5 Things You Need to Know Today: Dec. 29

"Five Things You Need to Know Today" is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance.

1. Local Achievement of the Day. Eight-year-old Matthew Bouthot of Bedford put his Pokémon trading card skills to the test on Dec. 17 during the Play! Pokémon Trading Card Game City Championship Tournament in Nashua. After a full day of battling many fellow Pokémon TCG players, Bouthot was crowned second, earning a City Championship medal.

2. The Weather Man Says ... Cool and sunny today. Sure, today's high drops roughly 14 degrees from a balmy December 47 to a more traditional 33 degrees, but the high winds are gone, replaced by abundant sunshine with only a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

3. More Holiday High School Sports on Tap. It may be school vacation week, but there's no rest for some of 's top athletes who are competing in holiday tournaments. Today's BHS sports schedule includes the following games:

• 12:00PM G V Basketball @ Pelham High School (Nashua North Holiday Tournament)
• 5:00PM B V Ice Hockey @ Christmas Hockey Classic - Consolation Round
• 5:30PM B FR Basketball @ Windham Holiday Tournament
• 7:00PM B V Ice Hockey @ Christmas Hockey Classic - Championship Game

4. Get Hyper-Local Through Your Smart Phone. Have you tried Patch's free and easily accessible iPhone and Android App? No?

5. Traffic and Gas Prices with one easy click. Have you seen Bedford Patch's new traffic and gas price feature? It's quick and easy. Simply click the "Traffic & Gas" tab at the top of the page and get all the up-to-the-minute traffic, accident and gas price details you need for your commute.