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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

After 15 years, The Avenue Gallery, specializing in framing antique maps and nature prints, has relocated from 117 Post Road East to Norwalk’s 173 Main St., in the former Brandman Paint distribution center. In an email to WestportNow, owner Diana Wyant said, “It was hard leaving Westport, but my clients were having issues with the lack of parking.”  She said she retains the same phone number, (203) 227-5062. Signs in the window say the space will be taken over by Alex and Ani, a jeweler described on its website as offering “eco-friendly, positive energy products that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/15 09:00 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Artist Eduardo Agelvis (r) of Venezuela, whose work is on display at the Westport Arts Center’s “SOLOS 2013” exhibit, shared his creativity today with youngsters at the Center. They worked on a painting he is donating for auction at the Center’s Art Noir Ball 2013 on Saturday at the Steel Shed in South Norwalk. With him are Westporters Paige Vernik, 8, Sarah Kelly, education fellow, Zac Mathis, 10, Danielle Ogden, the Center’s director of education, and Heather Vernik, mother of Paige. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

05/15 07:21 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Westport Board of Selectmen today approved two new pop-up dining applications for the downtown area—Bobby Q’s on Main Street and the new Cru restaurant opening in the basement of 125 Main St. with its entrance on Parker Harding Plaza. Bob LaRose, owner of Bobby Q’s said he hoped to be up and running for the May 23 Art About Town street party sponsored by the Westport Downtown Merchants Association. Pictured is Bobby Q’s temporary outdoor dining facility erected during the 2011 Art About Town event. The new Bobby Q’s pop-up will be narrower—since there will traffic flowing—and take up two parking spaces. Cru co-owner Steve Prokop said he is aiming for a June opening with the pop-up to debut on Parker Harding Plaza soon after. Currently, Acqua Ristorante Mediterraneo on Parker Harding Plaza and La Villa Trattoria restaurant on Bay Street have pop-up cafe approvals downtown. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

05/15 06:44 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

It was a good day today for sailing the waters of Long Island Sound off of Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

05/15 06:42 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Westport Police Department today added two experienced recruits—one a third-generation Westport officer—bringing it to full strength for the first time in many years, according to Chief Dale Call. First Selectman Gordon Joseloff swore in James H. Baker III (l), who comes from the Fairfield Police Department where he has worked since 2009, and David Scinto, a police officer in Orange since March 2012. Baker’s father, James H. Baker, retired as a Westport police detective in 2006. The younger Baker’s grandfather, Joseph MacAleenan, is a retired Westport police lieutenant and was the first chief of police in Weston. It is the first time in department history that three generations have served on the force. Scinto’s father, Leonard, is a 29-year veteran of the Trumbull Police Department where he is a sergeant detective. They replace retiring offficers. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/15 03:36 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The house at Westport’s 158 Compo Road South was demolished today. Built in 1900, the two-story colonial had 1,248 square feet, was situated on a .75-acre property and changed ownership in June, 2012 for $615,000.  It was the WestportNow Teardown of the Day on March 30, 2012. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/15 01:49 PM Comments (1) • Permalink •  

Public Works Director Stephen Edwards announced today that the Westport Public Works Department will be performing the annual roadside pesticide spraying for weeds around guide rails and areas overgrown with invasive weeds beginning Monday.

Residents with questions regarding locations or product being sprayed should contact the Public Works, Highway Division at (203) 341-5085.

05/15 12:19 PM Comments (13) • Permalink •  

AccuWeather.com said today residents and homeowners on the Atlantic coast still recovering from Storm Sandy should anticipate another active season in 2013.

Its long-range team predicts 16 named tropical storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, the private weather service said. Of these, three are predicted to make landfall in the United States.

AccuWeather.com said the season may begin quickly this year with development in the Caribbean in June. It also said it is predicting strong storms this year with a strength of category 2 or higher and that areas along the East coast to the Gulf of Mexico are at risk for impacts from a tropical system.

Warm water across the Atlantic and Caribbean, paired with less frequent wind shear, may result in an above-normal number of storms, AccuWeather.com said. The normal number of named tropical storms in a given year is 12, according to NOAA.

More "AccuWeather: Anticipate Another Active Storm Season"

05/15 09:44 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

A green scene along Westport’s North Avenue. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

05/15 12:15 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - “SOLOS 2013”
10 a.m. - Westport Public Library - Women Talk Business: Best Social Media Strategies
2 p.m. and 8 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - “The Dining Room”
3 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Board of Selectmen Public Hearing (live coverage cable channel 79, AT&T channel 99, and westportct.gov)
4 p.m. - Westport Public Library - ChessClub (grades k-12)
7 p.m. – Room 201/201A – Conservation Commission (live coverage cable channel 79, AT&T channel 99, and westportct.gov)
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Paul Ferrante, “Last Ghost at Gettysburg”
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Citizens Transit Committee
7:30 p.m. – Westport Public Library – Westport Public Library Board

See more events:  Celebrate Westport Calendar

05/15 12:05 AM Comments Closed • Permalink •  

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Westport Young Woman’s League today presented 19 financial grants totaling $31,000 to Westport-based charities at its annual ceremony at its 44 Imperial Ave. meeting site. The event included a $10,000 Super Grant to CLASP Homes. The recipients include: A Better Chance Westport, Al’s Angels, First Night, Home Delivered Meals, Home with Hope, ITNCoastalCT, Levitt Pavilion, Project Return, Service League of Boys (SLOBs), Staples Softball Booster Club, Staples High School Tuition Grants, Westport Department of Human Services Campership, Families in Need, Mentor Programs, Project Go, Westport Library, and Westport Volunteer EMS. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/14 09:28 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Westport’s Dragone Auctions will hold its second annual auction of rare autos at its showroom and auction gallery, 176 Post Road West, on Friday, May 31. 

This original unrestored supercharged 1934 Model J Duesenberg Continental Touring Berline with coachwork by Rollston is among items offered. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Among classic cars offered will be the last original unrestored supercharged 1934 Model J Duesenberg Continental Touring Berline with coachwork by Rollston. It is expected to bring between $1.5 million and $2 million, an announcement said.

It will be among more than 60 important investment quality historical vehicles never offered to the public for sale before, according to the auctioneers. Previews will begin May 30 and the morning of May 31 with the auction starting at 3 p.m.

“This year we are offering an incredible assortment of cars that have been stored away for decades,” said Manny Dragone, the president and chief executive of Dragone Classic Motorcars.

More "Dragone Classic Car Auction Set for May 31"

05/14 08:23 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Westport Rotary Club today honored nine Westport area residents for service to the Rotary Club and Rotary International with Paul Harris Fellowship awards. The award, named for the founder of Rotary International, honors those who exemplify the Rotary ideal of “service above self.” Pictured (l-r)  are Jim Donaher, Stew Leonard, Jr, Bill Meyer, Judy Renacia, Joey Romeo and Jim Marpe, chair of Paul Harris Foundation.  Missing from the photo are Baxter Urist, Marilyn Glick, Dan DeVito and Terry Monk of Milford. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/14 04:45 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

In its annual Charitable Giving Day, the Westport Rotary Club today honored 22 local charitable organizations with grant award checks. In addition, distribution of funds was directed to Dengue Fever prevention in Indonesia, the NicaPhoto Literacy Program in Nicaragua, and the Wesport Weston Family Y Rotary Pavilion. The funds were raised in the past 12 months by the club primarily through two annual fundraisers — its June Golf & Tennis Classic and in September its Lobster Fest at Compo Beach. This year’s Golf & Tennis Classic, conducted at the Longshore Club Park, is scheduled for June 5. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/14 04:43 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Town of Westport today trimmed $3.8 million from its debt service costs over the next decade through the sale of refunding bonds, First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff announced.

The $29.3 million refunding bonds, which replace debt issued in 2003, will ensure annual budget savings between $420,000 and $425,000 each year from fiscal 2014 to 2022, he said. The sale was approved at a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Bond Committee.

The town’s total debt outstanding now stands at $134,649,530 as of June 30.

In his March 6 budget message, Joseloff said six refundings since 1999 had already generated a net-present value savings of $4.5 million.

More "Westport Trims Debt Service by $3.8M"

05/14 03:31 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

A woman driver was injured today when the car she was driving rear-ended another vehicle in front of 735 Post Road East, witnesses said. Traffic was tied up in the area between Long Lots Road and Roseville Road. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/14 03:15 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Leonard Everett Fisher: noted artist learning drawing from his dad.  Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

The grand marshal of this year’s Westport Memorial Day parade on May 27 is Leonard Everett Fisher, a renowned artist and World War II veteran whose mapping abilities helped plan major military campaigns of the war.

The announcement was made today by William Vornkahl, president of the Westport Veterans Council.

Fisher, 88, had been an art major at Brooklyn College when he enlisted in the Army on Dec. 1, 1942. He learned how to use instruments for mechanical drawing at a young age from his father, a ship designer whose work included the noted naval vessel, USS Arizona.

He spent the war years with the highly classified operations section of the Army’s 30th Engineer Battalion (Topographic) assigned to the staff of Gen. George C. Marshall and later with Joint Intelligence Center Pacific Ocean Area.

More "Memorial Day Grand Marshal is Leonard Everett Fisher"

05/14 11:56 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The women’s apparel and accessories store Chico’s will reopen Thursday at 61 Main St, according to an employee. It has been closed since Storm Sandy last October—the last Main Street holdout from storm damage. Chico’s was also closed due to the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene in late August 2011, reopening in November 2011. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/14 10:48 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The U.S. flags were back on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge in Westport’s center today, just in time for Memorial Day on May 27. The flags are flown during good weather months and will remain on the bridge until after Labor Day. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Bob Eckman for WestportNow.com

05/14 09:45 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

8:15 A.M. – Town Hall Room 309 – Downtown 2020 Committee
8:30 a.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Human Services Commission
10 a.m. - Westport Public Library - Jobseekers: Energize Your Job Search
10 a.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Arts Advisory Committee
10 a.m. – Town Hall Room 102 – Westport Transit District Board of Directors
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - “SOLOS 2013”
10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - PageTurners: “The Murder of the Century” by Paul Collins
7 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Historic District Commission
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Architectural Review Board
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Auditorium – Zoning Board of Appeals (live coverage cable channel 79, AT&T channel 99, and westportct.gov)
8 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - “The Dining Room”

See more events:  Celebrate Westport Calendar

05/14 12:05 AM Comments Closed • Permalink •  

Monday, May 13, 2013

By James Lomuscio

A new party candidate for the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) will appear on the ballot in November, according to Michael Nayor, a Westport attorney and town resident for 36 years.

David Press: former Republican P&Z member. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Nayor said today that he was recently informed by the Secretary of State’s office that the Coalition for Westport (CFW) has met all the legal requirements to have a line on the ballot.

Nayor, a Democrat, said that a likely candidate will be David Press, a former P&Z commissioner and a former Republican who is now unaffiliated. Press, who worked with Nayor to form the CFW and was listed as its spokesman, did not respond to calls. The new party could also field other candidates as well.

According to Town Clerk Patricia Strauss, the next step will be for the state to return the signatures on the party petition to her office. She will then verify that the more than 40 signers are Westport electors, after which the petition will be returned to the Secretary of State’s office making it official.

More "New Party Likely to Run David Press for P&Z"

05/13 10:41 PM Comments (1) • Permalink •  

A Westport-based weekly television travel series, “Born to Explore with Richard Wiese,” has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards -– for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Achievement in Single-Camera Photography. The weekly half hour series, which airs Saturday mornings on most ABC stations and is in its second season, is produced by Explorer Films in a cozy production space on Main Street above Bobby Q’s. Host Wiese (l), a Weston resident, was busy recording voice-overs there today. The Daytime Emmy Awards winners will be announced on June 14 in Los Angeles. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

05/13 06:06 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Town of Westport has been notified that the Bridge Street swing bridge, whose official name is the William J. Cribari Memorial Bridge, will have intermittent closures on Thursday between 9 a.m. and noon for repair work.

There will two closures of approximately 30 minutes each. During this time, the bridge will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 

The contractor, Cianbro Construction Co., will be making repairs to the mechanical and electrical components of the bridge, said First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.

Signs and markings for detour routes will be posted, Joseloff said.

05/13 05:51 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Joie, a women’s apparel store, has opened at 48 Post Road East, next to Tiffany & Co.. The Westport location is its eighth stand-alone shop and its first in Connecticut, according to an employee. Other Joie shops include two in New York City, on Madison Avenue and in SoHo, as well as in souther California at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island and on Melrose Avenue. The business was founded in 2001 and is based in downtown Los Angeles.. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/13 04:59 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Joette Katz, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, told the Westport Weston Y’s Women today she gave up an 18-year career on the state’s Supreme Court to take the job because she felt strongly she could make a difference. “I was 58 when I was offered the job,” she said of the invitation in 2010 from newly elected Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “It was a difficult decision. I could have stayed as a Supreme Court judge and retired at the mandatory age of 70.” Katz told a meeting at the Unitarian Chuch: “I had told my children ‘the greatest risk in life in not taking one.’” She said her agency overseas 36,000 children and 16,000 families. “While we are making a lot of progress, we still have a lot to do,” she said. Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

05/13 04:16 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The Westport Republican Town Committee (RTC) said today it is seeking candidates interested in running in November for various boards and commissions, including the Board of Education, the Board of Finance, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Board of Assessment Appeals.

The RTC’s Board and Commissions Nominating Committee will be chaired by 2012 GOP candidate for U.S. Congress Steve Obsitnik, and will begin interviewing qualified candidates for office this month, an announcement said.

The committee will make recommendations on candidates for nomination to the full Republican Town Committee, which will vote on the nominations at its July 16 meeting.

Registered Westport Republicans who are interested in learning more about the positions available or wish to be considered for a nomination should contact Desiree Soli, chairwoman of the Westport RTC, at (203)400-2773 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

More "Republicans Seek Candidates"

05/13 02:59 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The construction activity in Westport’s Saugatuck section today included not repairs to the Bridge Street Bridge, work on the Saugatuck Center development, but also up on the roof at Bridge Square. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Bob Eckman for WestportNow.com

05/13 11:51 AM Comments (1) • Permalink •  

By Jim Cameron

What’s $1.5 million a mile? The cost of building a new lane on I-95?  Hardly! That’s more like $20 million. No, $1.5 million a mile would be the cost of building new sound barriers on that crowded highway, according to testimony by the commissoiner of Connecticut’s Department of Transportation. (CDOT).

This won’t win me many friends among my neighbors in Darien, but I just don’t see that they should be asking the government to subsidize their peace and quiet. After all, most of them bought houses near the highway benefiting from speedy access to the roadway and should have known full-well that being that close would subject them to noise.

Do you have sympathy for those who buy homes near airport runways, then complain about the jets? Neither do I.

The first sections of what became I-95 were built in Darien in 1954, long before most current residents came to town. Sure, traffic has increased on I-95 over the years. We are well over the planned capacity of this interstate highway. But thinking the solution to highway noise is to create a walled concrete canyon through our coastal communities paid for by others, is just selfish and short-sighted.

More "Talking Transportation: Sound Barriers A Waste of Money"

05/13 11:31 AM Comments (6) • Permalink •  

Artists Janine Brown (l) and Nina Bentley show off their runner-up certificates in the Friends of Hall-Brooke 11th annual Mother Day’s Art Sale held Saturday and Sunday. Top prize went to the late artist and writer Tracy Sugarman. The show was curated by Westport artist Miggs Burroughs and judged by Helen Klisser During, director of visual arts at the Westport Arts Center. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

05/13 11:22 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The state Department of Transportation shut down the Bridge Street Bridge, whose formal name is the William F. Cribrai Memorial Bridge, again today as repairs on the bridge continued. The bridge will be closed until 3 p.m. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

05/13 10:27 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

UPDATE The Bridge Street Bridge, whose formal name is the William F. Cribrari Memorial Bridge, is closed today until 3 p.m. due to repairs.

The bridge reopened at 2:55 p.m.

05/13 09:36 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

The 9th annual Circle of Friends Dinner and evening of recognition of teen volunteers took place Sunday at Beth Israel of Westport/Norwalk. The program, founded and directed by Freida Hecht, serves children and young adults with special needs. Among dignitaries attending the event, which attracted more than 300, were U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Ricard Moccia of Norwalk, and First Selectwoman Gayle Weinstein of Weston. First Selectman Gordon Joseloff of Westport was unable to make it but sent his congratulations to Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht (l). (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo by Leon Bernstein Photography.

05/13 09:10 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

Spring colors in Westport’s center near the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

05/13 12:15 AM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - “SOLOS 2013”
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Bob Steele, “The Curse: Big-Time Gambling’s Seduction of a Small New England Town”
7:30 p.m. – Staples Cafeteria B – Board of Education Public Meeting (live coverage cable channel 78, AT&T channel 99, and www.westport.k12.ct.us)
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201/201A – Parks & Recreation Commission

See more events:  Celebrate Westport Calendar

05/13 12:05 AM Comments Closed • Permalink •  

Sunday, May 12, 2013

A driver who fled a three-vehicle accident on I-95 involving a state trooper’s vehicle was captured tonight after a chase involving state police tracker dogs, according to reports from the scene.

The incident occurred on I-95 southbound near the Hales Road overpass in Westport shortly before 10 p.m., the reports said.

Initial reports said the driver who fled hit the trooper’s car while he was investigating an earlier accident. Westport police assisted in setting up a perimeter around the area.

A Westport ambulance was summoned to treat someone with a dog bite outside a home on Greens Farms Road shortly after the suspect was reported captured, the reports said.

05/12 10:50 PM Comments (0) • Permalink •  

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Comings & Goings: Westport Auction to Saugatuck P.O.

Comings & Goings: La Boutique Debuts on Post Road East

COMMUNITY

Hurricane Sandy Relief: How to Help

Volunteers Move the Election Process Along at Town Hall

HEALTH & FITNESS

Experts Discuss Effects of Trauma on Children

New Tick-Borne Disease in Southern Connecticut

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Schools Set Screening for ‘At Risk’ Preschoolers for June 7

RTM Approves $117.38 Million School Budget

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New Party Likely to Run David Press for P&Z

Republicans Seek Candidates

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Comings & Goings: Westport Auction to Saugatuck P.O.

Westport Property Transfers April 29 - May 3, 2013

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Staples Softball Edges Fairfield Warde 3-2

Soleil Shines at Gymnastic Championship

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Our New Year’s Gift to Readers

WN on the Scene: Africa Up Close

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Note: WestportNow Publisher Gordon F. Joseloff is also First Selectman of Westport