A small fire was quickly contained to the ladies’ restroom at Home Depot on Barnum Avenue in Stratford, but it left a noticeable smoke condition inside the store. Crews responded swiftly, and the situation was brought under control without further spread.
2025-12-02@8:09pm #Stratford CT #ctfire
11/24–12/16: Clothesline of Comfort
Help the Stratford Library collect gloves, scarves, and hats for adults, children, and teens in need. Items can be handmade or store bought (keep the tags on). Please, no used items. Donations can be pinned on our clothesline, and then will be collected for the South End Community Center.
12/1: 3:30–5:00pm: Teen Open Art
Calling all artists! Join us in the Teen Department to draw, paint, or sculpt whatever you like! We’ll provide all the supplies, you bring your artistic inspiration! Grades 6–12. No registration required. Location: Teen Department.
12/2: 4:30–6:00pm: Teen Crafting Kindness
Bring your creative style & decorate Tote Bags that we will be donating to the South End Community Center Food Pantry. This is an opportunity to have fun, be creative, and spread a little kindness in our community. We’ll have some music and snacks while we designing the totes so bring a friend & let’s make this a true celebration of the season of giving. (Participation can also earn you volunteer hours—even if you are not a volunteer!) Grades 6–12. No registration required.
12/9: 6:30–8:00pm: College Plans Can Begin Here
This 1 hour program can answer all of your questions about the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. Learn about Academic & Workforce Programs, Accreditation, Credit Transfer, FREE tuition programs & plenty of other benefits available for new college students and adults. A college or certificate education can be a reality for everyone. Join Earl Graham, Director of Admissions, CTSU and bring your questions! Teens and Parents invited. Location: Lovell Room.
12/10: 3:00–4:30pm: Young Adult Job and Resource Information Session
Join The WorkPlace’s Platform to Employment Youth Initiative to learn about: paid training and work experience opportunities; job placement assistance; industry recognized certifications and credentials. Get career guidance into manufacturing; healthcare, IT, hospitality, skilled trades, entrepreneurship & more! Ages 18–26. High school diploma required. Location: Lovell Room.
12/18: 4:00–5:30pm: Cooking Around the World: Holiday Edition
Join ShopRite Dietitian Siddhi Sheth for a cooking class where we will cook a few dishes that are enjoyed during the holiday season in different parts of the world. Please share any dietary restrictions or allergies when registering. Grades 6–12. Registration Required. Location: Lovell Room.
STRATFORD– Stratford Mayor Laura R. Hoydick invites residents to participate in Stratford’s first Holiday Market. Over 28 organizations will be present representing vendors, artisans and community partners. Come do some holiday shopping!
Mayor Hoydick noted, “I’m thrilled to invite everyone to join us on Friday, November 28th for Stratford’s first-ever Holiday Market on the Town Hall Green, held in conjunction with our annual tree lighting and a special meet and greet with Santa. This brings the very best of our community, with local vendors, families, friends, and neighbors kicking off the season together! I look forward to seeing everyone there!”
Highlights of the day will include photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, where each family will receive a complimentary printed photo. Complimentary children’s activities will also be available including cookie decorating, ornament making, and letter writing to Santa.
2:00 pm will be a performance by Stratford Sister Cities Choir and the Tree Lighting will take place at 5:30 pm.
*Photos with Santa will be held from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm. The line for photos with Santa will begin at the handicap entrance to Town Hall, on North Parade Street. To avoid disrupting the professional photographer’s equipment, please do not enter through the front doors.*
For additional information, please visit www.CelebrateStratford.com.
A Bridgeport jury has convicted 28-year-old Anthony Vann of first-degree assault for shooting Uber driver Joel Santana Garcia outside the Amazon facility on Long Beach Boulevard in August 2023.
Prosecutors said Vann fired nine shots at the SUV after an argument in the parking lot seriously injuring the driver. Vann admitted pulling the trigger but claimed he acted in self-defense, saying he feared the vehicle would back into him.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict. Vann has been jailed since his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 20.
Original reporting by court reporter Ethan Fry of the Connecticut Post.
A pedestrian was struck on Lordship Boulevard at Honeyspot Road. On scene there did not appear to be the striking vehicle.
2025-11-10@9:28pm #Stratford CT
Stratford, Conn. — The Stratford Health Department will host Preschool Flu Clinics to help families meet the Connecticut Department of Public Health influenza vaccination requirement before children return to school in January.
Clinic Location: Birdseye Municipal Complex, 468 Birdseye Street, 3rd Floor, Stratford
Dates & Times:
Appointments are required. There is no out-of-pocket fee for children’s vaccines; families are asked to bring an insurance card to the appointment.
The Health Department encourages residents, community partners, and local organizations to help spread the word. A flyer with full details is available for distribution.
Irish Famine Immigrants — Sunday, November 16 · 2:00 p.m.
Stratford Library Lovell Room, 2203 Main Street, Stratford • Free and open to the public
The Stratford Library will continue its “Sunday Afternoon Talks” series with “The Irish Famine Immigrants of Connecticut” on Sunday, November 16 at 2:00 p.m. Presented by Loretto Horrigan Leary on behalf of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, the program is free and open to all.
Leary will offer a compelling visual and historical presentation exploring the journeys of Irish immigrants who fled Ireland during An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) and began new lives in Connecticut. Blending archival research, personal stories, and historical context, the talk highlights resilience, survival, and community-building, and features artwork from The Great Hunger Collection, whose sculptures and paintings add emotional depth to the narrative.
About the Speaker: Loretto Horrigan Leary, born in Portumna, County Galway, has lived in Connecticut for 32 years. A seasoned educator, she has taught Language Arts in Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, and Stamford, and her journalism has appeared in publications including Celtic Life, The Irish Echo, Irish Central, Australia’s Irish Scene, The Connaught Tribune, and The Wild Geese. She is pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin focusing on Irish American Famine memories and the Irish Famine Memorial in New York.
The “Sunday Afternoon Talks” series, hosted by Charles Lautier of Stratford, runs 2:00–3:30 p.m. in the Lovell Room. For more information, visit stratfordlibrary.org or call 203-385-4162.
Stratford, CT — The Stratford Police Department announces that Don Zemo (DOB 08/07/1964), a convicted felon wanted on multiple felony warrants throughout Connecticut, surrendered himself this morning to Detective Jon Policano.
Zemo was originally sought by Stratford Police on an outstanding felony arrest warrant charging him with Larceny in the First Degree and Issuing Bad Checks. He is accused of defrauding a Stratford small business of more than $14,000, and additional warrants for similar crimes were held by the Fairfield, Brookfield, and New Canaan Police Departments.
Following the department’s public request for assistance, Detective Policano received numerous calls from the community, which ultimately led to direct communication between Zemo and the detective earlier this week. Police say this public response was pivotal in bringing the investigation to a successful close.
“The media’s assistance cannot be overstated,” the department noted, thanking local outlets and residents for their support.
STRATFORD — The Stratford Police Detective Division is seeking Don Zemo, last known to reside in Milford, in connection with an active felony arrest warrant for Larceny in the First Degree and Issuing Bad Checks. Investigators say Zemo, a convicted felon, is accused of defrauding a Stratford-based small business of more than $14,000 and is also wanted for similar crimes in other Connecticut communities.
Police report that the Fairfield, Brookfield, and New Canaan Police Departments each hold outstanding warrants for Zemo. Anyone who knows his whereabouts or has information is asked to contact Detective Jon Policano at (475) 319-0316 (call or text).
STRATFORD, Conn. (October 28, 2025) — Local and state officials joined business and community leaders Tuesday morning to celebrate the grand opening of Borealis Cannabis by Shangri-La, a new state-of-the-art cannabis cultivation and processing facility located at 305 Hathaway Drive in Stratford.
The 40,000-square-foot facility represents an investment of more than $34 million and marks a major milestone in the growth of Connecticut’s cannabis industry. The site will employ approximately 80 people across cultivation, processing, compliance, packaging, and administrative roles.
“This facility is just another investment we’re making in Connecticut,” said Nevil Patel, Founder and CEO of Shangri-La Enterprise, the parent company of Borealis. “We’re proud to be part of this community and excited for what’s to come.”
The Stratford facility will produce up to 20,000 square feet of premium cannabis canopy annually, yielding a variety of high-end products including flower, infused pre-rolls, live resin vapes, solventless concentrates, and gummies. Borealis will also offer white-label manufacturing for other brands in Connecticut’s growing adult-use market.
Dr. Kepal Patel, President of Borealis Cannabis, said the company expects to begin planting in mid-November, with its first harvest and product launch projected for early 2026. “We’re bringing products and innovation Connecticut hasn’t seen yet,” Patel said. “Every product will be crafted with precision, consistency, and quality at the forefront.”
Mayor Laura Hoydick welcomed Borealis to Stratford and praised the company’s investment. “We love our manufacturers, and this is a different kind of manufacturing that will truly benefit our community,” she said. “Your investment here—$34 million—is no small thing, and we’re grateful for the partnership.”
Founded in 2019, Shangri-La Enterprise operates 14 retail locations nationwide, including dispensaries in Norwalk, Waterbury, and Plainville, with additional Connecticut locations planned. The company’s philosophy blends craftsmanship, science, and sustainability, with an emphasis on community partnership and consumer education.
The ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting, guided tours of the new facility, and remarks honoring the advocates who paved the way for Connecticut’s legal cannabis industry.
Borealis Cannabis by Shangri-La is a premium cannabis brand dedicated to craftsmanship, innovation, and wellness. A division of Shangri-La Enterprise, Borealis combines cutting-edge cultivation techniques with sustainable practices to produce high-quality cannabis products, including flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, and solventless concentrates. Shangri-La’s mission is to empower consumers through education, safety, and consistent quality — providing professional, reliable access to cannabis while fostering community growth and responsible development.
For more information, visit www.shangriladispensaries.com.
