News

Housing study: Groton will face significant housing demand over next decade

Friday, October 15, 2021

A new housing market study projects that Groton will face "a significant unmet housing demand" over the next decade, with hiring at Electric Boat among the major drivers. Daniel Stevens, senior project manager at Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., presented the study findings to the Town Council this week. The purpose of the study was to determine the amount and types of housing that the market can support being developed in town and if existing development projects will fully meet future demand, according to the presentation. Click here for the full article

Capt. Todd Moore turns over command of Naval Submarine Base to Capt. Kenneth Curtin

Tuesday, October 05, 2021

Capt. Todd D. Moore turned over command of Naval Submarine Base New London to Capt. Kenneth M. Curtin Jr., the installation's 53rd commanding officer, in a ceremony at the base Friday. After becoming commanding officer in May 2019, Moore will now be on the staff of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center, headquartered on the base. Moore, 48, lives in Stonington with his wife and two kids, ages 15 and 13. "No one is better at leading by example than Todd," said Rear Adm. Charles W. "Chip" Rock, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. He called Moore "the most engaging, intelligent and effective commandin...

Amy Perry passes leadership of Thames River Heritage Park to Catherine Foley

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Perry, 63, said she thinks it's time for the park to have a different kind of skill set, noting that her experience in marketing was needed when the park was starting out, but now the focus is on programming and development. Thames River Heritage Park grew from one boat in the water its first season in 2017 to two this past season, with a third planned for the future. It also grew from just offering hop-on, hop-off boat rides to also offering themed tours. Two new tours offered this summer were Water, Wampum, & Medicine Wheels: Mohegan Life on the Thames, develope...

Defense spending bill promises historic support for submarine production, Courtney says

Thursday, September 30, 2021

By a 316-113 vote, the House passed the $768 billion National Defense Authorization Act for the 2022 fiscal year on Sept. 23, approving a $25 billion increase in spending over that proposed by the Biden administration. “It was a very solid vote,” Courtney, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, said in a phone interview Monday. The Biden administration’s proposal already was “very healthy” in terms of its continuing to fully fund production of two Virginia-class attack submarines a year — work shared by Electric Boat in Groton and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia — as well a...

In Business For A Century, Johnson’s Covers Groton’s Hardware Needs

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Johnson’s True Value Hardware at 40 Fort Hill Road has been in business for 100 years, and will celebrate its centennial in 2022. Since opening in 1921 as KUM-SEE-ME gas station — a name William A. Johnson and his wife Lulu saw on a restaurant on a trip to Vermont and gave the owners $5 to use for their new enterprise —Johnson's True Value Hardware also operated as a grocery store and deli and butcher shop before adding hardware to its offerings. Under four generations of Johnsons it has survived fires and floods, depressions and recessions, and big-box stores and online shopping wit...

Redcoats and Colonists Clash Once More at Fort Griswold

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Over the weekend of Sept. 4-5, the Friends of Fort Griswold organized a commemoration of the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Groton Heights. This free event included an encampment of Revolution-era military re-enactors portraying British and Colonial forces. The Fort Griswold skirmish on September 6, 1871, represents a rare example of hand-to-hand engagement taking place in Connecticut over the course of the war as the state was largely free from British occupation or major battles. The battle lasted no more than 40 minutes. Other Resources: The New London Day Connecticut History: Fort Griswold Attacked Connecticut History: The Battle of Groton Heights Photos below show some of th...

5 cute Connecticut towns for a perfect fall day

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Gone are the days of summer, here are the chilly evening breezes of fall. The season officially begins Sept. 22, though peak foliage will cover most of the state in in mid-October. Take a drive to one of these Connecticut towns for days of apple-picking, waterfall-hiking, leaf-peeping, train-riding fall adventures. Click here to find out which Connecticut Communities made the list

Groton’s Thames River Magnet School gets National Blue Ribbon

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Thames River Magnet School, a prekindergarten through fifth grade school, was named as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday. The designation recognizes "exemplary achievement gap closing" for the Mary Morrisson Elementary School community, Superintendent Susan Austin said. Mary Morrisson closed at the end of last year but its students, as well as some of the educators, are now at Thames River Magnet School, so the distinction follows them to the new school, she said. Click here for the full article

Data centers target eastern Connecticut for development

Monday, September 20, 2021

Data centers could soon be coming to Groton, Bozrah and Griswold. Montville and Norwich, also candidates for data centers, are a bit further away from putting in such facilities. During this past legislative session, lawmakers passed a measure erasing the property and sales tax burden on data center developers for 20-30 years, depending on the size of the developer's investment. The move is important to eastern Connecticut, a potential landing spot for such facilities, which can help grow a town’s grand list. A qualified data center is defined as a facility that houses networked computer servers in one location, centralizing the storage and dissemination o...

Galaxy Roller Rink property sold

Monday, September 20, 2021

Tidal River Holdings LLC, whose members include Outer Light Brewing Company owners Matt Ferrucci and Tom Drejer, has purchased the Galaxy Roller Rink property at 210 Bridge St. for $2,449,500 and the two-family home at 240 Bridge St. for $150,000. Ferrucci, agent of the LLC, said they're mulling over their plans. "We haven't gotten there yet, but we're definitely going to share any news we have," Ferrucci said. He said they were "kind of bursting at the seams" at their brewery at 266 Bridge St., and "the original plan was to potentially move the brewery into the roller-skating rink and expand that way." Clic...

Federal grant could make eastern Connecticut hub for marine research

Friday, September 17, 2021

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said Thursday he was hopeful the Biden administration would grant final approval early next year to designate a wide swath of eastern Long Island Sound as a National Estuarine Research Reserve. The proposed 52,160-acre reserve, stretching from the Lower Connecticut River Valley in Essex to the waters around Mason Island in Stonington, could guarantee up to $1 million each year from the federal government for research, educational outreach and coastal management programs, Murphy said. Click here for the full article

7 Reasons to Drive to Mystic, Connecticut

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Connecticut is famous for many things—Yale, pizza, stately Greenwich homes of Wolf of Wall Street type executives—and is the northern sibling to New York and New Jersey in the tri-state area. But what many don’t know is that Connecticut also boasts picturesque coastal towns like Bridgeport, upscale Westport, and Old Saybrook with fascinating histories and gorgeous landscapes. Click here for the full article

Electric Boat christens second submarine named for ‘Father of the Nuclear Navy’ Hyman G. Rickover

Monday, August 02, 2021

Electric Boat on Saturday morning christened the Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), marking the first submarine christening since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the second submarine to be named after the man known as the "father of the nuclear Navy." "OK, is she not big and beautiful?" Darleen Greenert, sponsor of the submarine, asked the crowd in a spirited start to remarks largely focused on the role of submariners' families. Greenert served in the Navy for 42 years and is the wife of Adm. Jonathan Greenert, former chief of naval operations. Click here for the full article

Groton City taking community planning outdoors this summer

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

The City of Groton is taking its community planning outside of City Hall. The city Planning and Economic Development Department will host a series of community design workshops this summer and fall to learn what community members want for the main commercial areas. The first workshop will focus on placemaking and streetscape designs for Thames Street on Thursday evening at Thames View Park, according to a city notice. That will be followed by a workshop in August on Bridge Street and another in October in the Five Corners neighborhood. Click here for the full article

Where Is the Next Silicon Valley? Groton, Connecticut.

Tuesday, July 06, 2021

Walker Potts, Executive Director of the Naval & Maritime Consortium, is anticipating significant economic growth tied to Groton’s BlueTech industry. “This region has been a major hub of global maritime economic activity dating back to the 17th century, with a long heritage of seafaring, from fisherman and sailors, shipbuilders and ropemakers, naval architects, and maritime manufacturers. Today, that industry is coming back in a very significant and modern way,” said Potts. “The region has secured billions in BlueTech investment over the coming decades, mostly centered around in the defense and energy sectors. That investment, along with innovative technology and workforc...

Nautilus leaves Submarine Force Museum for $36 million preservation project

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

The Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, was towed Friday afternoon from its home at the Submarine Force Museum upriver to a pier at the Naval Submarine Base, where it will undergo an estimated $36 million preservation project. Capt. Kenneth Curtin, the new commanding officer of the sub base, and other Navy officials said this will ensure the historic ship is around for another 30 years to educate and engage the public. It is expected to return to the museum in the spring or summer. Click here for the full article

Pumpkin-picking season in full swing in Mystic

Friday, October 15, 2021

Mystic — It's pumpkin-picking season. Families were visiting the harvest patch at Whittle's Willow Spring Farm on Thursday, picking out their favorites of the large orange squashes. The farm stand is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here to see photos

Groton Days Inn slated to be converted into apartments

Thursday, October 07, 2021

Jonathan Kerendian, owner of Blue Rock Property Group of Long Island, N.Y., the project developer, said in a recent phone interview that with the coronavirus pandemic, the Days Inn was not having the same occupancy numbers that it used to, and the former owner felt it was time to sell. Rather than have the building sit largely unused, Blue Rock Property Group saw an opportunity to convert the 60-unit hotel building into an apartment complex, particularly with growth at Electric Boat, Pfizer and the Naval Submarine Base and a shortage of housing in the area, Kerendian said. “Just everything fit the criteria to convert thi...

Abbott's Lobster in the Rough named as best waterfront seafood spot by Thrillist

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Abbott's Lobster in the Rough is one of the country's best waterfront seafood spots, according to Thrillist. The iconic Noank restaurant was named as one of the website's "29 waterfront seafood spots you need to try right now," joining other New England destinations in Maine, Cape Cod and Newport, R.I., and other coastal favorites around the United States. Click here for the full article

GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S., ranked by price

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

In golf as in life, true value exists at the intersection of what is feasible and what is affordable. Sure, everybody wants a tee time at Pine Valley — the No. 1 course on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the U.S. — but finding an invite is easier said than done. And as lovely as a weekly, Saturday morning tee time at Pebble Beach sounds, unless you’ve recently won the lottery, you’ll find yourself hurting in the wallet sooner rather than later. Read the article to see where Shennecossett ranked