Posted onFebruary 12, 2024|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: State Senator Ceci Maher
State Senator Ceci Maher represents the 26th District, which includes Westport, Weston and other towns up to Ridgefield.
A licensed social worker, she worked before politics with children and youth in a psychiatric hospital, then moved on to non-profits, including Person-to-Person. She also led Sandy Hook Promise, promoting gun violence prevention programs.
She recently visited the Westport Library, for an “06880” podcast. We talked about her route to Hartford, how she represents Westport, what she’s worked on and is challenged by, and (of course) her favorite spots and activities n town.
Click below, to go behind the scenes with our state senator:
Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: State Senator Ceci Maher
Sure, you and 110 million other people watched the Kansas City Chiefs win (another) Super Bowl last night.
But they also saw Dr. Clarence Jones’ 30-second PSA, which aired during the game.
Sponsored by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, it offered a powerful platform for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s speechwriter to declare: “All hate thrives in silence.”
StartUp Westport and Westport 10 celebrates Black History Month with a special event.
“Past, Present and Future Opportunities for Diverse Entrepreneurs” (February 29, 6 p.m., Westport Library) spotlights the contributions and experiences of local business owners of color.
StartUp Westport is the town’s public/private partnership whose goal is to make our town the tech entrepreneurial hub of Connecticut. Westport 10 is a social and networking group for Black men in town, and their families.
NBC news anchor (and Westport resident) Craig Melvin is the moderator. Jay Norris — founder of Westport 10 — has assembled an all-star panel, including Kal Amin, Wesly Saintil Arbuthnott, Eric Freeman, Ilka Gregory, Craig Livingston, Adam Moore, Pamela Moss, Paige Parker, Ted Parker, Michele Peterson and Kitt Shapiro.
They are business leaders from a variety of industries, including film/TV, music, real estate, retail, technology, food and beverage, and financial services.
The evening kicks off with a video presentation showcasing the history of
diverse entrepreneurship in Fairfield County. Following the panel, attendees can network during a cocktail reception.
On Friday, Westport Library’s Verso Studios’ Brendan Toller interviewed Talking Heads founding members and drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth. at a screening of the remixed and remastered 40th anniversary version of Jonthan Demme’s Talking Heads Concert Film “Stop Making Sense.”
The large crowd sang along, lustily. The event was a benefit for April’s VersoFest, and WPKN.
Brendan Toller interviews former Talking Heads Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz. (Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)
Wakeman Town Farm aficionados know him (every Tuesday) as Tony Pizza Napolitano.
But Anthony Kesselmark – his real name — is more than just a one-trick pizza pony. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and made his name at L’Impero and Veritas in New York before moving to the ‘burbs.
On Sunday, March 10 he serves WTF’s first Italian family-style feast.
The menu includes a classic Italian salad; homemade bread/focaccia; traditional Sunday sauce served over rigatoni with braciole, meatballs, pork chops, sausage and breaded chicken cutlets, and assorted cookies and pastries.
There are 2 seatings: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and 7 to 9 p.m. The $60 price includes food and service ($25 for children 12 and under); BYOB.
Click here for more information, and to reserve a spot.
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Some fundraising galas are dress-up. Some are “cocktail attire.”
The dress code for Rach’s Hope’s annual event is: pajamas.
On March 23 (The Warehouse, Fairfield), guests can come in “pajama chic.” Rachel Doran — the Staples High School graduate who died in 2018 as a rising Cornell University senior after a rare reaction to common medications — was a talented Staples Players costume designer, and the founder of “Rachel’s Rags,” a company that makes intricate cotton and fleece pajama tops and bottoms.
The night of food (from AMG Catering and Tito’s Cocktails), fun and dancing to live music raises money for Rach’s Hope. The non-profit supports local families navigating the critical illness of a child by providing nutritious food, lodging, transportation, and encouragement so they can focus on being present for their ailing children.
Click here for more information, and to purchase tickets or donate.
Little Leaguers can get ready for the spring baseball season — and support the Staples Baseball Diamond Club booster organization — at a spring clinic March 6 (6 to 8 p.m., Staples fieldhouse)
Boys and girls in grades K-7 can have fun with Staples coaches and players, who run drills and games. Participants will be separated by grade and skill level. The event is hosted by the Staples baseball program.
The $40 fee includes a slice of pizza. To register, Venmo @StaplesBBDiamondClub by March 1. Include the player’s name, grade and parent email in the memo line. Registration after March 1 is $50 per player. Players should bring a bat, glove and water bottle.
A “Histoury” bus tour of historic Weston homes is set for March 10 (1 to 4:30 p.m.).
It features mid-century modern homes. They were radical and controversial at the time. Today they are enjoyed for their simplicity, creativity and integration with nature.
The tour includes several interior stops.
Tickets are $75 for adults, $49 for students. For more information and to purchase, click here.
The Wilton Arts Council is seeking photographers of all ages for its 24th annual photography exhibit, “FOCUS ’24” — and Westporters are encouraged to apply.
Last year’s 2nd place high school winner was Westport resident Charlie Lukens. The adult division also included several Westport photographers.
There are 3 divisions: adults (professional and amateur), high school and youth (“old enough to hold a camera through 8th grade”).
Photographers can submit up to 2 film or digital images, in color or black and white. They may be enhanced by darkroom or digital techniques, but additional objects not photographed by the photographer cannot be added.
Entries will be judged by area photographers. Submissions can be dropped off at the Wilton Library on March 15 (noon to 5 p.m.) and March 16 (10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.). They must be at least 8″ x 10″, and wired for hanging. There is no maximum size. Photos will be available for sale throughout the exhibit; the Wilton Library will receive a 20% commission
Sponsors include Rockwell Art & Framing in Westport.
Click here for more details, entry forms and fee information. Questions? Email baswilton@yahoo.com, or call 203-834-9986.
“Eleuthera,” by Charlie Lukens
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There is something fishy about today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, taken at Compo’s South Beach …
And finally … on this day in 1938, BBC Television produced the world’s first science fiction television program. It was an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play “R.U.R.,” which coined the term “robot.”
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. Please support us, with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here — and thank you!)
Westport is justly proud of its Police Department.
From the chief and his assistants through the detectives and officers, every day they “protect and serve.” They do it professionally, efficiently, and with tons of people skills.
Four officers have animal skills too. And 4 of the most important members of the WPD are Atlas, Brutte, Onyx and Ambo: the K-9 unit.
The division has a long history in Westport. Police Chief Foti Koskinas is a former handler (many Westporters remember his dog, Lola). His predecessor as chief, Dale Call, was a K-9 handler too.
From left: Officer Jimmy Loomer, Corporals Dave Scinto and Kevin Smith, with their police dogs.
Westport’s K-9 canines lead anything but a dog’s life. The German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois and Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix do detection work. That’s everything from tracking a suspect who fled from a stolen vehicle or bank robbery, to finding a lost elderly person with dementia or missing child.
The yellow Labrador Retriever is trained to find explosives and firearms-related evidence.
There is plenty of work to keep them on their toes paws. Westport’s corps is available to other towns too — those with no K-9, or whose dogs are unavailable. Our department has assisted from Greenwich to Milford and Shelton.
The dogs join the department when they are 1 year to 18 months old. After a 12-week training course, they are assigned to a handler. Ideally, they stay with them — currently, Officer Jimmy Loomer, Corporal Kevin Smith and Corporal David Scinto — for the dogs’ entire 7 to 10 years of service.
“Stay” is important. They live with the handler, becoming part of the family.
Westport’s K-9 unit. Clockwise from upper left: Onyx, Brutte, Atlas and Ambo.
Some of the funds for K-9 training, care and operation come from the Police Department’s annual budget.
But the WPD must fundraise for other expenses.
Which is why last week, they rolled out a GoFundMe page. The goal is $58,000.
Two of the department’s 3 K-9 vehicles are due for replacement this year. The budget covers them.
However, it costs $20,000 to outfit one K-9 police car with lights, radios, a dog kennel system and heat monitor. That’s $40,000.
Each special K-9 vehicle is equipped with special lights, radios, a dog kennel and heat monitoring system.
In addition, Cpl. Scinto’s Atlas — who works not only as a Westport K-9 but also with the regional Auto Theft Task Force — is nearing retirement. His replacement will cost $12,000; the training program is another $6,000, for a total of $18,000.
This is the K-9 unit’s first fundraiser in 4 years. The previous one was for Brutte, who replaced Koda, along with veterinary care and food.
Click here for the GoFundMe project. Tax-deductible donations can be made directly there, or by check to “Westport Police K-9 Unit,” 50 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880.
Questions? Call Lieutenant Eric Woods: 203-341-6000.
Is there any place in Westport that Andrew Colabella doesn’t know?
He has correctly identified nearly every Photo Challenge of the past few years. (He did guess incorrectly several weeks ago. So did nearly everyone else though, too.)
Andrew was the first to nail last Sunday’s challenge. It was a tough one: a large rock, painted white with a red heart. (Click here to see.)
It’s there in plain sight: at the entrance to Beachside Common on Beachside Avenue, on the hill leading down to Burying Hill Beach.
But that’s a relatively out-of-the-way location. And unless you look closely — which you shouldn’t do, on that sharp curve — you’re likely to miss it.
Andrew doesn’t miss much. He was joined as last week’s Photo Challenge champ by Jeff Jacobs (who walks past it, so he’s off the vehicular hook), Judy Reid (a Greens Farms neighborhood resident), and Mary Ann Batsell.
This week’s challenge is similar: It’s in the grass, on the ground somewhere.
(Photo/Mark Yurkiw)
This is another tough one, so here’s a hint: It’s not near Burying Hill Beach.
Here’s another hint: Ask Andrew Colabella. I’m sure he knows.
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Here’s another challenge: Please support “06880,” with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here to help. Thank you!)
Rex Fowler — co-founder of Aztec Two-Step — says of the 53-year-old duo, “We’re a household name. But we’re in a select few households.”
After the retirement of Neal Shulman — and his marriage to singer/actor Dodie Pettit, who took Shulman’s place — the band is now Aztec Two-Step 2.0. Their home base is Westport, where Pettit lived with her husband Kevin Gray. The “Phantom of the Opera” star died of a heart attack in 2016.
Fowler has just published a memoir. “See, It Was Like This …” chronicles his life in the music world. From Johnny Cash knocking on his dressing room door at the Bottom Line, to sharing a stage with Bruce Springsteen, Fowler has had a memorable half-century career.
But the very readable, quickly engaging book is about much more than music. Fowler grew up in Connecticut and Maine, and he brings those carefree but not-easy days to life with wit and insight.
Fowler has quickly become an important part of Westport — and a big fan of it.
“I have such admiration for this town,” he says. “From Paul Newman’s philanthropy, to the great library and Levitt Pavilion, it’s an amazing place.
“Dodie and I have been supported by everyone. We take exercise classes at the Senior Center, and get computer help there. It’s all been very heart-warming.”
Fowler has made “great new friends” like musician/promoter Roger Kaufman.
Though he modestly says there are “far bigger celebrities” than himself here, like Michael Bolton, and Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, both acts opened for Aztec Two-Step back in the day.
Speaking of Aztec Two-Step: Rex Fowler met Joe Meo here almost 5 years ago, and brought him into the band. The saxophonist died unexpectedly in November.
He played with Johnny Mathis, Billy Vera, the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Pointer Sisters and Aretha Franklin, among many others. Click here for a full obituary.
A memorial service will be held today (Sunday, February 11, 2 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport; click here for livestream).
Charles Tirreno has lived in Westport for 30 years, and is a licensed massage therapist.
He grew up on the Saugatuck River, and cleans and weeds the parks and shorelines within walking and biking distance.
He has spent over 20 years rescuing and rehabilitating wild birds under the supervision of Fairfield Veterinary Hospital. He worked with Deborah Detmer of Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department to install fishing line recycle boxes at parks in town. The project was born of his love for the Saugatuck birds, as 3 cormorants died one summer from fishing line injuries. Charles writes:
A pair of bald eagles make their home for months at a time on a small grove of very old, giant oak trees on the Saugatuck River, between #125 and #137 Riverside Avenue.
For decades, the land on either side of this property line have been privately preserved by their respective homeowners. In fact, the property line was delineated decades ago in order to avoid a smaller parcel between, which would threaten more building and erase wildlife habitat.
This little oak grove is a vital point in the eagles’ migration, where they can safely fish and reside for months at a time. Residents of Westport have enjoyed watching and photographing them for 10 years in this habitat.
Eagle in flight over the Saugatuck River. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Tirreno)
Now a developer is floating (in my opinion) vague and misleading plans to build a giant house abutting and cutting into this grove of oaks, and making empty promises about preserving the (not officially registered, but still) historic Coley house.
There is a Planning & Zoning Commission meeting tomorrow (Monday, February 12). They’ll consider a text amendment that would allow subdivision of the property. Click here (for Text Amendment 1) and click here for details.
I encourage all residents who wish to speak up on behalf of the bald eagles to attend this meeting. Statements and support could make a big impact on their future.
If anyone has questions, they can email me: charlie.tirreno@gmail.com.
Westport actress/author Stephanie Szostak makes a hometown appearance March 5 (7 p.m., Westport Library).
The star of “A Million Little Things,” “Iron Man 3” and “The Devil Wears Prada”) will share insights from her new book “SELF!SH” — and help attendees create their own playbooks for life, in real time.
She’ll discuss her struggles with imposter syndrome throughout her acting career, and share tools to help people improve their mental fitness as they navigate difficult situations.
Szostak will be joined by John Nunziato, a Westport branding expert who
collaborated on the creation of the book, and Dr. Tasha Eurich, an organizational
psychologist and author.
Stephanie Szostak
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“Paintings you can listen to”: That’s the way Robyn Hitchcock describes his songs.
The English singer/songwriter comes to the Westport Library on April 28 (4 p.m.).
The Library’s Verso Studios is a fitting venue for the surrealist poet/guitarist/ cult artist. Since founding the art-rock band The Soft Boys in 1976, Hitchcock has recorded more than 20 albums.
His calls his most recent album (self-titled) an “ecstatic work of negativity with nary a dreary groove.”
Longtime Westporter John R. “Jack” Menz died of a heart attack at home on January 28. He was 65.
The Rochester, New York native attended the State University of New York at Albany and Columbia University, where he earned a JD degree in 1985. He practiced law for nearly 40 years, and was a founding partner of Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg.
His family says, “Jack was the kindest counselor, best friend, and most loving man to those of us lucky enough to have counted him as husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, brother-in-law, son-in-law, father-in-law, and friend. His energy and beauty will be missed by all of us so very much.
“He had a job from the age of 7 onwards,and never stopped working for the good of his family. But he also knew how to enjoy all that life had to offer, and was always happy to dance, play tennis, cook for friends, go for long walks at Sherwood Island, enjoy the sunset at Compo, talk the night away, and run for the good seats during the first week at the US Open.
He was predeceased by his sisters Mary Gossin and Joan Batten; brother Edward; and sister-in-law Anne-Marie (Marvin Trachtenberg) Sankovitch.
Jack is survived by his wife of 31 years, Nina Sankovitch; daughter Meredith (Tim Donegan) Menz; sons Peter, Michael, George, and Martin Menz; grandchildren Charlotte and William Donegan; sister Kathryn (William) Woodard; brothers Robert M. (Mary) Menz, Thomas Menz, Richard (Anne Marie) Menz, James (Lori) Menz, Martin (Traci) Menz, Michael (Melinda) Menz and David (Patricia) Menz; brothers-in-law William Gossin, Thomas Batten and Marvin (Dorothy Ko) Trachtenberg; father-in-law Anatole Sankovitch; sister-in-law Natasha (Philip Russman) Sankovitch; and many, many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to Homes with Hope. A memorial service will be held at a date to be announced.
Jack Menz
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Rosie is the star of today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Photographer Johanna Keyser Rossi — who met her at Grace Salmon Park — says, “Some dogs like fetching sticks. Her owner said she enjoys chewing them.”
And finally … happy birthday to Leontyne Price. The first African American soprano to receive international acclaim turns 97 today.
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