Week In Review: Babies, Budget, Tranquility

The big news this week came from just over the state border. Westerly Hospital announced that they will cease delivering babies June 1, 2013. The decision shocked and saddened many in the community. How will it affect you?

The other big news was the unveiling of President Barrack Obama’s gun control proposals. Connecticut political leaders were quick to react. What’s your take on the proposals?

It wouldn’t be January without budget news. The Stonington Board of Education met to discuss the 2013-2014 proposed budget. According to the Board of Education blog a public forum on the school budget is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2013. The board is not expected to vote on the budget at its Feb. 14, 2013 meeting. And the Town of Stonington is facing about a $600,000 drop from the town’s grand list, which is the total value of appraised property in town.

It might be a busy time of year in Stonington, but there are still plenty of opportunities for moments of tranquility. Everyday in 2013 we will share at least one photograph of a tranquil moment in Stonington, Mystic and Patch. It’s our way of making sure we take at least a moment each day to stop, look and appreciate what we have around us. We encourage you to share your tranquility photos by tweeting them to @StoningtonPatch, tagging Stonington on Facebook, and adding them to this gallery.

We learned about a new nonprofit that is helping other nonprofits in the area this week. Boston and Watch Hill residents Drew Hollenbeck and Cricket Barlow formed PennyClick as a way to help nonprofits raise money. They describe it as an “ez pass for giving.”

Catch up on some of the blog posts we had this week: Gun Violence: Maybe the Underlying Problem is Our Acceptance of Stealing by Richard Froh, Ocean State Job Lot Makes Record Breaking Donation to Food Banks by the Connecticut Food Bank, I Should Have Known Better by Carrie Jacobson and a warning from the Connecticut Better Business Bureau on Children’s Apps Collecting Data.

Thanks to Salvatore Ritacco, Antiques LTD, Evering Electric, Extra Virgin Oil Store and C. Kramer Interiors for recently claiming their directory listings on Patch. If you have a business in Stonington, Mystic or Pawcatuck that you want listed on Patch for free or want to claim email Editor Bree Shirvell.

We covered lots more this week and throughout the weekend, so search the site for other stories, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and check out our calendar to see what's happening next week in town.