Liz Niehaus, 16, a junior assistant captain on the Greenwich High School girl's hockey team talks about the ice time given to her team at the Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, Monday.
(Bob Luckey Jr./Greenwich Time photo)
Ice time restored for Greenwich High School hockey teams
She shoots, she scores. Liz Niehaus, the Greenwich High School girls varsity hockey assistant captain who appealed to local politicians to have the team's ice time restored at the town-owned Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, was victorious Tuesday.
Capitulating to a barrage of verbal slap shots from parents, players and even First Selectman Peter Tesei, parks officials gave the girls team and their male counterparts from GHS back a coveted Tuesday afternoon time slot at the rink.
The boys and girls teams will have use of the rink, the only public one in Greenwich, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, which parks officials said is long enough for the squads to schedule both a practice and a game.
"That's great. That's really good news," Liz, a 16-year-old junior, said when told of the change.
The town decided to break up the slot into smaller segments this winter and gave 45 minutes of time to a new skating clinic offered by the parks department.
That decision upset parents and players on the girls hockey team, who said it led to the hardship of having to schedule more night practices.
Tesei, who has been trying to referee the dispute since late October, when he met with hockey parents, expressed his regret that the situation escalated.
"It's too bad it took so much time and energy to resolve what to me shouldn't be an issue," Tesei said.
New director named for library
Greenwich Library has long touted the fact that among New England public libraries, it trails only Boston in circulation of materials.
Now Greenwich can say it has snagged a new director from that system.
The library announced Tuesday that Carol Mahoney, current neighborhood services manager for the Boston Public Library's 27 branches, will replace acting Director Barbara Ormerod-Glynn starting Feb. 17, 2009.
Mahoney, the library search committee's top pick of four finalists, has more than 40 years' experience in public library work. Before becoming a senior administrator at Boston in 2004, she served as the director of three Massachusetts public libraries, including the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, Mass.
"Personally, this is a fabulous opportunity for me and I really look forward to working with everyone I've been fortunate enough to meet and the rest of the staff," said Mahoney from her office in Boston Tuesday.
Mahoney was offered the directorship two weeks ago and accepted last week, ending the library's six-month, nationwide search for someone to replace Mario Gonzalez, who resigned in August amid employee reports of his "controlling" managerial style.
Mahoney was offered $135,000 a year for the Greenwich Library position, the top end of the salary range in advertisements for the job, Baldock said.
Gonzalez, who had been the library's director since 1999, was replaced in the interim by Ormerod-Glynn, the deputy director. She did not apply for the position permanently and will return to her role as deputy director in February. .....
....Search committee Chairman Jenny Baldock, the board's first vice president, said Tuesday that while Mahoney's experience in Boston was impressive, Baldock was most attracted by her past directorship of the public library in Lexington, Mass., an "intellectual" community not unlike Greenwich.
The chairman added that Mahoney had not been looking for a new job but was contacted by the recruiting firm Gossage Sager Associates on behalf of Greenwich.
"She realized she missed that daily contact with patrons," said Baldock. "And this is a plum director job. It's a sophisticated community that values its library."
Amy E. Ryan, president of the Boston Public Library, said Tuesday that Mahoney will be sorely missed.
"She's both visionary and practical," said Ryan. "That's why Carol's so great."
Continuing she said, "She'll be great for Greenwich, and that's why I'm really mad at her!"
And Now Hearst Newspaper's Connecticut Postisation
Of Greenwich's Home Town Newspaper.
Here Is About 75 Cents Worth Of Regional News.....
WESTPORT - When the ski-mask-wearing teenage robber strode into the Robecks Juice Store in Westport demanding money last Thursday night, he pointed a Sharpie pen taped to a knife handle at the clerk and screamed at him to hand over all the cash in the registers, according his arrest warrant.
COMMENT:
Why Is This Article In A Greenwich Newspaper. What's Next Will We Be Getting New Rochelle Robbery Reports?
Lori to appear on 'GMA' on Christmas
The nation's continuing economic crisis means there will be fewer gifts under the Christmas tree this year for many Americans.
"Christmas isn't about having more," he said. "It's about being more."
Earlier this month, Lori spoke on that topic with a panel of other spiritual experts for a segment of the ABC show "Good Morning America." The discussion, taped about 10 days ago, will air in the show's 7 a.m. hour Christmas morning.
The other panelists were Ann Graham Lotz, preacher, author and daughter of Billy Graham, and Tony Evans, Dallas megachurch pastor and former chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys.
"GMA" news anchor Chris Cuomo led the discussion, which Lori said focused on how the state of the world will affect the way people honor the Christmas holiday. "I think what we really talked about was celebrating Christmas in economically challenging times," said Lori, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport.
Pedestrian struck and killed in Westport
WESTPORT - A pedestrian was struck and killed shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday on Post Road East. William Ford, 49, of Westport was pronounced dead after being rushed to Norwalk Hospital with severe injuries, police said.
The Hyundai Accent that hit Ford was driven by Michael Parchment, 51, of Naugatuck.
Parchment was driving east on the Post Road when he struck Ford in the roadway, police said.
No charges have been filed against Parchment in the accident.
No charges have been filed against Parchment in the accident.
The Westport detective bureau and Crash Investigation Team are investigating the accident.
COMMENT:
Why is this a Greenwich Story. Did Westport Resident William Ford hit A Greenwich resident or is the very dangerous Mr. Ford flying down I-95 toward the Old Greenwich Boarder. Or was Mr. Ford's victim sent to Greenwich Hospital.
New Canaan mansion destroyed by fire
NEW CANAAN - A fire destroyed a multimillion-dollar home Tuesday despite five fire companies' efforts to cart water to the no-hydrant area.
COMMENT:
Why Is This Story In The Greenwich Time? I Could Understand If Greenwich Fire Fighters Had Been Dispatched To New Canaan To Put Out The Fire, But They Were Not. You Almost Feel That Local Greenwich Time Reporters Sat Around The Greenwich Time Newsroom Watching The Cablevision News !2 Connecticut Newscast
Movie Clock Thursday, Dec. 25
BEDFORD, N.Y. Clearview's Bedford Playhouse, Route 22, (914) 234-7300 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15 The Tale of Despereaux: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15 BETHEL Bethel Cinema, 269 Greenwood Ave.
BEDFORD, N.Y. Clearview's Bedford Playhouse, Route 22, (914) 234-7300 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15 The Tale of Despereaux: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15 BETHEL Bethel Cinema, 269 Greenwood Ave.
The credit industry may be reeling during the economic downturn, causing the loss of thousands of jobs, but a mortgage company in Stamford is taking advantage of the situation.
Stamford-based Luxury Mortgage Corp., is hiring 15 loan officers, most of them former employees of IndyMac Bank, which closed in July. The arrival of the new employees expands the Stamford staff to about 50, said David Adamo, founder and chief executive officer.
"Our growth is in stark contrast to the broader credit crisis and the shrinking residential finance sector," said Adamo, who founded the business 12 years ago. "With an expanded retail division of well-respected mortgage professionals, we're able to process more applications for more borrowers. These 15 people have an average of 12 years experience in dealing with attorneys, financial planners, Realtors and accountants."
It's a question parents dread. Little Johnny or Jenny get to that age when they're not really sure anymore. When they develop the most-unfortunate ability to reason and figure it's highly unlikely one man can visit every house in the world in one night, sliding up and down the chimney no less - regardless of how jolly he might be.
That's when they look up at you, and in a little voice, possibly shaking a bit, they ask, "Is Santa real?"
There's no good answer, of course. We always teach them honesty is the best policy. But is it in this case?......
To the editor:
Hamilton Avenue School once again is delayed? ("Ham Ave. move delayed again," Greenwich Time, Dec. 23.)
Issue No. 1: Improper material used in flue pipes.
Issue No. 2: Who supplied the improper material?
Issue No. 3: Why did our town fathers not discover that improper material was being used before it got this far?
Shame on the town of Greenwich. I think we need to clean house with building officials from the top right down. Obviously, they have no clue.
My heart goes out to all the parents whose children go to Hamilton Avenue School.
Dodi McCollem
Riverside
The writer is a Representative Town Meeting member from District 12.
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