Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 9; State Hospitalizations Down 10
The State Department of Public Health reported 9 more cases in Westport over the past day. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 3.95% while hospitalizations were down 10 patients, with 88 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 throughout the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 4,047 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 36 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 3.95% [up from 3.35%]
State Hospitalizations: 88 patients [-10]
Tickets on Sale for Westport Writers’ Workshop Fundraiser
(L-R): Blake Schnirring, Linda Waterbury, Kathleen Sullivan, and Liz Matthews. Contributed photoWestport Writers’ Workshop: Westport Writers’ Workshop (WWW) announced today tickets are on sale for their More Than Words: Celebrating Outreach to Unheard Writers spring fundraiser on Friday, April 29th from 6:30-9:30. The event will raise monies for the organization’s community outreach and will be held at Wakeman Farm, 134 Cross Highway, Westport. The evening will feature Dave’s Specialty Food Truck Pizza, wine provided by Greens Farms Spirit Shop, music, a silent auction (items such as writing coaching/editing services), raffles (includes a mixed case of wine), a literary gift basket door prize, and personal haikus created by Westport’s First Poet Laureate Diane Lowman. All are invited to attend by purchasing tickets ($125 per person) here: https://www.westportwriters.org/product-page/more-than-words-a-spring-fundraiser-s22. Dress is smart casual.
Westport Writers’ Workshop outreach programs provide free writing workshops to individuals and communities undergoing specific challenges. The More Than Words event kicks off this year’s fundraising for their 2022 outreach workshops.
"Community Outreach is a critical part of Westport Writers' Workshop’s success as a safe place for every writer. We strive to establish as many outreach communities as possible as it is the only way to make a far reaching impact. The More Than Words fundraiser affords us the privilege to continue these extraordinary efforts. On behalf of WWW, and hundreds of writers who have discovered their voices through outreach, I want to thank everyone who has supported us. We cannot overstate our gratitude,” said Kathleen Sullivan, Outreach Committee Chair
Westport Writers’ Workshop has partnered with many local groups such as The Center for Empowerment and Education (formerly the Danbury Women’s Shelter), Homes for the Brave, Caroline House, Harlem Village Academies, Training at Amherst Writers and Artists, as well as hosted free workshops for Writing for Women affected by Breast Cancer, College Essay Writing for Fairfield Seniors, and Writing for Women with Special Needs Children. Should your organization like to be considered for the program, please email info@westportwritersworkshop.
“Westport Writers’ Workshop has changed my life for the better. Training with Amherst Writers & Artists was transformative, and now I’m able to share the gift of writing with other mothers of children who have special needs. Writing has been a way for me to work through and express the struggles that my situation presents, and I hope my More Than Words workshop helps other find healing and joy by tapping into their own creativity,” said Kathy Satterfield, Westport Writers’ Workshop Instructor
More than Words: Celebrating Outreach to Unheard Writers ensures the continued funding of WWW’s integral community service and promises to be a feel-good evening for all. For more information regarding Westport Writers’ Workshop at large, visit westportwriters.org.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A chance of light rain before 11am, then a chance of showers after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. South wind 7 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tonight
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3am, then a chance of showers. Low around 49. South wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. West wind 7 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. West wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Talking Transportation: The Gas Tax Hustle
Attention all chiropractors and physical therapists! Please report immediately to the state Capitol to treat the sore muscles of lawmakers who’ve twisted themselves into a pretzel, patting themselves on their backs for cutting the gasoline tax!
What a surprise (in an election year) that lawmakers voted unanimously to cut the gasoline tax 25 cents a gallon from April 1 – June 30th. What a massive sense of relief for money-short taxpayers to save, what, $25 per car this spring. Wow! Let’s all drive to Disneyworld.
And what do you think will happen in June when summertime driving season really kicks into high gear. Who’ll have the guts to vote against a probable extension of the tax cut heading into campaign season, even if gas prices have dropped by then?
While the savings may be tiny for each driver, the loss of tax revenue for the Special Transportation Fund (STF) will be significant… about $90 million. That loss will be made up from other budget surpluses in Hartford which seems to be awash with taxpayer money.
In addition to the gasoline tax cut, we can all go on a spending spree with a sales tax holiday on clothing the week before Easter, but only on duds and footwear priced at less than $100… assuming it’s in stock, given the supply chain mess.
One group that will benefit from this bipartisan bounty will be bus riders. They’ll literally get a free ride for three months. Those folks deserve a break, as for them even the existing $1.75 fare adds up and represents more of their income than most commuters.
As for the Gold Coast fat-cats who ride Metro-North… let them eat cake. No fare cuts for you beyond the railroad’s recently announced discount deals trying to entice riders back to the office.
This isn’t the first time our lawmakers have messed with the gas tax. Some of us remember 1997 (when Transportation Committee Senate Chair Will Haskell was literally in diapers) when the tax was cut 14 cents a gallon. That costing the STF billions in money that could have kept our roads and rails in better shape.
What is really needed is what lawmakers refuse to do: fix the state’s gasoline price-fixing oligopoly known as “zone pricing” that creates huge disparities in what the pump price is based solely on geography. Why does gasoline cost 40 cents a gallon more in Greenwich than in Bridgeport?
And when, oh when, will we stop focusing on internal combustion vehicles draining our wallets and polluting our air? When will we get serious about getting low m.p.g. junkers off the road, replacing them with clean, electric power?
When? When we replace our part-time pols with full time legislators.
That’s why I enthusiastically endorse the idea of a pay raise for our lawmakers. Their current $28,000 salary is a joke, leaving them fudging their travel expenses to scrape by, hoping to eke out a fatter pension.
Legislators’ jobs may be part time, but their responsibilities are full time plus OT, not to mention the commute. At today’s pay scale only the rich can afford to do the job which hardly means they represent, let alone can identify with, their diverse constituents.
You get what you pay for. Connecticut deserves full time, well paid lawmakers not the clown-car of political pandering we have now.
About Jim Cameron:
Jim Cameron has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years, with a special focus on the Metro North railroad. He spent nearly two decades on the Connecticut Metro North Commuter Council, and most recently founded The Commuter Action Group. Jim Cameron’s Talking Transportation was a popular column on the former WestportNow.com prior to its cessation, and joins The Westport Local Press and several other online community organizations. A resident of Darien - he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @CTRailCommuters
Coleytown Middle turns Pineapple Under the Sea as “The Spongebob Musical” Hits the Stage next Weekend
(L-R): SpongeBob (Ari Sklar), Patrick (Joey Vazquez), Plankton (Teddy Brooks). Contributed photoColeytown CompanyBack with its first-full SCALE musical since 2018, Coleytown Company will present The Spongebob Musical at Coleytown Middle School on April 8-10, 2022. With assistance from theater professionals every step of the way, Ben Frimmer directs approximately 40 middle school students in what might be the best middle school performance in the TUNAverse.
Based on the cartoon television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg, the musical tells a story of how to choose hope and friendship in a world that is coming apart. It’s just another day in Bikini Bottom, when a news report reveals that Mount Humungous, an underwater volcano, will erupt in short order.
Will SpongeBob and his friends save the day? Find out on April 8-10. Tickets available beginning March 21 at www.showtix4u.com. Adults, kids and everyone in between will enjoy this show because there is someFIN for everyone.
Nancy T. Sennett Park, 99, Died; Former Westport Public Schools and Famous Artists School Secretary
Nancy T. Sennett Park, 99, of Oak Harbor, Vero Beach, and a long-time resident of Westport, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2022, just a few months before her 100th birthday. Mrs. Park was born June 10, 1922, in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. She graduated from Bates College with a BA in English. Mrs. Park taught high school English and shorthand/typing in Massachusetts and in Connecticut.
Before moving to Westport, Mrs. Park was the administrative assistant to the Director of Rockefeller Center in New York. In Westport, Mrs. Park was the administrative assistant to Victor Keppler, President of Famous Artists Schools in Westport. She later served as the secretary to the Westport Superintendent of Schools.
Mrs. Park moved to Vero Beach, Florida, in 1977 where she taught at St. Edwards School. She was President of the American Association of University Women in Vero from 1985-1987. She was also chair of AAUW's book/author fundraising for many years. Mrs. Park served as Secretary of the Community Church of Vero Beach, where she was a choir member for 22 years. She loved music, and she performed in a Sweet Adelines Quartet for two decades.
Mrs. Park is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Sennett White (Robin), of Vero Beach, Margaret Sennett Hebert (Tom) of Mansfield, Connecticut, grandson Zachary Hebert (Kyungmi), great grandsons Myles Hebert and Max Hebert, all of Farmington. CT., her sister, Marjorie Terry of Essex, CT and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Eugene William Sennett of Westport, CT, her husband, Carl Groth, of Westport, CT and her husband, Benjamin A. Park of Vero Beach.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 4; State Hospitalizations, Positivity Rate Down
The State Department of Public Health reported 4 more cases in Westport over the past day. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down to 3.35% while hospitalizations were down 3 patients, with 98 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 throughout the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 4,038 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 36 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 3.35% [up from 3.65%]
State Hospitalizations: 98 patients [-3]
Sunset over Longshore Boats
The landlocked boats of Longshore Sailing School sat idly along the brick walk as the sun set; its bright orange halo giving off the appearance of warmth and a reminder of the nearing summer evenings in Westport along the shore. WestportLocal.com photo
Morning Weather Report
Today
A slight chance of rain and sleet after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight
A slight chance of rain before 8pm, then a slight chance of light rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tomorrow
A slight chance of rain before 8am, then a chance of showers between 8am and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. South wind 9 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tomorrow Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Low around 49. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.