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 at 6, there will be a ceremonial lighting of the old post office/train station building in Nobscot. The public is invited to the building on Water Street.

2. Following the lighting event, Nobscot Neighbors is hosting a holiday party for the residents at the Heritage at Framingham assisted living complex at 6:30 p.m. There will be live music, a waffle station, hot cocoa and desserts. Nobscot area residents and their families are invited and encouraged to bring a neighbor.

3. The Framingham Rotary Internet Auction is LIVE tonight on Access Framingham (AF-TV) at 7:30. Tune in to see auction items and learn about what Rotary grants do to help the local community. All bidding is online. The deadline to bid is 9:59 p.m.tonight. For additional information watch the attached video or visit www.rotaryauction.com

4. Stapleton Elementary School announced the winners of its Scholastic Book Fair Art Contest. Students in grades K-5 were eligible to enter the contest with three categories (K-1, 2-3, & 4-5)  One winner in each category received a $10 credit to the book fair. The winners had their posters displayed in school.

5. Earlier this week two federal health agencies released a new report, which identified products beyond the original steroids, that contained fungi and bacteria from a Framingham pharamcy - New England Compounding Center. Federal health officials stressed there’s no evidence the new drugs have caused any additional outbreaks of fungal meningitis or any other illnesses. Nationally, 36 people have died and more than 510 infected with fungal meningitis linked to NECC.