City Schools Reopen Thursday; Gun Control Rally At Capitol

The sun is shining. It is Valentine’s Day. And there is lots happening today in the city of Hartford.

First, you may have noticed that school buses carrying children were back on the streets this morning after the extended blizzard break. Yesterday I spent time at Milner School, where free lunches were offered to city students and their families. One teacher, Dawn Renfrew, was so ready for school to reopen. She missed her ”babies.”

If you went anywhere near the state Capitol today, you probably saw more than 5,000 people rallying for gun control an hour ago. Today is the two-month anniversary of the Newtown massacre that devastated us all.

We’ve also just heard that there was a flash mob at the Legislative Office Building, which included dozens of people dancing in the atrium, wearing pink.

Finally, if you visit Hartford Public Library or the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, make sure to give the employees a high-five. Officials announced that both are finalists for the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, a big deal in the arts world. The Institute of Museum and Library Services will reveal the 10 winners in April.

Hartford Public Library won the honor in 2002 but this is the first time that Wadsworth has been a finalist.

UPDATE: Here’s my full story on the library and Wadsworth being finalists.