Darien Morning Briefing, July 8

Today is Friday, July 8, the 189th day of 2011. Keep an umbrella handy.

HEADLINES

EVENTS

• Darien Summer Nights: Swing by Grove Street Plaza tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. for a free performance by Leslie Costa & the Usual Suspects. The concert is part of .
• Blood Drive: From 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., Palmer's Market hosts its 3rd annual blood drive in memory of Rocco Palmer. The Save-a-Life Bus will be parked in the store's lot during this time. To make an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code "Palmer."
• Healthy Summer Things: Darien Whole Foods' Ronna "shares samples of what cools (and fuels) her jets all summer long" from noon to 3:00 p.m. today. Drop by the Healthy Eating Desk at 150 Ledge Rd. to find out more. 
• Courtyard Strings: Weather permitting, the Darien Summer Chamber Orchestra will perform from 11 a.m. to noon today in the 's courtyard. The ensemble includes 20 middle school and high school string players under the direction of Jane Minnis.
• Unknown: The library also hosts a free screening of Unknown today at 7 p.m. The 2011 film stars Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.

TIDBITS

• Missing Dog: A Darien family , their missing black Labrador Retriever.
• Get Puzzled: Help the library solve the world's largest jigsaw puzzle in record time for a chance to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

• None scheduled

FORECAST

• Friday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. High near 80. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. 
• Friday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 67. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

TIDES & TIMES

• High tide: 4:30 a.m. (7.6')   
• Sunrise: 5:28 a.m.
• Low tide: 10:55 a.m. (0.0')
• High tide: 5:02 p.m. (8.1')
• Sunset: 8:29 p.m.
• Low tide: 11:35 p.m. (0.2')

TODAY IN HISTORY

• 1889: The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published.
• 1947: Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico.
• 1994: Kim Jong-il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.

Forecast obtained from the National Weather Service; tide information obtained from saltwatertides.com (calibrated to Long Neck Point); 'Today in History' items compiled from Wikipedia and other sources.