StartUp Westport — our town’s public/private tech entrepreneurship venture — is all about innovation.
So it’s no surprise they’ve chosen an innovative selection as their first-ever “Innovator of the Year” awardee.
Jimmy Pitaro — chair of ESPN — will be honored on April 30, at the Westport Library.
The award will go each year to “a member of the greater Westport community whose work exemplifies the ability to embrace opportunities, forward looking ideas or technologies that shape the future for the betterment of the lives of others.”
ESPN sports personality Mike Greenberg — a fellow Westport resident — will interview Pitaro on his accomplishments during the ceremony.
“ESPN brings joy and excitement into the homes of hundreds of millions of people around the globe every day,” says Startup Westport president Cliff Sirlin. Jimmy’s dynamic leadership and groundbreaking initiatives make him a worthy recipient.”
Pitaro has led ESPN with strategic advancements and innovative concepts. He has overseen great growth in the network’s digital and social presence, along with audience expansion, diverse storytelling and community engagement.
Proceeds from the event benefit The Westport Library. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Jimmy Pitaro, at ESPN headquarters. (Photo/Joe Faraoni)
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After several years of controversy, construction on the cell tower at 92 Greens Farms Road began last summer.
Yesterday, the antenna was installed.
(Photo/John Richers)
That’s good news for cell phone users, in what has been a dead zone.
And bad news for residents who worried about the scenery, just yards from Hillspoint Road, I-95 and the railroad tracks.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
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Next Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (April 8, 7 p.m.; Zoom [click here for the link]; http://www.Westportct.gov; Optimum Channel 79; Frontier Channel 6020) includes these items:
- 8-24 request from the 1st Selectwoman to “expand the parking adjacent to Jesup Green and to transform the Parker Harding parking lot layout, resulting in a net parking increase, and to add Public Waterfront Access to the Saugatuck River on Town-owned property in the Business Center District/Village District Overlay Zone/Westport Center.”
- Request from Longshore Hospitality for “substantial improvements to the Inn at Longshore.”
- Request for a 2-lot subdivision of property at 50 Sylvan Road South.
The most recent plan for Jesup Green shows increased parking at the east end (right), and more green space on the west (left).
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Like many boomers, Ellen Botwin remembers “Tommy”: The Who’s 1969 rock opera, and album, and the film 6 years later (with, perhaps most memorably, Tina Turner as the Acid Queen).
Unlike most boomers, the 1974 Staples High School graduate is involved in the Broadway revival, which opened Thursday.
She and her husband, Howard Ignal, are co-producers.
According to Next Avenue, that means traveling often to New York. She “attends readings, meets the cast, sits in on rehearsal and more. Botwin is often called to Zoom meetings with the lead producer, fellow investors and co-producers, directors and actors to discuss marketing and social media, casting and promotional activities, among other topics.”
That sounds like a lot. But she and Ignal are also co-producers of “Cabaret,” opening this month in a very crowded Broadway season.
They are not their first ventures. They invested previously in “Merrily We Roll Along,” among others.
And they’re already looking ahead, to the Holocaust-themed “Here There are Blueberries.”
Unlike the eponymous protagonist of Pete Townshend’s show, Botwin is neither deaf, dumb, nor blind. For Next Avenue’s full story on Botwin’s Broadway efforts, click here. (Hat tip: David Abrams)
Ellen Botwin and Howard Ignal, at the opening of “Funny Girl.” (Photo courtesy of Next Avenue)
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Speaking of entertainment: Noted film critic and longtime Westporter Susan Granger is the guest of Staples’ Film Club at Toquet Hall tomorrow (Wednesday, April 3, 7 p.m.).
And everyone in town is invited.
Granger will be part of a panel, then answer questions from the audience.
Unlike at movie theaters, there are free refreshments too.
Susan Granger
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Westport-based Oi tape — which offers mouth tape for sleepers — has launched a new non-vented product.
Mark Nordstrom started the company, with his daughter Natalia. He says:
“Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the US. The American Heart Association has named quality sleep as one of only 4 behavior changes we can make to improve heart health.
“Quality sleep is closely related to our breathing practices. Mouth-taping is often used at bedtime to reduce mouth-breathing and promote nose-breathing. We should breathe through our nose and eat with our mouth.
“Nose breathing reduces snoring, eliminates waking due to dry mouth, and increases oxygen in our blood streams. t also helps stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system to reduce anxiety.
“While sleeping with mouth tape may not be for everyone, mouth taping can be used in a variety of situations to promote healthy nasal breathing — while driving, on extended walks, working on the computer, reading a book, etc.
“Proper breathing leads to heart health and other physical benefits we forfeit when we breathe through our mouths.”
Click here to learn more about Oi’s mouth strips. (The name stands for “optimal intake.”
Oi’s non-vented mouth tape.
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This Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (April 4, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; food service from 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $20 music cover, $15 for veterans and students) is a family affair.
Guitarist Rale Micic is a VFW favorite. He’s joined by jazz singer Alma Micic.
Also on the bill: bassist Peter Slavov, drummer Jason Tiemann, and — filling in for Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall, saxophonist Eric Alexander.
Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
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Former Westporter Herbert Nachman, of Townsend, Tennessee, died peacefully with his loved ones at his side last Thursday. He was 93.
The Augusta, Georgia native earned a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of North Carolina. He was active in student publications and his fraternity. He served in the Korean War as a 2nd lieutenant, and was a retired Air Force Reserves major.
Herb’s early career was in printing and advertising in New York. He then worked as a healthcare communication specialist, serving national pharmaceutical companies.
Herb retired to Townsend in 2000. He volunteered with Meals on Wheels, advised small companies on business plans for SCORE of Knoxville, and was a docent at the Heritage Center and a member of the Blount County Community Action Committee.
He was active in the Unitarian Movement his entire life serving in many leadership positions in various churches. He was a founding member of Foothills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Herb enjoyed skiing, tennis, the gym and travel. Hiss favorite hobby was cooking, especially baking homemade bread and pizza dough. He especially enjoyed making gourmet meals.
Herb was predeceased by his daughter Katherine and son David (Martha). He is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Serene White (Jai) and Claire Brooks (Wade), grandchildren Kiera Nachman-Kent (Troy), Billy Nachman (Julie), Victoria Nachman Pearson (Dylan) and Sydney Flax, and 4 great grand children.
A memorial service will be held in Maryville, Tennessee. The date will be announced soon.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Herb’s name can be made to Meals on Wheels or Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center.
Herb Nachman
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As of yesterday, dogs are banned from Compo Beach until September 30.
No word on cockatoos, though.
Karen Como spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” subject near the pavilion.
And the much duller (but more numerous) gulls.
(Photo/Karen Como)
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And finally … (see story above): “Tommy, can you hear me?”
Yes!
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We all agree… no one really wants to look at a cell tower or live in the shadows of one. Maybe someday we’ll get fantastic, reliable gigabit service with no towers (Starlink?) But until then, while we also all (close to all?) can agree that society now runs via full-time connectivity, and that the connectivity benefits far outweigh the negatives, dead zones need to be fixed once and for all.
Sure… but you can see the monstrosity looming on the skyline from almost any place in Westport… I was startled to see the offensive third finger to the sky gesture from the shore at Sherwood Island.
Is this another example of the state “improving” our lives?
I thought Ann Margaret was most memorable from the movie “Tommy.” Just IMO.
I hope that those who experience better service or first time service from the new cell tower let people know. Those of us who worked to prevent the tower believed that it was primarily resulting from a need for better service along I-95. A related question was good service available from alternative providers.
Don Bergmann