1.  The City Council will hold a public hearing Monday night on a proposal to place a 24-hour gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Maple St. and Walker St.. The corner is currently home to MetroWest Power Equipment. The hearing is the third item on the council’s agenda for the meeting, which starts at 8 p.m. in City Hall.

2. Stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks always makes sense, but here’s a heads up that police will be stepping up enforcement of the law. The city has received a $5,000 grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Last summer, the town of Holliston received a similar grant and dozens of tickets were written, both to drivers who failed to stop for walkers in crosswalks, and to jaywalkers who failed to use them in the first place. The grant will pay for extra patrols and for some replacement signage.

3. The School Committee’s contract negotiation subcommittee will meet in executive session again Monday as it seeks to hammer out a new agreement with the Marlborough Educators Association. The committee has met for several hours in recent weeks and timing is important, as the results of the negotiations will likely have an impact on the 2013 budget. The school board is already busy trying to address a $1 million deficit and hopes to avoid layoffs or extensive program cuts.

4. At 1:15 p.m., the Marlborough Senior Center will host Dr. Gary Hylander, an historian and professor at Framingham State University, who is presenting an ongoing lecture series, this time focusing on the presidency, life and historical impact of Abraham Lincoln.

5 . Not that we’re competitive, but … It appears that the Marlborough Patch Facebook page and the Framingham Patch Facebook page are in a dead heat to 1,400 “likes.” If you haven’t given us the thumbs up yet, please take a minute to do so. As of Sunday evening, the Marlborough Patch Facebook page needed just six more likes to reach teh milestone. The page always has updates from us, as well as useful and insightful posts from others.