5 Useful Things To Know Today: Jan. 17

1. Today's weather forecast starts cold and wet but could end up sunny and dry by the end. There is an 80 percent chance of precipitation and morning showers. By afternoon, the high temperature of 56 degrees should settle in and the sun is expected to be shining through some clouds at 3 p.m.

2. On other Patches: Potomac Patch editor Katie Griffith tries her hand at cooking in a new blog. Check out what Katie's got going on in the kitchen and be sure to come back at 5 p.m. Wednesday for the latest "Cooking in Real Time."

3. Have an upcoming event the North Potomac and Darnestown communities should be aware of? Post it on our event calendar! With a Patch account, the process is very easy, but you can email your local editor with any questions.

4. In case you missed it: Churchill's varsity ice hockey team defeated Wootton, 3-0, in the North Potomac-Darnestown Patch Game of the Week.

5. On this day in history: Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. Operation Desert Storm was launched against Iraq in 1991. President Bill Clinton became the first sitting U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit in 1998.