07/09/09 The Latest Greenwich Time News Links

Weed whacker blamed in fire

Martin B. Cassidy

Article Launched: 07/09/2008 03:31:54 PM

A weed whacker charging up in a greenhouse attached to a Fado Lane home likely sparked the ferocious fire last Tuesday morning that destroyed the house, fire officials said.

Investigators determined based on the intense fire damage to the 8-by-10 foot greenhouse connected to a rear door of the two-story ranch home that the fire probably started there, before spreading to the rear part of the home, Fire Inspector Larry Roberts said...
Cold front, storm possible

Temperatures will likely cool down by this afternoon, according to meteorologist Jim Connolly of the National Weather Service. "The weather will be more of the same, but a little cooler," he said. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. A cold front is predicted, dropping temperatures to a more comfortable 80, with low humidity, said Connolly. Currently, the temperatures are in the mid 80's.
Effort boosts number of minority candidates

Martin Cassidy

Staff Writer

Article Launched: 07/09/2008 10:24:01 AM

An effort to diversify the pool of candidates for Greenwich firefighter has brought in a combined 50 black and Hispanic candidates and a handful of other minorities, town human resource officials said.

Of the 437 total candidates, 352 were white. In addition to the black and Hispanic candidates, there were three applicants identified as American Indian and one as Asian. Some applicants identified themselves in the "unspecified" or "other" category....

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07/09/08 Greenwich Post Newslinks For Wednesday

Grace Hirshorn, at right,
smiles with her second place trophy for problem solving.

Sacred Heart student wins for problem solving

Grace Hirshorn, a rising tenth grader at Convent of the Sacred Heart, returned home with a second place trophy from the Future Problem Solving Program International. The conference was held at Michigan State University May 29 to June 1, where Grace competed with students from all over the world.

ALSO:

• Longford’s opens in Old Greenwich

• Campers relive Revolution

• Hoops tourney raises money for autistic children

Please Also See:

Police Watch, July 8

The following are July 8’s released arrests:

LARCENY

Nilcilene Flores, 39, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y. was arrested July 6 and charged with first degree larceny and second degree forgery. Flores, who had worked as a housekeeper for a local family, allegedly stole checks from them and wrote them to cash, using the money for her own personal benefit. Police said about $24,000 was taken. Flores was released on a $10,000 surety bond and is due in court July 14.

POSSESSION

Cesar Gomez, 41, of White Plains, N.Y. was arrested July 7 and charged with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. He was arrested as part of a joint operation between the Greenwich traffic division and the state police at the Interstate-95 North weigh station. Gomez’ truck didn’t stop at a stop sign and police pulled him over just before exit 3. Police said officers saw a package of rolling papers in plain view in the driver’s seat and Gomez told the officer that there was marijuana in a small white bag next to the papers. Gomez was also cited for failure to stop at a state weigh station. Gomez was released on a $219 cash bond and is due in court July 14.

LARCENY

Carmine DeVita, 19, of 34 Boulder Brook Road was arrested July 7 and charged with sixth degree larceny. According to police, DeVita had come to visit Tom’s Driving School on East Putnam Avenue, where he had once been a student. While he was there, DeVita allegedly took $250 from a woman’s purse and left. Officers found him at the East Putnam Avenue McDonalds with a portion of the stolen money. DeVita was released on a promise to appear and is due in court July 14.

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07/09/08 Surprise!!! - "A lot of it wasn't ready," Town Building Official Bill Marr said. "Most of those areas will need a re-inspection."

Construction work continues at Hamilton Avenue School in Chickahominy.
(Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time photo)

Headline:

Hamilton Avenue School Building inspection visits find additional problems that need fixing and conditions that don't meet building codes.

Quote:

"Everyone is kind at the end of their rope," said Dawn Nethercott, co-president of the Hamilton Avenue School PTA, who declined to speculate on whether the project would be completed on time."It's a cross your heart, pray to the novenas, hold your breath kind of thing,"

Story:

Project limps home

By Hoa Nguyen
Greenwich Time Staff Writer

Article Launched: 07/09/2008 02:31:10 AM

...The Hamilton Avenue School project, which began in 2005, has encountered many delays, stretching an estimated 18-month completion period to one that has taken three years. While parents recently received assurances that the project would wrap up before the start of next school year, they also have been disappointed in the past by interim deadlines that have been missed.

For instance, officials said the building would be substantially complete in May, which then stretched into June, and now is slated for end of July.

The frequent delays have disheartened school parents, many of whom have stopped attending meetings in which Mazza and other members of a building committee meet with project manager Middletown-based Pinnacle One and contractor Bethel-based Worth Construction to talk about the project.....

...Since June, town building officials have been making biweekly inspection visits to the school. During each visit, building officials focus their attention on one part of the building, examining the work completed in those particular zones to make sure it meets building safety codes.

For instance, on July 1, inspectors looked at the second floor of the west wing, on July 3, it was the first floor of the west wing, yesterday, it was the second floor of the east wing and tomorrow it will be the first floor of the east wing....

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

Meeting Alert:

Glenville and Hamilton Avenue Parents Mark Your Calendars

The Failed Greenwich Board of Education leaders have will conduct a meetings to discuss and reviewing contingency plans in case the project is delayed at 7 p.m. July 22 at Town Hall.

Then the Failed Board of Education leaders will conduct a second meeting to decide what to do, including moving forward with contingency plans in case the unfinished school is delayed once again. This meeting will be held on 7 p.m. July 29 at Greenwich High School.

Please see yesterdays article:

07/08/08 Hamilton Avenue School has passed only one inspection of 18 final inspections - Only Sprinkers In The Garage Get A Thumbs Up - Maybe Frank Mazza Can Set Up Temporary Classroom Partitions In The Garage, Because The Rest Of The School Has No Fire Coverage

Frank Mazza's project delays are impacting Glenville School parents, who hoped to move into the contaminated modular school classrooms in August so that thier school building can undergo mismanaged reconstruction. But, failed school administrators Susan Wallerstein has said that she does not want to start screwing up Glenville school until Frank Mazza finishes the disaster known as Hamilton Avenue School.

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Please send your comments and any pictures or reports of town or fire officials cutting any corners at Hamilton Avenue School to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com.

Never again, should Hamilton Avenue children be put at risk.

They have suffered enough!!!

07/08/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Wednesday

Suzanne Carlin and her dog, Mikey, in front of the animal control shelter which is set to relocate to a larger building on North Street.
(Keelin Daly/Greenwich Time photo)

North Street animal shelter approved

The town will move ahead on building a long-awaited new animal shelter facility after receiving a final OK from state officials.

Shore Rd. stop sign may stay

A controversial experiment to turn the intersection of Shore Road and Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich into an all-way stop could be made permanent by the town as early as next month.

Bond lowered for suspect in slaying

STAMFORD - A judge lowered the bond yesterday for a Bridgeport man charged with killing a New York man and dumping the body on a backcountry Greenwich road in January.

Ham Ave. fate uncertain

Hamilton Avenue School has passed only one of 18 final inspections done on the new school project in recent weeks. Sprinklers in the garage got the thumbs up, while other inspections yielded problems that needed to be fix.

Making a Racquet: Swenson's RBI hit in seventh propels Rink & Racquet to Babe Ruth crown

Hitless in his first three at bats, all Mike Swenson wanted was another chance to come through in the clutch....

At least past Congresses were less bad

We're half way through the year, my friends. Hard to believe. The old order is about to change, giving way to the new.

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07/08/08 Sever Pain Complaince Techniques - Wrong Headed Teacher Thinks It's OK To Tase Greenwich High School Students

Satar Jabar, who was told that he would be severely shocked if he fell off the box. Satar is lucky, because he would have only gotten one shocked one time instead of three times.

Brown Nosing Ken Lyon Kisses Up To Failed School Administrators And Tries To Defend Using A Weapon On A Human Being Who Is Down On The Ground. This Boy Was Tased In The NECK, CHEST AND LEG - Forget About A Ruler To The Knuckles This So Called "Teacher" Thinks That It Is A Good Idea To Torture Students With Multiple Electronic Shocks

To the editor:

The Taser incident has surfaced again ("GHS taser case: Tapes still not available," Greenwich Time, July 3). The Greenwich Time coverage of this incident has bothered me from the start, as it appears the Time did not investigate the situation completely. Shouldn't the Time have investigated beyond the immediate incident to see what the total picture might reveal?

Let's take a look at student Victor Londono's senior quote that was handed in to the yearbook staff long before the Taser incident took place. "These four years have been the best of my life and I barely passed high school. I annoyed all the teachers.".....

...There is a small group of students in Greenwich High School who need to be the center of attention so badly that they will create situations flouting authority figures in the classroom, the student center and around the campus in general just to try taking control of a situation and feel a sense of power. Is this what this incident was all about?....

Ken "Let's Blame The Victim" Lyon

Stamford

The writer is not the highest performing teacher at Greenwich High School. Maybe we should start using the taser on Ken as a performance compliance method.

Did the school resource officer, Carlos Franco, security head Thomas Bobkowski, Assistant Headmaster Richard Piotrzkowski and another police officer try to calm the situation?

We don't know because Greenwich High School Headmaster Alan Capaso refuses to release the video tapes.

The Greenwich Time owes it to the general public to report the complete picture, rather than the stilted, one-sided version printed so far.

Did the Time ever look at Police Officer / School Resource officer Carlos Franco's legal history with the town of Greenwich?

Please see:

05/20/08 - School Resource Officer Carlos Franco Says Greenwich Police Department Is racist. Officer Franco might not be a happy camper at GHS.

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07/08/08 Hamilton Avenue School has passed only one of 18 final inspections (Updated)

GLENVILLE AND HAMILTON AVENUE PARENTS ONCE AGAIN ARE PROVEN RIGHT

Ham Ave. fate uncertain

Hoa Nguyen

Article Launched: 07/08/2008 04:19:47 PM



...Sprinklers in the garage got the thumbs up, while other inspections yielded problems that needed to be fix.

Still, with weeks of inspections and additional work needed for the project to reach a completion point, building committee officials said they are hopeful about meeting their end of July deadline.

"We'll be tugging and screaming but we'll get it done," said Frank Mazza, head of the Hamilton Avenue School building committee...

It looks like the Greenwich Building Department is starting to understand that Hamilton Avenue parents will never again allow their children be placed in unsafe educational facilities.

06/17/08 The Greenwich Building Inspector Had Better Not Illegally Issue A TEMPORARY Certificate Of Occupancy For Hamilton Avenue School

07/02/08 The Greenwich BOE Is A Total Mess !!!

06/11/08 - Breaking School News - The Parent's Test Results Are In - The Greenwich Board Of Education Is Put Under A Microscope

05/09/09 - Hey Greenwich Time - Glenville School Parents Want To Know Why??????

MORE WARNINGS ABOUT THE BOE:

06/10/08 Sue Wallerstein's Poor Planning And Mismanagement Is Rewarded With A Gift Of Over One Million Dollars From The Representative Town Meeting

06/05/08 Are Hamilton Avenue School Parents Getting Screwed By The Greenwich Board Of Education

06/05/08 Are Glenville Parents Going To Be Screwed By The Greenwich Board Of Education? Parents Better Start Connecting The Dots.

06/05/08 Reader Submitted Comments -When Is The Greenwich Board Of Education Going To Get Rid Of High Paid And Failed Administrators Like Susan Wallerstein

Will Hamilton Avenue Students Be Sent Back To The Contaminated Modular Classrooms On August 27th?

Please listen to what Mr. Carbino's wise advice.

Reuse of modular buildings would be the wrong move

To the editor:

I would like to comment about a meeting I recently attended regarding the mold issue with the modular buildings at Western Middle School. The meeting, which was held at Glenville School, was designed so the building committee could present facts and findings about relocation options for Glenville School, and then have a question-and-answer session with parents.

There were five options presented. The building committee quickly ruled out four of the options, and remediation of the old modular buildings was the only one left for discussion.

I strongly believe remediation of the modular buildings is not an option. I don't think the question is whether the mold can be removed. The question is whether anyone can make this site a school.

The Hamilton Avenue School students just spent the better part of four years in this modular school. This building committee needs to learn from them. Let's ask them: If the mold can safely be removed, would you like to go back into the modular buildings at Western? From discussions I've heard, the definitive answer would be no! So why should I, as a Glenville parent of two, send my children there?

Let's step back and learn from mistakes made in the past. This is not an ideal site. And four years without a gym or cafeteria is unacceptable.

Let's put new modular buildings on the Western Greenwich Civic Center site. The building is newly remodeled, and was once a functional school. It's located in the heart of Glenville and has a cafeteria and gym available for use.

The problem surrounding this option is cost and delays. The question becomes: What's been the cost with doing it wrong? I'm sure the Hamilton Avenue community can speak volumes about that.

With regard to delays, what's more important -- getting the new building started on time, or building an improved interim school for our children to attend for at least two, and most likely three, years?

A student conceivably could spend a third of his or her Glenville elementary education (with building delays, it could be half) in modular buildings. Let's wait and do things right!

Frank Carbino

Greenwich

Please see:

06/03/08 - Poor Dorothy Gets So Confused By Misleading Greenwich Time Headlines

Please also see:

05/31/08
Sometimes Greenwich Time Reporters 
Remind One Of The BushAdministration 
Before Nine Eleven. They Just Can't Connect The Dots.


05/30/08
Serious "Cup Cake" Allegations? With Ten School Days 
Left In The Year
It Is A Disgrace That School Spokesperson Kim Eves 
Is Withholding Vital
Information From Parents.

05/29/08
This month principals from all over the world 
have been suspended and
in each and every case the parents were told 
why, except in Greenwich

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07/08/08 Poorly Organized League Of Women Voters Lacks Resources And Skills To Conduct August Democratic Congressional Debate (Updated)

League rebuffs Whitnum on debate request

Says difficult to muster resources with people away for summer

Article Launched: 07/08/2008 04:29:16 PM EDT

The League of Women Voters of Connecticut has declined a request by candidate Lee Whitnum to sponsor a debate prior to the Aug. 12 Democratic primary in Fourth District congressional race.

Jara Burnett, who is president of the statewide nonpartisan organization, said Tuesday that the league would have difficulty lining up a moderator and mustering its resources for a summertime debate....

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

The League Of Women voters appears to be in decline, because two years ago, they sponsored a summertime debate between Democratic candidates in a primary for the party's nomination for governor.

It looks like tax free donations to the league were wasted on a non-profit organization that can't pull off a summertime debate.

Is the League becoming a partisan organization?

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