Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
Spent surfer
swept out to sea.
Brown wins Westport; wins U.S. senate seat.
Early morning fire
destroys vacant home on State Road.
Keyboards for
Kids: A Fund Raiser for Westport and Tiverton Public Schools.
WRWA to
offer two scholarships.
Westport
Historical Society seeks Civil War information on Westporters.
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Spent surfer swept out to sea. EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 A 39-year-old
Brocton man, overcome by exhaustion and an out-going tide, was swept out to
sea late Monday morning, and had to be rescued by a joint effort between the
Westport Fire Department and the Harbormaster’s office. The fire department received the call at
1:04 p.m. from a town resident after spotting the surfer waving his arms and
signaling for help. The fire department’s rescue boat, normally
trailered at the Central Village fire house, was dispatched to the state boat
ramp next to the Back Eddy Restaurant. Westport police notified Westport
harbormaster Richie Earle who ordered out the Harbormaster’s boat which is
always tied up at Lees Wharf. “I guess he had
the day off and wanted to take advantage of the heavy surf,” Earle said. “He
was surfing alone, which is never a good idea.” Earle received a
call from the police department and was asked to provide assistance in the
rescue effort. “Officially we’re off duty at this time of year,” Earle said.
“I called Jimmy Perry to assist me.” “Jimmy and I put on our survival suits and
headed out in R1, our rescue boat,” Earle said. “The wind was up early that
morning, 35 to 40 knots, and there was a good sea on. We didn’t know how
rough the conditions were out of the harbor.” The fire
department’s boat was launched a few minutes Before Earle’s boat set out. “We caught up to
them at the harbor channel,” Earle said. “Their boat is open and wasn’t
handling the breakers very well at the harbor entrance. We took on
firefighter Raymond Benoit, who had on a wet suit, and the fire department
boat returned to port.” Earle, Perry and
Benoit had their hands full getting past the heady surf and breakers, finally
heading east towards Cherry & Webb Beach. “Our 24’ rescue
boat is enclosed with a pilot house and windows, which protects us against
the breakers, and is much faster than the fire department’s boat,” Earle
said. “We coordinated the rescue attempt with a fire department spotter on
Baker’s Beach over the police band.” “I understand the
police department contacted the Coast Guard and was co-coordinating the
possible use of a helicopter. It’s important to ramp up those services, and
reduce the emergency status as needed.” “We had a 20-knot
north wind with the seas coming out of the south,”
Earle said. “There was an outgoing tide. We really had to watch the
breakers.” They spotted the surfer about a half-mile
out off Baker’s beach. “He was sitting on his board,” Earle said. “He had
just given up. Fortunately he was tethered to his board and was wearing a wet
suit, but without a hood.” Paramedic-firefighters Keith Nickelson and
Steven Lopes checked out the man at the town docks. Nickelson and Lopes were
both involved with the recent rescue of Leo the collie who had fallen through
the ice at Sawdy Pond on January 4th. Click
here to read the story of lucky Leo’s rescue. The man refused medical treatment. “He was
very apologetic,” Earle said. “He just pooped out and couldn’t paddle back
against that north wind.” Fire Captain Bruce Martin said that the
“surfer got swept away pretty good. He just went out farther than he wanted
and became fatigued when he tried to paddle against the tide to shore.” Brown wins Westport; wins U.S. senate
seat. EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AP reported that at 9:20 p.m. Martha
Coakley conceded the election to Brown, who was sustaining a 6 point lead
with 75% of all precincts reporting. Left: Wearing a tri-cornered hat, Mary Lou Daxland,
Westport Republican Town Committee Chairwoman, was campaigning in the rain
getting out the vote. It wasn’t supposed to be that kind of
election. Off-year, special elections don’t get out the vote. Dreary, wet and
cold New England weather – no incentive there. The December state primary
leading to this taken-for-granted senatorial race turned out just 12.8% of
registered Westport voters. Typical, overlooked, ho-hum. But that perspective was thrown out the
window when the come-from-behind republican Scott Brown, riding a wave of
national conservatism and a growing sentiment against the pending health care
legislation, swept the race with a resounding victory over Martha Coakley. Coakley had a 30 point advantage at the
turn of the new year. But by election time that lead had evaporated and Brown
polled up by 5. Big turnout in Westport. Unexpectedly, Massachusetts and Westport
voters turned out in a big way and, according to the pundits, large turnouts
favor the conservative electorate. An exit poll of voters at the Town Hall
Annex, when asked why they had come out to vote produced comments like: “it’s
a make or break issue,” and “it is an important election,” and “I think we’re
on the wrong track.” Unofficial Westport results mirrored those
of the state with Brown winning 53.5% of the total 6142 cast in the five
precincts. Only Precinct A voted for Coakley by one vote. 53.9% of Westport’s 11,471 registered
voters went to the polls; excellent numbers for a special, off-year election.
The Westport High School had the highest
turnout at 58.69 percent; the Macomber School the lowest at 49.49 percent. Brown ran a well-orchestrated and vigorous
campaign, preaching a national referendum on healthcare reform, an
increasingly unpopular piece of legislation with Massachusetts voters. His
folksy and down-to-earth persona resonated well with voters tired of
top-to-bottom politics. Joseph L. Kennedy, a member of the
Libertarian Party and no relation to the Kennedy family, received 77 Westport
votes. Massachusetts hasn’t elected a republican
senator since Edward Brooke III who won his first bid for re-election, but
lost in 1978 to Paul Tsongas. Senator Brooke was only the third
African-American ever to sit in the U.S. Senate and the first to get there by
winning a popular vote.
All results are unofficial. Absentee ballots not yet
received have 10 days to be counted. * 3 blank ballots, 2 write-ins ** 1 write-in There are 4648 democrats, 1369 republicans,
and 5400 independents registered in Westport. The democratic candidate,
Martha Coakley received 2898 votes, and the republican Scott Brown received
3203 votes. Clearly many independents and more than just a few democrats
voted for Brown. According
to a MSNBC report published late Tuesday night, even before the first results
were announced, administration
officials were privately accusing Coakley of a poorly run campaign and playing down
the notion that Obama or a toxic political landscape had much to do with the
outcome. Coakley's
supporters, in turn, blamed that very environment, saying her lead dropped
significantly after the Senate passed health care reform shortly before
Christmas and after the Christmas Day attempted airliner bombing that Obama
himself said showed a failure of his administration. Early morning fire destroys vacant home
on State Road. EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The
blaze, which was brought under control in approximately 45 minutes, caused an
undetermined amount of damage. The
Westport Fire Investigation Unit and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s
Office remained on the scene to conduct an origin and cause
investigation. At
the scene with Westport firefighters was Dartmouth District #3. The Westport
Fire Department responded with four engines, a ladder and a rescue truck to
the scene. The
owner of the property was listed Tim Barreira of Westport. There were no reported injuries. The
fire remains under investigation at this time.
Keyboards for Kids: A Fund Raiser for
Westport and Tiverton Public Schools EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
January 20, 2010
“Keys”
to representational “pianos” will be sold between January 25 and February 8,
2010. Each key will cost $100. Proceeds will be collected at the schools.
Checks should be made out to “Keyboards for Kids.”
WRWA to offer two scholarships. EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
January 20, 2010 WESTPORT
- The Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) is pleased to offer two
scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors in the Westport River
watershed, Fall River, Dartmouth, Freetown, Westport, Little Compton, and
Tiverton. One award, a $1000 scholarship, was made possible by the
generosity of the late Margot Boote who believed in education and the
environment. The second award, also $1,000, was initiated by Bill Heath in
memory of his parents Ruth and Bill. The merit award applications are
available on the WRWA website at www.westportwatershed.org or by calling the WRWA office at (508) 636-3016.
Guidance departments in local high schools have applications on file. All
applications are due in the office no later than April 1, 2010. The Alliance has a proud record of environmental stewardship and has expressed over the years its concern to carry on this tradition. The merit awards offer an opportunity to honor students who have demonstrated their concern to protect the watershed environment. Westport Historical
Society seeks Civil War information on Westporters. EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
January 20, 2010
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