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Friday, January 23, 2009

1/23/08 The Greenwich Police Department Police Blotter Via The Greenwich Post

Police Watch

LARCENY

Claudette Mills, 51, of New Rochelle, N.Y., was arrested by Greenwich Police Jan. 9 and charged with second degree larceny. Following a nearly year-long investigation, Ms. Mills, a former doctor’s office employee, embezzled a large sum of money, police said. Ms. Mills was taken into custody re-entering the United States at John F. Kennedy International Airport after a flight from England. She was released on a $25,000 surety bond and was due in court on Jan. 16.

LARCENY

Two Greenwich girls, 16 and 15 years old were arrested Jan. 22 after police were dispatched to Elm Street on a report of a possible robbery in progress at Reflection. They were told that a girl involved was running down the street. Police reported the owner of the store had confronted two girls about two missing items, and said they’d been “acting suspicious.” Police said the 16-year-old helped the 15-year-old commit the theft by alerting her when the store owner was coming her way as she put items into her bag. The 16-year-old was issued a misdemeanor summons for conspiracy to commit sixth degree larceny. The 15-year-old was released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 28.

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1/23/09 Today's Greenwich Post Press Release



The Greenwich High School PTA will host its annual SummerFare Camp Expo on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the school’s student center. The event will showcase more than 130 summer programs for middle and high school students.

Program representatives will be on hand to discuss their summer opportunities with parents and their children. Families may pick up camp brochures and DVDs, and speak with program administrators to explore their summertime options.

From local programs to more exotic ventures across the globe, SummerFare features an array of organizations that offer something for just about everyone — from sailing through the Caribbean to learning a new language to traditional sleep away or day camps. Also featured are programs for sports training, adventure travel, community service, performing and visual arts, and educational endeavors at home and abroad. Many programs plan varying schedules, from two weeks to the entire summer vacation.

SummerFare is designed to beat the rush on camp sign-ups as spring approaches and programs fill up quickly.

This year marks the 20th year that the Greenwich High School PTA is sponsoring SummerFare, one of the school’s largest community service events. This year’s event is chaired by Greenwich High School parents Julie Chien, Marlene Gilbert and Mamie Lee.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Refreshments will be for sale.

The snow date is Thursday, Jan. 29, from 6 to 9 p.m.
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1/23/09 Whack Judge Refuses To Freeze The Fees Paid To Walter "Feeder Fund" Noel's Greenwich Fairfield Group



YOU WONT READ THIS ON THE GREENWICH TIME'S BUSINESS PAGE......



WALTER NOEL IS GOLDEN IN GREENWICH



JUDGE SAYS WALTER NOEL GETS TO SPEND THE FEES GIVEN BY MADOFF ANY WAY HE WANTS TO:





Fairfield fund wins order in Madoff-related suit


Thomson Investment Management News, UK

NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Thomson IM) - A US judge has denied a request to freeze the fees paid to Fairfield Greenwich Group fund managers who entrusted money to ...

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01/23/08 Greenwich Time News Links


TOP STORY:


Problems slow Byram Shubert Library renovations



The Byram Shubert Library renovation project encountered some unforeseen delays that have further pushed back this month's projected opening, the project's manager said.
The $3.8 million renovation project of the library, at 21 Mead Ave., began in 2006 and was originally slated to be complete in September 2008, but due to a window delivery delay, it was pushed back until December.

This month some last-minute details and miscellaneous issues popped up, which have pushed construction completion back further, according to project manager Jason Cea, of Westchester-based Marco Martelli Associates, which is responsible for the renovation.

"There were things beyond our control," he said.

For example, he said, additional lights for the main library took longer to be delivered from the manufacturer than anticipated. Building officials also haven't install fire alarms yet, he said.

Building department officials said there was still a lot to be done before the library can open, including scheduling a final inspection, Planning and Zoning Commission approval, fire inspection and other hurdles to opening a new facility, according to John Vallerie, deputy building department official.

"They still have a ways to go," he said. "There is a lot that needs to be done to meet the standards......

.....Barbara Ormerod-Glynn, the acting director of Greenwich Library, said the project is on track.

"We are pleased with our progress," she said.

She said there was no firm date for when the facility is expected to open.

"It's going to open soon," she said......
COMMENT:
ONCE AGAIN GREENWICH TIME MANAGING EDITOR
BRUCE HUNTER HAS ALLOWED REPORTER
TO FILE A ONCE SIDED AND INCOMPLETE
NEWS STORY:
Why aren't there any comments from the long suffering library patrons who have not had library services?
Why aren't there any comments from the mother's of Western Greenwich School Children who have the lowest test scores in town and need full library services?
Why aren't there any comments from the Byram Neighborhood Association who has repeatedly spoken out about the repeated failures at the Byram Library Site.
Why aren't there any comments from Byram RTM members who are repeatedly told over and over that you will meeting in a month or so at the "NEW" Byram Library.
When School Superintendent Betty Sternberg Minimized The Mold Infested Hamilton Avenue Modulars And The Green Kitty Litter Liner Just Regurgitated Board Of Education Press Releases While Ignoring Parents.
It Was The Parents And Not A Greenwich Time Reporter That Got Independent Test Results That Showed That Failed School Administrators Were Lying To The Single Family Homeowners Of Greenwich.
When The Hamilton Avenue School Contraction Screw Up Was Getting Out Of Hand, Because The Green Kitty Litter Liner Was Ignoring Parents And Not Holding Public Official;s Accountable It Was Greenwich Citizen Journalists And Bloggers Who Repeatedly Started Highlighting Frank Mazza's Management Failures.
When School Superintendent Betty Sternberg Delayed And Then Refused To Release The Communities Assessment Of Her Performance To The Taxpayers Of Greenwich. It Was Citizen Journalist And Blogger Bill Clark, And Not Greenwich Time Education Reporter Colin Gustafson, Who Filed The Freedom Of Information Request That Forced Sternberg To Release The Report To Parents.
When Sternberg suddenly Resigned A Week Later The Clueless Greenwich Time Reporter Was Reporting About How Shocked And Surprised School And Town Officials Were.
When Water Leaks Were Once Again Causing Mold To Form In The "NEW" $30 Million
Hamilton Avenue School. The Green Kitty Litter Liner Ignored Parents Who Got Inside The School And Took Pictures Of The Extensive Water Damage And Mold.
When Frank Mazza Said The Mold Was Old Green Paint. It Was A Greenwich Post Reporter, And Not A Greenwich Time Reporter, Who Took A Sample That Proved Frank Mazza Was Lying To The Taxpayers.
Will The Bloggers, Citizen Journalists And The Free Weekly Newspapers Have To Once Again Do The Heavy Lifting For The Greenwich Time Editors And Reporters At The Byram Library Construction Fiasco.

Stamford police get new guns
STAMFORD -- About 80 percent of the city police force has been outfitted with new firearms since they began being phased in earlier this winter, and officers are training on them in the department's fire range.

Dems OK hike in DOT work week
HARTFORD -- Despite the fiscal crisis, Democrats on the legislature's Appropriations Committee found a way Thursday to increase the hours of 875 transportation workers from 35 to 40 a week without debating cost.

Schools brace for more cuts
Town budget officials are expected to call for new reductions to the education budget, a move that would likely force district administrators and school board members to consider further cuts to programs and services in the 2009-10 school year.

Critically injured Norwalk woman improves as Greenwich police investigate crash
The condition of a Norwalk woman critically injured in a car crash on King Street last week has improved, but is still serious, officials said.

Residents angry McNamee allowed to bid on bridge
The town's decision to allow the same construction company that walked off the job on the problem-plagued North Mianus sewer project to bid for a bridge replacement contract is drawing the ire of homeowners who received the hook-ups.

Teens cause stir on Greenwich Avenue.
Two teenagers caused quite a stir on Greenwich Avenue Thursday afternoon after police received word of a possible robbery in the area, which later turned out to be a shoplifting incident, police said.

South Norwalk station better, mayor says
Recurring complaints about crime, lack of security and parking at the South Norwalk train station are unreasonable given recent improvements, Norwalk Mayor Dick Moccia told rail advocates.

Greenwich zoning board denies water company's expansion plans
Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut officials seemed undeterred in their plan to expand a mid-country treatment facility Thursday, despite a Planning and Zoning Commission vote against it.

Students' eyes opened to lives of slaves
It's one thing to read about the history of American slavery in a textbook. It's quite another to experience slaves' everyday lives firsthand, as 32 Greenwich Academy students did Thursday.

Stamford train station voyeur investigation expands downtown
STAMFORD - A former Stamford train station janitor charged with voyeurism now is accused of recording women in the bathroom of a delicatessen in Stamford and videotaping beneath women's skirts while they waited on the train station platform.

$750,000 sought for new Greenwich civic center roof
Home to a wide range of activities from sports camps to antique shows, the Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich could be forced to shut down if the building's leaky roof isn't replaced sometime soon, town officials are warning.

Greenwich zoning board again reviews Russian tycoon's mansion plans
The mid-country drama surrounding the proposed mansion plan of a Russian billionaire's wife lives on.


If majority Democrats in the state General Assembly aren't going to change state law to defer action on arbitrated state employee contracts, then they must take up-or-down votes on the 11 pacts that are expected to come before them during this session.

With the state's projected budget deficit increasing daily and possibly heading into the $800 million to $1 billion range for this year, it's only fair to taxpayers that they know where their representatives stand on increasing state spending.

Assembly Democrats lost a golden opportunity last week when, along party line votes, they dismissed Republican attempts to postpone action on forthcoming state employee pacts until the current session's end, when all sides will have a better bead on the budget shortfall predicament.
Once a pact is arbitrated, the assembly has the option of approving or rejecting it, or taking no action on it within a 30-day period, after which the settlement automatically becomes effective.

At the center of the debate is a three-year pact approved by an arbitrator for nearly 5,000 Department of Correction employees. It awards raises of 3 percent this fiscal year and 2.5 percent in the next two fiscal years, though the union sought more. The cost of the contract's first year is $89 million.

No doubt, correction employees perform difficult and tough work, risking their lives daily in the state's prisons and jails. They have been working without a contract since last .... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ...... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH ....... BLAH ...... BLAH ....... BLAH .....
UPDATE:
01/23 /09 - 10:11 AM

LOOK AT ALL OF THIS ONLINE GREENWICH TIME NEWS
NOW THAT GREENWICH ROUNDUPGAVE
HEARST NEWSPAPER EDITOR
BRUCE HUNTER
A COUPLE OF SWIFT KICKS
IN HIS REAR END .


GOOD JOB BRUCE !!!!
NOW KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK !!!!

Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:29:48 AM EST
Fourteen months after her breakthrough victory in the selectman's race, Democrat Lin Lavery is leaving the door open to running for the town's highest elected office this fall.
"I haven't ruled anything out," Lavery said in an interview.

Lavery, 60, said she will wait until the spring, however, before she makes up her mind on her political future, including whether to challenge Republican incumbent First Selectman Peter Tesei in November.

"The term of office is only two years. This is a local campaign, and I think it should be short," Lavery said. "I have things I have vowed to accomplish and I want to get them done."

Among those goals, Lavery said, is raising environmental awareness through a citizen-led task force that she helped to create, planning for a new community pool in Byram and collaborating on public service projects.

"I'd like to respond to what President Obama said and have a call to service," Lavery said. "If there's evera time when we need everyone to come together and help each other, it's now."
Tesei, 39, announced in November that he will seek re-election.

At the time, Lavery gave Tesei mixed reviews when asked for an assessment of his first year in office, fueling speculation that she might be laying the groundwork for a run for first selectman.
A former president of the Junior League of Greenwich, Lavery burst onto the political scene two years ago with her strong showing in the selectmen's race.....
.....Crumbine, 70, who followed that latter path to earn a fifth term on the board two years ago, has said he will announce his future political plans at the Feb. 25 Republican Town Committee meeting.
Michael C. JulianoStaff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:43:16 AM EST
Thursday's nearly cloudless skies were most fitting as state and local officials met for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the relocation of Blue Sky Studios from White Plains, N.Y
"In this economy, that's amazing and a true testament to the company," said Gov. M. Jodi Rell of the move that brings 300 jobs to the area.

The digital animation company, whose animated films include "Bunny" and "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!," moved from a three-story, 85,000-square-foot building in White Plains to a one-story, 106,000-square-foot space within the Greenwich American Centre at One American Lane.

The move was facilitated by tax incentives promoted by the Hollywood East Task Force in Hartford in an effort ....
The Associated Press

Posted: 01/23/2009 07:26:42 AM EST
ALBANY, N.Y. - Gov. David Paterson has picked Democratic U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to fill New York's vacant U. S.....
Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:30:25 AM EST
Playing its second game in as many nights and its third in four days, the Trinity Catholic ice hockey team had reason to be tired entering Thursday night's showdown against FCIAC rival Greenwich High School.
By Barbara A. Heins
Senior Writer/Arts
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:09:55 AM EST

Americana has strong appeal for younger collectors, Stella says. "It works well with children ... a little nick won't harm the value. Americana is wonderful for young families."

One of the trends collectors are bound to see this weekend is industrial furnishings.
"About 10 years ago, you didn't see any of that and I think because some of the antiques had increased so much (and priced some collectors out of the market), dealers starting taking things from the closed factories, the downton loft market. The industrial fits just marvelously ... it's fresh and new looking and it's new to the antique market. They've been redone ... stripped and polished."

Popular are work tables, architectural desks, architectural desk lamps, steel ....
The Associated Press
Posted: 01/23/2009 09:49:07 AM EST
NORWALK - Xerox Corp.'s fourth-quarter earnings plunged as the printer and copier maker booked hefty charges for layoffs and other restructuring costs, and the company on Friday forecast first-quarter profit below Wall Street expectations.
WHEN GREENWICH ROUNDUP TYPES:
GREENWICH TIME MANAGING EDITOR BRUCE HUNTER LISTENS.....
NOW CHECK OUT THE NEW AND IMPROVED
GREENWICH TIME EDITORIAL:
A Desparate Editor Bruce Hunter Throws Up George Schiele Letter To The Editor And Makes It Appear To Be Today's "LOCAL" And "HARD HITTING" Official Editorial.
Mr. Schiele is a Greenwich resident since 1967, and has served in RTM and on various town volunteer boards and not a Greenwich Time Editor.
However, Mr. Schiele does a much better job than Bruce Hunter's pitiful editorial writters, Maybe Hearst Newspapers Should hire Schiele.
Opinion

By George Schiele
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:08:11 AM EST
Last week, for the second time in several months, it was my privilege to sit through five-plus hours of Planning and Zoning Commission deliberations. The two main issues in contention were the Aquarian water company expansion of its facilities adjacent to the reservoir and the proposed major expansion of the Stanwich School; it was my proximity to the latter that had brought me to the meeting.
In addition to reinforcing my long-held respect for the considerable amount of time and effort contributed to the town by the unpaid volunteer members of the commission, it was on reflection my conclusion that the planning process in Greenwich has gone seriously awry, despite the presumably well-intentioned efforts of the members of P&Z and the Board of Appeals.
Although the projects in contention are disparate in nature, both share common questions of principle: Are they urgently necessary, are there alternative solutions, what really constitutes "progress," should significant conditions be attached, and, in the end, what kind of town do we want to have?

My own answers to those questions were quite different from those of P&Z, which voted to allow Aquarian to continue with engineering proposals, and, in the case of the Stanwich School expansion, granted final approval in the face of its substantial traffic and environmental impacts, which will overwhelm the capacity of narrow and limited access roads, challenge the ecology of much of Cos Cob and ........
PLEASE SEE:

OLD STYLE NEWSPAPER MAN DOESN'T UNDERSTAND
THIS NEW FANGLED INTERNET THING -A- MA-JIG !!!

Town mocks managing editor as computer illiterate

""Things have changed in the last 26 years, but Bruce Hunter hasn't."
Give Hunter an out-of-style suit, a disco ball, a clunky phone, an outdated computer and a Rubik's Cube and he he is a happy camper.

Our economy wouldn't survive without the Internet, and the cyber-world continues to represent the only hope of saving the Greenwich Time from becoming extinct

It's extraordinary that someone who is a Hearst Newspaper managing editor doesn't know how to update the the online opinion pages.

BRUCE OVERBOARD

Where's Bruce Hunter And
The "LOCAL HARD HITTING"
Online Greenwich Time Editorials ????

Online Readers At The Greenwich Time Wonder If
New Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Has Already Been
Thrown Overboard By Hearst Newspapers.

Just when you thought things couldn't get more bizarre at the Greenwich Time....
Chaos reigns at the Greenwich Time, where new Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter and his top two lieutenants have not updated the papers online Opinion pages since last Thursday January 15th - sparking rumors that they me feuding with their corporate owners at Hearst Newspapers.

On Friday January 16th a Stamford Advocate editorial was posted online at the Greenwich Time and it has remained there for the last five days.......
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Thursday, January 22, 2009

1/22/09 PRESS RELEASE: XL Insurance Unveils Pollution Insurance for Property Owners and Managers, a New Program for Commercial Real Estate Portfolios


XL Insurance, XL Capital Ltd's (NYSE: XL) global insurance operations, today unveiled Pollution Insurance for Property Owners and Managers, a suite of pollution insurance endorsements and claims and risk management services to help protect the value of commercial real estate (CRE) portfolios in the U.S.


Rich Corbett, head of XL Insurance's Global Environmental unit, said: "Environmental risks are always a big concern in real estate. An environmental incident can severely impact a property's value and interrupt business operations. Fortunately, environmental risk management providers. like XL Insurance, can pool decades of environmental management knowledge into developing a program like the Pollution Insurance for Property Owners and Managers, which takes a sophisticated and proactive environmental risk management approach to CRE portfolios."


The program combines pollution insurance, loss prevention services and dedicated environmental claims handling, Mr. Corbett explained.


"We advise clients on what they can do to prevent an environmental incident. In the event that a pollution incident does occur on any property in the portfolio, a portfolio manager not only has the pollution coverage to pay for clean up, but is supported by dedicated environmental claims professionals to make sure the situation is handled quickly and economically," he said.


Pollution Insurance for Property Owners and Managers provides a consolidated suite of coverage endorsements aimed at managing the environmental liability concerns faced by commercial real estate managers. It was developed to help real estate owners and managers protect their cash flow and property asset values; to satisfy corporate, investor and financier requirements; as well as create an efficient acquisition/divestiture process.


Available with liability limits up to $50 million, the Pollution Insurance for Property Owners and Managers is available with XL Insurance's Pollution and Remediation Legal Liability insurance policy and is underwritten by XL Specialty Insurance Company, Greenwich Insurance Company and Indian Harbor Insurance Company.


About XL Insurance


"XL Insurance" is the global brand used by member insurers of the XL Capital Ltd (NYSE: XL) group of companies. More information about XL Insurance is available at http://www.xlinsurance.com/. Through its operating subsidiaries, XL Capital Ltd is a leading provider of global insurance and reinsurance coverage and services to industrial, commercial and professional service firms, insurance companies, and other enterprises on a worldwide basis. More information about XL Capital Ltd is available at http://www.xlcapital.com/.


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1/22/09 The Greenwich Citizen Has Not Updated Since Friday, But Greenwich Roundup Is Here With The Raw Greenwich News Feed (Updated All Day)

Here Are A Few Greenwich News Stories That Hearst Newspaper Editor Don Harrison Missed At The Geeenwich Citizen ......

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT"S GOING ON IN GREENWICH READ THE OUT OF TOWN PAPERS

TOP STORY:



Greenwich based Duff Capital Advisors, which once employed as many as 100 people, cut its staff by almost 80% last month, the New York Post reports...



Tough Times for Duff Lead to 80% Job Cuts
New York Post
... hiring a posse of hedge-fund management teams as well as constructing new office space at 100 West Putnam Ave. in Greenwich, Conn., spurring insiders to criticize Duff for having spent too much money before his firm made even a single investment....

Nymex Gas Declines on Reduced Demand for Energy as U.S. Recession Deepens
Bloomberg
... is making it difficult to quantify how far gas use may deteriorate, Tom Orr , research director at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Connecticut, said in a telephone interview. Industrial Users Demand from chemical makers and other large consumers of gas ...

$10.6 million will be used for New Haven line signalization upgrade
Stamford Plus Magazine
The $10.6 million to be approved by the Bond Commission will cover signal work on the line in Greenwich, from the New York state line. ...

Madison Man Admits to Fraud Scheme
TheDay, CT
Documents filed with the court and statements made in court show that in late 2002 Safdie approached Acorn Capital, a Greenwich-based assets lending firm, ...

Port Chester residents critique plan for village growth
The Journal News
... to the plan before approving it. "We must remember we are a unique community," she said. "We are not Rye or Greenwich or White Plains. We are who we are. The comprehensive plan was built around what the people of Port Chester want and need." ...



Boys hoop: Warriors struggle in rough FCIAC
Wilton Bulletin
... leaving the Warriors with a 2-8 record with 10 games left — and powers like Trinity Catholic, Bridgeport Central, St. Joseph, Greenwich and Staples, ...

Business Briefs - Jan. 22
Jackson County Pilot
... facilities in Arlington, Texas, and had expanded beyond its current capacity. Farleya s and Sathers is owned by Greenwich, Conn.-based Catterton Partners. The company has sales of more than $600 million following a series of acquisitions in recent ...

Apple Pops, Volatility Drops
Forbes, NY
Andrew Wilkinson is senior market analyst at Greenwich, Conn., based Interactive Brokers. Reach him via e-mail: ibanalyst@interactivebrokers.com .

Lady Wreckers stay on a roll, beat Cards
Westport News
... falls on the balance beam and many of its gymnasts had personal bests Monday in its 134.85-127.55 road win over Greenwich High at the Greenwich YWCA and raised its record to 4-0. The Lady Cardinals dropped to 2-2. "We did outstanding on beam and ...

Boys swimming: Wilton evens record with win over Trumbull
Wilton Bulletin
The Warriors were coming off a 132-48 loss to conference and state power Greenwich last week. Ross Gormley, Dan Mangan and John Craig all won two individual ...

Toyoda Said to Plan Replacement of Most of Toyota's Top-Level Management
Bloomberg.com - Asia
... to let Akio bring in new people,'' said Maryann Keller , an independent auto analyst and consultant in Greenwich, Connecticut. ``A new CEO wants to put together his own team.'' Keller, a Toyoda family acquaintance, said she hasn't discussed the ...

Skiing: Greenwich deals RHS teams rare double loss
Ridgefield Press
But any way you look at it, the Ridgefield High ski teams were jolted by a rare double loss to Greenwich in biting cold conditions at Mount Southington last ...

Injuries to Ankle, Knee and Shoulder Face Recreational Football Players
PRESS RELEASE PRWeb
... MD, MS, FACS, FAAOS, a leading orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine expert with offices in Manhattan and Greenwich, Conn., specializes in helping football players of all levels to avoid damage, reduce the number of injuries and improve the ...

Dartmouth Hockey Ties In Worcester
WMUR-TV Manchester
... Andrew Owsiak (Moose Jaw, Sask.) at 7:33, firing over netminder Adam Roy's shoulder for the 1-0 lead. Peter Boldt (Greenwich, Conn.) also assisted. Dartmouth had some penalty trouble in the early goings but its penalty killing unit was up to task as ...

News > Unternehmensnachrichten > Ocean Tomo Releases Catalogue for ...
Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung), Germany
Headquartered in Chicago, Ocean Tomo has offices in Greenwich, San Francisco, Palm Beach, Orange County and Washington DC. Subsidiaries of Ocean Tomo ...

THE WEALTH REPORT
Wall Street Journal Blogs
Remember that proposed Greenwich, Conn., mansion with 26 toilets? Well its Russian owner, rejected by town planners on the first plan, downsized the home ...

Local Towns Attack Water Supply Issue
New Canaan News Review
The "back country" of Greenwich does not have a municipal water supply for fires, so the town has set up initiatives to build dry hydrants on public and ...



ECONOMIC REPORT Housing starts plunge to another record low
MarketWatch
... shockwave felt in the fall has clearly brought the housing industry to its knees," wrote Stephen Stanley, chief economist for RBS Greenwich Capital. ...



This Weekend
Bridgeport News
More than 40 masterpieces of modern sculpture, drawn from local collections in Greenwich and its environs, will go on exhibit Saturday, Jan. ...

Greenwich swimmers dunk New Canaan
Stamford Advocate
By David Fierro
Greenwich High School's Eric Minowitz swims to a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle during Wednesday's meet against New Canaan. ...



SWRPA outlines 2009 priorities
DarienNews-Review
One of 15 regional planning agencies in Connecticut, SWRPA provides regional planning services to the cities of Norwalk, Stamford, Darien, Greenwich ...



'Free and appropriate'
DarienNews-Review
...Special Education Attorney David Shaw said that the state has made it more cost-neutral for schools to out-place a student at a another public facility, whereas it used to be even more cost-effective for the schools. Shaw was the leading prosecutor in P.J. et al vs. the State Board of Education, a landmark Connecticut case dealing with the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities....

....He said that when children are sent to "segregated schools," they rarely return to their home school district. "It is pretty much a one-way street, especially for children with severe disabilities.".....

... they can place the child in a private educational facility, such as Eagle Hill in Greenwich, Benhaven or Cedarhurst in Hamden, or High Road School of Norwalk, among many other private special education facilities in the state. ...

AllShows.com Named the Primary Ticket Seller for the Heirloom Arts ...
MSNBC
GREENWICH, CT - In yet another partnership developed to provide New York tri-state area consumers with unique entertainment experiences, AllShows.com today ...

Sure we're in bad times, but chin up, we are still Americans
Stamford Advocate
... adds still a lot more to the glass. Greenwich resident Carla Wallach is an author who has written numerous articles in national publications.....

Suzette Smith: From Hedges to the Heights
Shelter Island Reporter, NY
... Stars in the Heights, was born in Chingola, Zambia (a grandfather was CEO of a mineral company) but grew up in Old Greenwich and Milford, Connecticut. ...

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1/22/09 Greenwich Time News Links

The swearing in of President Barack Obama received a standing ovation at Town Hall, including, from front left, Barbara Fortunato, Roy Carey, Gracie Smith, Monique Christie and Pat Maranan. — Ken Borsuk photo



Tuesday was a day of celebration in Greenwich as people of all ages, colors and political viewpoints came together to mark the inauguration of President Barack Obama.




Just days away from presenting the municipal budget to the town, First Selectman Peter Tesei repeated that job cuts in town departments could sadly become necessary.


Mr. Tesei’s presentation, which is officially to the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), but the public is invited to attend, is set for 6 p.m. Monday night in the Town Hall Meeting Room. In an interview with the Post on Tuesday, Mr. Tesei said despite the best efforts of town departments to curtail expenditures, the job cuts could still be looming. However it is too early to tell how many there will be, if any, and it won’t be determined until the BET starts working on it and more finite numbers become available.


Mr. Tesei first brought up the prospect of the job cuts at the Jan. 14 Board of Selectmen meeting as something the town was looking at, but not necessarily something inevitable. He said he would not be looking for cuts in the police or fire department or at The Nathaniel Witherell.


“It is certainly not something we take lightly,” Mr. Tesei said at the meeting. “We have approximately 1,020 town employees and we’re focused on that area. If you exempt Witherell and you exempt fire and police, you lower your base to reduce from but we’re looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 positions, just to put it out there as of today. It could change. It could be less.”


On Tuesday, Mr. Tesei told the Post town departments had submitted their operating budgets, including contractually mandated salary increases, with a 1% increase compared to last year. Mr. Tesei praised town department heads and the Board of Education for reducing non-salaried costs to make that possible, but despite that, the town is still facing having to raise the mill rate beyond the annual 3.5% growth the BET has called for to meet costs.....


.....When asked if he would be willing to simply raise the mill rate beyond 3.5%, Mr. Tesei said he wasn’t.


“In good times we held it to 3.5% at the time when we were addressing many of our capital needs but the reality is people are not in a position to pay more today,” Mr. Tesei told the Post. “I believe I was elected, quite candidly, with a mandate in terms of the vote and one of the things that I said I would do is have modest and predictable tax increases.”




Greenwich could be on the verge of finding a greener way to clean up after the introduction of a new policy requiring the use of more environmentally friendly cleaning and sanitizing products.


The policy, which is being considered by the Board of Selectmen, was put together by members of the Environmental Task Force. It requires that no cleaning product may be used inside a town building unless it has received the certification of Green Seal Certified or EcoLogo. This includes disinfectants, disinfecting cleaners, sanitizers and any antimicrobial products regulated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.


If the new policy is implemented, any existing cleaning supplies would be used until empty and then replaced by the environmentally friendly products. Companies that have cleaning contracts with the town would also have to use the green products.


The state of Connecticut already has a similar policy in place for cleaning in all of its buildings.


Elizabeth Bittner, a task force member and co-chairwoman of its cleaning products committee, presented the resolution to the board at its Jan. 14 meeting.


Before developing the proposal, committee members spoke with the town’s purchasing department and the various town departments, such as public works, parks and recreation and the Board of Education that use cleaning products, to solicit their ideas and feedback. Ms. Bittner said that everyone the committee met with “seemed receptive” to the idea of making the change and some have already started to consider the more environmentally safe products......




Despite a last minute attempt to postpone the decision until March, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to provide more tax relief to eligible town seniors.


By a 153 to 4 vote, with three abstentions, the RTM approved a resolution allowing more seniors to be covered by the town’s existing tax relief program. Previously, seniors with a total income of no more than $39,000 were covered, but the new resolution will cover eligible seniors earning up to $60,000 a year, and will provide more money for those in lower tax brackets.


The motion to postpone consideration of the resolution was offered by District 12 member Michael Petrucelli. It was shot down by a voice vote.


Mr. Petrucelli, chairman of the RTM’s budget overview committee, said waiting until March would allow a court to first hear the appeals from North Mianus residents challenging sewer assessments. Those residents have not paid property taxes to the town because of the case.
Town Assessor Ted Gwartney said timing was a major issue with the changes because his department has a state mandated Feb. 1 deadline by which to issue notices to potentially eligible residents.


Before a vote was taken, a sunset clause was added to the resolution by the RTM’s legislative and rules committee, and approved by the full body, 150 to 19, with two abstentions. The resolution will come up for consideration again in 2013




With 1,500 schools, 136,000 employees and 1.1 million students under his direction, one would think that New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein wouldn’t have much time to concern himself with other districts’ students.


But last Thursday morning, Mr. Klein was the guest speaker at the Greenwich Alliance for Education’s enterprise council breakfast to discuss educational challenges facing the nation. He said all school systems, including Greenwich, are not serving students well enough and stressed accountability and reform as challenges that must be quickly tackled.


“We are not remotely demanding enough of ourselves in education at every level of the system, from our best schools to our most challenged schools,” Mr. Klein said during his remarks at the breakfast. “We need to take our game up more than a notch.”


Mr. Klein said for years people have been talking about all the things that should be done, including better curriculum, more pre-kindergarten education and more after-school help, but things aren’t being done because of “sacred cow” reasons. Mr. Klein said in the last 25 years real dollar spending on education had doubled, but achievement remains flat.




Making way for a hotel fitting the “mid-range family niche,” according to attorney John Tesei, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved plans last Thursday to demolish the former Howard Johnson Hotel in Riverside and build anew. While all members seemed accepting of the idea, the main hiccup prior to approval centered on the number of seats available in the restaurant and meeting room areas.


The new hotel will include 86 rooms at little more than 56,000 total square feet, down from 106 rooms and 48,513 square feet as a Howard Johnson. The plan also includes a restaurant with seasonal outdoor dining.


Blue Smoke, operated by Union Square Hospitality Group, is slated to open in the new space. The restaurant also has a location in New York City. As per Planning and Zoning Commission members’ request, seating in the indoor restaurant/bar, outdoor space, banquet area and board room will amount to no more than 342 seats.


“We’d like to get started for all the right reasons,” Mr. Tesei told commission members last week.


The owners of the new hotel also run the Delamar Greenwich Harbor hotel in Greenwich. Charles Mallory, general partner of the Delamar and founder of its operating company, told the Post last summer that the new hotel will “have a very different price point and less service” than the Delamar.




The town is proposing $20.5 million in capital projects in 2009-10, the bulk of which is slated for infrastructure repairs and construction.


“This year takes on an added challenge,” First Selectman Peter Tesei said at a public hearing last week, referring to the strained economy.


Mr. Tesei said the focus of this year’s proposed capital plan is on maintenance, completion of projects already started and items that are part of an overall plan.


Money for the remediation of the Cos Cob power plant site (a plan currently under review by the Planning and Zoning Commission), the town’s storm water master plan, a King Street fire station and roof replacement at the Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center is included in the plan, among other items.


Citizens speaking out at last Wednesday’s public hearing — the second on the capital plan — suggested doing more for the drainage issues in town and turning to long-term debt through bonding to pay for some of the town’s projects. That is a departure from past practice of “pay as you go.”


“It’s not the time to spike the mill rate. It’s certainly not the time to add further burden,” Mr. Tesei said.


With a budget shortfall in the current year to be about $10 million, Mr. Tesei said, “we’ll have to find ways to cut back.” He said that the shortfall is due to the loss of income from the conveyance tax (due to lower sales of property), fewer building permits and applications, and losses due to “paltry” interest rates......

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Friends Monthly Mailing - *When:* Thursday January 22nd, 2009 - 09:00 AM *Where:* Greenwich Library at Cole Auditorium monthly mailing

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Uh oh! - China’s 4th quarter growth drops to just 6.8%. I don’t have the exact figure off the top of my head but I recently read an interview with a Chinese officia...

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BRIEF: Wildwood Casino restructures its finances - Jan. 21--The Wildwood Casino in Cripple Creek has restructured its finances, including a new investment from Plainfield Asset Management of Greenwich, Co...

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Renewing our commitment to our ideals - I haven't blogged about politics here since election day, but now, with the eight year nightmare of the Bush era finally behind us, I'm inspired to start ...

Frank Trotta's Page At Our Greenwich
A (An?) Historic Event - I’ve been invited to five Presidential Inaugurations, but have never been to one – too much glitz for my tastes. Generally, I have tried to ignore this qua...

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Unanswered Question as to Why: Caroline flunks PR 101 - Is it typical Kennedy arrogance? Or is Caroline simply a victim of inept public relations advice? Whatever. Her already tarnished brandname just took another...

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Caroline Kennedy planned to withdraw from consideration for the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton - From MSNBC LBANY, New York - Caroline Kennedy planned to withdraw from consideration for the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, The New York Times...

Exit 55 By Rob "WGCH" Adams - The Sports Voice Of Greenwich
Gerry Rafferty - Missing? - I just stumbled upon this one. Gerry Rafferty, the 70's musician whose most famous song, "Baker Street", is iconic, is missing. At least he appears to be. ...

The Fox Trot By Nick "The Sly" Fox
ECW Results! Plus HUGE Wrestlemania 25 Rumor! - Dark Match: * Dolph Ziggler b. Jamie Noble - Dolph Ziggler got the win via pinfall. Solid dark match to get the crowd going. * ECW begins with Todd Grisha...

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President Obama on TV in Greenwich at Town Hall and Greenwich Library - Selectman Peter Crumbine with Peter Tesei at the Town Hall Meeting Room today. Peter Tesei received an email from Marge Robben last week which ...

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

01/21/08 Is Bruce "Low Tech" Hunter Letting His Hard Disk Go Floppy? Hearst Newspapers Should Delete A Managing Editor Who Ignores Online Readers


THE WORLD WIDE WHAT ????


OLD STYLE NEWSPAPER MAN DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THIS NEW FANGLED INTERNET THING -A- MA-JIG !!!


Town mocks managing editor as computer illiterate


""Things have changed in the last 26 years, but Bruce Hunter hasn't."


Give Hunter an out-of-style suit, a disco ball, a clunky phone, an outdated computer and a Rubik's Cube and he he is a happy camper


Our economy wouldn't survive without the Internet, and the cyber-world continues to represent the only hope of saving the Greenwich Time from becoming extinct


It's extraordinary that someone who is a Hearst Newspaper managing editor doesn't know how to update the the online opinion pages


The mystery surrounding Greenwich Time's missing online editors deepened yesterday as Managing Editor Bruce Hunter was rumored not even have visited the Green Kitty Litter Liner's newsroom yesterday.

"It's bizarre," said one insider, who was left wondering who's in charge during today's online coverage of the history-making inauguration of Barack Obama as president.

Added another insider, "If any of the Greenwich Time or Stamford Advocate online editors know what's going on, they're not telling anyone."

Hunter, a Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor may have appeared at the Greenwich Time's Riverside newsroom office today, but the online editorial pages were not updated for the fifth day in a row.

The lack of online editorial updates is fueling speculation that Greenwich Time Publisher John Dunster might be looking for a new editorial leader for the local rag.

Hearst Newspaper's struggling Greenwich Time has went through four men who have acted as editor in chief in the last year.

"He's here, but he's in a meeting," said a lady answering the Greenwich Time's phone.

Bruce Hunter did not return a call seeking comment. An Greenwich Time employee answering the phone refused to identify herself and declined to comment about why the online editorial pages have not been update since a Stamford Advocate editorial was posted on Friday January 16th.

Yesterday, Greenwich Roundup, broke the exclusive story that Managing Editor was fueling week old rumors in town, because he has been unable to update Hearst Newspaper's editorial pages at the Greenwich Time.

A source close to Hunter insisted that he had been in contact with the newsroom by phone to monitor the paper and it's online web site. However, sources inside the paper said Hunter did not call into the newsroom over the weekend as he typically does.

Others say that Hunter was recently seen at the paper heading to a meeting with Publisher John "I Can't Pick A Winning Team" Dunster.

Hunter was recently pulled out of unemployment by Dunster and is currently responsible for overseeing another major downsizing at the paper. However, Hunter is seen as relatively popular with soon to be unemployed newsroom staff.

However, one disgruntled Greenwich Time employee was recently heard to say,"Well, if Bruce is going to stay at the helm, then we had better have a full complement of lifeboats. As bad as the Greenwich Time has been in the past, bringing Hunter back is like getting flushed down the toilet."

A new rumor going around town is that the Greenwich Time online editorial pages have not been updated in a week is because Bruce Hunter is feuding with Hearst Newspapers and John Dunster about what should be contained in online editorials.

No matter which rumor is or is not true one thing for sure is that chaos is reigning on the Greenwich Time Editorial pages under Bruce Hunter. Once again today the week old Stamford Advocate editorial about Mexican drugs is at the top of the Hearst Newspaper's editorial page.

Opinion

Odds poor in fighting Mexico's drug woes

The Advocate Staff
Posted: 01/16/2009 09:05:46 AM EST

Before you venture into Ciudad Juarez, brace yourself to hear Texans tell you that you're crazy. Visiting friends in neighboring El Paso a few days before Christmas, I was immediately warned, "Don't even think about going into Juarez.

JUST LIKE YESTERDAY AND THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY BEFORE THAT AND THE DAY BEFORE THAT AND THE DAY PREVIOUS TO THAT AND THE PRECEDING DAY ......

THE "MISSING" BRUCE HUNTER HAS FAILED TO ACT AS MANAGING EDITOR AND PUBLISH ANY NEW LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ONLINE AT THE GREENWICH TIME FOR A WEEK NOW.

THE GREENWICH TIME 'S ONLINE READERS ARE PERPLEXED AT WHY HUNTER INSISTS ON PUBLISHING THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR OVER AND OVER, WHILE OTHER LETTERS NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AT THE GREENWICH TIME.

Letters from Readers

Letters to the Editor

Hamas' acts have produced the situation in Gaza

The Advocate Staff
Posted: 01/16/2009 09:06:57 AM EST

To the editor:It's like "Alice In Wonderland"! Up is down; left is right. So who is to blame for the present Gaza situation? There are vocal demonstrators insisting Israel is to blame. Let's look at the situation realistically .....





BRUCE OVERBOARD


Where's Bruce Hunter And

The "LOCAL HARD HITTING"

Online Greenwich Time Editorials ????


Online Readers At The Greenwich Time Wonder If

New Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Has Already Been

Thrown Overboard By Hearst Newspapers.


Just when you thought things couldn't get more bizarre at the Greenwich Time....
Chaos reigns at the Greenwich Time, where new Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter and his top two lieutenants have not updated the papers online Opinion pages since last Thursday January 15th - sparking rumors that they me feuding with their corporate owners at Hearst Newspapers.


On Friday January 16th a Stamford Advocate editorial was posted online at the Greenwich Time and it has remained there for the last five days.......



UPDATE:
9:56 AM On 01/22/08


When Greenwich Roundup Types;
The Greenwich Time Listens......





BRUCE HUNTER OR SOMEONE AT THE GREENWICH TIME HAS POSTED A "NEW'' STAMFORD ADVOCATE EDITORIAL TO REPLACE THE WEEK OLD STAMFORD EDITORIAL AT THE GREENWICH TIME


Opinion




Advocate Editorial

Posted: 01/22/2009 07:43:14 AM EST


If majority Democrats in the state General Assembly aren't going to change state law to defer action on arbitrated state employee contracts, then they must take up-or-down votes on the 11 pacts that are expected to come before them during this session. Full Story


THE GREENWICH TIME'S ONLINE READERS STILL ARE ASKING: "Where The Hell Is Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter And The "LOCAL" And "HARD HITTING" Editorial ???????''




GREENWICH ROUNDUP IS STILL ASKING:"When Is Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Going To Take Down The Week Old Letter To The Stamford Advocate Put Up New Letters To The Greenwich Time Editors.


UPDATE #2




01/22/08


11:22 AM





WHEN GREENWICH ROUNDUP TYPES:

THE GREENWICH TIME LISTENS......









Staff Reports

Posted: 01/22/2009 10:28:27 AM EST








Having just arrived as a freshman legislator in the state Senate at one of the most fiscally challenging times in Connecticut's history, I read with great interest your Jan. 8 editorial, "Get to work cutting state spending." The editorial, in my opinion, provides an excellent blueprint for how the state legislature should approach the immense task of closing its projected budget deficits this year and beyond.




The editorial's central message - that the legislature must first look to cut state spending, carefully negotiate union contracts set to renew on June 30 and avoid any temptation to implement a broad tax increase - is an approach I support and will advocate in the state Senate. Raising taxes would be extremely ill timed and serve only to depress the state's economy and long-term tax revenues.


The state of Connecticut is facing a fiscal crisis unlike any it has ever seen. Since the writing of your Jan. 8 editorial, we have learned that the deficit in the current fiscal year is likely to grow another $900 million or more when we have fully accounted for quarterly estimated income tax payments due Jan. 15. Those revenue shortfalls are likely to result in an $8 billion to $10 billion deficit over the next two years.


There are no quick-fix solutions to this crisis. The only way we are going to overcome this budget crisis and get our local economy moving again is by fundamentally reinventing state government: consolidating government agencies and legislative committees; finding more efficient and cost-effective ways to provide social services; maintaining current tax rates and vastly reducing the size of state government.


This is the opportunity within the challenge we face: By putting aside partisan politics and getting to work together, we have the opportunity to redefine state government and build a prosperous future for the state of Connecticut. There is not a moment to lose.


L. Scott Frantz
Greenwich


The writer is state senator from the 36th District.


STOP THE PRESSES !!!!



WHEN GREENWICH ROUNDUP TYPES:


THE GREENWICH TIME REALLY LISTENS.....


Sixteen Seconds Earlier Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Put Up Another Letter To The Greenwich Time Editor.


No One In Town Can Recall The Last Time The Greenwich Time Put Up Two Online Letter To The Editor Posts In One Day !!!!


Credit is due for protecting us from terrorism








Staff Reports
Posted: 01/22/2009 10:28:11 AM EST


To the editor:


Thank you, President Bush. Thank you, Congressman Shays. For seven years you have kept us safe from another terrorist attack on U.S. soil, saving countless Americans from death and injury.


In the hours, days, weeks and months after the devastating attacks in New York and Virginia, people worldwide expected additional attacks on American soil. Yet there was not a single one.
Whether or not it is high on lists of American priorities in polls today, whether or not it is a central part of a political campaign, whether or not liberal commentators dismiss it with the condescending phrase of "they played the terrorism card," terrorism is the overarching issue of our time.


The Bush record will be debated for decades or more, and history will render a final judgment. But no one can dispute the success our president and our congressman have had because of their relentless determination to protect America. They succeeded wildly beyond expectations anyone had in the fall of 2001. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.


As they succeeded, the Democrats and liberal news media turned on President Bush with a voraciousness against a president not seen since the attacks on Abraham Lincoln. Yet they too live in relative normalcy today because of the safety Mr. Bush's and Mr. Shays' policies have provided.


As they leave office, President Bush and Congressman Shays should be rightly proud of their success and the apparatus they have left in place to protect America. It is now up to Mr. Obama and Mr. Himes to use that apparatus effectively. All Americans hope that they will have the same relentless determination as Mr. Shays and Mr. Bush.


If they succeed, they will be rightly praised. If they fail they must be held accountable.


Edward D. Dadakis
Greenwich



IT LOOKS LIKE ED HAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH NEO-CONSERVATIVE KOOL-AID OVER AT RUPERT MURDOCK'S FOX NEWS CHANNEL



FOR THE CONTER POINT WE GO TO COMEDY CENTRAL, BECAUSE THE LAST EIGHT YEARS HAVE BEEN A JOKE......



January 15, 2009: President Bush Kept Us Safe












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