Bethel Daily Briefing: Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Today  is Tuesday,  April 10, 2012

TODAY'S WEATHER from the National Weather Forecast

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers between 11am and noon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. West wind between 5 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. West wind between 3 and 8 mph.

GARDEN HINTS from the Old Farmers Almanac

How can I grow my onions sweet rather than strong and spicy?

If your onions are too strong and spicy, you haven't watered them enough. Don't be fooled by healthy-looking green stalks. The stalks will be green even if the onions are too dry. The secret to sweeter onions is water, water, water.

QUOTE OF THE DAY from Brainy Quotes

Don't try to make children grow up to be like you, or they may do it.

Russell Baker 

MEETINGS

Planning and Zoning will meet to review regulations of the Village Center and Commercial Zones along the properties located within the  VC and C zones.  Tonight, 7:00 Room D, Municipal Center

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bethel Resident Victoria Grimes Named a Charles O. Thompson Scholar. Named in honor of the first president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute,, this honor recognizes outstanding performance by first-year students. To be eligible for membership, students must receive all A's and B's (with a minimum of six A's) in their academic subjects during their first three terms at WPI.

 Organize Your Home from TOP to BOTTOM!  Get started organizing your home from top to bottom. Professional organizer Larry Russick shows us how to bring order from chaos, and actually enjoy the process. Bethel Public Library, Tuesday April 10, 6:30pm - 8pm Registration is required.

TAU2000 Fundraiser for the Bethel Public Library

“Mathemagician” Ethan Brown + World Record Attempt = Support for the Bethel Public Library!

Join the excitement on May 6, 2012, 1:00-4:00 p.m., at the Bethel Municipal Center when Bethel student Ethan Brown attempts to set a world record by reciting 2,000 digits of Tau! This fun family event will feature a mathemagics show, raffles, walk-around magic, KenKen contests, and performer Dezrah the Strange. Ethan’s world record attempt will be televised.

Individuals and businesses can pledge their support for Ethan's efforts--and all proceeds go to support the Bethel Public Library! Pledge forms are available at the Library, www.bethellibrary.org,  and www.Tau2000.com.  Registration is requested to help plan for the event. Everyone is encouraged to come out and support Ethan and the Library! 

For more information, please call 203-794-8756 ext. 6, or visit www.bethellibrary.org or www.Tau2000.com.

Bethel Today, a local cable television show hosted by Robin Renner and sponsored by the Bethel Democratic Town Committee, will feature as its guest, Matthew S. Knickerbocker, First Selectman of the Town of Bethel.  Mr. Knickerbocker discusses and answers questions concerning the issues surrounding the status of the “Old Town Hall” and other items impacting the Town of Bethel.  The show will be broadcast on Tuesday, April 10 at 8:00 PM; and, on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:30 AM on Comcast Community Access, Channel 23. 

UNITED WATER will be doing annual flushing of the fire hydrants in our Bethel systems starting Tuesday April 10th through Friday April 13th.

We will be sending out a rapid alert to our Bethel customers to notify them of the hydrant flushing.  Please email or call me if you have any questions. Kenneth Skov Operations Support Manager, UNITED WATER CONNECTICUT - ken.skov@unitedwater.com Phone: 860-354-4118

Bethel Garden Club Meeting & Program Open to All

The Bethel Garden Club holds monthly meetings and programs, except for January, February, July, and August. The next meeting will be Friday, April 13 at 10:00 a.m. in Meeting Room B of the Bethel Municipal Center. A special program follows at 11:00 a.m. entitled “Beatrix Farrand, Rediscovered.” Local garden writer and speaker Colleen Plimpton entertains and enlightens with a one-hour presentation of the life, times, and work of Farrand, the distinguished American landscape-gardener. The Bethel Garden Club cordially invites the general public to all meetings and programs. For more information, please call Club President Karen de Leon at 203-798-8156 Free, Municipal Center

Please join us at Byrd's Books for Story Hour With Jessie as she reads, "Bertha and the Frog Choir"  TODAY Tuesday April 10th, 10:00 a.m., free, no registration required.  In the Upstairs Gallery at Molten Java.  For questions or information please call  Alice Hutchinson, Byrd's Books, 213 Greenwood Ave., 2nd floor

Northern Fairfield County Blue Star Mothers

Welcome! To the Northern Fairfield County, Blue Star Mothers, CT Chapter 4.　 We are a chapter, based in Bethel, of ALL (mothers,  step-mothers & Mothers-in-laws) who currently have or have had Active Duty and Honorably Discharged Service men and Women. 

This is an open invitation to any mother who now has, or has had, children honorably serving in the military from within the Upper Fairfield County, CT or Putnam County, NY area to join a new, local chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America (BSMA).

The Northern Fairfield County Chapter of Blue Star Mothers meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Stony Hill Fire Department, 59 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, at 7:00 PM for socializing and support and 7:30 for a business meeting. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM. For more information,

Cooking Together (for kids 3 - 5 years old... and parents too) Thursdays, 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Classes run for 6 weeks (4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3 & 5/10)

Cooking is a great skill for children of any age. You’re never too young to have fun in the kitchen! In these classes Chef Robin will work with you and your children to create delicious meals. Emphasis will be on introducing kids to healthy, new foods. It’s amazing what they’ll taste when they prepare it themselves!

$20 each class. $110 if you purchase all 6 in advance.

5K War Memorial Tribute Run Early Registration Period

Bethel’s Joseph W. Tarrant, Jr. American Legion Memorial Post 100 has finalized plans to host its inaugural 5K War Memorial Tribute Run in honor of our nations fallen war heroes.The event is scheduled to start at 8am, Saturday May 19th 2012 at the Bethel Municipal Center.

 Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Legion Scholarship Fund which aides veterans and children of veterans through individually awarded scholarships to offset the cost of higher education, books, supplies, and institutional fees. For more information,

Western Connecticut State University Community Events

APR. 10 TIBETAN MEDICINE WORKSHOP: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WCSU in collaboration with Dr. Tashi Rabten, president of the Tibetan Medical Association, will present “Tibetan Medicine: The Spiritual Connection” at 7:30 p.m. in Warner Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The workshop will be free and the public is invited. For more information, call (845) 612-3231.

APR. 10 CHAMBER SINGERS AND CONCERT CHOIR: The WCSU Chamber Singers and Concert Choir will perform at 8 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The concert will be free and the public is invited. Donations to support the department of music will be accepted. For more information, call (203) 837-8350 or visit www.wcsu.edu/music/concerts.asp.

APR. 11 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY: As part of the ongoing Wellness Wednesday program on campus, “Finding the Stress Coping Strategies that Work for You!” will be at noon in Room 202 of the Student Center on the WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. WCSU alumna Sue Carbone, owner of Cohesive Healing, will lead this session sponsored by the HPX department and the Institute for Holistic Health Studies. It will be free and open to the public. For more information, call (203) 837-3903.

APR. 12 CHILD CARE CABARET: WCSU will present the Child Care Cabaret at 7 p.m. in the Westside Campus Center Ballroom on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. This fundraiser for the WCSU Child Care Center will bring performers from all corners of the campus together in an uplifting combination of music, dance and comedy. The public is invited; tickets will be $15. WCSU students with valid I.D. will be admitted for $5. For more information, call (203) 837-8266.

APR. 12 COFFEEHOUSE: WCSU will present the Midtown Coffeehouse at 8 p.m. in Alumni Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The coffeehouse will include an all-night open mic. Admission will be free and the public is invited. Donations to sustain the Coffeehouse will be accepted. Call (203) 837-9700 or visit www.wcsu.edu/stuaffairs/Coffeehouse.aspfor more information.

APR. 13 “UNITING AS ONE” EVENT: WCSU will host the “Uniting as One” event to serve the homeless population of Danbury from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Bill Williams Gymnasium in Berkshire Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Multiple agencies will provide a wide array of free services, including lunch, to people without homes. For more information, send an email to williams280@connect.wcsu.edu.

Region's Largest Business Expo this Weds., April 11, 5:00 to 7:30 PM at CocoKey Convention Center Hosted by Waterbury Regional Chamber  For more information,

SCHOLARSHIPS

BETHEL VISITING NURSE ASSOC. SCHOLARSHIP NEWS

Applications for the Mary Edna Cargill Scholarship offered by the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association is available at www.bethelvna.org.  This scholarship is awarded to one or more Bethel residents enrolled in or accepted to a degree program in a health-related field.  Applications must be completed by May 1st, 2012.  For more information, 

***

The Bethel Public Library Board of Directors is offering a one-year $500 scholarship to a high school senior who is a resident of the Town of Bethel and who plans to attend an accredited degree-granting institution.

Applications are now available at the Bethel Public Library and at the guidance offices of Bethel High School, Immaculate High School, Henry Abbott Tech, and the Wooster School, as well as online at www.bethellibrary.org.  Completed applications and all required supporting documents must be submitted before 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 25, 2012 at the Bethel Public Library, 189 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel.   For more information, please contact the Library at 203-794-8756 ex. 6.

SCHOOL DATE REMINDERS

 April 10 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS & BMS

April 11 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS & BMS

April 12 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS

April 12 – Professional Development Day – Early Dismissal – BMS & BHS

April 16-20 – Spring Recess

TODAY IN HISTORY from On This Day

1790 - The U.S. patent system was established. 

1825 - The first hotel opened in Hawaii. 

1849 - Walter Hunt patented the safety pin. He sold the rights for $100. 

1865 - During the American Civil War, at Appomattox, General Robert E. Lee issued his last order. 

1866 - The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was incorporated. 

1912 - The Titanic set sail from Southampton, England. 

1916 - The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) held its first championship tournament. 

1919 - In Mexico, revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata was killed by government troops. 

1925 - F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" for the first time. 

1941 - In World War II, U.S. troops occupied Greenland to prevent Nazi infiltration. 

1953 - Warner Bros. released "House of Wax." It was the first 3-D movie to be released by a major Hollywood studio. 

1963 - 129 people died when the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher failed to surface off Cape Cod, MA. 

1967 - The 13-day strike by the American Federation of Radio-TV Artists (AFTRA) came to an end less than two hours before the 39th Academy Awards presentation went on the air. 

1971 - The American table tennis team arrived in China. They were the first group of Americans officially allowed into China since the founding of the People Republic in 1949. The team had recieved the surprise invitation while in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championship. 

1981 - The maiden launch of the space shuttle Columbia was cancelled because of a computer malfunction. 

1984 - The U.S. Senate condemned the CIA mining of Nicaraguan harbors. 

1992 - Outside Needles, CA, comedian Sam Kinison was killed when a pickup truck slammed into his car on a desert road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. 

1996 - U.S. President Clinton vetoed a bill that would have outlawed a technique used to end pregnancies in their late stages. 

1997 - Rod Steiger received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

2000 - Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 400 home runs. He was 30 years, 141 days old. 

2001 - The Netherlands legalized mercy killings and assisted suicide for patients with unbearable, terminal illness. 

Have an announcement or an interesting bit of news?  Let us know!  Click here or email Christine Rose at RosepetL5@aol.com