5 Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday, Oct. 3

Here are five pieces of information designed to get you over the hump on this Wednesday and to help make you the smartest person in your carpool.

1. Your 3-Day Local Weather Forecast:  According to the NWS, there will be a chance of drizzle before 9am, then a slight chance of showers after 9am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

• Wednesday Night A chance of showers, mainly after 9pm. Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 55. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Thursday A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Patchy fog before 4pm, then Patchy fog after 5pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Thursday Night Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Light and variable wind.
• Friday Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 75.
• Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.

2. Quote of the Day: “By abusing his position of power as an attorney, this defendant allegedly took advantage of seven clients, stealing more than $400,000 in total and using it for his own purposes.” Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, on former

3. Reader Comment of the Day: "Melissa, with due respect the LAST thing we need is a "task force". Everything government gets involved in gets worse. See "war on drugs".
What we need is for parents to turn off American Idol, the View and Ellen and stop trying to be their kids friends! I have made it very clear to my kids what drugs will do to them and what I will do to them if I find out they touched drugs. I point out articles all the time on the stupid doing stupid things while on drugs. I talk about it every chance I get. I tell my kids what my parents told me: If you use drugs, pray the police keep you locked up because if they let you go, I will get my hands on you!
We also have dinner at the kitchen table every night as a family. I think this is the single greatest tool we as parents have. We get 45 minutes of undivided attention and discussion." Reader Bob, commenting on the story, "New Details Emerge In Brutal Beating On Compass Lane."

4. By the Numbers: $10,000,000. That's how much was won by Tewksbury resident Arlene Barnoth on the Mass. State Lottery 40th Anniversary scratch ticket. Click here to find out how she intends to spend the money!

5. It's Happening Today: Are you hungry? Not right now? Don't worry, you will be later. And when you're feeling a bit peckish, you can help out local schools by participating in the Dine Out at Wendy's for the Dewing and North Street Schools. It's easy. Just stop by to the Wendy's on 1665 Andover St. from 4 to 8 p.m. A portion of your dinner bill will go to the Dewing and North Street Schools PACs.

And Don't Forget: Editor Bill Gilman will be live on AM980 WCAP this morning at 8:10 a.m., chatting with Teddy Panos about last night's Town Meeting and all the latest news making headlines in Tewksbury.