Five Things You Need to Know Today: April 10

1. Blood Drive. The Newton Free Library will host a blood drive today from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Druker Auditorium.

2. Aldermen meet on School Committee budget. The Board of Aldermen's Programs and Services and Finance committees will meet jointly tonight to discuss the School Committee's fiscal 2014 budget, which was approved by the School Committee Monday night. The aldermen will meet tonight at 7:15 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber at City Hall.

3. Newton Police Chief swearing in. New Newton Police Chief Howard Mintz will officially be sworn in this morning at 11:30 a.m. in the Newton City Hall War Memorial. 

4. Free parent workshop. The Newton Partnership and The Freedman Center at MSPP will present a free parent workshop tonight titled "Helping Young Children Develop Empathy." The program focuses on how to create a caring environment that fosters empathy and encourages cooperative behaviors and what parents/caregivers can do to help young children develop positive social behaviors. The program will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Franklin Elementary School.

5. Author event. Linda Barnes, author of "The Perfect Ghost" will give a talk tonight at Newtonville Books at 7 p.m.