East Granby News

An independent transportation network for people aged 60 and above, and also the visually impaired, will be up and running by early October.

A special town meeting will be held today at the East Granby Community Center at 7:30 p.m. Residents will discuss appropriating funds for seven projects recommended by the board of selectmen and board of ...

Connecticut Light & Power presented plans to town residents Tuesday night for a $714 million voltage upgrade on transmission lines that would go through East Granby and Suffield, and have an alternate route through Enfield.

Replacing the lines between Bloomfield and Ludlow, Mass., would accommodate growing demand for power, control costs and improve reliability, CL&P spokesman Frank Poirot said.

Existing 115-kilovolt lines would be replaced with 345-kilovolt lines, and no new paths would be added, Poirot said.

Under blue skies and fading sunlight, three Farmington Valley high schools held graduation ceremonies Thursday night. Schools in Avon, East Granby and Simsbury handed out hundreds of diplomas to graduating seniors in the Class of 2008.

Avon Avon doesn't have a mayor, but over the years, Dean Stefanski's earned the title.

Like the best politicians, he disarms classmates with hugs, kisses and high-fives, and has a near encyclopedic recall of faces.

As one of the first special-needs students in Avon who was mainstreamed, he paved the way for his fellow disabled classmates in the public school system, his teachers say, and has served as a sort of ambassador to the rest of Avon High School.

A man was struck by his runaway car in East Granby on Thursday. Police said the man was struck in a parking lot off South Main Street around noon.

The winding, tree-lined road that leads to a suburban business park in Avon resembles a country lane. Picnic tables and patio umbrellas dot the parking lots.

The air seems fresher. Like other out-of-the-way manufacturing enclaves around the state, there are fewer traffic jams, and the pay scale is comparable to what many urban firms offer.

It's a pleasant drive. But for a growing number of workers, it's a costly commute.

For hundreds of suburban and rural companies that hire workers at $10 to $20 an hour, where their employees live has never been a concern. These small manufacturers and service companies hired, and workers commuted.

Flushing will take place in the area bordered by east by Broad Street, south by Bloomfield Avenue, west by Day Hill Road and north by Poquonock Avenue.

The board of selectmen voted unanimously Wednesday to hire Robert Skinner, Columbia's town administrator and a former first selectman in Suffield, as Canton's next chief administrative officer.

Canton First Selectman Dick Barlow said Skinner's experience as an elected official and professional administrator made him the obvious choice.

'I think we were really impressed with his management skills,' Barlow said.

Skinner, 44, also had a law office in Canton, O'Conner and Skinner, from 1991 until 1997, when he was elected as a Republican to be first selectman in Suffield.

A grass-roots support group, along with the Woodbridge Conservation Commission, came out en masse to advocate for starting a community farm in town.

Avon proposed budget gets slashed, voters in East Granby say no to their proposed budget, the 17th House District will be contested, and in Simsbury voters approve their budget and land purchase.

It has been 150 years since East Granby was founded, and the town is planning to mark the occasion with a weekend celebration in June. The June 6-8 festivities will feature fireworks, arts and crafts shows, historic tours, live music and a parade, which will stretch 1.7 miles though town, starting at Gateway Boulevard on Route 20 and continuing down Route 187 to the East Granby Farms recreation area. Jennifer Huget, an East Granby resident of 14 years and member of the committee organizing the celebration, said she was excited to get the whole town together. 'In such a small town, you think you'd see everybody all the time, which isn't really the case. I'm excited for everyone in town to be together on a single weekend,' she said. The celebration will begin June 6, from 5 to 10 p.m., with an arts and crafts show, performances by the town's high school and middle school bands, and a 'battle of the bands' featuring local performers, such as the Savage Brothers band. On June 7, the events will begin and end in spectacular fashion, with the parade getting things started at 10 a.m. and concluding with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. The day's activities at the East Granby Farms will include a commemorative dedication ceremony and performing artist troupes all day. The town will be busy outside the Farms as well, with a presentation by children's author and East Granby native Walter Wick at the public library, and a magic show and reptile demonstration at the town community center. Plans for the celebration's final day, June 8, include a classic car show and a closing ceremony, during which a time capsule created by the East Granby High School Class of 2008 will be sealed. It will not be opened until the town's bicentennial celebration in 2058. In addition, East Granby Historical Society Museum will give driven tours of the town's historic sites all weekend, and the Old Newgate Prison will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Read more

Eds: This advisory is not for publication or broadcast. Associated Press Connecticut Daybook for Thursday, May 8. For questions about coverage, please consult the latest digest or contact the AP ... via Hartford Courant

East Granby Manufacturer will host a plant tour at Magnatech, 6 Kripes Road, to highlight competitive processes on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Magnatech invited the local dignitaries to tour their plant and ... via Hartford Courant

“That's what caught my eye - it was just this mass coming down the hill like a rocket”

A police officer, an accident victim and a truck driver were the first witnesses to testify Wednesday at the start of the insurance fraud trial of David Wilcox, the owner of the dump truck involved in the deadly 2005 Avon Mountain crash.

Wilcox, 72, the former owner of Bloomfield-based American Crushing & Recycling, faces criminal charges of attempted first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and attempted insurance fraud.

He also faces manslaughter counts in the July 29, 2005, crash, which killed four people and injured 11. Read more

Route 20 in East Granby was closed on Monday evening following a crash involving a motorcycle. via WFSB-TV Hartford

Sunday morning at 9:48, a black bear made a surprising visit to East Granby residents. via Hartford Courant

The East Granby annual town meeting to consider the 2008-09 fiscal year budget is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the East Granby High School auditorium. via Hartford Courant

“Serving your country is what America is all about”

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz on Wednesday honored 28 East Granby World War II veterans during a ceremony at the East Granby Community Center. via Hartford Courant

“We build steadily through April, probably peaking with wildlife-related calls in June or July”

It's that time of year when the wildlife complaints proliferate. A squirrel gets into an attic. via Hartford Courant

“Everybody is looking for natural foods.”

Paul Trubey has five day-old kids in a corral in his kitchen while he's out in the shed, bottle-feeding 20 frisky week-old baby goats. via Hartford Courant