Westport Fire Chief Michael Kronick reports that approximately 50 dogs and cats were saved by firefighters and police officers at the Town House for Dogs fire early this morning.
They were moved to another part of the kennel not affected by the fire. They are safe, and being cared for by the staff of Town House for Dogs.
The scene today at Town House for Dogs.
However, 2 dogs died in the 2nd-floor apartment that was involved in the fire.
Town House clients who need information about their pets should call owners Mel and Sandy Goldman at 203-227-3276.
Fire Marshal Nathaniel Gibbons notes, “Residents were saved by an alarm system that had recently been upgraded during their annual fire inspection. This drives home the importance of having working smoke alarms in your homes or business.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Westport fire marshal’s office.
A firefighter, battling today’s early morning blaze at the Town House for Dogs. (Photos courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Just before midnight, Westport firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the Townhouse for Dogs building on the Post Road, between Little Barn and Maserati.
There was heavy fire on the 2nd floor apartment of the building, Fairfield and Norwalk Fire Departments provided mutual aid.
Westport firefighters and police officers rescued and removed approximately 50 dogs and cats from the pet boarding facility.
The 3 occupants of the 2-floor apartment were awakened by smoke detectors. With their exit blocked by fire, they jumped from a window. They were treated by Westport EMS, and did not require hospitalization.
The fire is under investigation by the Westport fire marshal’s office. The WFD reminds residents that working smoke detectors save lives.
Norwalk and Wilton Fire Departments provided station coverage during the incident.
Last night’s fire at the Townhouse for Dogs. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Beachgoers, take note: On May 1, parking emblems (aka “stickers”) will be required to drive into town beaches.
Click here to begin the purchase process online. If you bought an emblem or registered for Parks & Recreation programs previously, choose “Memberships”; in the search box, type “vehicle,” and follow the prompts. It may take 7-10 days to receive your sticker in the mail.
Walk-in purchases are available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist — and 1991 Staples High School graduate — is once again documenting important front-line stories.
Yesterday, her photos from Avdiivka illustrated the brutal lives of those who live in the Donbas, the eastern territory in Russian forces’ crosshairs, as they begin a new and violent assault.
“God bless her, Tyler” — Hicks, her fellow Times award-winning photographer and Staples grad — “and everyone reaching out providing aid to Ukraine,” Lynsey’s mother Camille says.
“Please let it end.”
Like other residents of Avdiivka, Ukraine, Matviy, 12, sought shelter in a basement. The village has come under increasing artillery fire as Russia shifts its offensive to Ukraine’s east. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
A reminder about Arbor Day (April 29), and related events:
This Saturday (April 23, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Jesup Green, free): The Tree Board and Westport Book Shop celebrate Earth Day with a fun event to promote reading for all ages, with attention also on the value of trees. Interactive family-friendly activities involving reading and early learning; educational materials and a native tree sapling giveaway, courtesy of Bartlett Tree Company.
Friday April 29 (Arbor Day, 3 to 4 p.m., Town Hall, free): The Tree Board hosts their annual native sapling giveaway, plus brochures and advice from professional associations on tree-related topics, from site selection to proper maintenance. Native saplings for giveaway are donated by Bartlett Tree.
Saturday, April 30 (3 to 4 p.m., Earthplace): The Tree Board hosts a live discussion and free information session with a tree professional on the basics of tree planting and maintenance, including selection, mulching, pruning, pest management and more. Native tree saplings, courtesy of Bartlett, will be available while they last.
As part of Arbor Day, Earthplace also hosts a “Toast To The Trees” family event 4 to 6 p.m.), with kids’ activities and s’mores, handmade pizza, beverages for adults and kids, plus a “tree walk” tour. Click here to purchase tickets.
Also, the Tree Board and Westport Library have created a “StoryWalk” at the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum (2 Woodside Lane). The featured book is “Be a Tree!” For more information, click here.
The District 8 “traffic meeting” — arranged by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, with Public Works, Planning & Zoning and Public Safety Department representatives — is set for tonight (April 21, 7 p.m., Town Hall). This is also the middle of our public schools’ spring break.
Residents who can’t attend tonight are invited to an alternate session on Tuesday (same location and time).
RTM District 8 includes Coleytown. Traffic issues include cars waiting on North Avenue, near Coleytown Elementary and Middle Schools. (Photo/David Gottlieb)
For a decade, the non-profit (the acronym stands for Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education) has partnered with non-profits like Mercy Learning Center, Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes, Malta House, Caroline House and Cancer Couch.
For a year, AWARE members learn about that particular organization, and its clients. Through hands-on activities and dinners, they offer support and guidance. Through fundraising, they offer financial help.
This year’s partner is the Women’s Mentoring Network. The Stamford-based group offers education and job training, and assistance in areas like financial literacy and computers.
This year’s fundraiser is May 14 (6 to 8 p.m.). “Tapas @ Twilight” includes food, beverages and an auction. Click here or email info@awarect.org for more information.
Unfortunately, we got this too late to post yesterday (4/20). Still, here goes:
The American Marketing Association Southern Connecticut chapter’s first hybrid event — “CannaCurious? Marketing, Regulations and Social Equity” (May 19, networking at 6 p.m., program at 7, Earthplace and Zoom) — focuses on the booming cannabis sector.
Industry leaders from state and federal regulatory, marketing, social equity and investment advisory groups will share best practices, tips and guidelines for the quickly changing landscape.
Who would put a port-a-potty in the marsh, at the extreme end of Sherwood Island State Park?
(Photo/Art Schoeller)
No one. Well, no one except Mother Nature.
Greens Farms Association president Art Schoeller sent this photo, and an explanation: Monday’s storm floated the portable toilet from the Burying Hill parking lot — where it’s being used for the jetty reconstruction project — across the channel to Sherwood Island.
Westport Country Playhouse has branched out into podcasting.
“Stories from the Playhouse” — a new series — launched this week on Spotify and Libsyn classic feed, and on the Playhouse website.
Hosted by Playhouse assistant artistic director Liam Lonegan, the podcast hopes to inspire artists, audiences and community members. The monthly series will feature guests from throughout the theater world, sharing their stories.
The first episode is “Redefining Normal,” with guest Marcos Santana, director and choreographer of “Next to Normal.” The show runs through Sunday, April 24. Santana tells his story, from growing up in Puerto Rico to performing on Broadway, and sheds light on bringing the pop/rock musical to the Playhouse stage.
Linda Colletta is launching a new “Westport Studio Concept Space,” open through September.
Her goal with the 33 Elm Street spot is to “make the art studio experience more accessible to the public, enhance education about abstract art, and invite artists and art enthusiasts to connect with the artist in person.”
An opening reception is set for April 29 (6 to 9 p.m.).
Westport college admissions counselor Amy Chatterjee offers a free webinar on the admissions process, and the importance – or not – of the SATs and ACTs.
It’s set for Thursday, April 28 (7 p.m.). Click here to register.
If this happened in the summer, “06880” would be inundated with photos.
But it’s still April (and I think every Westport family is away this week, during school vacation).
That’s why Jeanine Esposito is the only person to have sent “06880” a photo of salps.
One salp …
She and her husband Frederic Chiu saw “thousands” at Compo Beach Tuesday night.
The gelatinous, barrel-shaped balls are washing up on beaches all over the East Coast. Only as big as a marble, and often called “jellyfish eggs,” they’re not related to jellyfish at all. They have no stingers, and are harmless.
They pump water through their bodies, and filter out the phytoplankton that is their food. But when that is unavailable, they wash up on shores.
Jenaine sent a link to an article. It explains all you ever wanted to know about salps.
I can’t remember what my sisters and I did with my mother’s wheelchair, after she died. Or any of the other medical gear, like the walker, cane and bathtub seat she used in the final months of her life.
I do know we did not donate it to Wheel It Forward. We did not know about that fantastic non-profit then.
Too many people still don’t.
That’s a shame. The average piece of “durable medical equipment” — those items mentioned above, along with hospital beds, knee scooters, toilet rests, crutches and more — is used for only 4 months.
Sometimes it’s donated to an organization, along with everything else in a cleaned-out home.
Sometimes it’s stuffed in a closet. Sometimes it’s discarded.
Someone else could always use it.
Elliot Sloyer is on a mission to connect that equipment with people who need it. Retired now after co-founding and managing 2 hedge funds and an internet start-up — plus writing 2 children’s books, and biking across the US with son, he’s one of Wheel It Forward’s 100 volunteers.
The Stamford-based group had its genesis when Sloyer chaperoned an 8th grade trip to Israel, and visited Yad Sarah. Run by 6,000 people, it’s a “lending library” of durable medical equipment for all Israelis: rich and poor, young and old, Jewish, Muslim and Christian.
When someone needs something, they get it by the end of the day. When they’re done, they return it. What could be simpler?
Elliot Sloyer
Sloyer loved the idea. But back in the US, he found nothing similar here. Some groups were trying to collect and lend “DME,” but it was haphazard at best. Others — like the Westport Woman’s Club — had to curtail their programs, due to insurance and liability concerns.
He used his entrepreneurial background to start Wheel It Forward. It’s become one of the most important — yet still little-known — organizations in Fairfield County.
“This changes lives immediately,” Sloyer says. With a wheelchair or walker, people become mobile. Their quality of life improves instantly.
That’s not the only benefit. Sloyer notes the relief felt by people who desperately need, but can’t afford, medical equipment. (Medicare does not pay for shower safety items, for example. But a $50 seat can prevent someone from falling — and incurring costs for an ambulance ride, surgery, rehab and everything else.)
“The return on investment is huge,” he notes.
And Wheel It Forward is green. Durable medical equipment stays out of landfill. Not to mention saving all the mining, packaging and shipping that goes along with manufacturing more items.
The group’s “lending library” of DME is open to everyone. But unlike a library of books — where 30% of the inventory is often out — 70% of Wheel It Forward’s 2,500-item inventory is usually in use.
Some of that use comes thanks to the Westport Senior Center. Director Sue Pfister and her staff make frequent referrals.
She’s made just as many calls to them for people with items they (or their relatives) no longer need. Wheel It Forward does pickup and delivery, on request.
Wheel It Forward thrives because it’s needed, because people volunteer, and through financial contributions. To learn more — including how to borrow or donate equipment, volunteer or give funds — click here.
With a few days off from Little League practice, 10-year-old Beckett O’Malley wanted to work on his hitting.
So last Saturday, his dad Ian looked for a batting cage. He found The Clubhouse in Fairfield.
The door was open. But owner Mike Porzio said, “I’m sorry. We’re closed for the Easter holiday. I’m just here teaching a couple of students.” Ian thought they were high school or college age.
Mike saw the disappointment on Beckett’s face. He quickly changed his mind, and said they could use an area next to where he was teaching — for free.
That was a super-kind gesture, Ian says.
Beckett O’Malley and Mike Porzio.
But there was more.
Mike stopped what he was doing, and began teaching Beckett the mechanics of hitting, in a way the boy easily understood.
Mike is the real deal. The Norwalk native pitched for 3 MLB seasons with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.
Within minutes, Ian says, his son’s swing was “night and day.” Mike went back to teaching the 2 older athletes.
But there was still more.
With only a net separating the areas, Mike kept an eye on Beckett. He continued offering tips, and words of encouragement.
“Mike was a total game changer,” Ian says.
Literally and figuratively.
Congratulations to Mike Porzio, our “06880” Unsung Hero of the Week. If you know of a worthy candidate, email 06880blog@gmail.com,
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker has invited Westporters to meet — by RTM district — at Town Hall. She and other town officials listening to their concerns.
And responding.
Dave Lowrie writes:
“Many thanks to officials and the Westport Police Department for the ongoing traffic and safety meetings by district over the last few months. And thanks also to our District 7 neighbors who voiced their concerns in person and via email.
“As a green pedestrian, my issue centered on walking and biking access along North Bulkley Avenue toward the Post Road. Two days after the meeting, through Monday, Public Works road chief Joe Izzo and his crew of 2 sweepers cleaned the shoulders along North Bulkley, and all side roads.
Kudos to 1st Selectwoman Tooker for moderating the Town Hall session, powerhouse RTM member Brandi Briggs and her counterparts for engaging constituents, town engineer Keith Wilberg and his staff. and concerned members of the Westport PD.”
North Bulkley Avenue, looking toward Old Road. (Photo/Dave Lowrie)
Amy Ancel has been watching the osprey nest at Terrain. She writes:
“Sadly, it’s been empty for some time. The male returned in March. In early April I last saw him on the platform, loudly and plaintively calling his heart out to his mate. I don’t think she ever returned.
“It was heartbreaking to hear. I’m just a curious and casual observer, but I think we’ve lost our dear and favorite breeding couple for good. It’s so sad. Nature is brutal.”
Have any “06880” readers spotted the osprey recently? If so, click “Comments” below.
Gabriele’s has added lunch and brunch to its dinner menu.
The Italian steakhouse that replaced Positano next to the Westport Country Playhouse is now open Tuesday through Friday noon to 2:30 p.m., and weekends 11:30 am to 2:30 p.m.
Among other highlights, Westport Library’s VersoFest featured the debut of the first independent record label of any public library in the country.
There’s a limited pressing of the yellow vinyl and digital album, featuring some of the best emerging and eclectic talent in the tri-state region.
All preorders of “Verso Records: Volume 1” come with digital downloads of Daniprobably’s “Cowboy” (indie pop), Alexandra Burnet & the Stable Six’s “You’re Okay” (ethereal singer/songwriter); Ports of Spain’s “All You Can Carry” (indie rock), and The Zambonis’ “Gretzky Twist” (hockey rock).
The pandemic pushed Staples High School’s Class Of 1970 50th reunion back 2 years. They’re on for this year, on August 26-28 — and they’re turning it into a joint celebration of their 70th birthdays.
The high point — as always for their class — is a Saturday Night dinner-dance at Norwalk Inn, with live music from the class band Smoke.
Reservations must be made online (click here). The deadline is July 20. For more information, call Mark Smollin: 626-584-3997.
There’s a problem at Staples High School that half of the students are acutely aware of.
The other half had absolutely no clue.
The issue is access to free period products. Machines that dispense tampons and other pads are often broken. Students don’t always carry change. Heading to the nurse’s office can be inconvenient and time consuming.
Advocating for change.
Soon though, that problem will be alleviated. A group of students has secured $20,000 in funding to provide free products. They did it with creativity, persistence, and a healthy dose of marketing smarts.
Camille Kolek, Miriam Hurley and Adelia Purcell are the winners in the Connecticut Department of Education’s Voice4Change program. The state designated $1.5 million — part of the American Rescue Plan — to 85 schools.
The catch: Students would propose how the funds would be spent. Then their classmates would vote on which one to implement.
(From left): Miriam Hurley, Camille Kolek and Adelia Purcell,
Camille, Miriam and Adelia — all juniors — had been part of Love Girl, a female empowerment club. They were already planning to urge principal Stafford Thomas to address the problem of inadequate access to period products.
“It’s stressful,” Camille notes. “There’s constant worry about bleeding and running out of tampons.
“The school doesn’t charge for toilet paper. No one has to go to the nurse to get it. It should be the same for pads.”
A clever poster, on one of the machines that students say are often broken.
When she and her friends heard about Voice4Change — an initiative introduced statewide through a Staples event last December, with Governor Lamont, Congressman Jim Himes and State Senator Will Haskell — they realized their mission was a good match.
The students researched the price of machines for more than 20 girls’ and gender-neutral bathrooms; the cost of stocking them, and the number of students who would use them at 2-3 days a week, once a month.
They submitted their proposal to the state Education Department in January. In March, officials named it one of 6 ideas for the Staples student body to consider.
They had tough competition. The other 5 finalists proposed:
Adoptng an advanced Community Engineering and Environment course, modeled on Scarsdale High School’s “AT Entrepreneurship” class, which would be the first of its kind in Connecticut, and creating an Engineering and Design Lab open to all students and staff for an hour after school every day. (Lead sponsor: Logan Goodman)
Funding tutors in every department for students who cannot afford them. (Ayaan Olasewere)
Creating an Intercity Tutoring Initiative, for other districts or schools needing tutors. (Henry Foege)
Installing 12 water bottle filling stations at existing fountains, to reduce the number of plastic bottles used every day. (Gaby Brinck)
Establishing a student government, which would create an avenue through which more students could express their concerns. (Lyah Muktavaram)
The 6 groups campaigned via posters, and information tables outside the cafeteria. Each group also explained their ideas on the morning announcements. Most used social media too.
Camille Kolke
When male students said the period products proposal would not affect them, Camille and her friends answered, “Think how it will help your classmates and teachers. It will make the entire environment at Staples better.” That opened those doubting students’ eyes, Camille says.
Staples students voted in late March. Camille’s group has just been announced as the winner.
They’re meeting now with administrators to iron out the details. Up next: buying and installing the machines, and educating the school community about them.
Eversource continues to restore power to the 1,450-plus customers who lost it in last night’s rain-and-wind storm.
The worst affected area was Hillspoint Road south of the I-95 bridge, down to Soundview Road. 550 customers were affected.
We’re lucky. Most trees still don’t have full leaves. If this happened a few weeks later, the damage could be much worse.
Downed tree, on Hillandale Road. (Photo/Bob Weingarten)
We’re also lucky that this is spring break for public schools. Easton Road is closed west of North Avenue, with a number of trees down. That would have played havoc with this morning’s bus rides to our 4 North Avenue schools.
But work has begun to replace a 1,114-square foot Coleytown Elementary School portable classroom with a more modern, efficient and bigger (2,713 square feet) one.
The classroom — used most recently at Fairfield’s Holland Hill Elementary School — will solve a space crunch, due to increasing enrollment at CES.
Preparing for a new portable classroom at Coleytown Elementary School. (Photo/Jeff Mitchell)
Matt Murray jut got his Optimum bill. Tucked inside were new “Terms of Service & Information.”
They seemed long. Really long.
Matt spread them out in his kitchen. Then he took out a tape measure.
He was right. Unfolded, they’re 35 inches long.
That’s twice the length of a newborn baby.
Optimum’s “Terms of Service & Information.” (Photo/Matt Murray)
But don’t try to read them all. They’re in a type size Matt estimates at “less than 5-point.”
On the upside, there’s a Spanish-language version on back.
“I get the feeling Optimum really cares about its customers,” Matt says, tongue firmly planted in cheeck. “I can’t figure out why people say such bad things about our cable service provider.”
The past 2 years have turned the world upside down.
Now Beechwood Arts — the intimate, immersive arts-and-more salon — is back. They’re celebrating the resilience of the human spirt — especially the artistic innovation and reinvention that’s occurred during these upside-down times.
Beechwood’s spring season is called “Upside Down.” Both are hosted by the Westport Library, produced by their superb Verso Studios staff.
On Friday, May 6 (7 p.m.): Dan Tepfer’s #BachUpside Down. He’s performed this innovative project worldwide. He’ll then join internationally famed pianist — and Beechwood co-founder — Frederic Chiu onstage, for a lively conversation.
The following Friday (May 13, 7 p.m.), “GatherRound UpsideDown Art & Story Share” brings the community together. Art will be projected o the Library’s large screen, as artists tell their stories. The first “GatherRound” drew over 200 people.
Click here to register for Dan Tepfer’s #BachUpsideDown. Click here to register for “Gather Round Upside Down Art & Story Share.” For more information, click here.
Note about the logo below: In some Yogic traditions the Tree of Life is turned upside down. The tree exposes its essence — that which grounds it and gives it life. That reflects how this period has caused many artists to tap into their essence, discovering what truly grounds them.
Jeff Bullwinkel grew up in Westport. He and his wife spend most of their time in Amsterdam. But they were back this weekend — just in time to enjoy the magnificent cherry trees on their South Compo Road property.
Jeff shares their beauty, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Every 33 years, 3 of the world’s most popular religions celebrate very important holidays at the same time.
This is one of those rare years. The Christian celebration of Holy Week, Jewish observation of Passover, and Muslim month of Ramadan all coincided this past weekend.
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