The "official" Groundhog Day Celebration took place yesterday in Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m.:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way.

Photo and prediction courtesy www.groundhog.org

The Haddam-Killingworth Middle School Girls Swim team won its first State Swim Championship at the Connecticut Middle School Open Swimming and Diving Championships on January 27 at Southern Connecticut State University. This was the largest middle school championship in the meet's history with over 400 swimmers statewide qualifying to participate.

The HKMS squad include Jeff Ludington, Tyler Schultz, R.J. Moore, Jared Benton-Smith, John DiMauro, and Reece Gesick from the boys team and Sarah Auer, Olivia Bower, Brittany Campbell, Ellen Cizek, Celine Coleman, Jules Conway, Ashley DeCrosta, Katie Faust, Kelsey Hawkins, Emily Meredith, Bridget Morello, Angie Narducci, and Michelle Wendt from the girls team.

Virtually all the HKMS girls and boys swam personal best times in some or all of their events. The girls team amassed 313 points to defeat second place Kingswood-Oxford of West Hartford, which tallied 292 points. Finishing first in their event were: Katie Faust, Bridget Morello, Celine Coleman, and Ellen Cizek in the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay; Faust also won the 50 backstroke and placed 2nd in the 100 freestyle, an event in which she dropped over 3 seconds. Morello won the 50 breastroke and got 2nd in the 100 IM; Cizek finished 3rd in 100 free and had a top 3 finish in the 50 free. Coleman had an outstanding meet, finishing 4th in both the 50 fly and 100 IM. The 200 free relay team of Michelle Wendt, Brittany Campbell, Angie Narducci, and Kelsey Hawkins all swam personal bests in getting 3rd place in that event. Wendt, Narducci, and Hawkins also scored points for the team in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. The girls are proud to bring the first swimming championship trophy home to a trophy case in the brand new middle school.

The boys were led by Jeff Ludington, Tyler Schultz, and Reece Gesick. Gesick, HK's only diving entrant, finished 4th in that event with a score of 80.25 points. Ludington won the 50 backstroke and finished a strong 2nd in the 100 free. Schultz had a top 8 finish in both the 100 IM and the 50 fly.

Top L: Michelle Wendt, Angie Narducci, Kelsey Hawkins, Ellen Cizek
Top R: Katie Faust, Bridget Morello, Ellen Cizek, Celine Coleman
Bottom: Front: l to r: Katie Faust, Brittany Campbell, Angie Narducci; Mid: Kelsey Hawkins, Ashley DeCrosta, Jules Conway, Emily Meredith, Celine Coleman; Back: Olivia Bower, Sarah Auer, Michelle Wendt.

The Haddam-Killingworth Recreation Department sponsored a local Hotshot Contest on Sunday, January 21. There were 21 participants. The results of the contest are as follows: Lizzy Anderson was the winner of the Girls 9-10-year old division wth 65 points. Ashley Cook was the winner of the Girls 11-12-year old division with 98 points. Shelby Van Huysen was the winner of the Girls 13-15-year old division with 106 points. John Abbott was the winner of the Boys 9-10-year old division with 1116 points. Erik Carlson was the winner of the Boys 11-12-year old division with 108 points.

These players advanced to the county level held at Portland High School on January 28. They competed against other local winners from surrounding towns. Winners of the County Level will advance to the State level of the Contest on February 17th in East Hampton. This recreational program is designed to promote basketball enthusiasm as much as basketball skill, fun, physical fitness, friendship and good sportsmanship. Each player has three one-minute rounds to shoot from "hotspots" placed on one half of the court. The contest challenges a player's speed, shooting, dribbling, and rebounding ability. The Hotshot Contest is sponsored by the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association (CRPA), Mr. Trophy, the East Hampton Parks and Recreation Department, and the Haddam-Killingworth Recreation Department.

According to the Hartford Courant, First Selectman Marty Klein has hired residents Donald Berry and Gerald Manware to slow and direct traffic in front of Killingworth Elementary School and Haddam Killingworth Middle School between the hours of 7 and 9:00 a.m. Klein is quoted as saying that he would seek board of finance approval for a special appropriation of $4,000 to pay the two men through the end of the school year in June, and would recommend appropriating $11,100 for the traffic control officers in the 2007-08 town budget.

Barbara Doster, 82, of Killingworth, passed away January 24, 2007. She was born August 6, 1924 in Sewickley, PA. She is the daughter of Raymond and Eleanor (Smith) Morwood. Barbara is preceded in death by her parents and her daughter, Laurie Doster. She is survived by her husband Donald Doster of Killingworth, son Gregg Doster of Colorado, grandchildren Jeremy and Elisa, and a sister, Joan Jones of Pennsylvania. Barbara was a deacon of the Killingworth Congregational Church for 8 years, and was responsible for the creation of the church's annual fair and auction. She was a published author whose love of the written word made her one of several women who organized the town's first library. She also owned 50% of a successful real estate business.

Family and friends are invited to attend a graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery in Killingworth at 12:15 PM on Sunday, February 4, 2007, followed by a 1:00 PM memorial service at the Killingworth Congregational Church on the same day. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Killingworth Ambulance Association, Route 81, Killingworth, CT 06419 or the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company, 333 Route 81, Killingworth, CT 06419.

HK Sports
The HK Girls Basketball team pulled off a big, 55-47, win last night over Morgan at the fieldhouse. The Cougars took advantage of the Huskies' slow start by running up the score, 19-4. Morgan regrouped before the half to trail by only 5 and tied the game at 38 after three quarters. The teams traded one point leads for most of the final quarter but HK was able to convert some late foul shots to pull away slightly and held the Huskies off in the final minutes. Megan Murray led the Cougars with 13 points followed by Shelby VanHuysen with 12 and Michelle Fillion with 10. Morgan was led by Kara Fillion with 22 points. HK is 11-4 on the year.

Shelby VanHuysen and Megan Murray in action against Morgan.

The Shoreline League of Democratic Women (SLDW) will host a public forum entitled "State Government 101: Learning the Ropes" on Wednesday, February 7, at 7 p.m., at the Clinton Library. Guest speakers are State Rep. Deborah Heinrich (101st Assembly District), State Rep. Brian O'Connor (35th Assembly District), and State Rep. James Spallone (36th Assembly District). Adults and high school students are welcome to attend this free event designed to help Connecticut citizens brush up on how government works. Participants will also learn how to become effective citizen advocates for legislation and help it become law.

This special program will be presented in three sessions starting with State Rep. Deborah Heinrich, who will provide an overview of State Government, our constitution, and our two-house legislature. State Rep. Brian O'Connor will give us a step-by-step guided tour of how to track state legislation via the Internet using free web tools. State Rep. James Spallone will explain how citizens can lobby and urge support for legislation, and open a discussion with elected Representatives about issues they feel are vital to their families and local community. There will be a brief Question and Answer segment at the end of the program.

The Shoreline League of Democratic Women will commence a brief meeting immediately after the conclusion of the public presentation. The Shoreline League of Democratic Women is a chapter of the Connecticut Federation of Democratic Women (CFDW), which is a chapter of the National Federation of Democratic Women. The Shoreline League of Democratic Women continues to seek membership from women who live in Clinton, Madison, Guilford, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Essex, Westbrook, Chester, Deep River, Haddam, East Haddam, Old Lyme, and Lyme.

On January 10, the Southeast Connecticut Junior Soccer Association held the annual awards ceremony at Waterford High School. The Haddam-Killingworth Soccer Club had three winners represented. Richard McFee was named 2006 Coach of the Year, Beth Anne Stehr received the Female Sportsmanship Award and Mario Caruso was awarded the Male Sportsmanship Award. The guest speaker at the event was Jay Heaps from the New England Revolution MLS team.

Rick McFee (top left), Jay Heaps (top right), Beth Anne Stehr (lower left), and Mario Caruso (lower right). Photo courtesy J. McFee

To The Editor:
Kicking off the New Year, the Republican Town Committee has elected to choose the same path that its Republican leadership in Washington has taken. The Republican Town Committee's recent "Report", which can be viewed on their website, has, as the Republican Party has done nationally, ignored the many years that they have been in power and the many years of inaction. That inaction has forced our current selectman to think creatively on his feet in order to solve the problems of our small town and repair or create the infrastructure that we so desperately need. Read more

HK Sports
The HK girls U11 travel won their 10th game of the season on Sunday, beating tough rival Durham, 30-23. The score rocked back and forth, with HK down at the half 15-12. HK scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter, holding Durham to 6 points with a tough defense and full court press. In the 4th quarter, HK held Durham to just one field goal, to take the win by seven points. HK's 2-2-1 full court press forced multiple Durham turnovers and caused frenzy on the visiting team, forcing Durham to foul the home team players. Beth Riedy converted 3 of 4 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the lead, she ended the game with 6 points. Anna Fetterol scored a game high 10 points, playing incredible defense before fouling out with less than a minute to go in the game. Maya Savino, Carly Brownell and Tori Peterson each scored 4 points, Samantha Waskowitz chipped in 2 points for the win. Marissa Moncata, Emily Darin and Jacque Garofalo contributed strong defensively to force Durham to turnover the ball back to HK. The HK girls are now 10-1.

In the North Branford game last weekend, Carly Brownell's name was inadvertently omitted. Carly scored 4 points in the, 40-28, win over North Branford.

photo courtesy C. Riedy

The HK Boys Basketball team lost a tough game last night to a fast and talented Coginchaug squad, 49-67. Steve Landell led the Cougars with 19 points including three threes, but HK never made up for the, 18-41, first half deficit. Dan Wendt had 14 points and Alex Pollack added six. The Cougars were 12-14 from the charity stripe.

In JV action, the HK Boys defeated Cognichaug, 49-46. Greg Cumpstone had 21 points, followed by Matt Martin and A.J. Marginelli with 9 apiece.

Steve Landell makes his way through heavy traffic.

To the Editor:
Concerned residents of Killingworth should attend a selectmen's meeting sometime and see if they still think the town is being well served by the administration and their leadership style.

One comes away with the feeling that inputs from committees and commissions are ignored. Requests from residents for minutes and records from the selectman's office are delayed and miss handled. 2nd selectman Ed Sipples tries hard to play catch up with little success.

By having a discussion, the Killingworth Republican Town Committee (KRTC) is doing exactly what the loyal opposition is supposed to do by providing a great service to concerned residents in pointing out existing and future problems of our town government. By getting a dialog going hopefully the selectmen will pull together.

As for long or short term planning...dream on dream on my town.
Concerned Resident
James Cutler

To the Editor:
After reading the Republican Report I am absolutely appalled by the slash and burn tactics that would leave nothing but blood on the floor. I represent neither Democrats or Republicans. I am merely a concerned resident of Killingworth interested in the welfare of the town.

Regarding the opening statement "Your Killingworth Republican Town Committee extends its heartiest best wishes to all our citizens for a happy and healthy New Year" -. You have effectively excluded every Democrat in town with your venomous approach.

Didn't we learn anything from the last election when many voters turned away from the divisive tactics of the Republican administration in Washington? You complain of fractious behavior at the Selectmen's meetings, and yet you publicly sling more mud into the fray. And this helps in what way, exactly?
Concerned Resident, Karen Milano

Perhaps Karl Rove has come to Killingworth, waving around his particular version of "1984" like poisoned pixie dust. How else to explain the recent "Republican Report"?

How can the Selectman's office have been so busy with proactive initiatives if they were never planned? To name just a few: closing the sludge lagoons, purchasing property for playing fields and passive recreation, reconfiguring the intersections of Route 81 at Green Hill Road and Alder's Bridge Road, and complying with a State mandate to replace the Reservoir Road bridge. The only way the Report could allude to a few of these accomplishments (and there are many more as well) is because they were planned for and acted upon under the leadership of the present Democratic administration. Read more from the KDTC

Monday January 22:
• 8:16 AM: Medical emergency, Roast Meat Hill Rd
Tuesday January 23:
• 1:55 AM: Medical emergency, Beaver Dam Rd.
Wednesday January 24:
• 4:38 AM: Medical emergency, Bridlepath Trl
• 5:18 PM: Medical emergency, Little City Rd
Thursday January 25:
• 11:47 PM: Car fire, Route 81
Friday January 26:
• 12:12 AM: Electrical fire, pole / wire, Route 81
• 2:10 AM: Medical emergency, Woodland Trl
• 8:44 PM: Motor vehicle accident, Rte 80 at the Deep River town line
• 10:16 PM: Fire alarm, Rte 148
Saturday January 27:
• 1:57 AM: Mutual aid to Clinton, structure fire, North High Street
• 10:46 PM: Motor vehicle accident, Rte 81 and Ely Ln.

Your Killingworth Republican Town Committee extends its heartiest best wishes to all our citizens for a happy and healthy New Year.

Our town committee has public school teachers, people in the arts, local businesspeople, retirees, and all of us are devoted and concerned citizens. In deference to the new Democratic administration, we have been largely silent about our town's problems and opportunities. We as a thoughtful team have decided to write a regular report for you. The Report will focus on not only Killingworth, but also our beautiful state of Connecticut and our proud and humble nation. Above all, we are concerned about the security and prosperity of our town, state and country. Read the complete report.

Haddam-Killingworth Middle School Principal Miriam Furey-Wagner had the honor of officially welcoming the community into Region 17's new middle school on Sunday afternoon. The ribbon-cutters included a representative from each of the school's 4-8 grades. Wagner thanked the community for voting to build the school at referendum and supporting the process through to its completion. She also thanked Schools Superintendent Gary Mala and Building Committee Chairman Kjell Tollefsen and his committee for all their hard work. She then invited everyone in to take a guided tour and enjoy refreshments in the school's cafeteria. Enjoy just a peek at some of the new facilities.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony

The auditorium

The gymnasium and fitness room (inset)

The student cafeteria

Killingworth's new Resident State Trooper is Matthew Ward. He is a seven-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police working out of Troop F in Westbrook and has been serving as Killingworth's interim resident trooper for the past three months. Ward also served as the Reg. 17 School Resource Officer in 2002-2003.

After graduating from Bryant University, Ward started out in a career in accounting but quickly decided he wanted to be more involved in the community. With several relatives in law enforcement, he felt that becoming a State Trooper was in his blood. He grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts and now lives with his wife and three young children in Old Lyme.

Trooper Kevin Stratton, who served as the Town's Resident Trooper for almost two years has been promoted to Sergeant, like his predecessor Sgt. Michael Perry, and now works in Bethany with Troop I. Perry is now working at the Police Academy in Meriden.

Ward has had a chance to meet with First Selectman Marty Klein and recently attended a meeting of the newly formed Town Traffic Study Committee. He says that speeding is the Town's most visible problem, but also says it has its share of criminal mischief and like most towns, drug and alcohol related problems. Ward says his "pet peeve" is drivers who continue to use cell phones. He said the State is considering upping the fine to $250 for a violation.

Ward recommends that residents fill out a patrol check form when they go out of town on vacation or for an extended time. He or other State Troopers will do their best to check on the house during their normal patrols. The form can be faxed directly to Ward at 663-3497 or dropped off at the Town offices. The pdf form is available for download here and is also be available from the Town Services page.

The Under 11 Girl's Indoor Soccer team has accumulated three wins and no losses so far this season. The team is gelling well and every girl has contributed offensively and defensively. The girls are working hard and honing their skills to beat their opponents soundly, all three games were won by more than five goals. Goals have been scored by Emmery Bates, Katie Bauer, Lauren Blewett, Allie Buys, Grace Colonia-Hughes, Lindsey Gioella, Hannah O'Leary, Gwen Plum, Emma Thomas, and Courtney Whalen. Opponent goal scoring has been kept to a minimum due to great goalkeeping led by Kaitlin Gillespie. Their next match is a double header against strong Coginchaug and Branford teams.

HK Sports
The HK Wrestling team fell to Branford, 27-49, Saturday morning. Alex Matthies, Guy Hall, Darryl Distephano won their matches and Bill Baklik and Cody Scovel helped the score, winning by forfeit.
On Friday night the HK Boys Basketball team defeated East Hampton, 46-42.