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Monday, September 1, 2008

09/01/08 Election 2008 Update


Republican candidates were on the town green before and during the early part of Sunday’s Concert on the Green to meet constituents and answer questions. Present were U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th); Toni Boucher (R-143), candidate for the state Senate’s 26th District; Melanie O’Brien, challenger for the state’s 2nd District seat; and John Stripp (R-135), who is seeking re-election.

(Janis Gibson /Redding Pilot photo)



Redding Pilot

by Janis Gibson

Three Republicans running for state office — Toni Boucher, Melanie O’Brien and John Stripp — were on the town green Sunday, Aug. 24, for a meet and greet in the hour before the season’s final Concert on the Green.

They were joined for part of the time by U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays of the 4th District.

As people gathered for the concert, Mr. Shays worked the crowd, talking especially to young people. “I like to talk to kids and to encourage them to become involved in their communities,” he said. “It makes them feel empowered, plus they can often influence their parents’ vote.”

Mr. Shays, who has served his district since 1987, is being challenged by Greenwich businessman Jim Himes. He recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan....

by Ricardo Valenzuela
...Of 19 House Republican incumbents in competitive races, at least six plan to skip the convention, including Chris Shays of Connecticut ...
...In Connecticut, incumbent Shays is running ads saying he offers the best of both worlds: the change offered by Obama and the experience of McCain.

``It's an absolutely genius strategy in this kind of a daunting political environment for Republicans,'' Wasserman said.


Greenwich Time, CT

By Debra Friedman
As residents soaked up the Labor Day weekend sun at Greenwich Point, 30 committed volunteers roamed the beaches with one important mission in mind - registering voters.

Young or old, red or blue, these volunteers wanted every beachgoer to make sure they were eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The voter registration drive was organized by Old Greenwich for Obama, but all volunteers stressed their commitment to keeping things bi-partisan.

"We try to keep our views to ourselves," said Margaret Robben, the main organizer of the event.

"It's not about which party you are for, or which candidate, it's about just getting people to vote," said fellow volunteer Pam Sloane.

An hour into the drive, Robben said they had already registered 25 new voters and hoped to keep the numbers coming as the day went on.

"I've averaged about 10 to 15 people a week at the various places I've been going," said Robben, who has organized 11 registration drives so far this month alone.

Will Drennen, of Greenwich, who was wearing a ninja mask for a youtube.com video spoof he was filming with some friends, stopped by to sign up. Drennen turns 18 in September and said the economy was the issue he felt the most strongly about.

"That's probably the issue I am the most educated on," Drennen said.

A member of the Greenwich beach crew, James Olser, said he did not register for the last presidential election, but planned to this time because he felt it was of .....

Voting audit hits town


Greenwich Time


By Neil Vigdor



The dreaded "A" word, as in audit, has reared its head once again at the Greenwich registrars of voters office. Four of the town's 12 voting districts have randomly been chosen by the state for a mandatory audit of the results of the Aug. 12 Democratic congressional primary won in a landslide by Jim Himes over Lee Whitnum.

Four poll workers will hand count the ballots during the audit, which will start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Cone Room at Town Hall and is open to the public.

A less-than-enthusiastic Democratic Registrar Sharon Vecchiolla said the audit will cost the town more time and money, an amount that has not been determined.

"If it has to be done, it's got to be done," Vecchiolla said.

Under Connecticut law, election results from 10 percent of all voting precincts in the state must be audited after elections, a mandate that was put in place in 2007 when mechanical lever machines were replaced with electronic scanners. The fax-like machines read blackened ovals on paper ballots that resemble standardized test answer sheets.

State election officials are taking the mandate one step further, however.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has ordered an audit of the election results from one-third or 82 statewide polling locations used in federal, state and local primaries on Aug. 12.

The University of Connecticut, which tabulates the audit results for the state, recommended a greater sampling of polling locations because fewer votes were ...

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Please send your comments, election news and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

09/01/08 Asch said that he will begin to address the number of unauthorized moorings clogging navigation channels in and out of town harbors

Comming Into Greenwich Harbor


HEADLINES:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell appointed Jonathan Asch, a Byram native, to a three-year term as harbormaster.

Greenwich Town officials hope Jonathan Asch will focus on addressing increased boating traffic and stalled dredging projects.

QUOTES:

"Greenwich is ready to step up its harbor management practices, which is an area that hasn't had a lot of attention in the past," lifelong resident and sailor Jonathan Asch said. "I'm going to be very proactive in getting a handle on our harbors and waterways."

"Jonathan is very knowledgable about our local waters and knows a lot of the area boaters," Mary Rappa, commodore of the Old Greenwich Yacht Club said. "He's a people person, and a handy guy, who knows how to get things done."

THE STORY:

Byram native lands harbormaster post

By Martin B. Cassidy
Greenwich Time Staff Writer

Illegal moorings, environmental issues and maintaining safe harbors for boaters will be top priorities for lifelong resident and sailor Jonathan Asch as he takes over the town's harbormaster post....

...Asch, a project manager for Mamaroneck, N.Y.-based Flintlock Construction, said he spent more than 20 years in marina management, running Nichols Yacht Yard in Westchester County, the World's Fair Marina in Flushing, N.Y., and the 79th Street Boat Basin in Manhattan during that time.

In the late 1980s he launched his own boat repair business in Connecticut and New York...

...The position provides a $750 stipend a year.

Ensuring boaters, kayakers, and rowers possess required state safety certifications is also important, given the growing number of people using the town's shoreline for boating and water sports, Asch said.

"I'm good with people and I work well with them," Asch said. "I'm a good listener, and dealing with people will be a big part of the job."

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

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09/01/08 Why Are Betty Sternberg, Susan Wallerstein And Anthony Byrne Still Collecting Board Of Education Pay Checks????


Hamilton Avenue School Parents Are Reporting That.....


Frank Mazza And His Band Of Idiots On The School Building Committee Are Trying To Deliver The "New" And "Improved" Hamilton Avenue School With Cracks All Over The Place.

Hamilton Avenue Parents are saying that Frank Mazza's 3o Million Dollar school building has cracks in a floor!

Hamilton Avenue School students haven't even been in the school yet and the Band Of Idiots On The School Building Committee are trying to give them a building with cracked floors.

Some Hamilton Avenue parents are saying the Town Building Department did not properly inspect the sub floor. Hamilton Avenue parents are saying the floor was put down with out proper inspections.

Will Frank Mazza hold the mob associated Worth Construction Company accountable for the cracks in the school and parking garage?

Apparently not?

The cracks in the Hamilton Avenue School floor, and the cracks in the new Hamilton Avenue School parking garage were brought up by parents and taxpayers at a school board meeting.

And Frank Mazza and the Band Of Idiots on the Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee said....

Don't Worry About The Cracks

They are surface cracks, not structural cracks!!!!!!

This is the same Band Of Idiots That Said.....



  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will be done at the end of the school year.

  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will be done August 1st.

  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will be done August 7th.

  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will be done August 15th

  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will be done at the end of August.

  • Don't worry the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School will start letting children come through the front door in Mid October.

This is the same Band of Idiots that.....


....started the Hamilton Avenue School project in 2005 !!!!!


.....told parents and taxpayers that their building project would only take 18-months!!!!


......that told taxpayers that their school building project would only cost $24 million dollars !!!!!


Now that Frank "Please, Get Me An Accountant" Mazza's Hamilton Avenue School Building project price tag has ballooned to more than $30 million dollars.


Frank Mazza now tells the taxpayers that he now has less than $30,000 left and He needs another $500,000 to get the mob affiliated contractor to finish the cracked Hamilton Avenue School.


This just keeps getting better and better.


When Is Enough Is Enough?????

Failed School Administrators Like Betty Sternberg And Susan Wallerstein Have Screwed Up Time And Time Again......



  • Old Greenwich has the front stairs fiasco and the interior facility issues.

  • Eastern Middle School was plagued with building problems and mold.

  • Julian Curtiss is a damp and dingy with long ignored and needed facility repairs.

  • Riverside is horribly overcrowded and has many facility concerns.

  • Parents are starting to complain about North Mianus facility problems

  • Glenville school was Finally declared uninhabitable.

  • The Hamilton Avenue Modulars was a administrative cover up that exposed children and teachers to health risks.

  • Disbursing Hamilton Avenue and Glenville students all over town is a nightmare that will have a combined related expense cost of over 1 million dollars.

Yer Sternberg, Wallerstein and Byrne have received increases in their compensation year after year.

But who is supporting Sternberg, Wallerstein and Byrne as the single family home owners watch their hard earner tax dollars get flushed down the toilet?

Well, the Glenville PTA leaders say,"We are making lemonade out of lemons!!!!"

The Glenville PTA leaders full support good old boy, Frank "I Failed Again And Again And Again" Mazza and the Band Of Idiots On The Building Committee who have no clue about how to build a school.

This just keeps getting better and better.

When Is Enough Is Enough?????

With less than $30,000 dollars left in Hamilton Avenue's School budget, Frank "Big Spender" Mazza and his Band Of Idiots, commonly referred to as the Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee, are requesting that the single family home owners of Greenwich fork over an additional $500,000 in "interim" funding for the late and over budget Hamilton Avenue School.

The Representative Town Meeting and Board of Estimate and Taxation will take up at meetings in the first week of September.

The Board of Estimate and Taxation has already approved three prior requests for funding - one in June 2007, then in January 2008, and again in May 2008, totaling nearly $1.3 million - on the promise that the project would be finished by several deadlines that were repeatedly missed.

RTM and BET members who have repeatedly supported and voted for Frank Mazza and the Band Of Idiots on the Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee should immediately resign from the RTM and the BET.
Please see:
  • Glenville Gridlock: Bus drivers, can't legally pull into the parking lot because it's private property, so they're forced to stop at the corner for several minutes at a time, causing traffic snarls behind them.
    TOP STORY
    HEADLIMES:
    The Glenville Nightmare As Officially Began, But Don't Worry Frank Mazza Is In Charde Of The Renovation
    Failed School Administrators Enjoy Heafty Pay Increases As Glenville Families Are Forced To Suffer
    Some Glenville parents waiting over an hour for their children who are forced to take a 45 minute plus bus ride.
    Glenville PTA LEADERS Sound Like A Broken Record As They Keep Saying They Are Trying To ONLY See The Bright Side Of The Situation Created By Their Failed Aministrative Pals
    QUOTES:
    What if it's raining, and we're stuck out here?" Glenville mother Terry Hoff asked yesterday afternoon while waiting for her child to arrive. "I've been out here so long, I'm worried about getting fired for taking so much time,"
    "We are turning our lemons into lemonade !!!!!!!," said the Glenville PTA Leaders, as they let their Board Of Education friends and failed school leaders off the hook,"Our small children are tough enough to handle being dispersed all over town. RAH, RAH, RAH, Goooo Gators, Goooo Gators !!!!!!"
    THE STORY:
    At Glenville, more frustration
  • You Wont Read This
    Signifigant Fact In The
    ,Board Of Education's Boy,Colin Gustafson's Article
    There Will Be A Board of Education Meeting
    Tonight At 7 pm In The Parkway School.
    If Glenville parents want to fix the mess that failed school administrators have made, then they had better show up and demand action.
    Glenville Parents Are
    Wondering Why,
    The
    Board Of Education's Boy,
    Colin Gustafson Did Not Give Them
    A Heads Up About
    The Board Of Ed Meeting?????
  • Meanwhile, The Glenville PTA Leaders Are Making "Lemonade Out Of Lemons"


    ================================================================
    Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

09/01/08 Greenwich Time News Links - Reprters And Editors Get Lazy On Labor Day


LAZY ON LABOR DAY
The excitement is building as 24 kids gear up to race down Greenwich Avenue during the VivaPop All-American Soap Box Derby.

Why Is The Greenwich Time So Often The Last To Report The Local News?

Greenwich Time Readers Are Just Now Reading About The Greenwich Avenue Soap Box Derby Race, But Greenwich Roundup Readers Have Read About The Race Multiple Times Over The Last Two Months. Greenwich Time News Story:

08/21/08 Greenwich Post News Links For Thursday - Note: The Greenwich Post Is Just Like The Greenwich Time. They Both Often Have Late And Incomplete Greenwich News Coverage. Only Greenwich Roundup Readers Are Fully Informed About What Is Going On In Town.

......Here Is The Better Late Than Never
Greenwich Post News Story #4

Avenue to make way for soapbox racers

Written by Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter

Greenwich Avenue will be for soapbox racers only on Sept. 14. Town officials have given the go-ahead to close the lower portion of the town’s most famous street to make room for the race’s return.

Once an annual event in town, the VivaPop All-American Soapbox Derby is set for its comeback next month. Greenwich Avenue will be closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the Starbucks at Havemeyer Place to the road’s intersection with Railroad Avenue.

Businesses and residents have been notified of the temporary closure and Elizabeth Tarbell, president and chief executive officer of Greenwich-based VivaPop, which is putting the event together with Miller Motorcars, said plans for the race are proceeding well.

Please Also See This JULY SECOND
Greenwich Roundup Post:


07/02/08 Soap Box Derby To Return To Greenwich

Michael Parchment, General Manager of Miller Motorcars, and Elizabeth Tarbell, founder and CEO of VivaPop, look forward to bringing back the All-American Soap Box Derby to Greenwich, September 14. They are pictured here with an original derby car from the 1984 All-American Soap Box Derby in Greenwich.

VivaPop All-American Soap Box Derby comes to Greenwich
Norwalk Plus Magazine

By Press Release

The premier youth and family oriented racing program in the United States comes to Greenwich as the Soap Box Derby speeds into town on ........

About the All-American Soap Box Derby

It’s been called everything from the “Greatest Amateur Racing Event in the World,” to the “Gravity Grand Prix,” but to the more than one million kids who have been participating in the Soap Box Derby during the past 75 years, the event spells fun. Akron, Ohio-headquartered All-American Soap Box Derby, founded in 1933, is one of the most established grassroots youth and family organizations in the United States. An official youth initiative of NASCAR, the All-American Soap Box Derby sanctions races year round in 170 cites and communities in the U.S. and overseas. In the past 10 years, overall race participation (ages 8-17) has doubled, with approximately 45 percent being girls. The All-American Soap Box Derby actively promotes the core values of teamwork, the spirit of competition, perseverance and an emphasis on family.



MORE LAZY ON LABOR DAY
Middle school teachers are urging students to color-code their books and binders by subjects to stay organized for classes this school year.



At home, students should create a dedicated "homework area," stocked with paper, writing instruments, a dictionary and other items, teachers said.



In addition, parents should urge their child to use a computer in the family area of their home so they can monitor schoolwork in the evening.
For more back-to-school tips, as well as a detailed list of necessary school supplies, visit the homepages of any of the town's three middle schools at http://www.greenwichschools.org/.


The Greenwich Adult Learning program is holding registration sessions for English as a Second Language courses from Monday, Sept. 8, through Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. at the Havemeyer building at 290 Greenwich Avenue.


Evening registration for English as a Second Language and G.E.D. Preparation classes will be held on Monday, Sept. 8, and Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at Greenwich High School's Folsom House at 10 Hillside Road.
The Greenwich High School class of 1978 will hold its 30th reunion on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Burning Tree Country Club at 120 Perkins Road in Greenwich.


Admission costs $130 per person and includes dinner, entertainment and a "memory book" for each class member. To register, visit the Reunions by Design Web site at Reunionsbydesign.com, and click on Connecticut reunions to connect to the Greenwich '78 link.


For more information, call reunion committee members Chris Hunt at (203) 550-4059 or Jane Jansen Seymour at (203) 662-0003.


Eagle Hill School, in cooperation with the Junior United Way of Greenwich, will present "Russell the Hermit Crab," a family musical by the Magical Music for Life Foundation, on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The school is located at 45 Glenville Road.


The Greenwich Public Schools has announced its policy for determining the eligibility of children who may receive free or reduced-price meals.
Under the new guidelines, which will be used across the state until June 30, 2009, children from two-person families whose gross annual income is at or below $25,900 are eligible. For each additional family member, applicants should add $6,660 to determine their eligibility.


To apply, parents must fill out an application and return it to their school. For more information, contact the ....


EVEN MORE LAZY ON LABOR DAY
Rising rent costs on Greenwich Avenue have caused yet another business to change locations. Sportif Ltd.

Sportif Ltd., a ski and tennis shop, which operated on the Avenue for nearly 24 years, has recently moved to 1374 E. Putnam Ave.



STILL MORE LAZY ON LABOR DAY
..."The program is designed to help healing of what otherwise would be non-healing wounds," said Peggy Martino, the hospital's program director of cardiology and medicine.

The new Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Services will include two oxygen chambers in the Helmsley Medical Building where patients will inhale pure oxygen, officials said.

The increased pressure allows the oxygen to permeate tissue cells, spurring the regeneration of new blood vessels, particularly in diabetic patients whose circulatory problems hinder recovery from wounds through traditional therapies, according to David Polaski, manager of respiratory care services at the hospital.

"This could be limb-saving equipment," he said....

PLEASE SEE GREENWICH ROUNDUP POST FROM NINE MONTHS AGO:

11/26/07 Will babies die? Will people explode in flames. Greenwich Hospital doesn't think so

Anticipating that greater numbers of residents will suffer circulatory problems as the town's senior population grows, Greenwich Hospital is seeking the state's permission to establish a $1 million therapy service that eases blood flow by increasing oxygen levels.

So-called "hyperbaric oxygen therapy" could serve as an effective treatment for diabetes patients and others who are not responding to traditional antibiotics, said Quinton Friesen, the hospital's senior vice president and chief operating officer.

"The hyperbaric program is for patients who have deep ulcers or major wounds that are not healing under normal circumstances, and with this particular therapy, the data indicates that a patient can recover much more rapidly," Friesen said.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is defined by the Undersea and Medical Hyperbaric Society as the intermittent administration of 100 percent oxygen inhaled while in an enclosed system at a pressure greater than sea level. The increased pressure changes the normal cellular respiration process and ultimately increases tissue oxygenation, stimulating the growth of new blood vessels.....



STILL EVEN MORE LAZY ON LABOR DAY
The Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross is offering safety tips for students walking, biking or riding a bus back to school.

* line up facing the bus, instead of alongside it;
* carry loose belongings in a bag or backpack;
* immediately move onto the sidewalk and out of traffic when disembarking;
* wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street: and ...
* walk at least 10 steps away from the vehicle so the driver can see students after they unload.
Additionally, the organization advises that students should never:
* play in the street while waiting for the bus;
* cross the street or play behind the bus after disembarking; or
* reach under the bus to grab anything that has fallen or rolled beneath it.
Many other children will be biking or walking to school this year. To bike-riders, the chapter offers the following safety tips:
* always wear a helmet as well as clothing with reflective colors to be more visible to traffic;
* avoid ill-fitting clothing that could be caught in spokes and pedals or restricts movements;
* walk your bicycle across all intersections.



PLEASE SEE GREENWICH POST PRESS RELEASE FROM LAST TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008:

Red Cross urges safety as kids go to school

• Line up facing the bus, not along side it.
• Do not play in the street while waiting for the bus.
• Carry all loose belongings in a bag or backpack.
• Never reach under the school bus to get anything that has rolled or fallen beneath it. The bus driver may be sitting too high up to see you.
• After getting off the bus, move immediately onto the sidewalk and out of traffic. If there is no sidewalk, try to stay as far to the side of the road as possible.
• Wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street. Walk at least 10 steps away from the front of the bus so the driver can see you.
• Never cross the street or play behind the school bus.



THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS:
STILL EVEN MORE LAZY ON LABOR DAY
September 1 Labor Day - schools closed.

September 2 - 5 Greenwich High School students take school taking portraits.

Oops....

The Greenwich Time forgot to run this press release though the check spell checker before publishing it.

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