Darien Morning Briefing: Dec. 13, 2011

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2011, the day of the town Shuffle Referendum and 12 days before Christmas.

HEADLINES

• State of the Town Message Shows Budget, Tax Pressures
• DUIs in Darien: Three Separate Cases
• Football Team Banquet Ushers Out 8-2 Season
• Post It: Brooks is Still Missing

Holiday-related:

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• Gift idea: "Amid the Cold of Winter": "The Darien Tudor Singers' Holiday CD "Amid the Cold of Winter" is available now for $15. Featuring studio recordings of 16 holiday and seasonal favorites performed by the 2008-2010 Tudor Singers, the album is a great way to celebrate the season while supporting choral music at DHS. The CD may be purchased from Mr. Andrade and is also available at Barrett Bookstore. Checks should be made payable to 'DHS.'"—Darien High School website (and you can listen to a short mix here.)
• Gift idea on Video: Miss Elisabeth & Children's Library suggest three books that make great gifts.

SHUFFLE REFERENDUM INFORMATION:

Websites for each camp:

• Stop the Shuffle
• Vote Yes Darien

From the town website:

• Taxpayer Impact of BOE/Mather Community Center Renovation
• P&Z Commission Mandatory Referral, 2 Renshaw Rd.
• P&Z Commission Mandatory Referral, 35 Leroy Ave.
• Mather Community Center Cost Analysis
• BOE/Mather Community Center Presentation, 9.19.11
• Annual Debt Service & Outstanding Principal
• Bond Total
• Public Works Garage Remodel
• BOE Occupancy Comparison
• Town Facility Optimization

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Adults:

• Holiday Gingerbread Tree at Town Hall is "decorated with colorful paper Gingerbread people describing various ways to help  children, families and seniors in Darien, who are in need.  There is also a Gingerbread tree at the Darien Rowayton Bank on the Post Road Pick a Gingerbread tag, fill a wish, and drop it off at Social Services, Rm. 109. For more information on making a donation you can call 203-656-7328."—Town website
• Hear Didi Emmons on "Talk, Taste and Sniff." The author of Wild Flavors, a cookbook about "the interconnection of nature, farms, animals, and ourselves," according to the DCA website, speaks at 9:30 a.m. at the .
• WEDNESDAY: "The Help:" Special encore showing at 1:30 p.m. in the Darien Library
• THURSDAY: "Social Thinking" for parents of high school students: 10 a.m. to noon; registration required. "You’re invited to attend: Social Thinking is a curriculum for verbal students on the Autism Spectrum, including Asperger's However, the district has found that children with other disabilities and regular education students are responding to this unique curriculum."—Darien High School website. Held in the Boad Room at the Darien Public Schools' Central Office, Town Hall Annex (2 Renshaw Rd.). RSVP crobertson@darienps.org or 656-7469.
• Dec. 28: "Stamford Hospital's Mobile Wellness Center, a clinic in a large bus, will visit the Darien Rowayton Bank for convenient, fast, digital mammograms from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28."—from our events listing.

Kids:

• IMAX movies at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk: 12 p.m.; , 1 p.m.
• Toddler Tales: 10:30 to 11 a.m. for kids who can walk and under 3 years old who are accompanied by a care-giver; in the Storytime Room of Darien Library.

Teens:

Darien High School: 

• Schedule: for an G Day, periods will be: 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6
• Free tutoring: The Darien chapter of the National Honor Society offers free tutoring every Tuesday after school in the Math/Science Learning Connections Room, and after school every THURSDAY in the English/Social Studies Learning Connections Room. No appointments needed
• DHS Music Honors Society's Musical Instrument Drive: Instruments may be dropped off before school to the DHS Band Room or MMS Rotunda from now through Dec. 23. The also accepts instruments on the weekend of Dec. 17-18.
• WEDNESDAY: Holiday Spectrum Concert: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m.; no admission; auditorium: "One hour of uninterrupted holiday music favorites" (says the high school website) presented by the Darien High School Music Department.
• WEDNESDAY: Community Council's Silent Auction: 5:30 p.m., in the cafeteria. Proceeds benefit Darien Youth Sevices. Some of the items up for auction: Rangers tickets, a  dinner for two, and  a deluxe prom package.

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

• The Muppets: 6:30 p.m. (1 hr. 38 min.) — IMDb—trailer—trailer—website—Rotten Tomatoes
• New Year's Eve: 7 p.m. (1 hr. 57 min.)—IMDb—trailer—website—Rotten Tomatoes

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

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

• Monuments & Ceremonies Commission, 3:30 p.m., Room 206
• Board of Finance, 7:30 p.m., Room 206 (agenda)
• Architectural Review Board, 8 p.m., Room 213 (agenda)

FORECAST as of 12:23 a.m., Friday (update)

• Tuesday: "Sunny, with a high near 46. North wind between 7 and 11 mph." 
• Tuesday Night: "Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind between 7 and 9 mph."

INTERSTATE 95 TRAFFIC CAMS

• Stamford: southbound, Exit 8 - Elm St.

• Stamford: northbound, south of Exit 9 - Lockwood Ave.

• Darien southbound, north of Exit 9 - Darien Service Plaza

• Darien northbound Exit 12 - Tokeneke Rd.

• Darien northbound, south of Exit 13 - Darien Service Plaza

• Darien southbound, Exit 13 - Rt. 1 (Boston Post Rd.)

• Norwalk southbound, Exit 15 - Stuart Ave.

• Norwalk Rt 7 south of Exit 1 - Connecticut Ave.

• Norwalk northbound, Exit 15 - Rt. 7

TIDES & TIMES

• High tide: 12:46 a.m. (6.8')
• Low tide: 6:52 a.m. (0.4')
• Sunrise: 7:10 a.m.
• High tide: 12:51 p.m. (7.5')
• Sunset: 4:25 p.m.
• Low tide: 7:26 p.m. (-0.2')

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