Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Bi-Weekly Media Report by Nicole Carlson Easley

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Bi-Weekly Media Report

01.08.19

The articles provided in this report are for your personal information and use only. Note that this material may not be publicly distributed, posted to any web site available to the public, or used for any promotional purpose whatsoever without the express consent of the copyright owner.

28 Outlet

Online

JAN TUE

Broadcast

Posted Date

Headline

1/4/2019

Brewery could open in March

1/3/2019

CHAMBER HAPPENINGS

1/3/2019

Grants Awarded

1/3/2019

Grants Awarded

1/3/2019

Wellspring Receives Grant for Automated Defibrillator

1/3/2019

Parish receives $2,000 for food pantry needs

1/3/2019

Grant to fund NCCC student aid

1/3/2019

New York woman sentenced for stealing $650,000 - Republican-American

1/3/2019

Falls Village library celebrates grants, programs - The Register Citizen

1/3/2019

Torrington Library's historical documents on John Brown draw great interest

1/3/2019

Nutmeg Nuggets: Looking back on 2018 - The Register Citizen

Voices (Southbury,CT) 1,876

1/3/2019

Bethlehem: Wellspring Receives Grant for Automated Defibrillator

Voices (Southbury,CT) 1,876

1/3/2019

Grants Awarded

1/3/2019

Happenings in the Hills: New minister in Litchfield feels blessed - RepublicanAmerican

1/3/2019

From the Chamber: Happy New Year! - The Register Citizen

Waterbury (CT) Republican 40,283

1/3/2019

Executor sentenced to 2 years for embezzling $650,000 from Torrington cousin's estate - Republican-American

1/3/2019

Local groups receive foundation grants - The Register Citizen

1/2/2019

Library celebrates grants received in 2018

1/2/2019

Grant used to purchase defibrillator

1/2/2019

So much to look forward to, in 2019

12/31/2018

FROM THE CHAMBER

12/31/2018

Local groups receive foundation grants

12/29/2018

ON THE MOVE

12/28/2018

$5,000 literacy grant will be used to host best-selling author

12/28/2018

2 years in prison for taking $650K

SUNDAY REPUBLICAN (LITCHFIELD EDITION) 50,115 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (FINAL EDITION) 33,295 VOICES 84,200 VOICES 84,200 VOICES 84,200 LITCHFIELD COUNTY TIMES 3,191 LAKEVILLE JOURNAL 3,231 Waterbury (CT) Republican 40,283 Register Citizen (Torrington,CT)

14,101 Register Citizen (Torrington,CT) 14,101 Register Citizen (Torrington,CT) 14,101

Waterbury (CT) Republican 40,283 Register Citizen (Torrington,CT) 14,101

14,101 REGISTER CITIZEN 2,741 SUNDAY REGISTER CITIZEN 2,579 REGISTER CITIZEN 2,741 SUNDAY REGISTER CITIZEN 2,579 SUNDAY REGISTER CITIZEN 2,579 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (FINAL EDITION) 33,295 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (LITCHFIELD COUNTY EDITION) 43,932 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (FINAL) 33,295

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (FINAL EDITION) 33,295 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN (LITCHFIELD COUNTY EDITION) 43,932 REGISTER CITIZEN 2,741

12/28/2018

High school media center receives $5,000 grant

12/28/2018

HAPPENINGS IN THE HILLS

12/28/2018

Nutmeg Ballet looks back at 2018

Waterbury (CT) Republican 12/24/2018 "New York woman sentenced for stealing $650,000 - Republican-American" Audience: 40,283 Author: Brigitte Ruthman Republican-American Source Website: www.rep-am.com New York woman sentenced for stealing $650,000 Republican-American New York woman sentenced for stealing $650,000 Gina Simonaitis managed Edward Diskavich's finances BY BRIGITTE RUTHMAN REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN December 21, 2018 0 386 TORRINGTON- Gina Simonaitis of New York was sentenced to two years in prison Friday in Superior Court for the larceny of $650,000 from a city man's estate. Edward Diskavich lived a quiet life in a modest $140,000 home in the city. A retired Pratt & Whitney worker, he was good at saving and investing, leaving the bulk of his estate to the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut. Simonaitis wrote herself checks against the account "for money owed and safekeeping" as well as a car and appliances. She was ordered to pay about $250,000 to an insurance company for unrecovered funds following her release. A $40,000 car bought with stolen funds is expected to be claimed by the insurance company in civil proceedings. Simonaitis spoke briefly, telling Judge John A. Danaher she suffered a great deal because of the situation. Audience provided by comScore Highlights: Community Foundation, Northwest Connecticut

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

Page 1 of 3

http://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Falls-Village-library-celebrates-grants-programs-13500382.php

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 3

http://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Falls-Village-library-celebrates-grants-programs-13500382.php

1/3/2019

Page 1 of 3

http://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Torrington-Library-s-historical-documents-draw-13504504.php

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 3

http://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Torrington-Library-s-historical-documents-draw-13504504.php

1/3/2019

Page 3 of 3

http://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Torrington-Library-s-historical-documents-draw-13504504.php

1/3/2019

Page 1 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/entertainment/article/Nutmeg-Nuggets-Looking-back-on-2018-13489289.php

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/entertainment/article/Nutmeg-Nuggets-Looking-back-on-2018-13489289.php

1/3/2019

Page 3 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/entertainment/article/Nutmeg-Nuggets-Looking-back-on-2018-13489289.php

1/3/2019

Page 1 of 3

http://www.primepublishers.com/voicesnews/business/local_business/bethlehem-wellspring-receives-grant-for-automated-defibrillator/article_e46ffb52-0798-11e9-b523-1321acc696ad.html?mode=print

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 3

http://www.primepublishers.com/voicesnews/business/local_business/bethlehem-wellspring-receives-grant-for-automated-defibrillator/article_e46ffb52-0798-11e9-b523-1321acc696ad.html?mode=print

1/3/2019

Page 1 of 3

http://www.primepublishers.com/voicesnews/news/community_news/grants-awarded/article_54c26cc2-078b-11e9-8c5b-f73d62467be3.html?mode=print

1/3/2019

Waterbury (CT) Republican 12/27/2018 "Happenings in the Hills: New minister in Litchfield feels blessed - Republican-American" Audience: 40,283 Source Website: www.rep-am.com Happenings in the Hills: New minister in Litchfield feels blessed Republican-American Happenings in the Hills: New minister in Litchfield feels blessed BY JOHN MCKENNA Republican American December 26, 2018 0 111 Litchfield High School graduate Alex Hula is welcomed back to the school by his former English teacher, Lynn Rise Scozzafava, to talk about his career. LITCHFIELD Nineteen years after deciding to parlay a law career with the ministry, the Rev. Brett Figlewski has reached his goal and is sharing the satisfaction of it with parishioners of Trinity Episcopal Church in Milton and St. Paul's Church in Bantam. Figlewski, 44, who grew up in Harwinton, was ordained as a priest during a well-attended service at Trinity Episcopal Church on Dec. 20. He has been serving as co-pastor at Trinity Episcopal and St. Paul's since September, and during the week continues to work as an attorney. "I feel amazed and blessed to be part of this community," Figlewski said during an ordination officiated by the Right Rev. Ian T. Douglas of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. "What a wonderful opportunity to be able to minister to such a wide group of people. Now the fun begins." The Rev. Daniel Mattila, Figlewski's colleague as co-pastor, was the minister of ceremonies for the service. By sharing the pastor's duties, Figlewski and Mattila are able to provide full ministerial services for both churches, according to Trinity Episcopal parishioner Eileen Litwin. "Our diocese wanted to try a partnership to see how it would work," said Litwin, a presenter during the ordination. "So far it's been wonderful. Both churches are very pleased." Fresh out of law school in 1999, Figlewski said he felt the calling of the Episcopal ministry and began the education needed to get there. Along the way, Figlewski faced "obstacle after obstacle," according to one of his mentors, the Rev. Mary Gates, priest in charge at the Chapel of All Saints in Cornwall. Bill Stepney Sr. of Bill's Brick Oven Mobile Pizza removes a pizza from the oven during family dinner night at the Litchfield Community Center. John McKenna Republican-American "This has been a long road coming for Brett," Douglas added. "Nineteen years to be exact."

Many of the 16 ministers in attendance, Douglas said, have walked the same path. Trinity Episcopal, meanwhile, is pleased to have Figlewski on board. "We are so delighted to have him as part of us," said the church's senior warden, Malcolm Forbes. "He has made a wonderful impact on our parish and I know that will continue for a long time." Figlewski's positive outlook and ability to encourage parishioners are among his strengths as a minister, Forbes noted. Wamogo Regional High School agriculture science and technology department teacher Victoria Christian, checking out a gingerbread house made by junior Morgan Fischer, has been selected to participate in a national teacher professional development program. The opportunity to begin his career in the ministry at Trinity Episcopal and St. Paul's, Figlewski said, has been a godsend. "To be able to serve God's mission in these two wonderful communities provides so much satisfaction and joy," he said. "The people of our churches love and respect one another, and that makes it so exciting to be here." nnn WARREN a " Warren School, Warren Church Day Care and the town's social services department teamed up to make sure Christmas was extra special for 23 needy senior citizens in town. Warren School fifth-grader Zeb Lundberg places cookies in baskets that were distributed to senior citizens by Warren's department of socials services. Students and teachers from the school, children served by the day care and social services chief Melissa Woodward gathered at Warren Congregational Church hall Dec. 20 to decorate cookies and pack them into baskets that were distributed in time for Christmas. Sarah Churyk, day care director, and the children in her care decorated cookies for the cause beginning in 2016, and this year asked the school if it would be willing to participate. The school jumped in, sending its kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes to the church hall. Kindergarten teacher Karen Brady, paraprofessional Kathy Brown, art teacher Laurie Sweet and school nurse Michele Ferrer supervised the decorating along with Churyk, her teaching assistant, Briana Brown, and Melissa Fillie, the children's librarian at Warren Public Library. cutline attribution name:Photos by John McKenna Republican-American The Rev. Brett Figlewski, left, and the Right Rev. Ian T. Douglas of the Episcopal Church of Connecticut are seen during Figlewski's ordainment at Trinity Episcopal Church in Milton. The cookies were donated by families of students, some of whom split their days between the school and day care. Warren School student council members Zeb Lundberg, Ian Sideris, Regan Bates and Teagan Bates assisted with the decorating. nnn LITCHFIELD a " A few weeks after being inducted into the Litchfield Athletic Hall of Fame in tribute to a prolific sports career at Litchfield High School, Alex Hula returned to the classroom of one of his former teachers to impart some school and career advice to students. 2

Hula, a record-setting soccer player and track and field athlete at the high school from 2003-2007, was invited back by English teacher Lynn Rice Scozzafava as part of her annual career conversation program. After high school, Hula attended American University in Washington, D.C., where he was a sprinter for the track team and earned a bachelor's degree in public communications. Hula worked as a government relations associate at Nike and legislative aide in Congress before his current job as a government relations manager at Vanguard, a financial services firm. He's also taking graduate courses in communications and media management at Fordham University. In his chat with students, Hula encouraged them to discover what they are passionate about once they're in college and pursue it as a career. When he arrived at American as a freshman, Hula admitted he didn't having a clue about his future after college. "Very few people go to college knowing exactly what they want to do, so it's good to be open-minded," he said. Hula advised students to build relationships with people who can help them on their career path, work hard and avoid complaining. "If something isn't working for you, change it," he said. "You'll be happier and more successful. The reward comes when you get to work at something you feel passionate about and love doing." nnn LITCHFIELD a " Bill's Mobile Pizza Oven, based in Morris, is typically immobile when winter arrives, except when the Litchfield Community Center comes calling. Bill Stepney Jr., his father, Bill Stepney Sr., and Bill Jr.'s wife, Betty, fired up their wood-fired oven for the community center's complimentary family dinner night Dec. 19. They produced a couple dozen thin and crispy pies for the crowd. Bill Jr., a former chef, is the owner of the three-year-old business, which got off to a modest start and has grown to the point where it is already booked for much of the spring, summer and early fall 2019. "They make thin-crust pizza that can't be beat," said Berta Andrulis Mette, the center's executive director. "The Stepneys are not only great pizza makers, they're great people." Family dinner night is held twice a month and is a gift to the public for supporting the community center. A recent $2,500 grant from Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation's Edwards Fund helps pay for the dinner program. nnn LITCHFIELD a " Wamogo Regional High School agriculture science and technology department teacher Victoria Christian is one of 21 teachers nationally selected to participate in a professional development program sponsored by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. The XLR8 Institute program was developed to help agriculture teachers who have taught for at least seven years to accelerate their careers through a year's worth of professional development opportunities in the areas of virtual learning experiences, online collaboration with other teachers 3

and social media. Happenings in the Hills is a weekly look at life in Litchfield, Warren, Morris and Goshen. Information for publication can be sent to John McKenna at jmckenna33@optonline.net. Audience provided by comScore Highlights: Northwest Connecticut, Community Foundation

Page 1 of 2

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/From-the-Chamber-Happy-New-Year-13496422.php

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 2

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/From-the-Chamber-Happy-New-Year-13496422.php

1/3/2019

Waterbury (CT) Republican 12/24/2018 "Executor sentenced to 2 years for embezzling $650,000 from Torrington cousin's estate Republican-American" Audience: 40,283 Author: Brigitte Ruthman Republican-American Source Website: www.rep-am.com Executor sentenced to 2 years for embezzling $650,000 from Torrington cousin's estate Republican-American Executor sentenced to 2 years for embezzling $650,000 from Torrington cousin's estate BY BRIGITTE RUTHMAN REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN December 21, 2018 2 914 Gina Simonaitis. Contributed TORRINGTON a " A New York woman who admitted embezzling funds as an executor for her cousin's Torrington estate was sentenced to two years in prison Friday in Torrington Superior Court. Gina Simonaitis, 65, of Queens, N.Y., had no criminal record before admitting to the first-degree larceny charge in October. Investigators said about $650,000 was taken in 2013 and 2014. Those funds were intended by the late Edward Diskavich to go to the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, whose mission, according to its website, is to enrich the quality of life for residents in the Northwest Corner through the generosity of fund holders. Simonaitis told Judge John A. Danaher she swore before God to having no malicious intentions. "I suffered a great deal because of this situation," Simonaitis said. Assistant State's Attorney Gregory Borelli told Danaher the loss was covered by insurance, a policy drawn up after an attorney representing the foundation's interests noticed inconsistencies in the early phases of Probate Court hearings. Diskavich lived a modest life without spending much money on himself in a $140,000 home at 105 Beverly Road in Torrington before he entered a nursing facility. He married once, briefly, when he was in his 70s. He died on Feb. 23, 2013, at the age of 94. A longtime employee of Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, he didn't spend much and enjoyed investing, according to his niece, Mary Ellen Harmon of Goshen. He named Simonaitis to administer the will as the executor, leaving her his car and the contents of his home. He left $200 to several other relatives, including Harmon, who replaced Simonaitis. By the time he died, Diskavich held $86,400 in stock at Torrington Water Co. His assets with the Oppenheimer & Co. investment account totaled $779,232, according to a detailed and lengthy police report. No assessment could be made of the rare coin collection he left to the Torrington Historical Society because it vanished, police said. 1

Police were contacted by Diskavich's longtime attorney, Margaret Roraback, after money disappeared. Attorney Douglas O'Connell noted red flags after Simonaitis failed to meet Probate Court deadlines and wrote a $300,000 check and a $200,000 check to herself "for money owed and safekeeping," Borelli said Friday during the sentencing hearing. "If not for Douglas O'Connell catching the red flags, this case could have taken a much different turn," Borelli said. "This was an intentional act." Among other things, Simonaitis bought a $39,738 Toyota Sienna with a check from the account in August 2014 at Lee's Toyota in Jamaica, N.Y. That same month, she paid for new appliances and electronics with another $10,721 check. Simonaitis was ordered to pay $247,709 for unrecovered funds to the MGN insurance company. Payments will be due monthly during her three years of probation, Borelli said. She will get credit for 33 days at Riker's Island Prison Complex, a correctional facility in New York where she spent time before her extradition, and for time spent locked up since her return to Connecticut. Simonaitis' attorney, Hubert J. Santos, said his client worked for years at real estate firms in the New York City area. "The irony is that this 65-year-old really was the person who cared for him in the end stages of his life," Santos said. "She had a turbulent life, coming here with immigrant parents. a Her physical condition is precarious." Contact Brigitte Ruthman at bruthman@rep-am.com. Audience provided by comScore Highlights: Community Foundation, Northwest Connecticut

Page 1 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Local-groups-receive-foundation-grants-13496443.php

1/3/2019

Page 2 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Local-groups-receive-foundation-grants-13496443.php

1/3/2019

Page 3 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Local-groups-receive-foundation-grants-13496443.php

1/3/2019

Page 4 of 4

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Local-groups-receive-foundation-grants-13496443.php

1/3/2019