Monthly Archives: August 2020

Pics Of The Day #1232

Posted on August 31, 2020 | Comments Off on Pics Of The Day #1232

2 Compo Beach photographers; 2 views; 1 idea:

(Photo/Rowene Weems)

(Photo/Elizabeth Haynes)

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Roundup: Halloween, VFW, WCP, More

Posted on August 31, 2020 | 1 comment

No one knows what Halloween will look like this year. Besides, we’re still a week away from Labor Day.

But — as regularly as Starbucks rolls out pumpkin spice latte — a Halloween store has popped up in Westport.

This was is in Compo Shopping Center. It replaces Olympia Sports.

Although I’m sure on November 1, it too will be gone.

Two Westport non-profits have received Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit grants.

The Joseph J. Clinton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 399 grant will pay for roof improvements and energy conservation. The Westport Country Playhouse grant will go toward driveway and parking lot paving, and HVAC hardware replacement. have received grants provided under the Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit program.

Both organizations received help from the town of Westport, in their applications to the state Department of Revenue Services.

VFW on Riverside Avenue

And finally … happy 75th birthday, Itzhak Perlman!

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MoCA Offers Pod Learning Program For Kids

Posted on August 31, 2020 | Comments Off on MoCA Offers Pod Learning Program For Kids

Distance and hybrid learning is a challenge for everyone.

MoCA Westport wants to help.

A new “Pod Learning Program” provides supplemental educational support to Westport students, as they navigate distance and hybrid learning.

The program offers support to students ages 6-11 in math and literacy, along with a robust art curriculum.

MoCA says, “In this challenging time, our program will ensure that foundational concepts introduced in elementary school classrooms will be reviewed, students’ homework will be completed, 1-on-1 tutoring sessions will be readily available, and art education will be woven throughout.

“As an active contemporary art museum, students will also have the opportunity to directly explore and engage with MoCA Westport’s exhibitions. The arts-focused portion of the curriculum will go beyond arts and crafts to include in-depth projects consistent with current exhibition themes.”

MoCA’s outdoor space will allow students to play outside and social safely. Modern indoor spaces will be used too.

Students will be grouped in consistent “pods,” with others from their school and grade. Parents are encouraged to form a pod from their school, and register as a group of 6 students.

Morning and afternoon sessions are available, with 1-way transportation provided. Students attending in the morning will receive transportation to their school post-session; afternoon students will receive transportation from their school to MoCA Westport.

Youngsters enjoying a MoCA arts program last February.

The program’s core curriculum teachers are accredited and established
teachers with experience in traditional classroom settings. Arts education
teachers are established instructors with a depth and range of projects that “create dialogue, build creativity, and foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the arts.”

All health and safety measures will be explicitly followed including physical
distancing and wearing face masks indoors at all times.

For details on MoCA Westport’s Pod Learning Program, click here, email anne@mocawestport.org, or call 203-222-7070. Scholarship opportunities are available; email ruth@mocawestport.org.

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Remembering Jim Curran

Posted on August 31, 2020 | 2 comments

Longtime, well-known and much-loved Westporter Jim Curran died Friday, surrounded by his family. He had battled cancer, and was 59 years old.

Born in Pontiac, Michigan, the son of the late Thomas and Ruth Curran, Jim grew up in Huntington, and lived in Westport for over 20 years.

He attended Fairfield Prep, and graduated from Shelton High School. After Northwood University, he began working full-time at the family-owned Curran Volkswagen dealership. He had started there at a young age. It remained his business home for over 40 years.

Jim Curran

He later became a partner, operating Curran Volkswagen with his brother Chris. He was considered by Volkswagen to be an icon, for the dedication and commitment he exhibited every day.

Jim was a loving husband and father, dedicated to the care of his family. A staple in the community, he coached his kids in Little League and basketball. He was a die-hard Boston sports fanm and enjoyed watching and attending as many Patriots and Red Sox games as possible.

His love of sports began at a young age. He played baseball, basketball, football, softball, golf, and anything in between. As an avid golfer, Jim was a longstanding member of Brownson Country Club, which became his home away from home.

He was known for his upbeat, loving, fun and hilarious personality, and will be missed by all.

In addition to the love of his life Stacie, his wife of 21 years, and his children Dylan, Shea, Carly, and Charlie, he is survived by his brothers and sisters, Kathy Hurley and her husband Tom of Boca Raton, Florida, Chris Curran and his wife Diane of Shelton, Trish Adams and her husband Bill of Boca Raton, and Michael Curran of Delray Beach, Florida, his mother-in-law Rhona Lieberson, and several nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles.

Friends are invited to an outdoor celebration of life at Brownson Country Club Golf Course in Shelton today (Monday, August 31, 1 p.m.) For information or to sign an online register, click here.

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It’s The Law: New Firm Focuses On COVID Employment Questions

Posted on August 31, 2020 | 4 comments

Employment law was hot before COVID-19. Now that corner of the legal world sizzles.

If an employee does not want to (or cannot) return to the workplace — because of high risk for the coronavirus, say, or the need to care for a young child who is doing fully remote learning — can he or she be fired?

How enforceable is a waiver acknowledging workplace risks during the pandemic? What about non-compete clauses, at a time when it is so difficult to find any work at all?

You — business owners, workers, everyone — have questions. Saluck, Halper & Lehrman have answers.

Jill Saluck

The new law firm was launched recently by 3 Westport and Weston women. They represent businesses and employees in all areas of employment law. But as a historic pandemic rages, they spend most of their time on COVID-related cases.

It’s not easy. The issues — and laws, and precedents — change daily. But Jill Saluck, Jill Halper and Randi Lehrman are the right attorneys, at the right time.

None grew up around here. They all moved to Westport with their husbands and children, and became friends. They paused their legal careers, to raise families. As their kids grew, they decided to rejoin the workforce.

And to represent it.

“Employment law has been extremely relevant the past few years, because of the focus on #MeToo and sexual harassment,” says Halper. (If her name sounds familiar, it’s because her husband is 1979 Staples High School graduate David Halper. His mother, artist Roe Halper, still works and teaches in the same house where she raised David.)

Jill Halper

Now it’s even more far-reaching. The coronavirus impacts nearly every aspect of employment law: disability rights, family medical leave, OSHA and workplace safety, unemployment, discrimination based on age and pregnancy, and much more.

“This is far more complex than anything I’ve dealt with before,” Halper says.

For example, the firm — with offices in Westport and White Plains — has worked with a private school, as it prepared to reopen. Among the questions: Are teachers “essential workers”? Which safeguards are absolutely necessary, and which are merely important? How do sick leave policies work during a pandemic?

“This is all uncharted territory,” Halper says. “It’s new for employers, for employees, and for all of us. And the federal and state mandates change every day.”

In early spring, most of the questions she and her colleagues fielded involved unemployment: qualifications for benefits, denials of appeal — that sort of thing. Employers and employees wondered about furloughs — a term many had never heard.

Randi Lehrman

These days, Halper says, the focus has shifted to reopening, and the return to work.

There are contract law questions too. For instance: If a construction project or consulting contract can’t be completed because of COVID, is a “force majeure” clause in place? If so, does a pandemic qualify as an “unforeseen circumstance”?

Each of the 3 brings a different strength to SHL. Lehrman is an excellent litigator. Saluck is a strong writer and researcher. Halper calls herself “a good negotiator.”

Though the partners are all women — in a field where law firms often seem dominated by men — they downplay their gender.

“We are just 3 people doing something entrepreneurial,” Halper says. Still, she admits, “it’s good to be role models for our daughters. And sons.”

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Pic Of The Day #1231

Posted on August 30, 2020 | 2 comments

Dinner at South Beach (Photo/Lauri Weiser)

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Photo Challenge #296

Posted on August 30, 2020 | 15 comments

Last week’s two-fer Photo Challenge threw a few readers for a loop.

As the story said, “winners” (who get nothing except 15 minutes of Sunday afternoon glory) had to identify both photos — of plants and flowers hanging outside a couple of walls — correctly. (Click here to see.)

Most people identified the top photo as Pane e Bene, across from the Westport Inn. Fewer got the second one, another Italian restaurant in the other end of town: Tutti’s.

Congratulations to Rich Stein, Seth Braunstein, Amy Schneider and Claire Elliot for getting both images right. Buon appetito!

We’re back to one photo this week. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Les Dinkin)

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Roundup: Goodwill, Chadwick Boseman, Native Plant Sale, More

Posted on August 30, 2020 | 1 comment

Like most state senators running for re-election, Will Haskell has a corps of helpful volunteers.

They knock on doors. They make calls.

On Friday though, they turned from campaigning to community service.

Over 40 people — of all ages — headed to Westport’s Goodwill. The organization often gets more book donations than they can use. Haskell’s crew plowed through 16 bins, finding over 8,000 appropriate for elementary school children in Bridgeport.

I’ll resist the urge to make a pun like “Good, Will!” (Hat tip: Jeff Wieser)

Sorting through books at Goodwill.

The death of Chadwick Boseman on Friday at age 43 saddened his many fans. It also brought renewed attention to his starring role as Thurgood Marshall — America’s first Black Supreme Court justice.

The 2017 movie “Marshall” was written by Westporter Michael Koskoff — a noted civil rights attorney — and his son Jacob, a Staples High School graduate who is now a screenwriter.

The film takes place in 1941, when a young Marshall defended a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial. Marshall was partnered with Sam Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer in Bridgeport who had never tried a case. Click here for the amazing back story. (Hat tip: Mary Gai)

Chadwick Boseman at the premiere of “Marshall” with Mike Koskoff’s wife Roz and grandson Eli. (Photo courtesy of Darcy Hicks)

Aspetuck Land Trust is staying true to its roots. The non-profit announces its first-ever fall native plant sale. All are grown at Planter’s Choice in Newtown.

The goal is to encourage biodiversity, as all offerings — from perennials to trees — attract pollinators and wildlife.

All come with plans, kits and instructions for all locations, levels of sun and soil conditions. Four landscape partners are also available to help (click here for details).

They can be picked up at Earthplace, or delivered to your home. 50% of each purchase is tax-deductible.

Online orders are open while supplies last, or until September 17. The spring sale sold out quickly. Click here for all offerings.

Westport artist Michael Chait offers an outdoor exhibit today, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the courtyard outside 11 Riverside Avenue.

He’ll show his “fun and kooky experimental videos” on vintage television sets. He pays homage to television’s beginning, and explores where it may be going.

He calls it “Video Paradisio,” and it plays on a continuous 10-minute loop. The public is invited.

And finally … it’s Sunday morning!

 

 

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Tadeo Messenger’s Message

Posted on August 30, 2020 | 10 comments

Every year, the New York Times’ Ron Lieber asks high school seniors for their college application essays. He selects a few, showcasing what’s on teenagers’ minds about work, money, social class or related topics. 

“We adults don’t talk about money and our feelings about it often enough,” Lieber says, “so it only seems right to try to learn from the teenagers who have figured out how to do it well.”

Yesterday, he published 4. Among them: Staples High School’s Tadeo Messenger. Lieber describes Tadeo’s topic as “an unlikely conveyance in upscale Connecticut.”

Tadeo wrote:

My friends and peers don’t understand my relationship with Big Betsy. This is mainly due to the fact that Big Betsy is far older, louder, and larger than what is considered “normal” at my school. She is constantly surrounded by others who serve the same exact purpose, but are more elegant.

Big Betsy was always different. Every time I went out with her I could feel judgmental eyes wondering why a kid like me would even want anything to do with her. Despite this, I was always proud of her and what we accomplished together. She was made fun of relentlessly, but I always knew deep down that we had something special together.

Tadeo Messenger

It was like we had known each other for years when I first laid eyes on her. I was sure that we would stay together for a long time. Since the day I bought Big Betsy on Craigslist, I have loved her unconditionally. I still remember driving down the winding country road to the seller’s sprawling ranch and instantly falling for her. The way that she glistened in the sunlight beckoned me to her. I had no problem spending the money for her that I had accumulated over years of saving birthday gifts, doing undesirable odd jobs and babysitting unruly children. To me, she was worth more than my entire bank account.

Big Betsy has been loyal to me throughout the past couple of years. She even provided me with the opportunity to set up my own business, The Westport Workers. My friend and I realized that all the dump-run services in our town were grossly overcharging their customers, so we decided to provide an inexpensive alternative. We have worked countless jobs together, including transporting an antique bar counter 50 miles away for a Gilmore Girls fan club meeting and hauling a battered boat motor through knee-deep sludge to dispose of it at the dump.

Big Betsy and I are constantly relying on each other to get things done. In the blistering summer heat she would wait patiently for me while I pulled weeds for hours on end. With sweat trickling down my face, I would take shelter from the sun in her soft embrace. She and I made a respectable living through our business, and I would always make sure to buy her the things that she required to keep her going.

In case it isn’t obvious, Big Betsy is my beloved truck, a 1998 Ford F-150 with over 230,000 miles. The first months I had her, I spent all my time between early morning football and work fixing her up, and it was worth it.

Tadeo Messenger, with Big Betsy. (Photo/Ike Abakah for the New York Times)

Not only has she been a great truck, she also helped me to realize how little other people’s judgments of me matter. I used to be shy and avoided differentiating myself from my classmates because I was very concerned about what others would think about me. In a school almost entirely minority-free, I was always uncomfortable with my ethnicity, and even my name. I felt extremely self-conscious every time that I pulled into the high school parking lot filled with Mercedes, Jeep Wranglers, and BMWs.

However, as time went on, Big Betsy became a bit of a local celebrity and I became more confident, and not only while driving. I found myself less anxious when voicing my opinions, applying for leadership positions, and challenging myself to do better in all aspects of my life. Big Betsy made me realize how damaging it can be to my potential when I become unwilling to stand out or take the risks required to achieve my goals. If it wasn’t for her teaching me how to be confident in myself and that it is good to be pushed out of my comfort zone, I would not be nearly as happy as I am today.

(Tadeo Messenger is now a freshman at the University of Michigan. Click here to read all 4 college application essays from the Times. Hat tips: John Karrel, Jim Honeycutt, Stefanie Lemcke, Jo Ann Davidson, Mary Hoffman and Carl Volckmann.)

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Posted in Education, Media, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Pic Of The Day #1230

Posted on August 29, 2020 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #1230

Saugatuck River and Cribari Bridge (Photo/Robin Hammond)

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