Thursday, July 31, 2008
Michael McDonald stars in Levitt Fund-Raiser
A sell-out crowd heard singer and songwriter Michael McDonald tonight at the Levitt Pavilion annual summer fund-raiser. He is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the Doobie Brothers, performing and recording with Steely Dan, and for several hits as a solo artist and collaboration with others.He performed renditions of his hits from the Doobies such as “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “Little Darling,” “It Keeps You Runnin,’” “Minute by Minute,” and “What a Fool Believes,” which became a No. 1 single and earned him a 1980 Grammy Award for song of the year. Proceeds from the fund-raiser help pay for more than 50 free nights of Levitt entertainment. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Dining on Jesup Green
A gala cocktail reception and dinner under a tent on Jesup Green preceded tonight’s Levitt Pavilion fund-raiser featuring Michael McDonald. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Woody Lane Accident Sends One to Hospital
A resident of Westport’s Woody Lane suffered an arm injury today in an accident involving his car and a landscaper’s vehicle on his street. The man was transported by Westport EMS to Norwalk Hospital. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Lauren Goodman for WestportNow.com
Board Votes to Declare Compo Mill Dog Dangerous
Three members of Westport’s Dangerous Dog Hearing Board—(l-r) Dr. Joan Poster, Susan Smith, and Ann Marie Flynn—today surveyed the Compo Mill Home of a dog neighbors petitioned to be declared dangerous because of involvement in fights with neighboring dogs and biting of an owner. The board later voted 2-1 to declare the dog dangerous, making it subject to strict restrictions, including that it be muzzled outside of its home or secure enclosure, and that a sign be erected warning of the presence of a dangerous dog. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Westport Man Pleads Guilty in $1.5 Million Embezzlement
A Westport accountant pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hartford today to embezzling $1.5 million from two firms over a two-year period for his personal use.
Noel D. Lara, 40, of 25 Saugatuck Ave., who was arrested by Westport police in May, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud. (See WestportNow May 13, 2008)
Lara, who worked for two Connecticut companies, admitted that he used company money to fund personal expenses including the purchase of designer watches and clothing, finance payments to motor vehicle companies and investments in stocks
U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant ordered Lara to be sentenced on Oct.17 at which time he faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of $3.1 million, as well as an order of restitution to his victims.
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Freed After Half Hour Trapped in Elevator
Westport Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Maloney welcomes Eduardo Evangelista, a construction worker from Danbury, upon his release from an elevator in which he was trapped for approximately a half hour today at 274 Riverside Ave. following a power failure in the Saugatuck area. A woman trapped in a second elevator was also rescued after half an hour. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Power Outage Hits Saugatuck Area
UPDATE A power outage hit parts of Westport’s Saugatuck area today, affecting at its peak about 750 customers, a utility spokesman said.
The traffic light at Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street was among those affected by today’s power outage. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Some customers were restored within an hour of the 1:15 p.m. outage, but it took almost six hours for full restoration, the spokesman said.
Areas affected included Riverside Avenue, Saugatuck Avenue, the Bridge Street area and parts of Saugatuck Shores, according to the Connecticut Light and Power Company official.
Cause of the outage appeared to be a cable failure involving the Compo substation at Compo Road South near the railroad underpass, the CL&P spokesman said.
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Getting Ready for Tonight’s Levitt Gala
Westport’s Taylor Place was closed today as preparations were under way for tonight’s Levitt Pavilion fund-raising gala. In late afternoon, organizers said the concert was a sell-out and no tickets would be available at the gate. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Tiger Girl
Lindsey Baldwin, 5, of Westport shows off her tiger face Wednesday night at the Levitt Pavilion. Chrys Dawid of Connecticut Face Art paints faces every Wednesday at the Levitt before and during the performance. Numbers are handed out and each child selects the desired effect from a face chart. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Lynn U. Miller for WestportNow.com
Thursday, July 31, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Westport artist Howard Munce
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Group Show Part I: A-K
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “Westport Library Looks Back at 100 Years” exhibit
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “A Town’s Treasures” photo exhibit by Tom Krestch
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Westport Country Playhouse - Westport Farmers Market
2 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Sizzling Summer Film Series: “Rally ‘Round The Flag, Boys!” (1958)
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Be a Myth (grades 3 & up)
5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Pre-Concert Gala Cocktail Party and Dinner
6 p.m. – 35 Old Mill Road – Dangerous Dog Hearing Board Field Trip
6:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 102 - Dangerous Dog Hearing Board
7 p.m. - Toquet Hall Teen Center - Sidewalk Dave w/ Aeroplane 1929, Hugo, Extra Parachutes & Midi, and the Modern Dance
7 p.m. – Town Hall Auditorium – Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session (live coverage cable channel 79 and westportct.gov)
7 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Sherwood Mill Pond Committee
9 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - SOLD OUT: NO GATE TICKETS AVAILABLE - Summer Gala Concert Levitt Pavilion fund-raiser: Michael McDonald
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Hot Peas ‘N Butter Cook Up Bi-Lingual Sound at Levitt
Performing at Westport’s Levitt Pavilion for the first time tonight, Hot Peas ‘N Butter, a multi-cultural bilingual five-piece band and dancer, entertained a large audience of all ages. Their entertaining lyrics comprised of interchangeable Spanish and English encourage youngsters to become familiar with bilingual sounds and vocabulary. The group, which appears regularly on the Noggin TV network catering to preschoolers, was founded in 2000 by the Latino duo of Bronx-raised Frank Cotto (l) and Brooklynite Danny Lapidus (c). They met at the LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts in Manhattan. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Hello Dolly Doggie
Dolly, named for Dolly Parton, proudly shows off her Dolly Parton hair-do today while strolling near Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Women Power
Seen from the Westport’s Kings Highway Bridge, two women paddle their gentleman passenger down the Saugatuck River today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Residents Urged to Check Swimming Pool Drain Outlets
Town of Westport Building Department Director Steve Smith today urged swimming pool owners to make sure a drain cover is installed in all swimming pool suction outlets to avoid entrapment of swimmers, especially children whose smaller bodies can be sucked toward the system. Smith referred to a tragic incident in Greenwich in July 2007 in which a 6-year-old boy drowned when he became trapped in a suction outlet. Smith said residents with questions about suction outlet drain covers should call the Building Department at (203) 341-5025. “Keep an eye on your kid in the pool,” Smith said. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Kayak Class
Learning to kayak was a popular activity today at Westport’s Longshore Sailing School. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Drawing the Line
Now that many of Westport’s downtown streets have been repaved, Curtis Cocco and Chuck Corners of the Westport Highway Department were busy today measuring, marking and painting new lines and crosswalks. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Monarchs are Back
A Monarch butterfly was spotted on some flowers at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Susan Thomsen for WestportNow.com
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Westport artist Howard Munce
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Group Show Part I: A-K
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “Westport Library Looks Back at 100 Years” exhibit
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “A Town’s Treasures” photo exhibit by Tom Krestch
5 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 – Board of Selectmen (live coverage cable channel 79 and westportct.gov)
7 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Hot Peas ‘n Butter
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Rush Limbaugh Recalls 20 Years Ago With Westporter
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh marked his 20th anniversary on the air today by recalling a 1988 interview with Westporter Miggs Burroughs on a public access channel. “Back then I was willing to appear anywhere to promote the program.” Limbaugh told his audience. “There was a TV show on Connecticut public access TV called Miggs B on TV, and the host was Miggs Burroughs, and he interviewed me, and he said, ‘You have a segment called ‘The Homeless Update.’ You’re misunderstood. I mean, that segment’s misunderstood. Your whole point of it is misunderstood a lot.’” Rushlimbaugh.com photo
Westport Beaches Fare Well in Cleanliness Study
Westport’s beaches fared well in a new report issued today that says Connecticut’s beaches were cleaner in 2007 than in 2006 but that more work needs to be done.
The 18th annual beach water quality report issued by the National Resources Defense Council said there were 108 closings and water advisory days in Connecticut in 2007 compared to 224 in 2006.
Fairfield County had the most closing and water advisories in 2007 in the state, mostly due to contamination from storm water, the report said. Storm water carries pollution from the streets to the beach without treatment whenever it rains.
Of beaches which exceeded Connecticut’s daily maximum bacterial standards, Compo Beach exceeded them 2 percent of the monitored period in 2007 and Burying Hill Beach zero percent, the report said. No data was available for Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.
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Officer Down
A 24-year-old female Bridgeport police officer biking on a charity ride with 20 other Bridgeport officers on Westport’s Post Road East today was injured when she apparently hit a bump and flew over the handlebars. Westport EMS transported her to St. Vincent’s Hospital following the 11 a.m. accident in front of 1351 Post Road East near Morningside Drive. There was no word on her condition. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Scooter Savings
Bicycles and scooters are becoming more plentiful on Westport roadways as the price of fuel has soared. Westporter Julie Cochran says her Yamaha motor scooter gets about 60 miles to the gallon when she uses it for errands to the library and around town. She always wears her helmet. “My 2-year-old son tells me ‘to wear my helmet’ when I go out,” she says. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Saugatuck Lights
Lights at dusk along the Saugatuck River in Westport’s center on Monday. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Westport artist Howard Munce
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Group Show Part I: A-K
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “Westport Library Looks Back at 100 Years” exhibit
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “A Town’s Treasures” photo exhibit by Tom Krestch
7 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201/201A – Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session (live coverage cable channel 79 and westportct.gov)
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Abaca Duo
Monday, July 28, 2008
Compo Beach Lifeguards Win Lifeguard Triathlon
Westport’s Compo Beach lifeguards celebrate tonight after winning first place in both the men’s and women’s divisions of the Mid-Fairfield County Chapter American Red Cross Lifeguard Triathlon at Compo. The relay event included a half-mile swim, a 1.5 mile run, and a half-mile rescue board race. Other lifeguard squads competing included Norwalk, New Fairfield and Springfield, Mass. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jack Harder for WestportNow.com
Enthusiastic Library Audience for Author Andre Dubus III
Author Andre Dubus III signs copies of his latest novel, “The Garden of Last Days,” at the Westport Public Library tonight following a talk to an enthusiastic audience. Dubus, whose previous novel “House of Sand and Fog” later became a movie, talked about his life and work. His new book focuses on one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, a dancer and a regular customer at the Florida strip club visited by the terrorists in the days before they committed their catastrophic crime. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Keeping Cool
This golfer didn’t seem daunted as she found herself under the cool spray from an automatic sprinkler system today on the putting green at Westport’s Longshore Club Park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Aftermath of Heavy Rains
A tree fell onto power lines on Sturges Highway near Meeker Road today resulting in a closure of Sturges Highway starting at the nearby Catamount Road intersection until the tree could be removed by a utility crew. Heavy rains over the weekend resulted in a number of trees on wires and trees down in Westport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Clouds Part and Sunset Comes Through
The clouds parted for a little while Sunday night so the sunset came through at the Ned Dimes Marina at Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Westport artist Howard Munce
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Arts Center - Group Show Part I: Last names A-K
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “Westport Library Looks Back at 100 Years” exhibit
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Westport Historical Society - “A Town’s Treasures” photo exhibit by Tom Krestch
7 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – RTM Environment Committee
7:30 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Authors@the Library: Andre Dubus III, “The Garden of Last Days”
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Westporter Brooks Jones, Producer, Dies at 73
David Brooks Jones, a producer and director who rejected Broadway to devote himself to regional theater, including starting and directing Pepsico Summerfare at the State University of New York at Purchase, died on July 15 at his Compo Mill home in Westport, The New York Times reported in its Monday edition. He was 73.
The cause was heart failure, his sister, Gloria Jones Borden, said, according to the newspaper.
The university provided 500 acres of lawns and gardens and four indoor theaters to Summerfare, and Pepsico contributed money (ultimately millions of dollars). But it was Jones who provided vision and direction for a 1980s summertime cultural happening that lasted a decade — and considerably longer in the memory of many visitors, the Times said.
He attracted major acts, from Henny Youngman to the Royal Hanneford Circus to the Feld Ballet, but it was his exuberant mix-and-match, something-for-everyone sensibility that defined the festival, the newspaper said.
Catching Up
Doug Sheffer and Vera Zavoico Cole, members of the Staples High School class of 1968, do some catching up today during 40th reunion festivities at Westport’s Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ann Sheffer for WestportNow.com
Staples Class of ‘68 Reunion: It Doesn’t Seem Like 40 Years
Memebers of the Staples High School class of 1968 gathered at Westport’s Compo Beach today under threatening skies as part of their 40th anniversary weekend festiivities. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ann Sheffer for WestportNow.com
Democrat Jim Himes: “Education is the Whole Ballgame”
Democrat Jim Himes, who is seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Christopher Shays in the 4th Congressional District, brought his campaign to Westport today in a 90-minute town meeting at the Westport Public Library. Himes, a Greenwich businessman, said he is emphasizing energy, health care, and education in his campaign. Calling for better schooling especially in the nation’s cities, he said: “Education is the whole ballgame—it’s national security.” Himes, who faces a primary challenge Aug. 12, said he expects to begin debates with Shays after Labor Day. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com
Packing Up Before the Storm
Visitors to Westport’s Compo Beach hurriedly packed up this afternoon as thunderstorms moved into the area. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
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