Community Corner

Waterford's Stories of the Year

A Look At The Top Stories Of The Year

The new year is almost here, and it gives Patch time to reflect on the year that was. Without further ado, the top stories of the year:

The Most Inspirational Stories Of The Year

It is not every day you have a story that is 38 years in the making. from Vietnam and was an amazing story of the dedication of the friends and family of an American hero.    

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In one of the saddest stories of the year, 21-year-old Christian Klorczyk died on March 11 when he was crushed by a car he was working on.

His father, Fred Klorczyk Jr., showed what strength was all about by giving a moving and heartfelt tribute to his son. It turned one of the worst stories of the year into one of the most inspiring.

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In May, Amie and Matt Guarraia, both teachers in the Waterford School District, found  

In all of a month, Waterford showed what kind of community it is, creating a massive fundraiser for the girl. The night ended with Amie and Matt Guarraia giving a tear-filled speech about what the event meant to them.

When Richard Atherton’s wife died last year, all he had left was Rosie, his Boston terrier. And as his health began to deteriorate, he was about to lose Rosie too.

But Waterford-East Lyme Animal Control Officer Robert Yuchniuk refused to let that happen, helping Atherton keep in Rosie in his life. Then, when Atherton died on Sept. 29, Yuchniuk found out the man had left roughly $35,000 – half of his estate –

In November, Great Neck School cafeteria chef Dianne Houlihan became the pride of Waterford with .” Unfortunately, she didn’t win,

Phoenix’s Matt Riggs, a complete stranger to Houlihan, watched her on television and was instantly touched. This December, he surprised Houliahn with a $5,000 check, for no reason at all other than he wanted to help her out.  

Biggest Happenings of the Year

This spring, the Connecticut legislature considered a tax bill that essentially targeted one business, Millstone Nuclear Powerstation, to the tune of $335 million.

if the bill was passed, potentially crushing Waterford’s economy. But thanks in part to some heavy lobbying by all of Waterford’s top brass, the bill was dropped.

In one the worst budget seasons in Waterford history, the Board of Education had to lay off employees and for the first time anybody can remember. While the , the cuts were dramatic to the District.

On the Nov. 8 municipal elections, The town’s GOP took control of the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, the Board of Education and the Representative , and will serve the town until at least 2015.

In a move that devastated animal lovers, Steward said he wouldn’t support building a new animal shelter until at least 2015. , saying the current facility is inhumane, but it appears they will have to wait to get a new building.

Mark Steiner has been trying to buy and develop the former Seaside Sanitarium for over a decade. His plan came one step closer to a reality this summer, , the Planning and Zoning Commission approved new amendments Steiner deemed necessary to make the project workable.

Saddest Stories of the Year

There were plenty of people who were lost this year with ties to Waterford. Here are a few, all of which were painful:

Crimes/Wrongdoings of the Year

In the most-read story of the year, in June at an end-of-the-year celebration at Holiday Hill, 14 Clark Lane Middle School students were caught smoking marijuana and passing around two beers. All 14 were not allowed to participate in , and two were expelled.

Just a few days later, four Waterford High School seniors were arrested for spray-painting Waterford High School as part of a senior prank. The four, like the 14 at Clark Lane, were not allowed to participate in

On May 16, 61-year-old Kevin Simmons shut down half of Waterford when he had a standoff with state and local police that started when he fired a gun in his house. Simmons was recently diagnosed with cancer, and his stepfather had recently died, according to neighbors.

Luckily, after four hours Simmons willingly surrendered to police and nobody was hurt.

In one of the scariest stories of the year, especially for dog lovers, a dog was found hanging in a parking lot after it jumped out of a window and got its leash stuck. The dog lived after somebody saw it dangling out the car window, hanging by its neck, and saved it.

This story was ridiculous. I had to put it in.


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