Governor Ned Lamont advises Connecticut residents — especially the most vulnerable — to take precautions ahead of extreme temperatures that will remain through Wednesday.
Temperatures during the day will rise into the 90s. The heat index will be between 95 and 100 degrees.
Overnight temperatures are expected to be very uncomfortable, with lows only falling to the 70s.
One way to cool down.
Cooling centers are open throughout Connecticut. Call 211, or click here. 211ct.org.”
Here are the Westport cooling centers:
Senior Center: Weekdays only, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Emergency Management director Nick Marsan offers these tips:
Stay cool: Keep your body temperature cool to avoid heat-related illness
Stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as possible. If you must be outdoors, try to limit your outdoor activity to the morning and evening.
Find an air-conditioned shelter. Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device.
Avoid direct sunlight.
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
Take cool showers or baths.
Pets that cannot be brought indoors should be provided ready access to water and shade to keep them cool.
Stay Hydrated: Because your body loses fluids through sweat, you can become dehydrated during times of extreme heat
Drink more water than usual.
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more fluids.
Drink two to four cups of water every hour while working or exercising outside.
Avoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar.
Although anyone can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:
Infants and young children are sensitive to the effects of high temperatures and rely on others to regulate their environments and provide adequate liquids.
People 65 years of age or older may not compensate for heat stress efficiently and are less likely to sense and respond to change in temperature.
People who are overweight may be prone to heat sickness because of their tendency to retain more body heat.
People who overexert during work or exercise may become dehydrated and susceptible to heat sickness.
People who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation, may be affected by extreme heat.
Club 203’s social activities are on summer vacation.
But 2 partners offer activities, for members of Westport’s group for adults with disabilities.
MoCA CT plans 2 “Summer Art” sessions. Attendees can spend relaxing evenings, learning about art and self-expression. They’re tomorrow (July 8) and August 5 (6 p.m.). Click here to register, and for more information.
In addition, Deirdre Flores — the Teen SLP, who offered her services at an April event — will provide classes on employment, technology and social skills (July 9, 10 and 11). Click here for details.
Club 203’s 2024-25 calendar will be announced soon on Instagram. Follow them: @club203_ct.
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“06880” can’t resist a great rainbow photo.
And even though this was taken a few days ago at Wakeman Fields, it’s worth posting.
Photographer Frank Sisson says: “A double rainbow! And thanks to the topography of Wakeman, it was visible from the 2 starting points, to the 2 pots of gold. Moments like this make you stop and appreciate the grandeur of Mother Nature.”
Totney Benson offers today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, and these thoughts:
“I was glad to see this pair on the beach near Schlaet’s Point.
“I have seen so few this year that I was worried. Last year there were dozens, and many nests. But I also saw their path down the sand in more detail than ever before, with tiny claw marks evident.”
(Photo/Totney Benson)
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And finally … yesterday, “06880” saluted the anniversary of the first meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Today, it’s Sir Ringo Starr’s 84th birthday.
(Act naturally — and now, Please click here to support “06880,” with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Lynn Flint wrote yesterday: “The ground ozone count for today in Westport is 122 (way high).
“Anything above 70 is considered USG (unhealthy for sensitive groups). Normal is around 10.
“The same high count is forecast for Friday.
“This condition is invisible, not like forest fire smoke. I’ve noticed it the last few days whenever I was outside my eyes started to burn, my vision became blurry, and I started to cough vigorously.”
Be careful out there!
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A reader writes: “Students graduating during the COVID lockdown in 2020 were denied graduation ceremonies, and the accompanying fanfare and celebrations.
“To create alternative markers of these students’ accomplishments, schools produced and distributed lawn signs for each graduate’s family to display.
“Now, 4 years later, I see lawn signs for Staples, Bedford, even Goddard School graduates. Why?
“Can we please stop, for the sake of our landfills? Graduates are able once again to celebrate and be celebrated.
“So let’s end the practice of producing plastic signs that do not get recycled. biodegrade or do anything useful.”
A celebration of Leonard Everett Fisher’s life is set for this coming Monday (June 24, 3 to 6 p.m., Westport Library).
The date is special. It would have been the noted illustrator/artist, longtime civic volunteer and proud World War II veteran’s 100th birthday.
Donations in his and his wife’s name can be made to “Margery & Leonard Everett Fisher Endowment for Children’s Books in the Arts,” c/o Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880.
Leonard Everett Fisher (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
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Only 2 athletic facilities in Westport — Paul Lane Field at Staples High School, and PJ Roman Field behind Saugatuck Elementary — have lights.
That may change.
Now that a 10-year agreement with Staples neighbors has expired — and with more demands on fields than ever, due to the growth of sports like rugby and girls lacrosse — discussions are beginning about lighting more places.
The Planning & Zoning Commission Recreation Subcommittee meets next Thursday (June 27, noon, Zoom; click here for the town website livestream).
The agenda includes:
Review of participant feedback on athletic field lighting for properties (seen here).
Discussion of temporary vs. permanent lighting, and times of the day.
Discussion of the next steps in implementing athletic field lighting.
Paul Lane Field (lower right) is Staples’ only lighted athletic facility. the baseball diamond, and adjacent Albie Loeffler Field and Jinny Park Field are not. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Tickets for Billie Jean King’s appearance at the 25th annual “Booked for the Evening” — the Westport Library’s signature fundraiser (September 12) — go on sale Monday, July 15, at 10 am.
Speaking of summer: It was the solstice — and a full moon last night.
Dalma Heyn captured the scene, at Old Mill Beach:
(Photo/Dalma Heyn)
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Congratulations to Katie Augustyn. The longtime Westporter is the Sunrise Rotary Club’s new president for 2024-25. She was inducted Wednesday.
Katie Augustyn (center), at her Sunrise Rotary presidency induction. Looking on are the 2023-24 president Liz Wong, and Robert Friend, Rotary district governor.
The former marketing manager of the Westport Library’s Verso Studios — who is also a film director and musician — has been named director of operations and new initiatives at WPKN, Bridgeport’s free-form, listener-supported FM radio station.
At Verso Studios, Toller helped develop the mission, partnerships, and programming and marketing efforts.
Brendan Toller (Photo/Michael Civitello)
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Jianmei “Jamie” Zheng died June 14 at Yale-New Haven Hospital, with her family by her side, after a battle with lymphoma. She was 61.
She was born in China. After she and Ping Zhou married in 1986, Jamie earned a master’s degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
They and their 2 children eventually settled in Westport, where they lived for the past 18 years.
Jamie was a lifelong enthusiast of music and the arts. As a girls she performed traditional Chinese dance onstage, and later developed a love for classical music and opera. She followed that passion through world travel. Locally, she enjoyed MoCA CT, the Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Community Theatre, the Music Theatre of Connecticut and Fairfield University’s Quick Center.
Jamie practiced yoga, and was a founding member of a book club. She also found great happiness at Sherwood Island State Park, and relished in her daughter’s accomplishments.
In addition to her beloved husband Ping of 38 years, Jamie is survived by her daughters Connie (Scott) and Katie, and brothers Jianquan and Jianbin.
A memorial service is set for June 29 (11 a.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport).
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jamie’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.
Jamie Zheng
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While Westporters sweltered, these swans enjoyed cool Lees Pond.
Amy Swanson spotted them, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
With temperatures expected to push past 90 all week, Governor Lamont has activated Connecticut’s Extreme Hot Weather Protocol. It’s in effect through noon on Sunday.
Several cooling centers are open in Westport:
Senior Center (21 Imperial Avenue): Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
MoCA CT (19 Newtown Turnpike): Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Westport Library (20 Jesup Road): Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Westport Weston Family YMCA (14 Allen Raymond Lane): Tuesday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westport Museum for History & Culture (25 Avery Place): Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Speaking of heat: The Westport Library was the hot place to be last night.
Shonda Rhimes introduced — and showed — her film, “Black Barbie.”
The award-winning producer, Shondaland visionary and Westport resident then took questions from the of-course-SRO audience.
“Black Barbie” debuts on Netflix this Wednesday (Juneteenth). It tells the story of the 3 Black women at Mattel who were determined to create a doll that looked like them, and the impact that had on the Barbie brand.
Among her most memorable lines, regarding Black dolls and representation: “You cannot be what you cannot see.”
Shonda Rhimes (right), in conversation with Bernicestine McLeod Bailey at the Westport Library. (Photo/Stephanie Mastocciolo)
During his 4 years, the recently graduated senior played soccer, ran cross country and track, and announced dozens of athletic contests on WWPT-FM.
But he is best known for his videos.
Charlie shot them himself (sometimes via drone). Then he edited them into highlight reels, for games and entire seasons. He posted them as game-day previews. He flooded social media with his “Charlie 33 Prod” productions.
Before he heads of to Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications — where he will take his prodigious talent to even higher stratospheres — Charlie posted one last reel.
He prefaced it in his typically humble fashion: “Thank you Staples Athletics for an incredible 2 years of filming games. My edits are only as good as the players that are in them, so I truly couldn’t have done it without my fellow Wreckers.”
Congratulations, and thank you, Charlie. And now, “06880”: Click below, to enjoy the show!
Speaking of sports: Kyle Martino is a Big Name in the soccer world.
In 1999, the Staples High School star was named Gatorade National Player of the Year.
He went on to play in MLS for Columbus and Chicago, then with the US national team. He was an analyst for the Premier League on NBC Sports, and now covers the national teams for Turner Sports.
He ran for US Soccer president, developed an innovative goal that turns basketball courts into small-sided fields, and has reached out to underserved communities through the Over Under Initiative.
His entire career has been about connecting people through the game he loves.
Martino’s newest venture is No One Home. Begun as a pop-up for the 2022 and ’23 men’s and women’s World Cups, and now remodeled, it’s now hidden in plain sight behind a row of avocado distributors at 141 Chrystie Street in Manhattan’s historic Bowery district
No One Home is a soccer and social club. The ground floor features a large theater-style viewing area, with a massive 172-inch LED screen.
The second floor is a high-end membership lounge for New York’s most passionate soccer fans.
Martino’s goal (ho ho) is to unite the soccer, fashion, art, food and drink communities through a shared love of the sport and culture.
The official opening is Thursday (June 20), with 3 big matches: The European Championship’s Denmark vs. England (noon) and Spain vs. Italy (3 p.m.), followed by Copa América’s Argentina vs. Canada (8 p.m.).
Click here for more information, and reservations. Click here for the Instagram (@noonehome141).
Kyle Martino (far right) at his pop-up, as fans watched the 2022 World Cup (left).
Content Studio is a cool new — well, concept and studio, for podcasts and more — in the former quick mart at 20 Saugatuck Avenue (next to the Goddard School, and opposite Dunville’s).
This Wednesday (June 19, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.), Jay Norris hosts a preview. There will be light bites, networking, and — because of the date — a chance to learn a bit more about Juneteenth.
Click here to RSVP. The deadline is 5 p.m. today (Tuesday).
Jay Norris at Content Studio.
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The public is invited to the promotion ceremony of Nick Marsan.
Westport’s deputy fire chief is officially installed as Fire Department chief on Monday, July 1 (3:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
Soon-to-be Fire Chief Nick Marsan.
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Happy Pollinator Week!
Aspetuck Land Trust celebrates this Friday (June 21, noon; Zoom) with a “Lunch & Learn.” The topic is how to grow pollinator gardens in containers anywhere.
Kim Eierman will discuss the best choices of pollinator-friendly native plants that grow in containers, and the important pollinators — butterflies, beneficial insects, hummingbirds and more — they support.
Members are free; non-members pay $10. For more details and to register, click here.
Busy-as-a-bee pollinator.
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Wakeman Town Farm’s Family Fun Day returns July 13.
The biggest summer event offers kids’ farm crafts and games; visits with the animals; a scavenger hunt, and bubble show; music, and fun summer foods.
Laura Von Stein — an actor, comedian, 1-woman entertainer and 1983 Staples High School graduate — died peacefully on May 11 in Ridgefield, after a brief battle with colon cancer. She was 58.
Laura was part of Staples Players. She graduated Phi Kappa Phi from the University of Bridgeport, where she received a performing arts scholarship. Laura also studied classical acting at Marymount International School under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Laura was a member of Actors’ Equity. Her patient waits at stage doors helped her build an impressive collection of signed Playbills.
Laura also accumulated an impressive library, largely from the annual Pequot Library book sale.
She is survived by her mother, Eleanor Von Stein of Westport and Trumbull; brother Robert Von Stein (Linda Guliuzza) of Trumbull and Massachusetts; nephews Rob (Molly) of Massachusetts, Mike (Laura) of Rhode Island and Scott (Paul) of Massachusetts, and many cousins. Laura was predeceased by her father Robert in 2019.
Laura is also survived by her extended family, including Roger Wolfe; Christine O’Leary; Duane, Gayle, Mike and Stephen Lovello; Jill Lovello and Charlie Sullivan, Christine Lovello, and Tom, Susan, Matt, Sam and Rae Iacovacci, along with many friends from the comedy and theater world.
Laura’s wish is for everyone to support theaters, encourage actors of all ages to keep going, read a good book and enjoy a movie with lots of popcorn. Laura’s life will be celebrated at 5 p.m. on September 15 at The Ridgefield Playhouse.
Laura Von Stein
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The water is still a bit chilly.
But — as this “Westport … Naturally” photo shows — that doesn’t stop at least one swimmer.
And finally … Mark James — described by the New York Times as “a genre-defying, Grammy Award-winning songwriter,” died on Saturday in Nashville. He was 83. Click here for a full obituary.
Among his works:
(Sure, it will be hot this week. But “06880” is the coolest place around. If you enjoy being part of our online community, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
This morning’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake — the third strongest within 50 miles of New York City since 1950 — was a compelling reminder of the power of nature.
For 10 to 15 seconds, from Philadelphia to Boston, the ground shook, floors vibrated, and walls rattled. The epicenter was Whitehouse Station, New Jersey — 106 miles from here.
Westport Police report no damage. But there were plenty of surprised, and a few shaken, residents.
Today’s earthquake, measured by the Westport Astronomical Society. (Courtesy of Franco Fellah)
Most Westporters have not experienced a major earthquake. I was in the 1994 6.7 magnitude Northridge quake that killed 57 people, injured 9,000 and caused $40 billion in damage.
It was the scariest event I’ve ever been through.
I had arrived in Los Angeles the day before, to do some interviews for a book I was writing. I checked into my West Hollywood hotel, had dinner and went to sleep,
At 4:30 a.m. I was awakened by enormous shaking, and deafening noises. My first thought was that a plane had crashed into the building.
Then I realized it was an earthquake.
I remembered something about quakes and doorways. But I couldn’t recall if I was supposed to stand in one, or get far away.
It didn’t matter. My bed shook so violently, I could not get out of it. Meanwhile, shelves in the closet fell onto the floor.
After 20 seconds — which seemed like 20 years — it stopped.
I rushed to the balcony, to see what was going on. Foolishly, I did not realize the balcony might not be there.
Fortunately, it was.
I looked around. A man stood on the balcony next to mine.
“Holy shit!” he said. “I’ve lived in California all my life. That was the worst earthquake ever.”
It was — right up there with the “World Series” Loma Prieta Bay Area earthquake of 1989.
And the epicenter was 15 miles from me. Smoke rose in the distance.
Then I heard the noises. Every home and car alarm in the area was ringing. So were the sirens of every police, fire and emergency vehicle.
One view of the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake …
I never did those interviews. I spent the next couple of days in a state of tension. Aftershocks came randomly.
Walking down the street, the rumbling would begin. I’d lock eyes with strangers; we’d wonder, silently: Is this another big one?
Then it would end.
Ten seconds later, a pane of glass might land at my feet.
The New York Times notes that the Northridge quake was “more than 700 times as strong as the temblor in New York on Friday.”
… and 2 others.
Aftershocks may continue here in Westport, experts say. There is a 3% chance that one will be “large.”
Earthquakes are unlike any other natural disaster.
In every other one — hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes — there are warnings, or at least time to prepare.
An earthquake happens suddenly. There is no warning. And there is little anyone can do, until it ends.
At 10:23 this morning, Westporters learned what people in California — and Turkey, Japan and many other places — have long known.
Significant coastal flooding was expected at high tide tonight (7:35), then again tomorrow morning at 8.
Wind gusts could be up to 60 mph. And up to 3 1/2 inches of rain is expected before it ends tomorrow morning.
Be careful out there!
Old Mill Beach … (Photo/Matt Murray)
… and Compo … (Photo/Lana Diggin)
… and Hillandale Road, between Hillspoint and West Parish Roads. As of 7:30 p.m. there were 48 outages in Westport. By 8:30, the number was “fewer than 3.” (Photo/John Raho, via Facebook)
The few-hours-long deluge wasn’t a particularly significant weather event — not compared with, say, Superstorm Sandy or Hurricane Isaias.
But it was enough to flood much of Westport.
Nyala Farm
72 hours later, it’s easy to forget the rivers and streams that overflowed their banks, the waterfalls that cascaded out of nowhere, and the soggy basements.
But — as several residents have pointed out — what happened after a couple of inches of rain is really our new normal.
Muddy Brook, at Greens Farms Road.
Construction that changed the natural topography of our town, the felling of trees, the installation of pavement — all contribute to more (and more dangerous) floods in Westport.
Water needs someplace to go. We can either help it, or let it run its course.
Nico Eisenberger and Robin Bates have lived in Westport for 10 years. When there’s a big rain, Robin heads out to see how all the little rivers and ponds — some hidden, some not — take on new forms.
On Saturday, Nico says, “we saw some of the biggest changes we’ve ever seen here. I know there have been bigger wet weather events, but this was definitely up there.”
Here — before the weekend recedes too far in the rear view mirror, and also before the next rains — are a few reminders that, in the memorable phrase: “Mother Nature bats last.”
Kowalsky Farm on Clapboard Hill Road. (All photos/Robin Bates)
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