5 Things, Including the Conservation Commission

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11. Here are five things you should know.

1) Sun. Enjoy it while you can ... Today will be sunny, with highs in the upper 30s and north winds around five miles per hour, according to Weather Underground. Tonight, things will take a marked turn for the worse, the clouds will roll in and snow is possible after midnight. The chance of snow is 50 percent. Get used to. The next few days are set to feature the dreaded rain/snow mix, with Thursday looking like the worst of it, as Weather Underground sets the odds of precipitation at 100 percent. 

2) Pastel artist. The Robin Frisella, a pastel artist who will be presenting a step-by-step still life demonstration in pastel. The event will be held at the First Congregational Church on Sanborn Street, in the Guild Hall at 7:30 p.m. Check out Robin Frisella’s website here.

3) Conservation. The Conservation Commission meets tonight, in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room at the Town Hall. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Click here to view the full meeting agenda.

4) Sports. The Reading High boys track team faces league foe Arlington on Wednesday at 5 p.m.. The meet is at Arlington High. The girls and boys hockey teams host Belmont at , with the girls getting underway at 6 p.m., while the boys drop the puck at 7:45 p.m. Boys wrestling hits the mat tonight against Lexington at Hawkes Field House, starting at 7 p.m. The girls ski team takes on Masconomet at Bradford Ski Area starting at 3 p.m., while the coed swim team takes on Matignon on the road at 4 p.m. View the complete schedule here.

5) Reagan Says Farewell. On this day, in 1989, President Ronald Reagan gives his farewell address to the American people. Reagan spoke in optimistic terms about the foreign policy achievements of his administration. The 40th President said that America “rediscovered” its commitment to world freedom in the 1980s, and that the United States was “respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.” Reagan listed the successes of his foreign policy, including peace in the Persian Gulf, forcing the Soviets to leave Afghanistan and negotiating the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia and Cuban forces from Angola. The truth of Reagan’s record was a bit different than what he stated. The cost of “respect” through renewed strength was vastly increased defense spending, which helped ring up a national debt of over one trillion dollars. The peace in the Persian Gulf was quickly exposed as temporary, and the Iran-Contra scandal revealed the questionable means employed by the Reagan Administration to achieve its ends. Nonetheless, the achievements of his administration went over well with the American public, and Ronald Reagan left office as one of the most popular modern U.S. presidents.