The Daily Five: Updates on Oswegatchie Hills Development, Burglaries in Lyme, and East Lyme's Food Pantry.

1. Today could start with a few showers and it's likely to be windy again. The skies should clear as the day progresses with a high of 74 degrees, according to Weather.com. This evening, there's a possibility of a few thunderstorms as the chance of rain increases from 30 percent to 40 percent. The overnight low should be a cool 58 degrees. 

2. There was a lot of talk but ultimately no action at the East Lyme Water and Sewer Commission meeting last night. Members of the public, however, did have a chance to weigh in on Landmark Development's request for confirmation of sewer capacity for the low-income housing estate it proposes to build in Oswegatchie Hills.

For the most part, speakers focused their comments on concerns that allocating so much sewer capacity for a new development would create an impediment to existing housing in the area, which hopes to connect to sewers in the not-to-distant future. From an environmental standpoint, this is important as the Niantic River is imperiled by sewage overflows following heavy rainfall. 

The town of East Lyme's consultant Daniel R. Lawrence, of Weston & Sampson presented a lengthy report on exactly how much capacity the town's sewer system has available but attorney Tim Hollister and an engineer representing the developer questioned many of the report's conclusions.

At Hollister's request, the commission agreed to continue the public hearing to the next scheduled meeting on October 23 to give the developer time to review the reports and respond to comments. Expect a fuller report once I've had time to digest all the information presented last night!  

3. The burglaries that took place in Lyme this summer still weigh heavily on the minds of many local residents. Unfortunately, there's not much news to report at this point. When the investigation expanded to include burglaries in other towns, such as Salem, police from other state troop divisions got involved and now the challenge is in putting all the pieces together. 

I'm told that police are working on preparing arrest warrants, which suggests that closure could come soon. The main suspect, however, remains incarcerated on unrelated charges. You'll know as soon as I do when any new information becomes available. 

4. On September 29, state and local law enforcement officials will join forces with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to give local residents the opportunity to prevent drug abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

“Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and the problem is here, at our doorstep,” said Attorney General Jepsen. “Safe disposal of unused and unwanted prescription medications is an effective way of getting potentially dangerous substances out of medicine cabinets. By partnering with our local and state law enforcement through National Take Back Day, the DEA has made it easy for Connecticut residents to help join the effort to reduce prescription drug abuse in our state.”

5. And now for some more cheerful news! Care & Share, the volunteer-operated food pantry serving East Lyme and Salem has finally settled in its new home! As of September 24, the pantry was up and running in its new location at 12 Roxbury Road in Niantic.

The group continues to meet the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at East Lyme Police Station on Main Street and the Care & Share phone number, (860) 793-8502, remains the same. Food donation days at the new location are scheduled for the first and third Saturdays of each month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The organization would like to thank the many people donated their time, money, and services to make this move possible!