Westport’s unemployment rate in January was 5.9 percent, up from 5.7 percent in December, the Connecticut Department of Labor said.

The January number equaled the rate of a year ago. The December rate was the lowest unemployment rate since April when it was 5.3 percent.

The department said the number of Westport unemployed in January was 722, up from 700 in December.

The January labor force in Westport numbered 12, 206, down from 12,312 in December..

There were 11,484 employed in January, down from 11,612 employed in December, the department said.

By Keith M. Phaneuf

www.ctmirror.org

Connecticut’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent to open 2013 after the state gained 4,700 jobs in January, the state Labor Department reported today.

And though public-sector job growth remains weak, more than 2,900 new professional and business jobs helped Connecticut reach a new employment high in its sluggish climb from the last recession. The new report shows the state has regained 43 percent of the more than 121,000 jobs lost in the last economic downturn.

“We are creating private sector jobs in Connecticut. We are growing the economy,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told a roomful of educators at the State Capitol today.

The jobless rate hit its lowest mark in January since June 2012, when it also stood at 8.1 percent. The unemployment rate hovered at or just below 9 percent for most of the second half of 2012 until solid job growth in December pushed the rate down to 8.2 percent.

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By James Lomuscio

Stori Tallman, manager of Spotted Horse Tavern—a year-old this month—on Westport’s Church Lane, says this is the first time her establishment is taking part in Restaurant Week sponsored by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, and in less than two days, she is already seen an increase in customers.

“A lot of people have been calling to participate,” Tallman said about the event that began Sunday and runs through Saturday, offering discounted gourmet lunches and dinners at more than 20 restaurants around town. (Participating restaurants [PDF].)

“They come to participate, they get to know us, and they will come back,” she added. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”

Beyond the added business through $15 three-course lunches and $30 dinners, Tallman noted the event “benefits the town,” the bin placed near the entry being a reminder.

Aquarion Water Company said today it has notified the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority of its intent to increase water service rates on customers by roughly 16.8 percent.

The increase would amount to an additional 24 cents per day on the average customer’s bill, adding up to $26.9 million in increased revenue, a news release said.

Aquarion officials said the Bridgeport-based company has invested more than $143 million in critical water infrastructure upgrades since the last price increase.

“The importance of these infrastructure investments is underscored by our system’s exemplary operating performance during the last four major storms,” the release said. “In fact, in the recent blizzard only 25 households, within a served population of 625,000, were inconvenienced briefly.”