Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
March 11, 2015
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted
Quick
Article Index . . .
22nd annual
Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 20th.
Scholarships
offered for Westport High School seniors.
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22nd annual Buzzards
Bay Swim on Saturday, June 20th. Registration is
now open - swimmers who sign up through April 1st can register for free. EverythingWestport.com Sunday,
March 1, 2015 New
Bedford Harbor may be icy and covered with snow right now, but the Buzzards
Bay Coalition’s 22nd annual Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 20th is
enlisting swimmers right now. And,
swimmers who sign up through April 1 at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim
can register for free. The
Buzzards Bay Swim is a fun community event that supports a great cause: clean
water in Buzzards Bay. Swimmers complete a 1.2-mile, open-water course across
outer New Bedford Harbor, beginning in the South End of New Bedford and
ending at Fort Phoenix Beach State Reservation in Fairhaven.
The
Buzzards Bay Swim is a signature outdoor event for the SouthCoast, according
to organizers. The Swim draws participants of every age, ability and fitness
level. Some swimmers form teams with their friends, families and fellow swim
team members. More
than 300 swimmers are expected to participate in this year’s Swim, hailing
from communities across southeastern New England and around the United
States. All
funds raised from the Buzzards Bay Swim support the Coalition’s work to
protect clean water in communities across the Buzzards Bay region, from
Westport to Woods Hole.To register and learn more about the Swim, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim.
The
Buzzards Bay Swim is a Waterkeeper Alliance SPLASH Series Event, presented
nationally by Toyota. The SPLASH Series engages local citizens in
recreational use of waterways to celebrate access to clean water with
activities that the whole community can enjoy while raising funds to support
the local Waterkeeper organization. For more information, visit www.splashseries.org.
On June 28, 2014, 210 swimmers dove into
outer New Bedford Harbor to show their support for a clean and healthy Buzzards Bay by taking
part in the 21st annual Buzzards Bay Swim. The event raised more than
$100,000 to support the Coalition's education, conservation, and advocacy
work.
Scholarships
offered for Westport High School seniors. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, March
11, 2015 Graduating high
school seniors from Westport can apply for scholarships available through the
Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts (CFSEMA). Except where
noted, the scholarships must be applied for online at www.cfsema.org/scholarships.
The application deadline is Thursday, April 30th unless otherwise noted. The Luther B. Bowman Scholarship is available to Westport
High School graduating seniors who plan to attend a two- or four-year
college, business school, trade school, secretarial school or a technical
school. The scholarship recipients will be selected by the Westport School
Committee. Awards range from $500 to $3,600. Contact the school's guidance
office for details and an application. The Jim Haskins Scholarship Fund was established to honor the
memory of longtime Lakeville resident Jim Haskins, who was well known in his
community as an avid volunteer. Haskins was active in numerous organizations.
At least one scholarship is awarded annually to a senior graduating from either Apponequet Regional High
School, Bishop Connolly High School, Case High School, Diman
Regional Vocational Technical High School, Durfee
High School, Somerset High School and Westport High School. The Ladies’ Branch of the New Bedford Port
Society Scholarship
provides scholarships for high school seniors and current undergraduates who
have one or more of the following: documented family ties to the sea, an
acceptance letter from a maritime academy, or proof of a major in maritime
science. First consideration is given to families of descendants of seamen.
Applicants must be residents of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven,
Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Marion or Rochester. Contact your school's guidance
office for details and an application. The Charles J. Lewin Interfaith Scholarship
Fund was established
to provide scholarships to returning students and graduating high school
seniors of Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes and Plymouth counties. The fund
provides several scholarships ranging from $700 to $2,000. Scholarships are
granted for one year, although recipients can reapply annually. The criterion
for selection will be weighted 50 percent on financial need, 30 percent on
academics and 20 percent on personal circumstances. Students with Expected
Family Contributions (EFC) above $16,000 are unlikely to be selected The Thomas S. Hathaway Scholarship is awarded to students who
live in Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Mattapoisett, Marion,
Rochester, Wareham or Westport who have been accepted or are currently
enrolled at Harvard University. Scholarships are based on financial need and
academic excellence. The total amount to be awarded is $4,200 to one or two
recipients. The online application deadline is to be announced. * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Since 1995, SouthCoast
residents have been turning to the Community Foundation to make their
philanthropic giving as effective as possible. CFSEMA is a public charity
serving thousands of people who share a common concern: improving quality of
life. The foundation has distributed more than $18 million in grants and
program support from 167 funds to humanitarian, educational and cultural
organizations in the region. Westport’s
iconic landmark and purveyor of all things elegant and tasty will have a new
owner. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, March
12, 2015
Partners Village
Store and Kitchen has been sold. Inset: Handing over the keys from the left: Jan Hall, Lydia Sweetser Gollner, and Nancy
Crosby. photo/EverythingWestport Long the town’s
social hot spot, the popular retail business and café was nurtured under the
loving and very capable care of Nancy Crosby and Jan Hall for over 35 years. They will be
missed by the many of us who know them. But the silver
lining here is they couldn’t have sold the whole kit and caboodle to a better
person. On Monday, March
16th the keys will be handed over to Westport resident Lydia Sweetser Gollner. After 36 years,
Nancy is ready for retirement, and Jan will stay onboard through the
transition as she moves toward her retirement. Partners Village
Store and Kitchen had its beginnings in 1979 as a 300 square foot appendage
to the wholesale wine and beer making supply business of Crosby and Baker,
started by Nancy Crosby and Pat Baker. The Village Store as it was then known
was owned by Nancy Crosby and Selena Howard. The two businesses were located
at 999 Main Road, near the intersection of Hix
Bridge and Main Roads. Since 1979 The
Village Store, now Partners Village Store and Kitchen, under the caring and
capable management of Nancy Crosby, Selena Howard and now Jan Hall has been
serving Westport and the greater South Coast communities. “I am
thrilled and honored to continue the legacy of Partners into the future.
Nancy and Jan’s accomplishments and service to the community are what I look
forward to expanding upon.” - Lydia Sweetser
Gollner
Above and below: original signage
over the years.
As of March 16,
2015, Partners Village Store and Kitchen will be under the new ownership of
Westport resident Lydia Sweetser Gollner. The popular retail business and café will
remain at its current location at 865 Main Road in Westport. “We believe
new ownership will bring new ideas and energy without disrupting what has
made Partners so special.” - Jan Hall. “We believe that
Lydia’s commitment to service excellence, quality, and a unique experience
will result in a positive future for our valued customers, staff and the
community. Business is good, and there are many exciting possibilities
for continued growth,” Hall said. Lydia joined the
staff of Partners in 2014 to prepare for a seamless transition with the
current owners. She brings over twenty years of skills and experience
from a successful career in the wholesale fashion industry where she managed
brands including Kenneth Cole, DKNY, and Sigrid Olsen. Lydia has long
summer roots in Westport (every summer of her life) through her mother and
grandparents who were from Fall River. She and her husband, Bill Gollner, built their home and moved to Westport full time
in 2012. The Gollners have two adult
children, one who currently lives and works in New York, the other living and
working in Beijing, China. “I am thrilled
and honored to continue the legacy of Partners into the future. Nancy
and Jan’s accomplishments and service to the community are what I look
forward to expanding upon. It is my goal to maintain the integrity and
warmth of Partners Village Store. I look forward to working with the
team to carry on the torch, with excellent service, food and product
selection,” Lydia said. Partners had its beginning
in 1979 when a 300 square foot retail store was added as an appendage to the
wholesale wine and beer making supply business of Crosby & Baker, started
by Nancy Crosby and Pat Baker. Located at 999
Main Road in Westport, both the retail and wholesale businesses had continued
growth over the years. The Village Store, as the retail venture would come to
be known, was off to a strong start. Eventually, the
two businesses became separate entities and the expanded retail space became
The Village Store. Jan Hall, who had
been at the store since 1980, joined Nancy as a co-owner in 1992 after
Selena’s retirement; the store’s name changed to its current Partners Village
Store and Kitchen. The retail/cafe
business continued to grow, and more space was needed. In 2004 the
“partners” purchased and completely renovated the old summer home at 865 Main
Road. Expanding the building’s footprint, a new kitchen was added along
with porches, patio, gardens, and more parking. Partners Village Store
and Kitchen eventually moved to this new location in 2007. Click
here to read about the
history of the old summer home known as the Bowman house. Partners has
become a vibrant part of the community, a gathering place for friends,
neighbors, and visitors alike with gifts, bookstore, and a cafe supported by
a talented and dedicated staff, who will remain with the store. “I look
forward to working with the team to carry on the torch, with excellent service, food and
product selection!” - Lydia Sweetser Gollner
Above: Original store
located at the intersection of Hix Bridge and Main
Roads. EverythingWestport.com Friday, March 13,
2015 Westport’s Board
of Health has just this month approved a ban on the use, sale and possession of
synthetic marijuana and related Synthetic
marijuana, a drug that has been linked to a series of recent overdoses as it
remained on store shelves despite federal attempts to ban it. In Massachusetts,
the Legislature last year passed a state ban on such synthetic cannabinoids,
which are also known as “spice.” Though the products are often identified as
incense and potpourri, authorities say they are widely smoked or brewed into
tea. Synthetic
marijuana attempts to mimic marijuana; however, the side effects, which can
sometimes last indefinitely, are not comparable. This imposter substance is
usually made up of ground-up motley or leaf products that have been sprayed
with psychotropic and hallucinogenic drugs. Synthetic
marijuana is marketed under different names including, Spice, K2, Scooby Snax or Monkey Weed, just to name a few. They have been
sold legally in convenience stores and gas stations for roughly $10 to $15
for a pack – which is much cheaper than marijuana. Despite package
warnings that the substance should not be smoked or ingested,
teens have been using it to get high for the past 15 years in the area.
Because many synthetic drugs are not regulated by any governing body, they
are often made from household cleaners and other dangerous chemicals that
carry a wide range of side effects. Smoking these toxic chemicals has the
potential to cause permanent brain damage, psychosis, severe kidney damage,
and in some cases, even death. Westport’s BOH
also added prohibitions against the sale of such materials as ‘bath salts,’
Molly and certain ‘herbal incenses’ to help insure they are not sold locally. Massachusetts
voters legalized the use of medical “Mary Jane” last year, but the state is
still trying to implement the deployment of distribution centers. Weed to be legal for recreational use in
RI? Meanwhile in
Rhode Island a group of state senators this week proposed legislation that
would legalize marijuana for recreational use in their state. The state
approved medical marijuana use in 2006. Since 2012,
Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C., have approved
recreational marijuana. “Marijuana
prohibition has been a long-term failure,” said State Sen. Joshua Miller,
D-Cranston/Providence, in a statement. “Forcing marijuana into the
underground market ensures authorities have no control of the product.
Regulating marijuana would allow the product to be sold safely and
responsibly by legitimate businesses in appropriate locations.” But State Sen.
Miller forgot to mention taxation, a popular form of revenue generation
linked to the so-called sin tax mentality of legislators. Legalizing the use
of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana actually encourages their use. Miller is one of
several sponsors of Senate Bill 510 to legalize marijuana. Rhode Island has legislated a ban on synthetic compounds sold as fake
marijuana and bath salts - including some formulations that don't yet exist. © 2015 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
