Roundup: Dems, Reps React To Shooting; Billie Jean King Tickets …

Yesterday — in the aftermath of the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania — the Democratic Town Committee said:

Dear Westport Community,

The Westport Democratic Town Committee denounces the violence perpetrated against former President Donald Trump, and all other acts of political violence.

We live in unusually divisive times, where conduct has devolved both nationally and locally. This is unacceptable. The Democratic Town Committee is committed to civility, community, and above all – safety.

Sincerely,

Michelle Mechanic, Chair
Nicole Klein, Vice Chair
Robin Weinberg, Secretary
Alan Shinbaum, Treasurer

This was posted on a Westport Republicans social media account:

There’s no place for political violence in our republic.

Civility & respect.

God bless Donald Trump, America and those harmed by these actions.

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Tickets for this year’s “Booked for the Evening” — featuring tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King, set for September 12 — go on sale today (Monday, July 15) at 10 a.m.

Click here to purchase, for this sure-to-sell-out-quickly fundraiser. Click here for a seat map of the event.

The library notes: “All tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and we cannot guarantee access to tickets.” A livestream/watch-from-home ticket option is also available.

NOTE: If you don’t see tickets available on the website at 10 a.m., refresh your browser. The ticket link might be added to the page after you logged on.

King will come to the Library fresh off the 2024 US Open, whose grounds were named in her honor in 2006.

Onstage, she’ll chat with Chris McKendry, a Westport resident and host of ESPN’s tennis coverage.

Billie Jean King

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Decades ago, Functional Clothing sold used blue jeans in a basement-level Main Street store, near the current Gap.

Soon, a new used clothing store will open downtown this fall.

2nd Street takes over at 17 Main Street. Most recently, it was the site of Loft.

The chain’s originated in Japan in 1996. There are now more than 700 locations there.

The first 2nd Street in the US was in Los Angeles, in 2018. there are now about 3 dozen in the this country. The Westport and New Haven sites will be the first 2 in Connecticut.

The website boasts of “a huge selection of styles from street wear to vintage to Japanese designer and luxury accessories.” It also cites the company’s sustainability and waste-reduction efforts”
As part of our Hand2Hand project, we make sure to reuse all the clothing that arrives in our stores. Any items that we cannot sell are donated to a partner company that will recycle the clothing to clean up oil spills in factories, while other items are resold to create job opportunities and provide clothing to those in need.
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In other business news, Stop & Shop is closing 5 underperforming stores in Connecticut — and 27 others throughout the Northeast — by November.

The Westport location will remain open.

The 5 Nutmeg State stores to be shuttered are in Ansonia, Danbury, Milford, Stamford (West Main Street) and Torrington.

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Many readers enjoyed yesterday’s “06880” story on Westport road names.

Nancy Anderson adds: “My father, Dr Arnold Pearlstone, moved to Westport in 1963 where he lived until his passing in 2020.

“In 1963 he and his partner Leonard Flom (they were both well known ophthalmologists) purchased adjacent plots of land on a road without a name. It  is off North Ave extension, and was named “Arlen Road” after both of them.”

Dr. Leonard Flom

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Cali Carleton is a Westport mom of 5. A year ago, she launched Domino & Juliette.

They create high quality, safe, affordable and “educationally accurate” toys for children. Favorite items include alphabet and numbers puzzles. Made from food grade silicone, they are dishwasher safe (and great for crafts and messy play).

The toys are hailed by by parents of neuro-divergent children and therapists, because they are soft, flexible and chewable.

D&J also sells placemats for children of all ages to practice counting, spelling, sorting, geography and science.

With every order placed, the company donates a 24-pack of Crayolas to children in need, in places like Bridgeport.

Last month, Domino & Juliette entered retail space for the first time. They joined Honeypie, the children’s boutique on Riverside Avenue also run by a Westport mom.

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A bird found a home on Dave Briggs’ front porch.

Feeling safe, she hatched 5 tiny chicks. “It’s been amazing to watch,” he says of the process that led to today’s very cool “Westport … Naturally” photo.

(Photo/Dave Briggs)

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And finally … on this date in 2006, Twitter was launched. The world has never been the same.

(From local roads and stores to national politics, “06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Please click here to help us keep those connections strong. Thank you!)

20 responses to “Roundup: Dems, Reps React To Shooting; Billie Jean King Tickets …

  1. Adrian J Little

    Easy to publish words – much harder to follow through. Let’s see if this call for civility lasts past tomorrow – really hope it does but if past is prologue then the usual course of events is platitudinous regret / condemnation of violence etc etc followed by inaction until the next shooting – rinse and repeat.

    • Scoooter Swanson III, Wrecker '66

      While I concur with your supposition, I am not sure the focus of any lack of civility should be on the Democratic Party. President Biden handled the shooting with class by calling his opponent and also holding a national press conference condemning the act. Not sure if the table was turned, that would be the case?

      • “Not sure” what an imbecilic comment.

        • Scoooter Swanson III, Wrecker '66

          WTF, Tom? The Dude Abides.

          • Sorry Scooter, but that comment was beneath you. An unnecessary cheap shot.

            • Dylan Connor

              You have to laugh when 06880’s elders go at each other! Dan, mark off a ring on the beach during your party, provide gloves, or feathers for these two, and let them show their ‘Wrecker’ toughness. Donations would gladly be made for this ppv.

            • Scoooter Swanson III, Wrecker '66

              But true, my friend.

              • Rats😱 My warrior days are long gone.
                Maybe mumblepeg?
                The bounty: the known universe ‼️⚡️

      • Jeff Arciola

        The Democratic Party is Falling apart.

        TRUMP 2024.

        I love watching Rich white liberal Westporters on the sinking Biden Ship.

        Your radical, woke liberal socialist party is a joke.

        • Jo Ann Miller

          Have you read the GOP Project 2025 playbook, Jeff? Insane.

          • Susan Farley

            no Trump Supporter has read that other than to see what DNP Party Loyalists are referring to. largely, the only people referring to 2025 are DNP, DNP who are more party than people, DNP who are adamant party organisation loyalists, DNP who want to paint Trump Supporters and Today’s GOP as all extreme when overwhelming majority are centrists who can also lean left depending on the issue at hand.

        • Susan Farley

          Today’s DNP needs to fall apart, it’s just too corroded; the upside, thinking ‘rising waters raises all ships’, is that they will rebuild, be less about the party organisation and more again about the people (just as apparently GO.P has done).

        • Russell Gontar

          Could a job applicant with 34 felonies on their resume get a job with whoever you worked for? Would you hire someone with 34 felonies? How about. teacher, doctor or someone with 34 felonies? Would that be okay?

          Let’s make it easy: tell me all the jobs one can get with 34 felonies, as found guilty by a jury of one’s peers, the public, and agreed upon by defense and prosecution.

          • Gordon Shumway

            Tone deaf and unfortunately ignorant response (and how many other people buy into this is even more troubling) This all goes back to the point of targeting your political adversaries. Just like the case that was thrown out yesterday, it’s all a political witch hunt that has never amounted to anything. Russia, Russia, Russia!
            All fake exaggeration that you flakes keep pushing, and is going to backfire in November .
            Trump 2024!

            • Russell Gontar

              Oh, you mean the case that was thrown out by the judge trump nominated, right? That judge? You mean the judge that refused to recuse herself, right? That one?

              Just getting back to the 34 felonies, were those fake? Were those 34 felonies “fake exaggeration”, whatever that means? Shall we tell our children, in America, if you break the the law and are convicted, you too can become president? Is that your plan?

              See if you can formulate a response that doesn’t attack me.

      • Susan Farley

        Biden literally the night before the assassination attempt called for “a bullseye on Trump and His Supporters.”

        and, there’s the unfortunate coincidence of the attempted assassin being in a black rock commercial several months ago, (so much for him being some anonymous kid who didn’t come out much and wasn’t really political or involved in politics in any way).

  2. BJK event already sold out for in-person tickets! Very disappointing. They should have known demand would be very high and moved it to a bigger venue. Maybe they still will.

  3. I grew up next to what is now Arlen Road and knew the Floms and Pearlstones, but never knew where the name “Arlen Road” came from. Good to know!!

  4. Dr. Leonard Flom had a son, Murray, Staples ’68, who was sadly killed when, driving home from college in the midwest during a blizzard, his car slid off an embankment.

  5. Bill Coley - Staples ‘67

    OMG! I knew Murray Flom when we were at Staples (I was one grade above him), but I lost touch after I graduated. Very sad!

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