Government Reopens, Eugene O'Neill Celebration This Weekend

1. Today will be partly cloudy with a high of 72 degrees and an overnight low of 58 degrees. Weather.com is predicting showers this evening, when the chance of rain increases from 10 percent during the day to 60 percent overnight. The weekend promises to be a mix of clouds and sun, with more clouds Saturday than Sunday, with temperatures in the mid-60s dropping into the 40s overnight. 

2. Thousands of furloughed federal employees are returning to work today as federal agencies and parks reopened. On the eve of a deadline to raise the debt ceiling or risk having the U.S. government go into default on its loans, Congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government, without any changes to "Obamacare" that Republicans were demanding that triggered the standoff. The fix is only temporary, however. The game of chicken will begin again in the new year, because the budget is only funded through January 15 and the new debt ceiling deadline looms once more on February 7, 2014.  

3. Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is holding the 14th Annual Eugene O'Neill Celebration, with a film, readings, and panel discussions at Monte Cristo Cottage in New London starting on Friday. 

4. Municipal Meetings: 

• Parking Commission meets today at 3:00 p.m. at Water Street Parking Garage.
• Board of Education: Facilities & Program Design Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. at the Science and Technology Magnet High School (3rd floor).
• Planning and Zoning Commission meets at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.

5. Yard waste collection started this week in New London. The city will pick up bags of leaves, yard waste, grass clippings (in brown paper bags only; no trash in leaf bags please), and small quantities of brush (tied with string, no longer than four feet) at the same time that it collects garbage. The next pickup will be November 12-16.