Community Corner

Five Things to Know Today, Jan 10

Guaranteed to tell you something you didn't know yesterday.

Welcome to Tuesday. Here are some things to know today.

The weather: There's a 40 percent chance of rain today, and the high will be about 64 degrees, the National Weather Service says. The low tonight: only about 54. While a thunderstorm or two tonight is just a possibility, it's certain that there will be rain.

Gas prices: A gallon of regular in Lilburn costs between $3.33 (at QuickTrip, 4900 Stone Mountain Hwy, and Shell, 3020 Five Forks Trickum Road at Oak Road) and $3.39 (at Shell, 5474 Lawrenceville Hwy at Rockbridge Road, and Citgo, 5355 Lawrenceville Hwy at Inland Way). Across the U.S., prices are about the same as yesterday.

Find out what's happening in Lilburn-Mountain Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cheap gas. The Texas oil boom that made the U.S. the world's leading producer in the early 20th century started on this day in 1901. The starting shot was a gusher at Spindletop, a salt dome formation near Beaumont in southeast Texas that had long been suspected of harboring oil reserves because of sulphur springs and natural oil leaks. There were lots of futile exploratory holes drilled before the Lucas Gusher erupted 150 feet in the air, blasting Texas into the oil era.

Chow down and count up. There's more going on every week at the Gwinnett County parks than you can easily keep track of, and it's all reasonably priced, fun and local. Try this: Senior Breakfast & Bingo tomorrow at the Bethesda Park Senior Center in Lawrenceville, from 9-11 am. Have some pancakes and sausage and then get out out the number boards. It's $5 per person for ages 50 and up. They ask that you call ahead to register, 770-564-4680.

Find out what's happening in Lilburn-Mountain Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A good day for music. Singer-songwriter Jim Croce was born on Jan. 10, 1943. Always worth going back over his work, like "Operator" and other hypnotic pop masterpieces from the 70s. His biggest hits included "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle." Croce died way too early, in 1973, in the crash of a small plane in Louisiana while flying from one gig to the next.

Oh, and: Roll Tide!


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