Sure, we recently ran a kids-climbing-on-the-Compo-cannons photo as a Pic of the Day. But last night’s full moon rising rates another look at this classic scene. (Photo/JD Dworkow)
2011 Staples High School graduate Dylan Meissner pleaded guilty Thursday in US District Court to wire fraud. He was charged with stealing nearly $4.5 million from the crypto company, where he was vice president of finance.
He played baseball at Staples. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated with a BS in accounting from Pennsylvania State University in 2015, where he was active in the Penn State Investment Association.
In 2016, Meissner received an accounting MS from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.
Though his company was not identified, his LinkedIn profile says he was VP of finance at Delphi Digital, during the time frame covered by the court. An FBI investigation found that he diverted $4,461,828 in the firm’s funds to cover “significant personal trading losses.”
Wire fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. He will be sentenced on October 11. In the meantime, he has been order to pay restitution of $4,633,424.99.
Kami Evans has announced her candidacy for Connecticut’s Senate District 26.
Democratic incumbent Ceci Maher is serving her first term in Hartford. Evans — a former Westport resident — now once again lives here. The district includes Westport, Weston, Wilton, Redding, and parts of Ridgefield, New Canaan, Darien and Stamford.
In her announcement, Evans — who has worked for non-profits and in public relations, and is running as a Republican — said: “I’m here to champion family values and focus on community strength. Our journey together will be about uniting, uplifting, and creating endless opportunities for our district that everyone will benefit from.
“Your voice matters, and I’m here to listen. Let’s engage in meaningful conversations and work hand in hand to rejuvenate our district. Together, we can achieve greatness and build a brighter, stronger future for all.”
Yesterday’s Roundup included a photo of the “Welcome to Westport” sign at the Sherwood Island Connector and Post Road East.
Actually — depending on which direction you’re traveling — it now says “Welcome to Estport” or “Welcome to Westpor.” A recent accident sliced off a bit of the wood.
How recent? “06880” Mary Lou Roels reports: “The sign was hit on June 29, and the car caught on fire. I approached after midnight to see this (below). Fire crews managed the scene.”
For 10 years, The Ruden Report has been the go-to site for coverage of FCIAC high school athletics. All 16 schools in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference get plenty of ink — well, pixels — in a wide variety of boys and girls sports.
Now, the multi-platform source — the brainchild of 1978 Staples High School graduate Dave Ruden — has been acquired
Westport-based Connoisseur Media is the new owner. Their resources — including 6 radio stations, and various digital brands — will enable Ruden to expand reporting throughout the area.
Connoisseur operates and/or owns WEBE 108, STAR 99.9, WYBC, WICC, 99.1 WPLR, and 95.9 The Fox in Connecticut.
The 1971 Staples High School graduate produced 2 films. In the span of a week, both will have their television premieres on CPTV.
“The High School That Rocked!” — a 2017 documentary that chronicles concerts at Staples by the Doors, Cream, Rascals, Animals, Remains, Sly and the Family Stone, and others (including a very young, pre-Aerosmith Steve Tyler) — is set for October 14 (9 p.m.).
Cantor made the film with Casey Denton, a 2014 Staples grad who obviously was born way after that golden era. The film earned kudos on the festival circuit.
A week later (October 21, 9 p.m.), Cantor’s “It’s a Hollywood Life!” debuts.
That film — released this year — focuses on longtime Westport resident Susan Granger’s 80-plus years connected to the movie business. (Spoiler alert: She started in childhood, appearing with some of the biggest stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood.)
BONUS REEL: People in and near New York City can see “It’s A Hollywood Life!” in a theater. Its NYC premiere is next Saturday (July 27, at the Chain NYC Film Festival). A Q-and-A after the screening features co-director Maya Weldon-Lagrimas, who recently received the Howard R. Lamar Prize in Film from Yale — the school’s top film prize. Click here for ticket information.
Jazz at the Post has announced 3 upcoming dates: August 1 (Melissa Newman), August 15 (Uri Caine) and August 29 (Janice Friedman).
Shows are 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 on Riverside Avenue. Dinner service starts at 7 p.m. Click here for tickets, and more information.
In other jazz news, on Wednesdays (starting September 11), Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall will coach 2 adult ensembles: beginners and intermediates/ advanced. Both provide “a gentle and stimulating opportunity to learn and refine the repertoire and language of jazz.”
All levels of musicianship and experience are welcome. The first 2 sessions are free. To learn more, email jazzrabbi@gmail.com. Include your instrument and phone number.
Former Westporter Kathryn McCabe died June 30. She was 97, and lived in Fairfield.
The Michigan native, and 1948 graduate of the University of Michigan, spent 43 years in Westport.
She was a social worker in Detroit and Norwalk, where she worked for STAR. Kathryn also volunteered at Earthplace.
She enjoyed reading, opera, the outdoors, water and snow skiing, tennis, boating, playing piano and ukelele, and singing.
Kathryn loved animals, especially her cats and dogs. She celebrated her 90th birthday with horseback riding.
Survivors include her twin daughters, Janet Gibbons (Ken) of Hyde Park, Vermont, and Marjorie Wroblewski (Broni) of Fairfield; son Richard (Donna) of Acton, Massachusetts; grandchildren Greg Gibbons (Jennifer), Geoff Gibbons (Melissa), Lauren Wroblewski (fiancé Ferg Young) and Ryan McCabe, and great- grandchildren Emma, Colin, James, Beckett and Jackson. Kathryn was predeceased by her brothers Richard, Norman and Jack Ellison. She was predeceased by her husband, Barry McCabe.
A celebration of her life was held at the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield.
Kathryn McCabe
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Among the underappreciated assets of Westport: the flower pots on Soundview Drive.
Paid for and maintained by the Compo Beach Improvement Association, they serve 2 purposes.
They slow traffic (theoretically, at least).
And — changing with the seasons — they are beautiful.
Check out one of them, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” featured photo.
And finally … Bernice Johnson Reagon, “whose stirring gospel voice helped provide the soundtrack of the civil rights movement, then went on to become a cultural historian, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution and the founder of the women’s a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock,” died Tuesday in Washington. She was 81.
She was a remarkable, multi-talented woman whose accomplishments may be unknown to many. Click here for her full obituary.
(Another day, another weekend … and “06880” keeps keeping you informed on all things Westport. It’s what we do — but we can’t do it without your support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
Several artists stuck close to home for inspiration, in today’s online art gallery.
They offer familiar scenes.
Of course, other artists roamed further afield.
As always, no matter what subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Eric Self-Portrait” — watercolor (Eric Bosch)
“Ned Dimes Marina” (Kathleen Burke)
“The Mill Pond” — impasto acrylic (Dorothy Robertshaw)
“Riverwalk Westport” (Duane Cohen)
“June Flowers” — oil with cold wax (Sally VanDevanter)
Untitled (Tom Doran)
“The Swimmers” — original resin on board work, at Westport River Gallery (John Fatse). Gallery owner/curator Ken Warren challenges: “Find the swimmers?”
“Beach Sand Patterns After Rainstorm” (Les Dinkin)
“Greens Alone and All Together?” Photographer Peter Barlow says,“I don’t think many people would take this picture, or see anything in the view. I see a lot of shapes and shades, and everything is living.”
“Poppies, Poppies” (Rowene Weems)
“Kim’s Umbrellas” — crayons (Steve Stein)
“Grooming” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Any venue would be excited to announce a Brad Tursi show.
But the Levitt Pavilion is particularly excited about the October 12 concert. The songwriter/guitarist with the multi-platinum, multi-award winning band Old Dominion is a 1997 Staples High School graduate. (Sports fans remember him as a star on the ’96 state finalist soccer team.)
Tursi is debuting his first solo collection, “Parallel Love.” Created and released with the band’s full support, the project includes songs written with Stephen Wilson Jr., Dan Isbell, Jessi Alexander and Matt Jenkins.
Tursi wrote 3 Number 1 songs, been named AIMP Artist Writer of the Year, and co-written hits for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Tyler Hubbard, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, Cole Swindell and others.
Brad Tursi
Recalling his youth on Bulkley Avenue North, Tursi says, “I found my father’s guitar in the attic when I was 13 and never put it down. That guitar set my life on a path that I am still walking today.
“My last 30 years have been spent playing lead guitar in bands, and I hope my next 30 will, too. The brotherhood that is formed in a band is a true lifeline, a second family of sorts.”
That family has blessed “Parallel Love.” He calls it “a collection of songs that have been written over the course of 10 years that are still relevant and representative of where I am now. I’m a musician, lover, friend, thinker and feeler. I hope you come along for the journey and enjoy the music that came from it.”
Tursi is not the only homegrown talent on the Levitt state this year. Chelsea Cutler appears next Saturday (July 27, 6:30 p.m.).
Though not a Staples graduate (she went to Pomfret School), the platinum singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer/engineer grew up here.
She’s generated over 3 billion streams, sold out worldwide tours, been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, and earned kudos from Billboard, Variety, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and more.
Meanwhile, there are 2 free shows this weekend. “American Idol” Nick Fradiani takes the stage tonight (Saturday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.; click here for free ticket information).
Tomorrow (Sunday, July 21, 7 p.m.), the Hot Sardines play “post-millennial early jazz.” Click here for free ticket information.
There’s always something happening at the Levitt Pavilion. (Photo/Alex Sherman)
(Keep up with all that’s going on in town, with “06880.” Then toss us a few bucks, so we can keep telling you everything you need to know. Just click here — and thank you!)
As plans for a “new” Parker Harding Plaza creep along — even slower than downtown traffic — let’s look at the original lot.
This view, a few years after it opened in 1954, shows the simple plan: circular traffic in one counterclockwise direction; angled parking along the river, in the middle and behind Main Street stores.
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc)
Of particular interest: the old home on Gorham Island (since replaced by an office building), and a telephone booth (the only way to call anyone from there).
The traffic pattern gave way to a more complex plan in the 1980s.
Of course, Parker Harding is a relatively modern addition to downtown. Before it was built (on landfill), the Saugatuck River lapped up against the back doors of Main Street businesses.
Those were different times.
Including, unfortunately, shopkeepers who discharged sewage directly into the river.
(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
Some Westporters were surprised that Compo Beach was closed to swimmers yesterday.
Others were not. Heavy rains — like the ones the night before (Wednesday) — often lead to closure.
“06880” reader and environmental activist Toni Simonetti wrote: “I learned something, thanks to Mark Cooper, director of health for the Aspetuck Health District.
“Swimming is closed at town beaches for 24 hours after a very heavy rainfall (as we all witnessed into the night yesterday). Because of the excessive runoff of surface water, and all it collects along the way, it ends up in Long Island Sound.
“In Westport it takes 3 tides, or 24 hours, to cleanse the water tidally.
“The 24-hour waiting period is state protocol. Norwalk and Fairfield, on either side of Westport, have longer water cleansing times. Mark thinks that’s because we benefit from the ebbs and flows of the clean Saugatuck River.
“Just another benefit to living in Westport!”
Serene. But not safe after a storm. (Photo/Sunil Hirani)
Speaking of that brief but intense storm: In addition to fouling our waters, it brought down power lines and trees.
But there were bright spots, amid the bad weather. Chris Vatis writes:
“Both Eversource line people and Gault electritians were on site within 1 1/2 hours after I reported the storm ripped both my meter and electricity pole attached to my house right off, leaving live wires all over my property.
“They worked diligently to restore it.
“I and we often complain about how much money we now pay for services. But both companies deserve praise for their excellent communication and lightning speed response to my plea for immediate help. I’m very impressed with both companies.”
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Also yesterday: No, you were not imagining things.
Traffic throughout town was worse than usual.
Way worse.
The culprit was a diesel fuel spill on I-95 southbound, between Exits 18 and 17.
As often happens, more spillage followed. Car and truck drivers got off the highway, and — in a futile attempt to move more quickly — clogged our main roads and side streets.
This Bridge Street scene was repeated at many other spots:
(Photo/Susan Garment)
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Speaking of drivers: We’re not sure how this accident occurred, but someone clipped the sign — in the middle of the traffic island at the Sherwood Island Connector, by the Post Road.
(Photo/Josh Berkowsky)
Coming from I-95, we’re now welcomed to “Estport.”
Bob Newhart — the supremely talented, always understated but very hilarious comedian who died yesterday at 94 — may not have had any connections to Westport. (Though I’m sure several commenters will note otherwise.)
But this much is certain: When he gave a speech at the Kennedy Center, upon accepting his Mark Twain Prize, he referenced a Westport icon: Paul Newman.
Click below, then fast forward to 4:13 when the story begins.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held a “Business After Hours” event last night, at the Levitt Pavilion.
Members and town officials celebrated the outdoor theater’s 50th anniversary — and the Chamber’s 93rd year.
At the Chamber of Commerce event last night (from left): Paul Lebowitz, Planning & Zoning Commission chair; RTM member Jay Keenan; 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore; RTM member Sal Liccione; Chamber director Matthew Mandell; 3rd Selectwoman Candice Savin; 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker; RTM members Don O’Day and Melissa Levy. (Photo/Dan Woog
Her first novel, “The Neighbors’ Secret,” was named an American Fiction Award finalist, for pre-teen fiction.
Last year, the book was a Tassy Walden Award Finalist in 2023.
The novel takes middle school readers on “an adventure filled with puzzles, secrets, and unexpected twists,” press materials say.
“With her background as a litigation attorney and her passion for storytelling, Sussman weaves an intricate tale that keeps readers guessing until the very end.”
Diana Sussman
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Spotted lanternflies are back.
We fight them with traps and white vinegar.
But we’re not the only ones. Praying mantises are natural predators.
So — as today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature photo shows: Pray for mantises.
And finally … Dave Loggins died last week, in Nashville. He was 76.
The songwriter had only one hit of his own: “Please Come to Boston.” But he wrote songs for many other artists, including Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna Judd and Toby Keith.
Non-country music fans knew him too. He wrote the Masters golf tournament theme, a staple of spring sports telecasts for over 40 years. Click here for a full obituary.
(Whether you’re from Westport — or Boston, Denver, LA or anywhere else — if you enjoy “06880,” please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
A memorial service to celebrate the life of Mary Lou Woodruff is set for 1 p.m. on August 28, at Saugatuck Congregation Church.
The date is significant. The longtime Westport resident, noted teacher and active civic volunteer would have turned 100 years old that day.
She died in December, at her Harvest Commons home, from COVID.
Shortly before she died, Mary Lou said, “I’m 99 years old. I have lived a wonderful and rich life. I can say honestly I have no regrets.”
A resident of Westport for nearly 60 years, she was born and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
During World War II she served in the Coast Guard in New London. She fell in love with the Connecticut coast.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, Mary Lou worked in a children’s psychiatric unit. The experience launched her life of working with and teaching young people.
Mary Lou Woodruff
She married Phil Woodruff in 1948. They raised four sons — Phillip Jr., John, Timothy and James — in Michigan, New Mexico, California, Arizona and Washington, DC (where Phil worked on a pilot project for the Kennedy administration that gave rise to the Job Corps and VISTA), before settling in Westport in 1964 when Phil was hired as an administrator in the Westport Public Schools.
While Phil worked as the system-wide coordinator for social studies, Mary Lou taught nursery school at the First Congregational Church. She then taught third grade at Burr Farms and Coleytown Elementary Schools.
Mary Lou was committed to experiential learning. She turned her classrooms into centers of discovery and creativity. She replaced rows of desks with a reading loft, and spaces for students to learn and experience science, art, music, literature and social studies.
With special dispensation from the state, her classroom included tidal pool tanks with fish and crustaceans, including a baby lobster.
Mary Lou retired from teaching in 1989 to care for Phillip Jr., when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. She continued to work in education, serving as a mentor-teacher for elementary teachers in Westport.
A woman of multiple passions and interests, Mary Lou loved teaching, travel, music, art, entertaining, and spirited conversations.
She played guitar during classes, and later sang with a group at nursing homes and other venues.
She traveled extensively with her husband and family, across the United States (to every state except Alaska), and the world.
A life-long progressive Democrat, she participated in local, state and national politics.
She knitted and quilted items for family, and the children of friends. Mary Lou spent her last years with her Harvest Commons neighbors, knitting hundreds of hats for children in need of warm clothing.
She loved to read fiction and non-fiction, and she began each day with the New York Times.
Mary Lou was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Phillip, Sr., son Phillip Jr., brother John, and sisters Marilyn and Nancy. She is survived by her sons John (Ann Dobmeyer), Timothy, and James (Kim Woodruff), sister Judith Ohlgren, and four grandchildren, Emily, Isaac, Hannah, and Blayden.
The Fire Department reports: “A tractor-trailer has become disabled, causing a significant diesel fuel spill on I-95 southbound between exits 18 and 17 (Hillspoint and Hales Road overpasses).
“I-95 is down to one lane of travel southbound in this area. Expect extended delays on I-95 and heavy traffic on local roads.”
The culprit. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
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