Feb. 8: Battle for Fields, Budget Revealed, Chamber Meets and More Things to Know TODAY

There is so much going on today in Malverne and West Hempstead, but here's the top five list of things you need to know.

On our agenda for Feb. 8 is:

1. Malverne Budget Revealed: The Malverne Board of Education will present their proposed budget for 2011-2012 at its tonight in the Library. The session, which is open to the public, will start at 8 p.m. All school districts throughout the state have been bracing themselves for a tough budgeting year. Be sure to check Patch tomorrow for a recap of the meeting if you can not attend. (If you missed what happened at their last meeting, click .)
2. West Hempstead Reviews Field Use: Tension have risen in the West Hempstead School District regarding the use of school fields and other facilities by organizations not based in the community. At the  of Board of Education, members voted to approve an application submitted by one board trustee to use district facilities for a soccer team affiliated with an outside league, based on recent revisions to their policy. This decision essentially opened the doors for other non-West Hempstead organizations to seek use and had many parents and coaches outraged, crying "conflict of interest," and calling for further review of the policy. In response, the board announced at that they would revisit this issue and have placed it on the agenda for tonight's policy work session, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at 
3. Join (and Drink With) the Chamber: The West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce will hold their tonight at McGeever's Pub in Garden City South, located at 273 Nassau Boulevard. All current and prospective members are invited to come. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. To learn how to join the Chamber, click .
4. Malverne On Nightly News: The brown, tap water issues in Malverne that Patch first reported on last week (Full article .) made the nightly T.V. news last night. Don't forget that all residents (even those living outside the village) who have noticed these problems with their water are invited to attend at open meeting at the on Thursday, where they can present their concerns and questions to the president of Long Island American Water. Click for more information.
5. First Whiz Kid: Malverne-West Hempstead Patch has selected our first , Jake Lang of . Learn more about what makes Jake such a great kid when the article publishes this afternoon. Each week, we're going to select a child living in Malverne or West Hempstead to profile for their accomplishments and overall "awesomeness." If you know a young person that deserves to be praised, e-mail Tara.Conry@Patch.com.

Have an event you want to share with the Malverne-West Hempstead community? It only takes two minutes to post it to our calendar. Click here to fill out the form.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Wednesday's Daily Five list and coverage of the community news that matters to you.