Scarice Update: Smartphones, No Place For Hate, AI

Posted on February 8, 2025 | 15 comments

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice says:

As we get ready to hunker down for the Saturday night snow, I’d like to share some district updates:

Smartphone/Wearable Technology Update

As I shared in my update to the community last month, we will continue to take the time to learn, listen and thoughtfully plan as the school community considers my recommendation to restrict access to smartphones and wearable technology during the school day across all grade levels.

This approach is solidly in place for grades K-8. We have maintained the current system at Staples High School, which allows limited access during non-instructional periods, as we evaluate our next steps and consider interventions that fully restrict access during the school day.

Last week over 300 parents attended an outstanding community session on the topic of social media, smartphones, and other related issues in a keynote presentation/Q & A by Max Stossel. The feedback was incredibly positive.

When I learned that Wilton High School was implementing a full smartphone ban, I decided to slow our process down so that we can learn from our peers’ experience.

Today I would like to recap the efforts taken so far, what is on the horizon, and what I anticipate as culminating steps.

Efforts taken so far:

  • Last June I provided the Board of Education with my recommendation and supporting rationale
  • In September, I worked to personally engage all Staples faculty in small groups to gather their input and feedback. While some opinions varied, a strong majority supported moving toward greater restrictions on smartphone use, including a full ban during the school day.
  • Staples High School hosted filmmaker and primary care physician Dr. Delaney Ruston in grade level student assemblies, along with a parent evening event.
  • Last week, the district hosted former social media strategist Max Stossel at both middle schools for grade level assemblies and an evening parent event.
  • A comprehensive research review has been conducted to accurately identify the latest findings on the impact of smartphones and wearable technology on student learning and well-being. This will be part of any final presentation and action steps.

Next Steps:

  • In November, Wilton High School implemented a full smartphone ban. Their experience has provided us with an opportunity to learn before finalizing any changes in our district. Our site visit is February 13. A team of Staples faculty and administrators will attend, along with a parent representative and 2 reporters from the Staples student newspaper, Inklings.
  • A town hall event for parent input/feedback, as well as one for students will be held after the site visit.

Culminating Steps:

  • Following the site visit and town hall events, I will bring this topic back to the Board of Education to share my recommendations for next steps.  I suspect this will be in the early spring.

Stay tuned as we continue this deliberate process to ensure we make the best decisions regarding the presence of smartphones and wearable technology in our schools.

No Place For Hate Gallery on District Website: 

The district is committed to implementing the No Place for Hate program. We have developed a microsite on our website with the overview. In addition, we have added a photo gallery.  You can stay up to date on the activities by following the postings on the microsite.

AI Pilot:  

In December I recommended to the Board of Education that the district pursue a bold strategic vision to position the Westport Public Schools as a national leader in public education’s artificial intelligence revolution. I will return to the Board of Education in the spring with a clear strategic plan to these ends.

In the interim, I am enthused to share that Westport has been selected as one of 7 districts to participate in an AI Pilot through the State Department of Education.

This pilot will occur in March, April and early May in the 6th grade at Bedford Middle School (language arts, math,sScience and social studies), and across a small number of science electives at Staples.

Parents of students in this pilot will receive additional information before the pilot begins. The curriculum units will not change, but the use of the tool SchoolAI will be employed by faculty. This tool has been approved by the state Department of Education and aligns with the Connecticut Data Privacy Act.

Results of the pilot will be shared widely, and help inform long term efforts in the district. This pilot will serve as one effort to consider the role of AI in our schools. Much, much more to come on this topic in the coming months.

 

(“06880” regularly covers Westport schools: achievements, trends, issues and more. If you appreciate our hyper-local coverage, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Selma Miriam: Obituary

Posted on February 8, 2025 | 4 comments

Selma Miriam — the long-time Westporter, co-founder of Bloodroot vegetarian restaurant, ardent feminist and crusader for social justice — died Thursday at her Saugatuck home. She was 2 weeks shy of her 90th birthday.

“06880” posted a tribute to her life yesterday. Here is her obituary.

Selma was born in Bridgeport on February 25, 1935.

She graduated from Jackson College (Tufts University) in 1956, with a joint degree in psychology and biology.

Selma Miriam

She was a landscape architect, rock gardener and orchid cultivator.

A feminist political activist, she was friends with many thought leaders including poet Audre Lorde, novelist Rita Mae Brown, philosopher and theologian Mary Daley,  folk singer Alix Dobkin, artist Judy Chicago, and many more.

In the 1960’s, Selma and her then-husband Abe Bunks became involved with the National Ethical Youth Organization. They hosted teenagers in their home, to discuss important issues of the day.

Selma felt privileged to be around deep-thinking teens, and they opened up to her.

She also was integral in bringing Project Concern to Westport. The program brought Black youngsters from Bridgeport into Westport schools, and changed many lives.

She was a creator of the Bloodroot collective in the late 1970s. It became the Bloodroot restaurant, which embraced seasonal vegetarianism as a feminist ideal.

Selma Miriam and Bloodroot co-founder Noel Furie. (Photo/Penny de los Santos for the Washington Post)

Bloodroot has published a half dozen cookbooks  It has been covered extensively in the media, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Edible CT East. Documentaries include Bloodroot and A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot.

Selma was active in the League of Women Voters and the National Organization for Women.  

Selma Miriam

Her daughter Sabrina says, “Selma was an amazing woman. She was the rarest of people: someone who lived her life authentically without compromise. Smart as hell. She figured out how to create a world that reflected what was important to her regardless of obstacles. What a role model!”

She is survived by her children, Sabrina and Carey, and longtime partner, Carolanne Curry.

A celebration of Selma’s life will be held at a date to be determined.

Selma Miriam, with her children Sabrina and Carey Bunks.

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Roundup: Senior Bowl Super Bowl Party Canceled; TCS Honors Police Chief …

Posted on February 8, 2025 | 4 comments

Tonight’s predicted snowstorm has thrown tomorrow’s Super Bowl party — scheduled for the Westport Senior Center — for a loss.

Officials have already canceled the event.

Snow is expected to start this evening, and continue through tomorrow morning, with perhaps a mix of sleet. Five to 8 inches are expected.

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Speaking of the Super Bowl: This week the Kings Highway Elementary School PTA, staff, students and Caring Council members hosted their first-ever SOUPer Bowl collection.

Throughout the week, students and staff donated soup (and other canned goods) in their favorite team’s collection box.

Yesterday, all donations were given to the Gillespie Center’s food pantry.

Nearly 500 cans were collected. And the winner was …

Philadelphia Eagles 271 cans, Kansas City Chiefs 214.

Kings Highway PTA member Ellen Mondshine, with her sons Nathan and Owen.

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Hail to the chief!

At their annual gala March 15, TCS The Community Synagogue will honor Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas.

“He and the entire Westport Police Department have provided consistent support to our synagogue and the entire Jewish community over the years” says Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn.

“This past year, following the events of October 7, that support has been stronger than ever. We are truly blessed to know that Chief Koskinas and the WPD are always there for us.”

TCS will also honor Dick Kalt, long-time leader of TCS’s Security Committee, and his wife Lydia for their ongoing dedication to the synagogue. The rabbi says, “Dick has played a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of the congregation for many years.”

Formerly known as The Conservative Synagogue, TCS recently changed its official name to The Community Synagogue to better reflect its mission and values. while retaining the TCS initials.

“Our membership felt that The Community Synagogue better represented what we strive to be — a wide tent of congregants who grew up secular, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, or not Jewish at all.” Rabbi Wiederhorn says.

“We are an inclusive, egalitarian yet traditional synagogue that is proud to support the people, land and state of Israel. We open our doors to partners and friends throughout the community to celebrate interfaith work, adult education, social action, youth programming, and more.”

For more information about the March 15 gala, and to purchase tickets, click here.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas

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After 3 months of intensive work, Hansen Marine Contractors is nearing completion of dredging operations at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 399, Bridgebrook Marina, and Saugatuck Rowing Club.

The company’s Erik Hansen told VFW quartermaster that they found 2 unexpected challenges in the dredging area near the Saugatuck Rowing Club: a discarded mushroom anchor, and over 30 cubic yards of clam shells.

Hansen says he never saw so many clam shells in his lifetime. “It was like digging up solid concrete.”

Years ago, the site adjacent to the Rowing Club was Mansion Clam House. Delgado wonders if they dumped their clam shells into the river throughout the years.

The source of 30 cubic yards of clam shells?

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The Westport Library rocked its Winter Dance Party last night.

Christine Ohlman & her band Rebel Montez entertained a large and appreciative crowd.

Ohlman — rhe platinum blonde “Beehive Queen,” and “Saturday Night Live” regular —  is no stranger to the Library. She collaborated with Mark Naftalin — the Westport resident and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician — on his “Blue Sunday” series, and has appeared at VersoFest.

She’ll return to VersoFest this year, in a conversaton with Paul Shaffer.

Ohlman’s career includes appearances with Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, Smokey Robinsons, Graham Nash, Steve Miller, the B52s and Elvis Costello. She has sold out the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s David Bowie tribute and the WC Handy Festival in Muscle Shoals.

She has recorded with Al Green, Bruce Springsteen, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, George Harrison, Sting, Ian Hunter, Bonnie Bramlett, Ronnie Spector, Charlie Musselwhite, Irma Thomas and Chrissie Hynde, among others.

Christine Ohlman and her band, at the Westport Library. (Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)

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Longtime Westport resident Timothy Walker died peacefully on Tuesday. He was 94.

A Boston native and avid sailor, he was a lifelong Red Sox fan.

After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1949, Tim attended Union College. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army Signal Corps during the Korean War. He spent much of his time on the Korean Peninsula.

He returned to Union, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. Tim helped design and build telephone offices for New York Telephone, followed by a long career in management at AT&T.

He left corporate America at age 55 to his own consulting business.

Tim married his wife Betty in 1977. Their partnership lasted almost 50 years. They shared a love of travel, music, friendships, their children and animals.

Tim was an expert in tree care. He climbed and pruned large trees, fought fires as a volunteer. He also participated in disaster relief as a ham radio operator.

Tim was a captain in the Greenwich volunteer fire department, and chief of the Mountain Lakes, New Jersey volunteer fire department.

A Westport resident since 1988, he served on the Flood and Erosion, and Conservation Commissions.

His golden retriever, Clyde, was his constant companion. Tim was a supporter of animal rescue, adopting his beloved great Pyrenees Casey and Bonnie, who were daily visitors to Winslow Park.

Tim is survived by his wife, Betty, daughters (Don Cawrse) and Laurel Risom (Allen Cyr), sons Timothy and Andrew (Sydney), stepdaughter Ruth (Rob Ayles), 9 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; his sister, Sarah Thomson; many nieces and nephews, and his canine companion, Murphy. He was predeceased by his brother, Thomas Walker.

A celebration of lfe will be held later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club, 304 Main Avenue, Suite 115, Norwalk, CT 06851.

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Becky Keeler shot today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo a couple of days ago, at Sherwood Island State Park.

At this time tomorrow, the scene will look quite different.

(Photo/Becky Keeler)

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And finally … if James Dean were still alive, he would turn 94 years old today. The now-legendary actor died in 1955, at 24, after appearing in just 3 major films: “Rebel Without a Cause,” “East of Eden” and “Giant.”

(No matter who takes tomorrow’s Super Bowl, if you click here to support “06880,” you’ll be a winner. Go, team! Rah! Thank you!)

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Posted in Categories, Entertainment, Obituaries, Police, religion, Restaurants

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Online Art Gallery #252

Posted on February 8, 2025 | 1 comment

Surprisingly, there are no real Valentine’s Day submissions for this week’s online art gallery. (Though one work is titled “Love Birds.”)

So just a reminder: Presidents Day is next.

No matter what style or 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.

This feature is open to all. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.

Just email a jpeg to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.

Untitled — impasto; silver, copper and gold paints (Dorothy Robertshaw)

“Head Gardener” — digital illustration (Ken Runkel)

Untitled (Duane Cohen)

“A Treat for Brandi” — oil on canvas (Mary Madelyn Attanasio)

“Love Birds” (Martin Ripchick)

“Catboat ‘Katerina'” (Peter Barlow)

“The Lion of Judah with 10 Commandments” — watercolor (Steve Stein)

“Taking a Breather” (Lawrence Weisman)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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Real Estate Inventory Is At Historic Low. What Can Buyers Do?

Posted on February 8, 2025 | 2 comments

Many people want to move to Westport. Plenty of others who already live here want to downsize. Or buy a bigger home.

Very few can do any of that.

Inventory is at a record low. Only 14 sales were recorded in January — down 30% from the previous year.

Our friends at KMS Team at Compass offer several reasons.

Agent Laurie Morris notes that years ago, retirees in their late 50s and early 60s moved to Florida, where the cost of living was lower.

Today, people work longer — and have the means to stay in their homes. They may purchase a winter escape. But they want to keep the place where they raised their children, developed friendships and built a life.

Your kids are gone. But why leave a house you love?

Kim Harizman adds that family has re-emerged as a central component of life. Downsizing may not be an option when room for entertaining, and frequent visits from adult children (and grandchildren) is desired.

(Westport is centrally located, Karen Hagen says, to so many “kids” who move away to New York and Boston.)

Staying where memories were made — and so many amenities are offered — can be a strong draw.

What does all this mean to buyers?

KMS encourages them to act fast.

“We encourage all potential buyers and sellers to consider the value of time,” Karen Scott says.

“Waiting for the perfect home, the lowest interest rate or the highest price is a losing game.

“Life is short. Time marches on. You should love where you live!”

Morgage pre-approval can help buyers move fast.

Inventory will eventually rise, of course. It always does.

KMS says there are 5 consistent drivers of real estate transactions: “diapers, diplomas, diamonds, divorce and death.”

“As life happens, housing needs change,” Scott says.

“Marriage and graduations may necessitate a move out of the area. The loss or addition of family members may require a move to a smaller or bigger residence.

“For the most part, these life changes are unpredictable. But they happen, making housing inventory ebb and flow.”

While we wait for an increase, what can buyers do?

Buyers looking to purchase should consider homes that may need work.

“Don’t overlook gems that have amazing property and prime locations just because you don’t love the kitchen, wallpaper or bathrooms,” KMS Team says.

“With some strategic TLC and vision, you could end up with the home and lifestyle of your dreams.”

This 6-bedroom, 9 1/2-bathroom house on Boxwood Lane off Sturges Highway is listed for $4.375 million. Of the 47 single-family homes now on the market, 34 are $3 million or more.

As for renovation — whether of a potential home, or one you’re in now (and can’t leave, because there’s nowhere to go) — they suggest:

1. The first step in any renovation is to identify the essentials — what’s definitively required. Then make a second list of nice-to-haves.

2. Doing things all at once is more efficient (and generally less expensive) than doing different projects piecemeal. Create an overall plan, then decide how much you can tackle.

3. Do your research: Prices differ dramatically by market and chosen materials. High-end fixtures, tile, wood flooring, etc. can quickly add up. Maybe you don’t need the most expensive faucet?

4. Make a list of every item in your home that is being changed, including little details like cabinet hinges and dimmer switches. Then plug those items into a spreadsheet, and assign a guesstimate cost to each. That is your budget — not a random number pulled out of the sky…

5. Contractors typically charge 10-20% of the overall cost of the project. Architects bill 8-20% on top of the total project budget. Know what the pros charge, and at what level. And if you need to live somewhere else while renovating, add rent to your budget.

6. Get multiple bids, and hire the right team of people – with good references. Cheap can often end up being expensive.

7. Always try to evaluate the cost of the renovation versus a move, or rebuilding from scratch.

(Real estate is an important “06880” beat. If you enjoy our coverage on this — or any other — topic, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

There are many considerations when renovating a home.

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Pics Of The Day #2851

Posted on February 7, 2025 | 2 comments

Open Cribari Bridge, and …

… nearby, dredging on the Saugatuck River … (Photos/Whitmal Cooper)

… plus a longer view (Photo/JD Dworkow)

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Remembering Selma Miriam

Posted on February 7, 2025 | 11 comments

Selma Miriam — a longtime Westporter, co-founder of Bloodroot vegetarian restaurant, and a lifelong advocate for feminism and social justice — died yesterday, at her Saugatuck home. She was 2 weeks short of 90.

Carolanne Curry calls Selma “my friend, my love and my life partner for the past 37 years. She was pain-free after so much pain.

Selma Miriam

“Hospice helped honor her wish to be at home with a deep and caring kindness.

“Noel, her partner at Bloodroot for the past 47 years, was here to help navigate through this overwhelming experience.

“For the moment I have no other words to share, except to say I am one incredibly lucky woman to have been part of Selma’s life.”

Selma’s son Carey adds: “Some really do march to the beat of a different drum, remaking the world to their own vision.” He calls her a “landscape architect, weaver, feminist, political revolutionary, and founder of the storied Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant.”

A full obituary will be posted when available.

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Without Selma Miriam, there would be no Bloodroot.

And without Bloodroot, social justice in Connecticut would be very different indeed.

In March of 2017, when Bloodroot celebrated its 40th anniversary, “06880” posted this story.

In January, hundreds of local women protested the new president. Earlier this month, some skipped work to demonstrate the impact of “A Day Without a Woman.”

If they wanted a place to organize, strategize — and eat a delicious, healthful meal — they could have headed to Bloodroot.

For 40 years, the Bridgeport restaurant/bookstore has been a feminist hangout and outpost. It was there at the start of the women’s movement. It nurtured the hearts, minds and stomachs of generations of activists.

It’s still there. But how many people know of Bloodroot’s Westport roots?

In 1961, Selma Miriam was a self-described “mama with 2 kids.” A landscape designer working with the famed Eloise Ray, her one requirement for a house was that it have a garden.

She found a perfect spot on Hiawatha Lane. Nearly 60 years later, it’s still home.

During her first decade in Westport, Selma got involved in the burgeoning women’s movement. She was president of Westport’s NOW chapter. So was Noel Furie.

It was the 1970s. Women’s bookstores were opening around the country. Selma and Noel liked the idea.

They also liked to cook. The idea of a vegetarian restaurant/bookstore was born.

She and Noel looked at locations along the Post Road, and in Wilton. Everything was ugly.

Then they heard about a plot of land in Black Rock, right on Burr Creek. There was room for a garden. Birds flitted. The light was natural.

Bloodroot is tucked away, off a residential street in Black Rock.

Selma went to nearly every bank in Fairfield County. None would give a woman a mortgage — though they never said it quite that way.

Finally, Harvey Koizim — the founder of Westport’s County Federal Bank — agreed to a 10-year balloon mortgage.

Bloodroot opened in 1977, on the spring equinox.

Selma liked the idea of women working together, sharing common wisdom. She did not like the idea of women serving anyone. To this day, diners give their orders at a window by the kitchen, then pay. When meals are ready, their names are called. When they’re done, they bus their own dishes.

The menu, the kitchen, and Noel Furie.

It took a while for people — especially men — to understand Bloodroot. Salesmen would arrive, look at Selma, and ask for her husband.

Irene Backalenick wrote about Bloodroot for the New York Times. When an editor called to arrange a photogapher, Selma asked for a woman.

The paper sent a man. He used a fisheye lens, which Selma says “made all our heads look swollen.”

The other day — for a story on Bloodroot’s 40th anniversary — the Times sent another photographer. She was all over the place, taking hundreds of shots. Her husband — a Times opinion page editor — simultaneously served as her assistant, and held their 8-month-old baby.

“What a difference!” Selma says. “And it all seemed so natural.”

Selma Miriam, during a quiet moment at Bloodroot.

During its 40 years, Bloodroot has employed countless people: high school and college students, dropouts, middle-aged, part-time and full-time. All are women.

Several current employees come from Mercy Learning Center, Bridgeport’s literacy and life skills center for low-income women. They’re Haitian, Ethiopian and Congolese. “Such wonderful people,” Selma says. “They have great cooking knowledge. And an incredible work ethic.”

Bloodroot’s Ferris Avenue location — in the middle of a residential neighborhood — is not easy to find.

“We don’t get walk-in trade,” Selma says. “People have to find us.”

But find Bloodroot they did. They came for the food and/or the books. They stayed for the community.

One big change has been in the bookstore. In the beginning, Bloodroot played a huge role helping women find feminist books and magazines.

Over the years, two factors — Barnes & Noble, then Amazon — have destroyed women’s bookstores. (Including, ironically, the Amazon Cooperative in Minneapolis, the first feminist bookstore in the country.)

The bookstore section of Bloodroot.

Now, Selma says, she sells one book every couple of weeks. She took up the slack by publishing cookbooks. There have been 4 so far, plus a 2-volume “Best of Bloodroot.” There are calendars too, with 13 new recipes a year.

Of course, you don’t have to buy her recipes. Ask, and she’ll tell you. “The more we share with each other, the better we’ll all be,” she says.

At 82, Selma still loves Bloodroot. She is especially excited about the menu.

She continues to develop new dishes. She’s using more plant-based food, and has introduced vegan cheese, butter and whipped cream to diners.

The warm, welcoming interior of Bloodroot.

Three things keep Selma going. “The place is beautiful. I love to cook. And I love the diversity of people,” she says.

Her customers are loyal. (And — despite her initial belief that men would  not come — they include both genders.) The staff, in turn, feels a strong connection with their diners.

Selma has big plans for Bloodroot’s 40th year. She’s looking back by playing women’s music from the 1970s and ’80s.

And she’s looking ahead by inviting vegetarian restaurants from around the state to her place.

They bring their best dishes, to show Bloodroot customers the wide variety available. “I don’t cook Indian food or Jamaican food,” Selma says. “But that’s vegetarian too.”

She invites them for another reason too: to bring people together, in a warm, beautiful place.

That’s the community Selma Miriam created.

That’s Bloodroot.

(Click here for more information on — and directions to — Bloodroot.)

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Friday Flashback #436

Posted on February 7, 2025 | 8 comments

Peter Barlow is 94 years old. He lives in eastern Connecticut.

But he has never forgotten his long and deep Westport roots. Peter writes: 

Here’s a house a few Westporters might remember — but not many.

At one time it was one of the elegant estates. It was high above the Saugatuck River, on the eastern side between Bridge Street and the railroad.  And the beautiful grounds probably extended to South Compo Road.

I don’t know who lived there in the 1930s or ’40s. But apparently times became less good, and this addition, too close and too different, was built.

(Photo/Peter Barlow)

But the real disaster for the house was the building of I-95 (the Connecticut Turnpike) a few feet away.

In the early ’60s 2 of my friends moved in and tried to fix it up. It was then known as 20 Saxon Lane.

We had some good times there. Lots of artists and musicians came. But it couldn’t last.

The town tore the house down. The grounds are a parking lot for town trucks and snow plows.

(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!)

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Roundup: Fashionably Alisyn, Startup Special Interests, Van Leeuwen’s Lines …

Posted on February 7, 2025 | 1 comment

Fashionably Westport just got even more fashionable.

Alisyn Camerota — the award-winning journalist, and former CNN anchor and host — will join fellow TV personality Dave Briggs as co-emcee.

They’ll make this the liveliest “Fashionably” event ever. The Westport Downtown Association-sponsored show (February 28, 7 p.m., Westport Library) — a benefit for Homes with Hope — features the latest styles, from the town’s mot sophisticated and fashion-forward retailers. Models are local friends and celebrities.

Click here for tickets, and more information. To donate silent auctiono items, or become sponsors, email events@westportdowntown.com, or operations@westportdowntown.com.

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Startup Westport — our town’s public/private partnership for tech and entrepreneurial founders and funders — has spawned 2 intriguing special interest groups.

“Women in Tech & Innovation” is led by Tanaz Mody, an experienced venture capitalist and tech startup leader. The group welcomes all women, from experienced pros to those just getting started. Click here for more information.

The “Investor” special interest group is led by Dan Zuller, a VC investor and former entrepreneur. The group is for experienced founders and investors looking to connect, share insights, and engage in high-level discussions on emerging trends, market dynamics and the future of innovation. Click here to sign up for the first event, in March.

Meanwhile, last night’s inaugural first-Thursday-of-the-month social gathering was a smash.

Over 100 people gathered at Nômade for a high-energy night of networking, idea-sharing, drinks and fun.

Enjoying last night’s Startup Westport social event (clockwise from lower left): Jay Norris, Josh Guttman, Paige Parker, Ted Parker, Bari Schrager.

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Who opens an ice cream store in February — on a snowy day?

Van Leeuwen.

It was a great move.

Their new Church Lane shop was packed yesterday.

After all, every day is a good day for ice cream.

It didn’t hurt that they offered $1 scoops, and free totes.

Or that kids were home from school.

Because of a snow day.

(Photo/Doris Ghitelman)

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The next step for the proposed Sherwood Mill Pond project walkway project — including discussion of the gate and properties — is Tuesday (February 11, 7 p.m., Town Hall Room 201).

The Representative Town Meetingi Planning & Zoning, and Environment, Committees meet jointly to review plans.

Sherwood Mill Pond tidal gates (Photo/Judith Katz)

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A reminder: Tomorrow (Saturday, February 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Stop & Shop), is the Westport Police Department and Sunrise Rotary Club food drive.

All donations support the Homes with Hope, and Westport Department of Human Services food pantries.

Police officers and volunteers will accept non-perishable food items and cash donations.

Suggested items include breakfast bars, baking goods, BBQ sauce, macaroni & cheese, canned vegetables and fruit, coffee, canned meats, canned stew, noodles, cereals, gluten-free foods, granola and protein bars, grated Parmesan cheese, hamburger and tuna helper, hearty soups, instant mashed potatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, oatmeal, cooking oil, pancake mix and syrup, pasta and sauce, peanut butter and jelly, rice, spices, salad dressing, shelf-stable milk, and snacks. (No glass jars.)

Suggested personal care and household items include body wash, Clorox wipes, deodorant, dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, razors, shampoo and oothpaste.

To volunteer, or offer a large pickup, call Anna Rycenga at 203-763-9656.

Volunteers, at a previous Sunrise Rotary Club and Westport Police Stop & Shop food drive.

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There are anecdotal stories that more Westporters are commuting back to New York City offices.

And then there’s photographic evidence:

(Photo/Bob Weingarten)

This was the scene Wednesday underneath the I-95 bridge, by the Greens Farms train station.

Scenes like this — from folks who don’t have a sticker, or find the parking lot full — have not been seen since before the pandemic.

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Emily Teall’s new “Tulip Bulb” sculpture has added a bit of whimsy to Grace Salmon Park.

The sculptor is one of many folks who have fun with it. Here she is: the artist, and her creation.

(Photo/Mary Schwartzman)

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Bonnie Bradley — the descendant of a famed Westport family, and who retained a lifelong love for this town — died Wednesday in Brentwood, Tennessee. She was 86, and lived in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Born in Bridgeport Ina Trivers Bradley and J. Kenneth Bradley, she grew up in Westport. Bonnie attended the Bolton School and Smith College.

She raised her children in Westport, and was deeply involved in the community. In 1999 she moved to Roxbury, where she continued her lifelong passion for service.

Bonnie was president of the Junior League of Greater Fairfield County, a board member of the Roxbury Senior Center and Friends of the Library, and a docent at the Glebe House in Woodbury.

She was predeceased by her sister, Deborah Donnelly. She is survived by her brother James Bradley; her children Brad Colby of Boca Raton, Florida, Stuart Weise of Brentwood, Tennesse, and Wendy Bradley of Woodstock Valley, Connecticut, and her granddaughter, Ainslie Bradley Tschamler.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday February 13 (10 a.m., Roxbury Congregational Church; click here for the livestream, and to leave online condolences). Burial will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery in Westport.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Friends of the Roxbury Library.

Bonnie Bradley
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Sand, snow and Sound combine to form today’s intriguing “Westport … Naturally” image:

(Photo/Pam Docters)

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And finally …Gene Barge died Sunday in Chicago. He was 98.

The New York Times calls him “one of the last surviving saxophonists of the golden age of R&B, whose career ran the gamut of 20th-century Black popular music.” Click here for a full obituary.

Among the hits he played on:

(You don’t really need to rescue “06880.” But tax-deductible contributions sure help keep this hyper-local blog alive. Just click here. And thank you!)

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Baked In Weston: Inna’s Delicious, Nutritious Sourdough

Posted on February 7, 2025 | Comments Off on Baked In Weston: Inna’s Delicious, Nutritious Sourdough

Sourdough bread has a lot on its plate.

As a fermented food it is more digestible than unfermented wheat. It’s good for your gut microbiome.

It is lower in gluten, and higher in protein.

Plus, it tastes very, very good.

Especially if it is made by Inna Faifman.

She’s been in Weston less than 2 years. But her handcrafted artisan home-baked sourdough bread — white, whole wheat, oat porridge, country, rye, chocolate and walnut cranberry — all under the “Baked in Weston” brand, have earned her a devoted (and fulfilled) following.

Inna Faifman, in her kitchen.

Inna’s route to sourdough began in Khabarovsk, the far eastern Russia city near the Chinese border where she grew up.

She baked and cooked, like her mother and grandmother. But a chance encounter with an American exchange program representative brought her to the University of Oregon in 1995. Fortuitously, she majored in English at her Russian college.

Life in America was exciting and new. She stayed.

Inna worked as executive assistant to the president of a New York City research firm. She married a Russian man. They moved to the Cranbury section of Norwalk, where she was raising their 2 daughters.

The move to Weston in 2023 included a large, well-equipped kitchen.

That was important. As much as Inna loves the US, the food here is “different” than what she grew up with.

When she could not find the kind of bread she liked, she began experimenting.

Eight years ago, she made a starter from scratch. (Also called leaven, the mix of flour and water ferments over time. The collection of live microorganisms and naturally occurring wild yeasts metabolize sugars in the flour. If maintained properly, leaven can live for years. Inna calls her starter “bubbly and very happy.”)

One type of Inna’s sourdough …

Family and friends loved her sourdough. They encouraged her to bake for others.

She kneads her bread by hand. All loaves — except for chocolate — are fully vegan. All are oil-free (except the sourdough sandwich loaf, which contains cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil).

Word spread. Inna now has regular customers in Weston, Westport and Norwalk. Many take advantage of weekly, bi-weekly or monthly subscriptions. Individual orders are welcome too, with at least 24 hours’ notice.

She delivers her bread fresh out of the oven — on their schedules. “It’s so exciting to see them get it!” she says.

… and 3 more.

Inna’s sourdough bread has no additives or preservatives. It goes stale after about 3 days of countertop storage, if not wrapped in a natural material cloth like linen or a cotton kitchen towel.

In a freezer bag, it can be stored for up to 4 months.

Inna is a strong advocate for sourdough. “If people consume and learn about how it’s made, they’ll appreciate better tasting and healthier bread,” she says.

She makes her bread “the traditional, historical way, using long, slow fermentation. It unlocks the nutrients in the wheat, and makes the bread nutritious and easy to digest.”

Sourdough baking fills a large part of each day (including weekends). But Inna also tutors English as a second language at Bridgeport’s Dunbar Elementary School.

Then it’s back to Weston, where she bakes more sourdough loaves — and speaks the universal language of nutritious, delicious food, baked with love.

(For more information, and to order Inna’s sourdough, click here, or email inna@bakedinweston.com.)

(“06880” is your hyper-local blog … with coverage of 06883 too. If you’re in Westport or Weston — or have any connections there — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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