Five Things to Know Today, Feb. 17

Welcome to Friday, the first day of a long weekend for Gwinnett school kids. Here are some things to know today.

The weather: And a nice day to be out of school it is, too. Sunny, with a high of about 65 degrees, the National Weather Service says. The low tonight will be around 46.

Gas prices are still stable. In Lilburn, prices for a gallon of regular reported to www.georgiagasprices.com ranged from $3.41 (at Kroger, 4155 Lawrenceville Hwy at Beaver Ruin and two other places.) to $3.49 (at Shell, 3020 Five Forks Trickum Road at Oak Road and six other stations).

Office hours. Your Lilburn Patch editor starts a new adventure today: Monthly office hours where you can come and talk about the things you see here and what you’d like to see. I’ll be at the Lilburn Cafe, 5514 Lawrenceville Highway , from 10 a.m. to noon. Just look for the woman in the Patch T-shirt!  

Police jobs. The Gwinnett County Police Department is holding a job fair Saturday, Feb. 18, looking for police officer trainees, senior police officers and 911 dispatchers/communications officers. The job fair runs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Lawrenceville at the police training facility located at 854 Winder Hwy. You’re encouraged to complete an online application first before going to the fair, so that you can get an orientation and physical fitness assessment there. Walk-ins will be rescheduled for a later time.  

Cheers. The long, unsuccessful dry spell that was Prohibition started unraveling for good with a Senate bill passed this day in 1933. The Blaine Act, named for a Wisconsin senator, started the repeal of the 18th Amendment that had banned alcohol starting in 1920. The repeal took efefct formally took effect with the 21st Amendment in December 1933. Prohibition criminalized ordinary Americans, never stopped the production, trade and consumption of beer, wine and spirits, and fueled a huge underground economy that benefited gangsters. Oops.