Tag Archives: 60 Minutes

Roundup: Swan, Safety, Sports Sustainability …

Great springtime news!

The “Saugatuck swan” — the one Westporters have watched in wonder, as she hatched her eggs by the Saugatuck River, a few feet from Parker Harding Plaza — has given birth.

Claudia Sherwood Servidio reports on the delivery, adding: “the male was very attentive, looking for reeds to reinforce the nest from water with the high tide.”

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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Remember last year’s traffic and safety sessions, each for a different RTM district?

An update is set for April 27 (7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium). First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, along with officials from the Public Works, Planning & Zoning and Public Safety Departments, will discuss progress on the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Summary Report.

There will be time for discussion and input from residents about traffic and safety concerns in their neighborhoods.

An additional meeting will be held this fall.

Typical traffic on North Avenue, at Bedford Middle School. (Photo/Adam Vengrow)

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To celebrate Earth Day this Saturday (April 22), the Democratic Women of Westport will show how to make recreational sports more environmentally friendly. The event is called “Sustainability on the Sidelines.”

The DWW will man — er, woman — tables at Wakeman Field, and baseball and softball diamonds. The goal is to provide info on small steps families can take to reduce their sports cleat footprint.

Included: some of Sustainable Westport’s efforts, and a handout with tips (examples: carpooling, no idling, and participating in a uniform exchange).

They’ll also give away Gatorade powders to encourage reusable bottles instead of single use plastic

Adult and youth volunteers are needed for Saturday, and to make posters to decorate the tables. To help, or for more information, email jessica@theparentcollective.com.

One of the children’s posters, for Saturday’s Democratic Women of Westport Earth Day event.

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Speaking of sports … this year marks a milestone: It’s 10 years since Westport’s exciting journey to the Little League World Series championship.

Equally important: It’s the 10th anniversary for the “Westport Winners.” They’re the local team in the Little League Challenger division, for special needs youngsters.

Opening day is this Saturday (April 22, 11:30 a.m., Meyer Field at Town Farms). Everyone is invited.

A decade ago Beth Cody and her son Jack had a dream. With help from Stacie Curran, Westport Little League officials and many others, they made it happen.

Play ball!

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David Grann’s new book “The Wager” — about the 1740 wreck of a British warship off the coast of Chile — has gotten plenty of publicity.

Last night the New Yorker staff writer — and 1985 Staples High School graduate — got the full “60 Minutes” star treatment.

Grann spoke about his meticulous research process; his adventures following the harrowing path of the shipwrecked craft, and much more.

Click here for the very interesting interview.

David Grann, with rare documents in London.

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Westport Country Playhouse opened its 93rd season Saturday night with the Tony Award-winning musical, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

Opening night guests included Richard Maltby, Jr., who co-conceived the show, and André De Shields, an original Broadway cast member.

The musical — about Fats Waller and musicians of the Black Renaissance — runs through April 29. Click here for more information.

From left: Jeffrey Page, director and choreographer of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and Andrew De Shields. who starred in the show on Broadway 45 years ago. (Photo/Jerri Graham Photography)

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If you’ve ever wondered what happens at the end of life, or how to care for a loved one or yourself — and who among us has not? — put May 11 (7 p.m., Westport Library) on your calendar.

Panelists will explore what dying can look like, how to have important conversations, and palliative care and hospice. The discussion will be led by Julia Portale, executive director of Fairfield County House, Fairfield County’s non-profit hospice.

Click here for more information.

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A year ago, Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall had an idea: turn VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 into a music venue.

On April 27, “Jazz at the Post” celebrates its first anniversary with a gala event.

Over 20 of favorite performers — including Brian Marsella, David Morgan, Sarah Cion, Mike Mossman, Tim Horner, Phil Bowler, Rob Henke, Joe Corsello, Dave Childs, Kenny Wessel, Rale Micic, David DeJesus — join in a benefit concert for the weekly event’s sponsor, the Jazz Society of Fairfield County.

The VFW acoustics are terrific. The vibe is cool. The restore Village Gate piano has never sounded better.

Tickets ($100 per person; higher levels for supporters and benefactors) include non-stop music and dinner from Chef Derek. Cocktails, beer and wine are available too.

On the horizon next month: clinics for Westport students, conducted by headlining Jazz at the Post artists. On May 11 and 25, students will perform as opening acts.

Also ahead: Jazz FC’s broadened relationship with after-school programs in Norwalk and Bridgeport, partnerships with senior centers and facilities serving underserved populations, and more.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Claudia Sherwood Servidio provided the photo (top story) about the swan and her babies, at the Saugatuck River near Parker Harding Plaza.

She also took today’s “Westport … Naturally” image: a serene scene, not far from the swan’s nest.

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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And finally … today is Nothing Like a Dame Day. It celebrates “all the English actresses that have been bestowed with the title of Dame.”

Here at “06880,” that means:

(There is also nothin’ like “06880.” Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)

Behind Bridgewater

Bridgewater Associates is notoriously security-conscious.

But last night, “60 Minutes” profiled the Westport-based hedge fund — by some accounts, the world’s largest.

Bill Whitaker’s story focused on founder Ray Dalio. It offered glimpses of the Weston Road headquarters — including not only shots of the exterior, but the seldom-seen interior.

Ray Dalio, at Bridgewater’s Weston Road office.

Cameras even recorded analysts in action, and a staff meeting.

Analysts in action …

Bridgewater has a reputation as a secretive place to work — almost a cult. Nearly every meeting is taped, for later analysis.

In his “60 Minutes Overtime” segment, Whitaker says, “I expected it to be a place where everyone was almost afraid of their own shadow. I didn’t see that at all.”

Click here for the full “60 Minutes” story. Click here for “60 Minutes Overtime.”

… and Bill Whitaker, during a staff meeting.

“Tonight, On ’60 Minutes’…”

Tonight, Lara Logan tells the story of her horrifying sexual assault in Egypt on “60 Minutes.”  It will shine a light on a subject rarely mentioned:  the prevalence of sexual violence affecting female journalists in combat zones.

Prominent in the story is Westport native Max McClellan.

Max McClellan

According to the New York Times, the February assault occurred in Tahrir Square when McClellan — Logan’s longtime producer — as well as a cameraman and 2 local drivers were overpowered by a mob.

The Times said:

A bodyguard who had been hired to accompany the team was able to stay with Ms. Logan for a brief period of time. “For Max to see the bodyguard come out of the pile without her, that was one of the worst parts,” (“60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff) Fager said….

They estimated that they were separated from her for about 25 minutes.

The story noted that another journalist — Times photographer Lynsey Addario, also a Westport native — endured repeated sexual groping after being captured in Libya.

Hearing about Addario’s experience was a “setback” in Logan’s recovery, the Times said.

McClellan and Logan have worked together since 2006, beginning with the “CBS Evening News.”  In 2007 they shared an Emmy Award for stories shot in Ramadi, Iraq — one of the bloodiest frontlines in the war on terror — with a small DV camera.

On the CBS News website, McClellan described his role in those pieces:

Lara came out of Ramadi and immediately started to feed the material via satellite back to Washington, DC, where I work.  It was about 18-20 hours of material.

Then she jumped on a plane.  So as she was flying back to the States where she would write her stories, I was making notes on what she had done.

Once in New York, we worked on scripts and then pulled out our secret weapon:  editor Tom McEneny.  He is one of the very best in the business. He played a pivotal role in figuring out how to knit together all the material in the most compelling way.  The 2 stories wouldn’t have come together as powerfully as they did without him.

Did the Emmy Award change anything?

“Absolutely,” he joked.

“Instead of never being taken seriously, I think it’s fair to say I’m now rarely taken seriously. ”

Tonight, though, “60 Minutes” and Lara Logan tackle a deadly serious subject.

And — as he has done for years — Max McClellan will play a crucial role in that story too.

Edyo’s Monument

Last night “60 Minutes” aired a harrowing piece on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ mistreatment of millions of vets, from Vietnam through today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The department should have hired Edyo Keehan.  He knew how to get things done.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the Westport native dropped out of Staples.  He enlisted in the Navy.  There was a war to fight.  He was 17 years old.

He fought in North Africa, Europe and the Pacific.  When the Japanese surrendered at Tokyo Bay, Edyo was there.

He came back to Westport, and worked as a truck manager for 18 years.  He retired, then began a 2nd career in real estate.

But his real job was making sure that Westport’s veterans were not forgotten.  Those from earlier battles — World War I — had their names on a handsome Honor Roll that stood outside the old Town Hall (the stone building next to Restoration Hardware set back from the Post Road; it’s now a bank).  In 1943, Westport artist Stevan Dohanos painted the memorial for a Saturday Evening Post cover.

Four decades later, when Town Hall moved to Myrtle Avenue, the monument was lost.  Edyo vowed to replace it.

It wasn’t easy.  Bureaucracy moves slowly, and veterans were not high on Westport’s list of priorities.

Edyo persisted.  He pushed, prodded, poked and pestered.  A new Honor Roll was created.  In 1998, it was dedicated on Veterans Green — opposite the Myrtle  Avenue Town Hall.

The monument is perfect.  It’s in exactly the right spot, at exactly the right angle.  It looks like it’s been there forever.

The Honor Roll is shaded by trees.  Behind them every Memorial Day, a bugler stands out of sight, playing “Taps.”

The names are etched proudly.  They are there for posterity.  They honor Westporters who defended their country.  They honor Edyo’s neighbors, and friends.

(Edward J. “Edyo” Keehan died Saturday at Norwalk Hospital.  He was 84.  There are no calling hours.  A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Thursday at 10 a.m., at Assumption Church.)

The Honor Roll at Veterans Green (Photo by Jerry Dougherty)