James “Jim” Ryan, 76, Died; Westport Sports Coach, Jets and Mets Fan
James "Jim" Ryan passed away on Monday, January 24, 2022 at the age of 76. He was born to Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Ryan on October 14, 1945 in Queens, NY. Jim went to Holy Cross High School where he was president of his class. After graduating from St John's University, he began a career in accounting.
Jim has been a resident of Westport, CT for nearly fifty years. He is survived by his three daughters; Kim Constantino and her husband Bill of Westport, CT, Kellie Ryan and her husband Paul Ouimette of Trumbull, CT, and Kristin Beirne and her husband Chris of Fairfield, CT, along with his former wife Joan Ryan of Westport, CT and brother Ed Ryan Jr. of Monroe, CT. His grandchildren include Ashley and Kaitlyn Constantino, Ryan and Reese Ouimette, and Alexandra and Grayson Beirne. He was predeceased by his older sister Carol Ryan-Smith.
His family was his pride and joy. He devoted his life to caring for his children and was involved in their various activities. Jim was a soccer, basketball, and softball coach for many years and a past president of the Westport Soccer Association. An avid sports fan, his favorite teams were the Mets and Jets. Also, he was a longtime parishioner and supporter of St. Luke Church.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Monday, January 31 from 4-7 at Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road E., Westport, CT. All are invited to attend a Mass of Christian burial on Tuesday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Luke Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road N., Westport, CT. The Harding Funeral Home asks everyone in attendance to wear masks and observe social distancing at both the calling hours and the funeral mass. Thank You
Talking Transportation: A Tale of Two Railroads
A Tale of Two Railroads
When I read two very different news stories about our trains last week, Charles Dickens came to mind:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” – A Tale of Two Cities
Oh, it’s our winter of our despair, alright, especially for Metro-North when the NY Times last Friday so cogently summarized the commuter line’s near-term future as being “Devastated by Remote Work”, almost verbatim repeating my predictions of one year ago: commuters are not coming back.
Late in 2021 the weekday ridership on Metro-North peaked at about 50% of pre-COVID numbers but has now slid back to about 37%. Sure, you can blame Omicron, but the shift is so much more fundamental: the very nature of work is now different and always will be: there’s no longer a need to go to work to do your work.
Former daily commuters told the Times they don’t miss their daily three-hour ride or their $500 monthly tickets. Many have even closed their NYC offices for good and say they are reveling in saving time and money.
The railroad claims it’s “incentivizing” hybrid commuters to come back to the city by offering lower, more flexible fares. But listen to commuters and they say it’s less the cost of the ride than its slow speed (and lack of mask-wearing enforcement) that’s keeping them home; so if they must go into the city a few days a week, they do so by car.
As the Times reported, Metro-North’s parent, MTA, took in $346 million from commuters in 2019. In 2021 that was down to $49 million. Pre-COVID the railroad was losing money when trains were standing room only. With ridership cut by two-thirds, what happens when Federal bailout money dries up?
The worst of times, the winter of despair, indeed.
But what then was the love-fest that broke the darkness on Friday afternoon in New Haven’s Union Station? What drew the media to hear Elm City Mayor Elicker, US Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, CDOT Commissioner Guilietti and Governor Lamont who all juggled their calendars to all talk trains? Why, a visit of Amtrak’s new CEO Stephen Gardner, just three days into his new job!
The media event was a rail advocate’s fantasy with all the talk of faster, more frequent service facilitated by huge Federal investments in bridges and track. The pols were falling and fawning over each other seeing who could promise more.
Ironically there was no “news” at this news conference, just a reprise of promises with no improvements yet to point to.
But like the cool kids in high school who decided to have a party, some of those less-loved and not as cool were noticeably absent: anyone from Metro-North or the MTA.
While some who wanted to attend (like pro-rail Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro) but couldn’t be there were noted in their absence, not a word was spoken about Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi or acting MTA Chair Janno Lieber… the very people Connecticut pays to run our trains. Why?
Truly, a tale of two railroads in a spring of hope and all-too frigid winter of dark despair.
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
Eversource Power Crews and Out-of-State Power Crews Begin Staging Ahead of Incoming Snow, Wind Storm
Eversource
With the track of this weekend’s powerful snowstorm still uncertain, Eversource is preparing for whatever the storm may bring. The heavy snowfall and high winds expected late Friday night into Saturday can bring down trees or tree limbs onto electric lines and equipment causing power outages. In advance of the storm, the energy company is strategically prepositioning equipment and line and tree crews across the state – including hundreds of additional out-of-state crews – so they’re ready to respond quickly and safely to any storm-related outages.
“We’ve had a close eye on this storm since the beginning of the week and continue to carefully track its path using several weather services and storm models,” said Eversource President of Connecticut Electric Operations Steve Sullivan. “This storm has been tough to track, and we aren’t leaving anything to chance. We have hundreds of crews flying in throughout the day today – and more arriving tomorrow – from southern and western parts of the country, so we don’t have to wait for them to drive here. They’ll be geared up and ready to respond to this storm alongside our Eversource crews. We also remind customers that restorations may take longer as we ensure the safety of our employees who will be responding in challenging road conditions.”
Eversource reminds customers to always stay clear of downed wires and to report them immediately to 9-1-1. Be sure to report any outage online at Eversource.com, or by calling 800-286-2000. Customers who signed up for the company’s two-way texting feature can send a text to report an outage and receive outage updates as they happen.
Customers are encouraged to prepare for the storm by assembling or restocking a storm kit which should include essentials like flashlights, batteries, water, non-perishable foods, pet food and essentials and any needed medications. In addition, make sure cell phones and devices are full charged, create an emergency plan with family members and check on elderly neighbors and friends.
Additional preparedness tips can be found at Eversource.com.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 26; State Positivity Rate and Hospitalizations Both Down
The State Department of Public Health reported 26 new COVID-19 cases for Westport over the past 24 hours. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down to 9.73% while hospitalizations were down as 76 more patients were released from hospitals, totaling 1,270 patients. 54.10% of those hospitalized are not fully vaccinated.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 3,595 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 33 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 9.73% [down from 10.93%]
State Hospitalizations: 1,270 patients [-76]