CHIEF KYDD LEAVING TODAY
New London Fire Chief Henry E. Kydd Jr. is retiring today after 40 years of service to the city. Kydd was appointed chief in 2013 by Mayor Daryl Finizio and held the honor as the department’s first black chief. Kydd said he grabbed an opportunity to become a firefighter instead of a school teacher in 1977. Battalion Chief Thomas Curcio will be sworn in as the new chief on Wednesday.
BYOB BOTHERS HOOKAH LOUNGE
A local hookah lounge owner says the bring-your-own-bottle ordinance the Groton Town Council passed on Aug. 7th could close him down. It limits the consumption of alcohol at BYOB establishments to before midnight on weeknights and before 1 a.m. on weekends. Groton Town Mayor Patrice Granatosky said the lack of state BYOB regulations came to the attention of the council because of incidents involving law enforcement at the Midnight Hookah Lounge. She said rules on hours should be in place based on the safety of the citizens, not based on how late an establishment wants to stay open. Police Chief Louis Fusaro said assertions that Midnight Hookah is being targeted are unfair because the ordinance is a “blanket for the public safety interests of the entire community.” Unless the Representative Town Meeting vetoes it Wednesday evening, the ordinance will go into effect Sept. 21st. Anyone in violation of the ordinance can be fined $250.
HOME CARE COMPANY EYES NORWICH/NEW LONDON
The Norwich-New London area is being looked at by a franchisor of in-home services for the disabled and for seniors. In Southeastern Connecticut nearly 18 percent of the population is 65 and older thus a good, untapped market. Right At Home of Omaha, Nebraska opened its first franchise in the state in 2006 and employs 50 to 100 part-time caregivers who provide services such as cooking, cleaning and help with hygiene, and staying overnight, if necessary, enabling clients to live at home.
COP ASSAULTED
A Manchester, New Hampshire man was arrested after he allegedly attacked a state trooper with a tree branch on Sunday. Stephen Prescott was stopped and escorted off Interstate 95 in Groton on two different occasions Sunday. On the third time, police say Prescott attempted to strike the responding trooper in the head with a three-foot tree branch. Police struggled with Prescott after taking him to the ground when he used his fingers and fingernails to gouge at the trooper’s eyes. Police were able to gain Prescott’s compliance with pepper spray. He is facing multiple charges and is being held on $50,000 bond. A court date was not released.
HAY BARN BURNS
Stonington firefighters spent Monday putting out smoldering remains of a hay-filled barn that burned to the ground earlier in the day. The two-story, 4,000-square-foot structure on Al Harvey Road located on the property of White Oak Farm was stacked full of hay. Old Mystic Fire Chief Ken Richards Jr. said 75 percent of the barn was in flames when they arrived and little could be done to save the structure. An unknown number of chickens were killed in the fire. Local and state fire marshal’s offices will investigate the cause of the fire.
HOSPITAL FOOD BETTER
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital officials opened a new coffee shop off of L&M’s lobby Monday, as part of several changes to the hospital’s dining options since a new food contractor took over this spring. Called The Copper Spoon, the cafe brings coffee and snacks back to an area in the hospital’s front lobby that previously housed a coffee shop run by the hospital’s auxiliary group. A seating area off the lobby will still accommodate about a dozen people and members of the public will still have access to a small conference room near the cafe.
POPULAR BREWERY COMING TO SE CT
The popular Massachusetts-based brewery Trillium is opening a location in Connecticut. Trillium has announced plans to open a farmhouse brewery in North Stonington, although the exact location has not been revealed. However, it has been disclosed to some company employees. A social media post revealed that all company locations were closed yesterday to allow employees to visit the new Connecticut venue.
