Good morning! Here’s a head start on your Thursday…

Weather: Storms ahead, and we mean it this time. The scattered storms forecast for Wednesday stayed well south of Birmingham, but there’s a better chance today, with some strong storms (but not severe, in all likelihood) coming this morning and wrapping up late tonight. The high temperature will top out around 74, while the nighttime low will dip to 50. Skies will clear and it will be a little cooler on Friday. Next week, expect a “blackberry winter” cold snap, with light frost possible.

Traffic: No significant construction delays are expected in the I-65 construction zone south of Fultondale, though rain may complicate things at times. For up-to-the-minute traffic,check out the ALDOT traffic cameras.

Fultondale teacher closer to state award. It sounds a little bit like the just-completed NCAA Basketball Tournament, but a teacher at Fultondale Elementary is in the “Sweet 16.” Julie Ramsay, who was named the Jefferson County Secondary Teacher of the Year last month, moved ahead in the Alabama Teacher of the Year competition by being named the nominee from her State Board of Education District. Ramsay is one of eight secondary school teachers to move through the bracket, along with eight high school teachers. A committee will narrow these down to the “Final Four” later this month, then select overall winners in May.

Obama signs Congressional “STOCK Act.” The preisdent signed Wednesday a new law which has local ties. The Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act, prohibits members of both legislative bodies and their staffs from using non-public information gained through their position to trade stocks and deriviatives, among other investments. The issue came to public light after the book “Throw Them All Out” accused several high-ranking members of the House and Senate from profiting through stock and option trades, most prominently Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, who represents the Sixth District and northern Jefferson County.

Speaking of Bachus… The congressman’s office announced an event to be held at the Kimberly Fire and Rescue station on Wednesday night, but then cancelled it on short notice Tuesday afternoon. A press release indicated the event would be rescheduled “at a later date,” but gave no reason for the cancellation.

Updates here throughout the day, at our Facebook page, and on Twitter.