Governor: “violent and property crimes are down in Connecticut from the previous year”
Governor Ned Lamont issued the following statement in response to today’s release of Connecticut’s annual crime statistics report, which compiles data on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in the state for the 2021 calendar year:
“This report shows violent and property crimes are down in Connecticut from the previous year, preserving our state’s status as one of the safest in the country. We must remain laser-focused on further reducing crime. Speaking as a father, a husband, and governor, one crime is too many. We have a real opportunity, working together with law enforcement and community partners, to further increase public safety in Connecticut.”
The annual report is created by the Crimes Analysis Unit of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and is now in its 44th year of publication. It is the most comprehensive source of crime-related data for the state.
Data from the report shows that between 2020 and 2021, Connecticut experienced a:
3% reduction in overall crime;
9% reduction in violent crime; and a
2% reduction in property crimes.
Additionally, the report finds that over the last ten years overall crime in Connecticut has fallen 30%, including a 43% reduction in violent crime and a 29% reduction in property crime.
During the last four years, the Connecticut State Police Training Academy has graduated 333 new state troopers through six training troops. The 132nd Training Troop is currently in progress and anticipated to graduate an additional 33 new state troopers by the end of October. The State Police plans to commence another training troop in November. That class of state trooper trainees are currently being recruited and will graduate in 2023.
The state budget that Governor Lamont signed into law earlier this year for the 2023 fiscal year makes significant investments in crime prevention and reduction, especially involving gun violence, as well as services for crime victims and support to clear court cases that accumulated during the pandemic. This includes:
$11 million for strategies led by law enforcement officials to trace firearms to their sources, reduce stolen cars, reduce violent crime, and promote safety on rural roads;
$8 million for community and public health-led strategies to prevent and reduce gun violence;
$4 million to invest in the latest forensic science technologies to speed up investigations and the clearing of criminal cases;
$18 million to help victims and survivors recover from crime through safety planning, crisis counseling, mental health treatment, and support for survivors of domestic violence; and
$32 million to speed up the processing of court cases.
**Download: Annual crime statistics report for 2021 from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
DPW Announces Fall Road Paving Program for 22 Westport Streets
The Public Works Department announced today that the Town’s Fall Paving Program has started. The program will continue through the end of September until mid-October, weather permitting. The following Town roadways will be paved, though not necessarily in this order:
Hunt Club Lane
Tiffany Lane
Imperial Avenue
Broad Street
Jesup Road
Main Street
Taylor Place
Northfield Drive
Bay Street
Brooklawn Drive
Marion Road
Meadow View Drive
Hillyfield Lane
Cypress Pond Road
Oakwood Lane
Barbara Place
Charcoal Lane
Bowling Lane
Charcoal Hill Common
Avery Place
Old Road
Broad Street
Drivers and pedestrians residents are urged to use caution around work sites and allow extra driving time.
Questions regarding the project can be referred to the Public Works Office at (203) 341-1120.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Southwest wind around 8 mph.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 51. West wind around 8 mph.
High Tides
12:03 PM
Low Tides
6:00 AM / 6:23 PM
Westport: What’s Happening - First Selectwoman Discusses Long Lots Elementary School
An interview done by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston.
Westport Restaurant Week Begins Today
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Restaurant Week will run from Sunday September 25th through Sunday October 9th.. It’s all part of the continuing “Eat Local” campaign to promote area restaurants, which follows on the heels of the highly successful Slice of Saugatuck Festival.
This year Restaurant Week, two weeks, features 21 eateries offering Prix Fixe meals to suit any foodie’s interest and pocketbook. Venues from one end of Westport and Saugatuck to the other, including Southport, will once again be treating diners to a gastronomical feast.
“Rising out of the pandemic our restaurants are truly stretching their wings and this year we have quite the selection of them,” said WWCC Executive Director Matthew Mandell. “We want people to eat local and realize Westport has the best dining scene in Fairfield County.”
Instead of a single price for all places, each one has set their own prix fixe ranging from $25+ for lunch and $35+ for dinner. Some offer just lunch, others just dinner, and many are offering both. It’s all about what fits best to bring in new patrons and old friends alike.
Restaurant week, running for two weeks, is a tried and true event that gives restaurateurs an opportunity to show off what they do with hopes of finding new regulars. Maria Funicello, co-owner of Tuttis, a Saugatuck mainstay summed it up best, “when you come to Tuttis, you dine at my house, come, have a meal with my family.”
Restaurant Week is once again being sponsored by Castlekeep Advisors, WEBE 108 and WICC 600 where radio commercials and interviews to promote the event have been ongoing.
The full list of participating restaurants, the meals they are offering, and their menus can be found on the Chamber’s website at www.westportwestonchamber.com/restaurantweek.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A slight chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Light southwest wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tomorrow
A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West wind 7 to 9 mph.
High Tides
11:26 AM / 11:45 PM
Low Tides
5:24 AM / 5:44 PM
“From the Mississippi Delta” Hits the Westport Country Playhouse Stage
L–R: Goldie E. Patrick, director of Westport Country Playhouse’s “From the Mississippi Delta,” and cast members Claudia Logan, Tameishia Peterson, and Erin Margaret Pettigrew. Contributed photo by Cynthia AstmannPress Release
Westport Country Playhouse will stage the gripping tale of determination, hope, motivation, and inspiration, “From the Mississippi Delta,” written by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Ph.D., and directed by Goldie E. Patrick, from October 18 - 30. The play was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award.
“I have had a love affair with this play for many years and was truly blessed to get to know its creator Endesha Ida Mae Holland -- the woman who in fact lived it -- when I produced it at Hartford Stage years ago,” said Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. “She attended rehearsals and took great pride in the fact that it then moved on to a successful run Off-Broadway. We were so proud of the production and were so happy to welcome the audiences that were hungry to experience it. I'm thrilled that Goldie is going to be bringing her vision of it to the Playhouse as our season finale.”
Based on the author’s life, the triumphant journey begins in Greenwood, Mississippi--the Delta--where Phelia works in the cotton fields. Her coming-of-age experiences inspire her to dream, sweeping her into the momentum of the civil rights movement.
“Who we are and who we become is so beautifully tied to where we are from,” said Goldie E Patrick, director. “’From the Mississippi Delta’ is such a powerful journey of how three Black women step into themselves and their becoming as they experience the world around them.”
The three-member cast includes Claudia Logan as Woman 1. She is from Detroit, a graduate of SUNY Purchase, and now lives in Brooklyn. Credits include Westport Country Playhouse’s “Don Juan” (2019), Dallas Theater Center’s “Penny Candy,” HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness” and “The Deuce,” and Netflix’s “Tales of the City.” Tameishia Peterson portrays Woman 2. Born in Dayton and raised in Memphis, she is a graduate of The Ohio State University, Michael Howard Studios, and Fiasco Conservatory. She now lives in New York. Credits include Starz’s ““Power Book II: Ghost,” Hulu’s “WuTang: An American Saga,” and Netflix’s "The Perfect Find." Erin Margaret Pettigrew plays Woman 3. She is a first generation Los Angeles native after having roots in Belize and the American South. Her artist-journey has been shaped with many communities and creators such as Manhattan Theatre Club, Page 73 Productions, JAG Productions, and more, while facilitating and learning alongside institutions such as UCSB, NYU, and CUNY.
Playwright Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Ph.D. (1944-2006) was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. During the 1940s and 1950s, Greenwood was an impoverished Delta community where Black people lived in fear of their lives. Raped by a white man on her 11th birthday, expelled from school, a prostitute at 12 and a mother at 15, Holland was headed in the wrong direction; that is, until the civil rights movement came to her town. She was swept into the momentum, participating in sit-ins, mass rallies, even going to jail with other activists, and her life was transformed. Holland earned her GED, and in 1966 she moved north to Minneapolis. Subsequently, Holland earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in American studies, with a concentration in theatre arts (playwriting). The first of her plays, “The Second Doctor Lady,” won the Lorraine Hansberry Award for Best Play in 1981. She retired as professor emeritus from the University of Southern California, where she held joint appointments both in the School of Theatre and the program of the Study of Women and Men in Society (SWMS). Holland was forced into early retirement and a wheelchair by ataxia, a hereditary, neuromuscular disorder,
Directing “From the Mississippi Delta” is Goldie E. Patrick. She is a Detroit native and proud alumna of Howard University where she is currently a professor of hip-hop theater. Based in New York City, for over 20 years she has passionately worked in and built artistic collaborations in Black theater as a playwright, director, and producer. Her approach to theater-making lives at the intersection of her work as an artist, cultural worker, and educator. She is the former founding executive director of FRESHH Inc Theatre Company for Black womxn and girls. She is also a member of the Culture Caucus at the Kennedy Center and currently the inaugural Black Creation Playwright in residence at New Federal Theatre. Directing credits include “Project 892” (New York University–MFA program), “The Halal Brothers” (Columbia University), “Foriwa” (Hedgepig Ensemble & Classical Theatre of Harlem), “Paradise Blue” (Detroit Public Theatre), and “HERstory Love Forever, Hip Hop” (John F. Kennedy Center). Associate director credits include “Between the World and Me” (Apollo Theatre) and “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” (Signature Theatre). www.goldiepatrick.com
The creative team includes Jason Ardizzone-West, scenic design; Heidi Hanson, costume design; John Alexander, lighting design; Michael Keck, sound design; Ann James, intimacy coach; Dawn-Elin Fraser, voice and speech coach; Sean Sanford, props supervisor; Melissa Sparks, production stage manager; and Tré Wheeler, assistant stage manager.
The play is recommended for age 15 and up. Running time is approximately 90 minutes with one intermission. For the Playhouse’s 2022 season only, plays are consolidated to a two-week performance schedule instead of the usual three-week run.
Production Sponsors are Judy and Scott Phares. 2022 Season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. Support for programming for this production is provided from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
Performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. (No Wed. or Sat. matinees during preview week). Special series include Taste of Tuesday (October 18), LGBTQ+ Night Out (October 20), Post-Play Dialogue (October 20), Opening Night (October 22), Sunday Symposium (October 23), Backstage Pass (October 26), Thursday TalkBack (October 27), and Open Captions (October 30).
Single tickets for “From the Mississippi Delta” start at $30 during preview performances (October 18 - 21), and beginning October 22 Opening Night, tickets start at $50 and are subject to change based upon availability. Buy early for best prices. For information on special offers, including discounts for students, senior citizens, educators, military and first responders, Indigenous peoples, professional playwrights, and groups, as well as options for pay-what-you-will and Westport, Norwalk, and Bridgeport Library passes visit www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/box-office/.
Masks are required for four performances of “From the Mississippi Delta” on Friday, October 21 at 8 p.m.; Wednesday, October 26 at 2 p.m.; Friday, October 28 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, October 29 at 3 p.m. At the other 10 performances, masks are strongly encouraged, but not required. For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/
More info on “From the Mississippi Delta” at https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/mississippidelta/
All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 6; State Positivity Rate 10.21%
The State Department of Public Health reported 6 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 10.21% while 390 people remain hospitalized.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,849 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 40 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 10.21% [up from 9.89%]
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 45. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
High Tides
10:11 AM / 10:28 PM
Low Tides
4:08 AM / 4:26 PM
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 4; State Positivity Rate 9.89%
The State Department of Public Health reported 4 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 9.89% while 400 people remain hospitalized.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,843 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 40 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 9.89% [up from 9.88%]