5 Things: Baumgartner Breaks Sound Barrier

Happy Monday, Merrimack. Here's your first Patch Facts column of the week. Grab your coffee and sip while you read.

1. Hats of to "Fearless Felix." Felix Baumgartner, 43, of Austria, on Sunday became the first person to break the sound barrier wearing only a high-tech suit. Baumgartner skydived from a height of 128,000 feet and reached 833.9 mph, or mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. According to USA Today, "He fell at supersonic speeds on the same date in 1947 that test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in an aircraft." We will surely be seeing Baumgartner hit the talk show circuits starting this week.

2. School Board meets. The Merrimack School Board will meet tonight in the Merrimack Town Hall meeting room at 7:30 p.m. On the agenda are the selection of parent representatives for the Teacher Evaluation and Performance
Committee and dicussion of the proposed Grater Woods memorandum of understanding between the Merrimack Town Council and Merrimack School District. Get the full agenda on the school district website.

3. Register now. David A. Hunter, an advocate for Lyme awareness and education, will talk about the facts and misconceptions about this disease, which can cause short- and long-term health issues for those infected by the bite of a blacklegged or deer tick. In 2008, 1211 cases were reported in NH alone. Education and prevention can reduce the impact of this disease on the population of the Northeastern U.S. Adults and teens are invited to this presentation. Join him at the Merrimack Public Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16. For planning purposes, registration is suggested

4. ICYMI. Over the weekend, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that four cases in New Hampshire have been linked to the fungal meningitis outbreak that has claimed more then a dozen lives and sickened about 200 people nationwide. Read more.

5. Weather watch. A chance of showers after 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Light winds with gusts as high as 23 mph.Tonight A chance of showers, mainly before 3am. Patchy fog before 2am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 50.