Bethel Daily Briefing: Thursday, May17, 2012 Referendum Information!

Today is Tuesday, May 15, 2012

 TODAY!  BUDGET REFERENDUM!  Parking information: On Thursday, May 17th, there will be designated parking spaces on School Street for those that vote at the Municipal Center.  There will also be designated voting parking spots in the rear lot off of Wooster Street.

Voter information:  The machine vote for the Budget of the Town of Bethel for Fiscal Year 2012-2012 will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2012 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  You will need to report to your assigned polling district to vote, either Berry School, the Hurgin Municipal Center or the Stony Hill Fire House.  If you are unsure where you should report to vote, please contact the Office of the Bethel Registrar of Voters at 203-794-8516 as soon as possible.

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  weather.gov

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 70. North wind between 7 and 10 mph. 

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 

Question of the Day

 Is one flower, more than any other, traditional for decorating graves?

Red geraniums are perhaps the most common, probably for their hardiness. In the language and sentiment of flowers, however, geraniums are a symbol of comfort and not particularly associated with death or remembrance. In more ancient times, the primrose was much more popular, because graves were often decorated around Easter and the primrose was available in the wild almost as early as the snow melted. Similarly, primroses symbolize youth, because they are earliest out in the spring. Daffodils, with their early blooms and bright spring color, are another natural choice. They are an emblem of regret, probably because of their drooping flower heads. Robert Herrick (1591-1674) described the daffodil like this: "When a daffadil I see / Hanging down her head t'ward me, / Guess I may, what I must be; / First, I shall decline my head, / Secondly, I shall be dead, / Lastly, safely buried."

Events & Announcements

Board of Education, 7pm, Municipal Center, Meeting Room E

Bethel Garden Club Plant Sale

 It's time for the annual Bethel Garden Club Plant Sale! You'll find great deals on great locally grown plants, as well as expert advice from our Master Gardeners.  The sale begins at 9:00 a.m.- noon (No early birds, please!) Located behind the Methodist Church at 141 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel.

St Mary School 36th Annual Carnival  Our 36th Annual Carnival is back in Downtown Bethel on the Municipal Center Green!  Wednesday, May 16 - Sunday, May 20

Carnival Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 6:00-10:00 pm, Saturday 12:00-10:00 pm, Sunday 12:00-2:00 pm & 4:00-8:00 pm.
*Sunday Hours will accommodate the Memorial Day Parade and the Front lawn Ceremony. Carnival will not operate between the hours of 2:00 - 4:00.

Raffle! Prizes: 1st Place = $5,000, 2nd Place = $1,000, and 3rd Place = $500 Tickets Available at Carnival!

Rides, Food, FacePainting, Pie Contest...everything you'd expect from a safe, family friendly community carnival with lots of FUN!! Come join in on the event! for more information. 

Bethel, Conn., native, Lance Cpl. Stephen A. Fike, is a rifleman with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Fike recently particpated in a simulated assault, which was part of a two–and-half-week Tactical Small Unit Leadership Course. Prospective fire team leaders from the battalion participated in the implementation of various weapons systems, tactical movements, communications and land navigation. Read more here.  

Join us for a night of Lucky Networking....Casino Style.:  Over 7 area Chambers and networking groups will join us at the gaming tables for networking, games of chance, prizes galore, food and fun.  Step up and play some roulette, black jack, texas hold em.  Heck... we're even going to have horse races.  There's no better place to network than at a party.  

 This is the event you don't want to miss.  So register now!  Remember...what happens in Bethel, stays in Bethel.

 Lady Luck Rolls in to Bethel on Thursday June 7, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Capellaro's Grove, 42 Vail Rd, Bethel, CT 0680.  See you at the Casino!

Bethel Chamber of Commerce, 203-743-6500 contactus@bethelchamber.com

Today in History

1602 - Cape Cod was discovered by Bartholomew Gosnold. 

1862 - The U.S. Congress created the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

1911 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. 

1918 - Regular airmail service between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, began under the direction of the Post Office Department, which later became the U.S. Postal Service. 

1926 - The New York Rangers were officially granted a franchise in the NHL. The NHL also announced that Chicago and Detroit would be joining the league in November. 

1940 - Nylon stockings went on sale for the first time in the U.S. 

1941 - Joe DiMaggio began his historic major league baseball hitting streak of 56 games. 

1942 - Gasoline rationing began in the U.S. The limit was 3 gallons a week for nonessential vehicles. 

1951 - AT&T became the first corporation to have one million stockholders. 

1958 - Sputnik III, the first space laboratory, was launched in the Soviet Union. 

1964 - The Smothers Brothers, Dick and Tom, gave their first concert in Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

1970 - U.S. President Nixon appointed America's first two female generals. 

1970 - Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, two black students at Jackson State University in Mississippi, were killed when police opened fire during student protests. 

1972 - Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot by Arthur Bremer in Laurel, MD while campaigning for the U.S. presidency. Wallace was paralyzed by the shot. 

1980 - The first transcontinental balloon crossing of the United States took place. 

1990 - Vincent Van Gogh's "Portrait of Doctor Gachet" was sold for $82.5 million. The sale set a new world record.