Osprey lovers, rejoice!
Chris Swan reports that 3 osprey nest platforms are back in operation, with pairs in evidence over the weekend.
He spotted them on New Creek, in the Burying Hill Beach marsh adjacent to Beachside Common homes; directly behind the Sherwood Island Nature Center along the tidal estuary that forms the state park’s northern boundary, and in the marsh grass on the eastern shore of Sherwood Mill Pond, a couple of hundred feet north of Compo Cove.
Chris has not yet seen activity on the marsh grass at the end of Grove Point Road, on a peninsula opposite the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection air quality shack on Sherwood Island.
New Creek osprey platform. (Photo/Chris Swan)
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Will national politics damage Westport’s local governance traditions?
That’s a question the Democratic Women of Westport will ask — and hope to answer — at an April 22 forum (7 p.m., Westport Women’s Club).
Speaker Paul Kahn is a professor at Yale School, and author of “Democracy in America: Can We Still Govern Ourselves?” He has studied the effect first hand, in his own Connecticut town.
Kahn’s talk will be followed by a panel discussion with current Representative Town Meeting moderator Jeff Weiser, and his predecessor Velma Heller.
The public — Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters — is welcome. If you’ve got a question for the panel, or to RSVP, email DWW06880@gmail.com
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Dave Briggs and Alisyn Camerota have done it again.
The Wesrporters — experienced journalists who have just launched “Sanity,” a national podcast on a wide array of important topics — sat down the other day with Craig Carton.
The Fox Sports and WFAN host has been open about how his gambling addiction led to a prison term for securities fraud.
With March Madness in full swing, Carton is a timely guest. Americans will bet $3 billion on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
A not-insignificant amount of that money is wagered (and lost) by teenagers.
Carton gave Briggs and Camerota an eye-opening look at America’s gambling culture, and its impact on adolescents.
He provides strong advice, too. It begins with: Don’t let your kid use your account.
Click below to see the episode. Click here to listen on Spotify.
I bet you’ll be amazed.
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Congratulations to Staples’ cybersecurity team.
Not the one that keeps the high school safe from hackers, intruders and other bad actors. (Though they do a very good job of it.)
No — this cybersecurity team is the one composed of students. And — out in the open — they recently took part in the prestigious Lockheed Martin CyberQuest Competition, at Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford.
Hundreds of students attempt to solve cybersecurity challenges designed by Lockheed Martin cybersecurity engineers.
The “Capture the Flag” format includes multi-step intrusion scenarios, steganography, reverse engineering, full OS hacks, packet capture, web exploits, social engineering, and cybersecurity awareness.
Staples was the youngest team there. And the only one new to the event.
No problem!
After 3 hours of vigorous hacking they piled up 2,150 points. They won by a massive 400 points, bringing the coveted CyberQuest belt to Westport.
And Jacek Nieweglowski was named Best Coach of the competition.
Congratulations to Jacek, and team members Ignacy Nieweglowski, Sahil Vora, Rohan Sareen and Ezra Schwartz.
Sounds like you could show Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth a thing or two.
From left: Rohan Sarren, Ezra Schwartz, Sahil Vora Ignacy Nieweglowski,
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The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Environment and Health & Human Services Committees will meet jointly next Tuesday (April 8, 7 p.m.; Zoom).
The agenda includes “follow-up discussions about artificial turf fields; supporting procurement of more environmentally friendly equipment.”
On April 24 (6:30 p.m.; Zoom), the Environment Committee meets separately. They’ll discuss enforcement of the town’s gas leaf blower ordinance.
The Wakeman Field on the left is artifical turf; the other field, and baseball and softball diamonds, are not. (Drone photo/David Pogue)
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Last week, “06880” featured Lynsey Addario’s page 1 New York Times photo, from Ukraine.
The 1991 Staples High graduate is a Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur “genius grant” photojournalist, who has shot images from wars and danger spots around the world.
But Westporters don’t need to read the Times to see her work.
A collection of stunning images of Afghan women is on display at the Senior Center.
Titled “Veiled Rebellion,” they were donated by Addario to the Westport Public Art Collections. Their provenance is impressive: They were first exhibted at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, in 2012.
The text accompanying the photos is from a National Geographic story, written by Addario in 2012.
Additional images from “Veiled Rebellion” are on display at the Westport Library. (Hat tip: Jeff Jacobs)
From “Veiled Images” (Lynsey Addario)
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Chabad of Westport hosts Glenn Cohen — a hostage debrief team leader, and former Mossad chief psychologist — for a “Candid Conversation” on April 23 (7:30 p.m.).
He’ll discuss the release of hostages from Hamas captivity, including first hand insights into what the captives endured and how they coped, while debunking common myths about captivity.
For more information, and to RSVP, click here.
Glenn Cohen
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Noted jazz trumpeter Alex Norris headlines this week’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, April 3; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; VFW Post 399; $20 music cover, $15 for veterans and students).
He’s joined by bassist Joris Teepe, pianist Greg Murphy, drummer Steve Johns, and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall. Click here for tickets.
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When 8-year-old Max Wornow’s parents took him to Rise Doughnuts on Sunday, he expected a treat.
But not one that involved meeting Blake Lively.
But there the actress was, working behind the counter of the Wilton shop.
A lively scene, at Rise Doughnuts. (Photo/Rebekah Wornow)
According to People Magazine, which covered the event, it is her “happy place.”
Lively is friends with the owner. She, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their 4 kids live not far away, in Pound Ridge, New York.
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Lou Weinberg is fond of saying: “Nature wins!”
Whenever he offers a nature photograph for our “Westport … Naturally” feature, we’re all a winner.
Today he sends an American pussy willow, and a friend.
(Photo/Lou Weinberg)
Lou explains: “A very early bloomer, it provides native bees, honeybees and other pollinators with critical late winter/early spring energy, in the form of nectar and pollen.
“What appears to be oversized saddlebags are pollen sacks that the bees bring back to the hive to share.
“These pictures were taken at the Long Lots Preserve, surrounding the Westport Community Gardens on Hyde Lane. In addition to pussy willow, dozens of other native trees, shrubs and wildflowers have been planted to support this very successful environmental rehabilitation project.
“The Long Lots Preserve is a model for what can be done in any neglected green open space. It is a tremendous hands-on environmental educational resource.”
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And finally … because today is April 1:
(“06880” — your 24/7/365, hyper-local blog — relies on reader support. That’s no joke! If you enjoy our work — and even if we fooled you this morning — please click here to help. Thank you!)
Late yesterday, “06880” received an email from the FCC. It reiterated all the information contained in the morning press release.
The format was difficult. Several bills were introduced throughout the hearing. Many people spoke.
They’d probably been there before, she says, but much lower on the list. “I would have had to scroll way down to find them.”