Retroweek: A look back on Greenwich news

Quote of the week

"It's time for a new blood, for younger blood. It's time to get the younger generation involved. There are very smart people there who are very aware of politics."

Like Gad, Greenwich resident Miza Kodsy, Greenwich resident and native of Egypt who moved to the U.S. in 1980, on the chaos in her home country

In focus

Roofers inundated with calls for snow removal

Think plow truck drivers are the only ones who have been extra busy this winter?

Think again.

Roofing contractors say the record accumulation has kept them busier than ever as their crews work to clear residential and commercial roofs of heavy snow and ice.

"Oh, yeah, we are getting a ton of calls," said Tim Murphy, owner of Murphy & Sons, which has been in Greenwich for 60 years. "Because there have been so many storms, there has been no time for melting. It has been a very unusual winter."

Over in Stamford, John Houle, owner of Rex Roofing, Inc., said he couldn't keep up with the calls coming into his business.

"As far as our calls go for snow removal, I can't answer the phones fast enough," Houle said. "It is basically ringing off the hook."

Many people are calling because state emergency officials are urging the public to take preventative measures to avoid roof, deck or barn collapses. While there have been no reported collapse incidents in Greenwich, they have occurred in other parts of the state. The most recent ice storm has been reported to have caused collapses across the eastern United States.

Newsmaker of the week: Fred Cofone

He had a good run.

Old Greenwich resident Fred Cofone was sent packing after his third game of "Jeopardy!" which aired on ABC Friday.

The 36-year-old went into Final Jeopardy the leader, with $17,000, but he lost his $4,000 wager and was edged out by opponent Roger Mueller-Kim.

Mueller-Kim, of California, was the only one to correctly name the British luxury car brand once owned by Rolls-Royce and named for its founder -- Bentley.

Cofone said during an interview with Greenwich Time earlier this week, before the first episode aired, that he was happy with his performance. The show was taped last fall.

"I'm OK with having them watch," Cofone said of his family, who for years urged him to try out for the game show.

The former copy editor ended up taking home more than $23,000 in prize money.

On his debut Wednesday night, Cofone eked out a win. Though he went into Final Jeopardy trailing returning champion Molly Rosenbusch of Idaho, Cofone triumphed after Rosenbusch wagered all her money on a question about U.S. presidents that none of the contestants answered correctly.

Ed board member balks at $29 million auditorium

In a tell-tale sign that it's no lock that the town will fund a new auditorium and music instruction space at Greenwich High School, school board member Marianna Ponns Cohen withdrew her support for the $29 million project Tuesday.

A Republican with a reputation for being a maverick, Ponns Cohen is the first person on the eight-member board to break ranks with her colleagues on a project that the school district has identified as its top priority.

Ponns Cohen apprised school administrators and her colleagues of her change of heart in an e-mail Tuesday morning in which she referenced the financial woes of the YMCA of Greenwich, which is swimming in debt from a pool construction project.

"After the YMCA foreclosure/bankruptcy information came to the fore, I have to say that it made me think twice about (the project)," Ponns Cohen wrote. "I am not in favor of (the project) at this time."

The reversal by Ponns Cohen came the morning after a number of Representative Town Meeting members voiced their opposition to the project during a public hearing on the town's capital budget -- a tide that could spell trouble for funding of the auditorium.

Looking to allay concerns about the cost and scope of the project, the Board of Education will hold at least one public information session on the project in March.

Greenwich commuters weather crowded trains, delays

A doctor's appointment Monday morning meant a bit more than a later start to Dave Deacon's day.

For the Greenwich resident, who commutes into New York City daily to work at a staffing company, it also meant something relatively rare this winter -- a seat on the train.

The slew of snowstorms and frigid temperatures have knocked nearly one-third of Metro-North Railroad's aging New Haven Line trains out of service, leading to fewer cars and longer wait times.

While the daily slog isn't usually pleasant, this winter has made commuting by rail more challenging. Normally, Greenwich commuters heading into the city between 7:30 and 8 a.m. can grab a seat, but with eight-car trains often shortened to six cars, standing-room-only has been the rule.

"If you get the last stop in Greenwich, forget it," said Deacon, 61, who caught the relatively uncrowded 9:55 a.m. semi-express train from Greenwich. "The sweet train is the 8:10."

There have also been no shortage of delays, combined trains and missed stops. Ralph Pracilio's 7:38 a.m. train from Greenwich Monday morning was about five minutes late.

"As soon as the snow hit, it went nuts," said Pracilio, as a crowd of fellow New Haven Line commuters chugging coffee and checking cell phones rushed by him at Grand Central Terminal.

Man with camouflage face paint robs Greenwich Wendy's at gunpoint

A man wearing black, military-style camouflage paint on his face robbed a Wendy's restaurant at gunpoint Wednesday night and made off with an unspecified amount of cash, police said.

A black male entered the restaurant with a handgun and demanded cash from the manager around 10:30 p.m., just as the restaurant's dining room was closing, police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray said.

The man forced six employees into an office in the back of the 420 W. Putnam Ave. restaurant, according to police. The man was then captured on camera walking around the kitchen area of the restaurant. The suspect took an undetermined amount of cash and fled in an unknown direction, police said.

The amount of cash taken during the robbery was not known Thursday because the restaurant manager was in the process of tallying the daily proceeds at the time the robbery occurred, police said.

No one was injured.

Police would not say whether they believe the man acted alone or had a getaway driver waiting outside. While the Wendy's dining room closes at night, its drive-through remains open until 2 a.m., according to a sign posted outside.