06/09/08 The Raw Greenwich News Feed For Monday

Top Story - Arnold's Thrift Shop Bakery Fire

Early-morning fire damages Greenwich bakery
.
Six fire departments responded to the scene at approximately 1:20 a.m. Firefighter say when they arrived, flames had already engulfed the roof.
The Greenwich fire chief says propane tanks started the fire. No one was hurt.
See The Video- Play the video

Power Outages In Greenwich
2400 Residents without power. All schools delayed one hour this morning. Greenwich Police forced to roads during and after the storm, because trees fallen trees.

A Good Drive Spoiled
New York Times
By James Schembari GREENWICH, Conn. — The frustrating thing about the Greenwich Concours d’ Élégance here on Saturday was the wilting nearly 90-degree ...

YWCA Dolphins place sixth at national meet

Last month, the Greenwich YWCA Dolphins' swim team accomplished a feat worthy of recognition and praise.

The National Weather Service has issued an EXCESSIVE HEAT ADVISORY for Greenwich and the following areas in CT
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD, NORTHERN NEW HAVEN and SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD. Today's Weather Forecast.....
Hazy Sunshine
Very Hot, Humid
Highs: 91-96°F
Wind: WSW 10-15 mph

Blood Pressure Screenings
Where: Greenwich Library at Health Information Center Free blood pressure screenings conducted by a registered nurse from Hospital. This event takes place every Monday afternoon from 1-4pm in the Health Information Center. Greenwich...

Principal must take responsibility for his actions
To the editor: What has happened to people being accountable? Glenville School has a principal who "got his hand caught in the cookie jar," and everyone is trying to make excuses for him.

17 Year Old Driver From Greenwich Was Lucky He Was Not Hurt - Debris falls again from Stamford's Trump Parc site
For the second time in the past month, construction debris has fallen through safety netting at the Trump Parc site in downtown Stamford.

A piece of a three-inch cable fell from the 29th floor of the building, which is at the corner of Washington and Broad streets, breaking a car window. The driver of the vehicle was unhurt.

"We will try to work at finding a solution so that this doesn't happen again," says Stamford Police Lt. Sean Cooney. "This is the second time in two weeks and that's too many."

Stamford police are working with city engineers and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to figure what can be done to avoid a similar incident in the future. See Video Of The Greenwich Student's Car - Play the video of the Greenwich teens smashed car

EDUCATION; School’s Neighbors Fault Expansion Plan

FOUNDED 10 years ago, the Stanwich School in Greenwich has quickly established...semirural neighborhood. The school currently leases buildings from the Greenwich Reformed Synagogue on Stanwich Road and two churches...

Society for the Increase of the Ministry announces 2008 Scholarship Grants

Religion News Service

The Society for the Increase of the Ministry (SIM or The Society) has been supporting Episcopal seminarians since it's founding in 1857 at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. The Rev. Canon Robert G. Carroon, Director of Scholarship Programs, at their recent Annual Meeting, reported Scholarship grants were awarded in 2008 totaling $224,000 to 76 Episcopal seminarians. This represents 43 dioceses in The Episcopal Church (TEC)...

... Ministries, Episcopal Church Center, New York; the Very Rev. James B. Lemler, priest in charge, Christ Church, Greenwich, CT and retired Dean of Seabury-Western Seminary; the Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop and Primate of ...

Dancers take recitals to the big stage
After leaving their mothers at the door, several dozen elementary school girls garbed as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty sat Indian-style awaiting their cue backstage during a dress rehearsal at the Palace Theater yesterday.

To Do List - Music and weather talk
The Bruce Museum presents Michael Lasser, a music historian, radio host, and author to give a lecture on how popular music “sings” about weather, 1:30, Tuesday, June 10, Bruce Museum; $25, $15 for museum members; 869-0963; Brucemuseum.org.

Summer heat, a few weeks early
Yesterday Nicole Dougherty of Greenwich and Elly Hinders sat on a beach blanket getting a tan and getting ready to play cards.

To Do List - Lunch ‘n’ Learn
Eat lunch while learning how to hire, motivate, and keep employees, 11:45 to 1:30, Tuesday, June 10; Greenwich Water Club, 49 River Road, Cos Cob; members $30, non-members $40, $10 after June 6; 869-3500; Greenwichchamber.com/events.asp.

Seeing Recession When There's None to Be Found: Kevin Hassett
Bloomberg Business News
... special story. The jobs numbers, for example, according to Michael Darda , chief economist for MKM Partners LLC in Greenwich, Connecticut, might have been inflated for a number of reasons, including technical problems associated with graduating ...

Town weighs plan for coastline

A wide-ranging discussion has begun about how to streamline efforts to control land use, protect the environment and balance the competing needs of powerboaters, sailors and rowers along the Greenwich coastline, town officials and others say.

Endowments, pensions drive hedge fund growth

InvestmentNews

... greater transparency was the surest pathway to prosperity and the big money of institutions. The heavily leveraged Greenwich, Conn.-based hedge fund became the symbol of the risk associated with hedge fund investing when it lost $4.6 billion in less ...

Trust prepares deal with Aquarion
The parties are primed for action, but it will take a little bit longer before the town and the Greenwich Land Trust can drum up support for the purchase of Aquarion Water Co.

Clark beats Mets in a pinch
NY Daily News
... we're capable of." Things don't get any easier. After Monday's day off, when travel-weary players will be in Greenwich, Conn. , for a team-sponsored charity event after a cross-country flight, the NL West -leading Diamondbacks arrive at Shea. On ...

Soprano Erin Windle stars in Mozart flick

Soprano Erin Windle has earned an international reputation on operatic stages for her portrayal of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute.

Greenwich Post web site down
The Greenwich Post web site will be down for maintenance today and we will be unable to post any new information. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please Also Note: The Greenwich Citizen web site has not been updated for three days.

What next for Havemeyer Building?
A request for $30,000 to study whether the Havemeyer Building would be suitable for a new senior center is encountering pockets of resistance in the Representative Town Meeting.

To Do List - Heart smart
Physicianis present “Keeping Your Heart Healthy Now and Into the Future,” 6:30 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 10, Noble Conference Center at Greenwich Hospital; free; 863-4277; Greenhosp.org.

ARCH School thrives in new location

Barbara Varanelli last year sometimes wondered if she was in enemy territory when she sat through meetings with Byram residents who she felt were unjustified in calling ARCH School students troublemakers.

Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Meets Tonight At 8 p.m.
Central Middle School - Meeting Documents & Schedule

Experts discuss senior care
The affordability and availability of long-term care for a growing senior population is a major issue confronting state and local officials.

To Do List - Retired men’s meeting
John M. Dunster, publisher of the Greenwich Time, will speak to the Retired Men’s Association, 9:30, Wednesday, June 11, Greenwich YMCA; free; 637-2393; Decsepel2@aol.com

GHS students win TV awards

Four Greenwich High School students captured numerous honors at the fourth annual Educational Access Awareness Awards where original student television productions were recognized.

The Raw Greenwich Weekend News Feed From Yesterday

• Hot stuff at car show
• Digital Guerrillas - Why the Clintons, New York Times, Linear Career Paths went kaput
• Foreclosure proceedings double, but numbers remain low
• Primary Day draws petitioners to the polls
• Yoga Hippies Want Your House
• the Rumblethe Rumble
• Port Chester renewal attracts transportation council
• Anonymous donations questioned
• Hey, Steve Weiss, This Is Why It Was Dangerous For The Greenwich Police To Use A Taser On A Greenwich High School Student...
• Man dies after being shot with Taser gun
• Suspect dies after being taken into custody

• Lying Glenville Principal Will Be Suspended WITHOUT Pay Until The End Of June And Is Placed On One Years Probation

• NHL: Colin Wilson's hockey roots run deep
• A Lesson for Us All
• Censorship - This Is Why Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss Wont Release The Video Tape Of A Greenwich High School Student Getting Tased Three Times
• Laura DiBella Reports - "Touring" the Ham Ave Site...
• Leeds Finishes Strong, Captures 400
• Much-Beloved Glenville Principal's Position in Limbo
• Savings at the Pump; 45 Cents Per Gallon?
• Sobering Thoughts from a Recovering Alcoholic
• Forum Brings Clean Energy to Forefront
• Boeing, Lockheed challenged in Humvee-heir fight
• Jobs Cut For 5th Straight Month, Unemployment Rate Jumps
• High-stakes Battle Brewing Ov...
• Greenwich school principal to be reinstated
• Fairfield Prep Defeats Simsbury In Class L Lacrosse
• Judge to decide if man gets into drug program
• Warner named editor of Advocate, Greenwich Time
• DealBook: Zagat Closes the Book on Sale Effort
• The Fastest Road to Disaster: Gas-Price Cap
• GHS Laxmen Breeze to Class L Semifinals
• Zapping teenage torment

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06/08/08 The Raw Greenwich Weekend News Feed

Howard Fafard stands with his 1930 Duesenberg J Walker LeGrande Torpedo Phaeton yesterday at the Concours d'Elegance in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park yesterday. The car has a Hollywood lineage, as it was once owned by Howard Hughes and was used in a variety of movies.
(Keelin Daly/ Greenwich Time photo)

1. Hot stuff at car show
   What a doozy. That's what onlookers were saying as they walked by Howard Fafard's 1930 Duesenberg J Walker Legrande Torpedo Phaeton.

2. Digital Guerrillas - Why the Clintons, New York Times, Linear Career Paths went kaput

   Jane Genova

   ... and interacting top-down or vertical vs. horizontal. That book "Saving Souls on Park Avenue, K Street, and in Greenwich, Connecticut" is available free Download savingsoulsonparkavenuekstreet.pdf . Running a digital political campaign, business or ...

3. Foreclosure proceedings double, but numbers remain low
   The number of foreclosure proceedings initiated in Greenwich in the first four months of this year nearly doubled from the same period last year, according to a foreclosure database company.

4. Primary Day draws petitioners to the polls

   Boston.com

   ... have reported receiving $10,000 from the Maine State Employees Association and $100,000 from S. Donald Sussman of Greenwich, Conn., chairman and CEO of Paloma Partners management company. Trying to drum up opposition to a repeal, former Democratic ...

5. Foreclosure proceedings double, but numbers remain low
   The number of foreclosure proceedings initiated in Greenwich in the first four months of this year nearly doubled from the same period last year, according to a foreclosure database company.
   

6. Yoga Hippies Want Your House

   Gawker

   Do you have a spacious home in NYC or Greenwich, CT? Why not share it free of charge with a married couple in their thirties from Sept.

7. the Rumble

   New York Post

   ... are up for grabs for Mets fans who attend tomorrow night's "Mets Teammates in the Community" at Richard's in Greenwich, Conn. Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Aaron Heilman, Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Scott Schoeneweis, ...

8. Port Chester renewal attracts transportation council

   Journal News

   ... a member of the transportation council, said Port Chester's proximity to Long Island Sound, New York City and Greenwich, Conn., makes it a prime location for growth. 'It's a unique opportunity to take advantage of it's geographic location,' he ...

9. Anonymous donations questioned
   With only so much taxpayer funds available to pay for a lengthy wish list of capital projects, the town is increasingly relying on the generosity of a wealthy citizenry to fund everything from a proposed Byram pool to improvements at the municipal golf course.

10. Hey, Steve Weiss, This Is Why It Was Dangerous For The Greenwich Police To Use A Taser On A Greenwich High School Student...

    Man dies after being shot with Taser gun

    Suspect dies after being taken into custody
    
    (Brian Burnell, NECN: Meriden, CT) - Community towers is a federally subsidized apartment complex for the elderly and disabled in Meriden, Connecticut. ...

11. Lying Glenville Principal Will Be Suspended WITHOUT Pay Until The End Of June And Is Placed On One Years Probation

    Breaking News
    
    Ethically Challenged Principal Marc D'Amico Will Probably Lose About $10,000 in pay.
    
    Quote:
    
    "This my friends is not about cupcakes. It is not about cupcakes." said Greenwich School Superintendent Dr. Betty Sternberg.
    
    Headline:
    
    It's Confirmed Principal Marc D'Amico Is A Liar. Multiple Times Over Multiple Days!
    
    Principal D'Amico Signs Legal Documents Admitting To Being A Liar

12. NHL: Colin Wilson's hockey roots run deep

    Canada.com

    ... he played (in the NHL) and it makes me want to be a little more successful at hockey." Wilson, 18, was born in Greenwich, Conn., not far from New York City, when his father was playing with the Rangers. He holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship and, ...

13. A Lesson for Us All

    NYC Educator

    Greenwich CT Principal Marc D'Amico was suspended after he refused to allow a parent to bring cupcakes for a kid's party.

14. Censorship - This Is Why Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss Wont Release The Video Tape Of A Greenwich High School Student Getting Tased Three Times

    (Watch The Videos)Police Taser Woman Also Woman Gets Tasered 6 Times By Ohio Police Officer...
    

15. Laura DiBella Reports - "Touring" the Ham Ave Site...

    However, can someone explain WHY the furniture and furnishings have been delivered to this site? Granted, most are in boxes, but this building is in no way clean, dust is everywhere, and there sits the new furniture and furnishings. Is the building committee going to go to the RTM and ask for more money to clean furniture and furnishings that should not even be there?
    
    
    The first floor rooms that are designated for Pre-K have sidewalks leading to the courtyard, but no doors. WHY? The original education specifications showed that each pre-k classroom was to have an independent door to the courtyard. These areas will become magnets for area ne'er-do-wells....

16. Leeds Finishes Strong, Captures 400

    Greenwich Citizen

    With a win in the 400 from senior Rebecca Leeds, the Greenwich High girls track team placed ninth in the FCIAC championship last week at Danbury High.

    
    

17. Much-Beloved Glenville Principal's Position in Limbo

    Greenwich Citizen

    ... signed with over 400 names was delivered to the Board of Ed and school administrators. On the Web site of the Greenwich Time over 200 comments have been listed - mostly in favor of D'Amico. "I do feel bad for Marc," said Carbino, "but I'm not in ...

18. Savings at the Pump; 45 Cents Per Gallon?

    Greenwich Citizen

    ... a Wednesday or Sunday. You see, three elements in this gas math could kick gas prices down 45 cents per gallon in Greenwich and other Fairfield County Towns between July 1 and Labor Day. The elements: 1. Congress putting the brakes on deposits to ...

19. Sobering Thoughts from a Recovering Alcoholic

    Greenwich Citizen

    Lou and Gigi Bantle at their home in Greenwich. The Bantles were the recipients of the first-ever Spirit of Hope award from Liberation Programs, Inc.

20. Forum Brings Clean Energy to Forefront

    Greenwich Citizen

    Gathered to promote clean energy initiatives in Greenwich at a forum Tuesday at the Bruce Museum are, from left, Matthew van Rhyn of Boy Scout Troop 11; Will Bates, co-founder of Step It Up; Denise Savageau, ...

21. Boeing, Lockheed challenged in Humvee-heir fight

    STLtoday

    ... a vehicle contract that will end up in a vehicle manufacturer's hands at the end of the day," Peter Arment, a Greenwich, Conn.-based analyst with American Technology Research, said of the contest that will lead to the production of 60,000 JLTVs. "AM ...

22. Superman's savior shares successes

    Crain's NY Business

    ... ; M.B.A., University of Virginia PERSONAL: Married 27 years to wife, Eaddo; four children, ages 16 to 23; lives in Greenwich, Conn.

23. Jobs Cut For 5th Straight Month, Unemployment Rate Jumps

    BNET

    ... distortion" into the monthly data, said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist at RBS Global Banking in Greenwich, Connecticut. "The odds ... favor a dip in the unemployment rate to 5.3 or 5.4 (percent) next month, which would look to be more ...

24. High-stakes Battle Brewing Ov...

    Ellsworth American

    ... filed Friday, Health Coverage for Maine received the $100,000 from Sussman, a part-time Maine resident from Greenwich, Conn; $10,000 from the Maine State Employees Association; and, $50 from Ezra Hark, who is helping organize the campaign. The group ...

25. Greenwich school principal to be reinstated

    Hartford Courant

    Greenwich school officials say they will be reinstating a principal who was suspended last month after he refused to allow a parent to bring sweets into his daughter's class for her birthday.

26. Fairfield Prep Defeats Simsbury In Class L Lacrosse

    Friday Jun 6 | Hartford Courant

    ... Prep (18-4). The Jesuits advance to the final and will play No. 3 Ridgefield (19-3), which defeated No. 2 Greenwich 7-5, on Saturday at McMahon. J.T. Galloway led Simsbury (19-2) with two goals. This is the third straight year the Trojans were ...

27. Judge to decide if man gets into drug program

    Asbury Park Press

    ... granddaughter to steal an arcade worker's pocketbook on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. He was arrested in Greenwich, Conn., on Sept. 29 after a television station aired the videotape. On it, a man alleged to be Twomey is seen pushing a young girl ...

28. Warner named editor of Advocate, Greenwich Time

    WTNH

    ... with more than three decades in the newspaper industry is the new editor of The Advocate in Stamford and Greenwich Time in Connecticut. Media News Group, which manages the daily newspapers for their owner, Hearst Corp., named David Warner as editor. ...

29. DealBook: Zagat Closes the Book on Sale Effort

    The New York Times

    ... family sold a third of the company to an investor group led by General Atlantic , a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Conn.) Begun with a two-page list of New York restaurants, typed and filled with recommendations from the Zagats' friends, ...

30. The Fastest Road to Disaster: Gas-Price Cap

    TheStreet.com

    ... "Obviously, the Americans don't want any gasoline," says Charley Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Conn. "It's a shorthand way of saying here's how we can get a lot of gasoline to disappear very quickly." "And it would ...

31. GHS Laxmen Breeze to Class L Semifinals

    Greenwich Citizen

    James Kiernan high-fives with Coach Paul Burke during Greenwich High s 18-3 Class L lacrosse quarterfinal win over Masuk of Monroe Tuesday at Cardinal Stadium.

    
    

32. Zapping teenage torment

    nternational Herald Tribune

    ... because excess fuzz embarrasses them. Others want to avoid a lifetime of battling hair. For Christine Furman, of Greenwich, Connecticut, getting laser treatment for the unibrow of her 16-year-old daughter Teresa was a celebratory event, not unlike ...

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06/07/08 Hey, Steve Weiss, This Is Why It Was Dangerous For The Greenwich Police To Use A Taser Three Times On A Greenwich High School Student

Police Officer Uses Taser On A Woman
Who Used Her Own Credit Card At Best Buy.

Since The Incident Didn't Happen In Greenwich:
You can watch The Surveillance Video!!!

Hey Steve Weiss,

Why Was This Best Buy Video

Released?

Yet, The Greenwich High School Video Was Not Released?

Shame on:

Assistant State's Attorney

Steve Weiss

for not protecting the

public's right to know.

Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss doesn't want parents to see the danger that there children are in at Greenwich High School.

Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss refuses to release the video of a Greenwich High School student getting tased three times in the high school cafeteria.

Because Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss knows that tasers are weapons that can and have killed hundreds of times.

Please see:

Man dies after confrontation with Meriden police
Hartford Courant, United States

AP MERIDEN, Conn. - Meriden police say a 35-year-old city man has died after officers responding to a complaint about loud music shot him with a Taser gun ...

Also:

Meriden police investigate 'untimely' death Newsday
Police Investigate Meriden Man’s Death, Place Officers On Leave NBC30.com

More:

WTNH NECN

Shame on Greenwich Town Attorney For Refusing To Release The Video Of Carlos Franco Using A Taser On The Neck, Chest and Leg Of A High School Student Who Was Suspended Over Water Balloons.

Shame on Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss, the prosecutor has folded under pressure from the Greenwich Silver Shield Association - The Greenwich Police Department Union. That's why Victor's family continues to be punished with a $50,000 bail.

Survellance videos of taser use are often released, except in Greenwich, Several requests for the tape have been made by news agencies.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss wont even allow a release of the video showing victor being tased three times to his parents.

First this poor kid got up to 50,000 volts and a $50,000 bail,
now the boy is getting rail roaded by
Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss is wrongly claiming that releasing the tape would be prejudicial.

This boy is going before a judge not a jury.

Tell the judge not to watch the video.

Many many times the Greenwich Police Department has no problems about releasing video that features crime suspects, but now that the video features one of their own they have pressured Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss to suppress the video.

Is Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss
Covering Up Police Misconduct?

Why dose Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss only find that a video is prejudicial when it features police officers.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss has handled scores of cases where a suspects video was released before trial.

This video must be very bad and must show police misconduct for Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss to suppress the video.

It's impossible to predict what might become prejudicial in a law enforcement action.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss fails to understand that the goal is to protect the accused from the release of prejudicial materials.

The accused boy and his family
want the video released.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss is only trying to protect the Greenwich Police Department from charges of misconduct.

The citizens of Connecticut will never truly have justice as long as they have an Assistant State's Attorney like Steve "I Am Afraid Of The Silver Shield" Weiss.

Please See:

Requests for taser recording rejected

By Martin B. Cassidy

The Board of Education has rejected Freedom of Information requests for a surveillance video of a Greenwich High School student being tasered by town police trying to arrest him at the school two weeks ago, Town Attorney John Wayne Fox said.

Fox said he and Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss, the prosecutor in the case, decided that a pending criminal case against Londono shields the footage of the incident from public release under the state FOI law......

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News reporter get tased

06/07/08 Censorship - This Is Why Assistant States Attorney Steve Weiss Won't Release The Vidoe Of A Greenwich High School Student Getting Tased

Police Taser Woman

Also:

Woman tasered 6 times by Ohio police officer!

06/07/08 - Laura DiBella Reports - "Touring" the Ham Ave Site

Hamilton Avenue School Report Card

Just finished a tour of the
"new"
Hamilton Avenue School
construction site.

If it ever gets finished, it should be impressive.

However, can someone explain WHY the furniture and furnishings have been delivered to this site? Granted, most are in boxes, but this building is in no way clean, dust is everywhere, and there sits the new furniture and furnishings. Is the building committee going to go to the RTM and ask for more money to clean furniture and furnishings that should not even be there?

The first floor rooms that are designated for Pre-K have sidewalks leading to the courtyard, but no doors. WHY? The original education specifications showed that each pre-k classroom was to have an independent door to the courtyard. These areas will become magnets for area ne'er-do-wells.

Why did Frank Mazza state that all the systems were running today? Isn't that just sucking up the dust and debris into those systems? Won't those systems need to be heavily cleaned before the building opens?

Why is the playing field sloped? It was supposed to be level. The only thing that looks good is the basketball court, which was put in by the Chickahominy Reunion Association.

The media center is half the original width. It appears that the original drawings didn't include a hallway, so space was taken from the media center to create it.

The courtyard, on all drawings was to be landscaped, why then is it all concrete?

This parent does not see how this building will be legally ready for the kids come the start of school. There is just too much left to do.

Please see:

06/05/08 Are Hamilton Avenue School Parents Getting Screwed By The Board Of Education? It is time for parents to connect the dots?

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06/07/08 Greenwich Citizen News Links For Saturday

The Greenwich Citizen Web Site Has Not Been Updated

Looks like the Greenwich Citizen is having technical difficulties.

Please see yesterday's articles at the Greenwich Citizen:

06/06/08 Greenwich Citizen News Links For Friday

The Greenwich Citizen Finally Reports On The Glenville Principal Being Suspended

While the amateurs at the Greenwich Citizen attempts to get it's act together we recommend that you read the writings of a real journalist.

When is a Cupcake Not a Cupcake?
by Bill "The Scribe Of Greenwich" Clark

When it's an ice-cream cup? Or perhaps a birthday cake, as first reported? Or merely a "birthday treat", as whatever-it-was is now being called? Details are murky surrounding the suspension of Glenville Elementary School Principal Marc ...
Greenwich Gossip - http://greenwich-gossip.blogspot.com/

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06/07/08 Greenwich Post News Links For Saturday

Cate Weidler sits at the controls of a large excavation machine and gets her picture taken by her dad during Sunday afternoon's Touch a Truck event sponsored by the Junior League of Greenwich and held at Greenwich High School.

Ties of mental and physical health are topic of talk

Ludwig Spinelli, chief executive officer of Optimus Health Care, Inc., will be speaking about "Integrating Behavioral Health and Physical Health Care" at the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board, Inc. annual meeting on June 12 at 3 p.m. in the Community Room at Norwalk City Hall. All are welcome.

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06/07/08 - Greenwich Time News Links For Saturday

Amid her delighted classmates, Gillian Thomas returns from collecting her diploma yesterday at Convent of the Sacred Heart.
(Keelin Daly/Greenwich Time Photo)

Stylists are happy in Byram salon

Omar Roth, 37, and Rocco Palermiti, 28, owners of Salon O at 239 Mill St. in Byram have been cutting and styling hair since they were 17.

Convent of the Sacred Heart graduates 54
Convent of the Sacred Heart valedictorian Cristina Ceballos commiserated with fellow graduate Takako Hirokawa as the two embraced yesterday following the commencement ceremony

School survey a chance to make change
Parents, teachers, students and some community leaders have only a few days left to make their thoughts about the school district known to administrators.

Town expects search for new commissioner will cost $30,000

A national search for a new public works commissioner is expected to cost the town's taxpayers $30,000, according to human resources officials, who said it is money well spent.

Larvicide to target West Nile
The warm weather season is prime breeding time for mosquitoes. And with a prevalence of mosquitoes comes the threat of West Nile virus and other arborviruses, according to Michael Long, director of environmental services for the Greenwich Department of Health.

Man, tasered, dies after arrest

Associated Press MERIDEN - Meriden police say a 35-year-old city man has died after officers responding to a complaint about loud music shot him with a Taser gun when he became combative.

Sports field search team formed
Spurred by the recent defeat of a proposal to place two athletic fields at the former Cos Cob Power Plant site, a new group is working to identify potential locations for additional playing surfaces amid the growing demand from recreation organizations and teams.

Gas prices could jump after record cost of crude oil
Staff and wire reports Connecticut motorists, already socked with gas prices that are among the highest in the nation, may be in for even more woes at the pump.

Torch runners set pace for Special Olympics

Law enforcement officers on bicycles, on motorcycles, in cars and on foot all gathered yesterday morning at the Greenwich Library's parking lot.

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06/06/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Friday (Updated)

Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg announces the formal suspension of Glenville School Principal Marc D'Amico during a press conference at the Board of Education yesterday. At right is Human Resources Director Ellen Flanagan. (Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time Photo)

Today's Top Story Headline:

Glenville principal to return

Quote:

"He made false statements and knowingly misrepresented facts multiple times to multiple people during a nine-day period," Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg said at yesterday's press conference. "This, my friends, is not about cupcakes. This is not about cupcakes."

Story:

...Sternberg said yesterday that D'Amico, who agreed to the penalty, will have his pay withheld for the month's suspension. During his probation, he will meet twice a month with Deputy Superintendent Kathy Greider to review his performance....

...Later D'Amico told his supervisors that the practice was a long-standing one that could be found in the handbook, though he neglected to say he added the section only after the run-in with the parent, according to the district. He also later failed to correct officials, including Sternberg, when they talked to him and appeared under the impression that the section had been in the handbook the entire time, according to the district's account. D'Amico, on another occasion, was untruthful to officials about when he added the section, the district said....

....D'Amico has been principal since 2005 and made a salary of $132,000 last year.

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story Here

Some Comments On The
Grenwich Time Top Story

There Are So Many Unanswered Questions
In The Greenwich Time Story

A day after the news of Principal Marc D'Amico's continued suspension and punishment broke the Greenwich Time reporting is horribly incomplete. So many issues are left uncovered and so many questions are left unanswered. For example....

Will the Glenville School community respect this man now that he has been branded "LIAR" in public?

Will every decision he makes will be second guessed and scrutinized?

Will Principal D'Amico be able to improve the low test scores at Glenville school?

How do the people who signed a petition supporting a now admitted liar feel?

Do the teachers' have a union? If so, what is their position in all this?

Could the Glenville PTA leadership have helped in not letting this get out of hand? ...they knew what was going on way before the community as a whole...they were very involved in dividing the Glenville community by strongly support of an admitted liar.

Is it the Parent Teachers Association or the Principal Teachers Association?

Did Principal D'Amico ever have a similar situation like this when he was in Wallingford?

Will Principal D'Amico apologize to the Carbino family?

Don't think for a second that the students don't know about all this friction in the community.

What did they think or learn from this situation? What did they think of their parents arguing in public with each other over an admitted liar?

Will Glenville parents be able to fully trust their principal as they move into the contaminated modular classrooms?

The Greenwich Time article fails to get at the heart of a story that has so may interesting angles?

Please Click On Related Links:

06/05/08 Lying Glenville Principal Will Be Suspended WITHOUT Pay Until The End Of June And Is Placed On A One Year Probation

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

06/05/08 Are Hamilton Avenue School Parents Getting Screwed By The Board Of Education? It's Time For Parents To Connect The Dots

06/05/08 Reader Submitted Comments -When Is The Greenwich Board Of Education Going To Start Getting Rid Of High Paid And Failed Administrators

More Local News Links
From The Greenwich Time

Barn gets new life as GEMS center

Empty and in a state of disrepair, an 18th-century backcountry barn once used as an art studio will have a new life as an ambulance dispatch center.

Lighting the way for exchanging bulbs
Mayann Weinberg is looking forward to getting her hands on some light bulbs. The Greenwich artist is one of several who have volunteered to become part of a light bulb exchange being coordinated by Engel & Volkers, an international real estate office that opened in January at 335 Greenwich Avenue.

More charges expected in backcountry slaying

Prosecutors say they will bring more charges against a Bridgeport man accused of plotting to kill a 49-year-old Bronx resident found shot to death on a backcountry road in January.

Building a path brick by brick
Mary Putrino, 98, walks every day, rain or shine, around the grounds of Parsonage Cottage and to the neighboring Nathaniel Witherell nursing home.

Update:

Boys tennis: Cardinals, Wong repeat as state champs

WEST HARTFORD - Opponents competing for a state title don't usually travel to and from the site of the championship showdown together.

Third time not the charm for GHS boys lacrosse team
NORWALK - For the Greenwich High School boys lacrosse team, the third time was not the charm. Once again the Cardinals could not solve Ridgefield High School, losing in the Division L semifinals to their FCIAC nemesis 7-5 at Brien McMahon High School.

Gorgeous gardens
Benefits go over the hedge for a peek at summer plantings
Time to follow the flowers! Among the joys of June are the garden tours with their invitation to peek behind our neighbors' houses and hedges.

Bikes should be part of transit efforts

The signals are a little mixed. We need to stay off the roads, as most people would agree, what with $50-plus fill-ups looking like the norm for at least a while.

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06/06/08 Greenwich Citizen News Links For Friday

The Greenwich Citizen Finally Reports On The Glenville Principal Being Suspended.

Please See Last Weeks Post
About The Greenwich Citizen's
Failure to report on school news:

06/02/08 Greenwich Citizen Continues To Ignore The Fact That Principal Marc D'Amico Was Suspended For Unethically Manipulating ...

05/30/08 Friday's News Headlines From The Greenwich Citizen

Greenwich Citizen Top Story

Headline:

Much-Beloved Glenville Principal's Position in Limbo

Quote:

"It's a bizarre feeling," said a Glenville parent

Reporter:

Anne W. Semmes

Story:

There is "a somber quietness" at Glenville Elementary School at arrival time. "It's a bizarre feeling," said a Glenville parent of two...

... What was only a spoken policy sometimes disregarded by parents and teachers alike reported an anonymous parent, became, after Carbino's visit, a written policy....

..."They gave him a week to resign," said the Glenville parent, who wished to be anonymous. "He chose to fight it," she said, and on Tuesday last week, "he left the school at three o'clock when the union representatives came to tell the teachers."...

..."Some people were in disbelief that perhaps there could be some heinous sexual thing," said Gesmonde.

His words were echoed by the Glenville mother. "Parents were in disbelief. No way could he lose a job over this. It wasn't the greatest thing he did but look, it's about the bigger picture. He made a mistake, but it's a forgivable mistake."

What happened next was remarkable for this Glenville mother. When told by the PTA they could not form a group to support D'Amico, she e-mailed 30 friends "in hopes it would inspire other support."

In ten minutes, I got an overwhelming response," she said. Soon the 30 brought 100...

Comments

First of all reporter Anne Semme primary source seems to an anonymous parent that was just hanging out in front of Glenville School.

Second reporter Anne Semmes of the Greenwich Citizen must have not gotten the Greenwich Public School's press release that said....

Principal Marc D'Amico made false statements and knowingly misrepresented facts multiple times to multiple people during a nine-day period.

The press release even included Superintendent of Schools Dr. Betty Sternberg's press conference quote...

"This, my friends, is not about cupcakes. This is not about cupcakes."

Maybe this is not a classic textbook case of bad reporting by Anne Semmes.

Maybe it's not Anne's fault.

Maybe she is not be on the Greenwich School's press distribution list and no one told her the facts of the case.

Why else would she have ignorantly written the following....

"It was in conversations with school administrators over the next weeks that D'Amico erred in the retelling of his subsequent handbook revisions. First questioned whether he did have the policy written in the handbook, he said, truthfully, yes."

Third of all it's great to see that Anne Semmes finally admits that the Greenwich Time / Topix Message Boards are a primary source of her reporting when she says...

"On the Web site of the Greenwich Time over 200 comments have been listed..."

Why are the Greenwich Citizen repoters getting it's information from the Greenwich Time website?

Do Greenwich Time reporters have to get their information from
the Greenwich Citizen website?

Just what did Anne find on the Greenwich Time / Topix message boards?

Threats against the Carbino children?

or ignorant statements like...

"Heres an idea: everyone just feed the cupcakes to the cackling group of large mothers in their walmart clothes at pickup.. everyones happy! ...and you wonder why Glenville District home prices are cheaper?"

Please see:

06/01/08 One Of Principal Marc D'amico's Supporters Is Keith Crocco Who Posted On The Topix / Greenwich Time Message Board 26 Times In Less Than 24 Hours.


No wonder the Greenwich Citizen has
the weakest reporting in Greenwich?

However, Anne Semmes did show that Mark D'Amico's slick little lawyer has been less than truthful with the press and public.

School Superintendent Dr. Betty Sternberg had disputed a statement made by D'Amico's attorney in a Greenwich Time article in which he said his client had apologized during a Monday meeting.

Hamden attorney John Gesmonde told Greenwich Time that D'Amico "did a mea culpa all over the place" during that meeting, but Sternberg said that was incorrect.

Gesmonde yesterday disputed Sternberg's characterization by smugly saying, "I stand by my statements," he said.

But the attorney tells the Greenwich Citizen this....

In the final analysis, said Gesmonde, "If he hadn't changed the handbook, we wouldn't be here."

"He's (D'Amico) sorry that the administrators were misled. But he's not admitting he misled anyone except in those 5-10 minutes.

Does this sound like D'Amico "did a mea culpa all over the place"

No wonder there had to be a second meeting on Tuesday and Dr. Sternberg had to put very strong conditions on Principal D'Amico's one year probation.

That's why Principal D'Amico probation, he will meet twice a month with Deputy Superintendent Kathy Greider to review his performance.

That's why D'Amico also is to meet with John Grasso, principal of Riverside School, who will serve as a mentor and sounding board,

And that's why have regular sessions with a consultant to discuss workplace ethics and responsibilities.

But incompetent reporter Anne Semmes doesn't seem to know about the fact that principal is on probation for one year for lying to multiple people over a nine day period.

Maybe, Anne is so clueless, because her primary source who is an anonymous parent who is spreading "cupcake rumours over the internet and her second primary source is the slander on the Greenwich Time / Topix message boards.

MORE GREENWICH CITIZEN ARTICLES

Savings at the Pump; 45 Cents Per Gallon?

How about having $4.50 knocked off the price of 10 gallons of gas? A pipe dream, you say?

Sobering Thoughts from a Recovering Alcoholic
"It would be scary," Greenwich's Lou Bantle, 79, said Saturday, answering a reporter's question. The question: "What would happen if you had a drink today?

Forum Brings Clean Energy to Forefront
With gas and oil prices rising through the roof, a timely forum was held on Tuesday evening on alternative energy sources beneficial to one and all.

GHS Laxmen Breeze to Class L Semifinals
So far, the Class L state tournament has been a walk in the park for Greenwich High's boys lacrosse team.

Be Prepared, Take Responsibility for Our Own Safety
The hurricane season began Sunday. Every year at this time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the American Red Cross, among others, try to educate residents about hurricane preparedness.

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06/06/08 It's Lunchtime And The Greenwich Post Still Has Not Updated It's News Web Site

Why is it so hard for the this free newspaper to keep up with Greenwich news cycles?

We Let You Know If The Greenwich Post Website
Updates Later Today.

Maybe, the Greenwich Post Website web master is on vacation.

Well let's forget about the Greenwich Post and get some real news and insight from Bill Clark's Greenwich Gossip Website

When is a Cupcake Not a Cupcake?

Or perhaps a birthday cake, as first reported? Or merely a "birthday treat", as whatever-it-was is now being called?

Details are murky surrounding the suspension of Glenville Elementary School Principal Marc D'Amico. Apparently a parent tried to deliver "birthday treats" to his daugher's class, by prearrangement with the teacher, as is customary at the school. Principal D'Amico told him he could not do this, citing a "regulation" in the school's student handbook. The parent, taken aback, protested that there was no such regulation. And guess what? The parent was right.

Which did not deter Principal D'Amico from carrying out a little ex-post-facto charade to justify his unjustifiable behavior toward the parent. He cunningly went to his office computer and immediately typed a new regulation into the student handbook banning "birthday treats" from the classrooms at Glenville School. "There," he must have thought to himself, "I sure fixed that guy's wagon."

Oops. Principal D'Amico fixed his own wagon instead. Unaware that his little addition to the handbook was date- and time-stamped by the school's computer, he strutted around loudly proclaiming his own righteousness in the contretemps, and that he had just been doing his job in barring the parent from the classroom birthday celebration. His boss, the Deputy Superintendant of Schools, called to discuss the situation. Was there indeed a regulation in the handbook about "birthday treats"? Oh, yes, Principal D'Amico assured her. How long had it been there? Ages and ages, came the reply.

Well, that little lie has cost Principal D'Amico a month's pay. He was immediately suspended from his duties, and today it was announced that his suspension without pay will be continued until the end of June. Thereafter, he will be reinstated in his job at Glenville School, but will be on probation for the next twelve months.

Should Principal D'Amico's lie have cost him his job? Actually, he apparently lied several times regarding his unauthorized editorial addition to a public document. He has since apologized, but one wonders how sincerely he means it. Would he have owned up to his behavior if the computer had not tripped him up? The pattern of repeated falsehoods suggests, probably not.

Well, it appears that the unprincipled principal will keep his job, albeit with terms and conditions. He has blotted his copybook, and one suspects that further advancement will not be coming his way. In the old days, a severe schoolmarm might have made him wear a sign around his neck for a week or two - "I told a lie" - and made him sit in the corner during recess. Oh, and of course stay after school to clean the blackboard and erasers.

One bets that Principal D'Amico wishes he could have erased those tiny computer telltales that proved his word was meaningless and that he could not be trusted to speak the truth. But it's too late now. He has agreed to his punishment and the sanctions imposed by the administration. He has apologized again to the parent and his supervisors. And so he will keep his job.

We all make mistakes. Principal D'Amico has made a doozy. The question to be asked is whether a mistake is an honest one, or a dishonest one. Your scribe believes there is a large difference between the two, and is not certain whether he agrees with the school administration's leniency. He wishes he could consult with his own kindergarten teacher, the formidable Miss Work (who once washed out the scribal mouth with soap when he protested one of her decisions) on this matter. But she has long since gone to her reward in the great Classroom in the sky. In her absence your scribe turns to you, dear reader.

How do you feel about the case of the unprincipled principal?

More From The Scribe Of Greenwich
At Greenwich Gossip:

• James Kennerley Outdoes Himself
• Shocking Developments at Greenwich High School
• Bye, Bye, Mario
• EdforRep.com
• The Local Rag Starts to Clean Up Its Act
• The Unspeakable Betty Sternberg Strikes Again
• Pictures!
• Rape and Pillage, Part II
• The Next Survivor Series

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