This is a
Weston-centric research website.
You will save time using our
historical backgrounders - one stop shopping (type in search term
above) - on CT and Weston issues! Direct links to:
"About Town" video and art collection
World-wide
freshwater on the left, India 1970-1994 groundwater -related to CT Drought report?
Interesting for those considering farming projects (LWVCT ED FUND "S.I.R.") -
shallow well the way to go for Lachat, my conclusion!
ABOUT WESTON updated
continually...use Google's internal search engine above to locate
topics
and
stories of interest. ABOUT WESTON began in 1998.
ABOUT WESTON TABLE OF
CONTENTS
with links.
"ABOUT WESTON" SITE MAP . Including
quick links to our global
business, climate change and financial melt-down sub-pages. DIRECT LINK TO RESEARCH;
"ABOUT
WESTON" ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY of site
including external links. Or use Google Search above!
"About
Weston" is all about Weston, Connecticut.
Web-contact,
click
here: margaret@aboutweston.com
"About
Weston"
provides original research on Weston, Connecticut, links to official
sources, and expresses the opinions
of this Weston,
CT website.
We attend many town board
and commission meetings. In order to find our reports, please
type in name of board or commission in the search box above..
It is the intention of this unofficial
website to follow policies of
the Town of Weston
including the following...
Sustainability
means spending money wisely.
Temporary
website
LATEST "ABOUT TOWN" SHOW:
What's up in Hartford?
Hon. Gail Lavielle, CT State Representative
for the 143rd District,
reports on what the Legislature is up to during its 2013 Long
Session.
She is Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee, and
a member of the Appropriations, Education, and Higher Education
Committees. She also continues active involvement in
transportation matters, having formerly served as a member of the CT
Public Transportation Commission. Find out the latest, on issues
that are important to all of us in Fairfield County and elsewhere in
Connecticut. WATCH NOW!!!
Connecticut Plan of Conservation and
Development 2013-2018:
Daniel
Morley and Dimple Desai, of the Intergovernmental Policy Division of
Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management, discuss the draft
2013-2018 Plan of Conservation and Development for Connecticut, which
is now undergoing public review and comment. Watch this
informative two-part interview about matters that affect every one of
Connecticut's 169 towns and cities. WATCH NOW!
American Wanderer: Let's go
to the videotape! And
for more, visit the website, www.rvcampforkids.com.
Lyn
Kimberly and her husband Chris Kimberly founded and run a unique
camp-on-wheels for young people, called American Wanderer.
Prepare to be amazed at the sights of some of the most spectacular
scenery you've ever seen, in the National Parks of our American
West! Hear about how all of this ties in with Weston,
Connecticut. Learn about Weston's Norfield Grange. And,
towards the end of the program, prepare to be touched by an eloquent
testimonial presented by a famed actor! WATCH
NOW!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
Amy
Kalafa serves on the Town Committee overseeing the future of one of the
most beautiful properties in the beautiful Town of Weston,
Connecticut. Her exceptionally diverse and distinguished
background also includes authoring of the book "Lunch Wars: How
to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's
Health"; creation of the documentary film "Two Angry Moms:
Fighting for the Health of America's Children"; and establishment of
the related website www.angrymoms.org.
She has produced award winning films and television programs, and has
written magazine articles related to health education for more than 25
years, and has been featured on Good
Morning America, Rachael Ray, Fox
News Live, and in USA Today
and The New York Times.
Don't miss this very special interview! WATCH NOW!
CLIMATE CHANGE
Dr. Floyd Lapp, F.A.I.C.P., is
the
Executive Director of the
South
Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA). This program provides
an
informative look at current regional planning issues and activities,
with special focus on Hurricane Sandy, and how good planning must
address the effects of climate change. WATCH NOW!
LEGISLATIVE ACTION:
In this two-part "About Town"
interview Connecticut State Senator Toni
Boucher tells us the latest about legislative matters that affect all
of us. Part 1 focuses on the recently concluded 2012 Legislative
"Short Session." Part 2 focuses on Education Reform. Don't
miss the very special insights she provides!! WATCH NOW!
TALKING EDUCATION!
Weston's Superintendent of Schools tells us all about what
is happening in the Weston Public Schools, and also what is
on the horizon for education reform in Connecticut. Dr. Palmer is
active in the
regional association of education leaders in Southwestern Connecticut,
and has much experience in the Hartford area as well as having served
as Deputy Executive Director of CREC (Capitol Regional Education
Council). We learned a lot!!! WATCH
NOW!
PROTECTING YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!
The Honorable Denise Merrill, Connecticut Secretary of the
State, visits "About Town" to discuss what has gone on since she and
the
administration of Governor Malloy took the helm after the unfortunate
voting travesty in Bridgeport on Election Day 2010. Learn about
how Secretary Merrill has responded with ideas that can make our
democracy here in Connecticut work better!
WATCH NOW!!!
Vision and design in the built environment.
Distinguished architect Allen
Swerdlowe, AIA (www.d7architects.com)
serves as Chairman of the Building Committee and the School Building
Committee of the Town of Weston, CT. In this very special
interview he presents valuable insights into Weston-specific issues, as
well as into the important role that good architectural and urban
design can play
in both the educational process and in making cities and towns better
places to live. WATCH
NOW!
Public
Safety to the fore!
It has been three years
since we previously spoke with the Chief of Police of the Town of
Weston, John Troxell. How have some important police initiatives
gone since then, what is on deck, and what does the future hold for
traffic, public safety, and community building in this small part of
Connecticut? How about pedestrian circulation initiatives?
Traffic signals? WATCH NOW!
Guaranteed to liven up your winter!
Mystery, the drama of reality, PLUS endangered species!
"About
Town" interviews author and journalist Jessica Speart. Part 1
focuses on her career and how she became a writer of
mystery novels. This covers a fascinating journey from theatre
and TV to environmental
journalism to mystery writing! Ms. Speart's
protagonist, a Fish and Wildlife biologist, and essentially an
alter-ego, saves
endangered species. In
Part 2, Ms. Speart describes how her writing evolved to non-fiction
and how her first book in this genre, "Winged Obsession," which will
appear in print in April, not only explores a fascinating criminal
subject as the central figure, but delves into the intrigues of
international derring-do! All of which puts us in the mood to
challenge
a snowy winter with a good read! WATCH
PART 1 and WATCH
PART 2
Leadership in tough times
How to keep the "ship of state" afloat in these difficult economic
times is perhaps the biggest challenge for Hon. Gayle M. Weinstein,
First Selectman of Weston. Perhaps equally as significant is the
need
to respect and listen to all voices, and permit the greatest possible
number of
Westonites to have a say in government. WATCH NOW!
WE'VE GOT A NEW PLAN! How is implementation going?
The
Town of Weston, Connecticut has just completed the once per decade
update of its Plan of Conservation and Development, as mandated by
Connecticut state law. We are privileged to present this valuable
interview with Stephan Grozinger, Esq., chairman of Weston's Planning
& Zoning Commission, who tells us all about the process and its
results! WATCH
NOW!
GET
TO KNOW THE WESTON WESTPORT HEALTH DISTRICT! As the eighth year of
"About Town" interviews begins, a three-part series on our health gets
underway. The WWHD was one of the first groups we interviewed,
just after September 11, 2001. Eight years on, the role of the
WWHD has expanded, and for some of its functions, the District's
borders have widened! Learn about H1N1 flu, water quality,
environmental health, emergency
management, and many other topics that are fundamental to maintaining
our health, our environment, and even the value of our homes! - GO TO LINKS and watch
now!
ON
FILE - SEE THESE AGAIN!
"ABOUT TOWN"
INTERVIEWS HON. ROB SIMMONS, CONGRESSMAN 2001-2007 AND CANDIDATE FOR
U.S. SENATE 2010:
The Honorable Rob
Simmons, who represented Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District in
the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, is an
especially distinguished guest. Mr. Simmons was a candidate for
the
Republican
nomination for United States
Senator, in the 2010 election. Learn more about Mr. Simmons'
distinguished career of service to his state and country - Watch
here!
The
Honorable Woody Bliss, shown above at the left, served as Weston's
First Selectman from 2001 to
2009, was a member of the Board of Selectmen for ten years, and served
as chairman of Connecticut's South Western Region
Metropolitan Planning Organization. He chose not to seek
re-election in November, 2009. Watch an exceptional
interview with him, in which he reflects on his years of service, and
provides
valuable insight into the issues facing Weston.
Watch
now!
Watch
this two-part interview with Westonite Jim Lomuscio, shown above second
from left, who
draws on his
distinguished career as a non-fiction author, journalist, editor, and
teacher, to provide us with truly unique insights into the field of
writing, and the state of journalism today. Mr. Lomuscio's books
include "Village of the Dammed: The Fight for Open Space and the
Flooding of a Connecticut Town" (finalist for the 2006 Connecticut Book
Award in Nonfiction), and the McGraw Hill college writing textbook
"Writing with Your Head & Your Heart: Balancing Logic and
Emotion to Create Powerful Nonfiction." He currently serves as
Full Time Professor of Writing in the Department of Writing,
Linguistics, and Creative Process, at Western Connecticut State
University. Watch
now!
Keeping educational costs down and standards up isn't easy in
2010! Find out about how Weston's public
school system achieves a balance between continuously improving
educational excellence and fiscal responsibility, from our
Superintendent of Schools and from the school system's Director of
Finance & Operations. Watch
now! And for
their informative rundown on the previous year's budget preparation
process, Watch
now!
CT
State Senator Toni Boucher (R-26th) provides
important insight, perspective, and wisdom concerning the major issues facing
Connecticut residents in these challenging times. Watch "About
Town" on YouTube here!
One of
our best interviews yet!!!
Weston's new Police Chief, John Troxell, gives us a rundown on traffic
control planning, safety measures for all forms of vehicles, and the
outlook
for “street life” or pedestrian-friendly improvements for 21st century
Weston, among many other interesting things! - Watch
now!
Director
of Public Works for the Town of Weston, Joe
Lametta, brings us up-to-date on the responsibilities of DPW as we
update the Town Plan!
A wonderful lecture concerning Art
and Painting, by a noted authority
and a really great teacher! See David Dunlop (website www.daviddunlop.com) discussing
"New Materials, New Patterns, New Histories: The Future for
Painting." This lecture was presented on March 1, 2009, at the
Silvermine School of Art, of the Silvermine
Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, CT:
If you are using a cable or dsl
connection, click
here: http://www.aboutweston.com/Silvermine-Dunlop3-1-09CableVersion.wmv (File size is 208 megaBytes; the lecture
comprises 1 hour 39 minutes)
If you are using a dial-up modem
connection, click
here: http://www.aboutweston.com/Silvermine-Dunlop3-1-09ModemVersion.wmv
(File size is 37
megaBytes; the lecture comprises 1 hour 39 minutes)
Nichole
Peyreigne, Mezzo-Soprano,
and Grace Heaphy, Pianist, are two extraordinary
young talents in the field of classical music. Watch them perform
in a very special concert to benefit pediatric brain
tumor research via the Making Headway Foundation, to help support the
research of distinguished neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Allen of NYU
Medical Center. Watch
now!
"ABOUT TOWN"
interviews Dr. Jeana Wirtenberg, Director of External Relations and
Services at the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise of Fairleigh
Dickinson University: In
this very
special two-part edition of "About Town," a leading authority tells us
all about Enterprise Sustainability, and how corporations can and in
some cases are implementing "win-win-win" strategies that are good for
the environment, for society, and for themselves.--Watch
now!
MAGIC!
So you want to learn to make some? Watch
now! Also, see "Art Through A Poet's
Eye," featuring Adele Kamp, as
well as all
three parts of the Weston High School
tour: click
here!
TABLE OF
CONTENTS:
T
O
P
S T O R Y T O D A Y ;
Introduction and topics
of interest;
Unofficial
notice
of Public Meetings
we plan to
attend
and our Board of
Selectmen's notes;
ANNOTATED
MEETING ACTIONS
Bankrupt
cities,
states and...here.
Will the Supreme Court get into this
in the 2012-2013 Session?
Town
of Weston: CENTRAL
PART OF TOWN 2012/13 - who's got
the Plan? Charter Revisiion
story;
Education: POST-SANDY HOOK THOUGHT;
HISTORY
LESSON:
Board of Education
Meeting videos posted here - note that the most recent one is from
April 25, 2011.
Connecticut
Government:
Regional
Planning: 50 years young is SWRPA!!!
And never to
grow older, if
this bill becomes law!
Planning ideas and matters from
elsewhere
Environment:
SUSTAINABILITY
- our own study here.
Another one of our studies going
on...CENTRAL
PART OF TOWN: IS THERE A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?
When or if it rains, it pours, in CT, department
- some ideas in run-off detention here.
CLIMATE
policy
link here.
CT Stream
Flow Regs update
here.
NEED A MAP
OF ANYWHERE IN CT?
http://ctecoapp1.uconn.edu/aerialviewer/viewer.htm
From
Washington, D.C.: State of the Union? Check
up on Congress here; Census
Bureau report
on income, poverty and health care. Redistribution of the wealth...
WHAT
CONSTITUTES AN EMERGENCY IN THE UNITED STATES?
Start here.
GLOBALLY?
HAZARDS
OF ALL KINDS, NATURAL
AND MAN-MADE:
WESTON POLICE DEPARTMENT here;
WWHD here.
Weston
Emergency
Management page here.
Icelandic ash
over Europe (remote sensing
map) and frontpage
portrait
of the ash as it moves along high above...
WEST NILE VIRUS IN
THE AREA; HOW ABOUT LYME DISEASE?
AND NATURAL DISASTERS?
NOTES AND
E-SOURCES:
Annotated
bibliography...please remember
that this WEBsite is not official;
it
views events of the day as may impact good planning ...regional
comparisons
or examples provided...and:
A direct link to the newspaper
who's main office is closest to the Legislature - Hartford Courant;
Internal links organized in "biblio" page here!
Link
to "About Town" television
program information;
OTHER:
Watercolors
by Hannah Ferenbach
"Foggy
Dune"
CL&P:
Statewide
outage chart
POWER OUTAGES
CENTRAL HERE!!! SUPER-ACCURATE!
CL&P:
http://www.cl-p.com/home.aspx
-------------------------
EMERGENCY:
WEATHER: background
WEATHER REPORTS:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/okx/
FORECAST
FROM ACCU WEATHER
From
the National Weather Service (simple local report),
NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE - LOCATE DETAILED FORECAST HERE:
http://www.weather.gov/
How much snow?
Report
on traffic.
Need
a calendar? http://www.timeanddate.com/
N o
w a G O O G L E a d v i s o r . . .
News of Matthew Zachary in concert: http://matthewzachary.com/nyc/
I'M
TOO
YOUNG FOR
THIS: TIME
Magazine rates the site...http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stupidcancershow
PRACTICE-A-THON
'08 A BIG SUCCESS!!!
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1633488_1633530_1633566,00.html
Invasive species solution on Whidbey
Island
SP Kennel's leader retiresand...ChaCha
has a new bunch of pups, b.9/9/11. Clyde, second born in that
litter, completed Iditarod#41 (10 of 16 Black Team members children or
grandchildren of ChaCha).
W E B S I T E
Remember
this FORUM
very special article?
BREAKING NEWS:
Debt
Clock
Associated
Press
Reuters
Assorted other news links
Secret Police Records Are Bad Public Policy
Newtown Bill
Keeping Newtown records secret is a very bad idea
Hartford Courant editorial
1:12 PM EDT, May 22, 2013
When did somebody in state government decide that secrecy was good
public policy? When did leaders of the General Assembly decide that the
people who elected them can't be trusted?
We have seen bill after bill this
year that would limit the public's right to know what its government is
doing; everything from restricting access to information about pardons
and death certificates to charging fees to look at state police
reports. But this takes the cake.
A team of Courant reporters revealed
Wednesday that the staffs of the state's top prosecutor and the
governor's office have been working in secret with legislative leaders
on legislation to withhold certain records related to the police
investigation into the Dec. 14 Newtown elementary school massacre —
including victims' photos, tapes of 911 calls and possibly more. And —
this apparently has yet to be decided — the legislation could apply to
documents from other criminal cases that are now subject to public
disclosure.
This is wrong at every level. First,
drafting bills in secret — without going through the committee and
public hearing processes — is a terrible idea and not how democratic
government is supposed to work. If keeping police records private is a
good idea, why did the proposal's backers feel the need to act in
secret? The answer is that it isn't a good idea, and they damn well
know it. This from the Malloy administration, which has advocated for
more transparency in government?
Second, police are given awesome
power in our society. It is a power that can be abused. It is essential
that the public be able to scrutinize police work, to keep police power
in check. Except in very rare and temporary circumstances, police
records must be public.
The purpose of this legislation is
to protect the privacy of the Newtown families as the investigation
concludes, and who could not be sympathetic to the ordeal they have
been through? The likely fear of unwanted media activity and probing by
conspiracy theorists and others. This is going to happen anyway; it is
the nature of our instant electronic society. It will pass. And it does
not outweigh the public's need for this kind of information.
Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane
stressed Wednesday that his concern is limited to certain crime scene
photographs and 911 call recordings, which he does not want to see
"plastered all over the Internet." He said there is no intent to keep
the whole police report private. "I assume at some point almost
everything will be made public," he said.
In which case, let's hold the
discussion in public.
Copyright ©
2013, The Hartford Courant
Observation
of local government meetings
Above, Weston Town Hall (Comission Room frpm the
outside)...our list of meetings of
interest and notes taken by us since
the last local election are included here.
----------------
MAY 16, 2013: SELECTMEN WANT NEW
CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION (OF 7), TO BEGIN IN JUNE, FINISH IN TIME
FOR
NOV. 2013 BALLOT INCLUSION.
Why??? Or as my Mom's cat,
Charlie (r), would have probably asked, "Meow?" While the cat's
away, the mice shall play (Charter
Revision over the summer was done 10 years ago by 5 members.)
The first ATBM with mandatory Referendum (new under brand new Charter)
in 2013 is confused;
"About Town" was one who asked the Moderator what would happen if a
quorum showed up AFTER the proposed single quorum call was made - a
theorhitical point, and one which elicited the appropriate response -
the Moderator said he would consider it and if what looked like a
quorum to him was present, he would so declare.
I heard the Registrars announce "no
quorum" - which would have been 136 - or would it have been a higher
number that included Town Meeting voters too?
The question was debated, the Moderator
said he would consider another quorum count if more people showed up.
Our question: Is there a
deeper reason for a rush to another Charter Revision? Could the
M.O.R.E. Commission legislation take away taxing authority from
municipalities? And with an appointed Tax Collector, that makes
it easier to regionalize...tax collection. Hey - how about just
letting the State collect all property taxes and redistribute them
according to its own priorities?
OUR
FAVORITES FROM I-BBC:
A NEW PAGE - OIL AND WATER:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2010/oil_disaster/default.stm
History of earthquakes here.
...ONE SMALL STEP FOR
MAN,
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8133835.stm
G-20
news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2009/g20/7897719.stm
MAKING
CHANGE IN U.S. LESS
FUZZY: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7657473.stm
GLOBAL CREDIT CRUNCH TIMELINE:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7521250.stm
THE 'BIG
BANG' SUPERCOLLIDER
STORY IN
FULL
HERE
Global warming sidelight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7494305.stm
GREEN: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/7075560.stm
Confused
over the names of
countries? Changing
world here.
Big ships: the
pix; how about the
Titanic? the present story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6377633.stm
From across the pond:
"Unconfirmed" video from ITV:
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-05-22/exclusive-video-man-with-bloodied-hands-speaks-at-woolwich-scene/
Original commentary, jokes by "About
Weston" and original art
by
"About
Weston" are also on this website.
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