Rabid Raccoon Confirmed In Essex County

A rabid raccoon has been confirmed in Westport, marking the first case in Essex County this year. The animal was seen stumbling along a roadway Tuesday before it was found dead on a residential property. Health officials say a pet may have had contact, but it was up to date on vaccinations and received a booster Wednesday as a precaution. Public Health authorities say the situation highlights the importance of keeping pets vaccinated, especially as wildlife activity increases this time of year and bait drops begin across the region.

Ed Histed

Ed launched his radio career in 1975 and has spent more than five decades in the broadcasting industry. During that time, he has served in a wide range of roles including Air Personality, News Director, Sales Manager, Operations Manager, and General Manager at numerous radio stations in various markets across the country. Beyond on-air and management responsibilities, Ed has also worked extensively on the technical side of broadcasting. His background includes RF engineering and information technology, with particular experience configuring digital automation systems and remote voice-tracking platforms used by stations across the country. Ed was also among a select group of industry professionals invited by Google to its California headquarters following the company’s acquisition of Scott Studios. He was one of just 12 broadcasters nationwide chosen to participate in discussions and provide input during the design and rollout of Google’s digital broadcast automation platform. Although the majority of Ed’s career—spanning roughly four decades—was rooted in music radio, he transitioned into news and information programming in 2012. He says the move into spoken-word broadcasting was a natural evolution after decades of experience in multiple areas of the industry.