Best Buddies to benefit from rubber duck race.

A Milford city Pay-loader, right, dumps thousands of numbered rubber ducks into the Wepawaug River that leads into Milford Harbor from the Stone Bridge during the 3rd Annual "Best Buddies Connecticut Rubber Duck Race." The event raises money for Best Buddies Connecticut, a Non-profit which specializes in aiding people with intellectual disabilities. Over 2,000 ducks were purchased for the race.

Below, the cool rubber ducks paddle around with a friend that has real webbed feet.

Photos by Peter Casolino

More than 500 pounds of trash picked up at a Milford beach

Shown in photo: Volunteers show off their collection from the beach cleanup at Smith’s Point in Milford.

Local volunteers recently cleaned up the beach cleanup at the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Coastal Center at Milford Point. Save the Sound is the Connecticut coordinator for the annual International Coastal Cleanup, during which volunteers worldwide cleanup up beaches and record data about litter they find. More than a mile of barrier beach was cleaned and an estimated 500 pounds of trash was cleared from Smith’s Point, a popular spot for nesting birds, striped bass and fishermen, according to a Save the Sound statement. Plastic and Styrofoam were the most common items picked up, it said.

Smith’s Point and the adjacent 840-acre Wheeler Salt Marsh act as a sponge, collecting debris floating down the Housatonic River. Last fall, 1,500 volunteers collected more than 9,000 pounds of trash, cleaning up 45 miles of Connecticut beaches and riverfronts. Data recorded by cleanup volunteers is given to the Ocean Conservancy, which compiles and studies it to learn more about the global debris problem, educated the public, and helps to find solutions to stopping marine debris at its source. For more information about Save the Sound, or to organize a cleanup, call Kierran Broatch at (203) 787-0646 Ex. 113.

With a looming deadline to strike a new deal for where the city will send its trash, Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. said Tuesday a “very rough draft” is near completion.

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An East Haven man prosecutors described as a “one-man crime wave” was sentenced Tuesday to 7 1/2 years in prison after committing four robberies in less than one week in Milford, West Haven and North Haven earlier this year.

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And Stratford is a neighbor to this small city with a big heart, so a toy drive will be held here

Stratford’s Sterling House Community Center is seeking donations of new unwrapped toys for children up to age 15 in the annual holiday Toy Drive and Adopt a Family program, said Special Events Director Susan Koperwhats.
Kicking off the campaign, the Cruisin’ East Car Club of Stratford will conduct toy donation drives on Oct. 26, starting at the Harborside Restaurant, Ferry Boulevard, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then relocating to Goodie’s (formerly the Greek’s Diner), Cherry Street, Milford, until dusk. Rain date is Nov. 2.
Also, toys can be left at Sterling House, 2283 Main St., Monday through Saturday through Dec. 13.
Each year during the holiday season, more than 1,000 local children receive toys that have been donated by individuals, organizations and businesses, Koperwhats said.
The Cruisin’ East Car Club originated in Bridgeport 25 years ago and, for more than two decades, has collected toys for the center’s program. Phil Convertito is club president and David Burs is toy drive organizer.
For information on how to support the program, contact Koperwhats at 203-378-2606, ext. 107, or email at skoperwhats@sterlinghousecc.org.

Brian Cimbak honored his three friends with a bridge to healing. The span is at Mondo Ponds.

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Milford publisher got to rub elbows with GOP Gov. Sarah Palin. That's him at right, in a color scheme not unlike that worn by the now vice presidential candidate.

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The Woodmont Evening Book Club will be joined by Milford author Sandra Rodriguez Barron at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Woodmont Volunteer Library at 16 Dixon St.

She will discuss her novel, "The Heiress of Water," described as “a stunning parable of paradise lost and found.”

The public is invited to attend the meeting. Barron, the daughter of a Salvadoran mother and a Puerto Rican father, moved with her family from El Salvador to Connecticut to avoid the violence of El Salvador's civil war.

In her book, a young heiress who loses her luminous mother in an accident at sea, is exiled from the tropical paradise that was her home. Grieving and cut off from a life among El Salvador's elite, Monica and her American father move to Connecticut, vowing never to look back.

For more information, call Katie Murph at (203) 640-2307

This young resident was all business

Thomas Allen, 3, of Milford pushes his toy truck past a group of pumpkins at Filanowski's Farm in Milford on Wednesday.

Photo by Arnold Gold

Judicial marshals had to tackle a West Haven man convicted of killing his mother after he became enraged in court during his sentencing Wednesday and attempted to attack his brother.

Victim Sharon Hotchkiss, shown, worked for many years at the former Clark's Dairy in Orange and Johnnie's Grill on Campbell Avenue in West Haven, and drove senior citizens for the West Haven Adult Day Center. She was a "wonderful" person friends and family said.

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Amid a busy month of annual campaign events, the agency last week held a kick-off at Stonebridge Restaurant.

It featured entertainment by the Rum Runners Charity Band and tips collected by local celebrity servers including Jim Wayne, Wayne Tire; Christine Shaw, Coldwell Banker; Heidi Voight, Miss Connecticut 2006; Alan Lynn, Milford Hospital; Fire Chief Lou LaVecchia, Milford Fire Department; Marcia Hallman, BIC Corp.; Kathy Huber, City Attorney’s Office; Vince Scarpetti, Milford Public Schools; Rick George, Milford Animal Control; Jon Berchem, Berchem, Moses, & Devlin; Erika Fonck, Scholastic Mortgage; Alderman Jude Toohey; and Mike Buckley, MP Buckley.

A short kick-off presentation was conducted by Gary Johnson, President/CEO and Campaign Chairman Ray Vitali, along with the help of numerous cabinet members and community leaders announcing the campaign goal of $1,010,100.00.

Friday was the annual golf tournament at Orange Hills Country Club, with about 100 golfers participating and was the dinner hosted by Stonebridge restaurant compliments of Rich Conine. The 7th annual event raised more than $25,000 thanks to many generous sponsors, players and raffle donors, the agency said. The first annual Bocce Tournament included more than 10 teams that participated in the double elimination tournament. United Way volunteers Dan Worroll and Jude Toohey organized the first-ever event, held at the new bocce courts at Walnut Beach pavilion. “The weather was superb! Dan & Jude did a great job with this event and we hope to make it an annual get together and include the family,” said Kathy Hart-Jones, United Way marketing director.

United Way also held fundraising events over the last couple of months to help offset the campaign. In July, Shop-Rite kicked off its second annual United Way awareness month, raising more than $9,200. This month-long campaign at the Cherry Street supermarket where customers were asked to donate to United Way at the checkout, kicked off with cookouts in front of the store with all proceeds going to the social service community organization. Food and staff were provided by Harry Garafalo, owner of the Shop-Rite in Milford. Some area businesses also have started employee campaigns, including Macy’s, Target, & JC Penny. Other organizations, BIC Corp., Schick and Milford Hospital, will hold campaigns in the coming weeks.

“We are well on our way and hope that this year’s campaign is a huge success,” said Johnson.

Stew Leonard Jr. says he might turn his 40-plus acres on Marsh Hill Road into a big pumpkin patch after a state Supreme Court sent his 13-year quest to construct a 145,000-square-foot store near Interstate 95 at Exit 41 back to the drawing board.



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Milford International Little League President Brian Rowland said when it comes to being subjected to vandalism, the league is all alone in first place.

Snack stand and office targeted; police say enough is enough and they are watching the field


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Nature is her way

MILFORD - A champagne reception will be held to honor October Artist Of The Month Barbara Mazur from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 14, at Stevens Auto Group, 717 Bridgeport Ave.

The public is invited.

Mazur, who serves on the board of the Orange Art League, has exhibited in the Orange Library, Whitney Center in Hamden, the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, and the Woodbridge Library, organizers said. Her interest in photography has inspired her artistic abilities to convey nature in its many phases with watercolors and acrylics for the past seven years, oranizers said. She spent 17 years in the advertising business and 15 years working in the promotional/merchandising industry.

Play for a good cause this weekend

Michael Casey, 17, knew he needed to come up with a community service project to help him earn his Eagle Scout rank, but he was having a hard time coming up with the right idea.

Then grandma got involved - and she sure had a great idea. Look above and you can guess what it was.

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The economy is a factor in raises for top city officials.


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"The conscience of the art world"

BRIDGEPORT - Internationally famous advocates of feminism and social change, The Guerilla Girls, will be at Housatonic Community College at 12:30 p.m. Oct. Oct. 23 to discuss the role of female artists. The presentation, being held in conjunction with the Why Not?! art exhibit that explores women pushing boundaries, will be followed by a question and answer session with one of the group.

“The Guerilla Girls are truly the conscience of the art world,” Robbin Zella, director of the Housatonic Museum of Art said in a statement. “For more than 20 years, they have been using their special brand of humor to combat discrimination, first in art and later in culture and politics.”

The group was founded in 1985 after a group of female artists became incensed that an exhibition by some 170 artists at the Museum of Modern Art contained the works of only 17 women. Donning gorilla masks and names of dead women artists to hide their identities, group members began an odyssey that resulted in more than 90 posters, actions, billboards, postcards, books and magazine projects that focused attention on discrimination, the statement said.

During this odyssey, they have been the subject of articles in newspapers and magazines in both the United States and abroad, including The New Yorker, MS magazine, Vogue, Esquire, and the New York Times.

They have been featured on many U.S and international radio and television stations, and have spoken at colleges, universities and art museums worldwide.

The HCC event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Burt Chernow Galleries in Lafayette Hall at HCC, 900 Lafayette Blvd. The college in in Downtown Bridgeport is less than 150 yards off Interstate 95's Exit 27 and Route 8's Exit 1, a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard.

IF YOU DARE: HAUNTED STORIES TOUR

Downtown Milford should be awash in Halloween spirit with the Third Annual Haunted Stories Tour on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25. Each two-hour tour will be led by a guide to different businesses, where different spooky stories will be told and refreshments will be served.

Tour hours are 7 to 9 p.m.

Pre-registration is required. Call(203) 701-0753 or e-mail lisa@perfectlyspoiled.com for more information or to register.

Please note that haunted stories may not be suitable for small children.

Girls show what they are made of: smarts

MILFORD — More than 200 middle school girls from throughout Connecticut spent a recent Saturday translating a secret language, building a bridge out of paper and testing how much weight it can support, and building race cars from lifesavers, straws, and paper at Lauralton Hall’s annual fall Science Olympics.

Curious Creatures, professional exhibitors who teach respect and appreciation for exotic and unusual animals, were on hand to give an educational presentation with twelve animals, including: a boa constrictor, chinchillas, and ferrets.

With the help of Lauralton faculty and students, participants “competed” in problem-solving events related to physics, linguistics, engineering and more. Students worked in teams, with the winners as follows:

In the 8th grade category
1st place: Team #49, The Cross Chemists from Wilbur Cross Middle School in Bridgeport: Lori Pham, Natasha Colon, Ashley Dixon, and Nina Jones

2nd place: Team #6, The Amphibious Dolphins from East Haven Academy in East Haven: Sarah Farnsworth, Danielle Stevens, Rose Maldonado, Jenna LaFontaine

3rd place: Team #9, The Science Geeks from Betsy Ross Middle School in New Haven: Joi Littlejohn, Katherine Bettej and Kameesha Collins

In the 7th grade category
1st place: team #18, The Little Einsteins from Tyrell Middle School in Wolcott: TaylorWay , Samantha Collette, Jessica Biolo, Xhovana Collaku, and Erica Bolduc

2nd place: team #37, The Hurricanes from St. Augustine’s in Bridgeport: Alexia Smith, Imani Marie Jean-Gilles, and Atillia Lee

3rd place: Team #31, The Super Scientific Stingers from East Haven Academy in East Haven: Brianna Allevato, McKenzie Miessau, Nicholle Gargano, Katie Housler

In the 6th grade category
1st place: Team #12, The Pink Panthers from Tyrell Middle School in Wolcott: Taylor Way, Morgan Velez, Jessica Fleming, and Lauren Bozzuto

2nd place: The Purple Puffins from Holy Trinity:in Wallingford: Michaela Leslie, Erin Leslie, and from Conte/West Hills Magnet School in New Haven: Tatiana Gay

3rd place: Team # 21 from St. Rose in Newtown: Haley Ryan, Caitlin Keane, Sophia Chiravelli

Combined grades category
1st place: Team #65, The Shooting Stars: Olivia Numa from St. Lawrence in West Haven, Catherine Pyzybylowski, Nicolette Muro, and Mariana Jiminez

2nd place: Team #23, The Chemical Reactions from St. Ann’s in Milford: Lauren Vetter, Paige Vollero, Heather Volkens, and Haley Barnum

3rd place: Team #58, SMPA from St. Martin’s in New Haven: Asia Barnes, Cheyenne Hedley, Kirstin Vega, and Madiah Gant

Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall, hosts Science Olympics twice each year. The spring “games” are scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2009. Any schools, students or teachers interested in learning more should contact scavar@lauraltonhall.org.

Pictured - left to right Grandmaster Brian Hanson, Michelle W. Bojarski, Shara Bouvier, Cazimir Bzdyra, Mitchell Stevenson Jr, Tyler Ronne, Len Hutchins and Shihan Frank Ciarleglio. All but Ronne, who is from Woodbridge, are Hamden residents.

On Sept. 10, students from the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts in Hamden earned their new ranks. There were children and adults in the belt promotion. The test administrator, Grandmaster Brian Hanson, Ninth Degree Black Belt and the students’ instructor Shihan Frank Ciarleglio, Fifth Degree Black Belt. viewed the students Martial Arts material.

“The Martial Arts is a journey that for some people lasts a short time and for others a life time. To achieve a new level of proficiency is a great feeling and acknowledgement that one is getting better. When someone starts on his or her journey in the Martial Arts it is very important to set goals, and each level is a goal for our students. All of the ranks are earned and never given, which gives the students a greater appreciation for their accomplishments,” Ciarleglio said.
The Academy of Kempo Martial Arts congratulates the students for their achievements. Adult Ranks (adults and junior adults): Yellow Belts – Michelle W. Bojarski and Shara Bouvier, Orange Belts - Cazimir Bzdyra, and Blue Belt – Len Hutchins. Junior Ranks (four years old thru ten years old): Junior Green Stripe Belt – Mitchell Stevenson Jr., and First Degree Junior Black Belt – Tyler Ronne. For more information on the Academy, you can call 288-9990 or look them up on the web at http://www.academyofkempo.com/.

Source: Academy of Kempo

Murder and mystery combine with disco dancing to fund scholarships

The Housatonic Community College Foundation, Inc., will present Friday Night Fever, a murder mystery dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 in the new Events Center in Beacon Hall at Housatonic.

It will feature disco dancing, musical entertainment, dinner, and a raffle with more than 30 gifts. Proceeds will benefit HCC student scholarships. An all-star cast of HCC faculty and staff will enact a murder mystery during the course of the evening, which the guests will solve.

The mystery is directed by Housatonic Professor of Theater Arts, Geoffrey Sheehan.

Sponsors for the event include, Dance Fever Sponsor - R.C. Bigelow; Disco Ball Sponsors - Blum, Shapiro & Co., P.C. and Virginia and Joel Giuffré; Staying Alive Sponsors - Cohen & Assoc., LLC, Southern CT Gas Co, Glenn and Tina Tatangelo, and Advanced Cleaning Concepts, Inc.

Several gift baskets prepared by Housatonic Community College departments and individuals, and gift donations from over 25 vendors, activities, and venues will be available as raffle prizes.

Tickets for the event are $40 per person and guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend. Tickets and additional information are available from the HCC Foundation, call 332-5038, until Oct. 10. Tickets will not be available at the door. Free parking is available in the college garage.

The Housatonic Community College Foundation was formed in 1990 to assist the College and its students beyond the fundamentals provided by the state. The Foundation provides resources for scholarships, equipment, program enhancements, community outreach and support for the Housatonic Museum of Art.

Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. lobbied for senior housing and dredging the Housatonic River.

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The economy has taken its toll on everyone, including the Milford Chamber of Commerce. So they are doing something about it.

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