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The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and many youth sports organizations are urging all athletes 12 years and older to get vaccinated against COVID.
It’s the best way, officials say, to ensure a healthy, safe and uninterrupted fall season. The organizations suggest that sports groups host and sponsor mobile or other vaccine clinics, to reach students.
They note one major reason to get a shot: people who have been vaccinated do not need to quarantine if exposed to a COVID case, if they are asymptomatic.
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La Plage — the great new restaurant at the Inn at Longshore — opens today. But — as noted in a recent 06880″ story — it’s dinner only for now, Wednesdays through Sundays.
The reason: staffing. Finding help — cooks, servers, dishwashers, bussers, front-of-the-house, you name it — is tough.
It’s a town-wide (and nationwide) problem. Basso is one of Westport’s most popular restaurants. This sign hangs near the outdoor tables, on Jesup Road:
(Photo/Dan Woog)
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. But there may be no lunch at any restaurants, if they can’t find enough help.
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Devil’s Den has reopened.
The popular 1,800-acre Weston preserve — The Nature Conservancy’s largest in Connecticut — closed in the spring of 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. It was overwhelmed with visitors, many of whom parked illegally, brought dogs or stayed past dark.
As of last Sunday, the woodlands, wetlands and rock ledges are open from sunrise to 5 p.m. Click here for more information. (Hat tip: Weston Today)
Devil’s Den
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Speaking of nature: Earthplace did it! They reached their $40,000 fundraising goal — and got a full matching grant for their Animal Hall.
Donations came from regular friends, new donors, neighbors and from afar. A matching grant of every dollar up to $20,000 was key too.
Earthplace officials thank the “amazing, generous and kind” community for its support. The animals join in too (see below!).
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Speaking still of nature: ButtARfly is inelegantly named.
But it’s a great program, bringing butterflies from the Smithsonian’s Open Access collections to life on a computer screen. Users can learn about butterfly species, add them to a virtual shadow box, and release them into an augmented reality experience for desktop and mobile. There are even different sounds for each specimen.
The Department of Media Arts & Technology at New Mexico Highlands University helped develop the initiative — with the help of 1984 Staples High School graduate Lauren Addario, as audio advisor and content developer.
Click here to enjoy.
Monarch butterfly at Compo Beach. They’re everywhere — including the Smithsonian. (Photo/Jamie Walsh)
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Lotsa nature today. Our “Westport … Naturally” photo shows “2 bees in a bud.” It’s courtesy of Tracy Porosoff, from her garden near Compo Beach.
(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
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The Y’s Men (and their wise spouses) meet every Tuesday during the summer at South Beach, for food, camaraderie and sunsets. Jon Fox organized the event several years ago.
Yesterday they added a bit of fundraising, for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Peter Nathan solicited donations — and brought in over $1,300.
That’s one more feather in one of Westport’s premier volunteer organization’s cap!
Y’s Men (from left): Mike Guthman, Roy McKay, David Kalman (hot dog supplier), Peter Nathan, Jon Fox, Baxter Urist and Larry Lich. (Photo/Dorothy Fox)
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And finally … our musical interlude usually celebrates birthdays, anniversaries and upbeat events from years gone by. After all, there aren’t too many downer songs about bad things in history. (Okay — “Eve of Destruction.”)
But today is the 47th anniversary of the day 3 civil rights workers — Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney — were found dead in Mississippi. They had disappeared 43 days earlier.
So — at the risk of alienating all my friends from that state — I present Phil Ochs:
Thanks Dan for the Phil Ochs reminder. Our country/people still have a long way to go for change.
I have a friend in Pedal, Mississippi. She’s a teacher, and I understand why Mississippi is ranked dead last in education! Things are a little different down there.
Dan, greatly informative site.
Two quick things I would like to ask for clarification on, and comment on, regarding your stories above.
1) Regarding restaurants and the challenge of finding help, it is truly an issue currently, but in Basso’s case—since you chose to highlight them—they are looking for help because almost everybody who works there ends up quitting.
There is a reason for that.
2) Regarding the CIAC guidance, you mention above that kids would not need to quarantine if “exposed” to a Covid case, if they are asymptomatic.
Just to clarify though, players would need to quarantine IF they themselves were vaccinated BUT tested positive, even if they are asymptomatic?
Is that correct?
Of course, let’s hope that EVERYBODY who is eligible for the vaccine gets it, and gets it ASAP. It’s insane what is going on in this country with vaccine refusal and hesitancy……truly mind-boggling.
Thanks, Dan. I am sure that anyone who tests positive — even if vaccinated and asymptomatic — would have to quarantine.
“They note one major reason to get a shot: people who have been vaccinated do not need to quarantine if exposed to a COVID case, if they are asymptomatic.”
But, don’t doctors/CDC agree that Delta can spread from a vaccinated, asymptomatic, infected individual to a vaccinated individual? The viral load is the same in the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. That’s the reason CDC is leaning towards everyone masking.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210803/Unvaccinated-and-vaccinated-have-similar-viral-load-in-communities-high-in-SARS-CoV-2-delta.aspx
Restaurants and other business are having difficulty attracting workers because the would-be workers are receiving more hand out money doing nothing than they’d earn working.
People who want to make a living wage are SO GROSS.
This Phil Ochs song is so poignant and I never heard it before. Thanks for including it and informing us of this composition. Just wow!