Five Things You Should Know Today is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. Check back later for more, and let us know what you think of the feature in the comments section.

1. A chance of rain, mainly before 7am. Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a west wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West wind between 3 and 7 mph.

2. Join Ms. Leslianne, the Norton Public Library's Children's Librarian, for "Alphabits," story-song-rhyme-and-play time for preschoolers age 3-5 and their favorite grownups at 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. A writer’s group will run 10:30 a.m. to noon and again 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Knot Just Knitting will meet 1 to 2 p.m.
                                                 
3. Meet Joe Andruzzi from 6 to 7 p.m. and more at Glee Gifts during holiday festivities at Mansfield Crossing. 10% of sales for the entire day will be donated to the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is tackling cancer’s impact by providing financial assistance for patients and their families as well as funding pediatric brain cancer research. For more information visit http://joeandruzzifoundation.org/wp/. Festivities at Mansfield Crossing will go until 9 p.m.

4. If you’re an artist, a teacher, a truck driver, a musician, or a mom or a dad doing your best to raise a family, Resistance will whisper its deadly lies in your ear when you’re at your weakest point. Read columnist Bob Havey’s response to Resistance here.

5. Later today tune into Norton Patch for the latest in the Norton police logs.