If you’ve lived here for more than 6 minutes, you’ve got some ideas about downtown.
Don’t keep them to yourself.
The master plan for downtown parking and pedestrian areas — called “Reconnecting the Riverfront” — has moved into the “public engagement” phase.
Click here to take a survey. The link also offers a “Comments” section, for various parts of the proposal.
The survey follows a “visioning charrette” last month. There will also be pop-up displays at downtown locations this fall.
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Irony is not dead.
A lone protestor took to the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge yesterday. In what looks like a reference to Monday’s controversial Board of Education meeting about a banned books display at Staples High School, he urges the teaching of reading:
(Photo/Chris Grimm)
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Speaking of the local controversy: Fox News has taken notice.
The network includes a story about the Westport Board of Ed meeting on its website. The piece is illustrated with video from a Southington Board of Education meeting about a “woke worksheet,” and 2 photos from a Virginia Board of Ed protest about Critical Race Theory.
Click here for the Fox News story.
Screen shot of the Fox News story.
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The Westport Library and Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce are serious about democracy.
On October 18 (noon, Trefz Forum), they’ll sponsor an interactive candidate forum.
State Senate District 26 candidates Toni Boucher and Ceci Maher, State Representative District 136 hopefuls Alma Sarelli and Jonathan Steinberg, and State Rep District 143 nominees Nicole Hampton and Dominique Johnson will appear.
The debate will be moderated by Chamber director Matthew Mandell, and archived on Vimeo.
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Two sides of the same coin:
An “06880” reader sent this photo of a new sign at Wakeman, the athletic fields adjacent to Bedford Middle School:
She writes:
“Many people feel it’s hard to have a dog in Westport. So many restrictions, especially during the warmer months. But now this new sign just went up in a few places at Wakeman.
“It was all the talk this morning with the moms and dads, where many walk their dogs, and bring them to weekend soccer, baseball and lacrosse games. It’s a shame our town can’t be more accommodating.”
But a youth sports coach had a different reaction.
“It’s about time,” he tells “06880.” “Now maybe I won’t have to walk the fields before practice every day, picking up poop.”
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Frank Accardi writes that yesterday at 7:45 a.m. on Whitney Street, a woman driving a gray Volvo SUV began honking repeatedly as a school bus stopped to pick up children.
Several times, the driver attempted to pull into the opposite lane to pass the bus. Its lights were still flashing.
“If ever there was an instance of thumbing your nose at the community, this is it,” Frank says.
Sure, it’s a pain to be behind a school bus that stops every few feet.
But attempting to pass it, while children are getting on?
That’s worse than any Entitled Parking photo I’ve posted, for sure.
Those lights are there for a reason.
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A proposal to restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Westport — scheduled for the October Representative Town Meeting — has been removed from that agenda. Discussion and a possible vote will be postponed to a future date.
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Next week, the very local Westport Farmers’ Market will be the site of an effort for international aid.
Lawn signs supporting Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression will be on sale next Thursday (October 13, Imperial Avenue parking lot). 100% of all money raised will go to Ukraine Aid International, organized by Westport native Brian Mayer. UAI provides food and medicine to Ukrainians isolated near the Russian border.
Westporter Ken Bernhard and Weston Kiwanis Club member Amy Jenner have already raised $3,000. They have 200 signs left.
If you can’t get to the Farmers Market, email kbernhar@optonline.net for details on purchasing a lawn sign.
Amy Jenner, Ken Bernhard and their Ukrainian lawn signs.
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Congressman Jim Himes is featured at a “Rosé and Reproductive Rights” event (October 11, 7 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club). He’ll discuss the impact — both nationally and locally — of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, and take questions from audience members.
In May, Congressman Jim Himes spoke at a Westport rally protesting the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling. Governor Lamont and Senator Blumenthal (left to right) spoke also. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Westport’s Unitarian Church hosts a potluck brunch Sunday (October 9, directly after the 10 a.m. Sunday service). The group will then carpool to Stamford, for a 2 p.m. Women’s march.
The Church invites everyone interested to attend. For more information, email janetluongo.wellness@gmail.com.
Unitarian Church members making signs for the women’s march.
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Staples High School squash players were among a large crowd that packed Intensity Fitness yesterday.
They saw a great exhibition match between 2 top players. Paul Coll is ranked #1 in the world; Diego Elias is #4.
The Wreckers hope to duplicate some of that success soon, when their season begins.
Intense exhibition squash at Intensity. (Photo/Seth Schachter)
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It’s osprey time again!
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo shows one of our favorite raptors, enjoying a meal in Ester Clanton’s neighbor’s yard.
(Photo/Ester Clanton)
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And finally … today’s “06880” Roundup features a number of signs: on the Ruth Steikraus Cohen Bridge, Wakeman Fields, Farmers’ Market, and for reproductive rights and the women’s march.
So of course our featured song is …
If Frank did not write down the woman’s license plate and call the police, that was a big mistake. The police, at the very least, need to visit that woman and rip her a new one. We have all seen and/or heard about drivers passing a school bus while it’s doing its pick-up or drop-off routes—and hopefully those people ended up with severe tickets—-but the actions displayed by this driver clearly show anger and frustration……and that means that she’ll most likely do it again and the results could be devastating.
Get her……and others doing similarly.
The sign says animals are restricted from the “athletic fields” not Wakeman in total. Walk your animals on the walking path or any other grassy part of Wakeman, just stay off the actual athletic fields. Watch your kids play from the sidelines with your animals, just keep them off the actual playing fields. Is that too much to ask? Sounds like common courtesy to me. Accommodating? How many towns have facilities like Wakeman as well as a dedicated dog park, and allow animals on the beach off season? Maybe if people would consistently pick up after their dogs, and no, leaving little plastic bags of excrement on the ground is not “picking up after your dog”, this wouldn’t be necessary. Consideration of others makes for great neighbors.
Is Westport serious about banning dogs at Wakeman field? Why are the Westport officials trying to make everyone’s life in this town less enjoyable. I didn’t even know this was being contemplated without any comment from the public who responsibly bring their dogs to Wakeman and cleanup after them.
I have never seen any dog owner not pick up after their dog and if it were to happen I certainly would call them out on it. Who decided on this ridiculous rule without any input from the public?
It needs to be immediately revisited and discussed.
I posted yesterday that the BOE conversation was a coordinated cynical attempt to try to scare people 4 weeks from the election and had basically nothing to do with some books in the library. I wonder who leaked this hysterical temper tantrum to Fox News? Maybe the same people who posted the threatening CRT signs on the Post Road before last year’s election?
Banning dogs
Banning Leaf blowers
Fighting over books in the library..
reporting each other to the national press
Sounds alot like the town in the movie Footloose – dancing and music are next to go … think on it people
Banning leaf blowers might help people not get the lung cancer that killed Patrick Swaze… and then he would still be dancing at 70.
It was pancreatic cancer
He claimed smoking caused it. And… https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/progress-against-cancer/air-pollution-associated-cancer/
And what’s the point of music if leaf blowers’ noise has robbed you of your hearing?
Fox is always trying to scare suggestible folks/ the banned books controversy at schools is easily solved/ register your child with the
School library and limit their access under parent approval. Kids will find what they want easily., it is callef the internet!
And how will the librarian know which materials in circulation little Susie and Johnny are permitted are permitted by their parents to read, listen to or look at? Will we be returning to Tipper Gore’s parental advisory stickers for every item in the library? How would it be determined which materials get a sticker?
As Frank Zappa said, “ladies, how dare you!”
The annoying thing about Westport is all the dumb rules. The beautiful thing about Westport is no one enforces them. (After all, this is a town that just announced to great fanfare that it’ll start enforcing traffic laws for the first time.) My dog will continue to enjoy the Wakeman fields. And yes, I’ll pick up her poop.
There’s a common misconception that Westport has a dog park. It doesn’t. Just ask the town! It’ll tell you that Winslow Park is a park open to all which happens to allow dogs off leash. We don’t have a true dog park, and Winslow is unsafe because it’s unfenced, with recent tragic consequences. As for the beach, I’m unaware of any town that bars dogs from the beach in the off season. And for good reason – it’s usually deserted except for dog people in winter. Many localities allow dogs on the beach at designated times year round, including in the Hamptons.
People getting in a twist about dogs strike me as stressed and depressed. I recommend adopting a dog – it’s proven to help on both fronts.
I can’t begin to imagine the emotional and intellectual suffering endured by children who are taught to fear books, knowledge, their feelings, and their bodies.
Insurance co’s consider an arrest for passing a school bus as bad as a DWI. So consider that. Most importantly is the safety of the children! What is wrong with people???
I found the sign oddly fascinating.
For one, you would think that we don’t have one of the finest public school systems in the nation, already (Bravo! Brava! Westport teachers, administrators, other school professionals, and the BOE!)
I thought it was interesting that he is promoting the teaching of math and reading (Dan noted the irony) but not promoting the teaching of science, history, or civics.
I would hope that,”God is not cool with the killing of little ones” is a reference to the terrible tragedies at Sandy Hook and Uvalde,” but I kind of doubt it.
Dog owner here – fully understand the dog sign at Bedford
For all of those who are complaining about this “new rule” – please note that the 2011 Parks and Rec Policy on Use of Westport Athletic Fields explicitly states that “NO DOGS on athletic fields at any time.”
https://www.westportct.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2677/636934866377170000
A simple search could have eliminated a lot of noise.
That imbeclie on the bridge has one huge set of gonads to let himself be seen as he presents and be associated with his grade school looking , meaninglessly worded sign….not to mention the sartorial splender.
Love the song, Dan! I’ll let you know when I play “Woog’s Workout” in AquaFitness at the Y. I have many great tunes from you. 😃
Patty, you have the best signs — and the best workouts. Rock on!
I have been reading the comments about Banned Books since the controversy began and find the blog posters are complaining about what is displayed in brown paper covers and not displayed with pages open to the graphically explicit images that Dan posted for all of us to understand the controversy.
It seems that many people who have not actually opened the books and read them are reacting to graphics that the Board of Education did not show. In an effort to educate students about what is being banned, the Board of Ed. presented how the 1st Amendment is being restricted all around the country in schools and libraries, not too mention how some publishers self-censor what is being published because states such as Texas purchase books in staggering amounts.
PEN has defended the right to publish books for ALL to read at the reader’s discussion and, if parents talk about this subject with their children, to make it a family choice. An example of these banned books is published by PEN. https://pen.org/banned-in-the-usa/ For a more detailed list, including Noble Prize Winner Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and John Green: https://pen.org/banned-in-the-usa/#authors
Should Shakespeare’s poetry and plays be read and performed by hooded actors with their voices muffled? Should each published volume contain a notice that his words may offend? Or it is because we need a glossary to understand his language and its use from the 16th century. You may see such and example in Henry IV, Part II, Act II, Scene I with the current day modern English translation. https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare/language/slang-and-sexual-language.
As it has been pointed out in previous postings, we accept the gross images and words spoken by politicians, as well as the racist, bigoted, stereotypes and anti-Semitic rants that students and hear see on the news daily and are easily accessible on TV and online. Yet the Board of Ed. is being criticized in vile terms for allowing students to choose books for themselves as informed readers without being exposed to the public display of the sexual images that Dan posted so we are all free to criticize and discuss it with an understanding of what we are talking about. Even the coward who towered over the Staples journalist in an effort to intimidate a young woman who wanted to report what was happening, had that freedom.