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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

2/10/09 PRESS RELEASE: A Call to Service From Literacy Volunteers - Stamford/Greenwich, Inc.


PRESS RELEASE:
Local Families and Firms Called to Local Service For SCRABBLE® Challenge on May 6, 2009

The need is immediate and the challenge is on the table – along with 100 SCRABBLE® tiles. Get ready to serve your community by leading a team to win the 9th Annual SCRABBLE® Challenge on May 6, 2009 at the Greenwich Country Club to benefit Literacy Volunteers – Stamford/Greenwich, Inc. Pick your team, plan your strategy, peruse the dictionary -- cocktails and hors d’oeuvres start at 6 p.m.; games begin at 7:00.

Corporate, individual and foundation support promotes team spirit at the SCRABBLE® Challenge. Two games comprise the tournament as approximately 300 area wordsmiths convene for this inventive approach to service in our community. “And that is what SCRABBLE® does – it raises awareness about the need to provide education programs for the more than 68,000 adults in Fairfield County who lack the literacy skills to read a newspaper or fill out a job application while inspiring participants to make a difference,” said Diane Rosenthal.

Many generous patrons assemble SCRABBLE® teams of family and friends for an evening of fun competition in support of reading, writing and English language programs for adults in our community. Last year, Pitney Bowes unseated the previously reigning champions from FactSet. A brief awards ceremony will celebrate the 2009 corporate teams and individual SCRABBLE® champions.

To sign up for the 2009 SCRABBLE® Challenge, please call Diane Rosenthal, Executive Director, at 203-324-5214.

In a sign of the times, Literacy Volunteers - Stamford/Greenwich, Inc. surveyed 62 new incoming students who were there to learn English as a second language. For the first time ever, two-thirds of the students indicated that they were out of work. “I just lost my job” was a universal comment heard at the most recent registration.

“Our students usually work in homes, on construction sites, with landscaping teams and in a number of personal and professional service positions,” said Diane Rosenthal of the trend. “The bright spot is that they are taking this time to invest in learning English. That investment of their time will help them for years to come.”

Like most non-profit organizations, Literacy Volunteers - Stamford/Greenwich, Inc. receives its support from family foundations, individuals, private and public corporations and federal and state agencies. And like all non-profits across the country and throughout our region LVSG has been hit hard by the economic downturn. “We are in this together and we need to reassess our priorities, recommit our resources and reinvigorate our efforts to be sure that we can continue to provide high-quality education to those among us who have the least access but can also gain the most,” said Diane.

Literacy Volunteers benefits our neighbors immediately. It contributes directly to the social fabric of Stamford and Greenwich. Finally, it provides a diverse and prepared workforce for our local corporations and small businesses.

To sponsor a SCRABBLE® team, make a contribution, or sign up to become a tutor, please visit . There, you will hear the first-hand stories of our students, our tutors and our donors. Please join us as we help our neighbors during this difficult economic season.

To learn more about Literacy Volunteers, please visit http://www.lvsg.org/ or contact Diane Rosenthal, Executive Director, at 203-324-5214.

About Literacy Volunteers – Stamford/Greenwich, Inc.

Literacy Volunteers – Stamford/Greenwich, Inc. is a community-based organization that utilizes the services of trained volunteers to provide high quality reading, writing and English language programs to adults, both native and foreign born, for the purpose of enabling them to acquire the literacy skills necessary to achieve personal and occupational goals. LVSG believes that adult literacy remains essential to supporting the community-wide aspirations of strengthening families, enabling parents to participate in the education of their children and ensuring access to opportunities for economic advancement.

Contact:

Carol Wallace

203-351-6974

LVSG Board member


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Greenwich Post News Links: The Weather Report


Meteorologist Bill Evans (WABC-TV And Now WGCH In Greenwich) kissing his Emmy for On-Camera Achievement (News): Weather Reporting

Channel 7 senior meteorologist Bill Evans has been named the official weather voice for WGCH Radio (1490 AM). Mr. Evans, of Old Greenwich, is providing expert weather forecasts throughout the day and night for WGCH as of Jan. 26.

“Utilizing the services of Bill Evans as our staff meteorologist enhances our strong commitment to local news and community information,” said Jeff Weber, executive vice president of the business talk radio network, owners of WGCH radio......

.....Mr. Evans’ forecasts will air every 10 minutes along with traffic reports during the morning news center and will also be featured throughout the day and night.....

....Mr. Evans appears on Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon and has been at WABC-TV for nearly 20 years. He is a seven-time Emmy Award winner and a New York Times best-selling author for his novel Category 7, a techno-thriller about a hurricane bound for New York City.

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2/10/09 Greenwich Time News Links (Updated)


Town man dies in Colo. accident
A Riverside father of two was killed while riding a snowmobile Sunday morning in a Colorado park when he lost control and crashed into a tree.


PLEASE SEE:





Denver Post


EAGLE COUNTY — A 40-year-old Connecticut man died in a snowmobile accident near Grand Lake on Sunday morning. The man lost control of his snowmobile and hit ...


ALSO:



Sky Hi Daily News, CO


... suffered in a snowmobile accident has been identified as Williams S. Bradford of Riverside, Conn., according to Grand County Sheriff Rod Johnson. ...



KRDO



9NEWS.com




Grand County Sheriff Rodney Johnson, reported that William Swan Bradford, Age 40, of Sunshine Drive, Riverside, died of blunt force trauma at Sunday morning when his snowmobile hit a tree in Arapaho National Forest in Grand Lake County.


Mr. Bradford is survived by a wife, Monique Salazar, and two sons, ages 3 and 18 months.


News reports indicate that Mr.Bradford was a managing director at JP Morgan Chase's offices on Park Avenue in Manhattan.


Our condolences go out to Mr. Bradford's family.

Ridership on Metro-North's New Haven Line hit an all-time high in 2008, but rail officials predict the gains might be erased if job losses and other effects of the recession persist, railroad President Howard Permut said.

Report: Shays campaign details alleged fraud
"How could this have occurred? There were clearly significant efforts to conceal this activity and these transactions, these unauthorized transactions," said Michael Fox, a spokesman for Shays.

Fox said Sohn racked up about $190,000 in unauthorized expenditures, ATM withdrawals and forged checks made out to himself for cash during the 2007-08 election cycle.


PLEASE SEE:




HEY BIG SPENDER: The campaign documents claim that Ex-Christopher Shays Campaign Manager Sohn took about: $83,000 in campaign checks written to himself; $70,000 through more than 100 ATM withdrawals; $16,000 in payroll; $11,000 in Verizon charges; and $11,000 in other unapproved spending, including a ticket to a Red Sox baseball game.


Michael Sohn has been a focus of a criminal investigation into the disappearance of the funds. Sohn was subpoenaed last month by a grand jury investigating the missing campaign money.



Connecticut Post


By Peter Urban

Posted: 02/09/2009 08:37:01 PM EST


WASHINGTON - In documents expected to be filed Monday night with the Federal Election Commission, former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays was to detail nearly $190,000 in misappropriated funds that he has accused his former campaign manager of embezzling......


UPDATE:
12:41 AM
02/10/09


What The Heck Is Going On At Hearst Newspapers ?????


Peter Urban, who is the Washington Correspondent at Connecticut Post (View full profile), has had is news story about Chris Shay's estranged campaign manager pulled down at the Connecticut Post , the Greenwich Time , NewsTimes.com and the Stamford Advocate.


Was there some inaccuracies or libelous material in the story about former Shays campaign manager Michael Sohn?


Why was the story pulled down soon after it

was put up in all the Hearst Newspapers?

State supreme court rules in favor of town in police promotion suit
.....Although three Supreme Court justices ruled in favor of the town, two others dissented, stating they felt the trial court made the correct decision.

"I would determine that the trial court properly concluded that the town had breached the contract by failing to promote the plaintiff," the dissent brief states.

News of the decision pleased town officials, who have spent more than $500,000 battling to prove they are not legally bound to promote the top scorer to upper level municipal positions.

"It took them a while, and obviously there was some disagreement, but we are very pleased we were successful," said Town Attorney John Wayne Fox.


PLEASE SEE:




Breaking News


In a 3-2 decision, the state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the town and reversed a Superior Court decision claiming Lt. Gary Honulik was wrongly passed over for promotion.


The decision was released this morning and denied Lt. Honulik’s claims that former Chief of Police James Walters unfairly passed him over when he promoted former Capt. Michael Pacewicz in 2004 despite Lt. Honulik scoring higher on the captian’s examination. Lt. Honulik claimed in his suit that because of personal issues between them, Mr. Walters had promoted Mr. Pacewicz over him by not relying entirely on the exam results and instead using an interview evaluation as part of the decision.


Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that Lt. Honulik could not demonstrate that he had been “maliciously singled out” with intent to injure by the town



WHERE IS THE GREENWICH TIME AND THE GREENWICH CITIZEN ?

COMMENT:


What the Greenwich Time fails to tell its readers is that they changed the rules in middle of the selection process, and this was unethical and unfair.


In theory the town could keep making Lt. Gary Honulik jump through unlimited hoops until their choice of then Lt. Michael Pacewicz would win the Captains job.


The town has spent $50,000 to get a split decision that can allow political considerations to trump merit.


The split decision has very significant implications on the authority and discretion involved in how the town makes promotions.


Soon it is going to be totally unnecessary for the police department to test for raw talent or merit, because the final determining factor will be a good ole boy interview with the Greenwich Chief Of Police.


Joan Caldwell, chairman of the Representative Town Meeting's Labor Contracts Committee, said the ruling affirms the town's right to dictate who it promotes to managerial positions.


When the town lets merit and raw talent take a back seat to political considerations, then the taxpayers will suffer.


Now, police commissioner, Peter Tesei will begin working with Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg to immediately to assess how to the town should move forward with filling current vacancies.


If there is going to be an interview process that is going to trump merit based testing, then a panel of independent Greenwich Citizens should conduct the interviews without political interference.


Shame, Shame, Shame On The Town.


Lt. Gary Honulik has served Greenwich well and scored highest on the police exam only to get screwed over by Michael Pacewicz.


The Town Should Immediately Appoint Lt. Gary Honulik To The Captain's Position He Rightfully And Fairly Earned.


Further, The Town Should Give Lt. Honilik The Back Pay That He Was Cheated Out Of Instead Of Having The Greenwich Retirement Board Giving Michael Pacewicz Benefits For Years He Did Not Work.


What Is Right Is Right And What Is Wrong Is Wrong.


The Town Gave All Of That Extra Pay To Pacewicz, Spent $50,000 On Pacewicz And Wants To Give Pacewicz A Massive Pension Bump For What.


Pacewicz Is Out Of Here !!!!!!


Pacewicz Is Laughing At Greenwich Taxpayers All The Way To The Bank

Three years after removing an acre of an invasive brush at Greenwich Point, town tractors returned recently to clear another with the aim of building a healthy forest over the next ten years.

The project, which first began in 2006, is part of a habitat restoration plan that is occurring in the woods near the clambake area at the town-owned property in Old Greenwich to kill the invasive plants that have destroyed many of the native trees and driven out birds and animals, according to Bruce Spaman, the town tree warden, who is in charge of the project.

"What was growing there was not productive," he said, "We had to convert it to something else.".....


PLEASE SEE:




All that bulldozing around the clambake area at Tod’s is not, as I feared, yet another Kiwana’s “improvement” but the second stage of a long term plan to rid the Point of invasive species. Next would be be Ned Cole, I suppose.

US woman in 'milkshake murder' to seek 2nd appeal

Dikky SinnAssociated
Press Writer
Posted: 02/10/2009 07:38:10 AM EST

....The statements, which addressed Kissel's mental state, undermined the defense's claim that Kissel was suffering from psychiatric problems at the time of the killing.

Kissel said her husband, a 40-year-old investment banker for Merrill Lynch, was an erratic whiskey-swilling workaholic who also snorted cocaine and forced her to have painful anal sex. She testified that she killed him in self defense as he was threatening her with a baseball bat in a quarrel.......


PLEASE SEE:




Top International Story:


An American woman convicted in Hong Kong of killing her banker husband by serving him a laced milkshake and then bashing him on the head won approval Tuesday to move ahead with her appeal.


Nancy Kissel, dressed in a black skirt and black cardigan, smiled and appeared calm as a three-judge panel granted her request to file a second appeal before the territory's high court.


The high court, known as the Court of Final Appeal, will now decide whether to hear the appeal. Kissel lost the first appeal of her conviction in October.


Kissel was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2005 in the case widely referred to as the "milkshake murder." She was convicted of drugging her husband with sedatives in 2003 and then bludgeoning the wealthy banker on the head with a metal ornament.

Full Story: ABC News



Senate clears way for $838b stimulus plan
WASHINGTON -- The Senate cleared the way Monday for final approval of an $838 billion economic stimulus bill that would send fewer dollars to cash-strapped states than an earlier version adopted by the House.

In town

YWCA offers vacation camp


The YWCA of Greenwich, 259 E. Putnam Ave., will offer a school vacation camp for elementary and middle school children during the school holidays today through Saturday.


Camp activities, which will be held daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., will include swimming, sports, games, arts, crafts and more.


For more information or to register, call 869-6501, ext. 251.


Pro-gun senator meets slain teen's family
NEW YORK -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has raised hackles among some New Yorkers with her pro-gun voting record, visited a Brooklyn high school that is mourning a student killed by random gunfire and promised to work with the slain girl's parents to end gun violence.

McMahon presses for education post

HARTFORD -- Linda McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment in Stamford, is not taking chances with her nomination to the state Board of Education.



PLEASE SEE:






TheDay.Com


Business smarts aside, the governor's nominee to fill an empty seat on the state Board of Education raises questions of suitability.....


.....No Connecticut school would condone the ring behavior of the WWE's biggest headliners. Some lessons a child might learn from watching a WWE event: Being a violent bully is cool. Smashing someone over the head with a metal chair won't cause serious injury. Women are sex objects and attracted to the most brutish men. It's entertaining to make fun of people.


Ms. McMahon has every right to run a business that sends such a message, but given her line of work we believe the governor erred in recommending her for a seat on the state school board.


This nomination should be pinned for the count



ALSO:





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HERE IS THE RAW GREENWICHNEWS FEED FOR TUESDAY:


Greenwich Round Up Has Once AgainBeen Spanning The Globe To Bring YouThe Latest News About Your Town.....


TWNP-Wrestling News, NY


M. Jodi Rell announced Saturday that she has appointed Linda McMahon of Greenwich, the WWE’s chief executive officer, to the 11-member Board of Education....


Police blotter
Joseph Darula, 30, of 15 Overlook Drive, was arrested Saturday evening and charged with extortion and second-degree harassment, police said.

Audubon tracks down animals on the go

Three-year old Braden Zils, bundled up in his snow jacket and boots, carefully examined the tracks in the snow for any sign of wildlife at the Audubon Greenwich.



WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan has passed the U.S. Senate and is on its way to difficult House-Senate negotiations


GREENWICH TIME EDITORIAL:


GREENWICH TIME EDITORS AGREE WITH GREENWICH ROUNDUP THAT DOCTOR STACY ZARAKIOTIS SHOUD GET A THUMBS UP !!!!


Thumbs up -- Thumbs down
Thumbs up to Dr. Stacy Zarakiotis of the Greenwich Pediatric Dental Group, who at the request of town health officials provided a free day of screenings, cleanings and fillings to some of the town's neediest children as part of "Give Kids A Smile Day," a program of the American Dental Association.


PLEASE SEE:






The mere mention of a trip to the dentist is enough to send shivers up the spines of many youngsters -- but not for 7-year-old Luis Quisumbing.....


....Dr. Stacy Zarakiotis of Greenwich Pediatric Dental Group, 42 Sherwood Place, provided the services for free at the request of town health officials, who selected the students to receive the services during screenings at town schools this past fall.....


ALSO TWO THUMBS UP FOR DOCTOR STACY ZARAKIOTIS FOR HELPING MEMBERS OF GREENWICH SOCIETY WHO ARE A LITTLE LESS FORTUNATE


God has always had a special tenderly concern for
the widowed, orphans and the poor


Of course, God loves the poor; he loves everybody
But it's not so simple as that.


Some of us have attitudes toward the poor that are mostly disdain and fear.
"The poor are dangerous and different. Sometimes there's a suspicion that their condition is their own fault, that they're simply lazy or inferior."


Other are more kind-hearted, but prefer not to look at the poor too closely,
"Poverty is depressing, and the poor are not fun people to be with."


These attitudes are a world away from God's attitudes


Neediness arouses compassion and action in God


If God values the poor, we have to be more like Dr. Zarakiotis
and think about what that means for us.


If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. Deuteronomy 15:7


The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Proverbs 29:7


I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor. Psalms 140:12


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2/10/08 The Raw Greenwich Overnight News Feed. Greenwich Roundup Has Spanned The Globe To Bring You The Latest News About Greenwich

Say Cheese: Greenwich, April 9, 2005. Andrew Kissel is seen at Epona Stables in Greenwich, Conn. in an April 9, 2005 photo. The driver of slain Greenwich real estate developer Andrew Kissel and another man have been charged in his 2006 murder, police said Saturday (The Greenwich Time/AP Photo)

Top International Story:

American woman convicted in 'milkshake murder' granted approval to file appeal in Hong Kong

By DIKKY SINN

Associated Press Writer

HONG KONG

An American woman convicted in Hong Kong of killing her banker husband by serving him a laced milkshake and then bashing him on the head won approval Tuesday to move ahead with her appeal.

Nancy Kissel, dressed in a black skirt and black cardigan, smiled and appeared calm as a three-judge panel granted her request to file a second appeal before the territory's high court.

The high court, known as the Court of Final Appeal, will now decide whether to hear the appeal. Kissel lost the first appeal of her conviction in October.

Kissel was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2005 in the case widely referred to as the "milkshake murder." She was convicted of drugging her husband with sedatives in 2003 and then bludgeoning the wealthy banker on the head with a metal ornament.
Full Story: ABC News

Gates Chili has two superintendent finalists
Democrat & Chronicle
... 2 district superintendent and search consultant. Manko started teaching high school social studies in 1977 in Greenwich, Conn. He also worked as an Oswego County BOCES assistant principal, a middle school principal and the New York Mills Union Free ...
TOP STORTS STORY:

Naslund enjoys New York, hopes to play with Foppa
NHL.com
... From a personal standpoint, though, he is exactly where he wants to be. He and his wife, Lotta, love their home in Greenwich, Conn., which is about a 15-minute drive to the Rangers' practice rink in Greenburgh, N.Y., and about a 45-minute commute ...
Top National / Business Story:

CEOs feel the heat: Homeowners protest outside mansions
Raw Story
... "Grab Your Torch and Pitchfork." Protesters also gathered outside the mansions of William Frey, the CEO at Greenwich Financial Services, and John Mack, CEO of Morgan Stanley. "The move was part of the nonprofit group's national ...
MORE:

Housing group to protest at executives' homes
Boston.com
... companies that balk at refinancing programs are "financial predators." It conducted a demonstration Sunday at the Greenwich, Conn., home of William Frey, chief executive of Greenwich Financial Services. They also protested at the Rye, N.Y., home of ...
STILL MORE:

Nonprofit protests at lenders' homes
The Boston Globe
... homeowners refinance their mortgages. Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America demonstrated Sunday at the Greenwich, Conn., home of William Frey, chief executive of Greenwich Financial Services, and the Rye, N.Y., home of John Mack, chief executive ...

United Rentals, Inc. Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Conference...
Earth Times
... United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at unitedrentals.com. United Rentals, Inc. Fred Bratman, ...

CT Snowmobiler Dies in Colo.
Wcbs880.com
... was enough to kill him on impact. Grand County Sheriff Rodney Johnson says 40-year-old William S. Bradford of Greenwich, Conn., died Sunday of blunt force trauma after losing control of his snowmobile [Sky Hi Daily News] on a groomed trail in the ...

Suspect in Fatal Crash Busted Again
WVIT-TV
... charges including vehicular homicide for the crash on Jan. 28. Kathy Krasniewicz, 54, and Kate McClelland, 71, of Greenwich died when Jacobson slammed into the cab they were riding in, police said. The women were attending a librarian conference in ...

Director's Cut: Burger Meister
Westchester
... gets their knickers in a twist because this Westchester Magazine food writer is celebrating a restaurant in Greenwich CT, let me point out that there are no border guards between the two states. Likewise, there are no tolls, wide rivers, or ...

Concept Capital Expands to Fixed Income Sales and Trading, Appoints...
Business Wire
... in the most cost effective manner possible. Concept Capital is headquartered in New York City and has offices in Greenwich, Conn., Garden City, NY, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Boca Raton, FL. Concept Capital is a division of SMH Capital, Inc., ...

U.S. Stocks Fluctuate as Insurers, Energy Companies Rise; Hartford Climbs
Bloomberg
... of what may be bullish news from the Treasury tomorrow,a said Andrew Wilkinson , the senior market analyst at Greenwich, Connecticut-based Interactive Brokers Group Inc. Coca-Cola fell $1.02 to $42.53 for the biggest decline in the Dow. The company ...

Millburn Ridgefield Corporation Chooses FlexTrade for Futures Trading
EON - Enhanced Online News
... class algorithmic trading in futures, equities, foreign exchange and equity options from a single screen. Based in Greenwich, Connecticut, Millburn Ridgefield Corporation is an asset management firm specializing in quantitatively-driven specialized ...

Private-equity firm steps in with R.G. Barry buyout bid
Business First of Columbus
... is evaluating an offer valued at up to $77.8 million to sell the company to Mill Road Capital LP , a Greenwich, Conn.-based private equity firm that submitted an unsolicited buyout bid Jan. 28. CEO Greg Tunney, in a Jan. 30 conference call ...

W.R. Berkley net income down 78%
MarketWatch
Operating income for the Greenwich, Conn. insurance provider fell to 62 cents a share from 97 cents a share.

Massage therapy veteran opens spa
HeraldTribune.com
... Venice. Rodriguez is a 16-year veteran in the massage therapy industry. Formerly the owner of Robin's Nest, a Greenwich, Conn., body care business, Rodriguez tended a high-profile clientele base of men and women involved with professional ...
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