The other day, Ana Rogers was walking with friends in Winslow Park.
They noticed stuffed bears, scattered in trees throughout the 32 acres. They figured someone was having a scavenger hunt.
The next morning, walking alone, she spotted an older woman placing one of the animals on a tree. Ana asked if it was part of a hunt.
“No,” the woman said.
“These are just for fun. Bears belong in trees!
She said at first she just placed them in branches, but people took them.
Now, she has to zip tie them.
People: Whether they’re stuffed or real, when you see a bear — leave it alone!
(Photos/Ana Rogers)
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Staples High School has a new — and official — MLB prospect.
Hiro Wyatt — the superbly named Staples High School baseball hero who graduated last month, after helping the Wreckers comethisclose to the state championship — was drafted this afternoon by the Kansas City Royals.
The right-handed pitcher was chosen in the 3rd round. He was the 75th pick overall.
According to CT Insider’s GameTimeCT, Wyatt will join a Kansas City affiliate once he signs his contract. He had been committed to the University of Southern California.
This past spring, Wyatt went 8-0. He struck out 107 batters and walked only 11, in 54.2 innings pitched.
He allowed 4 earned runs all season, with a 0.51 ERA and a 0.677 WHIP. He also hit .367 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
He was named GameTimeCT MVP, Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year and CHSCA Player of the Year. He holds Staples records for strikeouts per 9 innings (17.64), most strikeouts in a game (18), scoreless innings streak (42.1) and single-season strikeouts (107).
Wyatt is the 4th Staples baseball player drafted in the past decade. He follows Chad Knight (2019, 31st round, New York Yankees), Ben Casparius (2017, 5th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and David Speer (2014, 27th round, Cleveland Indians).
In 1976, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Mike Calise in the 24th round. (Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
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The Westport Transit District’s May ridership figures show it to be the second highest in the previous 12 months.
There were 2,737 Wheels2U riders, second only to March (2,788).
With 25,511 total rides since the start of the fiscal year on July 1, 2022, the WTD was on garget to reach its target of 27,000.
In May, 501 individuals took at least 1 ride. The figure for April was 447.
Since July 1, 2022, the number of people taking at least one ride is 1,272.
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Roe Halper has been a professional artist in Westport for 63 years.
Her work has evolved from social commentary (her woodcuts hung in Martin Luther King’s home) to dance, then nature, and finally abstraction in many forms.
She has worked in woodcarving, pen and ink, and clay. Now she concentrates on acrylic painting.
Roe’s current exhibition, “Circles and Rectangles,” is on view at One River Gallery (next to Shearwater Coffee) through July 30.
On Saturday, July 22 (1 to 2:30 p.m.), she’ll give a class for “older students,” using circles and rectangles.
It’s not her first time as an instructor. For the past 25 years, Roe has taught art to talented high school students, in her studio.
“Circles and Rectangles X” (Roe Halper)
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What’s the connection between the Volkswagen emissions cheating settlement, and Weston?
Plenty.
In this week’s “What’s Next in Weston” podcast, 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor describes how money from that case will help her town build new infrastructure.
Spoiler alert: It will support the use of electric vehicles, and reduce harmful emissions.
The podcast is produced by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston. Click below to see:
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Last night at the Westport Library, the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston presented a talk on “Humanity Through Technology.”
Sam Gustman — associate dean and chief technology officer at the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation and USC Libraries — discussed the ground-breaking ways in which Holocaust victims have been recorded for posterity.
Long after they are gone, people will be able to “interview” them, learning their stories.
The Shoah Foundation’s technology, on view at the Westport Library. (Photo/Bruce Borner)
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Speaking of technology: What’s the future of astrophotography?
Richard S. Wright Jr. — contributing editor for Sky & Telescope magazine — shines a light on the subject July 18 (8 p.m., virtual; click here for the Zoom link; click here for the YouTube link).
He’s the next guest lecturer at the Westport Astronomical Society’s free online science series.
Viewers will have a chance to ask questions at the end. Click here for (much more) information.
Richard S. Wright Jr.
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Westport has many notable advertising, marketing and PR people.
Yesterday, one of them became an official “notable leader.”
Michael Gordon was one of 75 men and women in the tri-state area, cited by Crain’s.
His writeup says:
As chief executive of the public relations firm Group Gordon, Michael Gordon oversees client work spanning the corporate, social impact, and crisis practices. He also participates in media engagements and webinars regarding industry trends, such as the influence of artificial intelligence on public relations.
Gordon has led key social impact launches, such as the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s restroom finder app. He serves on councils to support undergraduate financial aid and first-generation college students at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been honored by Connecticut’s Anti-Defamation League for his leadership. Gordon has served on the board of the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition.
Westporters know him for him as a former Board of Education chair. Congratulations, Michael!
Michael Gordon
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“Dial M for Murder” opens tonight at the Westport Country Playhouse.
Audience members will enjoy the show — and the garden outside. It’s in full bloom, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” image by Molly Alger shows.
(Photo/Molly Alger)
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And finally … Peter Nero died Thursday in Florida. He was 89.
The New York Times said the pianist “soared to popularity in the 1960s with a swinging hybrid of classics and jazz and kept the beat for nearly six decades with albums, club and television dates, and segues into conducting pops orchestras.”
Click here for a full obituary.
(If you read about Hiro Wyatt — or any other interesting Westporter — on “06880,” you too can be a “hero.” Just click here to support our work. Thank you!)
So happy for Hiro! Great student and great guy, all-around!
Zip ties are not a good idea. They can be ingested by animals and/or ensnare animals that attempt to engage them out of curiosity. Put the toy bears on the Baron’s property. No one ever goes there and it will at least return some utility to the town in return for its investment of taxpayer dollars.
those bears are no good for the trees. they will retain moisture and cause rot as they rest against the branch/tree. same with those weird knit things people put on trees. please don’t hurt the trees. further, during uv exposure they will fall apart and leave synthetic materials behind and possible choking hazards. finally, yes those zip ties are bad. sorry to be such a party pooper but please let nature be natural.
They are fun. Leave them for a week and remove them.
You do it. You’re not the boss of me.
Uh Yeah!!!! The cute faux bears are a real “feel-good, do-bad” idea. On top of that, they were most likely manufactured under slave labor (Uyghurs) in COMMUNIST CHINA.
Note to Ms Tooker: Please do SOMETHING with the Baron’s property. I want you to succeed.
He’s our Hiro!!!!🤠😎
Mike Calise… best ball player I ever played with, and I played with a lot of great players!