GFP Week in Review: Urinals, Plankton, Dogs, Moorings, Interns

The feature, Gov. Malloy Signs Pet Store Legislation During Stop at Greenwich Animal Control, was well read and received 80 Facebook likes by the weekend.

The legislation is designed to combat cruelty and inhuman conditions at puppy mills that pet stores source from.

When it goes into effect in October, stores will be penalized for importing puppies from mills with violations. Also the legislation requires pet shops to reimburse customers for veterinarian expenses exceeding the current $500 cap.

Further, the legislation instructs pet shops to post the USDA inspection reports for breeders of any dog offered for sale.

On hand to witness the Governor’s signature on the dotted line were State Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk, Darien), who co-chaired the “Task Force on the Sale of Cats and Dogs from Inhumane Origins at Connecticut Pet Shops” with State Rep. Brenda Kupchick (R-Fairfield, Southport).

At several moments during the proceedings, Carly, a 3-4 year old pit bull found as a stray in Old Greenwich in March stole the show. She charmed everyone she met, include Greenwich Police Chief Heavey and State Rep. Fred Camillo, who advocates in Hartford for animal welfare.

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Boys Room urinals at Greenwich High School.

Spencer Faragasso, GHS Jr Class President’s Agenda: Longer Hall Passing Times a Must, is a feature that appeared on Thursday.

Its first day on the site it didn’t garner much attention, probably because all of GHS was distracted by graduation.

Friday was a different story: Faragasso was a hit and his story has received 40 Facebook likes and 1,400 page views as of the weekend!

Faragasso, newly elected GHS rising junior class student government president campaigned on three promises to his classmates. His first order of the day come September, will be to lobby for longer hallway passing times.

Faragasso also plans to lobby to have partitions installed between boys room urinals at GHS. They are just too close together, he said, adding that the urinals deprive boys of privacy and are unsanitary.

Faragasso, having succeeded in his sophomore year quest to keep the price of muffins at school affordable, is one to watch at GHS.

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A feature on Greenwich mom Suzanne Wind — Greenwich Mom’s Award Winning Manners & Social Skills Workbook is a “Game Changer” —
was read by thousands and received a whopping 115 Facebook likes. Wind wrote a summer workbook on manners and social skills, that is perfect for moms who know that those “soft skills” count but don’t want to drive to yet another class, camp or practice.

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Greenwich Free Press said goodbye this week to Matt Pignataro and Courtney Oarr, who wrote several popular features for the site during their 5-week internships. The pair worked together on an interview of GHS Headmaster Chris Winters. They also boght e-cigarettes at the gas station and interviewed Kathy Steiner on the topic.

Courtney’s feature on GHS college and career services counselor Randi Green got 112 Facebook Likes! Matt’s World Cup soccer feature was well read and receiced 42 likes.

Not a minutes too soon, rising Greenwich Academy senior Allie Primak began a summer internship at Greenwich Free Press and has already written about First Selectman Tesi’s night volunteers after senior prom for Safe Rides, about the Pemberwick-Glenville Association’s vote on board members and shared the editor’s by line on the Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser at Richards last Friday night. Read more about Allie in “Meet Greenwich Free Press Intern: Allie Primak.”

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GHS Graduation On Thursday the skies cleared, humidity evaporated and 646 GHS seniors in the class of 2014 filled Cardinal Stadium.

Commencement speaker Paul Hicks’ vivid description of freshmen newbie status being akin to plankton in the sea, was a hit.

Greenwich Free Press feature on graduation included dozens of Photos, rising quickly to the top of the popular story chart and garnering 39 Facebook likes as of the weekend.

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Laurie Hollywood preparing to conduct a DNA test on a dog at Stamford Animal Care & Control in 2013. Credit Leslie Yager

Some troubling news out of Stamford was the termination of that city’s Animal Care & Control Facility, Laurie Hollywood. After a lengthy investigation, the Mayor’s office released a statement that Hollywood had adopted out dogs without informing recipients of the dogs’ history of biting and aggressive behavior, resulted in injuries to several people.

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GHS Compass 1970 yearbook photo of playing fields under water after rainfall.

A feature on the ongoing saga of toxic soil at Greenwich High school, “Toxic Soil and MISA. Where Does the Buck Stop?” received only a handful of Facebook likes, but quietly accumulated a couple thousand page views. We haven’t heard the last on this story. Watch this space for an update.

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The story of Rishi Bali’s YOGASMOGA store — It’s a Store. It’s a Lifestyle. YOGASMOGA REnovates 68 Greenwich Ave — which he hopes will open at 68 Greenwich Ave in August got 88 Facebook likes. YOGASMOGA, until now a yoga apparel business run exclusively online, picked Greenwich to open its first retail location. Bali hopes to open yoga and spinning studios in the space which includes both the first and second floors of the building.