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Police Blotter: Troop B
Jan 22, 2025
Police Blotter: Troop B
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.
Rental car sideswiped
On the evening of Jan. 11, a rental Dodge Charger, driven by Samar Zemeer, 26, of Sacramento, California, was turning right onto North Elm Street in North Canaan when another vehicle, a Ford F150, struck the left side of the Charger after attempting a left turn from North Elm Street. The vehicles sustained functional damage, and were able to be driven from the scene. Each vehicle carried a passenger, but no injuries were reported. The driver of the F150, Daniel Wolfe, 65, of Sheffield, Massachusetts, was found at fault for the accident, and was issued a written warning.
Missed turn sends vehicle in ditch
At midday on Jan. 14, Olaf Olsen, 87, of Salisbury was driving home on Route 112 in Salisbury when he missed his turn onto Salmon Kill Road. In response, he attempted to reverse onto Wells Hill Road. to return to the intersection with Salmon Kill Road. In the process, his Subaru Forester exited the roadway and slid down an embankment. The vehicle suffered minor, non-disabling damage, but had to be towed from the embankment. Olsen was issued a warning.
Rear-end at stop sign
On the afternoon of Jan. 17, Kevin Sabia, 63, of Kent came to a stop at the intersection of Route 7 with Route 63 in Canaan. A Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Erica Randlett-Habarta, 61, of North Egremont, Massachusetts, subsequently collided with the rear of Sabia’s Hyundai Elantra. Both vehicles sustained minor damage, and Jane Sabia, passenger in the Elantra, was taken to Sharon Hospital for minor injury to the head and neck. Randlett-Habarta was found at fault, and issued a written warning for C.G.S. 14-240 Failure to Drive a Reasonable Distance Apart.
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 line, to johnc@lakevillejournal.com
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From left, Finn Malone, Adelyn Diorio and Jassim Mohdin work on this year’s competition robot.
Sava Marinkovic
FALLS VILLAGE — It’s build season for the robotics team at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
Strewn about the students’ workspace are wheels, cylinders, belts and drives; wooden frames and machined metal plates; parts scrapped from retired robots, and whiteboards crammed edge-to-edge with new designs. As they work at a feverish pace toward their March 7 competition deadline, there is electricity among the members of Team 716.
As members of the FIRST Robotics Competition, the team’s primary goal is to design a robot to operate on the FIRST competition circuit. Advertised by FIRST as “the ultimate sport for the mind,” this year’s contest takes the form of a team-based game in which robots — piloted remotely by humans — race to score points in a nautically-themed arena by completing tasks. The game, called REEFSCAPE, abstracts the complexities of a coral reef, wherein robots seed coral to reefs, harvest algae, and make deliveries.
The uniqueness of each year’s competition format means that teams must purpose-build robots, from the ground up, during the intensive build season. Currently in the season’s early stages — the game is only revealed to contestants in early January — the team is still working to nail down the final design of their robot.
“First, we prototype for about a week,” said team captain and HVRHS senior Jassim Mohdin as he tested the fit of a custom-machined part against the developing robot’s chassis.
“We draw up designs,” detailed Adelyn Diorio — working with teammate Finn Malone on a prototype coral pick-up mechanism — “then put them together and evaluate them on a matrix.” The matrix, populated by contributions from the entire team, includes parameters such as ease of build, simplicity, reliability and durability.
At the other end of the workspace, sophomore Byron Bell writes code that will be used to control the robot. He seeks to maximize the robot’s capabilities while keeping it reasonably easy to operate, noting that a driver will only be chosen from among the team after a “practice driving bracket” later in the season.
As the students bustle away, mentors Andy Brockway and Michael Ellington provide oversight with a light touch. “It’s truly a student-led effort,” said Ellington, who believes in allowing students the freedom to experiment, take creative risks and “develop their superpowers.”
Now in his ninth year serving as mentor, Ellington reports that this year’s team is the largest he has advised. Despite growing student interest, school staff and team mentors are concerned that the program may be at risk without a new coach.
Brockway, Team 716’s lead mentor, has advised the team for nearly 25 years; during the last five, he and Ellington have sought to bring on additional help and prepare for changes in leadership.
“Most people don’t realize just how competitive a sport it is,” said HVRHS principal Ian Strever. Under the current student-driven model, Strever said the most essential characteristic of leadership is not necessarily technical knowledge, but a “desire to work with students and coach them to believe in themselves.”
Echoing Strever, the team mentors pointed out that — while experience with mechanical, electrical and pneumatics systems are a strong asset — coaching involves the essential functions of team management: among them logistics, paperwork, scheduling and outreach.
“This program has so much to give,” Ellington said, observing that many students grow in skill, confidence and autonomy as they deepen their participation. Further, he has found reward in seeing the doors that the program has opened for special needs and at-risk students; many of whom discover paths toward personal development, college programs and future professions through their participation on the team.
By promoting mentorship of Team 716 to a coaching position and adjusting compensation to account for the time and dedication involved, Strever hopes to “find the right person in the community” to continue the storied 25-year legacy of robotics at HVRHS.
Interested individuals are encouraged to reach out to Michael Ellington at 860-824-5123 ext.1283 or via email at mellington@region1schools.org .
Information on the upcoming regional FIRST competition, which is open to public attendance, is available at frc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/ctwat.
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“There was a period of time when we were seeing a ton of RSV, COVID and flu come in and norovirus was hot.”
— Dr. Mark Marshall, vice president of medical affairs, Sharon Hospital
SHARON — The expected trio of winter viruses have arrived — and they brought a new friend with them.
Post-holiday cases of influenza, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus — commonly known as RSV — have spiked in recent weeks, joined by widespread cases of norovirus, commonly known as the “stomach bug.”
“Definitely we’re seeing plenty of all of them,” said Dr. Mark Marshall, Sharon Hospital’s vice president of medical affairs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday, Jan. 17, that the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains high across the nation and in Connecticut.
“Emergency department visits related to COVID-19 are elevated compared to fall and highest among young children and older adults,” according to a CDC report. “Visits for RSV are highest among young children, and visits for influenza remain elevated among all age groups.”
In recent weeks, Sharon Hospital has experienced a spike in admissions and people seeking medical care through its Emergency Department for flu, RSV, COVID-19 and norovirus.
“I would say that the last few weeks, from mid- to late-December through the first week of January, were exceedingly busy with a large volume of patients in the emergency department and a large number of admissions to the hospital for respiratory or GI viruses,” Marshall said. “I think we may actually be on the downturn a little bit, but there was a period where we were seeing a ton of RSV and COVID and flu … and norovirus was hot.”
He described norovirus as a gastrointestinal illness which causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. Older adults and very young children, he said, are particularly prone to serious dehydration.
Unlike respiratory viruses which spread via droplets, norovirus is spread via contact, such as touching contaminated surfaces or eating contaminated food.
The CDC reported that norovirus has been more common this season, with at least 495 outbreaks as of mid-December, about 36% higher than the previous year.
Severe year for flu
The CDC reported on Jan. 15 that the number of weekly flu hospital admissions continues to rise across the country, and that in the last week, 20 children have died from influenza-associated conditions.
Nationally, influenza test positivity increased to 18.8%, COVID-19 test positivity remained stable at 6.6%, RSV test positivity decreased to 8.9% and viral activity levels for both influenza and COVID-19 are at high levels, according to the CDC.
“Influenza predictions suggest that emergency department visits will remain at a high to very high level for the next two weeks,” the federal agency reported.
Which virus do I have?
So how do you know which respiratory virus rallied your immune system?
Sharon Hospital’s Marshall noted that symptoms for the “big three” — flu, RSV and COVID-19 — are similar, as are their courses of infection and complications.
The only way to positively determine which bug has invaded your cells is to get tested.
“If you are ill and seek treatment, you can test for these viruses individually or there is even a single swab test for flu, RSV and COVID,” he explained.
Marshall stressed the importance of getting vaccinated.
“Both the updated influenza and COVID vaccines are recommended, and it’s not too late for a flu vaccine.”
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV are all more dangerous to older adults and very young children, along with people with chronic illnesses and co-morbidities, including those who are immunocompromised, noted the Sharon Hospital physician.
Vaccines, he said, have been shown to reduce ICU admissions by 25%, and deaths by 30%. “And even if people who get the vaccine still get COVID, it reduces their risk of severe disease.”
Health officials’ recommended treatment for most of these infections includes resting, staying home when sick, getting adequate nutrition, washing your hands and drinking plenty of fluids. The CDC recommends that people in the community with COVID-19, influenza or RSV should remain home until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving.
Marshall also noted that there are several antiviral treatments available for at-risk people, including Paxlovid for COVID-19 and Tamiflu for influenza.
HMPV threat?
In recent weeks reports of a wave of hospitalizations from another respiratory illness known as human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, which is sweeping across China, has stoked fears of a new global pandemic.
The virus causes symptoms similar to COVID-19, including fever, persistent cough and congestion — and in severe cases leads to pneumonia.
Marshall noted that HMPV has been around for years and most people have encountered this virus in childhood. At this time, he said, he does not see it as an imminent threat.
“I don’t believe what is happening in China represents the early signs of a new pandemic.”
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‘Snowy the Snow Plow’ among Kellogg kindergarten’s top names for Falls Village fleet of plows
Jan 22, 2025
Falls Village’s snow plows have new names courtesy of the creative kindergarteners at Lee H. Kellogg School. The winning names were: Snowy the Snow Plow, The Ice Demolisher, The Blizzard Buster and The Snow Breaker.
Provided
FALLS VILLAGE — Lee H. Kellogg School’s kindergartners recently took on the challenge to name the town’s four snow plows.
Spearheaded by Kindergarten teacher Amelia Nichols and supported by First Selectman Dave Barger, the project offered a hands-on learning experience that engaged students while fostering local connections.
The youngsters studied snow plows through books and discussions, and applied their geometry skills by creating models of their own snow plows.
The grand finale was a democratic process where the students voted on names for the vehicles.
The winning names were: Snowy the Snow Plow, The Ice Demolisher, The Blizzard Buster and The Snow Breaker.
As a special surprise, members of the Falls Village Town Roads Crew visited the school with their snow plows, giving the children a chance to see the named machines up close.
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