Annual Fall Hydrant Flushing Program Begins this Week

1. TODAY'S FORECAST: Today will be sunny with a high of 65 followed by clear skies tonight and a low of 39.

2. FALL HYDRANT FLUSHING PROGRAM: Milford's annual fall hydrant flushing program begins this Wednesday and will run until Oct. 31. The program will start in east Milford, continue through north Milford and end in west Milford. Water discoloration may be noticeable.

For more information, call 603-249-0667.

3. SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY IN ACTION: Milford boys soccer will host St. Thomas Aquinas while girls soccer and field hockey will travel to St. Thomas Aquinas.

4. THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On this day in 1871, flames spark in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that kills between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; $3 billion in 2007 dollars) in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in the O'Leary barn and started the fire, but other theories hold that humans or even a comet may have been responsible for the event that left four square miles of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire. The city averaged two fires per day in 1870; there were 20 fires throughout Chicago the week before the Great Fire of 1871.

5. BLOG FOR US: Would you like to blog for Milford Patch? Visit here to write your first post today.