Family and loved ones gather on the ice at the memorial for Owen Simmons as Berkshire Rattlers Youth Hockey retire jersey no. 9. In the ice at Berkshire School's Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center, a "9" is surrounded by crossed hockey sticks and a turtle, symbolizing the nickname of Simmons, who died suddenly in June 2024 at the age of 13.
SHEFFIELD — A touching ceremony was held ahead of the first game of Berkshire Rattlers Youth Hockey Nov. 9 in the memory of former player Owen Simmons.
The number 9 was retired by the Rattlers and enshrined in the ice in front of the team bench.
Rattlers Youth Hockey Board President Katrina Wilber presented the honorary no. 9 jersey to Simmons’ family at the site of the memorial in the ice.
“Owen was a Berkshire Rattler who embodied the idea of who we are as an organization,” said Wilber. “His light will forever shine down on us. May number nine forever be at peace.”
Simmons, of North Canaan, died suddenly in June 2024 at the age of 13. He had recently completed seventh grade at North Canaan Elementary School.
“Everybody has touched our family in a way that we will never forget and we are so grateful for it,” said Kristine Simmons, Owen’s mother. “From the bottom of our hearts we say, ‘thank you’.”
Crossed hockey sticks and the outline of a turtle surround the no. 9 in the rink at Berkshire School’s Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center. The turtle is to honor Simmons’ team nickname, Turtle.
“This would have been Owen’s first game of his ninth season of hockey,” said Kristine. “The friendships here ... you meant the world to him.”
Players from the Salisbury Redhawks, the Rattlers’ opponent for the season opener, presented the Simmons family with flowers.
Owen’s uncle, North Canaan Selectman Craig Whiting, carried out a ceremonial puck drop before the game got underway.
Connecticut will kick off 2026 with nearly two dozen new laws that are slated to wholly or partially take effect on Jan 1.
The laws touch a range of areas in the state, from farming to pharmaceuticals to housing to the justice system.
Connecticut laws are passed by the General Assembly during the legislative session each year — this year’s ran from Jan. 8 to June 4 — or in a special session. They typically take effect on Jan. 1, July 1 or Oct. 1.
Here’s a look at some of the laws that will be implemented on day one of the new year.
Most of H.B. 8002, a sweeping, contentious housing bill, will take effect on Jan. 1.
The bill’s major goal is to make it easier to build more housing in Connecticut. It requires towns to create housing growth plans with goals on how many units they’ll plan and zone for, changes minimum off-street parking requirements and incentivizes towns to take steps to allow more housing, among other measures.
It also expands the number of fair rent commissions — a government body that can hear complaints about rent increases and make decisions on whether to change that rental increase number — and bans “hostile architecture,” or the use of things like armrests in the middle of benches or spikes to make it harder for people experiencing homelessness to lie down.
The bill was a modified version of H.B. 5002, which Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed during the 2025 legislative session, saying he wanted to get local leaders on board with the measure. Behind the scenes, he and advisors fretted over the political implications of signing the measure as they received thousands of calls from opponents and Lamont considered a third-term run next year.
Lawmakers passed H.B. 8002 during a two-day special session from Nov. 13-14, and Lamont signed it into law on Nov. 26.
Condo complexes can no longer enforce provisions in their bylaws that “prohibit or unreasonably restrict” owners of single-family detached units from putting solar panels on their roofs under a new bill that also creates a solar panel approval process for condo unit owners and their associations to follow.
Existing condo associations can opt out of these requirements if at least 75% of their board of directors votes to do so. However, that vote would need to occur by Jan. 1, 2028.
Connecticut already restricts planned community associations from prohibiting solar panels. The new law is essentially an expansion to include condos as well.
Learner’s permit holders must take an eight-hour course prior to getting their driver’s license under existing law, and Connecticut currently allows students to take it both in-person and through distance learning. Beginning Jan. 1, anyone taking the class remotely must keep their camera on, and driving schools can now charge up to $200 for it (the previous limit was $150).
Under that same law, as of Jan. 1 many applicants for a driver’s license or learner’s permit — as well as drivers convicted of violating highway worker safety laws — must complete a program administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles on highway work zone and roadside vehicle safety awareness.
All 16- and 17-year-old driver’s license applicants who get a learner’s permit beginning Jan. 1, 2026 must take the program, as well as adult driver’s license applicants who meet certain requirements (like having not previously held a Connecticut license or not currently holding a valid license issued by another state, territory or country).
On Jan. 1, Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase by $0.59, from $16.35 per hour to $16.94 per hour.
That increase comes from a law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2019 that, as of 2023, pegs the state’s minimum wage to the federal employment cost index.
Connecticut currently has the fourth highest state minimum wage, behind $16.66 in Washington and $16.50 in California and most of New York. Massachusetts and Rhode Island require a minimum wage of $15.
The Connecticut DMV will begin issuing commemorative license plates that recognize “The Borinqueneers,” the U.S. Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment made up largely of Puerto Rican servicemembers who served with distinction in the Korean War.
The plates will cost $60. They will be designed in consultation with the Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut Inc., and that group will receive $45 from the sale of each plate for bilingual services and assistance to the state’s veterans and current servicemembers.
HVRHS’s Victoria Brooks navigates traffic on her way to the hoop. She scored a game-high 17 points against Nonnewaug Tuesday, Dec. 16.
FALLS VILLAGE — Berkshire League basketball returned to Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Nonnewaug High School’s girls varsity team beat Housatonic 52-42 in the first game of the regular season.
The atmosphere was intense in Ed Tyburski Gym with frequent fouls, traps and steals on the court. Fans of both sides heightened the energy for the return of varsity basketball.
HVRHS started with a lead in the first quarter. The score balanced out by halftime and then Nonnewaug caught fire with 20 points in the third quarter. Despite a strong effort by HVRHS in the last quarter, the Chiefs held on to win.
Housatonic’s Victoria Brooks scored a game-high 17 points and Olivia Brooks scored 14. Carmela Egan scored 8 points with 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. Maddy Johnson had 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 points, and Aubrey Funk scored 1 point.
Nonnewaug was led by Gemma Hedrei with 13 points. Chloe Whipple and Jayda Gladding each scored 11 points. Sarah Nichols scored 9, Bryce Gilbert scored 5, Gia Savarese scored 2 and Jazlyn Delprincipe scored 1.
CORNWALL — At the Dec. 9 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commission had a pre-application discussion with Karl Saliter, owner of Karl on Wheels, who plans to operate his moving business at 26 Kent Road South, which is an existing retail space.
Saliter said he will use the existing retail section of the building as a mixed retail space and office, and the rear of the building for temporary storage during moving operations.
There will be no external “personal” storage proposed for the property.
The commission decided that Saliter should go ahead with a site plan application under the regulations for “retail stores and trades.”
P&Z also set a public hearing on a proposed text amendment on dimensional requirements for properties in the West Cornwall General Business (GB) zone. It will be held Jan. 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Cornwall Library.
