5 Things You Need To Know Today, Wednesday, March 6

Here are 5 pieces of information designed to get you over the hump on this Wednesday and to help make you the smartest person on the block.

1. Your 3-Day Local Weather Forecast:

• According to the NWS, today there is a slight chance of snow showers before 9am, then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a northeast wind 11 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Wednesday Night A chance of rain and snow before 7pm, then snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Northeast wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
• Thursday Snow. High near 35. North wind 16 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
• Thursday Night Snow. Low around 29. North wind 13 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
• Friday Snow likely, mainly before 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
• Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26.

2. Reader Comment of the Day: "Why is overtime expected? Why is sick time expected if one is not sick? Sounds like the taxpayers are forced to pay for benefits above and beyond what most taxpayers have - especially those of us who work within company budgets." Reader MLFD, commenting on the story, "LETTER: The Fire Department Must Be Run As A Business."

3. It's Happening Today: The Ryan School PAC Meeting is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. at the school.

4. By The Numbers: 14. With all due respect to a certain pudgy groundhog, that's how many days are left to this seemingly endless winter. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, spring officially begins on March 20, at 7:02 a.m.

5. And Another Thing: The Board of Selectmen will be meeting in executive session tonight at 5 p.m. at Town Hall. On the agenda is only one item -- the ongoing contract negotiations with the local firefighters union.