Darien Morning Briefing, Oct. 27

Today is Thursday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• First selectman debate: At 11:30 a.m. in the 's Community Room, first selectman candidates John Lundeen, Jayme Stevenson, and Chris Noe will participate in roundtable debate. The event will be moderated by the editors of the Darien Times, The Daily Darien, and Darien Patch.
• Trick-or-treat: At 10 a.m., the 's Holly Pond Nursery School will be at the for trick-or-treating and a costume parade.
• Not your mom's short stories: From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., the library hosts a new short story discussion group. "By dissecting the story, by agreeing and disagreeing with each other, and by offering our opinions, we’ll not only have fun, but come to a better understanding of literature in general," writes the library.
• Fashion Transformed: From now until Jan. 27, the y hosts ." The exhibit features 17 costumes from the era. The center is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Linda George paintings: From now until Nov. 9, by Linda George will be on display in the library's art gallery.
• Children of the Desert: From now until Oct. 29, the hosts "Bana Ba Motlhaba: Children of the Desert," featuring photographs by Dave Hamman and Botswanan crafts. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

DARIEN PLAYHOUSE SHOWTIMES

• The Ides of March: 7:00 p.m. (1 hr. 38 min.)
• Real Steel: 7:00 p.m. (2 hr. 7 min.)

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• None scheduled

FORECAST

• Thursday: Rain, mainly after 9am. High near 55. North wind between 9 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. 
• Thursday night: Rain likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 35. Breezy, with a north wind between 13 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

TIDES & TIMES

• Low tide: 5:58 a.m. (-0.6')
• Sunrise: 7:19 a.m.
• High tide: 12:02 p.m. (9.2')
• Sunset: 5:56 p.m.
• Low tide: 6:38 p.m. (-1.1')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 312: Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
• 1904: The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in world.
• 1936: Mrs Wallis Simpson files for divorce which would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, thus forcing his abdication from the throne.
• 1954: Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.
• 1961: NASA launches the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.
• 1994: The U.S. prison population tops 1 million for the first time in American history.

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.