Five Things To Know Today

1.  Today is Wednesday, June 8. It'll be sunny and hot. The National Weather Service predicts a high temperature of 85 degrees. Then it'll be partly cloudy, with a low of 66 tonight.

2.  West Side Middle School's students collectively ran 2,922 miles from Groton to Los Angeles in 11 weeks, as part of a virtual race across the country. Groton's middle school physical education teachers came up with the idea to encourage student physical fitness. They mapped the distance from Groton to the Disney theme park, then figured out how many times around the gym equaled one mile in each of the schools. Then the students started running.

3.  The Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. today at The Groton Public Library.  Area blood banks often see supplies decline during the summer when school gets out and people go on vacation, so if you can help, stop in.

4.  The first public informational meeting about potential improvements to Groton-New London Airport will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 9 in the City of Groton Council Chambers.  Transportation officials will present options for improvements, then take questions. Options include a "do nothing" approach and full development of the airport.

5.  The Groton Hair Cuttery on Poquonnock Road is donating $2 per hair cut on  Saturday and Sunday to the Red Cross tornado relief effort in Massachusetts.  The company is matching donations made from haircuts at local salons up to $5,000, a press release said.