Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Sponsors

Cops: Energy Drink Booster Busted

Officers arrested a Bridgeport man for boosting energy drinks from Stop & Shop in November, police said today.

WestportNow.com Image
Branden Betas: recognized on tape. Westport Police photo

According to Lt. Farrell, officers arrested Branden Betas, 24, on an active warrant Friday night at the Newtown Police Department where he was being held.

Farrell said that Stop & Shop surveillance Nov. 26 showed Betas placing energy drinks into a bag and leaving the store without paying.

Store security positively identified Betas because he was arrested at the Bridgeport Stop & Shop for a similar crime, police said.

Comings & Goings: Espresso Bar to RR Place

WestportNow.com Image
Winfield Street Espresso & Panini Bar has opened at 4 Railroad Place opposite the Metro-North Westport station in space formerly occupied by Bonjo coffee. Owner Breno Donatti, a Norwalk resident, also owns Winfield Deli, 69 Winfield St., Norwalk, which opened in 1925 by the Buono family who still own the building. Donatti is the prior owner of Bistro 7, Wilton. He said the Westport shop offers Bonjo espresso and coffee, daily baked fresh pastries and breads, and specializes in three lunch sandwiches made with their homemade ciabatta, overstuffed Italian combo, mozzarella caprese and a Parma prosciutto with mozzarella. He said both the Norwalk and Westport locations offer catering services. Pictured is manager Venlich Aguilar. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

‘Snow Moon’ Rises

WestportNow.com Image
The full “snow moon” rises over Westport’s Compo Beach Monday night. According to the Washington Post, naming full moons is a Native American tradition. This month’s full moon is the “snow moon” because it tends to be the coldest, snowiest month of the year. Individual tribes have their own names for each full moon moon. For example, the Comanche call the February moon the “sleet moon,” and the Lakota call it “the moon when the trees crack because of the cold.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Laurel Sheck for WestportNow.com

Cable, Satellite TV Balk at Paying for New ‘Civic Network’

By Mark Pazniokas

www.ctmirror.org

The cable and satellite television industries are lining up against a proposal for a new State Civic Network that would provide unprecedented cable and streaming video access to the legislature, courts and other aspects of public life in Connecticut.

WestportNow.com Image

Streaming video is a disruptive technology that has given rise to “cord cutters” who have abandoned cable in favor of Netflix, Hulu and other web-delivered video programming. But the industries’ objections center on old-fashioned profit, not new technology: They are being asked to pay for the new venture.

The legislature is considering a bill that would empower the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to assess a charge on the state’s one million cable and satellite subscribers to pay for live and archived video coverage of civic life on a far larger scale than now provided by CT-N, the state-funded cable channel.

Industry representatives say the new State Civic Network proposed by the founders and operators of CT-N would be a valuable service, but they question the rationale for financing it through what proponents say would be a modest fee on their customers, probably around 40 cents per subscriber.

Click here for more of story

Tuesday, February 23, 2016


10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Westport Arts Center – “Enid Munroe: Artist & Alchemist”
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Westport Historical Society – “Window to Westport’s Past & Present”
11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. – Westport Library – PageTurners: “Northanger Abbey”
1 p.m. – Town Hall Room 201 – Village District Study Steering Committee
1:30 p.m. – Westport Library – Advanced Writing Class
4 p.m. – Westport Library – Drop-in Tech Help
6 p.m. – Westport Library – Business Special: Last Minute Tips for Completing Small Business Tax Return
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 309 – Zoning Board of Appeals (live coverage cable channel 79, AT&T channel 99, and westportct.gov)
7:30 p.m. – Town Hall Room 102 – RTM Library Museum & Arts Committee

See more events:  Celebrate Westport Calendar

Govs Ask for Money to Combat Opioid Crisis

By Ana Radelat

www.ctmirror.org

Washington – The nation’s governors who have gathered here for an annual conference, have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the epidemic of opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems.

WestportNow.com Image

The governors also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis. Some of the governors on the front line of the opioid epidemic seem also to be in the vanguard to fight it.

At a White House roundtable today, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts said his state has approved legislation that requires all graduates of the state’s medical and dental schools to take a course in pain medication management before they graduate.

Massachusetts also has set curriculums, especially for coaches at middle and high schools, that teach students and their parents about the benefits and risks of opioid medication.

Click here for more of story

Intersection Realignment Project Under Way

WestportNow.com Image
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) has begun work on the reconstruction and realignment of Compo Road North at the intersection with Main Street and Clinton Avenue. First step is tree removal, which will be completed by the end of the week, according to a CDOT inspector. He said about 50 trees are being removed as part of the project, which will include the installation of turning lanes, new traffic signals, and an upgraded drainage system resulting in greater traffic safety, the inspector said. During work hours, vehicle traffic is limited to one alternating lane. The town outlined the specifics of the project in December. (See WestportNow Dec. 8, 2015) (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Arthur F. Cutter Jr., 88

Arthur F. Cutter Jr. of Indianapolis, a former longtime resident of Westport, died Jan. 15. He was 88.

He was born to Arthur F. Cutter Sr. and Julia Mary Oravecz in South Ashburnham, Mass. on June 25, 1927. He graduated from Cushing Academy in June of 1944. The next day he joined the Army Specialized Training Program and was sent to the University of New Hampshire and Norwich University to study basic engineering.

Next was Camp Blanding, Fla. and finance school at Fort Benjamin Harrison. From then he went on to Paris, Bremen, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark where he was with the American Legation. He was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant in 1947. In 1954, he married his wife of 61 years, Dorothy-Ann (Swan) Cutter.

He graduated from Syracuse University School of Architecture in 1956, where he was a member of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity and was elected to the Gargoyle Society, an architectural honorary. He was a member of the AIA and the NCARB.

Calling All Makers

Organizers of Westport’s Mini Maker Faire have announced its “Call for Makers,” an invitation for creative and innovative individuals and groups to apply to participate in the fifth annual Mini Maker Faire.

WestportNow.com Image

The event is set for Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westport Library and on adjacent grounds.

Produced by Remarkable STEAM in partnership with the Westport Library, the Mini maker Faire is Connecticut’s largest event focused on creativity and innovation, organizers say.

Remarkable STEAM, Inc. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) is the leading Connecticut nonprofit organization that promotes innovation and creativity in specified areas.