“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung says:
MoCA\CT’s latest exhibit, “Enough Already: Women Artists from the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection,” composed of highlights from the collection of 2 women from Cincinnati, is described as “politically charged.”
I don’t see it that way.
Perhaps because I arrived carrying the weight of a 4-hour antisemitism presentation, or perhaps because every day’s cursory review of the news bristles with negative rhetoric vying for our trepidation.
Instead, it felt exuberant. If the ebullient mood at the opening is any indication, I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Admiring “Picnic on Wine,” by Sandy Skoglund, at MoCA\CT.
On the wall in the last room of the exhibit is a question for viewers: “What have you had enough of?”
Scrawled on numerous papers are the words “patriarchy,” “politics,” “judgment.” On one paper is written: “Having to make a delicious dinner EVERY. DAMN. NIGHT OF MY LIFE.”
First, solidarity. Second, this struck me as an apt description of this exhibit. It’s less about “enough already,” and more about “I can make a delicious meal every night.”
There are things we have to do, everyday life stuff like cooking dinner every night. We can (well, many of us can) choose to make it delicious or not. Artists can choose to illustrate their everyday life as stuff worth living, or not. In this case, many chose the former.
When they embraced mundane challenges of womanhood, I saw power, one that is independent of beauty, money or influence.
And I think that’s the point. The overarching politicality of being a woman has been successfully addressed in art, and now women are free to granulize their lives without fear (or care) of denigration.
Whether it’s their bodies, their illnesses or their sexualization, they own and appreciate what belongs exclusively to them as individuals. They’re owning the male narrative, and re-shaping it.
Though the title alludes to exasperation, named after a neon sign by Deborah Kass, I found the exhibit, with a few violent exceptions, more celebratory than defiant. Kass’s sign itself is colorful and flamboyant, belying frustration and signaling optimistic decisiveness.
One of the most dynamic pieces is a large photo of a nude female statue raising her left arm, a scar where her left breast used to be (“Intra-Venus.” Marina Vargas, 2021).
She may be raising her arm to offer a full view of her mastectomy, but it seems more an expression of jubilance; she’s a breast cancer survivor, not a woman with a perceived imperfection.
A small marble stool (“Survival Series, 1983-1985,” Jenny Holzer) includes an inscription “It is in your self-interest to find a way to be very tender.” Motherly, womanly, advice for children and loved ones, fingers crossed they’ll follow it. Yet the weight and immobility of the marble indicates its substance — this is spelled out in a nurturing tone for palatability, but its hardcore prophetic, as is most delicately relayed motherly advice.
The Vance Wadells began purchasing these works 20 years ago, intentionally mixing acclaimed artists (Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Yoko Ono) with emerging artists to amplify lesser known voices.
Ironically, Yoko Ono’s felt like the least impactful work (“Touch Me,” 2008) — a primed canvas, 12 x 12, with a cross section cut in the center. Its message is either histrionically obvious or lost on me.
Important question, though. What have you had enough of, and what can you do with that energy?
(“06880” covers the arts scene in Westport, in all shapes and forms. If you enjoy this — or anything else in our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
One of Westport’s best-loved holiday traditions — the Wakeman Town Farm tree lighting — is set for Friday, December 5 (4 p.m.).
Families enjoy treats and hot chocolate; musicians from Greens Farms and Saugatuck Elementary schools, plus a few Staples High School band members and a student jazz duo.
In the spirit of the season, WTF offers 3 ways to give back to neighbors in need.
Bring new or unused diapers of all sizes. Help for Kids will stock the Stamford Health and the Diaper Bank of Connecticut.
Bring canned goods for Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport.
Bring unwrapped toys for children of all ages, for the annual Al’s Angels drive.
Another great holiday tradition — Staples High School’s 85th annual Candlelight Concert — returns December 12 (8 p.m.) and December 13 (3 and 8 p.m.). Free ticket information will be available soon.
Meanwhile, advertising space in the concert program is available now. Ads will be seen by 3,000 people — and will support the spectacular Staples music department. The deadline is December 1.
Speaking still of the holidays: 3 special “Nordic Market” events makem special at Eleish Van Breems.
Everyone of all ages is invited to:
Glögg vs. Cider(December 12 and 14, 2:30 p.m.). A talk on American cider and Swedish glögg. Taste both holiday drink. Limited to 20; RSVP: events@evbhem.com.
Scandinavian Fairy Tales(December 13, 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.): Reading of “The Tomten.” He helps with the farm and animals — though no one has ever seen him.
Swedish Stars Workshop (December 13, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.): A demonstration for the whole family on making Swedish hanging stars. Limit 12 per session; RSVP: events@evbhem.com.
A fundraiser hosted by the Westport Firefighters Charitable Foundation helped raise funds to replace outdated Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
Now, the Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service has purchased 50 state-of-the-art Philips units for Westport’s first responders.
The total project cost is $62,020.
$25,000 raised by the Westport Firefighters Charitable Foundation will be transferred to Westport EMS to fund the Fire Department’s portion.
Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service covered the remaining balance.
Fire Chief Nick Marsan says, “These new AEDs significantly strengthen our emergency response capabilities. When someone is in cardiac arrest, every second counts. Ensuring our first responders have the most reliable tools available is a commitment to the safety and well-being of our community.”
Of course, donations to WVEMS — who are responsible for raising funds for everything from ambulances to Band-Aids — are always welcome. Click here to help.
Michael Diggin writes: “For the first time, I (plus another dozen cars) was driving around Saugatuck this morning just before 8 a.m., futilely seeking permit parking between the north railroad station platform and Riko’s Pizza.
“I never had reason to know about permit parking lot #7, located north of I-95. It’s off the one-way Franklin Street, just before Ketchum Street.
“You have likely previously let folks know about it. But perhaps this map may help other people know where park when unexpectedly pressed. Clearly folks are now back in their offices.”
Just in time for cold weather — and Hanukkah — The Blondiniit has enclosed their outdoor pergola.
Church Lane may no longer be closed to traffic. But outside dining is still available.
And fun.
The Blondinit’s “Hannukah Holiday Winter Wonderland.”
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There was an interesting juxtaposition yesterday, between the notification on a Coastal Link bus, and the advertisement below it.
(Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)
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Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between November 12 and 18.
A 38-year-old Stratford man was charged with burglary, larceny and criminal mischief, after an investigation into a burglary in January. He posted a $150,000 bond.
A 20-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with operating under the influence (under 21 years old), operating a motor vehicle without a license, and traveling too fast for conditions, after an officer observed him traveling at a high rate of speed on Post Road East, in rainy conditions.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 10 citations
Texting while driving: 7
Traveling unreasonably fast: 7
Speeding: 4
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 4
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
Failure to obey stop sign: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Failure to halt possession of alcohol by a minor: 1
Improper passing: 1
Improper turns: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to grant right of way: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Failure to carry insurance card: 1
Texting while driving is illegal — even at a red light.
Staples High School Class of 2022 graduate Hector Emmanuelli died last Friday. He was 25.
His obituary says, “Since birth, Hector was a guerrero, a fighter. He defied the odds after being born, weighing just 413 grams at 24 weeks, alongside his quadruplet siblings: Jimena, Chantal and Michelle. Fearless and resilient, he lived every day to the fullest.
“Hector loved to travel to see family in Mexico and Costa Rica. He was quite a comelón, loving all kinds of food, especially plátano, corn bread, and ice cream. He filled the house with music (like Ricky Martin and Baby Einstein), as he carried his iPad around to be wherever we gathered.”
His funeral was yesterday. Online condolences can be left here.
Former Westporter Hal Fass died Saturday, from a rare form of multiple myeloma. He was 68.
He graduated from Harpur College with a political science degree. He was active in the school’s radio station, and formed band (the Killer Tomatores). He met his wife Carole in college, when both were covering a Talking Heads show.
The family lived in Westport for nearly 25 years, before moving to the water in South Norwalk.
After earning an MBA at Baruch College, Hal worked in advertising and marketing. He traveled the globe for business, but spent every winter weekend in Vermont. He taught snowboarding at Okemo Mountain for almost 20 years.
Despite living for 5 years with cancer, Hal continued to travel, rode his Vespa and Triumph, wrote a screenplay, and formed a new band (The Clams).
Hal Fass
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Bob Weingarten sends today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo — and an explanation.
He writes: “You posted my article years ago on how to prevent deer on your property.
“This morning I saw a deer on my lawn next to an owl figure. In my piece I said they would not stay near an owl, even a statue.
“But this deer stayed for hours near it. So my prior statement was incorrect!”
It’s nice that Westport attracts high-end national chains. They bring a certain cachet to town.
But they don’t make this place go.
Small businesses are both the economic driver and the emotional heart of 06880.
Savvy + Grace. JL Rocks. Stephen Kempson. Earth Animal. Calise’s Deli. The Grapevine. WEST. Westport Hardware. Organic Market. Party Harty. Your favorite restaurant (except McDonald’s).
Those are the places where everyone knows your name. Where they know your preferences. Where we go when we need a program ad, a raffle or auction item, a flyer in the window.
Behind all that are small business owners struggling to stay, well, in business. They have rents to pay, payrolls to meet, town regulations to follow — and of course, the very real battle to convince customers to buy from them, and not online.
AI — the technological marvel that has transformed education, healthcare, big business and many other areas of modern life — can help small businesses too.
But most owners are so busy doing all the things noted above, they don’t have time to figure out what AI can do for them.
Plus: As good as artificial intelligence is, it’s global in scale. It works by scraping up an unfathomable amount of information from everywhere, then figuring out patterns of words and phrases.
AI knows what’s going on around the planet. It does not necessarily know what’s happening on the Post Road.
Until now.
Westport resident Jay Norris has a long and successful career in business, real estate and technology. He’s been a board member of the Westport Library and Westport Weston Family YMCA.
He knows the town. He knows AI. And he knows how both can work together.
Norris’ newest venture is ThoughtPartnr. The AI model is designed to help small and mid-size businesses streamline operations, make informed decisions, create content, and accelerate growth.
And its national rollout is taking place right here in Westport.
Yesterday, Norris and his ThoughtPartnr team joined the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce at The Clubhouse. Several dozen members learned how the “local language model” — as opposed to the more familiar “large language model” — can help their own businesses and ventures use Chamber and community data to assist with marketing, operations, compliance, funding and growth.
Someone thinking of opening a new restaurant here might, for example, find all the steps needed through ThoughtPartnr — including links to all permits needed.
Chamber of Commerce attendees were intrigued. They were particularly impressed when a Friends of Sherwood Island board member asked how, specifically, ThoughtPartnr could help find grants, and raise funds.
Matt Snow typed in that prompt. Almost instantly — on The Clubhouse’s big screen, for all to see — the local AI delivered a host of resources: the Westport Woman’s Club, environmental organizations, and along with advice on how to apply for state grants, links to applications, and much more.
The difference between those responses and ChatGPT, say, is that the latter would provide much more generic information, based on how a non-profit in general could get grants.
From left: Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell; ThoughtPartnr’s founder Jay Norris, technology advisor Anil Nair, and chief marketing officer Matt Snow. (Photo/Frank Bruce)
AI of any kind is clearly helpful. But it can hallucinate. And sometimes, users need human help.
That is one more element to ThoughtPartnr. Subscribers gain access to real, live local experts, who can answer questions, build on suggestions, and leverage the AI information even more personally.
Westport Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell announced that members will have free use of ThoughtPartnr from now to the end of 2026.
They’ll be part of a big rollout. With Mandell’s help, Norris hopes to network with Chambers of Commerce around the country.
He’s starting small, in his home town.
But he has large plans. And he can make them succeed.
Among Norris’ many hats: He chairs the Technology and Innovation Council for the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
Today, Westport. Tomorrow, New York.
And then: small businesses, all across the country.
On Sunday, the Staples High School boys soccer team won the state championship.
It was the 13th in the program’s storied history — but the first since 2009.
That’s a heroic achievement.
But there is so much more to the story that makes the 2025 Wreckers our Unsung Heroes of the Week.
The 2025 Staples boys soccer team. (Photo/Melissa Garrity)
For more than 8 months — from late October through early July — the program was engulfed in chaos.
A town-wide controversy over the non-renewal of the contracts of head coach Russell Oost-Lievense, and equally popular freshman coach Chris O’Dell, threatened to upend 67 years of tradition, high standards and success.
For more than 8 months, the Staples boys soccer program had no leader.
No adult leader, that is.
Into the breach strode the rising seniors.
They were confused, hurt — and angry. They felt disrespected, unheard.
But instead of complaining, these teenagers acted like the adults in the room.
The 4 incoming captains — Gabe Duque, Gabe Hellmann, Drew Hill and Dylan Shackelford — took the reins.
Captains (from left): Gabe Hellmann, Drew Hill, Dylan Shackelford, Gabe Duque. (Photo/Melissa Garrity)
They made sure the off-season weight room program ran smoothly.
They coached themselves in the Norwalk summer league — and won it all, with an undefeated record.
They ran the in-town summer Watermelon Cup league for current players and alumni, all on their own. For decades past, that had been the head coach’s job.
They kept key players from leaving the program, to play instead for outside “academy” club teams. It would have been easy to abandon the coach-less Staples program, with an uncertain future. But no one did.
In an era when too few teenagers know how, or even want, to lead, the 4 captains did so with maturity, wisdom and strength.
They were not afraid to talk about Staples soccer’s values and expectations. They held their teammates accountable.
They kept the program intact.
Staples players — Norwalk Summer League champions — with the first of 3 medals they earned this year.
Just as crucially, the rest of the team bought into it all.
Other leaders emerged. Younger players followed.
When Liam Witham was named head coach in early July, he met with the captains. They were excited. They embraced him, and together they led the team forward.
And they did it without abandoning their support and admiration for the non-renewed coaches. It was a difficult balance. Yet these teenagers did it, with grace and aplomb.
The Wreckers had a storybook season. All the ingredients for success — talent, speed, physicality, high soccer IQs, passion, poise, chemistry and heart — were there.
Still, success was not a given. They had to earn it.
And earn it they did, with a convincing march through the regular season, and the FCIAC (league) and state tournaments. Winning double championships had been done only 7 times before, by Staples boys soccer teams.
State champs! (Photo/John Walker)
On Sunday — after their decisive 3-0 win over Greenwich — the players hugged and high-fived exuberantly.
They were celebrating their state championship, sure. But — without realizing it — they were celebrating too the joy of setting a goal, committing to it, and achieving it, with tons of hard work, the maturity to look forward instead of back, and the unwavering support of each other.
This week’s Unsung Heroes award goes to the 4 captains, and all their teammates, on the 2025 Staples boys soccer team.
But calling them “boys” does not do this squad justice.
Over the past year, they proved themselves to be men.
Staples High School soccer seniors. (Photo/Melissa Garrity)
(“06880” is proud to honor Unsung Heroes — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog.)
More holiday help: A&S Westport Fine Foods is partnering with the Southport law firm Conlon Amendola, to donate 50 full Thanksgiving dinners.
They’ll go to student families at Capital Prep Harbor School in Bridgeport, who face food insecurity. The tuition-free charter school has a 100% college acceptance rate.
A&S will prepare fresh turkeys, and trays of sides. The Post Road West market is donating the birds; the law firm is covering other costs.
Westporters who wish to provide funds for dessert (pies) can email A&S (chefalpiz@gmail.com), or call 203-293-4042.
The meals will be delivered Friday, with freezing and reheating instructions.
One of America’s most urgent civil liberties issues is the focus of a documentary screening and panel discussion this Friday (November 21, 7 p.m.) at the Westport Library.
Director/producer Kim Snyder brings her award-winning, gripping and very timely film “The Librarians” to the Trefz Forum.
It explores “the growing movement to censor ideas, stories, and voices across the country, and celebrates the everyday heroes standing in its way.” Librarians across the country are “fighting on the front lines for the freedom to read and the right to think critically.”
Westport Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer Trey Ellis, and producer Maria Cuomo Cole, join Snyder and author Oliver Radclyffe on the panel, following the documentary.
Sticks Westport opened earlier this month at 772 Post Road East, the strip mall that includes TTEndurance and Picture This, between Calise’s Deli and Wheels.
There are no drop-ins. Instead, monthly and annual members get protected time, in a private setting.
The headline feature is a cutting-edge Trackman iO golf simulator. It usees a combination of radar, infrared and high-speed imaging to deliver real-time club and ball analytics.
There is also a big screen TV, comfortable seating area and kitchenette.
Owner Ali Lloyd says, “Sticks’ small, cozy space is meant to feel like an extension of your house. It was born out of the dream of having a golf simulator in our own home.”
She worked with an interior designer, and collected antiques and art to create “a Westport-level space that’s comfortable and inviting.”
Membership will be capped at “a pretty low number.” After 2 weeks, Lloyd says, they are halfway toward being sold out.
The UU Players are staging “The Gin Game” this weekend, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport.
The play — featuring Westporters Tom Croarkin and Candace Clinger — centers on 2 “old age home” residents who become friends over a series of card games. In the process they reveal any things about themselves — including their darker sides.
Easton residents Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn opened the show on Broadway in 1977.
Dates are Friday and Saturday (November 21 and 22, 7 p.m.) and Sunday (November 23, 2 p.m.). The suggested donation is $25, cash or Venmo at the door. Questions? Call 203-227-7205, ext. 10.
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Bike Westport is sponsoring a Zoom session on an important topic: “Smart/Safe Cycling for Youth & Adults.”
The event — including topics like e-bike laws, what parents should know about e-bikes for youths, and how to ride safely in traffic — is tomorrow (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.). Click here for the Zoom link.
Karl Kuechenmeister died on Saturday, surrounded by family. He was 78.
He was a graduate of Staples High School and Dickinson College.
Karl served in the US Navy as a lieutenant and aviator. He was assigned to Flight Squadron 101 — “The Grim Reapers” — where he flew T-2 Buckeyes, F-9 Cougars and F-4 Phantoms.
He later became a senior media sales executive with CBS and NBC Television, Warner Bros. Domestic TV, Lorimar, Time Warner, MTV Networks and Turner Broadcasting Sales.
Karl was a volunteer with Connecticut Special Olympics and a Board Member of the Saugatuck Shores Club. He held dual citizenship with
Ireland.
Working at NBC, he Karl met Elizabeth. They were married at St. Luke Church.
After raising 2 children in Westport and Cape Cod, Karl and Elizabeth moved to Palm Beach Shores, Florida in 2016. He lovd the town, and lunch with “the Gang.”
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth; son Lt. Col. Karl Kuechenmeister (Carly), daughter Britt Kuechenmeister (Theo); grandchildren Gavin and Logan; sisters Karen, Janis and Mary, and many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
The Veterans Administration Medical Center and VA Hospice Center in West Palm Beach provided exceptional and tender care of Karl.
A celebration of life will take place at a later date. There are no calling hours.
Karl Kuechenmeister
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Organizational psychologist and author Dr. Melvin Sorcher died Saturday in Westport. He was 95.
The Brooklyn native and Korean War US Army sergeant earned a Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
He developed and implemented “behavior modeling” in business and other non-clinical settings. He headed General Electric’s corporate behavioral research group, and served as worldwide director of management development for Richardson-Vicks.
Mel wrote 4 books, and more than 40 articles and chapters. He was honored in 1978 for distinguished professional practice throughout his career, including his work to bring behavior modeling to address the problem of apartheid in South Africa by breaking down racial barriers in industry.
Before retiring at 72, Mel started a consulting firm specializing in CEO and senior management evaluation and selection. His 1 decades of retirement were filled with projects until the last days of his life.
He published another book, to help recent college graduates secure their first jobs, and helped make Westport the first town east of the Mississippi River to ban nonbiodegradable plastic bags.
He was a prolific painter, taught English as a second language, took Spanish lessons, and traveled around the country to see his large family.
Mel is survived by his wife Sylvia; sons and in-laws Michael (Jill) of Overland Park, Kansas; Robert (Nicolas Ospina) of Denver, and Peter (Erin) of Mill Valley, California, and grandchildren Sara (Arie Lipnick), Gary, Danielle, Jessica , Rachael, Caroline, Kaya and Shea.
Funeral services will be held this Sunday (November 23, 12 p.m., Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home, Fairfield. Visitation begins at 11:30 a.m.
Dr. Melvin Sorcher
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Superb nature photographer Lou Weinberg is back, with another spectacular “Westport … Naturally” image.
This one is a downy woodpecker. Check out that beak!
And finally … in honor of “The Librarians” — the documentary film, and the real-life professionals (story above):
(We can’t keep library-quiet about this: “06880” relies on donations from readers! If you enjoy our daily Roundup — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support us. Thank you!)
Staples High School students do some very impressive things.
Players’ current production of “Les Misérables” is drawing absolute raves. (If you haven’t seen it yet: Read on!). Hundreds of musicians are preparing for the 85th annual Candlelight Concert. Boys soccer won the state championship; field hockey camethisclose.
All those accomplishments make our entire town proud.
But under the radar, other students pursue their own passions.
And like their classmates who garner more attention, they do it very, very well.
Ignacy Nieweglowski and Sahil Vora are juniors and friends, with an interest in science and technology.
Together, they founded Staples’ Health Tech Initiative Club. The student-led organization tackles public health issues through technology.
Right now, they’re focusing on lead contamination across Connecticut, and the entire US.
Staples’ Health Tech Initiative Club, in action.
The club began as a way for students to get involved in research. The initial goal was to develop an inexpensive solution to detecting PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in water.
After almost 2 months of literature review and a meeting with a Yale professor, they realized that hundreds of researchers are working to do exactly that.
They decided to pivot to something that in recent years has not gotten the attention it deserves, especially as the Environmental Protection Agency has been defunded.
Ignacy, Sahil and their club found that lead contamination continues to be one of the most pervasive but disregarded issues in American healthcare.
They know they can’t fix the problem directly. But they can raise awareness, and push for legislative change and community action.
Exploring the issue in Connecticut, they learned that some public waterways in Westport surpass the federal Lead Copper Rule standard mandated by the EPA of 15 parts per billion.
They’re working now on better mapping of lead contamination in Westport. They hope to reach out to organizations and community leaders, to bring the issue to the forefront of public health in Connecticut.
Their biggest need right now, Ignacy and Sahil say, is public support.
Over the past year, the pair has developed an open-source platform: leadwatchhti.org.
Anyone can report and view lead test results in their area. So far, they’ve received over 30 reports. Several are above the EPA’s federal action level of 15 ppb.
“These demand immediate action at the local level,” Ignacy and Sahil say.
“We want to reignite passion for this issue. The current Connecticut Department of Public Health action level at 15ppb for lead was last updated in 2004. Two decades later, scientific evidence shows that any detectable levels of lead can be irreversibly harmful.”
The duo will be distributing free lead test kits, and setting up community stations at the Westport Library and Staples High.
They also hope to partner with local leaders, state legislators, and organizations like Lead Free CT to help contribute to our database, prove that this is still an issue — and help solve it.
To learn more, email Ignacy (ignacy.nieweglowski@gmail.com) and/or Sahil Vora (sahilvora828@gmail.com).
(“06880” often highlights the amazing achievements of our town’s young people. If you enjoy stories like these — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support us. Thanks!)
Westporters love the (finally) completed Post Road reconstruction project, between the Volvo dealership and Sakura.
And employees of the businesses in that area — on both sides of the street — love the new bus shelters that have just been completed too.
“06880” reader Lawrence Weisman notes, “they are the result of a multi-year effort of a small group of citizens, ably assisted by Public Works Department director Pete Ratkiewitch and his staff, and ultimately by the state Department of Transportation (including former commissioner Emil Frankel).
“Those primarily involved include Ron Corwin, Jenny Johnson and Pippa Bell Ader. They took the initiative after noticing that many of those who commute to Westport to staff the establishments that serve us often had to wait for their buses in bad weather.”
“Thanks to all who helped make life better for the men and women who work here.”
Workers put the finishing touches on the bus shelter at Volvo of Westport. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Next Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (November 24, 6 p.m., Zoom) — the first with its newly elected members — features a full agenda.
Items include:
A discussion of a plan to build an office building, with parking, at 715 Post Road East — the vacant lot currently used to store logs, at the corner of Roseville Road.
An application to subdivide 107 Old Road, into 4 single family residential lots, with an open space parcel.
The Y’s Men of Westport and Weston are hosting the 65th straight monthly VFW Red Cross blood drive tomorrow (Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; VFW Post 399).
Donors are encouraged to schedule appointments in advance. Click here; then use sponsor code VFWWESTPORT, or call 800-733-2767.
After 3 outstanding performances at MoCA\CT, judges of the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition made a rare decision Saturday night. They named 2 winners: Ye‑Eun Hyun and Zhu Wang.
Though stylistically distinct, both impressed the jury with technical brilliance and emotional depth. Each was awarded the $20,000 first prize, sponsored by Norman and Suzanne Sorensen. Jiahao Han earned the $10,000 second prize, plus $500 for Best Performance of a Commissioned Piece.
Now in its 54th year, the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition honors the legacy of pianist and philanthropist Heida Hermanns, the longtime Westporter who championed emerging artists on the world stage.
“I think we all had very strong opinions about the order, and the first two were equals in our minds,” said head judge Frederic Chiu, a renowned pianist and former winner of the Heida Competition. First prize has only been shared once before, in 2013.
Staples High School is not the only school with a soccer champion this fall.
The Greens Farms Academy girls varsity capped their undefeated Fairchester Athletic Conference title season by winning the New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class C title this weekend.
The final was a 4-1 victory over Brewster Academy.
Staples High School Class of 2021 graduate Jane Krauss won a Lone Star Emmy last weekend. She was part of the team that produced a segment called “Austin Really Moves.”
Jane graduated from the University of Austin in May. She was a coordinating producer on the KXAN production that won, as a spring intern.
She is now in Madrid, doing social media marketing strategy for a study abroad company and teaching English.
Staples High School graduate Peter Kluchnick has died.
He grew up on Bauer Place Extension, and joined the US Marine Corps in 1966 with several Staples High School Class of 1966 classmates. He served one year in Vietnam.
Family and friends will gather this Friday (November 21, 5 to 7 p.m., Cody-White Funeral Home, Milford).
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But most owners are so busy doing all the things noted above, they don’t have time to figure out what AI can do for them.
