Hyper Local News Pages

Saturday, January 3, 2009

1/3/08 Walter Noel Roundup: A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted - Fairfield Greenwich Group charge 1.5% annual management fees plus 20% of profits ?


Walter Noel Was A Double Dipper.

He Got High Fees From Fairfied Greenwich Investors
And Big Payouts From Bernie Madoff

NEW SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING:

Any overconfidence in your ability, willingness and need to take risk may be hazardous to your health and wealth.

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

Fairfield Greenwich's $14.1 billion in assets under management, a full $7.5 billion was in assets controlled by Madoff!


Very little surprises me in the Greenwich Hedge Fund world, but I find myself almost perplexed by the fact that a hedge fund's supposedly sophisticated investors would allow Greenwich resident Walter Noel to basically act as an ultra-high-fee middleman.


Fairfield Greenwich didn't even manage more than half of the assets for which they were charging these high fees, but merely passed them along to Madoff who rewarded Walter Noel with up to 300 Million a year.

On Jan. 4, 2006, the SEC's enforcement staff in New York opened an investigation, based on Mr. Markopolos's allegations, into whether Mr. Madoff was, in fact, running a Ponzi scheme. The SEC staff received documents from Mr. Madoff and Fairfield Greenwich, a hedge fund that placed money with Mr. Madoff on behalf of its clients. The SEC also interviewed Mr. Madoff, his assistant, an official from Fairfield Greenwich and another employee.

The staff recommended closing the investigation because Mr. Madoff agreed to register his investment-advisory business and Fairfield agreed to disclose information about Mr. Madoff to investors. The SEC report said the staff closed the case "because those violations were not so serious as to warrant an enforcement action."

Predictably, the Madoff story has prompted speculation about potential new regulations that might be imposed to head off future problems. Politicians and pundits have called for the adoption of new rules for securities markets in general and hedge funds in particular, even though Mr. Madoff didn't run a hedge fund and there is no shortage of existing securities rules that were violated by his reported conduct. (Keeping two sets of books suggests his own recognition of that.)

The SEC's failure to pursue complaints about Mr. Madoff over the past decade wasn't the result of inadequate regulations but of disbelief that someone so well entrenched in the industry -- a former Nasdaq chairman and SEC adviser -- was capable of committing such a callous crime

Since 2000 and especially after the fall of Enron, the SEC's annual budget has ballooned to more than $900 million from $377 million. Its full-time examination and enforcement staff has increased by more than a third, or nearly 500 people. The percentage of full-time staff devoted to enforcement -- 33.5% -- appears to be a modern record, and it is certainly the SEC's highest tooth-to-tail ratio since the 1980s. The press corps and Congress both were making stars of enforcers like Eliot Spitzer, so the SEC's watchdogs had every incentive to ferret out fraud.

Yet they still failed to nail Bernard Madoff.

The fact is that the only people who seem to have taken concrete action to protect investors from Mr. Madoff are private research shops like Aksia LLC. Its analysts did the real work of figuring out that Mr. Madoff's claimed investment strategy couldn't be happening at the volumes he claimed to be trading. Likewise, it was the short sellers who first blew the whistle on Enron, while the SEC was clueless and the firm's auditors were asleep.

Scared Hedge Fund managersare now saying instead of shoveling more money and power to the regulators who already had plenty of both, let's take care not to overregulate the people who actually warned about Mr. Madoff's miracle returns.

These same Hedge Fund managers say law enforcement is useful in punishing wrongdoers after the fact, which will deter some crooks. But expecting the SEC to prevent a determined and crafty con man from separating investors from their money is no more sensible than putting your life savings with a Bernard Madoff.

But these Hedge Fund Managers are soon going to learn that the Wild Wild West Days are over and their days of unregulated trading is coming to a quick end. These modern day robber barons are going to start learning what the words "ethical behaviour" mean

Moreover, they days of a greedy Hedge Fund Manager being taxed at a 15% rate, while his secretary is taxed at a 35% rate are also numbered.

MORE ON WALTER NOEL:

The Noel family made tons of money and become filthy rich running Fairfield Greenwhich Group.


Some Fairfield Greenwich investors are trying to get money from the SIPC insurance (up to $500k). However, attorneys and the SIPC acknowledge that it can take a long time to sort out the mess and only then can investors possibly get some money back.


Apparently, Fairfield Greenwich acted simply as a middleman between investors and Madoff, and charged hefty fees for doing so. One wonders if WalterNoel will possibly face having to pay back 10-20 years worth of fees.

The NY Times article linked above references an LA-area advisor named Gerald Breslauer who has collected millions in fees over the years for sending checks to Madoff.

How much effort would it have taken Noel of Breslauer to determine that there may be something fishy going on? It is easy to say this in hindsight, and without having had any assets involved, but one would have to think that a hedge fund manager like Noel would need to see more than a glossy sheet showing 20 years of excellent returns to convince him to invest Billions with somebody.

Just what part of Walter Noel's 1.5% fee and 20% of the profits went to doing due diligence?

Walter Noel and his family members were experts at bullsh*ting clients on the golf course, country-clubs and figuring out what to order at the 4-star restaurants.

What's even scarier to long term Greenwich Fairfield Investors and Walter Noel's family members is that, because this Ponzi scheme the government may be able to "claw back" some of this money.

Imagine how it would feel to be a Fairfield Greenwich / Madoof victim and then learn that, not only have your current assets vanished, but you have to give back previous earnings on money you no longer have.
===============================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

1/3/08 A home manager is essentially a live-in stager, as well as a caretaker and cleaner extraordinaire.


Messy Al Gore Would Not Be A Good Greenwich Home Manager




New York Times


WANTED: Compulsively neat, highly organized people to live in houses being marketed for sale. Must keep house suitable for showing at all times. Dirty dishes, used bath towels and stray newspapers strictly prohibited.


Salary? None. Length of time in house? Unpredictable.


If this description serves only to remind you what a mess your own house is, you are probably not “home manager” material......


.....Kerrin O’Brien worked with Unique Property Marketing as a house manager for two Greenwich properties after she and her partner, Tamara, sold their own home there. “We were thinking we’d be moving to New Jersey at some point,” said Ms. O’Brien, a real estate investor, “but we weren’t ready to buy or build, given the economy.”


One of the properties they moved into had been on the market and vacant for at least two years. After they moved in, it sold within a few months, she said.....

1/3/08 More On The Not So "Secret" Wedding Ceremony


Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo walk on the red carpet in Offenburg, Germany on Nov. 27, 2008, prior to Bambi media award ceremony.
(AP/Winfried Rothermel / November 27, 2008)


SouthFlorida.com

Tommy Hilfiger — after a bit of a delay — got remarried just before the holidays in Greenwich, Conn.

It was all very rush-rush and hush-hush, but the stylist married Dee Ocleppo.

The new Mrs. Hilfiger is the gracious and popular ex-wife of Gianni Ocleppo, the famous Italian tennis player. But you probably knew that.

What you may not have known is that the wedding was scheduled for August in Hilfiger's Mustique retreat called Palm Beach, where he is Mick Jagger's neighbor. She had her dress. There was an announced engagement ... with media coverage. There was an 8.2-carat engagement iceberg on her hand.

But for whatever reasons, there was a hasty cancellation and then uncharacteristic silence.Some unscrupulous newspaper columnists — not I, not I — insinuated there was behind-the-scenes wrangling over the prenup.

Hilfiger has four children from his previous marriage to Susie, who is creative director of children's clothier, Best & Co. Daughter Ally was a reality star on MTV's now-defunct Rich Girls, and son Rich is a hip-hop hopeful.

Dee has two sons from her previous marriage......

PLEASE SEE:


Tommy Hilfiger and his gorgeous gal pal are taking a trip down the aisle today in a top-secret, ultra-private wedding ceremony in Greenwich, Conn.

The only person who will be attending the service at Hilfiger's sprawling Connecticut estate - beside the blond bride and preppy groom - is the justice of the peace performing the vows.

We wanted to do it before Christmas," Hilfiger said last night, his about-to-be wife Dee Ocleppo at his side sporting an 8.2-carat diamond engagement ring.

As for their wedding attire, both plan to wear Hilfiger jackets. The happy couple are planning a New Year's party to celebrate their nuptials.They'd planned to marry in August, but postponed the affair.

"A wedding does become a bit complicated," said Hilfiger, who'd earlier told Page Six he postponed the wedding to work out living arrangements for Ocleppo's two kids.......

================================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

1/3/08 Our Greenwich Time / Stamford Advocate Insider Says Greenwich Time Managing Editor Jim Zorba Has Been Canned (Updated)


We Wont Have Greenwich Time Managing Editor
Jim Zorba To Kick Around Anymore

You Wont Read This In The Greenwich Time......

Jim Zorba Days Are Numbered As The Greenwich Time Managing Editor.

Zorba may have already been ordered to clean out his desk.

Who will next failure to be fired at the Greenwich Time.

The Greenwich Time Wont Tell You,

But Our Greenwich Time / Stamford Advocate Will Tell You Right Here At Greenwich Roundup.

Now the Greenwich Time Will Be Looking For It's Fourth Editor In Eight Months.

Maybe They Will Make Cub Reporter Colin Gustafson The Managing Editor Of The Sinking Ship Known As The Green Kitty Litter Liner.

UPDATE:

MONDAY JANUARY 5TH

Confirmation Of Zebora's Departure Is Finaly Confirmed Below The Fold Of Today's Greenwich Time.

PLEASE SEE:


==========================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link below.

1/3/09 PRESS RELEASE: Greenwich residents are invited to Boot Camp for Artists - The Lenny Campello Webinars (Feb 01, 2009)

For More Information , click here

Or copy & paste this into your browser:
http://bootcampforartists-emailinvite.eventbrite.com/?invite=OTk0MDIvZ3JlZW53aWNocm91bmR1cEBnbWFpbC5jb20vMQ%3D%3D%0A

F. Lennox Campello is an international award-winning artist, curator and a widely published art critic and writer in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA.

Can you attend this event? Respond Here



Boot Camp for Artists - The Lenny Campello Webinars


When
Sunday, February 01, 2009 at 11:00 AM (ET)

Location
Webinar

Click for Details and Registration Information

Can you attend this event? Respond Here


This email was sent by Eventbrite, your total online solution to publish, register, manage and promote events. Host Your Events With Eventbrite

Click here to unsubscribe from events by "CFX Network."

1/3/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed

"Did you hear about Peter Boldt"


Dartmouth Men's Hockey Wins Own Ledyard National Bank Classic
Dartmouth Big Green
... shoulder for the score. A power play strike from Goggin at 8:28 gave Dartmouth a two-goal cushion. Peter Boldt (Greenwich, Conn.) brought the puck down passing across to Goggin at the point for the freshman's second goal of the season. The Beavers ...

Bruce Museum Presents That Liberty Shall Not Perish: World War I Posters
Art Daily
GREENWICH, CT.- The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, spotlights a recent gift with a patriotic theme that has been added to the ...

Pension consultant apologizes for remarks
Connecticut Post
... of the Cambridge, Mass.-based New England Pension Consultants, apologized "for the way that the discussion at the Greenwich Retirement Board was portrayed" in a story that appeared Dec. 19 in the Connecticut Post and Greenwich Time. Moseley said ...

Local businesses owed nearly $1 million by Archway
Mansfield News Journal
... said the bulk of its debt was owed to just two creditors: New York-based Wachovia bank, and Catterton Partners of Greenwich, Conn., the bankrupt company's largest shareholder. Those two claimants were owed a total of $107.35 million in 'secured' ...

U.S. factories in worst slump in 28 years
Globeinvestor.com
... is a very weak report, suggesting no sign of stabilization yet," said Ian Lyngen, interest rate strategist at RBS Greenwich Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut. Investors shrugged off the grim report on the new year's first day of trading, eager to ...

Study: Some IPOs may surprise in 2009
The Business Journal of Milwaukee
... offerings in 2009, but new issues could produce healthy returns, according to an industry report. The study by Greenwich, Conn.-based Renaissance Capital predicts that despite the likelihood that the IPO market will follow the depressed trend of ...

Chelsea Technologies Announces Launch of New Office in Greenwich, Connecticut


PRWeb
Since financial services firms began choosing Greenwich as an alternative to Manhattan, Chelsea has been paving the way by building and supporting the 'Big Bank Feel' of Information Technology to these small ...
================================================================


Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click the comments link at the end of this post.

1/3/08 BEHIND THE TIMES: Why Didn't Greenwich Time Editor Jim Zorba Asign A Reporter To Cover The "Sick Sushi" Story From This "Whacy" Doc 16 Days Ago


Whacky Greenwich Doctor Carlton Clocker's

Sushi Tale Begins To Stink


Fish Pisioned Priven Claims A Greenwich Doctor In His "Entourage"


HBO's Entourage Had Better Find A New Actor To Star In March.

High mercury levels tied to sushi

By Christina Hennessy
Staff Writer
Posted: 01/03/2009 09:05:40 AM EST

It is not often an actor's diet stirs up the kind of controversy that Jeremy Piven's has. But his often twice-daily intake of sushi has been cited as one of the likely factors that contributed to the high levels of mercury found in his system - nearly six times the tolerable amount - prompting the symptoms, among them extreme fatigue, that led the 43-year-old to bow out of the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow," according to his physician, Dr. Carlon Colker.

Colker, who is on the staff at Greenwich Hospital and chief executive officer and medical director of Peak Wellness in Greenwich, says he also is looking into Piven's use of Chinese herbs.
The internist says the good that has come out of his patient's case is the renewed attention to the potential dangers of eating fish with high mercury levels. A high mercury toxicity in the body can result in extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, memory loss and organ damage, among other health issues. In unborn babies and young children, it can cause impaired neurological development and damage the central nervous system.

"I don't want to scare people," Colker says. "But you do have to be careful."

But at least one group questions the diagnosis and thinks the story will scare people needlessly.

The story will "whip up another round of public fear," says David Martosko, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Consumer Freedom's director of research. "The health benefit you get from eating fish blows the hypothetical risks out of the water."

....The Piven story seemingly hasn't spurred an increase in questions to the Stamford Health Department, according to Anne Fountain, the emergency response coordinator.
Though, from time to time, the agency fields some questions.

Fountain says advisories and state guides on fish consumption can be accessed via the city's Web site, http://www.ci.stamford.ct.us/.


COMMENT:


Clueless Greenwich Time Reporter Christina Hennessy Is Obviously Unaware Of Greenwich Doctor Carlton Clocker's Recent Questionable Medical Data Problems And Lawsuits Involving Deadly The Dietary Supplement Ephedra.


PLEASE SEE:



People.com
By Alexis Chiu
Jeremy Piven suffered "shocking levels" of mercury in his system from eating too much sushi and Chinese herbs, forcing him to leave the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow, his doctor tells PEOPLE. "I pulled Jeremy from the show," says Dr. Carlon Colker. "I'm an unpopular character right now."Responding to skepticism over the decision to leave the play – playwright David Mamet joked that Piven was leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer" – the doctor says the decision was purely medical, and one that Piven, 43, initially resisted. "

"He's disappointed that I had to pull the plug," says Colker. "But I think he's hurt more by the comments that he's not trying or that he walked away. He's been working straight for 30 years. He doesn't walk away; I tore him away from it."

Colker, an internist and attending physician at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, says Piven initially came to him after the show's run began in late October, complaining of severe fatigue. "

This was very, very unusual for him," says Colker, who is also CEO and medical director of Peak Wellness in Greenwich, Conn., with another facility in Beverly Hills. "He's known as the iron horse – he's been working nonstop for 30 years, and he works 17-hour days."

After a battery of tests failed to reveal what was ailing the three-time Emmy winner, Colker checked his "heavy metals" and was "absolutely stunned" to find mercury at a level "almost six times the upper limit of normal and allowable," says the doctor. "It's the highest level I've ever seen."

Colker attributes the high mercury count to Piven's habit of eating sushi, often twice a day, compounded by certain Chinese herbs he was taking "for general health."

Piven was ordered to put a moratorium on the fish and the herbs, and his doctor sent a letter on Dec. 10 revealing the health problem to the Speed-the-Plow production staff.

While Piven decided to continue with the show, his symptoms did not abate – and after a spell of dizziness led to a three-day hospitalization, Colker says he decided to put the curtain down on Piven's Broadway run. The actor will be replaced by Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy.

"It is very serious. Mercury can kill – it can absolutely cause cardiac arrest, kidney failure, even psychiatric problems," says Colker, who was first interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. "He is going to be OK. This is completely reversible," adds Colker, who believes Piven will be "rockin' and rollin' and ready to be his old self for Entourage" by March. He just needs to really lay low and rest."

RELATED ARTICLE:

COMMENT:

This "Sick Sushi" Story Is From A Wacky Greenwich Doctor Who Is Part Of Priven's Entourage.
Just Wait Till The Party Boy Actor's Producers Discover The Truth About This Controversial Greenwich Doctor.

Soon Doctor Carlton Clocker Sushi Excuse Is Going To Start To Stink Up All Of Those Cable Entertainment Shows.

"Speed The Plow" Investors Will Become Skeptical When They Discover That Greenwich Doctor Carlton Clocker Was The Target Of Lawsuits, In My Hoe State Of Missouri. The Lawsuits Were Over Tests Preformed By The Good Doctor, That Were Intended To Downplay The Dietary Supplement Ephedra.

Ephedra has been used as an herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as well as for the common cold.

Ephedra has been used as an herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as well as for the common cold.

A review of ephedra-related adverse reactions, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, found a number of cases of sudden cardiac death or severe disability resulting from ephedra use, many of which occurred in young adults using ephedra in the labeled dosages

Steve Bechler, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, died of complications from heatstroke following a spring training workout on February 17, 2003. The medical examiner found that ephedra toxicity played a "significant role" in Bechler's sudden death

Escalating concerns regarding the safety of ephedra supplements led the FDA to ban the sale of ephedra-containing supplements in the United States in 2004. This ban was challenged by supplement manufacturers and initially overturned, but ultimately upheld. However, the FDA ban only applies to ephedra-based dietary supplements that contain ephedrine alkaloids.

Clocker Was Also Taken To Court In West Virginia And Illinois.

If Someone Was Truly Suffering From A Massive Dose If Mercury Poisoning Wouldn't They Be In Greenwich Hospital Instead Of Colker's "Wellness Center" Taking Herbal Remedies.

Earlier There Were Reports That Priven Had Taken The Unusual Step Of Trying To Find A Replacement To Get Him Out Of His Contractual obligations To "Speed The Plow" Producers And Investors. When That Failed He Apparently Went And Found The "Wacky" Doctor Of Greenwich.

PLEASE ALSO SEE:


2 Jan 2009

The two-faced and famous have something new to worry about.

Jeremy Piven isn’t going to let a little “mercury poisoning” (*cough*) stop him from banging models to the extent that he can. He is well known for his sleazy methods of picking up women — such as sending out mass text messages to girls he meets at parties and offering a prize (him for the night) to the first to respond.

But he recently started dating 23-year-old model Ashley Chontos, probably for her unfettered naivete when it comes to death by sushi.

Gatecrasher has the deets:

While Chontos may have been the playboy’s second choice (or third … or fourth … or fifth), she’s sticking by his side during the traumatic bout of mercury poisoning that forced him to bow out of Broadway’s “Speed-the-Plow.”

Ashley was with Jeremy the night he first called in sick to the show,” one of her pals tells us. “He had a car pick her up at Broadway and 90th St. to take her to his apartment, where they spent the night before he left for the West Coast.”

As Piven is currently in Bangkok, undergoing treatments for his condition — and Chontos is in Miami, soaking up some sun — the two are engaging in a long-distance relationship via text messages. “Jeremy’s doctor recommended he go to Bangkok,” the insider says. “And Ashley decided to get a tan so she looks great for her ‘red carpet debut.’ She wants to get real dolled up, and has been discussing her outfit and jewelry practically every chance she gets.”

First of all, I wouldn’t trust Piven in Thailand as far as I could throw him. When he gets back I hope she insists he check himself into a good old Western medicine free clinic to clear up the inevitable rash. But second, if she’s preparing for a “red carpet debut,” that implies a full recovery is imminent, don’t you think?

What a medical miracle!

MORE ON THE FISH PISIONED PRIVEN:


December 31, 2008

While Jeremy Piven may have "eaten too much sushi" and lost his job on Broadway's Speed-the-Plow, all that "mercury" certainly didn't get in the way of his lady charming. If you can call it that. Which we certainly wouldn't.

Turns out Piven attended Britney Spears' birthday party at NYC club Mansion earlier this month to get a piece. Someone who attended the party called Piven a "numbers boy" who basically collected the digits of anything female and breathing (well, that first one may be negotiable). He then sent out a delightful mass text saying: "Come to my room - whoever responds first gets me for the night."

What an offer. I bet the fire escapes were alive with the sound of click clacking 21-year-olds shrieking there way to the "guy from Entourage's room."

Model-turned-bottle-waitress (heh) Ashley Chontos must've been particularly desperate quick because she was the lucky, lucky winner. Although Ashley wasn't his first pick (FYI, the "insistent" Jeremy "freaked out" his first pick. Shocking.) the fame-hungry bottle waitress may have scored herself a red carpet appearance with Jeremy at next month's Golden Globes.
Wow. Dreams really do come true.

31 Dec 2008
Jeremy Piven Goes To The Third World for Mercury-Poisoning Treatment, ... - Really? Thailand? Not the Mayo Clinic, not Johns Hopkins, not even Cedars Sinai. ...

================================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

01/03/09 Greenwich Time News Links. TOP STORY: Police Palace Nearly Complete On Mason Street


Greenwich Police Palace To Open A Head Of Scheadule


Worth Construction will complete the $33 million project in February 2009, not September 2009, as originally slated.



By Debra "I Am A Big Fat Liar" Friedman

Despite minor quality control issues with the construction of the new downtown police station, building officials said the project is still moving ahead on schedule.

"We are on target for time and we are right at budget," said Alan Monelli, town superintendent of building construction and maintenance.

Recently, town representatives overseeing the project noticed a problem with the finishing of the concrete floors and asked the contractor, Bethel-based Worth Construction, to fix the flaw.

A hollow spot on the concrete surface must be sanded and filled in, according to Monelli, who said that the problem does happen occasionally.

"It's not a structural issue. It's a quality control issue," said Monelli, who noted that it would not cost the town any extra money to fix.

Worth Construction is repairing the problem, although it will not prevent workers from moving ahead with other aspects of the construction project.

"They've been trying to do it on a small scale and we've been advising them that they should increase their work force so they can get it done faster," said Monelli.

Thus far, the town has had no major issues with the contractor's work on the public safety complex, even though Worth's other Greenwich-based municipal construction project, Hamilton Avenue School, has been riddled with problems and delays.

"Based upon what I saw when I was on tour about two months ago, it appeared to be moving along, there were no issues," said First Selectmen Peter Tesei. .....

.....Tesei said once this phase of the public safety complex is complete, the town will discuss plans for a new central fire headquarters that will house the fire department and GEMS administration.

"That's a substantial project that will be the topic of considerable debate in terms of which direction the town wishes to proceed," said Tesei, who noted that the intent was to renovate the current police and fire facilities, but might end up involving a complete reconstruction.

"It may be more cost effective to tear it down and start from scratch, but that is a decision that still has to be made," said Tesei.

Rail yard plans get close scrutiny for savings
An audit of the plan to overhaul the New Haven Rail Yard is recommending major design changes, and delaying some elements, in order to achieve nearly $500 million in cost savings.

Residents' New Year's resolutions
By Greenwich Time Cub Reporter Colin Gustafson

With the economy in the doldrums, Greenwich mother Christine Sikes says she's swearing off the standard resolutions of New Years past, from exercising more to eating less, in favor of what she calls a more timely goal - becoming a spendthrift.

Legislators say revenue from higher federal gas taxes should fund repairs A large share of a proposed federal gas tax increase should finance myriad projects to ease Interstate 95 congestion, repair state bridges and increase mass transit in Connecticut, state legislators and others said Friday.

No DUI arrests on New Year's Eve
While New Years Eve is traditionally a time when police see a high number of drunken driving arrests, this year authorities said numbers were relatively low.

Consultant apologizes for reported comments
FAIRFIELD - A representative of the town's pension consultant issued an apology to First Selectman Kenneth Flatto and other officials after he was quoted as saying in a published report that he recommended Fairfield reduce its investments in a feeder fund linked to disgraced investor Bernard Madoff.

Police blotter
Carlos Aponte, 51, of 115 Atlantic St., Stamford, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with multiple offenses after attempting to run over someone with his car in the area of 14 Sherman Ave.

Families experience magic of movies at special show
STAMFORD - For Karl Arezzini and his family, opportunities to go to the movies are few and far between

Runner Buchanan, 50, still going strong
The old athletic adage says the legs are the first to go. Don't tell that to George Buchanan. Even at 50, his legs are still going faster than most men in the 20s and 30s could ever hope

"I don't think he has slowed down any since he was 30,'' said Jim Gerweck, the race director of the popular Boston Buildup running series, which Buchanan has won multiple times. "I think he's a little more selective in his racing now, but he hasn't slowed down a whole heckuva a lot over the years."

Buchanan, a former Stamford resident, will be on the starting line Sunday when the Buildup series begins its 31st year with a 10-kilometer run at Brien McMahon High School. The series increases by 3.1 miles every few weeks, culminating with a 25-kilometer on March 1.

Hope St. Rite Aid to close its doors
The commercial real estate market may be in the doldrums, but Michael Panek said he is optimistic that it won't take long to find a tenant for the building his business owns on Hope Street in the Springdale section of Stamford, now occupied by a Rite Aid Pharmacy.

A facility that championed environmentalism before a lot of the world caught up, the Garbage Museum in Stratford has been a somewhat quirky attraction that has drawn visits by area groups since the 1990s.

The museum, at the Southwest Connecticut Recycling facility, includes attractions such as "Trash-o-saurus," a 2,000-pound dinosaur built from trash and old toys, as well as a variety of exhibits about the virtues of recycling and protecting the environment. It's a field-trip destination for groups ranging from grade-schoolers to senior citizens.

The Garbage Museum and its educational programs have been funded since 1995 by the Southwest Connecticut Recycling Operating Committee, a group of 19 area towns and cities that oversees operation of the regional recycling facility in Stratford ..... BLAH ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ..... BLAH ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ...... BLAH ...... BLAH .......

FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS THERE HAVE BEEN NO LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED ONLINE AT THE GREENWICH TIME. MAYBE NO ONE WROTE TO THE EDITOR OF THE GREEN KITTY LITTER LINER.

==========================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

1/3/09 "I think this is going to be very interesting to see how this plays out." says John Carusone, president of the Bank Analysis Center

In 1999 Westport National Bank replaced another financial institution as the custodian for a number of individuals and entities that were investing with Bernard L. Madoff Securities

Norwalk Advocate
Westport National Bank on Friday sent a letter to its staff and customers stating it acted only as a custodian for clients investing in Bernard Madoff Investment Securities.

The bank sent the letter after the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on Wednesday reported that investors in Florida had retained lawyers to investigate claims that the bank had steered their funds to Madoff.

"First, be assured that the Bank has not invested any of its own funds or the funds of its depositors with Madoff, and the Bank has not advised any customer or anybody else to invest with Madoff," Richard Cummings, president of Westport National Bank, said in the letter.
The bank is one of five divisions of Connecticut Community Bank, which formed in 2004 with the merger of Westport National Bank and Greenwich Bank & Trust, ...
....The law firms representing clients are Boca Raton, Fla.-based Stein, Stein & Pinsky and McCabe Rabin PA of West Palm Beach, Fla.

"We are getting new calls daily," Adam Rabin, a lead attorney investigating the Madoff fallout, said Wednesday in a statement, adding his firm heard investors were required to invest a minimum of $10 million.

"Today, we're receiving calls that investors had pooled from several hundred thousand to several million dollars together with other investors," he said.

Certain banks and security firms did not perform sufficient due diligence on Madoff before investing their clients' money with him, said Ryon MCabe, co-lead counsel with McCabe Rabin.

"Beyond suitability issues, this is the worst securities fraud we have seen in a long time," he said.
Individuals and nonprofit foundations across Palm Beach County, Fla., have been impacted by the Madoff scheme, McCabe said.
================================================================

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of the post.