Perennial power Staples swept the defending-champion Tigers, 3-0, in the FCIAC finals match Friday night in Fairfield, winning by scores of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-22.

The top-seeded Wreckers (18-1) also beat second-seed Ridgefield (18-2) by a 3-0 score in a regular-season meeting.

Tyler Chittenden had eight kills and seven service points for the Tigers. Griffin Jones added seven kills and two blocks, while Karl Liapunov finished with seven digs and five kills.

Setter Paul Cooke finished with 20 assists for Ridgefield, which could meet Staples again in the upcoming Class L state tournament.

It was the 11th conference title for Staples, which won eight straight championships from 2003 through 2010 before losing in the finals to Darien in 2011 and the semifinals to Ridgefield last year.

The scene of the shooting late this afternoon. —Thomas B. Nash photo

Friday, 9:40 p.m. — A man, who police said had been wielding a gun, died at Danbury Hospital tonight after he was shot by an officer.

State Police said that at around 5:15 p.m., Ridgefield Police responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a house at 423 Ridgebury Road.

Officers confronted a man in the yard, armed with a handgun.

“Ridgefield officers attempted to order the subject to disarm and put down his weapon,” said State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance.

“The male subject refused to comply with the officers’ orders. He raised the weapon towards the officers and caused a Ridgefield officer to discharge his service weapon, striking the male subject.”

The man was taken to Danbury Hospital where he died shortly after admission. His name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

The Ridgefield officer was not injured at the scene, but was taken to Danbury Hospital where he was treated and released.  His name was also being withheld until his family was notified.

The crime scene was secured by Ridgefield Police. At the request of the Danbury state’s attorney and Ridgefield Police Chief John Roche,  Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad Detectives responded to conduct the shooting investigation.

“State Police Detectives will process and document the scene, collect physical and forensic evidence, and also interview all witnesses,” Lt. Vance said.

A post mortem examination will be conducted by the Office of the Chief State’s Medical Examiner to determine the manner and cause of death.

Developed by a family in Colorado, the Goosinator is a three-foot-long, bright orange, snaggle-toothed, yellow-eyed, remote-controlled foam creation meant to solve goose problems, mainly droppings, at parks and golf courses. Side effect: It may be as scary to golfers as it is to geese.

The Goosinator (patent pending) was first sold in February 2012, after three or four years of design and development by brothers Randy and David Claussen of Denver. They were hoping to provide an answer to the recurring goose problem encountered by Randy’s brother-in-law, Mike Ratcliff, a long-time golf course maintenance specialist.

Since then, Claussen estimates that they have sold almost 40 Goosinators to municipalities in about a dozen states. Golf course superintendents and parks and recreation managers alike have been enticed by the promise of a successful, humane, and cost-effective way to rid their public greens of Canada geese.

“We’ve been using it for a month and a half now,” said Frank Sergiovanni, the director of golf at the Ridgefield Golf Course. “It’s 100 percent effective.”

The staff had been relying on Clifford for 11 years, and assumed that the technology of goose-chasing had improved during that time. They were correct.

“Another dog would have been a big commitment, and this is less expensive,” said Sergiovanni.

The Goosinator sells for under $3,000, and is estimated by the Claussen brothers to be $500-$600 cheaper to take care of yearly than a trained dog. Plus, the Goosinator is more effective on water and ice.

“Geese tend to flock to the water to escape their predators — foxes, coyotes, dogs,” said designer Randy Claussen. “The idea behind our product was to teach them that the water was no longer safe, that there was a predator there as well.”

The device is also built from a durable foam that is difficult to tear, dent, or bend out of shape.

There are limitations, of course. The Goosinator is light, which makes it difficult to use on windy days, and the battery charge lasts for only about 15 minutes. And an article in The Denver Post described its vocals as an “82-decibel whine that sounds like a weed whacker crossed with a blender.”

But the Goosinator is also a sturdy and effective design that is well-respected enough to have made its way across the country, from Colorado to Connecticut, popping up at golf courses in between.

It remains to be seen whether the Goosinator will be a permanent fixture at the Ridgefield Golf Course, but one thing is certain: It will keep more than just the geese on their toes.

Collateral Damage, made up of three linked novellas, explores the lasting effects of the Vietnam War on people living in its shadow — including both those who fought and those who didn’t. Who goes to war and why — and the consequences for them and the people who love them — are issues we still face today.

Ms. Boatwright is the author of dozens of short stories. She formerly taught writing for the University of New Hampshire and UC Berkeley and now runs an occasional private workshop in Paris. Since 2004, she has worked as a freelance writer, dividing her time between Paris and the United States.

Refreshments will be served. Register at ridgefieldlibrary.org or by calling 203-438-2282.

“There are some seats still available,” she added.

The fee of $70 for members, $75 non-members, covers  bus transportation, entrance, tour fees, and lunch at Bear Mountain Park Inn.  The bus will leave from the side parking lot at St. Mary School at 8:30 a.m. and return about 5:30 p.m. West Point requires that a manifest of participants be submitted days ahead of arrival with certain information, and requires official photo identification on arrival.

Interested individuals may call the society at 203-438-5821 or stop by the Scott House.

Ashley Heisler and James Strandjord

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Heisler of Ridgefield have announced the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Elizabeth, to James Mark Strandjord, son of Mark Strandjord and Joan Manella of Denver, Colo.

Ms. Heisler graduated from Ridgefield High School in 2005, Fordham University in 2009, and Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2013. She lives in Ridgefield.

Mr. Strandjord is a veteran of the United States Navy. He graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver, in 2009, received a master’s degree in 2010, and graduated with Ms. Heisler from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2013.

He currently attends the Thomas M. Cooley Law School LLM program.

They plan to marry in April at St. Mary Church in Ridgefield.

Recently, there have been numerous reports of residents being called with an automated message claiming that DMV provided information so that they can save costs on auto insurance premiums.

The message claims that information provided by the Connecticut DMV has allowed them to research their insurance history and permitted them to make contact with the resident.

The DMV does not and will not, share its customers’ personal information for these purposes. The claim of receiving insurance information under the guise of DMV’s approval is false and misleading, Attorney General George Jepsen and DMV Commissioner Melody A. Currey said today.

“Consumers should never give out personal information over the phone unless they’re absolutely certain they know who they’re dealing with,” said Attorney General Jepsen.

Scam artists have gotten increasingly more sophisticated and creative in the methods used to get personal information, he said.

If someone receives this call, or a call like it, do not respond, but simply hang up, the commissioner and the attorney general said.

Scam artists use special software to disguise the number they are calling from to fraudulently gain access to your money and personal identifying information. These are fraudulent attempts by con-artists to obtain funds, personal and financial information from consumers by sending solicitations via email, fax and regular postal mail in an effort to reel in money, as well as personal and financial information.

If you submitted information in response to this or any other similar attempt, you should act immediately to protect your identity by placing a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report, contact the financial institutions for which you provided information and be extra wary of all future solicitations.

You can verify whether an insurance company or agent is licensed to do business in Connecticut by checking with the Connecticut Insurance Department at 1 (800) 203-3447 or on the agency website at www.ct.gov/cid/.

Information on identity theft can be found on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ or Attorney General George Jepsen’s website at www.ct.gov/ag/.  You may also report these kinds of fraud attempts to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Additional information on IC3 is available at www.ic3.gov.

• The Music Fest takes place in Ballard Park Friday afternoon and evening.
• An Artist Salon is set for the Guild Friday.
• Ridgebury veterans will be honored Sunday.
• Author of a book on women at work in World War II will speak Saturday at the Guild of Artists.
• Martin Park will be open free of charge all weekend.
• Lucy and Desi will be screened Sunday at the Playhouse.
• Local musicians will perform in a benefit for the teen center Sunday in the park.
• A dance performance will take place at the Guild of Artists Sunday.
• The parade steps off Monday at 11:30.
• Fifes and drums will be the subject of a new show and a party Monday at the Aldrich.
• Pulled pork will be the fare Monday at St. Stephen’s barbecue.

Details on all of these events will be found in this week’s Press. The basics on many are in the Datebook.

For information on regional events, see Arts & Leisure’s This Weekend listings.

“Things are great. With the weather, it gets better,” Mike Principi, owner of the Chez Lenard hotdog cart, told the selectmen at their May 15 meeting.

That night the Board of Selectmen renewed four town permits for outdoor food vendors:

• Mr. Principi’s Chez Lenard cart, which operates on Main Street;
• Greg Zawacki’s ‘Zawack Shack’ lunch trailer, that is parked regularly in a pull-off area along Route 7, north of Branchville;
• Zachary Cohen’s Cones for College ice cream truck, which has no spot but drives around;
• Enver Ceylan’s Circusman ice cream truck, another roving vendor.

All approvals were   unanimous 4-0 votes.

Vendors pay $200 each for permits,  good for a year. Two other food vendors have permits to operate in town that aren’t due expire until later in the season — the Blue Dog lobster roll truck that parks on Route 7 near Simpaug Turnpike, and the Redding Creamery ice cream truck.

Food vendors are also subject to inspection by the Health Department.

There was none of the contentious debate  that filled the selectmen’s meeting room last spring, as the board considered whether there might be too many vendors in town and ended up adopting a policy to limit each vendor to one permitted location or roving truck each.

The selectmen did have a bit of friendly back-and-forth with each of the owners.

“Have you gotten vegetarian hot dogs?” Selectwoman Barbara Manners asked Mr. Principi of Chez Lenard.

He replied that he did get periodic requests for veggie dogs, but had yet to add them to the menu.

“There are options,” he added. “I have sautéed onions and peppers, served on a roll, with or without cheese fondue.”

Selectman Andy Bodner pondered the practical implications of a vendor cart that served conventional meat hot dogs also offering veggie dogs.

“Can they co-mingle?” he wondered

From the audience, John Katz chimed in:

“She said ‘vegetarian’ not ‘Kosher.’ ”