James Bairaktaris 4/1/22 James Bairaktaris 4/1/22

Police Announce Crack Down on Distracted Drivers in April

Westport Police Department

Today, the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office launched U Drive. U Text. U Pay., a national high-visibility enforcement campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. The Westport Police, in partnership with State and local law enforcement, as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will step up efforts to enforce distracted-driving laws from April 1 to April 30, 2022.

In 2020, there were nearly 5,000 crashes in Connecticut attributed to distracted driving. Further, according to NHTSA, between 2012 and 2019, 26,004 people died nationwide in crashes involving a distracted driver.

Since 2015, Connecticut has been measuring rates of distracted driving. August 2021 saw the highest rate of drivers either texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone since the first round of observations in March 2015.

“It has become all too common to see people driving while looking at their phones,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. People know that texting and driving is extremely dangerous and illegal, but they continue to do it anyway. These habits are putting motorists and passengers, pedestrians, bikers, and all road users at risk. Every driver in Connecticut has a responsibility to drive safe.”

Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device at any time, even with a hands-free accessory.

In addition to being dangerous, violating Connecticut’s distracted driving laws can also be costly. Drivers who are ticketed are fined $200 for the first offense, $375 for the second offense, and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Westport Police urges motorists to put their phone down when they get behind the wheel. If you are driving a vehicle and need to text, pull over and park the vehicle in a safe place first.

For more information, visit distraction.gov.

J.C. Martin 4/1/22 J.C. Martin 4/1/22

Westport's Craig Melvin Leaving MSNBC After Nearly A Decade

`Westport’s Craig Melvin speaking at the Weston Library in 2019`

The longtime cable show host and Today show co-anchor who also hosts NBC's Dateline announced his departure on air on Thursday morning, March 31st. Melvin will continue on both Today and NBC Dateline but will no longer host his morning news program on MSNBC which he had been doing for nearly 10 years.

What began as a basic statement became something more when Melvin began choking up as he talked about the support of his parents who spoke about how hard work pays off and relating that his parents told him, "It's not how you start, it’s how you finish," He continued fight back emotion when he gave tribute to his wife, saying "And my wife Lindsay, who's endured long days and short nights and last-minute travel – the glue that really keeps it all together."

File Photo By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com

J.C. Martin 4/1/22 J.C. Martin 4/1/22

Al's Angels and People Of Fairfield Raise Many Thousands To Aid Ukraine Relief Effort

`The children's dance group Kalynochka perform traditional Ukranian folk dances at Fairfield Stands With Ukraine on Wednesday night.`

Last night, what started as a discussion by a small group of Fairfield Women morphed into a major fundraiser for the people of Ukraine. Held at the Penfield Pavilion On Wednesday March 30th, this special event blended solemn moments with music, song, great food, traditional Ukrainian folk dancing and music and raised nearly $18,000 before the doors even opened, which will aid the relief effort for the people of the Ukraine as the second month of war ravages their country.

The sold out event saw 350 tickets sold before the event even began. Adding to the funds raised was a silent auction which filled table after table, a raffle and bracelets in the colors of Ukraine created by children. Notably, every dollar raised will go to that effort as all of the more than two dozen vendors and businesses (see program photo below) donated their goods and services including the Town of Fairfield which donated use of the beautiful Penfield Pavilion. Al's Angels, the Westport based charitable organization that we have seen helping children and families for more than twenty years was instrumental in producing the event.

The entertainers delighted the audience, especially the high energy performance of the children's dance group Kalynochka under the supervision of Gregoriy Momot who operates dance schools in Stamford and NYC. The Ukrainian National Anthem was performed by Lilia Kushnir on piano, Nadia Solska on violin and sung by Kateryna Bilous Clark. and was sung solemnly by the many Ukrainians in attendance which was followed by a prayer for Ukraine performed by a children's vocal ensemble. A Ukranian stringed folk instrument, the Bandura, was played by Lesia Stetsko.

Speakers Irina and Khrystina Rayko spoke of the tragedy now happening in their country. Other speakers included Jaroslaw Palylyk, president of the southern CT and Westchester branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.Mr. Palylyk spoke at length in part saying "Here is what you can do as an American citizen. We ask that you Join Ukrainians and their supporters locally, nationally, and around the world during their rally’s and demonstrations. We need to ask for bipartisan political support. Reach out to the White House, your Senators, your Representatives and major news outlets." Mr Palylyk repeated the pleas of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zalensky for more military equipment including arial defense platforms, stronger sanctions in areas such as energy and against the families of Russian oligarchs living abroad and boycotts of Russian goods.

One speaker, Lena McMahan represented one of the prominent charitable organizations Razom, which is seeking donations. About Razom: "Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, is 60,000 donors and dedicated volunteers. Our team are passionate professionals from around the world across industries including tech, finance, marketing, medicine, arts, academia and law with substantial experience across NGOs and charitable foundations with a simple mission: building a more prosperous Ukraine. Established in the United States with people in Ukraine, the non-profit organization works towards that mission by creating and accelerating spaces where people meet, partner and do." Donations can be made at: https://razomforukraine.org/

Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.