Daily Five: Waterford Week Starts Tonight

1. It should be cloudy this morning, and then rain and thunderstorms are expected tonight, according to the National Weather Service. A high of 77, with a low of 64, according to the service.

2. Tonight is the first night of . At 5:30, it’s Kids Music Night at the Waterford gazebo, where Steve Elci will play in concert. The event is put on by Carelot Children’s Center PTO and Waterford Youth Services. 

3. Also tonight at 5:30, the high school building committee meets to continue to add work and dollars to the project as part of the new “.” Building Committee Chairman Alan Wilensky clarified that although this work is being added, it was what the committee had in mind when it began the work in the first place. This time, the big items up for vote include a $125,000 budget to replace all the lockers and benches in the fieldhouse and a $150,000 budget to provide a cable tray system instead of J-hooks for cabling in the entire building.

At the last Representative Town Meeting meeting, the group voted to put $9.66 million in the town’s stabilization fund as part of the new fund balance policy. This puts all but about $500,000 of the town’s general fund in the stabilization fund. This designation should have two effects: keep the town’s bond rating strong and give the town a stronger hand to negotiate with the unions. Before, union arbitrators would point to Waterford’s large general fund and rule that the town has money to pay for salary increases. But this new fund says the general fund is for the sole purpose of keeping the town’s bond rating low (important because of the over $100 million the town has to bond for school construction).

5. On this date on 1974, Richard Nixon officially resigns as president and Gerald Ford takes over. And on this date in 1988, Wayne Gretzky is traded from Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, setting off outrage in Canada, where the Ontario native was called a “traitor.” Even New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis tried to get the Canadian government to block the trade.

Quote of the Day

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

-Wayne Gretzky

Trivia of the Day

What franchise has won the most Stanley Cups?

Yesterday’s Answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse “The Body” Ventura were two former governors who starred in “Predator.”