Five Things You Need To Know Today, Jan. 18

Here are five things you need to know today:

1) Winter is here: Although we’ll see sunshine today, it’s going to be a cold one. According to the National Weather Service, it will be mid-30s today, but temperatures will fall to 29 degrees by dinner.

2) Ice rinks open: The city’s man-made ice rinks at are now open! That’s right, with the chilly weather and snow, the rinks are ready for business. We’ve heard that there have been some great hockey games going on there.

3) Event spotlight: The city’s Board of Appeals will meet tonight at 7 p.m. in the Chambers. Several public hearings are on the agenda, including requests for variances and special permits for homes in Woburn. The is also on the agenda to negotiate “reasonable conditions” for issuing a comprehensive permit extension for the 1042 Main St. property.

4) In case you missed it: The three-day weekend was a busy one for Woburn Police. In addition to several arrests—including one for stalking and a false bomb threat—there were several other incidents to respond to. A woman who said she has been harassed before reported someone dumped a can of tuna on her.

5) Oh, Mandy: On this day in 1975, Barry Manilow scored his first number one pop single with “Mandy.” The crooner, who also wrote commercial song jingles, has sold over 75 million records over his long career. Although panned by critics at times, Manilow is beloved by fans. He has had more than 20 number one hits in the U.S., including “I Write the Songs.” We can only hope here at WuPatch, that you have Manilow stuck in your head now, as we do.

To find out what is going on today in Woburn, check out our events listings.