It’s perhaps not surprising that in recounting the many changes and challenges teachers have faced this year, Jandi Hanna, a speech and language pathologist who lives in Falls Village, Conn., starts with the negative. On top of the threat of spreading COVID-19 this year, there has been the existential threat. Teaching children, which relies on in-person conversation and, often, tactile learning, has been turned on its head.
Of course, what hasn’t been called “an existential threat” these days? Hanna’s response to the transitions of 2020 has been to not give up.
“When people say ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ it’s often because they feel that transitioning from one set of expectations is too much. It’s not fun anymore.
“They’re not incapable of doing it, they’re just not enjoying it anymore.”
Hanna has taught speech therapy throughout Connecticut’s Region One School District, but currently works with students in kindergarten through eighth grade in both Cornwall Consolidated School in Cornwall, Conn., and Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village.
“I’m still enjoying it,” she said. “It’s hard, it’s stressful, but I still like it.”
Hanna recalls with a laugh those early days, when she still believed quarantining in the Region One schools would only last two weeks.
“It was so abnormal. It was such a shock to the system.”
Stuck at home, she created what she describes as her version of the electronic board monitoring the Dow Jones Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange.
“I used the Venetian blinds in my bedroom as the board, and had stickers all over the blinds: which child goes into which list … It was really hard. But one day I woke up and I didn’t need the blinds anymore. The week was going smoothly.”
Hanna’s students have needs that range from improving speech articulation to language skills. Some older students might feel stuck in a literal mindset, struggling with understanding figurative expressions or drawing conclusions based on verbal inferences, for example. Multiple choice and matching tests can also prove to be difficult for these students, something Hanna addresses in her virtual lessons with a system she created on Google Docs.
“A lot of children who have delayed or special needs are not very good at advocating for themselves,” Hanna said. With that in mind, it might be easy to imagine that delayed students would struggle this year, feeling particularly isolated while learning from home. Hanna found the opposite was true. The spring turned out to be a positive turning point.
“Some students really do have school anxiety. Some of the trauma is actually being in school.”
Hanna heard from teachers that some of her students felt more comfortable in the virtual classroom, able to ask questions privately to the teacher, free from facing the anxiety of drawing immediate attention to themselves.
Because of virtual learning, Hanna said, “Several students I worked with were turned into better self advocates. And they still came back to school this fall. There were two in particular who wonderfully surprised me by wanting to come back. They’ve grown up, they’ve become better self advocates, they missed their friends and they want to be there. Now we have these touchstones. ‘Remember this-or-that was difficult before, but you found a strategy during virtual learning; so what did you do?’”
Back at school once again, Hanna is facing new challenges as she holds her sessions in a booth in the school gymnasium, with two partitions divided by plexiglass.
“It’s everything in graduate school they taught us not to do. The gym has all kinds of ambient noise. You can hear the furnace there.…”
For Hanna of course, the show goes on, as she and her students wear face shields (put on before removing their masks) so they can see each other’s mouths.
She described going from virtual learning in the spring to a new kind of in-person distance teaching in the fall as the musical progression from the blues to jazz.
“Blues are blue, we missed each other, but with jazz we feel better now. We’re happy to see the students. Though the challenges are enormous, we really have the support of the administration, not only from the principal of each school, but from the superintendent’s office. There aren’t any unrealistic expectations.”
Alec Linden
Rendering of the proposed Kent Green Commons development, showing a village-style layout of residential buildings clustered near Town Hall with open space preserved to the south.
KENT – A public hearing for a proposed 80-unit housing development in downtown Kent remains open after a largely positive but cautious response from residents during the first round of public vetting of the substantial proposal.
More than 75 residents, town officials and developers logged into the commission’s Zoom meeting Monday night, March 30, to discuss the installation of a neighborhood-style development on a 12.5-acre parcel beside the village center. At least 20%, or 16 units, of the complex, currently operating under the name Kent Green Commons, are planned to be designated as affordable housing. Five acres are designated to be preserved as public open space.
The hearing itself examined the adoption of a Planned Development District on the Town Hall-adjacent property, a zoning tool used to address unique projects that would be complicated to deal with under standard zoning procedure but are in alignment with the town’s overall development goals. If P&Z decides to approve the PDD, as it is commonly known, the developers will still have to finalize a site plan, which will also need zoning approval.
James Millstein, the development manager for the project and owner of the property, introduced the project on Monday evening as “a village-scale residential neighborhood that fits naturally in Kent while addressing the town’s documented housing needs.”
“This isn’t a speculative development,” he continued, but a “direct response” to Kent’s Housing Plan, a document adopted by the town in 2022 that calls for expanded dedicated affordable homeownership and rental opportunities and a diversified housing landscape.
Millstein handed the presentation over to Jeremy Lake, an architect and community designer with Rhode Island-based firm Union Studios, who outlined the layout of the “campus”-like proposal. The 14 buildings, ranging from smaller townhouses to 12-unit walk-up style structures, are set to be arranged around a central thoroughfare that connects Kent Green Boulevard to Maple Street Extension.
He said the aim is to construct “simple, handsome, vernacular-feeling buildings” that align with the architectural character of Kent’s village center. The housing itself will be concentrated in the northern part of the parcel, near Town Hall, while the southern meadows will be preserved against development.
Engineer Dainius Virbickas, of Artel Engineering Group, went through the stormwater management plans and affirmed that the Kent Sewer Commission had determined that the town’s system had sufficient capacity for the development.
P&Z Chair Karen Casey then handed the floor over to members of the public, many of whom spoke out in support of the proposal and its mission.
“I know there are many of us that would like to have such a unit,” said PJ Magik, noting that she has been on waitlists for affordable housing in the region. She added that many who have been priced out of town may come back if the opportunity arose. “Kent’s a special place,” she said.
Andrea Schoeny, a mother of young children, said she welcomes the idea of bringing more families to the village center. “As someone who lives downtown,” she said, “we’re looking forward to new neighbors.”
John McPhee, co-owner of the Kent Collection inns, lauded Millstein’s commitment to the project. “He’s doing it because he loves Kent,” McPhee said, noting that the town needs an injection of working families to thrive. “If we want to support our institutions like the Kent Center School over the long term, we need families with kids,” he said, referencing the declining enrollment at the elementary school.
Some residents, though generally stating support for the mission of the proposal, balked at its size.
Bonnie Bevans said she agrees with the need for expanded housing opportunities and more affordable options, but that she’s “very concerned the project is too big.”
“Where is everybody going to park?” she asked, also raising concerns about traffic, construction noise and impacts to wildlife. Millstein and his development team assured that the plan currently calls for 162 parking spaces, well above the minimum requirement for the capacity, and can add more if needed. He noted that the property could handle a bigger development, too.
“Frankly, we haven’t maxed out what the zoning would permit” on the site, he said.
Chris Garrity and P&Z Commissioner Lawrence Dumoff both said a more diverse construction plan would ease the minds of residents who feel the development to be too much of a condominium complex. Lake, the project designer, said that simulating neighborhoods that have grown organically over many years is extremely difficult, not to mention cost-prohibitive, which is a big concern when developing affordable housing. He said the team would be glad to work with the Commission for solutions to that concern as the project moves forward, though.
The public hearing will resume at P&Z’s next regular meeting on April 9.
Alec Linden
Mudge Pond, where water clarity is declining
SHARON – A new scientific report highlights growing concerns at Mudge Pond, including declining water clarity, rising nutrient levels and the spread of invasive species, prompting local advocates to shift from monitoring the lake to taking action.
After several years of data collection, members of the Mudge Pond Association say the findings confirm that the lake is facing mounting pressures that will require intervention to protect both water quality and recreational use.
“Now that we’ve got a couple years of data, we’re going into the action phase,” said Andrew Cahill, chair of the Mudge Pond Association, a community organization dedicated to preserving ecosystem health and recreation opportunities on the lake.
The report, compiled by Connecticut consultancy Northeast Aquatic Research and based on data collected throughout the 2025 calendar year, found that invasive species and nutrient loading continue to threaten the lake. The study follows another from the previous year conducted by the same firm that reported similar findings.
Water quality trending downward
“Our lake is going in the wrong direction,” Cahill said. Average water clarity declined between the 2025 and 2024 data, from about 3.7 meters to 3.3. Clarity varies widely throughout the year, but 2025’s overall trend was downward compared to the prior year in a lake that is meant to be, by southern New England standards, quite clear.
The report identifies Mudge Pond as an “oligo-mesotrophic” lake, a term scientists use to describe water bodies that are just a step more vegetated and biodiverse than a crystalline alpine lake. Keeping Mudge Pond within that category should be the focal point of future lake management efforts, the report notes, as a more nutrient-dense environment could damage the lake’s ecosystem as well as put swimmers and recreators at risk from harmful algal blooms.
Cahill said he was especially concerned about the finding that toxic cyanobacteria, which are fed by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, were found in the lake at elevated levels. In August, the most productive time of the year for such harmful “blue-green algae” blooms, 35,160 cyanobacteria cells per milliliter of water sampled were found, above the “safe” management goal of between 10,000 and 20,000.
The World Health Organization considers densities above 20,000 to indicate a “moderate probability of adverse health effects,” according to the report.
High nutrient levels in the water column are likely due to two factors. Both studies found that a persistent layer of deoxygenated water at the lake bottom each summer, formed by a process called “stratification,” which separates warm, oxygen-rich water at the surface from colder, oxygen-poor water below, allows previously buried nutrients at the lake bottom to leach back into the lake.
The report also examined two inlets where runoff water flows into Mudge Pond, finding high levels of nitrogen entering the lake from one inlet during the spring. Cahill said that the Mudge Pond Association has contacted upstream landowners who had been very cooperative about exploring potential causes for this nutrient loading.
Northeast Aquatic Research has also recommended that lake managers explore installing an aerator to oxygenate the water, but Cahill said while the Association is open to exploring diverse strategies, this approach may be prohibitively expensive and potentially controversial.
Invasive plants abound, but no hydrilla
Cahill said that the Association will be focusing its most immediate efforts in 2026 on addressing the more immediately visible threat to Mudge Pond: invasive plants.
Four non-native invasive species were found in the lake – Eurasian milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, water chestnut and fanwort. Eurasian milfoil and fanwort were the most abundant of the invasives, while water chestnut was the least established. Brittle naiad, another invasive plant that was found in the previous study, was not found by the researchers in 2025.
Despite the low prevalence, Cahill said the Association is prioritizing water chestnut as its first point of attack, as the lily-pad like plant becomes extremely difficult to eliminate when entrenched in the ecosystem. Also, in low numbers it can be hand-pulled, making for a relatively uncontroversial removal process.
Cahill said the Association is planning outreach events to train volunteers on how to identify and remove the plant, ultimately coordinating large-scale removal efforts in the summer and fall.
For the remainder of the invasives, though, the report recommends using herbicides, which historically has been a polarizing topic in Connecticut lake communities.
“As a town, we have to have that discussion,” Cahill said. “Do we want to do this?”
Cahill said the Association is planning to eventually organize a public forum for community input on the issue, eventually leading to a vote on how the town wishes to proceed.
Whatever the outcome, though, Cahill emphasized urgency is key in dealing with invasive plants. “The longer we wait, the more there will be.”
Hydrilla, a highly aggressive invasive waterweed that has invaded nearby water bodies and cost lake communities large sums in removal efforts, was not found in Mudge Pond in 2025. While that is encouraging news, Cahill said it’s too early to celebrate.
The lake’s public boat launch is controlled by the state, meaning the town has little regulatory power over it. With inconsistent oversight, Cahill said it may only be a matter of time before the plant gets into Mudge Pond.
“I think it’s going to fall to each of our lake communities to have a plan in place in case hydrilla arrives.”
Ruth Epstein
NORTH CANAAN — Following a medical emergency in February, North Canaan Selectman Brian Ohler is taking a medical leave of absence from his duties as a public official.
North Canaan is governed by a three-member Board of Selectmen, meaning Ohler’s absence leaves the town operating with only two active members. However, the town is legally able to operate with just two members, since it is deemed a quorum, according to the town attorney.
In a recently posted Facebook message, Ohler, president and CEO of the Northwest Connecticut YMCA, described experiencing symptoms of a stroke shortly after arriving at his office in Torrington.
“While seated at my desk, within a matter of about 45 seconds, I began to experience intense double vision, deafening ringing in both of my ears, slurred speech, and head-to-toe paralysis on the right side of my body. Having been an EMT for many years, I immediately realized that these symptoms were a clear sign that I was having a stroke. With my left hand I was able to unlock my cell phone and alert staff members of my situation.”
Staff members immediately called 911, and paramedics transported him to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Ohler said his thoughts turned to his wife and six-month-old daughter as he hoped for a reversal of the paralysis.
After five days of tests and evaluations, he was discharged and returned home. By that time, he said, the paralysis had subsided completely and his motor functions had returned to normal.
Ohler reported that neurologists have been unable to determine a definitive cause but agreed that the rapid onset of symptoms indicated a stroke.
“They also realize that after suffering numerous traumatic brain injuries from various roadside bomb explosions, while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, that there could have been an underlying condition that was brewing for quite a while. I have since been referred to specialists within the Veterans Affairs and Hartford HealthCare health systems. I am confident that we will soon be able to find all of the right answers.”
In his message, Ohler also expressed appreciation for the support shown to him and his family.
“At this time, I have chosen to take a medical leave of absence from all of my duties with the town of North Canaan until further notice, wanting to focus intently on my overall health and recovery, and of course, my amazing wife and beautiful baby girl.”
Ohler previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives for the 64th District from 2017 to 2019. He also served as North Canaan’s first selectman from 2023 to 2025.
Ohler could not be reached for comment.
First Selectman Jesse Bunce said he wishes Ohler well and misses his input, particularly given his experience and familiarity with town issues.
He noted that having a two-person board could potentially be challenging.
“If Melissa [Selectman Pinardi Brown] and I disagree, there could be a tie vote and the board would be deadlocked. It makes it tough.”
Should Ohler step down, Bunce and Brown would determine his replacement. It would have to be a Republican and the appointment would be made following a recommendation from the party.
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Alec Linden
FALLS VILLAGE — A teacher at Housatonic Valley Regional High School was arrested on March 20 after turning himself in to state police on an outstanding warrant related to an alleged altercation involving a student in September 2025.
The accused, technology education teacher John Christinat, 65, was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the incident, in which a verbal confrontation escalated into a physical altercation between Christinat and a 15-year-old student, according to police. The student’s father reported that the juvenile is autistic, according to court records.
Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley said Christinat is currently on administrative leave. He has been employed at the school since August 2001 and has had no prior incidents, she said.
According to the warrant, which was signed March 18, troopers arrived at the school on the afternoon of Sept. 3 after a physical confrontation between a teacher and student was reported. The warrant states that the situation was calm by the time officers arrived and that no injuries were reported.
Both parties made statements to police, which were recounted in the warrant. The student said he asked Christinat what he thought of Aaron Rodgers, a professional football quarterback, and that the teacher responded by telling the student, “You act like a third grader. You’re obsessed with Aaron Rodgers.”
The student said he then asked why Christinat was so upset with him, and that Christinat used his body to push him out of the classroom. He said he later pretended to take a photo of the teacher, after which Christinat grabbed the phone from his hand, leading to a physical altercation in which both parties wrestled on the ground.
The student’s father told police that due to his condition, his son is “barely able to attend classes,” and that he is unable to let a conflict go until it is resolved.
In his own statement, Christinat told authorities that the student was being disruptive in his photography class, standing in the middle of the classroom and interrupting by talking about Aaron Rodgers. Christinat said the student was not a member of the class he was trying to teach.
He said the student “moved outside the classroom,” and that he locked the door to prevent him from entering. Christinat said he explained the situation to the student’s assigned special education supervisor.
Christinat, according to the warrant, said that the student banged on the classroom door, then went outside and started hitting the air conditioning unit attached to the room.
He told the troopers that later in the day, the student confronted him again and stuck his phone in his face. Christinat said he grabbed the phone, after which the student “threw [him] to the floor.”
The teacher said he has a background in special education and is trained in “the safe restraining of special education students,” and held the youth in a “basket hold.”
Christinat said he had pain in his shoulder and groin as a result of the incident. He could not be reached for comment.
Trooper Jean Colon Carattini, who filed the warrant, stated that he reviewed security footage of the incident. He said the footage showed that the student had “grabbed onto [Christinat] and pushed him to the ground in an attempt to retrieve the phone,” and that the two wrestled on the ground.
He reported that Christinat “eventually gained control over [the student] until school staff arrived,” who restrained the student as Christinat walked into another room.
The trooper stated that after further review of the footage, it was determined that Christinat was at fault in the incident.
Trooper Colon Carattini has not responded to immediate requests for comment.
After his March 20 arrest, Christinat was released on a $1,500 bond and is scheduled to appear before Torrington Superior Court on April 2.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Cast members of “Mary Poppins Jr.” perform during a Falls Village Children’s Theater production on March 27–28.
FALLS VILLAGE — It was standing room only for three performances of “Mary Poppins Jr.” by the Falls Village Children’s Theater Friday and Saturday, March 27-28.
The well-rehearsed cast members displayed a confident mastery of the material, and kept the audience engaged.
The back stage performance was equally fluid, with large numbers of players moving on and off-stage in silence, and with several costume changes involved. The set was minimal, and the technical team made the most of it, moving props quickly and smoothly.
Lev Sadeh stood out as George Banks, the father who warily entrusts his children’s care to Evelyn Adkins’ Mary Poppins. Adkins played her role with great reserve, as befits the ultimate nanny.
And the group of children dressed as honeybees went over very well with the audience.
The show was directed by Darcy Boynton, with musical direction by Alec Sisco, who accompanied the entire show on the piano.
Aly Morrissey
Paley’s Farm Market on Amenia Road in Sharon opened for the 44th season on Saturday, March 28. Opening day drew a steady crowd.
SHARON – For many local residents, spring doesn’t truly begin until Paley’s Farm Market opens its doors, and customers turned out in force for its 44th season opening on Saturday, March 28.
Located on Amenia Road in Sharon, Paley’s is a seasonal destination for residents of New York and Connecticut and, over the past four decades, has evolved from a locally grown produce center into a full-scale garden center, farm market and fine food market.
Despite a chilly start to the day, the opening drew a steady crowd, with a full parking lot and early signs of the busy season ahead.
“It’s been going really well,” said owner Sarah Coon, who purchased the business from her brother in 2019. “It’s chilly, but we’ve had a nice turnout. The sun’s out, and that always helps.”
Mimi Harson of Sharon and Anette Cantilli of Millbrook shared an outing together to purchase flowers and plants for their deck pots.
“It’s exciting, we love Paley’s,” Cantilli said of the opening day as she filled her car trunk with pansies.
Behind the scenes, opening day is the culmination of months of preparation – much of it beginning long before winter has fully loosened its grip.
“We open our first greenhouse in early February, and that’s when the fun begins,” Coon said. “We start planting pansies then, and once you open that greenhouse, you’re committed. It’s like having a bunch of babies out there – you have to make sure nothing goes wrong.
This year’s opening comes after a particularly snowy winter that, just weeks ago, left the property covered in large mounds of snow.
“I looked around and thought, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to be able to open on time,’” Coon said. “There was snow everywhere. It was hard to even imagine. But here we are.”
Early spring offerings include rows of colorful pansies grown from seed, along with cold-tolerant vegetable starts, herbs and Easter-ready planters designed for patios and entryways. Bulbs such as daffodils and tulips are also available, along with seeds, soil and gardening supplies.
“It’s not too early,” she said of the growing season. “You can start seeds indoors now, even just on a windowsill. And if it doesn’t work, you can always come back and getplants.”
While the market’s popular prepared foods and grocery offerings will arrive later in the season, the early weeks focus on planting and preparation. Dry goods are expected in the coming weeks, followed by a gradual buildout of the full market.
New this year, Paley’s has partnered with Homegrown National Park, a national initiative promoting the use of native plants. The collaboration will help customers more easily identify native species to incorporate into their gardens.
“We think it’s going to be good for our staff and our customers,” she said. “It makes it easier for people to mix native plants into what they’re already doing.
Paley’s typically operates through mid-October, employing up to a dozen staff members at the height of the season, along with part-time and retired workers who assist with planting and maintenance.
For many, the opening marks more than just the start of a business cycle – it’s a seasonal ritual.
“We all need a little color right now,” Coon said. “And a little warmth. It’s coming.”
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