5 Things You Need To Know Today—Monday, Jan. 16

Check the traffic out there and local gas prices before heading out the door!

Today is Monday, Jan. 16—93 years ago today, Prohibition took effect—and here are Melrose's five fast facts for the day:

1) Sunny with a high near 34 today. Tonight, a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.)

2) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today: Melrose observes MLK Day today—here's . (It's a holiday for Patch too, so we're taking it easy today. See schedule changes below.)

3) Editor on vacation: A reminder—editor Peter Shanley is filling in as the Melrose guest editor. Email him at shanley1983us@yahoo.com. As always, community producer Amanda Kersey is available at amanda.kersey@patch.com to help you out with posting your Announcements and Events on Melrose Patch.

4) ECC Open Houses: The Franklin Early Childhood Center is holding .

5) Monday lineup: Here's our lineup of weekly columns that run each Monday on Melrose Patch:

• : Each Monday, we'll ask you to tell us deals you've spotted in Melrose stores (or nearby). Now everyone can share the deals they've seen and check back later in the week before heading out shopping.

• Patch Picks Question: We ask for your picks and suggestions on varying topics for a column that will run on Thursday.

• ? Our weekly mystery photo runs every Monday at 3 p.m. and asks you to guess where the photo was taken in Melrose. Guess correctly and you can win a prize. Due to the holiday, Where Is It in Melrose will publish tomorrow at noon.

As always, check our calendar for the full slate of events—and add your own!