Well, it’s St Patrick’s Day, and here I am wearing my traditional black again. I had hoped to get more into the spirit of the day, and I asked the boss whether he could help me out by putting a little more green in my paycheck, but he didn’t think that was funny.

If any of you need to have some Irish luck rub off on you, I suggest that you hang around Tom Egan for a while. Tom, with his big heart and indefatigable spirit for doing things for other folks, seems to make his own luck wherever he goes. And this St Patrick’s Day we know where Tom will be going. He is heading up the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Danbury as Grand Marshal. The honor comes on the heels of yet another bit of good news for Tom – he has been named Hibernian of the Year by the Danbury chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  So when all the corned beef and cabbage makes you thirsty in your St Patrick’s Day celebrations, why not raise a glass of green beer to Tom.

Fleet Bank, I am sorry to report, had a little less green than expected this week. The Newtown branch of the bank was robbed Monday morning. After state and local police finished decorating the bank with their depressing yellow crime scene tape, the Chamber of Commerce tried to lift the spirits of the bank employees by sending a flower arrangement in a show of solidarity.

This past week was a little more uplifting for Bill Lavery. He was promoted to chief judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court this week. The appointment meant he had to move into the office of the retiring chief judge. That forced him to clean out the office he had used for 11 years, an eye-opening experience. “I filled up two and a half trash barrels,” he said. “We collect entirely too much stuff.” And I thought our justice system was supposed to be orderly.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and his wife, Michelle, were in Washington, DC, this past week for the Congressional City Conference 2000 put on by the National League of Cities. In addition to several workshops and speeches on the issues that affect all communities, President Bill Clinton also spoke. Mr Rosenthal was one of hundreds of mayors and first selectmen from across the country to attend the event at the Washington Hilton. During the trip, the Rosenthals also toured the Capitol where they had breakfast with Connecticut Reps Jim Maloney and Christopher Shays.

Town Clerk Cindy Simon has been elected Fairfield County vice president of the Connecticut Town Clerks’ Association. On Wednesday, she was scheduled to host a meeting of the Fairfield County Town Clerks at the Inn at Newtown.

Molly Dorozenski is spending her spring break from Yale in Prague with her parents. Her father was transferred there for a few years.

Kathy and Bob Geckle became grandparents last week. Their daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Bernard Findley, of Brookfield, had twin girls, Madison and Camryn – born on Kathy’s birthday, March 10, at Danbury Hospital.  The girls were tiny, around four pounds each, but are doing fine.

After resolving a flap with the Legislative Council over a possible $50 cut in the town’s contribution to the Visiting Nurse Association this year, Mae Schmidle reports that the VNA is coming out ahead of the game as a result. The small news item and subsequent letters to the editor on the so-called $50 “late fee” cut made by the council drew a couple of spontaneous contributions from readers of The Bee, one for $100 from a man who lived in Trumbull. Ed Raymond wrote in a note he sent along with his check, “God forbid if some less fortunate should need your help and your association shouldn’t be there for them.” What Ed and the other donor, an elderly woman from Newtown, didn’t know was that the council decided to ante up the $50 after all. The VNA ended up the week $150 ahead of the game.

I’ve got to file this column now before the boss assesses me a late fee. (Don’t worry Ed, you’ve done enough already.) But be sure to…

Read me again.