Good News Only, Community, People James Bairaktaris Good News Only, Community, People James Bairaktaris

Paulie Pushes through Westport on His Way to Honor Fallen Flight Crew on 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Paulie Veneto pushes his car through Westport today - starting in Bridgeport and ending in Norwalk with the help of a first responder escort - and support from the community.

Veneto, a former United Airlines flight attendant, completed the Boston - Los Angeles flight route September 10th, 2001 and went home. The next morning his coworkers were lost as their plane on the same route struck the south tower at 9:03. Following the attacks, he battled drug addiction until becoming clean in 2015. "I can now finally give tribute to my fallen crew members."


Paulie has been pushing a airline beverage cart from Boston's Logan International Airport - the origin for Flight 175 - until he arrives at Ground Zero in time for the 20th anniversary of the 09.11.01 terrorist attacks. His walk is raising money for survivors' families and the Power Forward foundation for sober living.

To learn more, donate, or to track Paulie’s progress, visit his website here.

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Black Duck Weathers Hurricane; Floor No More Crooked than Usual

The Black Duck Cafe on Riverside Avenue was lively tonight as blue skies appeared above the nearly 200-year-old barge. The “Duck” has served patrons from its perch beneath the I-95 overpass for nearly five decades - weathering dozens of blizzards, floods, and hurricanes (or near-misses, like Henri). Although locals still wonder when the old ice barge may slide off its foundation into the Saugatuck, the building is virtually unchanged year after year, storm after storm. A traditional bar and grill, the restaurant has live music every Sunday from 6 until 8 in the evenings, which didn’t miss a beat tonight as the Saugatuck institution opened up like it always does - Hurricane threat or not. The neighborhood watering hole nearly shut down in Fall of 2018 due to financial troubles, but after negotiations between creditors, landlord and investors - Barge Burgers and beers continued to slide across the bar as an agreement allowed to keep the business in operation. It grew to national fame in 2011 when chef Guy Fieri featured the Duck on his Food Network show: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. WestportLocal.com photo

The Black Duck Cafe on Riverside Avenue was lively tonight as blue skies appeared above the nearly 200-year-old barge. The “Duck” has served patrons from its perch beneath the I-95 overpass for nearly five decades - weathering dozens of blizzards, floods, and hurricanes (or near-misses, like Henri). Although locals still wonder when the old ice barge may slide off its foundation into the Saugatuck, the building is virtually unchanged year after year, storm after storm.

A traditional bar and grill, the restaurant has live music every Sunday from 6 until 8 in the evenings, which didn’t miss a beat tonight as the Saugatuck institution opened up like it always does - Hurricane threat or not. The neighborhood watering hole nearly shut down in Fall of 2018 due to financial troubles, but after negotiations between creditors, landlord and investors - Barge Burgers and beers continued to slide across the bar as an agreement allowed to keep the business in operation. It grew to national fame in 2011 when chef Guy Fieri featured the Duck on his Food Network show: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. WestportLocal.com photo

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