07/24/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Thursday

America II captain Chris Upton fixes the American flag on the yacht. The boat is docked at the Delamar in Greenwich Harbor.
(Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time photo)

America's Cup boat docks at Delamar

For Ben Millard, 17, the opportunity to sail an historic 12-meter yacht is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"This is a dream come true," he said.

Millard, a competitive sailor since the age of 7, is spending the summer as an intern aboard the America II US 42, a 70-foot America's Cup yacht that recently docked at the Delamar Hotel in Greenwich Harbor.

The historic vessel helped the United States regain the sport's most prestigious honor, the America's Cup trophy, from Australiain 1987, after losing it in 1983, according Patrick Sikorski, trustee of the 12m Yacht Development Foundation, a Greenwich-based nonprofit group dedicated to the acquisition, restoration and preservation of these boats.

"It's a national historic treasure," he said...

Teens charged in theft of club's TVs

STAMFORD - Four Greenwich teenagers were arrested early yesterday after officers found two stolen flat-screen televisions in two cars, city police said.

Seniors' bus service gets extra $50G to cover gas expenses

The Transportation Association of Greenwich has barely made it through the past six months.

Firefighters test out new sonar scanner

Splashing slowly through Greenwich Harbor, Sound Beach volunteer firefighters yesterday took turns checking out a luminous red, blue and yellow image of the seabed of the channel on-screen.

13-year old All-Stars reach state final

TRUMBULL - Greenwich's 13-year-old Babe Ruth team moved to within one win of capturing the state title and moving on to the regional tournament with an impressive 7-0 win over Newtown under the lights at Unity Field on Tuesday night.

A lesson in state budget cutting

There's at least one pretty obvious conclusion we can draw from the bit of good news announced by Gov.

Board trims Ham Ave. options

The Board of Education has whittled down its options from six to three this week, as it races to find the most viable contingency plan if the Hamilton Avenue School reconstruction project doesn't finish on time.

School officials confirmed yesterday that they were giving strongest consideration to two options that would place uprooted students into temporary modular units and Glenville School...

....school officials are considering shifting Hamilton Avenue students to Glenville School, while Glenville students would take the temporary modulars from which Hamilton Avenue students were evacuated last school year after mold was discovered in the ceiling panels....

Please see related Greenwich Roundup articles:

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

07/08/08 Hamilton Avenue School has passed only one inspection of 18 final inspections - Only Sprinkers In The Garage Get A Thumbs Up - Maybe Frank Mazza Can Set Up Temporary Classroom Partitions In The Garage, Because The Rest Of The School Has No Fire Coverage

07/08/08 - Hamilton Avenue Project Manager Gerard Adam,"Let's not keep repeating the same mistakes

07/09/08 Surprise!!! - "A lot of it wasn't ready," Town Building Official Bill Marr said, "Most of these areas will need a re-inspection."

07/09/08 Reader Submitted Comments About Glenville School -

07/10/08 You Wont See This In The Greenwich Time - Failed Board Of Education Gives Our Children Facilities Like This - Glenville School Pics

07/10/08 Parents are sending e-mails and letters. They are organizing and trying to get community leaders to stop the failed Board Of Educations latest plan.

07/11/08 Reader Submitted Comments - The BOE Needs To Be More Transparent - They Should Either Confirm Or Deny The Hamilton Avenue School Rumors

Dear Members of the Board, etc.

There is a very solid rumor circulating that under current consideration is moving Hamilton Avenue School students to the Glenville School and moving Glenville School students to the modulars because the construction will not be complete on the new Hamilton Avenue School building.

To remind everyone,

Glenville School has been found to be educationally unsound with poor air quality by TWO Boards of Education and TWO superintendents;

At a meeting of the current Board of Education, this option was removed from the list of options devised by the "facilities" committee that was formed to look into options;

At a meeting of the Board of Education, a member stated that it would be unfair to have Glenville staff move more than once in a given year, yet for the second year in a row, it is again an "option" for Hamilton Avenue Staff.

This Board needs to listen to the community, in total, not just those that will agree with them. There are many parents of Hamilton Avenue students that DO NOT AGREE with this option.

Not only is Glenville School educationally unsound, it has leaked, unchecked, for years, thereby a virtual petri dish for mold. Our children and staff and parents have had to contend with mold for far too long. It is criminal to expect them to do so yet again.

Put more effort into getting our new school completed and Glenville construction started. Do WHATEVER it takes to get this done, but DO NOT put our children in a building that has been deemed educationally unsound.

Laura J. DiBella

MORE WARNINGS ABOUT THE GREENWICH BOE:

06/10/08 Sue Wallerstein's Poor Planning And Mismanagement Is Rewarded With A Gift Of Over One Million Dollars From The Representative Town Meeting

06/05/08 Are Hamilton Avenue School Parents Getting Screwed By The Greenwich Board Of Education

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

06/05/08 Reader Submitted Comments -When Is The Greenwich Board Of Education Going To Get Rid Of High Paid And Failed Administrators Like Susan Wallerstein

06/17/08 The Greenwich Building Inspector Had Better Not Illegally Issue A TEMPORARY Certificate Of Occupancy For Hamilton Avenue School

================================================
Please send your comments and news tips to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/24/08 Joe "Lock Them Up" Jordan: "Why Aren't Wiffle Ball Dads Who Brought A Tractor And Power Saw And Helped Destroy Town Property Being Prosecuted

Those involved in ball field got special treatment

To the Greenwich Time editor:

Let me get this straight. Last year, in a well-publicized case, a small group of women wanted to hold periodic exercise classes on town property at Tod's Point (zoned parkland). The town took immediate, firm and final action and prevented them from doing so.

Yet this summer, a small group of young people, after being told "no" on several occasions, took over a small parcel of town property (zoned utility) that is a crucial drainage system for an entire neighborhood. Then, along with some of their parents, they commenced to clear-cut and haul away needed underbrush, cut down trees, rip off limbs overhanging their ball field, denude the grass that was there to stem the erosion of sand and soil into the drain, erect a replica of Fenway Park and otherwise occupy their new ball field unimpeded for over two months until First Selectman Peter Tesei finally brought some adult sanity to the situation.

It is a sad commentary on our town that so many of our residents support and applaud the young people for their illegal trespassing and destruction and, at the same time condemn the women trying to do what seems to be a good and proper use of park property. Just where was the groundswell of support for the women? What a peculiar bias that loudly favors blatant trespassing by the young people and some of their parents, and harshly condemns the women for a much lesser offense.

In the case of the Wiffle ball field saga, after learning the facts, Mr. Tesei, as chief law enforcer, could not let the defiance continue, and he really had no other reasonable alternative but to close down the field. It was the illegal takeover, alteration and occupation of the town parcel which doomed the tell field, not the opposing residents.

Finally, why is it that the fathers who brought a tractor and power saw and helped destroy town property are not being prosecuted?

Joseph Jordan

Riverside

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

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 Insiders Say Lionetti Got Email Alerts About New Laws Covering Safety Vacuum Release Systems Required For Pools Constuction

Lionetti May Learn That Emails Lasts Forever

Just Ask The Executives At Enron

GREENWICH ROUNDUP EXCLUSIVE:

WILL LIONETTI GET UP TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON,

BECAUSE A POOL ASSOCIATION EMAILS WERE SENT TO

SHORELINE POOLS?

Yesterday David Lionetti, Shoreline Pool's president, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the drowning of a 6-year-old Greenwich boy

According to the Greenwich Police Department, Mr. Lionetti, had apparently been informed about a new state law requiring a pool safety device according to a Greenwich Police Department arrest affidavit.

Greenwich Police said yesterday that Shoreline Pools President David Lionetti "recklessly caused the death" of little Zachary Cohn last summer by not installing state mandated safety equipment in a pool.

Insiders have further said that a non-profit pool and spa association conducted an "electronic" information and notification campaign via computer in the fall of 2005.

This pool and spa association also sent out emails concerning the new law and offered continuing education classes in both 2006 and 2007.

Mr. Lionetti's company, Shoreline Pools, received the emails about the new state law that was designed to protect small children like little Zachary.

More to come....

See also:

Affidavit says pool president knew of safety law
Newsday, NY
Police in Greenwich said Monday that Shoreline Pools President David Lionetti "recklessly caused the death" of Zachary Cohn last summer by not having his ...

Shoreline Pools president in deep water
WTNH

Police arrest head of Shoreline Pools
Greenwich Post

Child's drowning leads to manslaughter charges against pool builder
Consumer reports
=================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 Will Lindy Urso Seek Police Department Computer Forensic Records Showing Who Has Modified Or Downloaded A Certain Police Department File?

If Sherlock Holmes were alive today, he would surely be a master of computer forensics. Just as he sometimes used his chemistry set in the 19th Century to analyze clues, today he would using computer logs and forensics.

HEADLINES:

20 employees of the department who might have been in a position to print the report have been interviewed.

Ridberg says police are still conducting an internal investigation of the matter and are waiting to interview officers who have been on vacation.

QUOTES:

"Right now, all indications are that the report was obtained through the court system," Greenwich Police Cheif David Ridberg said. "It appears that a co-defendant or family member received a copy of the report and that, in turn, ended up being available in the public forum."

STORY:

Chief: Teen report "probably" obtained legitimately

Neil Vigdor

Article Launched: 07/23/2008 02:32:11 PM

Police Chief David Ridberg said Wednesday that it was "unlikely" that a cop or a civilian employee of his department was the source of a criminal report circulating in Riverside on a teen who helped build a controversial Wiffle ball field there.

The criminal report related to alleged May 2008 burglaries of fireworks from a local resident by the teen, who is under 18.

While the law prohibits the police department from releasing information on juvenile cases, Ridberg said victims and defendants in crimes involving those under age 18 can request access to such reports through the courts....

...Ridberg declined to elaborate further on how copies of the report would have gotten into the hands of residents in the Riverside neighborhood where the teen and several friends built the field on a municipal-owned lot that the town shut down on Friday...

...The family of the teen named in the report has retained local attorney Lindy Urso to represent them in the matter, saying they were advised by the police to seek legal advice regarding the civil ramification's of the report's release.

"Obviously, the family is outraged," Urso said.

The parents, who Greenwich Time is not naming because that would reveal the identity of the juvenile, have said that the burglary charges against their son were pleaded down to a trespassing charge.

"Our law protects the identity of children so that they're no permanently scarred by a single youthful indiscretion," Urso said. "If the police do not get to the bottom of this, we certainly will."

Asked whether his clients accept the initial findings of the police, Urso said, "I have confidence that this police chief will do all that he can to get to the bottom of this."

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

Comment From Greenwich Roundup:

The police department seems to be failing to do a proper internal investigation.

It only take minutes to search police department computer logs from May 2008 until today.

Police investigators should almost instantly know if the juvenile police file was downloaded and who would have downloaded any report.

Please see:

07/22/08 Police Chief David Ridberg said that discplinary actions and possible criminal charges may be filed if a Greenwich Police Officer is involved

================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 Rock Star Diary Exposes Greenwich Roundup's Ameturish Attempt At Reporting The Facts

Fancy Nancy "Rockstar Diary" Uses An iPhone To Correct Greenwich Roundup Mistakes

Dear Greenwich Roundup,

Not total out of towners. I grew up in Greenwich and my parents &
younger siblings still live there. Relax. I don't want the beaches in
Greenwich over run with out of towners either.

Xoxo,

Jocelyn

Sent from my iPhone

Please see:

07/22/08 Blog Spotlight - Rock Star Diary - Out Of Towners Say They Took Control Of BBQ Grills And Are Coming Baaaaack!!!

Update at 5:01pm:

Rockstar Diary writes:

Off to Los Angeles. Hope I don't get called out for using the beaches
there.

"Girl from Greenwich invades Malibu. She carries an iPhone and scares
the locals with her whitebreadedness........"

Sent from my iPhone

Comment from Greenwich Roundup:

Officially if anybody asks I don't like the iPhone, because of privacy concerns.

Officially, I also won't do business with AT&T, the company is a defendant in a class-action lawsuit for selling out their customers to the NSA.

I also, officially don't trust the super secretive Steve Jobs and the crew at Apple.

Here is what riactant discovered when he installed MobileFinder.app, a third-party, native iPhone application that allows browsing of the iPhone’s file system. While he was poking around the iPhone file system he noticed a file called sms.db under the ~/Library/SMS directory. He opened the file in MobileTextEdit.app and saw that it was a SQLLite database file.

He was surprised that every text message He had ever sent or received since he bought his iPhone was stored in sms.db, despite the fact that he “deleted” these text messages long ago.

Here is a book you might want to read about iPhone privacy:

This book shows the reader how to recover and extract such information as typing caches, Google map searches, deleted images, email, voicemail and other sensitive data retained by the iPhone.

iPhone Forensics gives IT professionals, security personnel, and law enforcement the knowledge needed to conduct forensic analysis of an iPhone. This book shows the reader how to recover sensitive information from the device and perform disaster recovery, and walks the reader through various scenarios for recovering different types of information. With this guide, the reader will be able to effectively recover live, lost, or deleted email, photos, voicemail, Google Maps searches, typing cache, and other sensitive data retained by the iPhone. The reader will learn advanced techniques including data recovery, properly preserving and preparing evidence, and technical techniques such as bypassing basic passcode security or recovering data even after a full restore (by say, a disgruntled employee).

Full Description of Book

Please also read:

Before you activate your iPhone, Read this!

However, the real reason that I don't like the iPhone is that my wife will not let me get one.

She really doesn't care that the new 3G iPhone can spy on me twice as fast at only half the cost of the old iPhone.

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

Please send your comments and corrections to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com and I will post it on a discarded laptop running free Linux operating system called Ubuntu.

07/23/08 Greenwich Time Reporters Are Kicking Butts And Taking Names - 4 Breaking News Stories Posted In Less Than 30 Minutes

This Just In From The Greenwich Time News Room.....

Flash flood watch issued

Article Launched: 07/23/2008 01:07:14 PM

A flash flood watch is in effect from noon Wednesday through Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory that torrential rainfall of one to two inches an hour is possible in some spots as showers and thunderstorms repeatedly move over the same areas.

As much as three to four inches of rain is expected and some areas could see more than six inches of rainfall.

4 Greenwich teens arrested in theft of TVs

Jeff Morganteen

Staff Writer

Article Launched: 07/23/2008 01:01:58 PM

STAMFORD - Four Greenwich teenagers were arrested last night after officers found flat-screen televisions in two different cars, both allegedly robbed from Sportsplex, a fitness club on Brownhouse Road, city police said.

Officers were looking for suspects in an unrelated robbery on Fairfield Avenue when Officer Frank Forbes pulled into Rosa Hartman Park on Selleck Street and found two teenagers in a parked car with a large flat-screen TV in the back seat, police spokesman Lt. Sean Cooney said.

No damage in lightning strike

Article Launched: 07/23/2008 12:45:45 PM

A house was struck by lightning in Milbrook Wednesday morning, according to a fire dispatcher.

The owner heard a loud explosion and immediately contacted the fire department, who arrived in minutes.

The house was not damaged and no one was injured, the dispatcher said.

Thunderstorms began early this morning and will likely linger throughout the day and into tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service.

Multi-car accident blocks traffic

Article Launched: 07/23/2008 12:41:53 PM

A five car accident on North Street tied up the road for more than one hour, according to Sgt. John Thorme.

There were no life-threatening injuries. It was a minor accident, he said.

One individual received advance life support and was transported to Greenwich Hospital. And six others were transported to Stamford Hospital, according to Charlee Tuftscq, executive director of Greenwich Emergency Services.

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

Please send your comments and news tips to

GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 Is Frank Mazza A Nut Case? The school's building committee wants 112 inspections approved in less than 4 business days!!!!

Hardworking Hamilton Avenue Parents Will Document Any Inspections That Are Illegally Approved By Town Employees

Any Illegally Approved School Inspections Can Be Used In The Soon To Come Department Of Justice Lawsuit Concerning The Unequal Educational Access That Western Greenwich School Children Are Currently Receiving

HEADLINES:

TOWN OFFICIALS WILL HAVE TO COMPLETE AND APPROVE AN INSPECTION EVERY 17 MINUTES TO MEET FRANK MAZZA"S UNREALISTIC TIME TABLE.

WILL TOWN OFFICIALS WORK NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS TO PUSH OUT INSPECTIONS?

WILL HAMILTON AVENUE CHILDREN BE PLACED IN AN UNSAFE BUILDING SO THAT FRANK MAZZA CAN SAVE FACE?

QUOTE:

"It's prudent for us to plan for what we can only hope is an unlikely scenario," said Clueless Board of Education Chairwoman Nancy Weissler, who still does not realize that she and Mazza are not getting a temporary certificate of occupancy this month.

STORY:

School board members asked Frank Mazza what could they do to help expedite the approval process. Incompetent Building Committee Chairman Mazza could only come up with, "Pray !!!"

Of the school's 140 inspection "zones," such as elevators and sprinkler systems only 28 have received approval so far.

Incompetent and over paid school administrator Susan Wallerstein says the building would have to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy no later than Monday if there is to be enough time to complete Hamilton Avenue School in the four weeks before classes.

Only a moron like School Building Chairman Frank Mazza would still be expressing optimism that Hamilton Avenue School will be done on time,

Mr. Mazza actually thinks that Hamilton Avenue School Building can somehow miraculously gets on some kind of tight timetable after three years of delays.

Would someone please tell the delusional Mr. Mazza that the start of school just weeks away.

The Board Of Education incorrectly estimates that it needs only 31 days to get the substandard Glenville School back in shape for Hamilton Avenue student and staff use.

=================================================
Please send your comments and any reports of school inspection cover ups that will place small children in danger to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 Today's Greenwich Police Blotter From The Greenwich Post

Police Watch, July 23

The following are July 23’s released arrests:

DUI

Glenn Jacobson, 52, of 32 Putnam Green was arrested July 21 and charged with driving under the influence. Police said an officer was driving alongside Jacobson when he almost struck the police car and then crossed over the double yellow line. Police said Jacobson had glassy red eyes and failed a series of field sobriety exams. He was released on a $250 cash bond and was due in court July 28.

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

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Greenwich Post News Links - Deputy Superintendent of Schools Kathy Greider said the district considering delaying the first day of school

TOP STORY

HEADLINE:
The options presented by the Greenwich Board Of Education caused negative feedback to come from the audience of parents and community members
QUOTES:

“This has all the key ingredients of discrimination,” said Hamilton Avenue parent Gina DeMartis who wants to know how the board could consider a building unacceptable for the Glenville students, but OK for her children.

“This is not a plan,” Glenville parent Deb Klein said. “This is an outrage and an insult to the Glenville community, and we will not stand for it.”

“Offensive,”says Glenville parent Celia Fernandez

STORY:
Backup plans for construction get F’s from parents

BREAKING NEWS

Posted 11:06 a.m., July 23, 2008

Emergency backup plans in case the new Hamilton Avenue School isn’t finished in time are proceeding, despite strong parent opposition to what’s on the table.

District staff told the Board of Education at a special meeting Tuesday they would not be recommending any dispersion of students. Hamilton Avenue students were sent to other schools this March in response to mold at the modular classrooms. That move has triggered an investigation by the federal Office of Civil Rights as to whether Hamilton Avenue students have been treated fairly.

Without dispersion on the table, it leaves two options: send Hamilton Avenue students to the cleaned modulars until the school is done or send Hamilton Avenue students to Glenville School and put the Glenville students in the modulars. Both solutions require the delay of the planned demolition for Glenville.

There is still a possibility of Hamilton Avenue School not being finished in time for the beginning of school on Aug. 27. Board Chairwoman Nancy Weissler said the idea of not having the school complete is “heartbreaking for all of us.” Frank Mazza, the project’s building committee chairman, expressed optimism that the project will be done on time, but said it depends on whether the contractor, Worth Construction, does its job.

Mr. Mazza told the board there are minor problems that need to be resolved so the building can get its critical temporary certificate of occupancy. He said he believes it can be accomplished by the first week of August.

However, the project remains on a tight timetable with the start of school just weeks away. The district estimates that it needs 31 days to get Glenville School back in shape for student use.

District staff told the Board of Education at a special meeting Tuesday they would not be recommending any dispersion of students. Hamilton Avenue students were sent to other schools this March in response to mold at the modular classrooms. That move has triggered an investigation by the federal Office of Civil Rights as to whether Hamilton Avenue students have been treated fairly.

Without dispersion on the table, it leaves two options: send Hamilton Avenue students to the cleaned modulars until the school is done or send Hamilton Avenue students to Glenville School and put the Glenville students in the modulars. Both solutions require the delay of the planned demolition for Glenville.

There is still a possibility of Hamilton Avenue School not being finished in time for the beginning of school on Aug. 27. Board Chairwoman Nancy Weissler said the idea of not having the school complete is “heartbreaking for all of us.” Frank Mazza, the project’s building committee chairman, expressed optimism that the project will be done on time, but said it depends on whether the contractor, Worth Construction, does its job.

Mr. Mazza told the board there are minor problems that need to be resolved so the building can get its critical temporary certificate of occupancy. He said he believes it can be accomplished by the first week of August.

However, the project remains on a tight timetable with the start of school just weeks away. The district estimates that it needs 31 days to get Glenville School back in shape for student use.

More Greenwich Post News Links:

• Housing report is online

  Earlier this month the United Way of Greenwich Community Planning Council released the agency’s just completed Workforce Housing Study. The report is now available online.

  It presents the findings gathered by the United Way’s 12-member Workforce Housing Task Force, chaired by Judy Holden and Karen Royce, and consultants Dr. Kurt Schlichting and Dr. Edward Deak of Fairfield University....

• At Home makes move
  

  At Home in Greenwich, a nonprofit membership organization created to enable senior Greenwich residents to remain in their own homes as they grow older, has moved to larger quarters to accommodate its expanding membership. The new address, 139 East Putnam Ave., is on the campus of the Second Congregational Church, and is located on the second floor of the educational building....

  ...One phone call to its executive director, Lise Jameson, gives members access to home health care, household and grounds maintenance services, transportation, as well as social and cultural activities...

• Former pastor returns to church n celebration of Diamond Hill United Methodist Church’s 140th anniversary, the Rev. Terry Pfeiffer, who served Diamond Hill from 1969 to 1976, and his wife, Margey, will be returning to preach.

  ....Mr. Pfeiffer started his full-time ministry at Diamond Hill after graduating from Yale Divinity School. While at the church, his son, Douglas, was born in 1972, and was the first child to be born in that parsonage in more than 100 years....

=================================================
Please send your comments and news stories to
GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Tuesday -

Left to right, town highway employees Barbara Mescall, Skip Azud and Terry Pieczko with a care package that they are sending to fellow employee Peter Kurpeawski who is an officer in the Army Reserve in Iraq.
(Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time photo)

TODAY"S TOP STORY

Headline:

Peter Kurpeawski's co-workers have sent about six care packages since he left for Iraq in May

Quote:

"He's a good, good friend. He would do anything for you," said Terry Pieczko, an administrative assistant in the highway division.

Story:

To Iraq, with love

When one of their own departed for his second tour with the U.S. Army Reserve in Iraq earlier this year, public works employees didn't have to think too hard of what to include in a care package for Peter Kurpeawski.

"We all know he loves raisins," said Skip Azud, who works with Kurpeawski and is the town's high operations manager. "He's always got a box of raisins in his pockets." ....

....While they rarely get telephone calls from Kurpeawski because of the 7-hour time difference, they do get e-mails from their friend and co-worker.

"He lets us know that he's OK," Pieczko said.

More Greenwich Time News Links:

West Nile arrives early

With West Nile virus appearing earlier than usual across the state, health officials are concerned the season for the disease could be more intense than in previous years.

Town controversy boosts Wiffle sales

SHELTON -Stephen and David J. Mullany don't put much stock in advertising. Their ideal focus group is a sandlot full of kids.

Town's new plan of conservation and development available

The Plan of Conservation and Development contains more than 250 recommendations, and provides an overview of what the town has and will need in the future in terms of conservation, housing and development over the next decade.

Greenwich 12s reach losers' bracket semis

When their backs are to the wall is when Greenwich's 12-year-old Cal Ripken All-Stars play their best.

Myrna's bistro comes to Greenwich

When Myrna Yanni opened her first restaurant, Myrna's Mediterranean Bistro on 866 E. Main St. in Stamford five years ago, she knew she eventually would like to open a restaurant in Greenwich.

An early edition of magazine recycling

Too darn hot for heavy duty stuff. So pop up your parasol, fetch an iced-tea and chill out. Read along at your own pace and nibble from this cold hors d'oeuvre platter: For the troops Here's a bit of postal history for you.

Re-establishing agency for seniors

It's welcome news for Connecticut's graying population that Gov. M. Jodi Rell has decided to re-establish the state Department of Aging as a full-fledged agency starting next July.

Ball field would have had positive effect

To the editor:

I viewed a news report on the kids in your town. It is sad to see that the neighbors put the kids down for building their own Wiffle ball park to keep themselves out of trouble.

I come from a town that sees violent crime every day. In fact, just recently at a local festival, there was a shooting of a 19-year-old boy. I say boy because at 19 he has not even started life yet. Kids in gang colors walk the streets. A kid shot a detective just last year.

Your town should look at what it has. I am sure some residents built tree houses, forts, etc,. when they were little, were proud of them and didn't have them knocked down. What is this world coming to?

The average age of the kids I saw in the report was the age kids start smoking (not just tobacco), fighting and being unruly; when they start roaming the streets and breaking laws. It will happen when they get bored. What will your town think then?

Many kids nowadays don't care, and your town should be proud of the kids who do care, and want to keep themselves off the streets and walking the straight and narrow.

Let kids be kids!

Jennifer Kimura

Toledo, Ohio

Please see:

07/22/08 Police Chief David Ridberg said that disciplinary charges and possible criminal charges may be filed if a Greenwich Police Officer is involved in leaking whiffle baller's juvenile court record

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

Please send your comments and news reports to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/23/08 "The United States made a major mistake by invading Afghanistan, failing to work with the Taliban to improve to life of its citizens."

More Lee Whitnum lunacy - Foreign policy edition

It's hard to keep up with all the nuttery that comes out of Lee Whitnum's mouth. I'd just written a column about her that was published in the Greenwich Time/Stamford Advocate today and then I read the article about her in today's Connecticut Post. There, Lee offers her usual rants about how immigrants ruined her life etc, etc, and then moved on to this astonishing piece of foreign policy "wisdom":

"The United States made a major mistake by invading Afghanistan, failing to work with the Taliban to improve to life of its citizens."

Say what?! If she'd said we'd made a major mistake by invading Iraq, I might have actually found myself agreeing with her for once. But it's the second part of her sentence that had me laughing out loud until I remembered that this person was actually attempting to run for Congress. Cause I'd have loved to see Lee Whitnum sashaying up to the Taliban with her unique set of people skills and telling them how to improve the life of the citizens of Afghanistan. Particularly the women. That's if they didn't stone her to death for not wearing a burqua first.

As I said in my post on CT Local Politics, Lee Whitnum is proof that the truth is WAY stranger than fiction.

Meanwhile, here's today's GT/Advocate column:

I don't respect those who complain about what is happening in the country yet make no effort to get involved in order to change it. When so many are apathetic about the political process, I have to hand it to Lee Whitnum, a woman who has such a fervent belief in causes such as the need to restrict the availability of H1-B visas that she is willing to attempt a run for Congress. On some level one has to admire her dogged tenacity: When having failed to muster a single delegate at the Democratic convention for the Fourth Congressional District, she managed to round up the requisite 2,459 signatures, or two percent of the registered party members in the district, to force a primary against the Democratic nominee, Jim Himes.

But that's where any respect I might have for Ms. Whitnum ends. Whereas Mr. Himes worked hard to raise grassroots support, gaining the attention of the national Democratic Party and Time Magazine, who rated his race against Chris Shays one of the top 15 races in the country to watch, not to mention raising over $2 million in campaign contributions, his putative opponent seems to be working hard to alienate as many people as possible.

I planned to ignore Ms. Whitnum until I received her recent press release about Mr. Himes' trip to Israel. At that point I knew I could no longer remain silent.

Readers of this column will know that I have never supported the war in Iraq. I am about as far from a NeoCon as you could possibly find. Friends of mine will know that I've had my disagreements with AIPAC. But I know that Israel is the one true democracy in the Middle East, and is our greatest ally there.

So it incensed me to read the following drivel from Ms. Whitnum's campaign:

"(Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon walked into the Vatican of mosques and declared 'I am a Jew I am here to pray' for the sole purpose of inciting a riot. He did it to get himself elected prime minister. His action marked the beginning of an eight-year wave of violence. A wave of violence that resulted in our own 9-11 losses."

First of all, Sharon didn't go to into the Dome of the Rock mosque, he went to the Temple Mount, what Ms. Whitnum might call "the Vatican of Jewish temples" located nearby. Secondly, to say that this action caused 9-11 is outrageous hate speak. Being outrageous is nothing new to Lee Whitnum, who first gained notoriety when she exploited her brief relationship with U.S. Sen. John Kerry to promote her self-published book "Hedge Fund Mistress." A police officer was on hand when she accosted noted Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz at Temple Sholom in May. She has conducted a vitriolic war of words in the blogosphere, a real lesson in how not to win friends and influence people.

Despite Ms. Whitnum's persistent attempts to paint Mr. Himes as an out-of touch Wall Streeter, it hasn't worked, because it's not the truth. He was raised middle class by a single mother and his campaign fundraising shows his grassroots appeal: 68 percent of his contributions in the second quarter were $100 or less.

Ms. Whitnum hasn't filed her mandatory FEC report, alternatively claiming "lack of campaign apparatus" and that she "intentionally withheld her reports because she didn't want to fuel Internet blogs that have questioned her candidacy," according to reports in this paper. I don't envy Mr. Himes this debate, but letting the primary voters hear Lee Whitnum speak will be his surest path to victory.



I've already had one e-mail from a reader saying: I have paid relatively little attention to Ms. Whitnum whom I have thought was a sideshow. I now know that even if she is a sideshow, she is a dangerous sideshow. I had no idea she held such insidious views. Thank you for enlightening me!

I consider alerting the general public to Ms. Whitnum's extreme views a matter of public service.

07/22/08 Blog Spotlight - Rock Star Diary - Out Of Towners Say They Took Control Of BBQ Grills And They Are Comming Baaaaack!!!!

A day at the beach!

by jocelyn

Alice, Darren & I went to Island Beach out in Greenwich, CT on Saturday. We BBQed and sat in the sun. It was lovely. We have to remember to do this more often! View from my beach chair...

Rock Star Diary - http://www.pixxiestails.com/

=========================================================
Please send your comments and blog posts to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Reader Submitted Comments - Greenwich Police Department Resource Officers Are Hard To Reach

Greenwich Home-Owner Asks Police Department...

Can You Hear Me Now???

Please report on the difficulty in reaching GPD Community Resource Officers.

Repeated calls have been made to discuss a serious problem in my neighborhood. All of these calls have occurred during regular business hours.

Frankly, I am getting tired of leaving repeated messages on a police department answering machine.

I realize that these officers are supposed to spend many of their working hours out in the community interacting with merchants, civic groups and other organizations.

Must one belong to a neighborhood group in order to get a phone call returned?

Comment From Greenwich Roundup:

Messages left on answering machines should be answered in a timely fashion.

Perhaps, Chief Ridberg should provide these Community Resource Officers with on-duty cell phones so that home-owners can reach them with concerns.

=================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Police Chief David Ridberg said that disciplinary action and possible criminal charges may be filed if a Greenwich Police Officer is involved

Leaking a boys juvenile record over whiffle ball is so Nixonian

Headline:

Police Investigate Wifflegate

Police say that juvenile court employees or the Riverside resident that reported the crime could have leaked the report.

If the Riverside resident was the source of the leak, then they would have been required to request the report through the court

Quote:

"I have zero tolerance for that," First Selectman Peter Tesei said "That's outrageous. Again, someone made a very stupid and foolish decision, whoever it is. I hope we find out who it is because that really bothers me."

Story:

Leaked report causes outrage

The parent of teen Wiffle ball player expressed outrage yesterday that a police report involving his son was leaked in connection with the ball field controversy in Riverside.

uvenile cases, the father said, are shielded from the public by law. His son is under 16.

In an attempt to galvanize the opposition to the unauthorized ball field built by a group of teens on a town-owned lot on Riverside Lane, the parent said the report was circulated among neighborhood residents by mail, in envelopes without a return address.

"I'm really disappointed to think that adults would stoop to this level," said the father, who Greenwich Time agreed not to name because it would reveal the identity of the juvenile. "To take it to this level, I'm angry."

Police and town officials said they are continuing to investigate the source of the leak after some other parents complained about the situation last week...

...Police Capt. Michael Pacewicz said nothing has been ruled out in the investigation, which the department hopes to finish by the end of the week.

The parent said he and his family were advised by the police to seek legal advice regarding the civil ramifications of the report's release. The two-page report, he said, was received by many homeowners in the Riverside neighborhood where the teens built their makeshift field, along with a note stating, "Wiffle ball kids are great kids."....

Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story

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

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Lee Whitnum says illegal immigrants have taken jobs that would otherwise go to African-Americans

OMG !!!!

These Dirty Immigrants Stole Lee Whitnum's Software

Engineering Job And Made Her To Become

A Substitute Teacher Who Is Forced To Teach

The Children Of The Unwashed

Congressional candidate targets immigrants

Connecticut Post

By SUSAN SILVERS

BRIDGEPORT — Democratic Congressional candidate Lee Whitnum called Monday for extensive crackdowns on job-specific and illegal immigration to open up jobs for more Americans.

Whitnum, who gathered enough signatures in the 4th Congressional District to force a primary against fellow Greenwich resident Jim Himes Aug. 12, called for two dedicated police officers in every community to enforce immigration regulations, such as overstayed visas and illegal entrants. During a meeting of the editorial board at the Connecticut Post, Whitnum said that Congress has unnecessarily admitted foreigners to do work that could be done by the nation's own.

"There's no shortage of talented, educated people here," said Whitnum, a Stamford substitute teacher who said her own career as a software engineer was derailed by an influx of outsiders.

The winner of the primary will take on Republican Christopher Shays, now in his 11thterm. She said Shays is one of those responsible for the problem. "They keep giving away our jobs," she said.

Whitnum contended the shortages in some fields are caused because Americans undergo longer periods of training, making them even more qualified. In others, she said the problem is a shortage of training programs rather than of able and willing Americans...

...Whitnum said she hasn't raised any money for her run against outsiders and has put in about $9,500 of her own, which she hopes to eventually recoup somehow. She said she knows she is waging an uphill fight. "I'm doing the best I can with what I have," she said.

=================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 More delays in construction of Hamilton Avenue School have thrown the prospect of a timely renovation at Glenville School into serious doubt

When the president said that no child was to be left behind he meant all the children in America, even the ones at Glenville School.

Headline:

The lawsuit says that the town is denying hundreds of students their constitutional right to an equal education.

Quotes:

"We need the court to step in and issue a ruling immediately," Patricia Roer said. "We cannot wait while Glenville School students face the threat of yet another school year where their education is being compromised."

"When anybody takes an action like this, it's their strongest expression of frustration over the situation," First Selectman Tesei said. "My focus, and the school system's focus, is on getting all of these projects done, so that the kids can learn in the best environment.

Story:

Family requests judge speed up school suit

By Colin Gustafson Greenwich Time Staff writer

A Glenville School family is reviving its lawsuit against the Board of Education and the town for allegedly failing to address the "educationally unsound" conditions of the deteriorating school.

The legal action comes on the eve of a crucial decision next week by the Board on whether to use the aging facility during the 2008-09 school year.

In a letter sent to the town attorney's office yesterday, plaintiffs Gregory and Patricia Roer said they would urge the judge in the case to issue an expedited decision, claiming that inaction by town officials in restoring the school had led to "irreparable harm" to their child.

The suit, filed last November, names former First Selectman Jim Lash, Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg and the Board of Education as defendants.

Through its inaction, the suit argues, the town is denying the plaintiff's son, Matthew, who will enter third grade this year at Glenville School, as well as hundreds of other students their constitutional right to an equal education...

...Assistant Superintendent Susan Wallerstein declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. The town attorney's office had not responded to requests for comment by press time.

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

Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07//22/08 The Greenwich Board Of Education Wants To Hear From Parents And Taxpayers Tonight

School board to allow public comment tonight

The Board of Education will hear public comment during a hearing at tonight's special meeting, where updates on modular mold remediation and construction at Hamilton Avenue and Glenville schools will be given. The meeting is being held in the Greenwich High School auditorium at 7. Also From The Greenwich Post: Greenwich actors perform in ‘Seussical’ ================================================ Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 Here We Go Again - Greenwich Board Of Education Is Creating Another School Construction Disaster

Headlines:

Delaying renovations at Glenville School could result in fines and reimbursement fees being paid by taxpayers

By 2010, those costs to the school system could top $160,000.

Quote:

Greenwich Board Of Education Says:

"As the start date is further delayed, it will become increasingly difficult to place individuals already committed to this project. This could result in the loss of key contractors and personnel if there is not enough work."

Story:

Town weighs Ham Ave. options

By Colin Gustafson
Staff Writer

What combination of Hamilton Avenue and Glenville schools and modular classrooms will be in use for the next school year is on the agenda tonight as the Board of Education meets at Greenwich High School.

The board will discuss a list of contingency options released yesterday in the event that the school reconstruction project isn't completed by the start of the school year on August 27.

The choices include:

* Shifting Hamilton Avenue students into the deteriorating Glenville School building, which has a history of leaks and maintenance problems.

* Housing Glenville students in the modulars from which Hamilton Avenue students were removed last school year after mold was discovered in the walls and ceiling panels. Those modulars are to be fully restored for this school year, officials said.

* Return Hamilton Avenue students to the modulars, while Glenville students either stay in their current building or are dispersed to other nearby schools.

However, Hamilton Avenue administrators have strongly opposed dispersing their students again this year, after being forced to temporarily assign pupils to six different schools last spring after discovery of the mold....

Also From The Greenwich Time:

Man arrested in boy's death

Police charged the president of a Stamford pool company with manslaughter Monday in the drowning death of Zachary Archer Cohn, a Greenwich boy killed last July when his arm was ensnared by the powerful suction of a drain in his backyard pool.
No trespassing signs go up at Wiffle field

The town demolished it, but they still came. Next time they'll be trespasssers. Despite being shut down on Friday, the unauthorized Wiffle ball field in Riverside drew a number of teens over the weekend for pickup games that led to neighbors calling the police.

Police blotter

Martha P. Franco, 44, and Stephanie F. Franco, 25, both of 28 Cos Cob Ave., were arrested early Sunday afternoon and charged with disorderly conduct stemming from an alleged domestic dispute, according to a police report.

Martha P. Franco, 44, and Stephanie F. Franco, 25, both of 28 Cos Cob Ave., were arrested early Sunday afternoon and charged with disorderly conduct stemming from an alleged domestic dispute, according to a police report.

The two women, mother and daughter, allegedly scuffled during a family argument at their residence, the report said.

Both were released on promises to appear Monday in state Superior Court in Stamford, according to the report.

******************************************

Ashmore Johnson, 41, of 720 Newhall St., Hamden, was arrested by warrant the morning of July 15 and charged with two counts of second-degree forgery, third-degree identity theft, fifth-degree larceny, third-degree conspiracy to commit identity theft and fifth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, according to a police report.

Johnson was arrested at state Superior Court, where he turned himself in on a habeus corpus warrant stemming from allegations he used bank account information of a Greenwich victim to purchase items, according to the report.

Additional details were not available yesterday.

Johnson was turned over to the state Judicial Marshals Office for arraignment that day, according to the report.

******************************************

Jose Luis Estrada, 43, was arrested Saturday night outside of a New Street residence and charged with threatening and disorderly conduct, according to a police report.

Police arrived at the residence on a report of an unwanted male there and found Estrada, who had apparently been bothering

the residents of an apartment, according to the report.

Estrada had been instructed by police previously to stay away, but had threatened one of the occupants of the apartment, the report said.

He is being held on $2,000 bond, and was scheduled to appear yesterday in state Superior Court in Stamford, according to the report.

Out-of staters should share cost of roads

For those who immediately pooh-pooh the idea of reviving tolls on Connecticut highways, I have two words: Fung Wah.

Recognizing the value of NCC

"Norwalk Community College is so clearly a success in so many respects ..." That's what we said in this space almost five years ago about an educational institution that has continued to grow in stature since.

Expansion of domestic energy supplies is vital

To the editor:

The July 16 issue of Greenwich Time carried a letter, written by the chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, regarding increased drilling for domestic oil and natural gas - which he opposes.

The letter is predictably snide and nasty in its tone. More important, however, is that it unintentionally illustrates the danger to the country from political policies and politicians driven by ideology rather than common sense. Try as it might, the left wing of the Democratic Party can not repeal the law of supply and demand; it is thus willing to repeat the failed energy policies of the Clinton administration.

The left wing (i.e., the Obama, Pelosi, Reid and Himes wing) of the Democratic Party is apparently so beholden to radical environmentalists that it will not or cannot adapt to changing economic circumstances.

Most Americans, however, want a common-sense solution to the nation's current energy problems. That solution will be found in a combination of policies: greater conservation right now and, we assume, the development of economically and environmentally viable alternative energy sources in the longer term. At the same time, it is absolutely essential, for both national security and economic reasons, that we take immediate action to increase our domestic energy resources. To pretend otherwise is to continue to live in an ideological fantasy land.

Voters should note which political party is likely to be willing and able going forward to support rational policies in the vital and rapidly changing energy sector.

John R. Raben Jr.

Riverside

The writer is chairman of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee.

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

Please send your comments and news tips to

GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

07/22/08 The Greenwich Gap Is Gone But Not Forgotten

Was this sign to protect Gap president from Greenwich Avenue employees?

How do you clean your recording studio?

by Oliver Chesler

When I was starting college I worked at The Gap in Greenwich, Connecticut. For those who don’t know The Gap is a nation (world) wide clothing store and Greenwich is one of the richest towns in the United States. he president of the entire company lived in Greenwich and would come into our store. He would show up without any warning which meant our store had to be spotless at all times. My manager would actually make me take sticky tape, get on my hands and knees and use it to pull lint and dirt out of the carpet in the dressing rooms! I also spent countless hours cleaning the glass, steel racks and folding giant walls of jeans.

I guess the intense retail store boot camp has stuck with me because I like to keep my studio ultra clean. I’m on a permanent war with those dust bunnies that collect near electric wires ...

wire to the ear - http://www.wiretotheear.com

=========================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

0721/08 Help Wanted In Greenwich

Librarian / Reading Specialist needed at Boys & Girls Club of ...
by Hannah

Degree in library science or library-media certification• Teaching experience preferred. Teaching certificate in reading remediation preferred• Knowledge of library techniques, processes, and reference sources• Ability to plan and ...

Fairfield County Jobs Blog - http://fairfieldcountyjobs.blogspot.com/

======================================================
Please send your comments and help wanted notices to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com