Superintendent Announces No School for Kids on Monday
Westport Superintendent Thomas Scarice:
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
As you are all aware, the recent surge of infections has gripped our region. We are experiencing infection rates unlike any time since the start of the pandemic. We do know that our students are best served being in school and, along with continuing to maintain the health and safety of our students and staff, keeping our students in school and engaged in all of their programs remains our priority.
As the conditions rapidly unfold, guidance from our partners at the State Department of Education and Department of Public Health remains delayed. There are legitimate questions about our ability to staff our schools next week based on recent infection rates, travel cancellations for those out of state, among other complications. With limited guidance from the state level, we will work at our local level to develop approaches in the event conditions warrant further interventions and modifications.
For this reason, a decision has been made to extend the winter break by one day for all students. Monday January 3 will not be a school day for students.
All faculty and staff will report on Monday January 3. This will enable the district to work collaboratively to develop a range of responses to the changing conditions over the coming weeks. The fluid situation requires thoughtful consideration and this additional day on Monday provides a measure of time to continue planning and assessing actual staffing levels to ensure that we can provide a healthy and optimal educational experience for our students.
Among the many considerations, the district team has been working this entire week to make provisions for:
a range of potential Executive Orders or state emergency declarations,
additional ways to support a significant increase in the number of students in isolation due to infection
optimizing mitigating measures in schools, such as lunch waves
state adoption of new CDC guidance which potentially shortens isolation and quarantine periods, and redefines “fully vaccinated” (all of which could impact staffing levels and student attendance)
the high school mid-term exams
There are obviously other considerations beyond this list, however, this is illustrative of the many challenges we face in successfully returning our students and staff to school next week.
You can expect further information over the weekend. In the meantime, stay healthy.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Shoreline Silhouettes
A cloudy day with mild temperatures brought visitors to Compo this afternoon. WestportLocal.com photo
Sunset Thoughts
A pensive moment as the sunset over South Beach this evening. WestportLocal.com photo
Metro North Bans Alcohol on Trains Starting Friday at Noon
Metropolitan Transit Authority ReleaseThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that, as in years past, it will ban the consumption of alcohol on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains on New Year’s Eve.
The ban will be in effect beginning 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, through 12:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1. Alcohol consumption will also be prohibited at all LIRR and Metro-North station platforms during these hours.
The MTA Police Department will have an increased presence at Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal to enforce the weekend alcohol restriction. Police will confiscate alcoholic beverages and issue summonses. Violators may also be subject to removal from trains or stations by police.
As a reminder, masks and face coverings must be worn on all trains and remain on for the duration of one’s trip.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 44; State Positivity Rate 20.33%, Hospitalizations Up 38 Patients
The Westport-Weston Health District and the State Department of Public Health reported 44 new COVID-19 cases for Westport over the past 24 hours. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 20.33% while hospitalizations were up 38 patients, totaling 1,151 patients across the State - 71.20% of whom are not fully vaccinated.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 2,715 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 32 deaths.
State Daily Test Positivity: 20.33% [up from 17.78%]
State Hospitalizations: 1,151 patients [+38]
Westport Fire Chief Rob Yost Retires; Deputy Chief Kronick named New Chief
From First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker
Westport First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker announced today that she has accepted the retirement letter of Fire Chief Robert Yost, effective January 1, 2022.
Ms. Tooker said, “The Town of Westport and its residents have been very fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Rob’s expertise and dedication throughout his 34 years. As Fire Chief, Rob has assured that our firefighters are appropriately recruited, trained, and equipped to serve in their roles of preventing and fighting fires and providing rescue services.
"As the Emergency Management Director, Rob has been on the front lines in protecting all our residents. On Rob’s watch, Westport has weathered some particularly devastating storms and tense situations. In addition, his attention to FEMA reimbursement regulations and opportunities has enabled many Westporters to receive federal financial assistance in repairing/replacing their storm damaged properties.
"On behalf of the residents of Westport, his fellow employees, and his firefighting colleagues, I am grateful for Rob’s longstanding, exemplary and dedicated service. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Chief Yost stated, “It has been an honor to serve the Town of Westport for the last 34 years, and a privilege to work with the finest Firefighters and coworkers in the State. I look forward to enjoying a new chapter in my life and I will always hold the Westport Fire Department near and dear to my heart.”
Ms. Tooker continued, “I am very confident that the command of the Westport Fire Department will remain in capable hands. To that end, I am pleased to announce that Deputy Chief Michael Kronick will be promoted to Department Chief and Emergency Management Director upon Chief Yost’s retirement. Mike has the proven ability and expertise to seamlessly and effectively take over the role as Chief. Like Chief Yost, Mike has a breadth of knowledge, skill and understanding that will ensure that the current high standards of safety and efficiency will be maintained in the Westport Fire Department.”
About Chief Robert Yost:
Chief Robert Yost began his career in the fire service in 1986 as a part-time firefighter for the Mansfield Volunteer Fire Co. while attending the University of Connecticut. After briefly working for Xerox Corp., he took a full-time position in Mansfield. He was sworn in as a Westport Firefighter in 1988.
After becoming the department’s first Emergency Medical Service Instructor, he became a paramedic in 1995. In 2006, Rob was promoted to lieutenant. He was the Fire Department leader of the joint Fire and Police Dive Rescue Team. In 2009, he was promoted to Assistant Chief, and in 2011, was promoted to Assistant Chief Training Officer. Rob was appointed to the position of Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director in February 2017.
Rob also has a family background in firefighting. His father served as Fire Chief in Norwalk for two decades, and a photo of his grandfather, also a firefighter, sitting atop a Norwalk firetruck adorns his desk.
During his career with Westport Fire Department, he has obtained three Edmund Duffy Unit Citations, a John Gallagher Award for an Unusual Act of Valor, and a Certificate of Exemplary Police Action. He is a member of the National Ski Patrol, the Connecticut Interstate Wildfire Crew, and the Connecticut West Incident Management Team. His other interests include skiing, bicycle riding, scuba diving, windsurfing and kiteboarding. He lives in Milford with his wife, Tina.
About Deputy Chief Michael Kronick:
Deputy Chief Michael Kronick joined the Westport Fire Department in July of 1998. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in January of 2009. Mike was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief in October 2017. During his career with the Westport Fire Department, he has been awarded the Edmund Duffy Unit Citation, the Chief Shippey and the Argenio awards for service to the department.
Mike serves on the Connecticut Incident Management Team and was instrumental in forming the Fairfield County Strike Team and Task Force system. He is a member of the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew and has been on several national wildfire deployments out West.
Mike graduated from Fairfield High School in 1991 and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Fire Science from the University of New Haven. Mike lives in Stratford with his fiancé Beth and his two adorable little boys, Sullivan (2 years old) and Anderson (3 weeks old).
Westport COVID-19 Test Kit Distribution Postponed
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker
The Town of Westport has been notified that due to a shipping problem, the at-home Covid test kits from the State have not been delivered to us. The distribution planned at Staples High School scheduled for today 12/30/21 at 1pm is hereby postponed. Once the test kits have been received, we will notify our residents of the new date/time of distribution.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and we are hopeful that the State will rectify this problem very soon.
Westport Center for Senior Activities
All indoor programming has been cancelled through January 17, 2022. All registrants for classes being held during this period will be notified and when possible, classes will be held via Zoom. The congregate lunch program will continue to operate as a drive-through at noon, Monday – Friday. If interested, please reserve a lunch by calling 203.341.5099.
We thank you for patience, understanding and cooperation and look forward to seeing you when we resume in-house programs.
As we move into a busy holiday weekend, we strongly encourage wearing masks indoors, social distancing, and monitoring your own health. If you are not already fully vaccinated, please get a booster.
We wish you and your families a healthy and happy 2022.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 9am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 46. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 9pm. Cloudy, with a low around 38. Calm wind.
Tomorrow
A 20 percent chance of rain before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Calm wind.
Tomorrow Night
A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind.
Dr. Martha Sue Newell Atkinson, 98, Died; Professor, Cedar Point Member, Silver Donkey Awardee
Martha Sue Newell Atkinson died December 23, 2021 in Chester, Connecticut.
Always known as Sue, she was born in 1923 in Falls City, Nebraska to Duane Jacob and Grace Gillham Post Newell. She graduated from high school in Falls City as salutatorian and was student speaker at her college graduation from Park College, Missouri, in 1944.
After college Sue was awarded a one-year fellowship with the National Institute of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. She spent six months with the Labor Department and six months with the National Labor Relations Board. At the end of World War II, she went to work for the U.S. Department of State to establish an embassy in The Hague, spending two and a half years in post-war Europe.
Returning to the United States, she entered graduate school to study economics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she met and married fellow PhD student Thomas Roth Atkinson. She earned her PhD in economics in 1951, a time when few women got doctorate degrees and fewer still in the field of economics.
As they moved from Wisconsin to Riverdale, New York; Atlanta, Georgia and finally Westport, Connecticut, Sue had a lengthy career as a college professor. She taught at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, City College in New York City and then for many years at the University of Bridgeport. At the University of Bridgeport she was involved in union politics and the faculty strike of 1978 and served as chapter president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). One of her colleagues referred to her as the "Velvet Steamroller."
On retirement Sue and Tom went to teach at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China. They were in Beijing during the student uprising in Tiananmen Square and had to leave before their classes ended. Later they returned to China to teach at the Johns Hopkins University/University of Nanjing Center.
Sue and Tom lived more than 50 years in Westport. They belonged to Cedar Point Yacht Club and enjoyed sailing on Long Island Sound. Picnic dinners on the wall by the cannons at Compo Beach were a special joy Sue and Tom shared. They enjoyed traveling and visited many interesting places throughout their 65-year marriage. Over the years they hosted many international students in their home. Sue was an enthusiastic gardener and belonged to the Westport Garden Club. She also volunteered at the Westport Historical Society. Passionate about politics, she was a member of the Democratic Women of Westport. She served as co-president and received the Silver Donkey Award for her work.
Sue's husband Tom passed away in 2013 after which she moved to Chester, CT. She is survived by her four children: Barbara (Kip) Seely, St. Louis, Mo.; Thomas N. (Patricia) Atkinson, Essex, Conn.; Connie (Mark) Holberg, Watertown, N.Y.; and Jane (James) Prentice, W. Cornwall, Conn.; nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Also surviving is Haluk (Monika) Alacaklioglu of Istanbul, Turkey, who lived with the Atkinsons while a foreign exchange student at Staples High school and continues to be considered family.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 51; State Positivity Rate Up to 17.78%, Hospitalizations Up 150
The State Department of Public Health reported 51 new COVID-19 cases for Westport over the past 24 hours. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 17.78% while hospitalizations were up 150 patients, totaling 1,113 patients across the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 2,671 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 32 deaths.
State Daily Test Positivity: 17.78% [up from 14.98%]
State Hospitalizations: 1,113 patients [+150]