Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
June 12, 2013
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Article Index . . .
Flag retirement ceremony on Saturday, June 15th.
Dartmouth Farmer's Market opened its' 8th season on June
7th.
Southcoast Health System to offer weekly
public farmers’ markets beginning June 17th.
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Flag retirement
ceremony on Saturday, June 15th. Town residents and others
will have an opportunity to retire old or damaged flags with honor. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
June 12, 2013 Flag
retirement ceremony to be held this Saturday at 12 noon. The Westport American Legion will conduct a ceremonial “retirement
of colors” at the James Morris Post 145 at 489 Sanford Road. Westport veterans and all visitors
are encouraged to attend. Lino Rego, Commander of the Westport
American Legion, said “It’s a very
symbolic and solemn ceremony.” Rego said the post wants to offer town residents and others
the opportunity to retire old or damaged flags with honor. The Post collects flags all year
round, however, the public is encouraged to bring worn out or damaged flags
on the day of the ceremony. Rego reports they have
collected over 200 flags to date. “When the United States flag
becomes worn, torn, faded or badly soiled, it is time to replace it with a
new flag, and the old flag should be "retired" with all the dignity
and respect befitting our nation's flag. The traditional method of retirement
is to incinerate the flag, but this does not mean that one simply drops the
entire flag (intact) into a fire. We are not burning a flag; we are retiring
a symbol of America's honor, courage, and strength,” Rego
said.
“If you can’t make it to the
ceremony, you can bring flags to Janet’s Country Store, 526 Sanford Road and
drop them off there,” Rego said. The flag, when it is in such
condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be
destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
After the flags are pronounced no
longer suitable for use, they will be burned, one-by-one, in a fire pit on
the premises of the American Legion post. Past flag retirement ceremonies
typically lasted from one to two hours. The post hosted its last flag
retirement ceremony in 2012, after a seven-year hiatus. Click
here to read about previous Westport
flag retirement ceremonies. Dartmouth
Farmer's Market opened its 8th season on June 7th. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
June 12, 2013
It
should be noted that the dean of our local farmers, Bill Owen is recovering
from a recent surgery and we are anticipating a. mid-summer appearance of
Merry Leggs farm products if not sooner. Please join
the Dartmouth Farmer's Market and make scenic Padanaram
a destination every Friday afternoon during the late spring and summer. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, June 13, 2013 Transponders,
transponders, get your transponders here! RITBA launches a preemptive strike
against detractors with a transponder discount promotion. In a clever move by Rhode Island’s Turnpike
and Bridge Authority (RITBA) to deflect public and legislature criticism, the
embattled How does a maximum buck-fifty per day sound? Usually, a transponder is $20.95, but for a
limited time starting June 25th, the cost will be $10. Drivers in a rush to
get in early on this deal can go to Tiverton Town Hall, submit an
application, pays your money through cash, check or charge, and wait for the
arrival of your E-ZPass transponder on June 25th. The deal will dramatically lessen the blow
for Massachusetts drivers who cross the Sakonnet
River Bridge. The RITBA is in the process of adding a
toll to that bridge, despite ongoing legal challenges from surrounding
communities. Under the new discount program, out-of-state
drivers with a Rhode Island EZ-Pass will pay $.75 to go over the bridge, with
a maximum of $1.50 per day. E-ZPass is an
electronic toll-collection system used on tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels
in the Northeastern U.S., south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to
Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies in 15
states that comprise the E-ZPass Interagency Group.
All member agencies use the same technology, allowing travelers to use the
same E-ZPass transponder throughout the network.
RITBA has selected an All-Electronic Tolling System. Antennas mounted on an overhead gantry read
transponders as vehicles passes under the gantry at highway speed. For vehicles without an E-ZPass transponder, cameras mounted on the gantry take
photos of vehicle license plates and receive invoices. To date, more than
155,000 R.I. transponders have been sold in Rhode Island.
Until today, an out-of-state driver would
have paid $5.25 one-way over the Sakonnet Bridge,
each and every time they crossed it in a single day; with an E-ZPass transponder that cost would have dropped to $3.75 maximum
per day. To open an EZ-Pass account, drivers must
deposit a minimum of $25. Then a $10 credit from Rhode Island Turnpike and
Bridge Authority will boost the transponder's starting balance to $35. A driver does not have to be a Rhode Island
resident to take advantage of the promotional transponder deal. RITBA is also adding additional temporary
locations at Bristol and Tiverton Town Halls and the Middletown Police
Station where drivers can fill an application out for a transponder, between
now and July 6.
Drivers can also sign up (with credit cards
only) at AAA Southern New England offices in Rhode Island, Somerset and South
Attleboro. Westporters – run, don’t walk, to Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland
Road and get your order in for a $10 transponder. Transponder applications are being accepted
by RITBA personnel at Tiverton Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on June 10,
11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28; and July 1 and 3. Applications are also being accepted at
Tiverton Town Hall from 12 to 4:00 p.m. on June 12; and from 12 to 6:30 p.m.
on June 24. Click here to get all
the details and other locations in Massachusetts
and Rhode Island where Rhode Island E-ZPass transponders
can be obtained. For all questions call 877.743.9727. Southcoast Health System to
offer weekly public farmers’ markets beginning June 17th. Markets to take
place at all three Southcoast Hospitals sites and
at the South Coast Business Center. EverythingWestport.com Friday, June 14, 2013 Southcoast Health System will offer public farmers’ markets this
summer at each of the three Southcoast Hospitals
sites — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New
Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham — and at the South Coast Business Center
in Fairhaven. “We know from research that a large
percentage of people on the South Coast do not have the benefit of regular
access to fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables,” said Kerry Mello,
Community Benefits Manager for Southcoast Health
System. “This summer’s farmers’ markets are the kick-off to a range of Southcoast programs that provide our employees and our
communities with easy access to healthy, locally grown food.” Some of the local purveyors will include Cervelli Farm of Rochester, Sampson Farm of Westport, Silverbrook Farm of Dartmouth and Gourmet & Gourmand
Bakery of Wareham. Products will range from fruits, vegetables, jams,
mustard, soup, small pastries and artisan breads. “Supporting local business is essential to
the successful growth of our communities,” said Robert Caldas, DO, Senior
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Southcoast
Health System. “Farming has played a key role in our local economy for
generations. Partnering with local farmers will help strengthen their ties in
the community, helping to raise a greater awareness of their businesses and
the products they have to offer.” Southcoast Farmers’ Markets will run each week beginning the week
of June 17th and ending the week of October 25th. The following is a list of
days, times and locations for each of the markets: Mondays,
from 3 to 6 p.m.; Tobey Hospital (located on High Street to
the left of the main entrance) 43 High Street, Wareham. Tuesdays,
from 3 to 5 p.m.; South Coast Business Center, 200 Mill
Road, Fairhaven. Wednesdays
from 3 to 6 p.m.; St. Luke’s Hospital (located at of end of
Taber Street in front of the parking garage) 101 Page Street, New Bedford. Thursdays,
from 3 to 6 p.m.; Charlton Memorial Hospital (located near
the New Boston Road and Highland Avenue intersection) 363 Highland Avenue,
Fall River. For more information on Southcoast
farmers’ markets, please contact Sydney Patten at 508.973.5079 or visit www.southcoast.org/farmersmarket/. © 2013 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
