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Police Blotter: Troop B
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Driver flees single-vehicle accident
Sometime overnight on Oct. 23 – 24, James Wiggins, 21, of East Canaan was driving north on Canaan Valley Road when he drifted off the roadway, striking several trees and causing the Honda CRV he was driving significant damage. Wiggins left the scene before response units arrived and the vehicle was towed. Wiggins was later located at his home address, where he was issued a misdemeanor summons for evading and failure to maintain lane.
Rear-end at stop sign
On the morning of Oct. 29, Jeremy Braddock, 49, of Watertown, Connecticut, was driving on Johnson Road in Falls Village with three passengers when he stopped at the stop sign at the intersection with Route 7. Karen Littau, 29, of New Hartford, Connecticut, was following closely behind and collided with the rear of Braddock’s Chevrolet Suburban K1500 at the stop sign. Neither Braddock’s vehicle nor Littau’s Subaru Impreza were disabled in the incident and no one was injured, though Littau was issued a warning for following too closely resulting in an accident.
Halloween night dual arrest
At around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, troopers were dispatched to an address on Route 44 in Lakeville on the report of a disturbance. After investigating, police arrested both Tianxi Wang, 40, of Lakeville and Carlos Humberto, 29, with no stated address, for disorderly conduct. Both were released on $500 non-surety bonds and were scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on Nov. 3.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Contact us by mail at P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send an email, with “police blotter” in the subject, to editor@lakevillejournal.com
LAKEVILLE — Dozens of cars lined up outside the Corner Food Pantry on Oct. 31 as the looming lapse in federal food aid funding added to the gloom of a rainy Halloween afternoon.
The uncertainty surrounding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps, threatened to leave millions of households across the nation without benefits just as the month ended.
About 42 million Americans rely on SNAP — including roughly 360,000 Connecticut residents — and many were bracing to miss their November payment scheduled for the next day. But volunteers at Lakeville’s tri-state food assistance nonprofit pressed on as heavy rain soaked their umbrellas and the month-long government shutdown in Washington dragged on.
“The community is coming together,” said board member Sarah Gunderson as she checked food recipients’ item sheets outside the pantry’s storehouse beside St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. She said organizations and individuals across the region had responded quickly, asking how to help and offering to volunteer.
On Monday, Nov. 3, the USDA announced it would use contingency funds to finance November’s payments, but it will only amount to about $4.5 billion, or just over half of the normal allotment for the month.
While SNAP recipients will receive payments this month, it remains to be seen how much beneficiaries will get, and when they can expect to see the money hit their EBT accounts. The agency has cautioned that due to complications surrounding distributing partial payments, some recipients potentially could wait weeks or even months for their portion. Lawmakers and food access advocates have warned that the delay could impact vulnerable populations for months to come.
Even as SNAP benefits are expected to resume for now, the federal shut down continues, with each party blaming the other. The stalemate is putting other critical social service programs at risk of running out of money.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is depleting its limited emergency reserves — the Trump Administration allocated an additional $450 million in back-up funds on Friday which is expected to last the program, which reaches seven million vulnerable Americans under normal circumstances, for two to three more weeks, though future support is uncertain beyond that point.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps about six million households nationwide with winter heating costs, is similarly on track to lose funding just as the mercury is beginning to drop in earnest.
Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced the state has provided the nonprofit Connecticut Foodshare with $3 million in emergency funds to distribute to food banks, though state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have contested that the number is small compared to other states, and won’t address the multi-pronged threat to vulnerable residents that the shutdown has rendered.
One Salisbury resident who sat in her car as she waited for her turn at the Corner Food Pantry on Friday afternoon said that she was “very angry” about the situation in Washington, but simultaneously “enormously grateful” for the work of the food bank. She said she was picking up food for her disabled daughter, who was in need of Saturday’s SNAP payment that wouldn’t come, and her daughter’s young son.
She works part-time, she said, and had to rely on the Pantry while the federal program paused. “I have to do this so they can have food,” she said.
“This just really boils my blood,” she added.
While some money from SNAP is now expected to reach beneficiaries, the interruption is still likely to cause suffering for families and residents in need.
Allison Gray, a pantry board member, said residents and local groups can still play a big role in helping out right now. She said food drives are especially helpful and that she has already emailed local groups a list of suggested actions and needed items. Monetary donations and food drop-offs also make a significant difference, particularly contributions of dry, packaged goods and snacks. “Nobody can afford to buy snacks,” she said.
While the extensive storerooms of the food bank appear well stocked, Gray said much more is needed, especially with Thanksgiving approaching and as more residents turn to food banks to supplement their shelves.
Residents concerned about their food security in the coming weeks are encouraged to contact their town’s social services department for assistance.
Those in a position to give can support local food banks, such as the following, as they prepare for increased demand: The Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville serving residents of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts; Fishes and Loaves in North Canaan serving residents of North Canaan, Falls Village and Norfolk; Sharon Social Services food pantry serving residents of Sharon; Kent’s food bank serving town residents in need; Cornwall Social Services’ food pantry serving town residents; and Falls Village’s food pantry which is available to town residents.
Voters across northwest Connecticut headed to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 4, to cast their ballots in a series of closely watched municipal races.
Local officials said early voting, which began Oct. 20 and ended Nov. 2, had been encouragingwith steady participation at sites across the region, according to data provided by the Secretary of State’s office.
In North Canaan, 351 of the town’s 1,938 registered voters cast ballots early, while 325 of 2,377 did so in Kent and 315 of 1,938 in Sharon. Other towns also saw solid participation, including 161 of 1,227 in Cornwall and 447 of 3,290 in Salisbury. Falls Village recorded just 70 of 789 voters casting ballots early.
“We have had a good turnout for a municipal election,” said Patricia Keilty, North Canaan’s Democratic registrar of voters, referring to early vote counts. “People are very engaged and there has been a lot of campaigning for offices. People have strong feelings, which is good. It’s how our democracy should be.”
Her sister, Rosemary Keilty, the town’s Republican registrar, agreed that interest has been high this year. “You can tell from all the lawn signs,” she said, noting that early voting averaged about 30 voters per day.
Election results for the six towns are available online at lakevillejournal.com and social media @lakevillejournal
Lots of lawn signs were seen around North Canaan leading up to the Nov. 4 election.Christian Murray
FALLS VILLAGE — The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, published by LJMN Media, Inc., welcomed Christian Murray as executive editor in October.
Murray, a veteran journalist who founded and led the Queens Post in New York City, brings deep experience in community news and newsroom management, as well as in business and finance reporting.
He joins the newsroom after serving as the managing editor at Schneps Media, a New York City-based company that publishes amNY, Queens Courier, Brooklyn Paper, Bronx Times and other local news outlets.
He joined Schneps in December 2022, after selling the Queens Post — a collection of hyperlocal news sites that he founded including Sunnyside Post, Astoria Post, and Jackson Heights Post. The sites became a model for neighborhood journalism in the borough of Queens.
“I’m thrilled to join The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News,” Murray said. “I’ve always believed that strong local journalism builds strong communities, and I look forward to continuing that tradition here in Northwest Connecticut and Dutchess County.”
“Christian is a proven builder of local news organizations and a champion for community reporting,” said James Clark, CEO and Publisher. “His leadership and experience will strengthen our newsroom and help advance our mission to provide essential journalism for Northwest Connecticut and New York’s Harlem Valley.”
Early in his career, he was a political reporter with Newsday and a business reporter with Reuters. Murray, who is originally from New Zealand, holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. After living in New York City for 25 years, he moved to Northwest Connecticut in 2022.
Murray can be reached at christianm@lakevillejournal.com.
