NL SCHOOLS OPEN TODAY
The City of New London found a temporary home for school buses, repaired a leaky roof at Harbor Elementary School and in July, the school district’s grades six to 12 magnet school operations plan was approved. Schools open this morning and new Superintendent Cynthia Richie will join students on her inaugural morning school bus ride with students. Richie acknowledged that while some things are falling into place, there is still plenty of work to be done in the district. The number of resignations and retirements was lower than last year. The teachers’ union says higher salaries in nearby school districts shares some blame for the annual turnover of education staff. About 24 vacant positions were filled as of mid-August with more hires looking to be completed. Ritchie said all the core positions essential to education of the students are in place.
SHINGLES VACCINE IN SHORT SUPPLY
GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of an improved shingles vaccines that came out last spring, is trying to meet demand with more shipments to the United States, but say intermittent shortages might continue until the end of 2018. That will have an impact on local pharmacies. Company officials explained they didn’t expect the Centers for Disease Control to give the vaccine a preferential recommendation, which led to high demand. The previous two-dose inoculation was only 97 percent effective for adults 50 to 69 years old. The CDC says almost one of every three people in the United States will develop shingles, which emerges when the virus that causes chickenpox reactivates in older adults.
DRUG TREATMENT CENTER OPENING IN NL
The Center for Compassionate Recovery in Madison will expand its operation on Montauk Avenue in New London October 1st. Two physicians and two clinicians will man the center for opioid addiction treatment. New London last year saw 14 overdose deaths, while Norwich saw 32, the second highest per capita among Connecticut towns with at least 10,000 residents. The hospitals in Norwich and New London each handle an average of 30 overdose visits per month, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.
CHIEF’S LAST WEEK
Norwich Fire chief Kenneth Scandariato will officially retire on Thursday after 13 years as fire chief and fire marshal. For the past 21 months, he’s also served as city emergency management director, been awarded several plaques and official proclamations from the city and the state, as well as emotional words of farewell. Chiefs from several departments across the state praised Scandariato’s accomplishments in Norwich.
CALLERS GET KIDNAPPING HOAX CALLS
East Lyme Police are warning residents about a child kidnapping scam. They say a caller tries to obtain money by pretending a parent’s child has been kidnapped. Two East Lyme parents have reported the scam but told police that no money was handed over. In each case, the caller said the parent’s teenaged child had been kidnapped and that the parent was instructed to go to Walmart to wire money. Police Chief Michael Finkelstein encourages parents to immediately contact both police and the allegedly kidnapped child should they receive a similar phone call. He said it’s usually the grandparents who get the phone calls.
SALEM PREPPING FOR BIRTHDAY BASH
A production designer who designs Super Bowl halftime shows presented some ideas to the Salem bicentennial committee last week on how they could celebrate that town’s 200th birthday in 2019. The Board of Selectmen could approve those plans today. The committee plans to kick off the year-long celebration at the annual tree-lighting ceremony in December. Residents and town organizations interested in giving feedback on events for the bicentennial or creating their own events should email the committee at salem2019bicentennial@gmail.com
