Friday, August 27, 2004
Westport Native to Present Documentary During GOP Convention Week
A film by Westport native DJ Kadagian will be one of two independent films screened next week as a double-bill during the Republican national convention in New York. The subjects are issues their producers say the GOP gathering ignores.
Kadagian’s work, “State of the Union: the Color of Freedom is Green” is a 45-minute documentary that he says takes a “critical but honest look at the interplay of money and politics and the impact on the underclass.”
Much of his thinking on the subject was formed while growing up in Westport which he calls “the capital of materialism in America.”
As a biographical sketch on his Web site puts it, “Growing up in this environment influenced his path first to join and experience great success in the material world and then ultimately to question that system in his chosen medium/ film.”
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Spreading the Word
Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell (c) helped spread the word today at Town Hall for “Harvest Rides 2004,” a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut presented by Westport-based Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club of Fairfield County. (See WestportNow July 5, 2004) (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Thursday, August 26, 2004
It’s a Christmas Wrap on Woody Lane
This was the scene on Westport’s Woody Lane Thursday night as a television crew wound up filming scenes for a new reality series debuting this fall called “Film Fakers” for AMC. They were pretending to film a feature length film about Christmas at a home there. The crew, which also shot footage Wednesday at Swanky Frank’s on Post Road East (See WestportNow Aug. 25, 2004), put a Christmas look on the house to add to the seasonal theme. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
Friday, Aug. 27, 2004
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Cha’s
Westport Fire Log Thursday Aug. 26, 2004
6:13 a.m. Hillandale Road, EMS call
9:06 a.m. ֖ 21 Charles St., fire alarm
9:28 a.m. Coleytown Elementary School, 65 Easton Road, fire alarm
9:58 a.m. ֖ 81 Clinton Ave., fire alarm
10:35 a.m. 11 Old Hill Farms Road, fire alarm
11:08 a.m. ֖ 6 Imperial Landing, fire alarm
5:03 p.m. 221 Post Road West, fire alarm
5:06 p.m. ֖ Sandy Hill Terrace, EMS call
5:39 p.m. 118 Roseville Road, fire alarm
8 p.m. - 26 Main St., lockout
9:56 p.m. ֖ Wilton Road and River Lane, spill at MVA
Connecticut Median Income Slipped in Last Three Years
It may have been hard to notice in Westport, but Connecticut’s median household income slipped in the last three years, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
The agency also reported that more state residents became poor and the ranks of the uninsured increased slightly.
In a separate census survey statisticians also estimated that almost 11 percent of children - and 14 percent of children under age 5 - lived in poverty in Connecticut during the past 12 months.
About 7.9 percent of Connecticut residents have incomes below the poverty level, a three-year average of census income statistics found. The number of people in poverty rose four-tenths of a percentage point from 2001 to 2003.
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Westport Traffic Backup
Late afternoon traffic backs up on Westport’s Wilton Road. Traffic in the area is the subject of a study by the Westport/Weston YMCA as part of its effort to relocate its headquarters from Westport’s center to its Camp Mahackeno property off of Wilton Road. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Hurry Up and Wait
Freshmen students at Westport’s Staples High School waited today for hours in the cafeteria to meet with guidance counselors in the mini-arenaӔ in preparation for school opening Sept. 1. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Early Morning Visitor
An early morning visitor to the Compo Beach Basin checked out the boats. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004
5:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - SBC Staples Subcommittee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Sherwood Mill Pond Advisory Committee
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Jodi Keogan and Company, opera selections
Westport Fire Log Wednesday Aug. 25, 2004
2:09 a.m. 208 Post Road West, check a hazardous condition
7:54 a.m. ֖ 50 Nyala Farms Road, smoke in basement
8:22 a.m. I-95 southbound exits 17-16, MVA
9:06 a.m. ֖ 208 Post Road West, public service call
9:19 a.m. Reichert Circle, EMS call
12:52 p.m. ֖ 52 Roseville Road, fire alarm
2:40 p.m. 422 Post Road East, check a hazardous condition
3:04 p.m. ֖ Compo Beach Road, EMS call
3:22 p.m. Merritt Parkway northbound exits 42-44, MVA
4:10 p.m. ֖ 120 Harbor Road, fire alarm
6:28 p.m. Merritt Parkway southbound 41-40, MVA
7:01 p.m. ֖ 11 Bonnie Brook Road, motor vehicle lockout
Westport’s Tom Seligson Produces 9/11 Commission TV Report
Westport resident Tom Seligson, a television producer and author, is the executive producer of a television special on the 9/11 Commission Report to air on The History Channel.
The two-hour documentary, which will air Sept. 8 at 10 p.m., is, in effect, a filmed version of the controversial report of the Commission Report that examined the behind-the-scenes details of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United Statees.
In session for more than a year and a half, the commission conducted more than 1,000 interviews, ranging from anonymous CIA operatives, to both Presidents Clinton and Bush.
Its staff also reviewed more than two million pages of documents, many of them formerly classified.
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Lights, Camera, Action at Swanky Frank’s
A television production company took over Swanky Frank’s on Post Road East in Westport today to film scenes for a new reality television series “Film Fakers” debuting in the fall on AMC. The producers prentended to film a full-length feature film called “Holly Holiday” about a woman named Holly who is disgruntled with the commercialization of Christmas. They also used a house on Woody Lane. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Christmas in August
The dining room at Swanky Frank’s on Post Road East in Westport was transformed into a movie set and production office today for a television production company shooting a new reality series called “Film Fakers” for AMC. They were pretending to film a trailer for a feature film called “Holly Holiday.” Note the frosted windows and Christmas decorations. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Hollywood Hamburgers at Swanky Frank’s
Caterers get set to feed the television production company shooting a scene today at Swanky Frank’s on Post Road East in Westport. Asked what they were serving at the eatery known for its hot dogs, a worker replied, “hamburgers.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
“Westport” Has an Encore at Anti-War Theatrical Evening
As Republicans delegates gather for their national convention in New York, “Westport” is taking center stage at a Manhattan one-night series of war protest plays and songs, dance, and comedy and poetry.
Author Stephen O’Rourke: no offense meant to Westport. Contributed photo
A one-act play first performed a year ago at the New York International Fringe Festival, Westport,ђ is a satire of the decision to invade Iraq by Richard O’Rourke, 40, who grew up in New Canaan.
Directed by another former New Canaan resident, Jase Draper, it will be among the evening’s entertainment Sunday at The Ensemble Studio Theatre, 549 W. 52 St., beginning at 7 p.m.
The play depicts a Connecticut under siege and three denizens of Fairfield County holed up in a suburban house and living with their idea of deprivation.
We’re down to our last wheel of brie. I think the smoked salmon is almost gone,” complains one Westporter.
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Westport Firefighters Donate Funds for Iraq Care Packages
Westports professional firefighters have donated $1,000 to send care packages to U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq. 
Shirley Sambrook of Fairfield receives a $1,000 check from the Westport firefighters for Project From the Heart postage. From the left: Asst. Chief Jon Gottfried, Firefighter Brett Kirby, Miriam Zalenski, Shirley Sambrook, Pat Vida, Dot Szudoro, Elsie Voros, Lt. John Plofkin and Asst. Chief Chris Ackley. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
The donation comes from the firefightersҒ benevolent fund—a non-profit charity organized in 1976 and administered on a volunteer basis by members of the department to support local charitable organizations.
The Iraq mailing gift came about from a chance encounter at a local supermarket where the firemen shop for their meals, according to a news release from the department.
Bakery worker Miriam Zalenski struck up a conversation with Lt. Chris Ackley, whose nephew recently returned from a tour of duty in Falluja.
The baker, along with a group of her friends, had been collecting and mailing items to the soldiers since the Vietnam conflict.
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Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
5 p.m. - TownHall Room 309/307 - Board of Selectmen
7 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Bugs and Balloons: The Love Bug’s Hug
Westport Fire Log Tuesday Aug. 24, 2004
6:53 a.m. 49 Clinton Ave., fire alarm
1790 Post Road East ֖ motor vehicle accident
10:03 a.m. 49 Clinton Ave., fire alarm
10:11 a.m. ֖ 605 Post Road East, motor vehicle accident
10:30 a..m. 204 Long Lots Road, fire alarm
11:49 a.m. ֖ Charcoal Hill Road, EMS call
12:08 p.m. Woody Lane, EMS call
12:13 p.m. ֖ 605 Post Road East, motor vehicle lockout
12:35 p.m. 100 Beachside Ave., car leaking gasoline
4:22 p.m. ֖ 52 Old Road, fire out
5:47 p.m. 45 Old Hill Road, fire alarm
5:56 p.m. ֖ 2 Pine Drive, fire alarm
7:05 p.m. Maple Avenue North and Hyde Lane, wires down
8:45 p.m. ֖ 6949 Main St., Trumbull, hazmat call
9:08 p.m. Whitney Glen Drive, residential lockout
Back-to-School, Labor Day Mean Increased Police Patrols, Sobriety Checks
With students about to return to school and the Labor Day holiday approaching, the Westport Police Department is launching a campaign aimed at increasing student safety and preventing alcohol-related accidents. 
This bus on Post Road East reminds drivers school begins Sept. 1 Ron Malone for WestportNow.com
Classes begin in Westport Sept. 1 and in the days leading up to that date, police will operate additional radar and selective enforcement details in school zones and along commuter routes, according to Lt. Dale E. Call.
In addition to the extra patrols, offices will follow elementary grade buses for the first three or four days of school, he said.
Coinciding with the stepped up student safety drive is a “You Drink and Drive, You Lose” public education campaign targeting impaired drivers.
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Westport Young Woman’s League Head Focuses on Technology and Members
The Westport Young Woman’s League is holding its annual membership drive led by its president, Joanne Heller.
At the same time, Heller, who was installed as the group’s 49th president in June, is focusing on improving the way the League is communicating with its membership and community through an improved Web site.
“Our members are very busy women,” she said. “I want to make it easier for them to get information about league events, upcoming fundraisers, and community service projects.
“The easier we make it, the more our members will be able to get involved.”
Heller, a Westport resident since 1993, has been a League member since 1996. The mother of three has a background in sales and has been active in Girl Scouts, PTA, and St. Luke Church.
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Monday, August 23, 2004
Ideal Sailing Weather
The ideal weather Sunday and Monday was just right for a sail on Long Island Sound off the Westport beachers. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Paul King Orchestra
Westport Fire Log Monday, Aug. 23, 2004
12:07 a.m. I-95 southbound exits 18-17, motor vehicle accident
12:16 a.m. ֖ Sturges Commons, EMS call
2:16 a.m. 255 North Ave., fire alarm
7:19 a.m. ֖ 52 Roseville Road, fire alarm
12:52 p.m. Sherwood Island Connector, EMS call
6:52 p.m. ֖ Coleytown Road, EMS call
7:32 p.m. 877 Post Road East, motor vehicle lockout
Farrell Adds Her Name to Memorial Book
Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell adds her name today to the guestbook accompanying a 1,400-pound granite memorial being pulled by 9/11 families and supporters from Boston to New York. Farrell addressed the group briefly during a stop at Taylor Place in front of the Westport Public Library. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
People Power
Pulling a 1,400-pound granite monument through Westport’s Taylor Place parking lot today was relatively easy for marchers pulling it from Boston to New York. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Honoring 9/11 Victims
Jun Yasuda, 56, sprinkles water on the Connecticut memorial to 9/11 vicitims at Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park today. She was among marchers who visited the park while pulling a 1,400-pound granite memorial from Boston to New York honoring “Unknown Civilians Killed in War.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
A Hard Pull at Sherwood Island
Members of 9/11 families pulling a 1,400-pound granite memorial from Boston to New York made a detour today to Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park to visit Connecticut’s monument there to 9/11 victims. They are shown pulling the memorial along a park roadway. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Compo Beach Spectacular
Saturday’s thunderstorms gave way to a spectacular sunset over Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Richard Barnett for WestportNow.com
Snacking
A curious doe takes a break from snacking on leaves on Westport’s Crawford Road.Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Monday, Aug. 23, 2004
6:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Make A Difference Day Committee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 307/309 - Board of Education anticipated executive session
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Library Board
Westport Fire Log Sunday Aug. 22, 2004
7:12 a.m. Main Street, EMS call
7:26 a.m. ֖ 174 Long Lots Road standby at Hunt Club event
8:50 a.m. ֖ 4 Pritchard Lane, fire alarm
10:22 a.m. 760 Post Road East, fire alarm
11:51 a.m. ֖ Long Lots Lane, EMS call
12:08 p.m. Forest Drive, EMS call
2:52 p.m. ֖ 11 North Ave., fire alarm
4:42 p.m. 136 Main St., fire alarm
4:58 p.m. ֖ 5 Bonnie Brook Road, fire alarm
5:27 p.m. Merritt Parkway northbound exits 42-44, MVA
6:07 p.m. ֖ Ambler Road, EMS call
6:23 p.m. Little Fox Lane, EMS call
11:35 p.m. ֖ Compo Road North, EMS call
Busy Day for Westport Police Marine Division
Today’s nice weather had many people heading into Long Island Sound, making for a busy day for members of the Westport Police Marine Division. Here members check out a dinghy moored off Cockenoe Island that had been empty for several hours. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
Paying Tribute
Participants in a Boston-to-New York march honoring victims of terrorism, violence and war pay tribute during a stop at Westport Fire headquarters today. The marchers, members of 9/11 families, rested a 1,400-pound granite memorial they are pulling at the fire facility overnight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
A Moment of Silence
A moment of silence is observed today at Westport Fire headquarters as members of 9/11 families pulling a 1,400-pound granite memorial honoring “Unknown Civilians Killed in War” made an overnight stop here on their walk from Boston to New York. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
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