The 17-year-old charged in connection with last September’s carjacking of an Aston Martin from the garage of a Bayberry Lane home would not face a home invasion charge — if he agrees to serve 8 1/2 years in prison.
Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Moran made the offer on Tuesday, at State Superior Court in Stamford. It came “in light of the defendant’s age, behavior while being out on release and lack of adult record.”
The teenager has until October 9 to make a decision. Click here for the full story, on CT Insider.
Footage from a security camera of last September’s carjacking.
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Spotted lanternflies are (ugh!) back.
But we don’t have to just sit back and look at their fascinating and ugly selves.
Joe Schnierlein, Aspetuck Land Trust offers these tips, via the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry:
SQUISH THEM
And when you do so, do it well. One adult can lay about 80 eggs.
REMOVE ALL TREE OF HEAVEN
The Tree of Heaven is also invasive, so you are doing double duty. Click here for information.
WRAP TREES AND BUSHES WITH STICKY TAPE
Wrap tape around a tree or shrub. Lanternflies get stuck as they climb up the plant. Tape made by Catch Master (4 30-foot rolls for about $24 is so sticky that you also need to put screening or mesh about 1/2 to 1 inch over the sticky tape, to keep birds from getting stuck in it.
SPRAY WITH VINEGAR & SOAP, OR VINEGAR ALONE
Reports are that this is effective. however, plants may react to the acidity.
REMOVE THE EGG MASSES
Click here to see the lanternfly’s life cycle. Spotted lanternfly egg masses can be laid on any surface (outdoor furniture, fence posts, etc.).
Spotted lanternflies last year, at Winslow Park. (Photo/Michael Mossman)
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A reader writes:
“The Old Mill neighborhood is fed up with the blue crab industry that has arisen on our pristine beach.
“Participants arrive from New York State around low tide anytime after 5 p.m., when they can park legally on Hillspoint Road adjacent to the two concrete stairways down to the beach.
“They often come in groups of 15 at all hours of darkness, each with a bright LED flashlight fastened to their head. The lights disturb the precious marine ecosystem, and the surrounding neighbors’ sleep.
Old Mill crabbers, with LED lights.
“The crabbers harvested crabs the night the town closed the beaches to swimming as a result of the recent huge rainstorm. This could cause serious illness to unsuspecting consumers at the end of the commercial supply chain.
“Perhaps most disconcerting is the trash left behind each night, next to where they park: beer bottles and cans, plastic bottles, food packaging, wet socks, used rubber gloves, cigarette butts, plastic buckets and more.
Old Mill garbage.
“This is just what we see. Who knows what they are discarding in the water that is hidden.
“The town needs to prohibit overnight parking in this area starting at 5 p.m. to any vehicle without a Westport beach permit, and needs to patrol the Old Mill parking lot after 10 p.m.
“This abuse must stop. Our beaches are not intended to support a commercial industry, especially one unsupervised and unchecked by health officials.”
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Registration for Westport Parks & Recreation Department programs begin online this coming Wednesday (September 4, 9 a.m.).
To prepare: Sign in to your online account. Under “Account Options,” you’ll see your name with a pencil next to the edit button. Select the edit button; then choose the “Contact Info” tab.
Verify that your email address is current; select the save button at the bottom. You will be directed back to the “account options” page.
Under your family name, you will see your family members. Follow the steps below for each family member.
select “manage family members”
choose a name from the list
Under “Family Member Information,” make any necessary changes. Make sure that the grade (if applicable) is correct; hit “Save.”
Go to “Contact Information” to verify your cell/home phone, and provide carrier if interested in receiving text messages. Make sure your email is current. Click “Save.”
If you are not able to log into your online account, do not create another profile. Email recreation@westportct.gov or call 203-341-5152.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities — the non-profit that helps children with learning and attention differences reach their full potential — has a new short video.
It tells the story of who the group is, and what they do, while inspiring and comforting parents of kids with LD and ADHD.
The film — which features honorary chair Henry Winkler – was created by Westporter Robert Steven Williams.
All interviews wee conducted at the Southport School. Click below to watch:
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Storyfest — the Westport Library’s 7th annual genre-spanning literary festival (and the largest in Connecticut), celebrating all forms of storytelling — is just 3 weeks away.
Earthplace calls this a “wonder-‘fall'” time of year.
The environmental and educational center welcomes September with live performances, foraging and wildlife programs, a community volunteer clean-up day, a “Harvest Homecoming” including a nature walk, canoe paddle, family campfire, after-school activities and more.
Yesterday, “06880” reported that the longtime resident/TEAM Westport chair/Westport Country Playhouse board member will be honored — with his wife Bernicestine McLeod Bailey — at the WCP gala with Kristin Chenoweth and Mary-Mitchell Campbell on Saturday, September 14.
The previous week — on September 6 ( 2 p.m.) — Bailey will be featured at the Senior Center, through their “This is Your Life” project.
A collaboration with The Legacy Project USA, it’s an up-close-and-personal look at the lives of friends and neighbors, both well known and quiet — before and during their time here.
Rozanne Gates, co-owner of The Legacy Project, will moderate the event. The public is invited.
Harold Bailey Jr.
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Hummingbirds don’t usually fly too quickly to be photographed.
But this one hung around in Marvin Frimmer’s yard long enough to be captured — photographically, of course — for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
And finally … today is National College Colors Day. We’ll celebrate with 3 of the greatest college fight songs in the history of athletics.
Feel free to disagree.
(Here’s one thing no one has to fight over: support for “06880.” We all agree: This is where Westport meets the world. To support our work, please click here. Thank you!)
But forget “The Gray Flannel Suit,” “The Swimmer” and “The Stepford Wives.”
My favorite is “Below Surface.”
The 20-minute documentary focuses on an unlikely subject: the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s AquaFit program.
Yet thanks to Patty Kondub — the energetic, creative and much-loved instructor who is the heart and soul of both the program and the film — the camaraderie, joy and, yes, life-saving experience that is AquaFit come vividly to life.
Dick Rauh — 96 years young — describes what the class has done for him. So do others, of many ages and from 4 continents. Patty melds them all into a young-feeling, tight-knit group that fulfills the Y’s dual mission of promoting healthy living and creating community.
AquaFit helped Patty herself through a dark time of her life, which she describes movingly.
But “Below Surface” is bright and alive — just like those morning classes. The cinematography makes it shine.
The film has been screened at festivals around the country, and won the “Next Great Filmmaker Award” at the Berkshires International Film Festival. It will be shown October 19 (noon, New Haven Public Library) at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival.
Now through October 1, you can watch it for free, thanks to the virtual World Peace Film Festival. Just click here.
It will be the most uplifting 19 minutes of your week.
(For the “06880” back story on “Below Surface,” click here.)
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The start of tomorrow’s Long Lots School Building Committee meeting has been changed.
The new time is 6 p.m. (it was originally 6:30). That’s Thursday, September 28, in Town Hall Room 201/201A.
It’s a 6 p.m. start tomorrow for the Long Lots School Building Committee.
“People have the legal right to access state waters and fish for Blue Crab. The taking of Blue Crab requires no license, and there is no daily limit during the open season from May1 – November 30. The Conservation Office does not regulate the taking of crabs from the pond. The Sherwood Mill Pond Advisory Committee and the Shellfish Commission do not have authority to restrict the crabbing either.
“To clarify, this does not mean the Town has ignored the public requests for checking the crabbing. In fact, the Westport Police Department have conducted more than 50 patrols of Sherwood Mill Pond this summer. They have interacted with the individuals who are crabbing, they have actively provided education, and they have checked the catches to ensure proper measurements are being followed.
“The officers have used Infrared cameras to confirm that individuals were taking crabs and that any clams they have seen were dumped. They have worked individually and in conjunction with CT DEEP Encon Police. Officers have been proactive in responding to calls and will continue to provide our Town with this response.
“We want to inform the public that over 70 parking tickets have been issued along Hillspoint Road and the Old Mill parking lot in the last few weeks. One night alone had over 30 parking tickets issued. The Police Department will continue their oversight, including adding additional tactics in the future, to ensure that the laws are followed.”
For several years, Saugatuck Rowing Club has commemorated loved ones lost to breast cancer — and raised funds for survivors — by turning the Saugatuck River pink.
Literally.
Names are read aloud, and rose petals scattered into the Saugatuck River. They’re then swept out to sea.
This year’s “River of Roses” charity soirée is set for Sunday (October 1, 1 to 4 p.m.; ceremony at 3).
The $75 ticket includes (of course) rosé cocktails, raw bar, charcuterie, lobster and pumpkin bisque, clam chowder, apple crisp, Donut Crazy and a cash bar, plus live music by Fake ID.
Proceeds support SurviveOAR, the empowering, supportive community that provides mental, physical and emotional healing to women with breast cancer after traditional treatment ends.
Six members will be compete in Head of the Charles race next month.
Click here for tickets, or to buy roses ($25 each). Click below, for highlights of the 2019 event.
Parents of children with special needs have plenty to think about.
Including finances.
Westporter Kimberly Greenberg — a Morgan Stanley vice president — leads a free breakfast seminar for parents and caregivers, called “Protecting the Future for Your Child With Special Needs.”
Financial experts will share first-hand experiences on October 3 (9:30 a.m., STAR, 182 Wolfpit Avenue, Norwalk_. Tours of the renovated STAR center, including the new assistive technology lab and lending library, are also available.
To reserve a spot, or for more information, email ahenry@starct.org.
This event has flown under the radar. But it’s an important one.
Tomorrow (Thursday, September 28, 10 a.m., Westport Library), Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, state Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Ronald Welch and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker will recognize the service of Westport veterans who served during the Vietnam War era.
There will be a color guard, national anthem, and more.
Staples High School graduate Tim Barmmer was killed in Vietnam. He is memorialized at Veterans Green, across from Town Hall.
Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service’s Jenna Baumblatt has been named Connecticut’s 2023 EMS Youth Corps Member of the Year.
The 18-year-old joined WVEMS as an Emergency Medical Responder 4 years ago, and is now an Emergency Medical Technician. She also serves on the WVEMS board of directors.
EMS runs deep in her family. Her dad Rick is a WVEMS staff paramedic; her mom Lynn is a paramedic at Norwalk Hospital EMS, and her brother James is an EMT in Bridgeport.
WVEMS president Michael Burns calls Jenna “an amazing person and caregiver who maintains multiple jobs, in addition to her volunteer service. She is an amazing asset!”
Jenna Baumblatt
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Pam Rouleau is running a fundraiser with Nuvance Health for the Integrative Medicine Department at the Smilow Breast Cancer Center.
She photographed 13 people who have battled cancer — or still are — and depicted them along with their stories of survivorship.
Several members of the Saugatuck Rowing Club’s “SurviveOARS” team are included. Rouleau is a Survive-OARS rower too.
A reception is set for October 3, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the State Capitol in Hartford. It will then be on view through October 30. Click here for details.
Kimberly Wilson, Westport resident and Saugatuck SurviveOARS member.
Grammy Award-winning pianist Dave Kikoski headlines tomorrow’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, September 28, shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399).
Kikoski is known for his adept post-bop style and spontaneous swinging play. He has worked with artists like Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Bob Berg, Michael and Randy Brecker, Chris Potter and others.
He’ll be joined by bassist Yuriy Galkin, drummer Vinnie Sperazza and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall. Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
Enjoy a trivia night — virtually, and for a great cause.
Tomorrow (Thursday, September 28, 7 p.m.), Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County hosts “Quiz for a Cause.” All proceeds support arts education for children, primarily those with special needs.
First prize is 2 round trip airline tickets, from Avelo Airlines. Second prize is a gift from Westporter Christian Siriano’s The Collective West. Third prize is 5 private music lessons at Neighborhood Studios.
Participants are asked for a minimum donation of $45. Click here to register, and for more information.
Maintenance and upkeep of Baron’s South has gone to the birds.
So it’s not surprising that a flock of turkeys has taken over Golden Shadows, the “mansion” once occupied by Baron Walter Langen von Langendorff and his wife.
Morley Boyd spotted them, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
And finally … today is the 120th anniversary of “the wreck of the old 97.” The mail train crash was not the worst rail disaster ever — though 11 people died, and 7 more were injured — but it lives on, thanks to folks like Johnny Cash.
(“06880” loves delivering news like today’s lead story, about Patty Kondub’s AquaFit movie. If you love the news “06880” delivers, please click here to support local journalism. Thank you!)
Jamie Walsh is chair of Westport’s Shellfish Commission.
He’s concerned about the crabbing and other activities in Sherwood Mill Pond — which, since “06880” first reported on it last month, has become even more intensive. He writes:
On Friday night Barry Lytton, vice chair of the Westport Shellfish Commission and Jonathan Goldstein, owner and operator of Sherwood Island Oysters, discovered 40 to 50 individuals in the Mill Pond both crabbing and poaching large quantities of shellfish.
I also passed by, and was taken aback by the density of individuals with nets and buckets. These are restricted beds, leased for commercial shell fishing only as of right to Sherwood Island Oysters.
Barry was there for several hours. He says, “about 40 were strictly crabbing, but 10 or so were clamming and doing plenty of it. I saw 2 groups with about 200 to 400 clams each. I tried to tell them they could get sick, and called both the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and police, with no response. DEEP dispatch said they’d send somebody, but hadn’t for 2 hours.”
One bucket of clams — among money — at Sherwood Mill Pond Friday night. (Photo/Barry Lytton)
Aside from the light pollution and disruption to the neighbors who live around the pond, shellfish resources are being poached illegally.
It seems difficult for our police to enforce, as this activity occurs at night, they are not always familiar with the regulations, and many times a language barrier exists.
DEEP conservation officers are spread very thin, and do not have the budget for enforcement.
Sherwood Mill Pond crabbers and clammers, July 2023.
We have discussed this issue recently with Colin Kelly, Westport director of conservation. He is looking into enforcement options available to us. We need to protect our resources, and this area is strictly prohibited.
Westport has wonderful open recreational shellfishing beds located in the triangle off Cockenoe. Those areas are not restricted.
Allowing this illegal activity to continue only encourages permissive illegal behavior. This is something our commission plans to address immediately.
Click below for a video of Friday night’s activity. It was filmed by Barry Lytton; the voice is Jonathan Goldstein’s, owner of Sherwood Island Oysters.
(“06880” reports often on the environment — including our beaches and Sherwood Mill Pond. Please click here to help us continue our work. Thank you!)
Filming took place in Westport for a documentary about film critic Susan Granger. She has spent 8 decades in and around the movie industry, from the Golden Age of Hollywood to present-day streaming.
Granger’s father directed and produced films like “Born Yesterday.” Her godfathers were Milton Berle and Red Skelton. Thanks to her dad, starting at age 4 she appeared in small roles with Skelton, Lucille Ball, Abbott & Costello and others.
That background gave Granger a unique perspective as a film critic and speaker. She writes often for Westport Journal and Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
Others interviewed in recent weeks include Fairfield residents Keir Dullea and Mia Dillon.
The documentary short is projected to be ready for film festivals next year. (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
Next up for the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee: a public review and feedback meeting covering additional plans for its “Master Plan for Downtown Parking and Pedestrian Areas: Reconnecting the Riverfront.”
Particular focus will be on the Parker Harding Plaza design.
The session is set for August 22 (7 p.m., Westport Library). All residents and downtown stakeholders are invited to attend.
Information on the project is available on the DPIC website. Feedback is welcome in its comments section.
DPIC also conducts regular public meetings, typically the 2nd Thursday of each month at 8:30 a.m.
Screenshot from the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee website.
Yesterday morning, Diane Bosch and her husband Eric chatted with a team from the space agency, at Compo Beach’s Ned Dimes Marina. A NASA boat was docked there.
As best as the Bosches could determine from the visitors, they were monitoring air quality, and satellite launched earlier this year from Elon Musk’s SpaceX group.
“They were a bit secretive when we tried to understand what they were doing,” Diane reports.
“They did say they were in town from the NASA site in Virginia — and they had nothing to do with the rocket launch the night before.”
And then there’s the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport tag sale.
That event — one of the best bargain-hunting dates on the calendar — is this Saturday (August 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 10 Lyons Plains Road).
Early birds can go at 8 a.m. ($20, at the door).
The indoor event has something for everyone: clothing, dishes, housewares, sheets, towels, pillows, small furniture, rugs, household appliances, artwork, puzzles, toys, electronics and more.
Everything is “priced fairly, to move.”
Questions? Email uuchurch@uuwestport.org, or call 203-227-7205.
Crabbers — with LED headlamps and big nets — were out again yesterday at the Sherwood Mill Pond, starting around 8:20 p.m.
Concerned residents — including environmentalists worried about over-fishing, along with neighbors disturbed by the bright lights — have contacted the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, as well as Westport Police and the Parks & Recreation Department.
Crabbing last night in the Sherwood Mill Pond. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Guardians caring for children do not have it easy.
But, says Westport-Weston Probate Judge Lisa Wexler, they may be eligible for thousands of dollars in grants to help with housing, food, transportation and enrichment activities.
Guardians can be grandparents or other relatives, or sometimes close family friends with long-standing relationships with a child.
Guardians save Connecticut $72 million a year, by keeping thousands of children out of foster care. However, unlike foster parents, Probate Court-appointed guardians receive no financial support for taking on this important (and often unexpected) responsibility.
State Kinship Fund awards grants of up to $550 a child — or $2,200 a family – a year help pay for necessities like glasses and clothing, or enrichment activities like summer camp, art supplies or creative books. The Respite Fund covers childcare, rent, transportation and food. These grants are capped at $2,200 a year.
Applications are at ctprobate.gov under the “Children’s Matters” tab, or by calling the Westport-Weston Probate Court: 203-341-1100.
State grants help guardians pay for enrichment activities.
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Outdoor music continues this weekend on Church Lane.
Accompanying diners and shoppers this evening is Dan Tressler. Tomorrow night: Vinnie Ferrone.
Musicians are sponsored by the Westport Downtown Association.
Outdoor dining on Church Lane.
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It’s the dog days of summer.
And Westport has officially gone to the dogs.
On Monday, Yogi Bear — a 2-year-old Keeshond — was named “Honorary Mayor of Westport” by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker.
Yogi (accompanied by his friend Cathy Malkin) was at Town Hall to push his agenda of free cookies for all dogs.
As honorary mayor, he promised to spread love and joy everywhere.
Yogi then headed to Old Mill Grocery & Deli, where he shared a slice of vegan pizza with State Representative Dominique Johnson. It’s bipartisan: She agrees with Tooker that there should be free cookies for all dogs.
Yogi Bear with State Representative Dominique Johnson.
An alert “06880” reader spotted a new bat house the other day, at Compo Beach.
If it’s yours, email 06880blog@gmail.com. Include where at the beach you may have lost it. I’ll contact the person who found it, and make arrangements for you to pick it up.
Bat house
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We love our butterflies.
But they often fly too fast for us to appreciate them fully.
Today, we’re in luck. David Hyman captured (on camera) this beauty. Enjoy this beautiful addition to our “Westport … Naturally” series:
They’re surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature: a small, fun beach. Funky Compo Cove. The magnificent Sherwood Mill Pond.
There’s always something to see, smell and hear, 24/7/365.
For a couple of years though, there’s something they haven’t liked.
Starting at dusk, and continuing well past 11 p.m. — sometimes as late as 2 a.m. — up to 2 dozen people have taken over the pond and the sluice that feeds it.
Men, women and children at the Sherwood Mill Pond, late night.
They hunt for crabs. To help see in the dark, they wear LED head lamps.
When they turn toward the nearby homes, their lights shine into bedrooms.
“It’s like a car headlight flashing into the house,” says Matt Murray.
LED lights from crabbers shine in nearby residents’ bedrooms. Hummock Island is in the distance.
This year, he says, crabbing began in June. Based on past years, it will continue into October.
He’s not the only concerned resident. Jann Colabella initially contacted “06880” about the ongoing activity.
In addition to the invasiveness of the LED lamps, Murray worries about over-fishing.
He notes that the crabbing is legal. The only restrictions are on size (taking small crabs are prohibited). Permits are not required.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Bureau of Aquaculture, oversee the activity.
“They always say to call. But at 11 p.m., I don’t see reps from those agencies running down here,” Murray says.
Crabbing at the Mill Pond in 2022 …
He adds that in that past, Westport’s Police Department Marine Division have set up inspections. “It appears the crabbers have limited IDs and documents,” he says.
Murray notes one solution: changing the parking regulations at Old Mill to 11 p.m. That would allow police to ticket vehicles without a Westport beach sticker. (Many of the cars have New York license plates.)
Currently, they’re required from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only.
Meanwhile, the crabbing continues.
And all along Old Mill, LED head lamps continue to shine in bedroom windows.
… and 2020. (Photos/Matt Murray)
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