Hot Tea for a Cold Town

By Fran
WestportNow Consumer Correspondent
fran@westportnow.com

Since it’s too cold for Ben & Jerry’s – and too early in the year to have completely gone off the “I-swear-I’m-going-get-healthy-in-2004” plan (see Fran’s List Jan. 2, 2004, Back to the Gym) I find myself drinking a lot of herb tea on these cold winter nights.
Stop & Shop: Celestial Seasonings tea is $2.69. WestportNow.com photo

What I truly find amazing about Westport – as you may have noticed in previous Fran’s Lists – is how you can end up paying wildly different prices around town for the exact same item. (Think: rent per square foot.)

A perfect example is those ubiquitous 20-bag boxes of Celestial Seasonings herb teas.

For comparison purposes I priced the popular Lemon Zinger. (My own personal favorite is Bengal Spice.)

Take a look:

Box of Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger Herb Tea
Shaw’s * $1.67
Stop & Shop $2.69
Wild Oats $2.99
Fountain of Youth $3.19
Organic Market $3.19
Food for Thought $3.69

*As luck would have it, as I set out to write this, all Celestial Seasoning Herb Teas just went on sale at Shaw’s. Regularly $2.59 a box, they’re three for $5– or $1.67 each since you don’t have to buy three – until next Thursday.

Seems like it’s going to be a long, cold winter. So stock up!

Boys Varsity Basketball: Harding Defeats Staples 63-54

Bridgeport's Harding High School defeated Staples 63 - 54 Friday night in a game in which Harding's patented pressure defense caused numerous Staples turnovers -- 17 in the first half.

Playing at Harding, Staples had a chance to win it as they tied the game in the fourth quarter but were unable to capitalize on several opportunities.

John Baumann had 29 points and 11 rebounds. Joe Forbes had 11 points in the losing cause.

Both teams now have identical 8-2, 5-2 (FCIAC) records. Next game is home against Westhill of Stamford on Tuesday.

Martha Stewart Jury Almost Complete

There was more questioning today in a Manhattan federal courthouse of prospective jurors in the insider trading-related case of Westport's Martha Stewart.

The questioning began today with 40 potential jurors qualified for the next round, according to transcripts of questioning from earlier this week. Sources have said the judge wants a pool of about 50.

Stewart was back in court for the fourth straight day watching juror questioning in the private robing room of U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum.

In 12-degree cold, Stewart arrived at the courthouse wearing an overcoat and cream-colored scarf, along with black ankle boots. She briefly glanced to her right, at a man who was shouting encouragement to her.

Leaving court in the evening, she briefly raised her eyebrows at reporters but did not answer questions. "Good night," she said.

Lawyers will decide - probably on Monday - which jurors to excuse, and a final jury of 12 will be seated. Opening arguments are expected Tuesday.

One man was excused by the judge Thursday after he sheepishly admitted that he jokingly refers to Stewart as "the devil" when his wife watches her syndicated TV show on Sunday mornings.

"I don't personally have any issues with Martha Stewart," the man said, according to a transcript. "I mean, I know very little about Martha Stewart. It is just that it is a household show. I don't really care for it much myself."

Teens Dream Up Westport Businesses

Coleytown Middle School students Taylor, Christina, and Margaret, all 13, explain their business plan for a Westport teen restaurant to a panel of judges today as part of their eighth grade computer class. Other student ideas for Westport businesses included a teen job center, an amusement park, and a lighting company that would light athletic fields. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Friday, January 23, 2004

6:30-8:30 p.m. Westport Arts Center -- Opening reception "Wolf Kahn: A Celebration of Color" and "Landscapes in Black and White"

Martha Stewart's Lawyer Complains to Judge

Too many prospective jurors in the case involving Westport's Martha Stewart wrongly think she is charged with insider trading, her lawyer complained to the judge, according to transcripts released today.

In the transcripts from the closed-door jury selection process, Robert Morvillo said Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum shared blame for the misunderstanding because of her own choice of words, according to an AP account.

The judge replied that she would make sure the jury is properly informed.

Stewart is charged with obstruction of justice and securities fraud -- but not insider trading -- over stock she sold in 2001.

In the transcripts, which cover the first two days of juror questioning, the judge appears to have given up on finding 12 people completely unfamiliar with Stewart, zeroing in on those who say they can be fair despite heavy pretrial publicity.

During the first day of questioning, Cedarbaum asking potential jurors whether they can decide the case solely on the evidence.

Cedarbaum has fretted publicly about the volume of news coverage, and many potential jurors appear to be vaguely familiar with the case, if only its celebrity defendant.

"I mean, it's been impossible to totally not hear about the case," one potential juror told the judge, according to the transcript. "It has been everywhere."

The judge followed up: "And you have no problem following exactly the judge's statement of the law?" The juror answered, "Right."

The judge told the potential juror, a housewife and former lawyer, that she may wind up on the jury, depending in part on whether she can find someone to watch her 13-year-old child.

The trial continued to attract attention outside the courthouse as well. As Stewart arrived this morning, she smiled, waved and gave a thumbs-up to supporters who held placards that spelled out "SAVE MARTHA" in pastel letters.

Stewart, 62, is accused of lying to the government and her own shareholders about why she sold ImClone Systems stock in late 2001, just before it plummeted on a negative government review of an ImClone cancer drug.

Hundreds of people have filled out jury questionnaires, and the judge is asking many of them follow-up questions this week, in front of Stewart and co-defendant Peter Bacanovic, in private sessions.

In the transcripts, Morvillo told the judge Wednesday, "I am asking the court to correct the misimpression that many jurors have, which is in part fostered by your honor saying that this is a securities fraud case."

"I will see to it that the jury does not believe that there is a charge of insider trading," the judge answered.

The judge is said to want about 50 jurors for the next phase, when lawyers can voluntarily strike them one by one if they believe they might lean toward the opposing side.

Lt. Gov. Rell Tells Westport Group She is Ready to Assume Governorship

Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell told a Westport audience today she is ready to assume the governorship, if necessary, and is "seriously considering" a run for the office in 2006. Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell tells Y's Men she is ready to assume governorship if necessary.WestportNow
.com photo

Appearing at meeting of the Y's Men group at the Saugatuck Congregational Church, Rell, did not comment directly on the problems faced by Gov. John G. Rowland.

But when asked whether she was ready to assume the office, she said she was.

"When any lieutenant governor, whether it is me or any lieutenant governor from any state across the nation, raises their right hand and takes the oath of office, they know what their job is and what their responsibility is," she said.

"And I'll be candid with you. No lieutenant governor wants to fill in for their governor under any adverse conditions, no matter what those conditions are."

But Rell said she was "quite confident" in her ability as lieutenant governor and was ready to serve in any other capacity that might become necessary.

Rell said until very recently she used to tell questioners that it was too early to think about the 2006 gubernatorial race, having just gone through an election in 2002. But she said she has changed her stance given recent rapid developments.

"I am seriously considering a run for governor in 2006," she said, to applause from some audience members. "But it is just that – a consideration."

Most of the questions Rell received involved transportation issues, especially the tieups on Interstate-95. She said the state was working diligently to resolve some of the problems

Thursday, January 22, 2004

7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning & Zoning Commission
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - RTM Parks & Recreation Committee
7:45 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - RTM Finance, Employee Compensation & Public Protection Committees

Westport Property Transfers Jan. 12-16, 2004

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk's office for the period Jan. 12-16, 2004:

Lucky 139 LLC to Joseph and Tracy L. Troy, 139 Harbor Road, $2,450,000.

James R D. and Lisa M. C. Allison to Eric A. and Laarni Ragaza, 7 Lees Lane, $735,000.

Terry Marsh to Ashley S. Moran, 85 Valley Road, quit claim, $45,400.

William W. and Amber L. Sweedler to Susan Jaffe Tane, 36 Bermuda Road, $4,250,000.

Estate of Betty M. Strong to Lucky 139 LLC, 187 Compo Road South, $515,000.

Jonathan J. Iafeliece and Kim Ann Oliver to David C. Bukzin and Meredeth Poster, 6 Rustic Lane, $1,120,000.

Benjamin E. Mann to Craig Schiavone, 6 Overlook Road, $815,000.

Ulster Savings Bank to Amy Ringer, 216 Bayberry Lane, $1,675,000.

June L. Strayer to Karen Lawson and Vikram Bakshi, 5 Woodside Lane, $575,000.

Linda Peterson Schmidt to F. Jeffrey and Kristen H. Vanorden, 10 Gorham Ave., $925,000.

Brenda Lewis Cooper Residence Trust to Melissa D. Ceriale, 11A Prospect Road, $910,000.

Transcript of Martha Stewart Jury Questioning Released

The press was barred from watching questioning of potential jurors in the insider trading-related trial of Westport's Martha Stewart, but a transcript released today of Tuesday's session showed the jury pool is diverse.

The potential jurors ranged from a man who said Stewart could not be trusted to a woman who told her: "I am a huge fan of yours. Good luck."

The transcript offered a glimpse into the painstaking process by which lawyers for the government and Stewart are trying to detect whether jurors might favor one side or the other.

Stewart arrived at the courthouse today to watch the second day of juror questioning.

Stepping out of a Mercedes and wearing a wraparound coat and high-heeled boots, she smiled at reporters but did not answer any questions. She ascended the courthouse steps on the arm of one of her lawyers.

Across the street from the courthouse, a man in a hooked parka jumped up and down and shouted: "Save Martha! Save Martha! Save Martha!"

No one involved in the case appears to believe it is possible to seat a jury of 12 people who have never heard of Stewart. Instead, the judge in the case is trying to make sure they can try the case fairly.

"I mean, it's been impossible to totally not hear about the case," one potential juror told the judge. "It has been everywhere."

Stewart, 62, is accused of lying to the government and her own shareholders about why she sold ImClone Systems stock in 2001, just before it took a nosedive on a negative government decision on an ImClone cancer drug.

Hundreds of people have filled out jury questionnaires. But the judge has barred reporters from watching follow-up interviews with those people, instead releasing a transcript the following day, with names deleted.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum approved 14 potential jurors after questioning Tuesday. She is said to want 50 available for the next round, when lawyers narrow the pool down to 12 jurors and six alternates.

In the questionnaires and the follow-up interviews, the prospective jurors have been asked their feelings about the rich, and whether people in law enforcement and the stock industry can be trusted.

One potential juror answered in the questionnaire that he did not trust Stewart. In a follow-up interview, he told the judge: "Sometimes people that are - that are powerful are not so trustworthy." He was disqualified from the jury.

A woman reported that she worked on a trading desk at a securities firm where the Stewart case is talked about "very regularly" and said she would have trouble ignoring news reports about the trial. She was disqualified.

But before she left the judge's private robing room, according to the transcript, she told Stewart: "I am a huge fan of yours. Good luck."

Other potential jurors were cleared by the judge despite coming from lines of work, or expressing certain feelings, that lawyers found troubling - a sign of the difficulty in picking a jury in such a highly publicized case.

One woman was allowed to stay after saying she did not believe the government was doing enough to prosecute corporate scandals. And a man was cleared after saying he believed money, in some cases, could buy justice.

Martha Stewart Trial Opening Statements Expected Next Week

Jury selection continues today in a New York federal courthouse where the stock-fraud trial of Westport's Martha Stewart is underway.

The juror questioning was conducted in secret Tuesday as Stewart's trial began in earnest. About three dozen filed into a judge's chambers to answer questions, and more were expected today and the rest of the week.

About a dozen of the potential jurors interviewed Tuesday were given the green light by the judge to proceed to the next round of selection, a source close to the case told The Associated Press.

The judge hopes to have about 50 jurors in that next round, the source said. Lawyers will then be allowed to select which of those jurors to eliminate, narrowing the pool to 12 jurors and six alternates for trial, the source said.

The in-person questions were designed as follow-ups to questionnaires filled out by hundreds of potential jurors two weeks ago.

The judge barred reporters from the session but ordered a transcript of the first day's questioning to be released later today.

Opening statements are expected next week in the trial of Stewart, who is accused of lying to investigators about why she sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems Inc. stock Dec. 27, 2001.

Good News and Bad News

Insurance consultant Robert L.Pernicka, senior VP of The Segal Company, told town officials Tuesday night he had good news and bad news about Board of Ed employee insurance claims. The good news – claim expenses are 82 percent of what was anticipated this year, resulting in a $700,000 cost savings. The bad news – he can't guarantee the lower claims will continue. Board of Ed Chair Sandra Urist looks on. WestportNow.com photo

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

7:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - TEAM Westport
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
Noon - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Citizens brown bag luncheon
7 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Conservation Commission
7:30 p.m. - Library - Westport Library Board of Trustees
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 102 RTM, Long-Range Planning Committee

Staples Boys Basketball Varsity Trounces St. Joseph 68-39

The Staples boys basketball varsity tonight trounced St. Joseph of Trumbull 68-39 at Trumbull to qualify for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) state tournament.

It was one of the earliest times in Staples' history for the Wreckers to qualify for the tourney. It takes eight wins to qualify.

The game had special significance for St. Joseph. It was Coach Vito Montelli's 1,000th game for the school where he has been part of the athletic program for more than 40 years.

It was one of the first times in memory that Staples beat the Trumbull powerhouse.

Staples, which improved to 8-1 on the season, plays Bridgeport's Harding High School (7-2) at Harding on Friday.

Janus Names New Westport-Based Head

Denver-based Janus Capital Group Inc. today named Jill Paitchel as president of Janus International, its global division based in Westport.

The mutual funds company said Paitchel, formerly of Citigroup Asset Management, will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of international business, which had more than $6 billion in assets under management at the end of 2003.

Paitchel will report to Erich Gerth, senior vice president and managing director of the Janus Global Adviser business.

Gerth replaced Richard Garland, 42, who resigned last fall. Investigators said Garland may have approved improper trading arrangements. (See WestportNow Nov. 18, 2003)

Garland was at the center of a market-timing scandal that enveloped Janus and three other mutual-fund groups in early September.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer alleged that Janus had allowed a New Jersey hedge fund, Canary Capital, to make short-term trades in the Janus High Yield and Mercury funds.

Market timers like Canary were allowed to trade quickly in and out of mutual funds, skimming returns that might have otherwise gone to long-term investors and adding costs.

More than 40 mutual-fund industry executives have either been fired, forced to resign or suspended because of their involvement in late trading or market timing, according to Bloomberg News

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

8:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Human Services Commission
10 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Administrative Review Committee
10 a.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Arts Advisory Committee
7:30 p.m. - 180 Bayberry Lane - Westport/Weston Health District Board
7:30 p.m. - Staples Library - Board of Education/Board of Finance/RTM Education and Finance Committees

Greenwich Dems: Farrell Could Pull Off Upset Against Shays

Greenwich Democrats say Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell could pull off an upset victory over Rep. Christopher Shays in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District, and those involved in the party are pledging their full support, according to today’s Greenwich Time.

"Although it is always difficult to run against an entrenched incumbent, Diane Farrell will present a really viable alternative which could captivate people's imaginations," former First Selectman Richard Bergstresser said, according to the newspaper.

Greenwich Time said Farrell is running as a fiscally conservative Democrat who opposed going to war in Iraq without broader international support and favors civil unions for gay couples.

Greenwich Democrats said Shays could lose his more liberal and moderate voters to Farrell, the newspaper said.

Monday, January 19, 2004

Town Hall and schools closed due to Martin Luther King birthday holiday.

Westport Property Assessment Notices Hit Mailboxes

This is a sober weekend for many Westport taxpayers. Notices of updated real estate assessments and taxes for the next year based on the projected grand list and mill rate have hit Westport mailboxes and the news for some is jolting, for others, relief. Tax notices hit mailboxes Saturday. WestportNow.com photo

The notices listed 2003-04 taxes that would have been paid on the projected rates, in effect giving the town's best guess at what taxpayers might approximately pay in the next tax year,

"My taxes went down $300," said one resident, who, like other Westporters agreeing to comment for this story, asked for anonymity.

"It was quite a relief since they already went up 50 percent since I bought my house five years ago."

Another resident said he, too, was relieved, when he opened the tax assessor's "2003 Property Assessment Notice" Saturday.

"My projected taxes are up 5 percent," he said. "I think, all in all, that's reasonable."

A number of Westporters attending Saturday's community meeting at the Westport Public Library held by Rep. Christopher Shays chatted about the notices in the hallways.

A commercial property owner noted that his taxes were projected to rise 33 percent over the current year.

"My tenants won't like it, but, that's the cost of doing business in this town," he said.

A residential property owner, who thought he got off fairly lightly in the last revaluation four years ago, saw an almost 19 percent increase in his projected taxes.

"I don't like it, but it's about in line what I expected," he said.

John Ryan of J. F. Ryan Associates, Inc., the firm the town hired for its property appraisal and consulting services, told a news conference last week that the value of residential properties increased about 50 percent since the last revaluation.

He said commercial property values were up between 43 and 44 percent.

Ryan said about one-third of Westport residents will pay more in taxes, one third roughly the same, and one third a decrease.

He said taxes overall will remain relatively constant because the mill rate declines with the increased value of property in town.

"The good news in Westport is the real estate market remains very strong," Ryan said.

Beginning Tuesday, residents may ask for appointments with Ryan and his firm to question the reappraisal with complaints later to be made to the Board of Assessment Appeals.