Bethel Daily Briefing: Thursday, April 3, 2012

Today is Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Have an announcement or an interesting bit of news?  Let us know!  Click here to post announcements, and here to post events.

This Morning's Headlines

Be sure to check back to Bethel.Patch.com  for more stories throughout the day.

Today's Weather  

Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7am, then scattered showers. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 60. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

Thursday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Question of the Day 

Why is the ring finger sometimes called the medical finger?

For centuries, it was believed that the ring finger had a nerve that connected it to the heart. The Romans and Greeks used this finger for stirring mixtures, especially in alchemy, in the belief that anything noxious would be immediately detected by the heart, which would produce some warning sign. This connection, which years later was proved false, was also why the finger was chosen for rings, marking the heart's sentiment. English superstition still holds that the ring finger should be used for applying ointments or salves or for scratching the skin.

Events & Reminders

 HRRA Regional Recycling Task Force 10:30 am, Brookfield Town Hall

 Bd of Ed Subcommittee Mtgs 7 pm, Room E, Municipal Center

 Energy Conservation Committee  7pm, Meeting Room A, Municipal Center

Evaristo Pitches No Hitter!!

• Senior pitcher Yesenia Evaristo won her ninth game of the year throwing a no-hitter while striking out sixteen in a 7-0 win against Weston.  Evaristo also led her team offensively going 2-4 and driving in 3 runs.  The girls next game is at Oxford this Friday.
• Villanova University named the following students to the Dean's List for the fall 2011 semester:
• Susan Hannagan, from Bethel, Conn., is enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
• Kerri Holbrook, from Bethel, Conn., is enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
• Eastern Connecticut State University Student Jalpa Patel of Bethel Participant in Pathways to Leadership Program
•  A number of Eastern Connecticut State University students have been participating in Pathways to Leadership, a tiered student leadership program series. The program has been developed based on Eastern's Strategic Planning Initiative to enhance on-campus culture by providing leadership training experiences for students. All Eastern students interested in developing leadership skills are invited to join the Pathways to Leadership program.
• Jalpa Patel '15 of Bethel, CT, is a participant of the Pathways to Leadership program. Patel's major is Psychology. The program is sponsored by Student Activities, an office in the Division of Student Affairs, and encourages students to explore their own individual leadership development potential. Students engage in a series of sessions throughout the academic year that assist in enhancing their liberal arts experience by exploring topics in line with the University's Core Values. The program focuses on mentorship, cultural competence, teamwork, conflict management, networking and online identity, public speaking, leadership models and practices, time management and much more. The experience culminates in the Pathways Leadership Conference at the end of the semester.
• Eastern Connecticut State University is the state's public liberal arts university. Eastern serves approximately 5,600 students each year on its Willimantic campus and satellite locations.
• MAY 3 HONORS CONVOCATION: The WCSU Ancell School of Business will host an Honors Convocation at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Westside Campus Center on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. The public is invited to this annual event at which scholarship and award recipients are honored. For more information, call (203) 837-8521.
• MAY 3 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 open mic performers at 8 p.m., followed by the featured act, a capella group Martini Glass, at 9 p.m. 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.asp for more information.
• May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month:  Have you ever been diagnosed with Lyme Disease?  Want to help people affected by the debilitating symptoms? If so, then please call the Western Connecticut Health Network Lyme Disease Registry at (203) 739-8383, or visit www.lymeregistry.org.  Visit the Lyme Registry today!  A little of your time could help others for a lifetime.  Go to www.lymeregistry.org to fine out more. 

Today in History

1855 - Macon B. Allen became the first African American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts. 

1933 - The U.S. Mint was under the direction of a woman for the first time when Nellie Ross took the position. 

1937 - Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for "Gone With The Wind." 

1948 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable. 

1966 - The game "Twister" was featured on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. 

1971 - Anti-war protesters began four days of demonstrations in Washington, DC. 

1971 - National Public Radio broadcast for the first time. 

1971 - James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King's assassin, was caught in a jailbreak attempt. 

1988 - The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule her husband's activities. 

1992 - Five days of rioting and looting ended in Los Angeles, CA. The riots, that killed 53 people, began after the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King. 

1999 - Hasbro released the first collection of toys for the Star Wars movie "Episode I: The Phantom Menace." 

1999 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 11,000 for the first time.