From the BBC:

The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, said Kosovo would be a democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities.

The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognise Kosovo on Monday.

Serbia has threatened Kosovo with diplomatic and economic sanctions, but not force. Its ally, Russia, also opposes Kosovan independence.

See a map of Kosovo’s ethnic breakdown

Correspondents say the potential for trouble between Kosovo’s Serbs and ethnic Albanians is enormous.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica is to make a televised address at 1500 GMT.

[Read more →]

The Friends of Cranbury Park and Parks and Rec are hooking up to offer outdoor themed instructional classes at Cranbury Park.

The nonprofit Friends of Cranbury Park and the Recreation and Parks Department will offer classes that include dog obedience, Frisbee, yoga, tai chi, watercolor and photography.

“We know there’s a lot of use of the park, between Frisbee golfers, dog walkers and weddings,” Recreation and Parks Director Michael Mocciae said. “We wanted to expand our programming.”

Organizers are seeking residents with talents such as floral design or orienteering to teach.

[Read more →]

Maybe there really is something in the water in Connecticut. While Norwalk is struggling with the concept that all might not be right in the blue waters of the Norwalk Police Department, up the coast is the eerily similar tale of Madison police department. Comparing the details, though is not the point, its the idea that long running failure of nipping and tucking isn’t rooting out the problems. Cosmetic platitudes isn’t helping things. From the Courant:

The biggest problem facing the Madison Police Department isn’t the dizzying list of brazen, on-duty crimes by officers, from burglaries to the electronic stalking of women to receiving oral sex from prostitutes to ripping off taxpayers through workers’ compensation fraud.

[Read more →]