This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page IMMEDIATE SIDEBAR: I would never use the phrase: "rocked my world" in a conversation I wanted to use "melted my face" but I was told by the suits that it's not SEO-friendly. I want that entered into the public record and traffic lights—no lawn in sight But back when I lived on the other side of town I’d spend the entire day in the yard but multiple times in different directions just to get those crisp stripes It wasn’t just yard work—it was art I’d crack a cold beer and sit in the shade for hours just admiring the masterpiece I had created imagine my emotional crisis when I saw the fake grass outside the Danbury Mall recently no bare spots—just flawless green carpet that probably doesn’t need any maintenance As someone who’s risked life and limb chasing the perfect lawn this synthetic sorcery hit me in the cockles but now I’m questioning everything I thought I believed in could I actually make the switch to carpet It used to look like the rough at a 1970s mini-golf course The look has seriously leveled up over the decades it’s probably going to look like garbage I don’t even know what I believe in anymore When I walked up to the mall and saw that little green patch of perfection I was instantly transported to my happy place I completely forgot why I went there in the first place and parked myself in the shady corner of the fake grass for hours. It was delicious The beer and the grass—I was tasting both and enjoying them equally The mall staff was not delighted when I took my shirt off apparently that goes against some policy they have My favorite is staring at the portion of the grass where the sunlight meets the shade so much is happening where those two worlds collide Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Show Podcast on Apple & Spotify Saturdays were everything. I’d spend the entire day in the yard, mowing the grass not once, but multiple times in different directions just to get those crisp stripes, Yankee Stadium style. It wasn’t just yard work—it was art. It was meditation.\nRead More Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Show Podcast on Apple & Spotify To purchase photos visit http://photos.newtownbee.com DANBURY — Union Savings Bank President and CEO Chelen Reyes and Chair of the Board Lucie Voves announced the election of six new corporators at USB’s recent annual meeting “We are happy to welcome these six individuals as new corporators at Union Savings Bank,” said Reyes “Along with incredibly strong business and community connections which are instrumental to our mission at Union Savings Bank.” The Bank welcomes the following individuals: Joseph Chemero is a realtor at Coldwell Banker specializing in residential real estate He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bentley University Chemero has earned numerous top agent awards in the state of Connecticut and has consistently been the top agent in his office since 2007 contributing his time to organizations such as New Milford Youth Sports Ella Cohen is the head of legal at BNP Paribas Asset Management She earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a juris doctor degree from St John’s University Law School Cohen has worked for major bank broker dealers and law firms specializing in financial services She also spent nearly twelve years at Morgan Stanley Investment Management leveraging her extensive experience in the industry She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at King School and resides in Greenwich Humberto Figueroa is the owner of HF Home Improvement a Danbury-based building and construction business earned his teaching certificate and taught there for several years before coming to the United States in 1984 He started his own business in 2014 and has worked extensively to rehabilitate many Connecticut properties Figueroa is very active in the Hispanic community and currently resides in Danbury Laura Hawley Mascolo has been a property manager at Danbury-based She is a licensed real estate salesperson and a licensed property manager Mascolo earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Connecticut she held various positions including a financial analyst and legal assistant as well as roles of increasing responsibility at a local bank Mascolo is actively involved in the Danbury Leadership Training Program the Young Professionals Council of Greater Danbury Daniel Ohlson is the senior director of global partner sales at Equinix one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure companies Ohlson brings a unique perspective to his role He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Saint Anselm College and an MBA with a specialty in Entrepreneurial Venture Creation from the Peter T Ohlson has earned many awards during his time at Equinix including Partner of the Year and Partner Sales Director of the Year He is also deeply involved in his community serving on the board of the YMCA and working with the Portuguese Cultural Center Andrea Rynn serves as assistant vice president of community and government relations for Nuvance Health Rynn earned a degree in business administration from Central Connecticut State University and is a certified public information officer through FEMA/Homeland Security She brings expertise in many core competencies including strategic marketing and communications Rynn serves as a council member for the Western CT Council of Governments Economic Development and a member of the American Hospital Association Government Relations Network “We are delighted to have these six successful business leaders join our group of corporators at Union Savings Bank,” said Voves and we are pleased to have them join the team as ambassadors.” You must be logged in to post a comment Danbury, CT Mr. Rafter was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York on January 3,1966 a son of Patrick D. and Virginia (Triolo) Rafter. He attended New York schools and was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. A professional chef by trade, Mr. Rafter was a general manager with Restaurant Associates by Compass Group, N.A. Tom’s number one joy was cooking, entertaining and caring for all his family and friends. He was a giver and not a taker, always sharing a smile and a kind word with everyone he met. In fact, he would much rather give than receive. In addition, he enjoyed gardening and spending time in his backyard with nature.  He loved the ocean and found solace by the sea. He was a great man who touched many hearts. In addition to his life partner Phyllis Boughton, he is survived by his step-mother, Lucy Rafter, two brothers. Patrick Rafter and James Rafter as well as several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother Robert Rafter. Burial will take place in the Cemetery of the Resurrection, Staten Island, New York. Contribution in his memory may be made to the Families Network of Western CT, 5 Library Place, Danbury, CT 06810 HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected. Don’t miss what’s happening in your community.Subscribe to receive a daily digest of the people, places and things that make our community great. Copyright ©2025 HamletHub™ The views expressed here are the author's own Explore some new horizons with old masters under the direction of Stephen Michael Smith will perform rarely heard works by Camille Saint Saens Immaculate is pleased to offer the 7th grade version of the High School Placement Test (HSPT) as a practice test on Saturday The Pre-HSPT is a 2.5 hour practice exam intended to help students become more familiar with the different sections of the HSPT under timed conditions Score reports are mailed home approximately two weeks after the exam allowing time to register for math or verbal HSPT Prep summer enrichment classes at Immaculate The results of the Pre-HSPT are not used in the high school admissions process The practice test is completely optional and is helpful in giving the student an idea of how the exam will be administered and what to expect on the actual day of testing in the fall Testing accommodations are not given for the practice test but are provided for the actual HSPT upon receipt of proper documentation Registration Link - https://www.immaculatehs.org/fs/form-manager/view/019963bc-6f65-4d01-853f-7f55ebc8a66b According to the most recent press release (April 24, 2025) from AAA regarding gas prices the national average for regular gas is now $3.17 a gallon — a bit higher than last week and up 5 cents from last month Prices are creeping up as more people hit the road with the nicer weather it’s way cheaper than this time last year mainly because crude oil is going for about $62 a barrel now That is all well and good but what does it mean for Greater-Danbury? Here are the latest and cheapest gallons of gas in our local area as of (5/1/25) according to Gas Buddy. I never pay attention to gas prices—then suddenly I’m broke and can’t figure out why but this time I know the culprit: gas prices have been creeping up for weeks That is all well and good but what does it mean for Greater-Danbury? Here are the latest and cheapest gallons of gas in our local area as of (5/1/25)\nRead More According to the most recent press release (April 24, 2025) from AAA regarding gas prices That is all well and good but what does it mean for Greater-Danbury? Here are the latest and cheapest gallons of gas in our local area as of (5/1/25) according to Gas Buddy. The Iola baseball team huddles up between innings against Danbury on Saturday at Cy-Lakes High School The Iola baseball team pushed its 2A Division I bi-district series with Danbury to three games but ran out of gas as the Bulldogs fell 9-3 Saturday at Cy-Lakes High School The winner-take-all finale was the second game of the day as Iola won 22-3 in five innings earlier in the afternoon to force a third game Iola leaned on a plethora of bats as Brek Roberts (4) Ryan Roubion (3) and Collin Fowler (3) all had multiple RBIs Austin Calvillo had just one RBI but was 3 for 3 Brody Vaughn was the winning pitcher in that one as he gave up five hits Iola got within one run at 3-2 but Danbury answered with two runs in the third to go up 5-2 and didn't look back Email notifications are only sent once a day College Station junior pitcher Jake Boggan was named the athlete of the week after his complete game helped the Cougars earn a share of the di… The second game in the series set for 7 p.m the third game is set for Saturday at a t… “We gave ourselves chances to chip away,” College Station coach Chris Litton said Centerville will face Garrison in the area round at a time date and location to be determined next week College Station's Wilson Stapp didn't expect his senior season to start with a serious injury but he's grateful for the time he gets back out there Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Get important news about your town as it happens Get the top stories from across our network Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from daily updates Four men have been charged with serious federal crimes after investigators uncovered what they say was a disturbing child sex trafficking operation in Danbury The case began in February when the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and Danbury Police started looking into a local group suspected of trafficking minors investigators say they saw a WhatsApp message offering two 15-year-old girls for sex where they found the two teen girls — one 15 and one 16 — locked in separate bedrooms with adult men Officers arrested four suspects at the scene and rescued the girls Court documents say Ordonez-Ortega was the organizer He allegedly arranged for the girls to be brought to Danbury Officials say he booked 24 separate encounters with adult men over two days The girls were given medical care and interviewed by law enforcement and child welfare officials is accused of injuring the 15-year-old during an encounter Each of the four men faces charges of sex trafficking of children That crime carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and can lead to life in prison Ordonez-Ortega and Vasquez-Salinas also face additional charges including attempted sex trafficking and coercion of minors Robles and Quilli-Tacuri were arrested this week and remain in custody The others are in state or immigration custody and will face federal court soon Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker