Westport’s unemployment rate in February was 5.7 percent, the same as in January, the Connecticut Department of Labor said today.

The department said the number of Westport unemployed in February was 706, down from 713 in January.

The February labor force in Westport numbered 12,439, up from 12,414 in January, and there were 11,733 employed, up from 11,701 employed in January, it said.

The lowest Westport unemployment rate in recent years was 2.2 percent in December 2006, according to state records.

The Spotted Horse Tavern on Church Lane across from the Family Y will open Thursday with a cocktail party offering menu samples and champagne starting at 6 p.m. The restaurant formally opens on Friday with its full menu from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Located in the preserved and renovated 1802 federal-style Sherwood House, the restaurant is owned by Kevin McHugh and Tommy Febbraio, both Staples High School graduates who operate the popular Gray Goose Café in Southport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Four Long Island radio stations are to be sold to a Westport-based media company.

The radio stations, WKJY 98.3 FM, WBZO 103.1 FM, WIGX 94.3 FM, and WHLI 1100 AM, are being sold by their parent company, Massachusetts-based Barnstable Broadcasting to Westport-based Connoisseur Media for $23 million.

The deal was announced Monday and is expected to close in late July. Jeffrey Warshaw, Connoisseur’s chief executive, said in a statement that he was raised on Long Island and “grew up listening to these stations.”

Connoisseur Media LLC, with corporate headquarters at 136 Main St., currently has 22 radio stations in eight markets.

Westport’s unemployment rate in January was 5.7 percent, up from 5.1 percent in December, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

The December rate was the lowest since the 4.5 percent rate recorded in August 2008. A year ago in January, Westport had a 6.3 percent unemployment rate.

The lowest Westport unemployment rate in recent years was 2.2 percent in December 2006, according to state records.

The department said the number of Westport unemployed in January was 713, up from 651 in December.

John Vaccaro: third year in a row. Contributed photo

John Adama Vaccaro, founder and CEO of Westport Resources, an independent investment firm, has been selected one of 2012’s “Top 1,000 Financial Advisors” and the 12th top Connecticut advisor by the weekly financial newspaper Barron’s, company officials announced.

It was Vaccaro’s third year in a row making the 1,000 pick determined by data from more than 4,000 of the nation’s most productive advisors and on a state-by-state basis, according to Westport Resources.

The Barron’s rankings are based on assets managed, revenue produced and quality of practice, the latter including an evaluation of each advisor’s regulatory record.

Vaccaro, a Weston resident since 1983, founded Westport Resources in 1986. In Westport, he and his wife Cindy have been major supporters of the Westport Country Playhouse and its transformation from a summer to a yearround theater.

Doug Kniffin: IT and management background. Contributed photo

Westporter Doug Kniffin has been appointed vice president and chief information officer for the Bridgeport-based Aquarion Water Company, the public water supply for more than 590,0000 customers in 42 Connecticut municipalities, including Westport.

Prior to his promotion Kniffin served as the company’s purchasing director and chief information officer.

“Doug brings a wide range of valuable IT and management experience to Aquarion,” said Charles V. Firlotte, Aquarion president and CEO.  “He is a terrific manager of his staff, and the sophisticated IT environment he has built has made Aquarion an industry leader.”

According to Firlotte, Kniffin joined Aquarion in 2006,  covering all aspects of the company’s IT strategy, operations, development and security, as well as supply chain operations.

A new Indian restaurant, Indian Rasoi, will open by the end of the month at Bridge Square in Westport’s Saugatuck area, according to owner Prakash Nath (r). Nath, a Nepal native and now a Norwalk resident, said he owns three other restaurants in Connecticut – Methi in Fairfield (the name will soon change to Ban Thai), Navaratna in Stamford, and Ayuthai in Guilford.He said Indian Rasoi will seat about 32-34, have a full service bar and serve cuisine of India that is influenced by the north (“richer in flavor and milder”) and south (“more spicy.”) The name “Rasoi” is Hindi for kitchen. With Nath is his cousin, Paradeep Giri, who works with him. The site formerly was Henry’s Place and joins an Asian restaurant opening soon in Bridge Square. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Terrain Westport, the new Urban Outfitters Inc.-owned shop for eco-friendly growing supplies, home and garden décor, furniture, as well as locally sourced and prepared artisan foods, opens in May in the former Curran Cadillac space on Post Road East, according to an employment posting. The company said it is seeking workers, including a general manager, for its Terrain Garden Café whose menu “features a Farm to Table aesthetic, where we celebrate the best of locally-sourced, organic and in-season offerings in a beautiful greenhouse setting.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed graphic