1. Alissa Letkowski, the editor who got Natick Patch off the ground, said goodbye to Patch yesterday. It's hard to believe that it was December 2010 when Alissa first introduced herself to Patch (did you ever catch her welcome video?) We'll miss her! For the near future, please email story tips/questions/etc. to danielle.horn@patch.com.

2. Alissa's fellow Patch editors, including myself, sent her off yesterday with a lunch at P.F. Chang's. I'd never been and was very pleased with the spring rolls and beef and broccoli. What have your experiences been there? Post a review on P.F. Chang's or any other Natick business in our directory.

3. The weather has been great, but with it comes bad news for sinuses. Today, like the last few days, is predicted to be terrible for allergy sufferers in the Natick area; tree and grass pollen are high. What do you do to combat allergies? I always have over-the-counter saline nasal spray at the ready.

4. If you're heading north for the long weekend, expect to see a larger police presence. The Massachusetts State Police's Troop A, which covers the northeastern part of the state, will be working with the New Hampshire State Police to look for impaired and aggressive drivers on the roads between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Their focus will be reducing excessive speeds and other dangerous moving violations. This increased activity, according to a press release, will be throughout the holiday weekend.

5. You have until 9 a.m. today to vote for the best place for entertainment in MetroWest. This friendly contest ran all week and has triggered more than 100 comments in support of local businesses. No matter who wins, it's clear there are a lot of places about which Natick-area readers feel strongly.