Morning Weather Report: Cold Day, Seasonal Night for Town Hall Tree Lighting
Today
Sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight. Town Hall Tree Lighting begins at 5 PM with festivities following.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near 36 by 10pm, then rising to around 44 during the remainder of the night. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
8 Homes Reported without Power after Wednesday Storms
With gusty winds and saturated earth, trees and limbs caused thousands of power outages across the State, according to Eversource - with only eight homes reported as “out” by 9:30 Wednesday night. No major road closures or flooding were noted in the community.
Governor, Department of Education Announce New Native American Studies Model Curriculum
Press ReleaseGovernor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) today announced a new partnership with Connecticut’s recognized tribal nations to create a new Native American studies model curriculum.
This partnership and model curriculum stems from recently enacted legislation requiring school districts to include Native American studies as part of the social studies curriculum in the school year commencing July 1, 2023, and each year thereafter. This model curriculum and curricular resources, once finalized, will include the study of Native American tribes in Connecticut, including Northeastern Woodland tribes.
“Connecticut students deserve to have inclusive and accurate history lessons,” Governor Lamont said. “This curriculum is an important part of acknowledging our past and historical connections with our tribal nations. We are going beyond acknowledgment by building meaningful relationships with our tribal leaders and this curriculum effort is a prime example of that.”
“This partnership with Connecticut’s tribal nations is critical to ensuring the Native American studies curriculum development process is driven by Connecticut’s native and indigenous voices,” CSDE Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said. “It is our goal to develop nation-leading educational resources and curriculum tools with subject matter experts in their fields and community members, while providing those resources at no cost to districts.”
“Native Americans play a critical role in Connecticut’s history and continue to play a critical role in Connecticut today,” CSDE Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi said. “This is an opportunity to fully illuminate the historical and contemporary wisdom and contributions of Native Americans. The Connecticut State Department of Education is excited for this partnership and to curate cultural assets of each Connecticut tribe.”
Each of the five recognized tribes in Connecticut has its own individual story, and this curriculum will help students become aware of them.
Staff from the CSDE Academic Office plan to release this curriculum in June 2023 and have already begun meeting with officials from Connecticut’s tribes, as well as educators and other stakeholders to develop curriculum standards to inform curriculum resources and materials for the Native American studies model curriculum. Once completed, these curriculum resources will be made available on GoOpenCT, Connecticut’s digital library of open education resources.
Earthplace’s Harbor Watch Hosts Water Quality Symposium Thursday with local High-schoolers
Press ReleaseThe Harbor Watch team is proud to announce the return of the Annual Water Quality Symposium on Thursday, December 1, at Earthplace from 6:30-7pm. Throughout the fall season, 11 high school students from Fairfield, Norwalk, New Canaan, Stamford, Stratford, Weston and Westport participated in the River Research Program, focused on studying the water quality in Stony Brook (starting south of the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk to its discharge into Saugatuck River in Westport). These students will present their findings in a conference-style poster session to community members, municipal partners and local teachers.
During this six-week program, the students learned about important local water quality issues and what Harbor Watch is doing to help track down and mitigate sources of sewage pollution in natural waterways. They were also taught methods for bacteria and nutrient testing in water and were exposed to useful field and laboratory skills, data analysis, and presentation skills.
Presentation topics will include a seasonal comparison of bacteria concentrations in Stony Brook, a multiple year comparison of bacteria data of Stony Brook, and macro-invertebrate composition analysis in Stony Brook.
Nikki Spiller, Director of Harbor Watch says, “We believe that all our education programs are vital in providing students in our community with hands-on educational experiences to solve real-world problems. While in our programs, they are given the opportunity to explore a possible career path, develop a better understanding how their actions can impact the health of these rivers and Long Island Sound and gain critical thinking and analysis skills that can be used beyond the sciences.”
Frank Richard Mori, Westporter, Died
Frank Richard Mori, of Westport, CT, passed away peacefully on November 22, 2022, in the company of loved ones. Mr. Mori graduated summa cum laude Dartmouth College and went on to earn his master's degree from Harvard Business School. Frank was a titan of industry, starting as a manager at the General Foods Company and working his way toward what would be a long and distinguished career as President and CEO of Anne Klein and CEO of Donna Karan International, where he played an instrumental role in developing the foundations of the fashion industry as it is known today. He was a philanthropic man who served on the Board of Directors of the Stride Rite Corp., Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp., Dillards Inc., and Horizons.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday from 4 to 8pm in the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, Fairfield CT. Funeral services will take place on Thursday at 11am in the Funeral Home, with a reception to follow. A private interment will be held on Friday in Putnam Cemetery, Greenwich, CT. To read his complete obituary, for travel directions or to sign his online guest registry, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneral Home.com
Published by New York Times on Nov. 29, 2022.
Westport Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography; Released on $150k Bond
Press Release
On August 15th, 2022, Westport Police initiated an investigation into the possession of suspected child pornography by a local resident after receiving a cybertip from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The images contained in the cybertip were confirmed child pornography and the supplier of the cybertip provided the name of John Minehan as the person allegedly responsible for downloading the content.
Along with the provided images and suspect name, NCMEC also provided an IP address of the device(s) used to download the content. Search warrants were executed to identify the subscriber of the IP address which confirmed the name on the cybertip as John Minehan of Westport, CT. The Westport Police Detective Bureau executed a search warrant at the residence on October 21st, 2022 and seized several items of evidence suspected of containing child pornography. A warrant was applied for and granted.
On November 28th, 2022, Mr. Minehan turned himself into Westport Police where he was charged with the Possession of Child Pornography 1st degree and released on a $150,000.00 bond with a court date of December 8th, 2022, at Stamford Superior Court.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Showers, mainly after 10am. High near 59. Breezy, with a southeast wind 5 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 31. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. West wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Westport Museum hosts Holiday Market on Saturday
Westport Museum for History & Culture will be hosting its 3rd annual outdoor holiday market on its grounds in downtown Westport on Saturday, December 3rd from 10am to 4pm. The free event is part of the Museum’s December-long Holly Days programming which is sponsored, in part, this year by Westport’s Lyons Plain Architecture & Design.
“This event has something for everyone,” said Westport Museum Chairperson, Darcy Hicks. “In addition to unique local vendors visitors will get to enjoy our holiday themed displays including our beloved gingerbread village of Westport buildings past and present. Best of all, Santa Claus will be on hand to visit with young and old.”
The Museum’s holiday displays include a vignette portraying a Victorian Christmas celebration and the Westport Heritage Tree, created in the 1980s as an ecumenical celebration of winter holidays. The tree showcases ornaments ranging from the traditional to the modern and representing various artistic styles. Among them are those created by artists including cartoonists Mel Casson and Randy Enos; illustrators Stevan Dohanos, Hardie Gramatky, Howard Munce and Jim Sharpe as well as stamp designer Leonard Everett Fisher and sculptors Jean Woodham and Hilda Kraus.
In an annual tradition, a new building is added to Gingerbread Westport. This year it is a traditional New England Saltbox House. Replica Saltbox Houses will be available for a gingerbread decorating workshop for the public on December 10th and 11th. Registration for that event can be found at westporthistory.org.
Also this year, Holly Days Festival & Market goers will also not only be able to shop among the local vendors but pick up a very special gift—a traditional silhouette by artist Deborah O’Connor.
“We’re so excited to once again host noted silhouette artist Deborah O’Connor who is back with us in person after two years of COVID restrictions,” said Ganeshram. “Silhouettes are classic American art form and make a gorgeous holiday gift. You can even have a silhouette done of a beloved pet from a photo taken in profile.”
Silhouettes will be cut and framed, if desired, in the Museum’s newly restored Cobblestone Barn. Register at https://westporthistory.org/events/silhouettes/.
And, as always, the star attraction at the market is none other than jolly old St. Nick himself who will be posing for professional photos with kids young and old, taken by Westport photographer Jerri Graham. Members enjoy a private early-bird hour for their photos at 9-10am.
Hanna Przada, principal at Lyons Plain Architecture & Design, which is sponsoring the Gingerbread Village and Santa Claus encourages everyone to come out for the family-fun event.
"This is a wonderful day for all and we’re proud to continue to support this important institution,” said Przada. “As architects who often work in the space of historic preservation and with clients new to the area, we know how important or organizations like Westport Museum are to the community spirit and cultural life of the town."
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind.
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Calm wind.
Tomorrow
Showers, mainly after 1pm. High near 58. Breezy, with a south wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tomorrow Night
Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 30. Breezy, with a southwest wind 17 to 22 mph becoming west 11 to 16 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Town Hall Tree Lighting Slated for Thursday at 5pm
Press ReleaseFirst Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker announced today that the Town’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue, on Thursday, December 1 at 5 pm.
The Staples High School Orphenians will perform a selection of seasonal songs.
The public is invited.