Posted onJanuary 3, 2024|Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2451
Soon, Christmas wreaths and ornaments will disappear. But for now, decorations like these on Saugatuck Shores brighten our slowly lengthening — yet still mid-winter — days. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Since its founding more than 70 years ago — with help from several Westporters, and important funding from the Westport Woman’s Club — STAR Lighting the Way has grown into a vital resource for people with individual or developmental disabilities.
STAR provides a wide array of services for over 700 individuals in Fairfield County, from birth to their senior years. STAR helps them live full lives with independence, freedom of choice and personal growth, through early intervention pediatric therapies, family support, high school transition, customized employment and job support, assistive technology, adult day services, recreation, and residential support in group homes and apartments.
For over 40 years, Katie Banzhaf has been an integral part of STAR. This Friday marks her last day as executive director. She looks forward to traveling, and pursuing her passion for gardening.
Katie Banzhaf
But, Banzhaf told NewCanaanite.com, she has also always been passionate about “the employment of people with special needs. At a very early age, I just realized that life could be better for (them). I wanted to be part of that.”
She began volunteering as a teenager in her native Cincinnati, taking residents of a state institution into the community.
While working as a consultant involved with job training for people with IDD, she was recruited by STAR. around the country and worldwide, Banzhaf received a call from STAR and the rest is history.
In 4 decades at STAR, she told NewCanaanite, she watched clients move from infant services into high school, college and then jobs. “The continuity with the clients, and being able to see them grow and with their families has been a real gift.”
One is Joey Agostino, the well-known “DJ Joe”; he works in a flower shop, and plays music on the side. Another client started his own vending machine business.
“It’s somebody believing in them and saying let’s do everything in our power to support them.
Katie Banzhaf (far right) with (from left) State Senator Bob Duff, Westporter and Staples High School graduate Wyatt Davis, State Representative Lucy Dathan.
“I’ve really worked hard to make sure I’ve done a lot of lobbying with the state so that we can offer better wages and better benefits. There’s still more work to be done with that as well. But STAR has really become a family and I hope it continues to have that feeling and it’s a place that people want to work.”
Banzhaf passed praise for her work back to her colleagues and STAR members.
In a farewell note she said, “Whatever has been achieved over my time as executive director has been the result of a great team effort. For that and more, I am grateful to the board of directors, the staff, parents, and the individuals we support who continue to teach me about strength, determination, and the joy of realizing their dreams.
“You have all played a part in ensuring that my professional life was meaningful and joyful.”
Katie Banzhaf and Westporter Mickey Herbst, a longtime STAR board of directors member and supporter.
STAR director of philanthropy Peter Saverine says, “There is so much more to Katie’s story. For over 40 years she has been dedicated to STAR, and she spent a lifetime dedicated to advancing services, inclusion, rights and opportunities for people of all abilities.
“She is a hero here, and to thousands of families in Fairfield County.”
Congratulations, Katie, as you retire from such a meaningful, impactful career. Thank you for all you have done, for tens of thousands of people. Your legacy will live on for decades.
(To nominate an Unsung Hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com)
(“Unsung Hero” runs weekly on “06880.” To support this, and many other features of our hyper-local blog, please click here. Thank you!)
Posted onJanuary 3, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: Real Estate Stats, Marigny Gifts, Early Morning Runs …
With interest rates high, how good (or bad) was the 2023 residential real estate market?
Mary Ann Lindwall of the Riverside Realty Group sends along these statistics, courtesy of SmartMLS.
Average Sales Price: The average sales price for single-family homes in Westport was $2,380,509, a modest increase of 0.6% from 2022.
Closed Sales: 327 homes were sold, a 24.8% drop from the previous year.
Inventory Reduction: The number of homes on sale now is 46, a sharp 40% decrease from the 77 homes available at the start of last year.
Days on Market: The average number of days homes spent on the market — 54 — was unchanged from 2022.
Pending Home Sales: There are 20 homes in Westport awaiting closing dates.
Months’ Supply of Inventory: The months’ supply of inventory in Westport decreased by 22.7% from 2022, ending the year at just 1.7 months. According to the National Association of Realtors, this low supply level indicates that demand for homes is outpacing the available supply, potentially leading to further price increases in 2024.
Impact of Interest Rates: The Riverside Realty Group says, “A significant factor influencing the real estate market in 2023 was the rise in interest rates…. interest rates surpassed 8% in October, reaching their highest level in 23 years.
“Since the beginning of 2022, interest rates have more than doubled. Rising rates have led to buyers being priced out of the market, while sellers are inclined to hold on to properties they purchased at more favorable rates.
“This combination of factors, especially the surge in interest rates, has profoundly impacted the dynamics of the Westport real estate market.”
The most expensive home on the Westport market right now is this 4-bedroom, 5 1/2-bathroom, 8,246-square foot house on 1.35 acres, at 279 Saugatuck Avenue. It’s listed at $13,900,000.
For months, residents of Marigny-le-Lozon gathered Christmas gifts for the children of Lyman, Ukraine.
More than 70 years after Westporters sent gifts to the French village — rebuilding, after the devastation of World II, the town not far from the D-Day beaches was paying it forward.
It was our friends in Marigny who suggested, a year and a half ago, that we and they join together to help another town — this one in war-torn Ukraine.
Ukraine Aid International — a non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer — facilitated the sister city partnership. They also ensured that Marigny’s gifts made their way directly to 300 children of Lyman.
Here is one of the many Ukrainian youngsters whose holiday was made brighter. Merci, Marigny.
On the agenda for next Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (January 8, 7 p.m., Zoom; www.westportct.gov ): a text and map amendment, and special permit/site plan application, to allow the use of medical offices at 55-57 Greens Farms Road, the office park next to Assumption Cemetery.
Click here for more details, and application materials.
Officials have implemented new town records management system software. In an effort to combat property and mortgage fraud, residents who sign up will receive notification when official documents are recorded on their property.
Town Clerk Jeff Dunkerton says, “Property fraud can occur if someone forges your identity, transfers your property into their name, and records the document. This fraudulent activity can make it appear as if that person owns your home or property, and you may not have any idea that this happened. It is, unfortunately, becoming more prevalent today as cyber criminals exploit every avenue to cause harm and steal from citizens.”
Last year in Fairfield, a homeowner claimed a $1.5 million home was built on his property without his permission after someone fraudulently sold the land to a property developer.
For more information on the RecordHub software, click here.
Westporters took over the WCBS Channel 2 news yesterday — or at least, the weather and sports departments.
Regular chief meteorologist Lonnie Quinn was joined by substitute sports reports Dave Briggs.
Quinn has been with the station for several years. Briggs has been seen on Turner Sports/CNN, NBC Sports, FOX News and Yahoo Finance.
Lonnie Quinn (left) and Dave Briggs, on set.
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Longtime Westporter Maria Teresa Sales Ludovice de Gusmão Sá Couto died early Sunday away after a fierce, prolonged struggle with various health challenges. She was 81.
She was born and raised n Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. Her family says, “with extraordinary courage and resilience, Teresa and her husband Mário Luis Neves Sá Coutomade a home with her family on 4 continents. They lived in Lisbon; Bissau, Guinea; Rio de Janeiro and Westport. She took great joy in, and was deeply dedicated to, raising her children and tending to her grandchildren.”
Teresa is survived by her husband; children, Inês Ludovice de Gusmão SáCouto Curwen (William), Susana Ludovice de Gusmão SáCouto (partner Manuella), and Nuno Pedro Ludovice de Gusmão SáCouto (Carrie); sister Maria Isabel Sales Ludovice de Gusmão; grandchildren Tomas Patrick, Maia Amelia, Daniel Kelly, Madeleine Eve and Max Leo, and extended family in Portugal.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Teresa will be held at St. Luke Church on Friday (January 5, noon).
Jim Hood has seen a lot of things from his home on Soundview Drive.
But never — until this year — did he see kayakers on New Year’s Day.
They were joined by more common denizens of Long Island Sound, which qualifies this as a “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Jim Hood)
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And finally … on this date in 1870, work began on the Brooklyn Bridge.
(Westport connection: Johnny Maestro — former lead singer of the Crests, Del-Satins and Brooklyn Bridge — was a frequent performer at, and longtime favorite of, Festival Italiano.)
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Comments Off on Roundup: Real Estate Stats, Marigny Gifts, Early Morning Runs …
Every so often since 2017, alert “06880” reader Bob Weingarten counts the number of “for lease” or “for sale” properties on Post Road East and West.
His most recent survey was last month. Bob says that 54 locations — offices, stores, restaurants, banks and entire buildings — were posted on Post Road East and West.
This is just 2 fewer units from his last count, in February 2023. There are still multiple large office buildings available, plus a few smaller offices, 3 bank buildings, and other units. (Weingarten did not count available apartments and condominiums).
A few buildings are recently rented, like the old, long-vacant garden market that is now Tacombi restaurant; several smoke shops; nail salons (of course), medical offices, and the new Bond Vet that replaced Freshii.
(Photo/Bob Weingarten)
A few buildings are back on the market, including the former IHOP and then Westport Pancake House.
Also for lease: the large, strategically located and very expensive space that until a few days ago housed Patagonia. For decades previously, it was a bank.
The Amazon Fresh space (previously, Barnes & Noble) is not listed — but there has been no activity there for months.
This shopping center bustled when Barnes & Noble was there. With an empty storefront abandoned by Amazon Fresh: not so much.
Multiple stores have relocated, such as Pottery Barn from Main Street. It replaced Westport Hardware, which moved a few doors west in the same complex.
In the works: The Clubhouse, a golf simulator and lounge. It’s taking over Pane e Bene restaurant.
“The Clubhouse” will replace the former Pane e Bene restaurant.
“There are lots of changes,” Weingarten summarizes.
“Even so, the number of ‘for lease or for sale’ properties is about the same as it was in 2017.” See below:
June 2017: 50
April 2019: 65
December 2019: 72
February 2022: 61
February 2023: 56
December 2023: 54
(“06880” is your place for local news — including businesses opening and closing, and the stories behind them. If you enjoy our work, please click here to support us. Thank you!)
3 properties available in February 2023 are still on the market. One has been rented. (Photos/Bob Weingarten)
“We did it! We have reached our goal of inspiring (over) 150 Westporters to make a gift in support of Sustainable Westport.
“We deeply appreciate every individual who participated in our first-ever Community Giving Challenge.
“Your support helped us raise money to expand our programming in 2024, demonstrated our community’s continued commitment to sustainability, and helped us unlock an additional $10,000 challenge grant from a generous Sustainable Westport donor. When we come together, even small actions have an incredible impact! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Jake Thaw is going to the College Football Playoff championship.
His University of Michigan Wolverines edged Alabama 27-20 in overtime yesterday, at the Rose Bowl. They’ll face the University of Washington next Monday in Houston (January 8, 8:15 p.m., ESPN).
It almost didn’t happen, though. The only punt that came the 2020 Staples High School graduate’s way was muffed, at the 5-yard line. Thaw did a great job of avoiding a safety, under intense pressure.
Jay Harbaugh — the UM special teams coordinator, and son of head coach Jim Harbaugh — was heavily criticized on social media for allowing Thaw to attempt the catch inside the 10, and not simply letting it bounce.
Bridgewater Associates — the Westport-based world’s largest hedge fund, and the object of so much interest and mystery in that world — is under the media microscope again.
Not long after the publication of Rob Copeland’s tell-almost-all book “The Fund,” a Bloomberg story examines charges against the company of favoritism, age and sex discrimination.
The article includes this description of what goes on inside the office:
Because many employees at Bridgewater are in their 20s and 30s and work long hours in the Connecticut suburbs far outside New York City, romantic relationships are common, people who have worked there said….
And the togetherness extends beyond work. There are almost 100 clubs where employees can do everything from play softball to rescue pets.
Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Allan Siegert)
Bridgewater’s Nyala Farm headquarters, where romance blooms. (Photo/Nico Eisenberger)
Bassist/composer/producer Harvie S and guitarist Sheryl Bailey kick off the 2024 Jazz at the Post year this Thursday (January 4, VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 6:30 p.m. on).
The two highly regarded musicians will be joined by saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall and drummer Steve Johns.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com
Imagine what it’s like to wake up every morning, knowing you’ll have just 10% of the energy you once had.
With your physical and emotional battery so low, it’s a challenge just to eat or brush your teeth.
You seldom leave the house. It’s almost impossible to work. You think often of your old, “regular” life, when you traveled, hung out with friends, and got up the next morning to do it all again.
Caroline Riddle Ranere doesn’t imagine that. It’s the reality of her life.
And it has been for 17 years.
It’s a far cry from her Staples High School years. Back then the 1993 graduate played violin in the orchestra, performed with the Academy of Dance, and took Saturday classes at the Manhattan School of Music.
Caroline Riddle dancing as the mother in “The Nutcracker,” 1991.
She headed to Furman University. After graduation, she moved to San Francisco. She’s now in Baltimore.
But for nearly 2 decades, she’s suffered from ME/CFS. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by extreme fatigue. It worsens with activity, and does not improve with rest.
Caroline is mostly homebound. “My iPad is my world,” she says.
But lately, that same device has given her an outlet. More of a life. And hope.
Caroline’s symptoms began around 2006 — the year she was married.
Caroline and her husband, just before the onset of ME/CFS.
At first she did not feel well. She had trouble working as an interior designer. and going to the gym.
She pushed through her honeymoon, but soon had her first “crash” — post-exertional malaise, it’s called.
“You’re getting older,” doctors told her.
“I was in my 30s!” Caroline says.
Unable to offer a diagnosis, doctors sent her to a mental health therapist. Even family and friends did not understand what she was going through.
Caroline spent 10 “pretty dark” years. In 2010 she retired from a work project. “I was devastated to let down a client. But I just didn’t have it in me,” she recalls.
Caroline Ranere’s work, as an interior designer.
Finally, in 2015, she was diagnosed with ME/CFS.
She was lucky. Living not far from Stanford University, she entered its clinic.
At last, “everything I said was understood. No one looked at me like I was a head case. It was the best appointment I’d ever had.”
The cause of the disease is unclear. One theory, Caroline says, is that she never recovered from previously undiagnosed Epstein-Barr virus, or mononucleosis.
What is known is that if ME/CFS is not diagnosed early, a patient is unaware of the “crashes” that can occur — and that over-exertion can cause them.
A crash can lower the baseline of functioning for several days, weeks, even months. That leads to more severe symptoms, a prolonged recovery, even an irreversible decline in health.
Caroline would rest all week before a dinner with friends. She would then over-exert herself, causing a downward spiral of even more fatigue.
ME/CFS is called an “invisible illness,” because sufferers often look “normal.”
At least 3.3 million Americans have ME/CFS. Caroline suspects the number is far greater, because long COVID is believed to be a new form of the disease.
When Caroline got the coronavirus, she was prescribed Paxlovid. For the first time in 17 years, she felt “like a normal person.”
But the feeling did not last. It was just a tantalizing taste of her life before ME/CFS.
Caroline Ranere’s self-portrait.
Three years ago, during a particularly bleak period, Caroline picked up her iPad, and drew.
She liked what she created. Finally, she had something positive to share on social media.
She could draw for hours, without zapping her energy. At times, in fact, she felt better after drawing.
She drew almost every day. Then, she realized, she could sell her work online.
And those designs could be printed and sold on a variety of products.
Six months ago, she started a website. Superficial Love is filled with Caroline’s work: prints (acrylic, canvas, metal, silk and wood); tapestries and wall hangings; backpacks, bags and jewelry; keychains; iPhone cases and laptop sleeves; t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, dresses, pants and footwear; pillows, candles, and more.
One of Caroline Ranere’s art prints …
But Caroline’s website is more than just an outlet for her brand.
It’s a testament to what she can accomplish, despite suffering from a debilitating disease.
“Behind every post is a struggle, a victory against odds you might not fully comprehend,” she writes.
“Each day, I balance sharing my creativity with conserving energy just to make it through. When I’m silent online, it’s not a lack of interest in your lives; it’s a battle for my own.”
Though she yearns for the days of active friendships, her website has become a way to connect with others. She draws sustenance — if not energy — from hearing other people’s stories, and knowing that both her products and her story inspire them.
If Caroline has one message, it’s this: “Those of us with ME/CFS are not lazy, useless, weak or mentally unstable. But when no one understands our struggle, we lose our identity. Whatever we’ve achieved just fades away.
“It takes effort to find happiness and purpose. But we can find it.”
She is fortunate to have found something that gives her life meaning — despite the need to constantly rest, save her energy, realize her limitations, and balance what she wants to do with what she can do.
… and 3 pillows.
She feels fortunate too that her husband, his family, and her longtime Westport friend Leah Nash have supported her strongly.
Her hometown holds a special place in Caroline’s heart. She has few memories of the past 17 years, because she has been homebound and spent so little time with others.
The people she grew up with here “know who I was, and what I did,” she says.
Meanwhile, while she waits for a cure, she vows to live a life “with purpose and fulfillment.”
Superficial Love proves to Caroline — every exciting, yet exhausting, day — that she is doing exactly that.
(To learn more about Superficial Love, click here. For Caroline Ranere’s Instagram, click here.)
(“06880” covers the interesting and inspiring lives of many Staples High School graduates. Please click here to support our hyper-local work. Thank you!)
But you’re going to be spending a very short time in the water, right?
Temple Israel and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County are sponsoring a Polar Plunge today — Monday, January 1, 11 a.m., at Compo Beach.
It’s a fundraiser for the Israel Emergency Fund.
Donations will help pay for evacuation, transport, housing and support for frontline communities; trauma relief and psychosocial support; emergency medical services and health care, volunteers, and much more, for victims of Hamas’ October 7 attacks.
Whether you’re a football fan or not, Westporters should pay attention to today’s national semifinal game between #1 Michigan and #4 Alabama (January 1, 5 p.m., ESPN).
On the roster for the undefeated Wolverines (that’s Michigan, for you non-football fans): Jake Thaw.
A Staples High School Class of 2020 graduate (and football and basketball star), he’s a punt return specialist and wide receiver.
If you invited Nile Rodgers to your New Year’s Eve party, and he said he was already taken: He’s telling the truth.
Our Westport neighbor spent last night in Hollywood. He performed with his band Chic, as part of ABC-TV’s awkwardly named say-goodbye-to-’23 show, the awkwardly named “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
Here’s a screenshot, in case you really need proof:
(Photo/Matthew Mandell)
Not to be outdone, CBS featured another Westporter: Brad Tursi.
The 1997 Staples High graduate (and former soccer star) is lead guitarist and vocalist with Old Dominion, the multiple award-winning country band.
Brad Tursi. (Photo/Matthew Mandell; hat tips, Neil Brickley and Karen Kramer)
If you know of any other local New Year’s Eve entertainers we missed — José Feliciano? Keith Richards? — click “Comments” below.
ENCORE: CBS featured another Westporter last night too: meteorologist Lonnie Quinn.
Our had a busy night on the tube, for sure. And Matthew Mandell managed to catch all of it.
Lonnie Quinn (left). (Photo courtesy of Matthew Mandell)
Like many restaurants, La Plage celebrated New Year’s Eve with a special party.
The staff was ready. Here was the scene, a few hours before midnight:
After a brief break starting today, the Longshore restaurant will reopen January 5 for dinner, with a new winter menu.
Speaking of restaurants: Don’t forget “06880”‘s guide. Click here — or click the “Restaurants” tab at the top of our blog (or the bottom of our iPhone or Android app), for a list of local spots, complete with menu and website links.
Want to ring in the new year with a nice oil painting of Westport?
How about this one by Arnold Knauth. It’s listed on eBay for $595 (or best offer):
Don’t recognize it?
Neither do I.
The listing says “Westport, CT.” It looks more like Westport, VT. (Except there is no such place.)
Mary Gai — who spotted the artwork, and sent the link to “06880” — wonders if it could be the now-flattened hilltop where the Gault development is now.
Seems kind of mountainous for that location.
If readers have any idea where this could be in Westport — or where else it could show — click “Comments” below.
For several years, “06880” rang in the new year with an iconic photo: The “blue marble” image of Earth, suspended in space.
Taken by Apollo 17 astronauts in December 1972, for half a century it symbolized the beauty and fragility of our planet, and the interconnectedness of us all.
Last year, I went intergalactic.
In the 17 months since the James Webb Space Telescope beamed its first pictures back to us, the world has been mesmerized.
We thought we knew how vast and amazing the universe is.
Now, we realize, we don’t know the half — or the hundredth, or squintillionth — of it.
Gazing at photos like the one above, we realize how insignificant we truly are. Our planet is just one grain of sand, on an obscure beach, in an out-of-the-way location.
We really don’t matter at all.
Except to us.
Take a look at that photo again.
That landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. For the first time, we see stars being born.
We look billions of light years into the past. That’s crazy stuff.
So — back here on Earth, in our tiny Zip Code in our small state in our big country in our average-sized planet — we have to wonder: What actually matters?
Is it whether we put a baseball field next to a school, or keep a garden? Is it losing 44 parking spaces downtown? Is it the inconvenience of traffic on our roads, or a neighbor who chops down most of his trees?
The answer is: Yes.
These things matter.
They matter because they are part of our lives here in Westport. Sure, the universe seems endless; we still can’t really conceive of the fourth dimension, and our universe itself may be part of another, “living” life form.
In other words, the Westport — and the world — we know may just be atoms in an infinitely more complex something-or-other.
But all that’s for another day (or time).
Meanwhile, we look for the answers to life out there. But right now, it’s our own lives to lead, right here in “06880.”
Let’s lead them well.
And so … bringing us back to what we know best … here’s that beautiful blue marble, once more.
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