Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Norwalk. A reminder:

LMM Flea Market & Antique Cars

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Urban Outfitters, for those of you unaware of the trendy store, caters to college-age people who have a bit more edge to them than the GAP. Okay, a lot more edge, and the GAP sadly has been taken over by pea-brained stylists who have been single-handily destroying the brand. Don’t beleive me? Trends translate to in-stores sales which translate into earnings per share which translate into stock price and we have thus in purest market driven form: Continue Reading

from a press release:

Old-fashioned Flea Market Returns to the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

Norwalk, Conn., August 3, 2010 – The Great Lawns of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum at 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT will be brimming with one-of-a-kind merchandise and must-have collectibles Sunday, August 29, 2010, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. when flea market vendors will gather for the museum’s third annual Old-fashioned Flea Market.

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from a press release:

Fall ArtSpot at Center For Contemporary Printmaking

NORWALK, CT – On  September 16^th, the Norwalk Arts Commission kicks off the fall art events with Center for Contemporary Printmaking hosting the fall ArtSpot.

The Center of Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) opens the fall exhibition, “Grace Shanley & Ron Pokrasso : Recurrence of Memory”, with a gallery reception September 16, from 4-7 PM, 299 West Ave., in Mathews Park, Norwalk, CT., 203-899-7999, www.contemprints.org. In conjunction with the opening reception, the Norwalk Arts Commission ArtSpot will be launched at 5:30 PM, while the gallery reception is in progress. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

“The City of Norwalk encourages the spirit of the arts community in Mathews Park,” said Mayor Richard Moccia.  “I’m pleased to support the Arts Commission’s efforts to bring our cultural organizations together by moving these events to our many diverse venues such as The Center of Contemporary Printmaking.”

The ArtSpot is the Norwalk Arts Commission’s periodic networking event where artists, musicians, performers, designers, and producers meet and mingle with businesses, supporters and patrons. It’s always an exciting mix of people and attractions.

“Our ArtSpots are always an exciting venue to not only be around creativity but encourage our community to be creative,” said Chairwoman of the Arts Commission Jackie Lightfield.

This month also features Norwalk Arts: Inside/Out, a city-wide event that highlights the many arts and cultural organizations that operate and thrive in Norwalk. Norwalk Arts: Inside/Out takes place on Saturday September 25^th, from noon to evening.

from a press release:

Bank Robbery
08/23/10 @ 11:16 am

Bank of America
644 Main Ave
Norwalk, CT

Officers and Detectives responded to the scene and learned that one suspect had entered the bank and demanded money stating that he had a gun.

No weapon was ever displayed. No injuries.

After receiving an unspecified amount of cash the suspect fled the bank on foot.

Suspect Description:
Black male in his 20′s with a mustache, thin build, wearing a hat, dark long sleeve sweatshirt and jeans carrying a light blue backpack.

The suspect is still at large at this time.

A surveillance photo of the suspect is attached.

This is an on-going investigation.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Norwalk Police:
(Attention: Sergeant Marc Lepore or Detective Kruger)

Norwalk Police Tipline at 203-854-3111

Anonymous Internet tips can be sent to Norwalk Police website at: www.norwalkpd.com

Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing “NPD” into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

TRAFFIC ALERT:

Road Closure: Catherine Street - Norwalk

On Tuesday August 24, 2010 Metro North will be closing Catherine Street to vehicular traffic in order to install signal conduits.

Detour signage will be in place and police officers will be on site.

Today at 4:30 Mystic Bowie will be performing at People’s Choice for their customer appreciation day. Come on down and enjoy Jamaican food and music.

People’s Choice is located at 77 Wall Street, Norwalk. Park at the Isaac Street Parking Lot.

It’s Mosque-alooza these days with national talking heads exploding over the Park 51 community center with a mosque and Norwalk’s version of a zoning application for building a mosque on Fillow street. Knowing how to read a map is a good thing, so let’s first look at where the 51Park street site is. (Via Tumblr editorial director TopherChris, here’s a map of just how “Ground Zero” the “Ground Zero Mosque” is:)

Park 51 is a 15-story Islamic Community Center containing a mosque, a swimming pool, and a 500-seat auditorium two blocks away from the WTC site. Two blocks just happens to be the exact distance people refuse to walk if a parking garage is located too far from a restaurant. Two blocks north of the proposed Park 51 sites is the Mosque Masjid Manhattan. The Community Center is modeled on the 92nd Street Y.

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from a press release:

Norwalk Police Arrest Joseph Bateman

This afternoon Norwalk Police Detectives served a felony arrest warrant charging Joseph Bateman, age 19, of Norwalk with Weapons in a Motor Vehicle, CGS 29-38.

On Friday, 08/13/2010 at approximately 1:52 p.m. Amos Brown Jr. was shot near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Olean Street. Brown succumbed to those injuries Sunday, 08/15/2010.

During the course of the course of the investigation it was determined that Bateman was at the scene of the homicide operating a vehicle that had bullet holes in it. It is unknown if the bullet holes occurred at the time of this shooting. That is also being investigated.

Detectives gathered probable cause and applied for a search and seizure warrant for the vehicle driven by Bateman.  While searching this vehicle, a handgun was recovered.

Detectives applied for an arrest warrant based upon this handgun.

At this time detectives do not believe the weapon seized from Bateman’s car was used in the homicide, however, it will be sent to the State lab for further testing.

The investigation into Bateman’s activities at the time of the shooting is continuing.

Bateman was advised of the arrest warrant and surrendered himself this afternoon at Norwalk Police Headquarters and is being held on a $50,000 bond.

A court date of 08/27/2010 was issued. If bond is not posted, Bateman is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, 08/18/2010, at the Norwalk Superior Court, 17 Belden Avenue.

ARRESTED

Joseph Bateman

Age 19, D.O.B. 04/11/1991

22 Spruce Street

Norwalk, CT

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Norwalk Police:

Norwalk Police Tipline at 203-854-3111

Anonymous Internet tips can be sent to Norwalk Police website at: www.norwalkpd.com

Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing “NPD” into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

For a detailed story on what went down in the murder of Amos “AJ” Brown, read John Nickerson’s report in the Advocate. This is the graf that struck me as significant:

The witness told The Advocate on Monday that Brown, who was driving a black Honda, was being followed as he drove south on Lexington Avenue when the shooting began about 1:50 p.m. Through an interpreter, the witness, who would not give a name for fear of retaliation, said a man in a gold car, which contained a driver and two passengers, began shooting at Brown just as the vehicles passed El Coqui bodega near the corner of Lexington Avenue and Olean Street.

The two cars and a gray Volvo, which had Vermont plates and four men inside, that was ahead of Brown stopped in front of the Faith Lighthouse Church at 50 Lexington Ave., about 100 feet up the street from where the shooting began.

Ambush? Or drug deal that went bad? The real question remains of what AJ Brown was doing on Lexington Avenue in the first place. Meanwhile: Continue Reading