Five Things: Schools Open, No Snow Emergency

1. It should be sunny today, with temperatures right around freezing. At night, temperatures are expected to drop to the high teens. Temperatures should remain about the same throughout the weekend, with a chance of snow Saturday.

2. Despite the overnight snow, as of earlier this morning, Boston’s public schools were expected to be open for business today, and no snow emergency was expected, the mayor’s office reported. To stay up-to-date on all snow-related matters, sign up for the city’s ALERTBoston notifications.

3. Does retail reflect the strength of a neighborhood? Is a new Dunkin’ Donuts the sign of decline? South End Patch columnist John Keith ponders these questions and many more in his latest column. It’s a must read for South Enders concerned about the direction of the neighborhood.

4. Are you a South End foodie? If so, check out Kathrin Havrilla’s latest column,

5. Ever wonder where those blue lights are headed? Or what they’re doing on your street? If so, check out our daily South End Police Log – new this week. Here are , and incidents, and, later today, we’ll have yesterday’s. Each log features an interactive map with all of the addressed incidents plotted (incidents without a specific address still do appear in the chart below the map). You can click on the pins on the map for more information. So if you know what time or where you saw those lights, we’ve got you covered.