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3 cyclists injured in front of Redding middle school

Three bicyclists were injured in a road accident in front of John Read Middle School at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, July 1. According to Redding police Sgt. Marc DeLuca, a group of bicyclists were traveling southbound on Route 53, near John Read Middle School, when one rider stopped, and was then was struck by two that were behind. This action sent the riders to the ground with substantial but non life-threatening injuries. “One cyclist went down and then two more were trying to avoid that person,” according to personnel on the scene. The injured cyclists were identified as a man from … Read more

Editorial: Remembering Charley

Those who will be at Saturday’s fourth annual Rock’n Roots Revival will see many people wearing red, navy, and black T-shirts, with white lettering on the back that says Remembering Charley. Redding resident and longtime town historian Charley Couch passed away in May, and the revival is dedicated to him. It was Charley who started the event, back in 2015. He wanted to create a fund-raiser to support the Redding Historical Society, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate, preserve and to promote Redding and its history. The revival, which runs all day, begins with a road race at … Read more

Navin gets 55 years for killing parents

Kyle Navin was sentenced Friday, June 29, to 55 years in prison for the murders of his parents, Easton residents Jeffrey and Jeanette Navin. “He got sentenced to 55 years on each count, concurrent,” said Navin’s defense attorney Eugene Riccio, after the sentencing at state Superior Court in Bridgeport. “The case is certainly a terrible tragedy from many, many perspectives,” Riccio added. Navin pleaded guilty Monday, April 16, to the murders of his parents, who were initially reported missing from their home in August 2015. Their bodies were found three months later inside contractor bags, buried under leaves in a … Read more

Redding Police Chief Fuchs gives notice of intent to resign

After a 30-minute-long executive session Friday afternoon, Redding First Selectman Julia Pemberton read a motion regarding Police Chief Douglas Fuchs’s intention to resign. Fuchs, who is on administrative leave of absence, is working on a resignation agreement. The Redding Board of Selectmen will accept Fuchs’s agreement, subject to the terms discussed in the executive session. These terms are not open to the public.  The settlement will be a public document once it is signed. Aside from Pemberton and Selectman Peg O’Donnell, representing the public was Redding resident Janice Meehan, former town treasurer. Fuchs was not in attendance at the meeting. … Read more

Service honors late Redding historian Charley Couch

The late town historian Charley Couch had a calling, Raymond D’Angelo said to a full house Saturday afternoon at Redding Historical Society’s Lonetown Farm Museum. “A calling is something that goes beyond self interest, to a commitment for the common good,” said D’Angelo, chairman of the Redding Preservation Society. “Charley Couch is one of those people. Charley’s common good was to the history of the town. Add to that his advocacy of open space and historic preservation.” The event, which included live music and lunch, was a memorial service held to honor the memory of Couch, who died May 15 … Read more

Full story: Redding budget passes at third referendum

It was three times a charm Tuesday night for the Redding budget: Voters approved it at the third referendum with a vote of 1,308-968 in favor of the spending plan. By a unanimous vote, the Board of Finance set the mill rate at 31.72. This is a 7.1% increase over the current mill rate of 29.62. The approved total budget for fiscal year July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, is $49,226,160. This amount, which is a 2.06% increase from the current year’s budget of $48,233,326, represents all three proposed revised budgets: Board of Selectmen, Board of Education, and Redding’s … Read more

New Easton selectman believes town government is important

Kristi Sogofsky, who was recently appointed to the Easton Board of Selectmen, said in her new position she plans to focus her energy on the best needs of the town. “It’s not about me,” Sogofsky said. “It’s about the town and continuing to improve it.” Sogofsky, a Republican, joins First Selectman Adam Dunsby and Selectman Bob Lessler on the board. She has replaced Carrie Colangelo, who resigned after being appointed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to be a workers’ compensation commissioner — a judge on the state level. Sogofsky would need to run in a special election Nov. 6 in … Read more

Redding students create Little Free Library

Outside the Redding Community Center on Lonetown Road stands a two-foot by two-foot box in the shape of a castle. It’s painted purple and royal blue. The box is the town’s new Little Free Library. The nonprofit organization, Little Free Library, provides people with instructions and tips on how to build a little library. The little library gives people of all ages the opportunity to borrow a book to read at their own time. When borrowers are finished, they may return the book and take another. Or, they may donate their own books to the library. It works on the … Read more

Retiring Redding Captain O’Donnell reflects on 33-year career

At 2:15 in the morning on a day in 2008, Redding Police Capt. Mark O’Donnell received a call that a man on 70 Acre Road was unconscious, but breathing. “As we were responding, his condition was upgraded to not breathing,” said O’Donnell, 54, who recently announced he is retiring after 33 years. When O’Donnell and a fellow officer arrived at the man’s home, the man was sitting in a recliner with his head slumped down. “We pulled him out of the recliner and got him to a flat surface on the floor,” O’Donnell said. “I tilted his head back and … Read more

State Sen. Tony Hwang wants to ‘give back’

When state Sen. Tony Hwang was two years old, his father left his home in Taiwan to come to the United States, settling in Chinatown. “He sent a paycheck home every month and worked in all varieties of labor,” said Hwang, 53, adding his father has been an inspiration to him. “He set an example of sacrifice and commitment to his family.” Hwang is running for re-election in the 28th Senate District, which is made up of Fairfield, Easton, Newtown and parts of Weston and Westport. He has been a state senator since 2014. A Republican, he is running against … Read more

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