Washington
A page from history: George Washington’s inauguration Bible comes to Westport | Westport Journal
By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — Many towns in New England claim, “George Washington slept here.” Whether Westport can make that claim or not, Westporters can be certain the Bible used at the inauguration of the nation’s first president has visited Westport.
On Saturday, the 257-year-old George Washington Inaugural Bible was proudly displayed for the community by the men of Westport’s Masonic Lodge, Temple No. 65, to mark the lodge’s 200th anniversary.
The Westport Masonic Lodge was chartered on May 12, 1824, before the town of Westport itself was incorporated, and is one of the oldest organizations in town, according to Richard Ruggiano, worshipful master of the Westport temple.
The hands of four U.S. presidents have rested on the Bible during their inauguration, who in addition to Washington, include Warren G. Harding, Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter. George W. Bush also would have been sworn in using the Bible, but because it was raining the priceless Bible couldn’t be exposed to the weather, Ruggiano said.
The Bible was also present at the funerals for Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and at ceremonies to lay the cornerstone for both the U.S. Capitol building and the Washington Monument, he said.
“We should be sharing this with our community,” Ruggiano said of the Bible, which is owned by Masonic Lodge St. John’s No. 1 A.Y.M. (Ancient York Masons) in New York. “It has never been shone in Connecticut.”
The Bible’s public display Saturday drew Westport residents, members of nearby Masonic lodges and even “Benjamin Franklin,” a.k.a. Westport lodge member Chris Jennings, who portrayed Franklin. The real Franklin was a friend of Washington’s Jennings said in a presentation to visitors.
In his presentation, Jennings recounted the history preceding Washington’s inauguration, from the perspective of Franklin. He referred to Washington as “a young Virginia militia colonel,” 20 years before he became leader of a new nation.
Washington did not sign the Declaration of Independence because he was in New York state with his troops, according to Jennings, and was one of the nation’s founding fathers who believed it was important for the national legislature to have two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Washington’s inauguration as the first president of the United States took place in 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City, according to information from St. John’s lodge. It lay open on a crimson velvet cushion when the oath of office was administered to Washington by the first secretary of the U.S. Senate, Samuel Otis. Among those present were the nation’s first vice president, John Adams; the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay; the first secretary of war, Henry Knox, and the first governor of New York, George Clinton.
Many of the nation’s founders were Masons, Ruggiano said, including Washington himself, his generals and many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
On Saturday, the Inaugural Bible made the trip from Manhattan accompanied by four members of St. John’s lodge, who donned white gloves and flanked the Bible as it was displayed in the local lodge to ensure its safety.
“We hire a conservation organization to take care of it,” said Andreas Vavaroutsos, a member of the New York lodge and part of the group that transported the Bible. The men drove the Bible to the Westport lodge at 210 Post Road East, and planned to drive it back to New York on Saturday evening.
It took Ruggiano many years to arrange for the Bible to be displayed in conjunction with the Westport lodge’s bicentennial, he said. But with arrangements complete and the Bible at the center of attention on a special day for the Westport lodge, he said, “We feel graced and blessed.”
Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.
Tornadoes possible in Washington on Wednesday
The Washington state emergency center is keeping a close eye on the weather, as there is a possibility of tornadoes during Wednesday’s severe storms. Emergency management officials advise the public to stay prepared.
SEATTLE – The Washington Emergency Management Division is keeping a close eye on the weather Wednesday evening.
What they’re saying:
A spokesperson for the state emergency management center says tornadoes can pop up quickly without much warning in the Pacific Northwest.
He says you’ll want to prepare for possible severe weather by charging your phones and removing outdoor items like lawn furniture before it hits.
An EF2 tornado sent massive trees toppling into Christopher Raymond’s home in Port Orchard back in 2018. He talked with FOX 13 just after the storm.
“Some of us are just trying to hold on to whatever little we’ve got left. None of us died. That’s the most important part,” said Christopher Raymond during the FOX 13 interview in 2018.
Although tornadoes may be more of a rarity in Washington, they can happen.
Tornadoes were also captured on video in Kent in 2018, in Richaland in 2020 and in Hanford in 2014.
Crews also talked to a man in Longview who was pushed to the floor by a tornado in 2014. It also ripped his auto shop apart.
“Rips the door open, throws my butt on the floor. I watched the roof go. ‘Whoop.’ I don’t know where it went,” said Al Wills during an interview in 2014.
The Emergency Management Division or EMD says Washington state gets around 2.5 tornadoes a year.
“There is about 2% to 4% chance of a tornado,” said Steven Friederich, public information officer for the Public Emergency Management Division, Washington Oceanic Division.
He advises that if you hear a roaring sound from the wind, or see up to baseball-size hail falling during Wednesday’s storm, take cover.
“Get under something sturdy, keep sheltered until the storms have passed. That’s DUCK,” said Friederich. “That’s phrasing used all over the country.”
Even if the storm doesn’t generate a tornado, he says it’s a good idea to download utility apps associated with your providers in advance and prepare for power outages.
“Charging those external battery sources for your cell phones, today is a good day to do that, making sure you have batteries for your flashlights, making sure if you have a hybrid or electric car, making sure all that is charged,” said Friederich.
He says it’s also a good idea to stock up on food and other supplies ahead of a storm.
“We like to encourage people to be two weeks ready,” said Friederich.
Friederich says the EF2 tornado in Port Orchard ended up generating $1.8 million in damage.
He says it’s also a good idea to reach out to neighbors ahead of time in order to be able to better assist one another if disaster strikes.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Washington Emergency Management Division and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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A confirmed case of measles in Washington, D.C. is being investigated by health officials after the contagious person visited several locations in the district.
The DC Department of Health warned the public of the potential exposure in a press release shared late Tuesday morning.
TENNESSEE REPORTS FIRST MEASLES CASE AMID U.S. OUTBREAK
According to the release, those who were in the following places in the district at the listed times may have been exposed:
Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train (Southbound): March 19, 7:30 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.
Amtrak Concourse, Union Station: March 19, 11:00 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.
MedStar Urgent Care, Adams Morgan: March 22, 7:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.
A measles alert sign hangs outside the entrance to the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where the state health department confirmed that a baby tested positive and that there is a possibility of exposure to others at the facility, in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure. Symptoms include a fever over 101°F as well as a cough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes.
The most distinctive symptom of measles, appearing 3 to 5 days after onset of symptoms, is a rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body. Infected people can spread measles four days before the rash appears and up to four days afterward.
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If you have been exposed to measles or were at one of the locations shared by the DC Department of Health during the times listed and are not vaccinated, health officials recommend watching for symptoms until 21 days after exposure.
If you are in Washington, D.C., health officials also recommend calling a doctor or DC Health at 844-493-2652 for additional guidance. Those exposed to measles are urged to stay home and avoid others if any symptoms appear.
A syringe is pictured ahead of MMR vaccination at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. REUTERS/Annie Rice (REUTERS/Annie Rice)
Nearby Maryland experienced its first confirmed case of measles in a traveler at the Baltimore airport on March 10. The virus has swept much of the Northeast this winter.
People who have received two doses of the MMR or measles vaccine or were born before 1957 are considered protected. Those with only one dose of the vaccine are mostly protected but may seek a second shot for full immunity. Measles is considered preventable with the MMR vaccine, which offers lifetime protection with two doses.
A view shows MMR vaccine at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Annie Rice)
Infants under 12 months old and those who are unvaccinated are considered most at-risk for measles.
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Measles has been on the rise across the nation this cold and flu season, with 327 cases reported in Texas as of Tuesday, March 25. 40 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak so far in the Lone Star State.
The CDC has confirmed a total of 378 cases nationwide as of March 20 in a release.
Waymo on Tuesday added Washington to its pioneering robotaxi service’s steadily expanding list of U.S. markets, although passengers will have to wait until next year until they can take a driverless ride around the nation’s capital city.
For now, Waymo’s robotaxis will continue to map Washington’s streets and corridors with a safety driver sitting behind the wheel to take control of the vehicle if something goes wrong — a precaution required under the regulations currently in force in the District of Columbia.
That’s something Waymo already has been doing since it began sending out its robotaxis in Washington in late January after a brief trial run in the capital last year.
While the robotaxis continue to learn their way around the city, Waymo executives expressed confidence they will be able to work with regulators to clear the way for completely driverless rides at some point next year through its Waymo One app.
“We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.
If Waymo’s ambitions pan out, Washington and Miami next year will be added to four other U.S. markets where its robotaxis are transporting passengers — Phoenix, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Waymo and Uber also are teaming up to begin dispatching its robotaxis in Atlanta later this year.
The growth has helped turn what began as a head-turning novelty in Phoenix and then in San Francisco into an increasingly common sight in the cities where Waymo operates. The company says it had provided more than 4 million driverless rides to paying customers through the end of this year, and is now providing them at a pace of 200,000 paid trips per week.
That has established Waymo as the early frontrunner in driverless technology while others are racing to catch up. Both Amazon and Tesla are gearing up to launch their own services in different U.S. cities while another ride-hailing service, Lyft, has announced plans to add robotaxis as an option in Atlanta and Dallas.
Waymo’s early lead in the still-nascent robotaxi market is a vindication of a technology that began as a secret project within Google in 2009 before it was spun off into a separate company owned by Alphabet Inc. in 2016.
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