5 Things: Newport Opera House Series, Planning and Zoning and Nature

Weather: There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon today with patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, clouds will gradually clear until skies become mostly sunny, with a high near 77, according to the National Weather Service.

1. Sandywoods Gallery is proud to present "The Newport Opera House Series" by Dan McManus & New Works by Felicia Cinquera as well as new work from our gallery. members. The exhibit opens at 2 p.m.

2. Tiverton residents have until the close of business today to submit comments for the planning and zoning workshop that will be held on Saturday at the high school.

Residents who cannot attend or who do not wish to speak at the workshop may submit suggestions in a lockbox at Town Hall, 343 Highland Road.

3. Meander through the grass paths of PT Marvell Preserve as we learn about local plants and animals. The perfect place to look for late summer fruits and migrating birds! You will find us in the PT Marvell parking lot, the last left on South Shore Rd. before South Shore Beach. 

The Nature Walk starts at 6 p.m. at 140 South Shore Road.

4. Running for office in Tiverton or Little Compton? Participate in Patch's 2012 Election Guide. Complete the candidate questionnaire.

5. On this day in in Washington in 1977, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos sign a treaty agreeing to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama at the end of the 20th century. The Panama Canal Treaty also authorized the immediate abolishment of the Canal Zone, a 10-mile-wide, 40-mile-long U.S.-controlled area that bisected the Republic of Panama. Many in Congress opposed giving up control of the Panama Canal--an enduring symbol of U.S. power and technological prowess--but America's colonial-type administration of the strategic waterway had long irritated Panamanians and other Latin Americans.