12/10/08 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Modular indecentcy

Go Back To Your Wet And Unsafe Modular Classrooms!!!!

Dear Greenwich Editor,

Principal Damaris Rau sounds like an idiot. She should not be in charge of one child, never mind a school full of kids.

Putting children in modular classrooms is fine, provided it is an interim solution while the school undergoes construction.

This doesn't happen in other towns. In Darien, for example, 2 out of 5 lower schools did the majority of their construction during the summer months and during vacations. Modular's are new. They use them for specials.

The new high school and middle school's complete new construction were also completed w/in a year, at no risk to students. No MODULAR'S were necessary.

Mayor Dan Malloy of Stamford said "Darien doesn't pay it's fair share of taxes". I disagreed. It was a moronic statement and he couldn't justify it anyway. What else is new? Darien pays less taxes but can rebuild all its schools timely and TO CODE.

We pay lower taxes, but we have a volunteer Fire Department and private garbage pick-up which we pay for. If Stamford/Greenwich pays higher taxes (which they do), where is that extra money going?

This week, the Darien High School had electrical problems and the alarm sounded. The fire department came, and the alarm went off again. Every student had to leave the school grounds immediately, and all after school sports were canceled.

That is the protocol. If these modular's or schools in Greenwich are relying on duct tape to quick fix wires, if the alarm goes off, if the roof leaks....what the hell is wrong with the building commission and the Fire Marshall? The Principal SHOULD be responsible for kids safety. The newspapers SHOULD be covering this. The parents SHOULD be raising hell.

I can't believe the crap that the people running PUBLIC Greenwich facilities get away with. And I continue to wonder why the Greenwich papers print NO REAL NEWS and articles of no worth.

I won't even get into he YMCA's failure to provide a ramp. Again, the BUILDING INSPECTORS could have nipped it by not issuing an occupancy permit for ANYONE.. End of story. I know 2 judges who wouldn't have ruled in favor of the YMCA. I spoke to them. This judge who defended the YMCA is a well-known joke, and probably a resident of Greenwich.

Darien Resident Who Works In Stamford And Has Family In Cos Cob

Please See:

10/10/08 Hamilton Avenue School Update: The Modulars Are Once Again Leaking And Causing Electrical Problems. Has Mold Returned To The HAS Modulars ?

10/10/08 You Wont Read This In The Greenwich Time: GREENWICH PTA"S HAD UP TO $75,000.00 STOLEN FROM THEM !!!!!

10/10/08 Air Flow Problems Persist In The New 30 Million Dollar Hamilton Avenue School. No Wonder Mold Was Discovered In The Basement Two Months Ago.

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12/10/08 Greenwich resident wants to block Obama from taking the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

A Greenwich Author Who Owns A Health Food Store Is Once Again Asking The United States Supreme Court What Does “Natural Born Citizen” Mean.

Because the term is in the U.S. Constitution as a requirement for the office of President or Vice President of the United States — and because the Constitution does not define natural born — people have been arguing about the question for some time.

Because Barack Obama is the person headed to the White House, the arguments have kicked into high gear.

Obama’s mightily mixed heritage and exotic childhood homes were virtues to millions of Americans who voted for him. But they are at the heart of the tenacious He’s-Ineligible movement.Obama was born in a U.S. state, Hawaii — although a passel of conspiracy theorists don’t believe this, no matter what evidence they are offered.

Obama’s Kansas-born mother was a U.S. citizen, but his father was Kenyan and, technically, a British subject. To the He’s-Ineligible gang, this means Obama had dual citizenship at birth and therefore cannot be a natural born citizen.

Greenwich resident Cort Wrotnowski would block Obama from taking the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., cite writings by several of the Constitution’s framers that reject dual citizenship out of hand — it was the 18th century, after all — and that focus only on the citizen status of a person’s father.

Wrotnowski v. Ybiewicz is to be considered Friday for a hearing by the court. Justice Antonin Scalia plucked it from a re-application pile of rejected requests and placed it on the court’s calendar the same day he and his colleagues refused — without dissent — to take up Donofrio v. Wells.

For those keeping score: Nina Wells and Susan Ybiewicz are secretaries of state for New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively. Leo Donofrio is a retired New Jersey attorney with a lot of time on his hands.

Cort Wrotnowski is a prodigious author and, according to a Connecticut NBC affiliate, a health-food store owner in Greenwich.

Lower courts tossed Wrotnowski's lawsuit.

Connecticut’s attorney general called the case “a baseless, bogus claim that’s apparently part of a nationwide effort to confuse or derail the election.”

Wrotnowski undeterred by all evidence that refutes his belief.

Official statements from Hawaii health department officials? A birth notification in a Honolulu newspaper? Photographs posted on FactCheck.org that show Obama’s birth certificate with a raised embossed seal on it?

Don’t make Wortnowski laugh. Have you not heard of forgeries, frauds, Photo-shopped fakes?

even if all the citizenship cases fail, the subject will “plague Obama throughout his presidency. It’ll be a nagging issue and a sore on his administration, much like Monica Lewinsky was on Clinton. It’s not going away and it will drive a wedge in an already divided public.”

How nasty a sore?

How sharp a wedge?

We will have to wait and see how well the Cort Wrotnowski's of this world promote their worldwide conspiracy against president elect Obama.

But for now Cort Wrotnowski, will once again, get another shot before the United States Supreme Court.

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12/10/08 Greenwich Democrats Prevented From Punishing Joe For Actively Campaign For John McCain And Sarah Palin

Trader Joe Lieberman

Lieberman facing little trouble in state

Connecticut Post

By Brian Lockhart/Staff writer

All is not forgiven.

But it is likely that, when state Democrats meet next Wednesday to debate punishing U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman for backing the Republican presidential ticket, they may go easy on him.

Democrats will consider a watered-down version of the resolution proposed in September, particularly the line asking Lieberman, a self-described "independent Democrat," to leave the party.

Only a strongly worded criticism of his backing Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over now President-elect Barack Obama would remain.

"I do think there¹s going to be a modification," party Chairman Nancy DiNardo said.

The original draft "censured" Lieberman, a Stamford resident, for showing "extraordinary disloyalty" to the party when he spoke at the Republican National Convention and asked him to resign as a member of the state party.

After Obama defeated McCain, he asked Democrats in the U.S. Senate not to punish Lieberman and they complied.

State Democrats are "reworking the resolution to bring it more up to date in light of what President-elect Obama has said," said Audrey Blondin, of Litchfield, a member of the state central committee which proposed the initial resolution.

State Democrats also want to acknowledge the decision of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to include Lieberman in the party caucus, Blondin said. One of the modifications under consideration is dropping the request that Lieberman leave the party.....

....Lieberman¹s relationship with his party has been strained since 2006, when he lost the primary to Ned Lamont, of Greenwich, but won the general election as a third-party candidate.....

....."He really slammed Obama," said Melvin Silverstein, a member of the Norwalk Democratic Town Committee. "It¹s OK to say I¹m in favor of McCain or whoever, but to carry it further and be so negative about your candidate" ....

.....Greenwich Democrats backed Blondin¹s resolution, but party committees in Norwalk and Stamford are not expected to take it up in the coming days.....

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12/10/08 Weston painter Sally Baxley has an art exhibit in Old Greenwich

PRESS RELEASE:

ART EXHIBIT

Arcadia Coffee Company, 20 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich. 637-8766. Through Jan. 15: Exhibit by Weston painter Sally Baxley. Hours are Monday-Wednesday and Friday, 6:30 a.m. -7 p.m., and Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, 7 a.m. -5 p.m.

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12/10/08 Money for nothing, and the crooks go free

Giving 'Til It Hurts

fairfieldweekly.com

By Alan Bisbort

To give is to receive, they say, and I don't doubt it. For example, every time I give money to an organization, I receive a note thanking me for my donation and asking me to give more money, in the convenient pre-stamped envelope. Is there an echo in here? Or is this desperation?

Everywhere you look, people are in need. Among the neediest are the ones who have been "giving" the most to people who say they're needy but are not, if that makes any sense — if anything makes sense about America's economic priorities at present. As New York magazine reports, Dick Fuld, CEO of Lehman Brothers, "earned" $480 million in bonuses in recent years and lives in a 20-room Greenwich (Conn.) mansion, one of his five houses. This even as Lehman went belly up, the largest bankruptcy in history. As our own billions are shoveled to Wall Street sharks like Fuld — who don't even thank us for our donations — we are asked to give still more. That's the crap shoot on which this fragile economy has been based since the 1990s. When the inevitable collapse occurred, despite ample warnings, it was as if no one was responsible, that it was all a big unforeseeable mystery. And THAT is the greatest con of all.........

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12/10/08 Hamilton Avenue School Update: The Modulars Are Once Again Leaking And Causing Electrical Problems. Has Mold Returned To The HAS Modulars ?

THE MODULARS ARE HAVING WATER AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS

FIRE ALARM HAS BEEN SET OFF DURING THE SCHOOL DAY!!!!

A Greenwich Parent has informed Greenwich Roundup today that there were men at the modular school walking into classrooms and the lunchroom checking out the electrical outlets & looking around.

Moving/storage boxes have been delivered to the school yesterday and today. The parent has also learned that there was a meeting after school today to discuss the pending move to the not up to code HAS.

HOW CAN THEY MOVE SMALL CHILDREN INTO AN

UNFINISHED FILTHY SCHOOL BUILDING?

We Really Have To Get These Hamilton Avenue Kids

Some Very Small Digital Cameras.

Is the Greenwich Board Of Education pushing the Hamilton Avenue Children into the "NEW" building so Glenville can be herded into the modulars until their new Glenville construction project is completed?

These Modulars STILL HAVE ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND SAFETY ISSUES even AFTER MOLD 'REMEDIATION' and 'INSPECTIONS' ?

Why does Hamilton Avenue School Principal Rau turn a blind eye?

YOU WONT READ THIS IN THE GREENWICH TIME:

In OCTOBER children reported to their parents that there were buckets in their classrooms and water dripping from the ceilings. At that same time, there were reports from the children that the boys' bathroom had plumbing problems.

Damaris Rau was approached by parents with these concerns and poo-pooed them...discounting the observations of the students and the concerns of the parents. Even making light of the water issues in the HEADLINES that go home with the children every Friday.

After a heavy rain recently, there were maintenance workers spotted throughout the building as well as on the roof of the modular building. Ceiling panel lights have been reported non-functioning, and weeks later are still not working.

There have been electrical issues which have occurred after periods of rain...even a FIRE ALARM going off DURING THE SCHOOL DAY because of an electrical problem a month or so ago...there was chatter that duct tape was used to make electrical repairs in the water damaged ceiling.

This is madness.

The Hamilton Avenue School Principal is so self absorbed and concerned with her image and her career as an administrator, she has lost perspective. God help the children of Hamilton Avenue School as they are shoved in a school that is not up to code.

Where is Ken West the building maintenance supervisor?

How is this trailer park permitted to stay open?

If this were a private home it would be condemned.

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12/10/08 You Wont Read This In The Greenwich Time: GREENWICH PTA"S HAD UP TO $75,000.00 STOLEN FROM THEM !!!!!

The PTA's Are Missing A Lot Of Money

Where Is The Parents $75,0000?

IS DAN KULLY AND HIS SISTER TRYING TO SWEEP THIS THEFT UNDER THE RUG ?????

SHOULDN'T PARENTS HAVE BEEN INFORMED BEFORE DAN KULLY HOPPED ON A PLANE TO WASHINGTON ?????

WHEN WERE GREENWICH PTA LEADERS GOING TO TELL THE PARENTS THAT THEY HAD BEEN RIPPED OFF ?????

SHOULDN'T SOMEONE CALL THE GREENWICH POLICE DEPARTMENT AND REPORT THIS MISSING $75,000 ?????

MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD BE CALLING THE CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL ?????

SHOULDN'T PTA LEADERS BE SENDING OUT A MASS EMAIL TELLING PARENTS TO DISPUTE THE CREDIT CARD CHARGES, SO THAT THEY WONT LOSE THEIR MONEY ?????

WHY HASN"T THE GREENWICH PTA'S PULLED THE PLUG ON THEIR COUNT ME IN WEBSITE, BEFORE MORE PARENTS LOOSE MONEY ?????

WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP IN THE GREENWICH PTA"S ?????

Parents Enraged At Bellevue-Based 'Count Me In'

KIROTV

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Parents and PTA leaders on Tuesday banged on the door of a Bellevue company that's at the center of a nationwide controversy after a KIRO 7 Eyewitness News story revealed the firm hasn't paid back money it owes to youth sports teams.

Dan Kully was among those looking for answers at the offices of Count Me In, a company that helps thousands of youth sports teams to help collect registration dues and donations.

"Seventy-five thousand dollars really hurts," Kully told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Gary Horcher. "And the last people that anyone should be taking advantage of are kids."

VIDEO BACKSTORY: How Horcher Broke 'Count Me In' Story

Kully's sister runs a PTA for 15 schools in Greenwich, Conn., that hired Count Me In to supply a Web site and process credit card donations. He said the PTAs discovered Count Me In appeared to be keeping all the parents' money -- $75,000.

Count Me In's doors were open on Monday, and phones were being answered. On Tuesday, phone calls went unanswered and doors were locked.

Some little leagues said they're missing from $60,000 to $150,000 in registration money collected by Count Me In.

The company sent one local parentan email Tuesday that said, "We cannot provide your organization a payment plan as the timing and amount of future funding is uncertain. We will not make promises we do not know with 100% certainty can be kept."

Previous Story:

Little Leagues Nationwide Say Bellevue Company Took Their Money

SEATTLE -- Local little leagues are missing thousands of dollars, and they say a Bellevue, Wash., company took their money and won't give it back.

The company called Count Me In helps thousands of youth sports teams nationwide to help collect registration dues and donations.

According to court documents, some organizations hire companies such as Count Me In to allow members to submit online credit card payments for registration or to pay for other services.
The companies accept the payment, process them with the credit card companies and then take their share of the customer’s payment before giving it to the organization.

The potential for fraud has come to the attention of the Washington State Attorney General's Office, and Count Me In is facing a lawsuit in federal court by a New Jersey soccer team that says CMI took their money and used it for their own pleasure, according to court documents.
Dozens of leagues could be affected around the nation.

The president of Eastlake Little League baseball in Washington State, Todd Pladson, said he hired CMI, which charges about $3 for each registration.

Pladson said Count Me In cannot account for $66,000 parents paid just last week using the online services. When the registration money never showed up in the Little League bank account, Pladson went to Count Me In's Bellevue address.

Pladson said he was eventually told by the CEO of CMI, Terry Drayton, that the company was in financial trouble and could only give him a check for $4,000.

"On Sunday, we sent an e-mail out to all our members who already paid and we asked them to dispute the credit card charge," Pladson said.

The co-president of Issaquah Youth Lacrosse also went to the Bellevue office in an effort to talk with Drayton, but was only able to talk to a sales consultant.

“She said, 'Well, we can assure you that we will be making every effort to pay you back, we have every intention to pay you that money.' I said, 'Every intention?' Sounds like we have a problem. She said 'Well, we are in a bit of a cash crisis,'" said Matthew Balkman, co-president of the Issaquah Youth Lacrosse.

Balkman said he asked the consultant how many other youth sports organizations had this problem and she responded with more than 100.

In a complaint filed by a soccer club in New Jersey, members paid more than $210,000 in fees and donations to the club through the Count Me In Web site.

Count Me In has failed to pay the soccer club at least $142,000 of the $210,000 collected during the spring, summer and fall of 2008, according to court documents.

Two board members of the club called Drayton and he said $210,000 was due to the club, but the company did not have the money to pay it in full, the documents stated.

In a follow up e-mail sent by Drayton to the New Jersey club, he said his company used the money to satisfy debts owed to other third parties of Count Me In.

Soon after the phone call, a check of nearly $68,000 was received by the soccer club, but a balance still remains, according to the complaint.

"That's what really disturbs me is that on Nov. 1, when we opened up our online registration, CMI had already been sued by a youth organization in New Jersey," Pladson said, "It was a soccer organization where they hadn't paid them $140,000 and now we're on the hook for $66,000 or somewhere near that amount."

The CEO of Count Me In would not return phone calls from KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
League coaches said the company may be sending out a form letter to teams everywhere, telling them they are trying to get financing to pay the money back, but some smaller league coaches said if they don't get the money, there may be no season at all.

Letter From Count Me In To Clients

Here the text of an e-mail from Count Me in to some clients:

We received your inquiry about a late remittance payment for your organization due from Count Me In Corporation. We apologize for a standardized email response but we have a small team and cannot respond to each client individually or with a phone call. Here’s a summary of where we are at the moment:

We are working with investors to resolve the issues and provide the funds necessary to pay you. This is our number one priority.

We are in negotiations and will report to you via email when we have an announcement on that. We expect substantive news in the next 7-10 days.

We currently expect that we will obtain the funds to pay your organization in full.
We will send you a weekly progress report via email until this is resolved.

We cannot provide your organization a payment plan as the timing and amount of future funding is uncertain. We will not make promises we do not know with 100% certainty can be kept. We may have done that in the past but we will not do it in the future.

We understand the difficult position this puts your organization in and are sincerely apologetic.
We will continue to provide hosting for your website, access to the Rainier desktop and full technical support for your organization while we work to resolve this.

Finally, we recognize that you have current programs and upcoming registrations and will understandably be concerned about increasing your financial exposure. We have a simple option to eliminate any risk: we will work with you to set-up your own credit card account so that all future funds flow directly to your organization. This can be done in a day or two and you can get details of how to set it up automatically by sending an email to clientMOR@rainiersupport.com.

Another advantage of this option is that you will not need to find, pay and migrate to another service provider. Until we resolve the issues we will provide our services and credit our fees towards reducing the amount owed to you.

Sincerely,
Count Me In Corporation

ON THE WEB:

Count Me In Corporation
Count Me In Sports, Inc. provides online registration and league management software for league administrators. Our solution is hosted so all you need is a PC with an Internet connection. We're flexible, comprehensive, affordable and quick to deploy. Telephone support is included from our onshore team.

Count Me In makes it easy to provide online registration for players, volunteers, sponsors and officials. Your revenues will increase from higher levels of participation, payment and team sponsorship. Our league management software is perfect for soccer, baseball, lacrosse, volleyball, football, basketball or other sport leagues.

We provide the easy-to-use tools that work for you 7/24. Everyone from coaches to parents has a better experience plus we save you time and money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved in your sports league! Printable Sports Registration Benefits List and Online Registration Features List.

Learn why Count Me In is the trusted online sports registration software for thousands of organizations, tens of thousands of activities, millions of registrations and hundreds of millions in payments.

Online Registration and Payment
Fully Customizable Online Forms
Certified Real Time Credit Card Processing
Automated Confirmations and Receipts
Fully Integrated Shopping Cart

Count Me In's online registration software makes it easy to manage your sports league and attract new players, volunteers, and sponsors. Whether you manage a Little League or other baseball league, a soccer association, or a lacrosse or youth football team, our league management software offers easy-to-use tools that make management and administration a snap.

Our sports registration software allows you to simultaneously automate league management, increase participation and revenue, and save time and money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved in your sports league!
Printable Sports Registration Benefits List.

Learn why Count Me In's is the trusted online registration software solution for more than one thousand organizations, more than ten thousand programs, and millions of registrations.

Youth Sports Registration Software Video Demo

Team Building & Game Scheduling
Player & Volunteer Management Tools
Membership Management
Broadcast and Targeted Email
Free Hosting, Support & Training...

MORE NEWS ABOUT COUNT ME IN:

Count Me In CEO Terry Drayton says he's working 'to resolve the ...

TechFlash, WA

Several little leagues, youth soccer clubs and non-profit organizations across the country have been left wondering what became of their operating funds after allegations arose this week that Bellevue-based Count Me In failed to make payments to customers.

Chief Executive Terry Drayton now tells TechFlash that they are attempting to address the issue. "Know we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation," said Drayton via text message today.

Count Me In, which handles online registrations for thousands of non-profit groups, including several little league baseball and youth soccer groups in the Seattle area, allegedly used some of the registration fees for corporate expenses, according to a lawsuit filed by a soccer club in New Jersey.

But the problems appear to run deeper than the soccer club, with the Anchorage Daily New reporting that a softball club in San Diego, a Lacrosse organization in Illinois, a soccer and ski clubs in Alaska are each owed between $10,000 and $200,000......

.....Lisa Pyper, president of the North King County Little League, said the baseball league pulled the plug on Count Me In last week after they learned of the company's problems.They are not owed any money, with Pyper saying the little league received a check from last summer. But with registration starting December 1 for the next baseball season, Pyper said the timing is not good.

The league is looking into setting up a PayPal system to handle registrations.

"If the Web site goes down, we have all of our parents' email addresses so we will do it all manually," she said.

Pyper said they no choice but to abandon Count Me In given the reports of mismanagement of funds. "We only have $35,000 in reserve, so if we didn't get paid $35,000 that would be all of our money," she said. "We can't take that chance as a non-profit."

A spokeswoman for the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, which uses the Count Me In registration system, said they were investigating the matter.

Sports clubs rattled by financial scare

KING5.com

By ERIC SCHUDISKE / KING 5 News

BELLEVUE, Wash. – A financial scare climbing into six figures is rattling local nonprofit and youth sports programs.

At the center of the scandal is a Bellevue company called "Count Me In" – a company that collects registration fees for sports clubs over the Internet.

Sports clubs claim "Count Me In" isn't paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars in fee percentages they're owed.

Red flags began to rise last week for area sports organizations like Little League.

"They contacted me and told me CMI isn't able to make their financial obligations," said Bob Toiga, District Nine Little League.

CMI is "Count Me In."

Terry Drayton, the entrepreneur who launched homegrocer.com, started "Count Me In" seven years ago. The online site handles registration fees for sports and is supposed to then funnel money to the organizations.

Many say they haven't received payments since November.

"$44,000 and 247 registrants at the time we turned off the credit card feature of the Web site," said Walter Scott, President, Bellevue West Little League and parent.

And that's just Bellevue West Little League's balance with CMI. Dozens of local clubs could be affected.

The League president advises parents to dispute the registration charge with their credit card company.

"Our programs will continue. We have reserves for events like this. It will hurt, however," said Scott.

Tuesday, the downtown office address for CMI listed on Google was empty. There were no employees, no signs, just fresh paint.

Another company owed by Drayton wouldn't open the door. The contact phone number went to voicemail.

The allegations stretch from a soccer club in New Jersey to a ski club in Alaska.
Washington sports clubs are caught in the middle. But Scott says the company isn't in default with their club yet.

"I have full faith that this thing will work out and my hope is that this is just a scare," he said.
Local Little League sports programs promise kids will still take the field, but they want League parents to protect their money.

The Attorney General's Office will not say if they're investigating, although they do say they have four complaints.

Calls to "Count Me In" were not returned.

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12/10/08 The Raw Greenwich Business News Feed For Wednesday

Luxury Redefined

Eyecare Business

For the past several years, the luxury sector has grown faster than most other areas at retail. Due to the current economic turmoil, those days may just be gone....

... "We're surviving on our repeat business with good clients," says Eddy Mamelok, owner of Greenwich, Conn.-based 20/20 Optical. "People that have money still have money, so it's also important to keep your inventory up-to-date."...

The Raw Greenwich Business News Feed Continues.....

Congress Should Swiftly Adopt Legislation to Close Current Tax...
MarketWatch
... Congress to move swiftly towards adoption," Mr. Berkley concluded. In addition to W. R. Berkley Corporation of Greenwich, CT, the Coalition For A Domestic Insurance Industry includes: AMBAC Financial Group, Inc., New York, NY; American Financial ...

T-Bill Yields Go Negative
CrossingWallStreet.com
... began selling the debt in 2001. a oeIta s the year-end factor,a said Chris Ahrens, an interest-rate strategist in Greenwich, Connecticut, at UBS Securities LLC, one of the 17 primary dealers that trade directly with the Federal Reserve. a oeEveryone ...

UPDATED: Creditor Files to Liquidate Equity Media, Claims Company Cannot Meet Payroll Obligations
ArkansasBusiness.com
... repeatedly acted in their own self-interest rather than in the interest of creditors. Silver Point Finance LLC of Greenwich, Conn., filed the foreclosure suit and conversion motion, seeking to recoup about $41.5 million the private equity firm ...

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12/10/08 If You Want To Read About The Boys Girls Club Of Greenwich You Have To Go To A Bridgeport News Site

Greenwich Boys Girls Club members met with

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and

Governor M. Jodi Rell

YOU WONT READ THIS AT THE GREENWICH TIME WEB SITE:"Boys & Girls Club members visit Legislature"

Connecticut Post

Boys Girls Club of Greenwich members and staff recently participated in the Connecticut Alliance of Boys Girls Clubs Legislative Breakfast at the state Capitol.

The Greenwich club members met with elected officials, including Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Gov. M. Jodi Rell, to discuss the positive impact the clubs are having on kids in the state. From left, back row, are Operations Director Don Palmer, club members Andres Galeano and Shane Whittle, and Development Coordinator Chris DeSanctis. Front row, from left, are members Toren Murphy, Xzavier Warburton, Sophia Lewis, and Danielle Massicott.

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12/10/08 Greenwich Time Publisher George Irish Is Toast. His Last Day Will Be December 31st (Updated)

Swarts Is In Irish Is Out

Start Saving Your Quarters

Your Going To Need Them

YOU WONT READ THIS IN THE GREENWICH TIME OR THE GREENWICH CITIZEN. CLUELESS EDITORS JIM ZORBA AND DON HARRISON PROBABBLY DON"T EVEN KNOW THEY GOT A NEW BOSS YET.

When We Posted This Item.....

12/07/08 Greenwich Roundup Exclusive: Local Daily Newspaper Will Lay Off More Staffers And Will Hike Prices

...The Greenwich Time had a significant head count reduction in the newsroom when many jobs were chopped, but apparently that was not enough.

As the Greenwich Time and Stamford Advocate begins its 2009 budget process the corporate suits at Hearst Media are expecting a tough year.
Insiders say that Greenwich Time staffers appear shell-shocked.

In addition to another pending head count reduction the paper is cutting back on travel, entertainment and supply budgets.

The Greenwich Time maybe going forward with a considerably smaller news desk. The source says that some soon to be laid off reporters work may still appear in the paper as freelancers....

.....The Insider says that the newspapers are planning to hike their newsstand price. The price of a single copy will jump 50 percent to 75 cents from 50 cents....

12/08/08 Former Greenwich Time Owner Is (Almost) Toast. Is The Greenwich Time Next?

......Tribune's hiring of Lazard, meanwhile, brings it a firm experienced in debt restructuring, and one that has become a go-to adviser for newspaper companies in financial distress.

Even as its financial performance worsens, Tribune has some options. A sale of its Chicago Cubs baseball team is under way, and Tribune owns valuable stakes in businesses including the cable-TV channel Food Network.

Tribune already has auctioned off pieces of the company, including the Long Island, N.Y., daily Newsday to raise cash. Now, frozen credit markets have depressed sale prices.Selling off more newspapers may not be a viable alternative because buyers are scarce and Tribune may be better off holding onto the profits from its papers.

There Were Some Bloggers Who Wondered Who Would Be Fired...

12/09/08 The Raw Greenwich Blog And RSS Feed -Or- R.I.P.: Auf wiedersehen, goodnight Greenwich Time? -OR- Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out!

The New And Improved "For What It's Worth" (Wordpress Edition)

Greenwich Time, R.I.P? - Greenwich Round Up says so. I have my issues with this particular blog’s antipathy toward the paper and its former editor, Joe Pisani,whom I like, but but its editor seems to have a direct line into the organization and several former and current
employees. His previous predications about the GT have proved accurate - his latest include a raise in the newsstand price from fifty to seventy-five cents, layoffs of still more staff (there aren’t many left so what are they going to do, fire the custodian?)

NO CHRIS FOUNTAIN, THE CUSTODIAN STAY AND GEORGE IRISH THE PUBLISHER OF THE GREENWICH TIME IS FIRED !!!!!

George B. Irish is "Retiring" as president of Hearst Corp.'s newspapers division after 29 years with the company.

As part of George Irish's severance package he will .......

...... become vice president and eastern big bucks director of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation of California and The Hearst Foundation Inc. of New York. Both are independent entities with no direct ties to Hearst Corp.

This should prevent any nasty emolyee wrongful termination suits.

Swarts Is A Tech Savvy Publisher That Will Put More Effort

Into Hearst Media's Web Properties.

Swartz began his journalism career as a reporter with The Wall Street Journal in 1984, Hearst said. He served as an editor on The Journal's Page One staff from 1989 to 1991.

Before joining Hearst in 2001, Swartz was president and chief executive of SmartMoney, the magazine, Web site and custom publishing business co-owned by Hearst and News Corp.'s Dow Jones unit.

Under Swartz, the company said, Hearst played a key role in founding the newspaper industry's consortium with Yahoo, launching the industry's partnership with online real estate company Zillow and forming quadrantONE, a national online sales network co-owned by Hearst, The New York Times Co., Gannett and Tribune Co.

Hearst also said Swartz led its acquisition of a majority stake in search-engine marketing company Metrix4Media.

Swarts previously was the vice-president of the division which publishes the Albany Times Union, The Stamford Advocate, The Connecticut Post, The Greenwich Time And The Greenwich Citizen.

MANY GREENWICH ROUNDUP READERS FIRST HEARD OF GEORGE IRISH WHEN ......

Ex -Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani And His Gal Pal Susie "The Dish" Costaregni Joined Stamford Mayor Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and his wife, Cathy, Bishop William Lori, Were AT A George Irish A$$ KI$$ING party.

Big Greenwich Ki$$ers Like Nancy and Walter Raquet, CEO Of WR Capital Management; Stamford Residents Maryann and Jay Chai of J.W. Chai Consultancy; Jim Cabrera, The Disgraced Managing Partner Of Antares, As Well As Greenwich Ki$$ers Lincoln and Irene Millstein Were Also At The Party Held At Jan and Bob Dilenschneider House In Darien

Bob Dilenschneider Just Happens To Be Ex-Greenwich Time Editor Joe "I Let Moxley's Killer Run Free For 10 Years" Pisani New Employer.

PLEASE SEE:

09/30/08 Insiders partying w/ $$$$$$ bags - This is how the a compliant media is maintained.

10/01/08 Greenwich Roundup gets the story wrong. The dish DID report on this stupid party

So We Stand Corrected, Greenwich Post Columnist Susie "DID" Report About Jan and Bob Dilenschneider Greenwich Time Party In Darien

10/01/08 Greenwich Roundup's Gossip Hounds Are On Joe And Susie's Tail And Are Delivering Another Blow To Joe

After seeing Yesterday's Greenwich Roundups Article
About George Irish's Fancy Nancy Party At Jan and Bob Dilenschneider's Home In Darien

We Thought We Should Report About The Joe And Susie's Connection To The Insiders Event.Joe Pisani is working for the Dielenschneider Group as a marketing consultant/PR man?

For those who don't know, this is a very small firm that gets little to no action. Check their web site. It has only a few things to click on.

And Joe Pisani and this Susie think the residents here in Greenwich care to read the entire party invitation list of some unknown guy in Darien trying to drum up business? Is Susie working in NYC now too? At the same place as Joe Pisani? How would she know who was invited to some insignificant get together? This is a very small world.

This is the most absurd information I've read. I know Brian Cashman. I'm going to find out who really went to this shin-dig and what really went down. I'll keep y'all posted about Joe Pisani, Susie "The Dish", and the Dielenschneider Group.

By the way, you can read so-called marketing guru Robert L. Dilenschneider's failed attempt at social networking. Dilenschneider's 2007 blog that had only one post here. This makes one wonder how many other failed projects that this second rate ad agency has had.

TOPS Toss Out Pisani/Susie

Comment:

Wait a minute. I need I am getting confused I need a score card to keep up with Joe Pisani and his former student Greenwich Gossip Columnist Susie "The Dish". Ex-Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani new boss is hosting a party for his old boss.

Is Mr. Hersham aware of Greenwich Post Columnist Joe Pisani's maneuvering in the background to make secret contacts with the Greenwich Time?

Did Greenwich Post Editor Kristan Zimmer approve of Joe Pisani's back channel contacts with the Greenwich Time?

Will Jan And Richard Dilenschneider host a Fancy Nancy party for Mr. Hersham and his friends?

Will Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and his wife, Cathy attend Mr. Hersham's 'What about Me' Darien party?

Will Bishop William Lori attend Mr. Hersham's 'what about me' Darien party?

Will Mr. Corvino of Greenwich Hospital attend Mr. Hersham's 'what about me' Darien party?

Will Nancy and Walter Raquet, CEO of WR Capital Management attend Mr. Hersham's 'What about me' Darien party?

Will Jim Cabrera, managing partner of Antares attend Mr. Hersham's 'What about me' Darien party?

Will Lincoln and Irene Millstein attend Mr. Hersham's 'What about me' Darien party?

Will Greenwich Post Gossip Columnist Susie "The Dish" be a brown nose and write a glowing story about the 'What About Me" party in Mr. Hersham's newspaper.....

Now wait a minute let me see if I got this right.

Mr. Hersham is having Greenwich Post Editor Kristan Zimmer Have Susie "The Dish" Give A Glowing Report About Ex-Greenwich Time Editor And Current Greenwich Post Columnist Joe Pisani's Boss Throwing A Party For Greenwich Time's Publisher George Irish.

What's Up With That?

Now I Guess It Is Clear We DO HAVE A Compliant Mainstream Media Operating In Greenwich. No Wonder The Concerns Of Single Family Home Owners Are Ignored In Greenwich. No Wonder Western Greenwich Mothers And Their Small Children Are Always Ignored In Greenwich.

MORE:

THE STEVEN SWARTS

PRESS RELEASE

Steven R. Swartz Named President, Hearst Newspapers, and Senior Vice President, Hearst Corporation

NEW YORK, NY -- 12/10/08 -- Hearst Corporation today announced that Steven R. Swartz has been named president, Hearst Newspapers, the operating group responsible for Hearst's newspapers and yellow pages businesses. Swartz will also become senior vice president, Hearst Corporation.

George B. Irish, who has served as president of the Group, is retiring after 29 years with Hearst Corporation and will become vice president and eastern director of the two Hearst Foundations, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation of California and The Hearst Foundation, Inc. of New York, which are independent entities and separate from the Corporation.

The announcements were made by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., vice chairman and CEO of Hearst Corporation, and will be effective Jan. 1, 2009.

Swartz, 46, takes over one of America's leading newspaper groups, where he has been executive vice president since 2001. Hearst Newspapers, with more than 6,500 employees across the nation, publishes 16 dailies and 49 weeklies in cities including Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Antonio and Albany. Under Swartz's leadership, Hearst played a key role in founding the newspaper industry's consortium with Yahoo!, launching the industry's partnership with the online real estate company Zillow and forming quadrantONE, a national online sales network co-owned by Hearst, The New York Times Company, Gannett and Tribune.

Commenting on the announcement, Bennack said: "The world of newspapering is undoubtedly changing and Hearst is at the forefront of building new models that will transform the way we do business. Steve, alongside George, has been instrumental in forecasting and implementing the changes we have to make to be successful in the future. I congratulate Steve and thank George for his many contributions to the Corporation during his nearly three decades with Hearst Newspapers. We wish him well in his new role at The Hearst Foundations."

Swartz also led Hearst's acquisition of a majority stake in Metrix4Media, a Frisco, Texas-based search engine marketing company that now supports the sales efforts of numerous newspaper and yellow pages companies. Swartz has also overseen Hearst's yellow pages operations since late 2006. Before joining Hearst in 2001, Swartz was president and chief executive of SmartMoney, the magazine, Web site and custom publishing business co-owned by Hearst and News Corp.'s Dow Jones unit. Prior to becoming CEO in 1995, Swartz had been the magazine's founding editor since 1991. Under his leadership, SmartMoney won two National Magazine Awards and was Advertising Age's Magazine of the Year.

Irish, who will turn 65 in February, has successfully led Hearst Newspapers since 1998. Under his direction, the Group invested in operations and expanded its journalistic enterprise both in print and online. Before leading Hearst Newspapers, Irish was a vice president and group executive for Hearst Newspapers, a post he held since 1993.

Irish joined Hearst in 1979 with the acquisition of the Midland (Mich.) Daily News and subsequently held several executive positions with Hearst Newspapers. He served as publisher of the San Antonio (Texas) Light from 1988 to 1993; the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise from 1984 to 1988; the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram from 1982 to 1984; and Midland Daily News from 1980 to 1982.

Irish is a past president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and received the 1992 Texas Newspaper Leader of the Year Award, known as the Pat Taggart Memorial Award, the highest honor given by Texas newspapers. He currently serves on the boards of the Newspaper Association of America, the United Way of New York City, the International Center for Journalists, the READ Foundation, the Nieman Foundation Board of Advisors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Board of Visitors.

Swartz began his journalism career as a reporter with the Wall Street Journal in 1984 after graduating from Harvard. He served as an editor on the Journal's Page One staff from 1989 to 1991.

Hearst Corporation is one of the nation's largest diversified media companies. Its major interests include ownership of 16 daily and 49 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Albany Times Union; as well as interests in an additional 43 daily and 72 non-daily newspapers owned by MediaNews Group, which include the Denver Post and Salt Lake Tribune; nearly 200 magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations through Hearst-Argyle Television (NYSE: HTV), which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, History and ESPN; as well as business publishing, including a minority joint venture interest in Fitch Ratings; Internet businesses, television production, newspaper features distribution and real estate.

Media Contacts:

Debra Shriver

Hearst Corporation

212-649-2461

dshriver@hearst.com

Paul J. Luthringer

Hearst Corporation

212-649-2540

pluthringer@hearst.com

PLEASE SEE:

10/04 - 10/06/08 The Raw Weekend Greenwich News Feed Continues (Updated)

Greenwich Roundup Is Like The Old E.F. Hutton Brokerage.
When we talk Greenwich employees, media,
politicans and residents listen to every word.

THIS WEEKS TOP STORY:

When Greenwich Roundup Speaks
Hearst Media Listens....

HEARST MEDIA
FIRES
GREENWICH TIME EDITOR
DAVID WARNER

10/03/08 The Greenwich Time Takes One Step Forward And Two Steps Backward

It's Time To Take George Irish And David Warner To
Greenwich Roundup's Webmaster University.

Hearst Media Publisher George Irish
And Editor David Warner Are Once Again
Treating Greenwich Time Website Users Like
A Red Headed Step Child

For the longest time Greenwich web surfers were so frustrated with the Greenwich Time's lazy web master who contantly had trouble getting things up in the morning.....

12/10/08 PRESS RELEASE: Greewnich & Stamford comics raised laughs, awareness and funds for SFTT Foundation

“Support the troops with more than lip service”

NEWS from SFTT Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Maura Kallaway at 203-629-0288

Betty Cordellos at 203-656-0207

JPG images attached – see end of release

FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMICS STAND UP FOR THE B.E.S.T.

Comedy night benefit raised awareness and funds to safeguard US troops who protect us

[Greenwich, CT- December 9, 2008] It was turnabout for a Greenwich, CT based educational foundation that provides a voice and platform for America’s frontline troops. Three professional comics with local roots lent their considerable comedic voices to benefit SFTT’s B.E.S.T. (Best Equipment to Support the Troops). Genevieve Joy, a graduate of the Convent of Sacred Heart in Greenwich; Greenwich resident Jane Condon, and Stamford native Dan Naturman were among a number of talented stand up comics who performed at Comix in NYC to raise awareness and funds to get our brave warriors the best available equipment to make it home alive and in one piece.

Produced by Genevieve Joy, and hosted by Comical Radio and Comix, the SFTT B.E.S.T. Comedy Night benefit played to a packed house at Comix at 353 West 14^th Street on Thursday, November 13. Eilhys England Hackworth, SFTT Chair thanked supporters from New York, Greenwich and Stamford, members of the military, and the comics who gave their B.E.S.T. performances for honoring the troops and recognizing SFTT’s work on their behalf.

SFTT (www.sftt.org) is a non-partisan apolitical organization chaired by Eilhys England, a Greenwich resident who co-founded the organization with her late husband Col. David Hackworth, America’s most valor-decorated soldier. Comedy night chairs were Kathalynn Davis of Stamford and Darrah Gleason of Greenwich. Joining Eilhys England as Honorary Chairs for the Comedy Night benefit were Charles Grodin, SFTT Advisory Board Director and B.E.S.T. Chair Shelly Tretter Lynch of Greenwich, SFTT Advisory Board Director Edmund Duffy, SFTT Vice-Chair Roger Charles and SFTT President Fred Tanne.

For information on SFTT, visit the foundation’s website at http://www.sftt.org/ or phone 203--629-0288.

ABOUT SFTT Foundation

SFTT was founded by Col. David Hackworth and Eilhys England Hackworth to educate our country's citizens on the need to give a voice to our serving sons and daughters and to demand that they receive: Equipment superior to the best an enemy can employ against them; Training that fully prepares them to succeed in all assigned missions; Leadership dedicated to selfless service and the timeless values of duty, honor, and country. Through news breaking reporting from the foundation’s Defense Watch webzine, which is regularly monitored and sought out by major media, SFTT has been instrumental in shining the bright light of public scrutiny on injustices from anthrax vaccines to Abu Ghraib to substandard body armor. SFTT and Defense Watch have been the source, credited and not, for recent front page articles and news segments in the New York Times and the Washington Post, the Washington Times and 60 Minutes, NBC, CNN, ABC and other national print and broadcast news programs. The 501(c)3 organization is supported by donations from concerned individuals. More information can be found on the foundation website www.SFTT.org and its newly launched Families For The Troops website www.FFTT.us.

###

JPG Images: (higher res versions of these images and additional images available on request)

image 1 - l-r Genevieve Joy, Eilhys England Hackworth of Greenwich, Kathalynn Davis of Stamford

image 2 - Jane Condon of Greenwich

image 3 - Dan Naturman of Stamford

Three professional comics from our area - Convent of the Sacred Heart of Greenwich graduate, Genevieve Joy; Greenwich resident Jane Condon and Stamford native Dan Naturman were among a group of comedians stepping up to the mike at Comix in NYC on November 13 in a special benefit performance for SFTT’s B.E.S.T. (Best Equipment to Support the Troops). Greenwich, CT based SFTT Foundation (www.SFTT.org) provides a voice and platform for America’s frontline troops.

12/10/08 Air Flow Problems Persist In The New 30 Million Dollar Hamilton Avenue School. No Wonder Mold Was Discovered In The Basement Two Months Ago.

Mold growth in air conditioning register duct.

District awaits Ham Ave go-ahead

Written by Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter

As construction of the new Hamilton Avenue School remains on the verge of completion, the Board of Education is pressing for urgency to get the project wrapped up soon.

District officials are moving ahead with the plan to prepare for children to enter the new building, which is more than two years behind schedule, once school reopens Jan. 5, following the holiday break.....

.....Results of air flow tests in the music classrooms and certain bathrooms are expected this week. Building committee members said adjusting the fan will solve the air flow problem in the bathrooms.....

....Mr. Heagney, a land use attorney in town who has worked closely with the building department on the project, has said the inspectors are working carefully because they do not have a lot of confidence in the contractor, Worth Construction, or the architect, Swanke Hayden Connel, and they want to make sure everything is done correctly before signing off on it. Once the building department grants the TCO, Swanke is prepared to sign a letter of substantial completion for the project and it will then be officially turned over to the school board, he said....

.....Frank Mazza, building committee chairman, said concerns remain about the parking garage, but they won’t have any bearing on a TCO. The main remaining problems are to repair cracking on the second level, which the committee believes is being done incorrectly by Worth, and to install a silencer on a fan that activates when there is a certain level of carbon monoxide in the garage. Mr. Mazza said the fan would be on five to 10 minutes a day.

“This is a noise issue, not an air flow issue,” he said.....

.....Results of the district’s environmental testing, done in the building last Friday to insure its safety for children, have not yet come back.

The next building committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7:30 a.m. in the Havemeyer Building, but information will be issued as soon as it is available to district officials.....

================================================================

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

12/10/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Wednesday

Boneheaded Jurist Helps The Greenwich YMCA

Discriminate Against The Handicapped

Shame, Shame, Shame On

Judge Taggert Adams

Who Turns His Back On The Crippled Of Greenwich

At Stamford Superior Court

Judge Taggert Is Going To Look Like Even More Of A Fool When The Perpetually Mismanaged YMCA Building Project Fails To Complete The Ramp In June Of 2009

YMCA wins handicapped-access case

Breaking News

By Meredith Blake/Staff Writer

Posted: 12/10/2008 12:28:34 PM EST

A State Superior Court Judge today denied a Greenwich man's request for an injunction to force the Greenwich Family YMCA to put in a temporary ramp to provide wheelchair access.

The Y reasonably showed that it was in the process of trying to get rid of barriers to provide access for all through their $40 million renovation and expansion project, a standard established under the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Judge Taggert Adams in Stamford Superior Court.

The Y, which is considered a public entity, is required to provide access to individuals with disabilities, and are in the process of making "reasonable modifications" to their facility through their construction to provide it, he said.

Providing a temporary ramp is "not readily achievable," and would put an undue burden on the YMCA, he said.

Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair, filed a request on Nov. 13 for an immediate injunction ordering the Y to provide temporary access to the new addition that includes a new aquatics center with an Olympic-size pool. The new addition is just one part of renovation and expansion of the 96-year-old building, which has never been wheelchair accessible.

Full Story

MORE GRENWICH TIME NEWS LINKS:

Muslims gather to observe Eid al-Adha

Sounds of prayer filled the Hilton-Stamford Hotel ballroom Tuesday morning, as some 500 members of the Stamford Islamic Center observed one the faith's most important holidays, Eid al-Adha.

Full Story

RTM debates cutting projects

By Neil Vigdor/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:48 AM EST

With the town laboring to close a projected $10.5 million budget gap, a debate is raging among elected officials whether to put the brakes on an estimated $49.2 million in capital projects for which the money has been appropriated but not yet spent.

Joan Caldwell, the second-highest-ranking leader of the Representative Town Meeting and chairman of legislative body's District 10/Northwest delegation, said it only makes sense to take a second look at projects still in the planning stage......

.....Members of Caldwell's RTM delegation unsuccessfully proposed a sense-of-the-meeting resolution Monday night to the full legislative body that would have placed a 90-day moratorium on all capital projects for which contracts have yet to be negotiated.....

.....First Selectman Peter Tesei said all options are on the table in the current economic climate.
"We are certainly looking at capital projects that we can pare back or not do so we can focus on completing the ones that are already in progress," Tesei said.

Among the projects for which funds have been appropriated but not spent are $1.1 million for an evaluation of the Grass Island municipal wastewater treatment plant; $1 million for an imaging and archiving system at Town Hall, $2.7 million toward converting the former Cos Cob Power Plant site into a waterfront park; $238,000 for a new police boat; and $500,000 for a master plan for the town's transfer station.

"That half-million might pay some salaries later in the year if we have a messy situation," Caldwell said of the money for the transfer station master plan.

Another major project on the drawing board that might have been affected by such a moratorium is the renovation of the Greenwich High School auditorium and music instruction rooms, for which the town has appropriated about $2.1 million this year for architectural and engineering work.

Bob Brady, who is a member of the project's building committee, said the town is close to reaching contracts with an architect and a construction manager after six-and-a-half months of work.

"We would hate to have to redo that and start all over," said Brady, who is also an RTM member and chairman of its Education Committee.

Some leaders have questioned the urgency to do the project, for which about $23.1 million has been placed in the 2010-11 budget. .....

.....According to preliminary budget documents prepared for the BET, the town needs to shed about $10.5 million in spending from the projected $364 million budget to avoid an estimated 7.4 percent spike in property taxes for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

In previous years, the budgetary gap has been about $5 million, according to town officials, who are predicting a $7 million shortfall in revenues from tax receipts, building permits issued and bank interest......

Full Story

Slay suspect sentto mental hospital

A 75-year-old Pemberwick man accused of killing his former daughter-in-law was ordered sent to a state mental facility Tuesday for treatment to restore his competency to stand trial.

At a hearing in state Superior Court in Stamford, a frail Gerardo Lombardi listened as a licensed clinical social worker said the defendant did not comprehend the case against him.

"It was determined that he was unable to understand the proceedings against him and he was unable to assist in his defense," said social worker Melissa McShane......

.....Lombardi is accused of shooting and stabbing Alison McKnight Lombardi in the backyard of 36 Nicholas Ave., the property next to his home, Sept. 4. Police believe the incident stemmed from a property dispute. ......

......Public Defender Howard Ehring told the judge it would be difficult to proceed with a probable cause hearing and eventual trial given Lomardi's current mental status.

Ferencek did not contest the evaluation report and felt treatment was a good idea if it could restore Lombardi's competence to stand trial.

"I would agree that based on the report he is not competent," Ferencek said.....

....Comerford committed Lombardi for 60 days of treatment at the Whiting Forensic Institute in Middletown.

The Whiting Forensic Institute is part of a broader Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital, a state mental hospital. ....

Full Story

Frantz oversees new service to Amsterdam

By Neil Vigdor/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:18 AM EST

With less than a month remaining in his tenure as chairman of Bradley International Airport, state Senator-elect L. Scott Frantz of Greenwich was on cloud nine Wednesday with the announcement that Delta Air Lines subsidiary Northwest Airlines would resume nonstop service from Hartford to Amsterdam.....

....Frantz, 48, who was elected last month to fill the 36th District Senate seat of retiring fellow Republican William Nickerson, said Delta's decision to bring the flight back shows confidence that Bradley is a viable market for the airline industry. ...

....Frantz said he and other business and political leaders have been striving for several months to get the transatlantic flights to return and even promised $800,000 in incentives to Delta to help market the new route.

In addition, the state Department of Transportation sweetened the pot with $325,000 in landing fee and rent reductions to the airline, according to Frantz.....

Full Story

Police blotter

Godfrey Polistina, 57, of 1363 King St., was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct Monday night after a dispute at his home, police said.

Polistina was released on a $10,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday

*******************************************

Milton DeLavera, 48, of 50 South Main St., was arrested and charged with sixth-degree larceny Monday evening at Stop & Shop, 161 West Putnam Ave., police said.

A store manager reported seeing DeLavera stuff numerous store items into his jacket and pant legs, then leave the store, police said. Police then apprehended DeLavera.

DeLavera was released on a $200 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Dec. 23.

*******************************************

William McGoldrick, 59, of 63 Indian Harbor Drive, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct Saturday evening following a tenant-landlord dispute, police said.

McGoldrick was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday.

*******************************************

Charles Smith, 54, of 415 High St., Milford, was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence Thursday, police said.

Smith, a Greenwich postal worker, was found to be intoxicated in a Greenwich Post Office parking lot at 29 Valley Drive, police said.

Smith was operating a postal vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, according to the police report. Smith had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol, police said.

He failed a series of field sobriety tests at the scene, according to police.

Smith was released on a $250 bond and was released to a family member, police said.

He is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday.

******************************************

Ben Mosley III, 19, of 5 Jamroga Lane, Stamford, was arrested Friday night and charged with second-degree failure to appear, police said.

Mosley turned himself in to police on an outstanding arrest warrant relating to an August arrest in which he was charged with possession of marijuana less than four ounces, police said.

Mosley was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday.

'Sense of urgency' needed

By Colin Gustafson/Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2008 02:31:50 AM EST

Calling for a "sense of urgency," school officials are ramping up pressure on Hamilton Avenue School's building committee to secure the necessary approvals for occupancy for the reconstructed school building this month.

At a meeting in the Havemeyer Building Tuesday, Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg asked committee members to give her daily updates on their progress toward achieving a temporary certificate of occupancy. .....

.....However, there are still a few unresolved facilities issues - including a need for more exhaust fans in bathrooms and additional emergency lights - that must be addressed before town building officials will grant the certificate, building committee members said......

....Asked by Sternberg to give a realistic time-frame for receiving the certificate, building committee member Thomas Heagney said it would likely arrive next Thursday or Friday, Dec. 18 or 19, "at the latest,"......

.....The project, which was initially slated to span 18 months when work began in April 2005, has repeatedly missed deadlines, recently when builders failed to finish work in time for an Aug. 27 re-opening; then again when ventilation problems were not resolved by Columbus Day.

School officials had most recently hoped to have a certificate for the school by Dec. 5, so that the environmental testing and move-in process could move forward without having to deal with any outstanding facilities issues.

To date, however, several problems remain unresolved.

For one, while new exhaust fans have been installed in some bathrooms to correct air flow problems, other restrooms facilities have not yet received the equipment upgrade, which inspectors say is a prerequisite for the certificate.

In addition, emergency lights still must be installed on the campus, committee members said, and modifications to the boiler room's flue piping system need to be approved in order for the building to get the certificate.....

Full Story

Greenwich Academy squash poised to win another national title
When the Greenwich Academy squash team takes to the court today for its first match of the season at Convent of the Sacred Heart, it will begin another long journey to stake its claim once again as the best squash program in the United States.

Full Story

'We Were Late': Panelists take hard look at today's numbers
Although the region was one of the last in the nation to sink into a recession, it probably will be the last to emerge as the economy improves.

Full Story

Something to take your mind off the cold
Yes, baby, it's been cold outside. Especially if you're one of those who signed up for a fixed-price heating oil contract at $4.

Full Story

The "LOCAL" Hard Hitting Editorial From The Greenwich Time Editors: "Hard times for a state cultural icon"

It's not easy asking for money ata time like this. Unemployment is up and government bailouts are on many industries' wish lists.

The Mark Twain House & Museum, honoring perhaps Connecticut's most famous resident, has seen brighter days. Facing a financial crisis created by adding a $19.5 million visitors center, the museum needed a recent $500,000 gift from the Annenberg Foundation to stay out of bankruptcy, and is not yet in the clear ...... BLAH .....BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ......

Arts center proposal is too good to pass up

To the editor:

Two years ago, when I had recently moved to Greenwich and begun to establish new roots for Quill Entertainment, a history-musicals nonprofit, Bea Crumbine showed me the Havemeyer Building and shared her and the Greenwich Center for the Arts board's exciting ideas about restoring it as a vibrant community arts center.

As a theater professional for some 30-plus years, I was thrilled to visit the theater space and imagine it filled with laughter, song, dance and applause. In addition, there would be classrooms and galleries - it seemed too good to be true. I immediately signed up Quill Entertainment as a potential tenant.

Alas, it seems it was too good to be true - and all for want of a lease and the willingness of the Board of Education to move. Office space can be found, but where in Greenwich can we find a pre-existing theater? In a beautiful, historic building? Right in the heart of town? With millions of dollars from the private sector already committed?

It boggles the mind to think our elected officials can be so short-sighted as to let this opportunity pass.

One article stated that the school board members wanted the priority to be on "projects impacting children's education." Surely, these members do not think education takes place only in the classroom. Surely, after numerous studies detailed the positive economic impact of the arts on communities, the board members recognize the "win-win-win" for the town.

Surely, after even more studies underscored the importance of the arts in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our children, the members can address other needs without abandoning this unique opportunity for important social gain. Surely . . .

As an artist, I am sick at this decision. As a proud member of the community, I am a little bit ashamed of it. I urge the members of the school board and the Representative Town Meeting to sit down with the GCA and move this project forward.

Greenwich deserves a center for the arts. Let us no longer have to apologize for lacking one.

Granville Burgess
Greenwich

The writer is chief executive officer of Quill Entertainment Co.

==============================================

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com