Today’s “Westport … What’s Happening” podcast features 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker talking traffic.
In the bi-weekly series — produced by the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston — she talks about Post Road intersection improvements, from Bulkley Avenue to Fresh Market; the Easton Road/Weston Road/Exit 42 clusterf***, and a study of Cross Highway, from North Avenue to Bayberry Lane.
Click below for the full podcast.
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How bad are conditions in Lyman, Ukraine?
“06880” has reported on life Westport’s sister city. Now the BBC has taken note.
A long report on the British news service website reads like a horror story. Click here — and think about our new friends overseas.
Apartment building in Lyman, after missile strikes. (Photo courtesy of BBC)
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Westport’s weekly volunteer trash pick-up continued on Saturday.
A dozen or so residents, members of Assumption Church and St. Francis Church of Weston joined in clearing litter on Greens Farms Road, near I-95 (and the Assumption Cemetery).
Interested in joining? Email Andrew Colabella: acolabellartm4@gmail.com
Trash pick-up on Greens Farms Road.
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Everyone is talking about (and eating) microgreens.
On March 13 (7 p.m.), Wakeman Town Farm offers “Microgreens 101: Grow Your Own!”
The evening covers urban farming, sustainable food systems, minimizing waste, rethinking food production and distribution, nutrition, and (of course) how to get started.
If you sign up by February 6, you can get a starter kit in time.
For more information and to register, click here.
Microgreens
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Westport Country Playhouse’s Family Festivities presents “Woof Woof the Shadow Pup.” The February 12 (1 and 4 p.m.) shadow theater musical is one hour, and appropriate for grades pre-K and up and runs approximately one-hour in length.
“Woof Woof” illuminates the importance of understanding and acknowledging the emotional life of young children. This inspiring story is an invitation for families to experience the magical world of shadow theater.
Click here for details and tickets.
“Woof Woof the Shadow Pup,” at the Westport Country Playhouse.
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Besides breaking national age group (85-89 years old) records on the track, Westporter Norma Minkowitz is also a prestigious artist.
“Body to Soul” — her solo exhibition at Fairfield University’s Bellarmine Galleries opens January 27. There’s an opening talk and reception January 26 (5 p.m.). Click here for more information. Click below for a video about Norma’s work.(Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
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Did you lose your bagels?
If so, Chris Grimm spotted them yesterday, near High Gate Road off South Maple:
(Photo/Chris Grimm)
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Mark Shufro died peacefully at home in Brooklyn on October 16. He was 66, and had lived for more than a decade with spinocerebellar ataxia-13 and multiple-system atrophy.
Born in New York City, he soon moved with his family to Westport, and graduated from Staples High School. He discovered Ultimate Frisbee there, which was in its infancy at the time but became a lifelong passion.
In his teens Mark established his first business — Marco Sales — distributing swimming pool chemicals to neighbors and family friends. .
At Brown University Mark majored in math and French, studied abroad in France and Colombia, and continued to play Ultimate Frisbee. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1979.
Mark worked as an actuary for a year before being accepted into General Electric’s Financial Management Program. Mark earned an MBA from New York University while working at GE Credit and at several other firms. He started his own company, Greyrock Capital Group, in 2001.
Mark married Lisa Kerpen in 1985. After living in Manhattan and Irvington, New York, they settled back in Westport in 1992. There Mark pursued his hobbies of woodworking and tinkering, reading, traveling, skiing and Ultimate Frisbee while raising his family of 4 children
In 2017, as empty nesters, Mark and Lisa moved to Carroll Gardens. Mark continued to be involved with his company, advising and supporting younger members. He also took an active role in research into his illness, funding several important studies at Yale University. He was overjoyed to celebrate the wedding of his daughter Hannah to Roberto Ferdman, a few weeks before his death.
Besides his wife Lisa, daughter Hannah and son-in-law Roberto, Mark is survived by his mother, Edith Evans; sisters Cathy Shufro and Carol Shufro; son Paul; daughter-in-law Lydia Melamed Johnson; son Jacob, and his daughter Sophie. Mark’s father, Arnold Shufro, predeceased him in 2000.
Donations in Mark’s memory can be made to Common Cause. Lisa can be reached at Lisa@shuf.ro.
Mark Shufro
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Cape Cod or the Hamptons?
No. Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo is from our own Sherwood Island State Park.
The amount of natural beauty here continues to astonish Connecticut residents.
And the few Westporters who appreciate this great resource, smack in the middle of our shoreline.
(Photo/Neal Radding)
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And finally … on this day in 1986, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
Not a bad class!
(Be a Hall of Famer! Please click here to support “06880.” Thank you!)
Questions on traffic for Jen and others proposing massive changes to downtown: What will the downtown-area traffic look like after the proposed changes to Parker Harding? With the elimination of up to 65 parking spaces (that’s a ~30% propsoed reduction) where will people park? Have the impacted merchants been consulted? With removal of Parker-Harding as a cut-through from Main Street to the Post Road, where will the traffic go? The already disastrous WIlton Road/Kings Highway intersection and/or the Post Road/Myrtle Ave intersection?
Hear, hear. Not to mention that it appears the proposed construction seems to be slated for the last 3 months of the calendar year — the largest shopping season for Downtown Merchants. Between all of that proposed construction at the railroad station (for years, presumably) which will probably dissuade people from buying homes in this town for years due to an incomprehensible commute, and, making it more difficult for shoppers downtown during the holiday season, seems like the current town managers are intent on really, really making things less conducive to living here. But, sure, let’s increase taxes to do these things and put in a covered bridge near the library or a walkway from downtown to a few $4million condos (yeah, I read that it’s supposed to be a “public-private” project). Hard to believe that the “free” covid recovery money was spent on these inane downtown plans when there are other facets of this town that need attention.
Thanks so much to Lisa Shufro for sending in the obit for her late husband, Mark, who was my friend since Coleytown Elementary School and a fellow Staples ’74 grad.
Being much more of an extrovert than I, Mark had many friends at Staples, so if readers know people who attended the school in the first half of the 1970’s, please let them know this sad news.
Mark handled his devastating diagnosis with great bravery and positivity. His wife and his 4 children were devoted over the past 10+ years to a never-ending search for treatments and other ways to improve his quality of life.
I will miss Mark tremendously and give my deepest condolences to his wonderful family.
It never ceases to amaze that litter, like guns, is ever present only in this particular First World country.
I wish Westporters were as aggressive about litter as they are about guns.