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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2/17/09 Here Is How The Courant Reports On It's Building School Committee.The Difference Is The Harford Paper Has Blogs And Hearst Newspapers Don't

Helen Ubinas At The Harford Courant


Notes from HeL


Hmmm...Is El Jefe on his way out?: Helen Ubinas


By Helen Ubinas


2:11 pm UPDATE: Why whispers should never be ignored.


1:05 pm UPDATE: City hall whispers are now adding that the big guy might be doing the same with the School Building Committee. But those are just rumors right now. An email seeking comment to Spokesperson Sarah Barr was met with an automated response:


"City Hall is closed Monday, February 16th in honor of President's Day."


XXXXX


There's an interesting item on the agenda for Tuesday's Hartford Board of Education meeting: Election of new officers.Hmmm...Wonder if that means Mayor Eddie Perez, reigning King of the Board, will step aside?


It certainly wouldn't be in the mayor's NEVER BACK DOWN nature, but hey, you never know.

Now That's Newspaper Blogging With An Attitude


MORE NOTES FROM HEL:

WHY ISN'T GREENWICH TIME MANAGING EDITOR BRUCE HUNTER SMART ENOUGH TO PUT LOCAL BLOGGER'S ON THE GREENWICH TIME WEBSITE:
If Hunter Put Claudette Rothman (Greenwich Diva) , Bill Clarke (Greenwich Gossip) Or My Favorite Mad Blogger And Town Gadfly Chris Fountain (For What It's Worth) On The Greenwich Time Website He Would Increase The Paper's Web Traffic Dramatically.


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2/17/09 Greenwich Time Cub Reporter Colin Gustafon Once Again Fails To Interview All Stakeholders At Hamilton Avenue School

GREENWICH TIME TO HAMILTON AVENUE PARENTS: I Am Sorry We Can't Hear You Over The Sound Of How Incompetent We Are.

Greenwich Time Reporters And Editors Still Don't Want To Hear From The Primary Educators Of Hamilton Avenue School Children - The Parents



Staff Writer
Posted: 02/17/2009 02:15:04 PM EST

GREENWICH -- Their day has finally arrived.

Hundreds of smiling parents and wide-eyed youngsters streamed through the doors of the rebuilt Hamilton Avenue School this morning for the first day of classes in the new, state-of-the-art schoolhouse.......

...."The kids are thrilled to have everything they've deserved for so long. It makes it worth it to have done all of this work," said Rau, who has spent more than a week overseeing her staff's efforts to move out of the modular classrooms and into the new building.

The return comes after more than three years in which students were forced to attend class in modular facilities on the campus of Western Middle School while waiting for the go-ahead to return to their school, which was originally scheduled to be finished in late 2006. Built in 1914, the original school building was closed in 2005 because of mold problems.

"This is the icing on the cake to be in this building," Sternberg told students. Now, "I hope you continue to go up, up and away."
Some Folks At My Church Said Try To Find Something Nice To Say About Colin Gustafson And This Will Encourage Him To Do A Better Job Of Reporting On Greenwich Schools.
Well At Least Colin Filed A News Report About Today's Grand Opening
It Looks Like The Greenwich Citizen And The Greenwich Post Are Not Going To Cover Hamilton Avenue School's Opening Day And Give Us A Peek Inside The New $31 Million Dollar Building.
UPDATE
-OMG -
THE FOLKS AT HARVEST TIME CHURCH WERE RIGHT.
I SAID SOME THING NICE ABOUT COLIN AND HE LATER ADDED A HAMILTON AVENUE SCHOOL VIDEO TO HIS NEWS STORY.




A Big Thumbs Up
For Colin Gustafson And Hearst Newspapers For Adding The Video To The News Story. That Was An Excelent Touch

Greenwich Residents Are Still Waiting To See If The Greenwich Citizen And The Greenwich Post Are Going To Report On The Opening Day For The $31 Million Dollar Schhool


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2/17/09 Reader Submitted Comments About Ham Ave School

Brian -

I saw the press release inviting members of the press to take a tour of the new building tomorrow. I hope that you will be able to attend. You need to see for yourself what you helped make happen.

I walked my boys to school this morning and the smiles on the faces of all the children and their parents was an amazing thing to see. Smiles from ear to ear on the kids and tears of joy from the parents. I must admit I was one of those weepy parents. Finally having the children and the staff home in their brand new school was worth every fight, every hit, every disparaging word or comment, every sleepless night and every tear. Knowing that in the end the majority of the parents came together and demanded together that our children belonged in their new building was worth it. It was a long, difficult, personally painful fight for me and I would do it all over again exactly the same way to see the faces of this community this morning.

Please try to take the tour. Thank you for everything.

Laura J. DiBella



COMMENT:


Thank You For Your Very Kind Words


It Looks Like The School The Greenwich Board Of Education And It's School Administrators Flawlessly Pulled Off This Big Transition Into Ham Ave Without Any Hitches, Because I Have Not Heard One Complaint From Any Hamilton Avenue Parent Or Teacher.
This Was Only Possible, Because Of The Dedicated And Diligent Families Who Never Gave Up.


I know That The Small Children Of Hamilton Avenue School Are So Proud Of Their New $31 Million School And Their Very Resilient Parents.


Hamilton Avenue Families Clearly Have Shown That Parental Involvement Can Make A Big Difference In Their Children's Educational Careers.


Unfortunately, Greenwich Roundup Is All Talk And No Action When It Comes To Ham Ave.


I Wont To Be Able To Go To The Press Tour, Because I Was Working Until 5:30 This Morning And Little Later Today I Have To Go To Harrison And Fix A Door At A Proposed CVS Site.


After That I Have Go To Harvest Time Church Up On King Street And Once Again Volunteer To Be The Church's Chief Beverage Officer For The Tuesday Night Activities.


I Need To Be On Time For This Coffee Bar Assignment, Because Last Week I Was A Little Late And The Ladies Who Run The Church Office Had To Start Setting Up My Coffee Tables In The Lobby.


Tonight I Will Ask Some Members Of My Church To Say Prayers That The Hamilton Avenue Children Are Exceptionally Focused As They Prepare For The All Important CMT Tests In A Few Weeks.




Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the "comments" link at The end of this post.

2/17/09 Greenwich Time News Links

Rebecca Riolo, left, 12, and Charlotte Stone, also 12 of Greenwich, were both featured in Discovery Girls Magazine. (contributed photo)

Greenwich girls grace magazine's cover
Town girls Charlotte Stone, and Rebecca Riolo, both 12, have long considered themselves avid magazine readers, but until recently neither imagined that their pictures and writing would one day grace the pages of one of their favorite national glossies.


First Selectman Peter Tesei would rather take a slow boat to Island Beach or Great Captains Island than to suspend ferry service to both places this summer because of the recession.

Greenwich looks to fees to boost revenue
Whether it be leaf collection, trash disposal or responding to smoke alarms, elected officials are seeing dollar signs perhaps more than ever when they weigh services provided by the town......

Greenwich 10-year plan draft highlights first selectman
If approved by the Representative Town Meeting as early as next month, the final draft of the town's 10-year Plan of Conservation and Development would place unprecedented planning authority in the hands of the first selectman.

Bill would allow students to join boards of education
A Stamford attorney wants the state to allow students to join municipal boards of education. Adam Blank, who lives in Norwalk, is behind a bill submitted by state Sen.

Greenwich swan gets new home
After wandering a Byram neighborhood for several weeks, lunging and nipping at people in search of food, "Swannie" the swan was moved to an undisclosed location elsewhere in Greenwich Monday, said town Animal Control Officer Suzanne

Greenwich zoning board to review park, bank
The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Wednesday to review a final site plan for the redevelopment of the former Cos Cob Power Plant site at 22 Sound Shore Drive, including the construction of a multi-use town park with a synthetic turf athletic field, playground and walking trail.

Entertain the troops
Entertain the troops York Construction And Development of Old Greenwich is collecting gently used CDs and DVDs from the 1980s and 1990s to send to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.


Stamford officer shoots pet to death after attack, chase
STAMFORD -- A Stamford woman remains in critical condition Tuesday morning after a sudden attack by a 200-pound chimpanzee at her friend's North Stamford house Monday afternoon, according to Stamford Hospital.

Greenwich High School edges Simsbury in girls hockey
It was only fitting that senior captain Kayla Grace scored the game winning goal for the Greenwich High School girls hockey team in its matchup against Simsbury Monday.

Kid fit: Boot camp-style workouts are attracting the younger set
When Stamford's The Training Floor gym began teaching boot camp classes to local middle schoolers last year, it had one requirement.

Himes details district's share of stimulus
The economic stimulus package took center stage Tuesday morning as Congressman Jim Himes met with the board of directors of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

Connecticut will receive about $1.6 billion of the $787 billion spending bill, which President Barack Obama signed Tuesday, said the freshman representaive for Connecticut's 4th Congressional District. About a third of the Nutmeg State's allocation will go toward grants for renewable energy projects, Himes said.

"This bill is one the largest and progressive energy bills we've ever done," he said at the meeting held at the Stamford Marriott. "It's about creating an energy industry right here in Connecticut."

TODAY'S GREENWICH TIME EDITORIAL:


Thumbs up to Police Chief Dave Ridberg, who since taking over the department in 2007 has gone above and beyond to keep it functioning at a high level despite a court injunction that has decimated the chain of command.

Incredibly, some of the rank and file have reported that despite the handicap, Chief Ridberg has been able to improve morale and functionality within the department.

The state Supreme Court recently ruled against the plaintiff, meaning the injunction should be ended soon. The first selectman is talking about a potential restructuring of the chain of command. What's most important is that the chief gets the support he needs and deserves, along with thanks for shouldering a disproportional part of the departmental burden.

THUMBS DOWN FOR THE GREENWICH TIME EDITORS WHO HAVE REPEATEDLY FAILED TO RECOGNIZE HOW GREENWICH POLICE LIUTENANTS AND OTHER POLICE SUPERVISORS SHOULDER A DISPROPORTIONATE PART OF THE BURDEN WITHOUT ANY FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THEIR UNION CONTRACT

Even With All Of This Silver Shield Union Support Police Chief Ridberg Has Whined That He Is "Shot" And "Overtaxed"

PLEASE SEE:


RIDBERG IS "SHOT" FROM THE STRESS OF HIS "OVERTAXING" JOB

To the editor:

As documented in Greenwich Time on Feb. 1 in his own words, the chief of police in Greenwich has suffered so much extra stress in his job over the last 18 months that he now describes himself as feeling "shot" on the job.

This is extremely scary news for the citizens and taxpayers of Greenwich that the leader of arguably the most important agency in town has suffered so much stress that he now describes himself that way.

Even scarier is the fact that the first selectman and police commissioner, Peter Tesei, is fully aware of the chief's self-described condition (stress is a well-documented medical/psychological condition), yet does not remove him immediately while he is evaluated and/or treated until he can be certified as "un-shot." The citizens and taxpayers deserve nothing less.

The ramifications of keeping a chief on the job who is "shot" due to an "overtaxing" job are far reaching for the town, its citizens and its taxpayers......

PLEASE ALSO SEE:

THE HEADLINES:

SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNERS IN GREENWICH SAY: THIS IS AN UNNECESSARY BAND-AID APPROACH TO GREENWICH POLICING

Greenwich Police Chief Ridberg fells "shot" because of the stress of thee past 18 months. Ridberg is struggling at the administrative level: Is this a direct threat to public safety?

THE STORY:
.....Officials said the promotion freeze on all positions above captain has strained the department, overtaxing the chief of police and causing the lieutenants below him to take on new responsibilities in order to shoulder some of the burden. .....

Did You Ever Hear The "Plaintiff" Lt Gary Honlulik Complain To The Greenwich Time Complain That He Was "Shot" And "Overtaxed" Doing Work That Is Ussually Handled By Deputy Chiefs And Captains

The Greenwich Time Has Reapeatedly Flip Floped On This Issue Over And Over And Now Only WantsTo Refer To Lt. Honlulik As The "Plaintiff".

The Greenwich Time Is Trying To Make The "Plaintiff" Reponsible For Every Little Problem In The Greenwich Police Department.

The Question Greenwich Roundup Fas For The Flip Flopping Greenwich Time Editors Is Did The "Plaintiff" Change The Rules After The Captain's Test Scores Came In.

PLEASE SEE:



Opinion


Greenwich Time Editorial

As author Thomas Campbell put it, "victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan."......

Last Year Greenwich Time Editors Joined Criticized Then Police Commissioner Jim Lash And The Town Attorney For Wasting Tax Dollars When The Greenwich Police Department Deviated From Established Procedure And Passed Over Lt. Gary Honulik After He Scored The Highest On The Promotional Exam.

After A Close Split Decision That Went Against Lt. Honulik The Greenwich Time Editors Flip Flop.


Whether the plaintiff, Lt. Gary Honulik, was qualified to be captain or not, townspeople should feel reassured that senior police supervisors can be chosen at least in part on factors such as demonstrated judgment and the ability to lead personnel under them while working closely with those over them.....

...Worse yet would have been the courts deciding that town officials could not now, or perhaps even in the future, consider important factors because some perceived precedent had been established.

The Supreme Court decision was a split one, 3-2, but no matter. Indications are a request for reconsideration would have a slim chance of success. We should just be thankful that the justices ruled that tests do not have to be regarded as the sole gauge of who best can be a leader.....

Shame, Shame, Shame On The Flip Flopping Greenwich Time

If Lt. Honulik had won the flip flopping editors of the Green Kitty Litter Liner would have proclaimed that his victory would have been the right decision.

This Is Why Bill Clark Calls The Greenwich Time The "Yellowich Time"

The Greenwich Time Editors Know That What Happened To Lt. Honlulik Was Wrong, But They Changed Their Tune This Week

The Town Of Greenwich should have said from the very beginning, that there would be an added oral interview.

But Former Police Commissioner Jim Lash allowed his Police Chief to don't add the interview at the end! After Lt. Honulik Out Scored Lt. Michael Pacewicz.

This was wrong. This was unfair. This was unethical.

Everyone knows this was done for political reasons.

Jim Lash and his police chief did this because they wanted low scoring Micheal "Give Me Extra Retirement Dollars" Pacewicz to be captain.

The town was actually surprised by this. They were expecting a loss and that5's why Pacewicz resigned before the decision. The fact is that 60% of the Supreme court judges were wrong and blind to the injustice that was obvious to anyone with half a brain.

The Greenwich Time Editors Are Trying To Use It's Editorial Power To Help Town Hall Sway Public Opinion By Omission.

This Is The Oldest Trick In The Greenwich Time's Dirty Little Play Book.

The bottom line is and always will be that the rules were changed after the game began. How anyone can defend that is beyond me. Lt. Honlulik Was Robbed Right Before Our Eyes.

The Greenwich Time As Usual fails To Get Independent Legal Analysis And Instead Parrots Town Attorney John Wayne Fox When They Write .......

"The Supreme Court decision was a split one, 3-2, but no matter. Indications are a request for reconsideration would have a slim chance of success."

What Will The Clueless Fox News Wannabes Of Lower Fairfield County Have To Say If Lt. Honlulik And His Attorney decide That There Is A Way To Go To The Federal Courts.

Hearst Newspapers Fails To Understand That The Rules Changed In Midstream And This Is Illegal And Unfair. The Clueless Flip Flopping Editors At The Greenwich Time Fail To Understand That Ends Do Not Always Justify The Means.

The Flip Flopping Green Kitty Litter Liner Fails To Understand That This Case Was About A Dedicated Individual And His Right To Fair Treatment. The Corporately Owned Town Newspaper Is Simply Endorsing The Town's Right To Use Cronyism And Nepotism In It's Promotional Process.

The Greenwich Time Editors Are Basically Saying To Hell With Merit.

There Is Not One Shred Of Evidence That Even Remotely Suggests That Lt. Honlulik Has Ever Failed To Demonstrated The Judgment And The Ability To Lead Police Officers Under His Command. Nor Has Anyone Questioned His Ability To Be Quick And Decisive In A Crisis Or Emergency.

The Town Of Greenwich And Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Should Do The Right Thing And Immediately Promote Lt HonLulik To One Of The Four Open Positions And Pay Him All The Captains Pay He Lost Since 2003.

Why Don't We Take The Extra Unearned Retirement Money That The Town Is Planning On Giving Pacewicz And Give It To Lt. Honlulik.

MORE INFORMATION:


Figures Lie And Liars Figure

The Single Family Homeowners Of Greenwich Are Starting To Think That Maybe Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Needs A Little Truth Syrup
Greenwich Citizen

No Reporter's Byline, Because Cowardly Hearst Newspapers Printed Word For Word What Town Hall Gave Them

"The latest crime index data shows (comparing first quarter '07 and '08) shows Greenwich's crime rate decreased by 23.3 percent."The Crime Index includes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. Perhaps, even more important, is that clearance rates for Index crimes in Greenwich significantly exceed national standards."

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY GREENWICH RESIDENTS
GET SO FED UP WITH HEARST NEWSPAPERS

ONCE AGAIN HEARST NEWSPAPER REPORTERS
HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY HAVE NO JOURNALISTIC BALLS

ANY FOOL CAN CHERRY PICK A BIG FAT CRIME REPORT

Why Not Compare Crime Statistics Year To Year And Even Go Back A Few Years?

What is this B.S that we are only going to compare the 1st Quarter of 2009 with the 1st Quarter of 2008?

Why didn't Greenwich Police Ridberg only compare the last quarter of 2009 with the last quarter of 2008?

Could it have been all of those burgularlized Greenwich Homes?

In 2006, There Were Only 58 Burgularies And 10 Roberies In Greenwich.

Greenwich Roundup Would Like To Report On More Current Numbers, But Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Has The 2007 And 2008 Reports Under Lock And Key.

Last Summer Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Tried To Cherry Pick The preliminary FBI Report For The Town Of Greenwich In A Story Written By Hearst Newspaper Crime Reporter Martin Cassidy

The Greenwich Time Headline Screamed

However Greenwich Roundup Pointed Out That.....

At That Time Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg admitted that he's prematurely rushed out the numbers and they are not really ready for prime time....

Ridberg told Hearst Newspaper Crime Reporter Martin Cassidy that he is still analyzing some of the data, and that a final version of the report is expected later in 2008.

Ridberg Never Released The Final Version

On More Than One Occassion Greenwich Roundup Has Had The Journalistic Balls To Point Out How Hearst Newspapers Are Giving Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg A Free Pass.

PLEASE SEE:

Those who live and work in Byram are rallying behind the idea of adding a police substation next to the Byram Volunteer Fire Department.

....they don't spend enough time here," said Fingold, who has run his shop on the corner of two busy Byram streets for over five years.

Nancy Ugrinaj, owner of Fuzari's Pizzeria, at 226 Mill St., agreed a substation would bring peace of mind to the community, which police said is vulnerable to crime due to its border with Port Chester and its proximity to New York City and Interstate 95.

"Just in case of an emergency, it would be a good thing," said Ugrinaj, who has owned the pizzeria for three years....

...."Byram is always the last to get attention," said Merchant.....

COMMENT:

The Greenwich Time Reporters Who Work For Hearst Newspapers Don't Have The Journalistic Balls To Go To Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg And Say, "Hey Chief, What Happened To Those Crime Statistics You Promised The Taxpayers Of Greenwich?

Greenwich Time Reporters Don't Have The Journalistic Balls To Hold Chief Ridberg Accountable To The Single Family Homeowners Of Greenwich.
When CT Senator Chris Dodd Promised And Did Not Deliver Documents To The Public About His Countrywide Loans Wall Street Journal Reporters Had The Journalistic Balls To Say,"Say Hey, Chris Where Are Those Loan Documents."

PLEASE SEE:

Waiting for Dodd
Wall Street Journal

We've got some leftover business from the 110th Congress -- namely, Chris Dodd's July 2008 promise to release the details of his sweetheart loans from ...

Chris Dodd's now-venerable promise to release documents pertaining to his 2003 mortgages with Countrywide. This newsprint icon of commerce reminded its ...

But The Cowardly Greenwich Time Reporters And Editors Are Afraid Of Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg, Because He Is Thin Skinned And Uses Police Resources To Retaliate Against Critics

Time And Time Again, Greenwich Residents Have Heard Police Chief Ribderg Go On Local Radio Station WGCH And Repeatedly Attack Attorney Lindy Urso, Greenwich Roundup And Others.

Now The Stamford Police Chief Is A Real Straight Up And Honest Man Who Released His Towns 2008 Crime Report, Even Though It Contained Some Bad News.....
WSTC/WNLK Newsroom @ January 28, 2009 12:41 PM

According to a preliminary FBI report, the city of Stamford has endured a 32% rise in violent crimes for the first half of 2008 in comparison to the first half of 2007.This data comes despite a nationwide statistical drop in violent crimes.

Police Chief Brent Larabee has expressed surprise. Lieutenant Sean Cooney, lead department spokesman says it's necessary to place the numbers in perspective, saying that despite the increase, the number is still relatively low given the cities 100,000 plus population. Cooney also mentioned that the economic conditions will probably see the numbers continuing to rise. He pledged, however, that the department will continue to fight crime will all of their resources despite the need for more officers.

Why Can't Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Be As Straight Up And Honest As Stamford Police Chief Brent Larabee

Police Chief David Ridberg Should Stop Pussy Footing Around And Hold Himself Accountable To The Single Family Homeowners Who Have Yet To Be Burglarized In Town.

It Is Time To Release The Full Greenwich Crime Report Warts And All

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02/17/09 Greenwich Police Blotter - Steven Kovach

The Place:

9 Lucy St.

The Player:

Steven Kovach - Age 46

The Plot:

Steven Kovach was arrested Saturday morning and charged with interfering with an officer, threatening and disorderly conduct after an incident at the home

The Processing:

Steven Kovach was released on a promise to appear Tuesday in state Superior Court in Stamford

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02/18/09 The Greenwich Police Blotter - Jorge Cardenas-Rey

The Place:

12 Wilbur Peck Court

The Player:

Jorge Cardenas-Rey - Age 21

The Plot;

Jorge Cardenas-Rey was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct stemming from an incident at the home.

The Processing:

Jorge Cardenas-Rey was released on $100 bond to appear Monday in state Superior Court in Stamford

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