5 Things You Need To Know Today—Wednesday, April 4

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1) Take heed of the western wind: Not the heart-wrenching original, but a pretty darn good cover. Her voice suits it. Sunny, with a high near 62. West wind 6 to 9 mph increasing to between 14 and 17 mph. Tonight, mostly clear, with a low around 38. Northwest wind between 13 and 17 mph. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.)

2) ROCK! Tonight if the Melrose High School Band Night for Haiti, All proceeds ($5 admission) will be sent to aid in reconstructing Haiti, which is still recovering from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred on January 19, 2010, and caused almost $14 billion in structural damage and left 1,000,000 people homeless. (Attention bands: Get your videos ready for .)

3) He's racing, and pacing, and plotting the course: Mystic Runners is hosting a (walkers welcome) with proceeds from the race going to the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. Entry fee is $2, more donations accepted. Register by 6:30 p.m. at the Lord Wakefield Hotel, 595 North Ave. in Wakefield.

4) A screever's an artist of 'ighest degree, and it's all me own work from me own memory: "There's this guy who's utterly a banker ..." Melrose Arts will sponsor an evening The Ipswich artist is well known for his atmospheric pastels of farmlands, salt marshes, and scene of Maine. He is represented in Ipswich by Mixit Media Gallery and in Maine at The Mast Cove Gallery in Kennebunkport.

5) Ashes to ashes. . . . Go. . . . Shut out the light: Here's today's lineup of weekly columns that run each Wednesday on Melrose Patch:

• Poll of the Week: We'll run a poll every Wednesday asking you to weigh in with a quick click on the topic du jour. We'll compile the answers into an article next Tuesday.

• Get Out: Looking for something to do this weekend? Our roundup of stuff to do this weekend in Melrose now runs on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. (Giving you more time in advance of Thursday night events.)

Check our calendar for the full slate of events—and add your own!