39°
After winning both the state and New England Regional championship titles this summer, Westport’s 12U Little League All-Stars secured a spot in the Little League World Series, where they placed second in the U.S. and fourth internationally. The World Series games were held in Williamsport, Pa., in August.
Westport also made national news in January when a 71-year-old town woman was charged with prostitution in Glastonbury following an undercover sting operation. Police said Sygun Liebhart arranged to have sex for money at a hotel. Liebhart denied the claim and later moved from Westport to Manhattan due to the level of media attention her arrest received. In February, she was granted a special form of probation for first-time offenders of nonviolent crimes.
For the first time in 16 years, Westport voters elected a Republican first and second selectman. Republicans Jim Marpe and Avi Kaner defeated Democratic challengers Helen Garten and Melissa Kane in the Nov. 5 municipal election. The duo was sworn into office on Nov. 18.
In June, a new playground was constructed at Westport’s Long Lots Elementary School in memory of 6-year-old Dylan Hockley, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook School shooting last December. The playground was built at no cost to the town through The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play project.
Roger Muchnick, a 2008 Staples High School graduate, was one of seven Marines killed in March after a mortar round exploded at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada during a training exercise. The accident was found to be caused by human error.
Westport resident James Comey was sworn in as FBI director in September. Comey, a Republican, was nominated for the spot by President Barack Obama.
The historic Kemper Gunn House on Church Lane was saved from demolition in October after the Representative Town Meeting voted to overturn a Planning and Zoning Commission decision that would have resulted in the home's demolition.
Many new restaurants opened in Westport throughout the year. Some of the most anticipated arrivals included bartaco and Cru, which both opened in June; Kibberia, which opened in August; Post 154, which opened in September; and the Little Barn, which debuted in early December.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
