Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 5; State Positivity Rate, Hospitalizations Up
The State Department of Public Health reported 5 more cases in Westport over the past day. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 4.77% while hospitalizations were up 19 patients, with 117 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 throughout the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 4,080 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 36 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 4.77% [up from 4.60%]
State Hospitalizations: 117 patients [+19]
Head Directly to Yankees v Red Sox this Friday on the Yankee Clipper; Direct Service Westport to the Bronx
Contributed photo by Marc HermannMTA:Baseball is back, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the best way for fans to get to the stands. The MTA will be providing service options to get to all New York Yankees home games, starting with the team’s home opener on Friday, April 8. The New York Yankees open their season against their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, at 1:05 p.m.
The MTA provides the most convenient service to Yankee Stadium, with all modes of transportation making stops at the ballpark. Fans can take the subway, Metro-North Railroad, buses or paratransit, and enjoy a hassle-free trip.
“Metro-North is thrilled to be back at Yankee Stadium for Opening Day,” said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. “We’re bringing back our Yankee Clipper trains which provide direct service from our three East of Hudson lines [Westport] right to the stadium for all evening and weekend home games. We’ve added stops at the stadium for express trains on the Hudson Line, and we offer shuttle trains between Grand Central, Harlem-125th St and the stadium for fans coming from Manhattan or who are connecting at Harlem-125th St station from additional Harlem and New Haven Line trains.”
“The train is synonymous with Yankee Stadium, but NYC Transit has plenty of other options to get you to the game as well,” said NYC Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano. “The and train make stops at the stadium, five bus routes that stop by the stadium and designated paratransit stops right by the stadium. Mass transit is the best way to the game in a fast, safe and environmentally friendly way.”
“We have long encouraged our fans and staff to take the train,” said New York Yankees Senior Vice President of Stadium Operations Doug Behar. “It's easy, it's convenient, you avoid a lot of the headaches of having to drive. For many years our players have even taken the train up to get to the ballpark, because it's seamless, it gets them here on time. So, we're super excited about the season and encourage folks to come to the stadium and come by train.”
The start of the season comes as the MTA is in the middle of discounted fare pilots and initiatives that can save fans even more. Through the OMNY fare-capping pilot, New Yorkers taking the subway or bus can use OMNY to reach their “Lucky 13” and enjoy free rides for the rest of the week. For fans who plan on attending a lot of games, Metro-North's 10-trip off-peak tickets provide a 15% discount on off-peak fares and can be used by more than one person.
Here are details of game day service to Yankee Stadium on April 8:
Return of Metro-North's Yankee Clippers
Metro-North Railroad announced the return of its “Yankee Clipper” trains as part of the new train schedules that took effect March 27. The Yankee Clippers are special game-day trains which provide direct service from the railroad’s East of Hudson lines to Yankees-E 153rd St Station for all evening and weekend home games.
In addition to the Yankee Clipper trains, Metro-North will operate shuttle trains between Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th St and Yankees-E 153rd St Stations for fans coming from Manhattan or who are transferring at Harlem-125th Station from additional Harlem and New Haven Line trains.
The Yankee Clippers took a brief hiatus during the peak of the pandemic. In 2020, Major League Baseball did not permit fans in ballparks due to COVID-19 precautions. Fans were allowed back in the stands in 2021 with capacity restrictions, with Yankee Stadium opening at 20% capacity. As a result, Metro-North operated special shuttle trains between Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th Street and Yankees-E. 153rd Street stations and restored limited Yankee Clipper service as the season progressed and stadium attendance increased.
Many Hudson Line trains stop at Yankees-E. 153rd Street normally, and express trains to and from Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie stop at the stadium on game days.
New York City Subway
For the April 8 home opener, customers can take the or train to the 161 St-Yankee Stadium station.
The subway’s 161 St-Yankee Stadium station, with service on the and lines, is right in front of the stadium at the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue. Local and trains stop at 161 St-Yankee Stadium at all times. trains stop at 161 St-Yankee Stadium during rush hour only. Express trains will stop at 161 St-Yankee Stadium during game hours.
New York City Buses
The Bx6, Bx6 SBS, Bx13 stop near the stadium at E. 161st Street and River Avenue. In addition, the Bx1 and Bx2 both stop at E. 161st Street and the Grand Concourse, a three-block walk to the stadium.
Customers can use the real-time bus arrival tracking feature on the MYmta app before boarding.
Access-A-Ride
Access-A-Ride has a designated stop in front of Yankee Stadium. To book a trip to the stadium, customers can call (877)-337-2017 or (718)-393-4999 and press prompt #2.
New York Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is offering the perfect way to get into the spirit of baseball season and show off pinstripe pride with a ride to Yankee Stadium aboard a 1917 IRT Lo-V train from Grand Central for one day only.
The Nostalgia Train is scheduled to leave the uptown train platforms of 42nd Street-Grand Central at approximately 11:00 a.m., and will run non-stop on the Lexington Avenue Line, arriving at 161st Street-Yankee Stadium in about 25 minutes. The ride up to the Bronx will get fans to the stadium gates with plenty of time before the first pitch at 1:05 p.m.
Originally operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) system, The Nostalgia Train began service in 1917. The vintage train cars and hundreds of other similar cars served subway customers a few years before the first pitch was thrown at the original Yankee Stadium. With rattan seats, ceiling fans and drop sash windows, the train harkens back to an earlier age of subway travel and provides a photogenic counterpoint to the new home of the New York Yankees.
Toni Boucher Throws Hat into 26th District Senate Seat Race
Boucher for State Senate:Citing “a lifelong love and commitment to public service and helping people,” Toni Boucher today announced that she is running for the 26th District State Senate seat in the Connecticut General Assembly.
“From my prior service in the State Capitol, to helping local boards and non-profits, and in my private sector career, helping others and making a positive difference in people’s lives is what gives me the most joy,” Boucher said. “As a state legislator, I built strong relationships throughout Fairfield County communities with so many caring, generous, and wonderful people. I also built a strong record of bipartisan legislative policy accomplishments, which have helped to improve the quality of life for people of all ages across Connecticut.”
In her roles as a marketing and investment executive, State Representative and State Senator, Toni has built an unmatched record of success, team leadership, and bipartisan decision making. Boucher has served as a State Board of Education member, a local Board of Education chair, and a local Selectman.
Her numerous public service awards include twice being named “Environmental Champion” by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and being named “Children’s Champion” by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance on seven different occasions. Boucher previously served as 26th District State Senator from 2008 to 2019, and as a State Representative from 1997 to 2008. Senator Will Haskell’s decision to not run for re-election leaves an open seat in November.
“I tip my cap to Senator Haskell,” Boucher said. “He is hard-working, personable, and cares deeply about Connecticut. I wish him nothing but success and happiness as he enters a new chapter of his life.”
Boucher said her top issues include:
1. Protecting local control of education and respecting parental involvement in our schools
2. Protecting local control of our homes and our property rights
3. Making Connecticut more affordable through tax relief
4. Making Connecticut’s communities safer
“The people of southwestern Connecticut deserve a leader with experience and a track record of bipartisan success,” Boucher added. “I am a listener, a coalition-builder and a problem-solver. I’m also a mother, a grandmother, and someone with extensive private sector experience. I’m asking for the support of all voters in November, because I know I can again make a positive difference at the State Capitol. I will be a voice they can count on and trust.”
22 Staples Seniors Celebrated for High Honors Graduation
Westport Public SchoolsTwenty two exceptional students have been honored with the distinction of graduating with High Honors from the Staples High School Class of 2022. A student will be designated with "High Honors" if his/her academic grade point average falls in the top 4 percent of the graduating class.
According to Principal Stafford W. Thomas, Jr. , “This class, is extremely talented and the most astonishing aspect of this accomplishment, is that these students were involved in a number of extracurricular activities and various aspects of school life which took a great deal of time, focus and concentration outside of the classroom as well. We were lucky to have had them for four years and we will no doubt be hearing about their next great achievements in the years to come. Congratulations Class of 2022 High Honors students!”
The following students are the class of 2022 High Honors honorees: Emma Gabriela Alcyone, Natalie Bandura, Gregory Lawrence Beal, Zachary Jay Bishop, Michael Aaron Brody, Oliver Isaac Clachko, Sabrina Min Didner, Erin Rebecca Durkin, Matthew Ackerman Genser, Alexandra Maskoff, Aidan Robert Strickland Mermagen, Gabriella Violet Jardim Messenger, Tessa Lawrence Moore, Luke Carlo Morelli, Chloe Elizabeth Nevas, Emma Louisa Nordberg, Talia Wendy Perkins, Finn Popken, Ishan Verma Prasad, Jessica Qi, Allison Leigh Schwartz, Julian Weng.