PROPOSAL TO STOP GUN RANGE
A Griswold resident has come up with an idea to keep a state police training facility outside the town’s borders. He’s proposing an ordinance. Steve Douglas, an outspoken opponent of the project, drafted the measure. It proposes the town enact an ordinance prohibiting anyone from constructing any future organized gun ranges within the borders of the Town of Griswold. It would exempt existing gun ranges such as the Mystic Rod & Gun Club and the Pachaug Outdoor Club. The draft was delivered to the Griswold Ordinance Committee.
CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION MEETS SOON
The newly formed Stonington Borough Charter Revision Commission will meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday to hold its first public hearing in Borough Hall. The commission will ask for suggestions from borough residents how to change borough government to ensure there are enough people to serve on appointed boards and as elected officials. Borough Warden Jeff Callahan said the Board of Warden and Burgesses has asked the commission to submit its draft report with recommendations no later than June 30.
CRASH CLOSES GOLD STAR
A two car crash around noon New Years Day closed Route 184 in Groton for several hours in both directions and sent both drivers to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. Police have not released the names of the drivers or their conditions. That section of the Gold Star Highway near the Flanders Road intersection was closed until around 4 p.m.
FRANK EXHIBIT OPENS NATIONALLY IN NORWICH
A new exhibit focusing on the life of Anne Frank will be making its American premiere this week in Norwich. “Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank” not only chronicles the struggles the young German Jew faced while in a Nazi concentration camp, it also focuses on the problems young people face today in terms of discrimination and prejudice. The exhibit will be at the Otis Library from January 3rd through the 31st. Otis Youth Services Librarian, Dianne Deedy says numerous events, such as concerts, book readings, films, and a community art project, will take place in conjunction with the Frank exhibit. There’s no admission charge. Frank, whose diary has become a literary classic, died in the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945 at the age of 15. Log onto otislibrarynorwich.org for complete information about the exhibit, and its corresponding events.
FINES PROPOSED TO RISE
The Groton Town Council is proposing to increase parking fines in town. The fines would go up from $10 to $20 for violations and from $25 to $50 for parking in fire lanes. Fines would double, to $40 and $100 respectively, if not paid within seven days. Groton Town Police Chief L.J. Fusaro recommended the changes to bring fees in line with those in surrounding communities. The fines haven’t changed since the 1980s. Fusaro told the Town Council people have told police they’d rather pay the $10 fine than find a legal place to park.
FOXWOODS PURSUING YOUNGER CROWD
Foxwoods’ pursuit of younger clientele has produced its latest attraction. The HighFlyer Zipline is expected to be fully operational this spring. Riders will be sent downward from the roof of the Fox Tower hotel at speeds up to 60 mph. Before the end of May, gasoline-powered go-karts will be racing around an indoor track, soon to be installed beneath the tower. Work on the attractions moved along last month.
