5 Things to Know Today, Friday, June 15

Good morning, here are five things to know today:

Facing a shortage in manpower, the Medford Police Department has doled out about $1 million in overtime pay in the last year, police Chief Leo Sacco said Wednesday. That's about $400,000 more than budgeted for. Sacco appeared before the City Council Wednesday as it undergoes its review of the municipal budget. The big spending on overtime was partly a result of a delay in the hiring of six new police officers, according to Sacco, who were included in the 2012 fiscal budget but won't be entering academy until later this month. The 2012 fiscal year for the city ends June 30. Money budgeted for the six positions -- $327,744 -- was used to offset the increase in overtime, Sacco said. The 2013 budget as proposed would increase the overtime budget from $600,000 to $800,000.

Weather: Sunny skies are expected today with highs in the low 70s, according to the National Weather Service. Similar weather is expected all through the weekend.

Flag Day: Medford celebrated flag day by hanging a gigantic American flag over the front of City Hall Thursday. .

The proposed Medford Fire Department budget for 2013 includes about a 9 percent pay raise for most uniformed firefighters -- including the chief and four deputy chiefs. The raises are result of a previously negotiated contract agreement between the city and the Medford firefighters' union. They mark the end of a 21-month pay freeze the union had previously agreed to with the city. The Medford City Council reviewed the department's budget Wednesday night as part of its on-going preliminary review of the municipal budget.

5 Open Houses in the Medford Area this Weekend:On the house hunt? Check out these open houses in Medford this weekend.