🌱VRHS Students Recognized For Yale Book Award + DR Recycling Food

Hi all. I'm back with your new edition of the Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in the community today, including...

• VRHS Students earn high distinction!
• Deep River residents can start to recycle in a new way!
• Looking for a new job?

But first, today's weather:

A couple of showers. High: 66 Low: 52.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Essex-Chester-Deep River! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories in Essex-Chester-Deep River today:

1. Congratulations to Valley Regional High School Seniors, Emily Mezick, Julia Donahue and Anna Benson for being recognized for the Yale Book Award! The Yale Book Award is conferred upon students in their junior year of high school for showing outstanding personal character and intellectual promise. This year's winners from VRHS join students from around the world who have been presented with this award! Congratulations girls, great job! (Parents of Valley Regional High School via Facebook)
2. Deep River is among the 15 towns throughout Connecticut that will be receiving funds to start food scrap recycling programs. According to a CT Insider article, "The state is distributing $5 million in grants to help towns divert food scraps from the waste stream and reduce Connecticut's increased reliance on out-of-state landfills. The grants will help municipalities set up scrap collection programs designed to reduce the cost of waste removal and encourage recycling, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “The municipalities piloting these programs, will lead the state in modernizing our waste management practices, a key to solving the state’s waste disposal crisis," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. Each Connecticut resident generates about 4½ pounds of solid waste per day, according to the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority. So a family of four produces nearly 3 tons of trash annually (5,480 pounds). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 75 percent of that garbage could be recycled, everything from glass, plastics and food scraps to textiles and thin plastic wrap. DEEP estimates, however, that residents are recycling or composting only 35 percent." (CT Insider)
3. Businesses in the Essex-Chester-Deep River area are searching for new employees, and we've rounded up some of the best local job openings posted within the past week. Whether you’re looking for full-time, part-time or temporary work, plenty of employers throughout Essex-Chester-Deep River are hiring. Patch and ZipRecruiter have you covered, with our weekly list of new opportunities close to home. To learn more about a job or how to apply, click on the job title. (Essex-Chester-Deep River Patch)

Today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

• Teen Take and Make Craft - Essex Library Association (12:00 AM)
• Shell & Bee Studio: Story + Guided Art Project (10:30 AM)
• Shell & Bee Studio: Children's Paint Pour (4:00 PM)
• RiverFire Glass: Fuseday Tuesday @ 3 & 6 PM (6:00 PM)
• Candidate Forum For State Representative and State Senator Candidates (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Essex Library: "Please join the Essex and Brainerd Libraries for a Candidate Forum For State Representative and State Senator Candidates this coming Tuesday, November 1 at 6:30 at Valley Regional High School. The Essex and Brainerd Libraries will join." (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Essex Library: "Families, mark your calendars! Saturday, November 19 @ 3:00 PM, join us for a family crafting event! We will show a short Thanksgiving movie in the program room, and then work together to make a beautiful centerpiece to display." (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, West Elm: "We’ve placed a sharing library on the corner of Fox Run Road and West Bridge Street in Deep River. Please feel free to stop by and take a book or leave a book." (Nextdoor)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Your CBD Store | SUNMED - Clinton! PICKLEBALL TOUR TUESDAY! (November 1)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar (November 3)
• Online Webinar about Old Saybrook security system installers (November 15)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Karena Garrity

About me: I am a native of Connecticut, who currently resides in the Tri-Town community of Chester, Deep River and Essex. I have been a community reporter for the better part of the past 20 years. I love my small-town community and I am honored to be a part of Patch.com. You can reach me at; karena.garrity@patch.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily? Contact me at karena.garrity@patch.com