5 Things: Cornell West at Tufts Tonight; Brown/Warren Medford Money

Good morning, here are five things to know today:

1. Cornell West Speaks Tonight at Tufts: Scholar, philosopher, musician and civil-rights activist Cornell West will speak to the Tufts community at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Cohen Auditorium. The event is open to members of the Tufts community only.

2. MBTA GM Likes Fare Hikes Over Service Cuts: The MBTA's General Manager Jonathan Davis has been hearing it from riders the last few weeks, and he says he's listened. The Boston Globe reported Sunday Davis prefers fare hikes over service cuts to the transit system, which needs to address a $161 million budget deficit. Davis's endorsement of fare hikes over cuts comes with little surprise. Following a hearing in Medford put on by legislators earlier in February, Davis said riders had clearly told him they would prefer to pay more than to lose service. “What we’re hearing across the board is not only do they not want reductions, they want increases to public tranportation,” Davis told Patch. “However, we have the stark reality of a $161 million deficit, and we’re required to submit a balanced budget to our board of directors.”

3. Early Spring?: Temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-50s today with a 30 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Similar weather is expected tomorrow.

4. Medford's U.S. Senate Race Donations: More than $16,000 was donated by Medford residents to either the Elizabeth Warren or Scott Brown campaigns in the last three months of 2011, according to federal data. And, although more donations were given to Warren, Brown received larger sums from his Medford supporters, the data shows. Brown received 22 donations from Medfordians, totalling $9,400, while Warren received 34 donations totalling $6,850, according to the data from the Federal Elections Commission.

5. Medford Natives on College Deans Lists: Check out a compilation we've put together of some colleges with students from Medford on their deans lists.