Around Town

GFP Declares Sunday Adopt-a-Fire-Hydrant Day

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A recent statement from Greenwich Police Capt. Kordick referred to fire hydrants as “true lifesavers.” Kordick said multiple fire hydrants around Greenwich are obstructed by snow and ice and  asked residents with a fire hydrant on their property to shovel them out. “Even if you do not have a fire hydrant on your property, please do not be afraid to adopt a nearby fire hydrant in your neighborhood,” Kordick’s said in his announcement. Join other local Greenwich residents who already   “Like” Greenwich Free Press on Facebook.      Continue Reading →

Arts

Sunday Afternoons Live Presents Music of Bach’s Time and Our Time

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Our ever popular Sunday Afternoons Live concert series concludes on Sunday, February 23 at 4:00 pm with Music of Bach’s Time and Our Time, featuring Masayuki Maki on harpsichord. Tickets are $20/person (available at the door), and all school-aged youth are free. This program will present harpsichord music composed by J. S. Bach, his teacher Georg Böhm, and his son, C. P. E. Bach, and, at the same time, you will hear harpsichord music composed by our contemporaries, such as the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen and the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu.  Hearing the music from the old and new, the east and west, do you think the music is changed by time and space, or is our perception of them changed by music? A multi-instrumentalist on various classical keyboard instruments, Masayuki Maki has extensive experience in lecturing and performing in America and Asia.  He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College of the City University of New York.  Maki often performs in prestigious concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Forbidden City Concert Hall (China), and Suntory Hall (Japan), and regularly works at the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera as harpsichord technician, and is currently completing his doctorate in harpsichord at Stony Brook where he is also Assistant Director of the Stony Brook Opera. This concert will be held in the beautiful setting of our historic Meetinghouse at First Church, complete with coffee, tea and light snacks.  Our Sunday Afternoons Live season, this year, has been gratefully underwritten by the late Stella Miazga, a non-church member who attended our concerts and generously bequeathed funds to support the series after her death. Continue Reading →

Sports

GHS Boys Varsity Hockey vs Xavier at Wesleyan: If 3 Goals is a Hat Trick, What is 4 Goals?

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Many hockey parents made the trip from Greenwich to Wesleyan’s Freeman Athletic Center in Middletown on Saturday morning, though the team bus had to take the long route as the Merritt Parkway, the most direct route, prohibits buses. The GHS boys varsity hockey team faced off against the Falcons of Xavier High School, the all-boys Catholic school located in Middletown. In the second period, the Cards were down 2 to Falcons 5, but a period three rally on the part of GHS brought the final score to GHS 4 vs Xavier 5. Senior Luke Finnergan scored all 4 goals for the Cardinals.  Finnergan whose shirt number is the lucky 11, is team captain.   Continue Reading →

Dogs

Everything Dogs: Poppy the Poodle Says Orange is the New Black

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Weighing in at just 6 lbs, meet Poppy. Poppy (short for poppyseed?) is a tiny ten-year-old male toy poodle who is looking for someone to spend the next half of his life with.  

Poppy is very friendly. He likes both other small dogs and cats.  And he is wee-wee pad trained. He might just be the perfect dog in a tiny black non-shedding package.  He is being fostered here in Greenwich.  
He will be at Pet Pantry in Greenwich Saturday, Feb. Continue Reading →

Tiny New York Kitchen: Citrus Risotto

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By Victoria Hart Glavin of Tiny New York Kitchen
When it comes to risotto, simple is good, and it doesn’t get much simpler than a lime and a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. You can make this dish with either Arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano. INGREDIENTS

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Finely Diced Medium Onion
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Short-Grained Italian Rice
1/4 Cup White Wine
4 Cups Heated Chicken Broth
Grated Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of 1 Lime
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

In a medium-size heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add onions, kosher salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Continue Reading →

Schools

Greenwich High School MISA Update: Steel Frame Taking Shape

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While Thursday’s Board of Education meeting was overshadowed by the plan to annex BANC for New Lebanon School kindergarteners in 2014-2015 school year, other items of business were discussed, including an update on the progress on the MISA project at GHS. Building committee member Laura Erickson reported that steel has been erected in the southeast area of the footprint for the galleria and the restrooms and that steel for the auditorium itself is scheduled to go up immediately on completion of the orchestra pit. Erickson, a new member of the MISA building committee, said the general consensus of the committee, following a lengthy review, is to request additional funding of $2.27 to$ 2.57 million to replenish the contingency, which she said would include approximately $1.77 million for environmental issues she described as “the result of  the soil excavation and disposal costs, as well as general conditions due to the delays.” Erickson said the committee looked at the overall $3.2 million contingency for the auditorium portion of MISA which she said is about 20% complete, but that 40% of the contingency has already been consumed. “We’d like to shore up the contingency, which is probably about $600,000,” Erickson said. Continue Reading →

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:”Free the Bethlehem 63″ T-Shirts Support Care of 63 Dogs Seized from Fred Acker

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letter to the editor - Greenwich Free Press

To the Editor:

Due to Fred Acker appealing his convictions for animal cruelty and stating that he intends to continue to do so even it the process takes years, and the dogs having been seized and relinquished to the care of municipal shelters and boarding facilities for a length of time, I have set up a Booster T-shirt for sale for those who would like to support the care of the 63 dogs seized from Fred Acker, “The Bethlehem 63.” To clarify, neither the town nor Judy Umstead have appealed to draw out the process as Mr. Acker has asserted. Rather, filed a cross appeal only in the civil case due to his appeal.   The dogs are now still in the care of Bethlehem Animal Control and the t-shirt sales will hopefully offset some of the cost for their vet bills because some of the dogs do need daily medication. To buy a shirt readers can go to www.booster.com/freethe63. Continue Reading →

Schools

Parents Ask for Alternatives to New Lebanon-BANC Split Campus for 2014-15

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At Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting, New Lebanon School principal, Barbara Riccio delivered a welcome to what she described as a “tiny place” where students bring vibrant culture and traditions to the community despite many of their parents’ struggles to make ends meet. Student government president of GHS, Guillermo Perez, who himself attended New Lebanon School, addressed the board and audience in Spanish before switching to English. “This school seemed a lot bigger,” Perez said describing the hallways as so small compared to his memories. Going out of his way to express gratitude for his former teachers, Perez added, “This school is where I learned to make friends, to be compassionate.  … This school is really something special.”

Superintendent McKersie later praised Perez and his fellow GHS senior, Henry Ricciardi, mentioning that Riccardi has been accepted to Boston College and Perez has been awarded a full scholarship to Syracuse University. BANC Satellite Campus for Kindergarten in 2014-2015
Once the GHS students delivered their remarks, there was discussion of options to make up snow days and an update on MISA, before focus turned to the issue of the day: annexing space at the Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center (BANC) to house New Lebanon School’s kindergarten in 2014-2015 school year in order to ameliorate overcrowding. Continue Reading →