5 Things You Need To Know Today—Tuesday, Jan. 10

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

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10—111 years ago today, a drilling derrick at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, Texas, produces an enormous gusher of crude oil, signaling the advent of the American oil industry—and here are Melrose's five fast facts for the day:

1) There's a break in the clouds: A slight chance of snow showers between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. today. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 45. South wind 7 to 15 mph becoming west. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Tonight, partly cloudy, with a low around 31. West wind between 6 and 9 mph becoming calm. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. (Forecast from National Weather Service.)

2) We want a shrubbery! Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Melrose Public Library, The Backyard Gardeners will present guest speaker Henry Schmidt, Senior Associate and Landscape Designer with Weston Nurseries. His talk will be "A Pruning Primer." All welcome to this free event.

3) The Center For Children Who Can't Read Good: The Melrose School Committee meets tonight at 7 p.m.

4) (rock): Rockin' Babies and Boppin' Toddlers, an interactive music program, . Toddlers (10-18 months) from 10:15-11 a.m., Babies (0-9 months) from 11:15-noon.

5) Sweet Tuesday morning came on your smile: Here's our lineup of weekly features that run each Tuesday on Melrose Patch:

• : Every Tuesday at 3 p.m., we bring you five great kid- and family-friendly events taking place in the area over the next week.

• Police Log: I usually get the log on Mondays from the Melrose Police Department and bring you a recap on Tuesdays.

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