Our daily column, 5 Things You Need to Know Today, will help you to get your day started and offer you some fodder for water cooler conversation.

1. Tonight is the last meeting for Framingham Selectmen in 2012 and they have a packed agenda. Selectmen will set the new tax rate. There will also be a discussion with the chief assessor on how property's are assessed. Also on tap is a discussing on traffic calming and Governor Patrick's budget cuts impact on the Town of Framingham. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Building.

2. Framingham School Committee is scheduled to meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. in th King Administration Building. On the agenda is a presentation on special education and discussion of the Superintendent's review procedures.

3. It's a week until Christmas! Is your store or restaurants open during the holidays? We're making a list and checking it twice. If you'd like to be included, leave your business' store hours in the comments below for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. To add your establishment, to our list click here.

4. Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick has ordered that the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings until sunset today, Dec. 18, as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.

5. There were several power outages yesterday in Framingham. Many were caused by ice on trees and wires. Thanks to Framingham Patch reader Bill Lynch for the column's photo. An ice-coated tree fell on Lawrence Street taking down electrical wires and sparking a small fire.