Five Things To Know Today

1.  Today is Friday, Feb. 11. It'll be sunny and cold today; cloudy and cold tonight. The National Weather Service predicts a high near 29 degrees today, a low around 23 degrees tonight.

2.  The Pleasant Valley Elementary Parent Teacher Organization holds its movie night at 6 p.m. today. Another movie-related even is planned this morning for a younger group; the Groton Public Library's preschool film festival begins at 10 a.m., and includes 45 minutes of short films based on children's books. For more information, click here.

3.  The Town of Groton's 2010 United Way Campaign raised $20,693 for United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, and received a thank you from the organization. "We are truly grateful for your participation, support and leadership," said the letter from Virginia L. Mason, president.

4.  The town has exceeded its snow removal budget as of the Feb. 1 storm, Town Manager Mark Oefinger said this week. He is expected to return to the Town Council in the near future with a request for a supplemental appropriation. Based on the most recent update, the Department of Public Works was estimated to be 46 percent over the $285,312 budget for snow and ice control.

5.  Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced a plan this week to overhaul the state's higher education system in an effort to increase the number of students receiving degrees, according to a statement from his office. The plan would eliminate boards for the Connecticut State University System, consolidate its central offices and direct the Board of Regents to develop a formula to distribute taxpayer support to campuses based on enrollment.