5 Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 2

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. UPDATED: It's six more weeks of winter, according to the prognosticating groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

On Thursday morning, in central Pennsylvania, a groundhog will come out of his "burrow" on Gobbler's Knob. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, an early spring will happen. Phil almost always sees his shadow, if only because the lights from all the television cameras are focused on him. This item will be updated once we know his prediction, but if you are up at 6 a.m., you can watch the breaking news as it happens.

2. A race is on for the Milford Board of Selectmen. An open seat — for which Dino DeBartolomeis is running for re-election — has drawn another candidate. Michael Denice, a resident of Debbie Lane, submitted the required number of signatures on Tuesday and those signatures have been certified by Town Clerk Amy Hennessy Neves. Denice is best known as the older brother of Matthew Denice, a motorcyclist whose death in August spurred local activism and anger about illegal immigration, drunken driving and unlicensed driving. The town election is April 2.

3. The Milford Youth Center has publicly thanked the United Way of Tri-County for "Hope for Holidays" program that allowed 20 children who attend the center to receive Christmas gifts. and Boy Scout Troop 18 also made generous donations toward the program.

4. Speaking of the youth center, it will benefit from a fundraiser at Pepperoncini's during the Super Bowl. Proceeds from a halftime raffle for a 32'' High-Definition LCD TV will benefit the center. The restaurant is featuring, for dine-in customers, $6.99 large pizzas and 35-cent wings.

5. Don't forget to purchase a box or two of this week, as the girls try to raise funds for their troops. One troop will be selling cookies at the Milford High School Boys' Basketball games.