Home Care In Morris, CT

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The talent and instincts Fairfield Prep’s Jon Morris displays on the football field are undeniable.

It’s what he adds to that equation that sets him apart in the eyes of Jesuits’ coach Keith Hellstern.

“High character,” Hellstern said of Morris while the Jesuits were playing in the recent Grip It and Rip It 7-on-7 tournament in New Canaan. “Beyond being a good football player, the fact that he’s such a strong young man and person makes all the difference in the world.”

NEW YEAR SALE: Only 99¢ for Unlimited Digital Access!

It could also make Morris, a senior this fall, a difference-maker at the next level when he joins the UConn football program after the 2023-24 school year.

Morris, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back, made a verbal commitment to the Huskies in late June, tweeting “100% Committed” with images of himself with the UConn logo and Huskies.

He said the recruiting process really started for him with interest from Columbia during the spring of his sophomore year, and UConn reached out following the 2022 high school season, when Fairfield Prep reached the CIAC Class LL final.

“I visited UConn two or three times in the spring and it just felt like home the second I stepped on campus,” Morris said. “I had my first visit on March 25th and it just felt awesome. The coaching staff is amazing, I love the campus and it just felt like home.”

“UConn did a great job in their recruitment of Jon,’ Hellstern said. “Jon from the get-go saw a commitment there that they want to be very good at football. They’ve got excellent facilities, the energy of the staff with coach (Jim) Mora, coach (John) Marinelli, and coach (Doug) Shearer, all those guys recruiting him - he believed in the people there as much as anything else.

“It’s where he felt he could have a great experience.”

Morris selected UConn over offers from several other schools, including from Army, Navy, Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Maine and Air Force.

His choice adds to UConn’s growing list of in-state commitments, which already included quarterbacks John Neider of Law and Danny Shaban of Joel Barlow, and linebacker Howard Simpson of Bloomfield, all from the Class of 2023.

110% Committed @UConnFootball @CoachDShearer @johnmarinelli @CoachDiabate @CoachJimMoraFB @Prep_Football @CoachJustin10 @CoachPaulin7 #HuskyRevolution #TheReload pic.twitter.com/TDrrhwfLrm

— Jon Morris (@_jon_morris_) June 20, 2023

“Every good team recruits in state,” Morris said. “So it’s a great thing for them and it’s going to show this year in the fall.”

Morris is coming off a season in which he led the Jesuits with 120 total tackles and 37 solo tackles, along with two interceptions and four passes defended.

The highlight for Morris was Prep’s most important play of the 2022 season, when he broke up a pass at the goal line with three seconds remaining in the Class LL quarterfinals against Staples. The Wreckers then missed a field goal, and the Jesuits won 29-28.

Hellstern said Morris has the attributes that are needed in the modern game of football.

More for you

“He’s a very physical kid with a great size and speed combination,” the coach said. “He has the ability to cover ground and he’s a sound tackler. That, plus good instincts never hurt — that’s what helps him make big plays when they’re needed.

“That’s what Jon has and that’s why he’s been afforded the opportunity that he’s going to get at UConn.”

The Jesuits have come close to state titles in each of the past two years, finishing as the runners-up to Darien in 2021 and Greenwich in 2022.

They’ll be decidedly younger this season, meaning players like Morris, the lone returner in the secondary, will take on even bigger roles.

Morris said despite that relative youth, he expects Fairfield Prep to be just as competitive as they’ve been the past few seasons.

“All the coaches have the same standards no matter what,” Morris said. I feel like this team has an even better bond because we have a small amount of seniors and all of them play really big roles. Everybody feels like they are a big part of this team, which will be a huge help for us.”

And for Morris, having his recruitment completed and his future course charted has made the transition from junior star to senior leader a bit smoother.

“It’s very relaxing to finally have it over,” Morris said. “It got a little excessive trying to balance school work at the end of the year, talk to recruiters, manage getting captains practice together, all that stuff. So it’s nice to have that done and be able to focus on playing football in the fall.

“Everyone’s playing really well, they’re getting everything down pretty quickly and I’m confident in everyone on this team.”

One month to the day after being selected No. 22 overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft, former national champion LSU guard Alexis Morris was waived by the Connecticut Sun.

Morris and No. 34 overall pick Ashten Prechtel of Stanford were both released following Wednesday’s preseason game with the New York Liberty, along with fellow rookie Diamond Battles, who signed with the Sun after going undrafted out of Georgia.

ROSTER UPDATE: Connecticut Sun Waives Diamond Battles, Alexis Morris and Ashten Prechtel. pic.twitter.com/zEnfyOoKeG

— Connecticut Sun PR (@CTSunPR) May 10, 2023

The team announced the moves following their game with the Liberty at Mohegan Sun Wednesday afternoon, which the Sun won, 63-57.

The rookies saw limited minutes in what turned out to be their first and only appearance with the Sun.

Morris played eight, grabbed three rebounds and finished 0-for-2 from the field. Prechtel played 13 and scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Battles played just five minutes and scored two points.

It was the first of two preseason games before the regular season begins on May 19. Rosters must be cut down to 12 players by May 18.

For WNBA draftees, being waived is an unfortunate possibility in the 12-team league, as roster space is limited. According to an article from NBC Sports’ Alex Azzi, an average of 13 of the 36 drafted players over the last five years have been cut prior to the first game of the season.

Welp I just got waived. Thank you Sun nation

— Steelo (@AlexisMorrisWBB) May 10, 2023

“Welp I just got waived,” a tweet from Morris read at 1:48 p.m. on Wednesday, minutes after the game had come to an end. “Thank you Sun nation.”

Morris averaged 11.4 points and 3.0 assists per game for LSU last season.

“We’re very excited to get a first-round talent in the second round,” Connecticut Sun general manager Darius Taylor said of Morris on draft night. “We look forward to having Alexis come to camp and show us why she’s a champion.”

Where do you think the best spa in the world is? I would guess Manhattan, Miami, or somewhere outside the US like Stockholm or Bali. Wrong. It's right here in Morris, Connecticut.

Get our free mobile app

There something in the water at Bantam Lake, because World Champions are lining up around it's shore. Earlier this year, Arethusa Farm's Europa was named the Best Cheese in the World. It's time to bring another championship belt to 109/209/61 Land, on Tuesday, Conde Nast Traveler named the Spa at Winvian Farm in Morris the 2023 winner, #1 overall Best Spas in the United States and Around the World.

I was right earlier when I guessed that a spa in Bali, Insonesia would be one of the best, Winvian Farm solidly beat it. Conde Nast Traveler has come up with a list of incredible international destinations, and Winvian has topped them all. According to Conde Nast:

"In the heart of Yankee Connecticut, Winvian Farm is a perfect retreat for the jaded captain of industry wanting to reconnect with their playful inner child."

It goes on to mention Winvian's 18 incredibly unique cottages, choosing Beaver Lodge as their favorite. Most importantly, Conde Nast Traveler mentions that Winvian's guests and us locals are welcomed to the spa.

ADVERTISEMENT

Glancing through the rest of the spas that made Conde Nast Traveler's short list of 30, the only other spas that are within a day trip of Connecticut are The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania at #23, and at #11 Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts.

It's the water in Bantam Lake, I just know it.

The Five Most Satisfying Grocery Stores in All of Connecticut

Do you feel disappointed after grocery shopping? Maybe the store didn't have a key ingredient? or the quality wasn't up to your standard? I've always been satisfied after shopping at these 5 particular grocery stores in our area

Gallery Credit: Google

Caraluzzi's Markets - Bethel, Danbury, Georgetown, Newtown

This was a very tough call for me, my choice honestly was between LaBonne's of Woodbury, Prospect, and Watertown, or Caraluzzi's. My recent stop into the beautiful Caraluzzi's on Mill Plain Road in Danbury swung the vote, what an awesome selection of any product you could ever want, and I love they layout of the rear of the store with the to-go and cafe area. One of, if not the best new grocery stores in Connecticut

Stew Leonard's - Danbury, Newington, Norwalk

What can I say about Stew Leonard's that hasn't already been said? It's just as fun for adults to shop there as it is for the kids. I'm 54, and I still get a thrill out of the animatronics. They give out free samples, there's a petting zoo, and the most interesting store layout in any grocery store in Connecticut. I never leave there feeling like I forgot something, you walk past every product on your way through.

The Fresh Market - Avon, Guilford, Westport

My first visit to the Avon Fresh Market location lasted over an hour, it's not a massive store, but oh man, you'll find thousands of unique products that you can't find in Stop & Shop. I was really impressed with the high and low end selection of any product. It seemed that there was "The Best' of something,, alongside the budget version. Nice touch Fresh Market. Totally satisfying.

Google

The Market CT - Northville, Bantam

I love shopping at the Bantam Market, from the tight parking lot, to the little library in the lobby, to the incredible selection of diverse gourmet products, it's unique. Wait til you get a load of Bantam's craft beer cooler, it's a work of art going through those automatic doors.

Google

Highland Park - Farmington, Glastonbury, Manchester

Highland Park Market's slogan is 'Nobody does it better', and I agree, they're one of the best in Connecticut. I so miss the carpeted Highland Park at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, but the 130 year old business has tightened up to 3 locations. Superior product selection, I've always found anything that I've wanted while shopping.

HARTFORD, CONN. On Sunday, October 22 at 2:30pm, Real Art Ways will host legendary musician Anthony Braxton on alto saxophone and guitarist Joe Morris in Improvisations Now, where musicians come together to create unrehearsed and innovative music in real time. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 for Real Art Ways members, and $5 for full time students. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street in Hartford.

Anthony Braxton (b. 1945 in Chicago), is an American composer as well as sax, clarinet, flute, and piano player. He has created a large body of highly complex work, having released well over 100 albums of his works since the 1960's.

Braxton is recognized as one of the most important musicians, educators, and creative thinkers of the past 50 years, highly esteemed in the creative music community for the revolutionary quality of his work and for the mentorship and inspiration he has provided to generations of younger musicians. Drawing upon a disparate mix of influences from John Coltrane to Karlheinz Stockhausen to Native American music, Braxton has created a unique musical system that celebrates the concept of global creativity and our shared humanity.

His work examines core principles of improvisation, structural navigation and ritual engagement-innovation, spirituality and intellectual investigation. His many accolades include a 1981 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 1994 MacArthur Fellowship, a 2013 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and a 2014 NEA Jazz Master Award.

Braxton studied at the Chicago School of Music and at Roosevelt University. One of the first Black abstract musicians to acknowledge a debt to contemporary European art music, Braxton is known as much as a composer as an improviser. The output ranges from solo pieces to For Four Orchestras, a work work that has been described as "a colossal work, longer than any of Gustav Mahler's symphonies and larger in instrumentation than most of Richard Wagner's operas."

Braxton is the founding Artistic Director of the newly incorporated Tri-Centric Foundation, Inc., a New York-based not-for-profit corporation including an ensemble of some 38 musicians, four to eight vocalists, and computer-graphic video artists assembled to perform his compositions.

Braxton is also an Emeritus professor at Wesleyan University, one of the world's centers of world music. His teaching career, begun at Mills College in Oakland, California, has become as much a part of his creative life as his own work, and includes training and leading performance ensembles and private tutorials in his own music, computer and electronic music, and history courses in the music of his major musical influences, from the Western Medieval composer Hildegard of Bingen to contemporary masters with whom he himself has worked (e.g. Cage, Coleman).

Braxton's name continues to stand for the broadest integration of such oft-conflicting poles as “creative freedom” and “responsibility,” discipline and energy, and vision of the future and respect for tradition in the current cultural debates about the nature and place of the Western and African-American musical traditions in America. His newly formed New York-based ensemble company is bringing to that debate a voice that is fresh and strong, still as new as ever even as it takes on the authority of a seasoned master.

To learn more about Anthony Braxton and the Tri-Centric Foundation, please click here.

Joe Morris is a composer/improviser multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, double bass, mandolin, banjo, banjouke, electric bass and drums.

Morris has performed and/or recorded with many of the most important contemporary artists in improvised music including Braxton, Evan Parker, John Zorn, Ken Vandermark, Tomeka Reid, Fay Victor, Tim Berne, William Parker, Sylvie Courvoisier, Peter Evans, David S. Ware, Joe Maneri, Dewey Redman, Wadada Leo Smith, Leroy Jenkins, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, Marshall Allen, Barre Phillips, Barry Guy, Matthew Shipp, Gerald Cleaver, and many others.

“One of the most profound improvisers at work in the United States.” – Wire Magazine

To learn more about Joe Morris, please visit his website.

NEW YORK —The Connecticut Sun selected point guard Alexis Morris of LSU and forward Ashten Prechtel of Stanford with the 22nd and 34th overall picks in the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday night.

This is the Sun’s first draft in a new era of the franchise under new general manager Darius Taylor and head coach Stephanie White.

Connecticut only had draft picks in the second and third round this year thanks to offseason trades. This is the first time since 2020 and just the second time this decade that the team hasn’t had a first round selection.

Alexis Morris is headed to the Connecticut Sun #WNBAdraft pic.twitter.com/SrhX5BmmVI

— espnW (@espnW) April 11, 2023

Morris won the 2023 national championship with LSU earlier this month. She was named First Team All-SEC after averaging 15.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game this past season.

This past year was Morris’ fifth in college basketball and second with the Tigers. She started her career under coach Kim Mulkey at Baylor and transferred to Rutgers and Texas A&M before ending up back with Mulkey in Baton Rouge.

“We are very excited to get a first round talent in the second round,” said Connecticut Sun general manager Darius Taylor. “We look forward to having Alexis come to camp and show us why she’s a champion.”

Prechtel joins the Connecticut Sun after four seasons at Stanford University, where she also won a national championship. The 6-5 forward helped lead the Cardinal to the title in 2021. She also picked up Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention (2020) and Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year- Media (2020) honors throughout her career at Stanford. One of her most notable performances came in the 2021 Elite Eight against Louisville where she scored 16 second-half points, including going 3-of-3 from behind the arc, to help Stanford overcome a 12-point deficit and advance to the Final Four.

Time to push the post.Welcome to Connecticut, Ashten Prechtel pic.twitter.com/EFausXC1MI

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) April 11, 2023

“Ashten is a player we have had our eye on for a long time,” said Taylor. “We are happy that we were able to add a big that can shoot the ball from the perimeter and give us versatility in the post.”

The Indiana Fever selected Aliyah Boston out of South Carolina with the No. 1 overall pick earlier in the night. Maryland’s Diamond Miller went second to the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the top-five was rounded out by Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist (Dallas), Stephanie Soares (Dallas via Washington) and Lou Lopez Sénéchal (Dallas).

WNBA training camp starts on April 30. Connecticut has limited cap space and room on the roster, so it can likely only add one more player between the duo drafted and other training camp invitees.