5 Things: E-Gadget Workshop; Bunnell Teacher Makes News; Dog Park; and More

(Click on the bold event title to get more information.)

Ever thought about taking the digital plunge and purchasing an e-reader? Or perhaps turning in your defunct home computer and buying a laptop? Or, better yet, an iPad?

Or do you already own a smartphone but struggle to make use of the endless number of "apps" it offers.

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, head down to the today from 3 to 5 p.m. for its "Technology Sandbox" workshop. Test drive a number of the newest electronic devices or bring in your own for library staff and Best Buy employees to offer you advice on.

There is no charge to participate. If you can't make it today there is another workshop on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. The Stratford Library is located at 2203 Main St.

Today's featured story is a profile on Dr. Benjamin Wrubel, a biology teacher at Bunnell High School who has been nominated as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.

After a successful career in podiatry, Wrubel turned to teaching when he said he no longer felt he was growing as a learner. Eight years ago he began student teaching at until he was hired as a full-time employee at Bunnell.

"Now I'm here and I'm loving it," .

The which precedes tonight's meeting is expected to include a proposal and petition from Stratford resident Carissa Mason about bringing a dog park to Stratford.

Mason has gathered more than 600 signatures in support of a place for the pups, and for the last two weekends a group has met at for open discussion on the subject. 

According to a Sunday post on a Facebook page called "Stratford Dog Park," a location for the dog park may be "pinned down." Tonight's public forum begins at 6:45 p.m. at Town Hall Council Chambers.

The Stratford Town Council will meet after the public forum wraps up around 8 p.m. You can view all the issues that will be discussed by clicking on the PDF of the agenda which is included in the gallery of this article.

Tonight's meeting will be the last for incumbents who did not seek re-election or those who lost in . The next time the Town Council meets it will be led by a 8-2 Republican majority (the current majority is 6-4 Republican).

In case you didn't tune into Stratford Patch yesterday, we ran a profile on John Zaffis, a Stratford resident whose haunted collection earned him his own TV show on the SyFy Channel.

On his new show, "The Haunted Collector," Zaffis leads a team of investigators to scrutinize reported spooky doings that might be associated with artifacts found on-site.

"It's actually fashionable these days to be a paranormal investigator," Zaffis .

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