Morning Weather Report
Today
Cloudy, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
A slight chance of rain showers before 5am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
MTA Graduates 63 New Subway Train Operators as NYC Transit Continues a Slow Rebound
The Metropolitan Transit Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that 63 new subway train operators graduated following their successful completion of training at the New York City Transit Learning Center in Brooklyn.
These operators will help New York City Transit tackle crew shortages and bolster the frequency of subway service. This marked the end of months of intensive training for operators that began in the summer of 2021. The graduation took place as New York City Transit Subway ridership hovers between 50% and 60% of pre-pandemic levels.
“As the city continues to return to normal, we have prioritized bringing great people aboard by increasing class sizes and aggressively recruiting,” said New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano. “New Yorkers need access to fast, safe and reliable subway service to get to work, school and family activities. I am really excited to welcome this new group to our team.”
“Everyone knows the staffing challenges that the MTA has experienced, and we’ve accelerated training and filled larger classes so we can provide increased service for New Yorkers,” said Vice President and Chief Officer of Service Delivery Herb Lambert. “Our subway operators keep the city moving and are leading New York City on the way back.”
The new employees join the hundreds of bus and train operators along with conductors who recently completed their training. To date, the MTA has hired 425 train operators and 341 conductors, including those who have already graduated or will do so in the months ahead — part of a deliberate effort by the MTA to rapidly grow the number of bus operators, subway train operators and conductors. A hiring freeze, necessitated by a fiscal crisis that developed during the pandemic, depleted the ranks of train operators with many veteran workers retiring or leaving their frontline posts.
YMCA Honors Retiring Gymnastics Director with “Sally Silverstein Viewing Area” Dedication
The Westport Weston Family YMCA (WWFY) announces the “Sally Silverstein Viewing Area” at the Gymnastics Center, named in honor of retiring Senior Gymnastics Director, Sally Silverstein. During her 34-year tenure at the WWFY, Sally built a thriving gymnastics program for children and youth of all ages, as well as built the nationally and internationally-recognized, award-winning Showtime Exhibition Team, which has performed all over the world. The gymnastics program serves over 500 gymnasts in the facility’s new 11,000 sq. ft. space between Developmental Classes, Showtime, and Competition Teams. The naming ceremony will be held on Friday, March 4, at 6:30 PM, in the Gymnastics Center at 14 Allen Raymond Lane, Westport, CT 06880.
“The Y’s core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility have all been superbly reflected in the growth of WWFY’s gymnastic program under Sally’s leadership. It is a tribute to her and her team that we have an excellent gymnastics program that can serve our community and build strong healthy, confident, successful gymnasts,” said Anjali McCormick, CEO.
“Sally developed the gymnastics program into much more than just a sport, it’s about family. The Y was always my home away from home, a safe haven where I could go be my truest self, knowing that I was surrounded by teammates and coaches who supported me.”, says Emily Gruen, Showtime Team gymnast.
David and Beth McKinnis, Showtime Team parents said, “The WWFY Gymnastics program was a second home for our daughter. As a family, we are indebted to Sally for pouring her energy, enthusiasm and love into the program. She set the tone for a program where all the gymnasts were a family and supported and cheered for each other.”
“Over the last 11 years, Sally has been a mentor and provided me with the tools to lead our exceptional gymnastics program. I’m excited to continue to build and grow our program in the months to come,” said Megan Willett, who will step in as Interim Gymnastics Center Director and continue in her position as Head Gymnastics Coach and Competition Team Program Manager and Coordinator.
Under Megan’s supervision, the Competition Team has achieved great success so far this season.
Jan 9 in Glastonbury: Level 3 – 2nd place, Level 4 and 5 – 1st place
Jan 23 in Trumbull: Level 3 – 1st place, Level 4 & 5 – 2nd place, Level 6-7 – 2nd place
Feb 12 in Darien: Level 3 – 2nd place, Level 5 – 1st place
To learn more about the viewing area dedication, our gymnastics program and to read full testimonials, view our Y-News.
Westport Launches Glass Recycling Pilot Program
Town of Westport Department of Public WorksPublic Works Director Peter Ratkiewich announced today that the Town of Westport has launched a Pilot program to separate glass from the single stream recycling. The Department of Public Works (DPW) has provided a special container at the Transfer Station, located at 300 Sherwood Island Connector, where residents can deposit clean glass beverage bottles, juice jars, condiment bottles and food jars. Residents are asked to rinse the glass containers, remove lids or caps, and place them in a separate box or bin from the single stream recycling. The clean glass can be deposited in the separate container during the Transfer Station’s normal operating hours.
Mr. Ratkiewich explained, “The problem with glass in the single stream is that it breaks, and then contaminates paper, cardboard, and other recyclables with broken glass particles. This reduces the market value of all recyclables. Conversely, small bits of paper, bottle caps, straws and other metals contaminate the glass so much that it can’t be effectively recycled, so it either gets used as landfill cover, or is discarded as residual waste. By separating glass from the single stream, contamination is eliminated on both ends, and makes the glass more valuable.”
The separated, clean glass is being directed to a glass recycling facility in Beacon Falls, CT where it is converted to an additive that replaces fly-ash in concrete products and actually makes the concrete stronger. This additive also reduces the carbon footprint of the concrete industry as fly ash is a byproduct of coal burning power plants. The new facility will soon have the capacity to take all the glass generated in the State’s 169 municipalities.
Mr. Ratkiewich stated that Westport is one of five towns in the 14-town Greater Bridgeport Regional Solid Waste Interlocal Committee (GBRSWIC) that are doing a “soft-launch” of the program to work out logistics and procedures. This pilot will be expanded into a full pilot project with the other nine towns in about six months to a year. “We are working with our partners at Oak Ridge Waste in Shelton to make this program as successful as possible,” he said. “A similar program was implemented in the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA) about a year ago and was a huge success. We aim to duplicate that program.”
First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker added, “This is an important step in making our recycling program more effective, and reducing the portion of our solid waste that is going to landfills. Westport is proud to be part of the group leading the program that we hope to see implemented across the whole region, and the entire State”