A court translator reviews information for Felicitos Gonzalez during his arraignment on voyeurism charges Thursday at state Superior Court in Stamford.
(Dru Nadler/Stamford Advocate photo)
Greenwich Time's Lead Web Site News Story
At The "NEW" Regionalized Hearst Newspapers
Stamford man arrested on voyeurism charge
STAMFORD - MTA police arrested a janitor Wednesday who allegedly videotaped at least 16 women using a cell phone camera hidden in a bathroom stall of the Stamford train station, Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Sgt. John Rizzitelli said.
Felicitos Gonzalez, 41, who lives a block away from the train station at 1 Division St., Stamford was arrested Wednesday morning at his home and charged with 16 counts of voyeurism, said Rizzitelli, an investigator on the case.
Additional charges are possible, Rizzitelli said.
Gonzalez has worked for a subcontractor hired by Fusco Management since August, which runs and maintains the station on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Transportation,Rizzitelli said.
A female complainant contacted transit police Nov. 3 after finding the camera inside a basket containing rolls of toilet paper she had knocked over, Rizzitelli said.
The phone contained footage of 16 women using the bathroom, as well as footage of Gonzalez as he placed the phone in the basket, Rizzitelli said.......
STAMFORD - Overhead wire damage on Metro-North's New Haven Line has been repaired and trains are now operating on or close to schedule, according to railroad officials.
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 11/13/2008 07:24:09 AM EST
WASHINGTON - Setting a tone for an economic summit on his turf, President George W. Bush plans to tell world leaders that reforming financial markets alone won't help if they abandon the free market and restrict trade.
The president plans to sell that message Thursday from the heart of Wall Street. At the venerable Federal Hall, home of the first Congress and within shouting distance of New York Stock Exchange, Bush was to frame expectations for the high-level gathering he's hosting in Washington this weekend.
STAMFORD - Two Greenwich men were arrested Tuesday after officers said they found $65,000 worth of marijuana in their home, Stamford police said.
By Ken Dixon
HARTFORD - A grim-faced Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the state economy "very bleak" Wednesday and warned of "massive" budget deficits, including $2.
Rell, during a news conference in the Capitol, called the challenges "absolutely astounding" because of projected decreases in income and sales taxes, as well as a sharp drop-off in the revenue from the Indian casinos.
She said that drastic spending cuts "and a return to our core functions" are needed if the state is to create a balanced two-year budget next year.
"There are some very difficult days ahead for the state of Connecticut," Rell said. "For too many families, those days are already here. Families are already facing foreclosures and bankruptcies."
Rell said the budget proposal she'll give the General Assembly in February will include massive spending cuts, but she will avoid sending the General Assembly a plan that includes new taxes.
"The only responsible way out of this fiscal mess is to cut spending," she said, adding that spending has increased annually for "decades." In 1988, the state budget was $6.2 billion.
At best, state agency budgets would receive current funding. But since half the current $18.4 billion is for fixed costs, she expects that only about $9 billion can be reviewed for more cuts.
Fixed costs include retirement benefits, Medicaid, debt service of $1.7 billion a year and municipal aid.
Stressed out about the economy? You're not alone. As the financial markets have been sinking, people's stress levels have been soaring, spurring many to seek out ways to cope.
From hedge fund managers needing a relaxing massage, to women seeking counseling for their frazzled husbands to retirees worried about their shrinking investments, Greenwich health services are being inundated by people seeking relief from their growing stress over their flagging finances.
"One woman gained seven pounds in two weeks watching the stock market," said Henri Roca, medical director of the Greenwich Hospital Center for Integrative Medicine. "Retired people literally sit in front of the TV and watch the bouncing ball (of the stock market) and get extremely stressed out."
The center, which combines traditional medical care with techniques such as massage, acupuncture and yoga, is fielding a growing number of calls related to the tanking economy, Roca said.
Mary Barrett Sullivan, a former Democratic National Committee member who fought to open party machine politics to rank-and-file participation and championed liberal causes for several generations, lost her battle with colon cancer Wednesday.
The longtime Riverside resident died at Richard L. Rosenthal Hospice Residence in Stamford, according to her family. She was 89.
While Sullivan didn't get to see her 90th birthday, which would have been Dec. 5, friends and family members said it was fitting that she got to savor last week's monumental victories by Democrats Barack Obama and Jim Himes.
"She kind of regretted she couldn't work on this current campaign as much. At least she lived to see her candidates win," fellow Democrat and former Greenwich First Selectman Richard Bergstresser said.
Sullivan's admirers reacted with sorrow Wednesday as they learned of her passing, saying she led a remarkable life that took her from journalism to politics, one that left an indelible mark on her community and fellow Democrats.
"She was 10 times more energetic than an awful lot of people a quarter of her age," said Himes, whom Sullivan supported in his successful bid for Congress against incumbent Republican Christopher Shays.
The term "top dog" is taking on a new meaning for Congressman-elect Jim Himes.
Himes, 42, said on Tuesday that he received his first telephone call from President-elect Barack Obama since both Democrats were victorious in last week's election.
"I asked him to quash the story of his daughters getting a puppy because my daughters want a puppy as well," Himes said Wednesday in an interview.
Like Obama, Himes has two young daughters - Linley, 6, and Emma, 9.
Obama, who stumped for Himes in a radio ad, piqued the interest of the public and the press when he promised to get his daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, a new puppy after his Electoral College landslide over Republican John McCain.
When a Chicago telephone number popped up on Himes' cell phone Tuesday, he said he knew it was a call he couldn't miss.
An Obama aide confirmed the importance of the call he had received, telling Himes, "Mr. Congressman-elect, I've got the president-elect on the phone."
Himes will head to Washington, D.C., next week to orientation for freshman members of Congress
By Colin Gustafson
Cos Cob School fourth-grader Frankie Intrieri raced between two tables in the cafeteria with the fervor of a game-show contestant, frantically grabbing a food item at one end before placing it into a labeled category at the other, all while classmates cheered him on.
After a minute had elapsed, Frankie, 7, stopped and breathlessly surveyed his work: Nearly two-dozen morsels lay stacked on the second table in piles for each of the five food categories - fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meats.
His classmates in the cafeteria erupted in applause.
"I guess I really know my fruits and vegetables," he later said. "You just have to get focused and know your foods, so you know what's healthy." ....
The town has fewer than 200 doses of flu vaccine left, a supply the town Health Department anticipates will be gone after today's final flu clinics.
The Greenwich Department of Health is offering its final linics from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 449 Pemberwick Road and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Old Greenwich train station on Sound Beach Avenue.
"We are anticipating a good turnout," said Deb Travers, director of Family Health Services.
Since the first flu clinic at the Senior Health Fair in October, the department has administered flu shots to nearly 3,000 people for flu shots, she said.
In recent years, the department has almost always had some vaccine left over, but this year, more people turned out for shots than expected, according to Caroline Calderone-Baisley, director of the health
GHS cheerleading fundraiser to be held Sunday
The annual Greenwich High School Cheerleading Holiday Boutique fundraiser will take place from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Western Greenwich Civic Center, 449 Pemberwick Road, when the center will be transformed into a winter wonderland marking the beginning of the holiday season.
There will be a fashion show with clothing modeled by cheerleaders, a holiday boutique with gift items and a silent auction.
Price is $25 per ticket.
The fundraiser supports the Greenwich High School cheerleading program.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call Mary Anne Catalano at 515-2214 or e-mail
shannon.catalano@gmail.com.
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Art dealer discusses art investment
An art show and discussion, "Art as an Alternative Investment in These Challenging Times," will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Greenwich Bank & Trust, 1103 East Putnam Ave.
The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be conducted by Mark Blechman, a local fine art and antique dealer and owner of Stamford's Galerie Zama and IFI. Refreshments will be served.
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YWCA, library present seminar on success
The YWCA Center for Women's Economic Advancement will present the success seminar, "ABCs of Dreaming Your Way to Success," at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Greenwich Library meeting room, 101 West Putnam Ave.
Six women will share their insights on how a well-developed creative process and practical know-how can help women find success in their lives, careers and entrepreneurial ventures.
The workshop, co-sponsored by the YWCA and the Greenwich Library Peterson Business Program Series, is free and open to the public.
For more information or to register, visit www.ywcagreenwich.org or call 869-6501, ext. 0.
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Psychologist considers pressures facing girls today
Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author, will discuss the pressures facing today's girls, part of the Cliff Marvin Speaker Series: Innovations in Education, at 7 p.m. Thursday at Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium, 101 West Putnam Ave.
Cohen-Sandler's book, "Stressed-Out Girls: Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure," is based on her national study of 3,000 middle school and high school students and describes the pressures girls today are experiencing in their efforts to be successful.
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Church offers free health clinic
The Bethel AME Church, 42 Lake Ave., Greenwich, is hosting its first free Health Fair, open to all, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The event will include the following free services: a review of family health history with a doctor or nurse; blood pressure screening; diabetes testing; cholesterol testing; weight screening; urinalysis; and blood tests for kidney function.
For more information or to schedule a confidential health-testing appointment, call Stephanie Paulmeno, community health planner, at 622-7849.
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Tree contest winners to be announced
The Greenwich Tree Conservancy will announce winners of its first Awesome Tree Contest Sunday at the Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive.
The trees, nominated by adults, children and families, are located on public and private land in all parts of town. Residents and friends are invited to the awards ceremony at the museum's Bantle Hall at 3:30 p.m. to see the multiple winners in each category: widest, tallest, weirdest, picture perfect and tree with a great story.
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Free showing of documentary at church
"Young @ Heart," a PG-rated documentary about the Young @ Heart Chorus in Northampton, Mass., will be shown on a theater-size screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at Second Congregational Church, 139 East Putnam Ave.
The screening is free. Runtime is 1 hour and 48 minutes.
For more information or to register, contact Gloria LaDestro at 869-9311, ext. 120, or
gloria@2cc.org .
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Woman's auxiliary holds holiday boutique
The 9th District Woman's Auxiliary's annual "Holiday Gift Boutique" will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center.
More than 20 vendors will display jewelry, chocolates, handbags, handmade ornaments, accessories for women and children and more. There also will be several raffles and a bake sale. Admission is free.
Proceeds benefit the Glenville Fishing Derby, Mavericks football team and cheerleaders, Greenwich Social Services Department and others.
For more information, call Teri Smith at 532-5963.
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11th annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner for seniors
The First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, 1 West Putnam Ave., will host its annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner at noon Nov. 27 in the church's new Fellowship Hall.
The meal is free but reservations are required and transportation is available for those who need it.
For more information, call Chris Zadik at 869-5215.
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Parks and Rec invites all to breakfast with Santa
The Department of Parks and Recreation's "Breakfast with Santa," which replaces "Lunch with Santa" that was held annually for 19 years, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 29 at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, 90 Harding Road, Old Greenwich.
Mrs. Claus and her friends Frosty and Rudolph and Santa's elves will be on hand to greet children and hand out goodie bags. There will also be a mechanical reindeer and polar bear for the children to ride.
Breakfast will start promptly at 10 a.m. John Fogarty of Kiddlerock Productions will start the entertainment at 10:30 a.m. Santa will arrive after the show to meet with the children and listen to their Christmas wishes.
Tickets may be purchased through the mail or at the Parks and Recreation office on the second floor of Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road. No tickets will be sold at the door.
"It looks so . . . scuzzy," my mother lamented when I came home with another piercing. This one couldn't even have been an "acceptable" one, such as an ear or navel.
Lines from a hastily scribbled diary:
Woke up. Sat on side of bed, feeling good. Surprised. Nice sunny Saturday morning for change.
Remembered I bought liquid wrench stuff, guaranteed loosen rusty nuts & bolts. Left in glove box in car.
After breakfast went into garage, rubbing hands briskly. Garage a mess. Decided to sweep out garage before do anything else. Looked for push broom. Gone. Asked wife where push broom. She said push broom not her department. Moved things out of garage. Wood chipper wheel doesn't turn. Needs oil. Also, blades don't revolve. Needs taking apart a little and cleaned. Need long-handled screwdriver. Can't find in toolbox. Remembered it is with wrenches in bathroom, waiting for toilet seat. Trip over toolbox; lose two wing nuts from chipper in grass.
The monthly report on the nation's unemployment rate was released Friday, and the news was worse than expected.
In October, the unemployment rate jumped to the highest level in 14 years - 6.5 percent, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Some 240,000 Americans lost their jobs in October, bringing job losses in 2008 to 1.2 million.
Here in Connecticut, we've lost some 4,000 jobs this year, and currently have an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent.
That would be bad news at any time. But it is especially bad now because there is no indication that an economic turnaround is on the horizon. Here at home, our state is facing a deficit in the hundreds of millions this fiscal year, and an even more massive one is projected for the following year.
"It's not going to be quick, and it's not going to be easy to dig ourselves out of the hole that we're in," said President-elect Barack Obama at a news conference Friday.
Mr. Obama won't inherit the burdens of office until his inauguration on Jan. 20. But he knows Americans expect him to act swiftly once in office to address short- and long-term economic problems.
It is hard to imagine a worse time for the economy to be reeling. As Mr. Obama has been careful to say, we only have one president, and right now, it isn't him. On the other hand, President Bush must be aware that anything he does could just complicate the problem for the new president when he takes over in January.
News reports say they have been in .....
To the Greenwich Time Editor:
As part of a state bond issue, the Bruce Museum has been given $750,000. That means all state taxpayers, Greenwich residents included, and we pay the most, will chip in to give the Bruce $750,000 plus pay interest to "help expand its artistic, cultural and historical programs.
These kinds of expenditures are why our taxes are out of whack. It is because our state legislators are more anxious to spend our money than conserve it. Organizations like the Bruce have shown they can raise sufficient funds on their own without taxpayer money to maintain and expand, and the Bruce museum is not a core function of government.
If Greenwich felt the Bruce's need was so impor-tant, it should fund the $750,000 with our taxes. Fortunately our Board of Estimate and Taxation is not willing to add another three quarters of a million to the Bruce's budget, and if it did, I am sure the Representative Town Meeting would not approve.
This is the worst kind of earmark. In a time of budget constraints for core functions like schools, police, etc., we are borrowing and taxing ourselves $750,000 plus interest to "help the Bruce."
What kind of fiscally conservative representatives do we have? Gibbons, Nickerson, Powers and Floren made this expenditure happen.
That is not what I expect from self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives who are supposed to be watching out for our taxes. And yes, I know the other towns do it, but the "you vote for mine and I'll vote for yours" needs to end. The faucet needs to be turned off.
Greenwich should set the example. Before we are taxed, legislators should answer two questions: Is the project a core function of government? And is it needed? If it is a "wouldn't it be nice to have" project, it should not qualify.
Sen. John McCain is right about this issue.
Donald Landsman
Greenwich
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/13/2008 08:01:45 AM EST
The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Town Hall meeting room to review the Greenwich Family YMCA's request for an extension of its plans to build a new 11,670-square-foot gymnasium on its property at 50 E. Putnam Ave.
In its application for the extension, to June 2009, the YMCA said the date marks the real five-year deadline from when it began the project in 2004.
The commission originally approved the plan in 2002, but it was stalled for two years when a neighbor unsuccessfully appealed it.
Commission Chairman Donald Heller said he expects the body to approve the extension, based on the five-year deadline.
"Tomorrow night looks like a relatively simple evening," he said Wednesday.......
.....Despite its place on the agenda, Town Planner Diane Fox said Wednesday that Howard Johnson Hotel at 1114 E. Putnam Ave. had withdrawn, at least temporarily, its application for a renovation and expansion.
COMMENT:
It looks like Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Donald Heller plans to help the Greenwich YMCA continue to violate ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance requirements.
Donald Heller screwed up royally when he failed to make sure the YMCA was made wheelchair accessible during the first phase of the project.
Concerned Greenwich residents are horrified and sad that Heller has not made sure the new YMCA is accessible to the infirm and crippled of Greenwich.
Why isn't Heller smart enough and hard working enough to come up with an interim solution that protects the rights of the disabled of Greenwich?
Why can't Heller understand that many of the handicapped of Greenwich are senior citizens who deserve to be able to enjoy all of the towns facilities?
Shame on Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Donald Heller, because he refuses to help Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair.
Why wont Heller have the YMCA build a temporary ramp until the rest of the facility is complete?
ALSO:
This Article By Colleen Flaherty is not real
Journalism
It is Hearst Newspaper / Greenwich Time
Journali - Sham
Colleen Flaherty only talks to and quotes two town officials Heller and Fox.
No one else is interviewd.
This is another Greenwich Time story that is biased and unfair, because Colleen Flaherty is too lazy to pick up the phone and talk to others in town who want the Greenwich YMCA to be accessible to the crippled and infirm members of Greenwich Society.
Yesterday's Greenwich Time Story about handicapped access at the YMCA only included Y insiders. Everyone else was excluded from the story.
When are the Greenwich Time Editors going to bring a fair balance to the local stories they publish.
Please See:
By Meredith Blake
.....over the past five years, the project has encountered some delays. As recently as last month, attorneys for the YMCA filed an extension for the building of a second gym, which would have included squash and racquetball courts, among other facilities, Fretty said.
project is currently on hold until more funds can be raised. ....
...The YMCA has also had to contend with members and the public who have expressed frustration that the facility was not made wheelchair accessible during the first phase of the project, Fretty said.
"Am I horrified and sad that it is not accessible?.....
.....The Greenwich family of Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair, has requested the facility build a temporary ramp until the rest of the facility is complete.....
COMMENT:
Once again rookie Greenwich Time reporter Meredith Blake has proven that she is incompetant and lazy scribe.
Did Meredith talk to and quote generous YMCA donors who who want to know where their money went or how it was spent, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and qoute Greenwich Building officails to see what their reaction was to the YMCA arrogant decision to openly violate the temporary certificate of occupancy that calls for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and quote outraged members of the community who are disgusted that the YMCA is arogantly chosing to violate our laws and discriminating against the crippled, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and quote YMCA members and the public who have expressed frustration that the facility was not made wheelchair accessible during the first phase of the project, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to the family of Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair and has requested the YMCA build a temporary ramp for this story?
Did Meredith talk to the attorney that is going get a big chuck of YMCA donor money in a legal judgement that was unnessary and foolish, for this story?
No Meredith Blake The Incompetant and lazy rookie Hearst Newspaper reporter only quoted.......
Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty
Ryan Chianelli, project superintendent from Worth Construction
Tim Wagner, the YMCA's director of real estate and building operations
Rookie Greenwich Time Reporter Meredith Blake Looks Like A Bimbo As She Is Being Led Around The Facility By Three YMCA Insiders Who Fail To Mention That The Soon To Be Litigated Facility Is Over Budget And Behind Scheadule.
Rookie Reporter Meredith Blakes Reporting Is So Unfair And Unbalanced.
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