Thursday, August 31, 2006
A Meeting of a Lifetime With Baseball Great Don Larsen
Westporter Donna Haupt tonight finally met her namesake, famed World Series perfect game pitcher Don Larsen almost 50 years after she was born. When Haupt’s parents attended the Yankees-Dodgers World Series game on Oct. 8, 1956, her mother went into labor. Her parents left Yankee Stadium before the end of the game and headed for Lenox Hill Hospital where at 6:58 p.m. she gave birth to a girl who they were going to name Melody but instead named Donna in honor of the historic athletic performance of Larsen. They met at Westport’s Legends of the Game sports memorabilia store on Post Road East where Larsen, 77, autographed baseball items. Haupt said the meeting fulfilled a lifetime wish. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Westport Emergency Workers Aid at I-95 Crash
Westport firefighters and EMS responded tonight to an accident in the northbound lanes of I-95 just north of exit 17. A woman was injured when her car hit the center median. The crash tied up northbound traffic for about an hour. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 29 Compo Beach Road
Westport officials are currently reviewing an application to demolish the house at 29 Compo Beach Road. The 1923-house is a colonial revival. It is listed on the Westport Historic Resource Inventory and is part of the Compo-Owenoke National Register Historic District. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Westport Beaches Reopen But Quickly Close Again
Westport beaches reopened briefly to swimmers today after a one-day closure because of high water bacterial counts but quickly closed again when the counts remained high.
State Department of Environmental Protection officials also closed Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park for the second day because of the high bacterial levels due to recent heavy rains.
Sue Jacozzi, director of the Westport Weston Health District, said the beaches were ordered closed after new tests showed the high counts and Westport’s marine police reported waters off the beaches were unusually murky due to the rains.
She said new tests were taken today and the reopening of the beaches to swimming would await the results.
Getting Ready for Opening
Michel Nischan (l), co-owner of the new Dressing Room Restaurant, works with Bryan Holick, a supervisor, on the final details of the new restaurant adjacent to the Westport Country Playhouse. The new restaurant, which Nischan co-owns with Paul Newman, is set to open on Oct. 3. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Save the Children Hosts Crochet Event
Save the Children crochets caps for newborns. Contributed photoSave the Children is hooking up with crocheters and knitters to raise awareness of the two million newborns that die within 24 hours of birth in developing countries.
Save the Children will host an event at its Westport office for people to crochet a baby cap that the agency will take to Washington in January with notes to the president. The effort is to show people are concerned about newborn deaths and want more done.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30-8 p.m. at the office on Wilton Road.
Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club and the Connecticut Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America are co-sponsoring the event, and those who attend will learn how to crochet a baby cap. A crochet hook, yarn and pattern will be provided.
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Westport Young Woman’s Leagues Names Uman President
Julie Uman: new president joined League 14 years ago. Contributed photoThe Westport Young Woman’s League has announced the appointment of Julie Buoy Uman as president for the 2006-2007 year.
Uman previously served as vice president where she provided leadership and guidance in projects associated with the group’s 50th anniversary, an announcement said.
A Westport resident for 27 years, Uman owned a retail store called Applewoods on Main Street—a connection with the community that prompted her desire to give back by joining the League 14 years ago.
Uman, who lost her husband, Jonathan, 33, in the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, feels a special connection to the League as the five-year anniversary of 9/11 approaches.
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A Seagull Picnic
The seagulls had some picnic tables to themselves Wednesday night at Westport’s Compo Beach. After days of rain and clouds, today’s forecast called for mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - Farmers Market
5:30 p.m. – Room 201 – Emily McLaury House Committee
8 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - “The Archbishop’s Ceiling”
Staples Students Average Over 1700 on SAT
The average Staples High School 2006 graduate scored 1735 on the new, longer version of the SAT, according to a College Board report.
The report—which includes a breakdown of scores by district across the state—was released Tuesday and shows the average score in the state was 1518.
In Westport, 319 Staples students took the test, which the report states is the entire senior class. Across the state about 75 percent of seniors took the SAT.
The 1735 score includes reading, math and writing. Without writing, a new separate section this year, the average Staples score was 1159, down from last year’s 1191.
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Getting a Tow
Sunnier weather meant boats were back out on Long Island Sound today. One, however, needed a tow back to Ned Dimes Marina from the Westport Marine Police after mechanical problems. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Having a Ball
Lifeguards at Compo Beach had some time to kick a ball around today with closure of Westport beaches because of a high bacterial count in the water. The beaches are expected to reopen Thursday. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Remnants of Erntesto May Cause Tri-State Weather Problems
(UPDATED) Remnants of Ernesto heading up the eastern seaboard may cause heavy rain, wind and possibly coastal flooding across Westport and the tri-state region this holiday weekend, the National Weather Service said tonight.
As of late this evening, the center of Tropical Depression Ernesto was located over the east coast of central Florida. The center of the storm will move northward into the Atlantic Ocean overnight.
The forecast calls for Ernesto to restrengthen to a tropical storm tonight before making another landfall near Charleston, S.C., Thursday afternoon. Ernesto will then weaken to a depression as it moves further inland across North Carolina and Virginia Friday, an evening advisory said.
Such a movement, according to the National Hurricane Center, is expected to bring the remnants of Ernesto into Pennsylvania during Saturday.
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Man Suffers Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Westport police officers and firefighters rescued a man from his Park Lane home today after he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
Police said the elderly man had suffered the poisoning because a car was running in the garage.
The man had accidentally left the car running Tuesday night, police said, and it had been running all night.
A visiting nurse came to the house and found doors that are normally unlocked to be locked, police said.
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Talking Transportation: Crunch Time for Metro-North
By Jim Cameron
Special to WestportNowFresh and rested from their summer vacations, commuters are in for a rude surprise when they board Metro-North trains this week—no seats, more overcrowding and problems with the AC.
Yes, better times are ahead. The new contract for the M8 cars has been signed and bonding money has been approved. But it won’t be until 2009 that even a prototype for the new cars is delivered for testing. So figure on 2010 before we commuters will actually ride in one.
Meantime, ridership on Metro-North continues to climb. It’s up 5 percent this year with no sign of it leveling off anytime soon. And those additional passengers are scrambling for seats on a dwindling number of rail cars.
July saw only eight trains out of 10 with enough cars, down from nine trains out of 10 last summer.
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Westport Property Transfers Aug. 21-25, 2006
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Aug. 21-25, 2006:
Todd Corp. to Connecticut Light & Power Co., easement, 505 Post Road East, $5,800.
Ann D. Jevne and Richard Dingee Sr. to Michael and Kathleen Gervasio, 15 Juniper Road, $1,250,000
Vivian Edelman and Eric Rosenzweig to Cook Properties LLC, 9 Greenbrier Road, $1,950,000
Michael Dougherty and Alison Stacy Fierce to Michael J. Kaplan and Holly E. Rush, 4 Riverview Road, $892,500
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Westport Beaches Closed to Swimmers Today
High bacterial counts in the water due to the recent heavy rains caused closure of Westport beaches to swimmers today.
A sign and flag at Compo Beach tell beachgoers there is no swimming today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Affected were Compo Beach, Old Mill Beach, Burying Hill Beach, and state beaches at Sherwood Island State Park.
Westport has received more than 9 inches of rain this month, according to one local weather station, with almost 7 inches in recent days.
Westport’s Parks and Recreation Department said the town closures were ordered by the the Westport Weston Health District which expected the beaches to reopen to swimmers Thursday.
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Coed Who Often Visited Westport Killed in Drive-By Shooting
A 19-year-old University of New Haven coed who often visited and stayed with a close friend in Westport was killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday night, police said.
A youth arrested in the Yonkers, N.Y. shooting of Jessica Santos, 17, of Tarrytown, N.Y., was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of second-degree murder
Anthony Burton, 17, of the Bronx also was arraigned on an unrelated criminal trespass warrant from a previous incident.
Santos, a criminal justice student who was supposed to start her sophomore year today at the University of New Haven, was struck by a single bullet Sunday night in Yonkers, according to the Journal News of White Plains.
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Golfing Through the Rain Drops
Heavy rains meant some flooded paths at Longshore Club Park on Tuesday, but it didn’t stop this couple from playing a round of golf. The rain that has soaked Westport the last few days is supposed to clear today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006
10:30 a.m. – Room 102 – International Hospitality Committee
2 & 8 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - “The Archbishop’s Ceiling”
HDC Feels Condos Threaten Gorham Neighborhood
The Historic District Commission listens to Gorham Avenue area residents comment on an application to build 20 condominiums in their neighborhood. The commission will file comments to the Planning and Zoning Commission stating that the project threatens the quality of the neigborhood and is not compatible with the other homes. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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The Westport Historic District Commission will file comments that it feels a proposal to build 20 condominiums in the new Gorham Avenue Historic District would threaten the quality of the neighborhood.
The commission met tonight to determine its comments to file with the Planning and Zoning Commission on the application for 296 Main St. and 5 Gorham Ave. The P&Z is scheduled to hold a hearing on Sept. 21.
The room was filled with residents from the neighborhood, but neither Richard Montanaro—who owns the property—nor his attorney Chris Smith was present.
Morley Boyd, a HDC member, read comments he had drafted on the application, and the rest of the commission agreed they should be the ones filed.
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A Run in the Rain
These young ladies had Westport’s Compo Beach to themselves late this afternoon as they went for a run in heavy rains. A pedestrian on Soundview Drive is more appropriately dressed for the weather. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo
Rell Will Attend 9/11 Ceremony at Sherwood Island
Connecticut’s fifth official ceremony marking the anniversary of the losses on Sept. 11, 2001, will be held Thursday, Sept. 7, at 5:30 p.m. at the 9/11 Living Memorial at Westpor’s Sherwood Island State Park, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced today.
The 9/11 Living Memorial overlooks Long Island Sound and is inscribed with the names of Connecticut residents who lost their lives.
Members of public are invited and encouraged to attend this official state ceremony in observance of the anniversary, the governor’s office said.
Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff will lead town officials at the ceremony.
Empty Beach
Continued heavy rains throughout Westport today meant an empty Compo Beach. The beach will be closed to swimming on Wednesday because of the heavy rains. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies on Wednesday. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Town Plan Workshop Scheduled
The Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled its next public workshop for input from Westport residents in preparing updating the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.
The session will be held on Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at Bedford Middle School.
The workshop’s intent is for exercises that will identify conservation issues and priorities for the plan update, including natural resource protection, open space preservation, history resource protection and community character enhancement.
“This plan is an important document which will be used to guide future conservation and development activity over the next decade and beyond,” said P&Z Chairwoman Eleanor Lowenstein.
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Westport Beaches Ordered Closed to Swimming Wednesday
The Westport Weston Health District has ordered Westport’s beaches closed to swimming Wednesday because of recent heavy rains, the town’s Parks and Recreation Department said today.
The rains have caused high bacterial counts in the water necessitating the one-day ban on swimming at Compo Beach, Old Mill Beach and Burying Hill Beach, the department said.
It said the beaches will reopen for swimming on Thursday.
The state Department of Environmental Protection announced that Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park beaches also would be closed to swimming.
Power Outage Hits Wilton Road Area
A mid-morning power outage hit Westport’s Wilton Road and Kings Highway North area today. Connecticut Light & Power Co. dispatched a crew to repair a popped breaker on a transformer. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
National Weather Service Issues Flood Watch
With some residents still drying out from heavy weekend rains, the National Weather Service today issued a flood watch for Westport and the tri-state area.
Weather radar at 8 a.m. shows storm approaching the tri-state area. Wunderground.com graphic
The watch is in effect through this evening, an early morning advisory said.
It said low pressure over the Ohio Valley will slide east towards the region along a stationary boundary just to the south. The front will become the focus for heavy rainfall to develop over the region this morning and continue into this evening.
The forecast for rainfall of 1 to 2 inches with locally higher amounts of up to 4 inches will likely result in flooding in low lying areas and in drainage and basement flooding, according to the weather service.
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Buses, Modulars Among Town Plan Topics
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School officials believe issues of modular classrooms, buses and athletic lights at Staples High School should be items touched on in the update to the town plan.
The Westport Board of Education met with Planning and Zoning Commission representatives Monday night to discuss school issues that should be included in the update of the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.
Board Chairwoman Mary Parmelee said some schools have short-term space needs, and over the years there has been a negative attitude towards modular classrooms.
“In general, sometimes they can be an ideal solution to a five- to 10-year space problem,” she said. “Our schools are built to last at least 50 years, and sometimes we need more space for a much less amount of time.”
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Looking for Treasure
The rain finally broke on Monday, and the sun peeked through during the afternoon. With the rain gone, people headed back to Westport’s Compo Beach, some looking for treasure. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006
6 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Westport Youth Commission Executive Member Planning Meeting
7 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Historic District Commission
8 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - “The Archbishop’s Ceiling”
Cleaning the Beach
A beach cleaner removes the rocks from the shore on Westport’s Compo Beach. The cleaner is used each morning throughout the summer months. Following the storms from last weekend, there were a lot of stones that had to be removed today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Gorham Avenue Application Postponed
The Westport Planning and Zoning Commission’s public hearing on an application for developing 296 Main St. and 5 Gorham Ave. has been postponed.
The hearing was originally slated for Sept. 7, but it has been postponed to Sept. 21, P&Z Director Laurence Bradley said today.
There were problems with the legal notice, he said, which caused the delay.
The Historic District Commission is still scheduled to review the application during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The application was filed under the state’s affordable housing statute and calls for 20 condominiums to be constructed on the property. Six of the units would be deemed “affordable.”
Landon Touches on Collaboration, Role Models
Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon addresses teachers during this morning’s Back to School Breakfast. School starts Sept. 5 across Westport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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The Westport School District welcomed back its teachers and staff today with the annual Back to School Breakfast.
New teachers were introduced in the crowded auditorium at Bedford Middle School and Jody Gross, a Coleytown Middle special education teacher, was honored for 25 years of service.
Additionally, the faculty met Fan Yan and Zhu Mei, two teachers visiting from China.
Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon remarked on how well teachers work together to move the district forward and how their work makes them role models for their students.
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Visiting from China
Fan Yan and Zhu Mei are visiting the Westport School District this year to teach, and they were introduced during this morning’s Back to School Breakfast for teachers. Yan is visiting from Westport’s sister city in China. Each year the school district hosts two teachers from China. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Realtime NY Metro-area traffic reports from Traffic.com
PROPERTY TRANSFERS
Westport Property Transfers Aug. 21-25, 2006MORE >>
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