Today: Local Earthquake History Twice Tied to March 11

Here are five things Middletowners may be talking about today:

1. Want to help victims of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami? Click here to find several organizations leading the way. 
2. The only two earthquakes notable to the local area also occurred on dates of March 11:
   
   • According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the largest earthquake in Rhode Island that registered a magnitude of 3.5 occurred near Newport on March 11, 1976, at 8:29 UTC (universal time).
   • The last earthquake on record for all of southern New England, a 2.0, occurred on March 11, 2008, at 3:10 UTC, 10 miles southeast of Middletown, CT.
3. The Gaudet Middle School Parent-Teacher Group meets at 6:30 p.m.
4. Today’s weather forecast calls for sunny skies, with a high near 42 and a calm wind, followed by increasing clouds tonight and a low temperature around 34. 
5. In town government today, the following public meetings are scheduled:
   
   • The Middletown Audit Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in the upstairs Conference Room at Middletown Town Hall.
   • The Middletown Library Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. at the library.