Month: May 2020 - Page 20 - Westportnow.com

Friday, September 22, 2023

Estelle Goldman, 99

Estelle “Stemmie” Goldman, a resident of Westport for 60 years, died Feb. 16 at home. She was 99.

Stemmie Goldman: longtime Westporter. Contributed photo

Stemmie lived a full and exceptional life. One characterized by determination, strength, poise, and optimism. Stemmie was loving and caring and always showed great interest in whomever she was with.

She treasured entertaining family and friends in her Westport home.

She was born in Fall River, Massachusetts. one of four children to Samuel and Rebecca Kapstein. She was raised in Brookline and graduated Framingham Teachers College in 1941. In 1943, Stemmie married the love of her life, Bob Goldman.

As Jobless Rate Soars, State Sets Rules for Reopening Businesses

By Gregory B. Hladky and Mark Pazniokas

www.ctmirror.org

Retailers, hair cutters, offices and other businesses shuttered in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic are about to get detailed guidance on changes they must make before reopening on May 20, the first steps toward what state officials warned today would be a slow economic recovery.

Gov. Ned Lamont and his advisers outlined some of the granular details about what the new normal will look like in Connecticut hair salons and stores on the same day that the U.S. Department of Labor reported the loss of more than 20 million jobs in April, pushing the U.S. jobless rate to nearly 15 percent.

David Lehman, the state’s commissioner of economic and community development, said he had no immediate estimate on what the May 20 openings might do to improve employment in Connecticut, where more than 400,000 jobs were lost in the instant recession caused by COVID-19 closure orders.

“My expectation is that it’s going to happen very slowly,” Lehman said.

Letter: Yale Expert Sets Record Straight on COVID-19

To the Editor:

I am a Westport resident. I also have the privilege and honor of serving as the Chief Quality Officer for the Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health System, the largest health care provider in the state of CT.

As a resident and public servant, I feel obligated to respond to Fred Kuehndorf’s letter to the editor entitled, “Letter: ‘Giving Into Fear’ Re Keep Beach Parking Lot Closed” posted on Westportnow.com on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Mr. Kuehndor’s interpretation of the publicly available data on the COVID pandemic, as well as his citations of various news blogs, are inaccurate and do not reflect the opinion of subject matter experts at Yale, or at any other health care organizations (i.e. CDC, WHO, DPH).

Unequivocally, COVID-19 is much more invasive and fatal than influenza. Preliminary data suggests the mortality rate of COVID-19 global is between 1-4%.

Westport COVID-19 Cases Up by Two, Deaths Up 1 at 19

Westport’s COVID-19 case count increased by two at 258 while there was one more death at 19, state officials said today.

Hospitalizations statewide and in Fairfield County were again down. Hospitalizations statewide were at 1,336, down 49 while the Fairfield County number was 439, down 30 in the last 24 hours.

The statewide death toll was 2,874, up 77, while Fairfield County was 1.006, up 29. The number tested was 120,541, up 4,367.

For the first time, the state released the number of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals—5,413.

Marpe Issues Update on Town and COVID-19, Other Issues

First Selectman Jim Marpe provided the following message and updates today:

This week has been a good one in Westport. The rate of growth for confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to slow, and across the state, the number of hospitalizations continues to fall.

The RTM passed the town and school budgets for fiscal year 2021, resulting in an overall increase of less than half of a percent. The town’s triple A rating from Moody’s has been reaffirmed.

We are also pleased to announce that the town’s tax collections this fiscal year are on target and have not been significantly impacted by the virus. As a reminder, you have until May 22 to apply for a COVID-19 related tax deferment on your April installment payment.

Westport Property Transfers April 20-24, 2020

Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period April 20-24, 2020:

Janet B. Foster to James D. & Julie V. Lothrap, 17 Hickory Drive, $539,000

Melissa L. Saphier to Janet B. Foster, Unit 10, 220 Riverside Ave., $399,000

Lee S. & Jodie A. Mysel to Jacob Daniel Raats, 34 Burr Farms Road, $2,050,000

Garden Club Launches ‘Friday Flowers’ Campaign

The Westport Garden Club today launched Friday Flowers (#FridayFlowers), a campaign to brighten the spirits of fellow residents with flowers.

Beginning today, members will share pots and bouquets of colorful flowers placed at various locations around town each Friday.

The first “flower bombing” appears at the Saugatuck Congregational Church, where the club’s annual plant sale is held annually the Friday before Mother’s Day. Due to COIVD-19, this year’s sale has been canceled.

“The goal of Friday Flowers (#FridayFlowers) is to encourage a love of gardening while respecting the current limitations of public interaction,” an announcement said.

Woman’s Club Seeks Non Perishable Food Items

The Westport Woman’s Club seeks non perishable items for its Food Closet.

Since 1975, the club has provided an emergency food distribution program for locals in need under the leadership of Westport’s Department of Human Services.

‘With employment on ‘pause’ and household quarantines a new reality for many residents during this current health crisis, the Food Closet has served an increased need and demand for assistance,” an announcement said.

The U.S. Postal Worker’s Food Drive, held each May that restocks The Food Closet, was also canceled this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linda Palmer, 72

Linda Yolanda Palmer of Monroe, a former Westport resident and loving mother and grandmother, died April 22 of complications from coronavirus. She was 72.

Linda Palmer: former Westporter. Contributed photo

Linda spent most of her life as a homemaker, cooking delicious food and caring for the people she loved. She was kind, gentle, and charitable—a family woman who had a special gift of seeing only the good in people.

She was born Nov. 21, 1947, and raised in Westport, graduating from Staples High School.

She spent her last few years in Monroe, living with her daughter and son-in-law, Yolanda and Stephen Kostenko. She enjoyed her essential role in helping raise her grandchildren, Kyle and Alyssa, who called her “Grangra.”