Community Corner

Darien Morning Briefing: 1.17.12, Tuesday

Local information, events and reminders to start your day.

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012.

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The National Weather Service issued the following "Special Weather Statement" at 11:46 p.m.—bottom line: Drive carefully in the newly fallen snow:

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"A band of moderate snow, mixed with rain and sleet near the immediate coast, will track east of the area through 2 a.m. Accumulations of around 1 inch of snow has fallen in spots, with possible minor additional accumulations expected. The precipitation should lighten early this morning, and change over to mainly rain by the morning rush. However, many surfaces are quite cold, and roads will be slippery. Motorists should exercise caution when driving."

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Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Morning events today include the talk, "Navigating Your Hospital Stay," at 10 a.m. (see Events: Adults, below), and "Todler Tales" at 10:30 a.m. (see Events: Kids, below).

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Today is primary day in South Carolina.

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HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Adults:

  • Republican Town Caucus: 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium. "All registered Republicans (please bring proper ID) are encouraged to attend and support the 2012-2014 slate for the Republican Town Committee."—from posted on Patch.
  • Talk: Navigating Your Hospital Stay: 10 a.m. "[W]hat to ask before you go into the hospital, how to reduce your risk of infection or medication errors, how to get a good night's sleep, and important steps for planning your discharge and follow-up care."—from the announcement on the Darien Library website.
  • Meet Author Nicole Straight: 7 p.m., Darien Library: "Award-winning local chef Nicole Straight has just published her second cookbook, More Time to Eat!, which aims to teach families how to streamline time spent in the kitchen, as well as make delicious meals in 15 minutes."—from .
  • WEDNESDAY: Holly Pond Preschool Lottery: "The Holly Pond Preschool Lottery begins on Wednesday, January 18th. Draw your lottery ticket on 1/18 - 1/19. The ticket will give you a specific time to come and register."—from the announcement on Patch.
  • WEDNESDAY: “Facebook and Social Media: What Your Kids Already Know”: 9:30 a.m., Middlesex Middle School, a joint program of the Middlesex Parents Association and the YWCA of Darien-Norwalk. Free.
  • : The Darien Health Department has 50 free kits to give out to residents. The American Lung Association is selling them for $12. An estimated 20,000 people in the United States die from lung cancer as the result of radon gas coming into their homes from their basements.
  • The Catherine Lindsey Actors/Playwrights Workshop will present a series of workshops at Darien Library in February, March and April. "Interested playwrights should submit ten pages of their scripts to Robert Cusack at robert.cusack1@att.net by Feb. 1, 2012. [...] The workshops will allow the playwrights to refine their scripts, which will then be submitted to the Darien Library Selection Committee. On Sunday, June 10 at 2 p.m., the Actors/Playwrights Workshop will present the first public-staged reading of selections from the plays in the Library’s Community Room."—from the announcement on the library website.

Kids:

  • Toddler Tales: 10:30 to 11 a.m., Storytime Room, Darien Library. "Walkers up to 36 months and caregiver."—announcement on library website.
  • Crafternoons: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Storytime Room, Darien Library. "Read a story and get crafty. snacks will be provided. Ages 5 to 7."—announcement on library website.
  • Sleepytime: 6 to 6:30 p.m., Storytime Room, Darien Library. "2 to 6-year-olds family storytime."—announcement on library website.
  • Openings in Saturday Enrichment Program: "Intellectually curious students in grades 4-6 are invited to join like-minded children for some hands-on courses in topics like CSI: Forensics, Crazy Chemistry, Aware:Wolf, Mini Beast Biology, Math Puzzles and Riddles, Top Chef, Wondrous Words, Digital Photography, Shakespeare for Kids, Mural Painting, What Makes a Pop Song, and Expedition: China."— on Darien Patch about New Canaan Country Day School's "Think Beyond" enrichment program.
  • Darien Little League Major League Tryouts: "All 10, 11 and 12-year olds (based on player's age as of 4/30/2012) who previously played in the Minors or AAA or are new this year and wish to tryout for the Majors should attend" a tryout, according to the . Mark your calendars: The "Primary Session" is on Jan. 22.
  • Create a video about a book you like, and enter it in the StoryTubes competition to win a prize. This week, Darien Library will have video equipment available for kids and teens from 5 to 18 years old to create their video, which can be entered into a competition from Jan. 20 to Feb. 20. The video equipment is available today from 1 to 6 p.m.

TEENS

  • Darien High School Schedule: Midterm exams 1 (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and 2 (10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) are held today.
  • January Doings at the Depot: the Darien Depot's online calendar
  • Darien Library will stay open late: until 10:30 p.m. through Thursday. According to the library's announcement: "Also, as we did last year, we'll be offering study breaks in the Teen Lounge on the evenings of Monday the 16th and Wednesday the 18th. We will be stocked with lots of goodies, plus cupcakes for you to decorate and then devour. And you can also grab a few rounds of Wii Sports to blow off steam while you're at it."
  • WRITING COMPETITION: For this third annual event sponsored by library, there is "$100 for the winner in each age group and category, You will also have the opportunity to meet with published authors and have your work printed and read by a large audience. And can you imagine putting this on your college applications?" Poetry, fiction and nonfiction are all accepted. If you have any questions, call Erica at 669-5225. [...] To enter email your entry along with the application form to teenstaff@darienlibrary.org beginning on Jan. 1.  Participants have until Feb. 28 to enter for a chance to win cash prizes.  An awards ceremony will conclude the competition on Saturday, March 31."—from the Darien Library website.
  • VIDEO COMPETITION: Create a video about a book you like, and enter it in the StoryTubes competition to win a prize. This week, the library will have video equipment available for kids and teens from 5 to 18 years old to create their video, which can be entered into a competition from Jan. 20 to Feb. 20. The video equipment is available today from 1 to 6 p.m.
  • BANDS & ACTS COMPETITION: JAN. 28: The free event will feature free food. "A $350 first prize and $150 runner up prize will be offered to the best acts, chosen by members of the Darien Teen Advisory Board (Caroline Farrington, Katherine Feehan, and Dylan Gabriel ). Come to see all of your friends perform or come and be in the show! If you are interested in being an act, talk to any of the judges, Caroline Farrington, or Danielle Tilford."—from the library website. Here's the application form to download and fill out.

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

All meetings take place in , 2 Renshaw Rd., unless otherwise noted.

FORECAST as of 6:22 a.m., Tuesday (update)

The National Weather Service issued the following "Special Weather Statement" at 11:46 p.m.—bottom line: Drive carefully in the newly fallen snow:

"A band of moderate snow, mixed with rain and sleet near the immediate coast, will track east of the area through 2 a.m. Accumulations of around 1 inch of snow has fallen in spots, with possible minor additional accumulations expected. The precipitation should lighten early this morning, and change over to mainly rain by the morning rush. However, many surfaces are quite cold, and roads will be slippery. Motorists should exercise caution when driving."

  • Tuesday: "Occasional rain, mainly after noon. High near 46. Southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible."
  • Tuesday Night: "Rain likely, mainly before 7pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Windy, with a west wind 13 to 16 mph increasing to between 25 and 28 mph. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible."

INTERSTATE 95 TRAFFIC CAMS

See also Darien Patch's "Traffic & Gas Prices" page.

TIDES & TIMES

  • High tide: 5:24 a.m. (7.5')
  • Sunrise: 7:16 a.m.
  • Low tide: 12:05 p.m. (-0.1')
  • Sunset: 4:52 p.m.
  • High tide: 6:00 p.m. (6.4')

HOW TO USE PATCH:

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point).


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