Hiawatha Lane Residents’ Lawsuit Decided
Artist rendering of the courtyard at the center of the three buildings by Monroe Partnership Architects
After nearly four months of deliberation by the land use court in Hartford, after a hearing on opposing motions for summary judgment (reported in WestportLocal.com on January 21, 2022: https://westportlocal.com/news/update-hiawatha-lane-lawsuit-progress ) the lawsuit filed in September 2021 by three residents of the Hiawatha Lane neighborhood has been decided. In his highly detailed and comprehensive twelve page memorandum of decision released on May 31, 2022 Judge Marshall Berger found that the plaintiffs failed to prevail in their attempt to halt the 157 unit development by Summit Saugatuck, LLC, which development had been fought against by the town for years. The matter was decided not by a trial per se, but upon motions by both sides claiming there were no genuine issues of material fact which required a trial on the merits and that they should as a matter of law have the matter decided in their favor. This will likely clear the way for Summit to begin construction, barring no new litigation or appeal by the plaintiffs.
To view the Memorandum Of Decision click here: https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=22868546
Honoring Our Veterans: Westport’s Memorial Day Parade & Tribute
Staples High School Band crosses the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge as the parade heads toward Veteran’s Green.
Veterans from various service branches comprising the Honor Guard at the tribute at Veterans Green.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Southeast wind around 8 mph.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 8pm and 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Light and variable wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Showers likely, mainly after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 59; State Hospitalizations, Positivity Rate Down
The State Department of Public Health reported 59 more cases in Westport over the long holiday weekend. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down to 10.18% while hospitalizations were also down, with 42 patients released from Connecticut hospitals.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,027 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 36 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 10.18% [down from 11.83%]
State Hospitalizations: 321 patients [-42]
Community Gallery: Westporters on Parade
Click to enlarge photos. All photos by WestportLocal.com
Community Gallery: Memorial day Parade
Click to enlarge photos.
All photos by Preston Siroka for Westportlocal.com.
Westport Art Festival Rebounds On Sunday With Large Turnout
The stormy weather on Saturday didn't help attendance at the 49th annual Westport Fine Arts Festival but sunny skies returned all day on Sunday drawing large crowds to much loved downtown Westport event.
This nationally recognized, juried festival featured a premier roster of national and international fine artists exhibiting in a variety of categories - including painting, photography, sculpture, fiber, printmaking, mixed media, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood, graphics and print making. All artwork was available for purchase in a wide variety of price ranges, subject matter and style with something for everyone.
The art festival also featured high quality on-site food vending, live music and some activities just for the kids.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Westport Police: 3 Teens Arrested after Dangerous TikTok Challenge
WestportLocal.com archive photo. Westport Police Department Press Release:On the evening of Saturday May 28, 2022, the Westport Police Department received several emergency calls from various locations around town. In each of these instances, the callers reported that a group of youths traveling in a vehicle had been shooting projectiles at passing pedestrians. In one instance, a juvenile victim reported being struck in the eye.
Callers were able to provide a detailed description of the vehicle in question. Responding officers began searching the area for the suspect vehicle and were ultimately able to locate and effectuate a motor vehicle stop with it in the area of Greens Farms Road and Compo Road South. The three occupants were quickly identified as juveniles. Within the passenger compartment, officers located toy air soft guns capable of firing gel like projectiles at a high velocity. It was apparent that these youths were participating in a viral TikTok challenge known as the “Orbeez Challenge.”
All three juveniles were subsequently taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of Assault 3rd Degree, Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree and Breach of Peace 2nd Degree. They were released to their parents.
Any other victims from that evening are encouraged to formally report these incidents to the Westport Police Department. Please let this arrest serve as a reminder that following social media trends can be extremely dangerous and have consequences.
Staples Girls Tennis Falls In FCIAC Championship
Staples Varsity Girls Tennis suffered a tough loss at the FCIAC final in Wilton against Darien High School.
Due to illness, the Wreckers were missing 3 key players: Karenna Birns, Sofia Palumbo and Lauren Hess. Fourth singles, Jenna Kornbluth played through an injury. Changing the lineup to accommodate some of the absences: Jordana Latzman and Allie Francis played first doubles and won 6-2, 7-5. First singles, Amelia Galin fought hard against the undefeated Darien freshman Lauren Zhang and lost 7-5, 6-2. Filling in for second and third doubles were Staples freshmen Rhiya Anand and Maddie Hendley respectively. Despite best efforts, both lost. Staples third doubles Giselle Oldani and Lucia Wang lost 6-1, 7-6 in a tie breaker. The match was called once Darien reached a total of 4 wins. Still fighting on the courts were second doubles, Caroline Caggiano and Audrey Kercher and fourth singles Jenna Kornbluth.
Coach Jena Wider was really proud of the girls who rallied bravely despite missing part of the team. "Such a tough loss for these girls who have had an amazing season. The good news is we still have states to look forward to. And the comeback is always stronger than the setback."
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Boys Tennis Also Defeated In FCIAC Championship
The Wreckers battling the illness bug over the past few days, compete hard in FCIAC Finals but were defeated by Westhill 4-1
Singles Scores: Robbie Daus (S) vs Rohan Surywanshi (W) 6-3, 4-6 DNF, Ryan Karam (W) def. Luke Brodsky (S) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, Arjun Anand (W) def. Matthew Chiang (S) 6-0, 6-0, Vishal Nayak (W) def. Jared Even (S) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles Scores: Tighe Brunetti / Noah Wolff (S) def. Justin Bielenker / Arjun Batra (W) 6-1, 6-0, Brett Lampert / Alex Guadarrama (S) vs Issac Malkin / Greg Lebedev (W) 6-3, 5-7, 3-2. DNF, Rohan Sanu / Paiwal (W) def. Lucas Ceballos-Cala / Clint Graham (S) 6-4, 6-2
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
