One of the most dangerous intersections in Westport — Cross Highway and Bayberry Lane — just got (hopefully) quite a bit safer.
The town has installed new warning and stop signs in all 4 directions. All flash brightly. The aim is to attract the attention of drivers before they plow onward.
It’s a great start. And a great reminder to pay attention!
You can’t see the flashing stop sign. But it sure stands out. (Hat tip and photo/Carl McNair)
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The weather was perfect. The vibe was cool.
And every seat was taken last night, at the 3 Church Lane restaurants with outdoor dining: Spotted Horse, The Blondinit and Pink Sumo.
Live music added to the fun.
Just another reason to love summer in Westport — and more proof that downtown has its mojo back.
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Sure, it’s still July.
But school will be open before we know it.
To make sure everyone has what they need, the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force is collecting supplies. They’ll go to residents of the 2 Domestic Violence Crisis Center safe houses that serve our area, and DVCC’s clients.
The Westport Rotary Club and Positive Directions are important partners. The collection begins tomorrow (July 28), and runs through August 4.
Among the new items needed: backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, crayons, lunch boxes, 3×3 sticky note pads, 3-ring binders, graphing calculators, and gift cards (Target, Walmart, Amazon, Staples, etc.).
Donations can be left in collection bins at the Westport Police Department (50 Jesup Road) and Positive Directions (90 Post Road West).
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Westporters know Alisyn Camerota as a CNN anchor/ correspondent.
She recently branched into memoir writing. In “Combat Love: A Story of Leaving, Longing and Searching for Home,” the Westport resident explores her teenage years in the 1980s music scenes of the Jersey Shore and New York City, along with her difficult relationship with her mother.
Soon, we’ll see “Combat Love” on film and TV screens. It’s in development by the producers of Broadway musicals like Alanis Morisette’s “Jagged Little Pill” and Green Day’s “American Idiot.” (Hat tip: David Meth)
Alisyn Camerota
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Speaking of writing: Here’s something to write home about: The Westport Writers’ Workshop is 20 years old.
The non-profit celebrates the milestone September 6, with a bash at the Saugatuck Rowing Club.
The event includes dinner, drinks, dancing to the Dylan Connor Trio, a silent auction, and tributes to important people like founder Jessica Bram and former Executive director Valerie Ann Leff.
Tickets are $150, and include an open bar. Click here, then scroll down to purchase.
Funds raised help underwrite WWW’s outreach programs that serve underrepresented populations, like the Bigelow Senior Center, Moms of Children with Disabilities, and STAR. These programs allow students to discover their voices, guided by accomplished faculty members.
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Longshore golfers were surprised yesterday to see a cart, sporting a political message:
It looked like a Parks & Recreation Department vehicle.
But it wasn’t.
Parks & Rec officials said it belonged to a nearby resident, out for a spin.
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Michael Douglas spent his youth in Westport. (He did not graduate from Staples High School; after junior high, he was shipped off to boarding school.)
The veteran film and television actor and producer returns to the area October 22. Stamford’s Avon Theatre will present him with its Lifetime Achievement Award
Click here for tickets.
A young Michael Douglas lived on Webb Road.
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When Team Velominati sets a goal, they don’t mess around.
On August 3-4, Coastal Bridge founder and Westporter Bill Loftus will ride with the group — many of whom are local residents — across Massachusetts, in his 7th Pan-Mass Challenge, to fund cancer research at Dana-Farber in Boston.
Team Velominati’s goal: $750,000.
This year is particularly exciting. The Pan-Mass Challenge will pass $1 billion in donations over its 44-year history, making it the largest athletic fundraiser in the country.
This year, Loftus is dedicating his ride to his teammate Scott Logie, who is battling cancer.
To help Team Velominati, click here.
Dave Hazard and Bill Loftus (right) crossing the finish line at mile 192 in Provincetown during the Pan-Mass Challenge.
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“Freedom is a Feast” by Alejandro Puyana, “How to Read a Book” by Monica Wood, and “skin & bones” by Renée Watson are the 3 finalists for the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature, The $10,000 is awarded for an original work of fiction that explores issues in contemporary society.
This year’s winner will be announced next month, and honored at The Westport Library on September 21, in conjunction with StoryFest, the annual literary festival.
The recipient will also sit on a StoryFest panel. Confirmed authors for the event include Roxane Gay, Christopher Golden, Joe R. Lansdale, Claire Messud and Peng Shepherd. Click here for the full list.
Submissions for the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature were vetted by nearly 50 volunteer readers. A jury will then select the winner.
From left: Alejandro Puyana, Renée Watson, Monica Wood.
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Alice and her baby Apricot are today’s “Westport … Naturally” subjects.
They — along with baby Raisin — live at Wakeman Town Farm. The public can visit (and snuggle) with them. Click here for reservations, and more information.
(Photo/Michelle Cardello)
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And finally … on this date in 1890, Vincent van Gogh shot himself. He died 2 days later.
(Van Gogh cannot contribute to “06880.” But you can! Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Dank u wel!)
Around 1958, I was friends with Joel Douglas. It’s be cool to hear from him.
Oops.. I’d be cool to hear from him. I should proofread before posting.
I was somewhat friendly with Joel Douglas. In 6th grade, in 1959-60, he was among a group of students at Burr Farms, including myself, that Lou Dorsey drove to Kid Gloves/Anthony’s Health Center. One afternoon Kirk Douglas showed up–the Town Crier had a photographer there (was it preplanned?) and Kirk showed off some boxing moves he learned for a film to the paper.. He gave my mother an autograph, long since lost
Joel got shipped off to private school after 8th grade.
So glad about the flashing stops signs on Bayberry & Cross Highway. Now can they Please Please do something about Bayberry and Easton Road????
It seems like not only did Michael Douglas NOT graduate from Staples, but his bio indicates he did NONE of his schooling here: He lists the Allen-Stevenson School in NYC (a school for K-8), Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA (6-9), and Choate for h.s.; college was in CA.
I’m pretty sure he attended school here like his brother Joel. It might have been for a short time, but he did live here. I met his mother once sometime around 1957-ish.
Yes, he lived at 59;Whitney at one point with his mom and stepfather, Bill Darrid. My former neighbor, Gordon Hall, tutored him when Michael was in junior high.
On a side note (see below) regarding Michael being on my Little League team in ’58, I ran into him in Bermuda in 2011 or so, when he was suffering from throat cancer. His mother lived in Bermuda on an island across from Hamilton. But after introducing myself, he couldn’t talk but he wrote questions about Westport on a cocktail napkin. It seems he had a huge crush on our coach’s (Mulligan) oldest daughter and wanted to know what became of her? He also was very active in some YMCA clubs, one of which use to drag race down Roseville Road (when it was as far more narrow than it is now). As such, he was definitely around during the summer, at least, but do not remember him in school although he was two years older than myself.
Don’t know if Michael attended school in Westport or not, but Joel sat behind me in sixth grade at Burr Farms Elementary. I moved to CA at the end of the school year. At my “going away” party, Joel gave me his father’s phone number to call when I got to CA. He told me he would call his dad and ask him to show me a really good time. I had no idea who Kirk was or why everyone ran to the school window to watch Kirk and Michael come to the school one day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out why I would want to call his dad when I moved to CA, so I threw the number away. I also saw Joel sweeping out the entrance to the Fine Arts movie theater (must have been a summer job) a couple of years later when I moved back to Westport. And I believe he was teaching an adult ed course in film production at Fairfield University many years later. I saw his name on a program description there–would have loved to have gotten in touch with him but as the course had ended, he seemed to be unreachable. I do remember him as being a really nice kid.
Great news about Bayberry and Cross! So many accidents and daily near misses. Hopefully this will save immeasurable lives!
Sure looks like a parks and rec utility cart. If it is.. that’s a disgrace. If it’s private it’s not legal for the road. But hey their stupid enough to have a trump banner and drive around it just shows their imbeciles as well
Peter, It is actually privately and that resident contributes a lot towards making the area around Longshore look as good as it does as well as contributing to many worthy causes. Additionally, your remarks indicating that they are an imbecile because they support someone you don’t is exactly what wrong with our country these days. Hmmm….Hate really does seem to have a home here.
There’s something wrong with him if he’s supporting a seditionist. But let me guess, he probably also thinks the election was fixed and that January 6 was a peaceful protest.
But beyond that, why does it seem that it is only MAGAs who seem to have this desire to make their opinions so… ostentatious? It’s one thing to put on a bumper sticker or put up a yard sign, but the in-your-face level of this kind of thing seems intended to be confrontational. It’s the redneckification of America.
Anyone who passes the Maple Ave North house that has continued to fly big Trump flags for four years can’t help but wonder, “what is wrong with that person?”
(If I decide to put a four foot candidate sign on the back of my car, feel free to call me an idiot, too.)
I think it is only fitting that someone picking up trash have a Trump banner.
Chris….there is always the option of therapy which can help with TDS. I was having dinner in a restaurant the evening I heard Trump was shot….a man at the table next to me said…”.to bad they didn’t kill him.” Whether it was Trump, or Biden or now Harris….anyone…. wishing them death is just deranged. Time to lower the temperature and stop fueling the hateful rhetoric.
Huh. TDS, you say. Tell me, what syndrome are folks suffering from who are just fine with electing a convicted criminal to the presidency? Any convicted criminals working at your place of employment? Could you get a job with 34 felonies? And while you’re at it, was the 2020 presidential election stolen? I’ve asked several other folks sputtering TDS these questions and yet no one will answer. What say you?
No matter what you might think of Trump…and he is no Saint….that NY trial was a sham. For starters Maralago was only valued at 18 million dollars… seriously? What planet were they on falsely valuing his real estate. If he is a felon over what he was charged with….then there are a lot of other NYC developers who need to be tried as felons as well. That’s a fact. Seems like all his lenders had no problem with him either. Call him what you want but that was a BS trial. TDS seems to me like a real issue.
I’ll leave aside trump’s habit of inflating his assets when it comes to to getting loans and deflating those same assets when it comes time paying taxes on those same assets.
He was convicted, by a jury of his peers, that is, the public, for falsifying business records, 34 times. Now, THAT’S a fact.
Meanwhile, I’ll be standing by in great anticipation of you telling 06880 readers if the 2020 election was stolen. That’s what he says. Can you answer a simple question without defaulting to repeating “TDS” like a robot?
The election was not stolen Russell. It was certified. Somehow, I do remember Democrats thinking that Trump stole the election in 2016 based on Russian collusion….turned out to be false info. As an Independent and not a robot, I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I just call it like I see it and am not a media lemming but a critical thinker who is not afraid to call either side out. Believe me, I am an Independent for a reason.
I think I’ve reached my limit of 06880 responses on this thread, I’ll just finish by saying, the question wasn’t, was the election “certified”? The question was, was the the election “stolen and rigged”, as Trump continues to assert, to this day, 4 years after the election? So you answered the wrong question, but I guess that’s progress. Let’s try it this way, do agree with Trump’s never ending claim that it “stolen and rigged”?
I answered your question in my first sentence Russell. Like you, I am done with responding any further as well. Enjoy the balance of your weekend.
Trump was indicted by a grand jury, given great leeway to speak his mind by an excellent judge and found guilty by 12 members of his peers including two attorneys. The case dealt with his property in NY not Florida of which he defrauded his creditors in gaining loans and then deflated their value to avoid taxes. His CFO went to jail for doing such as well. No sham. Among developers in NYC, Trump is small time and certainly is not common practice. AG Vance had him years back but wimped out.
TDS? I guess you can be counted amongst the MAGAts who can’t express a coherent point without leaning into their glossary of nonsensical terms. Maybe you can tell me about “woke” and “cancel culture” too.
I love how Trump sycophants suggest that others have a problem when their own kind were storming the Capitol because they couldn’t accept the result of a free and fair election, because their favorite TV show host lost.
Why don’t you “lower the temperature” by not making up stories about what you said you heard in a restaurant and inserting them into this conversation because you support the seditionist? You are the one “raising the temperature” by posting nonsense, not me.
Jamie, Peter’s remarks are not just a Democrat dissing a Republican. This time around, it’s an American who is dissing an Un-Amercan person for supporting a Hitlerian moron who will disband the constitution, the judiciary and the tri -partite government as we know it.
I laud him for calling out this ass hole. That the Trump supporter appears a good citizen because of donations, etc, belies what lies beneath, as PROVEN by his supporting a candidate who ADMITTEDLY wants to abolish our democratic way of governing.
It’s a private citizen. He picks up alot of trash and generally keeps the area clean on his own time. Whether it says Trump or Biden/Harris – who cares?! Everyone’s entitled to their choice – let’s just not throw shade at the person or call him a pejorative term. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you, doesn’t make them dumb. SAD
who cares ? I care
The flashing stop sign at Bayberry and CrossHighway is a welcome safe addition,
However the Cross Highway corner at Nort Ave is far more dangerous and with two major schools so close and a litany of serious accidents it needs an exact stop sign upgrade even more.
JMHO
TDS is rampant on 06880‼️🇺🇸🇺🇸
Michael Douglas was on my Little League team in 1958, the Cardinals. He played center field and was very quiet. My mother and other mothers would only come to our games when word got out that Kirk was in town and also attending.
I grew up nearby and have driven through the Cross Highway Bayberry & North intersections thousands of times in my life and never had a problem. If it helps make it safer though I’m all for it, but the flashing lights seem like overkill and I feel sorry for the neighbors.
The intersection of North Avenue @ Cross Highway is atrocious. The removal of the huge tree on the southwest corner has helped visibility but I have witnessed a Jeep flying through the intersection and nearly killing a bike rider. Stop signs are a joke here, nobody makes a full stop. While semi-expensive, many of these intersections need traffic lights, especially in peak traffic hours. They may also help commuter traffic coming up Cross Highway which is sometimes backed up to below the entry to Gault Park.
I always thought we were a nation of free speech, free political choice without the persecution of those who don’t share the same beliefs , does anyone know the individual who owns the vehicle with the Trump sign, isn’t it his or her constitutional right to show that support, there are ALOT of signs on residence lawns in Westport that read
“Hate has no place here”
We are a better people than some of the comments made
With all due respect, Ed, where have you been since 2016? Former President Trump and allies have been slowly gnawing away at our fundamental rights and if you read Project 2025, they intend to continue to do so. As for political signs on PUBLIC property, I think the good folks of Westport could use a respite from politics while they play a round of golf or take a swim.
Further, I shall add, why is the Westport Recreation Department allowing “volunteers” on the golf course? Does this mean I can take several friends out to fix divots in the fairways while possibly interfering play and/or getting hit by a stray golf ball? I am sure this Trumpeteer has good intentions, but it is the job of the grounds crew at Longshore to pick up trash and if something should go array, our MAGA muffin would be the first to head for the court house knowing his idol.
if the volunteer purpose is to help clean the area why is it necessary to complicate the good will intention with a large political sign ? perhaps there is no good will ??
I’ll tell you where I’ve been Carl since 2016 , I’ve at open heart surgery at the VA in West Haven, my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after beating cancer , she was diagnosed with Dementia, I have been her caregiver for four years , she is now in Long term care at Ludlow Health and Rehabilitation Center, I go see her every day, that’s where I’ve been Carl, anything else you want to make personal Carl, I mentioned no one’s name who posted previous, but you mentioned mine Carl
Sorry for your misfortune, Ed, but you had time to lecture the blog audience on your interpretation of the Constitution and as such, fair game for a rebuttal in my book. Be well.
I’m me has nothing to do with the other, the project 2025 business is all about Christian lunatics , mainly Catholic, who are pushing their agenda. This has been going on for 60 years why the brouhaha now? Maybe read American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips to understand how long this has been percolating.
While it is true that the Heritage Foundation publishes a Project memorandum for every election cycle dating back to the 50’s, this is the first time that one of the architects is considered to be a front runner for Trump’s Chief of Staff if so elected. As such, you may dismiss it as apples/oranges as Trump is trying to do but I disagree. VP Vance is mouthing much of their illogical rhetoric. Ban porn from the internet. Good luck with that one.
“Christian lunatics, mainly Catholic, who are pushing their agenda.” From a Westporter. Where hate has no home but sanctimony sleeps soundly in every bed. JJ Gittes had Chinatown. I’ve got Westport. It all evens out.
ED, evil WILL win if good folks stay silent; and Peter is operating, thank God, under that premise.
can a resident drive around a sign on a vehicle saying hitier for president ?
your unable to argue facts
Your hypocrisy is nauseating.
you are unfamiliar with the jlaes of the USA that regulate life liberty and pursuit of happiness. furthermore the USA loves the story of getting knocked down and overcoming failure and poor judgement. Your such an ignoramos and are unfamiliar with any details you are commenting on. You are a person n with deep seated anger and personal disappointment where you lash out at people. You know nothing about my contributions locally and to society. As far as my business that you ignorantly comment on there are 151 Google reviews with a 4.9 rating. prior all over Ct and NY love our work and ethics. My you tube channel has over 400000 views and over 115 subscribers. I suggest you seek counseling to get in touch with your anger. I am sure it’s very hard on you aging with such anger. I’d like to meet you face to face. I find you to act like a very small shallow man
If he can get away with a Trump campaign sign on his truck then he probably can do Hitler since you think Hitler and Trump are the same. I’m not a lawyer or a chiropractor so it’s just an opinion. Changing the subject to something you know first hand: Can you get my homeowner’s insurance company to pay for grout cleaning? I went to Staples with a guy who’s now a lawyer and he told me it’s a slam dunk. He thinks that grout cleaning is basically the same as a chiropractic treatment for a bathroom with sciatica. When can you start?
If a resident wants to display a Trump sign on his property, they should be able to without being harassed. Look away if you can’t control your outrage, disgust, etc.
An 80-year-old Michigan man was run over by a young man driving an ATV a few days ago while (the 80-year-old was) hanging a Trump sign in his yard. The young man driving the ATV had vandalized cars that sported Trump stickers, in separate incidents.
The young man called the police to admit to running over the 80-year-old man but killed himself (with a firearm) before the police arrived:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/07/25/trump-sign-supporter-atv-attack-joshua-kemppainen/74548440007/
The hatred and, in some cases, extreme violence being exhibited toward those who hold different political views (from one’s own) is destroying our country. Why make such disparaging comments about fellow residents on a local blog? It’s ugly. And given what happened in Michigan last week, who knows what it could lead to?
Tell that to the glitchy little fella in the elevator shoes and the dirty diaper.
Elevator shoes? Dirty diaper? Who are you talking about? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. 06880 is the only place left where the victims of the privileged can freely express themselves.
Welp, you can blame Trump and MAGA for the emergence of hate and division in this country. The simmering unrest in this country started when we elected a Black President and then nominated a woman for President. The diminishing White majority could not stand this and thus, we got a television celebrity whose own father called him “The Brat.” When Obama called out Trump in jest at the NY Correspondence dinner in 2012, two weeks later the “birther” issue emerged. Trump is a despicable man, a convicted felon, an adulterer and has no idea of what he is doing but for he wants to be rich. It is Bannon’s (now sitting in a Danbury jail) playbook, Trump is following but as to the hate, there is no better and horrific example of Trump’s designed January 6th attack on our Capitol. Now when the tables are turned, MAGA whines like a stuck pig of which resembles its leader.
You sound worried? Go enjoy a Dark ‘n Stormy and trim the sails a bit. Unsettled weather coming.
No doubt, Ms. Kent. But I am a Marine, no worries. And if you think the “2nd Revolution” is going to come from a 4-Fer and a Hillbilly, think again. With 90% of the wealth in this country owned by 10% of the population, such a revolt will not come from the wannabe “Proud Boys” but will come from the poor sucker who is working three jobs to support his family. “We are mad and we ain’t gonna take it anymore!!!” Semper Fi!!
Sers? A Marine! Westport needs you on that wall. You and Scooter!
Parris Island? Quantico? Pendleton? MCRD San Diego?
Hopefully when the ‘2nd Revolution ‘ comes you’re not commenting on a blog but manning your post.
She’s indeed the real deal. Her late father was a hero of several wars and thought by many to be a postwar patriarch of Marine Aviation. I don’t know how she got mixed up with present day Westport but even that can’t tarnish the honor patriotism and self-sacrifice that is part of her proud heritage.
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