1. Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 60 degrees, according to weather.com. Expect a few more clouds to roll in later in the day, bringing a 40 percent chance of rain this evening when temperatures will drop to 50 degrees.
2. The Waterford Police Department will be holding a press conference today to give an update on the investigation into the homicide of Kyle Seidel. Seidel, 34, was murdered in Waterford at the end of December, his body found in the parking lot of Waterford’s Family Bowl. According to police, Seidel was shot in the neck.
So far, police have not yet arrested anybody involved in the incident. Police said Seidel’s wife, Kate Seidel, who works in East Lyme, will be at the press conference this morning. Kyle and Kate Seidel are the parents of three young children.
3. Okay, so this next item is going to seem like a big non sequitur after such many reports today of mayhem and murder but I thought we could use some more cheerful news too.
Last week the Niantic VFW Post 5849 Ladies Auxiliary held its annual Young American Creative Art Awards showcasing art work by East Lyme High School students.
Each entry was judged on the originality of concept; the content of how it relates to patriotism and clarity of ideas; the design technique; total impact of work; and uniqueness. The judges were Rita Palazzo, Joan Bengtson, Seth Bendfelt, Joe Palazzo, Larry Ayer and Richard Bengtson.
The top prize winner was senior Erin Doherty, who won a $10,000 scholarship. Second prize, and a scholarship of $5,000, went to senior Jordan Duerr. Third prize was awarded to senior Taylor Grillo, who earned a $2,500 scholarship.
Eleventh-grader Abby Robbins took fourth place and senior Delia Terry placed fifth, with each student walking away with scholarships of $1,500 and $500 respectively.
Congratulations to all!
4. Although the groundbreaking for Lyme’s new library and renovations to Town Hall won’t happen until July, Lyme Board of Selectmen are beginning to make plans. As with any move, the big issue is what to with all the stuff that has accumulated over the years.
Board members agreed that they’ll probably need at least two dumpsters, one for paper and one for larger items, although they’re not sure where they’ll put them on the cramped grounds of the town campus.
During the renovations, they’ll also have to find a place to store the many works of art, primarily from the American Impressionist school that the area is noted for, which currently hang on the walls of town hall. Old Lyme gallery owner Jeff Cooley has offered to store the works and the Florence Griswold Museum may be another option too.
The garden club will be doing a walk-through of the site today to get a sense of which plants and trees should be preserved and possibly relocated. The garden club has offered the services of a landscape designer to help with the exterior landscaping.
5. While I’m on the topic of flowers, it’s hard to miss the many daffodils that are now in full bloom. In case you were wondering, the daffodils that are growing off exit 74 in Niantic aren’t there by accident.
About 5 years ago, the Town Beautifucation Committee planted 500 bulbs at McCooks Park, Latimer’s Brook Fish Ladder, the entrance to East Lyme High School and at exit 74 by the Mobil Station on Flanders Road.
“Our ultimate goal would have been a Spring Daffodil Festival,” Joe Mingo writes in an email. “The section on Flanders Road seems to be have survived the best. On the site next to the Mobil Station we planted two different varieties. The early variety are yellow and the later variety will be white. The State Highway Department has recently helped to maintain the area. The daffodils are in full bloom at this point. Please enjoy.”
Paul Petrone contributed to this article.
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