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Good morning, Friend!

I’m quietly in the midst of a multi-year war with our neighborhood squirrels. Thus far, the moves in the war have basically been: I put up our Christmas lights, the squirrels bite and break and probably eat our Christmas lights, I buy and put up new Christmas lights, rinse, repeat. You see how one-sided the battles have been. So this year, I’m trying a new tactic. I am — hopefully — squirrel proofing the new strands of lights. By hand. By wrapping every inch of them in electrical tape (not the actual lights, just the cords). I’ve got 400 new lights and a dozen rolls of tape. Each strand takes nearly three full rolls. It is … not a fun process. I’m fairly certain it’ll work. I’m not entirely certain it’s worth it. I’ll report back on my success. Or not. – Jonathan McNicol, producer

NEED TO KNOW

• Embattled City Councilman Alex Thomas was silent Wednesday on whether he’ll step down from his position on the Hartford City Council while he faces charges he embezzled money from a local church.

• DeVaughn Ward, an attorney who took on the role of interim correction ombudsman, recently met with Connecticut Public Investigative Reporter Ashad Hajela to describe his vision for the office, which provides independent oversight of the Department of Correction.

• One of the country's largest health insurers has reversed its decision to no longer pay for anesthesia care in certain states if the surgery or procedure goes beyond a particular time limit.

• Berry, a 14-year-old red panda, became Beardsley Zoo's fifth mayor Thursday, beating out five other animals for the job.

• From light displays, community holiday celebrations to live performances, we're making a list. (And checking it twice.) Here's a sampling of events across Connecticut to enjoy during the holidays.

THE LEAD

UConn student Laura Centanni jumps on her sled to head down a campus hill as Centanni and friends played in the several inches of snow (Mark Mirko/Connecticut Public)

Parts of CT see up to 8 inches of snow as winter storm leads to school closures, power outages

A fast-moving winter storm delivered snow, rain and strong winds across much of Connecticut Thursday morning, resulting in school delays and power outages.

Northern parts of the state reported up to 8 inches of snow.

Various schools across the state issued two-hour delays, with several districts shutting down for the day.

More than 13,000 customers were without power Thursday morning, with more than 7,000 customers restored by early afternoon, according to Eversource. Northeastern Connecticut appeared to be affected most. United Illuminating, which serves southwestern Connecticut, was reporting virtually no outages following the storm.

FROM OUR MEDIA PARTNERS

• A newly released report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems has recommended major changes to the Connecticut State Universities and College system and how it’s managed, reports The Connecticut Mirror.

• International manufacturing company Aalberts Surface Technologies has signed a lease to occupy 199,000 square feet in a Windsor Locks building near Bradley International Airport, according to Hartford Business Journal.

• The New Haven Board of Alders unanimously approved that change in the form of two zoning ordinance amendments, enabling childcare centers in all residential zones ​“as of right,” reports the New Haven Independent.

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