Five Things to Know Today, Jan. 30

Welcome to Monday and a new week. Here are some things to know about the day.

The weather: Sunshine is in the forecast, with a high of about 62 degrees. The low tonight will be around 34 degrees. The National Weather Service has issued a fire danger statement because of low relative humidity in Gwinnett and other counties.

Gas prices have taken a big jump over the weekend. Prices for Lilburn reported to www.georgiagasprices.com for a gas of regular started at $3.42 (at , 331 Rockbridge Road at Lawrenceville Hwy) and topped out at $3.47 (at seven gas stations in Lilburn).

Hoops. Register now for the 3 on 3 Basketball Challenge, a new event from the Gwinnett parks department set for Saturday. There’ll be teams of middle school, high school and adult players, and prizes. The games are in the gym at Best Friend Park, on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross, starting at 9 a.m. More info at 770 417 2212.

Hats. Cowboy poetry has come a long way from a few campfire circles to a nationally and internationally renowned part of our national literature. The last week of January marks the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and has for years. If you’re not in Elko, Nevada, this week, you can still follow a livestream or catch the archived clips. Tune in and listen to our Western bards.  

Shots. It’s the anniversary of a dark first in American history: The first assassination attempt against a U.S. president, in 1835. A deranged painter named Richard Lawrence pulled two pistols in the Capitol and fired at close range at President Andrew Jackson. Both guns failed to fire, and Jackson reacted in anger, clubbing Lawrence with his cane before onlookers wrestled the attacker to the ground. Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of his life in a cell. The attempt left Jackson with a lingering suspicion that his political opponents had set the gunman on him, and his vice president, Martin Van Buren, took to carrying two loaded pistols when he visited the Senate.