04/03/09 Greenwich Time Crime Reporter Debra Friedman Once Again Scoops The Greenwich Citizen And The Greenwich Post (Updated)

Here Is A Great Deal In Greenwich:

Rent A New Lexus In Greenwich For An All Inclusive Price Of Only $100 - No Credit Check Required - - No Late Fees - Return The Car Whenever You Like !!!!

Lexus of Greenwich dealership taken for a ride by employee

By Debra Friedman
STAFF WRITER
Posted: 04/03/2009 08:51:59 PM EDT

Police have put the brakes on a Stamford man caught allegedly renting out cars owned by the Lexus of Greenwich dealership to his friends.

Virgilio Collins-Meza, 41, of 20 North St., Stamford, was arrested by Greenwich police on Wednesday afternoon at the dealership, 19 Railroad Ave., where he had worked as a valet driver for the past year, police said. He was charged with five counts of first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle, police said.

Detective Tony Fiscella, who investigated the case, said Collins-Meza loaned out five four-door Lexus sedans to friends for $100 per day without the dealership's permission. Police believe Collins-Meza has pulled the scam before, but it was not until March 31 that the dealership noticed that its cars were missing.

Fiscella said police went to the dealership after receiving a call that the cars were stolen. While taking the initial stolen vehicle reports, police learned that one of the cars had crashed in Stamford and the driver had fled the scene on foot, he said. The man was apprehended and later told police about the deal arranged with Collins-Meza......

UPDATE:

MORE FROM THE GREENWICH TIME

Probate court reform to have minor effect in area
Two bills proposing changes to the state's 300-year-old Probate Court system have prompted debate in Hartford, but while alterations may have substantial impacts in some parts of the state, officials say Fairfield County Probate Courts may only notice subtle changes.....

12 shot dead at immigrant center
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A gunman opened fire on a center where immigrants were taking a citizenship exam Friday in downtown Binghamton, killing at least 12 people before apparently committing suicide........

In town

Simon Pearce designer show Simon Pearce Designer's Take, featuring in-store presentations by interior designers, will be held on two dates in April at Simon Pearce, 325 Greenwich Ave....

Police blotter
"¢ Kathryn Norton, 46, of 12 Salem St., was charged Thursday night with disorderly conduct. She was released on a promise to appear.

Students raise environmental awareness with posters

Even as a 10-year-old, Jacqueline Steinman has developed a strong environmental awareness. On Saturday, her family turned off the lights, lit candles and played cards as they marked Earth Hour, a worldwide environmental event in which people from countries around the globe doused lights in homes and businesses between 8:30 p.m.....

Senior Center's lunch more popular than ever

High-end restaurants may not be faring well in this economy, but at the Greenwich Senior Center, members make their reservations for lunch as far in advance as they might for Polpo on a Saturday night.....

Coin slot machines return to N.J.'s oldest casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It used to be the signature sound of gambling: the clacking of coins spilling into metal trays on slot machines.......

Religion in brief

Archbishop visits Michigan mosque

DEARBORN, Mich. -- The new Roman Catholic archbishop of Detroit has visited one of the nation's largest mosques, part of a continuing outreach to Muslims and other faith groups.

Sacred Art

VATICAN CITY -- The long tradition of Vatican patronage of the arts has given rise to such monuments to Christianity as ....

Church offers conference on Holy Spirit

The Presbyterian Church of Old Greenwich will offer a four-day conference Apr. 15-18 "to help Christians explore, discern and operate in the Holy Spirit's power."

Titled "In the Spirit's Power," the conference is the second part of a series that began last fall.
"This conference has been given in cities all over the world "¦ it's the kind of event for which people travel great distances. We feel honored and blessed to be able to offer it in this area," said Pastor Bill Gestal.

A refresher course is provided to bring those who did not attend the session last fall up to speed. "If I had to identify one thing in my adult life that turned me around (and continues to call me to conversion), it would be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit," said Angelo Natalie, who attended the first session. "The infilling of God's Spirit makes all the difference," he added.....

COMMENT:

Listening To The Holy Spirit

Since Greenwich Roundup Became A Christian About Eight Months Ago, And He Has Been Trying To Dicern The Power Of The Holy Spirit At Harvest Time Church On King Street Greenwich.

Unfortunately, Greenwich Roundup Is A Horrible Student Of Following The Holy Spirit.

Often Times I Go To Harvest Time Church And I Listen Closely, But I Don't Really Listen.

For Years, Greenwich Roundup Thought If God already Knows What We Are Going To Ask.

Then Why Bother To Ask?

• “Why bother to pray to an all-knowing God?”
• “Why bother to pray to an all-loving God?”
• “Why bother to pray to an all-powerful God?”

Greenwich Roundup Used To Think That All Of This Prayer Is Huge Waste Of Time, But Since Going To Harvest Time Church Up On King Street He Have Seen That God Seems To Respond When People Ask For Help.

Greenwich Roundup First Started To Harvest Time Church With His Wife Who Had Recently Converted To Christianity From Buddhism.

At That Time We Were In A Situation Where We Had To Move.

My Wife Went To The Church And Prayed With The Church's Prayer Team For A New Home

Being A Non-Christian At The Time Greenwich Roundup Went And Got My Wife From This Prayer Group And Thanked Everyone For The Prayers And Left The Church.

Greenwich Roundup's Wife Had Been Crying While She Was Praying And This Had Disturbed Him Somewhat. So All Of A Sudden An Idea Came Into His Head On Where To Get A New Place That Will Make The Wife Stop Worrying.

Five Minutes After Leaving The Church Greenwich Roundup Was Negotiating For A New Place.

Well Greenwich Roundup's Wife And Her Friends At Harvest Time Could Not Shut Up About What a "Miracle" This Was.

Greenwich Roundup Tried To Tell Them That There Were These Things Called Coincidences In This World And hat My Brain Had The Idea About Where To Get A New Place.

Some Of The Members Of Harvest Time Church Called Greenwich Roundup A "Doubting Thomas."

Over And Over, There Were Stories About Prayers Being Answered At Harvest Time Church.

It Soon Became Clear To Greenwich Roundup That Persons At Harvest Time Church Did Not Understand Anything About Odds And Probability.

Well Greenwich Roundup Never Prayed At Home And Only Agreed With Prayers At Church, So His Wife Bugged Him To Join The Early Morning Men's Prayer Group So That He Could Learn To Pray.

Well Over And Over Greenwich Roundup Saw Prayers Answered

When Others In The Church Heard That Greenwich Roundup Was Regularly Going To This Early Morning Prayer Group They Began Asking Him To Mentioned Their Problems And To Say A Prayer For Them In The Group.

Many Of These Prayers Were Answered.

But Somehow Greenwich Roundup Felt That These Person's Who The Group Had Prayed For Just Experienced The Power Of Positive Thinking And Started Making Better Choices That Helped Them Reach The Outcome They Sought.

Then This Lady Started Coming To The Early Morning Men's Prayer Group Praying For A Little Pre-Mature Baby That Had Received One Operation And Now Needed To Have His Heart Operated On. Apparently The Poor Little Baby Was not Bigger Than The Size Of A Man's Fist And The Heart Was Only As Big As A Persons Thumb Nail.

The Baby Was In Very Bad Shape.

Well This Woman Who Did Not Even Go To Harvest Time Church Would Come Into The Men's Prayer Group And Take Over The Meeting And Get All Of The Men Worked Up And Praying For This Dying Baby.

This Woman Was Going To Multiple Churches In An Effort To Get Persons To Pray For This Baby That Was Not Even A Relative Of Hers.

Pretty Soon Greenwich Roundup Started Saying To Some Of The Men In The Prayer Group, We Have Got To Start Toning This Woman Down, Because There Is A Good Chance That This Baby Is Going To Die, And No One Is Thinking What Is Going To Happen To This Woman When Te Baby Doesn't Survive This Operation.

Well The Men In This Harvest Time Prayer Group Don't Like Thinking Three Or Four Steps Ahead And Insisted On Prying For The Baby With Out Any Concern For The Lady Who Was Praying So Hard.

Well The Day Of The Operation Came And We Did Not Hear Anything More About This Baby Or Lady.After A Week Or Two Greenwich Roundup Started Telling My Wife And The Men In The Prayer Group....

"I Hate To Say I Told You So, But I Told You So.....

The Poor Baby Probably Died And Now Who Knows What Happened To The Lady."

Well A Month Later, At Men's Prayer Greenwich Roundup Looked Out The Window And Saw The Lady's Car Coming Into The Church Parking Lot And He Start Thinking Of What He Could Say To Comfort Her Grief.

Well The Lady Comes Into The Men's Prayer Group And Reports That The Baby Survived The Operation And Has Since Thrived.

When Greenwich Roundup Asked Her Why In The Heck She Waited Over A Month To Report Back To The Prayer Group. She Said That She Had Been Helping The Mother And Father With The Baby.

This Is When Greenwich Roundup Began To Slightly Change His Mind About Prayer.

Soon After This Greenwich Roundup's Wife Began To Bug Him About Taking His Business Marketing Mail To This Men's Prayer Group And Asking Them To Pray Over It. Greenwich Roundup's Wife Was Getting Upset That He Had Been Sending Out Tons Of Mail And Not Getting Jobs.

In Greenwich Roundup's Business, You Need To Send Out One Or Two Thousand Pieces Of Mail In Order To Make The Phone Ring. Then You Can Go Out And Bid.

Every Month Greenwich Roundup Was Spending Hundreds Of Dollars On Postage To Send The Letters To Make The Phone Ring.

The Phone Would Ring. Greenwich Would Go Bid And Someone Always Had A Lower Winning Bid.

So To Shut Greenwich Roundup's Wife Up He Took A Hundred Pieces Of Mail To The Men's Prayer Group And Asked Them To Pray Over The Mail To Make His Wife Happy.

They Prayed, The Phone Rings, And Greenwich Roundup Gets The Job.

But The Account Is A Really Crappy Account That Gives Greenwich Roundup A Headache Every Month.

However, Times Are Tough And Greenwich Roundup Neesd The Cash. So He Put Up With This "Client From Hell"For Now.

Latter Greenwich Roundup Converted To Christianity And When He Did Pray That Day It Was Quite Profound And Emotional.

But Greenwich Roundup Still Was Not A Big Prayer Warrior.

A Few Months Later, At The Harvest Time Church There Was A Psychiatrist Who Had A Hearing Problem. He Went Up At A Healing Service And Said He Heard A Loud Pop In His Ear And Now Could Hear Out Of That Ear.

This Made Greenwich Roundup Take Notice, Because A Doctor Who Understands The Mind Was Saying That He Had Been Healed And That There Were No Tricks Of The Mind Involved.

Greenwich Roundup Started Going To The Men's Prayer Group With A Little More Belief In The Power Of Prayer, But Greenwich Roundup's Wife Still Was Not Satisfied. She Was Upset That He Only Prayed At Church And Not At Home.

Greenwich Roundup Told His Wife That If He Did Start Praying At Home, He Was Going To Pray That She Quits Bothering Him About How Much He Prays.

This Little Arguement Went On For About Five Months Until Greenwich Roundup's Wife Decided To Increase The Pressure A Bit.

She Went And Told Everyone In A Harvest Time Bible Class That We Take That Greenwich Roundup Never Prays At Home.

This Caused An Argument Later That Night After We Got Home From Church.

Greenwich Roundup Instructed His Wife That She Should Not Have Such A Big Mouth At Church.

Later She Started Complaining About All The Money That Greenwich Roundup Was Spending On Postage For Marketing My Business. Greenwich Ropundup Told Her To Quit Complaining About All The Postage, Because The Mailings Are Working.

Greenwich Roundup Reminded Her The Phone Rings Every Month.

Greenwich Roundup Had Five Bidding Opportunities In Recent Months, But Other Contractors Have Sharper Pencils Than Greenwich Roundup Had Right Now Right Now.

So The Wife Starts In With....

"Take The Mail Back Into The Harvest Time Men's Prayer Room And Let Them Pray Over It So That The Phone Will Ring And You Will Get The Job."

So, Greenwich Roundup Tells His Wife.....

"First Of All I Am Not Taking Any More Mail To The Harvest Time Men's Prayer Group, Because No One Else Is Bringing Marketing Materials Into The Group. Second Of All The Last Thing I Need Right Now Is Another Crappy Account From Hell."

So The Wife Says ......

"Lets Pray Over The Mail At Home"

Thank God, Greenwich Roundup Now Has Away To Get Out Of This Argument.

So We Prayed Over The Mail And Then A Few Days Later The Phone Rang Wanting A Bid For A Job That Is At Least Five Times Bigger Than The Biggest Job That Greenwich Roundup Had Ever Done.

Greenwich Roundup Told The Prospect That He Could Not Bid On This Job, Because It Was Way Too Big For His Company, But He Would Appreciate It If They Would Keep Him On Their Bid List For The Next Job That Would Be Appropriate For His Firm.

The Prospect Thanked Greenwich Roundup For His Honesty And Said He Would Keep Greenwich Roundup In His Mind For Future Work.

As Soon As Greenwich Roundup Hangs Up The Phone, The Wife Goes Off The Deep End.

She Says .....

"I Prayed So Hard Over Your Mail. The Phone Rings And God Gives Us A Job That Will Solve All Of Our Needs And You Tell Them No Thank You !!!!!!"

Greenwich Roundup Tried To Explain Things To His Wife By Saying .....

"You Don't Understand. I Will Have To Do That Job For A Month Before I Can Send Them There First Invoice, Then They Can Take Up To A Month To Pay That Invoice. I Just Don't Have The Money And Resources To Carry That Big Of A Job For Two Months."

Eventually, Greenwich Roundup And His Wife Agreed To Disagree And She Left Greenwich Roundup Alone For A While.

Today Greenwich Roundup Went To The Men's Prayer Group And Told Them Most Of This Story.

The Men All Said ....

"God Gave You That Job. Go See That Prospect And Tell Him You Were Wrong And That You Can Handle That Big Job And You Want To Bid On The Job"

Well Greenwich Roundup Is Not Going To Make This Propect Think That He Is Crazy, By One Day Saying The Job Is Too Big And Then The Next Day Saying God Wants Me To Bid On This Huge Job.

However, Greenwich Roundup Might Pray Over The Next Batch Of Mail At Home And Ask God To Help Me Find An Appropriate Job For My Company.

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04/03/09 Why aren’t these guys in jail? The Noel clan including the son in law’s are involved in all sorts of chicanery

Nobody Covers Greenwich Like The New York Times

Big Payouts Were Planned for Fairfield Executives

Shortly before Bernard L. Madoff confessed to a Ponzi scheme that burned through tens of billions of dollars, partners of Fairfield Greenwich Group, one of Mr. Madoff’s biggest feeder funds, were on track to collect a combined $117 million in pay for 2008.

The estimated compensation figures were disclosed in an exhibit to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Massachusetts securities regulators, who contend that Fairfield’s inadequate due diligence on Mr. Madoff’s operations amounted to a fraud on its investors.

The exhibit consists of spreadsheets attached to an e-mail that Daniel Lipton, Fairfield’s chief financial officer, apparently e-mailed to himself on Dec. 11, 2008 — the same day Mr. Madoff was arrested by authorities in connection with running a vast investment scheme.

Fairfield’s $7 billion Sentry funds were more than 95 percent invested with Mr. Madoff, but Fairfield also managed billions of dollars in other funds, all of which performed poorly last year. Even before Mr. Madoff’s arrest, the firm had already conducted two rounds of layoffs.

Nevertheless, Jeffrey Tucker and Walter Noel, Fairfield’s co-founders, were each expected to earn about $19 million in 2008, the document shows. In 2007, before the markets went south, both men made over $30 million. Andrés Piedrahita, the managing partner of Fairfield Greenwich and Mr. Noel’s son-in-law, was to make over $28 million for 2008. In 2007, Mr. Piedrahita took home over $45 million.

Massachusetts wants to force Fairfield to disgorge the fees it earned from its relationship with Mr. Madoff; a Fairfield spokesman declined to comment Wednesday.

At the top, an excerpt from the spreadsheet filed with the Massachusetts lawsuit. The initials at the top, in descending order, refer to Mr. Piedrahita, Mr. Tucker and Mr. Noel.

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04/03/09 Chimney sweeps put in jail

NY brothers arrested in undercover sting by Wilton police

The Hour

A pair of brothers were arrested this week in an undercover sting conducted by the Wilton police and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Travis Joyce, 26, and Adam Joyce, 23, of Babylon, N.Y., were arrested and charged with one count of larceny in the second degree, exploitation of the elderly, two counts of violation of the Connecticut Home Improvement Act, two counts of tax permit violations, one count of reckless endangerment one count of operation without a trade license, one count of trade name violation and one count of failure to obtain a building permit.

"Unfortunately, Fairfield County attracts the attention of many out of state contractors (which are unlicensed or unregistered)," said Jerry Farrell, commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection at a Thursday morning press conference.

He said that both out of state and "homegrown" unregistered contractor tend to prey on families in the region.....

....Greenwich police received a similar complaint, said the Department of Consumer Protection. "This happens all the time," said Boucher, who noted that such ...

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04/03/09 Greenwich Residents Data At The Greenwich Office Of Bank America Stolen By Witon Resident Jeremy Donefe.

GREENWICH RESIDENTS PRIVATE ACCOUNT INFORMATION DOWNLOADED TO A WILTON HOME COMPUTER

WHAT'S THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND: INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER HACKERS AND RUSSIAN MAFIA SCORING MILLIONS FROM GREENWICH RESIDENTS WHEN THEY ATTACK JEREMY DONEFE'S UNSECURED HOME COMPUTER

JEREMY DONEFE'S CLIENTS JUST MIGHT WANT TO GET A PEN AND WRITE THESE INSTRUCTIONS DOWN: Immediately Contact Banc America In Greenwich And Demand That Their Account Numbers And Passwords Are Changed, Before Their Accounts Are Liquidated And Transferred To Some Nigerian Bank.

Any Greenwich Banc Of America Client That Did Switch To The Greenwich Morgan Stanley Office Should Cancel And Reverse The Transfer, Because Their New Morgan Stanley Account Number May Also Be On Jeremy Donefe's Home Computer Under "Cake Recipes".

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: Greenwich Banc of America's Office reports that a month before resigning, Wilton resident Jeremy Donefer e-mailed Greenwich residents account information from his work computer to his home computer.

His first attempt - with "Hi Momma" in the subject line - failed, according to the papers. But he succeeded emailing Greenwich account details in a second attempt with the words "Cake Recipes" in the subject line, the company said.

Apparently, The New Employee Of The Greenwich Morgan Stanley Office Was Clueless Naive By Thinking "Cake Recipes" Would Cover Up The Electronic Trail He Would Leave In Using His Bank Of America Computer.

Later Banc America Says: "Defendants sent out a "false and misleading solicitation" to get them to switch"

Defendants serviced customers with $371 million in assets under management. In 2008, they generated more than $3.85 million in revenues

Banc of America says four defectors misused customer information
Lower Hudson Journal news

In a case that demonstrates the fierce competition between financial services giants, Banc of America Investment Services Inc. says four former advisers used confidential customer information to try and get those investors to switch their accounts to Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc.

Banc of America is asking a federal judge in White Plains to issue an injunction that would stop the advisers from using any Banc of America customer information to solicit business. The company also wants Judge Cathy Seibel to order the advisers to return any documents or computer records they took.

Two of the advisers, John Pasacreta of White Plains and John Rotando of Cold Spring, worked in Banc of America's Scarsdale office. Those two, along with Long Island resident Jordan Samuelson, submitted "virtually identical" resignation letters the afternoon of March 20 indicating they were immediately going to work for Morgan Stanley in Purchase, Banc of America said in court papers filed this week.

The fourth, Jeremy Donefer, a resident of Wilton, Conn., resigned a week later from his job in Banc of America's Greenwich, Conn., office, according to the lawsuit. He now works at Morgan Stanley's Greenwich office......

.....sent thousands of Banc of America customers "account transfer packets" dated the day of their resignation, the company said. The cover letter told the customers that "As you have requested" there were account transfer forms enclosed, Banc of America said.......

THE BONEHEAD OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO:

Long Island Resident And Morgan Stanley Employee Jordan Samuelson

....Samuelson, who worked in Queens, even solicited Banc of America employee Michael Rotunno, a vice president and senior investigator, Banc of America said

....Samuelson and Pasacreta arranged to have calls to their former Banc of America phone numbers forwarded to their personal cell phones. On March 23, a Banc of America senior vice president called Samuelson's former number at the company and Samuelson answered. The executive called again and got a voice message indicating he had reached Samuelson at Morgan Stanley....

WILL MORGAN STANLEY END UP GETTING SUED TOO?

.....Morgan Stanley is not named as a defendant, though Banc of America said at least one of the defendants "with the assistance of Morgan Stanley" prepared a mass mailing to be sent to Banc of America customers informing the customers of their departure and suggesting the customers move their money to their new employer......

....Christy Pollak, a Morgan Stanley spokeswoman, said her company had no comment.....

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04/03/09 BREAKING NEWS: Greenwich Time Crime Reporter Debra Friedman Covers Attempted Murder In Byram

Greenwich Resident Michael Parrotta Is Charged With Criminal Attempt At Homicide, First-Degree Assault, First-Degree Reckless Endangerment, Violation Of A Protective Order And Carrying A Dangerous Weapon - Bail Is Set At A Million

50 Some Year Old Woman Stabbed Four Times In The Chest And Numerous Times In The Abdomen In Front Of 18 Year Old Son.

Greenwich woman stabbed; husband charged
Greenwich Time

By Debra Friedman

A Greenwich woman was stabbed repeatedly in the chest and abdomen Thursday night by her estranged husband, police said.

The victim, whom police did not identify, suffered a collapsed lung and was in stable condition today at Stamford Hospital, police said.

Michael Parrotta, 61, of 26 Byram Terrace Drive, was arrested by Greenwich police, who arrived at his home at 11:30 p.m. to find Parrotta standing next to the victim's car with blood on his hands and shirt, police said.

Lt. Richard Cochran said Parrotta's wife had arrived in her car to pick up their son, when Parrotta approached the driver's-side window and stabbed her repeatedly with a Phillips-head screwdriver that had been sharpened to a point....

Why Aren't The Greenwich Citizen And The Greenwich Post

Reporters Covering This Breaking News Story?

UPDATE:

Man charged with attempted murder

Written by Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
Breaking news Posted 1:39 p.m., Friday, April 3, 2009

....the police department received two 911 calls from witnesses who described hearing a woman screaming for help and blowing a car horn. Witnesses said they saw Mr. Parrotta leaning in through the driver’s side window of a car parked on his property and apparently punching and hitting the person sitting there.

Police reportedly found a woman on the front porch screaming to them that she had been stabbed by Mr. Parrotta, whom police found next to the car with blood on his hands and his shirt.....

.....According to police, the woman, who is Mr. Parrotta’s estranged wife, had been sitting in the driver’s seat of the car after arriving to pick up their 18-year-old son, who suffers from autism. Mr. Parrotta walked over to the driver’s side and, thinking that he wanted to talk, the woman rolled the window down. However, he then allegedly began stabbing her with a screwdriver. .....

....Lt. Richard Cochran told media Friday morning that Mr. Parrotta has a history of domestic violence with the victim, dating back to 2002, including an arrest in 2007 when he allegedly attempted to strangle her.....

UPDATE #2

Crime Reporter Debra Friedman Files

A Follow Up Story With More Chilling Details

Police say Greenwich woman stabbed repeatedly by estranged husband

By Debra Friedman

STAFF WRITER
Posted: 04/03/2009 11:31:20 PM EDT

.....Lt. Richard Cochran, head of Greenwich Police's domestic violence unit, said police believe the attack was premeditated, stemming from Parrotta's anger over his pending divorce....

.....Parrotta, wearing a white jumpsuit issued by police, who retained his blood-spattered clothes for evidence, was arraigned Friday in state Superior Court in Stamford.

The prosecutor, Assistant State's Attorney Steve Weiss, asked Judge William Wenzel to raise Parrotta's bond to $5 million, citing the 2007 domestic violence incident.

Weiss said Parrotta had been released from custody following the October 2007 incident and a restraining order was issued, prohibiting him from coming in contact with his wife -- an order police say he violated Friday.....

.....Police are still investigating the stabbing and have obtained a search warrant for Parrotta's car and house, according to Cochran.....

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04//03/09 PRESS RELEASE: Greenwich Arts Council/Master Classes in Writing April 16 - June 4

Greenwich Arts Council & Just Words presents Master Classes in the Writing Craft Admission $45 per event Thursdays, April 16 - June 4 10 a.m. - 12 noon (GAC members receive 10% discount) Please call Leslie Gueguen (203) 461-9932 to register cherrimae@optonline.net All Classes will be held at the Greenwich Arts Council's meeting room 299 Greenwich Avenue - Second Floor April 16: Leslie Gueguen, Expert Advice on Writing April 23: Julie Klam, Memoir: Balancing Life's Ups and Downs April 30: Carolyn Wilsey, Mastering the Short Form May 7: Arthur Phillips, Illuminating the Mysteries of Structure May 21: Susan Breen, Commanding Point of View May 28: Martha Frankel, Revelation: How Much, When & Where June 4: Mitali Perkins and Rachel Vail, Resonating with Young Readers April 16: Leslie Gueguen, Expert Advice on Writing A past participant of writing programs at The Provincetown Fine Arts Center, The Writer's Voice, SUNY Purchase, Manhattanville College and The Hudson Valley Writer's Center, Just Words founder will review best practices in the writing craft, including attributed advice, recommended reading and resources. She's published over a hundred non-fiction articles, press releases and brochures; her short fiction appears in Whatever Literary Journal and on Pindeldyboz.com. April 23: Julie Klam, Memoir: Balancing Life's Ups and Downs Please Excuse My Daughter author Julie Klam grew up in nearby Bedford, NY. She's written for Rolling Stone, Harper's Bazaar, O, The Oprah Magazine and Glamour. She'll talk to us about using emotion and humor to engage readers, control tension and establish pace before signing her memoir. April 30: Carolyn Wilsey, Mastering the Short Form Managing editor of popular online literary magazine Anderbo.com will discuss what makes a story publishable, including dynamic sentence structure, openings and endings. May 7: Arthur Phillips, Illuminating the Mysteries of Structure Award winning novelist Arthur Phillips will illuminate the process of creating story structure, answer questions and sign his newly released novel, "The Song is You." His first three literary novels, Prague, The Egyptologist and Angelica each became bestsellers. Don't miss the opportunity to meet and garner advice from this extraordinary master craftsman. "ONE OF THE BEST WRITERS IN AMERICA" -WASHINGTON POST May 21: Susan Breen, Commanding Point of View Breen will bring perspective to the strength and limitations of various points of view before signing her novel, The Fiction Class. She teaches at the Gotham Writers' Workshop; her stories appear in American Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Chattahoochee Review and Kansas Quarterly/Arkansas Review. May 28: Martha Frankel, Revelation Rules: How Much, When & Where A writer for Details, Cosmopolitan, The New York Post and The New Yorker, the author of "Hats and Eyeglasses: A Memoir" convinced celebrities Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro and Angelina Jolie to spill their secrets before revealing her own. The NYFFA creative nonfiction award winner, 2003 Artist-in-Residence at SUNY Ulster, and MacDowell Colony Philip Morris Fellow will address how much to reveal in non-fiction story-telling - and when - before signing her memoir. June 4: Mitali Perkins and Rachel Vail, Resonating with Young Readers Award winning children's book authors Mitali Perkins and Rachel Vail have written well loved books for young audiences of various ages. They'll discuss the art of reaching young readers, answer questions and sign copies of their latest releases, "Secret Keeper" and "Gorgeous" (second YA novel in the Avery Sisters trilogy).

=================================================================== Please send your comments and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com For More Information: Greenwich Arts Council 299 Greenwich Avenue Greenwich CT 06830

04/03/09 PRESS RELEASE: Transitions SOLFX Creates Industry Buzz with Branding by Congdon + Company

GREENWICH, Conn.--Transitions Optical retained Congdon + Company to develop the brand strategy and design for their innovative new sunwear brand, Transitions® SOLFX™, and according to company sources, the response has been tremendous.

Transitions SOLFX lenses are the latest advancement in sun lens technology that help enhance visual performance by automatically adjusting the level of darkness to changing outdoor light conditions. Transitions SOLFX sun lenses are available in both prescription and non-prescription forms to allow consumers of all types to look great, see better, and perform at their best.

Grady Lenski, Director of Transitions Sunwear congratulated Congdon + Company for their role in defining the strategy for branding the product and creating the name, the logo, and various launch support materials. “The Congdon team did an amazing job defining and executing the brand identity for us under a very aggressive timetable and coordinating the extensive market research we conducted with consumers and eye care professionals. We were especially impressed with the way Congdon + Company integrated strategic business insights with exceptional creative brand design,” said Mr. Lenski.

Cathy Rauscher, Global Marketing Manager of Sunwear at Transitions described the positive reaction that they have received about the branding of SOLFX. “Our trade partners and customers have been extremely enthusiastic about the SOLFX product and complimentary about the branding. We selected Congdon + Company based on their strong portfolio of branding case histories, their quick understanding of the key issues for the brand, the positive chemistry we felt with their team, and the ability to work directly with principals of the Firm,” said Ms. Rauscher. “The results they delivered exceeded our high expectations,” she added.

“We were delighted to be a part of this exciting new product launch and to work closely with Transitions,” commented Roy Levitt, Creative Director and Principal at Congdon + Company. “Exceptional branding is best achieved through the synergy of a dynamic client, an inspired creative team, and strong strategic direction. All of those elements came together brilliantly with Transitions and the result was a powerful SOLFX brand.”

For more information about Transitions SOLFX, visit www.transitions.com/sunwear.

About Congdon + Company

Congdon + Company is a pure play brand strategy and design firm focused on the creation, design, and implementation of effective branding programs and communication materials. The Firm's Business Smart Branding™ method combines solid strategic thinking with inspired creativity and common sense to create solutions that are not only visually, verbally, and emotionally engaging but also drive business results. Services include brand strategy, brand naming, and the design of brand identity expressions such as logos, printed materials, websites, packaging, events, and others. To learn more, visit http://www.congdonco.com/.

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04/03/09 GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRESS RELEASE = MEETING BRIEF: 4/2/09 BOE Work Session

MEETING BRIEF: April 2, 2009 BOARD OF EDUCATION WORK SESSION:
(Meeting Materials are available on the GPS Web Site - Go to District
Calendar: http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=86 - Click on the the
date of the meeting)

Curriculum Review: Science, PreK-12
Science Program Coordinator, Sheila Civale, and Director of Instruction
and Curriculum, Chris Winters, presented Step II of the Science Curriculum
Review. The report provided an overview of the progress made to date on
the review. Curriculum writing is planned for the Summer of 2009 and
implementation of the new curriculum is scheduled for the 2010-11 school
year. Review materials and updates can be found at:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=31

District Assessment Program
Assistant Superintendent for Research & Evaluation, John Curtin, presented
a report on the District Assessment Program. The purpose of the discussion
was to place the OLSAT/SAT test within the context of the District
assessment program, clarify the concepts of potential and achievement as
represented by OLSAT/SAT, and explore the use of growth in achievement.

Limitations for Transition of Maintenance Services
Assistant Superintendent for Business, Susan Wallerstein, presented the
draft Ends and Limitations for the Transition of Maintenance Services to
guide the planning process for consolidating facilities maintenance
services under the Town Department of Public Works as of July 2010.

Discussion of 2009-10 Operating Budget Reductions
In March, the Board of Estimate and Taxation reduced the Board of
Education's 2009-10 Budget request by $1 million. The BOE's proposed
Budget represented only a 1.6% increase over the 2008-09 Budget,
reflecting approximately $3 million of reductions from the level services
budget, including cuts of more than 20 certified staff positions (FTEs).
The Board must now identify at least another $1 million in reductions.

In anticipation of this reduction, school and District administrators met
in January to identify areas for consideration based on the goal of
minimizing the impact on teaching and learning. The Board reviewed this
list at its Feb. 26 meeting. On April 2nd, the Board reviewed a revised
proposed list of reductions. They will take action on the reductions after
the RTM votes on the budget in May. The RTM has the authority to reduce
the budget, but may not add to the budget. For more information on the
budget process and for budget documents please visit the web site at:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=4658

Review/Improvements to Budget Process for 2010-11
The Board of Education reviewed a summary of comments and suggestions for
budget process improvements which will be used in developing the
Limitations for the 2010-11 Budget Development.

2008-09 Agenda Plan
The BOE added a discussion of the class size guidelines to its April 23rd
agenda.

Next BOE Meeting:
The next Board of Education meeting is on April 23, 2009 at Riverside
School at 7:00PM

Board meeting agendas are available on the GPS Web Calendar approximately
5 working days prior to the meeting. Meeting materials can be downloaded
from the web site, as available, generally 3-4 days prior to the meeting.

Go to the GPS Web Calendar at:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=86 and click on the meeting
date.

Kim Eves
Director of Communications
Greenwich Board of Education
290 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

www.greenwichschools.org

Phone: 203-625-7415
e mail: kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Fax: 203-869-8003

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04/03/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: This Just In......

The Latest Greenwich News Briefs:

Greenwich Democrat Explores Challenge to Dodd in Connecticut RealClearPolitics - Chicago,IL By Kevin Rennie A Democratic challenge to Senator Christopher Dodd emerged today when Greenwich, Connecticut Democrat Roger Pearson told me he has formed a ...

Agents & Agencies Norwalk Advocate Greenwich office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County, NY, has been ranked No. ...

Here Is More News On Walter Noel, The Greenwich News Story That Is Not Being Covered By Failed Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter. Nobody Protects The Wealth Of Greenwich Like The Greenwich Time:

Funds Tied to Madoff in Legal Vise New York Times Massachusetts regulators have sued the Fairfield Greenwich Group, one of the earliest of these so-called feeder fund managers, for fraud, saying it had ...

Today in Globe Business Boston Globe Secretary of State William F. Galvin yesterday sued Fairfield Greenwich Group, which steered investors to Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, ...

Asia stocks at 3-month high as autos rally Washington Post BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts' securities regulators sued Fairfield Greenwich Group, a major "feeder fund" for Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, ... Madoff's Secret: Keep Mum or Lie When Questioned About Methods Bloomberg By David Glovin Bernard Madoff conned even the most sophisticated of clients, such as Fairfield Greenwich Group, through a simple ... Here Is The Latest BIG NEWS SCOOP From The Greenwich Time: Greenwich declares Earth DayGreenwich TimeWaving her hand around the site Thursday, Hull, executive director of Greenwich Green & Clean, said the wastewater treatment plant is an example of good ...

The Latest Greenwich Blog Posts:

MSM Monitor: All in the Family By Rocker It names members of Madoff's family, Tremont Group Holdings Inc., and Maxam Capital Management for failing to oversee Madoff's investments, along with the founding partners of Fairfield Greenwich Group, which lost more than $7 billion ... MSM Monitor - http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/

Feds Seize Madoff's Palm Beach Mansion, Yacht - Money News Story ... Secretary of State William Galvin accused Fairfield Greenwich Group of Connecticut of civil fraud charges, saying company officials were coached by Madoff on how to answer questions about his investment practices and misrepresented how ... WBALTV.com - National News Headlines - http://www.wbaltv.com/

Greenwich Blog :: The Blog of Greenwich, Connecticut :: USA » Blog ... By gb Focus on French Cinema 2009, the fifth anniversary festival of French film founded and presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich, Purchase College, NY and French Feeling Films opens on Friday, April 3 with "Lol" (Laughing Out ... Greenwich Blog :: The Blog of... - http://greenwichblog.com/

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0/04/09 PRESS RELEASE: Greenwich Residents Are Asked To Visit Joe Machnik’s No. 1 Soccer Camps

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04/03/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN GREENWICH
YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THE OUT OF TOWN NEWSPAPERS:

Ex-Flame's son among Hobey Baker finalists
Canoe.ca
The 2007 NHL first-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators was born in Greenwich, Conn., when his father played for the Hartford Whalers. ...

Dodd's numbers number his days
TheDay
Sam SF Caligiuri, R-Waterbury, and former ambassador Thomas Foley of Greenwich. Dodd has plunged into gloomy company, Schwartz said, with approval numbers ...

Democrats Offer State Budget Plan Heavy On Tax Increases
Hartford Courant
Lile R. Gibbons of Old Greenwich, who represents some of the state's wealthiest residents along Greenwich's waterfront, said that the increases were ...

The Wizard of Oz comes to town for five weeks
Stamford Plus Magazine
GREENWICH –Stephanie Browder, Madison Coppola, ...

Conservatives attack Koh
Yale Daily News
That article reported that Koh had made comments supportive of using Shariah law in US courts at a March 2007 event with the Yale Club of Greenwich, ...

Weston right on target again
The Hour
In fact, Staples, which lost to eventual state champion Greenwich 5-2 in the Class L semis, was the only team to win a game against the Cardinals, ...

UPDATE:

Mass. regulator sues Madoff “feeder fund” for fraud
Stabroek News
Madoff told Fairfield Greenwich General Counsel Mark Mckeefrey and Chief Risk Officer Amit Vijayvergiya, according to a transcript Galvin included in his ...

Strategy Memo: Budget Accomplished
RealClearPolitics
Kevin Rennie writes this morning that a Greenwich, Conn., Dem is forming a Senate campaign exploratory committee for a potential primary challenge to Sen. ...

Blyth posts 4th-quarter profit as charges decline
MSN Money
GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) - Blyth Inc. posted a fourth-quarter profit Friday following a year-ago loss, mostly due to fewer charges related to its HomeScents ...

Blyth Q4 earnings lag estimates
Reuters
Shares of Greenwich, Connecticut-based Blyth were down $1.75 at $27.00 in pre-market trade on Friday. They closed at $28.75 Thursday on the New York Stock ...

Blyth provides its fiscal 2010 earnings forecast
Boston Globe
GREENWICH, Conn.—Blyth Inc., a home decorative and fragrance products maker, said Friday that its fiscal 2010 earnings results will be helped by the ...

Fairfield Greenwich Accused of Madoff-Related Fraud
Workforce Management
Financial asset management firm Fairfield Greenwich Group was charged with fraud in connection with the Bernard Madoff scandal in an administrative ...

Blyth Turns to Profit in Q4; Provides Earnings Outlook For FY10 ...
RTT News
For the fourth quarter, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based company reported a net profit of $9.7 million, or $1.08 a share, compared to a net loss of $10.4 ...

Madoff brother 'allowance' weighed
Connecticut Post
On Wednesday, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin accused Fairfield Greenwich Group of Connecticut, a major feeder fund for Bernard Madoff's ...

Dodd to face Democratic primary challenger
Politico
Chris Dodd's leading critics in the Connecticut press, has the scoop on the first primary challenger to the embattled ...

Private-equity firm wins Polaroid in $59M bid
Bizjournals.com
... and a group of Polaroid lien holders that included Acorn Capital Group, based in Greenwich, Conn., and Ritchie Capital Management, based in Lisle, ...

Limit layoffs with creative HR cost-cutting
Crain's New York Business
Sharon Psyhojos, office manager for Greenwich Financial Services in Greenwich, Conn., has been putting in two-day workweeks for the mortgage-backed ...

Clients Sue Fiserv Over Madoff-Related Investments
EasyBourse.com
Earlier this week, Massachusetts regulators filed a civil fraud claim against Fairfield Greenwich Group, stating the firm failed to perform proper due ...

SSP Daily Digest: 4/3
Swing State Project

CT-Sen: In the wake of yesterday's terrible poll, a primary challenger to Chris Dodd has already popped out of the woodwork. Roger Pearson, the former First Selectman of Greenwich, has formed an exploratory committee. He seems little-known outside (or even inside) of Greenwich, but we'll have to see if he can catch an anti-Dodd wave.....

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04/03/09 The Raw Greenwich Blog And RSS Feed - Bloggers Who Are From, Work In Or Used To Live In Greenwich

Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter
When the aura goes - GE, et al. - The aura has lifted from GE, as well as other companies. In BUSINESS WEEK, there are consultants rushing to support the leadership. They are saying it's not ...

The Truth Is It's The Next Post Is The Most Emailed Stamford Advocate / Greenwich Time Article ......

Today's Greenwich Time Most Viewed Web Article - RSS Feed
Chris Evans chooses Taft School in Watertown - STAMFORD -- Chris Evans, who last month completed one of the best seasons ever by a high school athlete in Stamford, on Thursday made official what had lon...

Greenwich Blog : The Blog of Greenwich, Connecticut :: USA
5th ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF FRENCH CINEMA - FOCUS ON FRENCH CINEMA 2009 5th ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF FRENCH CINEMA April 3-April 5 http://www.focusonfrenchcinema.com/ 203.629.3644 Focus on French Cinema 2009,...

The Blonde Excuse
Greek Chicken-Lemon Soup - Since moving into our apartment, Brent and I have been doing a lot of cooking. Most of it has involved Easy Mac or an instant Bertolli bag, but every once in...

Today's Greenwich Time Editorial
Buses an abuse of stimulus funds - The question of whether federal stimulus funds would be misappropriated was answered loudly and clearly on Monday when southwest Connectcut's municipal lea...

Today's Greenwich Time Letters To The Editor
Sprucing up stations misses the target - To the editor: What good is it to spend $1.3 million on our four train stations (news story, March 27) when the trains are decrepit, smell of urine, break ...

The Perrot Memorial Library Blog
Youth Services' Our Picks! for April - [image: Rabbit] Take a look at Youth Services' brand-new Our Picks! list for April 2009-- it features picture books featuring our furry, hoppy friends, BUNN...

UPDATE:

For What It's Worth By Riverside Blogger Chris Fountain
Question from the Midwest

A reader sent this along and gave me permission to post it so here goes. I have to leave to (a) break the bad news to someone about how little his house is...

The Latest From Claudette Rothman, AKA,Greenwich Diva
Shana Brown and her boyfriend Duane Calloway are accused to druging Brown’s 13-year-old daughter so Calloway could impregnat her

An unidentified 13-year-old girl said her mother and her mother’s boyfriend tried to drug her so the boyfriend could get her pregnant. Western Pennsylvania...

The Fox Trot By Nick "The Sly" Fox
TNA Impact! Results for 4/2: Lockdown Begins!

TNA iMPACT! opens up with the standard video and pyro. Jeff Jarrett comes down to the ring and says since Joe doesn't want to be captain he has to pick a c...
3 hours ago

Greenwich Time: Local Sports - RSS Feed
Convent of the Sacred Heart lacrosse team aims for consistency

Convent of the Sacred Heart lacrosse coach Courtney DePeter

has one goal for the 2009 season -- consistency.

Zez Says: Greenwich Time / Stamford Advocate Columnist Jerry Zezima
"Show Me the Money" -

By Jerry Zezima

The Stamford Advocate

In these challenging economic times, when a middle-class guy like myself can’t get a federal bailout or an AIG bonus,...

The Daily Spurgeon
A spiritual house

Architecture, with its arched roofs, and noble pillars, and dim religious light, is supposed to impart a reverence and awe which befit the solemn engagem...

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