Welcome to 5 Things You Need to Know Today, your place for useful facts. We'll provide this early morning digest each weekday to keep Salemites and Salem Patch users in-the-know.

1. Yesterday Upper Crust officially announced it has closed its Salem location, as we reported Sunday, on its Facebook page. It also announced its Beverly location is closing as well.
2. In case you missed it, we had our very first Pet of the Day blog post under Local Voices. Be sure to check each day for the latest, and let us know if you'd like to blog! Your posts don't have to be long. If you're looking to keep us up on your Salem organization, this is a great place to share with your neighbors.
3. Did you miss the MBTA meeting on the proposed garage last week? You can find the full presentation here. If you have any questions or comments on the project, they should be directed to George Doherty at gdoherty@mbta.com.
4. Kevin Letourneau and the Dejas have prepped a preview of BaldBil's YMCA Kid's Art Show March 2-4 at the Gulu Gulu. Check out the video attached to this article. Thanks for sharing.
5. Looking for something fun Thursday night? Vic's Station is holding an Oskar Blues Down Home BBQ Buffet Beer Dinner. Sounds like a fun to celebrate the almost weekend to us. Check out a video preview here.