Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Friday,
January 31, 2014
photos/EverythingWestport.com
Quick
Article Index . . .
Local editors among Patch layoffs.
Westport
Representative Paul Schmid falls through the ice at Hix
Bridge, all for a good cause.
Southcoast
Blood Bank announces community blood drive schedule for the month of February;
also announces February schedule for community
screenings and vaccinations.
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Local editors among Patch layoffs. Staff cuts were made in
May 2013 and then again in August and October 2013 when roughly 500 employees
were let go. Layoffs issued nationwide
on Wednesday, with the fallout reaching the Cape and Islands. EverythingWestport.com Friday, January 31, 2014 Patch’s turf just
got a scalping.
Patch was later
acquired by AOL in 2009 shortly after Armstrong became AOL's CEO. Arianna
Huffington’s company, The Huffington Post, merged with AOL, Patch's parent
company, in February, 2011. “By combining The
Huffington Post's attitude, journalistic acumen, and sheer energy with AOL's
resources and technical expertise, we were able, as we say, to step off a
fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet,” Ms. Huffington said. That supersonic
jet is now grounded, and its future uncertain. As many as
two-thirds of Patch’s employees are losing their jobs, however, the company
reportedly told its remaining employees that the original 900 Patch news
sites, now reduced to a reported 600, will remain open. Local editors
were hard hit among the Patch layoffs. The future of 10
Patch local news sites south of Boston is uncertain after layoffs eliminate
all but one editor. All but one local
editor for the region south of Boston remains employed after the online news
company, Patch, notified staff nationwide of layoffs Wednesday. PATCH had increasingly
emphasized reader-generated content to reduce editorial costs. Launched in 2007,
Patch was bought by AOL in 2009 and quickly expanded to hundreds of local
websites across the country. The company's
business model revolved around providing hyper-local, web-only news coverage to
individual towns and small regions, all supported by online advertising. It operates 10
sites locally, including Milton, Easton, Braintree, Hingham and Plymouth, as
well as town sites in Metro West, Cape Cod and areas north of Boston. After carrying out
two rounds of layoffs in the news division last year, AOL sold its majority
stake in Patch to turnaround firm Hale Global two weeks ago. "It was
especially hard for those of us who had been with Patch pretty much from the
beginning," said Bill Gilman, a regional community editor from
Marlborough who worked for many Patch sites in the area. “Hale Global has decided
which Patch employees will receive an offer of employment to move forward in
accordance with their vision for Patch, and which will not,” according to a
transcript of the call published by Jim Romenesko.
And to the unlucky group: “Unfortunately, your role has been eliminated and
you will no longer have a role at Patch and today will be your last day of
employment with the company. …Thank you again and best of luck.” - Patch chief operating officer Leigh Zarelli Lewis On Wednesday,
Gilman said he and other local editors were told through the conference call
that "the company was being restructured," and that they would no
longer have positions with Patch. They were given separation packages that
included two months pay, two months of continued
health benefits coverage, and a scheduled upcoming bonus, he said. The Patch sites
themselves are still up and running; a handful of regional editors, some from
as far afield and Pennsylvania and Georgia, were posting updates throughout
the day on Thursday. Several requests
for comment sent to AOL by regional news organizations were not returned. In
an announcement of the partnership with Hale earlier this month, both
companies said they would relaunch Patch as an
"efficient platform that allows citizens and businesses to create and
share locally-themed news and content." Staff cuts were
made in May 2013 and then again in August and October 2013 when roughly 500
employees were let go. At that time, a number of sites, including Hingham and
Easton, lost local reporters and became "unmanned" sites using
regional or general content written for all Patch sites. On January 15, 2014,
AOL spun off Patch and sold majority ownership to Hale Global. Information from
the Cape Cod Times and Metro West Daily News, as well as Wikipedia references
was used in this story. Note: the Patch logo is the property of Hale Global. Westport
Representative Paul Schmid falls through the ice at Hix Bridge. Westport
State Representative Paul Schmid was rescued Sunday morning after falling
through ice on the Westport River. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, February
2, 2014 On Sunday morning
in Westport, Representative Paul Schmid stopped by to observe members of the
Westport Fire Department conduct an ice rescue drill at the Hix Bridge Road boat landing. He ended up
becoming a victim.
Above: Representative
Schmid (l) thanking FF Ron Vein (r) after being “rescued”. Photo by Steve
Lopes WFD After talking
with firefighters, Representative Schmid agreed to play the role of victim
for one the evolutions. Donning a
water rescue suit and safety rope, he walked approximately 75’ out onto the
ice until he fell through. After being in
the water a few minutes he was quickly brought back to shore by firefighter
Ron Vein, who rescued him using the department’s ice rescue sled. Firefighter Vien used the department’s Rescue Alive, a
versatile and stable rescue platform, to retrieve the foundering
Representative Schmid. In thanking the
firefighters, Representative Schmid said that it gave him a unique view of
falling though the ice and a better understanding of the training and effort
needed for rescuing victims that had fallen through the ice. Related stories. Click
here to learn more about the ongoing, on-site training of the Westport Fire Department in
practicing life-saving ice and cold water rescue techniques using Rescue
Alive. Read more about how Lucky Leo got a
life line with photos, and how
the ice rescue sled is an integral part of ice and
cold water rescues.
Above,
left: firefighter Ron Vien plays the “victim.”
Above right: firefighter Matt Farias walks the RESCUE ALIVE ice rescue platform out to the accident site.
Above,
left: Farias grabs the victim and
attaches a safety rescue strap. Above
right: Farias then pulls the victim by the safety strap up and onto the
sled. He then signals the land crew (below) to pull the Rescue Alive ice rescue
platform to shore.
Southcoast Blood Bank announces community
blood drive schedule for the month of February; also announces February
schedule for community screenings and vaccinations. YMCA Southcoast to waive joiner fee on new YMCA memberships
for Southcoast blood donors. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, February 2, 2014 The Southcoast Blood Bank’s annual promotion
with Southcoast YMCA returns to the region during
the month of February. In February 2014, anyone who donates blood at the Southcoast
Blood Bank at St. Luke’s Hospital or at any Southcoast
community blood drive will receive a complimentary family guest pass to any
YMCA SOUTHCOAST facility, and the Y will waive the joiner fee for any donor
interested in a new YMCA membership (up to a $90 savings). YMCA SOUTHCOAST
facilities include the Dartmouth YMCA, the Fall River YMCA, Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham, the Mattapoisett YMCA and
the New Bedford YMCA. “Southcoast is dependent on volunteer donors
to meet the needs of patients requiring life-saving treatments in
emergencies, patients with cancer and other serious illnesses, and patients
in need of surgery,” said John Laverty, MD, Medical Director of the Southcoast Blood Bank. “We would like to thank the YMCA
for partnering with the Southcoast Blood Bank to
give our donors a healthy incentive in appreciation for their support of the
local blood supply.” Southcoast uses
more than 16,000 pints of blood a year. Currently through the local donor
program, the Southcoast Blood bank collects 6,500
pints a year, which is less than half of the blood needed to supply the three
Southcoast hospitals. The remainder of the blood is
purchased from external sources and therefore dependent on the national blood
supply. In addition to emergency cases, blood is needed for people undergoing
surgery and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other
diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and hemophilia. You have a choice!
Donate local. The Southcoast Blood Bank is the only blood
donation venue that directly supports the South Coast communities’ blood
supply. When you donate blood at a Southcoast-sponsored
blood drive you are helping to keep your local blood supply strong — so it is
there when you need it. Where to donate Community Blood
Drives: Southcoast hosts
blood drives throughout the region on the Southcoast
Blood Donor Van and at local businesses. To schedule a free blood drive,
please call Catherine Alegria, Southcoast
Blood Donor Coordinator, at 508.993.0430 or by email at alegriac@southcoast.org. The following is a list of community blood drives during the month of
February: NEW BEDFORD BayCoast Bank 921 GAR Hwy (Rte 6) FALL RIVER 263 Stanley Street Blood Drive 1121 Ashley Boulevard The Southcoast Blood Bank: Individuals
can also donate at the Southcoast Blood Bank
located at St. Luke’s Hospital, 101 Page Street, New Bedford, off the main
lobby. Walk-ins are welcome Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call 508-961-5320 or
visit, www.southcoast.org/bloodbank/. Southcoast Health Van announces February
schedule for community screenings and vaccinations The Southcoast® Health Van
announces the February schedule for community screenings and vaccinations.
Please note that screenings sponsored by the Southcoast
Health Van are sometimes held at community locations and not always on one of
the vans. Look for signs when arriving at a location if you do not see the
van outside. If you plan to donate blood, please remember to bring two forms
of identification.
The Southcoast Health Van travels across the
region bringing health screenings into the communities of Southeastern
Massachusetts. Check the schedule online at www.southcoast.org/van/
or subscribe to daily notices on Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast
Hospitals Group Southcoast Health
System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access
points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout
Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three
hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group —
Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford
and Tobey Hospital in Wareham. Southcoast
provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight
loss surgery, plastic surgery, hand surgery, orthopedic surgery, advanced
imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in the
region. Southcoast is a
not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the
community to provide services. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org. Connect
to Southcoast through social media at www.southcoast.org/connect/. © 2014 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
