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S Seven bands with Greenw ich roots a nd familiar names will perform on the Town Stage at the annual Greenwich Town Party on Saturday, May 25 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. The local bands are: Greenwich High S chool Ja zz Ensemble , RipChord - Rock Ensemble of the 102d Army Band, Mare Andrews, Basso & the New Frogs, Rusty Gear, Sun Kings - A Beatles Tribute, and Charlie King & the Next Big Thing.
S A Stamford man was rescued off of an overturned boat in Long Island Sound by the Greenwich Police Marine section on Monday morning. Marine officers responded to a call and discovered a 46-year-old man holding onto the hull of a n over t u r ne d b oat near Lucas Point. The man was taken ashore by GPD marine officers where he was examined by medical personnel for exposure to the cold. A subsequent investigation determined that the boat overturned while the man was placing a mooring. The boat later sank. S The Greenwich Tree Conservancy sponsored an Arbor Day Tree Planting C e remony at C o s C ob S c h o o l o n T h u r s d a y. Env iron menta l A f fa irs Director, Pat Sesto, read an Arbor Day Proclamation which continues the Town’s qualifying for the Tree City USA designation. The Arbor Day tree planting is an annual event with planting done at various Greenwich schools and parks. S Greenwich Democrats will hold their first annual Awards Celebration on Su nd ay, Apr i l 2 8 . T he inaugural event will honor the lifetime achievements of Nancy Brown and Mary McNamee and their many yea rs of ser v ice to t he Greenwich Community. U. S. C ong ressma n Ji m Himes will be on hand to join in the festivities and to help kick-off the event. S T h e Ju n i o r L e a g u e of Gre enw ich ( J LG) announced the recipients of its 2019 Communit y Grant Award: Open Arts Alliance and Kids In Crisis. The awards were presented on April 22 at the annual C o m mu n i t y Ad v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e (C AC ) a t McArdle’s.
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Beattie Named GPD’s Officer of the Year JOHN FERRIS ROBBEN
S Greenwich resident and member of the Republican Town Committee, Granit Balidemaj will formally announce his campaign for Selectman on Saturday, Apri l 27 at Tow n Ha l l. Balidemaj has also served on the Representative Town Meeting for District 10. He became a member of the RTM in 2015 at the age of 25. For more on Balidemaj’s announcement, be sure to check out future editions of the Greenwich Sentinel.
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KATHY THOMPSON
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The Briefing Room
Sean and Ryan Beattie, along with Police Chief James Heavey, look at a plaque during the event at the Innis Arden Golf Club.
By Richard Kaufman The decision to select a n O f f ic e r of t h e Ye a r for t h e Greenwich Police Department is a difficult one to make, according to GPD Chief James Heavey. But after sifting through candidates, one name quickly rose to the top of the list. Ry a n B e at t i e , a s i x-ye a r vetera n of t he depa r t ment, was awarded with the James A. Clarke Award last Thursday during a luncheon w ith the Lion's Club, at Innis Arden Golf Club, in Old Greenwich. Clarke was a founding member and the first president of the Greenwich Lion's Club, which gave out the award beginning in 1947. "Of f icer Ryan Beattie has exuded many admirable traits, l iv i ng up to a l l of ou r core v a lue s: c ou rage , d i l igenc e , respect, fairness, service," said He avey du r i ng h is op en i ng remarks. "As a patrol off icer, he has been a proactive law enforcement off icer, who has been praised by his supervisor for his ability to operate at the highest levels without the need for supervision. He exercises excellent independent judgement
and superior investigative skills." With zero sick days taken in 2018 and with what Heavey described as a "can-do attitude," Beat tie has become a go-to off icer for the department to handle the most difficult cases, and he's often called upon to assist narcotics officers. He avey out l i ne d some of the cases Beattie was directly involved with in 2018 to show why he was considered for the award. In February of 2018, Beattie and fellow officer, Justin Rivera, were working a special detail on the east side of town when they made a keen observation, r e su lt i n g i n a n a r r e s t t h at y ielded a sizable amount of cocaine, marijuana and stolen opioids. Beattie and Rivera were named Officers of the Month as a result. Beat tie was then ha ndselected, along with off icers Christian Rosario and Mike Hall, for another special detail. The GPD recognized an increase of forgery, identity theft, fraudulent f i n a nc i a l t ra n s a c t ion s a nd la r ceny, w it h i n t he cent ra l business district of Greenwich around the holidays in 2018.
Beattie and the Organized Retail Crime Activity team, work ing pr imar ily in p l a i n c l o t h e s , we r e a b l e t o initiate discreet surveillance of suspicious persons and take appropriate action. More than 32 career-criminals were arrested fo r a to t a l o f 14 3 d i f fe r e nt ch a r ge s , 8 5 of w h ich we r e felonies. Heavey noted that Beattie has excelled as a recruiter for the department, since he was able to persuade his brother, Sean, to come work as an officer in Greenwich. Before Beattie was given his award, Heavey recognized Sean for completing his probationary period and becoming a full-time officer in town. The Beattie brothers even helped save a life together in July 2018. Officers in the department are also qualified as EMT's, and on one particular occasion, Beattie's additional lifesaving training paid off. In July 2018, Beattie responded w ith his brother, Sean, and Officer Alex Testani, to a call of a woman who was choking and had stopped breathing. Upon arrival, the officers began CPR and played a critical role in the chain of survival before the woman could be taken to a hospital. Doctors were able to restore her breathing and regain a pulse. Lion's Club District Gov., Allen O'Farrell, presented the plaque to Beattie, who found out earlier in the morning that he had won the award. Heavey had taken Beattie to the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich to speak with kids for The Zac Foundation, and offered to buy him lunch afterwards. Beattie knew something was up when they arrived at the Innis
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In Byram Park a hungry male osprey feeding off what appears to be a flounder, captured by Kathy Thompson scouting with her high-powered lens as Anne W. Semmes, an Osprey Steward, observed through her binoculars. Shortly after the photograph was taken, the osprey delivered the rest of the fish to his mate, busily laying eggs in their nearby nest, which the birds built a top the floodlights of the Byram Park baseball field.
Riverside resident Dr. Bill Baker receives his repaired Jerusalem flag, which flew over the Monastery of the Holy Land, from master tailor Mr. Singh at Greenfield Cleaners. Dr. Baker flew the flag during Holy Week. They are pictured in front St. Catherine of Siena Church.
At the Round Hill Community Church, Reverend Dan Haugh looks on as the Cherub Choir sings “Down in my Heart" on Easter morning led by Music Director Leslie Smith in the front pew.
Earth Day is Every Day for Riverside School By Richard Kaufman Although Earth Day falls on April 22, Riverside School is doing its part to take care of the planet every day. The school held an assembly this past Monday to promote the message of Earth Day and to inform students how they can do more to help the environment and keep the planet a healthy place to live. The fourth and fifth grade chorus sang a Navajo poem about earth, and several students gave presentations about environmental issues. Sara Tirana, a second grader, presented a project she created for
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the school's Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fair. Tirana went to Greenwich Point in October to observe and discover nature. She put together a display with pictures of various plants, flowers, bushes, berries and nuts that grow in Greenwich Point. She also had a section about poisonous plants, such as snakeroot and the thorn apple. Tirana put together a book with information on everything she discovered. Fou r t h g raders Elsa Fernandez, Lauren Benjamin and Maddie Martin presented their STEM Fair project on the effects of pollution, most notably from
plastic. They pointed out that over 500 million straws are used in the U.S. every day, and most of them are only used for a minute, or not at all. When they're discarded, they often get into waterways and harm sea life. Fernandez, Benjamin and Martin urged fellow classmates and adults at the assembly to "skip the straw," and use paper or reusable straws if necessary. Both presentations are on display in the school’s media center. The assembly also served as a way to kick off "Earth Week" at the school.
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Celebrating a successful sports equipment drive at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich (BGCG) are Mike Gerald, athletic coordinator for the BGCG, Fred Camillo who organized the event, and Bobby Walker, BGCG Executive Director.
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