5 Things You Need to Know Today: Oct. 10

Our weekday morning column, 5 Things You Need to Know, provides you with information that can help you plan your day and give you some fodder for water cooler conversations.

1. A blood drive will be held at 1 p.m. at the , 7 Main St., South Grafton.

2. Today is Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday. Remember that schools, libraries and courts are closed. So are some banks and businesses, so call ahead.

3. And speaking of Columbus, we have been hearing raves about a new book, “Columbus: The Four Voyages’’ by Laurence Bergreen. By his account, Columbus was a peerless sailor but a complex man.

4. Today is also World Mental Health Day, a good day to remember to be gentle to ourselves _ and with each other.

5. Today’s forecast: Sunny, high 79, low 55.