The Killingworth Memorial Day Parade is set for Monday morning, May 28th. The parade steps off from Sheldon Park at 9:00 a.m. sharp and marches to the front lawn of the Congregational Church where there is a monument identifying our residents who served in World War I. The parade is led by its sponsors, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #9920 accompanied by Town leaders and local clergy. Youth leagues, sports clubs, scouts, civic and service organizations participate to honor our hometown heroes.

Music is provided by the KES Marching Band and the Middle School Band. This year the Historical Society will be displaying the recently renovated 'Town Hearse'. The parade ends up with the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company and the Killingworth Ambulance Corp proudly displaying our emergency response apparatus. The Lions Club will be passing out small American Flags.

There will be a brief service to pay tribute to our fallen comrades which includes the laying of a wreath, a salute by a firing squad, the playing of Taps and, guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye, the National Anthem proudly sung by WWII veteran Eleanor Becker. Anyone with questions may contact VFW Commander Rick Albrecht at 663-2824.

The Killingworth Veterans of Foreign Wars is inviting all veterans as well as active duty personnel, regardless of when or where you served your country, to join them in the line of march on Memorial Day. Feel free to step off with us from Sheldon Park at 9:00 a.m. or join us at the church for the ceremony. Let's show support for our present troops. Thanks. Rick Albrecht, Commander, Killingworth VFW (663-2824)

HK Sports: The Cougar Varsity Baseball team could not defend their Shoreline Conference title on Friday night dropping a 6-0 decision to the Wildcats of Old Lyme.

Things started out promising for HK as Pete Rynkowski singled with one out in the bottom of the first and then advanced to second on a balk by Old Lyme starter Ryan Zrenda. Unfortunately that was as far as any Cougar base runner would make it on this night as Zrenda shut down the HK offense the rest of the game.

The Cougars battled at the plate, putting the ball in play on a consistent basis, but unable to find any hits after Rynkowski's. Lou Annino gave a solid effort on the mound, striking out six Wildcats in his six innings of work, but ultimately extra base hits by Old Lyme in big spots did HK in.

Although it was a tough loss to swallow, HK has little time to sulk as they will be the #4 seed in the state tournament. They have received a first round bye and will open play Wednesday, May 30th against the winner of the Gilbert-East Hampton game.

State Sen. Ed Meyer who is co-chairman of the Select Committee on Children and vice-chairman of the Environment Committee, heralded the passage in the state Senate of his bill that extends the ban on the use of lawn care pesticides at public schools from elementary school to grades 6, 7 and 8.

House Bill 5234, "An Act Banning Pesticide Use on School Grounds," passed the Senate this evening on consent. It is an extension of Sen. Meyer's highly successful 2005 Senate bill, which banned pesticide use - with minimal exceptions - at approximately 1,600 day care centers and hundreds of elementary schools around the state.

That 2005 bill, Senate Bill 916 was approved by the Senate 35-1, by the House 129-17, and was signed into law by the governor on July 13, 2005.

"When my dog, Adora, died of lawn pesticides, I was alerted to the toxicity of these substances, and became a believer in organic material," Sen. Meyer said. "In recent years, the evidence has become incontrovertible that pesticides detrimentally affect the health of young children, and my bill seeks to remedy that."

The new bill:
• expands the ban on applying lawn care pesticides to school playing fields and playgrounds to schools with students through grade eight;
• extends for one year the exemption for pesticides applied on these grounds according to certain integrated pest management plans (IPMs);
• expands a school superintendent's ability to authorize emergency applications of lawn care pesticides in health emergencies; and
• makes the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) responsible for administering and enforcing school pesticide applications.

If approved by the House and signed by the governor, the new law would take effect on October 1, 2007.

HK Sports: The HK Varsity Baseball team will have the opportunity to defend its 2006 Shoreline Conference title on Friday, May 25th after defeating North Branford, 3-2 in eight innings, in the first round of this year's tournament.

HK trailed for most of the game as NB scored single runs in the third and sixth innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars started to claw their way back into the game. With the bases loaded and only one out, Alex Struzinski hit an RBI fielder's choice that scored Alex Pollack from third to make the score 2-1.

In the seventh, with only three outs between them and elimination, HK got things going with a lead off walk to AJ Margnelli. Peter Rynkowski then rolled a ground ball right to the second baseman that seemed to be a sure out, but after the fielder missed a tag play on Margnelli, both runners were safe. Steve Landell then executed a well placed drag bunt that went for a hit. The throw to get him at first was off line however, allowing Margnelli to race home with the tying run. HK was unable to push another run across, but had managed to stay alive.

In the eighth, the Cougars got a gift when Mike Waterbury reached base on an error with one out. After Margnelli flied out to center, Rynkowski kept the inning alive with a single. Both runners advanced after a balk by the NB pitcher. Landell ended the drama by hitting a rocket past the dive of NB's third baseman to win the game.

Landell's hit also gave him the win as he pitched eight innings scattering five hits, three walks, and striking out four. He was also 2-5 at the plate with an RBI.

HK showed impressive discipline in their at-bats drawing eight walks. The defense also played near flawless ball, committing only one error.

HK will play in the championship game at 7:30pm at the Indian River Complex in Clinton.

Although the wildflower Pink Lady Slipper is considered rare, Winterberry Farm has hundreds of the flowers mixed among the Christmas trees this year. The wildflower thrives in acid soil like that of a pine-oak forest and grows best in filtered sunlight. A truly beautiful plant...found here in Killingworth. Photos courtesy S. Cumpstone.

The Killingworth Nursery School Association is looking for its 'Tiny Tots Fair' sign that was located on the traffic circle prior to the annual event. If anyone knows where it is, please return it to the nursery school at the Killingworth Congregational Church. Also, a Sony Cyber-Shot digital camera (DSC-W30), containing many special pictures, was lost at the Tiny Tots Fair on Saturday, May 12th. If anyone inadvertently picked it up or knows where it is, please either drop it off at the nursery school or contact the school at 663-2950. Thank you!

This article is one of a continuing series presented to educate, inspire and motivate local residents in the fight against cancer.

Reflecting back twenty years ago there was not much to smile about. I had been married for nine months and thinking life was just getting started in a new direction toward starting a family and living that life we all dream about. It all came to a sudden stop when I was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. The marriage, giving birth, and life all ended at that moment when I opened my eyes to hear the results.

Well after many lessons learned along the way I have much to smile about. Cancer isn't always the worse word one can hear. Of course it's scares you to death when you first realize you have fallen victim to it. However many lessons are learned if you survive. Live for the moment was something I didn't quite get until I learned that there may not be much time in my future. The phrase "think positive and believe in yourself" meant something as I went through each treatment and disappointment along the way. Humor is so important to hold onto, learning this when my wig flew off my head during a windy day on a crowded street in the middle of New Haven.

The love of family, friends and sometimes complete strangers helped me through it all. I am blessed and realize I am somewhat fortunate that this life changing experience made me a more appreciative person. Relay for life is a wonderful reminder of what it all means to each patient, care giver and supporter of this event. I have much to smile about today as I celebrate with my soul mate Justin and puppy, Miss Emma.

The American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers and teams for the first-ever Relay For Life of Haddam and Killingworth to take place June 1-2 2007 at the High School. If you are interested in learning more about the Relay For Life and how you can get involved or form a team please contact: Cindy Pitts at cindypitts@cshorecom or Alexis Begin at Alexis.begin@cancer.org

HK Sports: The Haddam Killingworth Girls Tennis team celebrated senior day with a, 4-3, win over Westbrook for its final match of the regular season. Colleen Phelan, 6-3,6-1; Caitlin Gilhuly, 6-2, 6-1 won their singles matches and Jess Lindquist and Dina Grimaldi, 6-1, 6-2, and Ashley Armstrong and Hannah Sturman, 6-2, 7-5, won at doubles. They will continue on in the Shoreline Conference Tournament today.

The HK Varsity Baseball team could not close out the regular season on a high note on Wednesday losing to Coginchaug, 4-3. The lose drops HK to 17-3 (16-2), but the Cougars will be the #1 seed in the Shoreline Conference tournament.

HK fell behind in the second inning as the Blue Devils scored a pair of unearned runs to lead 2-0. The Cougars got an unearned run of their own in the bottom half of the inning as Mike Theriault hit a double to deep left field and then later scored when Coginchaug booted Peter Rynkowski's ground ball.

HK allowed two more unearned runs in the top of the fourth but battled back when Theriault drilled a lead-off single up the middle and later stole second base. He advanced to third on Jason Cannata's ground out and then scored on AJ Margnelli's infield single.

The fifth inning was HK's chance to come all the way back into the game. Steve Landell got things started with a walk and Alex Struzinski and Kyle Allison both singled, but Struzinski was gunned down at the plate and the Blue Devil catcher caught Allison in a rundown to end the inning.

Rynkowski was the starting pitcher and went four innings before being lifted due to his pitch count. He allowed all four runs, none of them earned. Sophomore Chris Bova made his varsity debut by pitching three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts. Mike Theriault led the offense with a 2-2 performance and also scored a pair of runs.

HK will not spend long dwelling on the loss as they host #4 North Branford in the first round of the Shoreline Tournament Thursday, May 24th at 3:45 pm. The Cougars are the defending Shoreline Champions.

The HK Boys Tennis team finished its regular season 19-0 and won the Shoreline Conference championship for the sixth time with the, 6-1, win over Westbrook yesterday. Alessio Gallarotti and Ryan Hawkins remained undefeated in singles play as did the doubles team of Kyle McGowan and Joe Cerino. Cody Warren and Matt Waldman also won.

HK Sports: The winning streak continued on Tuesday for the HK Varsity Baseball team as they downed the Portland Highlanders, 10-3. The score does not reflect how tight the game was throughout the contest as the two teams tangled for 10 innings before the Cougars pulled out the win.

As has been the case for most of the season, HK jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first when Steve Landell yanked a two-run single down the right field line that scored AJ Margnelli and Peter Rynkowski to put the Cougars up 2-0.

Portland answered back in the second inning scoring two runs to pull even. HK used a two-out RBI double by Landell that again knocked in Rynkowski to take the lead back, 3-2, in the third inning.

Lou Annino started on the hill for the Cougars and after he gave up three earned runs through three innings, he settled down to blank the Highlanders all the way through the eighth. He threw those eight innings on just 75 pitches scattering eight hits, walking one, and striking out one. Annino gave way to Rynkowski in the ninth once he had reached his pitch count.

Rynkowski threw an impressive inning strucking out two. He picked up the win as HK broke things open in the top of the tenth.The Cougars started the rally with a Rynkowski single. After he advanced to second on Landell's ground out, Alex Pollack singled to put runners on the corners. Alex Struzinski then executed a perfect squeeze bunt for a single and put HK up 4-3. From there the wheels fell off for Portland as HK used an RBI single from Kyle Allison, and an RBI hit-by-pitch from Mike Theriault, a sacrifice fly by Margnelli, and a two-RBI double from Rynkowski to put the game out of reach at 10-3. Landell struck out the side in the 10th to end it.

For HK, Landell (2-5, 3 RBI), Rynkowski (2-6, 3 runs, 2 RBI), and Allison (3-4, run, RBI) led the way at the plate. HK now sits at 17-2 (16-1) and have won their last 15 games. They will host Coginchaug Wednesday, May 23rd in their final regular season contest at 3:45.

The HK Lacrosse team defeated Valley Regional 14-12, yesterday. Sarah Gesick, Kat McDermot and Danielle Filosi each had 4 gols. Celia Marcum had 2. Goalie Kim Peterson had 8 saves in goal.

The HK Girls Tennis team fell to Valley Regional, 0-7, yesterday in Deep River.

The Prevention Council of Haddam Killingworth will host a Community Night at the Haddam-Killingworth High School auditorium on May 31st from 7:00-8:30 p.m. The theme for the night is, "A Toolbox for Parents." The focus is bringing together community members from Haddam and Killingworth to discuss current issues that face youth. Topics to be discussed include: internet safety, substance use and abuse, harassment and transitioning from middle school to high school and high school to college. Refreshments will be served, and child care will be available on site. More information is available by calling Youth and Family Services of Haddam-Killingworth, Inc. at (860) 345-7498.

Shortly after Memorial Day, the Town will begin its annual road maintenance program. According to First Selectman Marty Klein, the following roads will be chip sealed: Dudley Towne Road, Forrest Glen Drive, Goldfield Road, Homestake Lane, Jennifer Lane, Keith Circle, Lafta Lane, Linnea Lane, Lower Ledge Drive, Madison Hollow, Rebecca Lane, Rosemary Lane, Saddlebrook Drive, and Welsch Farms Road. Please drive carefully through the work zones.

John Edward Lucey, 82, of Crows Nest Ln., Haddam Neck, beloved husband of Sarah (Moon) Lucey, and the late Helen (Becker) Lucey, died Monday, (May 21, 2007) at Hartford Hospital. He was born in Middletown, the son of the late Joseph M. Sr., and Margaret (Scully) Lucey. A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Army. Prior to his retirement, he was employed with SNET for 34 years and lived in Killingworth. He also owned and raised thoroughbred horses. Besides his wife, he is survived by three sisters, Ruth Olson of Portland, Joan Tice of Atascadero, CA, and Janice Johnson of Portland; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Joseph M. Lucey, Jr.; and a sister, Regina Seiferman. Funeral services will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. Friends may call at the Biega Funeral Home Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, John would have appreciated any donations be made to NTRA Charities – Barbaro Memorial Fund, c/o Bessemer Trust Company, Attn: Robert Elliott, 630 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10111.

Approximately 40 residents turned out last night to approve the Town's $5.04 million operational and capital budgets for 2007-2008.

Following the meeting, the Board of Finance approved a tax decrease of 6.43 mils for a new tax rate of 21.2 mills. For each $1,000 of assessed property value, taxpayers will pay $21.20 in tax.

HK Sports: The HK Under-12 Boys Soccer team recently competed in the Competitive Division of the Clinton Invitational Tournament. After seeding round-robin play on Saturday, the team finished as the #2 seed. On Sunday, the team was victorious over Clinton in the quarter-final game but lost to the Wallingford Lightening in the semi-final game. This year, led by Coach Ken Callahan, the team is enjoying an excellent season and is undefeated in league play. Assistant Coaches are Erich Stritzel, Chris Moore, Dave Platt & Joe Stephens. Team members are: Nick Afragola, Kenneth Callahan, Trevor Davis, Jesse Ferrara, Methias Geraghty, Ryan Henderson, Nikolas Hofmann, Joey Larosa, David Malloy, Collin McLaughlin, Michael Milano, Matt Moore, Logan O'Donnell, Calvin Platt, Ryan Shea, Jake Smith, Richard Stephens, Stuart Stritzel, Christian Ticino, Luke Velez and Jimmy Yakamoff. Photos courtesy K. Milano



The HK Softball team clinched a playoff spot in the Shoreline Conference with yesterday's 8-7 win over North Branford. The Cougars clinched third place and will play at Hale-Ray on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the semifinal game. Read more about the game in the Middletown Press.

The HK Girls Tennis team defeated Old Saybrook, 6-1 yesterday. Colleen Phelan won, 6-1, 6-0; Caitlin Gilhuly won, 6-0, 6-0; Julia Sorenson won, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Sabina Wozniak won, 6-0, 6-1; Jess Lindquist and Dina Grimaldi won, 6-2, 6-1; Ashley Armstrong and Hannah Sturman won, 6-4, 6-3 and Anna Brundage and Casey Scully fell in a tight match, 6-7, 5-7.

The Lower Connecticut Valley Branch of the American Association of University Women is offering two grant awards of $1,000 to women students who have been graduated from high school at least five years and are pursuing a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution of higher education. The grants are based on need and will be paid over two semesters: September 2007 and January 2008. One grant will give preference to a woman in a science or technology field; the other is open to a woman in any major.

The grant may be used for books, transportation or other college-related expenses. Women from Old Lyme, Lyme, East Haddam, Haddam, Chester, Deep River, Essex, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton and Killingworth are eligible; these are the towns that are served by the Lower Connecticut Valley Branch.

For more information, call 767-2355 or 388-1655 or e-mail bchall02@yahoo.com for additional information and an application form. The deadline to receive completed applications is June 30. Awards will be made prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

The Town of Killingworth will hold its Annual Town Meeting tonight at 8:00 pm. in the All-Purpose room at Killingworth Elementary School. Electors and others qualified will vote on the 2007-2008 Town Budget. The three part budget is available for your review. Town of Killingworth Budget

Xavier High School in Middletown, held its graduation ceremony over the weekend and the 187 graduates were led by valedictorian Matthew Cartoceti of Killingworth. Cartoceti said, "We have experienced the ups and downs as a class." "We've matured. We must continue to be men." Read more about the commencement in today's Middletown Press.

Monday May 14:
• 10:56 AM: Animal rescue, Parker Hill Rd
Wednesday May 16:
• 10:37 AM: Medical emergency, Route 148
Thursday May 17:
• 9:07 PM: Medical emergency, Pond Meadow Rd

State Sen. Ed Meyer, the co-chairman of the Select Committee on Children, recently led passage in the Senate of a bill which expands the existing state law relating to physical restraints and seclusion of children to Connecticut's public schools.

Senate Bill 977, An Act Concerning Restraints and Seclusions in Public Schools, requires local and regional boards of education to tell parents and guardians about the laws and regulations governing the use of physical restraints and seclusion, and about related student and parental rights, at the first planning and placement team meeting (PPT) involving the student’s individual educational program (IEP).

The bill was reviewed by three different legislative committees, where it compiled a 90-1 vote record. The bill passed the Senate on 'consent' meaning it was unanimously approved. If signed into law, it would take effect October 1, 2007.

"Restraints and seclusions of students in our schools are being used more frequently than is commonly understood, and by this bill we are seeking to establish standards for such restrictive measures and require notice to parents," Sen. Meyer said.

During the bill's public hearing, testimony was introduced noting that, increasingly, students with the types of disabilities that place them at risk of being subjected to restraints and seclusions are increasingly being educated in the public school system. These disabilities include autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities and various psychiatric disabilities.

The bill requires local and regional school boards to notify a special education student's parent or guardian of each incident in which their child was placed in seclusion or in physical restraint. The boards must also keep records and compile annual reports of each instance and the nature of the underlying emergency that necessitated their use.

HK Sports: Congratulations to the H-K Under-12 Girls Soccer team for finishing second in the 13th Annual Clinton Tournament this weekend. On Saturday, the team tied its first game with a goal from forward Lynsey Kirkby. The second game was against a very tough East Haven team where H-K suffered a, 5-1, loss with their only goal coming from a penalty kick by Hannah O'Leary. Their last game on Saturday was against Guilford. The girls won soundly, 5-2, with a goal each from Allison Buys, Courtney Whalen, Kirkby, and two from Grace Colonia-Hughes.

Coming into Sunday's playoff games, H-K had to battle a strong Guilford team. Guilford scored first and held H-K scoreless throughout the first half. In the second half, H-K rallied and Kirkby managed to score tying the game. With only a few minutes left in the game, O'Leary scored an "Olympic Goal", a rare goal scored directly from a corner kick, giving H-K the lead. The game ended in H-K victory, 2-1, sending H-K to the championship game.

The championship pitted H-K against East Haven. East Haven did not lose a game leading up to the championship, and had scored a total of 20 goals. The game was very tough and fast but the H-K girls rose to the challenge. Coming out to win, several opportunities were created but the ball did not see the back of the net. At the end of the half, the game was 0-0. Unfortunately, H-K fell to East Haven letting two goals slip in toward the end of the game.

Throughout the tournament, the defense played tough and the halfbacks, with great control of the middle of the field, provided many opportunities for the forwards.

Pictured L-R: Bottom Row: Lex Regan, Emmery Bates, Emma Thomas, Grace Colonia-Hughes, Felicia Edwards, Campbell Disbrow, Katie Bauer, Miranda Fugedi, Katie Gillespie, Taylor Schultz, Hannah O'Leary, Heather Mann. Top Row: Allison Sheahan, Caitlin Greco, Emily Wang, Katherine Civitello, Jillian Chongruk, Courtney Whalen, Allison Buys, Lindsey Gioella, Emily Darin, Lynsey Kirkby, Taylor Garewski, Lauren Blewett Coaches: Peter Gillespie, Scot Thomas, Dan Colonia. Missing: Allison Vegliante, Lizzy Anderson. Photo courtesy D. Colonia

To the Editor:
In the interest of public safety and my concern for the environment, I continue to believe that Lovers' Lane should remain closed. I was outvoted by the other selectman and hope that no occurrences will cause us to regret it's opening

In the meantime, I hope that drivers going through Lover's Lane exercise caution because the water that collects can be dangerous

Marty Klein
First Selectman

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To the Editor:
Killingworth Elementary School had its 12th annual Festival of the Arts and Sciences last Friday, May 18th. The event lasted all day, beginning with the two opening acts of Bubblemania and dancer Adam Battelstein, followed by four workshops led by local scientists, artists, musicians, and firemen who volunteered their time to teach our children, and ending with a fantastic performance by the vocal group Blue Jupiter. Sandwiched in the middle of all this was a delicious lunch served to the over fifty volunteer presenters, over forty volunteer parents who ran the event, and over eighty staff members of the school. Our teachers made the salads, parents made the desserts, Fortes Market donated a salad, and the Cooking Company provided 150 sandwiches (not one was left).

Clearly, a lot went into organizing such an event, and many people deserve a great deal of thanks: Read more

The Killingworth Elementary School orientation meeting for parents of incoming kindergarten students will be held on Wednesday, May 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the All Purpose room. This meeting is different from the district kindergarten meeting that was held at the middle school on May 17th. KES personnel will address the parents and give them an overview of kindergarten at our school. Commitment letters for full day or half day kindergarten will be available for parents to sign. Parents will also be able to sign up for visitations for their children.