The Daily Five: A Rash of Robberies, Stranger Danger in Niantic, Preschool Penny Drive, and Lyme-Old Lyme School Budget Schedule

1. The morning will start off cloudy but this afternoon should be mostly sunny, though not warm, with weather.com predicting a high temperature of just 29 degrees and an overnight low of 25. 

2. A troubling report of a man who allegedly exposed himself to an 11-year-old girl in Niantic on Wednesday may not have been an isolated incident. Since posting the article yesterday evening, a number of people have commented that they believe they've seen a man fitting that same description trying to engage both young boys and girls in conversation over the past few months. 

I really want to thank the parents of the young girl for deciding to go public with what happened to make other families aware of the potential danger and for reporting the incident to police. Let's keep an eye out and a close eye on the kids, and if you think you see something suspicious, call the East Lyme Police Department at (860) 739-5900.

3. The Lyme-Old Lyme School District is working on its annual budget. In recent weeks, the Board of Education has heard presentations from the Elementary, Middle and High Schools and from Special Education, Facilities, Technology, Operations and Central Services.

Many more meetings have been scheduled to give everyone a chance to weigh in on the budget, but there have been a few changes to that schedule recently. A Special Board of Education Meeting originally scheduled for January 16 to discuss adjustments the board might want to make to the budget has been rescheduled for January 23 at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.

The regular Board of Education meeting will be held as planned on February 6, at which point the board will make final adjustments before the budget is presented at a Budget Forum scheduled for February 11 in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

The date for the Special Board of Education Meeting, at which the Board will adopt the budget, has also been changed from February 13 to February 20. That will be held at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.

4. Youngers Preschool students presented Dave Putnam, East Lyme Director of Parks and Recreation with a check for $115.00 recently. The young students raised the money in a penny drive at Flanders Elementary School to help pay for cleanup efforts at McCook Point Park following Hurricane Sandy.

"The Parks and Recreation Department would like to extend sincere gratitude for their efforts and appreciate the willingness of the young citizens in our community to help out!" Putnam noted on the town's web site. 

5. There seems to be a rash of bank robberies of late. State and local police, including Salem Resident State Trooper Kevin Seery, who is one of East Lyme's Selectmen, are investigating another bank robbery that occurred yesterday at Chelsea Groton Bank at Salem four corners.

Police have released photos of the suspect and are asking for anyone with information to please come forward. In case you're wondering, it isn't the same suspect they're looking for in connection to the most recent of which happened on December 21.