5 Things for Jan. 1: What’s Open, Closed on New Year’s, Milk Prices, Dog Licenses & More

Editor's note: Five Things You Need To Know Today is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. If you know of something happening in town that did not make our list, please add it in the comment section!

1. Expect a Cold and Windy New Year’s Day in Foxborough

Today’s weather in Foxborough, according to the National Weather Service based in Taunton, calls for cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 34. West wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 12. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

2. What’s Open and Closed in Foxborough on New Year’s Day?

New Year's Day is a time for many to spend celebrating with family and friends and, as such, banks, offices, restaurants and stores will be closed or have shortened hours Tuesday in observance of the holiday.

Here's a quick look at what will be open and closed in Foxborough. Please leave a comment if you have something to add to the list!

OPEN

• Stop & Shop
• Patriot Place retail (at owner’s discretion)
• Convenience stores (at owner’s discretion)
• Liquor stores (at owner’s discretion)
• Bars (at owner’s discretion)

CLOSED

• Trader Joe’s
• Banks
• Foxborough town offices
• State offices
• Federal offices
• Post office/mail
• Boyden Library
• Foxborough Public Schools
• Foxborough Regional Charter School
• The Sage School

3. Congress to Compromise on Farm Bill; Milk Prices Likely Not to Double

While Congress can't seem to agree on a compromise to avoid the "Fiscal Cliff," leadership of the agriculture committee announced a compromise on the farm bill Sunday.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow indicated that the House could vote on the extension as early as Sunday evening, though House leaders have not yet agreed to put it on the floor. In addition to the one-year extension that has the backing of the committees, the House GOP is also considering two other extension bills — a one-month extension and an even smaller bill that would simply extend dairy policy that expires Jan. 1, reported the Associated Press on the NPR site.

Dairy subsidies under the 2008 farm bill expire on Monday and without a bill in place, prices paid by the government to farmers would revert back to higher 1949 levels, reported USA Today.

Wheat and other commodities could have be impacted later in 2013.

"If a new Farm Bill is not passed in the next few days, Agriculture Committee leaders in both chambers and both parties have developed a responsible short-term Farm Bill extension that not only stops milk prices from spiking, but also prevents eventual damage to our entire agriculture economy," said Stabenow.

"It is not perfect -- no compromise ever is -- but it is my sincere hope that it will pass the House and Senate and be signed by the President by Jan. 1," Frank Lucas, R-Okla., chair of the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement.

4. Renew Your Dog Licenses

All dog owners are required to license any dog which is six months or older, according to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 137 and Article V, Section 3 of the General By-Laws of the town of Foxborough.

According to the Town Clerk’s Office, each dog shall be licensed with the town of Foxborough annually (licensing period runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31).

The current fee is $12 for male/female dogs or $10 for neutered male or spayed female dogs. Dog owners must provide a veterinarian certificate as evidence of the dogs having been vaccinated against rabies. An additional $20 late fee will be charged for renewal of any licenses after Jan. 31 of 2013. Owners can license their dogs at the Town Clerk’s Office in Town Hall.

Each household is allowed to keep up to three separately licensed dogs on the premises. Keeping of four or more dogs on a premise requires the owner to obtain a kennel license through approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

5. Major Recall of Baby Recliners Announced

At the request of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, four retailers are voluntarily recalling Nap Nanny baby recliners after several deaths and more than 100 cases of a child falling or nearly falling out.

The companies participating in the recall are Amazon.com, Buy Buy Baby, Diapers.com and Toys R Us/Babies R Us. The models include Nap Nanny Generations One and Two and the Chill™ model infant recliners.

"CPSC is warning parents and caregivers that these baby recliners contain defects in the design, warnings and instructions, which pose a substantial risk of injury and death to infants," the agency said in its announcement.

The recliners are made by Baby Matters LLC of Berwyn, Penn.

The first recall was made at the request of the CPSC in July 2010 when one child died and several fell or nearly fell out of the Generation One model. Despite improvements to two subsequent models, the dangers continued, the agency said.

For information on how to return a recliner if you purchased it from one of the four major retailers doing the voluntarily recall, use the phone and email addresses here:

• Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com
• Buy Buy Baby: Toll-free at (877) 328-9222,
http://www.buybuybaby.com/productRecalls.asp
• Diapers.com: (800) 342-7377,
http://www.diapers.com

Toys R Us/Babies R Us: (800) 869-7787,
http://www.toysrusinc.com/safety/recalls