Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 6 to 10 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West wind 5 to 8 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tomorrow Night
A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. South wind 3 to 6 mph.
Otis “Jerry” Leslie Smith, 87, Died; Former Westonite, Avid Golfer and Fisherman
Jerry passed away on December 22, 2021, at his home on Marco Island, Fl.
He was born in New York City on September 2, 1934, to Dr. William Leslie Smith and Isabelle Orr. He grew up in the Hartford, CT area. He graduated from Westminster School in Simsbury, CT, and attended Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt, where he met his wife, Gay Nelson. They married in 1958. He went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA. He served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957 and was honorably discharged.
He moved to Weston, Connecticut in 1961 and resided there for over thirty years.
Jerry was an executive in the television and entertainment industry, working for the BBC, Twentieth Century Fox, ABC, and World Vision, from which he retired in 1984.
Jerry was an avid golfer and fisherman. After his retirement, he divided his time between Marco Island in Florida, Prouts Neck in Maine, and one of his most favorite places, Middle Dam, a small fishing village on a lake in rural northern Maine.
He is predeceased by his parents, his brother: William Leslie Smith Jr, his son: Bradford and great niece: Zoë.
Jerry is survived by his wife: Gay Smith, his daughter Gigi Schofield, half-sister Susan Smith Rubin, half-brother Clay Smith, his nieces Kimberley, Elizabeth, Abigail, Courtney, and Carly and great nephews: Justin, Jared, Ian, Owen, and great niece Isabelle.
Jerry will be buried next to his mother and brother at the Hope Cemetery in Kennebunk, Maine. There will be a graveside Memorial Service held in the spring for family and close friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Westminster School, 995 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070, https://westminster-school.myschoolapp.com; or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit Jerry’s Book of Memories Page at www.bibberfuneral.com
Arrangements are in care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 15 over Weekend; State Hospitalizations and Positivity Rate Down
The State Department of Public Health reported 15 new COVID-19 cases for Westport over the weekend. The State’s daily test positivity rate down to 4.77% while hospitalizations were down as 154 more patients were released from hospitals.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 3,698 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 34 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 4.77% [down from 6.58%]
State Hospitalizations: 631 patients [-154]
Governor Ends School Mask Mandates February 28th
Governor Ned Lamont:
Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is endorsing a plan developed in consultation with Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani and Connecticut State Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker to eliminate the statewide requirement that is in effect as part of Connecticut’s COVID-19 safety protocols for masks to be worn in all schools and childcare centers effective Monday, February 28, 2022, and on that date allow the determination on whether to require masks in these locations to be made at the local level.
The plan is contingent upon the Connecticut General Assembly voting to extend – through legislation – the governor’s existing executive order that enables the public health commissioner with the ability of implementing mask requirements in certain settings.
Governor Lamont’s COVID-19 emergency declaration and related authority to issue executive orders in response to the pandemic are set to expire on February 15, 2022. On that date, the governor will no longer be able to enact emergency orders on the pandemic. The governor and legislative leaders recently reached an agreement under which the legislature will pass a resolution continuing the public health and civil preparedness emergencies and determine which of the governor’s orders to continue through legislation and which to let expire. The governor recently provided legislators with a list of 11 orders he recommends continue after February 15, 2022.
“Connecticut is seeing a dramatic decline in cases caused by the Omicron variant, and children over the age of 5 have had the ability to get vaccinated for more than three months now,” Governor Lamont said. “With this in mind, I think we are in a good position to phase out the requirement that masks be worn in all schools statewide and shift the determination on whether to require this to the local level.”
While Governor Lamont endorses the plan to eliminate the universal mask requirement for schools and childcare centers, he recommends that it remain in place in other settings where it currently is in effect, including healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, and correctional facilities.