In a Norwalk Minute

Wave Hill Breads is now more than just a bakery. On Tuesday afternoon Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia cut a ribbon and broke bread with owners Mitchell Rapoport and Margaret Sapir to celebrate the opening of a new cafe and local food market at the bakery’s home at 30 High St.
In addition to its signature breads, the cafe also offers French pastries, muffins and Java Love coffee.
The cafe, which is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., also has live music and WiFi service.
Founded in Wilton in 2005, Wave Hill Breads supplies stores and restaurants throughout Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and sells at 20 farmers’ markets each week throughout the summer.
The bakery moved to larger quarters at High Street in Norwalk in June and developed new breads and pastries under the direction of Michael Devlin, general manager and chef.

The South Norwalk Branch Library, 10 Washington St., will host a book signing and wine and cheese reception, 3 – 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, with Peg Tyre, author of “The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve.” Tyre specializes in making complicated education research and thorny policy questions around schooling accessible to parents—the most passionate and motivated stakeholders, and the most often ignored, in the national debate about education reform. The “The Good School” was featured in Time and People magazines, New York Times, USAToday, Reuters, Harvard Education Review, NPR and Freakonomics blog. Tyre will also sign and briefly discuss her New York Times bestseller “The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School and what Parents and Educators Must Do,“ a spinoff from her 2006 cover story for Newsweek, “The Boy Crisis.”

Harry Carson, former linebacker for the New York Giants who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, will be a featured guest at Norwalk Hospital on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. in the main lobby. He will be joining Dr. Jonathan Bernie, chief of robotic surgery, in a community health education program promoting prostate cancer awareness.
The event is intended to bring awareness to the importance of regular prostate cancer screenings. Men at high risk should be screened at age 40 and high risk includes those with a family history of prostate cancer and/or men of African American decent.
“Prostate cancer can be cured when it is diagnosed early,” Bernie emphasized. “There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of prostate cancer, and that is why regular screenings are so important. If diagnosed in its early stages, treatment options are much broader.” Treatment options for localized prostate cancer include radiation therapy and new surgical techniques such as robotic surgery, resulting in less pain and faster recovery and a reduction in problems such as incontinence and impotence.
Warning signs for serious prostate problems may include weak or interrupted flow of urine, the need to urinate frequently, blood in the urine and continuing pain in the lower back, pelvis and upper thighs.
HealthGrades, a leading national healthcare ratings organization, rated Norwalk Hospital in the top five percent of hospitals nationally in prostate surgery and named the hospital a recipient of its America 100 Best Hospitals Specialty Excellence Awards for Prostatectomy Care (prostate surgery).
Carson is participating in this educational program to help increase the awareness of prostate cancer among men.
“We are honored to have Harry Carson join us in this important awareness effort,” said Bernie.
Carson completed a 13-year stint with the New York Football Giants, one of the longest tenures in club history. The indestructible former linebacker served as Team Captain for 10 of his 13 seasons including the 1986 season when the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI. Rated the #1 “Inside Linebacker” in NFL history according to Pro Football Weekly, Carson was named to the All-Rookie Team after his first NFL season. Subsequently, during his NFL career, he was named to the All-NFL Team seven times, the All-NFC Team eight times, and NFC Linebacker of the Year twice. He once made an amazing 25 tackles in a Monday Night Football Game against the Green Bay Packers. With performances like that he was selected by his peers to play in the NFC-AFC Pro Bowl nine times and he is among the top 250 players to ever play professional football with his 2006 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Carson set the pace for his remarkable career while a student at Wilson Senior High and McClenaghan High Schools in Florence, S.C. There he served as senior class president, co-chairman of the school’s Bi-Racial Committee and ROTC Commander. He went on to South Carolina State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. He excelled off the field academically as well, winning awards for the highest academic average amongst Black College All-Americans.
Currently Carson serves as executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization representing National Football League minority non-player personnel dedicated to creating greater racial diversity within the National Football League.
He is President of Harry Carson Inc., a sports consulting and promotions company. HCI consults with media outlets, educational sources and corporations on sports as well as non-sports related issues.
Carson has been a spokesperson for the Bergen County, New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program to increase the awareness of prostate cancer among men, especially Black and Latino men. He has served as an advisor to the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and is a member of the Brain Injury Association’s Sports Injury Prevention Council. He has established himself as an authority and internationally recognized speaker on concussions in Sports. The author of two books, “Point of Attack” (1985) and “Captain for Life” (2011) highlight his personal experiences with concussions and other injuries from playing the game of football. He enjoys mentoring young people and current athletes.
A board-certified urologist in practice with Urology Associates of Norwalk, Bernie is fellowship-trained in robotic surgery and has five years of experience in this field. Chief of robotic surgery at Norwalk Hospital, Bernie has been recognized for his proficiency in robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland). Bernie is also an expert in minimally invasive surgical and laparoscopic urological techniques, including nephrectomy (removal of the kidney) and adrenalectomy (removal of the adrenal gland). He specializes in prostate cryoablation in the treatment of prostate cancer (which utilizes extreme cold to destroy cancer cells) and laser therapy for benign prostate disease.
Dr. Bernie received his M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He was previously awarded a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, The College of Arts and Sciences, and a B.S. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. He completed his medical training in general surgery and urology at the University of California, San Diego, and served as a Fellow in Laparoscopy and Robotic Surgery at Indiana University.
Dr. Bernie has been the recipient of several awards for both his surgical skills and clinical research, including the Laurence F. Greene Memorial Award.
Registration is required. To register for the upcoming program, call 1-866-NHB-WELL. Those attending the event will park in the Affinion parking lot, located off of 100 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk, where shuttle buses will transport them to the hospital.

The Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County will be the beneficiary of the 2012 Mayor’s Ball, according to Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia.
The Mayor’s Ball, which takes place annually to benefit a charity of the mayor’s choosing, is scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Continental Manor.
“The Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County provides vital mental health services for children and their families who otherwise would not be able to obtain assistance,” he said. “Donating the proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball will confirm the generous nature of our city and all those who attend the ball in meeting a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County is a not-for-profit organization, established in 1956, which provides comprehensive mental health services to the most difficult and complex behaviorally challenged children, youth and families, who would have no other place to turn to for professional help. The center is designed to meet the needs of many families in the community who lack the resources and abilities to cope with the stress of family problems.
“The center is sincerely grateful to Mayor Moccia for his decision to support the needs of the Child Guidance Center,” said Stuart Greenbaum, executive director of the Child Guidance Center. “Proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball will help meet the growing concern for the mental health and well-being of children, particularly those without health insurance.
“Mental health problems prevent healthy development and interfere with success in school — hindering education and learning and often affecting positive life choices. Mayor Moccia’s generous decision will help us meet the needs of this deserving community.”
Tickets are currently available by contacting City Clerk Erin Halsey at 203-854-7703 or via email at ehalsey@norwalkct.org.

Show your community support by joining the 48th annual RCA Nativity Pageant on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., rain date: Sunday, Dec. 18 at Rowayton Elementary School Field. Adult volunteers are needed to assist with pageant set-up and take-down, leading the different student groups, portraying townspeople and singing in the choir. Children volunteers are needed to fill the various roles; from townspeople to shepherds to angels, and everything in between. If you’re interested in volunteering, visit www.rowaytonct.com.

The incumbent Richard Moccia has given an acceptance speech after being named the unofficial winner of the Norwalk mayoral race. Unofficial results showed Moccia with 53 percent of the vote and Garfunkel with 47 percent.

In a victory speech, Moccia said he was humbled to become only the second mayor in city history to be elected to a fourth term.

The Norwalk Citizen will have extended coverage and final voting numbers soon.

The League of Women Voters of Norwalk is hosting several candidate forums leading up to election night on Nov. 8. The schedule includes:

Monday, Oct. 24: Common Council District C Forum, 7-8 p.m., Board of Education District C Forum, 8-9 p.m., Norwalk City Hall Common Council Chambers
Wednesday, Oct. 26: Common Council District D Forum, 7-8 p.m., Board of Education District D Forum, 8-9 p.m., Norwalk City Hall Common Council Chambers
Thursday, Oct. 27: Mayoral Forum, 7-9 p.m., Norwalk City Hall Community Room
Wednesday, Nov. 2: Common Council District E Forum, 7-8 p.m., Board of Education District E Forum, 8-9 p.m., Roton Middle School
Thursday, Nov. 3: Common Council District A Forum, 7-8 p.m., Board of Education District A Forum, 8-9 p.m., Norwalk Public Library Community Room, Main Library, Belden Avenue
All forums are free.
They are co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Norwalk, the Norwalk Branch of the NAACP, the Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood Associations, The Norwalk Education Foundation and Red Apples.

The South Norwalk Branch Library will celebrate National Hispanic Month with the family program Tambor y Cuentos, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Tambor y Cuentos will provide a mix of Hispanic folklore, including storytelling, singing and drumming. Musician/storytellers Asher Delerme and Jeff McQuillan will take adults and children on a magical journey with the sounds of Bomba, Plena and Salsa music. Their talent takes the audience’s imagination to visit Loiza, which will awaken Vejigante in his coconut mask and cape. Another stop will be in San Juan for some bacalao and a salsa dance lesson. Baila! No one will be sitting after this performance.
To register for this program, call 203-899-2790 ext. 2. Please do not register via voicemail.
The program will be held in the Friends of the Norwalk Public Library Community Room on the top level of the library. The South Norwalk Branch Library is located at 10 Washington St.