5 Useful Things To Know Today: Nov. 17

1. Cold temperatures throughout the day and rain until the afternoon is expected throughout the day. The high temperature will be around 46 degrees, with a 70 percent chance of rain.

2. Congressman Chris Van Hollen will hold his ninth Annual Federal Employees Health Benefits forums in cooperation with NARFE tonight at 7 p.m. in Rockville.

3. Tonight is opening night for The Miracle Worker -- the inspiring, classic story of Helen Keller, a deaf, blind and mute girl, and the teacher, Annie Sullivan, who struggled to bring her out of her shell and helped her to communicate -- at .

4. In case you missed it: A changing economy causes one local small business owner to re-invent his antique business as Hearthside Home in Poolesville sets a new course for the future in home decor.

5. On this day in history: Congress met in Washington, DC, for the first time in 1800.

Night of the "Heidi bowl:" NBC switched from football to movie of Heidi. In the missing 42 seconds, the lagging Raiders scored two touchdowns, defeating the Jets in 1968.