Safe Toys and Gifts Month

1. According to Weather.com, the Tolland forecast calls for clouds and sunshine with a high of 49°F. Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy, with clouds increasing overnight. The low will reach 29°F.

2. The town is looking for . Members of the board hear appeals from residents who believe that errors were made in assessing the value of their property or that they were mistakenly denied tax exemptions. Contact Town Manager Steven Werbner at swerbner@tolland.org or send a letter of interest to the town manager's office at town hall to apply.

3. With the gift-giving season underway, now is a good time to mention that December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month.

Prevent Blindness America's recent press release provides several suggestions on keeping everyone safe this season. Among the suggestions, the organization recommends avoiding play sets with small magnets for young children and making sure batteries are safely secured within toys. If magnets or batteries are ingested, serious injuries, and possibly death, can occur. Gifts of sports equipment should always be accompanied by protective gear, such as eye goggles with a basketball or a batting helmet with a face guard for baseball and softball. Visit the above link for the full list of safety tips.

4. Want to hear what Boston University has to say about 2011's worst toys? Its top 10 worst toys list can be found here, along with a story and video. It may be worth a peek as according to the story, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said that in 2010, there were 17 toy-related deaths reported in the United States among children under the age of 15. That same year, nearly 252,000 toy-related injuries required trips to hospital emergency rooms.

5. To view all recent toy and product recalls, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission online.