If You Leave Voice Mail for Diane, it May Not Have to be Made Public
If youve held off leaving a voice mail message for First Selectwoman Diane Farrell because you feared it might become public, your concerns may almost be over.

The AP reports that the State Senate today passed a bill that would exempt public officials from having to transcribe voice mail messages to comply with public information laws.

In 2002, the state Freedom of Information Commission ruled that voice mail communications relating to the conduct public business are public information and must be retained.

But lawmakers said it would be too burdensome for public officials to transcribe voice mail messages.

Sen. Robert Genuario, R-Norwalk, said he doesn’t believe constituents think they are becoming part of the public record when they call a legislator or first selectman about an issue, according to the AP.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for further action. If the governor signs the bill into law, the change would take effect on Oct. 1.

04/24/2003 01:50 am Comments (0) • Permalink

Providence Journal: I-95 in Fairfield County is Highway from HellӔ
Todays Providence Journal minces no words about the 50-mile stretch of I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven. It calls it ғa highway from hell that is ԓan abyss of congestion and structural decay.

And, in an editorial headlined ԓRibbon of Hell, it says former Gov. John Davis Lodge of Westport, who pushed for the highway over the objections of Westporters and others, shares some of the blame.

The newspaper noted that when the highway was conceived in the 1950s as the “Ribbon of Hope,” Route 95 west of New Haven was designed to accommodate 90,000 vehicles a day but today bears more than three times that.

ԓToday, the highway is a pitted wreck of lanes narrowed for construction, the Journal said. ԓThe devil himself could not have better designed the faded lane lines near Bridgeport that direct unwitting drivers right into Jersey barriers.

The newspaper said, ԓThe road’s entire history is touched with a kind of gothic horror. Its official name is the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike. Governor Lodge had pushed the project in the ‘50s, over the objections of his rich neighbors in Westport and nearby.

The suburbanites were so incensed at a giant new highway cutting within a mile of their coast that they helped defeat Mr. Lodge in his 1954 bid for re-election. (The loss reportedly contributed to a nervous breakdown.)Ӕ

The newspaper, after citing additional woes about the highway, including the fact that it has 54 exits serving 50 miles of road, said Connecticut officials have no choice but to confront the congestion with energy and new thinking.Ӕ

It added: Paralysis on the interstate now threatens the economy of southwestern Connecticut.Ӕ

04/24/2003 01:02 am Comments (0) • Permalink

NBC has set Monday, May 19, for the premiere of its made-for-television movie about Martha Stewart starring Cybill Shepherd.

Called, “Martha Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart, the film is based on a book by Weston author and New York Post business columnist Christopher Byron. (See WestportNow story on March 15.)

TodayԒs New York Post reported that the movie portrays one of Westport’s most famous residents in an unflattering way – as a difficult perfectionist whose compulsion to succeed drove off her husband and may have led her into the insider-trading scandal in which she is currently embroiled.

It said to promote the movie, the network’s cheeky publicists this week mailed a nutcracker and two walnuts to TV critics – along with a videotape.

ӓThe utensil and pair of nuts are meant as an unmistakable metaphor for Martha – a symbol introduced late in the TV movie, just after she wrests control of her magazine from the male potentates of Time Warner.

Westport Police Aid in Baby Seal Rescue
Animal rescue calls are not that unusual for Westport police. But the one that came in Tuesday was a bit out of the ordinary a ֓seal in distress call at Old Mill Beach.

The arriving officer radioed headquarters that he had found what appeared to be a baby seal on the beach, and that the seal was ԓalert and conscious, a term usually used to describe humans in need of help.

The officer added that he wasnԒt quite sure what action to take next.

After some consultation at headquarters, police decided to check with the Mystic Aquarium and the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. The seal was removed to the Norwalk facility for later transfer to Mystic.

The episode was so unusual that the Bridgeport-based Connecticut Post, a daily which no longer covers routine news in Westport, leaving it to its co-owned semi-weekly Westport News, ran a brief item about the rescue.

Update: The Hour reported that the seal was transferred Wednesday to the Mystic Aquarium where it may have to undergo surgery.

04/23/2003 10:42 am Comments (0) • Permalink

Army Corps of Engineers to Set Hearing on Controversial Oyster Plan
The Army Corps of Engineers, responding to hundreds of complaints, will hold a hearing in June on a controversial plan to harvest oysters from Long Island Sound off of Westport using cages suspended above the bottom.

Recreational boaters say the plan, if approved, will severely impact the ability to hold sailboat races in waters off of Westport as well as pose possible safety concerns.

Cori Rose, a senior project manager for the Corps in Concord, Mass., told WestportNow that the hearing has been scheduled in response to about 500 comments received about the plan, most of them in opposition.

She said no exact date or location has been set for the meeting, but it will be held sometime in June somewhere between Westport and Milford.

The aquaculture company seeking the oyster farming permits has also applied for permission to work waters off of Milford.

Westporters concerned about the plan will meet Tuesday evening at Town Hall under the auspices of the Boating Advisory Committee.

Rose said the public comment period on the application by Mariculture Unlimited LLC, owned by Westport obstetrician John Garofalo, which had been set to expire April 17, has been extended.

She said the public hearing date and place will likely be set in early May as it must be noticed at least 30 days in advance.

04/21/2003 18:01 pm Comments (0) • Permalink

When is a Colonial not a Colonial? Ask Matthew Schoenherr
Westport architect Matthew Schoenherr knows a few things about Colonials.

Among them—how to transform a Colonial from being a stiff, boring house utterly unsuited to modern life to an elegant, understated house that respects history but has all the requirements for modern family life.

At least that’s according to today’s Detroit Free Press which published an upbeat review of Schoenherr’s new book, Updating Classic America: ColonialsӔ (Taunton, $29.95).

It said the book by the principal in Z:Architecture on Jesup Road was engaging and illuminating.Ӕ

The newspaper quoted Schoenherr as saying that despite the tendency of real estate agents to call every two-story house a Colonial, they really are not.

And as for houses known as a “builder’s Colonial,” the Free Press said Schoenherr was diplomatic in his comments, although many other architects are not. “The proportions are just wrong,” he said.

04/21/2003 14:13 pm Comments (0) • Permalink

Connollys Out, The Vine Mediterranean Grill & Pizza In
Another familiar Westport restaurant is gone, soon to be replaced by an upscale pizza place.

ConnollyҒs Restaurant and Taproom, a longtime fixture on Post Road West on the corner of Sylvan Road South, closed down suddenly earlier this month.

The restaurant, once known as Connolly’s The Seafood Steak House, was marked by its distinctive green and white striped awning.

A sign on the window tells visitors soon opening in its place will be The Vine Mediterranean Grill & Pizza.

We will be closed April 14-29 for minor renovations,Ӕ the sign says. Once again we thank you for your faithful years of patronage at ConnollyӒs Taproom and we look forward to seeing you at our new establishment.

The sign said the new restaurant would offer a weekend breakfast buffet, a Sunday brunch, an all-you-can-eat selection plus ԓfree online home and business delivery services. The sign gave an Internet address which is not operational.

A workman who answered the phone at the former ConnollyԒs said The Vine would be under new ownership.

04/21/2003 13:20 pm Comments (0) • Permalink

Staples Grad Sean Mulcahy Named Tri-Captain of Huskies Footballers
Staples grad Sean Mulcahy has a new honor to add to his long list of honors tri-captain of the University of Connecticut football team.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Mulcahy, a 6-foot-6, 295-pounder who graduated from Staples in 2000. “It’s an honor, especially coming from the players and the coaches.֔

Mulcahy has never missed a game at UConn and has started the past 26.

Along with the defensive tackler, two other seniors were named Saturday as captains of the Huskies—defensive end Uyi Osunde and wide receiver Shaun Feldeisen.

04/20/2003 22:23 pm Comments (0) • Permalink