Darien Morning Briefing, July 26

Today is Tuesday, July 26, the 207th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• Democratic Caucus: The Darien Democratic Town Caucus is scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m. in the auditorium. The party is set to endorse candidates for the November town elections. Registered Democrats from Darien are welcome to attend.
• Book Sale: The 's Summer Book Sale continues today (9 a.m.-9 p.m.) and runs through Friday. Today and Wednesday, hardcover books will set you back 50¢, DVDs $2.50, and paperbacks 25¢ per pair.
• Short Stories for Long Days: Carroll Stenson leads a weekly discussion on short stories at the library from 3 to 4 p.m. Copies of the stories are available for pickup at the Welcome Desk during the week prior to each meeting.
• 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

• Board of Education: 7:30 p.m., BOE meeting room [agenda]
• Planning and Zoning Commission: 8 p.m., room 206 [agenda]
• Board of Finance: 7:30 p.m., room 119 [agenda]

FORECAST

• Tuesday: A slight chance of showers before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Tuesday night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. West wind around 6 mph becoming north. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

TIDES & TIMES

• Low tide: 2:35 a.m. (1.0')
• Sunrise: 5:44 a.m.
• High tide: 8:34 a.m. (6.2')
• Low tide: 2:39 p.m. (1.2')
• Sunset: 8:16 p.m.
• High tide: 8:48 p.m. (7.2')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1775: The office that would eventually become the U.S. Postal Service is established by the Second Continental Congress.
• 1803: The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London.
• 1945: The Potsdam Declaration is signed in Potsdam, Germany.
• 1948: President Harry Truman signs Executive Order 9981, desegregating the U.S. military.
• 1956: Following the World Bank's refusal to fund construction the Aswan High Dam, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.

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.