Monday, August 09, 2004
Another Crash at Post Road East and North Compo
No one was injured today in a two-car crash at the intersection of Post Road East and Compo Road North in Westport at about 8:20 a.m., but the incident tied up traffic in the area. It is the same intersection where singer-actress Eartha Kitt flipped over her SUV last Thursday after colliding with another car. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Picture Perfect
The weekend clear skies and low humidity produced some good picture-taking opportunities, including this scene at Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Monday, Aug. 9, 2004
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Parks & Recreation Commission
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Zoning Board of Appeals
Red Barn Kitchen Fire Doused
A small grease fire broke out today in the kitchen of the Red Barn restaurant on Wilton Road but was quickly extinguished by an automatic wet chemical system, fire officials said.
The 1:30 p.m. blaze did not cause any significant damage and no one was injured. The restaurant was not evacuated.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Westport Water Wrats Triumph in “Swim Across the Sound”
Westport’s YMCA Water Wrats swim team took first place in the relay event of Saturday’s 15-mile “Swim Across the Sound” fund-raiser to support cancer treatment and screening. 
Westport YMCA Water Wrats Keenan Koss, 16, of Fairfield, and Frisk Driscoll, 17, of Westport were part of the winning relay team. WestportNow.com photo
Dozens of swimmers participated in the event that started in Long Island and ended in Bridgeport.
Christina Bladek, 17, of Easton, was captain of the Westport team, the relay victor for the second year in a row.
Keenan Koss, 16, of Fairfield, touched the platform for the Wrats on the Bridgeport side.
Four Westport residents joined them on the team Dave Platow, Frisk Driscoll, Chris Halstead, and Anna Smith.
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Sunday, Aug. 8, 2004
7 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Joe Carter, Brazilian jazz quartet
Family Kite Flying at Compo
Today’s cool temperatures (high in the low 70s) kept many people off the sand at Compo Beach but one family found the day’s cool breezes perfect for some kite flying. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Eartha Kitt: “Range Rover Saved Me from Injury”
Legendary singer-actress Eartha Kitt says the superior construction of her Range Rover is what saved her from being injured in Thursday’s rollover accident in Westport, the New York Post reported today. 
Eartha Kitt describes Thursday’s accident to Westport police officer Anastasia DeLuca. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) 2004 WestportNow.com
The 77-year-old Weston resident was returning from a jog on the beach when her SUV was “nipped in the derriere” and flipped over at Post Road East and Compo Road North, she told the newspaper.
She and her two toy poodles were shaken up but not seriously injured.
The Post Friday published exclusive photos of the accident from WestportNow.
“Thank God for that car. I don’t think I’ll ever drive another,” Kitt said.
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Friday, August 06, 2004
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2004
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Pete Muller and Friends
Easton Road Crash
One person was injured tonight when his car bounced off a tree near 87 Easton Road and skidded to a rest along the roadside. He was treated by Westport EMS for his injuries which were not life threatening. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Falling Tree Closes Greens Farms Road
A tree fell across Greens Farms Road near No. 116 today, shutting down the roadway until Westport Public Works Department crews could clean it up. There were no injuries. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Another Burying Hill Dawn
WestportNow readers apparently find Westport’s Burying Hill Beach a good place to watch the dawn come up. So we present the second view this week of the scene by another WestportNow reader. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Pirates of Westport for WestportNow.com
Friday, Aug. 6, 2004
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Miss Babs and the Kickin’ Boogie Band
First Night Westport/Weston 2005 Planning Underway
With a little less than five months to go before New Years Eve, planning is well underway for First Night Westport/Weston 2005. 
Rozanne Gates, the new executive director of Westport/Weston First Night, has spent the last three months talking to musicians, artists and volunteers, putting together the program of events.
Designer Miggs Burroughs has completed the design for the new Westport/Weston First Night button, a bright yellow high-five hand that welcomes in 2005.
And Webmaster Ed Fitzgerald is putting the finishing touches on the First Night Westport/Weston 2005 Web site, which is scheduled to go live Aug. 15. The eveningҒs 10-hour schedule of events is available at www.firstnightww.com.
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Neighbors Renew Their Opposition to ARS Application
Neighbors opposed to development of the former F.D. Rich property in northwest Westport said today they are prepared to mount a new campaign against the project.
The Partrick Wetlands Preservation Fund Inc, responding to a report that ARS Partners Inc.of Fairfield has filed a new application with the town, said in a statement that “the residents of Westport and Norwalk are ready to again defend our natural resources, our open space and our communities.”
The group said that ARS “had the opportunity to lessen the impact on the wetlands and surrounding neighborhoods with their new application, but stridently resubmitted the same proposal for 22 clustered houses on nine acres.
“They clearly chose not to hear what over 2,500 residents had been calling for; less development, more open space, the protection of the Partrick Wetlands and a stop to the sewer extension from Norwalk.”
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Singer Eartha Kitt Injured in Westport Accident
Legendary singer Eartha Kitt, 77, of Weston, was slightly injured today when her SUV collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Post Road East and Compo Road North in Westport and flipped over. Witnesses said she did not appear to seriously hurt.
Westporter Kitt Shapiro takes charge of poodles belonging to her mother, Eartha Kitt, after the singer was involved in a two-car accident today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) ©2004 WestportNow.com
Kitt, who was alone in her Range Rover with her two toy poodles, was talking animatedly with police, fire and Westport EMS personnel moments after the accident, according to a WestportNow photographer.
She was placed on a stretcher and transported to Norwalk Hospital where she was later released.
The driver of the second vehicle, a 2002 Mercedes, declined medical attention but complained of aches and pains.
Kitt’s toy poodles, Mutzi and Aba, did not appear to be injured. Kitt’s daughter, Westport resident Kitt Shapiro, arrived at the scene shortly after the accident and took custody of the dogs.
Police said the accident was under investigation.
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Singer Eartha Kitt Injured in Westport Accident
Singer Eartha Kitt, 77, of Weston, was slightly injured today when her SUV rolled over following a collision with another vehicle at Post Road East and Compo Road North. Kitt, who was alone in her vehicle with her two toy poodles, was transported to Norwalk Hospital by Westport EMS and later released. Neither the driver of the second car nor Kitt’s dogs were injured. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) 2004 WestportNow.com
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Westport’s Arlene Scanlan Readies Broadway-Bound Play
Westport’s Arlene Scanlan, whose love for music began at New York’s Julliard School of Music and Music and Art High School, is producing her first Broadway-bound venture, “Two Cities, The Musical.”
Based on Charles Dickens’ epic novel “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Two Cities” will run for 10 performances beginning Thursday, Aug. 19 and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 29 at Stamford’s Rich Forum.
Scanlan’s Peaceful Nights Productions, LLC is presenting the two-piano musical about the redemptive powers of love in partnership with Stamford Center for the Arts.
It has a libretto by Chad Hardin and a score by Hardin and the late Dan Schillaci. The cast of 23 Broadway actors is directed by Lenore Shapiro and musical directed by Larry Pressgrove.
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Thursday, Aug. 5, 2004
7 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning & Zoning Commission
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Ingvar Estrada, lyric tenor
Playhouse Launches 75th Season Ticket Sales, Name-a-Seat Program
The Westport Country Playhouse has launched its 75th season ticket sales for next summer as well as a fundraising “name-a-seat” program to help pay for its $17 million renovation now underway.
Joanne Woodward promotes Playhouse “name-a-seat” program. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Priority seating for renewing and new subscribers is available through Dec. 31, according to an announcement.
“We thank our audience for joining us this summer for our season on the road,” said Joanne Woodward, the Playhouse’s artistic director.
“Every road trip includes a homecoming, which we’re planning now for next year.”
In the summer of 2005, the Playhouse will produce four plays in its newly renovated home running mid-June through early September.
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Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2004
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
4 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Beautification Committee
7 p.m. Town Hall Room 309 - RTM Finance, Public Protection and Compensation Committees
7 p..m. - Levitt Pavilion - The Magic of Lyn
Staples Project Hit by Third Gas Line Break This Year
Westport firefighters stand by as utility crews shut down a gas line hit by construction workers today at Staples High School. It was the third time this year that the $74 million renovation and expansion project has been halted by a broken gas line. There were no injuries. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Workers Hit Gas Line at Staples, Third Time This Year
Workers hit a high-pressure gas line today at the Staples High School construction site, shutting down the $74 million renovation and expansion project until the line was turned off, fire officials said.
It was the third time a gas line has been struck this year at the school during the project.
Project manager Susan Chipouras said workers hit the line as they were installing a light pole just to the north of the new addition.
Gas crews were on the scene quickly and shut down the line soon after the 3:20 p.m. incident occurred. There were no injuries.
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Monday, August 02, 2004
Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Administrative Review Committee
11 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201A - Planning & Zoning Fence Committee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Shellfish Commission
7 p.m. - Community Theatre, Fairfield - Westport Country Playhouse Film Series presents a conversation with Keir Dullea after a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”
8 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Representative Town Meeting (live cable coverage channel 79)
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Gary Nichols and the Ballistic Bovine Boys
Hanging at Bedford
Westport artist Howard Munce was at Bedford Middle School today with Mollie Donovan for the hanging of “Fall Outfit,” a work he painted in 1993 that is a colorful and witty image of a football uniform. “Fall Outfit” completes a quartet of sports paintings that hang in the entrance lobby to Bedfords gymnasium. The Howard Munce sports paintings are part of the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
UPDATE: Rell Briefs Farrell, Other Municipal Leaders on Security Situation
Gov. M. Jodi Rell briefed Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell and other Connecticut municipal leaders today on the states stepped up security measures.
Rell made a conference call to Farrell and leaders of many of the stateҒs other 169 communities in mid-afternoon following threats to financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
Also on the call were Fire Chief Denis McCarthy, Police Deputy Chief David Heinmiller, and Judy Nelson, director of the Westport Weston Health District.
Farrell did not disclose exactly what was discussed, but Rell told reporters in Hartford that her call with municipal leaders and corporate executives concentrated on measures Connecticut is taking following the new threats.
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Police, Fire Investigate Mercury Spill in Mailbox
Westport police and fire units today investigated a mercury spill inside a drop off mailbox on Richmondville Avenue.
Fire and police officials said the spill was discovered by a postal employee at about 12:05 p.m. as he was making a pickup from the box at 49 Richmondville Ave., where several businesses are located.
How the employee knew the substance was mercury was not explained, but fire and police were notified.
Also responding were representatives of the U.S. Postal Service as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection.
“The scene was isolated because of a hazardous material spill,” said a police statement said. “The spill involved the interior of the drop box and the area around the box. The incident is under investigation at this time.”
Connecticut Commuters Note Stepped-Up Security
Metro-North New Haven Line commuters today noticed increased security following new warnings of a possible terrorist attack on financial institutions in New York, Washington, D.C., and Newark, N.J.
Connecticut state troopers rode the rails and unformed police toting assault rifles were seen in Grand Central Terminal as commuters arrived during the morning rush hour.
The government acted on intelligence that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge called alarmingly specific, but he said officials could not tell whether an attack might be imminent and he encouraged people to go about their business.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she asked state police to increase surveillance and security on trains and highways running between Connecticut and New York. She also asked state troopers to increase truck inspections at all weigh stations.
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Sunday, August 01, 2004
Monday, Aug. 2, 2004
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - RTM Employee Compensation Committee
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Golf Advisory Committee
Burying Hill Dawn
Cloudy skies were the order of the day today as dawn broke over Westport’s Burying Hill Beach. Today’s forecast was for showers and thunderstorms this morning, becoming scattered in the afternoon with locally heavy rain possible, highs in the lower 80s. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004
7 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Richard Thomas and Friends
Good Day for Sailing
Today’s sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a nice breeze made for a perfect day for sailing Long Island Sound off of Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Friday, July 30, 2004
Saturday, July 31, 2004
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Ash Creek String Band
Long Lots School Parking Lot Expansion in High Gear
Work on the expansion of the Long Lots Elementary School parking lot is underway. The parking lot in front of the school is torn up, and the adjacent property purchased by the town for the project is being graded with two large excavators. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Julia Mally for WestportNow.com
Town Picks Up Martha Stewart’s Rocks in Sweep of Turkey Hill Road South
As if Westport’s Martha Stewart doesn’t have enough problems, today she got one more town employees picked up the rocks she and her neighbors had placed in front of their homes to discourage parking and to protect their roadside grassy areas. 
Westport public works employees today removed rocks along Turkey Hill Road South, including some in front of Martha Stewart’s house. Left photo was taken July 8, the one on the right today. Alan Beasley photo/WestportNow.com photo
“I got orders from my boss to pick them up and that’s what I did,” said Scott Sullivan, superintendent of the Highway Division in the Department of Public Works.
Sullivan, whose boss, Public Works Director Stephen Edwards is on vacation, said the town acted after publication of a letter July 21 in the Westport News complaining that the rocks along Turkey Hill Road South were a danger to cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, and snowplows.
A neighbor tipped off Stewart—who was not at home at the time—to what was happening and she called the town attorney’s office to complain, according to a Town Hall source. Her stones had reportedly been imported from her property in Bedford, N.Y.
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