Old Library Blues
Blue skies met the intricate roofline of the original Westport Library at the corner of Main and Post. WestportLocal.com photo
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Light and variable wind.
Tomorrow
Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 63. Light northeast wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tomorrow Night
Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 52. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 3; State Positivity Rate 8.71%
The State Department of Public Health reported 3 new COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past two days. The State positivity rate remained at 8.71% while 432 people remain hospitalized.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,935 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 40 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 8.71%
Westport Police Working to Identify Caller in Staples “Swatting” Incident
Press ReleaseOn October 21, 2022, at approximately 9:10 a.m., Westport’s Emergency Communications Center received a call from a person who was reporting that there was an active shooter inside Staples High School. The patrol and detective divisions as well as officers in administrative rolls immediately went to the school. As officers were responding, contact was established with the School Resource Officer who stated that there was no indication of a problem at the location. This led the department to believe that this may be what is referred to as a “swatting” call. Despite the possibility of this being a hoax, the high school was placed on lock down and the police department proceeded as if there was an active threat.
Once on scene, teams of officers checked the entire school to confirm there was no shooter. This exhaustive search included checking each room within the high school as well as all common areas. Nothing of concern was discovered which confirmed our belief that the call reporting the active shooter was in fact a hoax. It is our understanding that other schools throughout the state received the same call.
Out of an abundance of caution, officers will be stationed at all of Westport’s schools for the remainder of the day.
The outstanding communication between the police and school officials allowed this incident to run smoothly. Additionally, the members of the police department were incredibly impressed with the composure exhibited by students and faculty alike in the face of a very freighting situation.
The police department’s detective bureau has assumed control of this investigation and are looking to identify the caller.
We would like to thank the Norwalk, Fairfield, Wilton, and Weston police departments for the assistance they provided during the incident.
Westport Property Transfers: October 3rd - 7th; Highest Sale at $15.1 Million on Cross Highway
Westport Town Clerk’s Office:
Total Conveyance Tax: $110,683.11
Total Sales: $44,273,245.89
Highest Transfer Price: 167 Cross Highway: $15,175,000
Lowest Transfer Price: 14 Reimer Road: $690,000
Transfers:
167 Cross Highway: $15,175,000
19 Old Hill Farms Road: $5,100,000
20 Silver Brook Road: $4,148,585.98
15 Duck Pond Road: $3,500,000
4 Trailing Rock Lane: $3,469,659.91
5 Hermit Lane: $3,300,000
8 Sycamore Drive: $2,775,000
21 Grove Point Road: $2,520,000
18 Cross Highway: $1,075,000
10 Greenwood Lane: $1,025,000
153 Compo Road North: $775,000
31 Hiawatha Lane Extension: $720,000
14 Reimer Road: $690,000
Superintendent Gives Update after Staples Lockdown
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
This morning the Westport Police received a phone call indicating a potential threat at Staples High School. Although we have since learned that multiple schools across the state received the same threat, at the time, the response protocol warranted a thorough onsite evaluation of Staples, including an armed room by room threat assessment.
To be clear, police weapons were in sight of students and staff and as a result, we are changing our focus for the remainder of the school day. Schools will follow the normal schedule and students will be provided emotional support as needed. However, teachers have been asked to focus on the social/emotional needs of their students for the remainder of the day. Students will remain in school as it is appropriate to remain together as a school community at this time.
While this evaluation was conducted, all of the other schools in Westport were supported with an onsite police presence and put into place appropriate safety protocols.
Upon completion of the extensive analysis by the Westport Police Department, the building was deemed safe and the threat was determined to lack credibility.
We are grateful for the swift response of our police department and the communication between the schools and WPD in handling this matter.
Sincerely,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent
Superintendent: Lockdown Lifted; Campus Safe, Secure
“We have just been informed that the lockdown has been lifted, and the campus has been cleared and safe. Additional information will be forthcoming for the community.”
Superintendent Thomas Scarice
Westport Schools: Investigation Continues; No Active Threat Reported
Dear Families,
This morning a call was made to the Westport Police Department WPD) that warranted a lockdown at Staples High School. As a precaution, Bedford Middle School was placed in a “shelter in place”. The WPD is on scene at this moment investigating and the building is secure. When a school is in a lockdown or “shelter in place”, no visitors are allowed on campus. All district schools have implemented safety procedures until this matter is resolved.
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 46. South wind around 6 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Musical Duo Dan + Claudia Zane headline Voices Cafe Kids on November 5th
Press ReleaseThe nationally heralded, award-winning duo Dan + Claudia Zanes will be at Westport’s Voices Café (10 Lyons Plains Rd, Westport) on Saturday afternoon November 5th, at 4pm, for a terrific in-person concert for all ages. Doors open at 3:30. This event introduces Voices Café KIDS, so bring the whole family to enjoy Dan + Claudia Zanes, “the gold standard in kids’ music,” according to NPR. It will be an afternoon of singing, laughter, movement, dancing and joy. Everyone is invited to join the fun!
Voices Café offers a welcoming, uplifting atmosphere, in a sensory-friendly, spacious, open environment; seating will be theater-style with space upfront for movement and fun. General admission is $25 per adult, $15 per child ages 2 to 17, and children under two are welcome at no charge. A 15% FAMILYTIME discount is available for families of four or more. Tickets and more information at: https://voicescafe.org/
Voices Café KIDS continues the tradition of a deep commitment to social justice that has always been attached to our Voices Café programming. Voices Café, now in its 12th year, is known for drawing in superb folk singers and bands for adult fans, while also supporting important social justice causes. Voices Café KIDS is the first concert designed for full family participation in a sensory-friendly atmosphere, even as the commitment to social justice continues. A portion of this concert’s proceeds are dedicated to the fight against food insecurity in our local community, through Connecticut Food Bank. Non-perishable food items may be donated at this event and, in addition to funds raised through this concert, will be brought to Connecticut Food Bank for local distribution.
About the artists:
Grammy award winning Dan Zanes and Haitian American music therapist / jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes have been making music with each other since the day they met in the fall of 2016. Inspired by their artful modern-day all-ages folk music and their commitment to inclusion and accessibility, in 2017 the Kennedy Center commissioned Claudia and Dan to create a theater piece for young audiences, Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera.
Their love of songs and communal music-making led to an award-winning songbook entitled Dan Zanes’ House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury, released in 2018. People calls Dan ”the crown prince of contemporary kid’s music.”
In late 2019 the couple moved from Brooklyn to Baltimore and what had been a full schedule of performances evaporated with the advent of the pandemic. It was in March 2020 that Dan and Claudia started their Social Isolation Song Series. For the next two hundred days, to stay connected and uplift others, they performed a different song every day. This series of videos currently resides in the Library of Congress.
The two continue to adapt and reinvent and sing their way to new beginnings. Claudia runs a flourishing skin care business and Dan continues his work with Constructive White Conversations, a white antiracist organization he co-founded in 2011.
Time magazine calls Dan Zanes “the family-music genre’s most outspoken and eloquent advocate,” and The New York Times says their concerts “are always cause for celebration.” https://www.danandclaudia.com
To hear a bit of what makes Dan + Claudia Zanes’ concerts “the happiest concert vibe since Woodstock...,” according to New York magazine, go to: https://youtu.be/TsWWBgo1MM8
Learn more:
Voices Café’s upcoming lineup includes an afternoon of holiday jazz with the talented Heather Pierson Trio on December 3rd at 4pm, and the highly energetic Buffalo Rose on January 21st at 8pm. For additional information please contact Kim Fuchs at kim.f.fuchs@gmail.com, or via mobile 201-674-2853.