Roundup: “Hands Off” Politics, Shonda Rhimes’ Library …

Dozens of “Hands Off! Mass Mobilization” marches are planned for this Saturday (April 5).

One is planned for Westport. The event, on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge downtown, starts at 11 a.m.

Organizers say: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Westport is fighting back!

“They’re taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

“On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!”

They add: “A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”

For more information, click here.

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The walkthrough of the potential site for a combined Police/Fire/EMS public safety complex on the Sherwood Island Connector — scheduled for this Thursday, April 3 — has been canceled.

A new date will be announced soon.

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The thermometer hit 77 degrees yesterday, around 3 p.m. Compo Beach was — naturally — packed.

Barely 2 hours later, it plummeted to 49.

The exiting traffic on Hillspoint Road reminded Andrew Colabella of July.

“You’d think the fireworks just ended, and everyone was heading home,” he says.

Today’s forecast: Cloudy, with a high of 48.

Yeah, we live in New England.

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The Economist’s “Plot Twist” is a weekly newsletter about culture.

Normally, their story about Shonda Rhimes — “The Small Screen’s Biggest Hitmaker” — would not be “06880”-worthy.

Our talented, famous neighbor gets plenty of press. Probably daily.

But this paragraph, by deputy culture editor Rachel Lloyd, caught our eye:

Arranging an interview with a Hollywood bigwig … can be tricky. Usually there is an endless back-and-forth with wary publicists who want to vet all your questions. To my surprise, finding a time to meet Ms Rhimes was easy; no one tried to dictate what I could and could not ask. Ms Rhimes and I met a few weeks ago in a library near her home in Connecticut.

We all know “Ms. Rhimes” has been a huge supporter of the Westport Library.

It’s nice to know that — just like the rest of us who are not world famous, and/or will never be interviewed by The Economist — she too “takes a meeting” at the Library. (Hat tip: Stacie Curran)

In January, Shonda Rhimes hosted a Martin Luther King Day conversation with Trey Ellis at the Westport Library. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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“Theatre People” — the last show of the Westport Country Playhouse 2024-25 season — opened officially last night.

The audience responded appreciately to the fast-paced comedy. Directed by WCP artistic director Mark Shanahan, it runs through April 12. Click here for tickets, and more details.

“Theatre People” cast take their bows. (Photo/Dave Matlow)

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Tomorrow is International Transgender Day of Visibility.

Yesterday, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport hosted an event, with speakers, a panel and a potluck dinner.

The keynote was delivered by Rev. Aaron Miller, of the Metropolitan Community Church in Hartford.

It was a homecoming of sorts, he told the audience. He grew up in Weston, and was part of Staples High School’s last graduating class (1970) to include students from that town.

He transitioned 17 years ago. He said that ever since, his life has been authentic, and filled with joy.

Rev. Aaron Miller

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There are few birds more handsome than an egret.

The other day, one enjoyed a Westport amenity: the Longshore golf course. Johanna Keyser Rossi captured the scene, for “Westport … Naturally.”

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … in honor of yesterday’s brief flirtation with summertime:

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20 responses to “Roundup: “Hands Off” Politics, Shonda Rhimes’ Library …

  1. Robert E Colapietro

    As it relates to “Hands Off”…
    TDS is alive and well in Westport!
    No surprises here…

  2. Susan Farley

    when DOGE staff earnestly asks their critics in congress/senate/judiciary to please point out which correction they have a problem with The Critics don’t reply because they can’t say they have a problem with cutting out and out fraud and waste that’s both blatant and just a result of bureaucratic malaise, i.e., the problem the critics who meet with DOGE have is that it’s Trump Administration tackling this fraud and waste and not Obama or Bush43 doing it when they could have; it’s not like Obama didn’t also blatantly point out the country had big consequential ever growing problems with the exact same waste and fraud Trump Admin is now tackling.

    Everyone – left to right, in the middle and totally OTG of the political spectrum – is lucky Trump and His Administration is more, is really totally there for the people and not for any 1 political party.

    • The only way to stop the stupid is to stop voting for Republicans. Enjoy the cruelty, measles, felonies, treason, and genocide while you can. Simpleminded dinosaurs don’t live long.

      • Eric Buchroeder SHS ‘70

        Nor do they get their party’s support for a second term.

      • Susan Farley

        Stupid, literally technically stupid = voting for a political party rep and not someone who’s aim is to be in public office to rep the people.

      • Tom your comments are stupid…sorry 🙏

        • Melinda Clifton

          Most of Prince’s comments are. How many of these Clowns will be leaving their Teslas in their driveways when they show up at the Rt 1 Bridge?

  3. The administration offered no explanation for abruptly cancelling an upcoming walk thru at the proposed site of its public safety facility – a portion of which would appear to encroach upon a protected State Archaeological Preserve. Since there obviously IS an explanation for the cancellation – and it’s not, for whatever
    reason, being shared with residents – I offer a possible explanation of my own: because it’s Spring and thus much of the area at issue is currently quite wet. That’s certainly not a useful optic. Decision makers obviously can’t see the below ground Colonial and pre-historic Native American artifacts in the Preserve, so destroying those nonrenewable resources is mostly, as a member of the administration recently put it, “a regulatory hurdle”. But wetlands are slightly harder to ignore. Better to broom the April site visit and reschedule when the seasonal brook and bog have retreated.

  4. don bergmann

    Re demonstration, there are so many concerns with the illegal actions of Pres. Trump and his people. High on my list is the need to protect our judges and the courts.

  5. Lisa Tantillo

    – DOGE has drastically cut the IRS and CFPB – both of which bring *in* revenue. On the plus side, billionaires will no longer have to be concerned about getting caught as tax cheats.
    – Most of the “savings” they proclaimed to find were imaginary – like reporting a $8 million savings as $8 billion, or canceling a $1.9 trillion contract for IT modernization that Biden canceled last November.
    – Oddly, there has been no “waste, fraud, or abuse” found in any of the $38 billion Elon’s gotten from the government.

    I’m also unclear as to how firing thousands of veterans, decimating the VA, crippling Social Security, and destroying FEMA is “efficient.”

  6. Jeff Arciola

    You rich white liberals are really sick and hateful.
    You’ll continue to lose with the direction of your hateful party!!

    • Get a new playbook Jeff. You don’t even live in Westport anymore. More tired old cheap shots from someone who obviously has some axe to grind with your hometown. These are the same people who patronized your business and Dan has featured you positively several times on this blog. Be nice or just go away.

    • Susan Iseman

      SO tiresome- you need a new routine. Two hotdogs, please hold the BS.

  7. Julie Loparo

    So on target with your comment Morley Boyd! Drove past this site the other day and admired its beauty and the wildlife enjoying this PROTECTED open space. Yes, quite abundant with wetlands.

  8. Susan Farley

    If you really want to know what DOGE is doing and aiming to do without any political party filters’ re-interpreting https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHuSARyt8rj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  9. Hanne Jeppesen

    As far as I can tell is for himself and his supporters, not even other republicans. To suggest that he is for all the people is ignoring facts.