www.towntimes.com
Volume 23, Number 30
Middlefield votes former teacher to school board
Fasano will keep working with Dems By Mike Savino Record-Journal staff
By Bailey Wright Town Times
Two years ago, state Sen. Len Fasano became Republican Pro Tempore, the closest a Republican has come to presiding over a chamber since 1994, after his party forced an 18-18 tie in the Senate.
Residents elected a former teacher and parent of school-age children to the vacant Regional School District 13 board of education position during a special town meeting Monday. Maura Caramanello, 45, of Middlefield, was elected by more than 50 residents who attended the special meeting, according to board of selectmen and board of education member Bob Yamartino. He said she ran unopposed and was voted in unanimously by acclamation vote.
It was the result of Republicans Fasano making regular electoral gains over nearly a decade, going from a 24-12 disadvantage in the Senate after the 2008 election to a tie in 2016.
Caramanello said she went for the opening because she feels “strongly about the district and the direction of where the district is going,” and felt she could be a benefit to the board with the perspectives of both a parent and a former teacher in the district. The Danbury native taught first grade for nine years before taking maternity leave and later resigning, in 2018, to focus on See Caramanello, A3
Friday, January 11, 2019
Maura Caramanello is sworn in by Town Clerk Donna Golub after a special town meeting at the Middlefield Community Center, during which Caramanello was elected to the Regional School District 13 board of education, on Monday, Jan. 8. | Photo courtesy of Bob Yamartino
Fasano, R-North Haven, returned to being Senate minority leader Jan. 9, when Democrats See Fasano, A4
New wellness center offers holistic healing By Bailey Wright Town Times
A new wellness center on Main Street in Durham is designed as a hub for holistic healing. The Red Barn wellness center opened in September. The 10,000 square foot building is home to about a dozen practitioners in areas including psychotherapy, reiki, intuitive energy therapy, yoga, massage, art therapy, hypnotherapy and crystal healing. “I don't think there's a center like
this in the state ... that has a salt cave, a big area for yoga, a store, psychotherapists, sound healing …,” said practitioner Stephanie RosallyKaplan, whose areas include reiki, psychic medium, gemstone healing and photography. “The cooperation of supporting each other, regarding sharing clients or referring clients … is magical.” A salt cave, under construction, is expected to open in about a month. Janice Juliano, a Middletown resident, is the architect of the center See Wellness, A2
Red Barn Wellness Center, pictured on Jan. 4, opened in September at 352 Main St. in Durham. Bailey Wright, Town Times