Darien Morning Briefing, July 14

Today is Thursday, July 14, the 195th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

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EVENTS

• Darien Sidewalk Sale: The 2011 kick off today and run through Saturday. The outdoor entertainment starts tomorrow, but the bargains at participating businesses — 77 in all — are already in full swing. .
• Meet the Author - Pete Hamill: Tonight at 7:00 p.m., the hosts Pete Hamill, author of the novel Tabloid City. As the library describes the book: "Just as the final edition of one of New York City's last tabloids is put to bed, a wealthy socialite and her secretary are murdered, sending those surrounding the deaths into a 24-hour frenzy." Copies will be available for purchase, and a book signing will follow the event.
• Stories by the Sea: The library and the Parks and Recreation Department are co-sponsoring a Weed Beach family storytime today at 10 a.m. The event will be held in the picnic area.

TIDBITS

• Get Puzzled: Help the library solve the world's largest jigsaw puzzle in record time for a chance to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• Monuments and Ceremonies Commission: 3:30 p.m., Town Hall room 206

FORECAST

• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82. North wind between 11 and 15 mph. 
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.

TIDES & TIMES

• Low tide: 5:28 a.m. (-0.2')
• Sunrise: 5:33 a.m.
• High tide: 11:24 a.m. (7.3')
• Low tide: 5:37 p.m. (0.3')
• Sunset: 8:25 p.m.
• High tide: 11:40 p.m. (8.2')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1789: The citizens of Paris storm the Bastille, marking a key moment in the French Revolution that would later be celebrated as Bastille Day.
• 1881: Billy the Kid is shot and killed by Pat Garrett outside Fort Sumner.
• 1960: Jane Goodall arrives at the Gombe Stream Reserve in present-day Tanzania to begin her famous study of chimpanzees in the wild.
• 1965: The Mariner 4 flyby of Mars results in the first close-up photos of another planet.
• 1969: The U.S. officially withdraws $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills from circulation.

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point); 'Today in History' items compiled from Wikipedia and other sources.