Aug. 19: Five Things You Need to Know Today

1. It's Friday! Do you know what you're doing this weekend? We have some ideas.

2. Are you in the market for a new home, or just curious about what's out there? Come back later today for this week's installment of House Hunt.

3. Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, for higher taxes for the super-rich, following an op-ed penned by investor billionaire Warren Buffett in the New York Times earlier this week.

4. A proposed $4 fare increase for E-ZPass riders crossing any major Hudson River bridge has been lowered, after the initial proposal was met with shock and then anger from commuters, the New York Times reports.

5. Scattered showers will sully the day, and even the rain won't bring much relief from the heat: The high is expected to be in the mid-80s.