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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

07/02/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Wednesday


The aftermath of a house fire at 20 Fado Lane in Cos Cob which occurred Tuesday morning.
(Helen Neafsey/ Greenwich Time Photo)

Fire engulfs Cos Cob home
The fire marshal's office is investigating an early morning blaze that destroyed a home in Cos Cob and damaged some neighboring ones, officials said.

Almost 40 firefighters battled a quick moving early morning blaze yesterday that destroyed a two-story ranch home in Cos Cob while causing heat damage to two neighboring houses, fire officials said.

Please also see:

Tuesday - 07/01/08 - Thank You Journal News!!! Where is The Greenwich Time, Greenwich Post And The Greenwich Citizen?

People air FAA frustrations
NORWALK - Fairfield County residents vented their frustrations over aircraft noise last night to Christopher Dodd, Christopher Shays, Richard Blumenthal and other elected officials during a public hearing on the Federal Aviation Administration's controversial rerouting plan for the region.

P&Z move approves former theater site
Nearly a year after Clearview Cinemas closed its doors, the building that housed the movie theater remains shuttered at 356 Greenwich Ave.

The Riverside woman who endeared herself to generations of local children while catering to each and every sweet tooth has died.

Nursery decision delayed
With the clock approaching 12:30 a.m., it didn't take much for Thomas Baptist to persuade fellow agency members that a decision on a subdivision proposal might be best made at a future meeting.

Sports - All-American girl: Vermont's Solsvig earns prestigious honor in just her sophomore year
Coco Solsvig accomplished something this past year that she never thought possible ... at least not in her second year of collegiate sailing.

  • Racquet ball: No. 1 seed remains perfect in Senior Babe Ruth
  • BANC bounces back to stay alive
  • A Matt-er of fact: Czarnecki wins second town golf championship
  • The time for Ornato's Hall of Fame induction is overdue
  • Trepp enjoying his trip to U.S. swimming trials


  • Greenwich-based buyout firm General Atlantic Partners LLC has joined two New York-based investment funds in completing the multibillion-dollar purchase a division of ConAgra Foods Inc.

    Avoid blame game with rail project
    The saga of a proposed rail maintenance center in New Haven for the Metro-North commuter rail line easily could become a political soap opera.

    From a displaced townie: Hello there friend, Long time, no see. But thank heaven for your column, which keeps us in touch from afar.

    Young math whiz has it all figured out
    John Meriwether and Cliff Asness, I'd like you to meet Andrew McCausland. I think you quantitative hedge fund managers will want to keep an eye on him - maybe offer him a job someday.

    Letter insulted Greenwich's zoning process

    To the editor:

    Mr. Michael Doll's letter of June 25 ("Stanwich study," Greenwich Time) requires a corrective response, as it is self-certifying and insulting to those involved in our zoning process.

    He arrogantly alleges that the planning and zoning permit process is "seriously flawed." Yet he has no notable experience in zoning issues and process.

    He implies slackness and inexpertise on the Planning and Zoning Commission, suggesting that it should hire independent consultants. First, members of the P&Z have considerable professional expertise themselves. Second, was Mr. Doll so inattentive as to miss Bruce Morton, a hydrological engineer, and James Ford, a traffic engineer, hired by the town to back up staff reports?

    In fact, all of the experts (including Greenwich Residents for Appropriate Land Use's) generally agreed with the Stanwich School findings on which the P&Z, Conservation Commission and Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency based decisions. Only Mr. Doll, a self-appointed "expert on sewer plants" with no direct training, can dismiss responsible testimony and judgment.

    After a quarter century of close familiarity with the Greenwich land use process, I can attest that the P&Z is one of the hardest working divisions of town government. It frequently sets the standards for the rest of Connecticut. Our town planner has dealt with all the sophisticated, high-value developments in town for the last 25 years. Our traffic engineer, Garo Garabedian, is among the best in the country. The P&Z staff has experience honed by dealing with high-powered lawyers' applications.

    There is also a full town staff of engineers, lawyers, health experts and environmental specialists, as well as other town boards and agencies supporting the P&Z's work.

    To suggest that the commission and the process it employs is a fraud, or even substandard, is unacceptable. It is a shame that some are so self-absorbed that they are unable to accept the facts before them. It is sad that some are willing to denigrate the valuable service of others so casually. This is no honest way to recognize our citizen volunteers, nor serve the public's understanding of important issues.

    Chris von Keyserling

    Cos Cob

    The writer is a member of the Representative who dosen't realize that the towns zoning process is "seriously flawed" and thinks that traffic engineer, Garo Garabedian, is among "the best in the country".

    Is that why it's so easy to drive around town?

    Mr. Von Keyserling asserts that Planning & Zoning "frequently sets the standards for the rest of Connecticut".

    Yes it is true we "frequently set the standard" in hedge fund tear downs that are destroying the community's heritage and character.

    Even national and international media outlets have singled Greenwich out for setting this standard.

    Please see:

    07/01/08 New York Times Editorial - Stop The Teardowns !!!

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    07/02/08 The Greenwich BOE Is A Total Mess !!! (Updated)


    Don't Send In The Clowns

    The Board Of Education Is Already Here

    Quote:

    "You have to look at it more broadly," First Selectmann Peter Tesei said. "At the end of the day for any position, or entity, you want the overall population that you serve to have confidence in that organization. Clearly there are elements of the school population that have questions and whose confidence is lacking."

    Story:

    Board: Mold not our fault

    By Hoa Nguyen
    Staff Writer

    Three months after some parents called for the firing of administrators responsible for a mold fiasco at Hamilton Avenue School's temporary quarters, Board of Education members are now saying those officials were not to blame.

    "So many people were criticized so harshly for that, when it, in fact, turned out not to be their fault or their responsibility," said school board member Susan Ellis, who praised school district leaders for their handling of the fallout....blah....blah....blah....blah....

    Thank you Hoa Nguyen for regurgitating another Greenwich Board of Education press release. The board of education tells Hoa what to write and he run it through the spell checker before publishing it.

    Four months ago, mold was found growing in the roof overhang, crawl space and inside the walls of the modular classroom occupied by Hamilton Avenue School children. The contamination was so bad that the small children had to be relocated to schools all over town.

    At the time, parents told Hoa that they were depending him and other reporters to have the journalistic balls to identify and hold accountable the administrators who allowed the small children to sit in the contaminated modular classrooms for over one year.

    The poor children from Hamilton Avenue School had been in the modular classrooms since 2005.

    But the incompetent reporter, Hoa Nguyen refused to listen to what the parents who had blown the whistle on the school district's contamination cover up at the modular classrooms.

    Months ago, the school board formed a committee designed to help cover their rear ends. This "CYA Committee" and hired Fairfield-based Navigant Consulting to investigate what led to the mold growth and who was responsible. Yet Navigant has failed to interview parents who blew the whistle on the school district's contamination cover up at the modular classrooms.

    Navigant's report is in draft format and will not be released until it has been finalized, which is expected to occur within the next couple of weeks. Maybe this week Navigant will ge off their hind ends and go out and talk with the school parents who blew the whistle on the school districts year long cover up of the contaminated modular classrooms.

    A Navigant consultant has said at past Board of Education meetings that the design of an unventilated roof overhang allowed moisture to build and mold to grow, yet he fails to say that school board members and administrators that hired his firm also recommended, approved, voted for and paid for the design.

    If Navigant Consulting was hired by an independent body they would report that when water is constantly coming through the building envelope, parents are reporting that children are sick and molded ceiling tiles are being replaced school administrators and officials should have been expected to uncover the defects and contamination.

    But since Navigant wants to be rehired in the future by the Greenwich School District, they will most likely say, "The people who hired us are not to blame."

    The Greenwich School system, and possibly Navigant, will most likely be sued by Hamilton Avenue Parents whose children suffered prolonged exposure to contamination, because of a school district cover up.

    The contractor and other outside entities responsible for the modular's design and construction will probably argue that the school district voided any warranties by choosing to hide the festering contamination problem.

    So no one is surprised that this is the Greenwich BOE's stand on the modular classroom mold issue is to protect failed administers.

    Unfortunately, the BOE has a long history of putting failed administrators, before the children they have promised to protect.

    Did the single family home-owners of have any doubt that the Greenwich BOE would deny any accountability for the mold?

    Do the taxpayers of Greenwich think the BOE's statement is correct?

    Hell NO!!!

    They, ultimately, are responsible for that building - they own it, the mold was grown and found on their watch, therefore, they ARE to blame. They knew they had leaks, they sent maintenance people out to check/repair the leaks.

    What they did not do was follow up after their so-called repairs to see whether or not there was mold where the leaks had been. They did not get roofing experts in to assist with the repairs - they hoped everything would just continue to fly under the radar.

    Only a naive moron would believe that the BOE, the School Superintendents or the other failed School Administrator did not know that there was mold in that building long before the March closure.

    They knew,

    They all just hoped that they could keep the kids there until the summer break and hope that the new building would be complete, which it probably won't.

    Meet Some Of The Stooges Who Are Involved With The Committee That Bungled The Hamilton Avenue School.
    • Frank Mazza, Committe Chairman
    • Slyvestor Pecora, Committee Member
    • Joesph L Ross, Committee Member
    • Paul Toretta, Committee Member
    • Stephen Walko, Committee Member
    • Susan O. Wallerstien, Assistant School Superintendent For Business
    • Anthony P. Byrne, School Administrator - Maintenance Department
    • Richard L. Sitnik, Pinniacle One
    First Selectman Peter Tesei has repeatedly heard from parents who believe administrators have repeatedly bungled the rebuilding of Hamilton Avenue School. Single family home-owners are rightfully angry at how failed school administrators have handled the contamination problems in the modular classrooms.

    Further, Parents are complaining about the maintenance at Glenville and other schools. Over burdened taxpayers want these failed school administrators and officials held accountable.

    Unfortunately, First Selectman Peter Tesei said does not have authority over the district or school board.


    Mr. Tessei has repeatedly brought residents concerns to school officials and administrators, but the don't listen to the First Selectman.

    These failed school leaders don't want accountability.

    If Mr. Tessei did have authority over the district or school board he would order a top-to-bottom re-evaluation of the project with action steps crucial to getting the entire Hamilton Avenue School done after years of delays and blown deadlines.

    One way to get rid of the phony dates and timetables that are followed up no follow up is to diversify the Hamilton Avenue Building Committee.


    Right now the Hamilton Avenue Building Committee is full of school board brown noses who go along to get along. The Unanimously vote on one bad decision after another.

    But what if the put someone like Mina Bibeault on the Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee.

    Then you would have a Committee member who speak up for the Children of Greenwich.

    Ms. Bibeault has said:

    • "This is not going away; it may take time but someone will be held accountable."
    • "I will make sure that someone is going to be accountable for their actions because they put my kids at risk."
    • "The three-year-old modular has had a long history of frequent water leaks and moisture issues dating back to well before students and staff moved out in March that were not thoroughly investigated."
    • "If the leaks had been properly addressed, the problems would have been uncovered months earlier."
    • "School officials made temporary repairs to the leaks for months and failed to investigate the possibility of a larger problem until March because they were counting on the new Hamilton Avenue School being completed this fall, and having the summer to make repairs at the modular."
    • "Don't tell me you didn't know."
    • "You overlooked it. You put all your eggs in one basket. You were banking on the new building to be done. I get it. But don't you dare tell me that you didn't know."
    Now compare that to the double talk and crap that comes out the mouths of School Board Members Susan Ellis and Leslie Moriarty .
    • "From a due diligence perspective, we feel comfortable with those reports"From a due diligence perspective, we feel comfortable with those reports."
    • "We feel comfortable with what those reports have indicated."
    • "School district administrators should be exonerated from blame in this case."
    • "It's very easy to look backwards and say people should have focused in on that particular aspect."
    • "It's not our fault. It was the way the building was put together, the plans were not specific."
    • "There was not the expectation that the problems could have been anticipated."
    • "The findings have all pointed to design and construction issues."
    • "So many people were criticized so harshly for that, when it, in fact, turned out not to be their fault or their responsibility,"
    Don't you just hate it when clueless school board members like Susan Ellis and Leslie Moriarty piss on your leg and tell you it's raining.

    It's no secret that unaccountable school board members like Susan Ellis and Leslie Moriarty that ordered, funded, approved and paid for so-called "design flaws".

    If school board members voted for a "flawed design they should fire the high paid persons that gave them the flawed design in the first place.

    Naive School Board Chairman Nancy Wessler is also living in Disneyland when she says "From a due diligence perspective, we feel comfortable with those reports and we feel comfortable with what those reports have indicated."

    How can Nancy Wessler be comfortable with failed administrators like Susan Wallerstien who and Anthony Byrne who approved and reccomended "Flawed Designs" and urged the school board to use tax dollars to pay for the "flawed designs".

    School officials like Anthony Byrne falsely claim they investigated and addressed all water leaks and other problems that were brought to their attention, and nothing about what they saw would have indicated a more serious mold problem was brewing.

    Anthony Byrne is not playing with a full deck, teachers had buckets collecting water for days on end in these trailers, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that these conditions were ripe for mold development.

    Anthony Byrne's men had replaced molded ceiling tiles almost a year previous to the contaminated modular classrooms being shut down.

    Anthony Byrne knew how bad things were in March. That's why he ordered his staff to put on space suits and throw away the evidence the day the contaminated modular classrooms were closed down.

    Hamilton Avenue School children were exposed to high levels of mold because Anthony Byrne was negligent by not immediately fixing the problems.


    School board members said their consultants have corroborated this explanation.

    Basically, the Hamilton Avenue Building Committee has had to gut all of it's self imposed deadlines time and time again.

    Now the struggling project has been unable to legally qualify for a temporary certificate of occupancy.

    It's the latest blow to the Hamilton Avenue School project that has failed to meet virtually every single deadline since plans were approved years ago.

    Insiders say that there are over a dozen "essential items" that must be cured before the Greenwich Building Department and Fire Department can sigh off on letting the small children enter Hamilton Avenue School.

    Hamilton Avenue Building Committee Bunglers Are Pressuring The Greenwich Building Department To Illegally Issue A Temporary Certificate Of Occupancy For Hamilton Avenue School.

    The Greenwich Building Department And The Greenwich Fire Department had Better Cross All The T's And Dot All The I's, Because Hamilton Avenue Parents Now Have Lawyers.

    Parents Will Be More Than Willing To Use Cell Phones To Take Pictures Of Any Unsafe Conditions Or Incomplete Construction.

    The Greenwich Citizen, The Greenwich Post And The Greenwich Time Might Be Afraid To Expose Incompetent Government Officials Who Would Jeopardize The Health And Safety Of Small Innocent Children In Order Not To Have Another Construction Timetable Delay.

    But Greenwich Roundup Will Fearlessly Expose Any Illegally Issued CO And All Unsafe Building Hazards For The Late And Over Budget Fiasco Know As Hamilton Avenue School.


    Please also read more dispatches from the Greenwich Time Reporter who is embedded deep inside the BOE's rear end.

    Ham Ave., Glenville await plan for next year

    By Hoa Nguyen Staff Writer

    06/19/2008 - Western Greenwich parents anxious about where their children will start school in August found no comfort at last night's Board of Education meeting. Because of lingering construction uncertainty,


    Hamilton Ave. gets the once-over

    By Hoa Nguyen Staff Writer


    06/16/2008 - Frank Mazza needs no reminder that parents are expecting the new Hamilton Avenue School to open on Aug. 27. "We're well aware of that," said Mazza, the head of the building committee who has been...


    Greenwich classrooms test positive for mold

    By Hoa Nguyen Staff Writer

    06/15/2008 - GREENWICH - The air in two classrooms at the modular building once used by Hamilton Avenue School shows active mold growth, according to a report released by the Board of Education.


    Why doesn't Hoa Nguyen write a story like this?

    BOE Incompetance

    07/01/08 The Hamilton Avenue School renovation is an absolute and total mess. Parents and taxpayers are demanding that the BOE put an end to failed, undeliverable promises and an utter lack of accountability.

    The Hamilton Avenue Building Committee has mismanaged the job on a monumental level and vastly compounded the offence to the children and parents who had to leave Hamilton Avenue School three years ago.

    Every pronouncement from the committee has been repeatedly calculated to keep the single family home-owners from knowing was badly off track.

    And badly off track it is. Three years later Glenville and Hamilton Avenue parents don't know where their children will be attending school in September.

    This Hamilton Avenue School boondoggle ......

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    Tuesday, July 1, 2008

    07/01/08 Where To Celebrate The 4th


    Area Fireworks Schedules

    Fairfield County fireworks shows

    Fireworks shows are scheduled in the towns of lower Fairfield County...

    ...In Greenwich, fireworks will be held Saturday, July 5 at Binney Park and Tod's Point. Guests must have a beach permit or pay a $5 daily pass to attend....

    Please See The Full Schedule

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    07/01/08 Kathleen Greider Is large And In Charge. More Administrative Appointments


    Your Hired

    7/1/08: Acting Superintendent Appoints Parkway School Assistant Principal

    7/1/08: Acting Superintendent Appoints ESL/FLES and ESL/World Languages Coordinators

    07/01/08 New York Times Editorial - Stop The Teardowns In Greenwich



    Published: July 1, 2008

    The downturn in the real estate market has slowed but by no means halted the number of teardowns. Teardowns is the practice of buying an older home to demolish it and replace it with a house that dwarfs structures nearby and covers most of its own lot. Just this month in Greenwich, Conn., a granite 1886 Richardsonian Romanesque home was razed with nary a peep of protest. In the last three years, Greenwich has lost scores of homes built in the 1800s. The issue is not merely taste. Some “starter castles” irrevocably change the character of established neighborhoods. And while few mourn the passing of a 1965 split-level ranch, razing real architectural gems should not be taken lightly.

    In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation identified 100 communities in 20 states where teardowns were taking place in architecturally significant neighborhoods. By 2008 the list had grown to around 500 communities in 40 states — with about a third of those in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. In Dallas, during the last 10 years, as many as 1,000 homes have been torn down in the early-20th-century sections of Highland Park and University Park, and teardowns have proliferated in a dozen historic neighborhoods in Denver.

    Communities are properly wary of denying owners the right to build, but circumstances can demand action. Hinsdale, Ill., which has lost one third of its houses to teardowns since the 1980s, restricted the practice when the spread of pavement and patios prevented water from sinking into the soil and increased flooding problems.

    The most thoughtful approach increases public awareness and participation. In Westport, Conn., a popular Web site features Teardown of the Day, which publicizes planned demolitions as well as before-and-after pictures. Other towns have imposed mandatory demolition delays for houses older than 60 years to give time for the public to react and offer alternatives. That, at least, gives preservationists a fighting chance.

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    07/01/08 Greenwich Business News Reports From Around The World


    The Raw Greenwich Business News Feed

    1. Brazil's Real Falls for a Second Day as Oil Price Curbs Demand for Assets

      Bloomberg

      ... oil prices,'' said Flavia Cattan-Naslausky , an interest-rate and currency strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland in Greenwich, Connecticut. ``There is a general sell-off in emerging markets on concern we will inevitably have a deceleration in global ...


    2. United Rentals Comments on Pending Tender Offer

      Business Wire

      ... 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 www.unitedrentals.com . Certain statements in this press ...


    3. Genesee & Wyoming spent $180K lobbying in 1Q

      Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

      ... lobbying in the first quarter on issues affecting the rail industry, according to a recent disclosure report. The Greenwich, Conn.-based company lobbied on legislation related to railroad safety, investment, competition and service improvement, and ...

    4. Weeden & Co. Names Oilfield Service & Equipment Analyst Geoff Kieburtz to Energy Research Team

      Business Wire

      ... and depth offered by our highly ranked block, program, and algorithmic trading desks. " About Weeden & Co., LP: Greenwich, Conn.-based Weeden & Co., LP is a full-service Institutional broker specializing in domestic and International equity trading, ...


    5. Filene's Basement says it will leave White Plains

      Journal News

      ... 'This place is a great place to shop because it has such great prices.' Terrance Miller, a flower shop owner from Greenwich, Conn., also was surprised. 'This is where I come to shop for all of its designer clothing at such an affordable price,' he ...

    6. Connecticut hedge fund scammer wants diploma

      NewsTimesLive.com

      ... was sentenced last year to 3 1/2 years in prison for persuading investors to pour millions into a nonexistent Greenwich-based hedge fund. A $21 million gift that Yalincak had promised to New York University proved to be an a fraud. The $1.25 million ...

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    07/01/08 Uncollected pet feces and overtaxed sewage treatment plants contribute to the Byram beach problem


    Beaches marred by runoff carrying filth into water

    The Boston Globe

    The summer along Connecticut's shoreline and lakes is being marred by beach closings due to bacteria and contaminants....

    ... But several persistent problems continue to plague some areas. Troubled areas include Hop Brook Lake Beach in Middlebury, Mixville Pond in Cheshire, Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford and Byram Beach in Greenwich.

    At Byram Beach, local authorities don't have to test for bacteria following a heavy rain. Experience teaches that runoff from a heavy rain will contaminate Long Island Sound and officials pitch a "No Bathing or Fishing" sign in response to a heavy rain.

    Barbara Beqiraj, 48, a lifelong Greenwich resident, says she swam in the Sound when she was a youngster.

    "I don't go in the water in Greenwich whatsoever. It's disgusting," she said....

    Information originally from: The Hartford Courant:

    Connecticut Beaches Have Been Closed Thousands Of Day Due To Contamination

    The Hartford Courant

    On a recent sweltering afternoon at Byram Beach in Greenwich, Barbara Beqiraj reclined in the shade of a pavilion and recalled the time she startled the daylights out of her Albanian-born husband, a recent immigrant who hadn't seen much ocean in his life.

    He'd sprinted joyously across the sand at Byram and was just about to dash into Long Island Sound when Beqiraj screamed, "Don't go in the water!"

    Stopped him cold. She chuckled at the memory and added that she hasn't gone into the water at Byram in five years. A few yards away, a well-worn "beach-closed" sign was stuck in the sand, punctuating her point. Seven-tenths of an inch of rain had fallen the night before, more than enough to raise the bacteria count and shut Byram Beach. ...

    ALSO:

    Connecticut Beaches Have Been Closed Thousands Of Days Due To Contamination

    Connecticut's WB 20

    On a recent sweltering afternoon at Byram Beach in Greenwich, Barbara Beqiraj reclined in the shade of a pavilion and recalled the time she startled the daylights out of her Albanian-born husband, a recent ...

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    07/01/08 Greenwich Post Newslinks For Tuesday


    Program empowers parents for civic life

    “Who am I? What do I stand for? Where do I want to go? How will I get there?” These are the key questions that Liliana Herrera asked herself during her speech at the town’s first Parents Leadership Training Institute graduation Tuesday, June 17.

    ALSO:
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    07/01/08 Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg says, "Don't worry everything is fine we are doing a great job." (Updated)



    Retiring Greenwich Detective Duff Sits Above ....

    ......The Newly Proposed
    Welcome To Greenwich Sign
    To Be Placed On The Port Chester Border.
    (Greenwich Time And Stock Photos)

    The Shame Of
    Unsolved Drug Deaths
    In Greenwich

    When is the Greenwich Police Department Going To Start Holding Drug Dealers And Drug Users Responsible For The Deaths Of Children In Greenwich.

    Officer retires from force after 30 years

    By Martin B. Cassidy
    Greenwich Time Crime Reporter

    Whether working on high profile cases like the investigation of crooked financier Martin Frankel to rooting out drugs in town, Detective Sgt. Timothy Duff said he will miss working on criminal cases but not the irregular hours or weekend shifts...

    ....After supervising the Greenwich Police Narcotics Unit for more than half a decade, Duff, worked his final day last week.The 52-year-old town native said he has accepted a job as a loss prevention investigator for a supermarket chain....

    ...."During the years I've served as a narcotics investigator I've seen trends in the narcoticsbeing used change but one thing that has remained constant is that there has always been narcotics use in the town of Greenwich," he said. "There are always cases going on and the unit is well equipped to move forward."....

    Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

    This Greenwich Time Story is just an amateurish fluff piece that doesn't even mention the the unsolved Greenwich teenage drug deaths and the drug pushers and purchasers who get away with murder.

    No Mr Cassidy ignores the serious unsolved teenage drug deaths that occurred on Detective Duffs watch and sums up this narcotics detective career with insipid stories like.....

    .....Another time Duff and other officers searched a house high and low looking for a man wanted on a warrant.

    Officers found him crouching inside the refrigerator, Duff said.

    The man later sent Duff a friendly letter from jail telling him that the light went out when the door closed, Duff said....

    No wonder Greenwich Detective Timothy Duff's new career is being a loss prevention officer at a grocery store.

    Maybe, the Greenwich Police Department needs to stop denying that there is a gang problem in Greenwich, because gangs and drugs go hand in hand. Gang fights over turf ussually are over who is going to control drug sales in that area.

    Please see:

    Also Please look at how the Greenwich Police Department has displayed a grave indifference to the drug homicide of
    teenager John J. Bria in Byram.


    Have Greenwich residents seen any progress in the investigation of this three year old drug Murder investigation?

    MORE:

    Two months after police filed arrest warrant applications in the 2004 fatal overdose of John Bria III, prosecutors have not approved charges in the death of the teenager who overdosed in his Pemberwick home...

    ..."I'm astounded by the reluctance shown by the State Attorney's Office in this case when the reports are full of information providing probable cause," Seeger said...

    ...A lawsuit filed by Bria's parent in 2005 is still pending and names Katie Hanscom, Savannah Lamotte, Megan Caron, and Jason Cunningham, four youths who spent time with Bria the night of his death, and Donna Cunningham, who picked up her son the morning after the party.

    Attorneys for all five defendants said their clients bear no responsibility for Bria's death.


    Full Greenwich Time Story

    Western Greenwich residents are complaining about the drug problem, but police officials just are not listening.

    Please see:

    04/21/08 - Reader Submitted Comments: Nightmare On Pemberwick Road - Or, Should We Say "Hell"-o From Pemberwick Road.

    Greenwich Parents Also Want To Know Why hasn't the drug dealer been arrested in the year and half old drug death of

    Greenwich High School student


    Kyle Lendenmann?

    And please don't for get about the other Western Greenwich Boy who's killer was never brought to justice. .....

    Matthew Margolies
    "Greenwich's other Unsolved Murder."

    Please See....
    http://www.matthewmargolies.com/

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    07/01/08 - Thank You Journal News!!! Where is The Greenwich Time, The Greenwich Post And The Greenwich Citizen? (Updated)


    Journal News

    GREENWICH, CONN. - A fire that engulfed two floors of a single family home today in Cos Cob was extinguished by 7:30 a.m., the city fire department said.

    Volunteers from the Banksville Fire Department rushed to the emergency at 20 Fado Lane about 6:30 a.m.

    Other details about the 6 a.m. fire were not immediately available.

    No injuries were reported.

    No rescue was needed, the Greenwich Fire Department said.

    A cause was not given.

    ALSO:

    Banksville / Greenwich Ct. Structure Fire 7-1-08

    Date: 7-1-08
    Time: 06:05 hrs
    Location: 24 Fado Lane
    Frequency: 46.26 , 60 Fire 16
    Units Operating: Car 2581 , Rescue 7, Tanker 7 , Engine 157 , Greenwich Ct. FD
    Description Of Incident: Working Fire
    Writer: TR54

    06:25 Banksville Eng 157 relocating to Station 8 in Greenwich Ct. Released from the fire scene per Greenwich command.

    EMTBravo Network - http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php

    A Greenwich Home Is Destroyed And Greenwich News Reporters And Websites Totally Ignore The Fact.

    Cablevision News 12 Has Has Video Of The Fire On TV
    , But The Greenwich Citizen, Greenwich Post And The Greenwich Time Websites Are Clueless.

    These Chowder Head News Reporters Wouldn't Know News If It Came And Bit Them On The Nose.

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    Update:

    Fire engulfs Cos Cob home

    Article Launched: 07/01/2008 01:23:16 PM EDT

    The fire marshal's office is investigating an early morning blaze that destroyed a home in Cos Cob and damaged some neighboring ones, officials said.

    The fire erupted at 20 Fado Lane shortly before 6 a.m. and took an hour to extinguish, fire officials said.

    No one was injured. The two-story home, which sits on a cul-de-sac off of Cognewaugh Road, was completely destroyed. Some neighboring homes sustained heat damage, fire officials said.

    Officials are at the property investigating what may have caused the fire.

    - Martin B. Cassidy

    That's The Full Greenwich Time Story!!!!!

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    07/01/08 Greemwich Time News Links For Tuesday


    Dan Delia of Old Greenwich sips coffee at Arcadia Coffee Co.
    (Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time photo)

    Investors step in to save coffee shop and book store


    Arcadia Coffee Co. and Just Books Too are going to remain open, but under new ownership. The two Old Greenwich businesses, located on Arcadia Road, were put up for sale earlier this year when owner Jenny Lawton said financial pressures were forcing her to sell or seek investors.

    Golder fights kidnapping rap

    Don't call the suspect charged in the "Dinnertime Bandit" burglaries a kidnapper, his lawyer is asking.

    Construction delays mar corner

    Unnerved by the labyrinthine walkway beneath the heavy scaffolding, Leona Castillo avoided the northeast corner of Greenwich Avenue and East Elm Street one day last week.

    A judge has denied the town's request for a second round of arguments over whether internal memos from municipal lawyers to the first selectman are exempt from public disclosure under the attorney-client privilege.

    Teachers recall student's smile

    When Daisy Pacheco smiled, she radiated. It was the kind of smile that her former English as a Second Language teacher Alison Tepper found hard to turn down, particularly if she flashed it in the course of asking for something.

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    07/01/08 Lois Taylor Wants Free Open And Transparent Government In Greenwich


    Town officials should not be so secretive

    To the editor:

    The administration of the town of Greenwich seems to feel justified in emulating the conduct of the White House by ruling in secret on anything apt to be controversial. The selectmen were elected by the people to carry out the will of the people, not their own agenda.

    Knowing of the concern of a large number of residents as to who is entitled to use Greenwich beaches and under what conditions, the question of allowing out-of-towners to take the ferry to Island Beach should have been debated in the Representative Town Meeting.

    On another topic: I live in Hillcrest Park. The only convenient way to the village of Old Greenwich is down Havemeyer Lane. Imagine my surprise one morning on discovering that construction had started on a traffic circle in the middle of this narrow road, presumably to accommodate those who will eventually move into the condos on the Stamford side of the road. Havemeyer Lane is the thoroughfare, but the stop signs are for those traveling on Havemeyer Lane, not for those emerging from the condo development. Havemeyer Park, a residential area of mostly young families with children, can expect a deluge of through traffic.

    Rumor has it that a traffic light is to be installed at the corner of Havemeyer Lane and Palmer Hill Road. The people most affected by this would be the residents of Hillcrest Park, who would find it very difficult to exit onto Palmer Hill Road. To my knowledge, no one asked our opinion about the light.

    It might be a good idea for the selectmen to remember that this is still a democracy and that such high-handed behavior is not acceptable.

    Lois Taylor

    Old Greenwich

    More Letters To The Greenwich Time Editor:

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    Monday, June 30, 2008

    06/30/08 Greenwich Post Newslinks For Monday (Updated)


    Were OTC Drugs Involved In
    Greenwich Girl's Death?

    Once Again The Greenwich Post Scoops The Greenwich Time News Room

    Girl may have died from drug overdose

    BREAKING NEWS
    First published at 12:11 p.m.

    Police are investigating the death of 14-year-old Western Middle School student, Daisy Pacheco, as a drug overdose after preliminary findings indicate the death may have resulted from over-the-counter medication.

    Lt. Mark Marino, lead investigator on the case, stressed on Monday that police have made no final determinations....

    ....Police did not officially release Daisy’s name to the media, but Western Middle School’s Web site at Greenwichschools.org named her in a statement. The school is offering grief counseling Monday and Tuesday from 10 to 3 at the Havemeyer Building on Greenwich Avenue.

    A wake for Daisy is being held today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Leo P. Gallagher Funeral Home at 31 Arch St.

    Full coverage will appear in the July 3 edition of the Post.


    Please Read The Full Greenwich Post Story

    ALSO IN THE GREENWICH POST:
    =============================

    UPDATE:


    THE GREENWICH TIME REPORTS ABOUT THE POSSIBLE OTC OVERDOSE.

    Wake for teen held Monday

    By Hoa Nguyen

    Hundreds of mourners came to the Leo P. Gallagher funeral home Monday night to pay their respects to the family of a 14-year-old Chickahominy girl who police said may have overdosed on over-the-counter medication...

    ....
    Police Chief David Ridberg said Daisy Pacheco may have overdosed on over-the-counter medication, although the case is under investigation and many questions remain.

    "We're investigating the possibility of a drug overdose," he said. "The motivation for a drug overdose is not clear, the circumstances surrounding an overdose is not very clear."

    Diego Pacheco, Daisy's brother, said Monday that his family was not ready to comment on what happened....

    ....Daisy was known as a happy teenager who was very outgoing, which was one reason why her death shocked those who knew her, said Angelica Londono, 17, of Greenwich, one of yesterday's mourners.

    "This was so random," Londono said.

    Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story


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    06/30/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Monday (Updated)


    Croquet tournament winner Doug Grimsley makes a play during the Greenwich Invitational yesterday at the home of Marjorie and Bill Campbell. (Helen Neafsey/Greenwich Time photo)

    Croquet players vie for title

    Two nationally ranked croquet players battled it out at the Greenwich Invitational yesterday for the championship .

    Nickerson to address Retired Men on Wednesday


    State Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, will speak to the Retired Men's Association at the First United Methodist Church, 59 E. Putnam Ave., on Wednesday.

    Pitt honors Greenwich donors at ceremony

    Bettye J. and Ralph E. Bailey of Greenwich were among six families honored last week for contributing at least $1 million each to the University of Pittsburgh.

    Not in Byram. Time and again, that's been the response of residents of the densely-populated neighborhood on the western edge of Greenwich when the town has proposed building additional affordable housing there.

    800 residents yet to file

    Nearly 800 Greenwich residents are among 15,596 tax filers in Fairfield County who have yet to submit the paperwork to get their tax rebate.

    With gas prices at an all-time high and no sign of relief on the horizon, local boaters are joining drivers in cutting back on their travel.

    Officer retires from force after 30 years

    Whether working on high profile cases like the investigation of crooked financier Martin Frankel to rooting out drugs in town, Detective Sgt. Timothy Duff said he will miss working on criminal cases but not the irregular hours or weekend shifts.

    Gay marriage splits state

    Maureen Boylan and Peter Wolfgang are on opposite sides of the same-sex marriage debate. Boylan, a Stamford resident, entered into a civil union with her partner, Barbara LeCornec, when that became legal in 2005.

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    Sunday, June 29, 2008

    06/29/08 Greenwich Time Newslinks For Sunday

    Maureen Boylan and Peter Wolfgang are on opposite sides of the same-sex marriage debate. Boylan, a Stamford resident, entered into a civil union with her partner, Barbara LeCornec, when that became legal in 2005.
    Board: Mold not our fault
    Three months after some parents called for the firing of administrators responsible for a mold fiasco at Hamilton Avenue School's temporary quarters, Board of Education members are now saying those officials were not to blame.

    Explosions rocked Havemeyer Field yesterday as military helicopters dropped simulated bombs which detonated on the ground.
    Miles to go before November
    Congressional candidate Jim Himes had a banana, donut, orange juice and two Ibuprofen for breakfast yesterday before setting out at 7 a.m.

    Saturday, June 28, 2008

    06/26/08 Himes Is Walking From Greenwich To Bridgeport


    Walk in A New Direction Halftime Report
    by info@himesforcongress.com

    We're just about halfway through with the "Walk in a New Direction" from Greenwich to Bridgeport, and I just popped in our Norwalk office to upload some sights and sounds. Here's Jim at a stop in Darien talking about the walk: ...

    ALSO:


    Jim Himes Walk Across the District

    By Thirdparty


    Here in Connecticut, we're just about halfway through with Orange-to-Blue candidate Jim Himes' day-long, 22-mile, "Walk in a New Direction" from Greenwich to Bridgeport, and I just popped in our Norwalk office to upload some sights and ...
    Daily Kos - http://www.dailykos.com/section/Diary

    06/28/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Saturday

    Top Story:

    Police are investigating the death of a 14-year-old Chickahominy girl whose family rushed her to the hospital Wednesday night, officials said. The girl died shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, police said. Greenwich officials have launched an investigation....

    Also:

    Greenwich Police Investigate "Untimely" Death
    WNLK, CT

    Police investigate why 14-year-old girl died
    Connecticut Post


    Please also see Western Middle School Web site

    Town gets a bit more powerful

    At the start of the summer months, the season when energy use is at its peak, more power is available to Greenwich residents.
    Businesses hit by rising gas prices

    When Tom Doyle, owner of Springdale Florist and Greenhouses, saw a gas bill of $1,800 for his automobiles in mid-December, he knew he had to change how the shop delivers flowers.

    A project that has drawn ire and support from Byram residents and businesses for several years has been given the final nod to proceed by members of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
    Town prepares Salute to Veterans

    Between 500 and 1,000 veterans of the armed forces will gather behind Town Hall tomorrow. The occasion will be the 17th annual Salute to Veterans military appreciation ceremony, which begins at 11...

    Greenwich is not "green" enough? A newly established environmental group told members of the Board of Selectmen yesterday that the town could do a better job conserving energy and needs to adopt a broad policy on the subject.

    ALSO:

    Tranfo buys more of Benedict Place

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    06/28/08 Greenwich Time Columnist Sarah Littman Goes After Lee Whitnum


    In response to MikeCT's rather excellent Voters Guide to Lee Whitnum over at My Left Nutmeg, Looney Lee has taken off all her sock puppets and actually penned a response in her own name.

    And what a hilarious response it is.

    Of MikeCT she writes:

    You will recall that I met you in front of the Civic Center. You were flashily dressed for a picnic and I knew as soon as I looked into your cold eyes that you were hired gun.


    Snort! No wonder she had to self-publish her novel...Methinks she should enter the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (Tag line: "Where WWW means Wretched Writers Welcome") with that surely award-winning entry.

    And then, of course, a Loony Lee invective isn't complete without a mention of Yours Truly:

    I have a writer's pen name; that is true, but I am not "Masked Man" or any other name. You and Saramerica (a woman in serious need of an exorcism) keep mentioning my family member's name when I've asked you not to. Stop.


    She refers, of course, to mentions of the infamous (and most likely fictional) Marianne Cook, Esq, book reviewer, sender of threatening legal missives and now putative family member.

    As to the assertion that she is not the sock puppet scribe "Masked Man", the IP logging proves otherwise.

    Ah well. Yet another example of Ms. Whitnum hoisting herself on her own petard.

    Anyway, "THE POWER OF G-D COMPELS ME" that in order to celebrate Jim Himes' primary victory I'm going to host my very own Exorcism party in Ms. Whitnum's honor.

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