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WEATHER

Increasing clouds today with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms late in the morning.. Then a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. South winds around 10 mph. Mostly cloudy tonight with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s. South winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 30 percent.

AROUND THE COUNTY

Reading program and festival

Cowart Elementary School on Hobbs Street is in need of gently-used items for use as prizes to support their accelerated reader program — toys, games, action figures, dolls, sports equipment, cars, trucks, books, stuffed animals, etc. Drop off at school 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or call for pickup. Contact: Sandy Riebeling 256-233-3800.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE DAY

This dog sings and accompanies himself on piano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljH69nb1AE

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY:

Local news:

Court will determine fate of cash seized in gambling bust

ONES CROSSROADS — The 27 gambling machines confiscated Thursday night by Limestone County investigators and deputies will likely be destroyed and the $10,000 in cash seized may be split between the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office.

Meanwhile, Thomas William White, 42, of 18990 Moyers Road, Athens, is facing a misdemeanor charge of promoting gambling following the nighttime raid on Tommy’s Game Room at the corner of Lucas Ferry and Nuclear Plant roads.

http://enewscourier.com/local/x1402345522/UPDATE-Gambling-Bust

State:

Siegelman going back to prison for bribery

Following years of appeals and a vocal campaign by supporters, ex-Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is heading back to prison after being sentenced Friday to more than six years for bribery and other convictions.

Siegelman and former HealthSouth chief Richard Scrushy were convicted in 2006.

http://enewscourier.com/local/x1402346273/UPDATE-Siegelman-going-back-to-prison-for-bribery

Tide opens camp with one test passed

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Quarterback AJ McCarron insists Alabama turned its focus to the 2012 season long before opening preseason camp on Friday.

Apparently, coach Nick Saban gives the Crimson Tide a little bonus time to his normal 24-hour limit for celebrations when the victory comes in the national championship game. Just a little.

"I think we had maybe 72 hours and then we were back to, 'This team hasn't done anything,'" McCarron said. "Not a whole lot of celebration around here. It doesn't matter how many you win. Like coach says, 'It's not about what you did in the past, it's what you're doing right now.' That's all anybody cares about."

http://enewscourier.com/local/x328563653/Tide-opens-camp-having-already-passed-1-test

Nation

Pistoruius makes it to semi-finals in Olympic 400

Oscar Pistorius took off and the click-click-clicking of carbon on the track was all but drowned out by the 80,000 fans on hand to watch him make history Saturday. The first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics, Pistorius cruised past an opponent or two in the backstretch of his 400-meter heat, and by the end, the "Blade Runner" was coasting in for a stress-free success.

Typical. Except this time, it was anything but that.

"I've worked for six years ... to get my chance," said the South African, who finished second and advanced to Sunday night's semifinals. "I found myself smiling in the starting block. Which is very rare in the 400 meters."

http://enewscourier.com/sports/x44826209/Pistorius-makes-it-to-semifinals-of-Olympic-400

Congress breaks for 5 weeks, but much work undone

Congress' performance matches its approval rating — abysmal.

Lawmakers headed home for a five-week break with a lengthy list of uncompleted work and little to show for the past year and a half except an eye-popping amount of dissatisfaction: Nearly 80 percent of Americans are unhappy with them. The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led Senate have set record lows for production and record highs for dysfunction.

http://enewscourier.com/statenews/x1402346279/Congress-breaks-for-5-weeks-but-much-work-undone

WATER COOLER

Eyes on London: Today’s Olympic update includes ‘racket doping’

So you think table tennis is a low-key, low-stakes rainy-day game? No way. There's a form of "doping" in pingpong.

It has nothing to do with ingesting banned substances. We're talking about doctoring the racket to get more spin and speed, more dips and curves for the celluloid sphere.

The substances go by various names — speed glue, booster or tuner. The world governing body of table tennis has eliminated some of the problem but has yet to wipe it out.

http://enewscourier.com/local/x1402346277/EYES-ON-LONDON-Todays-Olympic-round-up-includes-racket-doping