Our weekday morning column, 5 Things You Need to Know, provides you with information that can help you plan your day and give you some fodder for water cooler conversations.

1. Thursday will be frigid. Some tips for keeping warm and safe: minimize outdoor activity. When using fireplaces, wood stoves and space heaters, be sure to ventilate them correctly. Test smoke alarms and keep carbon monoxide detectors handy. And bring pets out of the cold.

2. The Milford School Committee meets at 7 tonight. The agenda includes an update of the Woodland Elementary School project.

3. Milford TV will hold a grand opening celebration this month. In an announcement on Facebook, the local cable station said it would host a grand opening from 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19.

4. Do you need to talk to a lawyer about something? The Lawyer of the Month program at Milford District Court will provide people with access to a lawyer, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. The next session is Jan. 16.

5. If you, or your son or daughter, wants to spend the summer as a lifeguard, now is the time to get certified. A lifeguard training course will begin this month.