Daily Five: Laugh At The Expense Of Groton Officials

1.  Today is Tuesday, Jan. 31.  The National Weather Service predicts partly sunny skies and a high temperature of 51 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 39.

2.  The Town Council meets as a Committee of the Whole at 5 p.m. today in the Town Hall Annex to talk about future goals. A consultant reviewing town services suggested one option would be for the council to rank programs in order of priority. For example, councilors would receive slips of paper with the name of each of the 42 programs, then put each slip into a box, numbered 1 to 4, to indicate its priority.

3.  Groton Town Police officer Bridget Nordstrom has received the United States Attorney's Award for her efforts helping investigate and prosecute narcotics and weapons sales in New London. Nordstrom was part of Operation New London Bloods, a joint task force that involved federal, state and municipal angencies in 2010, and resulted in the arrests of numerous people and seizure of weapons and large quanitites of drugs. Nordstrom was honored Jan. 20 at New Haven City Hall.

4.  Want to laugh at the expense of Groton elected officials and also give to a good cause? The Groton Education Foundation’s Dancing with the Stars fundraiser will be held at 7 p.m. on March 9 at . The foundation supports educational programs, and the dancers will perform, in addition to being filmed in advance to show their flubs and mistakes. Groton City Mayor Marian Galbraith is taking lessons with Groton Town Councilor James Streeter to learn the Tango. “I’m sure I’ll be embarrassed to death,” she said.

Tickets are $20, although students can watch for $5. Other dancers include Groton Town Mayor Heather Bond Somers, Lawyer Eric Janney, Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce President Tricia Cunningham, as well as principals, teachers and police officers.

5.  will hold its first “Take Your Child to the Library Day” from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 4. Librarians in Waterford and Stratford started the effort to draw attention to the importance of libraries for children. The event is free and open to the public, and children will be able to make valentines during the day to take home and to decorate the library. The Mystic & Noank Library’s Chess Club, for students in grades 2-8,  will meet at 10 a.m.  At 3 p.m., the movie “Zookeeper,” will be shown. For more information, e-mail mnlchildrens@gmail.com or call (860) 536-7721.