Greenwich High School students Amy Hansen and Kelli McCabe work on thank you notes for special forces servicemen in Iraq at the Red Cross offices Monday evening.
(David Ames/For Greenwich Time)
Greenwich High School senior Melody Kim organizes school dances to raise money for impoverished children in Darfur.
Her classmate, Isabelle Goossens, trains on weekends to become a certified emergency medical technician.
Other students volunteer at soup kitchens, hospitals and seniors centers, while still more set their sights farther afield, rebuilding homes in New Orleans, teaching English in India, or going on service-learning trips in Haiti, Colombia and France.
Students are often encouraged to document these experiences in college applications and admissions essays as a way to put their best foot forward and stand out from their peers. However, while pressure to participate in community service grows stronger for this very .......
Regis Philbin's insurer pays for damage to police carRegis Philbin's insurance company will be shelling out $2,700 for a recent accident in which the celebrity backed into a police car after attending a party and dining on Greenwich Avenue, according to the town's Fleet Department.
The police car was out of service for nearly two weeks after the Nov. 12 accident as the town's Fleet Department worked to repair the minor damage on the vehicle.
"The vehicle has been repaired and is already back in service," said Jeff Wash, fleet operations assistant for the town.
Philbin discussed the accident on his television show, "Live with Regis and Kelly," the morning after, telling the audience how embarrassed he felt after bumping into the police vehicle.
"I smacked right into a police car," .....
By Debra Friedman
Staff Writer
The Juvenile Review Board pilot program is up and running, allowing first-time juvenile offenders in Greenwich an alternative to the court system.
"It is playing out really well," said police Sgt. James Marr.
Marr is a co-chairman and creator of the board along with Jenny Byxbee, youth coordinator at the United Way of Greenwich. The program is intended for first time offenders under the age of 16 who have committed misdemeanor crimes such as shoplifting or trespassing and want the chance to avoid criminal charges.
The board, composed of 20 people from community groups, had their first session in early November.
"We all left the first session thinking, wow, we can really make a difference with this program," said Byxbee. "I think the families were very receptive."
The first session involved the case of a 14-year-old boy who was caught trespassing with older teenagers who were in possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Marr.
Marr said the boy's mother elected to go through the program.
"He had to explain what happened and give his side of the story. He was put in the hot seat," said Marr. "He got a contract and has to write letters of apology, keep his grades up and do volunteer work."
During each session, a juvenile goes before a panel of five people from the board who determine their action plan, or contract, which details their alternative punishment.
"Every action plan is different and community service is a main component," saud Byxbee. "We also want to make sure that the punishment fits the crime." If a youthful offender successfully completes the alternative punishment, the charges are dismissed, Marr said. If they do not, their case goes back to court. .....
School officials are moving forward with plans to re-open Hamilton Avenue School early next month, on the assumption that the necessary approvals for occupancy will be secured.
STAMFORD - Isaiah Walden-Butler likes football and basketball, watching professional wrestling on television and playing video games.
Full Story STAMFORD - At a time of unprecedented upheaval in the financial markets, the city must come up with a strategy to finance $40 million in infrastructure improvements.
State: Close Wright Tech for 2 yearsSTAMFORD - Even as it seemed poised for a turnaround, J.M. Wright Technical School again has a precarious future as the state Board of Education voted Wednesday to recommend closing it for two years.
Sleeping Beauty on iceThe idea to bring "Sleeping Beauty on Ice" to
Stamford started as both a lofty dream and a necessity to Maria Schlover, founder and president of Maestro Artist Management, a Stamford-based touring and promotion company.
Historic company moves to areaA private equity firm that traces its roots back to Thomas Edison and his invention of incandescent lighting has moved its headquarters from New York City to 1700 E. Putnam Ave., in Greenwich, joining a growing list of financial services firms in the region.
Formerly located at 535 Madison Ave., in New York City, Spencer Trask & Co., is has signed a long-term sublease for a 17,350-square-foot space, previously occupied by Valero, a San Antonio, Tex.-based oil company,
The space is more than eight times the size of the 2,000 square feet occupied by the company's 40 employees at its former offices. The business relocated three weeks ago to capitalize on the area's concentration of finance professionals, said William Clifford, chief executive officer of the firm, whose founder, Spencer Trask, financed Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb.
"This is the Silicon Valley of the financial services industry," he said. "It seems like the locus of private equity, hedge funds and financial management. We think this would be a great way to attract the people we need."
The Greenwich location is also "ultra high-tech," compared with the Manhattan office, where the firm has been located since 1991, Clifford said.
"We're going to be able to demonstrate to our investors that we're in lock step with them," said Clifford, whose company has been a major investor in businesses involved in stem cell and human genome research, AIDS vaccine, fiber optics and medical
The news from Hartford keeps getting worse. As the state deficit grows, officials are running out of ways to keep pace without making debilitating cuts.
State Comptroller Nancy Wyman on Monday said the state's projected operating deficit has dramatically increased in the last month due to sharply declining tax revenues. She said the problem calls for another special session of the legislature. But with the year nearly over, that prospect is unlikely.
If a special session doesn't happen, that puts even more pressure on the start of the regular session on Jan. 7. Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Monday that she will put together a new deficit-reduction plan, and Democratic leaders will also need to examine every option for addressing the growing gaps between revenue and spending plans.
Ms. Rell and other governors have stated their case to President-elect Barack Obama, which in part involves federal funding for public works projects. Mr. Obama has expressed a desire to help, and has indicated that he wants to see an economic stimulus package on his desk shortly after his Jan. 20 inauguration. But the federal government has needs of its own. To count on substantial help from above to help balance Connecticut's budget may not make much sense.
A stimulus plan would be helpful, but there is much more the state legislature will need to tackle. As the economy worsens and consumer spending fails to hit expected levels, tax .....Blah .....Blah ...... Blah ...... Blah ...... Blah ...... Blah ......
To the editor:
Before the election, I felt like a wolf in the wilderness. Many of my Greenwich neighbors and even a few of my friends looked askance as I persisted in bemoaning the atrocities of the Bush administration.
While the election results were not a total surprise, they certainly were a tremendous relief. The voting majority had clearly perceived a contrast between George W. Bush's uncritical support for whatever the upper crust of our military-industrial complex thought would add to its power and profits, versus Barack Obama's analytical intelligence and dedication to the general welfare.
How misguided the Bush administration has been! The consequence of its selfish, short-sighted policies has hit us before GWB is even out of office. And the news gets worse by the day. We will be lucky if we aren't in for a long, deep, worldwide recession.
The only good news I see is that our president-elect is fully aware of the situation and its urgency, and is already taking steps to deal with it by appointing outstanding staff to work with him on our problems. Also, he is making his moves totally transparent to the public because he knows that transparency is vital if the public's trust in our national economy is to be restored.
What can we, the public, do to help? Live economically, save what money you can, follow a healthy lifestyle, think green, be patient. Urge your representatives in Congress to support our new president's policies as long as his national plans are helping the needy and his international strategies are developed in cooperation with leaders throughout the world.
We can help the world, and we need the world's help.
David Emery
Greenwich
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