Daily Five: The Strand, Decided; Jeff Benedict

1. Today should be sunny and slightly cooler, with a high of 79, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight it should stay clear, with a  low of 61, according to the service.

2. The will probably be decided tonight. The issue revolves around real estate agent Paul Smyth wanting to build a house at 29 Strand Road, a lot that sits on the water. Under the current regulations, Smyth would not be able to build a house on the land, so he is asking for a 15-ft variance and a 45-ft variance through the zoning board of appeals. At public hearings, neighbors came out in droves protesting the easements; and both sides hired lawyers, engineers and scientist to prove their points.

Tonight, the ZBA should vote on the two variances, concluding the arguments.

3. A release issued Tuesday detailed the number of layoffs by Gov. Dannel Malloy in the executive branch of government. Overall, , with almost 191 of those correctional officers. The correctional officers union were the first reported union to reject Malloy’s concession deal. This comes a day after Electric Boat announced it would lay off 104 employees, and a few months after Pfizer announced it would lay off more than .

4. Tonight at 7 in the Waterford Public Library, Jeff Benedict, a former Waterford resident, discusses his new book, “Poisoned.” Benedict, a journalist, is known for his books “Without Reservation” (about the development of Foxwoods Resort Casino) and “Little Pink House,” which took a look at New London’s use of eminent domain in an effort to lure Pfizer into town. “Poisoned” is about the largest E. coli breakout in the United States, which came from an undercooked hamburgers at the Jack in the Box chain in 1993. 

5. On this date in 1940, Paris falls to Germany in World War II, leaving only England as the last European country not under control of the Russians or the Germans. And on this date in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signs a bill into law that puts the words “under God” into the pledge of allegience.

Quote of the Day

“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”

-Wole Soyinka

Trivia of the Day

Before the current constitution, what was the name of the documents used as the plan of government for the United States?

Yesterday’s Answer: Harrison Ford turned 69 yesterday, and is the third highest grossing actor of all time (as of today).