5 Things You Need To Know Today, Friday, Jan. 4

Here are 5 pieces of information designed to get your weekend off to an early start and to help make you the smartest person on the team.

1. Your Local 3-day Weekend Weather Forecast:

• According to the NWS, today will be partly sunny, with a high near 37. West wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
• Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Saturday Sunny, with a high near 35. West wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
• Saturday Night A slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Sunday A chance of snow showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

2. It's Happening Today: Take a few minutes and you can help save a life. There is an American Red Cross Blood Drive going on from 10 a.m. to noon at Tewksbury Hospital, 365, East St. It's easy, it's painless and it's needed. 

3. It's Happening Today, Part 2: The Tewksbury High boys basketball team will look to continue their hot start this season when they play host to Haverhill High at the TMHS Gym. Tap-off is set for 7 p.m.

4. Let's Review, Shall We?: Did you know that you can post a review of any Tewksbury business in the Tewksbury Patch Business Directory? Absolutely! Let others in the community know about your experiences at local businesses or maybe just let the business owner know if you are a satisfied or unsatisfied customer. Check out this review of The Clubhouse Barbershop posted by reader Michael Adams:

"Joanne is the best!! She cuts my hair the way I want it, even if it takes a few more minutes. Another satisfied returning again and again customer!"

Click here to start posting your own reviews!

5. Reader Comment of the Day: "Wow. All I can say is I hope I never need it, but I am glad that help is out there. I cannot see how people can support a family making minimum wage in MA without help. Decent daycare for a child in diapers is $250 per week on average about 3/4 what the min. wage earner makes. So if you were earning better than minimum decided to have a child, got laid off and the only thing you can find is a minimum wage job because of the economy, how are you supposed to support your family. I hope I could count on the government I have been putting my hard earned tax dollars into all these years to help. I do agree however that it should not be a hand out and that the receiver should have to work somehow as COMMENT stated. Please don't label all who need help as freeloaders because some people are. And in case you are wondering. No. My family and I have been fortunate enough to never need this kind of help, but I do know hard working people who have." Reader LR, commenting on the story, "State To End Homeless Program Placing Homeless Families in Tewksbury Hotel."