Morning Weather Report
Today
A 30 percent chance of showers before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Tonight
Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 37. West wind 3 to 5 mph.
Tomorrow
Patchy frost before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 55. Light west wind becoming southwest 8 to 13 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 7 mph.
Westport Property Transfers: September 26th - 30th; Highest Sale at $5.9 Million on Morningside Drive South
Westport Town Clerk’s Office:
Total Conveyance Tax: $88,022.50
Total Sales: $36,125,500
Highest Transfer Price: 109 Morningside Drive South: $5,925,000
Lowest Transfer Price: 31 Lincoln Street: $400,000
Transfers:
109 Morningside Drive South: $5,925,000
19 Beachside Commons: $5,850,000
9 Greenbrier Road: $4,937,500
3 Greenbrier Road: $3,400,000
295 Compo Road South: $2,950,000 (split .25/.25/.50)
21 Red Coat Road: $2,333,000
16 Bayberry Lane: $2,300,000
7 Barbara Place: $1,415,000
6 Manor Drive: $1,320,000
1 Sycamore Drive: $1,175,000
6 Bedford Drive: $985,000
5 Riverfield Road, .06% Westport: $975,000
16 Reichert Circle: $900,000
7 Sue Terrace: $720,000
5 1/2 Sunrise Road: $540,000
31 Lincoln Street: $400,000
Burying Hill Glow
Tonight’s sunset as seen from Burying Hill Beach’s shoreline. Photo by Pam Garra for WestportLocal.com
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 12 over Weekend; State Positivity Rate 8.83%
The State Department of Public Health reported 12 new COVID-19 cases in Westport over the weekend. The State positivity rate was down to 8.83%.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,927 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 40 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 8.83%
Hundreds Flock To Downtown For Westoberfest Fall Festival
The beautiful colors of fall foliage lining Elm Street provided the perfect backdrop for one of Westport's favorite fall events, the annual Westport Downtown Merchants Association's 3rd annual Westoberfest.
Billed mainly as a beer tasting event with more than a score of craft brews available for the tasting from area micro-breweries, great beer is only the beginning for visitors to enjoy. Delicious culinary delights of all kinds were available from several food trucks as well as fresh baked goods from vendors properly attired in Lederhosen, sampling of delectable treats from Bridgewater Chocolatiers, and many other food offerings including traditional German bratwurst.
For the younger guests there were many activities including various games located in and around the family activity area as well as do it yourself art projects with the guidance and assistance from the Westport Artists Collective and face painting adding to the fun and festive family atmosphere.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
Morning Weather Report
Today
Showers likely, mainly between 8am and 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 66. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. West wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tomorrow
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 57. West wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind around 7 mph.
Beloved Staples Teacher Suddenly Passes Away; Staples Opening on 3 Hour Delay Monday
Update
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
I am writing as a follow up to the tragic passing of Mike Sansur. I met with the Staples High School crisis team earlier this evening, and we decided that it's best to operate the high school on a three hour delayed opening for students tomorrow, Monday, October 17, 2022. The school day for students will begin at 11:00 a.m., and buses are expected to begin their runs at 10:10 a.m.
Our staff will arrive at their regular time and use that time to prepare for receiving students. Students will begin their day in the Connections period, and support from our mental health staff will be available at that time and throughout the day. Any student who needs support should speak with a trusted adult in the building; any parent who believes their child needs support should let their child’s counselor or grade-level assistant principal know.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding of this change and the continued support of the entire Westport community during this difficult time.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent
First Email
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
I am so sorry to be writing to you today to share some tragic news. Yesterday, we lost Michael Sansur, beloved Technology Education teacher at Staples High School, to a car accident on I-95. His son was also critically injured in the accident. We are devastated by this news and our hearts are with the Sansur family during this difficult time.
Stafford Thomas, principal of Staples High School, will be working with the building’s crisis team, as well as the central office crisis team, to develop plans for supporting students, staff and families, in coping with this tragedy. We will share those plans with the community later today.
Mike was a personal favorite of countless students and staff. His career has been marked by inspirational stories of Mike positively impacting the lives of students at Staples and creating an unparalleled sense of belonging in his classroom.
Further details and support plans will be shared later today.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent
Staples Boys Soccer: Yet Another Shut-Out
The Wreckers controlled the game on Friday from start to finish. The 6-0 win over St. Joseph’s was Staples’ third in five days. It raises their record to 6-6-1, and keeps them in the race for an FCIAC playoff berth.
Scoring was led by Junior Avery Mueller wo scored twice and sophomore Jonny Costello, also with two goals. Sophmores Dylan Hoke and Sam Rossoni added one goal each.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
Knifed Watercolors Creator Marian Christy Exhibition Opens at MoCA Westport
Marian Christy, above left, sunglasses, spoke with museum-goers about her work and her exhibit at MoCA Westport.
Saturday night MoCA Westport held its opening reception for From the Pen to the Knife, an exhibition featuring a unique collection of watercolors by the ground-breaking artist Marian Christy. Now 90 years old, Christy is the pioneer who invented Knifed Watercolors®, a new technique she developed into a single and original style that shatters tradition. The technique uses only palette knives and puddles of paint. No drawing and no brushes.
Christy was a Pulitzer-Prize nominated journalist for the first chapter of her life at a time when women had limited journalistic opportunities, and considers her time as an artist as a second chapter of her life, a time where she pivoted from “the pen to the knife.”
From the Pen to the Knife was curated by Ruth Mannes, Executive Director of MoCA Westport; Liz Leggett, MoCA Westport’s Director of Exhibitions; and visual artist Tom Berntsen.
The exhibition will be on view through November 27. Docent-led tours are available on Thursday afternoons (advance registration requested), and admission is complimentary on Thursday evenings after 4 PM.
For more information, visit mocawestport.org.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Martha Ordeman, 97, Died; “grew up in Westport, CT, where she met the love of her life, Skip, on the steps of the YMCA.”
Martha Ordeman, age 97, passed away on May 29, 2022, with her family by her side. Martha grew up in Westport, CT, where she met the love of her life, Skip, on the steps of the YMCA. She attended the University of Connecticut where she became a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She graduated in 1947. She and Skip were married the same June. They lived most of their early married years in Westport before moving to Dayton in 1963.
While raising five children, Martha still found time to volunteer. She was involved in many organizations such as Dayton Children's Hospital, AFS, Smith Gardens and St. Paul's Episcopal Church's Alter Guild. She was most proud of chairing the group of volunteers from St. Paul's that delivered meals for Meals on Wheels. She was best known for being there to help others in need. Many have enjoyed a meal from Martha delivered on a tray complete with homemade dessert and a flower in a small vase.
She was a competitive person when it came to sports and games. She enjoyed playing golf and bowling throughout her life. She was on the same bowling team, the Alley Cats, for over 50 years. She was a sharp card player. She continued to beat her family in Casino and double solitaire up until her final days. She was also in several bridge groups until 2020 when COVID prevented them from meeting.
Martha was a woman with many talents. She was a wonderful cook, an experienced seamstress and an avid gardener. She knitted beautiful sweaters for her family and made many cross stitch and embroidered items for family and friends. She was quite the "handy woman". She wallpapered, she painted, she made slipcovers and could fix about anything. She was one of the first among her friends to get a computer. After that she became Skip's secretary, typing many letters and notes for him and helping with all the committees he was on.
Skip and Martha traveled to many places in the U.S. and in other countries but their favorite home away from home was their condo on Sanibel Island. There they created many wonderful family memories. They were avid shellers. In their later years, they enjoyed sitting on the porch, looking out at the gulf and watching the younger family members continue the tradition of shelling.
Martha loved her family more than anything. She was a very caring and supportive wife, mom, grandma and great-grandma. She and Skip attended all their kids' activities and attended as many of the grandkids' activities as possible. She was predeceased by her husband Richard "Skip" Ordeman who died in 2020. They were married 72 years. She is survived, dearly missed and remembered by her children Susan Duncan (Jack), Janet Campbell (Doug), Nancy Downey (John), Linda Miller (Mike), Rick Ordeman (Constance), 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank all the caregivers from Loving Senior Home Care and the nurses and therapists from Fidelity that gave Martha such wonderful care. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 1:30 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 33 W. Dixon Ave., Oakwood, OH. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Dakota Center, 33 Barnett Street, Dayton, OH 45402 in Martha's memory. To share a special memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.