5 Things to Know Today: April 26, 2012

1. The weather

The National Weather Service says we can expect showers, likely before 1 p.m. Skies will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 29.

2. Gas prices

According to DetroitGasPrices.com, the lowest reported gasoline price in the White Lake area as of Wednesday night was $3.74 per gallon at the gas station.

3. On this day in history

According to History.com, in 1954, the Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving 1.8 million children, begin at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. Children in the United States, Canada and Finland participated in the trials, which used for the first time the now-standard double-blind method, whereby neither the patient nor attending doctor knew if the inoculation was the vaccine or a placebo. On April 12, 1955, researchers announced the vaccine was safe and effective and it quickly became a standard part of childhood immunizations in America. In the ensuing decades, polio vaccines would all but wipe out the highly contagious disease in the Western Hemisphere.

4. In the news

This week's is one you don't want to miss.

5. Add Your Events to Patch

Have an event you want to share with the community? Add your own event to White Lake Patch's calendar.