Bethel Daily Briefing: Thursday February 16, 2012

TODAY IS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

WEATHER from National Weather Service

Thursday: Rain likely, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming south between 4 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Periods of rain and snow, mainly before 3am. Low around 34. South wind around 5 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

DEEP THOUGHTS from Webster's Quotationary 

There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people.

George Bush, 1989 Inaugural Address

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Heather Smith of Bethel has been placed on the Gettysburg College Dean's Commendation List for outstanding academic achievement in the Fall 2011.

The Bethel Public Library will offer free expert tax advice from Master Tax Advisor Tony Loomis tonight at 7 pm. Learn about the new tax laws, discover ways to save, and get tax preparation tips. There also will be Q&A for specific questions. Registration is required due to space constraints. Please register online at www.bethellibrary.org or call 203-794-8756 ext. 4.

All Bethel Public Library programs meet accessibility requirements for the disabled. Those needing special accommodations should contact the Library two weeks prior to the program to make arrangements.

Bethel United Methodist Community Pasta Community Pasta Dinner, Saturday February 18, 5:30 pm. Adults $10, Seniors & Students with College ID $8, Kids $5 (under 5 eat free), Family Max $25 (parents & kids), Homemade meatballs $.50 ea.

Dinner includes salad, beverage, and homemade dessert table! Take out available - call Bethel United Methodist Church 203.743.6835 after 10 am day of dinner to place your order.

New Business? Planning an event? Proud of someone? Send in your announcements and we will let the world know!

MUNICIPAL MEETINGS:

Board of Education Budget Workshop, 7 pm, Meeting Room E, Clifford J. Hurgin Municipal Center

GARDENING HINTS from Old Farmer's Almanac

If you are storing any bulbs for summer planting, check them to make sure they are not rotting or damaged. Throw away any bad bulbs.

TODAY IN HISTORY from On This Day

1741 - Benjamin Franklin published America’s second magazine, "The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle".

1857 - The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, DC. It was the first school in the world for advanced education of the deaf. The school was later renamed Gallaudet College.

1868 - The Jolly Corks organization, in New York City, changed it's name to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE).

1883 - "Ladies Home Journal" began publication.

1914 - The first airplane flight between Los Angeles and San Francisco took place.

1923 - Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen. The next day he entered the chamber with several invited guests. He had originally found the tomb on November 4, 1922.

1932 - The first fruit tree patent was issued to James E. Markham for a peach tree which ripens later than other varieties.

1937 - Wallace H. Carothers received a patent for nylon. Carothers was a research chemist for Du Pont.

1938 - The U.S. Federal Crop Insurance program was authorized.

1946 - The first commercially designed helicopter was tested in Connecticut.

1959 - Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista.

1968 - In the U.S., the first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, AL.

1970 - Joe Frazier began his reign as the undefeated heavyweight world champion when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. He lost the title on January 22, 1973, when he lost for the first time in his professional career to George Foreman.

1972 - Wilt Chamberlain (Los Angeles Lakers) reached the 30,000-point mark in his NBA career during a game against the Phoenix Suns.

1985 - "Kojak" returned to network television after an absence of seven years with the CBS-TV special, "Kojak: The Belarus File."

1999 - Testimony began in the Jasper, TX, trial of John William King. He was charged with murder in the gruesome dragging death of James Byrd Jr. King was later convicted and sentenced to death.

2002 - The operator of a crematory in Noble, GA, was arrested after dozens of corpses were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered around in the surrounding woods.

2005 - The Kyoto global warming pact went into effect in 140 nations.

2005 - The NHL announced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute. It was the first time a major sports league in North America lost an entire season to a labor dispute.

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