WHEAT Executive Director Rose Majestic, second from left, receives an oversize check for $2,000 from Killian M. Gruber, the 2020-21 chair of the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force on Thursday. With them are, from left, Juan Dominguez, the general manager for Sodexo at UNH; MAC adviser Chris Haynes; and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the senior minister of the First Congregational Church of West Haven. (City Photo)

UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission raises $2K for WHEAT

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — WHEAT Executive Director Rose Majestic received an oversize check for $2,000 from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and members of the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force on Thursday.

The money was raised by the commission and Westies Care at UNH’s sixth WestFest celebration Sept. 18 on the Green and will benefit WHEAT’s food pantry at 674 Washington Ave. The pantry provides food for residents in need.

Westies Care was aided by the First Congregational Church of West Haven, said Phil Liscio, the president of the not-for-profit charity.

Also joining the late-afternoon presentation were MAC adviser Chris Haynes, 2020-21 MAC Chair Killian M. Gruber, Juan Dominguez, the general manager for Sodexo at UNH, and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the church’s senior minister.

Sodexo, a food service company that manages UNH’s dining services, was one of WestFest’s title sponsors this year.

Majestic said the donation will help WHEAT at a time when it is most needed by providing 100 food items per week for a year.

The festival proceeds were generated from the sale of wristbands for inflatables, a 50-50 raffle and food, as well as from a dunk tank, Gruber said.

WestFest is organized annually by the MAC, a collaborative, student-driven task force formed in March 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations. Last year’s event was postponed because of the coronavirus.

The UNH commission is now led by 2021-22 Chair Christyllis A. Douglas, a sophomore studying psychology, and Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.

Westies Care Inc. was founded by Liscio in 2009 in memory of his son, Daniel L. Liscio. To honor his undying spirit, the Liscio family established a scholarship program and organized community outreach projects in Daniel Liscio’s name.

West Haven observing Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7

West Haven observing Pearl Harbor Day on Tuesday

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — The city and the West Haven Veterans Council will observe Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on the Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

All veterans are invited to participate in the solemn service, which will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

The public is also invited.

The annual ceremony, held in front of the Walk of Honor’s William A. Soderman Memorial, will commence with a flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.

It will feature remarks by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and Veterans Council President Dave Ricci. Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, will serve as the master of ceremonies.

Representing the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Florence Stoeber, the wife of the late Jack Stoeber, a Navy veteran of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima who was a regular at West Haven’s Pearl Harbor rites for many years, will read the names of the 17 Connecticut servicemen who died in the Japanese bombing of the U.S. Navy base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. A member of the honor guard will toll the department’s chrome bell each instant a name is called.

Stoeber, whose ashes were scattered in Pearl Harbor after he died Jan. 16, 2016, at age 97, was a .50-caliber machine-gunner aboard the destroyer tender USS Whitney in the Pacific theater of World War II.

Connecticut’s last known Pearl Harbor survivor died Aug. 17, 2020, at age 99.

The Pearl Harbor tribute will include the Pledge of Allegiance led by Florence Stoeber’s 8-year-old grandson, Matthew McCann, along with the national anthem sung by Nora E. Mullins and opening and closing prayers given by newly elected Councilman Victor M. Borras, D-8.

It will also include a wreath-laying, followed by taps played by former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon.

UNH men’s hockey team collects food for West Haven needy

UNH men’s hockey team collects food for city’s needy

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — (Pictured): University of New Haven men’s hockey coach Devin Bertrand, right, presents several bags and boxes of food items to West Haven Youth and Family Services Director Diane Dietman in the second-floor hallway of City Hall on Tuesday.

The UNH hockey team collected the nonperishable items from players, coaches, staff members and fans during a food drive at West Haven’s Bennett Rink on Nov. 20.

Dietman said the food will benefit families of the West Haven Interagency Network for Children.

(UNH Photo/Amber Bertrand)

Vietnam Vets holding toy drive for West Haven Community House

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — West Haven Vietnam Veterans Inc. is collecting toys for children ages 4-12 on Saturday.

The toy drive will take place on the Green from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and benefit the West Haven Community House at 227 Elm St.

Organizers will not accept stuffed animals or toy guns.

Sinatra tribute show closing West Haven centennial Dec. 12

Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, center, will lead American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra in a concert at 2 p.m. Sunday in the West Haven High School auditorium. The two-hour show will trace Sinatra’s career and life through music and storytelling and will close the West Haven Centennial Celebration. (Publicity Photo)

Sinatra tribute show closing centennial festivities Sunday

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — The West Haven Centennial Celebration will officially close with a concert by American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra on Sunday.

The show is set for 2-4 p.m. in the West Haven High School auditorium, 1 Circle St. Face masks are required regardless of vaccination status.

Presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, the concert finale is part of the community’s 100th anniversary festivities, a six-month series of free events commemorating West Haven’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality, said Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman.

The six-piece EOS Orchestra, fronted by Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, will trace the career and life of Ol’ Blue Eyes through music and storytelling.

According to Kaz, the show will also include big-band standards from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie and selections from the Great American Songbook.

“Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this exciting show, featuring classic songs, skilled storytelling and world-class musicianship,” Kaz said.

The concert will join a long list of special events observing West Haven’s secession from Orange a century ago, including the Centennial Boat Parade in June, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival in July, the Centennial Fireworks and the “Hubbard Farms” exhibit in September, and the Centennial Fire Expo and the “100 Years of Veterans” exhibit in November. The rural and residential sections of Orange separated in 1921 when the residential part, West Haven, became the state’s youngest town.

In the spirit of West Haven’s birthday, committee Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo will sell signed copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” along with centennial coins, lapel pins and WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly.

All book and merchandise proceeds generated by the committee will offset expenses and support the $50,000 centennial budget approved by the City Council, said Sabo, the city’s commissioner of human resources.

For other centennial merchandise, visit the official Online Store.

The store, hosted by West Haven vendor West Shore Associates, sells such centennial-branded merchandise as long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, stainless steel tumblers, stemless wine glasses, insulated beverage bottles, ceramic mugs, retro sunglasses, canvas and cotton tote bags, eco-performance face masks, and pigment-dyed twill and mesh trucker caps.

A portion of the vendor’s merchandise proceeds will support the centennial account, Sabo said.

Residents urged to test for radon

WEST HAVEN, Dec. 2, 2021 — City Health Director Maureen B. Lillis is encouraging residents to protect their health by testing their homes for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon is a colorless, odorless and naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the natural decay of uranium. It is found in rock, water and soil.

While radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings, Lillis said.

Lillis said testing for the presence of radon in the home is recommended in the winter months.

A limited number of free radon test kits have been made available to West Haven residents by the state Department of Public Health. To receive a test kit, call the city Health Department at 203-937-3660.

A sanitarian from the department will deliver the kit and help place it in the home, Lillis said.

To learn more about radon, visit the DPH Radon Program.

Rossi lights West Haven Christmas tree; watch on YouTube

West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, with grandson Arthur Rossi, 11, right, leads Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. and Santa and Mrs. Claus in a countdown to light the Christmas tree on the Green at the city’s holiday kickoff Nov. 27. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)

Rossi lights city’s Christmas tree; watch on YouTube

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — Santa and Mrs. Claus joined Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and a group of essential workers who helped West Haven through the coronavirus pandemic to light the Christmas tree on the Green at the city’s holiday kickoff Nov. 27.

After arriving in the West Haven Fire Department’s 1935 Mack pump firetruck, Santa and Mrs. Claus were escorted to a portable stage on the Main Street side of the Green by the West Haven High School cheerleading team to the sound of applause and shouts of glee from an estimated 400 merrymakers who braved the bitter cold.

Before the lighting of the tree, which is flanked by two smaller evergreen trees adorned with fluorescent-colored lights, Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, thanked and praised the mayor’s special guests — nurses, first responders and other front-line workers from West Haven — as the all-ages crowd clapped and cheered.

Rossi then thanked people for coming and led them in a countdown to set the tree — and the Green — aglow.

Read the full story, see the photos and watch the video at West Haven Tree Lighting.

Hanukkah menorah lighting marks Jewish Festival of Lights

Hanukkah menorah lighting marks Festival of Lights

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — (Pictured): Rabbi Chanoch Wineberg of Chabad of Westville in New Haven, joined by his children, leads a Jewish blessing and the lighting of the menorah on the West Haven Green at the sundown celebration of the first day of Hanukkah on Nov. 28.

Among those attending were Mayor Nancy R. Rossi; City Council members Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, Treneé McGee, D-7, Barry Lee Cohen, R-10, and Gary Donovan, D-at large; City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath; Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli; and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins.

The annual ceremony marked the Jewish Festival of Lights, an eight-day commemoration of rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians.

Before the lighting, Rossi delivered words of inspiration, saying: “Never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. Judah Maccabee and his band faced daunting odds, but that didn’t stop them. With a prayer on their lips and faith in their heart, they entered the battle of their lives — and won. We can do the same.”

(City Photo/Patricia C. Horvath)

From left, West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, Councilman Gary Donovan, D-at large, City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, Councilwoman Treneé McGee, D-7, mayoral aide Ruth G. Torres and Councilwoman Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, pause before the annual Hanukkah menorah lighting on the West Haven Green. (City Photo/Dorothy Chambrelli)

West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine sign paperback copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” at the city’s Main Library on Nov. 17. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Centennial book signing heralds gift-buying season

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 18, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine signed copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” for West Haven history buffs at the city’s Main Library on Nov. 17.

The $20 book, printed in partnership with GHP Media of West Haven, chronicles the stories and photos that shaped the community’s past 100 years. The information was sourced from the “Historian’s Corner” series written by Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history.

The 116-page historical work, which has black-and-white and full-color photos, was commissioned by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee to commemorate the community’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest town, said Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman.

The paperback book is also available for purchase while supplies last in the Department of Human Resources at City Hall, 355 Main St., or by calling Commissioner Beth A. Sabo at 203-937-3558.

Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman, said the book is the perfect gift for the holidays.