Westport’s Emergency Operations Center says: “Roads are hazardous. Stay off the streets to allow plowing and emergency access. A parking ban is in effect. Avoid non-essential travel.”
So what can you do? Enjoy these photos!
And stay warm and dry.
Saugatuck Shores (Photo/Rindy Higgins)
Whitney Street, last night (Photo/Molly Alger)
Main Street, last night (Tomoko Meth)
Jamie Walsh says, “Not even a blizzard stops Birds of Prey from a hearty breakfast.”
(Photo/Diane Lowman)
Off Cross Highway, last night (Claudia Sherwood Servidio)
Westport and Weston seem to have weathered the Blizzard of 2026 well.
At least, judging from the low number of power outages.
As of 6 a.m., Eversource reported only 17 Westport customers without electricity. That’s 0.13% of the town. They all appeared to be in the Center Street area of Greens Farms.
Weston had 85 outages (2.17%).
Statewide, 8,104 residents had lost power (0.61.%).
Snow and wind is expected to continue through noon. Another 2 to 4 inches of snow are possible, with winds continuing at 25 to 35 miles an hour.
Stay warm and safe! If you need anything, please email 06880blog@gmail.com. We’ll do our best to help!
The view outside “06880” headquarters. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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An incorrect date was listed yesterday, in the story on The Thing’s VersoFest show this week.
The platform helps local businesses and organizations offer part-time, seasonal and intern positions to high school students. Jobs include retail work, business support, non-profit assistance, lifeguarding, camp counseling and more. The Job Bank can be found here.
The Student Job Bank is free to businesses and students.
Speaking of high school students: Congratulations to Staples wrestlers Gavin Donaldson (120 pounds), Seamus Brannigan (126) and Julian Rousseau (215) — all first-place winners at Saturday’s state “LL” (extra large schools) tournament.
Congrats too to silver medalist Damian Rousseau.
Those 4 — plus Kai Schwartz (132) and Jessiah Jones (190) — move on to the state open meet this coming weekend.
Staples head coach Jordan Marion (far left), and Staples wrestlers at the LL tournament. First-place winners holding their bout sheets are (from left in the middle) Julian Rousseau, Gavin Donaldson and Seamus Brannigan.
(Tired of shoveling? Not ready to start yet? Relax … it’s the perfect time to click here and support “06880.” We can’t dig out your car. But we can continue to provide 24/7/365 news and info. Thank you!)
Westport native and 1987 Staples High School graduate Linda Hall has written for the New Republic, New York, Daily Beast and other publications.
She recently learned of the death a couple of years ago of a very impactful teacher. Linda writes:
In my freshman year at Sarah Lawrence, I studied with a professor I’d read about in “Lisa Birnbach’s College Book.”
It said of Dale Harris: “High expectations, won’t take any sh*t, and writing and editing skills are superior.”
Harris, an Englishman, seemed unimpressed with education in this country. When he deemed me “better prepared in grammar and syntax than most students nowadays,” a number of Westport teachers deserved credit.
At Hillspoint there was Joanne Gage, who taught me in 5th grade what many of my undergraduate classmates had never learned from anyone. At Long Lots there was Evelyn Burack and her outside reader of our papers, a young Brown alum named Dan Woog.
At Staples there were too many to mention — but only one on whom, that first semester of college, I wrote an entire essay: Joe Lieberman.
Dr. Joe Lieberman (right) with another revered English Department colleague, Karl Decker.
Not Senator Lieberman of Connecticut, but Dr. Lieberman of New York. He commuted to Westport by train with his dog. Man and pooch — his name was Kid — were both small and preternaturally alert. Kid watched Dr. Lieberman; Dr. Lieberman, in a way that suggested his eyes could do the work of most of his senses, watched everything.
On day one he told us that he had never missed the first train out of Grand Central, and if we were late, he would avail himself of his right as a faculty member to impose “academic consequences.” It was one of many ways in which Dr. Lieberman was fearsome. Yet I was never exactly intimidated by him, not even when he wrote “AWFUL” next to a passage, or tore off my final paragraph.
Linda Hall has kept Dr. Lieberman’s comment, for all these years.
What intimidated me was Westport. I wouldn’t have said it then, and it still sounds odd.
Let me try another way. Until it was demolished in 2024, there was a 695-square-foot cottage on Hillspoint Road facing the Sound. I visited it as a child, because a friend of my parents’ — another employee of the Westport schools — lived there.
A house overlooking the water in Westport: consider how that sounds to the outside world. But even decades ago it was dwarfed by the castles that were starting to go up. I can easily imagine what it would be like these days for a kid living someplace similar to ride the bus with classmates coming from homes 10 times bigger. (Westporters, what is in all your rooms?)
My own house was an ordinary postwar ranch, yet I was often made aware that it didn’t measure up. So were others. “There aren’t enough levels,” a friend advised our math teacher. A French teacher went around the class posing this question: Combien de pièces y a-t-il dans votre maison?
“Cinq,” I said. The teacher replied in English: “Five rooms? Small house!”
It astonished me that a small house could seem so remarkable to those who didn’t live in one, and by the time I got to Staples, I had some ideas for essays that Dr. Lieberman would have called cultural criticism.
When we weren’t analyzing literature, he let me write them. He was open to anything I wanted to say. Probably I was also emboldened by his own joyful irreverence. He introduced us to the phrase “the one percent” (it was years before I heard it again), chortled when a student described most Westporters as “just middle class,” and drew stares when he informed us that he spent only one evening a year in town: back-to-school night, as mandated by his contract.
A 1993 Staples yearbook poll.
I first had Dr. Lieberman as a sophomore. I was determined to take him again as a senior, but the only appropriate course conflicted with orchestra.
I quit orchestra. This earned me a visit from the administrator in charge of the arts, and left my guidance counselor aghast. How would my quitting look to Sarah Lawrence, where I was applying early decision?
Partly because I knew that the college recognized the importance of life-altering teachers, and partly because Dr. Lieberman, who had written my recommendation, had also bolstered my confidence, I didn’t care.
In 1987, the year I graduated from Staples, Dr. Lieberman published a book, “We Can Always Call Them Bulgarians: The Emergence of Lesbians and Gay Men on the American Stage” — but under the pseudonym Kaier Curtin.
I learned this in a social media post about his death. Some in Westport have recently argued that gay educators should stay silent about their personal lives — after all, don’t straight educators?
A social media post, announcing Dr. Joe Lieberman’s death.
I thought at once not only of Staples journalism about straight teachers’ love stories, but of the fact that I wasn’t able to congratulate Dr. Lieberman on even a professional milestone.
My timing at Staples was lucky; Dr. Lieberman’s spirited jabs at affluence likely wouldn’t be tolerated today.
Of his own timing, what would Joe Lieberman say? He was hired the year before Stonewall, when it was easy to be fired for being gay, and retired in the early 1990s.
I do remember hearing that he later came out. In any case, of the many things I wish I could tell him, the first is this: His book is in the library of the college where I teach.
I just borrowed it.
Joe Lieberman’s book. Curtin was his mother’s maiden name.
(“06880″‘s Opinion pages are open to all. Please email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com.)
The town remains under a Local Civil Preparedness Emergency. as a major winter storm impacts the region this evening through Monday.
Governor Lamont has declared a statewide State of Emergency. That includes an emergency order prohibiting commercial vehicle travel on all limited access highways statewide, in effect now, until further notice.
Westport’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated to coordinate storm response operations. Police, Fire, EMS, Public Works, and Human Services are fully engaged, and staging personnel and equipment.
Heavy snowfall, damaging winds and periods of whiteout visibility are expected. Travel conditions are deteriorating, and will become extremely dangerous overnight.
Coastal Flooding & Storm Surge: A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect. Overnight high tides are expected to produce moderate coastal flooding, with storm surge levels forecast between approximately 4 and 4.6 feet above normal astronomical tide levels. Low-lying and flood-prone areas, including portions of Saugatuck Shores, Compo Beach and other shoreline neighborhoods, are expected to experience roadway flooding during the overnight high tide.
Critical Resident Actions:
• Remain off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
• Remove vehicles from roadways immediately.
• If vehicles must remain on the street, follow alternate side parking based on the calendar date.
• Prepare for possible power outages.
• Avoid driving through flooded coastal roadways.
• Check on elderly neighbors and those who may need assistance.
First Selectman Kevin Christie adds, “Residents should remain home throughout the duration of the storm. Keeping roads clear is critical for plowing operations and emergency response, particularly with the added concern of coastal flooding.”
DPW crews will operate continuously throughout the storm. Emergency services remain fully operational.
Westport officials have declared a Local Civil Preparedness Emergency, in advance of the predicted major winter storm.
The declaration activates the town’s Local Emergency Operations Plan, and authorizes coordination of all emergency response assets.
The Town’s Emergency Operations Center will open at approximately 5 p.m. under a partial hybrid activation, with Chief Nicholas Marsan and Deputy Chief Matthew Cohen present to coordinate operations.
Updated Storm Forecast
Timing: Snow begins approximately 1 p.m. today (Sunday), and continues through Monday evening.
Accumulation: 18–24 inches of heavy, wet snow is forecast.
Winds: Gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour; strongest along the shoreline.
Coastal Flood Warning: Midnight to 5 a.m. Monday. Moderate coastal flooding is possible during the early Monday morning high tide.
Travel: Major impacts expected; travel may become dangerous or impossible at times.
Public Safety Directives
Parking ban: Effective noon Sunday. Residents are strongly encouraged to park in driveways and other off-street locations whenever possible.
If you must park in the street, then park only on the side of the street that corresponds with the calendar date.
Even house numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8.
Odd house numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.
– Sunday: Park on the EVEN-numbered side
– Monday (2/23): Park on the ODD-numbered side
Stay off the roads: Travel should be avoided once snowfall intensifies.
Prepare for power outages: Hazardous winds and snow may delay restoration efforts.
Generator safety: Operate generators outdoors only, and away from structures.
Prepare for prolonged cold: Extended cold temperatures are forecast following the storm.
Sign up for alerts: Text “06880” to 888777 to receive emergency notifications via Nixle.
The photo (taken by yours truly) shows a photo (by Richard Frank) that hangs in the Westport Library stairwell nearest the cafe. It’s part of the Westport Public Art Collections. (Click here to see.)
But there’s another print of the same image. You’ll find it at Gold’s Delicatessen.
It might be in some private collections in town too. It captures the powerful, yet playful, Muhammad Ali perfectly.
Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Les Dinkin, Robert Mitchell, Clark Thiemann, Jilda Manikas and Larry Bartimer all checked in with the Library answer.
Adam Starr, Larry Weisman and Tom Feeley said Gold’s.
Just like Ali: You’re all champs.
In keeping with the winter weather that’s not going away, here is today’s Photo Challenge. I think it’s hard. Your mileage may vary.
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/John Maloney)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
The good news: In less than 2 weeks since its debut, our new “06880” AI widget has field hundreds of questions.
The less-than-good news: Many readers are using it like Google search, rather than the much more robust engine it is.
Queries like “geese,” “Players,” “Staples,” “Hamlet” and “library” are not the best way to interact with our AI widget.
To get a much deeper answer — one that scrapes all 17 years of “06880” content, as designed by Westport-based Thought Partnr — you should ask things like:
“How do they manage geese at Longshore?”
“What is Staples Players known for?”
“Why was the Hamlet at Saugatuck plan rejected?”
“What activities are planned for VersoFest?”
Here’s a great example of a query from yesterday: “I’m thinking of moving to Westport with a young family. What are the pros and cons I should consider?”
Think of it as a conversation starter. The widget will respond; you can then continue the conversation, refine it, or simply walk away more knowledgeable about a local subject.
We’re all used to typing in a word or two in a search engine. We get a list of links that we then plow through.
But that’s not our AI widget. It responds in complete paragraphs, and invites an ongoing dialogue.
Bottom line: Take a few extra seconds to frame your question — just as you would with a friend. Give your AI buddy enough information to offer a complete, detailed response.
The more you use it, the better you’ll get.
And the smarter our AI widget will become too.
PS: Coming soon: AI for our “06880” app.
The arrow points to our AI widget.
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Emmy, Grammy and 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald returns to the Westport Country Playhouse May 19, for an encore evening of music
The singer/actor — a National Medal of Arts recipient, and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People — last appeared here in February of 2024.
For 4 hours yesterday morning, volunteers from the Saugatuck Congregational Church Missions Board, the Westport Rotary Club and Westport Sunrise Rotary unloaded supplies at the church, then packed 12,500 shelf-stable meals — with oatmeal/apple/vitamin packets — for a program run by EndHungerNE.
Norwalk and Wilton Rotarians helped too, along with other Westporters.
Then, they delivered the cases: 22 to the Gillespie Center, 20 to Open Door in Norwalk, and 14 to a food pantry in Norwalk.
At a time of rising food insecurity, they will fill a great need. (Hat tip: Mark Mathias)
Assembly line volunteers, at Saugatuck Church. (Photo/Katie Phillis)
Yesterday’s Roundup included an item about a new bird flu in the tri-state area. It’s killed more than a dozen geese, at Compo and Burying Hill Beaches.
That’s not all. A dead red-breasted merganser was found in a yard near Compo.
The disease does not seem to affect humans. But be careful out there!
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Longtime Westport teacher and women’s issues volunteer Patricia MacBride Hendrickson died peacefully at her Maine home in June. She was 95.
After graduating in 1952 as a biology major from Brown University, she worked in microbial genetics at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. After traveling solo in Europe, she married Donald Hendrickson, a chemical engineer, in 1955. They lived in Westport for 40 years before moving to a retirement community in Topsham, Maine in 2006.
For 2 decades, Pat taught advanced biology and ecology courses at Staples High School. She was enriched by her students, and her passion for the subject inspired many to choose careers in the sciences.
She received honors for her work as regional director of the Brown University National Alumni Schools program.
After retiring in 1991 Pat was active in politics, serving as president of the Democratic Women of Westport. She was one of 6 founders of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. She served on the board for 6 years, including positions as vice president, president and admissions director.
A passionate believer in women’s personal liberty, she initiated in 1993 an all-volunteer security escort service for the Summit Women’s Center in Bridgeport, and coordinated the effort for a decade.
She received awards and recognition from CT Naral, CT NOW and the National Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
In 2003, she was co-founder and president of the Rosie Fund, the first abortion fund in Connecticut, which supports needy women’s right to choose. She was a longtime board member and then the President of the Y’s Women of Westport, a large women’s group in Westport.
Pat enjoyed travel, the natural world, wildlife, birding and botany. She traveled extensively, including Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Africa, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, Alaska and the Virgin Islands.
After the death of her husband in 2012 she remained engaged in national and local politics. She traveled to visit family, hosted friends and family at her home, and took excursions and vacations to beautiful locations in Maine.
Pat is survived by her children Andrew, Laura Hendrickson (Rupert Stasch) Rupert Stasch and Julia, and granddaughter Madeleine. She was predeceased by her husband Donald, fraternal twin sister Pamela MacBride Colgate, and a brother, Roger MacBride.
A private burial will be held at the family plot on Cape Cod. Contributions may be sent to The Brown University Elise Lea MacBride Memorial Book Fund, Office of Planned Giving, PO Box 1893, Providence, RI 02912.
And finally … today marks the actual birthday of George Washington.
The Father of Our Country was born on this date 294 years ago — in 1732.
For decades, Americans celebrated this as a federal holiday. It has since morphed into Presidents Day, on the third Monday in February. The idea is to honor all Presidents (including Abraham Lincoln, born February 12) — and give everyone a 3-day weekend, while goosing sales of mattresses and cars.
An instrumental piece called “The President’s March” was composed by Philip Phile in 1789 to honor Washington’s inauguration. Joseph Hopkinson added lyrics in 1798. The song became very popular, and was often performed at official events.
He was born 30 years after those legendary concerts (and many others).
But the 2016 Weston High School graduate is a huge rock ‘n’ roll fan.
And to paraphrase the Byrds — another great band that played here — he wants to be a rock ‘n’ roll star.
Bradley is well on his way.
Jack Bradley
For the past few years, the guitarist’s band The Thing has drawn attention — and sold out shows across the US and Europe — with their music.
It mixes the Kinks, Grand Funk Railroad, Pink Floyd and garage and psychedelic bands of the 1960s and ’70s, with newer artists like The Black Keys.
This Friday (February 27, 8 p.m.), they kick off the Westport Library’s 5th annual VersoFest.
The actual 4-day music and media extravaganza takes place March 26-29. But The Thing will be on a national tour then. So the Library snagged them for this show. It will be the opening date of that tour.
Before he was a rocker, Bradley was a producer. Not many teenagers were as obsessed as he was with rock. So he created a makeshift studio in his Weston basement, recording and producing rappers.
But during a stint at Millbrook — after Fairfield Country Day School, and before Weston High — he’d met Michael Carter and Zane Acord. They bonded over their love for music their parents loved.
They stayed in touch after Bradley left. They scattered across the country — he went to Berklee College of Music in Boston Zane headed South, and Mike to the Pacific Northwest. When the pandemic hit, they reunited in a big farmhouse in Sharon, Connecticut.
They recruited a drummer, recorded there, then moved to Brooklyn. They won a Battle of the Bands at Our Wicked Lady — the famed (and now closed) music venue there — which kick-started their career.
Jack Bradley and The Thing.
The Thing was invited to South by Southwest. They bought a van, and for the past 2 1/2 years have played over 300 shows.
Thursday’s will be their first in Westport, though.
The route to the Library began in late 2024, when the band played at Fairfield Theater Company.
Bradley met Dick Wingate there. The longtime music industry executive and Westport resident — a key figure in past VersoFests — made the connection for this year.
Bradley is familiar with the event. Gang of Four kicked off their “Long Goodbye” tour at it last year. He was there, and met the band.
The Thing and friends, at Flushing Meadows Park.
Bradley looks forward to their own tour kickoff. He expects a crowd like many of their US shows: teenagers and grandparents. (Their European audiences tend to include “the whole town.”)
He hopes there will be plenty of fans in between. His own parents will be there, for sure. (His mother is very proud that Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon features The Thing often, on his Sirius XM show.)
From last year, Bradley knows what it’s like to hear and play music in a library. He’s not sure his bandmates do.
“If you haven’t been there, you don’t realize how cool” the venue is, he says.
But, he warns: “We’re loud!”
Also cool: the opening act.
Fever Dream is a 5-person group. Staples and Weston High musicians Seamus Brannigan, Griffin Delmhorst, Ari Sklar, Harry Schultz and Ezra Schwartz play covers of their favorite classic/alternative rock and grunge songs, along with originals they’ll release soon.
Fever Dream. Three members (top row) performed in Staples Players’ “Les Misérables” last fall.
Jack Bradley didn’t have a band, when he was in high school.
This Thursday, a large VersoFest crowd will see that once again, it’s The Thing.
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