dip-Top? I remember the building was devastated by a fire in 1999, but I don't think it was still Tastee Freez when that occurred.

Does anyone else remember the old Tastee Freez? 

I chose classic chocolate soft serve, but of course I had to have it topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream to make it even more sinfully good.

Cameron was fine with just getting a cup of cake batter ice cream. It was even richer than the cake batter ice cream he has had in the past because it was full of chocolate chips.
He gave it two thumbs up.


As you can see from the photos we sat on a bench facing the busy Boston Post Road, not the quietest location. But we enjoyed anyway.

I guess we should have ordered ice cream cones with a dip top, to put the house specialty to the test.

Next time!

We like the farmer's market, do you?

ANSONIA - Economic Development Commission Chairman Vinnie Scarlata this week announced a Facebook page for the new Ansonia Farmer's Market in the municipal parking lot on West Main Street.

The market had a successful grand opening last Thursday.

He said these vendors are expected to be there Thursday:

• Darling Farm, 1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge;

• Eastside Greenhouses, 72 North Prospect St., Ansonia;

• Grassy Hill Farms, 970 Grassy Hill Road, Orange;

• Marcucio Farms, 34 Benz St., Ansonia;

• Marcucio Gardens, 480 New Haven Ave., Derby.

Scarlata is trying to promote the market with a new Facebook page and is asking people to visit it and "like" it.

See you at the farmer's market!

Golf classic raises more than $60K for Griffin programs

Event features 2 hole-in-one winners

Curtiss Ryan COO Ed DeMarseilles presents Steven Weinhaus of Stratford with the keys to a new 2012 Honda Crosstour Weinhaus won at the Griffin Golf Classic. Also on hand to celebrate Weinhaus’ win are, from left, Griffin Hospital President Patrick Charmel and the members of Weinhaus’ foursome, Craig Wolgast, James Bergers, and Richard Bates.

Curtiss-Ryan Honda in Shelton recently presented the keys for a new 2012 Honda Crosstour to Steven Weinhaus of Stratford. Weinhaus won the vehicle at the Griffin Golf Classic June 12 when he hit a hole-in-one on the 15^th hole of the Race Brook Country Club in Orange.
 The tournament was also lucky for Patrick Glynn, of Wethersfield, who hit a hole-in-one on the 12^th hole to win a brand new HDTV, which also was sponsored by Curtiss Ryan Honda.


“During almost 30 years of providing automobiles as hole-in-one prizes for different golf tournaments and organizations throughout the Valley, we have never had two hole-in-one winners on the same day, at the same tournament,” said Curtiss Ryan COO Ed DeMarseilles. “In fact, the last person to win a car was back in 1995.”
Curtiss Ryan Honda, Connecticut’s first established Honda dealer, provided hole-in-one prizes on four different “par 3” holes for the Griffin Golf Classic. Each hole-in-one wins a new car on the designated car holes. 
Only the first hole-in-one wins on the other three “bonus” holes.
Weinhaus, an employee of Lord Chamberlain Nursing & Rehabilitation in Stratford, was playing with three colleagues at the tournament. They, along with two designated witnesses near the green, were lucky to see the rare occurrence. For now, Weinhaus said he will keep his 1997 Acura Integra as a second car.


The Griffin Golf Classic raised more than $60,000 to  benefit the programs and services at Griffin Hospital, an award-wining and innovative hospital in Derby that serves Lower Naugatuck Valley and surrounding communities.

The above was taken from a release from Griffin Hospital.

Rabies, micro chip clinic set Saturday

June is dog-licensing month and your best friend must be up to date with rabies shots to renew the license.

There is a rabies and micro chip clinic scheduled Saturday to assist you.

Here is the info:

Rabies and micro chip clinic will be held under the pavilion at High Plains Community Center, 525 Orange Center Road, Orange, from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Rabies vaccines are $15; micro chips, while they last, cost $20, with an additional fee for registration.

The clinic is sponsored by Country Companion Veterinary Services and Amity Animal Rescue Fund.

St. Mary-St. Michael students dive into art

They visit Yale Art Gallery, take part in after-school art classes 

Last week I visited St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby to observe an after-school art program.
I was impressed with the artwork being created with acrylic paints under the watchful eyes of Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo and Vice President Steve DiRienzo.

A story about the six-week art program, funded by the Orange-based Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation, appears in today's Register. The program featured a trip to the Yale Art Gallery, where the fourth through eighth graders saw works by Picasso, van Gogh and more.

Here's a sampling of the students and their work. Photos by Patti Villers

Fifth-grader Genesis Brito, 10, of Derby, works on a painting of her dog following the style of Vincent van Gogh. Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo of Derby works with her classmates in the background.

Fifth-grader Emily Tokash, 10, of Hamden, paints the sun. 

Valley Arts Council Vice President Steve DiRienzo of Derby, far left, works with art students.

Fourth grader Elizabeth DeCrisanti, 10, of Waterbury, works on her abstract painting in the cubism style.

 

This is some of the prep work performed by DiCarlo and DiRienzo before the class. They said they get the paints ready to save time during the lesson.

You can take a closer look at all the artwork and attend a reception for the budding artists at 7 p.m. Friday at the Valley Arts Council's Gallery@37, 37 Elizabeth St., Derby.
You won't be disappointed.

3rd suspect arrested in Shelton assault

By Register Staff
SHELTON — A third man has been arrested in the March 18 attack on a resident.
Jason Terry, 25, 
of Shelton was being processed this morning in connection with the serious assault of a city man at Coram Avenue and Kneen Street, police said today.
Terry is charged with assault in the first degree and conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree.
A week after the attack, police arrested Daniel Zeleznik, 23, of 187 Howe Ave., on a warrant. The other suspect, Andrew O’Connell, 18, of 528 Wheeler's Farms Road, Orange, was subsequently also arrested on a warrant.
The victim, Jason Chevrier, 32, was found by passers-by early March 18, unconscious and bleeding heavily from the face and head. Chevrier was in critical condition for two days in Bridgeport Hospital, police said, and will need plastic surgery.
Zeleznik and O’Connell were also charged with assault in the first degree and conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree.
Zeleznik was released on $100,000 bail for an appearance April 9 in Superior Court, Derby.
O’Connell was held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Feds to require students to buy fruit, vegetables with school cafeteria lunches

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
Beginning next school year, students across the country may be in for a shock when they purchase their lunch in the cafeteria.
In an effort to fight childhood obesity and diabetes, the federal government is requiring students of all ages who buy school lunch to purchase  at least one serving of fresh fruit or vegetable. Even if they toss the produce into the garbage.
Fresh fruit and vegetable portions will double next year. “Some students don’t take one now, but they will have to,” Eileen Faustich, Milford’s food services director, said Friday. “We can’t let a child go by the cashier without a fruit or vegetable on their tray.”
There’s more, a lot more, in the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act.
Next year, students can buy only nonfat flavored milk or 1 percent white milk. Half of the grains must be “whole” next year.
In 2013-14, all products must be whole grain. School cafeterias must offer green and orange leafy vegetables, and drastically reduce sodium use over the next three years. Trans-fats are banned.
If a student refuses to take the fruit or vegetable, the cafeteria employees will have to charge an a la carte fee, which typically is higher because the lunch will not be reimbursable under federal guidelines.

Read the full story here.

Shelton police arrest Orange teen in March 18 assault

SHELTON — Police Tuesday arrested Andrew O’Connell, 18, of 528 Wheelers Farms Road, Orange, on a warrant in connection with a serious assault March 18 on Coram Avenue, Detective Sgt. Kevin Ahern said today in a written release.
O’Connell is the second man charged in connection with the assault, and Ahern said Shelton police have another arrest warrant and are actively seeking another suspect.
O’Connell was charged with assault in the first degree and conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree. He was held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Daniel Zeleznik, 23, of 187 Howe Ave., was arrested Saturday on a warrant at his home.
He was charged with assault in the first degree and conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree. He posted a $100,000 bail and is due in Derby Superior Court April 9.

For Ansonia students, new mural is tribute to good character

Students at John G. Prendergast School stand in front of their "Character Counts" mural, that they designed and installed with a grant from the Jamie A. Hulley Arts foundation. The foundation is named for the late Jamie A. Hulley, an Orange 20-year-old with a love for the arts, who died in 2002 from Lymphoma. Peter Casolino/Register

By Patricia Villers
Register Staff
ANSONIA — Calling someone a character is one thing, but saying a person has character is something else entirely.
That’s the case with the 40 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders who belong to the Character Counts Club at John G. Prendergast Elementary School.
Behavior intervention teacher Melissa Cook created the club last year. Its mission is to promote a positive environment in the school.
The club worked on a mural based on trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship, called the “six pillars of character” by some.

Read the full story here. 

Concerns aired over Derby-Milford Road plan

By Phyllis Swebilius
Register Staff
DERBY — Concerns about big trucks and speeders dominated the conversation recently about a proposal to widen and realign Derby-Milford Road south of Route 34.
Valley Council of Governments Executive Director Rick Dunne, who presented the plan, said the goal is to move vehicles out to Route 34 more efficiently, while trying to maintain the rural character of Derby-Milford Road.
Route 34 has 32,000 vehicles per day in both directions, while Derby-Milford Road gets 7,200 vehicles daily in both directions, Dunne said.
Of the traffic, Fire Chief William Nicoletti III said vehicles from East End Hose Company 3 have never been hit, but there have been “many close calls.” He said a sign warning drivers to go slower near the station “got knocked down."

Read the full story here.