Westporter Drew Angus Entertains Fine Arts Crowds
Drew Angus, an accomplished musician and Staples High School 2007 graduate, entertained the crowds on the last day of the Westport Fine Arts Festival.
Charise Siblings Sell Kid-Created Art for a Cause; Youngest Exhibitors at Westport Fine Arts Festival
Ashley and Austin Charise stand inside their booth surrounded by the student-created art, all of which is being sold for a good cause. Austin (11) and Ashley (9) Charise had the idea to join the Westport Arts Festival this year, however when they realized how large of an event it is and that they would be juried, they went back to the drawing board as they worked to meet their goal of obtaining a booth that displayed art created by fellow elementary schoolers.
Thinking about how to enter the show as elementary schoolers, and with guidance from the Downtown Merchant’s Association, the siblings were able to find a sponsor in their parents’ local business and with help from local artist Miggs Burroughs and the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center - and their booth was secured. With a spot on Brooks Corner, they were the youngest exhibiting members of the Festival and enjoyed meeting the artists who worked alongside them to sell their art to the community.
Their booth exhibited art from Westport elementary schoolers, from 5 to 11 years old. Each piece required a $20 fee to enter, which was donated to the international charity BuildOn. The artist named their price for their pieces, and when sold, they collected 80% of the sales - with the other 20% also going towards BuildOn.
The Charise siblings have a goal in mind with those BuildOn donation dollars: build a school in Malawi, Africa. As of Sunday, they had raised nearly $1,500 dollars towards their goal, with hope that Sunday afternoon will bring more success as the festival comes to a close at 5:00 PM today.
New Neighbors: “Hook’d on the Sound” Pushes Through a Rainy Memorial Day Weekend
Nadine Wilf, General Manager, stands at the counter with Beck Lewis, a University of Miami freshman. Hook’d on the Sound celebrated its brick-and-mortar opening this month on Compo Beach - an exciting transition as the staff and 86 year old building prepare for the summer season in Westport.
The staff at Hook’d stayed warm behind the counter as only a handful of brave souls walked the shoreline this Memorial Day weekend - a time when the beaches celebrate their opening and the community marks the beginning of the warm season.
Although the screen door swung open for the first time this month, the restaurant team ran a large food trailer last year, when their contract officially began with the Town of Westport.
The interior of the local beach shack was renovated completely, with all new appliances and designs put in place throughout the structure. However the comfortable feeling of the former Joey’s by the Shore remains as staff greeted the customers at the famous building-wide countertop.
Managed by Nadine Wilf, Hook’d on the Sound is open seven days per week and offers a variety of breakfasts, snack-shack foods, as well as larger entrees, deserts, and healthier smoothies and bowls made-to-order.
The Compo Beach concession stand the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in October, 2021. The structure’s adjoining brick walls collapsed during the storm, and the famous boardwalk patio floated several feet away. Photo by Jaime Bairaktaris. Although a wash-out of a weekend, the staff remained positive - describing the community’s warm welcome during such a cold holiday weekend.
The Compo Beach concession stand was built in 1935, with extensive renovations being done to the building and adjoining bathhouses and lockers after Hurricane Sandy destroyed parts of the brickwork in 2012.
IRS: Westport Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Investors, Making False Statements to SEC
From the Internal Revenue Service
Leonard C. Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Barton Stuck, of Westport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding investors and then making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Stuck controlled related business entities, including Signal Lake General Partner LLC, Signal Lake Operations LLC, Signal Lake Management LLC, Signal Lake Side Fund LP, Signal Lake Side Fund II LP, Signal Lake Side Fund IIA LP, Signal Lake Top Prospects Fund, and SLT Logic LLC (collectively, the "Signal Lake entities"). The Signal Lake entities were venture capital vehicles investing in various technology companies. Stuck solicited investments for the Signal Lake entities
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In 2015 and 2016, Stuck committed fraud by, among other things, misrepresenting the financial health and prospects of the Signal Lake entities and their investments in order to enrich himself. In one instance, Stuck made misrepresentations to an undercover FBI agent posing as a prospective investor. Stuck falsely guaranteed a payment of twice the original $500,000 investment, and falsely claimed that a Signal Lake entity had $200 million in a particular bank account when, in fact, the balance of the bank account at the time was $.50. He also falsely stated that a $50,000 fee he required would be used for accounting and legal expenses. When the undercover agent paid Stuck the $50,000 fee, Stuck used it for personal expenditures.
Stuck also made false statements in forms that he filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016 and 2017. Specifically, Stuck falsely claimed that a Signal Lake entity managed and had a gross asset value of $145 million, and was subject to annual audits by a Stamford accounting firm.
On October 25, 2018, Stuck pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions, and two counts of making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Stuck, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 24, 2021.
This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Banking. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis.